Thorn Wilde

I'm so happy you changed your mind! This made my day, it really did. Thank you! Dave's dad is king of his little castle, and in his little slice of the world his word is law. He can be intimidating when he wants to be. Probably why he's such an excellent lawyer. He has his own issues, of course. And poor Dave even now yearns for his parents' approval. But things will change soon, I promise. Thank you for continuing to read, and for reviewing!

I was so pleased when everyone was going, 'Yeah, Alan's so definitely in the closet and pining after Dave!' because that meant I knew this twist would be unexpected. I'm so glad you're enjoying the story, thank you for reviewing!

Hopefully they'll be able to keep it quiet. Tongues will wag in small towns, though, of course. Still, it should take a while for it to get out. Dave's dad is a piece of work, certainly. Homophobic and conservative, no doubt scarred from his days at Eton or Harrow or whatever all-boy's preparatory he undoubtedly went to. Glad you're still enjoying the story! Next chapter will be up tomorrow!

Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and that you weren't put off by chapter 14.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN Thirty-Six Degrees The walk up to the front door seemed to take forever. Dave’s mother stared down at him from the top of the steps, her expression unreadable. He was at least glad that he had Jason with him. His mother led him into the kitchen, where he found his father seated at the table, holding an ice pack to his head. His expression was stony but he seemed acutely aware that Jason was in the room. Dave’s father had always been intimidating enough on his ow

Zoë really loves Nick to bits. After all, she put her education on hold so that she could take care of him when shit hit the fan. She's an excellent human being. Dave will have a lot to deal with in the next few chapters. Poor kid... His parents aren't exactly the most supportive of people. Thank you so much for still reading and reviewing!

I do like to put my characters through hell, don't I? Welcome to DRAMA!! I wouldn't say they got away with borrowing the bike... Jason's probably pretty pissed off right about now, and if they'd been pulled over by police there would have been hell to pay. As for the B&B, they did bribe the receptionist... Zoë will definitely kick Craig out regardless. And you're right that their troubles are far from over. Thanks for your continued support!

Yeah, you think? Zoë loves her baby brother to bits. That bath may not have been the best idea, but it made sense to them at the time. Poor boys. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Thank you! Dave couldn't stand seeing anyone else hurt his Nick anymore. He sort of lost it a little. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I really want to put Craig away for a really long time... Unfortunately, statistically that would be a miracle without a confession, even if they did have evidence of sexual assault. I hate that it's so hard to get rapists convicted. Either way, it's a story for the sequel, as it generally takes a good long while for the Crown Prosecution Office to even decide to charge someone, let alone for a case to make it to court. Dave is in for a shit storm of epic proportions, I can tell you that much. Maybe helping Dave deal with everything will be good for Nick, so he can get his mind off everything that's happened to him. Thank you for your continued support! I'm glad you're sticking with the story. Only a few more chapters to go now!

Thank you! <3 Sorry about the vagueness of the chapter opener. I've been trying to stay away from far too obscure references a little bit, or I get so caught up in them... But I might go back and change that. When I started writing the story over ten years ago, it was Nemesis in the modern sense of the word. Enemy. Because they were enemies to begin with, and it was that simple. Then I learned what Nemesis actually meant, and that conversation appeared in my head. I've been carrying it around for years and only put it on paper a few weeks ago. Quite happy with how it turned out. I don't think it's necessarily that the characters are good at it from the start. But in cases where both parties are entirely inexperienced, not to mention deeply in love, sex feels good even when the technique is shoddy. A pair of virgins going at it often have a much better time of it than more experienced couples, I think. For a 16-year-old boy who is liable to get a hard-on from watching paint dry, just having another person's mouth on them can be enough to get off, technique be damned. Frottage is just masturbation plus, and masturbation is something these boys are very good at. Nah, save the awkward, painful stuff for full-on, penetrative intercourse, I say. I'm glad you're enjoying how it's all coming together. I'm so glad! Thank you for reading and reviewing again!

Thank you, Brad! I'm glad you're still enjoying the story. With regards to the sex scenes, I'm glad you don't think they're too gratuitous. It's been hard to balance a certain degree of realism with not making it too porn-y. I happen to be a huge fan of erotica, and have been known to write it on occasion, so keeping from doing so now is actually quite difficult. But I'm glad I've been able to pull it off! Thank you for reading and reviewing still!

Yeah, you win some, you lose some. It is how it is. Craig has some pretty serious issues, one might say. More about him later on. Not the nicest way of being discovered, but at least now it's out in the open, and most importantly, Zoë knows. Thanks for reading and reviewing still!

Friend of mine just sent me this. Not usually my style of music, but the song and the video are lovely.

Never underestimate the human mind's ability to rationalise, repress and move on. Nick is far from done with this, but for now he can function. Thank you for reading and commenting!

CHAPTER FIFTEEN Come Home The following days consisted mostly of hanging out in Dave’s bedroom or—when they were feeling adventurous—the garden, playing video games, and playing board games with Jason who, as it turned out, was a huge board game nerd and had them playing everything from Risk to obscure fantasy board games Nick had never even heard of. It all helped him take his mind off Craig. He was pleased with that. He shoved it to the back of his mind and they hadn’t spoken of

Aww, David's such a sweetheart! I still retain some kind of hope of him just being very deeply in the closet, but that's probably quite farfetched. David seems very comfortable in his sexuality, which would account for why he doesn't care if other guys find him attractive. And what of Chris? I keep wondering, does Chris like Dan? Poor Dan, it's not easy being him... He's so utterly rational and analytical, it's like he barely even recognises his own emotions, let alone anyone else's. I kill bugs, if they annoy or harm me. I never kill spiders, because they kill bugs for me. We have ants in our house right now, but there's a little spider who's built a nest in the loo, and every day more dead, shrivelled up ants turn up underneath her web. I've named her Claudia.

