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Huh. The Annoying Kid turns out to be not annoying at all! Who'd a thunk it? Now I wonder what part he'll play in future chapters; I'm sure he's been brought into the spotlight for a reason but I can't imagine what that might be! Nice that David was able to control his anger so well - poor Chuck was terrified. David certainly vindicated himself in Chuck's eyes. Sam and David - so who kissed who? It sure seemed like Sam was the one who moved in first, yet David thought it was himself who kissed Sam. One more little hint to add to the pile of evidence there, David! One of these days you'll clue in! And this chapter has reminded me that I have 3 jars of homemade pesto in the freezer which I'd forgotten about. Time to dig them out and put them to good use! Now I'm hungry! Thanks, Skinny!

Erik is getting very pushy! Maybe that's for the best, if it causes David to become jealous and push him closer to realizing that he wants Twoey, and also causes Twoey to use his powers to reel David in. Can't wait to see what Putin comes up with for retaliation against Tommy's mother and the Rev. And I'm glad that Mike is taking the wait-and-see attitude towards the upcoming meeting with David and Gary. Although I don't understand why David doesn't tell Twoey about it. I'm sure it will all become clear eventually! Thanks Skinny!

This chapter covers a lot of ground, and you have handled this fast-forwarding very nicely, Skinny. Toph is learning a lot about himself and so are we, and I'm finding many aspects of his character that resonate with me. Thanks, Skinny!

I'm sure that Matty would *love* to be a "buffer" between David and Twoey in the shower! But perhaps in a more private place than the gym locker room! Somehow, the way this part is ending leaves me with a feeling of foreboding. I hope Mike's comment at the end isn't related to this in any way - he seemed so positive about David earlier, it's hard to imagine he would now perceive him as threatening in any way. Still, he must be asking himself why, exactly, is David bringing Gary to meet him, and without Twoey. Well, I'm asking myself the same question! Now to wait patiently (ha!) for the next installment - thanks for this story, SkinnyD!

Ha! If only David knew just how "touchy freely" Matty and his little brother really are! Poor David doesn't have a clue about what's going on there! Sam should draw him a diagram, since he somehow seems to know all about everyone's secret lives. And David continues to insist that he's not gay, and that he only has those feelings for Twoey and nobody else. This from the guy who made sure to wear his tightest jeans to impress *Mike* when they first met. Some part of David's brain, down deep, is surely trying to steer things in the right direction. And taking the the bus to Syracuse with a very reluctant Gary to meet with Mike, without Twoey knowing, just to satisfy that triangle relationship he dreamed up while meditating seems a little strange. I can't imagine how that will turn out! Have to wait and see! Thanks for this most addictive story, SkinnyD!

Nice solution to the dollar dilemma! Everyone involved seems to be happy with the outcome. And it has served to strengthen Twoey's love for David, which will help him fend off David's self doubts as well as various other attacks! David is so sure he isn't gay. Who will be the one to set him straight (as it were)? Ginny? Tommy? Matty, who is circling with his New Year's goal to fulfill? Stay tuned! Can't wait for more to come! Great story, SkinnyD; you have got me well and truly hooked! Thanks!

Hm. Suppose that Gary's co-worker does turn out to be Toph's mother; has Gary made the connection somehow, and that is how he knows about Toph's likes and dislikes? Have to wait and see... Seems there are still issues with Austin buried deep in Toph's subconscious. Are they somehow related to his nightmares about reconciliation with his family? It seems very unlikely that Toph would go back to his old life at this point, he's so happy with his current situation. But one never knows, in SkinnyLand! Can't wait for the next chapter! Thanks, SkinnyD!

