jess30519

David's injuries could have been a lot worse! And a mild concussion might not bring on any after effects down the road, so that's good too. But best of all: the realization that he's free of the threats, real and perceived, from PPF, the church and the woman who used to live in the house, will lift his spirits wonderfully and speed the healing. So, is Mark really bi? Or is he just looking for cover from Jenny? And what about Tommy? I kinda thought he might turn out to be gay since he is Mark's close friend, not to mention being naked next to David as the meditation sessions ended. But then, Tommy is much deeper than we first were led to believe. Or are Jenny and Barbara the start of another tangent in this story? Everything seems to be significant, in SkinnyLand! I can can hardly wait to see what the NYC gentlemen do with the information that Gary will be sharing. Thanks for everything, Skinny! 18 Weeks is a terrific story, and addictive, too!

Yay - the NYC grampas are teaming up and swinging into action! And they've given Gary something specific to do, which will ease his conscience and put his mind in gear. But like the other adults in this story (Ginny excepted), they are only asking questions and not sharing anything with the kids. Even Aunt Sarah is playing the secrets game with Tommy; that entire family seems to have a big problem communicating with each other! I hope Tommy and the newly returned David break that habit and start really confiding in each other, it would make life so much easier. Hehe. Matty is really scared of Alex! A genuine person of the female persuasion cornering him and demanding his attention! But she gets what she wants, apparently. I wonder if she will insist on visiting David in the hospital and turn up at the same time as Twoey, now that could be an interesting conversation! If Tommy thinks he saw the good old David in that hospital bed, I'll take his word for it. So glad that D1 is back among us, and that his injuries, although serious, aren't as bad as I had feared from the description of madman Burch with his baseball bat. Get well soon, David! And thanks, Skinny!

Go, Tommy! He's the only one who's actually doing something. Well, besides Sam, of course. Poor Tommy wants his real brother back but he's still in the dark about a lot of what has happened. He should compare notes with Sam; that would answer some questions on both sides. And thank goodness for Sam! If he hadn't been paying close attention, David would be with Danny right now. And Tommy's father and Aunt Sarah really should take the time to explain to Tommy (and Liz!) what's going on. Surely Dad would want to reassure his other son that the family isn't falling apart completely. Sure, he's in shock himself, probably, but still... Twoey - listen to Lanni! She's right about David! There's hope!! :-) And Gary - start thinking with your big brain for a change! Jeez. I'm looking forward to the moment Twoey visits David in the hospital. I hope that a glimmer of light might dawn somewhere deep in David's brain, in the part that's still insisting he's not gay! Only 6 weeks left! Thanks Skinny, I'm loving this story!

Yay - David regained consciousness long enough to talk to the police, so he's not floating up in that limbo world deciding which way to go. I wonder if the painkillers let him communicate with Putin or Jeter... I wouldn't like to hear what Putin would have to say after D2's royal screwup! Will inscrutable Sam explain his part in this drama someday, or does he continue to hold his cards close to his chest? Perhaps one day David will worm it out of him; Sam seems willing to open up to him more than the others. If Aunt Sarah is there, I bet David's grandfather knows by now, too. Surely between the two of them they can get David's father to act like a father to his kids! And about time, too. Thanks for another great chapter, Skinny!

Wow, at least David is still alive; I was sure when Burch's last swing of the bat connected with his head that Twoey would be meeting up with him in that dream world staging area, trying desperately to talk him back down to the land of the living! But it how did the police get alerted, and how did they know where to go to rescue David? Even if Sam were tracking the white van somehow he couldn't know it was taking David to be beaten senseless, maybe even killed. Sam was clearly on the case before Twoey's text message, perhaps he had a team already set up. Never know, with Sam! So much to speculate on, but we'll just have to wait as it all unfolds! Thanks, Skinny!

Finally David's friends are getting organized! Even if it does take two guys from out of town to initiate some action. Not sure what they can do, at this juncture, though. For one thing, any action will ease Gary's conscience; he's been beating himself up for not doing anything, but that's his own fault, really. D2 definitely got sloppy in forgetting about the flash. Tsk, tsk, what would ex-KGB Putin say? Here's hoping that D2 doesn't make any more mistakes; they could lead to disaster. Well, I'm guessing that they probably will! Can't wait for the next episode now! Thanks, Skinny!

I wonder how much of Antoinette's story was autobiographical, if it was so painful for Toph to write. Was he drawing on his own bitter experiences in his earlier years? If he went through heartbreak at such a young age this would help to explain why his shields went up and stayed up for so many years. Niles is still a mystery! Clearly he moves among Tophs old friends, but IIRC Toph had no idea how Niles fit in, at first. Yet he pops up as a pipeline back to Toph's old life, both his friends and his family. I'm glad that Toph is finally talking to Gary. The silent treatment never works as well as one thinks it will! One less thing for Toph to worry about. A good chapter, and very nicely crafted, too. Thanks, Skinny!

