Rndmrunner

Cute chapter title. It makes more sense after reading the chapter - i was thinking glass as in drinking glass. Thanks for another instalment of this great story. I'm sorry to hear you have another surgery ahead. I hope everything goes well for you.

lovely story. It reminded me of my own story. I also had drifted apart from family by censoring my life. I came out to them in the 80"s but them=n it was not spoken of and so there was still distance. In 1994 i met my partner and within weeks i realized that i want him to be a part o my family life. So we had a Guess who's coming to dinner moment and never looked back. It was easier for my parents to accept my being gay with a flesh and blood partner. They saw a kind decent man rather than a faceless stereotype. thanks for sharing your story

Well i can see tis story winding to a conclusion which is too bad. Mondays and thursdays will be a little empty. Love the story and the chapter. I see that Rhyder is sending a bit of England to California when Jase starts using phrases like:“You jammy little sod!” love your stories

Tetrefine: one of the benefits of being older is that you can speak from experience, I came to hockey in the 1960s. Wikipedia is a great source of information but only really represents the views of the articles authors especially when the content is subjective. Fighting was less frequent and yes more brutal due largely to less protective equipment. Until the 70's hockey did not make you rich and there wasn't dedicated medical teams around to keep you playing. Injuries killed careers. Rugby is often considered more brutal than football. It is more that any violence produces greater injury again due to less equipment and rugby players show more restraint knowing that they are not armoured. That said we can agree to disagree.

I disagree, until the 70's fights were relatively rare and not a focal point of the game, playing was. Fighting came with league expansion and a dilution of talent. I disagree that fighting is essential to hockey. The game can be intense without it: a fight never scores a goal or makes the great save. Personnally I think it just entertains the folks who really don't like hockey in the first place. However kids today are learning fighting as an essential part of the game and that's a shame.

i find the incident and the letter disturbing. I commend the grandfather for standing up for his grandson and for taking him in. I understand how people use hateful language in the heat of the moment but am still a little shocked that a parent could call his daughter a B in print. It speaks to how this family have become strangers to each other. Someone mentioned that this letter was posted on a UK website - interesting as the language makes this clearly an american writer. Great to see a grandfather sticking up for what is right and loving his grandson. Still i am not sure that this is not a fiction

Another great chapter! I do wonder if there is something in the town water. Half the town seems to be gay. Though from this last chapter it hasn't stopped some of the rest from being still homophobic

score:8 gender: male age range: 50-59 interesting test, i guess that i am not colour blind, i must just have poor fashion taste

I have to agree with some of the other posts. The story could be fleshed out in length, not necessarily more chapters or plot though. It covers a lot of emotional ground and as a reader i didn't have quite enough time to absorb it. Sounds like negative criticism i know but I am really enjoying your short stories and the punch that they pack. You end up setting a high bar for yourself

Banning books is a simplistic action. Freedom of speech is separate from being released from be responsible for your words. I do not believe in censorship but i do think that we can be held responsible for our words if they are hateful or hurtful to others.

Great idea. The only aspect of the story i didn't like was that Scott was a mostly passive participant in the resolution, maybe that was the point though. I guess i was waiting for him to resolve explicitly with his grandfather.

I have never understood how some people cannot distinguish that the freedom to make choices for themselves is different from the freedom to impose your choices on other people, be it book banning or abortion or sexuality. The second issue i have is that it is important to expose yourself to things that challenges you and make you uncomfortable from time to time precisely so you are forced to wrestle with issues. This does not prevent me from drawing my own conclusions or experience even if it is not to my tastes. Finally just because i find something distasteful does not make it necessarily inappropriate or wrong. It is ironic that some who condone book banning and muzzling free speech do it in the name of "Freedom" and "Liberty" as if they are the only ones in the room and their choices trump everyone else's.

sweet little tale with a lovely hook at the finish. Thanks

I don't know the circumstances of your workplace or where you live (i.e NYC or Riyadh in Saudi Arabia). Being outed differs based on where you live and work. I am in Toronto which means it is no big deal. While your boss was thoughtless, it could possibly be a sign of greater acceptance, that your sexuality is no more important than your interest in baseball. It is a contradiction but while we hope for acceptance and normality regarding our sexuality, we still live in a world where we feel the need to hide our lives, are vague about our weekends and home lives and even lie to fit in. My partner and i have a child so both of us have no ability to hide in the closet even if we wanted to. We are still rare enough that people we don't even know in our neighbourhood know who we are. Likewise my kid has no choice about our family being out. the good news is folks get to know you and you are a person and not a poster child for anyones politics. Good luck and i hope that even if this was not your choice, it gives you a little more freedom to be who you are, whether that means shouting out your sexuality or it simply being another piece in the puzzle of who you are.

A really sweet chapter. Not sure what i like the most the sweet innocent romance budding between Rhyder and Bryce or the wonderful riding descriptions - the scene of Rhyder getting to know Samson was priceless!!

One thing about your writing Sasha, there is no worry that you will just write the same story over and over again. Once again a new story and a uniquely new adventure. Thanks

I am so glad that i am reading the completed story and don't have to wait for instalments. That would be maddening. Great story and great chapter (or should it be the other way around)

nice development in this chapter. I really enjoy how you can bring out the details of the rodeo events and Rhydian's training in a way that enhances the story and its flow.

It too bad about team sports. As a runner and an ultra marathoner, i have been lucky to meet fantastic people. For a solitary sport we still rely on each other as trails can be lonely and sometimes dangerous. We are a social band of oddballs so it tends to be pretty accepting. Luckily most value that you worked hard trained hard and performed even when you felt ready to drop over who you sleep with. That said I compete with folks who have left high school and often uni and no longer feel any need to bow to peer pressure. Women get equal respect and old farts show some young'uns that tenacity and grit can make up for a lack of raw talent. The moral if there is one is that do what you love and find the right crowd to share that love with. It may or may not be the high school team. Just remember it the play and the effort and the camaraderie that brings it alive and your high school team and coaches will ultimately be just a small fraction of your love for the game. Good Luck Hayden

y'all pen a fine tale there Sacha. got me , well riveted if I don't say so. Just keep them chapters coming all regular, ye hear! thanks

In a lot of stories on this site sex scenes are de rigeur and i often gloss over them as the authors works to tell me how hot the sex is. I think writing a good love scene is probably one of the hardest things to do and you have nailed it. I am caught up in the action and the emotion of the moment and i definitely feel the boys' searing heating. Can't wait to see how things continue to develop in and out of the bedroom Thanks

Each chapter just reaffirms what a great writer you are: the pacing, real characters with strengths and blemishes and surprisingly little drama but some real issues to deal with. Thanks

Love the dance,between the boys and between you and your readers. You take a pretty straight forward boy meets boys tale and twist it into something so much more fun. As always the characters are crystal clear and have enough real faults and warts to keep them ever so real. A delight to read except for the anticp.......ation for the next chapter

Just as Caleb was patient with Rhyder, you have paced out the chapter taking us into Rhyder's world. Amazing

Another great chapter. It was nice to start to see under Michael's shell. I hope we get to learn more as Michael start to seal with it and moves forward. You have created some wonderfully complex characters here and it is a pleasure getting to know them.