Joel and Kroos were back on the highway and heading into town before Joel started,
"Were you serious back there?"
"About what Joel?" Kroos gave the occasional curious glance at passing cars and even a truck, not sure where Joel might be going with this. But with the day taking a new turn, he was almost dreading what Joel meant by the question.
"About you and... Arn... y'know... not getting into it."
"Oh that!" Kroos had to bite his lip to keep from laughing, "yes quite serious. We hardly did more than what you saw before he sent you looking for Jerry."
"You gotta be bullshitting me right?"
"Why would I lie?"
"I don't know..." Joel concentrated on his driving again, taking the first city exit he saw "I don't know, maybe you might not want to tell me about it in case I..."
"In case you..." Kroos looked at the passing buildings calmly. He had to stear this conversation before Joel ran it into a wall "you would become jealous?"
"What?!?!?" Joel decelerated so fast he almost had the car behind him hit his horn. Kroos first thought it was a panic reaction, but Joel was slowing for the entrance to a fast food drive-thru.
"We are eating here?" Kroos looked at it, a bit surprised.
"Why? Y'wanna go someplace else?"
"No... it is just when John suggested we get something to eat -- "
"Didn't think he'd wanna go where we're going, is all" and pulled up to order "so is this okay?"
"Sure it is fine" Kroos started to reach into his pants "let me give you money."
"It's on me" Joel winked "you're such a good st-sport" Joel almost said "stud" but noticed the microphone could hear them now. He ordered for them both, there was a bit of an argument when they pulled up to the window, but Joel was on the winning side of the jeep. So they grabbed the food and continued driving into town, stealing bites as they went.
"You know it is not safe to eat and drive at the same time" Kroos said with a mouthful of food. Man the big guy could pack away the food. Joel felt a bit guilty. The dude was fucking starving!
"We gotta get where we're going" he saw a passing clock. Three-fifty-five.
They were late.
"Where is that Joel?" Kroos gave him a direct look then. The kid was planning something and it showed! Joel was many things, but a poker player no.
"Well after all this goofin around, being lazy and horny, not getting our butts workin I think we need to get some real exercise... wait!" Joel saw a drugstore coming up on the right and looked at Kroos "you by any chance carrying any blank scripts?"
"WHAT!?!?!" Kroos almost flew out of his seat, the seat belt hardly slowing him down "what did you say?"
"You know prescription blanks... for when you -- "
"I know what you said!" Kroos almost tried to stop Joel from pulling into the parking lot.
"Well do you? Have any on you?"
"Even if I did - which I most assuredly do not! - I am not going to let you use this weekend to force me to write prescriptions so you and your friends can get drugs!"
"What? You think I -- "
"Tha answer is no, Joel. I'm not going to provide you or anybody with steroids or anything else -- "
"Kroos you are like trippin!" Joel pulled into a parking spot and turned off the engine "that's not what I'm talking about!"
"I do not care! The answer is -- "
"Well we just can't go waltzing in there and get Viagra off the counter can -- "
"Viagra!?!?!" Kros looked at him, and his anger turned to outraged amusement "you want Viagra?"
"Yeah doc!" Joel looked at him a bit ticked "you really think we'd be - I'd be dumb enough to use fuckin roids?" he punched him "I'm stupid but I ain't THAT stupid!"
"But Joel you're still a teenager! You don't need Viagra!"
"Ain't for me doc" Joel looked into Kroos' crotch "I'm thinking for you!"
"But I don't need Viagra either!"
"Don't make me pull the I-say-you-do! doc. Do you have any scripts?"
"Hell no!" he looked around a bit nervously "I do not carry them like business cards! What if they were stolen?"
"Do you have them other than at the office?"
"Well yes...I have some at my apartment..."
"Okay, where's that?" and Joel pulled out and headed back to the street.
"Joel no I really... I should not -- "
"Where's your place?"
"On seventh, but -- "
"Okay we're goin!" and Joel turned around and continued heading east. Hell, if he could talk Kroos into this they might lose ten, fifteen minutes tops! After a great deal of arguing, Kroos gave him directions to his place, which was only about five blocks from the YMCA, and maybe six from the drugstore. They pulled up in front and Joel laid in on the line,
"Okay Kroos go in and get one script, all we need is maybe a half dozen of those things okay?"
"Joel you know this is wrong do you not?"
"It'd be wrong if I was plannin on sellin'm or somethin yeah. But for what we have in mind... it'll make it easier for you okay?"
"Make what easier?" Kroos opened the door "what is this for and why do I need to be..."
"C'mon doc we're late already. Y'gonna do it or does the weekend end here and I go back and tell the doc the whole deal's off and all the shit hits the fan -- "
"Joel you cannot say I have not been cooperative -- "
"If you're not back in two minutes..." he pointed at the car display "I mean it!"
