jkwsquirrel

You're very right. Kids absorb way more than we think, and blame themselves for the craziest of things.

I've appreciated every one of your likes, my friend! I think you may be on to something with that Brett character!

Thank you so much, William! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for your compliments about my writing style! That means a lot to me.

Fascinating. We so often don't recognize our impact, both good and bad in our lives. Definitely causes one to pause to wonder about the way our lives intersect. I'm thankful for the intersection of our lives through this story. Thanks for your responses to my story. I've enjoyed them.

The apples don't fall far from the tree.

Indeed. Wise words.

I can't help but think of Dirty Dancing when I read your review. "Nobody puts Baby in the corner."

Could be!

I'm glad you decided to check it out though!

They were! Billy could have avoided a lot of pain if Brett had answered! Ah, the days before caller id!

We'll find out soon!

Thanks DQ! I see you did a lot of reading and reviewing! Thanks a lot! It's always great when young people can share time with the elderly. Both sides benefit!

Thank you for reading, William! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for reviewing the story.

“Get your fucking ass out of that bed.” It took me a few moments to orient myself to what was going on. I had finally gotten myself into a pretty good sleep. But now, I was being shaken and a harsh voice was telling me to wake up. The first thought I had was that there was a fire! My house was burning down and a fireman was trying to save me! I quickly tossed the covers off me and sat up. “What the hell?” the man’s voice said. “You’re not Dustin!” “Dad, it’s five in the m

Thanks Lisa! Yes, Mr. Rogers, a Pittsburgh guy! It'll definitely be interesting when Brett comes back. So much to talk about... As for Billy, he's very much in that glass closet, isn't he? Poor Dustin! He made his move and got blocked at the last possible moment. Billy is such a jerk. But what's this about Brett buying drugs? I simply don't know what you're talking about!

Thanks for these thoughts, my friend! You've articulated the thoughts, I'm sure, of many readers who are having mixed feelings about what took place in this chapter. Billy usually doesn't respond well to people pointing out that he's being an immature little brat, even from people he respects. He's a fighter. He's usually never at a loss for words, so the fact that Amanda got under his skin and left him with nothing to retort is interesting. Billy has a lot of growing up to do. I really appreciate your kind comments on my writing style. I try to make everything in the story mean something, and I like to reward readers who pay attention to details. I think of writing like planting seeds. I've planted some seeds earlier that are blooming now, and some seeds are sitting there in earlier chapters waiting to grow. I always hope that if someone re-reads the story they'll enjoy it even more because they'll see some of the fun stuff I've put there to find. It's a lot of fun, and a real joy for me!

Thanks jay! Yes, it was very important to me that Amanda have some more character to her. It's so easy to turn someone like her into a one-dimensional monster, but she has her reasons for the things she does. She's still a bitch, but she isn't a monster. Families are complex creatures! As for the way Billy treats Dustin, that's pretty complicated too. Dustin is loyal to a fault. He's loyal to people who don't deserve that loyalty. Sometimes Billy is a jerk. Sometimes he says and does really stupid things. But he's a kid who has a lot of love for his friends and wants to do the right thing, but he's being ripped apart by the battle between those friends for his heart. It's going to be a fun ride!

Thanks Okie! Don't worry about young Mr. Reilly. He's a fighter! He'll be back in a few chapters and it'll be quite interesting to see what his reaction is to all this! Maybe we'll catch a glimpse of what Dustin is up to as well. Thanks for your kind words about my writing style! This is a lot of fun!

Thanks bubby! I love your passion! It's fun to share the story with you. It's a war, my friend! The boys are each going to do things that'll make you wonder what's wrong with them! I hope you'll enjoy it!

lol, I don't mind begging. I love to hear from readers! It really makes my day to write something that makes people happy. Thanks for you kind comments on my writing style. It's fun to think like a teenager again! As for the date, summer of 2000, so you were very close! I hope you'll enjoy the story.

Thanks Karl! I'm glad you enjoyed the story!

Awesome! A great moment indeed! Glad you enjoyed the chapter.

Thank you, Karl! Teenage boys being teenage boys is my thing. Glad you're enjoying the story!

There was no sign of the fight which we had fled from as we neared Dustin’s house in the darkness of night. It was eerily quiet and I worried that we would enter the house to find one or both of Dustin’s parents dead on the floor covered in blood. We didn’t though. We opened the kitchen door to find Carol sitting calmly at the kitchen table, eating. The macaroni and cheese and hot dogs were waiting for Dustin and me on the stove. “Billy, I am so sorry you had to see that,” Carol apolog

I've been enjoying this story and here seemed like a good place to stop and let you know. Very light-hearted and fun to read. Surprising how quickly love can grab hold of us and turn our world upside-down. I'll be interested to see where the story goes from here.