Shadow086

That ties everything up very nicely, except for maybe two things. So Paula finally redeemed herself and put her sons first. "Maybe we refused to understand it because we believed that if we began to accept that which could not understand, God might actually begin to work a change within ourselves, rather than us trying to crush the world to force it into our own ideologies." This is probably one of my favourite quotes from the entire series, and it sums up the whole religious aspect so well. Paula did let God change her views and accepted B&B, that makes her the most Christian person in that whole church to me. But we never found out if her former friends turned their backs on her or not. It was fun to read Billy's prediction of how Sarah's life will go, and his reply at the end really says it all. It's like Billy decided that she wasn't worth his attention or getting angry over, and she probably didn't know what to make of that. The conversation with Dustin was touching, and I'm glad they were able to part on good terms. It's sad, but Dustin was right, they were destined to drift apart, and this love triangle just couldn't continue. I just wish he had more confidence in himself because he can definitely make it out of this town, he has the brains for it, after all. What Dr. Reilly said was nice, but at this point I can't believe a word that comes out of her mouth, so I'm taking this with a huge grain of salt. Finally, they got married! 😆 I'm just a little curious about who was at their wedding. I've always thought Dustin and Joey would be their Best Men, but I guess you left that up to our imagination. It's a great end to a wonderful adventure, but I wish there was more to come. I'll really miss seeing you around, Jeff.

Just because the chapter didn't advance the plot threads that you care about doesn't mean it's 'filler' and not important. This thing with Mr. Franks is important and shows how Billy and his mom keep growing further apart. Sure, I miss Jamie Cross, and I wonder what's happening with the rest of the cast (especially Sam), but Billy can't be everywhere and know everything. I'm just glad we've moved on from the Jimmy Laplane situation, because I think we need a change from this particular drama. Just asking, but whatever happened to Lee? We haven't heard about him in forever. I also think it's a bit strange that Billy's dad hasn't tried to see him since he left, but it doesn't matter. And one last thing. I hope MarkE realises that he probably made sure it's going to take even longer before New Kid gets a new chapter. Just because there isn't a new chapter for us to read doesn't mean the story isn't moving. Sorry if that sounded harsh, but I'm just tired of seeing people everywhere act like the authors "owe" them anything.

I think it's good that Billy is maturing and realising that sometimes it's best to leave things alone and let people make their own mistakes. Speaking of that, we haven't heard from Robin in a while. I wonder if AJ stabbed him in the heart again yet. Billy is a lot less mature when dealing with his mom, though. But to be fair, I think they're both partially to blame for that situation. I know Billy was angry and thought he was so smart by throwing her own words back at her, but he was acting like a little brat and could have handled that better. I think both Billy and his mom need to learn to talk things through without being at each other's throats. To be honest, I haven't liked Billy's mom since she found out he's gay, because she's clearly not as accepting as she thinks she is. And she could have at least talked to him about dating Mr. Franks.

I'm thinking that whoever the "spy" is has some sort of device to control the people with implants, like Kohen, and was in charge of starting the attack. I wonder what their backup plan is now, since I'm sure they accounted for the possibility of their spy being discovered.

These two are so SWEET! 😍 It's super cool the way they can't get enough of each other's company. I still have my doubts about Tristan playing matchmaker, but I still say go for it! Loved it, Com, well worth the wait!

Are they even victims? This sounds more like an infiltration than any kind of rescue operation. I mean, what better way to get your soldiers behind enemy lines than by allowing them to be "rescued"?

You know, one thing I'll never understand is how people can be so bossy and demanding with things they get for free, then turn around around and buy a book they end up hating and never say a word about it. Just relax, people!

I don't like everyone either, but it feels to me like Dustin is the only main character that became a worse person as the story went on. From chapter 1 Dustin's thing was "I wish Billy would make me his first choice for once". Then when Billy finally does that he's like "Lol, what a moron you are" and laughs at Billy to his face. That really pisses me off. It's like Dustin has become this "notch on my bedpost" type of person, and now that he doesn't need Billy to feel validated as a person he can just insult him and not care. Come on, Dustin, we know you have a huge dick, you don't need to be one too. Billy hasn't treated Dustin much better over the years, but at least he tried to make amends. Dustin doesn't seem to care about much beyond getting his next fuck. As far as I'm concerned, Dustin is one of the things Billy should leave behind as he enters his new life.

Maybe I should feel angry that the 'bad guys' got away with it, but strangely enough, I don't. I'm more satisfied with knowing that Billy realised he was destined for greater things than the meaningless squabbles of that shithole town. I saw that little jab at Hartley as Billy showing that the bigshots in this town have no power over him. He's got college, and his future with Brett, and B&B couldn't care less what John Taylor, Carl Stevens or anyone else do from now on. As for Brett's parents, good riddance to bad rubbish. Those two lying, self-centered pricks really deserve each other. I have to admit, my sympathy for Dustin ran out a few chapters ago. I get that he's been through a lot, but he doesn't want to help himself at this point. He keeps talking about how he's so ashamed of being a prostitute a year ago, but the only difference between then and now is that he's not charging anymore. If that's what he wants to do with his life, he can go ahead, I don't care. Then he laughs in Billy's face and calls him a moron for giving up something he fought for 4 years to get, just for his sake. What kind of "best friend" does that? No, fuck off, Dustin. Sorry if that sounded harsh, but I've been wanting to say this for some time now.

Carter does have him wrapped around his little finger, doesn't he? It's nice to see Riley 'going soft' and becoming a caring brother to Tak, especially. I'm a bit disappointed about the pot (and think he just got them both in big trouble), but Riley's still Riley, so I don't expect that to change. As for his eye, credit to Riley for making the right decision on his own, and I can see him getting a fake eye made that looks just like the one that's being removed. One thing I'll say, though: with the surgery coming up, the title of this book worries me greatly, and I hope it's not a sign of what's to come.

