jkwsquirrel

I can't tell you how much I value your perspective as a mom as I share this story. I can get into the heads of the male characters much more easily than the female characters, so it's awesome to have a take from a mom's side of things. I think "speechless" was kind of the vibe I was going for here. Like, "I can't believe I gave birth to this monster." I think Brett's vicious little song will be a turning point for their relationship. Jen knows how important music is to Brett. Knowing that he's using it as weapon against her has to tell her something.

Thanks, my friend! I'm glad you're enjoying the story! We're definitely learning more about Dr. Reilly in this portion of the story. This chapter was a nice little slice-of-life story until things went so far off the rails at the end! I like exploring their lives a little bit from time to time.

Denial is a hell of a drug. Brett's doing everything a 15 year-old kid can do to say "I'm not okay." He knows he needs help. He's already asked Billy to help him. His meltdown was just another way of saying "Help me!" Will she listen? Interesting to see the parallels between when Billy got slapped and when Brett got very gently tapped on the cheek. Billy ended up hurting himself. What will Brett do?

Dr. Reilly is an interesting character. I don't think she realizes what she's doing to Brett with her indulgence. Brett can't test his boundaries because there are no boundaries to press. I think she liked the idea of being a mom, but not actually being a mom. Brett seems to think she loves her career more than him. Maybe he's right? I can't say too much about your questions. I can say that we will deal with those mysteries more in the future. And yes, Billy is becoming a young man through all the crap that's taken place in his life. It's kind of refreshing!

For all of Brett's issues, and there's lots of issues, he's not a liar. At times he can be too honest. Now, he will skirt the line by withholding information, but he justifies that with "you didn't ask" kind of technicalities. That said, there's nothing that will irritate him more than being lied to. We're heading somewhere soon with his struggles. There are definitely ADHD and other issues going on in his brain. He has some processing issues, which is what makes him so volatile. Think of it as a bottleneck in his brain. There's too much going in and not enough room to process it all out. I thought this was one of my more clever titles. (My favorite chapter title so far was "Going Down Swinging".) It really could have gone either way. Brett's behavior at the end of the chapter was kind of strange. He got what he wanted, but it goes back to that processing issue. Sex is very complicated. Processing all of the complex emotions is overloading his processor. It'll take some time to sort it all out. Freak out coming in 3... 2... 1...

Shhh!! You're going to ruin the fun! lol! One of the things I have tried to do with this story is make all of the problems come about as a result of the character's own flaws. There's not an outside villain causing all the drama. It's all brought about by the characters' (usually Billy's) own actions. I think it's fun to see the various interactions. When Brett and Dustin blew up, there wasn't anything they said that wasn't true from their point of view. They believe the worst in each other, so of course their encounter was vicious and sadistic. Early in the story, I shared with someone that Brett is just as neglected as Dustin. It's taken a while to show what I mean by that. At first, it's cute that Brett is always hanging around Billy's house. But now it's becoming clear why that was the case. Brett's misbehavior and copious use of the f-word seemed silly and mischievous, until you realize the boy has absolutely no boundaries set before him. That he's as normal as he is is a testament to the Roberts family's influence. He's more their kid than Jen's.

Yeah, I could have called it a tank-top or a sleeveless t-shirt, but I thought "wife-beater" was more appropriate for the scene that followed. I just picture Marlon Brando in "A Streetcar Named Desire" I'm glad you liked the church scene. I write so much drama that it's nice to just explore everyday living from time to time. There's a reason Billy loves these people in spite of the drama. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. It won't go on forever, but there's still much story to tell!

We'll get more answers as we go along. Billy seems to think something's wrong. Brett himself has a theory he'll give us in the next chapter. Jen's just got her head in the sand. Brett does have some anger issues, but he's more of a thrower of objects, not a violent kid. Lots of pent-up rage, that's for sure.

Could be any number of things. We'll just have to find out together! Thanks!

Billy lost something alright! Who does that? - A horny teenage boy! lol Seriously though, Billy isn't in control of his life at the moment. Even the losing of his virginity was Brett's initiative, not Billy's. Billy is being tossed about on the wind and waves because his port in the storm has been missing. He's lost without his family, especially his dad. What seemed like a grand adventure is turning out to be something less. I like Dustin too. He's fun to write. So wounded and vulnerable. He's had it pretty rough. There was nothing that came out of him during his meltdown that wasn't put into him by his abusive parents and sister. One day Brett will get what's coming to him for the way he treated Dustin.

