jkwsquirrel

You could send a video over the phone back then, but it would take incredible thumb skills. I really should have foreshadowed Aiden's ability to do that more, like when they went on the trip over the weekend I could have had him do something similar. Oh well. Let's just go with it! It made for a fun ending. lol

Here's the thing though, Jeremy's a sociopath. There would be no growth, no impact of outside events upon his life. He's the same guy he was twenty years ago. There would be no learning because he's already convinced he is right and that he knows everything. He literally doesn't care about anyone but himself. Look at the pettiness, the willingness to destroy people. He made Aiden's dad's life hell for the crime of being chosen as the president of the photography club over him. And he was willing to do even worse things to Aiden. He didn't feel sorry for Aiden one little bit, he just saw an opportunity to use him to further his own ambitions. And he totally doesn't understand love. He sees Dustin's love for Billy as an obstacle to be demolished. He's irritated that Dustin and Aiden initially hit it off and poisons Dustin's mind until he self destructs. (And god how I've enjoyed writing his character! Mwah hah ha ha ha!!!!!!11)

I thought of Tyler's beat down as a kind of "baptism in blood" for him. He's been a timid little boy living in the shadow of his two older brothers, playing the tough guy but scurrying away when things got tough and being easy prey for Mr. Hartley. It's his time to rise up.

I'm just impressed Aiden was able to record and then send that video to Tyler with the phone in his pocket the whole time in the era right before smart phones became a thing. Teens and their phones...

Thank you, my friend!

“Did you hear what happened at the prom?” Tyler asked when he saw me at school on Monday. “Did Sarah win prom queen?” I asked. “Well yeah, but that’s not the big news. Billy and Brett danced together right in the middle of the dance floor in front of everybody!” “They did?” I replied. “Wow! So are they going to be expelled?” “There’s a big meeting in the principal’s office this morning. Parents, school board members, lawyers… It’s huge!” “What I wouldn’t give to be a fly

"God help us, we're in the hands of engineers!" - Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park

I know the perfect psychiatrist they could see! She even wrote a book!

Exploring what made Dustin do what he did at the end of Commencement and how he ended up in that little apartment in Charleroi in Dustin's World was one of the reasons I wrote this story. Dustin would never knowingly betray Billy, and in Commencement he reacted very strangely, at first laughing off Billy telling him what Hartley had done, then defending Hartley. And then, after everything settled after graduation, he pushed Billy away for three years. I hope the next two chapters will give some perspective on what happened. Tyler said it best, Mr. Hartley's betrayal will hurt Dustin worse than anything else that's happened to him. Dustin doesn't give away trust very easily. What's about to happen will break the kid. As for Aiden and his father, I see it as Bob never really being much of a father, but the last night was a crossing of the moral event horizon. We only have Aiden's perspective on the situation, so of course anything good that might have been there is clouded by how it all ended.

Aiden and Tyler are definitely stronger together than they were apart. Thanks for pointing out that Ty is helping Aiden to be a better person, and that it's not just Aiden helping Ty to change. Aiden was a little jerk for a lot of this story. He needed that confrontation with his father, and he never would have got there without Tyler lending him his strength.

I don't know why the non-link links are buried in there. My Word document did some weird stuff too.

Yes, high school is not real life. That's half the fun of writing in that timeframe.

Yinzer is a term of both endearment and derision around these parts.

I don't think he knows exactly what he's unleashed.

Saint Tyler... Well, he couldn't be a tool forever. Yeah, Aiden had the right to say whatever he wanted to his dad. Mr. Hartley... I love your comments. Dude just enjoys fucking with people.

Dustin's scene in this chapter illustrates just how much Mr. Hartley's influence has corrupted him. I think Aiden had the right to act like he did toward his father. If not for him, Aiden wouldn't have been such easy prey for Mr. Hartley.

What a weekend Ty and I had together! No, I’m being serious. It’s amazing what fun two guys who have decided they have nothing to lose and don’t give a fuck can have with a cell phone camera. We rode our bikes to some awesome places, took some amazing pictures, and had a generally fun time. We stayed at my place and let me tell you, the sex was amazing! We were getting better at figuring out what turned each other on and having fun exploring each other. We weren’t laughing on Monday however

My favorite Billy quote regarding Mr. Hartley was a scene in Commencement at the prom 6-21 - The Dance, in bold below: “Can I go now, Mr. Hartley?” I asked. “Of course, Mr. Roberts. But if I were you I would keep a closer eye on your friends. I would hate to see our best and brightest brought down by the mistakes of others.” Okay, that was creepy.

He appeared throughout Commencement, antagonizing Billy, mocking his intelligence, and being a general pain. (A quote - "There you have him, ladies and gentlemen, the smartest boy in school!") His main scene was in WAR 6-22, The Last Screw. He's mentioned very briefly in Dustin's World, but I never mentioned what happened to him.

You know, I've written horrible tales of revenge many times and deleted them and moderated to what's been published. Dustin killing his father, Billy setting the church on fire, Aiden spreading pictures of Tyler all over the school in revenge for being the rook. All kinds of stuff, and then I delete it. About as vicious as I got that made it to the story was Dustin beating the crap out of Brett. That one had to happen though. But I like the idea that people can be forgiving and forgiven. In today's world there's not a lot of forgiving going around. As for Tyler's change in character, I guess I'm just an old softie who believes love can change a person, or at least reveal things about a person that were previously unseen. He was a real tool in the early chapters. You wouldn't expect anything wise to come out of that kid, but there it was. Oh, and all this conversation and no one mentioned just how much of a dick Mr. Hartley was for the way he talked about Dustin's family behind his back. I can't even call him two-faced. He's multi-faced, or something.

"Good morning school! It's great to be your new principal. I have to go now, my planet needs me." Mr. Hartley died on the way back to his home planet.

Or is it already too late?

I'm familiar with Oil City. I've even been there once. Always fun to see some place you know about mentioned in a work of fiction!

Thanks!

Brett Reilly on his "A game" vs. Mr. Hartley... Reminds me of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. There are a couple of people in the story who I think could give ol' Jeremy a run for his money. Bobby Rush doesn't put up with a lot of BS. But the biggest threat, I think, is Billy. Billy could have given him a challenge if he hadn't been blindsided, in fact that may have been the reason for the blindside attack. A focused Billy is a relentless opponent. Billy was willing to take on the whole town at one point, after all. That Mr. Hartley is willing to go to such lengths to get Billy out of the way shows the respect (or is it fear) he has for Billy. Billy isn't a pawn, Billy is the opposing king.