skinnydragon

Thank you Parker! Yes, this was Toph's coming to terms, part 1. You are insightful in your final question. And that must be answered in Toph's coming to terms, Part 2. Which, of course, in SkinnyLand does not necessarily mean the next chapter.

Thanks tim! Maybe 'ToGa'? Nah, you're right. The couple business is a big deal, given the outcome of Toph's only other coupling.

Thanks Tim! Or maybe Gary trying to reveal Toph's Achilles' heel to him through humor?

Thank you lux! And thanks for the kind words. Toph, idiomatic?

Two lovely verses about, love. The first, to me, was an enshrinement of its eternal nature--from before time itself. The second, Aspiration. And, as aspiration, it is a deep breath of an offer, nearly irresistible, to embrace, becalm and love. Terrific stuff, Parker!!

He that has and a little tiny wit-- With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,-- Must make content with his fortunes fit, For the rain it raineth every day. King Lear - WS *** Last night’s dream was a little upsetting. Surprisingly, it wasn’t about Burch or fish or even Donny. I was sitting out on the grass somewhere. I could only make out that people were walking around me, like in a circle, with me at the center. There was a mist or fog which kept their identity and number

I'm sorry spikey! My weakness as a writer has got to be behind your confusion over the characters. Not a good sign. I'll try to do better.

Thank you Def! I agree, the doctor did NOT handle the beginning of the session correctly. What could he have been thinking? It was almost like he was scolding David, and with bad assumptions to boot. Maybe David needs to consider a change of therapists. If he can't locate Sigmund, then Ginny would probably be best for him. And speaking of Ginny, she'd better start paying attention to her son--no?

Thank you CG! I think Donny may want to be David's amazing boyfriend one day! Ouch! Just what David needs -- hehe. Erik assault Twoey?? CG! You must know me better by now. No happy song and dance here.

Thank you jess! Ironically, Ginny heard about the breakdown at Sam's from Twoey the morning after Twoey heard it from David himself. That strange before-bed phone call David felt compelled to make (and has probably completely forgotten about). Donny was pretty good, wasn't he. He had obviously been thinking a lot about it. So, is he falling in love with David? Arrgh! How much more complicated will that make our not-gay boy's life?!

Thank you lux! An interesting observation that David is dropping all his security into one person. He does seem to be searching desperately for a safe harbor and has decided, for better or for ill, that his old friends aren't it.

Thanks Def! There's more to Alex than we've been allowed to see ...hehe. As we'll see, Alex isn't the only force around. Mike isn't going to let his friend suffer again.

A great chapter Rex! That was a surprisingly touching scene, Barry's presentation ceremony on the stage. Who'd have thought it would choke me up. So now to wait a few days as we teeter on the cliff.

A thought provoking chapter, mitchelll ! Dad knows, right? Denise, gone? Viktor, softening? Shane, waking? All good things, no? Haha ...we'll have to see. Thanks for this!

Deep turquoise. An interesting attribute when it bespeaks of the eyes. One would usually describe them as blue. At any reasonable distance they do appear to be blue. However, the color of a person’s eyes is never a plain monotone. Light reflections, ambient hues, or even one’s mood can infuse subtle complexities to even the simplest of their tones. Deep turquoise adds the alternative color, green, to this variegated amalgam of tint and personality. Over our two-week vacation, I was afforded the

Well, it seems to be over, no? hehe ...I like how you showed each pov in a separate little chapter. At least we know how they were thinking up to and including the punch! In a strange way, that punch was good for both of them. Also the povs clearly demonstrated that these two guys never defined their relationship with each other. Not that you would expect two kids in high school to worry about stuff like that. But if you don't, then situations like Devin found himself in at college have no roadmap. And then this can lead to each person imposing his 'wish' on the other one's behavior. etc. But, as Devin said, now they move on.

I tell thee, minstrel, I must weep, Or else this heavy heart will burst; For it hath been by sorrow nursed, And ached in sleepless silence, long; And now 'tis doomed to know the worst, And break at once - or yield to song. - George Gordon Byron *** No dreams. Rested. I showered and had a small breakfast of only fruit. I kissed Aunt Sarah goodbye and left to join the three guys who picked me up. Walking to school seemed different today. For the first time ever, I didn’

Thanks so much, Parker! Alex is basically gone until we need her. But we always knew she was level-headed and very, very smart. She analyzed the situation quickly, diagnosed David quickly and did the only logical thing she could do to help the boy she still has deep feelings for. We should probably excuse her for her over-the-topness and write it off to her age and hormones or whatever. Don't you worry one little bit about Donny and benefits. He seems to be winning the race with Matty, all with a hand and leg tied behind his back!

Thanks for your great comments, Geoff! The shrink better be a miracle worker -- lol! Wait until we find out he only has 4 days to work his miracles. You left out Donny and Mel's Dad.

Thanks for the comments, CG! We won't see Alex much more (you're welcome) but when we do, we'll be glad she is the way she is. Really. Speaking of forces, you will be happy to see a force at work when Mike engages the gears. You already noticed how he was the only one to let Ginny in on what she couldn't possibly have known. As for the adults, it's pretty normal for them to be oblivious to what their kids do. Except for the soccer moms of suburbia, they have their own problems to wrestle with and their kids rarely, if ever, share anything with 'the enemy.'

Thanks for your great (even if Pollyanna) comments Jess! Alex can be a force, that's for sure. So that could be good news. Tomorrow's talk with Dr. K. will be more revealing than what's discussed, if we pay attention. David is never going to be able to keep from slipping into his sad mode until the cause is rooted out. And he doesn't have much time left. 122-106=16. Yikes!

Thanks so much, lux! You're correct to see that David is in a very delicate spot, mentally, right now. And, as we'll soon see, it will get him off to a rocky start with Dr. Keating. As far as Mike is concerned, with his background and how he hurt the best friend he could ever have, You know he's going to be all over this problem and is never going to let up or allow that friend to be hurt again, if he can help it. Mel's father ...probably too early for conjecture.

Thank you for the kind words and comments, Hunter! I think Alex has been misread a bit. Perhaps some readers saw her as blocking David and Twoey coming together, and perhaps she did a bit. But David was in no way capable of a relationship with Twoey at that point, given what we know now. Alex was certainly overcome with lust and it was also out of character for a very smart, very level-headed girl. Once the confessions began to roll, she was quick to size it up and realize there was zero chance with David. She got to hear him voice his inner confusion plus she has a gay brother and gay best friend. She loves David and there was really nothing else we could expect her to do but help him. It was all very logical. Donny does want to help. Let's hope he knows how to do the right thing.

Well, now Parker! So refreshingly, ...refreshing! Better than lemonade on a warm summer day.

An interesting and enjoyable chapter, Milos. The opening scene gave us some good stuff to add to our bag of clues, including the catfish reference. The last scene added a little more intrigue to Joey and Chase. The Eli vs. Mom scene was also interesting as it explored those dynamics a bit more. The puzzling scene, for me, was the hallway confrontation. It didn't seem to be related to the Bobberson drama, unless it was used to introduce Tau to us. He was described in some detail, so perhaps he'll pop up later. Anyway, it was a very entertaining scene! The mystery continues to deepen!