Shadow086

Wow, Riley and Carter really complete each other, I love that. It was nice to see the three of them get a bit wild. On the other hand, the Saints found him now. There's big trouble coming Riley's way if Ro's still looking for him. And it sounds like they think he betrayed them, too. This doesn't look good at all.

There's not much I want to add to what everyone already said, but I don't think the party is such a big deal. A lot of teenagers have weed and alcohol at parties and they're not all ex-gang members. So that doesn't bother me so much. Maybe Owen will mess things up, and Riley's sure to get in trouble with his parents over this, but I don't think it's that bad. What is bad and extremely stupid is how Riley got the booze. Not only does he go back to his old ways, he also goes to a store he used to rob when he was in the gangs, and acts like he still is. He's basically shouting from rooftops that he's out of jail and he's still around. That's not his goal, but Riley's doing everything to make sure the Saints find him again.

I loved the scene in the cafeteria. Declan backs up his self-reflection with concrete change, he clearly distances himself from Chris, and he get Justin and the gymnastics team on his side. Looks like Chris is going to make Declan a target as well, though. Now Declan's going to start digging into Bailey's mysterious hip injury. He'll probably forget about it for a little bit until something makes him think about it some more and he realises something doesn't add up. I must admit I didn't understand 90% of Justin's routine, but it sounded impressive. I agree with @droughtquake, football is just a brute-force, aggressive sport, and I personally think it's incredibly slow and boring as well. But then, I watch hockey and almost every team sport is slow compared to that. The thing about gymnastics and other individual sports is that they're not spectator sports like the major team sports are so it's much more difficult to get people interested in them. Gymnastics is also a very technical sport and that means it's not really accessible to the casual viewer the way baseball or football is. I rarely, if at all, see gymnastics being covered outside of the Olympics, and that's a shame. And it looks like the lesson was a success, for most people anyway. I wonder how this will affect the dynamics inside the football team. Chris, Eric and Eddie appear to be the only ones who still look down on gymnastics, so maybe this is where Chris start losing his control over the team. Let's see how long it takes before someone calls him out and openly challenges him. Declan came close in the cafeteria, but will someone take the next step and ask for a new captain? It looks like Declan and Bailey will have a few more things to talk about during their "date".

I just love seeing Riley interact with Grandpa Frank, and the way he looks up to him. And now Riley finally goes back to the Southside and he meets the in-law. I'm glad Kathy's giving Riley a chance and getting to know the real him. The whole "ignant" thing was hilarious, I loved it. I can see why Kathy would clash with her husband on how to get rid of the gangs. She's completely right, people won't want your help if they don't feel you can relate to them and understand what they're going through. Becoming an 'insider' is a smart move. Now Carter gets a taste of real danger, and what Riley grew up in. All the stories he's heard must be becoming a lot more real to him. It's sinking in that all that stuff Riley said about his past was true. Kathy really needs to take Riley's advice and move. He knows what he's talking about, he's probably done it all before anyway. With the drive-by being this close, I can't shake the feeling that the Saints saw Riley and recognised him. That spells major trouble for later. Sounds like Riley's feeling responsible for this and he'll likely want to make amends. If Natasha's right and Cy propped up the Saints, then I hope Riley's the key to breaking them.

It's nice to see Aaron being so accepting, and having him look for clues after the fact was funny as well. Looks like Riley's really being accepted at school now, but Owen's preparing something. I agree with everyone about Grandpa Frank, I think he's great. I think part of what made that instant connection is that Riley found someone he can relate to, someone authentic. And it looks like he sees Frank as a role model as well. Nancy's parents: Riley described them best: fake and stuck up. They're so judgemental and toxic, it's amazing Nancy became such a caring person despite their parenting. I don't like them, but I'm worried they'll try to do something to hurt Riley out of spite. I feel like things are going too well for Riley right now, and something big is about to happen. That last line makes it sound like Riley's going to take the fall to protect his family and Carter.

That was great! Riley coming clean about the whole social worker thing, Riley opening up and getting accepted by his classmates, the basketball game, it was great to see things finally looking up for him. I'm glad Riley's okay with Carter's mom knowing about them, but that surprised me a bit. Then there's his 'Carter Time', I wonder what they were up to, and how Aaron found them. Aaron finding out was great and hilarious, but he's going to be cool with it, once he gets over the shock. Now Aaron has the missing piece to figure out Riley's strange behaviour around Carter. Nancy and Walter need to know about them as well, but I completely understand Riley's reluctance to let anyone know. He's afraid of word getting back to the gangs and putting big targets on his and Carter's backs. I just thought of this: What if Owen somehow found out about Riley and Carter? He's a big enough asshole to just shout it out to the whole school and try to socially destroy Riley. I doubt it would work since that school seems more accepting, but then there's Cam, Curtis and the coach. If Owen ever gets wind of this, it could be a complete disaster. Then there's also that cop, I'm waiting for him to show up again. There's just so much that could go wrong, and I feel Owen will be at the centre of it.

