jkwsquirrel

Dave - Maybe he's there and Billy just ignores him in his narrating? Dustin - I think you may be right in thinking that he was seeking out from other men what his father never gave him, and then his father went and ruined that for him too. Brett and Dustin - I think Brett has matured past his war with Dustin. It all seems silly to him now. What coin collection?

Somehow, I don't see that happening! But we can dream.

Thanks! I always enjoy your thoughts on the story!

The new chapter is up! Enjoy!

“Where in the hell have you been?” mom asked as I came in through the back door of the house long after the sun had gone down. I could still feel the results of Brett’s love inside me as I walked through the woods. We had taken turns that afternoon, giving each other as much pleasure as two boys could want. But now, in the kitchen, I knew I was going to have to pay for my pleasure. “I was with Brett,” I answered honestly. “Would you like to know what we were doing?”

You never know. I might be watching you right now!

It's fun to think of all the possibilities. Unfortunately, I think Billy's a bit too passive-aggressive to be so bold. Although there is something about Joey that makes him occasionally go nuclear...

"twatopotomas" is going to be added to my dictionary of English insults.

Sometimes the villain has a point.

"If" ? lol! You're turning heel on us, aren't you? I can't speak for anyone else, but you'd have to work really hard to offend me. I still remember the pitch forks and torches folks had for me when Brett told Dustin he was glad his parents abused him, and then when Dustin kicked Brett's ass. Those were fun times! All part of the life of the writer! That said, it's never my intention to provoke people. I write some pretty emotional stuff, and there's sometimes a pretty emotional response. It's all good fun. I'm just thrilled that you're digging what I'm writing. Comments energize me.

I'm enjoying the conversation! This is what I meant when I described Joey as a great villain. He generates meaningful conversation. I can say a few things without giving away too much. 1. Look at his apology closely (please do, I love the views!) and you'll see he didn't apologize for anything. Yes, it was one of those "Sorry you feel that way" kind of apologies that is so frustrating. Until Joey understands just how wrong what he did to Billy was, he can never truly feel sorry about it, and find the forgiveness he needs. And knowing Billy, even if a sincere apology was forthcoming, Billy would be justified if he told Joey to fuck off. But the delicious plot complication is... #2. He is Brett's brother. Brett doesn't know it yet, but they do have a connection between them that is somewhat unexplainable. Yes, they are friends because their parents are friends, but Brett seems to have figured out that Joey is a bad influence. And yet, there is that connection between them that has kept Brett from cutting the cord. He even finds it funny that Joey was Billy's ride to school (which tells us that Brett still doesn't know what Joey did to Billy). Now, why wouldn't Billy tell Brett what Joey did to him? Have you read the news lately? Some people never tell, not even their closest loved ones. Sometimes the victim feels undeserved shame about what happened, and that's certainly what's going on in Billy's case. I could see Billy blaming himself for what happened. It's not like he's ever done that before, right? He just thought he killed his grandmother and gave his dad a stroke. And #3. I really like Joey's character, even though he's a scumbag. What makes him intriguing as a villain to me as a writer is his firm conviction that he is absolutely right in his actions. Of course it's Billy's fault that his parents have treated him poorly in the last year. It certainly wasn't Joey's fault the girl got pregnant. And he thought he was "doing the right thing" by paying for her abortion. And if his dick had ended up in Billy's mouth instead of just slapping him in the face? Well, that's his problem, not Joey's. Who does Billy, that unrepentant homosexual monster who has corrupted his best friend, think he is telling his father about what he did? (Oh, and let's not forget what Joey called Bobby during the Billy vs. Joey classroom incident.) So, I hope my insertion into the discussion doesn't kill it, but allows for more conversation. I love that there are so many ways that you are all interpreting the story. I'm not the kind of writer who will tell you that my opinion is the only one that matters. I just write.

Thanks Dahawk! I think it'll be an interesting boat ride! Bring a life jacket, there's rapids ahead!

Thanks Lisa! Brett and Joey are kind of like Billy and Emily. They became friends because their parents were friends. Joey is to Brett as Dustin is to Billy - The friend who doesn't get along with his boyfriend. I'm not sure that Joey has quite figured out that Brett is his brother, but he does seem to know something about his father, and he does seem to be on the verge of a breakdown from the stress he's under.