So, we're about half way through Rehabilitation now. Things are progressing nicely. We had the latest round in the war between Brett and Dustin that displayed just how vicious and sadistic Brett could be, and how dangerous and violent Dustin could be if pushed too far. But I can't help but feel that something very important has been missing in Rehabilitation. Maybe you've noticed it too? The story has been missing its conscience, the foundation that brings order to Billy's chaotic life. I'm referring, of course, to Billy's dad, George. The story just hasn't been the same without him. Billy hasn't been the same without him. I've thought of WAR as just as much about the relationship between Billy and his dad as it is about Billy and his relationships with Brett and Dustin. It's been fun to watch their relationship develop. We joined the story right at the point where Billy was beginning to lose that awe of his father. He was beginning to see his dad in ways he hadn't before. George was always a bit intimidating to Billy. Billy respects intelligence, and there was nobody in his life who was smarter than his dad. Billy would test the boundaries a bit, and George would let him, but it was always clear who was the boss. But as the story has progressed, Billy caught up to and then surpassed his father's height. He grew a bit arrogant and stubborn, thinking he knew everything. Eventually he pushed his boundaries too far and George responded violently. That slap was one of the most pivotal moments of the story. It dramatically altered Billy's perception of his dad and himself and sent him spiraling into a crash. If George doesn't slap Billy, Billy doesn't punch the mirror. Since then, Billy has been more subdued. He's had to try to sort out all of the mess he's in without his port in the storm. Up until part four, Billy was the driver of the events of the story. But in this part, he's been driven by forces out of his control. He's struggling to find his place in the world without his dad. There's a lot of my own father in George. George is one of my favorite characters to write. He has a way of helping Billy think about things more deeply. He always seems to have the right words to help Billy deal with whatever it is that's troubling him. He's not one for big outward signs of affection, but Billy knows he's loved. Anyway, just some thoughts.

Thanks again! I think if you go back to scenes with Dustin's parents and the words they use in their treatment of Dustin you'll find that much of that abuse found its way into Dustin's mind. When he flipped out, much of what came out of him was what was put into him. "You hear me?" This was Brett Reilly at his most sadistic and vicious. This was what I meant when I said that Brett uses his insight and intuition for evil. He knew just where to hit Dustin. But like any good bully, he couldn't take it when the one he was bullying hit him back. Once Dustin struck back he blew Brett out of the water and left him a sputtering mess at the end. Poor Billy. He feels like a tennis ball being batted around at the moment, but it'll get better for him!

I'm grateful, my friend! Glad you're enjoying the ride!

Thanks Lisa! I agree with your assessment of the previous reviews! I have some of the best readers and reviewers. I love the passion! Brett is the best psychologist in his family. He understands people intuitively at a very deep level. He's also very blunt with his comments so he sometimes hurts people without meaning to do it. If Brett would use his insight for good, he would be an amazing friend and confidant. Unfortunately he prefers to use his powers for evil. It has been strange writing this part of the story without George in the picture. He is kind of the conscience of the story. We've been seeing him through his son's eyes, so at times he can seem intimidating and gruff because that's how Billy relates to him. The next chapter is very rough. You're right to be afraid!

Was it all just a beautiful dream? Oh, I didn’t want to wake up. The bed was so perfectly comfortable and so warm and soft. Everything felt so perfectly right, so of course it couldn’t last. “Wake up. We’re going to be late,” Brett informed me. I stirred in my bed in the guest bedroom and woke up from the most beautiful dream. Brett and I were married and living on a beautiful island by ourselves where we could be naked and have all the sex we wanted all the time. It was l

Billy can be extremely stubborn, that's for sure! Billy is quite conservative in a lot of ways. With his parents, that's not surprising. We'll find out about Dustin soon enough!

I suspect you're right about Brett. There's bound to be more trouble ahead for him, but at least there is hope for him yet. Not sure he was ready for what happened. He's still got some growing up to do. On the whole, it was a very good day for team Brett!

