Date: Sun, 09 Apr 2000 05:15:46 EST From: Tulsa Oklahoma Subject: Peace Frogs: Chapters 2 and 3 This is a work of fiction. The author is not implying anything about the sexual orientation or actions of any celebrities involved. This is a work of fiction and is meant to entertain. --------------------------------------------------------------- Hey there! Here are the next few chapters! These are REALLY long, but hopefully they will bring out the characters each one of them are developing. Maybe a little a kissing? ;) Woo woo ka choo! Anyway, Thank you for ALL the great E-mails, even the couple with some idea's on where to go! It's invaluable! I'd also like to dedicate this chapter to Charlie. No stronger power than in old friendships! ------------------------------------------------------------------ <> It was early morning. Josh opened his eyes slowly, feeling his exhaustion. Was it a dream? Did he actually leave at about 10:30 like normal, then just head to bed and dream that Nsync had been to his shop? What a vivid dream. Could have sworn it happened. Josh rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. He sat there for a minute to make sure he was awake enough to walk. "Man," he thought, "if it was a dream, I honestly don't remember driving home and coming to bed before it began." He shook the idea off. The water was warm this morning, making him sigh a little. He lingered in the shower, with his head resting against the wall and the warm water hitting him between his shoulder blades, then slowly cascading down his back, past his round and manly butt, only to trickle slowly down his calves. A long journey. One thought plagued him about the night before. If it was a dream (however vivid his memory was, how often do pop sensations just turn up in Oklahoma he convinced himself), then it made sense. He was adding in details he wanted to be true. But if last nights events did in fact happen, then he was confused. Josh would almost be willing to swear that at the end of the night when Justin was giving him the tickets, their eyes had met. And in that meeting, He had seen a glimmer in Justin's eyes. A glimmer very similar to the glimmer in many of the young gay men who came to Peace Frogs for acceptance. A glimmer of longing. A glimmer of someone looking for love. For his niche in the world. "The tickets! That's it! The fricking tickets!", Josh said out loud, then hurriedly turned off the water. He opened the door to his shower stall and stepped out. He looked around, dripping on to his yellow, fish shaped rug. "Gotcha!", he said, grabbing the blue towel he was looking for. With one quick move, he had wrapped it around his waist, humbly covering his manhood. He shot out of the bathroom and turned the corner. Without thinking, he headed down the spiral staircase directly in front of him. The feel of the cold iron railing took his mind off his pursuit for a moment. When he reached the bottom, he snapped back into focus. "The damn tickets," he said smiling. He looked around the room that surrounded the bottom of his staircase. It was his family room. He hadn't gone all out decorating it yet. It was too hard. This was the house Austin had designed when they were just juniors in high school. It was gut wrenching trying to fulfill the dream of someone you've lost. But nonetheless, he had gotten two maroon leather couches that faced each other. They sat directly in front of where Josh stood. On the far wall stood the large, Sante Fe styled fireplace, still unused. The house was completed two months ago. Two months after he lost Austin. Or Austin was stolen from him, Josh thought. Josh turned to his right and headed into the hall that lead to the kitchen. He entered the large, modern kitchen. He stopped for a second and thought. "The wash room!". He shouted. He always dropped his keys on top of the dryer since it was right off the Garage, the tickets must be there! He suddenly felt like he was a big game hunter in search of a Zebra...or even better, he thought. A lion. Josh, feeling happier than he had been in months for some unknown reason, began walking with his knees bent. Almost in a stalking manner. He grabbed a spatula off the counter in the kitchen as he headed to the laundry room. He began holding the spatula like it was a rifle. "And our hunter...or bloody hero has the lion, king of all beasts, in his sight....," Josh says in a very sad attempt at an English accent. It came out as more of a cross between an Australian and his great Aunt from the Bronx. Her accent was as thick as her mustache, he thought. "Cheerio! Ayuh!", Josh bellowed, picking up the two tickets and two backstage passes Justin had given him the night before. "Definitely was NOT a dream," he said softly, stomach filling with butterflies. "But who do I take...," Josh asked himself, standing in the middle of his laundry room with his blue towel tightly wrapped just under his strongly defined ab's. Exercising had become a way of coping when his parents rejected him. He kick boxed. Ran miles and miles until he had worn holes in the bottom of his Adidas Samba soccer shoes. His pain manifested itself in physical activity. Which he wasn't complaining, it kept him feeling and looking good....about his body at least. "Chase....," he sighed in a fluster. Josh knew if he did not take Chase to meet Nsync, he would NEVER hear the end of it. And Chase had come so far, he thought it was a perfect idea. Josh walked back out of the laundry room into the kitchen with the tickets and passes in his hands and his riffle (spatula) tucked safely in his arm pit. Never know when a wild boar could hop out of his trash compactor, he thought in jest. Josh walked back through the family room with just the couches and fireplace filling it's lonely spaces and headed up the spiral staircase again. He got to the top and made his way back to his bedroom. He was still