Dodger

Hmm. I've been accused of many things, but running a Dry Gin cartel is a new one. Although I'm quite partial to the occasional G&T I'm refusing to accept responsibility for the state of your recycling bin.

Maybe they can arrange for a family session where they can stand up and reveal what they hate the most about each other. It was probably a bad move for Don and Sue to offer temporary accommodation for Alex and his brother. It was only supposed to be a few days but obviously they have had difficulty finding a suitable foster home for them. It's not surprising considering their background but Alex may have just forced the issue. I definitely need to increase my dosages and if my doctor wants to see evidence of my rapidly deteriorating mental condition, I need only point him to this story.

That would be an interesting turn of events and a real challenge for Sue and her first aid kit. If this is the case Don my try to have him committed to a mental institution. I agree, Alex deserves it, but I think it's more likely to be Robbie's blood.

I think it's unlikely that he will want anyone to know about it and he definitely won't want to see Alex prosecuted, in which case he would probably have to testify against him in court.

Robbie enjoys seeing how far he can push people before they react. He has done it quite a lot to Sue, Nicola, and even Don, but Alex was his favourite target. It was only a matter of time before it backfired and even though Alex's actions can never be condoned, Robbie, as usual, contributed significantly to the outcome. The fact he is able to recognize this and accept some blame may be an indication that he is willing to try to keep it a secret. However, if he allows a delusional Alex to get away with it, he could be leaving himself open to further abuse. If Sue or Nicola return home before Robbie is able to pick himself off the bathroom floor then the decision will be made for him and perhaps this will be the case.

Wow, as tempting as this is, I dread to think what reaction such a turn of events would get from the readers. I'm already being roasted for allowing it to go this far. I may have to go into hiding if I were to go with any of your suggestions. The devil in me says do it for the hell of it, but my better side says have a heart. Actually, joking aside, the story now is pretty much written to the end and it would be difficult and a lot of hard work to change the direction even if I wanted to. It is, as they say, what it is and I will offer no clues as to how it will end.

There are quite a few inconsistencies in Nathan's conversation with Robbie. You're right the halo doesn't fit him and his claim of innocence doesn't quite match his personality. Either way, it shouldn't make much difference to Robbie anymore and he has a lot more to deal with now. I think he would be justified in believing he is unable to trust Don and Sue, but as you mention, there are other adults who we know he could trust. The school principal, of course, would have to report the matter to the police, no matter what Robbie says and this may be reason enough for him not to want to tell him. Maybe Rory is his best bet at the moment. He has already proved his loyalty and has offered good advice in the past.

I think that's a pretty good guess as to how Alex will be feeling. He may have lost his only true friend to a moment of madness.

As frustrating as it is, I doubt if Robbie will do any of those things. In fact he's more likely to do the complete opposite. I should imagine he will want to clean himself up and wash away or conceal any evidence of what happened before Sue and the kids get back. Whether he is able to do any of this, of course, will depend on his health and state of mind. Both are quite precarious at the moment. He needs to get out of that house for a while.

Alex has certainly made it difficult for himself and will find it hard to recover from his moment of madness. Under Canadian law Robbie is still a juvenile and will have to wait until he is eighteen and completed high school before he is legally able to consider returning to England. Even then, it may not be as straightforward as it seems. He was not born in the UK and doesn't have British citizenship. He may have lived there for ten years, but when he left, he automatically gave up his right of abode. He may be entitled to dual citizenship because his mother was English, but the application process will likely take up to six months, so he would probably be closer to nineteen if he chooses to return permanently. He does have money which he is able to access, but it wouldn't be enough for him to live on his own without any income. The bulk of his money is wrapped up in his mother's apartment and held in a trust fund, which he also cannot access until he is eighteen. This pretty much makes it impossible for him to leave and, of course, Don and Sue are now his legal parents.

Thanks for reading @spikey582. This garbage wasn't written for the faint hearted.

Robbie makes a lot of mistakes, which make his life more difficult than it needs to be, but if there's one person who can probably beat him at this, it's Alex. I'm sure a lot of readers were disappointed by his actions at the end, especially after working so hard to earn their trust after such a dubious start. He may soon realize how big a mistake this was. If Robbie decides to tell, then Alex stands to lose everything. Even if he avoids prosecution, he would be moved on, and the chances of him finding a decent foster home would likely be non-existent. His cover would also be blown and he would be outed in the worst possible way, turning his friends into enemies. Not to mention the fact that he has probably now alienated his only true friend, and the only person who has made any effort to understand him.

