BDANR

These characters definitely have some challenges ahead. Thank you for reading :)!

Yes. Chris knows to manipulate, especially someone he knows inside and out. Who knows what damage he's already done.

Devan came in late from work. He decided against texting Stefan and Jesse to see if they were up, wanting nothing more than to sit himself on his couch and remove himself from the world. He sat on the cushion in the living room, turned on his TV, and started playing a movie. He heard sirens outside his apartment window, then listened to them fade in the distance. The darkness of his apartment, with only the light from the TV providing any illumination, was calming for him as he imagined himself

Thank you of reading, RJ. Yes, it's scary to think about how individuals do this to the intimate others they have in their lives, and in Chris' case, someone he's had in his life for ten years. Your comments and affirmations are truly appreciated. Thank you again :).

That's right, JP. An unfortunate reality for too many..

Haha! I'm really glad that that's the image that came up for you actually! I wanted Jesse's character (well, every character I write ideally) to be as human and realistic as possible. For that image to come up for you, it at least shows me that I'm writing him well enough to be relatable or at least someone you know in your life. Thank you for reading JP :)!

Stefan finished hanging with the guys at Sam’s and came to the front of his apartment building. He wondered what Jesse had been doing while he was off at the other part of the bar. Jesse seemed changed somehow, more at ease and in anticipation of something. Devan and himself couldn’t guess what. Stefan walked up the steps to his floor. The hall was mostly quiet, Stefan feeling fortunate that he has neighbors who kept to themselves and kept down the noise during nighttime hours. He did, howev

When I first read them, I thought to myself how great this would be to read while learning math back in high school. But after reading the poems a few times over, I picked up on these subtle lines. They'd be great to read with a study partner lol. Thank you for your writings, Parker.

Thank you for reading Parker! These next upcoming chapters should delve more into the main characters. I hope you enjoy those as well!

It had been three months, and Jesse was feeling trapped. Being in a relationship seemed exciting at first: To call someone your own, take advantage of their overabundance of wealth, and to have all the fabulous connections at all the bars and clubs at your fingertips. But, the work that comes with being in a relationship was getting old. Jesse had been living with Nikolai for 6 months, and they had been together now for a year and a half. The intrigue of living in a penthouse condo with the view

“What the fuck is wrong him,” Jesse exclaimed with fury. Jesse and Devan sat in a corner booth in Beth’s, a hotspot for the residents of James Street. The clientele were rambunctious, full of life and energy. Their talk could hardly be heard outside the booth. Devan shrugged. “Beats me. Got that message at 1 in the morning today.” Jesse’s jaw fell open. “1 IN THE MORNING?! Ain’t his ass aware of the time, knowing that you would be sleeping? Let me hear it.” “Come on Jesse, you alr

“OMG! And he had the biggest...mmm! Uhh, being on the receiving end of that was like reaching Nirvana.” “Nirvana? Isn’t that being liberated from suffering and rebirths?” “Umm I don’t knoooow? And quit interrupting my story!” Jesse and Devan walked through townhouses and apartments with Norway apple and oak trees along James Street, the gay capital of the city. It just reached noon, the trees casting shadows on the lawns and sidewalks as the sun’s rays covered Jesse and Devan’s backs

There is No Forever is a story about three friends living on the infamous James Street, the gayborhood of the city. Playboys, abandonment, violence, each manage life’s unexpected obstacles that bring them together while simultaneously ripping them apart.

Thank you Parker! I'm elated to hear that I was able to create a story that didn't glorify sexual violence AND was able to center and humanize the survivor, Cory in this instance. As with the other themes that came from this story, those two were also of importance to me as well. Thank you for the feedback, as usual :).

Thank you, JP! I'm glad to have gotten good reviews and feedback of the story. I'll be posting more fictional stories, so please stay tuned :).

