jkwsquirrel

Thanks Lisa! This was certainly the most difficult chapter to write so far, and there are even more tough ones ahead. We've taken a turn toward a darker side of life, a far way from arguing about bowling scores and borrowing dad's porn videos. If you go back and read Brett's insults to Dustin during his tirade at bowling you'll see that Brett knew right where to hit him - "Your shoes don't fit your big ugly feet, your parents are assholes, and no one cares about you." Ouch. It's interesting being the author of an evil character, because I have to write him doing and saying such nasty things, but I have to keep it real, and write it in the perspective of a fifteen-year-old boy who is witnessing these things. It's not a fun head to get into. He's not just doing these things to be evil, he has to think he's right. Hopefully it makes for a good story!

Thanks skinnydragon! It's my hope that this chapter exposed a lot of the underlying issues that have been below the surface in the story. Certainly Dustin's behavior makes a lot more sense when we realize that Billy is all he's got, and Dustin feels him slipping away. It also makes more sense why he'd have such hatred for Brett. For Billy, it's got to be hard to go to your friend's house knowing that you might be a witness to some terrible events. We'll have to see how it all works out!

Thanks Rob! Billy's a good kid, but he's still just a kid. It's got to be hard for someone who wants to save the world to see something like what happened in this chapter and feel powerless. He can poke the dragon in the case of Amanda, but Frank and Carol are out of his league. It'll be interesting to see how it works out.

Thank you so much my friend! It wasn't a pleasant chapter to write, either, since I do like my characters. But unfortunately, it was necessary to show what Dustin's life is like. This is how they behave with a guest in the house. Just imagine what goes on without witnesses.

Thanks Rocky! It's not something that would ever become a reality, but it would be nice if people showed some responsibility before bringing a kid into the world!

Thanks for this review, Okiegrad! I agree, no one should have to grow up in a house where they feel unloved. Hopefully Billy can lend some support, but we'll see!

It was certainly a different experience staying at Dustin’s house than staying at Brett’s house. Each place was fun, but in different ways. At Brett’s we did a lot of watching television and movies or playing video games or on the computer. But Dustin didn’t have a computer or video games. His family still didn’t even have cable and they only had one television. So at Dustin’s house we had to find ways to entertain ourselves without having modern technology. I think that’s why Dustin

We're just getting started with Frank. He's pretty evil. You're going to hate him a lot. Dustin's whole family is a bunch of winners!

Thanks Lisa! I'm always happy to see your reviews! Crabby and cynical are Billy's default settings, lol!

Thank you my friend! I really appreciate the review. Why, I have no idea what you're talking about with Brett! Brett Reilly, a stoner? No way! I simply can't believe such a thing. Here's the thing about Billy, he's the worlds biggest closet case. It's a glass closet, but he's in there, convinced no one can see him. He'll be the last one to figure out he's gay.

Thanks for this review Rob! It's going to be fun finding out the answers to your questions.

I was so happy when the bell rang and school was over until the following Tuesday! Almost a whole week away from that stinking place! I really hated high school. I had liked elementary school and even middle school was okay. But there was just something about Mon Valley High School that just made me hate the place and everything and everyone in it. Everybody I’d known and loved from eighth grade had seemed to go off in different directions, and all away from me. Joey had been one of m

I was there 20 years ago (or however long ago it was). I remember finding nifty in my college computer lab. We were just discovering the internet back then. Everything was geocities and netscape. Pictures took longer to download than whole movies take today. If I was skilled, I could time the printer to print something from nifty before anyone else would see what it was so I could read it without worrying about someone looking over my shoulder. I remember the quality of the stories. It was mostly spank material. I remember thinking, "I wish someone would put some effort into the characters in this stuff." Couldn't someone come up with a decent mix of plot and characters and sex? And then I found you. "New Kid in School" to be exact. There was something different about the way you wrote. It reminded me of the stories I loved as a teen, Johnny Tremain, the Outsiders, Tom Sawyer. It was the characters. Ryan and Randy were like friends to me. They were boys who happened to be gay. Yeah, every chapter had a sex scene in those days, but it was more than that. Oh, I hated Tyler in those days. He was going to break the boys up, I just knew it! But it was the little things. Tootsie rolls, and "How do you like those apples?" I read some of your other stuff, but it was always "New Kid." that had me. There were other authors and stories, "Storm Front," "Working It Out" and the like. But through it all, you were always there, quietly writing away. Hundreds of chapters and other stories. I wanted to be like you. I wasn't nearly as talented, but I wanted to write the kind of story that made people care for my characters the way I felt about Ryan and Randy. I couldn't nearly write as much as you, there's no way I could keep all those storylines straight in my head. But I wanted to write something that would make others happy the way you made me happy. So I did. At least I tried. There wouldn't be a "W.A.R." without "New Kid in School." You reached some 19 year old college nerd back in the day, and I'm guessing dozens of other writers could say the same thing. I hope that even if you retire from this writing thing some day that you know that your legacy is one of inspiration and joy for a whole lot of people. I love you, bro!

