Krista

As a child I was more of a My Little Pony girl. But you can't really vote against the Mickey Mouse.

Aww. To be honest I read this review and teared up a wee bit. Realness is what I'm going for in about every one of my romances. I want people to think that these characters could be living out there somewhere. A place where love happens, that it isn't easy, or maybe not even beautiful, definitely not perfect.. but completely worth it in the end. Most of my writing issues surrounded where I wanted characters and the story to actually go. I felt bogged down in the "school" aspect, so much so that I dreaded diving into the next chapter, knowing I would have to keep looking at Class Schedule notes, who he has classes with, when, etc. That is why most of my stories take place in the summer where I don't have to deal with all that added.. stuff. lol. Also, not knowing what I wanted to do with Ally, Jackson's life going forward, and such also slowed me up. This chapter helped sort some of that out. I told my Beta that I needed to close a lot of holes with Jackson in this chapter and I think I started the patchwork of that at least.

Thanks for reading! All three characters are battling with themselves and one another right now. All for different reasons. You're right, Ally won't go away, she's likely here for the long run as a character... maybe not necessarily Jackson's girlfriend though. We'll see. lol. Luke's reluctance to like Jackson is more than him being drawn to Jackson's character. He, I think, had this image of his future and it didn't involve a same sex relationship, even if he knows who he is. It shows a bit of his bravery, even if Luke was willing to date a guy - picking THE top guy in school is pretty ballsy.. lol

Thanks for reading! I 'think' hopefully anyway, that I have the characters where I want them. It took me awhile to get a few of them there to be honest. Which, means a longer, more drawn out story, so it isn't all bad. Since some of these characters are a bit new to my writing I wanted to be sure I took them slower instead of making a huge mistake that sent the story spiraling to its death. I did that the last time I wrote a character like Jackson. You are right in thinking that Ally will not go down without a fight. We will see if she starts connecting the dots as well. She is becoming an interesting character for me as well, but I hope she doesn't overshadow Luke/Jackson.

Thanks for reading! Ally is 'popular' enough to realize that there is more than Jackson out there... especially if Jackson is "taking on strays" as she called it.. but as I've told other people, Ally's part in this story is far from over. She will definitely be in Jackson's circle - probably throughout the entire story.. as I think the story needs female characters to round everything out.

Thanks for reading! The friends will definitely play a larger role in the story now that I'm starting to flesh other characters out a bit more. I can't focus all my attention on Luke/Jackson. Ally is definitely not finished with him either, her nature will be more front and center in the next chapter. I'm starting to like Jackson's character growth, we'll see if everything is happening a bit too fast for him, I think.

Thanks for reading! Ally isn't over, for sure. I finally think I have her character arc figured out. I was on the fence about where I wanted to take her.. and how far once I made that decision. So we'll see how she develops. Jackson has a lot on his shoulders in a very short amount of time. A ton more than what he expected his last year of High School to be sure.

Thanks for reading! I think it is both of them.. Luke not leaving and Jackson finally admitting, fine I do need to talk to someone and I'd rather it be you.. lol. Jackson's life has definitely took a turn, he could react in several different way and it would make sense to me, but I hope I take him down the most realistic path.

I see y'all's point. I just never really minded Mom opening my mail as long as I got to see it.. lol. If I found out she was hiding something from me, then I'd be pissed. So that is probably where the anger comes from between Jack and his Mom. If it was something like that, yeah I'd be angry.. lol. I'm glad you like how they are progressing. They are definitely doing so in a slow, sort of round about way... I've not written people so... restrained? Can't think of the word... at getting together. lol. I just try to make my characters and their situations as real feeling as possible. So I'm glad I'm pulling that off.

I knew Ally wouldn’t say anything in front of Mom, so I offered them both a small smile as I stepped onto the porch. Ally wasn’t paying much attention to me as it was, but Mom nearly attacked me when I stepped into her reach. Wrapping me into a hug, I felt my face flush and I glanced over her shoulder to see the glare Ally still had for Luke, who stood beside me close enough for me to feel his arm slide across my side. “I’m sorry,” Mom whispered, breaking the hug to grab my face. She quickly

Happy Birthday!

Thanks for reading! Ally's character is a bit central for a bit, so we'll see how she 'really' is in the next few installments. I think. I'm always pleased to hear about my characters.. that is why I write, so I'm so thankful people like them.

They do not have them here. We are finally starting to see Taxi services.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

All the Brazilian Beach Volleyball teams are fun to watch! Although at the expense of Americans losing those matches.. but mercy, they are sooo explosive and good. I would hate to see them on the other side of the net for sure.

