Krista

The next morning I rolled over, scratching my stomach, slightly itchy from the hairs starting to poke through from my last shaving. Knowing I would be back on the grind next week, I’d have to shave soon. I liked the feeling of smooth skin or fully grown hair, not the in-between. Smiling, I got up, adjusted my morning wood to a more comfortable and less revealing angle in my shorts then walked out of the room and down the hall to the guest room. I expected Luke to still be in bed, we didn’t f

Thanks for reading! Interesting thought on the parents. Grace does miss Cindy and they were childhood friends. But, as a mother, I personally would have a difficult time with one of my childhood friends ranting about my children. It would definitely make me stubborn. Also, it doesn't look like Cindy has been too reasonable throughout the story, so I say it would take awhile for Cindy to approach Grace with an apology that I think needs to happen. Grace is changing as well, and maybe Cindy isn't so far and we will see if she ever does.

Thanks for reading! Yep, Grace noticed a few things and figured it out. I'm sure there is still some confusion in her mind, I wonder how long it will take before she pounces and starts her motherly interrogating.. lol. Cindy's craziness hasn't really been explained aside from being controlling and a bit pushy. I like Jackson's determination in things, it has never wavered once after his mind is made up. Even if he was unruly, he did it with a straight forward frame of mind.. lol. I think though, Luke is getting a little bit of that too. It may not be as effective as Jackson's determination though. Might backfire.

Hey, thanks for reading and enjoying the story so far!

Thanks for reading! I believe that you have hit on why they are both hesitant in their own way. Luke doesn't want to give in, based on his fears and past. He knows who he is, he just can't escape all that negativity swirling around him. Jackson, he doesn't want to mess things up and knows that it is highly likely that he will and in a way that Luke won't forgive him for it. Cindy and Grace are very different in this chapter as well. I don't think Cindy would have let Luke off the hook like Grace did at the end of the story. She would have thrown accusations at him, etc. Maybe that day is coming.

Thanks for reading! It is a bit difficult to recall what he was like before. He still has some sass and moments, but not like before. He has decided that he needs to think outside of himself a bit. It took losing his scholarship, I think, for that to really hit home with him. That and maybe Luke talking to him against his will. The differences between Cindy and Grace are very apparent in this chapter as well. I think he is worthy of that from his Mom, only because he has grown. I think Grace would be hovering just like Cindy if he hadn't changed... maybe his change sparked a change in herself. They are at least getting along better. I really loved the Porcelain Figurine description as well, it fits perfectly.

Thanks for reading! I am so glad you think they have both transformed and grown as characters. You are right as well, they still have some things to learn and grow from left with the story. Grace being difficult to read was intentional, but the, "I love you," is still good. Usually if there is a big issue with something like that, then I don't think she would have dodged it herself. She would have made them come clean and reacted. It is a bit of a cliffhanger.

Thanks for reading! Yeah, Moms are pretty perceptive. That whole, "I have eyes in the back of my head thing.." might be true for most of them. Scary.

Hey, thanks for reading. The parents are taking more a role in this story, as well as the friends. I like that they are different and the friends, despite those differences, have found one another on certain levels. I hope to move on and write where people could understand them better, even if they aren't all that big/important to the story. Luke, I think, is beginning to see that he may be living in a glass house. That people are catching on and he doesn't want them to. A very precarious place for him to be right now, I think.

Thanks for reading! I think it is a good sign as well. But maybe not for them, Grace knows and has noticed... so maybe Cindy does too? And that likely wouldn't be the outcome if they were standing in Cindy's living room and having the same conversations. lol.

Heyy, thanks for reading! You make a good point, but I think Jackson thinks his feelings are all new and that his upbringing was different. He is comparing his life under Grace/Craig and Luke having to deal with, Cindy/Henry.. the fear of them finding out has always be a lot worse for Luke throughout the story. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear in the writing there, but that's the intention of that. He was more or less saying that he could never understand what Luke feels, because they're not in the exact same boat.

Happy Birthday!!

Thanks for reading! Yes, Tony took them to task. I wanted to depict the difference between Aiden/Matt and their parents. That maybe they were good parents despite the two brats they are raising and taught them a lesson a bit by sponsoring the two people they just screwed over. Rebellious Luke is nice to see as well.

“Homecoming weekend, bitches,” Toby said as he sat his lunch tray down and pulled out his chair. Homecoming was finally something worth looking forward to, being seniors. Not being on the football team or part of any school sport, I didn’t think much about it. Toby and Derek were excited, the football team finally had a winning season, well, winning for us anyway. More wins than losses for the first time since the turn of the century. “Only thing that sucks is the dance Saturday night,” Dere

Happy Birthday!

Congratulations! :D Good job!

Thanks for reading! Sorry for the somewhat late reply! I read the review ages ago and let it slip my mind.. Sometimes people are too stubborn to see that they are doing more damage to themselves just to spite someone else.. lol. It happens.. I think it is a big thing with teenagers in general. Maybe they're afraid of Jackson, they knew Pete was better than them, but what if someone so green and new is too? Might make them take a hit on their egos a bit. Yeah, too many people are starting to figure them out, maybe since Jackson really hasn't hidden any secrets (or his bare ass since he slid it down the basketball court) he sort of lets what he's feeling/thinking show on his face a bit? Do you think Grace knows something is up? I think she does, I think giving her son privacy was pretty telling. It would have been a thousand times easier for everyone if they said a quick goodbye and she run him home.. since it was dark and even though Luke is used to fumbling around in the dark - as a mother I doubt she liked the idea of someone doing that.. lol. Her bowing out and letting them do their thing... I think should have raised some eyebrows - especially Luke and Jackson's.

