Valkyrie

My BFF just told me her son has joined his school's GSA this year. He was inspired to do so because of people like Brian Justin Crum on "America's Got Talent". He hasn't always been understanding of LGBT people, so this is a great step forward for him.

Thanks! The funny thing is that the last time I won LPW was right before I was promoted to Promising...conspiracy? LOL

I hate that I'm out of 'like's... lol I love it, Tim!

Thanks again, everyone! I'm out of 'like's, but will be sure to like everyone's posts as I accumulate more.

Awww...I love it! Oh boy...the pressure's on now! Thanks, Mann!

Thank you so much! I'm honored and thrilled to be promoted to Signature Author. When I joined the site and started writing, I never envisioned my work being so well-received. I'm so happy that others enjoy my stories as much as I enjoy writing them. The support and friendships I have developed on this site are a very important part of my life. I'm grateful to be a part of such a wonderful community. My beta/editing team push me to constantly improve my writing, so a huge thank you to Cole Matthews and Lisa--I couldn't ask for a better team! Thank you to the Author Promotion Team as well. I appreciate all the work you do.

You can go to "More Options" in the menu at the top of the screen and then "Calendar". It lists members' birthdays. If you are curious about anyone in particular, visit their profile and it will be listed there if they chose to do so.

Total kitty person, in case you can't tell from my avatar. lol

Awww... thanks so much I've really enjoyed reliving the story through your reviews. I'm glad you liked it so much. If you'd like to read about how Sam and Aaron met, check out Prompt 305 in my 2014 Prompt Responses story. I believe the link is in the story description for AL. It was the inspiration behind this story.

It hurt writing it. When I first conceived of Sam and Alex, I did not envision this ending. This story is a perfect example of the story writing itself. I started it based off a writing prompt, and as I wrote it, it hit me like a ton of bricks that Alex wasn't around anymore. I didn't plan it and certainly didn't like it, but to change it would have made the story inauthentic. I actually felt guilty after reading all your wonderful reviews, knowing what was coming up in the story. lol

Thank you for reading and reviewing. It makes my heart feel good.

Definitely!

Yeah, it's amazing what people put up with in the name of 'love'. Thanks for the review, Puppilull. I'm glad that people are understanding Josh more.

That would be cruel to have their relationship end there, wouldn't it? I may put my characters through hell, but I have to admit to being a sucker for a happy ending. Although I won't guarantee that a happy ending is always the outcome. The story's not done yet...

Thank you so much. I consider your review very high praise. No... thankfully this is not a story written from personal experience. Sam and Alex are peripheral characters in a story I'm currently writing. I liked them enough that I wanted them to have their own story.

Thanks This was another tough chapter to write. I shed a lot of tears when I wrote this story.

Thank you for sharing this story with us. Great ending with a great message. I'm really looking forward to the sequel.

Most definitely!

Congratulations on the feature, Tim! NaPoWriMo was very popular this year, and I'm so happy so many people decided to participate. I really enjoyed reading these, as I do all your poetry. It is not an easy feat to complete 30 poems in a month, so kudos to you.

You are quite right on a lot of counts. Roger was a master manipulator who knew exactly how to play Josh. I can also say I've experienced firsthand the lies and deceit of a narcissist and sociopath (not like Roger, but someone with no empathy for others). I'm glad you understand Josh so well, but am sorry you had to experience that with your ex. We are at the turning point of the story now. Next comes picking up the pieces. Thank you so much for such a thoughtful review. I really appreciate it.

This was a very difficult chapter to write. This is a pivotal moment in Sam and Alex's relationship. You are right about adversity making people stronger and closer. At least that's the usual case. It doesn't always happen that way. Thanks for reading. It was nice to wake up to so many reviews!

Yeah, I got a lot of grief for ending that chapter where I did... lol Thanks again for the reviews. Hope I didn't keep you up too late!

Alex is a total tease...but in a good way lol Thanks for the review. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

I loved this chapter. You have the building relationship between Brian and Jeff, and then the rift with Ed, followed by Ed's acceptance. Ed's a great guy and I'm not surprised he was accepting. We'll see what happens once Jeff is introduced to 'the crowd'. I can relate to Jeff in a lot of ways, because I've always been a bit anti-social myself. It can be very difficult to break out of that shell, but with Brian and Ed's help, I'm sure he can do it. The last couple of chapters have brought me back to my own youth. I experienced something similar during middle school. My best friend at the time stopped talking to me and hanging out with me. I called every day and left messages, but she never called me back. She was always hanging out at another girl's house and I was very hurt and jealous. So I can relate to Ed quite a bit on that count. I eventually found out that she had never received any of my messages (which still doesn't excuse her never calling me), but at that point, even though we had aired our concerns and feelings, it was too late to save the friendship. I look back at it now and wonder about her relationship with the other girl. My best friend had tried to kiss me at one point, but I was too young to really appreciate what that meant, and later found out she was bi. Only one more chapter? I'm glad to hear you're working on a sequel. I'm really enjoying these guys