Krista

Thank you!

The only safe thing I can say is... Trace made him a promise. So.... there is a promise there, hopefully it is kept.

It is hard to watch someone struggling with self-acceptance vs. bravery vs. your own doubts. I get that with Joel's father, and a little with Joel as well. I was a little worried with the writing of Celia, for reasons. I've been pleasantly surprised with how most of you have commented on her character. I like all the bouncing theories. I hope some of them will be settled, however they settle. I know how a lot of them go, so I'm dodging the hell out of talking too much about any character right now. I'm glad you have liked the pacing so far. Splitting these massive chapters into two different parts in the early writing was a step I thought I needed to take, but also knew could cause some growing pains for the story itself. Pacing is important. I'm not going to say it is perfect in the beginning. I think Chapter 3 originally maybe should have stayed as the massive chapter that it was... but I also think it didn't hinder the pacing too much either. If it did, y'all have been gracious and not said as much anyway. Ugh.. it is only Monday. Silly little notions of me being good this go and keeping to a schedule.

I think the Kepler twins might be a wee bit concerned about there being another mouth to feed... err in their case, to compete for the last Taco with. As much as we've seen of them, I think it is safe to say they take their stomachs very seriously. The good ol' days where teenage metabolism being in high gear... may they pick up better eating habits before all that goes to hell in a hand basket. Still dodging Colt talk like a bullet.

Lot's of dynamics coming up that I am so interested in y'all getting to see... and maybe moving the story beyond the first 48 - 72 hours. 😮 Still a lot of interesting theories jumping around about how Colt and Joel are going to interact with all this newness forced onto both of them. Sighs... yeah I'll have to be good and not post the next chapter early...

Joel does seem like he would be a gain. You do wonder after the immediate anger/hate/disgust fades with his mother if she would feel the weight of what Joel brought to their household, or if those thoughts would stay in stone with her. I think one would have to be blind to see that the dynamic of Cody and Joel would be the most noticeable. Wes's endless supply of free shorts has ended though... I think the chapters I've reread the most are the next three chapters. Lots of dynamics happen now that the dust has settled.

That is my biggest fear as a parent. For a kind to challenge me that way. "Did you ever love me?" would wreck the absolute hell out of me...

Behind what? 😮

Can't remember the specifics for his... I'm thinking it is Corey wanting to go somewhere and them having some reservations because of his arm?

I think the only person Lee was ever afraid of was Cora... for obvious reasons. She could have wrecked him down to his soul, I'm thinking. I think she's always had that power over him.

I'll take your word for it, as I have no idea who Amber is. lol. Jenny's friend I'm thinking. I think there's three girls who are friends in this story, and three guys - Andy, Keith, Jenny I remember bits an pieces about (not their names, you supplied them), but after naming them some of my memory came back. I'm beginning to think I'm one forgetful side-trip to senility not remembering this story...lol. I know it is an older story and I have no idea what happens chapter to chapter. I do remember the overall story and the larger plot points and some things that have happened and interesting dynamics. Specifics are lost on me though.

Andy was the name of the character in original story that I shifted from to write this one. Totally different character though. Keith and Andy... I just remember bits and pieces of them. They get up to shenanigans often if I'm remembering correctly. Friend group dynamics are my favorite kind of writing.

Hurdle?!??!? What Hurdle? 😮

Yeah, they're good friends. I know I tend to make similar characters... I even think some of them have the same names. Me and names... I can't sometimes. And I'm still confused by my lacking memory with this story. I don't want to read up, I'd much rather start from chapter one myself; for a break and fun reading. And yeah, I do remember moving Jenny on from CJ rather early.

Oh.. this is the chapter that Jenny punches Cj, I'm thinking. I don't know. I think? And yeah, that whole dynamic: Clinton/CJ/Corey... sigh.. C names, I know annoyed some people.

Yeah, bringing Greg back into the story was something that I waffled on a lot. I thought maybe his story arc was done in the beginning, but decided to write him back in later. Mostly because the original story idea, the character that would have been Corey kept going back to the Greg character, overlooking someone that was healthy and good for her. I don't think the dynamics of Corey/Clinton was ever that he was looking over his shoulder for Greg though... but it could have been that way. I decided to make the conflict go a different direction though... and Greg wasn't ever toxic really.

Good, because I was never going to. lol... for reasons. I kind of wish I knew what you were talking about specifically in this comment, but for the life of me I can't remember most of this story. I think spin the bottle was during the school break-in that kind of got invaded by people who had the same idea in mind. I don't remember a storm though? Maybe as they left the party before the cops were called?

Well, I'll take the W on that. lol

Aww. Have I ever made a character suffer? Readers yes, characters? ? hmmm..

I am thinking rather villainous thoughts at the moment.

How did that make sense? Reading it back to myself it made no sense... but I was trying not to spoil two things.. as you've not read the whole story yet. lmao.

Aww. I think if I was raising a Westley, I'd need something stronger than wine.

We'll see just how resilient he really is, or not. He has to move on from this somehow.

This made me laugh... lol. I struggled with all the motorcycle writing... I know nothing about them. I'm afraid of them to be honest. I wouldn't see that as a suitable birthday present for a child at all, but Cora got him one and his father actually went along with it... up until he didn't.

Well he sort of is, at least riding the bench anyway. I wonder if that would be worse than outright quitting? I was a little bit selfish as a writer when it came to the dog... lol. I know I feature animals a lot in writing... sports and animals.. hmm. Jackson didn't have a pet for a reason as well. The dog was fun to write, how she came to be in his life... I wanted to tell her story, because at least out here it happens a lot. People dump these poor puppies and think they can survive, or that good people happen along and they get happy lives. That is not the case usually...