Dodger

Bucketland sounds great! But we can't really get there by road. So no roadtrip! Plus too many snakes.

Winter's started too early this year. I'm not ready for it yet! I'm never ready for it. I need to get to Florida!

Andy may not have a job come Monday morning but I'm not sure if the music business would suit him. Either way he's bound to pick up aa tidy sum for his troubles and we probably haven't seen the last of Tyrone. Thanks @Butcher56

Yeah, Jazz is being a little inconsiderate but she knows that Andy can be a drama queen and she probably doesn't know what happened anyway. We'll see what she has to say and if Andy can go back to his not quite normal lifestyle. For Jazz and Andy The Church is more than simply a night out. It's a kind of escapism which they're convinced they need. Thanks @Bft

Don't worry. The next chapter is going to be the greatest chapter ever. I'm gonna make this story great again!

Hey Steve. Glad you enjoyed this. I love the Benny Hill shows too, despite his obsession with big boobies. I love this type of bawdy humour, which the Brits seem to pull off so well. I guess it's no surprise if I say that Andy hasn't seen the last of Tyrone yet.

I think the record company would prefer him to be straight to maximize his appeal. His fan base is made up mostly of teenage girls. I'm not sure if being gay would lessen his appeal that much but these people are controlling and motivated by greed. They will want a good return for their investment and Tyrone has little say in it. His life is messed up but no one cares about the long term damage to a commodity which has a limited lifespan. Thanks @Edward I'll try to speed up the chapters.

Tyrone is a complex character with a lot of unsolved issues. Put in the spotlight at a young age, then molded, packaged, and sold to by a ruthless industry. He's a product of his environment but he lives in a fake world where everything is scripted for him. He has never been allowed to develop his own personality and despite the adulation and financial rewards, he lives a very sad life. I'm not sure what he sees in Andy or what Andy sees in him, but there's a mutual attraction there which neither wants to admit to. If Andy can take Tyrone out of his cocooned world then Tyrone may be a completely different, even become likeable. Andy may be able to understand Tyrone better when he has to deal with the unruly press but he has also got more than his fair share of issues. His parents aren't interested in him and like Tyrone his life is molded by his job and the belief that he has to conform. Thanks @Israfil

Thanks @chris191070 So obviously you believe Tyrone will be back!

Thanks for your comment @Butcher56 I'm glad your enjoying the story. I know it's a little off the wall. Unfortunately, it has been neglected at times and overshadowed by TCC and every time I promise to post regularly something goes wrong, so this time I won't make any promises.

I must admit, I never had you down as an Eastenders fan @droughtquake I didn't even know it was broadcast this side of the Atlantic, although I suppose you can get any show nowadays. I know there's a lot of Brits in California, so maybe they show it to cater for the ex-pats.

Jazz will probably guess straight away. Bob's a bit of a dark horse. Mrs Dewsbury will do her utmost to keep Andy out of the picture and Andy's parents may be a lost cause. Oh I can't imagine him being very good in the winter. Somehow, I think he would be more at home in California. Unfortunately, it's just the by-product of having to work some odd hours recently. My sleep pattern is all over the place.

“What are you looking at?” said Tyrone. My eyes were on the television behind him. I picked up the remote control to fumble with the volume. There was a reporter outside the front of the hospital, and she was about to interview Bob! ‘I should’ve known he wouldn’t be able to keep his trap shut’. There was no depth to which my colleague wouldn’t sink, and nothing he wouldn’t do to make a bit of extra dosh. I wondered if my boss was watching as I glared nervously at the small screen

Toronto elects pot-smoking pumpkins to City Hall as government insists legalization will not damage Canada's credibility.

I've been meaning to get back to this story again for a while now and reading @Timothy M.'s excellent review this morning was an timely reminder. Of course, I had to read the first chapter again. I think this was a steep learning curve for Andy. A curry probably wasn't the best idea even in England where I know it's very popular and he walked right into it with the computer. I was working at a house a few years ago that belonged to an elderly couple. They just sat and watched TV for most of the day and there was no sign of any technology. They were way out in the middle of nowhere, without a car, no public transport, and the nearest store unreachable on foot, even for a young person. They relied entirely on friends to take them food shopping once a week. A few months later I was nearby and decided to check on them to see if they were okay. They thought it was odd that I should pop in, after all, we weren't friends, but they were very welcoming and thought it was kind of me to think of them. "How do you manage, being so isolated?" I said. "Doesn't it bother you?" "Well, we have everything we need online," she replied, and she opened up an old cabinet in the corner to reveal a fairly modern desktop PC, complete with speakers and printer. "We may be old but we're not from the stone age!" True story. You can't judge a book by its cover. Sorry not all my comments are this long or all about me.

