"One fucking month in jail. Why did I deserve this?" he thought.

The guard unlocked the cell and motioned for Joey to exit. Joey sat up and rubbed his eyes, still not believing that it he was actually getting out. He stood and walked out of the cell, not looking at the guard, not regarding his surroundings in any particular way.

********

"You're such a sleaze, Joe," JC said whapped Joey's hands, which were massaging JC's shoulders, but had crept down his sides and rested on either side of JC's groin.

"I thought you liked your massages this way," Joey said. He moved his hands back up to JC's shoulders and continued to rub out the ever present tension.

"Yeah, I do -- but not from you," JC said.

Joey sighed. "Well, Chris isn't here, is he?" he said. "He's out with his 'girlfriend' while you, my friend, are stuck here with me-."

"Joe, you don't have to point it out to me," JC said. He turned around and glared at Joey. "In fact, I'd rather you not mention it at all."

Joey took his hands off JC and moped off to the kitchen. He reached into the fridge and grabbed the first beverage that his hand wrapped around.

From the living room, JC yelled "Could you bring me one of those, too?"

"I thought you didn't like beer," Joey said.

"I like beer tonight," JC said.

Joey felt that that was a qualifying answer, and grabbed another beer. He walked back into the living room and flopped back down next to JC. "Here," he said and held a beer in front of JC's face.

"Aren't you going to open it for me?" JC asked.

Joey rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, I forgot," he said. "Chris always opens your beer for you if you drink." He twisted the top and roughly handed the bottle to JC.

They repeated this several times, sans dialogue, until Joey turned off the TV.

"Whatcha do that for?" JC asked. "I wanted to see how Microsoft stock was doing?"

"Microsoft stock that Chris owns," Joey said.

"You know, Joey, you don't have to play this game with me," JC said.

"What game?" Joey said.

"Your little jealously game," JC said. "You can't stand to see Chris and me together, can you?"

Joey closed his eyes, refusing to answer.

"You had your chance, Fatone," JC said. "But you fucked it up with me 'cause you had a problem keeping your pants zipped!"

Joey stood up and shoved beer bottles off the table. "JC. He doesn't fucking love you," he said. "Why the hell do you think he hasn't broken up with Dani?"

JC stared, eyes wide, mouth beginning to crumble.

"Yeah, JC, that's what I thought," Joey said. He picked up his sweater off the floor and headed out the door.

Joey pounded on the wheel as he pulled off the road. He knew he shouldn't be driving in this condition, but he had to get away from JC.

He heard a car pull up behind him, a door shut, footsteps, a knock on his window.

He unrolled his window and looked up into the face of a police officer.

*********

Joey had been charged with a DUI, on top of the fact that his car registration had expired and was driving without a license. He had been shown no mercy. One month, in jail -- Florida had become serious about cracking down on drunk driving, and wasn't going to let Joey go without thinking about his actions.

Sure as the fucking world turned he had thought about his actions. All he thought about was the way he had left JC, angered and hurt. JC probably wouldn't talk to him once he was out.

Lance had visited once, other than that, he hadn't talked to any of them since he had been sentenced.

He strode out of the jail corridor, and collected his belongings at a window to his left. He walked out into the office area and dropped everything.

Standing with his arms folded and a somber smile on his face, was JC -- in the most radiant emerald green shirt Joey had ever seen.

All month, all Joey had seen was grey, white, drab blue. Monotonic surroundings that had numbed his senses.

Joey walked up to JC, who welcomed him with a warm hug. "You were right, Joey. He doesn't love me," JC whispered into Joey's ear.

End.

Originally written as an *Mprov on 10/27/00, with the words prison guard, Microsoft, emerald, sleaze.