jkwsquirrel

I don't remember Brett and Joey being related. Besides that, I enjoyed your thoughts! (I always do!) I will say this; don't underestimate Jack McKenzie. He didn't get to where he is in life without knowing how to make dirty little secrets disappear. Actually, Joey might have been better off just telling him in the first place, but Joey is scared to death of his dad. (Remember the scene in the principal's office after his fight with Billy? "My dad's gonna kill me!")

Good stuff! I agree. Both boys think they are right. Both boys have good reasons for not liking each other. Both boys fight dirty. Joey pushed just a bit too far and Billy punked him out. I mean, does anyone really think Joey hopes George drops dead? He was angry and flailing wildly hoping to land something that would hurt Billy. Billy doesn't mess around when he's angry, he goes right for the jugular. He wanted to hurt Joey in the worst way possible, a kid who knows he can never measure up to his parents' expectations, who deep inside knows he's just as bad as he says Billy is. Billy knew where to hit him. But now that he's thrown his best punch, what will happen when Joey strikes back?

I take it you don't like Paula? Heh heh heh! I don't think Brett was supporting Joey, so much as scolding Billy for the way he did what he did. Brett knows Joey can be a douche bag. He's more concerned that Joey will seek revenge on Billy, and he'll get caught in the crossfire.

There was a whole book about it! LOL

When I was writing Joey's dialogue, I used some of the thoughts that readers have expressed about Billy's faults. Really, Joey didn't say anything that was necessarily untrue. Billy can be narcissistic, passive-aggressive, manipulative, and sarcastic. Joey has been on the receiving end of Billy's temper before. Billy is not an angel. However, coming from Joey, Billy wasn't going to hear anything constructive. As for Brett, don't worry too much. He wasn't mad, just concerned that he was going to be on the receiving end of the fallout.

I think you've captured Billy's attitude about the situation nicely. He didn't want to calmly work things out or talk politely to Joey's parents about his behavior. He wanted to screw him in as vicious a way as possible. Brett's concern isn't that Billy did what he did. He knows Joey deserved it. He's just worried about what will happen next, because he knows Joey can be pretty vicious himself. When Billy loses his temper, bad things happen.

Yep, Brett is convinced that it will end the way you've described. Billy could have quietly talked to Jack, but then he wouldn't have had his sweet revenge on Joey.

It's a remarkably sound-proof restroom! Got to agree about Paula. She's determined to save Billy like she saved George. But she wasn't dragging George to a church George actively hated going to.

It's not the church so much as it's the clique in power. They use the church as cover, and it gives them another means to use and maintain their power. Billy just wasn't thinking when he did what he did. Joey threatened his relationship with Brett. His temper got the better of him.

Don't worry too much about them. They'll eventually find happiness.

Brett wasn't mad, he was just concerned.

But how do you really feel about him? LOL

Joey picked the wrong day to pick a fight with Billy. Billy was already on edge because of Dustin, and then he didn't have much sleep. If he'd have let Billy walk away after Billy punched him he would have been okay. But Joey just had to retaliate. He could attack Billy. He could rip on Billy's family. But when he threatened Billy's relationship with Brett he sealed his fate. I liked how Billy used Joey's line about breaking Billy's neck and turned it around and used it against Joey. Also, Joey's lucky all Billy did was bloody up his nose with that punch, considering Billy had to have his hand surgically repaired after the last time he threw a punch. He's still got a plate in his wrist. I got a kick out of everyone taking the air out of Billy's balloon after he was feeling so smug. That's kind of been a theme of Retaliation - humbling Billy a bit. Billy was feeling so good after what he did. Funny thing about Joey's "everything about you sucks" rant... I used all of the critiques that readers have had about Billy and channeled it into Joey's speech. The thing is, most of what Joey said was true. A good villain has to be convinced that they are right. Joey isn't evil. He truly thinks Billy is a dick. He sees Billy as corrupting Brett, "making him gay," you might say. But now that Billy has nuked him? Who knows what Joey might do?

So, it's a short one tonight, but an important set-up one. I posted early because I need to get to bed! Thank yinz!

It didn’t take much to wake me up the next morning. My mom’s voice roused me from a very shallow slumber. I realized quite quickly that Brett wasn’t in bed with me. I rubbed my eyes and was surprised to find my mom was kneeling next to my bed. “What time is it?” I asked. “Where’s Brett?” “It’s eight o’clock and Brett’s asleep on the couch in the living room,” mom replied. “Your dad said he came out there about four this morning and said he had a nightmare and couldn’

That is certainly one of the stories within the story that Billy is telling!