Obviously, Tommy does know about Mark and Curt, so probably about Matty and Twoey as well. And from the "boner" comment, it seems likely that he's assuming that David and Twoey have a thing going. And Sam knows everything too! Seems like everyone in the town knows what's going on except David and Gary, and I'm not too sure about Gary! David should have conjured up someone to help with the Mike problem, because it seems to me that he is heading in the wrong direction there. Why would he give the dollar back to Mike when he knows that this will upset Twoey? Perhaps his solution will work - can't wait to find out what it is! Nice chapter, SkinnyD; lots of good moments in David's day. And I think Grandpa is lining up the troops for battle. This will be interesting! Thanks for writing!

David seemed a little reticent and less than committed to Twoey during their conversation. I suppose he still harbours some idea that he isn't gay, or perhaps it's just that he still isn't ready to admit it. But from Twoey's end of the conversation it must have seemed like David has cooled off somewhat. And does Tommy know about Mark and Curt's after-school activities? Because Mark definitely knows about Twoey and Matty. I wonder if Tommy has even been involved with them... at any rate, David and Tommy's outing with Mark, Sam and possibly Matty has every possibility of popping a few surprises! Mike's visit could also throw a monkey wrench into the works! This is no time for Twoey to doubt David, but David is doubting himself. And the whole thing could get derailed if Pastor Johnson and his gang take some kind of action. So many threads to resolve! Great writing, SkinnyD! Thanks!

Oh dear. Twoey had everything nicely patched up with Mike, then David kinda pulled the rug out from under him. This is not the right time for him to become uncertain about David, not with Matty waiting impatiently in he wings! Okay, if David arranges his underwear drawer by color, and lines up his computer with the edge of the desk, then he probably is OCD! Can't wait to see who turns up in the laptop camera photos! How's I gonna survive until the next installment? Thanks, SkinnyD!

Yay! It's all over with Kathy, and David comes out of it smelling like a rose. That's our boy - doing the right thing (mostly!). Now that he has told his dad about his fears regarding Tommy's mother and her church, surely Dad will intervene somehow. At the least, David will have another strong adult ally when the time comes. I love how you snuck in that bit about writers having magical insights - hehe. David and Twoey had better get together soon, before they explode with frustration! Can't wait for the next installment! Thanks, SkinnyD!

Hrm. Hrm. Toph's new approach to painting is fascinating! It certainly worked for him; how rewarding for him to be making such rapid progress. It also seems to be providing some insights into his relationships with others. Very interesting! How can Toph be so oblivious to Gary's feelings, even after Joanne's "subtle" hints?! Perhaps this interlude with Steve will open his eyes to greater possibilities. We can only wait and see... Great chapter, SkinnyD! Thanks, as always, for writing and sharing with us!

Ha! "No sense giving her a chance to snub me when I can avoid it." At least David is retaining a sense of humor! I really hope that Pastor Johnson and his accomplices don't try an intervention because if they do, they'll have Derek Jeter AND Joseph Heller to contend with! Interesting times ahead! Can't wait for the next chapter! Thanks, SkinnyD!

Nice positive feeling in this chapter. David is resolved to get his life back on track, plus he's starting to think of Twoey more and more as a boyfriend, it seems. Twoey is "clearing the decks" as well. Even Biggy is in an upbeat mood! But then there is this looming confrontation with the church gang, which, given the number and variety of people involved, will be ugly. I hope Our heroes find the strength to get through it! Great chapter, SkinnyD! Thanks for writing!

Whew! What a great chapter! My emotions are all churned up now. I echo everything Parker said in his review. Clearly, Twoey is on more stable ground than David is at this point. I guess Ginny's genes are helpful there. It was a big surprise that Ginny let David do most of the heavy lifting in filling Twoey in on his "accident". But probably a good thing for David to be forced to confront his feelings, and with Twoey right there in front of him, so no chance of evasion or making up excuses! Apart from the sudden need for coffee, of course! And yay! David is definitely over that thing with Kathy, whatever that was. He seems to be much more worried what Greg will think than how Kathy and her crowd will react. I'm pretty sure Kathy will move on in about 40 milliseconds. :-) I bet if David went over to Danny's old house and sniffed the air now that Pastor Johnson has done the exorocism, he'll recognize the smell as the same one he finds in his room on Wednesdays... SkinnyD, I love the way you are able to create a complete scene in my head with so few words. David and his world seem perfectly real to me. Wonderful! Thanks!

