Israfil

Good lord, you're such a romantic. It's charming. That amount of hurt is its own justification - he may intellectually know Bobby isn't out to cause him pain but that doesn't mean he can just flip a mental switch and take the walls down. It's not entirely up to him.

Why, oh why is it so important for people that he tell Bobby this? Assuming Bobby is straight, which I will until proven otherwise, it's hardly necessary to tell your straight friends if you're crushing on them or in love with them. It's usually bad for both parties - it hurts when they inevitably reject you and makes things hard for them. Ever had someone you don't like romantically confess their feelings for you? It's not fun. If you care about them, at best it can hurt that you can't return those feelings. At worst it ends friendships. The middle ground is it just makes everything weird. This one is barely starting to reform. I know a lot of stories make it this big bonding thing even if the love is unrequited but come on, people. Some things are best left unsaid.

Yeah, Bobby was a support just now but that doesn't mean John should let him back in. Maybe cause I carry around a modicum of the same bitterness but I felt irrationally irritated with Bobby for triggering him by asking about the scars. Obviously they're not all "battle wounds" in the traditional sense but he doesn't want to talk about it. Also, Headstall - I doubt Bobby is ready for that kind of revelation, despite his progress. He'd still try to comfort him but he'd be awkward about it. Some things don't have to be said. You give people too much credit.

I was way too excited when I saw this update. I've been checking since yesterday haha.

That ending gave me chills when I realized he was in a coma....

His denial notwithstanding, I still picked up a somewhat holier-than-thou attitude from him. Like Cy, I'm somewhat sensitive to being talked down to so I empathized. Plus, I remember absolutely hating it when kids my age tried to be cryptic like that haha. "You can't run from who you are" - really? He didn't need Cy to point out to him mentioning such things at school wasn't a good idea - he was trying to make a point. I suspect he feels because of Cys gang affiliation he doesn't deserve the chance that he and Curtis are getting. To a degree, I feel for him since gang members are what people think of when they consider the South Side and that's got to bother him. But....I like Cy haha

Cam irritates me a great deal.

I know his father was trying to prove a point but...the audience was just his son and a couple of kids. An adult verbally sparring with a kid like that just seems ridiculous in that scenario - hell, in most scenarios.

My heart breaks for Dustin... And for some reason that line about Mike living the life Billy might have had in regards to Dustin really got me. Now we have confirmation where Dustin's head was that night - though we were all thinking it. Honestly, I think that a relationship with a long time friend might have been better than a stranger. Then again, considering Billy's temper as a support for Dustin he may have left something to be desired... This bout of maturity is a fairly recent development - further shown in how he dealt with Mike.

I think of you from time to time / More than I thought I would You were just too kind / And I was too young to know That’s all that really matters I was a fool “House of Memories” Panic! At The Disco Death of a Bachelor ***Five years ago*** There was a knock on the door, though it was more a warning of entry than asking permission to enter. Henry Ellesier looked up with a smile. “Good news, I've solved the-” he frowned upon seeing not his wife, but a rather less welcome visitor

Alright, I know I'm in the minority here but can Chandler lay off Landon? It's not his place to try and make him a better person. Chandler's been through a lot, I know, but I'm still not crazy about his high horse. Calling out Landon's shit is alright but the morning interaction ("back to being emotionless?") rubbed me the wrong way. I'm sorry, kid, but what kind of effect were you expecting your words of wisdom last night to accomplish? He wasn't even being that much of a dick in that instance. He says Landon doesn't know anything about him but by the same token, Chandler doesn't know his baggage either. And Helen, well, she's certainly trying but I suspect a part of her is hoping to avoid the inevitable confrontation with Landon where she'll have to give her reasons for leaving and have it out. Sorry, m'dear, but your son seems like the sort to treasure his grudges (been there, done that, bought the t-shirt).

I like it a lot. A good reminder that you don't need a Prince Charming for a happily ever after. People would be a lot happier if they remembered that. Also, I may not ride anymore but horses will always have a special place in my heart so this story resonated nicely. Loved the description of the characters of different horses the narrator met. You brought them to life as full cast members.

First off - since this will likely get lost in the events at the end of the chapter, Hrishi's holier than thou attitude irritates the hell out of me. I like his snark but that kind of high horse about being out irritates me no end - especially his refusal to believe that it can be complicated coming out, especially when you live with your parents. Secondly - good on Marty for calling out Leon and not letting him guilt trip him. I was worried that Leon's past behavior wouldn't come up and it would just be Marty apologizing and Leon grumbling how he didn't tell him. Best friends get a pass sometimes, and can guilt trip you when no one else can, it's true but this had to be said. Also, I've said this before and maybe it's an empathy failing of mine but I always get annoyed when people get so dramatic when you don't come out to them. Express your surprise, sure, say you would have been fine if they told you, sure but don't act like they've wounded you so when on some level you know damn well why they didn't tell you or anyone else. "Oh, we're accepting" well lots of people have thought that and proven disastrously, even fatally wrong. Ahem, sorry. Might post this in the forums to see what other readers think. Great work, Sasha!

Way to lay down the law, Marty! That scene was pretty satisfying to read Looks like he'll be telling Leon sooner rather than later if that moment with him was anything to go by. In response to Parker, it's not that easy, best friend or not. Everyone goes at their own pace. I was in a relatively safe environment and I still took over a year to come out. Others take far longer regardless of circumstances. Traditional views of "lying" and the like don't really apply in this sort of situation. You do what you have to when you're comfortable. People can turn on you no matter what they say. One doesn't "owe" coming out to anyone. Mind you, in this case I suspect Leon at least will be largely accepting/positive. What he said to Hrishi earlier in the story was more trying to be mean than homophobic (doesn't make it better but you see what I mean) so when his best friend and songwriter comes out to him he may change his tune - no pun intended (well, maybe a little).

