Stuck Chronicle (Part 35 - The Deats)

[Xavier B]

That Monday, it was scholastic business as usual for both Joel and Lyle. They both had a couple of months left before the end of the semester. Lyle met up with his friend Ian, a year his junior in college. Like Lyle himself, Ian loved seeing guys get stuck, though he was strictly a passenger/spectator. His favorite hobby was recording stucks, usually in secret—many of the videos went onto his blog.
When Lyle gave him the details of the showdown and the day after, Ian beamed.
“I can’t believe Mick LOST!” Ian exclaimed. “Though, I’ve seen your guy in action, too. Joel’s the real deal!”
“He sure is”, Lyle replied. “But to clarify, Mickey didn’t exactly LOSE to Joel—it was a tie. And They swore to duke it out again someday.”
“When they do, can I come?” Ian asked happily. “I’ve always wanted to add a showdown to my collection.”
Lyle raised. “For you blog? Or your PERSONAL stash?”
Ian turned red. “Depends…”, he replied softly.
“I see. Well, I’m sure they’d both love to see you again.”
“Oh really?!” Ian said happily. “It’s a date, then!”
They both laughed, but soon Lyle’s mood changed to serious.
“Speaking of Joel”, Lyle said, “he told me something interesting last weekend.”
Ian feigned surprise. “Oh, reeeealy?”
“He told me that he dropped you off at home, but when he tried to leave, he ended up getting his truck in your backyard.”
“Huh…”, Ian mumbled innocently.
Lyle leaned forward towards him. “Care to explain, Ian?”
“Okay, okay!” Ian said. “I maaaaaay have had the intention of trapping Joel in my yard…”
Lyle shook his head. One of Ian’s other hobbies was luring guys at their college (preferably SUV or truck drivers) to his house by asking for a ride home. His house was at the end of a long driveway, and either side of it was grassy. The only way for a car to get out of it was to either Reverse all the way back into the street, or by backing onto the grass and turning around. Most drivers did the latter.
After a certain “incident” occurred after a rainy day, Ian got the idea to saturate the grass using his sprinklers; every time the driver backed onto the driveway, they turned his front yard muddy and usually got themselves stuck. Ian would record these instances for future use.
“You’re not mad, are you?” Ian asked.
Lyle looked over at Ian. “Nah”, he replied. “And I don’t blame you—when I first met Joel, I recorded him too.”
“Right?!” Ian beamed. “And I swear I wasn’t gonna try anything on him. I just wanted to get his tires spinning.”
“I know, I know”, Lyle replied. “Sooooo, how’d HE take it?”
“We talked about it earlier today, after class”, Ian explained. “Joel said he didn’t mind getting stuck for me—he just didn’t like that I blindsided him like that.”
“I see.”
“But how do YOU feel about that?”
Lyle thought for a moment. “Honestly, I’m ok with it. Hell, maybe I’ll join you sometimes.”
Ian smiled. He always wondered what Lyle would look like commanding a powerful truck like Joel’s.
“Don’t worry, I won’t cross the line”, Ian said, his hand over his heart. “I mean…great as Joel is, my heart still belongs to Slick Mick.”
“Awwwww”, Lyle crooned. “I’ll be sure to let him know you said that!”
“Nooooooo!” Ian yelled mockingly, before bursting into laughter. Lyle soon erupted into laughter himself.
Once their laughter died down, Ian asked: “Got any plans for the summer?”
“Not yet”, Lyle replied. “You know how dry our summers are here—finding a place to get stuck is gonna be hard. My guess is, Mickey’s gonna take us to some of his spots outside of town.”
“Cool!” Ian said. “Mind if I tag along one day? Or maybe two?”
“I don’t mind”, Lyle said, “but run that by Mickey as well.”
Ian blushed. “Could…could YOU let him know I asked, instead?”
“Noooooope”, Lyle replied. “That’s all on you!”
“Awwwww man”, Ian sighed, as Lyle chuckled.
“In the meantime, though, we’re gonna tear this town’s grounds up before summer hits!” Lyle said with a smirk. “Rain Season’s upon us. That means maximum mudding!!”
They both cheered, then parted ways for the day.