Thank you for reading and expressing your thoughts. I think Damian talking to Cory would be a good Part 2 to this story as well. And seeing Damien and Jordan intervene and have Cory's back would be a beautiful ending to this very troubling story. This is good food for thought if I consider adding more. And why I leave it as is also serves its purpose. Jordan, technically, shouldn't have said anything without Cory's permission. Maybe Cory doesn't want/need Damian to know about his assault. And maybe Cory doesn't need Damien and Jordan to confront Xavier. He's already done so himself. All of this is really up to Cory to decide for his own safety and comfort. Damien is left with a great burden on his shoulders, the knowledge that a longtime friend attacked another friend in a very awful way. And I decided to leave that decision of his open-ended for you to imagine the scenario that you would like or could imagine.

Thank you both for reading. I will start off by saying that unfortunately this is a complete story, though it may not necessarily feel like it. I've used a common theme in short stories where the ending comes abruptly and the resolution is open-ended. If I could use a contemporary movie that does this, think Inception. I purposefully didn't create a conclusion to this story because I wanted the reader to not only imagine their own ending to this story, but to also put themselves in Damien's shoes and ask themselves what would they do if confronted with this situation (assuming this isn't an experience the reader has had). We don't know what Damien is thinking or what he believes when this story ends. Does Damien take Cory's side? Or, Is he only appeasing Jordan and Cory for the time being? Xavier is a close friend of his, would he accept Cory's version of events without question? These are questions you could ask yourselves. What dilemmas does one face when confronted with the knowledge that one of their closest friends has does this to someone else they care about so dearly? This isn't always a cut and dry answer, as sad and unsettling as that is, and I leave this story open ended for you all to consider these questions, and maybe even more, that have came up for you.

Thank you for reading. Yes, this was definitely a piece that was meant to evoke discomfort. It's an unsettling feeling, but done with purpose. I appreciate your feedback.

“Man, I’ve been so stoked for this party,” Damien said. “No kidding,” Jordan replied. “I heard Cory and Shawna are coming through.” “Get the fuck out! Damn, we got the whole crew coming in. It’ll be just like the old days…” Damien and Jordan rode down highway 89, passing miles of forest that appeared on each side. Damien flew in from his new home up north to reunite with college friends for the weekend. Jordan would be the one to grab him from the airport to take him back to his home

A short story, friends Damien and Jordan get together for a college reunion recalling their old school days. But after Damien reveals that an old friend from their past will also be making an appearance, an earth-shattering secret is revealed. Their friendships will be tested in a way neither saw coming and leaves us with the unsettling question for Damien as well as the reader: What would you do?

"Granted us Clarity, to behold what was always there, The Wisdom to pluck the fruit, and finally taste it." Hmm, I'll be carrying these words with me today. Very beautiful.

Speaking of reality Does anyone ask us ours? “Experts” paint pictures of who they think we are, but do they ever ask us who we are? Our stories have been taken Appropriated, whited out, and spoken of by those who don’t know us. We are the mistakes, the unmentioned, the abused. We are considered tragic, but there is nothing tragic about our being. Let us OWN our stories here Let’s talk about the love we give

I really like how you gave us a glimpse of the antagonist as well and have given him just as much a reason to do what he is doing as the protagonist. It makes for two, strong-willed and hurt adversaries. We'll see how this goes, very interesting.

I completely understand why that was what you were expecting. Sometimes I get so used to using queer as a blanket term for the LGB community, I forget it's use as a recaptured tool of oppression. If I can be honest, if I had more time with the piece back then, I do wonder if I would've been more inclined to expand on what queer identity is. But I do like that I did a piece that talked about shared experiences, combating the isolation we've all dealt with or continue to deal with. You're welcome and thanks for reading!

You are definitely right, Fae Brown. It's definitely assumed by, I want to say more privileged gays, that there's a rainbow on the other side when you become an adult. But that's definitely not the case for a lot of us. It was nice to write about some pleasant aspects of what being a queer person could be, while understanding this isn't really everyone's reality and we got a long way to go. Thank you for reading and offering feedback!