Thanks Lisa! The good thing is that people, for all our frailties are incredibly resilient. Dustin is tougher than he appears, and with a lot of help he can recover. This isn't the last we'll hear about the 911 call. But I think we can safely assume that Brett was not above placing a prank call in his younger years. Sorry for the confusion about the sequence of events. I have a timeline that I use to keep things organized for myself. Here it is: Oh yeah, SPOILER ALERT!!! Saturday March 15, 2003 – Brett’s birthday. His mom works the whole day, forgets. Sunday March 16, 2003 – Billy goes to church. Brett goes to the park, sees Dustin get attacked by his dad. Monday March 17, 2003 – Brett’s sick Thursday March 20, 2003 – “The Prodigal Returns” Dustin visits Billy Friday March 21, 2003 – “A Close Shave” Billy visits Brett Sunday March 23, 2003 – “Hero of the Day” Brett confronts Carol Thursday March 27, 2003 – “The Boiler Room Incident” George knows Sunday March 30, 2003 – “Brett’s Reward” Dustin vs. Brett Monday March 31, 2003 – “End of the Road” Billy talks to Miss Winston Tuesday April 1, 2003 – Dustin’s birthday Wednesday April 2, 2003 – Frank returns, Dr. Reilly returns, Dustin kisses Billy Saturday April 5, 2003 – "Dustin's Revenge" Dustin’s suicide attempt. Sunday April 6, 2003 – “The Nuclear Option” Tuesday April 8, 2003 – “The Locked-Down Unit” Saturday April 12, 2003 – “Intuition” Sunday April 13, 2003 – “Fallout” Wednesday-Friday April 16-18, 2003 – “The Cabin”

All very interesting ideas! We'll see!

Thanks Okie, For someone who Brett claims is never around, Dr. Reilly sure does have a way of showing up at the most inconvenient moments.

If Brett's finest hour was when he stood back up after getting destroyed, then this was Billy's moment to shine. Funny how Dustin is the one who forces the boys to become the men that they are meant to be. Everything regarding Dustin's future will have to work itself out over time. You're on the right path regarding the next chapter, but not quite! Billy won't out himself to his mom or anyone else.

As I wrote this chapter, I did it knowing that there would be some who read it for whom it would not be a story, but a reminder of the deepest and most painful memories. I didn't write this chapter lightly, nor Dustin's story in general. Dustin is more than just a character on a page for so many. We've watched him grow up, cried with him, wanted so much better for him than his lot in life. We've watched his life go off the rails and spiral out of control until the inevitable crash. And I knew that this moment would eventually come, and it would be a painful moment. It's my silly hope that a story can have an impact, can reach into the dark places that we don't like to talk about. Maybe a "Dustin" out there reads the story or this conversation and comes to realize that their thoughts and feelings are not evil, and that there are others who have been on the same road, been damaged by this thing called life, but are still standing. I truly believe we're all here for a reason, that our lives are worth living, and that even our pain may become something that changes the world for good, rather than for evil. Moggy, I'm glad you're here. Thank you for sharing a portion of your life's story with us.

Thanks glennish! I agree. Billy was certainly not thinking that Dustin would do what he did. From Billy's perspective, the last time he'd seen Dustin before their conversation he'd beat the crap out of Brett and was bawling and raving like a lunatic. Suddenly, he seems okay, he even told Billy he loves him and kissed him. Billy wasn't thinking that Dustin had snapped. He appeared to Billy to be getting better, and was speaking calmly and rationally. Of course, that calm demeanor was because Dustin already knew what he was going to do. Many times the last sign of someone planning to commit suicide isn't something crazy, it's that the craziness suddenly is replaced by an eerie calm. Ironically, Billy's love for Brett saved Dustin's life, because Billy wouldn't have been in those woods that night if he wasn't going to show Brett his license.

Thanks Benji, I've always thought of Billy as one of those kids who is incredibly smart but then forgets how to tie his own shoes. He over-thinks things to the point of inaction. He thinks of all the "ifs." "If I do 'x', then 'y' will happen, and everyone will hate me." In this chapter, it was a crisis and his friend was dying. No time to think, just react. Sometimes that works well, other times, it goes nuclear. Dustin's revenge was that he tried to kill himself. It was an "I'll show you!" to his parents and the world. He stole the one thing in the world that his father actually loves and he drank it all, ironically saving his own life by getting so blasted that his body's processes slowed down enough for Billy to have time to find him. The nakedness was for literary reasons. It made him more vulnerable. But he is a sixteen year old kid who was blitzed out of his mind drunk, so at some point during that night I guess he shucked his clothes! And he did ruin a really nice carpet, but that was Billy's fault, not Dustin's! Seeing how fast Dr. Reilly got home after Brett called her, it seems that their night was destined to be ruined one way or another.

Thanks DQ, This was a case of Billy not over-thinking things and just doing what needed to be done. Sometimes that works well. Sometimes it leads to trouble.

Thanks Dahawk, That would certainly be a nuclear option!