Roadside Part two

[l0v3l1k3w1nt3r.livejournal.com]

Second part of 'Roadside'.

Word Count: 726 (wow... the first part was 1800+... o_0)

---

Tears begain to flood Chip's eyes. "Who's gonna take care of my kids?!"

"What the fuck, Ryan, we can handle the show without him!" Jeff argued.

"It's supposed to be a four man show. With Chip gone and no replacement, the order gets completely messed up."

"Screw the fucking order! You've got kids, aren't they the most important people in your life? Are are you a heartless bastard, just like what you sound right now?"

"I wouldn't be talking, Jeff!" Ryan roared. "As much as I want to let Chip go, it's not that simple! The theatre prepared for four performers, and that's what they want! Not to mention the fans will be disappointed. I am thinking of other people's feelings! I'm not some immature, thirty-something-year-old who plays around with women for a good screw!"
"FUCK YOU!" Greg restrained Jeff as best as he could, not wanting to get involved with the situation.

"What's the matter, Jeff? The spotlight too bright for you?" Ryan pulled on a mock tone. "'I feel like throwing up!' Attention whore!"

"YOU PRICK!"

"Why are you being such a jerk!?" Chip shouted, shaking in disbelief over this reality. He didn't need this at all; he just wanted to go home. That was all he wanted, and instead, received chaos. But he figured Ryan had realized his errors, and was trying to take two giant steps back.

"I-I'm sorry."

"Damn right you are!" Jeff barked. "You think it's so easy to fall in love with the right person nowadays, just because you've got your 20 year marriage and white picket fence. The girls I meet are too stupid, too fucking stuck up to dare think of wearing a rock around their finger. I'm not 22 anymore, and I know that! I'm a single 35 year old guy, and every year I'm finding it increasingly difficult to meet someone new, because I'm too old, or I seem too complex for the girl's tiny little brain to comprehend. Even if I'm the greatest looking guy at a bar, I'd probably 'break a hip' if I tried to pursue someone."

"You shouldn't expect so much, Jeff, if you're looking for love at a bar in California." Greg said softly.

"Yeah..." Jeff trailed off. "That's a point of idiocy in my part. But at least Chip gets to go home and look forward to someone. He deserves to go home more than I do."

"Don't fool yourself, Jeff." Chip tried to think of a positive excuse. "You've got your folks at home."

"Evey parent misses their kid." Ryan tried to speak again. "No matter how old you are, Jeff, you're still a child to your parents."

Greg began to chuckle to himself. "Hey guys? Does a pet ocelot count as a missed child?"

Chip snorted. "I expected you'd talk about Jennifer."

"Yeah." Greg playfully rolled his eyes. "I guess Jenny has to feed me too." They all couldn't help but give a small laugh.

"By the way, Ryan..." Ryan diverted his attention to Greg. "It really doesn't make a difference if Chip left or not. I'm sure the theater wouldn't mind. But... would you mind?"

Ryan paused slightly. "I'll sure as hell miss having him around. But Chip... if you really need to go, nothing's gonna stop you." Ryan watched as Chip shared a quiet thought in his head.

"I guess one last show won't hurt. I'll see if a friend can take care of the kids while I'm away." Ryan gave him a full embrace.

"I hope she gets better, Charles."

---

They were received by a loud, warm welcome by the audience, as each actor paraded onto the stage. The crowd hollered with laughter, as they went through their routine of games. During one point of Greatest Hits, Jeff's batter pack suddenly stopped working for a while, prompting Ryan to to his rescue.

"Need help, kid?" he asked under his breath kindly. Once his voice could be heard, Jeff uttered a thank you for all to hear.

With the concluding line of Story Telling, the quartet stood hand-in-hand in a row, bowing deeply to the great reception of the adoring crowd. They drank in every voice in the quiet of their hearts. After all their hard work, this was more than they could ever wish for. Even if the audience only appreciated the show.

Comments

[goblover.livejournal.com]

Wow, this was amazing. Have I said how much I love this story? Hm...I should mention it again. I really shouldn't read fanfic while being in Italian class, as people get weirded out by my reactions--Greg's line about the ocelot had me laughing.

And Jeff's screaming, man...I could hear it in my head. That's how good this is.

Keep up the good work! :D

[l0v3l1k3w1nt3r.livejournal.com]

I dunno... I think this part was a bit too short :/

But thanks for the lovely comment :D

[sungreen70.livejournal.com]

Aww yay, they all made up :) I would love to see more of this though. Like you commented yourself, the first part was so long and descriptive, then this one felt a bit rushed and wrapped up quickly. It was still very good, just kind of leaves me hanging. Is Chip's wife okay? Does Jeff ever find someone? Ya know? Nothing stopping you from continuing with another part! :)

Overall though a very nice story, and a good slice of life snapshot of their lives on the road.