focused on the tickets and passes in his hand. As if he was in shock. He entered the master bedroom, which was as sparsely decorated as the family room. The king size bed, which was a tall canopy bed made from pine logs occupied the wall to the right of the doorway. Across from the bed was his dresser. The only two pieces of furniture that occupied the room, if you didn't count the U-haul box he used as a night stand next to the bed. Josh carefully tossed the tickets, backstage passes and the spatula (he couldn't believe he forgot to put it back on the counter) onto the bed. He quickly slipped his thumb into the towel, and undid it. He stood there for a moment in all his glory thinking he was going to be late to Peace Frogs this morning, but not really caring. What was he thinking!? He had NEVER been late to work since he had opened it. Josh used the towel that had been around his waste when he went on Safari downstairs to dry his hair then wipe the beads of water off his warm chest. He threw the towel on the floor of his large walk in closet, which was customary for Josh. Something, he thought, that drove Austin and his Mom up the wall. He pushed the thought out of his head. Both were people he loved, and both were people he had lost. Austin, by fate's cruel hand and his mother...... Well, his mother he lost by his fathers hatred for "limp wristed fags" was the term he had used when he threw Josh out of the house. Even though Josh was no where near a limp wristed fag. Although, some of his friends were, he was a very average, macho guy. He liked sports and a good beer now and again, not interior decorating and a little champagne. After he was sure he had banished the thought to the dungeon in the bottom of his heart, he made his way from the closet doorway over to the large dresser. He pulled out a pair of his small, white Hanes briefs. He then looked in the middle drawer for an undershirt. He picked the one closest to the top. He pulled the shirt on first. It was tight on his muscular biceps, and showed traces of his well shaped ab's through it. He then bent over and slipped first his right leg into the briefs, then followed by the left. He stood up and pulled the tight briefs all the way up his slender form. After he did the necessary "adjusting" in the briefs, he pulled out a pair of khaki colored slacks and a baby blue, fitted shirt from his closet. Stepping over not only his towel from this morning, but the towels from mornings past. He walked to the bed and placed the shirt and slacks next to the tickets. "The tickets!", he thought. "Got to go call Chase." With that, Josh walked to the office which was the door directly across from the master bedroom. He walked over to the computer desk in the middle of the room and picked up the cordless phone. He looked through his list of the kids who were regulars at Peace Frogs searching Chase's number. He knew he had it, because Chase often times worked for him behind the coffee bar when Chase needed some spare money. He located the number and punched it into the Motorola cordless phone. "Hello?", Chase said. "Chase, this is God. I want you to stop all that masturbating...," Josh said in a deep voice with a wide, mischievous grin spread from ear to ear. "Dad?", Chase said startled. Josh was rolling with laughter. "No, wise guy, it's Josh." "Oh, ha ha ha, Josh. I was sleeping, what a great way to wake someone up you diva," was Chase's reply. "Diva? Doubtful. Anyway, how much do you love me, Chase?", josh asked, still smiling a little bit. He knew he was going to make Chase's day. Chase grinned. "Look, I told you. You're a nice guy...but I am TOO much man for you. Your head would just pop off. Then my favorite hangout would close. So no, I won't go with you." Chase finished. He knew Josh could not possibly have a comeback to that. Victory. "Okay, then I'll give your bud Jason this extra ticket and backstage pass to the Nsync concert tonight," Josh said and hung up the phone. He sat on the edge of the desk in his briefs and T-shirt, looking almost like one of those underwear models your see in the Sears ad on Sunday. Lord knows he had the looks. Josh began a count down on his fingers. 5......4.......3......2........The phone rang. "Pizza hut...We make it fresh, Josh said when he answered. "YOU ARE KIDDING!?!?!?", Chase screamed. Josh laughed. "No." "You have a ticket and BACK STAGE PASS?", Chase said, screaming the last part. "No. I have two," Josh replied. "Look, I need to get to Peace, of you want the ticket, come up and I'll think of some chores I need done," Josh said. "Dude, I was joking. I'll go out with you," Chase said in a joking voice. "Puuuuuuh-leeeeease," Josh said in an "as-if" manner, "just get up there," Josh said then hung up the phone. << CHAPTER THREE: What A Day >> He walked back into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, put on his deodorant then went back to his awaiting clothes. He quickly threw on his clothes, scared to look at the clock and see how late he was running. He finally forced himself to look at his watch. 8:15 am, and Pe, todayace Frogs is supposed to open 8:30. No big deal, today was the day he drove 15 minutes to Bixby to pick up the coffee he'd need for the week and to say hello to his Aunt Faye. He would be at least 15 minutes late. Josh grabbed his wallet, keys and shoes and headed down to the garage. He went quickly through the house and out the door to the garage. He threw his brief case he carried in the back of his Durango as he climbed up into the seat. He slipped on his shoes while the exterior garage door opened. "Come on," he said impatiently as he watched the rear view mirror as the door went up slower than ever, at least he thought so. Success! It was up! He wasted no starting his SUV up, and throwing her in reverse, making sure to wait to see if the garage door shut all the way before he drove off.
