Shadow086

I'm glad Dustin finally confessed to Billy, even if it was too late. It did sound like a 'goodbye', though. I said it way back in Rehabilitation, Dustin never gave himself a chance at being with Billy. Maybe now Billy can understand Dustin's attitude towards Brett. Dustin doesn't drink as far as we know, it's probably his father's doing, he got himself drunk and abused Dustin again. And Dusty, please stop smoking. But at least he's out of that house now. My feeling is It looks worse than it is, and Dustin will end up staying at Brett's house. If he wants to stay away, Brett's house is the last place people would look for him. And things will get better because, thanks to Billy's big mouth, Miss Winston knows that some of the rumours are true. Oh, and I called it about the driving test. Dustin's Revenge? Considering he'd rather run away than send his parents to jail where they belong, I doubt it has anything to do with them. That leaves Brett. I wouldn't be surprised if Dustin ended up in a situation where he could try to convince Billy to sleep with him, to get back at Brett. We'll see, but trying to guess what the title means is fun.

As far as Billy goes, Dustin sees it as losing his grip on something he never really had, and because of that he threw away what he did have. If he always saw Billy as his boyfriend, then yeah, he lost his grip on Billy. But it looks like Dustin decided that he wasn't happy just being his friend and turned his relationship with Billy into an 'all or nothing' deal, and unfortunately for him he ended up with nothing.

I don't agree with all of this. The park and his parents, sure; Mike, he lost that by stealing his car, and while I'm sure he thought he had a good reason, it's kind of his own fault. But he gave up sports, that was his decision; and he gave up Billy when he pushed him away over the fight with Brett. He always had Billy as a friend. Maybe that's not all he wanted from him, but he always had Billy up until now. Funny enough, Brett is probably the only one who can convince Billy to forgive him at this point.

I like how I made a super long comment about Dustin and you comment on the fact I said "hot sex". I noticed that we only see the sex when it's relevant to moving the story forward. The first times (of course), the sex in Chapter 2 was there to lead to the conversation with George, and probably the Paula drama as well; then there was the time they "almost" got caught, and the latest time was to have Billy there to let Dustin in the house. I really like the fact that the sex serves a purpose and isn't just there for the sake of having sex. I just wanted to let you know that the sex is hot, and I especially like how Billy becomes a completely different person during sex.

@droughtquake Exactly, but your mind is still as alert as it's ever been. It must be devastating, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. I'd probably try to kill myself before reaching that stage.

At this point I don't think Dustin's much of anything, especially not a jock. From Billy's description he's just skin and bones, his muscles should have weakened enough that Billy would be able to offer some resistance.

@spikey582 I think people tend to underestimate how dangerous those head injuries can be. He probably was able to get up because of adrenaline and willpower. However, Brett does need to go to the hospital, but again, he underestimates his injuries, and probably thinks he can just sleep it off and his mom won't notice. I think something's going to happen overnight and Brett will be taken to the hospital. I don't think Jeff's cruel enough to make Brett die from this, but he might be mean and have Dustin brought back in for the skillet injury, and put Dustin and Brett in the same hospital room. Wouldn't that be a fun time for the boys?

I think it's more like a loss of motor functions caused by the stroke he had. But he still finds himself unable to do all he could before, and you can tell it's a big blow to his pride. By the way, a politician up here had ALS, and it progressed really quickly. What a brutal illness. I can't imagine how powerless it must feel to know your body's shutting down and there's nothing you can do about it. For most people the mind is the first to go, and I think it's less painful that way (for the person, not the loved ones).

Yeah, it's not like he didn't react the same way with Billy (twice). But he was conditioned to respond that way by his asshole parents. I still feel bad for Dustin and think he deserved a better life than he got, but at this point he's not someone I want to see at Billy's side. Brett had it coming for sure, but what if it was Billy that told his mom? As weak as Billy is, Dustin would probably have cornered him at his house and killed him because Brett wouldn't have been around to hit Dustin with a skillet. It might be too late to rid Dustin of this violent behaviour, so I think it's best if B&B stay far away from him. It really pains me to say it, but after the way he brutally assaulted (and nearly killed) Brett, I'm afraid I have to give up on Dustin.

