Parker Owens

May 25 – Late Big question for today: why is that whenever you think things are going better, they’re actually getting ready to blow up in your face? The last two days, I was on a high. I escaped the basement, got a little food, a little rest, and I had a survival plan that could last for a whole day. Fast forward to tonight. I’m homeless, hungry, wanted by the police, and trying to disappear. At least I’m still here, pen in hand, scribbling away. So what happened since I

The romance and the way Ryan and Sim just seem to click comes right through in your writing. Everyone should be so lucky as to have as good an experience as this. When Sim got on his soapbox, I cheered; this is something so many people need to hear. This is excellent, incredible, and so hot I had to put my computer in the fridge. Thank you.

So Twoey does some introspection. This is good. Perhaps he'll develop some idea of how he wants to live life, and how he wants to be in relation to all the guys who have come into his life. Because like it or not, they'll all make demands on him - and sooner or later, he'll have to deal with that. David's situation is much harder. He's being manipulated; his friends are making demands on him that he's hardly aware of, and which conflict with where his own heart leads. No surprise that he boils over; many of us would. Wonder if Twoey would have a similar reaction if he were in a similar kind of spot. Have to wonder about Matty and Erik - what's their angle and motivation? Altogether, a great chapter which might bind things together later. Thank you. Will await more with held breath. One thousand one, one thousand two....

Caught up on "I Will Wait For You," Mumford and Sons.

Very lovely. Your writing is evocative and engaging. Thank you. I, too, remember Mark Spitz, and understand exactly what you wrote about.

Some good stuff in this chapter. Agree with drpaladin that the wreck on the highway isn't necessarily in this chapter, but I can see the possible smoke rising up ahead. There is enough material in this chapter to make a multi-car pileup happen. Depends on how it plays out, though. Think Rashid is doing the right thing, by the way. Thanks for this one!

Awesome chapter. The emotions and forces tugging and torqueing each of these four ultimately likeable and complex characters comes through in the dialogue and action here. And of course, the setup for a climactic forthcoming day is perfect. This chapter is one of the best in this story. Thank you for sharing it!

A very hard chapter to write, too. Light is coming, though slowly. Stefan is alive enough to write, after all.

I want to thank you for this impassioned and thoughtful review. Stefan is confused and tired and hurt and unable to put everything together. And recovery is what has always done. I'm not sure that Stefan is stupid so much as stunned. But this time he can write, and indict his father, who is unquestionably evil and demented. Not sure he wants Dad to come home, but it's what he's always done. Rational? No. Stephan will look for a way to survive, in any case.

Survival instinct can make people do tremendous things. But it's not surprising Stefan slept for twelve hours afterwards. He just can't think fast enough right now to get moving...

Thank you for reading this, and staying with it through the storm. At least we know Stefan survived long enough to tell us what happened.

Oh, lucky, lucky Sim. Hope it all works out. I worry about Ryan, but then I look for black clouds inside every silver lining. Your descriptions and language fit this all perfectly. This is solidly written, highly engaging, and like everyone else, I want to see more.

Thanks so very much for reading it over again. Stefan breaks my heart, even more so after reading comments on the forum page.

I understand, W_L. Still, for whatever pair of cents it's worth, I wonder what happened to Before I Fall by PoisonIvy.

About the last thing Stefan needs is the sound of the pickup truck parking in the driveway...

Right now, Stefan wants to eat and rest. A doc would be the smartest thing, but he hardly knows where to find one. At least Dad has disappeared for the moment.

Another melancholy chapter. Mark meets a nice guy, but the whole thing crumbles. It has to hurt, and hurt badly.

This is great writing, Diogenes. I would use the "I'm not worthy" emoticon if I knew where to find it. These two men find themselves in an impossible situation. Choices got made that will wind up hurting someone, probably themselves, for a long time. If Mark finds someone else - even another guy, it would take some of the pain away; and fatherhood can certainly concentrate the mind. But could it permanently ease the hurt? I wonder.

(In the Basement, Continued) (undated entry) Everything still aches. But I want to tell the rest of what happened after I blacked out that Wednesday night. I came to, with every bone in my body aching. Everything hurt. Sharp pain in the ribs and neck. Later, I found swelling where my head must have hit the wall, the stairs, or something on the way down the stairs. I’d been thrashed, no doubt about it. I lay on the cold cement basement floor, pretty much where Dad had left me. The basemen

First he has to get off suspension...the principal is not a nice man, either...

Stefan is on suspension from school, so the school isn't about to inquire for a while. And time plays tricks with the mind when it's all alone...

Thanks for your perceptive review. I really appreciate this. Unfortunately, some evidence gets ignored willfully, especially when those who encounter it have a narrow view, or perhaps that are just too rushed and busy to notice. School counselor in this country carry loads of hundreds of kids, and often get seconds a day with the students they actually get a chance to see. And that's the people who actually are in the business of caring. Principals often have other fish to fry,

The school isn't about to check on him; he's been suspended. And Dad is hardly the guy to go pick up assignments for his son. It feels so, so discouraging when the person you hoped would help you (in this case the principal) just processes you using his own take on what he knows.

It's hard not to feel for Stefan, and to hope that he can somehow make his way.

Another great chapter. The er, explosive tension between Mark and Carl goes off at just the wrong moment, and it sure looks like they'll go spinning off in different directions.