Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 18:59:43 -0700 (PDT)
From: NAU Representative <naupres@yahoo.com>
Subject: Music Shatters Ice - Part 1

Welcome to my first story. I don't have much to say other than enjoy part
1.  If you have any comments hopefully good ones, feel free to email me.

Paws

DISCLAIMER: Remember this story is fiction and is not intended to imply
anything about the true sexuality of the celebrities mentioned or any
personal knowledge about their private lives. And if you are underage go
somewhere else, this is not for you and you should wait a few years.

Music Shatters Ice

Part 1: Bad Morning

The more and more I live I find out that I am starting to have less time
for myself and what I like to do, but I don't mind.  I'm having fun and I
intend to keep having fun.  I guess I should do a little explaining.  My
names Jace Taylor, I'm 5'11, weigh 160 pounds on the button, 21 years of
age, and just happen to be gay.  With my short brown hair and my puppy dog
brown eyes, most people I come in contact with think I'm attractive.  I am
hardly ever hit on because I have a look that I'm continually busy, but I
don't let it deter me, I just keep chugging along.  Yeah, that's one of my
best qualities, diligence.  Even my parents have been trying to hook me up
with good looking girls for some time now.  Sure they may be great friends
but definately not what I'm looking for in a partner.  My family has always
thought itself to be close knit. Mom and dad usually were the ones that
thought that the most.  My brother and sister thought the opposite and
tried to escape the house as often as necessary.  Chance (22 years), Zelda
(24 years), and me have always been there for each other.  Us three and
only three.  But sometimes me and Chance have been known to be on bad
terms.  We know all secrets about each other and don't hide anything.  But
this is my story not the family's, so this is how it began.

Saturday, my off day from classes, had finally arrived and I had finally
saved up enough money to buy a CD that I have been hunting for years.
Money around me had been scarce for quite a while with University tuition
sucking it all up, and I was not about to let this opportunity to slide
through my fingers.

The morning woke me with the sun's rays coming through the window's blinds
and falling upon my face.  I was not a morning person at all. I would need
at least thirty minutes of television to fully wake up.  Mostly my wake up
television was the news, but as I went into the living room I dressed as I
watched.  Opening the window blinds to get more light into the room I
noticed that the answering machine light was on.  I pressed play and
listened.

"Jace, this is Coach Roberts, on Saturday I have scheduled a team practice
and meeting for 3pm.  It will be a discussion about the games we play this
year.  I look forward to your input."

Yeah, Coach Roberts is one of my role models, with an over six hundred wins
and a little over one hundred losses he is one of the best coaches around.
And if you are wondering what role I play in all of this, I am the
Volunteer Assistant Coach of the Steeds.  Although I am young, my abilities
to quickly put plays together are highly rated among those elsewhere in
NCAA Division I Ice Hockey.  This meeting is probably my feelings of the
other teams we will be facing.

Slipping my cell phone onto jeans, I grabbed my hockey hat off the rack and
the car keys off the table.  Everytime I leave the house and Zelda is not
trailing behind begging to take her to practice with me, is a good day.
Fortunately, Chance was the only one awake and he was just getting into the
shower when I left so there was no way he could have told Zelda unless he
screamed at the top of his lungs to wake her up.  I escaped out of the
door.

Outdoors, the ground was covered with a light dusting of snow.  The weather
had let up in the past few days, so that was a pretty good thing.  Getting
in my car I rushed off to Blockbuster Music.  I knew Janelle was working
today and could help me find my CD easily.  I have been looking for an 80s
CD of Huey Lewis and the News, and one in particular for over seven years
without any luck.  Finally it had arrived.  Blockbuster was organized so
that it was just off center of the middle of the mall so you would have to
travel a short ways to get there and be tempted by other merchandise in the
different stores.  I was not one to be tempted, especially today.

Stepping foot into Blockbuster, I noticed a long line at the checkout where
Janelle was.  I got near enough to her so that she had picked up on my
presence.

"Oh hi Jace.  What brings you in today?" Janelle said as she continued to
service customers.

"You know perfectly well what I'm doing here."

"That's right you came for the CD.  Sorry, but when we opened today that
was one of the first things to be sold."

"But you just opened forty minutes ago."

It was only 8:40 in the morning.  She had to be lying.

"Yeah, we did and we still have one copy left.  Another came in shipping
late last night."

"So where is it?" I questioned.

"Its to the far back and to the right in the Young Adults turning Oldies
section." She said laughing.

She knew that I loved 80s music, so what could I say.

"Be back in a second with my checkout." I commented and left her alone with
the customers.

"Let's see far back and to the right." I hadn't been in the store for
months and during my absence it had been reorganized to the point where I
couldn't recognize the interior of where all the music categories were.

Coming to the back corner I saw the section, and there it was gleaming in
all its glory.  My CD, my musical CD that I have waited so long for.  I
raced over to it like a kid in a candy store and plucked it off the rack,
but not before I had hit something hard soon afterwards.  I quickly blacked
out not seeing what I hit.

* * *

I awoke to the sounds of Janelle belittling someone above me.

"You think you can come in here dressed as an 80s wannabe with your
baseball hat, denim jacket, yellow sunglasses, and start flailing your arms
around as if you were in a circus." She spat.

I had to make a mental note to thank Janelle for kicking me when I was
down, an 80s wannabe, how cruel can she be by calling someone that name.
That's my nickname she gave to me.

