jkwsquirrel

Billy just wants to be normal. He just wants his friends to get along. But friends don't always get along, and life is anything but normal when your best friend's life is falling apart.

Thanks dude! Yes, who would have thought that the hyperactive little nut was the key to unlocking Billy's heart! I'm glad you enjoyed this portion of the story.

I woke up earlier than usual. My arms and legs were tangled together with my little cousin like we’d been wrestling all night. No wonder I had so much trouble sleeping. I gave him another push, and that’s when I felt the wetness. I jumped out of bed and looked at myself. My shorts were soaked through in the front. The bed was flooded, and my cousin had rolled into it and he was just as wet as I was. I was furious with myself. I couldn’t believe I’d done it again! Suddenly the memo

Thanks, Lisa! Billy has moments of immaturity, but he's finding out who he is and what his limits are. That's what makes writing about the teenage years so interesting to me. The whole ransacking cousins episode is based on a true story, by the way!

Thanks for the review my friend! Losing someone you love is never easy, but especially when you've convinced yourself that person is going to recover. Times like these are what friends are for.

August arrived and brought with it an even worse heat wave than June had. I was so happy that my team would be having its last game of the season! I didn’t want to have to spend any time out in the weather if I could. Brett had left to go to New York and even though he had only been away for a few days it seemed like an eternity since he’d been gone. It was so boring without him. I couldn’t wait for him to come back. I sat at my grandma’s house longingly looking out the window. I wou

Well thanks, Lisa! It's a joy to write, and I really appreciate your reviews! The story is as much about Brett's journey as it is Billy's. His relationship with his mom is quite different. Brett has a lot of resentment that we'll flesh out in future chapters. I think 80% of the swear words in the story come out of his mouth. When I write Brett's dialogue, I think of that short, immature kid who wants to sound like an adult so he swears way more than a typical kid and talks about bodily stuff with more boldness because he thinks that what a grown-up sounds like. A face like an angel with a mouth like the devil!

Hey thanks, friend! I'm very glad you like it! I hope you'll continue to enjoy it!

When the alarm clock goes off, there is a choice to be made. You can turn it off and begin your day. Or you can turn it off, roll over, and go back to sleep. The consequence of the second option is what keeps people from smashing alarm clocks every day. I was no different when my alarm went off at seven in the morning on that warm late-July morning. A month had passed since the black eye incident. And not much had really changed with our situation. Dad was working harder than ever, b

Thanks Lisa! Though the story is about Billy and his relationship with Brett, it's also the story of Billy and his relationship with his parents, particularly his dad. George isn't a perfect dad (we've already witnessed his temper) but he loves his boy. I've got to say, I love the moment when George calls him "Billy," and that's what snaps Billy out of his tirade.

Thanks for this review! I can't just let Billy have a moment of happiness without beating him up a little bit along the way! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

I opened the door and walked into the house. Dad was there alright, asleep in his chair. I sighed. I’d gotten myself all worked up and ready to talk and he didn’t even have the decency to be awake. I felt a little bit angry with him. Once again, I didn’t exist. Dad was happy in his life and I was like an unwelcome inconvenience in his day. I sat on the couch and watched him. He hadn’t even taken his glasses off and they were slightly askew. He was still wearing the clothes he’d worn for

I think Billy's more afraid of the unknown than he is of his dad. Billy doesn't like it when his life is out of order. Billy is a paint-by-numbers, lots of structure and rules kind of boy. Brett is the opposite. Brett will deliberately paint outside the lines just because you told him not to, and then point it out to you that he did it. As much as Billy likes things neat and in order, he's drawn to the chaos of Brett Reilly like a moth to a flame. But at the same time, Brett is drawn to the structure and normalness, almost boringness of Billy's life. They each provide something that the other needs to be complete. And then there's Dustin. You've hit the nail on the head with him. He got dumped when the more interesting boy moved into the neighborhood. This happened to me with one of my bff's anytime he got a new girlfriend. We'll explore it all more deeply as we go forward!

Thanks for this review, Parker! The ball team is just one of the many dysfunctional families and organizations headed your way in this story! You'll have to keep reading to see how Billy and Brett turn out!

Teens... "I hate my parents, they're soooooo mean to me!" But someone else comes along and talks smack on them? "Don't talk about my parents, jerk!" Good point about the doctor! We'll eventually see what happens when someone doesn't take abuse seriously later in the story.

Thanks Lisa! I always want my characters to act and react naturally. Billy's dad doesn't want to be neglectful, he's just overwhelmed and stressed out. Billy is 13, so of course the whole world is against him. Everything he thought was safe was flipped upside down in the last year. It's definitely a mess!

Thanks for this wonderful review! I really appreciate it. It's a family under extreme stress, that's for sure. Everybody's uptight and angry and impatient with each other. They do love each other, they just don't like each other at the moment!

I woke up in my bed the morning after what became known as the “Black Eye Incident.” I didn’t remember anything after falling asleep in the car. I had a massive headache. I sat up on the side of my bed as my head tried to adjust to being upright. The pain was starting to come back on the right side of my face, but it wasn’t as brutal as the night before. My shoes were off and placed neatly by my bedroom door, but I was wearing the same clothes I’d worn the day before. I sort of remembered

So, what exactly happened to Sean to cause his death anyway? I'm not sure that was ever talked about. Anyway, yet another step in the journey of love. Alex would just have to understand that with a 3-4 year difference that Devin wasn't going to see some twelve year old kid as a potential love interest when he was 15 or 16 years old. Older teens typically find younger teens annoying. Of course, that's the relationship you've described between the two. Only now, as Alex is maturing into young manhood is he gaining the potential to be something more than just a friend.

How did no one review this before now? Well, I kind of figured Alex would be the one stopping by! I like how Devin is still trying to convince himself he's straight while he's got his dick in another boy's mouth. I also liked how Devin was fighting the urge to take full control of the situation. His only frame of reference for how sex should go was an abusive bully. So now he has to fight to keep from becoming Sean himself. Good psychology. Sometimes the one who is abused becomes the abuser.

Back at it! I wonder who will be bringing by the homework, and what trouble they'll bring with them! Again, typical teenager. "I just got screwed and then the guy died yesterday and half the town hates me for some reason but that's no reason to not jerk one out!" Classic!

“Well if it isn’t Paula Roberts!” the registry nurse exclaimed when she saw my mom. “Diane!” mom replied. “How is everybody?” Mom and Diane talked for a few minutes about boring hospital stuff while I stood there holding a bag of cold water with a little bit of ice left in it on my eye. When they finally got around to talking about why we were there, Diane asked me to take the bag off my face so she could see what happened. “Ouch!” she gasped. My face had swelled up like a b

Well, it's getting late so I'll have to pick up again later. I hope you find these notes encouraging! I'm really enjoying the story. Devin is likable: Confused, afraid, thinking the whole school is out to get him. Alex seems like a nice kid. I'm interested to see how things go with him. I'm still grieving poor Sean! Parker must be devastated! I like a story with flawed yet lovable characters!

Well that was out of left field! Can't say I was expecting ol' Sean to bite it. Alas! We hardly knew him.

Ouch! Wrong day to have to ride a bike! Just an extra little layer of cruelty to put poor Devin through! Sean's a real dick in this chapter. He's becoming unlikeable, in a really good way. Now I'm wondering if there is redemption for him in the story or if he continues down the dark path toward true assholery. I found myself rooting for Devin in the one moment when he stood up for himself, only for him to end up getting screwed in every sense of the word. Poor Devin indeed! Well done!