Krista

Almost like he couldn't help himself. FAFO slapped him right in the face too. Too bad people like that are hard learners... Also, you make some interesting points. Trace and Celia do know what goes on at Colt's little camping trips. Or at least some of it. They're not blind to things and they not only allowed Joel to go, they insisted. So, one has to think, if things went completely south that they 'couldn't' blame a lot of that on Joel, Colt, or the Twins, kind of have to look inward on that decision and swallow the words as a parent. I would think anyway.

Sounds plausible.

Sometimes young people have a bit too much, "foolish bravery," running through their bodies. Was it a bad idea for him to go? Not necessarily, really. Joel reluctantly showed some bravery and it kind of backfired on him, but at least it was there. Sometimes we have to see the little things when things go poorly, and count them as something... But yes, one 'could' say he did the 'one thing' he set out 'not' to do.

Here's hoping that the boy has some chill. If not for Joel, for his own health.

We'll be back to the regular scheduled posting now, so Friday, if not Saturday, since as far as I know the Wildthing still needs to edit the next part. This chapter was originally tacked on to the massive chapter before it. We decided to cut it, Wildthing pitched the idea that I 'could' post this chapter Monday. I got impatient, knew I was going to have a stressful day today and decided to post it Sunday. So.... I will behave now and not break from that posting schedule anymore. At least until I am forgiven for jumping the gun a bit. I do have to make the attempt to keep my favorite beta reader/editor happy, if not he might not put up with me. I think I may be a bit of a... I don't want to say bother... but yeah, a bother. In the most loving way possible, I'm assuming, because he's stuck with me since 2007ish. And, I hope you noticed that I answered the easy question first and that I rambled far more than required to answer the question asked of me. If there was any a time for me to dodge myself right out of this comment, it is now.

Lol! Glad to be of service.

Colt led me around the garage to a dark charcoal gray extended cab truck, smaller than Trace’s, but still just as shiny and new looking. There he stopped to slide on a pair of sunglasses. I heard the doors to the truck unlock so I opened the passenger side as he walked around. Climbing inside, I heard him clear his voice. “Get in the back, I’m picking up my girlfriend,” he ordered, and I glanced in his direction before I slid back out of the seat. “Sorry,” I offered as I opened the sma

I do like my job, I like it more than Mondays.

It is very human for people to think they can fight against the inevitable too though. It is very human for us to think we can hold back the tide, even though we know that we can't. Thinking we can and realizing we can't is a lost battle that everyone has felt to some degree. and Maybe "Learned to Lie," could be in his past. Maybe. And Maybe is my new favorite word.... y'all are likely going to grow very tired of reading it. I will not grow tired of using it though, fair warning.

I applaud your poetry in this comment. Well done, well done, well effing done.

I know what would have happened if I walked by a guest struggling with something and not offering to help. If I left an elderly family member standing while I sat down in the last open seat, and so on. Not asking a dinner guest or friend if they wanted the last roll or whatever before taking it, and so on. I think we had similar expectations growing up, by the sounds of it --- despite entirely different circumstances in our earlier lives. Not saying that is how Celia and Trace run the ship though, but there is some evidence out there showing how they do things and what they do expect. and sigh... Monday can't come fast enough. But, knowing Work also comes with Monday, I'mma want Sunday to slow its ass down so I can relax.

I think it is safe to say they do have expectations for all of them. Maybe not so much Joel, giving him a grace period. But, Lacey, Colt, even the twins. They both want certain things to be shown and done, and they expect them to be done. We have seen some cracks in that though, both Colt and Lacey have pushed back a little bit, challenged that some. So, there's something there. I will look at my character notes for both of them. I know they are rather skeletal, because I only wanted them to be a certain way *to a point. Then I wanted to organically build from that point onward. That's how I write most of my characters. Something may end up being missed or lost in the translation for me, but something better may come from that too, I don't get too fussy unless I set out to make them a certain way. Ridley would be a good example, probably my most glaring one. I 'needed' him to be how I wanted him to be all the way through the writing and I was a bit more careful with that. I think I was more careful with Trace than I was Celia, Lacey, the twins, Colt, and those you've yet to meet, because I knew I wanted to be. When it is all over, I hope to have fleshed everyone out well beyond their character sheets at the very least. I'll post the character sheet in the forums whenever I post the last chapter, so y'all can see it. I promise not to touch it. Remind me if I forget. Colt has been the most surprising to me in the comments though. I will give him that. I didn't expect to be dodging so many things about him specifically, but it hasn't been a bad surprise... just a surprise that has me thinking. And by answering the way I did, I hope you see that I again... dodged.