Riley's making a terrible decision, but I can somewhat understand it. I don't think it's so much about pride as it is that his eye was a big part of his identity until very recently. It's what makes him Cy Walker, the known and feared (according to him) gangster from the Southside, and I think he sees having it removed as losing a big part of what defines him as a person. On the other hand, I know that the thought of losing my sight terrifies me and I'd do anything to prevent it, so I hope that Riley thinks this through and makes a rational and sensible decision.

It honestly wouldn't surprise me. I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one who told Frank about it as well. Which brings the interesting point that Dustin may have some sort of leverage on the bastard. But that would require telling Dustin, and I don't see any good coming from that. Either Dustin will go off on a rant about how righteous and holier-than-thou Billy is, or he gives up his hopes and dreams so Billy can have a meaningless title.

If he hasn't already. Maybe he was a frequent nighttime visitor to the park a couple of years ago?

Billy still had a bit of the old passive-aggressiveness in there, though, but he did the right thing by walking away. I think Dustin attacked Billy because of his past, but mainly because he hasn't gotten over Billy yet, and hearing the person you're in love with babbling on about how happy they are with someone else (when they know how you feel about them) must be really hard to take. I can't really blame Dustin for lashing out like that. What I think is going to happen is that Billy will tell Brett. Not to whine about how unfair it is, like every other time, but because he thinks he's doing something good and selfless and helping Dustin. Brett won't be happy about it, but I don't think there's anything he can really do at this point. I'm really hoping Hartley's scheming backfires on him, and there's a chance it will. If the principal decides to investigate Jack's claims about Sarah's biology grade, or other statements hinting at a lack of integrity by the teachers, it could have consequences for John Taylor and anyone associated with him. Imagine if John had to leave in disgrace over what was started in this meeting, and Hartley got fired for being one of his lackeys.

You know what would be great? If John Taylor stepped over the line after the boys left, and lost some influence over the school board. Then the principal could review Sarah's grades and determine that she didn't earn them, so Billy would be valedictorian anyway. And to top it all off, the superintendent would want to make a show of being LGBTQ-friendly and reject Hartley as principal because of his homophobic behaviour. I don't really see any of that happening, but it would be satisfying to watch them all crash and burn.

Okay, so Dr. Reilly can go fuck herself now, move back to New York and disappear from Brett's life before she causes any more damage. Whatever her reasons, she did disown him, and I wouldn't blame Brett for never wanting to speak to her again once he finds out. Speaking of which, Billy didn't tell him about that or the offer to stay at his house, but it's understandable given the circumstances. I'm so happy to see Paula pull through at long last. I think there's going to be hell to pay if she ever finds out about how Hartley screwed him over. It's sad to see Billy give up the title, but there's no way he could do that to Dustin after everything he's been through. He's gonna have a tough time keeping that secret, though. As for Hartley, I have no words. I thought Brett's parents were selfish, manipulative assholes, but this guy takes the cake. I bet you he was in that bathroom for hours just waiting for Dustin to come in and do something. Strong and proud, my ass! He's probably so deep in the closet he can't find the door again. I wouldn't be surprised if Dustin had some dirt on him. He was probably one of his clients too. I don't think I've ever been as angry at a character in W.A.R. as I am right now. I want him to choke on his own dick, whether it's still attached to his body or not.

Well, he is Sweet Little Dusty, after all!

Maybe not something nefarious, but I don't feel he's being entirely truthful and trustworthy either. The way I see it, both sides seek to use Torsten as a pawn to fight over in their ongoing conflict. So while I don't think Sebby constitutes any kind of danger to Torsten, he's still deceiving him and I'm wary of him for that reason. It also feels to me like Sebby could be taking advantage of Torsten's emotional vulnerability and need to seek comfort after what happened with Theo. Or you can blame it on my natural tendency to expect betrayal from people who act 'too nice', as Sebby appears to be doing here.

Excellent chapter, as usual. The problem with these short stories is that they always leave us wanting more.

I wasn't sure if Vanderbilt was a high school or a college, that's why I was asking.

Two things about that: 1. Is he still in high school, or is he in college? 2. Is he in the same school district? It wouldn't do to let any student get away with this kind of scandalous and inappropriate behaviour while representing their school. And John wouldn't want to give the impression that he has a double standard, now does he? That wouldn't look good in a lawsuit.

Nice chapter! I don't know why, but I can't trust Sebby. Something about him feels...off. It's awfully convenient that he showed up when he did with his words of comfort. Let's wait and see what happens, but for now, I believe that Sebby is manipulating Torsten. A different, more subtle form of manipulation than what fire dragons use, for sure, but manipulation nonetheless. I find it very hard to believe that Torsten could develop such strong feelings for Sebby in the few minutes they spent together. Crawley's glove is an intriguing device and I can't wait to see how that pans out. Too bad you can't draw blood from a pile of ashes (still sad about that ). Now it all makes sense. Why Celeste is watching over Torsten, why Araziah was so eager to keep him all to himself. My guess is Torsten will not react well to being thrust in the middle of this war. I don't know where he can hide once the Conclave finds out he'll be the new Seer. This should be fun

Amazing story, Com! Loved it! But man...Over 92 journals of Billy Chase, you better get cracking if you want to get them all written!

I've been thinking about Dave in this chapter. Maybe he knew about Billy's autism and decided to keep his distance all this time because he knew he shouldn't force it and was waiting for Billy to reach out to him. I think there was more to it than Dave just trying to stay out of Billy's way.

No, she's caught having sex in the bathroom during prom.