Thank you for another in-depth and thought-provoking article, @Comicality It makes me wonder how you ever find the time to write your stories. I agree with @Cia, writing a serial 'on the fly' is more difficult than posting a completed work. It's a challenge, to put it mildly, and one which, for the sake of my own sanity, I have sworn never to attempt again. I enjoy the luxury of being able to go back and fix certain elements that don't quite add up or even re-write entire chapters, which you can't do, of course, if you post as you write. There are some plot holes in my stories big enough to drive a bus through, but so far the readers have mercifully chosen to ignore them. Perhaps they believe they are there for a reason and that everything will make perfect sense in the end. It would probably be foolish to have that much faith in me. I can only wish I was that clever.

Robbie has been sailing dangerously close to edge for some time now, even if he doesn't realize it himself. He may feel now that there's no way out for him and that is a dangerous place to be for a troubled teenager. Let's hope he can get some genuine help before that happens.

Some days you wish you had stayed in bed although in this case it probably wouldn't have helped. Robbie set out that day with the best intentions. Realizing his relationship with Nathan was definitely over, he wanted to make peace with him and find out why he was still so mad with him. I think he felt sorry for him and believed they could still be friends, but he should have known that Nathan was never going to be a victim. The hospital may be the safest place for Robbie at the moment and surely it's only a matter of time before he's admitted. Whatever happens to Alex, Robbie needs to get away from that house for a while and he won't be allowed to stay with Rory.

I think it's difficult not to feel some empathy for Alex. He's a product of his environment and leading a desperately unhappy and frustrating double life. It would be difficult for him to come out, especially now. He's nowhere near ready, but that's sure to happen if Robbie decides to tell. No matter what he decides to do it's going to be difficult to keep the lid on this. With Sue and the others due back at any moment, Robbie's going to need a make-up artist or a pretty good story not to arouse suspicion. Alex sounds like he's also distraught and we can only guess at his state of mind.

Nathan seems to have fallen on his feet and got off quite lightly, moving easily from one relationship to another. Alex certainly needs help but he may have lost his only true friend.

“It was too long and not enough action for me.” “What about the movie,” said Rory. “What was that like?” I giggled down the phone “I was talking about the bloody movie. You dick. When did you get a sense of humour?” He laughed at me, which made me laugh too. Enough to turn a few heads in my direction on the bus. It was unlike Rory to be making jokes, especially smutty ones, but I liked it. He was referring, of course, to my date the night before with Conner, and giving me a taste of

This is terrible news. Lacey was everyone's friend on this site and like those who have posted before me, I thank you for letting us know. Your efforts at such a difficult time are much appreciated.

I am able to understand your comment quite well. Let me know if there is anything you need explained in the story.

Thank you for reading and commenting @hobo You're right, Robbie is very insecure. I'm glad it translated okay.

I'm going to choose the very first comment I ever received, after posting chapter one of The Cockney Canuck. It was the first time I had posted anything on-line, and I was terribly nervous about what people would think. The plan was to wait and see what reaction it got before deciding whether or not to continue with the story and post chapter two. I was bracing myself for the worst but Lisa's comment absolutely made my day and gave me a much needed confidence boost. Needless to say, I decided to post chapter two and three years, 114 chapters and 2000+ comments later, it's still going strong. Here is the very first comment. What a fantastic start, Dodger. I'm so impressed by your first chapter. You had me in tears when reading about Robbie's mom dying, and his anger at her and everyone and everything else. His anger is just one of the five stages of grief he'll go through. It seems so unfair that this had to happen to him. It's too bad Tom's family didn't offer to take him in, although I'm not sure his aunt and uncle would have let them. I'm anxiously awaiting chapter two. Great job, Dodger.

I haven't seen 'Bird Box', but I'm going to try this experiment using blacked out safety goggles, which should block out all light. I suspect it will be a lot more difficult and frustrating than it sounds, but I will take this seriously and let you know how I get on.

Thank you @hobofor reading and taking the time to comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

Wow, might need to include a chapter warning to accommodate this Bubba character. Seriously though, his mother's illness is definitely a factor here and he associates hospitals more with death than treatment. No hospital in the world could have saved his mom though, and hospitals in Canada definitely aren't any better than in the UK. Canada has a publicly funded health service which is very similar, but probably not as good as the NHS, which still sets the standard worldwide and is much admired over here. (I always heap praise on the NHS. As far as I'm concerned they're second to none!) Walter still has a role to play and so does Nathan but Bubba? I'm not so sure.