Oh my god! I'm so stupid, why didn't I see it before? "End of the ROAD", it's the driving test. Forget what I said before, it's about Billy's driving test. Either he finally passes or he fails in an incredibly stupid way (again) and just gives up on the whole idea.

I'm late to the party, so there's not much left to say on this chapter. I agree, poor George. Having a sharp mind and your body suddenly not being able to keep up with your mind must be a terrible feeling. I just want to say, I love how everyone Billy is out to basically said "I know you're gay, Billy, you're super obvious about it", and Billy is shocked and surprised every time. What's it going to take for him to realise he's in a glass closet?

Wow, what a chapter! People are forgetting about the HOT sex! Dustin: I'm surprised at how mature Brett is being on this. I was expecting him to fight back, but I guess he's finally secure enough in his relationship with Billy. Also funny how the roles are reversed, with Billy now hating Dustin, and Brett defending him. As for Dustin himself, it looks like he finally snapped, and he's a violent, abusive asshole just like Frank. Of course, growing up in that family, he could only learn to cope with thing through violence, so that's not surprising. I think he forgot Billy was in the room near the end, with all the things he said. I think he regrets kicking Brett's ass the way he did, and he's going to be crushed when he realises he accidentally told Billy about the park, and that Billy finally turned on him. What I want to know is what's going on with Dustin physically. Is he just not eating and sleeping enough, or are those signs that he's taking hard drugs? I hope it's not the latter. Finally, based on his parting words to Brett, it sounds like he's going to try to kill himself, maybe after his last appeal to Billy falls on deaf ears. And of course, Brett would be the one who prevents him from succeeding. @Onim It's mentioned in the chapter that Billy tried to stop Dustin a few times, but he was just pushed away. But yeah, Billy's a coward, and he's probably going to just lash out at Dustin later, when he's already down. After what Dustin said, the title of the next chapter sounds ominous. But Jeff has a history of using misleading chapter previews. So I'm going to just say this now, I don't think it's about Dustin at all. If I had to guess, the title refers to Paula finding out about Billy, or something about Joey. Or, and I hope it's not that, it could also be the end of the road for George, considering his deteriorating health. EDIT: Now that I think about it, Dustin broke down after being hit with the skillet. Was it because he snapped out of his violent rampage and regrets what he's done, or because he realised that Billy saw the whole thing and that his outburst cost him the only thing he had left, Billy's friendship? I believe it's a little of both. I think Dustin's been clinging on to the hope that he could 'take Billy back' from Brett. What he just did destroyed any chance he had to win Billy's heart and Dustin knows it, so in his mind he has nothing left to live for.

I feel the same way. Having to wait another week for the next chapter is torture!! Sometimes I feel like I should just put this on hold until the book is complete, I can't stand all that waiting between chapters!

I don't know what's going on with Joey, but there's something big we don't know. I don't think he's secretly in love with Billy, though, that would just make him Dustin without the shitty home life (as far as we know). That's the same reason I don't think And as I said in the chapter comments, that would explain his attitude towards Billy. If that's the case, I can't really hate him for acting the way he is. As for Carol, her reaction is understandable. No one wants to believe their loved ones would do something so horrible, so she ignored all the signs. But her reasoning makes no sense. If Mike was a child molester (which he technically is) and wanted to rape Dustin, why use a broomstick? Mike would've just fucked him instead. I don't know how their fight will end, but with Frank out of the picture I think the abuse will stop. Carol has been rationalising the abuse as 'toughening him up', but she flipped out once Dustin was in serious danger. If she really was that horrible she probably wouldn't have cared. I think Dustin's safe from the abuse. Besides, there's going to be enough Dustin drama as he deals with the aftermath. He's probably in the same mental state Billy was in near the end of The Broken Boy. Wow, I really read too much into this story.

That's exactly what clued me in, I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that. As for Carol, I'm a bit hopeful, unless it's just her way of trying to keep the abuse within the family ("We're the only ones allowed to beat him up", that sort of thing). Then again, Dustin almost died, so maybe Frank crossed the line this time. Not to mention, the hospital will probably need to get the cops involved if they see signs of abuse.