That's right, DQ! If the boys thought sex was going to make their relationship easier they're in for a surprise. We haven't heard the last of Dustin, that's for sure!

Not going to lie, that's why I chose the title. I wanted the big moment to be a surprise for you just like it was for the boys. Hopefully it was enjoyable!

Thank you! An interesting turn of events, I'd say! The boys were bound to do it at some point. Make up sex is one of life's joys. A very intimate chapter.

Thanks Wesley! You'll find Brett is full of surprises. This isn't the first time Billy's had a look around Brett's room. We haven't heard the last of Dustin!

So, what was I supposed to do now? I pulled myself up off the floor and lay down on my bed, clutching my sore hand. It really hurt and was throbbing. I couldn’t believe how quickly my whole world had collapsed. I felt about as low as I’d ever felt in my life. I never thought Dustin was capable of hurting me like he’d done. After our years of friendship, the last thing I expected was for things to have ended the way they did. But I guess it was over now. How could we ever be friends again

One of the problems with publishing episodically is that it can be frustrating for readers when an intense chapter like Dustin Loses the War comes along. I can tell you it's all going to work out okay in the end, that this is just a bump in the road, but I keep you waiting because of the nature of how it works. I try not to do too many cliffhangers because I just don't think it's fair to do that to readers. I got some pretty passionate response to this one. My "imagination has gone wild and I'm losing the audience I'm writing for." I'm "making things unbelievable" and "have failed the credibility test." I "need an editor to pull me back some." It almost makes me want to just publish the next chapter early to let everyone know it's going to be okay. Almost. Hopefully I've built enough trust and credibility that you know I'm going somewhere with all this. I can't spoil it and tell you where I'm going, but everything in this chapter, even the kick, was there for a reason. I don't know. It's just frustrating. I just want to write a good story.

So, "Dustin Loses the War" was quite the chapter, eh? The reader reaction was pretty much what I expected. The boys each showed their worst sides in this one. Brett and Dustin bring out the worst in each other. They hate each other, partly because they are so different, but also because they are so similar. They both want the same thing, and only one of them can have it. Billy kept his temper in check, which is a sign of growth. He could have exploded and let both boys have it, but he tried to play peacemaker instead. He's growing up. But in the end, Billy leveraged Dustin's secret for his own as a last resort. Billy is a logical thinker, even if he is a bit of a hot head. He figured one secret for another would be a fair exchange. He knew the reaction would be bad, but he never imagined how violently Dustin would react. Dustin totally blew his stack in an epic meltdown. Notice how his language changed when he lost it. The boy who never swears gave Brett a run for his money in the f-word department. He went after Billy's most vulnerable weakness, where he knew he could hurt him the most. Billy pulled the mask off of the happy smiling Dustin and found a violent angry monster underneath. What he did to Billy was inexcusable. And then there's Brett. So, Brett was always a dick. From the very beginning. Brett wasn't even hiding it. He'd admit it if you asked him. Brett was a spoiled little brat right from the beginning of the story. He quit on the team, he threw a fit when he lost at bowling, he punched Billy in the mouth, he swears like a sailor, he treats his mom like shit, he's smoking pot, he talked Billy into snooping through his dad's things and taking the porno, and he spends more time in detention than in class. Was it really any surprise that he acted the way he did to Dustin? Maybe there was a surprise in how low he was willing to go. I mean, saying he was glad Dustin's parents abuse him was disgusting. Brett was never an angel, but what he did in this chapter was terrible. Again, no excuses for your humble writer. Brett was an asshole in this chapter. Here's the thing, he's terrified of Dustin. He knows Dustin is bigger and stronger than him, but he's also smarter than Brett. As soon as Dustin started hitting back with his own insults against Brett he hit him pretty hard. He left Brett a sputtering, screaming, angry mess at the end of their fight. Brett threw his relationship with Billy in Dustin's face in a moment of desperation, as Dustin was destroying him. Brett's in an interesting point in his life. He's reached the moment where he knows what he's doing is wrong and he wants to change, but he doesn't know how. So he's seeking out help in ways that aren't very helpful. He's in over his head and he's flailing about looking for someone to help him. He knows he needs help, but will he accept it?

Desperate people do desperate things! Never underestimate the lengths these boys will go to to hold on to what they want.