Israfil

I don’t know but I have a feeling the Vanilla Douche will surprise us. He might not be a big fan of Billy’s but it’s possible he won’t like Paula effectively blackmailing her son over this.

Had plenty of moments like Billy did with Sarah. When she was talking about flying under the radar, I was thinking “do you realize it’s to avoid people like you?” I’m surprised Billy didn’t call her out on the suspension considering his hobby of verbal sparring but I guess that’s how he’s kept his grades up the past year. Props to him - I don’t think I would have been able to hold back. However, I do think she was at least partially genuine - senior year and everyone is trying to re-invent themselves to a degree, or at least re-examine themselves. We see this with Brett and Dustin and especially Billy but itbecen includes the popular kids. Maybe she’s trying to make amends somehow? Still, to hell with her. If Joey tries some nonsense like this I’m all for Billy telling him to fuck off and seek forgiveness at how precious Church - even if he does try to be civil for Brett’s sake. Years of bullying like that cannot and should not be forgiven. #evilregal

Well, progress. I’m fairly sure Dustin is bi, from his experiences with Billy and Mike - but under the circumstances it’s probably best for him to keep it simple. I can sort of see why he came back - to have closure and not feel like that town completely sent him packing. And for Billy’s sake, apparently, which says a lot for him - I love my friends but I don’t know if I could go back to such a horrible place for their sake. Doesn’t say anything good about me, I’m sure. I know in Billy’s place, let alone Dustin’s, I’d want to burn that town to the ground and salt the earth. Hell, my high school experience wasn’t nearly as bad as either of those, and I still wanted to do that. P.S. Billy must have really pissed off Brett to not have had him over the instant his Mum left. Especially if she’s been trying to keep them apart - you’d think he’d be eager to spite her as well as get laid.

I wouldn't call it an "indiscretion" so much as a poor choice. Indiscretion sounds like he was cheating on Nathan and they weren't together at that point - the problem is it made Robbie feel bad about himself and that Alex took advantage of him but regarding Robbie's relationship with Nathan there's technically nothing wrong with it. Robbie hooked up with someone before they were together - big deal. The only reason to hold back telling him is that Nathan has shown himself to be less confident than he appears and viewing Alex as competition would be off putting for most teenagers, I'm sure. If Robbie convinces Nathan that he's only interested in him, this should be alright. Of course, if Alex makes a play for Robbie, that's a different story. >_>

The notification said 'two minutes ago" - epic timing.

Ah, the poor dinosaurs. Though I suppose that explains the odd lake monster popping up.

This is funny as Hell. (Pun intended halfway through writing that sentence. Looking at you, Kenny )

Victor got served! High five, Igor!

I enjoyed MLDWY but I'm really keen on more updates in "Fire and Icing." The premise is fresh baked (pun totally intended) and characters are endearing. Plus we were discussing an article on the Boston firehouses in class today and I thought you. Cheers!

So Daniel is coming around. Um...am I horrible person if I still think he's being whiny? Yeah, finding out like he did can't be nice but for some reason I don't get why he was crying. It's not about you, child. (Good lord, I'm being so harsh on this kid - for the record, I sympathize with him on the whole "just cause I'm quiet doesn't mean I don't notice things"). It's a shame he and Robbie haven't got back to their old friendship yet - I remember that feeling. Wishing you could mend fences but also knowing you have nothing to apologize for. Daniel's unpredictable enough that he could have a new reason to be annoyed at Robbie if he thinks that his cousin might be cheating on his best friend. And they were just starting to get along too... I'm also super curious about this counselor Don found - that is to say, is he or she a real counselor (which he might need for reasons unrelated to his sexuality) or just someone to convince Robbie he's straight?

