Freerider

This is so true this evening

This was a very sweet read

The girls already knew he was gay. He was very vocal about it at the party. And yes, this makes total sense. You'd be surprised how some girls react when they know you are gay....

Better add it quickly, before anyone else notices!

You must have forgotten to post the last line. Now it looks like a cliffhanger...

I advice against that. You have nothing to gain by telling him again. I don't see any way in which that will benefit you. Worst case, he may decide that it is such a hinder to his work that he refuses to work with you any longer. If you want him to help with this issue, make it about some other person. This way you can discuss your feelings openly with him, without creating unnecessary hassle...

He made it clear nothing is going to happen. The only thing you can do is get your interest in him under control. If you manage that, you will only have the pain of losing a love interest. There will be others... If you won't, you will have the added pain of losing a good therapist. On top of that the nuisance of finding a new one. There probably will not be others...

An excellent piece! Social criticism combined with empathy and outright fun The many funny lines, plays on words, had me chuckling many times.

I like this story. Another Person of Interest would be: Jake! Maybe he is not as friendly as he seems? I know I am being cynical. He is very interested in our Fresher though.

A very funny, entertaining story with a serious message. I liked reading it!

Reading the reality in your beautiful poems sometimes makes my heart break. The reality in these poems above mend my broken heart. Although there still may be plenty of difficulties, you know people are rooting for you. I see proof of this on GA everyday and I find comfort in the fact that you realise that.

Quokka, I would like to give you some feedback that hopefully will inspire you. But I am aware that it is quite critical. You can still stop reading now… … ok, there I go: The story seems to me like a listing of life facts as if it were some kind of curriculum vitae. Mostly because the speed of your story telling is so high. This in turn makes character development difficult. As a consequence I, as a reader, develop little connection to your main character. The supporting characters are in and out of the story so quick, that they are barely worth remembering. I do think the storyline in general has potential, which is why I have kept on reading. And it is also the reason I wanted to give you this (hopefully motivating) feedback.

I wish I could take away the loneliness that I sense in this poem... but I am afraid loneliness is part of every gay man's life. Having said that I hope, as northie has said, that you will find a way to anchor yourself

I was about 15, maybe 16. It was towards the end of the school year, a beautiful warm summer. A few classmates and me went to a local disco. It was more like they were pressuring me into going, I begged with my parents and there I was.... Apparently a sister of one of my classmates had a crush on me, hence the combined pressure to get me to that disco. I was so ignorant that my classmates had to tell me she was into me I did not really know how to handle the situation, but a little bit of dancing was ok. I enjoyed that. I was still thinking the whole guy thing was a temporary thing anyway and this was one of the most beautiful girls in school.... what better way to get over such a phase? She asked me to dance again and I refused!Peer pressure made me cave in and off to the dance floor we went again.... And then, in the middle of the dance floor she kissed me!! Everybody saw..... and I ..... I liked it! Even some part of my anatomy reacted, which made her giggle and me embarrassed. But at the same time I felt so normal, I was being kissed by a girl and I got excited! I was right, the guy thing was just a phase! I was elated and felt huge relief. When I came back to my classmates I felt great, until I saw Simon. Simon was kissing a girl.... It went downhill from there. Simon had been my crush for a long time and he was kissing a girl! I was so jealous. Did I mention he was kissing a girl !? So far for being normal.... I behaved like a real asshole towards my dancing and kissing partner (whose name I really can't recall, sorry). I think I was officially dating this girl for the next week in school. Until she broke it off because I was an asshole. She was right, she was teary and I was relieved... It was a learning moment. I never made such a mistake again. The next person I kissed was a guy, though there were quite a few years between the two occurrences.

Some of the comments are quite strong and I am sure @jkwsquirrel is loving it, but I am not convinced the harsher comments are reasonable. I love these characters (with the exception of Paula) and the story. One of the merits is that I find it very believable... For example; Billy failing his driving test? Totally believable.. he is not putting the concentration and effort in, because he does not know how to that. Up till now he just passed every test, without really working for it (been there, done that). So, I absolutely don't agree that it is "ridiculously contrived". Anyway, I am looking forward to the next chapter!

I'm a bit confused... It needs at least one more chapter to unconfuse me

Lovely.... I really, really like the last 3 lines!

Don't you dare!!

With the headboard banging against the wall and all the other noise they made, one needs not even pay attention

I agree with BA that your storytelling is very good. Even though the subject is tough, it still reads as if it is fiction. I am looking forward to read more chapters. But more importantly, I hope that writing and sharing this will be a good experience for you and makes your life better! Hugs!

I agree totally that the woman should at least take her son's comments more seriously... But for her whatever other people tell her is obviously more important. She does not seem to be the brightest bulb anyway. Hopefully Billy's father can set her straight... not much hope for that happening though

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, thanks!

Well, he is sticking to plan longer than expected

Stick to the plan Bryan! No telling until you get out of there...

Well done, Drew! Not a cliffhanger (pun intended ) but lots of directions to go from here...