Hi Hunter. Lots of good advice has been given here. I think that it comes down to what the story requires. Sex for the sake of sex is actually acceptable if that is what the story needs (but most stories don't). The best sexual scenes are those that advance the plot or give an insight into the characters. If the characters need to have sex and the readers need to see it then it should be there. If the character is improved upon because of the scene then it should be there. If the sex scene doesn't advance the plot, or give insight into the characters, and is simply there to titillate, then it probably doesn't need to be there. It all relies on what the story requires.

Thanks for the review Rob! I couldn't wait to get this one going. Even though in story time we've gone from December 2000 to March 2002, for us it was just a few days, so Billy's change in attitude is a bit surprising. He was always a little snarky, but now he's grown more cynical. Don't we all reach a point in our lives when we start thinking, "Gee, I didn't think life was going to suck so bad!" It's going to be a fun ride!

Thanks for this review! I think Brett might also be wondering when things are going to get more sexual. Billy has certainly grown more salty since the last book. Ah, the life of a teenager! Everything's a disaster.

If someone told you life is easy when you’re fifteen, they lied to you. When you’re a kid, your life is supposed to be easy. You’re supposed to not have a care in the world. You’re just supposed to do your school work, learn, and play. Somebody else pays for your food and clothes and takes care of you. Your life is supposed to be pretty good. What a load of crap! Let’s start with school. Every day is a savage cut-throat battle for survival. The teachers are boring autocrats, and the

Fifteen-year-old Billy Roberts is caught in a war between his two best friends. Brett Reilly and Dustin Smith are desperate to find the love that they don't get at home, and they are willing to do anything to get it, even if they have to destroy each other. Meanwhile at home, Billy's relationship with his parents is being strained to the breaking point. In the end, someone will be broken.

Thanks NK! I'm glad you enjoyed them, and I am looking forward to Part 3 myself!

Thanks again Lisa! Just a quick correction on my previous reply, Billy was born in 1986, Brett was born March 15 1987 and Dustin on April 1, 1987. Totally agree about Brett. Brett is desperate, starving even, for love. He always eats when he's at Billy's house, in more ways than one. This book highlighted that Dustin and Brett aren't all that different - they both want the same thing, to be loved. They aren't getting that love at home, and they're seeking it from outside. That will drive them to some extreme behavior in the coming chapters. I can't wait to start part 3!

Thanks Lisa! Yep, this was a busy little chapter! Billy's at that point in his life where he's losing his awe about his parents and they're becoming "people" to him. They have a past that he's learning about. There's a reason they're together, and it's not him. At the same time, Billy is beginning to assert himself more as he starts to become more comfortable with himself. Younger Billy couldn't have had the kind of conversation he had with his dad in this chapter.

Hey bud, thanks so much for this review! This part of the story takes place Christmas 2000. Billy's birthday would be December 19, 1987. At that point, schools were just beginning to catch on that kids with dyslexia weren't dumb, they just saw the world differently. As I write, I keep in mind that there are folks who might relate to a particular aspect of a character, and I always want to be respectful of that. Brett's frustration with the way he's treated because of his condition will come to the fore in the upcoming chapters, especially the way his mom and Billy treat him. One of the things I wanted to develop is that Dustin isn't the only neglected character in the story. Even though Brett's mom isn't hitting him, she is neglecting him. It isn't physical abuse, but the way she treats him is still horrible. Brett doesn't really have a mom, he has a roommate.

“Billy, I’ve asked you three times to vacuum this carpet!” mom scolded me from the living room. If she’d asked me to vacuum, I didn’t remember. All weekend, mom had been a nervous wreck as she tried to do a thousand different things to prepare for the Christmas Eve party. I was so sick of Christmas and it hadn’t even come yet. Now it was the day of the party and she was on a rampage trying to make everything perfect for the big night. I began vacuuming the living room for her when she

It was even more difficult walking home than it had been walking to Brett’s house. I regretted not taking Dr. Reilly up on her offer to take us home, but if we had, we’d have never met Dustin on the hill and we’d have never found ourselves on that park bench. We definitely didn’t want to be in Palmer Park after dark. Though it probably would have been safe considering the weather, there were rumors about the place and about boys our age that were kind of scary. Rumors that all small towns ha

Thanks Lisa! Ah, young love can be so cruel! We're going to dive a lot deeper into Dustin's life in the next part of the story.