Josh had made it out to Bixby, grabbed the coffee and kissed his Aunt Faye on the cheek. He explained he was late and Aunt Faye understood. Aside from Josh's sister, Aunt Faye was the only family that still spoke to Josh.
Josh was on the high way headed to the wooded little lot Peace Frogs sat on when he felt a jerk and knew right away what that thumping noise was. Blow out.
"Give me a break! Just one stinking break!", he shouted and slammed his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. Josh knew he was in trouble. Normally, he would have just changed the tire, but since the spare tire he had was the one now laying limp and flat under the rim of his rear, drivers side rim......Josh was screwed, or so he thought. He had gotten a flat a month ago, and never got around to buying a new tire, so he had been driving on the spare. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He laid his head on his hands which rested on the steering wheel for a moment. After letting his anger subside, he turned into the back seat and pulled his cell phone out of his briefcase.
"Hey, Jenn. It's Josh. Can you get free for about 30 minutes. I've got a flat, and already 20 minutes late getting to the Frogs," Josh said.
"Absolutely!", Jennifer said. Jennifer and Josh had met doing a musical for a small theater in Tulsa during the summer between their sophomore and junior year in high school. Instant bond.
"Where are you exactly?", Jenn asked softly.
"At the exit right before 101st street, headed north," Josh answered with gratefulness in his voice. "You are simply a goddess."
"Yeah, yeah. Feed me grapes and fan me when I get there.", Jenn said. "See you in a couple".

Josh had finally arrived at Peace Frogs, opened up and treated all the people who had been waiting to free coffee and free cookies. He felt horrible, but the cookies and coffee's more than made up for it in the eyes of the patrons. The day seemed to drag on forever. The guy he had called to tow his truck and fix the tire had delivered his "baby" about 3:00pm. Peace Frogs was swamped by then. They were always busy in the afternoon, but the concert that evening had got everyone out and about in excitement. Josh made arrangements for Robert, one of the guys who worked at Peace full time, to close down that night, so Josh could go to the concert. As he was heading out the door at about 4:00pm, Chase came speeding into the gravel lot in his little miata.
"Good of you to show up", Josh said, walking to his truck and inspecting his new tire and spare under the tail.
"My mom. You know my mom. She went to the mailbox today and left the door open a crack, all 50,000 of her cats got out. I have been scratched, bitten and hissed at since 8:45 this morning", Chase said showing his cuts and knicks to josh.
"Acceptable", Josh said. "Lock your car, and ride with me. I have to go change and get the tickets."
"That sounds an awfully like you asking me out, Chuck", Chase said smiling goofily at Josh. josh ignored him and got into his Durango. He put in Nsync's new CD, just so he would be well versed in the music for tonight. A couple minutes later, Chase hopped up into the passenger seat. They were off.
They arrived at Josh's house. He quickly changed, brushed his teeth, checked the hair. Short, blonde and spiked. Looking Cute. He sprayed some cologne on...just for good measure. He walked to his bed, grabbed the tickets and the passes and headed down. Chase was playing with the motorcycle Josh had in his garage.
"Let's go, Knight Rider", josh said. Chance got back into the passenger seat.
"Knight Rider drove a little camaro, C.H.I.P.S. were the ones on motorcycles", Chase said.
They were on their way...nervously.
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