Joel and hiding, shhh... don't give him a complex, he's nearly already there with one. Grouchy could be Colt's go to mood, who knows. lol. When I first got married and moved in with my husband, although I was 100% comfortable with him as in, I was in love with him and trusted an respected him... the newness of it all, we'd scare the absolute shit out of one another all the time. It was almost an unintentional game for us that left both of us laughing or annoyed, depending on what we were doing. I mean the man could just be walking down the hallway and I would full chest scream and clutch a frying pan for protection. New can make people jumpy, good or bad. Bad is probably worse. I also don't want you reading this and thinkin that I scare easily, that is not the case. And, thank you for liking this chapter. I know the last two were larger and feels like a big ask to read all those words. I think we jumped from 30k to over 60k with just two chapters... I'd have to look at the math to be sure, but they were big. Knowing that "The Falls" chapter was once tacked onto this one... yikes. (It still is in my documents). I may need to logout and not look at GA to keep from posting the next chapter before Monday. Sunday may be a better day for it... Mondays are ick.

Yeah, it would be an intimidating thought after what he's been through and what he's attempting to reconcile. -- He may be jumpy because his surroundings have changed. He's not comfortable and these are voices he's still not used to hearing. Until he settles in and he can feel comfortable, I'd say his body at least will be on high alert.

That's one of the first things I noticed when I read back some of the earlier chapters. That Colt openly did backtalk his parents some. More than I thought he did. I don't see it as a flaw or an issue, it just surprised me a little with that early dynamic. And by early chapters, I mean the ones I've already posted. so I'm not spoiling anything... I also feel right now there's so many characters hovering in the periphery. That's kind of what first person narratives have to deal with. Joel is how we get the information and he's reluctant to pay attention to the people around him, so he's not going to know them and by extension, we aren't either. Not until something changes anyway. We'll see if it does.

I hope I don't let y'all down. Or built it up to be bigger than it is. 😮 That would be a little tragic. Glad you liked this chapter, as I felt it had a whole lot of little nuanced interactions, thoughts, etc that added up to 'something' of value. Then the ending being a bit more meaty than the rest of it... as far as actual movement in the plot.

Yeah, one thing about thinking you're a liar, is having to come up with lies to carry you along, over and again. If Joel doesn't know there's going to be questions, he's going to be hit in the face with them. Maybe he'll be prepared and they won't catch him out. *whitles* I guess we'll see if he can or cannot face what's to come.

I wonder about half the things that comes from my kids and younger sibling's mouths most of the time. I have to stop and be like.. "Did I just hear what I think I heard?" and then that is likely followed by, "What do you think they 'really' meant by saying that?" Because you never know... Also, they were at the kitchen island... with Celia, Trace, Lacey and the poor dogs all in earshot. Making a sex joke about lunchmeat may have been a bit of a wrong place and time situation. I get my arm slapped all the time and most of the things I say are innocent, it is my own mother taking it THAT FAR into the gutter and slapping ME for it.

Aww. When I read this I smiled. He has to do so much. Transition from living with his family to not, recovering from the fall out, but he also hopefully has to grow from the experience too. It sounds like a lot. I'm glad at least, that you see he may be slowly coming around.

Ugh... do I have to keep to that Monday rule I made? I do wonder if I have to...

You're Canadian, you all chose to live up there in the great frozen north... so all this sounds like a you problem.

Teenagers... am I right? They're like cats, we're just living in their worlds. Some will take you hostage, some are okay as long as you feed them, some will try to smother you in your sleep, and some will stare death into your soul from across the room because you dared talk to them. I am not looking forward to my kids getting deeper into those years... I have four of them. As for Colt, there most definitely is. That is a fairly safe thing to say, I think. --- It is so hard to break that mindset when it is there and you have no other choice. He may feel that way until he feels like he's truly contributing.

"Don't make me shake you again!"

Yeah, I think they would both know that Joel would need some reassurances with everything still being new. We're only on the.... third? Yes.. third day of him staying in that house with them. I know I'd still be wondering if the people around me have their limits.