Krista

And thank you for your continued support throughout this story. I'm glad you liked the 'ending.' Overall I think it is a story I can sit back and be proud with. A story that wasn't on my radar until the Secret Author contest came around and @wildone let me run with the idea. I never expected it to grow into this. Here we are though.

'that idiot' aww. He was put back into his place when he started bragging about his cleverness too.

An extra 200k words might get them into September, who knows. And Jason is rather efficient at everything he does... trolling mostly, but the rest, sure.

Aww. Also, do keep in mind that this chapter was written sometime in the early parts of 2025. So, are you inside my head.. or are we just predictable and generally similar in our thoughts at times? SCARY if so... for the rest of them, but not us... probably.

Also, this story was one of the most read stories in GA's e-Fiction era back in the day. So, it once got a lot more attention back when I would have defended it tooth and nail, overlooking the flaws of it all. It got buried and overlooked when we switched over to the Story Archives, and then to Stories. A lot of older stories lost their views, comments, and I don't even know if Reviews were a thing back then? To make way for the new structure of Stories that we see today. The stories served their purpose. They were a start to where I am now. I say all these negative things about them, but I am here because of them too. Some of the stories I'm more proud of came from the growing pains. I can appreciate them for that. But yeah, buried in a very distant memory, mostly fond memory.

You do not. Hush. I about said, "you may suck well with other things, but you don't suck at writing.." but I'm a lady and can't be doing that.

You don't have to come back to this tomorrow. Monday is coming on fast. The ride was fun today, but it can most definitely end, I won't think less of you, I rather think you've been overly generous with this story so far. Soldiering on as you have.

I wish it was buried about 12 feet under... mostly. But this has been fun, me mostly in the dark. Y'all being very generous with your reading time and allowing for a lot of grace in the flawed storytelling, grammar, sentence structure... the need to fill every dialog tag with a unique close. Stated, stuttered, sighed, said, exclaimed, bellowed, snorted, yelled, confided, mumbled, ordered, whispered... couldn't be repetitive, no no no.

Wait what? All this started from the attempt to hunt down my filthy writing? 😮 ALL THIS? It makes sense now... shame on all of you.

If this was more dramatic than your beach scene I might have to cringe my way through this chapter to see...

Or, I just said blue lights, because that's simpler. And wait, it is geographically different? The lights... is this known universal shit? lol I have never once paid attention.

So this one is the bad ending? The.. "death one.." huh.. I thought I wrote this one as the original ending and the "good ending," as the alternative one. Well then. Maybe I was just born mean.

And here I'm thinking that 75% of that is likely true.

lmao.. I did not see this comment.. but damn... predictable is a trending upwards word it seems.

Have I become predictable? I'm going to have to switch this shit up...

Well... glad you finally let your filthy hidden talent shine...

Yeah, sex by the second paragraph is rather standard for Nifty.

I do wish I knew what the hell you two are talking about. Julie seems like the main character in a story that's supposed to have gay butt stuff in it... I see I may have went amiss with something.

The Canadian will be a lot gentler with his puck slapping stick than I ever would be. You do not want me doing the dirty work, I get creative.

Nooo... lmao. I most certainly did not. I barely dated long enough to go to homecoming dances and my proms. I didn't do the sex thing and that was something I didn't compromise on. Guys knew that about me, so my dating was mostly with guys that knew they were in it for movie nights, school chaperoned dances, a one wine-cooler limit for me and an earlier night back home from parties, etc.

Pop music, flip-phones, Myspace, movie rentals, and a chromed out pink Mitsubishi Eclipse... that was my teenage 2000s.

Yeah, young me did not give a shit about messing anyone's fictional life right up. I think I tortured people in both of my first two stories.. I'm glad I can't remember most of my early writing. But, I honestly think it was a strong foundation to branch and build from, rough as they are. That's why they're still here. I had zero formal education on creative writing. Well I still don't, aside from one semester in College that focused 1/3 of the writing on creative writing. It is a different animal than what 98% of the rest of my writing had to be during my entire education.

It sounds like I've really done Charlie in... I vaguely remember the ending to this story... bits and pieces are starting to come back to me. Which is scary, because I know... I know what I did.

I am very attached to dogs. I couldn't write a dog death in my stories now it would break me. I absolutely without a doubt couldn't. So, if there's a dog in my story now, know that it is safe and sound and a good pupper.

Sounds like my teenage brain didn't want to research such things. Makes you aware that I was a good girl in my youth and never crossed the lie that had blue lights in my rearview.