Right, I remember something about them being cousins. Although I can't remember for sure what makes them cousins, or if it's just what Brett was told. Jack McKenzie sleeping around would fit with the whole 'phony' theme that family has going. And for the record, I still think his father is the boy 'Brett' in the picture, and that's who Jen named him after. Man, our Billy-boy is a real guy magnet if that's the case! I don't think that's it, though. Having every boy in Billy's life be secretly in love with him is a little far-fetched. Besides, if that was the case you'd think he would bully Brett instead (kind of like Dustin does), but he doesn't. Joey started his bullying once he suspected Billy is gay, so that fits with the religion thing. But I think he's really projecting his own issues. Let's say Joey is getting raped. He would naturally hate the person doing this to him, and he'd know through talking to Brett that Billy is the top in the relationship. So it's very likely that in Joey's mind, Billy is the same as his abuser, so he hates Billy. And while Joey can't retaliate against his abuser, he can take it out on Billy, so he does. It's a known fact that people who are being abused transfer that abuse onto other people, and I think that's what's happening here. Well, I'm not a psychologist or psychiatrist, so I don't really know what I'm talking about, but that would make sense to me.

Well, I can't really get angry at Joey for this one, Billy clearly provoked him. And it looks like there's something going on that we don't know about. Like @JayT said, I suspect abuse. I'm not sure about the church's layout, but my guess is the good Pastor has something to do with what's happening to Joey. It's him or Jack, and I think Jack plays a different role in the story. I think Jack McKenzie will be the key to finding Brett's mysterious father, if he's not Brett's father himself. I'm starting to think it's the latter, he shares some personality traits with Brett. But we'll see what turns up later. Well, so much for Billy's laptop... And I think it won't be long until Mike gets out of town, for his own safety. Dustin: I had a feeling Brett would find out about the park, but at least he did the right thing. We all knew from the blood that Dustin got raped, but this is worse than I thought. On the plus side, I'm glad to see Dustin's mom actually cares about her son and will protect him from now on. That gives me some hope that the abuse will stop. Dustin will be furious at Brett for telling, but I wonder what the main reason will be. For blowing up his family (and his imaginary family he created to cope with the abuse)? Or maybe for telling Billy about the park? He probably thinks Billy won't want anything to do with him once he finds out about his career, so he's likely to think Brett did it to turn Billy away from him. That can't be good, and Billy will really need to be there for him and to keep Brett and Dustin from killing each other. I really feel like this is Dustin's book, and I love it. Minor complaint, I'm a bit disappointed that Brett is also smoking cigarettes. I strongly dislike smoking of any kind and I wish the boys wouldn't do it, but whatever. I don't know how Billy can stand to kiss someone with disgusting cigarette breath, yuck! Before I forget. Fuck Frank Smith. Fuck him with his own dick. EDIT: Come to think of it, how did Frank know Dustin was at the park, anyway? Did he follow him, or is he friends with one of Dustin's 'clients'? I'd love to know how he found out.

Hmmm. My first thought was that this is about Dustin, but then I remembered Billy still has that Metallica CD. I get the feeling something really bad is about to happen to Billy, and it probably has to do with a certain asshole who shall remain nameless. The boys are going to need each other more than ever, I hope they can put their differences aside. Please don't hurt them too much.

That's because it's the only head of his that actually works. Stupid prick, fuck him. I don't really care about Frank Smith, to be honest. He's an abusive asshole and everybody knows it, so I'm strangely not as pissed off about him as most readers. Dustin's situation is more of a 'group effort', so I'm actually more angry at his wife and Amanda for not doing anything to help Dusty and joining in the abuse. As for Fuckhead McKenzie, I truly despise those sanctimonious, moralising hypocrites, so I hated him since they first started talking about what a perfect boy he is. I think that might be as far back as book 2, because I knew he'd turn out like this. I wish him a happy life filled with many romantic nights in the loving company of his right hand.