But--But Joey goes to church every Sunday! He's a good Christian boy! That's all that matters, right? Right? Honestly, I've hated her since the "What will I tell Joey's parents?" thing. That's when I found out she was one of those holier-than-thou religious type. These people are absolute scum and I despise them. I often find the words "good Christian" to mean close-minded, judgemental prick, and they treat others in a most unchristian way. I really hope Joey is exposed for the filthy scumbag that he is.

Yeah, Carter and Riley make a cute couple. I love how Carter just loves and accepts everything about Riley, and the way Riley was so determined to get them alone was so cute. Riley's denying being gay by pure survival instinct at this point, and now Carter knows this. I think Carter will do what he can to make Riley feel safe enough to at least come out to his family. I don't think Aaron is as clueless as Riley thinks he is. He made the 'bromance' comment earlier and Riley wasn't exactly subtle about getting him out of the house either. And why would the homophobic Cy Walker spend so much time hanging out with the gay guy in the group? Aaron's wheels are turning and he'll figure it out before too long, if he hasn't already. I'm curious as to why Riley doesn't want Aaron to find out, though. Is it because he's afraid Aaron will turn on him, or because he's just afraid of anybody finding out? It's interesting to see the contrast between Cy the thug that threatened a social worker and punched Owen in the face and Riley the sweet, affectionate boyfriend when he's alone with Carter. Riley's rough around the edges like he said, but there's a good, caring person in there, and he just needs Carter to bring him out. What if Riley was the one to invite Owen back into the group, wouldn't that make everyone's heads spin? I can't wait to see how the party will go.

Wow, I can barely keep up with all the new chapters. Like father, like son. I like how Brock and Walter did the exact same thing as Aaron and Owen. It was also nice to see Walter defending his sons, even if what Riley did was wrong. I think Riley got off easy, to be honest. I was expecting them to come down hard on him because of his past, but 3 days still seems reasonable, and he didn't get kicked off the team like I thought he would, so that's a plus. I never thought Aaron could be so mean, but he was right to say it. Still, telling Owen to his face, and in front of his father and witnesses, that the only people who talk to him are just pity friends, that's gotta hurt. I wonder what's going through Owen's head right now. Is he feeling remorseful? Will he try to be nicer? Carter's a nice guy, but I'm not sure he's going to let Owen back in that easily. Owen did insult his best friend and his boyfriend, after all. Aaron and Riley (possibly Carter as well) will make Owen feel unwelcome in their group, but I think Owen will come around and realise that the way his father treats people is wrong. He's just acting like his dad because he doesn't know better, but I think he's going to become much nicer and Aaron will welcome him back in the group. So they suspect Riley threatened the case worker, they'll probably want to address that as well, but Walter has it right: Riley needs to learn that violence isn't the answer. It's going to take a while to get that instinct out of him, but I think they can do it. And I don't know how Nancy can still push for therapy after Riley asked her if he was a bad kid. Can't she see that his confidence is shaken and suggesting things like therapy could send him back into his shell and his old behaviour? Two things: What kind of punishment does Nancy have in store for them, I wonder? Now that he's standing up for them, is Aaron finally gonna earn his spot in the "Call-me-Riley Club"?

I was asking for this to happen, but of course it had to be Riley that hit him. I'm glad he's sticking up for his family (and he fully considers them his family now), but because of his past any hint of violent behaviour could seriously fuck up the adoption. After what he did to Natasha, Riley is seriously hurting his own case here. And you just know that Owen is going to go cry over it and do everything he can to get Riley sent back to jail over this, and Riley fell right into his trap. But, well, compared to what Cy did, a punch in the face is pretty mild. You can take the boy out of the gang, but you didn't take the gang out of the boy. His first instinct is still violence and intimidation. I'm curious to see what the consequences will be for Riley. He'll get suspended for sure, but he's walking a tightrope and I could see the coach kicking him off the basketball team over this. Owen will probably try to get his parents to push for expulsion, as well as get the cops involved (whether or not he succeeds is hard to say). If the cops get involved, that could put the adoption in jeopardy. Riley had good intentions, but he mishandled the situation once again by resorting to violence. I just hope that Aaron, Carter and Noah can intervene on his behalf and say that Owen was provoking him. Walter and Nancy will NOT be happy about this either, and I think that how they handle this will have a major impact on Riley's confidence, for lack of a better word. They need to make it clear that he made a bad decision without making him feel that he's "a bad kid" and that what Natasha wrote about him is true. They, along with Carter, are his rocks and Riley needs them more than ever. I've grown quite attached to Riley and I can't help cheering him on as he struggles to prove everyone wrong and become a better person. It's a bumpy ride, but I hope he can pull through.