Happy Birthday!

Beat them like a drum, I'm afraid.. At least the Steelers isn't in there either, I detest the Steelers. (I know, for someone that doesn't even watch the NFL, I have strong opinions..) lol. The husband watches all the sports that he can at all levels, so I guess I can't help catching a few moments here and there and catch some news articles or be an unwilling participant at the table when he talks sports.. lol.

Atlanta - although out of all the NFL teams (not that I even watch the sport...) I've always liked Green Bay best, then since Cincinnati Bengals are close, they're my second team. Neither of them are in there though and I've never been a fan of New England. I couldn't even tell you anything about Atlanta, so my vote is more or less a vote against NE than a vote for Atlanta for sure. lol.

I will get you for that, Benji! I am 29 carrying 2. Also, howdy stranger, long time no see!

Honestly, all wild animals are better off in the wild, even if threatened with extinction. Only when numbers get so critical sending them to breeding reserves to keep the species alive would there be a need for captivity. Although, I'm unsure as to how Ringling dealt with their animals, the small time circuses don't have the money to provide the best living quarters, space, privacy, quiet, and such any animal would need, let alone one that has generational ties to wild animals. Breeding for exploitation only lasts when that animal is still productive - either in the shows or as breeding animals. When they become too old or too difficult to train, they're usually privately sold and the market just isn't appealing for these animals at all. But, in mass animal rescue operations don't typically go the smoothest and desperation by this circus may lead to some animals getting less than appealing homes as it is - anyone can be a "sanctuary.." So, if Ringling does do well by their animals, the thought of them living out their lives in nice enclosures, free of breeding, free of performing, etc then it is a good thing for them. For the circus as a whole, it is a loss since it has been around for ages on a cultural level and there is always a sadness for something so cultural and historical to come to an end, regardless of the history and questionable and horrendous practices by the industry as a whole that may or may not include them directly. Keep in mind though, Zoos and Sanctuaries do not help extinction. Zoological parks are for profit parks. When they breed animals it is, for the most part, for profit and publicity/advertising. These animals are mostly privately sold and not all the time to reputable zoos, but to private ownership, etc. So in a way they look better when you do an eye-test, but they may not be. Sanctuaries should not be in the practice of breeding at all. They are supposed to act as a rescue and safe haven for exploited and unwanted animals that has a poor market for them, limited space/resources, and animals that cannot make it in their natural habitats. But anywho, sorry to get off-topic a bit.

Thanks for reading! I needed to move along some plot points definitely. I think maybe Jackson and Luke aren't even aware of how close they've become with one another. All they feel is the distance and time apart while Jackson is training and Cindy has Luke on lock down. So maybe they'll start seeing that they're already.. "there.." instead of.. "are we ever going to get there..?" I think once they do, the relationship can grow even more significantly than it already has. Steps need to be made from them both for that to happen though. Hopefully it will. I think Matt has seen the error of his ways while being on the receiving end of Tony's disappointment and anger. Also, Matt has a lot more to lose than his older brother Aiden. Aiden already has a scholarship, he could just talk his way around a poor performance. Matt doesn't yet have the attention from scouts and such. Aiden was a bit of a bad older brother in leading Matt down the sabotage path. And yes, the only beneficiary was Pete, he got his win, and he got possibly his stiffest competition scratched out of finals... sigh... lol. Maybe they'll open their eyes and see that Pete has always been about Pete.. that's usually how cheaters are. They definitely don't need any favors. Luke does a bit of a mischievous and jealous and non-cindy-approved streak in him. It was always there.. stifled by her, so we might see more of that.

Thanks for reading! I wouldn't want to be a fly on the wall when Luke comes home after sneaking away after school to the meet. I doubt that phone call between Grace and Cindy went well either as Grace wasn't even aware of what Luke did until they got home late that night. I like that you guys think the relationship is genuine between the two despite all the changes and hardship and time apart they have endured as the story progressed. I'm worried that the story is lacking a bit of... romance between them, but the reviews have eased a lot of that fear.

Thanks for reading! I like the feedback on the meet itself. It was such a large portion of the chapter that I worried it would be a complete mess.. a bomb of words and confusion.. lol. So I'm glad it felt realistic and plausible. We don't have swimming here.. it is a completely independent, expensive, and distant sport. Why I tackled it, I have no idea... lol. Just wanted to get out of the.. "ball" sports I guess. Does Grace know? Maybe the, "I'll let you say goodbye," was a little bit telling. A bye between friends aren't as private and she was definitely giving them privacy by going back inside the house. Or maybe Grace has just come to realize that in the world of Teenagers - especially those Jackson and Luke's age.. they do want privacy and at the beginning she was more of a "Cindy" character and this is her way of change. Now.. I couldn't make it easy on you.. lol. The brothers got a big wake up call... I wouldn't doubt Tony saying, "one toe out of line and you're gone.." to be taken as a hollow threat.. lol. He's already shown that if you don't mesh with his program he will part ways with you.