Well, that went about as well as it could have. Nathan was great here - I loved how he stood up to Don and spoke so articulately on Robbie's behalf (cause let's face it, our boy isn't the best in that kind of situation - though I did like his rehearsed words). That being said, I kind of face palmed at the pulling faces and flirty looks while Don and Sue were in the room. You totally have the right not to hide your feelings for each other but in that situation it's really not going to help. Don's homophobia aside (whose words ticked me off actually more than last time), even most straight kids don't act like that in front of adults. Factor in that you're talking to a guy who can make things very difficult for you, it might not be best to antagonize him more than the argument (and all of those to come) is already going to. It was a reminder that Nathan is still fourteen, after all, but surprising since he had just been so mature so I thought he'd pick up on that. I'm relieved that Don's not trying to keep Robbie from seeing Nathan at all. You know I'm almost always on Robbie's side but I was worried he'd argue when Sue brought up the no sleeping together rule. He can sometimes be a little stupid (love him anyways - it's probably why I see a bit of myself in him). And Daniel... dude get over it. We've all been there - we all survived it. Your cousin banged your friend - this doesn't mean you're doomed to be a third wheel for all eternity. Though if it's the usual "why didn't you tell me" nonsense then I have no sympathy.

I'm relieved Billy had a proper talk with his parents and with the results. What really struck me though was the ending scene with his father and how it paralleled a similar one in the very beginning of WAR, when Billy walks by his father asleep in the chair. That was when we as readers truly got introduced to George and his role in the story. Both Billy and George have changed since then, which Billy reflected on. I have a feeling that George won't be around for much of Commencement. That last scene had the feel of a good bye.

My question is: how much of that was Jack trying to scare Billy into silence about the affair as opposed to retribution for the Joey embarrassment? It starts out about the latter before clearly shifting to the former. My thought is the Joey thing was more an excuse to get Billy alone and Jack considers it small potatoes, but in the beginning he threatens him very clearly for that...

Ok so yeah, I'll be the first to agree that Paula isn't exactly mother of the year but I'm actually relieved she knows about Billy and Brett and is (relatively) okay with it. Sure, we probably won't see her at a Pride parade any time soon but she appears to have accepted the situation to a degree. I'm sure she hopes it's "just a phase" but she hasn't followed the Pastor's example, thankfully.

Nice one. What's less nice is the two to three week wait until we can find out what happens next haha. While running away is never the best idea, I'm glad that Robbie managed to make his point

Thanks! Yeah I have serious trouble following my own advice more often than not though. Have you read "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott? It's where most of my ideas about writing fiction originated from.

Amanda might have been the biggest shocker of this chapter. I kind of assumed she'd run off and gone down hill. I'm actually happy she's making a life for herself. Not only that but she's not running away from how she treated Dustin - many people in her situation would try to downplay their part in it but she just admits it. I can definitely respect that. Her actually being nice to Billy after he spoke with Dustin certainly caught me off guard too.

Thing is - the people who have told him that so far are those who care about him and want him to change for his own sake. Joey doesn't give a damn and would be perfectly happy if Billy just shot himself. Additionally, the Dustin incident stemmed from Billy not wanting to believe Brett smoked pot and was totally uncalled for. This was fair revenge against Joey - who would have done exactly the same thing in Billy's place. He was dumb enough to push Billy knowing what he had on him. Why do people assume there's some kind of honor code in these kinds of situations? There isn't. However, I will say that Brett was a very good boyfriend here. Yeah he didn't take Billy's side exactly but a good partner will make you look at an issue differently. It's a sign of maturity.

That may be true but Joey has gone out of his way to harass Billy for years, since the last book even and to the point of sexual assault. While I agree Billy could have gone about that better, with people like Joey, you sometimes want to give them a reality check, as you put it. If you push someone far enough, they will fight back. Joey clearly didn't understand that.