David sure has an odd sense of humor sometimes. Teasing Alex with the exit line, "Oh, I just got laid"?? How is she supposed to take that??! And how is Randy gonna take it, for that matter? Hehe. I forsee big trouble coming from this photography project! And Twoey's premonition is scaring me, too! But I'm glad that Ginny extracted what she could from Twoey - she's the most sensible and level-headed one in the whole bunch! Perhaps she will be the one to galvanize D1's friends into positive action. Tommy should get in touch with her! I fear we're being spoiled by this rapid release of new chapters! But I love being spoiled like this! Thanks, Skinny!

Wow, what a great chapter! Action, fast and furious, on all fronts! Randy seems very sure that David is gay - does he have that much confidence in his gaydar, or has he been comparing notes with Matty and the boys? And for someone who insists that he can't be gay, David sure knows how to dress the part, and I notice that he has all the right clothes, too. He needs to borrow Randy's gaydar and check *himself* out! Wonder if that would work... I don't recall the reason why Twoey and Tommy don't get along. I hope that they can both overlook whatever it was and collaborate on a rescue mission. Along with all of David's other friends. It does seem like they're slowly getting to the point of doing something - but what could they do? David2 is on a mission by himself and gathering momentum, too. PPF is going to have to react, I think, because he must be feeling cornered (not to mention taken aback) by David2's well-informed attack, and Johnson couldn't afford to let that scandal become public knowledge. Somehow, I don't think he would believe that David2 wants to just hold it over him as a threat and not tell everyone in town. Thanks for this, Skinny, now where's the next chapter?? *hits reload* *hits reload* *hits reload* ...

Hmm. There seems to be a groundswell of rumbling among David's friends. I wonder if they will get together and stage an intervention to bring back the David they used to know. Or perhaps they will have to actually rescue David2 if PPF freaks out when his transgressions are about to be revealed. Have to wait and see! The suspense is building - thanks Skinny!

Whoa. Holy boneranigans is right! Skinny, you sure are full of surprises! Definitely was not what I expected David2 to see, looking through that window! So, PPF is hornier than even Matty. Well, as far as we know... ;-) David2 is really messing up David's friends. Of course, except for Tommy and Twoey, they don't know it's not really David they're dealing with. I hope D2 doesn't permanently screw up any friendships that D1 can't repair when things get back to normal. I still hope that Tommy and Twoey get together and work out a plan to steer David back onto a reasonable path. But somehow I have a feeling that D2 is going to go further awry before anyone can talk sense into him! Great story, Skinny - thanks!

I don’t see Steve as a player - he did take Toph home to his family for Christmas Eve, and that seems like he was pretty serious about the relationship. When Toph refused to take Steve to see his family, making such a big deal about not going home, perhaps Steve decided that Toph had too many deep personal issues for him to deal with, and decided to not get involved further. Sure, Steve didn’t handle breaking up very well, but neither did Toph. They both have a lot to learn, but they’re still young.

It's beginning to look like Matty really *is* a nice guy! A tad oversexed, perhaps, but that seems to run in the family. This weekend's sleepover ought to make for interesting interaction at lunch on Monday! Tommy should talk to Twoey to figure out why David2 has replaced his brother. Twoey seems to understand David's motives perfectly. Poor Tommy, David really should have clued him in, or at least warned him about what might happen. Right now I feel badly for him more than any of the others. I hope this situation gets resolved sooner rather than later! Thanks for the great chapter, Skinny!

Poor Tommy! And poor Twoey!! I feel really badly for both of them. David doesn't have to do this on his own - he has a whole army of supporters now, both real and imaginary, to call on. Tommy is a bright kid and would do anything to help David deal with this situation; why doesn't David see that? But he retreats within himself in these situations, and that only makes his life more difficult. I hope he hasn't driven Twoey away! Yikes! Matty is starting off so gently with Chuck! Perhaps this is his usual means of breaking in a new recruit. And perhaps Mark has other ideas! Chuck might find things ramping up in the morning! Need more chapters soon! Thanks for writing, Skinny!

David's gaydar needs a new frammistat! He could probably get it fixed under warranty because it appears never to have work properly! Or at all, really. And man, it seems that half the boys in that town are gay! Now Randy, too? With a name like that he should get to know Matty. Oh wait, he's Cory's friend, so he and Matty have probably already met. You bet Matty is gonna give Chuck that needed "injection"!! Just as soon as he can! And I loved that cross-purposes conversation between Chuck and David. Yay for being transferred into Ms. Delmonico's class! David needed some good news right about now. Not to mention getting away from Burch. Somehow I think we haven't seen the last of him, though. There's still almost 2 months until New Years Eve! Thanks, Skinny!

