skinnydragon

Thanks, Tim! Oh boy! If you could just take a quick trip to Daleville and deliver the final line of you review to David. Donny's OK, I think. He just has no idea what's going on in his lust-stud's brain. The alcohol is definitely not in David's best interest.

Thanks, lux! Sorry David screwed up you mental health day. I like your comment about just paying lipservice to everyone. He's so focused on his internal torment, that no one else actually exists to him in any way, except maybe Twoey. Christmas Dinner might be interesting.

Thanks, Ron! You're right. If David ever makes it to the end of the story, he's going to have lots of regrets.

Thanks, Hunter! Yes, it is difficult to watch David spiral. I didn't give the gift scene short shrift, David did. Of course none of this is Twoey's fault. But the only other choice is that it's his fault. David doesn't seem to be ready for that yet.

Nice, Dodger! It seems that every time Robbie finds himself in Fran's house, something outrageous happens to him. Robbie! STAY OUT OF THERE!

Thanks guys. I knew these later chapters were going to upset most readers, so I expected the flack. You have hit on some very good points, as have most of the reviewers, actually. The little trap many have fallen into is understandable, too. David is the main narrator. Through virtually the entire story, he has been our only consistent connection to what has been going on in Daleville. And because of that, the reader has been drawn into relying on his testimony. But, by now, it should be clear that could have been a mistake. Some reviewers find certain things hard to believe, and the are. But have they ever considered the possibility that those hard-to-believe things might not actually be true? Or, at least not true in the context presented to us. We have seen how David twists, and what he omits, when he interacts with other characters in the story. Well, when we read him, he is interacting with us too! What is clear is that he's on a severe downward spiral, as all his imaginings of the way thing are, are being torn to shreds. There are only two viable options. When he hits rock bottom, and he will, will he either gain insight to fight and claw his way back, or will he flicker out? So yeah, it's not so nice. At this stage, you recognize the 120 chapters of 18 Weeks are not all gushy and happy with warm puppies and peaches and cream.

Thanks, Lisa! Your absence has been noted by David, and now he's spinning out of control. It's all your fault! Actually you're correct that Alex is in the perfect position to help David. But will David let her? That's the real question!

Whoops! This must have posted just as I was taken out of town. Well CG, you have created a warm and sunny chapter, further deepening the friendships of the 'study group,' for want of a better name. I also enjoyed the little talk between Mikey and his father, especially with the ending, which left him still unsure of how much his father had figured out about Jay and him. That little doubt will color his actions and keep us guessing for a little while, I'm sure. I never had the benefit of a group of friends quite like that. I'm certain it was helping Mikey become more unlike how he was a scant few weeks before, as Jay noted. Of course, Jay helped too. Another very enjoyable chapter, CG!

The attack had more of an effect than Devin thought. With only his father as a guardian, and him living so far away, Devin didn't get the therapy such an attack probably needed. I wonder if he'll get any now? Since only the cops and DAs saw his reaction, probably not. I hope he tells someone about it though. They might be able to suggest the idea. Bryce or, more likely, Vincente. Other that that (and it's a big 'that'), his baseball and fraternity seem to be getting Devin a good support team assembled.

I think Leo might have been behind the raid too. Avery would have been a possibility if he knew Dorian was going to file charges, but I don't think he did. Leo did. Some of the problems Dorian has been obsessing about may be solved in ways he hadn't expected. e.g. the raid. Other things could also fall into place. With Wes being in the position (condition) he is, Dorian might now have an extra motivation for getting involved. It's not just the others pushing him, but he has a stake in it now with the possible emotional connection to Wes. This is getting real interesting Ron! I'm out of likes today and just had to read two of your chapters because I've been away. I really like this story!

“Are spirits’ lives so short?” asked Scrooge. “My life upon this globe, is very brief,” replied the Ghost. “It ends to-night.” “To-night!” cried Scrooge. “To-night at midnight. Hark! The time is drawing near.” The chimes were ringing the three quarters past eleven at that moment. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens *** The distinctive aroma of pine filled my senses. And, of course, it made sense because it was Christmas. That was obvious by the mistletoe hanging from the

Oops, outta likes for today. Thank you all. Dragons and cakes and dragon cakes and verses. Wow. I thought I flew under the radar around here.

It was an intriguing story! Well worth the read. Gary creates three-dimensional characters that one cares about--and even a few one doesn't care about You rock, Gary!

I think you can be pardoned. When you write two perfect little gems like this, you can be pardoned far more than a summer fling! Thoroughly delightful, my friend.

Apparently Escalator was (is?) a trademark registered in 1900. An escalader was used to scale walls of a fortress. So maybe someone was being witty about the size of the new store?

Thanks, Def! We keep forgetting Donny is only 14. And now he (almost) has his hands on the boy of his dreams. Sure, toss in a little vodka--anything to make it work. Which might just magnify the head-explosion you mentioned too. The Law of Unintended Consequences, I guess. But don't worry, David will stay in control. Maybe he'll create DAVID3.

Thanks, Spikey! All good points. btw that's a weird autocorrect you have--Italians?? The ultimate seduction, after David has realized Donny is not "the one" might be more damaging to David than the alcohol. Or, maybe the alcohol will exacerbate the effect the 'betrayal' will have. You're right, all bad stuff.

Thanks, Parker! Ouch! Put that SD voodoo doll away! Wow! David and Erik! I wonder if I have enough time to write that ending in. One thing you certainly nailed (and I'm not sure others have) is that David's mental state is deteriorating. Heck, I even subtitled this section "Spiraling." And you're right, Twoey is finally rebounding.

Thanks, CG! Yep. No surprise about David. He's following his MO perfectly. Your last point is interesting. I wonder how good Twoey would be at fixing the 'mess' of his soulmate? He's never had such a task before.

Thanks, jess! I guess after 114 chapters we should pretty much know how David will respond to anything. So here's a little puzzle for you: How will he respond if Donny collects his 'present' from him? I should have said 'when' because we know he can't resist Donny.

Thanks, lux! You're right. Donny is only 14. We easily fell into thinking of him as a mature, potential therapist. But now, will David actually drink vodka with Donny? I'm happy you noted that some things David is doing to himself are pretty natural. I guess the trouble is that our little hero seems to do all his thinking at max-volume.

Thanks, Hunter! More or less, everything you've noted is true. You said, "...he has no idea David has made his choice already. He's going to get hurt." What if Donny gets his Christmas present? Knowing what we know about David, David is going to be more than just hurt.

Luiz, you've captured that clumsy, worried, yearning set of feelings so well. A very nice chapter in an interesting story. Poor Peter and Nicky! They don't know how to safely proceed.

I thought the aggregation of alliteration in the first three stanzas of Nightmare produced a yet greater nightmare, as I'm sure was your intent. The poor little (I hope) kid really needed his mommy! In Sadness the metaphor of the broken drain pipe, and then the next metaphor of the cleansing rain, just out of reach, was brilliant, Gary! What a perfect way to depict the miasma of melancholy! Oh wait! That's the other poem! Anyway, it's true!

I can't see anything but trouble with the meeting at Fran's house. She's not going to let Robbie get away as easily as that. He should be developing responses to every kind of scenario on his way over in the cab. I wouldn't put it past her to use some effective extortion, either. And if he has Nathan all lined up as his 'the one' then he better stop leading-on poor Rory.