Yeah Billy could have been smarter about it but I don't blame him in the least, as someone who has pulled similar stunts. Ive sat through rants like Joey's and I was just like, "can't this idiot drop dead? Now?" When people tell you how bad of a person you are in such a sanctimonious fashion, you want to show them they ain't seen nothing yet. Then you make it clear that it was their own fault for pushing you and they should have left well enough alone. And in response to Brett's comparison to the Dustin incident - the big difference there is that Billy cares about Dustin, so humiliating him like that was uncalled for. In this case, why should he give a damn about Joey's feelings? The only thing he should be concerned about is what Joey will do in retaliation (heh, theme of this book, right?) Usually when I did something like that I was a little more subtle but a temper can sort of put a stop to that haha. And yes, there can be hell to pay, and the knowledge that your enemy is going through it too can sometimes help you, or at other times be cold comfort. Seriously though, people like Joey think hurting those they consider beneath them is their right and freak the hell out when it's taken away. He wouldn't think twice about saying all sorts of horrible things to Billy or beating him to a pulp but is shocked when he lashes out, verbally or physically. As someone who hated their town as a teenager as well, hugs to Billy. My mum would tell me that even bullies who seemed to have it all wouldn't be bullies if they didn't have a problem of their own. Our dear author has given us some of that insight into Joey - but when people like that go after you, it's oh so satisfying to take away some of the good things they have. In the immortal words of Once Upon a Time's evil queen, "I will destroy your happiness." Cheers!

Ah, for some reason if you're the youngest person at work, the older folk always end up asking personal questions. Why is that? I think Bob is slowing down just to wind Andy up. He knows Andy has somewhere to be and it's a bit of a laugh worry him. Bob seems the type - my worry is that something will come up and the wasted time will come back to bite them both. And I'm kind of glad Tyrone bit him just then in full view of Bob and the guard. Then again, Tyrone is the asset here so.... Finally - out on a limb here but Tyrone might be harassing Andy cause he's attracted to him and just wants an excuse to interact. Since he's a brat and used to getting what he wants, he has no idea how to be socially acceptable. Plus, Andy's at first total indifference and then dislike piss him off no end, I'm sure. "I'm Tyrone Spencer! You'd have to be some kind of freak not to be starstruck!"

Well....that's distressing. Dustin's confession was long time coming. Back when I started this series I was pulling for Dustin and Billy - even as Brett became more and more obvious. Hurts in a bittersweet way cause they might have been good together - Billy's temper and Dustin's delusions notwithstanding...oh, wait. I was definitely expecting something bad when Billy was skipping along to Brett's house - I think you've conditioned your readers to be wary in that kind of setting. Good job I was thinking Joey and a couple friends were going to jump him. Been in Billy's place as the class skeptic - teacher lecture and all. Had his exact same reaction to the prospect of attending a GSA meeting or support group too - it doesn't feel worth it and it's easy to think you don't need anyone and can manage just fine on your own. That might have carried over to my adult life as well since I'm still not terribly involved (read: not at all) with the local LGBT community.

Well, for now I think Alex has redeemed himself but that wasn't terribly difficult at least in my book as I liked him despite myself haha. Though, like Robbie, he might not be as covert as he thought he was if his girlfriend figured it out so quickly.

Reading all these comments - I almost feel sorry for Joey. Ok fine, I do. However maybe it's cause I'm a jerk but I'm still happy about Billy standing up to him and giving him a taste of his own medicine. The "who told you that?" "You did, you idiot!" cracked me up. Yes, Billy provoked him but I think we're once more falling into the trap of expecting more than is realistic of him. Joey sexually assaulted him - if Billy sees an opening or weakness he's going to take it. Especially when it seems like such a potent weapon - he was trying to take his power back. Unfortunately- Joey will now want to do the same thing since he's no more rational and won't let it be. He feels he needs to assert control in the one aspect of his life he can - bullying people.

Kudos to Billy for telling off Joey! I got such vicious pleasure from that lol. People like Joey love to hurt others then when someone turns around and fights back, they legitimately see themselves as a victim. A smart kid would back off but he's determined to go after Billy and get away with it. It's also possible he's attracted to Brett hence declaring he's "a good kid" despite knowing full well he's gay. Billy being gay is more an excuse than anything else - he hates him for a reason he can't articulate. Dustin...Well, what is there to say? Brett did the right thing - which is usually the hardest thing.