Dodger

It's okay, @tesao I did realize this and my response was meant in the same way. I love your comments.

Okay. I apologize sincerely to all fans of the Saskatchewan Roughriders Calgary Stampeders Canadian football team, who may happen to be reading this story and feel somewhat aggrieved by Robbie's rather crass true comment. "Is that a real team?" and for correctly implying that the name Roughrider may also be used to describe someone engaged in another high contact physical game. I'm sure Conner will be able to demonstrate the subtle differences between the two activities in due course.

Robbie's life isn't meant to go smoothly and some will say his mistakes actively encourage problems. I admit bhe's not the most level-headed of boys and has a tendency to overreact and jump to conclusions. He's good at heart but no angel and enjoys courting danger, which can be a risky thing to do and sometimes it backfires. Conner may prove to be a better role model than Nathan.

In a perfect world, perhaps, but Robbie and the people around him are far from perfect as we know. Except maybe Rory, but I'm sure even he occasionally makes a mistake, or permits himself a bad thought.

I think Robbie's also scared of what the doctors will tell him . He's trying not to think about it, hoping it will go away, but that rarely happens and eventually he will have to admit there's a problem. There's never a right time to be ill, but he will be cursing his luck and worried about how this would potentially affect his budding relationship with Conner.

Don is the trustee of Robbie's trust fund, which he cannot access until he's 18. I don't think Don is able to get to these funds either and the bulk of the money is tied up in the apartment Robbie inherited from his mother. Don will know how much is in the fund and the value of the property, which is likely to be worth over a million dollars by the time Robbie reaches 18. He should be keeping Robbie informed.

The hospital is the one place Robbie definitely doesn't want to be, even if it is necessary. He would fear it would jeopardize his budding relationship with Conner and probably lead to another period of enforced rest at home, another place he doesn't want to be. I think it would be wise for anyone in his position to pay more attention to his financial situation. His mom's death caused him a lot of problems, but the insurance paid off the mortgage on her apartment. With no siblings to share his inheritance with, Robbie should be financially secure and he's wealthier than he realizes.

I think Robbie was pleasantly surprised by Conner, who is not quite the country bumpkin he was expecting. If they can work out the travel arrangements then Conner may prove to be a better match than Nathan. Providing he doesn't do something stupid.

Yes, a typical male reaction. He's also probably hoping it will go away on its own. Which, of course, rarely happens.

Robbie is convinced there is something wrong with him, and is frightened of finding out. He also knows if he tells anyone he's likely to end up back in the hospital or confined to home making it difficult to see Conner or escape from Don and Sue. Witnessing his mother's demise has undoubtedly made him feel more vulnerable than most kids his age, but as we know, he is also inclined to exaggerate.

Quite often, the little single sentence preview into the next chapter, creates more interest than the chapter itself. I always find this amusing, especially when you consider that it's often deliberately misleading, or what it refers to turns out to be something quite trivial with no real effect on the story. Major developments aren't usually hinted at in the preview for fear of ruining the surprise but that my not always be the case.

Yes, circumstances change and people have to adapt to those changes. If Robbie had been able to tell his mom he was gay, she may have done things a little differently and not insisted on the adoption. I'm sure Robbie would have taken her advice and followed her wishes.

It would make sense for Robbie to take more of an interest in the money which has been left to him. He may be surprised to discover how wealthy he is, at least on paper. He still owns his mother's apartment in London, which is being rented and held in trust until he reaches 18. The rent is accumulating each month and the value is of the property is increasing by ridiculous amounts as London's housing market continues to boom. If he chooses to sell this property and add the money to the trust fund it is likely to make him over a million dollars. BTW the 'Trustee' charged with looking after this account on his behalf is Don. Robbie would be better off learning to drive if he wants to visit Conner on a regular basis, but at the moment, with dizzy spells, he may not be classed as being medically fit to drive.

He is a bit of a drama queen. He spends a lot of time worrying about things that never happen. Maybe Conner will help to calm him down.

I'm not totally sure what that means but I'm still gonna agree with you. It sounds like Nathan.

“So what happened?” “I told you, we went to the movies.” “And?” “And what?” “And what else?” “Oh, you mean after?” “Yes, yes, after. Tell me.” “Well… we left the cinema and…. Oh, I’m gonna be late for my science class. I’ll have to tell you later.” “Nooooo!” Rory left me at my locker with a teasing smile and hurried toward the stairs. I wasn’t in his science class so I would have to wait until after school to find out what happened on his date with Rebecca.