That has me worried, especially if you mean D&BR not being at each other's throats. The only way I can see that happening is if something terrible were to happen to Billy, and that would not be good for any of the boys. The story also seems to be taking a dark turn, which means what I'm afraid of becomes a possibility. So true on that last part. Part of me wants to say that every time he's mentioned, but that would get old and annoying very fast. Doesn't mean I'm not thinking it though. And if he ever does something to Billy I won't stop at just that. It was hard for me to stay mad at Dustin in Rehabilitation, but I have no sympathy for Golden Boy and Paula, so there's no regrets and no holding back. I doubt you'll find many people defending those two like they did with Dustin.

I've always thought that was because of the stupid bullshit his "father" put in his head. If you spent fifteen years being told that you're worthless trash and need everyone to save your weak ass, you're more likely to want to prove them wrong and refuse other's offers for help. And as Jeff said, he's loyal to a fault, so he'll defend his family no matter how badly they treat him. He wants help, but for the above reasons he's too proud to ask for it. Billy caught on to that last chapter when he said Dustin seemed to want them to just take him back to their house. I completely agree and can't stand people who just want you to feel sorry for them, but I don't think that's the case with Dustin.

Looks like Brett slipped back to his old ways. That's too bad. But he's probably justified in this case. Brett's mom has known for a long time, but she has her reasons for not saying anything. My feeling is she can tell Billy isn't comfortable with being out so she doesn't want to embarrass him or scare him. That was way too close for her not to figure out or at least suspect what's going on. And, of course, she's okay with it. I wonder if Billy thought this through at the time, but the laptop gives him the perfect excuse to talk to Mike and find out what happened. And he gets a new laptop out of the deal (which Miss Bible will probably try to take away from him). So Dustin started smoking too. Please get him some help soon, I can't stand seeing him like this. Wonder what Brett's deal is, looks like he's hiding something again. The title of the next chapter sounds ominous. If I had to speculate, I'd say that the "Hero" is either Brett or Dustin (hoping for Dusty) who saves Billy from being assaulted or even raped by that dickhead Joey McKenzie and his lackeys. I don't know if it'll be this soon, but I'm sure they'll try to rape Billy at some point. I'm not going to say it, but it's pretty clear how I feel about Joey McKenzie, and I'll probably say it every time he shows up. I notice that chapters about Dustin always get the most discussion by far. I think the readers have really grown attached to our Dusty and want him to get a better life.

Looking at Jeff's responses made me think about something. What's going to happen to Dustin if someone goes to the cops? One or both of his parents would get arrested, and Social Services wouldn't let him stay in that house, so where would he live? He doesn't have any relatives in town that we know of, and they might not want him around either. Will this end with Dustin moving away? I wish Billy could somehow talk his parents into letting Dustin live with them, but I doubt Little Miss Bible would go for it, even if it's the Christian thing to do.

I totally agree 100% about Billy's mother. If Billy was smart he'd try to explain hanging out with Dustin by using a Bible approach. Forgiveness and second chances and helping those in need, that sort of thing. And if she still won't budge, then he can expose her as the hypocrite she is. Billy's the one acting by Christian values in that situation. As for Billy, it's getting a bit frustrating to see him making the same mistakes over and over again. He wants to help but doesn't know how or where to start, so as usual, instead of going to his father or another adult for advice, he'll just sit there and do nothing while moping about how powerless he is. He already started, but I think anything he does right now will only make things worse.

Billy knows this, but Dustin keeps saying he doesn't want him there, and Billy respects that. What Billy needs to do is grow a pair and say "I'm getting you help whether you like it or not." It's a delicate situation because we might be wrong about the abuse (though I highly doubt we are). Billy needs to talk to Mike to find out more about what happened, and he also needs to tell his mother about Dustin's condition. If he charges in there without confirming what we all think is happening, Billy will only end up making things infinitely worse for Dustin. Now is a time for caution. I think Dustin is going to try to kill himself but Billy o r someone else will be able to prevent him from succeeding. That will be Billy's wake up call and he'll be there for Dustin after that. I'm starting to think that Amanda was protecting him from their parents' abuse, and things went downhill when she left. Edit: You know what Billy's problem is? He doesn't rely on others. He always tries to fix everything himself, and when it gets to be too much for him to handle he just walks away and stays silent. How many situations did he get involved in that wouldn't have ended this badly if he just spoke up? He just never learns that lesson and you can tell he's about to do the same thing again.