Uplifted Spirit

Jaro, I'm glad you liked this chapter. It was a ballsy thing to do. The thing was, they didn't want to go through another trial so what could they do. A trial would have brought out so much information and probably a little jail time too. So this was the wisest and also the bravest thing they could do. I've avoided the truth a few times in my life and it had ended terribly so sometimes it's a good idea to have your characters set a good example as to what some unusual options might be. You are also about where will the story go from here. I'm not sure. Stories need conflict, but I don't like to create artificial conflict just for the hell of it. It should have meaning and seem natural to the story. That was my concern with having the boys prostitute themselves. I kept asking myself if I was creating conflict for the sake of it and decided as I was writing that Derrick's interest in Matt led to the possibility that he would either have sex with them and of course led to Derrick realizing he could make money because he had friends who were interested too. Of course, the boys still have to face their parents, grounding, rumor, football, Andy getting well, etc. Thanks for reviewing.

Knots 4 Chapter 6 Matt My parents’ third degree didn’t settle my mind any. I called Andy around 7:30 PM on my old cell phone, which my parents were happy to remind me I still had, and told him about my talk with them. “Damn, Andy. I told them Derrick was the manager. What if they call the Outback and want to talk to the manager?” He laughed. I raised my voice. “It’s not funny.” “I know, but what can we do. Like you said, you can’t

It's always hard to see our hero's fall. Matt has fallen hard. He's still only a kid, although 16 is moving close to adulthood. They are not kids like they were when the were 13, 14, and 15. There's something about being 16 that makes us feel like adults. Matt's parents had to step in and do something. But you're going to have to wait until tomorrow to find out what happens next. Hopefully, it will surprise you.

Jaro, they are in deep trouble. Gina is somewhat like Matt and Emily like Andy in their own way. Matt worries about what people will think about everything after the fact of course. Gina is tentative too. But Emily and Andy forge ahead. But in the end, maybe Matt will pull everything out of the fire.

You are very perceptive. You're right. There would be no story to follow. I found while writing this that I was in the same predicament. But Matt had an idea. At least he was wise enough not to be a male escort. Look where it got Andy.

Jaro, you're right. This is headed to a bad place. Will they be able to get out of it? There lives could be ruined at that school. But they live in a small community and the family would have to move or the kids would have to drive a long way, but their reputations would probably follow them. They have one option that probably no one will have thought of. Although the home schooling isn't a bad idea, but where would that leave us and the story?

Jaro, glad to know you liked the opening chapter. I just finished writing chapter 6, which will be posted tomorrow (Saturday here). It kind of brings everything to a head. You may be surprised how the boys resolve the problem staring themselves in the face. Probably was an anti-gay guy. It's a logical conclusion to draw.

Jaro, I'm glad you like the ending. Endings are always hard. But I hate to see stories go longer than 30 chapters and this seemed like a good place to end (28).

I'm not sure about where you are now, so of course I don't want to give any of the story away. Derrick is a pretty good guy. He's knew at it. I watched a few things on pimps, and of course, they are usually bad guys and treat their prostitutes badly. But I figured this made it possible for him to treat them differently than if he'd been doing it for a time. But then he has a lot to lose and could go to jail for pimping as well as pimping underage boys.

Jaro, I really have been troubled with their decision to do what they've done. What will happen? It seems that it's going to be hard to get out of this. So much is at stake here.

I agree with you 100%, because it went places I never expected too.

Jaro, I'm really pleased with your response because I had a lot of doubts about taking the story in this direction. Glad to see you don't hate Emily quite as much as before. Change is always hard and I'm pleased that you didn't find the story anticlimactic after the trial. I was worried about it too. I'm finding myself in similar bind now in Knots 4.

Jaro, the direction the story took surprise me. Now I could have avoided my inclination to take it that way, but I tend to go with what my subconscious brings to the direction of the story. I kind of bounced it off Lisa because she kind of responded like you. But teenagers do stupid things at time and this all heads to places they didn't expect when it wall started.

Are you horny or what? I'm not sure how well I wrote that and I look forward to your comments.

Glad you like the direction of the story. Yes, the pond always has fond memories. It plays a very important part in the story later on. I'm not sure if you're there yet or not.

I think you did misunderstand Derrick's interest in the boys. He wanted the boys to be aware that he knew who they were. And of course, you know something's up. Even I was surprised at Matt being hell bent on trouble and becoming more like Andy. Emily is a confident young lady and speaks her mind. I'm thinking I may need to write a few subplots related to the various groups of friends.

Jaro, you responded the way I hoped readers would. I like characters to have flaws and then examine what they've done and do something to resolve the problems they create. You're really going to be surprised what part the Outback plays later in the story.

I'm not sure why I wrote that Thomas broke his ankle. It really didn't seem to add to the story, but I couldn't go back after it was done. You can't unring a bell. glad you enjoyed the chapter.

I agree Jaro. This was about the only verdict they could come to since Dillon was under 18 when he had sex with Thomas and Randy. It may have had negative effects. Just look at how Randy reacted. Thomas is more mature, but they had their youth stolen in a way. You could say they decided, but like it was said in court, they would have never chosen to do what they did if Dillon hadn't been there to coerce them. At least Dillon will spend some time in jail. That's a good thing.

Well, in keeping with my name Uplifted Spirit, I try to have positive characters in the middle of bad situations. I get so used to everyone being bad and gay kids being bashed, abused, beat up, or kicked out of the house, that I like having positive roll models like Matt's parents and Coach Gilbert. Even Andy's parents. Sure, there are some real jerks, otherwise there wouldn't be any story. But I like having things go well now and then. I think readers do too.

I once took a law class in college and was told that if you're guilty, you should ask for a jury trial and if innocent, you should ask for a judge alone trial. I'm sure it doesn't always work out perfectly, but if I was innocent, I think I'd prefer a judge. I'm glad to see that you have rendered a verdict. This was a hard decision for me to write, but I tried my best to be a fair juror and as it turns out, you predicted the decision a few reviews back. Now I see you've changed your mind. As you know, this story is about friendship. Matt keeps trying with Gina, but it never quite goes anywhere. He's still confused. I sometimes think he doesn't want to be gay. He wants to be hetero while enjoying all the benefits of being gay. He's once confused character.

Jaro, it dose my heart good to know you're still enjoying the story. I love writing Wheeler's character and dialogue. I actually have to say that about all the court scenes. I liked doing the defense too. It's fun looking at both sides in their adversarial roles. Andy is love starved even though his father has started to come through for him. But in life, nothing changes overnight. We are always growing. Even at our age.

Interesting that you called Andy a boy whore. Dillon did what the guilty always do, lie. You can't expect much more from him. He sure doesn't want to have to do jail time. But no matter what, he's a predator and needs help. It is surprising that there are no reviews here.

You are so right about Matt and Gina. Thomas an Matt might be a possibility, but Matt is afraid of commitment so that hinders him a great deal. It's just easier to have sex when you want it if you can find a willing partner. Yes, he's become more like Andy. I suppose it was bound to happen.

Jaro, I'm always easy. I really have difficulty letting my readers suffer for very long so I get someone like Coach to fix things. You may find that the jury agrees with you. Like I said, much of this story is about real friendship unrelated to sex so the girls will probably come around.