jkwsquirrel

I'm not sure she let him in as much as Frank kicked the door down and forced himself in. As for Brett, after everything that took place in WAR, Joey is the only family he's got. He had such a great role model for how to show love to your family, it's no wonder his compassion is being taken advantage of. Three chapters in and no sign of Billy. It's weird, isn't it?

This version of Dustin was forming all through WAR, now we are seeing the outcome of his upbringing. He's desperate for connection, but he's pushed the people closest to him away. The idea of random meaningless sex sounds good to some people, but in reality it's a hollow way to try to live. He was loyal to a fault all through his teenage years, always the first to defend his family. But then that loyalty was repaid with violence. Now Dustin has become bitter and cynical about all relationships. They've caused him nothing but pain. In Commencement, he was beginning to show the signs of becoming more isolated and pushing everyone away. But at his heart, Dustin is still that hopeful, trusting little boy who just wanted to be loved. He's buried under a lot of rubble, but he's still in there.

But wooden bats make a much better sound when they crack a skull. Not that I'd know though... 😎

The saddest thing is, he thinks he's doing the right thing.

Part of the story of life is that as much as we fight and try not to be like our parents, often times we become them. Part of this particular story is how the characters we met in WAR are trying not to become their parents. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they don't.

It's not clear that Frank was there when Carol called. Maybe he was or maybe he wasn't. It's also possible Frank forced her to make the call.

Yes, Dustin is still looking for someone to blame for his problems. You see it with Mike in the first chapter too. This is where Dustin's years of neglect and abuse have left him. His way of processing every bad thing that happens to him is to blame someone else. In his mind, Billy should have understood that he didn't really want to say goodbye, and he never thought that Billy would take him seriously. He feels like he messed up the best thing he had going in his life, which led him to the state he's in now. There had to be consequences for how WAR ended. Dustin is all alone, and pretends he likes it even though it's killing him.

Brett Reilly snuffed out a cigarette and leaned against the hood of his car, waiting in the parking lot of the local police station. He’d been there for quite a while, debating whether he wanted to go through with this one more time. He had already made the drive into town from Pittsburgh, so he figured he might as well do what he had come to do. He entered the building and signed his name on the form at the window. He’d done this enough times that he knew exactly what steps he had to

So we brought back Sarah Taylor last time. Next time we'll bring back a couple more WAR characters, including one we haven't seen in a long time making a return. I'll probably update some time tomorrow. Until then, here's a line from "Family Reunion" to get you ready: “Dustin, I want you to meet my roommate.”

We might know about one!

I always saw Mr. Hartley as being too smart to have sex with a student. He was cold and calculating, always looking to advance his career. Billy's speech to Sarah in that very same diner was there in case I never wrote this story. Readers had to know that the bad guys may have won, but their bad deeds would eventually catch up to them.

Thanks! Dr. Thompson may be a sleaze, but his students are all over eighteen, so he has that going for him! We haven't heard the last of Sarah.

Thanks! All your questions will be answered before too long. Stay tuned!

Thanks! Lots of connections, and unexpected events await!

Well, if you read WAR, the latest chapter of Dustin's World should offer you a different perspective on the events of the way things ended between Dustin and Billy. And it features the return of one of WAR's most beloved characters! (lol) Read and enjoy!

Nate Stevens pulled into the driveway of the apartment he shared with his boyfriend. “Fuck,” he swore under his breath when he saw the car parked in the driveway. Luke had told him he was going to be working late. He tried to think of a reason for why he had been out so late. Things weren’t great between him and Luke, but at least he had a roof over his head and food to eat. He’d been hungry many times in his life. He didn’t miss those days. If he’d have thought Luke would be home he never would

I think the key word in your comment is "seemed." He seemed okay... to Billy. The seeds of this story were planted throughout Commencement, and that's why I had to come back.

Thanks! You're on to something there! Let's see where this all goes!

Thanks! That's the fun of the story, the growth.

Not going to lie, this is a dark story. After everything Dustin went through in WAR, there are deeper scars than the ones on his wrists. And just like he tried to cover up the physical scars, he tried to cover up the mental ones as well. He can't keep all that trauma buried forever. Dustin's World is kind of a study of PTSD.

Thanks! Leaving Billy's head and going 3rd person is a little bit scary.

Thanks! I had to finish what I started.

Yeah, no mention of Dustin in that last paragraph of WAR. Anything could happen in Dustin's World. Only three characters are guaranteed to make it through to the end; B&B and Nate. No one else is safe.

Thanks! I get the feeling we haven't heard the last of Nate.

Off and running, ready or not!