I call Billy bringing up Brett father "Fishing for information." Billy has been afraid to even bring up Brett's father since Dr. Reilly and Jack McKenzie forced him into silence. Billy wants to see what page Brett is on before he does anything rash. The last time he gave away too much information he lost Dustin for a year.

Yep. There are many characters who represent what Billy could have become! We'll learn a lot more about Pat in an upcoming chapter.

As I said above, Joey totally believes he's the hero of his story and sees Billy as the villain. One of the things that makes him and interesting foil for Billy is that they both share the conviction that they are doing the right thing in a world that is totally out to get them. I think Joey tries to minimize the actions he's taken against Billy because he knows deep down that he was wrong, so minimizing it is his way of coping with his own sins. But also, he feels that he was justified in doing those things because they were done against Billy, and Billy's a dick so that makes it okay. It's interesting seeing how things have played out in the last year regarding sexual assault. What Joey did was clearly wrong, but in 2004 many men were just waving off such actions.

Thanks! Funny how the hyperactive little goofball turned into one of the most mature characters in the story. Not even George could have defused the nuclear situation between Billy and Paula like Brett did. He's becoming a fine young man.

Billy has his reasons. Maybe they aren't very good reasons, but they're reasons. Mainly it's the promise he made to Dr. Reilly not to tell Brett.

Brett: "He's like, freakishly tall and hairy." I'm rather fond of Brett myself! I love that he's matured into a fine young man right before our eyes.

Brett's plan: Step one - Get Billy's insulin pump back and let Paula think she's winning. Step two - ? Step Three - Paula ditches her preacher and accepts us as a couple.

Thanks for this, Israfil! Joey is the hero of his own story, and in that story Billy is the villain. It'd be interesting to see the story from his perspective. Billy would be one of the most hated characters imaginable.

Brett showed some maturity in this chapter. It was nice to see.

I'm getting ready to respond to the comments on the latest chapter. That's always a highlight of my writing experience. I love love love the way we can interact and talk about the story. It's always interesting to get the different perspectives that the comments bring. Sometimes, you see things that I hadn't even noticed! It all helps me to think more deeply about how the story is going, and where it is going to all end up. So what was my perspective on this chapter? Well, I really liked this one. It was a 'slice of life' one, covering a lot of territory. We had Brett's reaction to the last chapter, the car ride with Joey, the hallway kiss, the cafeteria conversation, the argument with Miss Winston, Brett's "Reilly" mask, and then Billy fishing for info from Brett about his father. There was a lot of stuff, and I was interested in what areas different readers were drawn to. Personally, my favorite moment in the chapter was the public kiss in the hallway. It was a nice reversal of the boys' first kiss, this time with Brett silencing a ranting Billy. You could tell Brett had waited a looooong time to finally be able to do that, and I loved the reactions of Billy and Emily. I also really liked that we are getting back to classic 'snarky Billy' instead of 'brooding miserable Billy.' One of the fun things about writing Billy is his sarcastic sense of humor, even in the way he narrates certain things. He tries to be so serious, but Brett's "I don't give a fuck" attitude won't let him be. This chapter also had some of my favorite Brett 'little moments.' I loved his surprise at the ending of Romeo and Juliet, and the fact that he'd written a book report without finishing the book. I loved his comment after the kiss, "Now they have something to talk about." I like how he still steals Billy's food in the cafeteria and his self-satisfied little smirk when he's right about something. But what I really liked about Brett in this chapter was the maturity he displayed. It turns out that he really does give a fuck, and he's becoming a better man because of it.

What I like about Joey (and I do like Joey, believe it or not) is that he's not your typical 'bad guy' character. He's the hero of his own story, and Billy is the villain of that story. Everything he says to Billy is true in his own mind. He has done some terrible things and he knows it. But he always thinks he's doing the right thing, even if it's not a good thing. I think that's what makes him such a good foil to Billy. They both believe they are justified in their actions. It'd be interesting to see the story told from Joey's point of view. Billy would probably be one of the most hated characters imaginable.

Bobby was an obvious one. Pat Winston gets her own chapter in a few weeks.