In the bathtub scene, Nick was still in shock. Still not used to anyone but Zoë being kind to him, his addled brain was looking for a way to pay Dave back for his kindness. Thank Goodness that Dave is such a decent bloke. I'm so glad you've been enjoying the story! I'll be updating with another chapter a little later today. Thank you for reviewing!

Thank you so much for saying all this. It's been painful to realise that I have readers who will stop reading my story because of this. I thought I handled it as tactfully and kindly as I could, and it saddens me that this wasn't enough. I, of course, respect an individual's choice to put down a book that triggers them, or that's painful for them to read, or that they just don't like. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt a bit when it's my book. Craig could do with a good beating, I'm sure. Of course, if he goes to jail that's exactly what he'll get. Other convicts do not take kindly to child rapists, I've heard. We can let that be a comfort for now. Thank you for reading, thank you for continuing to read, and thank you for your words.

I'm sorry you feel that way. It saddens me that this sort of thing should make people want to stop reading, but it is how it is, I suppose. Thank you for reading as far as you did.

Single quotation marks (apostrophes) is the UK standard, actually. So if you pick up a book that's written like that, it just means it's a UK edition. I'm glad you're giving it a shot anyway!

Thank you! I'm glad you're still liking the story! Yeah, Craig is definitely a piece of shit. He's also very, very broken.... You'd have to be to do the stuff he's done. Dave's good at taking care of the people he cares about. It's one of his greatest strengths, and part of the reason why I love writing him so much.

Thank you for your honest opinion. I'm sorry you feel that way. I hope you'll change your mind with regards to not reading anymore. There are only a few chapters to go. You are completely right that Nick should have told Zoë about Craig beating him. You're right that Dave and Nick should both have just come out. And you're right that they should have reported the rape. Nick should have been taken to a doctor to be examined and checked out, and for the sake of evidence, too. Absolutely. This is what SHOULD have happened. But it didn't. Nick didn't tell Zoë the first time around because he was afraid. Because this was the man his sister wanted to marry, and he was worried that he wouldn't be believed, he was worried that Craig would hurt him again. He was worried that Craig would hurt Zoë. Dave is still so far inside the closet because he's afraid of his father, because he's afraid to lose his friends, because he's afraid that if he loses status he won't be able to protect Nick anymore. Nick still isn't out to his sister because he's used to homophobia, and even though it would be so unlike her, he's still irrationally afraid that she won't accept him. And they didn't report the rape at once because they're two 16-year-old boys who have not been taught what to do if you're raped. Because the stigma against men who are raped (who 'let themselves be raped') in our society is even greater than the stigma against woman who are. Because Nick is afraid of not being believed, of being blamed, of being questioned. Because Zoë isn't there and Nick doesn't know how he could possibly tell her over the phone. Because Dave doesn't know if his cousin, whom he worships, would accept him if he told him the truth about everything, which going to him for help would, in his mind, inevitably lead to. Because when you're sixteen you don't always do the right thing or the rational thing. Yes, they're behaving stupidly. Of course they are; they're a pair of scared kids who don't know much about anything and think they know all about everything. As for taking the story in this direction in the first place, and having already put them through enough... If the world was a fair place, and the universe never gave us more than we could handle, if there was a quota on misery and pain then, you would be completely right. Of course rape is too much. Rape is always too much. Rape should never happen. But it does. And it happens for stupid reasons, and it's done by otherwise regular people in whom something just snaps, and it's one of the most hideous crimes an individual can commit against another. But it still happens. It wasn't even supposed to happen. It wasn't part of my outline. There was another beating in store for Nick. But just like bad things happen in the world for no reason, this happened, too. It happened while I was writing. It happened before my eyes and I couldn't stop it, and once it had, I felt like there was no going back. But thank you, really, for being this honest. I appreciate that you were willing to tell me this, and tell me why it makes you feel the way you do. And, in a way, I'm glad it does make you feel that way. It's a good reaction. Any reaction is a good reaction. So, thank you. Be well.

I don't think Dave at all knows what you're supposed to do in the event of rape. This is my bit of social commentary: That young boys are not taught about what rape, or what to do if it happens. So Dave did the best he could.

Angie wasn't really rational when she wrote that. She hasn't really been rational in a while... Depression and psychosis makes people do stupid, bad things for all the wrong reasons. I thought Matt was just a selfish, narcissistic playboy when I started writing him. He keeps proving me wrong, and he's one of my favourite characters I've ever created now. Good old Matt. Chas needed development, I thought. I'd made this character, and his role in the story hardly registered. There's usually more to people than meets the eye. Oh, Alan has a heart. It's not a very good one. It's a scarred, lonely, rejected, shrivelled little thing, dry as a leaf, but it is there. Maybe putting it to use will cause it to soften. Thank you once again for reading and reviewing and being magnificent!