Feelin' Jake - A Lambda Story tonywrestles2

It was Thursday night, the night Lambda House generally held their weekly frat meeting. Walker, claiming heavy studying to do, was absent; Buzz knew that he was still seething over the bet, and made a mental note to adjust the sophomore's attitude as soon as he got a chance. You had to maintain discipline, after all.

Everyone else was there: Beau, both the Jasons, Alex, Kyle, and Bruce. The pride of Lambda House. "Wait a minute," Buzz snapped. "Where's Jake?"

Everyone looked uncomfortable. "He's, uh, up in our room," Bruce said quietly.

Buzz swore under his breath. That was another one that he owed Brian when he finally got him in the ring. Ever since Brian's match with Jake--which had ended with the Lambda man being brutalized--Jake had withdrawn into himself. He went to just enough classes to keep himself from flunking out, went to the cafeteria to get food to bring back to the house, and otherwise shut out the rest of the world.

"That brings up a point, Buzz," Beau said. "I think it's time we did something about Jake."

"What do you mean, 'did something?'" Buzz asked.

Beau stood up. "Just bring Jake down to the Wreck Room," he said. "I'll show you." With that, he turned and left the room.

Buzz was momentarily taken aback, but he recovered quickly. "Okay, you jerks heard what he said," he said. "Bruce, get upstairs and get Jake. The rest of you, downstairs, now."

Jake refused to come downstairs when Bruce went to fetch him. Kyle went next, but after half an hour, there was still no sign of them. While they waited, Beau had the rest of them fold the chairs and stack them in the corners of the room, so that anyone who wanted to sit down had a choice of the floormats, the ring, or the cold cement floor. Then Beau ordered them all in the ring, and to seat themselves along the edge, leaving the center free.

"And when they get down here," he finished, "nobody says anything unless I give them the okay. Buzz, that includes you. Understood?" They looked puzzled, and Buzz a little irritated, but they agreed.

When Jake finally arrived, led by Kyle, the blond Pennsylvanian looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. Beau felt a twinge of sympathy for his frat brother, but he put it aside. "Come join us, gentlemen," he invited.

Jake was trembling, but with Kyle right behind him, he had nowhere to go but in the ring. He slowly climbed the stairs and through the ropes, then sat almost where he'd entered, leaving just enough room for Kyle to enter.

Beau nodded. "Good, we're all here," he began, then crossed to where Jake sat and squatted in front of him. "Jake, the reason we called you down here is because we're worried about you. You haven't been the same person for weeks now, and we don't like seeing you this way. If there's something we can do to help you, please, tell us."

Jake said nothing.

"Jake," Beau urged, "you can't keep on like this. One way or another, you're going to work through this thing. And you're not leaving here tonight until you do."

Still nothing.

Beau sighed. "Well, I guess there's only one way to get through to you," he said sadly.

And then he slapped Jake across the face.

As if a dam had burst, Jake roared with fury and charged Beau, tackling him around the waist and sending the two of them down in a tangle of arms and legs as the rest of the frat scrambled out of the ring. Beau ended up on top with a headlock, and wrapped his massive legs around Jake's midsection.

Jake pried Beau's legs apart by sheer muscle power and rolled away, leaving the suddenly-unsupported Beau to flop belly-down on the mat. Leaping on his foe, Jake clamped on a full nelson and ground Beau's face into the mat.

Beau pushed up with his hands and got to all fours, then rolled forward with Jake still holding onto him. Beau ended up on top and drove a fist hard into Jason's gut.

The two brawled like little boys, twisting each other's heads in headlocks and digging hard punches into each other's sides. Jake finally abandoned the headlock and flipped Beau onto his back. He interlaced Beau's les into a minicrab, but Beau twisted out of it and shoved Jake away from him.

The two men sprang to their feet, but before Jake could attack, Beau put his palm forward to stop him. "Well, I guess you're back to normal," he said.

Jake, about to charge, stopped and stared stupidly at Beau for a long second. Then the sheer insanity of the whole thing hit him, and he sank to the mat, collapsed with laughter.Buzz, who'd been holding his breath during the whole thing, let it out with a long sigh. "I hate it when you guys pull stuff like this without telling me," he muttered as he left the Wreck Room.

The rest of the frat clambered into the ring to rewelcome their brother. Beau bent over the still-laughing Jake and asked, "How you doin'?"

"Feelin' jake," came the response--Jake's standard reply. He'd be all right now.