"You have done enough damage to the store.  It would be best if you were to
leave." She told the other customer.

I was watching the scene since I had awakened about fifteen seconds prior
and saw the customer waive his hands up at her like he was innocent and
quickly walked out of the door, readjusting his black cap and glasses.  I
groaned from the thinly carpeted floor.

"Come on Jace, you've been on the ground far too long get up.  You weren't
hit that hard." She said smiling trying to make me feel better.

"Oh yeah, let's see how you like waking up on the ground not knowing what
happened to you." I said wanting an explanation if she knew.

"Alright you want to know.  I was coming over to help after I had finished
with my last customer in line.  The next thing I see is you lay your hands
on a CD and some other guy spins around with his arm and hits you in your
chest sending you hurtling to the floor with a smile on your face.  You
were probably already out at the time, but hadn't realized it since you
still had the CD in your hand and were gripping it like a life preserver."

"Wow that's some action just for coming to get a CD."

"So you still want it?" Janelle asked smiling.

I said nothing as I pulled her arm to the register to check out.

"Alright I can take a hint." She said.

I quickly paid for my CD and left the store.  My back was so sore, I think
I landed on it a little harder than I had originally thought.  Trying to
get into the car was fun.  I winced as my back touched the seat.  I finally
fixed the seat so that it wouldn't hurt, I leaned forward and began to find
a good song on the radio to drive with.  Sometimes its good to hear what
the radio is playing and not have the CD player on all the time.  Finally
settling on a station and one of my favorite's WZYP, I buckled my seatbelt
and adjusted my mirrors.  Before I had the chance to actually look in them,
something had crashed into the rear of my car sending me to the steering
wheel.  My head hit the steering wheel, but not hard enough to do injury.
The pain though, the pain was like an intense headache.  I groaned as I put
laid my head completely back on the headrest for a second.  "Someone must
have it out for me today.  Either that or the rest of today is going to be
a really bad day."  I groaned again and continued to rest my head for a few
seconds more.  Apparently that was a few seconds too long for when I
realized there was some guy standing outside my car window almost in a
hysterical nature.  He looked all too familiar.  Oh great, he was the same
guy that was in the store.  My angel of death arriveth.  Let's hear what he
has to say.  Getting by head back up, I twisted it to one side and then the
other getting it stretched out.  I exited my car and then it began, the
barrage of questions.

"What are you doing?  You shouldn't be getting up.  You look like you hurt
your neck the way you had it against the headrest.  You want me to call an
ambulance."

Ok now this guy was starting to get on my nerves just a bit.  It felt like
he was already fitting me for my casket and gravesite.

"Whoa, slow down. I'm fine.  I don't need an ambulance."

"I'm sorry I never had an accident before."

"Well everyone has theirs sooner or later."

"What do you suggest we do?"

Was this guy kidding? He looked to be in his early to mid twenties and he
was asking me what to do? Alright he may be nieve, but I'll play along.

"Normally in this stage we exchange insurance information and telephone
numbers."

I reached into my car and grabbed my insurance and one of my cards which
had my phone number on it from underneath the driver's seat.  The guy
immediately looked away from me.  Uh oh, we have a major problem here. He
spoke slowly and clearly.

"Well, I don't have insurance, and I hardly ever give my telephone out to
anyone."

This left me completely shocked.  Two years ago the state had passed a law
making it mandatory that each driver had some sort of car insurance and at
least partial coverage incase the other party is injured.  If caught, fines
would be in the thousands, for there were more additions to driving without
insurance, it was like driving without a license. Oh and without the
insurance, you were immediately ticketed for being a reckless driver.

"No insurance, you've got to be kidding me?  Do you know what type of
trouble you can get yourself into?  The state will probably fine you
thousands as well as bring you up on charges."

"Charges?  What charges? You're not suing me are you?"  He stated a little
to quickly.

Something was definately odd here.  I am like I said before very
observative, and the way this guy emphasized me, he either thinks of
himself as a hotshot or is someone important with a big ego.

"No, I'm not suing you.  I feel what you did was just a mere bump.  But the
state does not take too kindly on those without insurance.  They have a
name for people like that.  Reckless drivers."

As we were in the middle of this conversation, a police car pulled up and
the officer got out.  The mall security must have seen something happen and
radioed it in.  Looking at the way the cars were situated, he knew
immediately that the accident was no fault of mine and I was the victim.

"I see there has been an accident here." The officer pointed out.

Nice to know there are smart officers in the world.

"Yes I had just gotten in my car, when I was struck from behind."

It was pretty obvious that the car slid on the ice.

"Is that what happened?" The officer asked the other guy.

The other guy answered a meek, "Yes."

"Alright this is pretty cut and dry then." He turned to me then. "Would you
like to press any charges."

"No." I answered simply.

"Have you already exchanged insurance and numbers?"

"No, I blurted out. I have insurance, but he doesn't." I said as I gave the
officer my card with my number and other information.

"Oh great." Was all the officer replied before he pulled out a big
notebook. "Name?"

"James 'Lance' Bass." He said softly.

I took the opportunity to write down the name.

"Number?" I asked, which he quickly gave.  At that I took the opportunity
to leave and let the officer have his fun with this person.

"The name is familiar." The cop said.

"It should be, I'm part of the band Nsync."

"Ah yes.  Well Mr. Nsync, let's go down to the station.  You have some
documents to fill out."

Lance sighed and left to go to headquarters to comply with the officer.