story search Need Help Finding A Story

[jt15136]

Hopefully someone can tell me the name of this story. I only have bits and pieces but I would really like to read it again. 

High school setting. The school loser is paired with one of the “In” guys for a project on learning about each other. The outcast gets upset with the teacher and refuses to do it. The jock chases him home and convinces him to take part so he doesn’t fail. 

Any clues as to the title and/or author?

Update 1: The “loser” is bi racial, mom is white and the dad is black. Dad is in the military and doesn’t make an appearance in the story. Mom works at a diner where her co-workers hate her. I think the cause was she got pregnant young.  The antagonist has two friends that treat the loser like shit and are factors in his attempt at suicide. The parents of the jock and his friends own a restaurant together, King something. 

I don’t know guys. I may be confusing two stories or not. And it really reminds me of an @Ronyx story but I couldn’t find it on his website. 

Im so in the mood to read this story again. 

Last Update: I found the story I was looking for!!! It’s called The Bully and The Brain. It’s not on here but on Nifty. Which is why my searches came up nada. If you’re interested in reading it here’s the link: https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/highschool/the-bully-and-the-brain/

Thanks to @Timothy M., @droughtquake, @Dabeagle & @ReaderPaul!

In my search for this book I found a lot of other good reads that I forgot about, The Peace Within, A Light in the Dark Places, The Foundling, just to name a few. 

Well I'm off to devour these stories as I await updates to the ones I follow on GA. 

Edited September 5, 2019 by jt15136
Update

[Timothy M.]

It sounds familiar, but I can't come up with the story name. Can you recall any other details ?

[Former Member]

Any idea how long ago it was posted (or you read it)?

[jt15136]

@Timothy M. The “losers” mom was a waitress at a diner where her co-workers didn’t like her. Dad was out of the picture serving in the military. The “in” guy was rich but wanted to do the project so he could get a scholarship and not rely on mom/dad. I checked @Ronyx‘s stories but didn’t find it. I also looked at @Dabeagle but not there either. Not sure how old the story is. 

[Timothy M.]

Hmm, not the story I was thinking off, then. In that one, the poor guy lived with his alcoholic dad.

[Dabeagle]

I don't recognize the premise. Sorry!

[jt15136]

@droughtquake no idea time is a blur for me. It coulda been 6mos to 6 years ago. I have no idea. 

[Former Member]

I always say I read too many stories whenever I get confused about details!
;–)
 

So, CSX, huh? The real railroad or a model train layout?
;–)

[CassieQ]

3 hours ago, droughtquake said:

I always say I read too many stories whenever I get confused about details!
;–)
 

So, CSX, huh? The real railroad or a model train layout?
;–)

There is a model train layout for CSX trains?  

[ReaderPaul]

I am almost certain the story you describe was on GA about 5 or six years ago.  When you edited the original message to add more info, it pinged on my mental "storydar." If not, it was a story with many of the same details.  Unfortunately, I cannot remember either author or tile yet.  If I do, I will let you know.

[Former Member]

Just now, CassieQ said:

There is a model train layout for CSX trains?  

There are many model train layouts with a CSX theme. Just about every railroad you’ve ever heard of (and many you haven’t) have been modeled. Small regional or local lines are less likely to be modeled because they’re less likely to have commercially available models – but there are dedicated modelers who custom paint their equipment.

But even the smallest lines are too big to completely model the entire route in scale in a home layout.

I have seen pictures of layouts ranging from a Z-scale Swiss Alpine setting to the old Chicago Museum of Science & Industry Santa Fe layout. There’s also a gigantic layout in Germany, but I can’t remember its name. There’s a large club in my city that has both an H0 and an N-scale layout. Just about every large (and many medium-sized) city has a club with one or more layouts. Hundreds of thousands of people have home layouts or modules.
 

I collect N-scale (1:160) locomotives and cars – I don’t have a layout. My favorite lines are the ones that once served this area: Western Pacific, Southern Pacific, Santa Fe, and Union Pacific. I also have a couple Caltrain passenger train sets. I have four historical passenger train sets (the WP/D&RGW/CB&Q California Zephyr, the SP Coast Daylight, the AT&SF Super Chief and the AT&SF El Capitan – all by Kato), two European TGV sets, and a Shinkansen set. I like passenger trains.  ;–)

[jt15136]

@ReaderPaul I feel like it’s an author that had more stories. I hate having something, in this case a story, just inches away. 

[CassieQ]

11 minutes ago, droughtquake said:

There are many model train layouts with a CSX theme. Just about every railroad you’ve ever heard of (and many you haven’t) have been modeled. Small regional or local lines are less likely to be modeled because they’re less likely to have commercially available models – but there are dedicated modelers who custom paint their equipment.

But even the smallest lines are too big to completely model the entire route in scale in a home layout.

I have seen pictures of layouts ranging from a Z-scale Swiss Alpine setting to the old Chicago Museum of Science & Industry Santa Fe layout. There’s also a gigantic layout in Germany, but I can’t remember its name. There’s a large club in my city that has both an H0 and an N-scale layout. Just about every large (and many medium-sized) city has a club with one or more layouts. Hundreds of thousands of people have home layouts or modules.
 

I collect N-scale (1:160) locomotives and cars – I don’t have a layout. My favorite lines are the ones that once served this area: Western Pacific, Southern Pacific, Santa Fe, and Union Pacific. I also have a couple Caltrain passenger train sets. I have four historical passenger train sets (the WP/D&RGW/CB&Q California Zephyr, the SP Coast Daylight, the AT&SF Super Chief and the AT&SF El Capitan – all by Kato), two European TGV sets, and a Shinkansen set. I like passenger trains.  ;–)

My Dad worked for NS and has a model train set, it didn't occur to me that other railroads had models as well.  My BIL works for CSX, I might get him one as a joke.    Thanks for the info.  

[Former Member]

3 minutes ago, CassieQ said:

My Dad worked for NS and has a model train set, it didn't occur to me that other railroads had models as well.  My BIL works for CSX, I might get him one as a joke.    Thanks for the info.  

This is a link from one of the larger online model train retailers. I just did a search for ‘CSX’ and got 140 hits. There are examples in the four most common scales: H0, N, 0, and Z. There’s also a cap with CSX on it. There are other sources that sell things like t-shirts, sweatshirts, signs, and pins all with the CSX logo on them. Daylight Sales has a bunch of things, including shirts with images of the locomotive schemes of the predecessor lines.  ;–)