Lisa

I am soooo relieved Graham was at the station waiting for him! Whew! I think Graham will be very pleased Scott didn't fight with the police and told them what he knew. One of your readers mentioned it, and I was also wondering, why Scott didn't tell Lovett that Kenny was on the ship looking for him. Unless he just forgot with everything else that was going on? Awesome chapter, Parker!!

I'm glad the stuff with the mill is over with too. It was giving me a headache! I can't imagine what it was doing to the Kohlers. Jim's thoughts when Kevin wanted him to meet Steve were pretty funny. Jim, Cam, and Steve all lined up for Kevin. Seriously though, Jim should bring Cameron. It would be nice to see Kevin flustered. If he even gets flustered.

I agree with Jeff and Puppi; I love how Daven got to rescue Kian and be his hero for a change. Although I am nervous about Naomi and the kids. I can't imagine with all the resources Raja Securities have, Yui will have a hard time finding them. I wonder what will happen with Daven now that he lied to (?) Winston. He still needs to testify, right? Awesome chapter, Sui! On to the next one!

I LOVE Allie!!! She's a hoot! I agree that Liam's friends will be a great sounding board for him. He might get a little closer to choosing between Alek, Nathan, or someone not introduced yet. Visiting old friends is the absolute BEST!!!! And thank you for this chapter, Lit! You reminded me to visit my friend down in Maryland, so thank you!!

This was another beautiful poem/prose, Emi! I loved the end with the narrator finally feeling comfortable saying what he's wanted to say for eight years.

Emi! I LOVED this poem! The ending was just so WOW! I really enjoyed this! And I'm pretty sure Asamvav is talking about the first stanza: My stooped beating for a sec Should it be: 'My heart stopped beating for a sec' ?

I actually read 'Heart of the Night' and 'Fullmoon' as one poem! Awesome job, Emi!

This is terrific, Emi! It's so important to have something to go to when one's upset, and I can't think of a better way to express feelings than in a poem.

I love the way you talk about the emotional aspects of scars and how, in the long run, they're better for one's character and one's self-esteem. The physical scars themselves don't matter; it's what's inside that always counts.

That was beautiful, Emi. I think everyone could relate to much, if not all, of your mistakes. I, personally, relate to all of them! As Mac, Lyssa, and Tim said, don't be so hard on yourself. We are our own worst critics. It's so true.

This was nicely done, Emi.

This poem painted a pretty picture, Emi. Congrats to your cousin!

How true you poem is, Emi. Great job!

I'm with Parker; I wish I was on that college tour also!

First of all, I don't know where the damn drugs are, Homer!! Second, wow, what a chapter! I knew B&B were going to end up in a huge fight. I do appreciate Mike's insight (I had never thought about it, and I guess it's different for girls), and I'm glad he explained some things to Billy. I really hope Brett also realized what jackasses they both were. As far as the pain meds are concerned, I'm pretty convinced Brett didn't take the whole bottle. And yes, like a few readers said, Billy's mom could have put them in the bathroom, of course. That's what I would have done actually. I would have went through my kid's bag or backpack, put his clothes in the laundry and put the pills in the bathroom. But...did Billy actually LOOK for the bottle? Brett put it in the bag, and being a small pill bottle, it most likely fell down to the bottom. Did he search everywhere in the bag? Maybe Brett threw them in an opened smaller-zipper compartment? Maybe they're underneath that flat thingie that's always on the bottom of duffel bags and suitcases? Course it would be hard not to notice a bulky bottle under there! Anyway, I do believe Brett. And yes, where was Dustin? At the park I'm assuming. This was another great chapter, Jeff! I usually end the chapters feeling like I want to smack all three of the boys upside their heads!!!

I get the feeling Kevin wasn't as drunk/stoned as Kohler was that night. I don't see the tape really proving anything. So they hung out for the night drinking and getting high. That doesn't mean they automatically hooked up or anything. But, I'm still curious how this will all play out.

I loved all three of these stories, but I do have to agree with some of your other readers that Dirty Pool was my favorite also. I know there are many things of yours I haven't had a chance to read yet (or finish reading!), but whatever I read of yours I wind up loving and falling in love with the characters. Your characters come to life on the page, and the reader can't help but be drawn into their lives. These antho stories were great choices for the promo. Congrats, Gary!