Thanks for reading! Yeah, it was always planned that he would lose his scholarship - I tried to be mum about it when we discussed it in the forum topic.. lol. I didn't want to be all spoiler-y. I think Luke is being very supportive, but he's just eighteen, so it is out of his hands. We do sometimes need these optimistic people standing beside us.. ready to catch us or push us when we are doubters though.. that's how I see him. The "There's more" of course gets explained 'very' 'very' soon. :D Hopefully by mid-week next week if I get to writing.. lol.

Heyy, thanks for reading! I also never thought you'd like Jackson! You were my one steadfast non-Jackson supporter. Lol! Hopefully that does show his growth a bit. I'm not going to promise he won't crash and relapse, at least maybe he might deserve to be a bit... ornery, after what has happened to him lately.

Hey! Thanks for reading! I'm glad you're liking the story so far. I like having very down to earth and believable characters, I try really hard to have them rounded out pretty nicely.. hopefully anyway. lol.

Thanks for reading! These little bits are very much appreciated.. So no worries! Life can be hectic and crazy, so. Luke was there and Jackson didn't slam the door in his face, so that was nice.

Heyy! Thanks for all that reading! I'm glad that you liked Are You Christian as well! This story is a re-write from a story I started and dumped back when I started AYC, so sort of fitting for you to pick it up. So glad you're liking it so far, Jackson is a character I wanted to attempt writing for a bit. If you like these two, "Standing In Shadows," seems to be better liked than AYC was and it is completed as well... if you find yourself waiting with not much on your slate to read. Lol! Sorry about the self-promoting here.

Thanks for reading! Definitely not a shining day for Jackson, no.. But for the story to go anywhere, something 'had' to happen... or it would become very stagnant very fast. No one was going to put up with a spoiled guy getting his cake on top of his pile of gold.. lol. Humility goes a long way and he's had his tested for sure.

Heyy! Thanks for reading. People like seeing Jackson become a bit more humble. Although at the expense of his world turning a bit upside down for him too. It shows that he 'can' be a worthwhile person to get to know. Shenanigans are very much still a part of him though, he does like to have his fun. Hopefully he's likable now though, after spending the first 10 chapters with having his unlikable moments.. lol. Slow growth. About the Mail incident though - maybe it is just my family, but my mother always opened my mail when I first started getting it. She knew I was accepted to college before I did.. etc. It may also have been a wee bit unclear in the chapter, but his mother knew before the letter even came, what the letter would have in it. Rick and her had received phone calls about Jackson being dropped... so I guess in a way, she was protecting him from opening that letter by himself or whatever.. ill advised maybe. The parents in this story aren't fault free, they aren't perfect. It does seem like Jackson's parents do care more about their lives/professional lives more than they do his.. as they seem to belittle his friendships and such at times... or push him to befriend people he doesn't really want to befriend and so on. So they aren't perfect parents so maybe their imperfections in the past carried over to her holding information over his head - which is bad, I certainly agree. But as a parent.. I 'do' want to protect my children.. even from unavoidable upsets it is really gut wrenching to see them disappointed. Anywho! Ally - well Ally is a firecracker.. and they do go BOOM! from time to time.. lol. Y'all will grow to know her a lot better in the coming chapters, I think. Also, all the friends.

When the last bell rang, I grabbed my backpack and sports bag and followed the bustling people that had drivers’ licenses out the back door to the student parking lots. I sighed, knowing my day was far from over, I still had practice on the track while Coach pulled double duty with me and the football team. Mostly I would be jogging and doing some weight and flexibility shit while he badgered the football team. After I dropped my backpack off at my car I clicked the lockdown button on my key

Probably not, but not for that reason. NBC's coverage has been very sporadic at best. That is why I watch Live Feeds of the sports of interest. Very sweet picture and congratulations to them. As for my coverage... Matt Anderson - Men's Indoor Volleyball has a new fan... mercy. I actually thought the Americans would be more dominate in Volleyball and Swimming, but they're a bit hit and miss in Swimming and very lack luster in Indoor Volleyball. The Men may not even qualify out of Pool Play. I really enjoyed the Synchronized diving as well. I watched the live feed for that and some of the Cross Country Equestrian, but I couldn't stomach watching the horses crashing, they crash hard.. shew. So I had to stop that feed. Not sure what I'll watch later, I'm really wanting to get into Track and Field stuff.