Aceinthehole

Sorry I hadn't seen this until now! Welcome to GA! I'm very happy that I could be the first Author you read here. I recommend sharing your writing here if you haven't yet. It's a very supportive environment!

Great points! Especially about saving the money in an account. That would show how much Artie is actually on Ezra's mind.

If Ezra is telling the truth, I think you phrased why Sarah wouldn't accept the money really nicely. That being said, I also agree that there's nothing wrong with taking enough money to survive or keep the utilities running. Every child deserves to grow up in a stable environment.

He's been a little too creepy fro my liking!

I agree! I think I'd lose my patience with him after an hour! It is strange that Sarah would turn down money, especially since Ezra claims "it was more than child support". Artie's home life growing up sounded like it got stressful, so I'm sure that money would've helped a lot! Perhaps Artie needs to do some investigating.

Artie's come a long way! His new friends have really given him the courage to stand up for himself. Gotta wonder what Ezra was thinking when Artie wasn't amazed by his cushy job perks.

Glad you enjoyed the chapter! I'm glad you can relate to Artie, especially about such a difficult situation.

Chapter 35: Hopeful As the movie wound down, and we all got ready for bed, I noticed Adam and Dizzy watching me a little closer than usual. I understand why they’re worried, but they really have no reason to be. I’m no longer that naïve country boy that would get scared of the fog from the bay, like they said, I’m a city boy now! Yet still, I noticed Adam lingering around as I said goodnight to Dizzy. And when I finally went upstairs he followed close behind. “Artie,” Adam began in

Don't even get me started! Even worse are the rumors that George RR Martin will never finish the books! Huge kudos to those actors though. They put on unbelievable performances, even when they knew the story should've been better!

I'm very happy to hear you're still enjoying the story! Especially the pacing. Looking back at my previous stories, it's been the area I think needs the most improvement. I would love if I could devote my time exclusively to writing! Who knows, maybe one day I'll win the lottery and be able to 😂

He's grown so much, but in a lot of ways he's still the same kid from Chapter 1.

Very helpful to know! I'll have to make an edit for the final draft of the story. Public transport has always been challenging to me, it took me a year just to learn the basics of New York's and I lived there for 4 years!But there is something very exciting about exploring it, public transport is almost an adventure in itself! To avoid spoiling anything (even little details), I won't say much other than I agree with what you're saying here. I think above all, Artie needs time before he could hit Ezra with big questions.

I'm sorry to hear you're disappointed, but I think @droughtquake makes some great points regarding why the conversation happened the way it did. Additionally, I don't think it'd be like Artie to ask his father hard hitting questions the first time they spoke. Instead, I think he used the phone call to try and understand what his father's like. In Artie's mind, there's no reason to rush things. He's fought for the right to speak with his father (under Adam's rules) and pressing too hard with big questions could scare Ezra away. Artie's a smart kid, I'm sure he's just waiting for the right moment. From a writer's perspective, I'm sorry this feels slow and I'm sure that's partially due to the break I took. However, I think the worst thing I can do after coming back is rush the ending. I promise the answers to your questions are coming.

Chapter 34: City Boy That evening I noticed Dizzy acting more caring than any time before. Even in bed, he was slower and more gentle than usual. At first, I thought he was just trying to be quiet, but after a while I realized he was trying to show me something. Trying to show me just how much he cares about me. It hurt to tell him I’m not ready for that next step. But I’ve never dated anyone before. I’ve never known what it felt like to love someone other than family. I’m not even sure

Ha, that'd be a great game. If the topic ever got started, I'd be happy to have my phrases in it.

Thank you for the feedback! When writing, I sometimes get into habit of relying on certain phrases. I'll make sure to keep that in mind while writing next chapter. Thanks again!

I appreciate you continuing to read this story. I don't oppose criticism and am happy to receive comments/messages/emails. My issue with your comment was more about it's phrasing. For example, "shall I embarrass you in public or in private, ". To me, that sounds as though you're commenting to make me or my editor look foolish instead of offering fair criticism. I just want to keep my comment sections as fair and friendly as possible.

I think the next step is a bit hard to describe, but is a deeper love than Artie has been showing up to this point. In the past couple chapters we've seen Dizzy seem to fall harder than he already has. He's overtly affectionate and almost dependent on Artie. However, Artie's been assuming it's for physical reasons and even Charlotte has to steer him away from that idea. Dizzy has been in numerous relationships, while this is still Artie's first. So I guess what I'm saying is, while Artie has shown a mature sense of love, he still needs to grow into it and learn how to fully understand what it means to be in more than a typical high school relationship. I rambled a bit, but hopefully that helps!

It's definitely an odd need for Artie, especially considering all he's gained over the past few months. However with his overthinking mind, I think running into Ezra and being given the business card has thrown him for a loop. Either way, his judgment seems to be clouded.

Glad I could bring them back already! Unfortunately, I'll have to leave your second question unanswered, but I think you'll enjoy the upcoming chapters! 😉

I'm really glad you enjoyed it! More chapters will be out next week. Hope you enjoy them!

Chapter 33: The Next Step As I sat across the couch from my Uncle, I couldn’t help but study him closely. I know everyone says he looks like me, but I’ll always see my Mom. And just like with her, I hate seeing him worried. But this time I can’t help it. This time I need some answers. I’m sorry for what Ezra did to you, but he’s still my birth father. I still need to meet him, because this, it might be my only chance to. Me and Adam spent a little more time hanging out on the couch,

I'm glad it was worth the wait! Thank you for your understanding. Considering you've been reading my stories since I was writing Velocity, it's great to see you still enjoying them! Thank you for supporting me since the beginning!

Haha, I have to admit, it's always tempting to write more updates about Riley, Carter and Grayson. Perhaps one day there will be another! After all, it's difficult to say goodbye to these characters! But I agree, I think Oli has his own outlets to focus on. He'll have his time in Book 3: Ascension soon enough!

Always happy to share! Thank you for reading!