That's correct. The adoption actually made little difference. Even if he had turned it down, Don and Sue would still have had full control over his life until he was eighteen. He wouldn't have been able to move out without their permission and it wouldn't have given him any more protection or special privileges than he has now. What it did do, was officially make Robbie a part of the family. Nicola is now his sister and Daniel is his brother etc. This may not seem like a big deal and few have considered it to be important. However, the need to belong to a family and have that connection after losing both his natural parents, with no siblings, was absolutely vital to Robbie, and cannot be overlooked. A good counselor would have pointed this out straight away, but of course, he hasn't had the benefit of a good counselor, and Don and Sue have abused his trust to suit their own agenda. Robbie can take heart from his now legal siblings, who have responded with remarkable loyalty to their new brother and are willing and ready to close ranks and oppose their parents.

Also due to Robbie's determination to fulfill his mother's wishes and keep the promise he made to her. That played a huge part in his decision as well as the pressure applied not just by Don and Sue but also Mr Andrews and just about every other adult he met before the adoption. The only adult to speak out against it was Walter, who obviously has more sense than all of the rest combined. Or maybe it's because he had nothing to gain and was simply considering the best option for Robbie!

You're right, Conner is no country bumpkin and neither is his very forward sister. Robbie should get to know him first before making comparisons with Nathan, although I can understand why he may have a few doubts. First impressions are important, but in this case, I think we can forgive Robbie for being a little apprehensive. I mean, the guy was dressed as a gorilla!

There's always a storm brewing where Robbie is. Maybe he should live in Florida! He's always enjoyed antagonizing Alex and pushing him to his limits in the belief that his friend would never seriously hurt him. It's a very dangerous game to play with a guy who has so many serious issues and a violent background. Now that Alex has recovered from his injuries he will likely become restless and more troublesome and we're likely to see more squabbles develop between the two boys, but as we know there's a lot going on that Don and sue aren't aware of. It was probably a mistake for them to offer Alex and Luke a temporary home. It was always going to be difficult to find full-time foster parents for a hyper-active boy with a history of bullying. drugs. and alcohol, and Alex is even worse!

Yes, this is the most important battle for Robbie to win and that is exactly how he sees it, as a war. If he wins this war then everything else in his life should fall into place and become a lot easier, even his recent health problems. Robbie has been able to see two examples of how families can work. Rory and Nathan have both benefited from good parents who were on the ball, and not closed-minded bigots. He won't win on his own though, and Nicola would undoubtedly prove a useful and influential ally.

The general feeling seems to be that Alex is a walking time bomb and this may well be true. The family are unaware of his potential to wreck havoc. He has deep-rooted problems and desires which very few people are aware of. One of them is Robbie, who has been guilty of flirting with his friend but knows more than anyone what he's capable of doing. Robbie's walking a tightrope. He enjoys being dominated by Alex and pushing him to his limits, although he doesn't quite know why. It's a dangerous game and when you play with fire, sooner or later, you're going to get burnt. Robbie needs to understand this and back off a little. Conner is likely to offer a much safer distraction and providing they can overcome the obvious logistical problems, a new relationship should help take his mind off problems at home. Maybe they can arrange a double date with Rory and Conner's twin sister?

Yes, this chapter was a little more upbeat than recent ones. Robbie seems to be coping a lot better and meeting Conner may prove to be a turning point. He's still hung up over Nathan and while Alex is around there's always going to be temptation, but Robbie seems to know what's best for him in the long run, even if he takes the long road getting there. A warning! Robbie's not out of the woods just yet!

This, of course is very important. We only ever get to see it through Robbie's often tainted eyes. Until he actually talks to Nathan then it's difficult to get a balanced view of what really happened. I'm not saying Nathan is blameless, but Robbie has been wrong in the past about people and does tend to jump to conclusions. It would be nice if the boys could work things out and maybe become friends, because they had a lot of fun together. Alex, as you rightly point out, may prove to be a bigger problem and a possible obstacle between Robbie and Conner.

Don't get too comfortable there @SolarMaxx. Robbie's not out of the woods yet. He has a few fairly large obstacles to overcome and most, but not all of them are adults. Kids of course aren't born homophobic or racist, they have to learn these dubious skills from their parents and peers. I think a greater access to information has made it easier for kids like Daniel to question the views of his parents, and realize there's nothing wrong in having gay friends. It seems as if Rory didn't need to question his parents, and even Robbie is able to recognize this and give them credit. There are plenty of good people in Robbie's life, the problem is, there not the ones directly in control of his life at the moment. Trying to stay warm.