You should have said something sooner, I would have changed it for you..... It's just a story. I'm sure you'll get over it!

A painful chapter but Daniel seems to have hit the jackpot with Michael. he's got nothing to lose now by confiding in him and then going to the teacher. Loz made a big mistake with the poster. Now the school is aware of the problem they'll be watching Daniel's every move. The next time Loz tries something I think he'll get caught. Either by a teacher or if he's really unlucky by Michael.

Clearly Robbie is at a low point now and it is difficult for him to see a way out of his current mess. We know there are people who are trying to help him but he may not be able to see how it's possible, or be willing to put himself in the firing line anymore. Someone will have to recognize the danger signs and move quickly to help him before he simply gives up.

It was always going to be difficult for Robbie to fit into a family environment with no previous experience. Don was already trying to mold him into someone he wasn't even before he found out he was gay so he was never going to allow Robbie to sour his good name. I think Robbie's choice of partner didn't help either. Don had worked hard to destroy Daniel's friendship with Nathan and it was looking like he succeeded until Robbie brought him back into the house. It would have angered Don who has never liked or trusted Nathan. If Don is hiding something from his past then maybe he could make use of his no longer needed therapist and have a few sessions himself. Thanks @Jeff1

Glad to see this story return. Let's hope Daniel can find something better to do on Mondays now he has some genuine friends.

Thank you @Benji. Walter was the one who alerted Mr Andrews to the counsellor, although we don't know at the moment what the connection is between the principal and the retired social worker or how Walter found out about this guy. To be fair to Sue, this counselling was Don's idea but she's easily led and hasn't exactly been a rock for Robbie. He does have people looking out for him and Walter is a heavyweight with a lot of experience and a few formidable contacts.

Fantastic comment @tesao. There's so much I like about this. For example. "Don and Sue seem to understand - in their self-serving, loveless, sanctimonious echo chamber," or "Shame on them for so egregiously committing parental malpractice." Also "Don had arranged for Robbie to see some degenerate, reparative therapist is further evidence that he’s an adoptive-father-from-hell." Brilliant and very true. I agree with you about Alex and Nathan. These two just don't fit. People had a hard time understanding how Robbie and Alex could be friends because they are so different. Well, I know this is just about sex but Alex and Nathan are opposite ends of the spectrum in every way. Thanks for a great comment.

Robbie's going through a very difficult time. As you point out, Daniel's been Nathan's friend longer than he's been Robbie's brother but Robbie is desperate for some kind of back-up. He's clutching at straws because deep down he wants Nathan back. Robbie wants Daniel to tell him Nathan's upset and miserable just like he is. Tom's news, if correct, has probably put paid to any chance of them getting back together. Daniel, of course was with Nathan at the same time as Alex was supposedly with his girlfriend so it wouldn't have been possible for Alex to be secretly hooking up with Nathan, at least not on that day anyway. Mr Andrews offered Don and his crooked counsellor the use of the school facilities to help out, but also so that he would be able to have some kind of control over the proceedings. He probably suspected Don would try to bring in someone who was going to try to convince Robbie he wasn't gay. Walter it seems confirmed his suspicions and advised him to intervene. I don't think Mr Andrews necessarily banned the councillor from the school grounds just took away the use of the room. That's all he can do at the moment other than trying to talk some reason into Don. Good luck with that one! Thanks @NimirRaj

Tom definitely has a lot of strong feelings for Robbie which he's been trying to mask. He must realize that it's a hopeless situation but he let his guard down during their emotional conversation on Skype.

Tom may have made a mistake, after all, he wasn't as used to Nathan's antics as the others were and of course, he only heard one side f the conversation. We won't have to wait too long to find out the answer to this one.