I remember Oscar! He's the writer that Toph met when he was invited to "tea" at Luke's house. He must have made more of an impression on Toph than on the reviewers here! :-) just as Toph is coming to terms with his deeper feelings for Steve, even thinking it might go as far as being in love, Steve shows us another side of himself! And not one that Toph is likely to be comfortable with, either. If Steve calls Toph, after waking up with a killer hangover, and is full of abject apologies, he might redeem himself. But Toph will be (and should be) wary that what he experienced on NYE is an integral part of Steve. Time will tell. I'm glad they didn't go to Euphoria for Christmas. Toph really doesn't need that kind of aggravation at this point. Lots to ponder, here, and another good chapter. Thanks, Skinny!

Gaaah!! *flushes eyeballs with Lysol* How'm I gonna get that vision out of my head?! Prick and Pricka on *David's bed* - *gapes, open mouthed* Words fail me. How can David keep this from the rest of the family? Even if Putin's blackmail plan actually works I don't see how David could go for very long without telling Tommy and his Dad what he knows. Or Grandpa and his aunt. It's just too much to keep bottled up in his head for any length of time, surely. Matt is reeling Chuck in slowly, and he's about to use the net. Poor Chuck is about to get a sudden education in gay sex, methinks! Well, maybe he'll be totally into what Matt's selling, who knows? Might be Matt who needs a break once Chuck gets up to speed! This story is certainly full of surprises! Thanks, Skinny!

Aaaaughh!! There I was, happily bopping through another great chapter when - whooops - here I am hanging by my fingernails from a cliff!! I hope help arrives quickly, hint, hint! :-) if Burch gets reprimanded because of David, he's probably going to turn up in the back of that van, holding a lighter under David's feet. Or something. Or maybe he, the pastor and Tommy's mother are all getting it on! Ewww, what a thought. So many ugly images flashing through my head! I need a new chapter soon, Skinny, help!

Chuck should definitely be worried about Matty finding out that he is gay! He could die of exhaustion, hehe! He should start working on those core muscles now! When David didn't get his naked call, and then Chuck wasn't at his locker first thing, I immediately suspected that Chuck and Twoey had, erm, discovered each other. But no, or at least not yet. So, since Lanni suspects that David is gay, has she shared that with Deena? Surely she will when Denna tells her that she is going to the Thanksgiving dance with David. Then maybe Deena will knock some sense into David's head! One day soon he is going to realize that he's not not gay. C'mon, David - jeez!

David would be *everyone's* angel if he could! Or at least angel to all the boys, hehe! He would spirit them all off to live in his utopian alternate universe! Poor guy is discovering that life is never as simple as we might wish. And Matty - he's already living in his own Utopia! If I ever invent a time travel machine, I'm going back to do high school over again in the Finger Lakes region! This is a great story, Skinny, thanks for letting us share it!

Did Toph roll over and go with the flow out of habit? Was that how he dealt with living amongst the rich and powerful in his previous life? Despite all the interference with his private life - a day off with pay, resigning him from his job with no notice - Toph seems to have accepted all of this. Was it merely to get into Abington? Seems to be selling out, somehow... At least he's refusing to go home for Christmas despite (or reinforced by?) Gary's encouragement to do so. Poor Steve, I sincerely hope he's wrong about this development bringing an end to their relationship. Toph wasn't the only one that got run over by that steamroller.

How can David not be picking up on this white van that keeps appearing. I'm going to assume it's the same one that nearly ran him over, when Chuck pushed him out of the way. Sam obviously has noticed; I'm hoping his silently moving lips were repeating the license plate number for future reference. I have a feeling that the repercussions from the booby trap will involve that van... Once David comes to his senses and admits that he's gay, he's going to need a bodyguard to fend off all his secret admirers! Maybe Tommy could help out. Oh, wait... Thanks for another great chapter, Skinny. Can't wait for the next one!

I could hear circuit breakers flipping inside Chuck's head when the two objects of his wet dreams were *kissing* right in front of him! Poor kid! Now he doesn't know what to think! Nice that the meetup with with Mike and Alan went so well, but sooo frustrating to be told that those two will be important later, but, of course, not why - I hope we find out soon! Good chapter, Skinny, thanks!

Graeme's review says it all so very well and I can only echo it. I wonder if Steve feels Toph's hesitancy to commit to their relationship, or if outwardly Toph appears to fully reciprocate Steve's love for him, and Toph's shields are only effective internally. Toph is a very complicated person!

Let's see... Lanni knows that David is gay, Sam knows, and Tommy probably does too. Matty is counting on it and, of course, Twoey is as well. So what will it take for that fact to penetrate David's consciousness? His subconscious seems to be willing to admit it! Tommy is going as Batman and Mark as Robin?! Hehe. Sure looks like Tommy's mother is focusing on the wrong offspring, to me. Sam's trap for the Reverend sounds drastic! I hope nobody gets arrested! Looking forward to more - thanks Skinny!