I doubt it, they'd be having a very different if that was the case, and she wouldn't let him anywhere near Billy. On the other hand, it's sad to see Dustin's situation got even worse instead of better. The poor guy just can't catch a break...

Wow, that's the usual stupid "Christian" bullshit I hate so much. Paula can just take that attitude and shove it, I pretty much won't agree with her on anything now. So Dustin "stole a car" (somehow I don't think that's how it happened) and now he can't be Billy's friend anymore because of Paula's "good Christian values" of being a judgemental hypocrite, while Joey "skirt-chaser" Mackenzie is still the perfect angel. What kind of nonsense arguments is she spouting like that? I can't wait for these sanctimonious types to be dragged off their high horse and into the same mud they've been throwing at others. Just had a weird thought: could Dustin have tried to run Brett over with Mike's car? I don't think he'd be that crazy but Brett knows how to push his buttons, so maybe he did. Still looking forward to reading it, though. You sure know how to trigger me, Jeff.

I'm a bit surprised that Bailey opened up to Declan so easily, but I'm glad to see it. It looks like they both have a crush on each other and are too scared of the other's reaction to say anything. I think they'll at least be on friendly terms to start with, and Declan will have his chance to prove that he's different from Chris and Eric. I'm glad Bailey was calm enough to give Declan a chance to apologise and get on friendly terms. Next up is the joint practice between the football and gymnastics teams. This should be very interesting and explosive. Now would be a good time for Declan to discover he still has that video on his phone . My feeling is Chris will say or do something that will force Declan to take sides between Chris and Bailey, and I'm thinking/hoping that he'll side with Bailey, to everyone's surprise. We know Declan thinks Chris is in the wrong, the question is whether he'll have the guts to come out and say it. I think he will if Chris tries to do something to Bailey.

I don't have much to add to my comments from last chapter, except that Natasha is even more prejudiced than I thought. She simply refuses to believe that he can or is willing to change, and in her mind he pretty much just proved that to her. If I'm right about her, her report is probably going to make Riley look even worse than in the one we saw. Riley really mishandled that situation, but considering what he went through because of their negligence, I can't blame him one bit for wanting to take matters into his own hands and reacting the way he did. It's unfortunate that it's sure to come back to bite him in the ass later.

Telling Walter is what he should have done, but I don't blame him for not trusting the system to look out for him since it clearly hasn't up to this point. I don't think Cy was a mastermind, but he was violent and got things done. That's how I think he could have propped up the Saints, and he made his way up the ranks so he had to have some influence in the gang. The cop wanted a scapegoat and revenge, I think Natasha sees him as a lost cause and wants to cast him aside to help other kids the gangs didn't get to yet.

Wow, that case worker is a real bitch. I'm glad Cy got in her face like that. I don't get her reasoning at all. "You single-handedly propped up the Saints, so I'm gonna send you back there instead of letting you turn your life around like you seem to want to." What kind of stupid logic is that? The social workers really dropped the ball and pushed Cy into the gangs, he has every right to be upset when they want to make him pay even more for their fuck-ups. I'm not sure if threatening her like that was a good idea, though. It could backfire on him in a big way if Natasha starts to think he's bluffing. The part that gets me the most about this mess is that they all have a golden opportunity to make him a positive example and she's throwing that away because she wants to be judgemental. I mean, they should be jumping for joy and bragging about how they got the notorious Cy Walker to turn from a life of crime to being an upstanding citizen, yet they just want to deny him that opportunity and make him spend the rest of his life in prison. Carter's mom is right, they'll never beat the gangs with that attitude. I don't think Riley's new family will be too happy when they find out what he's done, though. Maybe just telling Walter what happened would have been a better idea, but I get why he did things this way. I get the feeling this adoption business is far from over.

I agree with Riley, there's a storm coming. It was nice to see Mrs. James take care of him like that, and seeing Riley start to accept it as well. It's probably one of the first times he was able to allow himself to show weakness in front of an adult, it must be a whole new experience for him to have someone concerned about his well-being. He also let her call him Riley a few times, although he was probably just too weak to complain about it. Owen is a dick and I hope he gets some sense knocked into him. I was actually worried Carter would get them in a car accident with the way he was driving. I'm glad that wasn't the big storm Riley was referring to. That fight in the car was kind of a cute moment. It was nice to see Riley return the favour and do what Carter does to him all the time. They really do complete each other and that's such a pleasure to watch. I think the home visit is going to go very well. Riley really has been on his best behaviour since he started living there, and they should know all about his record so that wouldn't be an issue. I'm wondering what the big storm is going to be. My guess is either that petty cop comes back to fuck up the adoption, or someone finds out about him and Carter. Riley's reputation is the only reason no one knows by this point, and I don't see anyone having a problem with them except Owen and Carter's father. Looking forward to what happens next.