Heh. I caught myself saying "evening" out loud a couple of times! Just checking! :-) A very intriguing chapter. Like, does Big Joe and the tailoring turn out to be important later on? Or, as Timothy speculated, is Gary supervising Toph's mother? That could become complicated. And, of course, Niles being hired by a worried Nico to track Toph down and report. Were people in his old world more aware and interested in him than Toph realized? Has his isolation been entirely or mostly self-generated all these years? And then Niles, Private Eye, leans in and *kisses* Toph! What's up with that? Nico should have hired Joanne instead! She seems to have found the right buttons to push to get Toph to relax even to the point of coming out to them. And to shut off the cloak of invisibility, even. At least, for now. Can't wait for the next chapter. Thanks, SkinnyD!

Boy, Toph's family sure is a piece of work! Mom and Dad weren't in the the least affected by his little goodbye speech at dinner. Nor were his brothers, but that was to be expected. I mean, Toph could have been planning to jump off a bridge or something, and no reaction! Jeez. Hrm. Toph is definitely affected by Gary! Yet he gets no hint of gayness from him, even though he is sure that Gary is flirting with him all the time. I'd say that Toph's gaydar needs a new frammistat! He'd better stop switching on the invisibility cloak before Gary gets discouraged and finds someone else! On to chapter 3!

Toph is making a clean break. Good for him! Time to get out of that rarified upper-class atmosphere and see how the real world lives. Seems he knows the rules, but doesn't want to fit in there anyway. Kind of too bad about Austin; something could have developed there, perhaps. There was a hint that Austin was more into that relationship than Toph was. I'm looking forward to seeing how he handles the sudden separation from the life he's known up to now! I'm hooked, SkinnyD! Thanks!

David loves his dad. *And* he told him so! And he really feels that his father loves him back, too, which is only going to help both of them when the inevitable crises that are down the road smack the family in their collective head. David's adult support group is growing as well. I think he really begins to feel that he doesn't have to figure out life on his own, which is a big milestone for a 15 year old! And he is *finally* realizing that he doesn't like Kathy, doesn't want to be around her, and that this whole girlfriend business has been a setup he was railroaded into in the first place. Yay! With Dr. Keating's help he can undo the damage that the Kathy Interlude has done. And the sooner the better! Ginny must have a plan for Sunday's meeting, having told Twoey that she would describe the accident with David in the room. Wonder if she's going to let David know about these plans in advance! She does seem to be a very competent person, so I'm willing to believe she knows what she's doing. Now I can't wait for the next episode! I'm all caught up with the story! No more avoiding others' comments full of spoilers! Yay! *hits refresh to see if another chapter has been posted yet* :-) This was another great chapter, SkinnyD! Thanks!

Huh. I wonder why Kathy didn't want to go to Syracuse. I like Syracuse - it's a nice place! I guess we'll find out soon enough if SkinnyD's hints are anything to go by, and I assume they are! :-) It's very cool reading a story that's set in an area I know; I live on the Canadian side, and a bit to the east... a stone's throw from the border, if the person throwing the stone was, say, Derek Jeter. ;-) David thought Matty didn't notice him chubbing up in Kory's - good thing Matty could control himself, otherwise David would have noticed for sure, when Matty attacked him on the table right there! I think it was a close call, though! What was David's voice warning Twoey about? I don't remember any warnings like that during the meditation sessions. Is David's inner self doing things and watching over Twoey on it's own? Have to wait for Sunday's episode to find out... Matty and Cory and Mark and Curt! Phew!! *wipes forehead* There are almost enough gay boys in that town (in good shape, too!) to start a baseball team! David will have to work on Twoey once things settle down to get him to abandon soccer. Assuming that things pan out as I hope they will! Great chapter, SkinnyD! Thanks again!