So, I've been procrastinating finishing this story because it's one of my favorites on the site, and one of my favorites from you. I'm going to be so sad when I'm through reading it. The funniest thing in this chapter, though, was when the professor (who Marty doesn't even know the name of!!!!! ) started reading through Marty's texts with Hrishi. Omg, that was funny! And of course he would come to the conclusion that Marty was texting a girl. Ok, here I go, s l o w l y making my way to the next chapter...inch by inch, step by step...

I thought the letter Travis wrote to his father was beautiful. It got me all choked up. It's funny, because I can't picture him writing something so eloquent. I also think he's totally right about Ben being in the spotlight. What will happen once Ben's in the spotlight? Will he admit to being in a relationship with Travis, or will he cave in to what society expects of him? It's easy for him to say it now, but when the time comes, I don't think it'll be so easy. You know what I really loved about this chapter? The fact that deep down inside, Travis really does love Katy. He treats her like shit, he talks to her like she's one of Derry's poops, but he really does love her. He tried to protect her from Eric, and hopefully his mom will pick her up from school before Eric finds her. Oh, and I'm sorry, but Derry totally steals every single scene she's in! Omg, lying on the ground resting her chin on her front paws is such an adorable description! This was another awesome chapter, Mac!!

Ron, I remember reading this story on your site, and re-reading the first chapter made me cry just as hard this time as the first time. I love how you weave the past and the present in each chapter, so we get to know how Corey and Brett's relationship grew over the years. My heart is breaking for Corey right now. Even more so because his B.I.T.C.H. of a birth-giver walked out on he and his dad. What an ass. Thank God his dad found him by the lake and has no intention of abandoning him. I really like Charlie; she's going to be a great friend to Corey, I can tell. But isn't Corey curious why Brett's suddenly calling and texting for Corey to get back to him? I'm curious! What's going on???? And there's another 'Adrian' in your story! Lol, another pastor's son! Of course it's not THE Adrian from Door Number Three, right?

I've actually thought about this over the years. It all started a few years ago when one of the members here posted something about not being around as her young daughter grows up. She had received very bad news from her doctor. So I hadn't seen anything from her -- posting, reviews, etc., for quite a while, and I wasn't sure what to think. When her birthday came up on the main forum page (on the old site), I wished her a happy birthday and just kept my fingers crossed. You don't know how much I cried when she responded! I wrote back but didn't hear anything else. And I haven't seen anything from her since. So yeah, I think having something in place 'just in case' is a wonderful idea. I would hate the idea of any of you just disappearing and never knowing why. Thank you, Kitt, for bringing this sad but important subject up. =)

This was a very powerful poem, Ron. It was so descriptive; I could just picture everything in my mind. Oh, in the first stanza, should 'souring' be 'soaring'?

I would definitely feel betrayed if I were Eileen also. Grenon shouldn't be thinking about buying the mill and getting investors. That's a slap in the Kohlers' back. And I'm not quite understand Mark right now. I know that was in the last chapter, but I didn't comment in that one. Mark loves Carrie. Carrie loves Mark. Does it matter that much if Carrie needs to stay close to home so she can work for the company? Why does that upset Mark so much? I can see the money part; men have this macho image that they should be the ones who make most of the money, but love should matter more, not who earns how much. And Jim, get the fuck over Dane already! Jesus H. Christ! The guy's an asshole, and he ran off and got married. Leave him alone and move on already! I can see the logic behind him sending Dane postcards throughout his travels, but seriously, him contacting him on the Wednesday or Thursday he comes back from his honeymoon is just so wrong. As always, looking forward to more, Rich.

Awesome selection, Addy! I loved Dead Poet's Society, Love Actually and anything that has to do with Freddy M. Terrific job!

I loved them all, but especially the first three. Poor Echo. I'm sorry. I could read number three over and over again. The way you word the poem is just amazing. I can picture Comedy drying her eyes because she's used to laughing, and now she's watching Drama who made her cry. The one with Sport going into a bar to look for a coach is just so original. The whole poem is so original. I'm just so impressed by this, actually by all the poems. Great job, Addy!