Dodger

Most of the loose ends will be tied, but not all of them.

I think Robbie and Rory need each other even if it's only as friends. Rory seems to be just as stubborn as Robbie, or maybe he's too infatuated with this girl to think about the friendship he's losing. If his girlfriend figures out that Rory isn't entirely straight, then she could be doing all she can to turn him against Robbie, whom she will view as a serious threat. If this is the case, then she's likely to win, and their friendship will be over, or maybe, as you pointed out, she won't be able to float his boat. Then Rory will have to take a good, long look in the mirror and make a decision, if it's not too late.

Thank you @Ggg for reading and commenting.

Thanks @chris191070. Stephanie is used to getting what she wants.

Probably the dumbest move ever, but it doesn't let Robbie off the hook, and he will still feel partly responsible.

Thank you @Gangsta6566 for your first comment. It pleases me to know there are still people who are invested in this story, and I'm glad you decided to share your thoughts and opinions. It's frustrating for me too because anything I say at this stage, even the slightest hint, will give everything away and compromise the ending. With this in mind, there are still a few chapters left for you or anyone else to comment on. I'm trying to whip up a bit of interest for the grand finale.

Possibly at the same time!

Thank you for the feedback. It was fun for me to do and a learning experience, but I wasn't sure how it would be received, especially this late in the story. I know readers have their own mental images of the characters, so I've deliberately avoided giving too many descriptions. The characters in the gallery are only how I see them. I'm not trying to change people's perception. AI has made this possible, and it's moving forward at a ridiculous pace, but I'm also very worried and under no illusions about the threat it poses. Anyone involved in the arts or in creating original content at any level should be concerned about AI, because this is only the tip of the iceberg. Despite all the advantages, it's a poisoned chalice, and if I had a choice, I would prefer a world without it.

Thank you, @Joseph OHara The next chapter will be soon. There are clues about the ending in every chapter now, but also things designed to throw you off course, so beware.

It's the comments that give me stamina, Gary. But we're so close to the end now, it would be criminal not to see it through to he end, and I would probably be hunted down. If this story was an Olympic marathon, then I would be approaching the stadium now with the finish line almost within sight.

That was the problem with good-natured, well-meaning friends; it was easy to take them for granted and assume they would always be there, no matter how much shit you threw at them. I generally learned things the hard way, and this was no exception, but it never crossed my mind that my little spat with Rory might become a permanent fracture. All I did was swear at him. It wasn’t a physical fight, and nothing like the violent ding-dongs I sometimes had with my brother. Daniel and I had far wo

I think you're right. Saving Mr Lube is unlikely to change people's opinion of Robbie or increase his popularity, especially among the homophobes. If anything, the council's plan to feature him in their new safety campaign may have the opposite effect. I think Robbie was right when he said it might make him a target. He only agreed to do this for the money. Isn't that always the way?

Some good points here. Having never been in that position, it would be difficult for Rory to fully appreciate how much he has hurt Robbie. Not by finding himself a girlfriend (Robbie has, in the past, encouraged him to do that) but by his constant flirting, which, as we know, has misled Robbie into believing there was a chance. Sure, Rory is hurting because Robbie's attack was quite brutal, but he needs to accept at least some culpability for his outburst and maybe ask himself if it was right to refer to him as cute (one of many flirtatious remarks that no straight male would dare utter to a gay friend). I don't believe Rory did this on purpose because he's a good person, so he doesn't understand how betrayed Robbie feels. If this is the case, he may not want to back down, but Robbie will need at least some acknowledgement from his friend that his actions may have been a little misleading. Having said this, as you point out, there is no evidence to confirm that Rory is romantically attached to this girl. We can only see things from Robbie's somewhat twisted point of view.

Alex was simply trying to calm Robbie down to stop him from shooting his mouth off in front of his jock friends, and it probably seemed like a good thing to say at the time. Robbie had just accused him of being in the closet, remember, and he wasn't exactly being discreet. Alex isn't known for his critical thinking, so it's just a random statement that's not really worth analysing too deeply.

I think they both need each other more than they realise.