I hope David can keep his anger under control, but if he *does* pop that annoying little kid behind him one on the nose, I'll be cheering! :-) Matty's metabolism: David has NO idea how he expends his energy! I bet someone is counselling Matty on how to get David, because he's doing exactly the same thing David was advising Biggy to try! Could be an interesting contest for David's attention between Matty and Twoey down the road, once Twoey gets out of the hospital. Dr. Keating sure picked up quickly on David's real reason for wanting to see him. Gotta wonder if he knows Ginny socially - maybe even knows Twoey too - and is aware that Twoey is gay. In any case, this consultation has started off really well. Here's hoping it continues that way! Between his advice and Ginny's cooking lessons, David's self-confidence should be soaring soon!

Hm. Is David really squeezing his body into his old clothes just because his weight is down? Or is he subconciously trying to send a message? And to whom?? Kathy and her group, or Matty and the boys? The morphing images in his shower later in the chapter seem to indicate that something is percolating deep down in there! Maybe Tommy's mother and Pastor Johnson are holding cleansing seances in David's room every Wednesday. Only you'd think there would be a stronger smell from summoned beings from the otherworld! I bet if David tries meditating at school on Wednesdays he'll pick up on something! Just got to tune in the right frequency. :-) And poor Twoey. It really is time for Ginny to fill him in. Both about David as well as what happened to him and Danny that night. Especially if he is starting to get flashbacks. Remembering too much without someone there to support him would be very traumatic, I think. Another excellent chapter, SkinnyD! Thanks!

Huh. I almost seems like Gary *knows* about Erik and Twoey and Danny and Matty and... maybe it's common knowledge in the group and David never picked up on it. There's a LOT he doesn't pick up on! And hooray for Grampa and Dad! Assuming it was Grampa's gentle shove that got Dad to make the appointment with Dr. Keating, that is. Like Defiance, I trust Ginny's choice of psychiatrist. I'm sure she will steer David through this with a gentle but firm hand. I suppose it would be unprofessional for her to clue in Dr. Keating in advance, wouldn't it? I bet she would love to sit in on those sessions! David's little showing off with Kathy is just him trying to prop up his little denial effort. He's clearly not really into this relationship if he doesn't even know they have a date on Saturday. Or maybe self-centred Kathy is using David to bolster he own image around the school, and doesn't really care if David knows it or not. What David should have done is turn Biggy onto Kathy! Two birds with one stone! :-) Poor Twoey - it really is time for Ginny to gently let him know what actually happened. Surely she realizes how stretching out this isolation will only breed speculation and wrong conclusions. I hope that happens sooner rather than later.

I'm not at all sure what Sam thought he was doing, pointing out those dark lyrics to David when he clearly knows that David is conflicted about his feelings towards Twoey. But then we don't really know where Sam is coming from, either. He seems pretty deep and observant too, but perhaps he is inclined to share what he thinks at the wrong moment. And thank goodness for Ginny! Without her around, both David and Twoey would be spinning out of control! I think she is smart enough, and competent enough, to steer the two of them through this turbulent period. I hope! What she can't control, I suppose, is David's mother and her refusal to let David get help from Dr. Keating. It does appear that Twoey listens to her advice; how he balances that with Danny's admonition to fight for David... well, we'll just have to wait and see! Another great chapter, SkinnyD. Thanks!

Yay for David's dad actually communicating with him, and even letting David know he was proud of him! And probably running interference for him not having to go to church. Perhaps he's finally reached a limit for tolerating his wife's attitude towards David, which would be a very useful thing once (if!) David and Twoey's relationship continues to grow once Twoey leaves the hospital. David will need all the allies he can get once Tommy's mother's worst fears are confirmed. David's inner feelings sure overcame his careful planning as soon as he looked into Twoey's eyes! Ah, love conquers all! David, you might as well cave now and admit everything! But then we wouldn't get to read another 12 weeks' worth of episodes! Another excellent chapter, SkinnyD! Thanks for sharing!