While I get that Leon is Marty's oldest friend, I have trouble understanding Marty's guilt over lying to his friends about Hrishi. Yeah, sure hiding stuff from your buds is never fun but come on - it's none of their business and he's doing it for his own protection. The way Marty tells it, it's as if he's actively screwing them over when he's just keeping some personal info to himself. He hardly owes them the information (or maybe I'm just a bad person lol). I like Leon and his concern was kind of cute but I don't get why he's so hurt. It reminded me a bit of my own experience - wish I'd handled it as well as Marty

Funnily enough, what stuck out for me in this chapter was poor Jerry Freemont. Yes he made some poor descions but as someone who has made plenty of those recently I can't judge. While not as outwardly abusive as Dustin's or (apparently) volatile as Billy's, his home life sounds miserable. Both his parents seem too wrapped up in their own issues to help him. Seriously, what kind of man blames his kid for his wife leaving? (Answer: The weak kind)

It's back! I know how tough it can be to "put pen to paper" as I think you said a while back but I'm psyched you're continuing this story Personally I loved this chapter's length even if I knew it wasn't going to be the norm - you moved a few key plot points further and that's always exciting

Alright, so everyone is saying that as hard as their teen years were, they weren't as bad as Billy seems to be (however those who had to deal with us might remember things differently). Figured I should chip in for the other side here. Yes, Billy is incredibly aggravating right now but I remember the feeling of wanting to hurt those who hurt you, and like Billy, I primarily used my words and often times my mouth got me into serious trouble. Similarly, I'd think about it later, regret it and wonder why I acted the way I did. Rage was a scary thing - wondering if the next outburst would break something that couldn't be fixed. I was scared stiff that someone would discover I was gay and covered my insecurities with a heavy coating of snark (I thought I was being witty at the time). Not to mention being insanely jealous of all the "normal kids" as I saw them. I was a royal pain to live with both at home and probably school (though to be fair, my classmates were also teenagers and therefore just as bad haha). I know my parents were at the end of their rope - in fact, this latest argument between Billy and his father very much reminds me of some of my more dramatic confrontations with my mother, with my dad playing the role of Paula. I rarely shouted like that but I was just as bad in my own passive aggressive way. My point is, cut Billy some slack. At that age, it feels like you're just trying to get by as best you can and everyone is out to make your life difficult (regardless of their true motivations) - paranoia and egoism are par for the course. Billy isn't mentally unstable (at least not from what I've seen so far), he's merely suffering from being a teenager, a condition exacerbated by having to deal with more drama than he should and holding what he believes to be a life destroying secret in a small town. Symptoms may include inflated opinion of own intelligence, lack of foresight and an inability to see beyond one's own nose.

Thing is, I'm not entirely surprised she defended him at school. We know she certainly has strong opinions so in some people that translates into a strong sense of justice as well. She may pick on Robbie but she probably wouldn't stand to see him (or any member of her family) bullied when he clearly didn't deserve it. Plus, it would just be way too simple from a storytelling perspective if his bitchy older cousin was his enemy at home AND school. That being said - girl's got issues (of course, so does Robbie but we knew that). Something clearly irritates her about Robbie's secrecy - could just be she's a Type-A personality and loves being in control. Knowledge IS power after all so something Robbie clearly wants to hide is something she very much wants to know - whatever it is. Otherwise I'm confused why she can't let it go. Her actions at school are somewhat redeeming but only in that they show people are more complicated than they first appear. I'm a little envious of Robbie, maybe it's cause I'm an only child but I can't imagine my parents letting me get away with that much secrecy even if I had a couple of siblings haha. Then again, maybe Don and Susan don't usually allow that and that's what's pissing off Nicola, who views it as yet another special privilege that Robbie only gets probing questions when they would have demanded answers from her or Daniel. One thing that has me wondering is could the root of this rivalry be her relationship with Robbie's mother? In the first or second chapter she tells him that they were close. Not entirely sure how it would affect things but their shared love of his mother is a connection that I haven't seen mentioned here yet.

This is fascinating to me because I suspect I would never have been able to do what Zac did. I realize I may not have been able to relish in a former friend's suffering or tears as much as I like to think (revenge is cold comfort as my mother says) but I doubt I could take the extra step to put my rage aside and stand up for him. What makes it worse than a standard bully in my eyes is the betrayal. I've always held traitors (at least in regards to such supposedly strong bonds as this) in a special contempt. Even having witnessed such grace it never fails to amaze me.

I would have reacted to Caden exactly the same way, especially in light of his earlier antics. Does that make me a bad person? Sometimes you just can't let people keep getting away with that sort of thing, including those close to you.

Loved the story - I'm actually sort of binge reading most of your stories at the moment . Felt bad for Liam in the beginning though. One thing that made me raise an eyebrow was the parents decision to move to the notoriously conservative South when they knew their son was gay. I get wanting to get away from city life but a setting like Georgia could have (and might still be) downright dangerous for Liam.

Thanks! Their relationship is...complicated to be sure. If the story gave you a jolt then I'm doing my job so that's great to hear

I see fire / Inside the mountain / I see fire / Burning the trees I see fire / Hollowing souls / I see fire / Blood in the breeze And I hope that you remember me Ed Sheeran “I See Fire” The house burned brilliantly, the destruction all the more beautiful for its fine architecture. Flames blossomed from transom windows and crawled up the roof as all his hopes and dreams for the future went up in smoke, fading into the night sky. Blaring sirens announced the arrival of the fire engine a

Yeah I might want to change that. But you can still tell me what you thought - wherever you may have read it initially!