"You better be here!" Kroos stormed off and galloped into his apartment.
Joel sat in the car, the sudden quiet of the street coming up and suffocating him. Just what the fuck was he doing? Did he really think for one second he could get away with this stunt? His luck had been holding so far, but now sitting here, the clock ticking... and who knows what would be waiting for them at the Y? Maybe nothing? Maybe the whole police force? Joel chewed his fingernail, sensing the tide turning. Up to this point it had all been one big happy sex spree, with Kroos on a leash it seemed. The idea of having the big stud performing like one big hairy pull-toy had been so intoxicating to this point, Joel never thought about the implications or the consequences of what they had been doing. Hell, that guy back there was a g.d. cop, Joel! What if he had - but he hadn't! Joel reminded himself. He hadn't run them both in for... hell, the list was as long as the skidmark he laid pulling up in front of this place. Joel knew this little weekend of fun and games had been a "private" affair so far. But that was about to change. Big time! Before he had a chance to second-guess himself again, Kroos was coming out the door and coming down the walk.
He got into the car and nodded,
"You said we were in a hurry right?"
"Yeah.. right!" Joel snapped out of it and started the car. As he y-turned back towards the drugstore, he gave Kroos a look, but Kroos was staring straight ahead. He was not happy about this.
They returned to the drugstore, and Joel found a spot in the first row. Without saying anything, Kroos got out and went through the automatic doors.
Joel went back to chewing his nails. This time in earnest.
After a few minutes, Joel started panicking again. What if Kroos slipped out the backdoor? What if he was calling... the cops? The doc? His dad? Who? Maybe it would not be a good idea to be sitting here when all hell broke loose!
Joel took the keys and got out of the truck, heading for the entrance to see if Kroos was still inside! As he approached the door he saw Kroos at the check-out. Their eyes met. Kroos waved him back and finished paying for several bags of items. Joel stood at the door when he emerged,
"Why were you -- " Kroos handed him two of the bags and headed back to the truck.
"I didn't know if..."
"If what? I decided to leave?"
"Well... yeah" Joel got into the truck, guilt and worry all over his face.
"I would not have gone very far without my keys right?" Kroos gave him a look "right?"
"Okay I'm sorry... I guess."
"For what?"
"I dunno..." Joel backed out and headed for the street. They were heading back east "for doubting you? Maybe for getting scared?"
"Look Joel" Kroos exhaled a deep breath "at this point I have no choice but to go along with you okay? And yes, trust you. And that means you must trust me too right?"
"Shit... okay... yeah."
"So where we going?" Kroos pulled a plastic medicine vial from the bag "and your expectation is you still want me to take one of these, correct?"
"Shit Kroos... now I feel like an ass... I dunno..." but he kept going towards the Y "shit after everything today... yeah... I should trust you some too I guess..."
"Yes or no?" Kroos took one out and held it.
"Okay it's up to you okay?"
"To show you I trust you..." and he swallowed it. As they turned the corner, Kroos pulled a bottle of sports drink from the bag and started downing it. When they parked next to the Y, he handed one to Joel,
"Tell me you did not let yourself get dehydrated back there!"
Joel took it and drank half of it "thanks. You're right."
"Now you trust me, correct?"
"Fuck Kroos I haveta trust you" Joel went to work on the next fingernail "you could bust me up so bad-"
"I am not sure what 'bust you up' means, but you need to trust me now" Kroos took another swig "the first thing is I need one of those cards John gave you-"
"What? So you can call him and get me-"
"Remember? Trust?" Kroos knew he could ask Joel to do a head-stand in the middle of the street and he would do it now. But Kroos knew how important that card was. When Joel reached in his pocket and handed him one, Kroos almost sighed with the relief. Even Joel noticed it.
"Why's that so important?" Joel finished the bottle and there was Kroos handing him another "you so hot to get into his pants again?"
"Maybe we both are?" Kroos grabbed Joel in the crotch almost christening his new upholstery in the process. But the distraction worked "now we are in a hurry? To go where?"
"Right here doc, right here" Joel grabbed his gymbag and towels, while Kroos threw two more bottles of the sports drinks into a bag and they got out of the truck. Kroos fell into step with Joel as he barreled for the front door.
"So this is what I needed the Viagra for?" he looked at Joel as they entered the metal doors.
"Okay maybe a little extreme" Joel stepped into the cool air-conditioned space, his raspy voice echoing slightly off the hard surfaces "guess the sun just been fryin my brain..."
"Or frying something else" Kroos nodded at Joel's crotch as they came up to the counter.