I still don't trust Daniel Kirsch, but it looks like he's helping Bailey's mother get back to normal, and that's a good thing. Maybe having his caring mother back will help Bailey recover too. It's painful to see Bailey self-destructing like that and refusing any attempts to help. He wouldn't have reached this point if he just talked about his feelings instead of pushing everyone away and bottling up all his pain. Bailey's going to need someone to force their way through his walls and make him deal with his grief, and I think Declan will be that person. Declan will probably keep pushing and talking and push Bailey over the edge and then he'll have to deal with Bailey's breakdown. I wonder what Declan wants to talk about. On a more positive note, go coaches! I was hoping they'd decide to do a joint practice like this and I can't wait to see Chris and Eric having to 'twirl and dance around'. This should be a real treat, and I think it will go a long way to ending Chris's influence over the team. And after seeing Bailey's display of skill, I think Declan will surprise everyone by defending the gymnastics team, and he'll probably be one of the few footballers (if not the only one) to actually have respect for the sport and take the gymnastics practice seriously. Things are about to get very interesting, I can't wait to see what happens next.

What? Men don't have emotions, I thought everyone knew that. /sarcasm Joking aside, what I just said is how many generations were raised, and we're only starting to move past that. It's no surprise that so many young guys don't know how deal with their emotions other than by getting aggressive and violent. Hopefully that will change in the coming years.

Really? I usually try to tone it down, but I'm sure one or two must have slipped through before now. But seriously, that guy needs to just let it go. The whole thing is his fault for posturing and being an arrogant prick in the first place. Now that there's a rift forming in the team, Declan should call him out on his bullshit. And I really hope Chris gets run out of that school, I have no sympathy or patience for small-minded, petty bullies like him.

Nice to see Bailey's perspective on this. Chris and Eric a such a bunch of fucking douches, I hope they get what's coming to them. One thing I noticed: there's no mention that Chris actually took Declan's phone this time, so it looks like he didn't delete the first video after all. That means Declan should still have it and will probably wake up and do the right thing next chapter or the one after that. I'm getting a bit disappointed in Bailey, actually. By now he should start to see that Declan isn't a bully like Chris and Eric and has some amount of genuine concern for him, but he's not giving him a chance at all. Bailey just keeps thinking "Maybe Declan isn't such a bad guy" and when Declan actually does something to prove that, he just tells him to fuck off. Bailey's mother is toxic and he should just get the hell away from her, grief or no grief. Bailey has enough issues of his own to deal with without taking on his mother's abusive behaviour. I hope he doesn't let them cheat him out of his father's estate. I really hope Declan and Justin can set their differences aside and work together to get rid of Chris and convince Bailey to come live in the dorms. The next couple of chapters should be interesting since Bailey will get to see Declan finally get his head out of his ass and go back to how he was before getting influenced by Chris.

Always fun to see Bailey's point of view. I'm glad he didn't end up cutting after all. I thought Bailey would hate Declan by that point, but it looks like that's not the case. I really wonder what's up with Bailey wanting to smooth things out with Declan. Maybe there's some interest on Bailey's part. Next up is Chris's video, I can't wait to see what led up to that and what happened before Declan showed up. There has to be another reason why Bailey acted the way he did back then. I love how Part 2 mirrors Part 1 and we get to see both sides of the events. Seeing what Bailey's life is like really highlights how stupid and childish Declan is being at that point.

Carter would have to know about it, and I don't see Riley telling him before it happens. And Carter's father doesn't like Riley very much either so I'm not sure he'd go along with that. Carter's going to try, but I don't know if he'll be successful.

Wow, thanks The stories I follow haven't been updated lately. That whole thing with the asshole cop's been bugging me. I just know he'll be back at the worst time, and now that Riley's starting to feel safe and trust his new family, I get the feeling he's about to come back and fuck everything up.

I agree with this completely. You could also see in Riley's little outburst that it's getting to him, no matter how much he tries to act like it doesn't. I wonder why David doesn't want to see him, though. Carter is doing wonders for Riley, it was fun to see him so excited at the game. That must have been the best night of Riley's life. Things are moving along well with Carter, Riley is even opening up to having sex, which is great. I wonder how that birthday party is going to go, and how they far they can take the 'bromance' without Aaron finding out. Finally, I have to say this: I'm starting to worry that things are going too well for Riley at the moment, and something bad is about to happen. I hope I'm wrong.