Krista

Thank you all for reading and leaving a comment on my story. I may have been convinced to put this addition in last minute... I don't know how I get talked into these things. I also checked my G key to make sure it was still working, because Bride is definitely not Bridge.. lol. Silly me... when I noticed them, I couldn't go back and change it. I will make an attempt to respond to every comment individually in the coming days, something has come up in RL that requires time and stuff and I don't have the mental energy right now. Didn't want to leave y'all hanging with nothing.

Congratulations to you both!

Completely foreign concept to me. Lol. Our lunches were done in two or three stages, when necessary. Twenty-five minutes or so to eat. I think it is political, but not in the way you're thinking. We get a lot of government funding with our lunches, since so many of our state's school children live hovering just above, at, or below the poverty level. So Lunches, being part of that funding, requires butts in the seats eating that food, in order to maintain that funding. So most school districts require it. Even on half-days, my children will be given lunches, either to eat just before being dismissed, or taken as sack lunches home. That is why for sickness as well, after a certain percentage of students are out across the county/district the schools are also closed. A little of it has to do with safety. Back when I was in school, we only got twenty or so minutes to get our food and eat it. It took ten or so minutes to get to a fast food place, and however long it took to get the food, and you had to be back in the classroom or you receive a tardy. Some rural areas, it just isn't recommended, since there is a bit of a distance to drive and get back, and in a small window to do it all in. I could be wrong on the Funding, I will do a little research on it to be certain. Thank you for sticking with this story, and welcome back to GA. I do remember you, Gandalf.

I'm somewhat glad Jackson still irritates readers. I've always set out for him to do so. As much as it may pain you to read him at times, it is intentional. And yeah, being present in the cafeteria is 'still' mandatory here. They cannot eat in the library, open classrooms, etc. Only students who are 18 can sign themselves out and leave campus to go eat... and that is only if they do not have tardy strikes against them. Or at least that is how the school system my children are enrolled handles lunchtimes - although none of them are in high school yet and no where near old enough to drive. It was the same for me growing up. I stayed in the cafeteria even after I turned 18, only because there were only four restaurants in my home town and none of them were any good.

The ending has never changed, but that's about it. I never set out to do all these swim meets really. I got a lot of good feedback on the first one, that I decided to implement more. I regressed Jackson a bit more than I planned, I always wanted him to have bits and pieces of him from the beginning of the story. No one changes completely, so I don't want him to go from boundless energy, full of trouble, and a bit self-centered... to none of that. I think I did that a lot more with him than I might have intended if I was able to write the entire thing within a year or two. Prom being implemented the way that it was, changed. I didn't do Prom ever.. and I've written 3 high school coming of age stories. Albeit, the first one I ever wrote was back in 2003ish and it was just rough all around. SIS never had a Prom either. So I wanted a prom. This is the last story I will write in the High School setting, I am too far removed to enjoy the writing process of it really... and if the story was written back then, the attic scene would have been in Luke's field under a tree... that is where I originally planned on having them. While I was writing the chapter, I kept going back to that idea, but having them out in the open actually worried me, because Cindy's character had evolved slightly, and I thought the two needed more privacy, literally in the back of my mind.. I thought Henry or her would go searching 'there' for them... and maybe not the park. So I changed it. Other than those things, a lot of the bigger plot points have remained the same. I've always liked this story. I've just suffered having to write it. I love Jackson and Luke, I love their journey. I got held up over the years by lacking of motivation, time, and demands of real life. And yeah, you have powered through, you're about to suffer along with the few people that have lasted since 2016... lol. I'll be glad when this story is marked Completed. I can retire in peace knowing that this monster is finally over and I can hopefully bring it all around to a nice conclusion.

yeah, small towns = school cafeteria or gym is the place for dances, graduations, etc. No fancy buildings to speak of... lol.

Ridley and I were opposites, I wanted to be out of the house with my time being strained to the point of... me not having any time. Since me and him are opposites, I think it did help me write him. I wanted him to be someone who is so tired they just didn't care, along with dealing with things that is so far removed from the people around him. I wanted him to feel alien, mostly when he didn't have to. It is so heartbreaking for me to read his story, mostly for the reason that I and him are vastly different and reacted to the parallel experience of playing basketball in such polar opposite ways. I'm glad you brought up the story, it always makes me smile when people do. The NIL monster, I don't know. I don't see it being a big thing outside of the "Big Two.." and to a stretch, much outside the "Power 5" conferences. Although, I also think we're headed to a massive market, "Power 3," conference. I don't think the Big 12, PAC 12, and the smaller conferences are going to outlast the massive program swapping we're starting to see. Adding in opening transferring up and the ability to test pro-leagues, and NIL being allowed to become a bidding war, it get truly messy. There will be some outliers for sure, and not just in the big market sports. Some athletes who already have massive followings on social media accounts will also get massive NIL deals to go along with it. I think one of the highest paid NIL athletes in the country is a female gymnast from LSU. Maybe in olympic years non-big three sports will get more attention. I know NIL deals for Women's Basketball has increased a lot more than I figured it would. Football and Men's basketball being the leading two. I hope I am wrong and it gets spread out and you see athletes from smaller market sports getting something out of their time, since you know athletes are getting millions of dollars in bigger marketed sports. I find it very difficult to watch Men's basketball now. I like seeing growth with a team over two - three years. Now it is all transfers and freshmen, who will only play a season - if that. You will start seeing more and more athletes sitting out if they're not guaranteed to be in Post-tournaments/championships/non-storied bowl games. It happened last year and the year before that. It is why I do not watch professional leagues either. They tend to gut the entire team within two or three years, if they're smaller market - less than that. and Baseball players have the best uniforms, that's all I'm saying. lol

I must admit I went full on indulgence with these chapters. Almost unapologetically so, but as I entered the third chapter... I want to say?? I started to think... maybe I went overboard a little bit. Either way, I had fun writing Prom. And yes, I feel most proms are formalities to whatever happens afterwards. It is a fun couple of hours, but a true lead up to longer lasting fun.

I don't think Tony ever formally turned in Pete for doping. I think he just dismissed him from his team after learning of the incident. I can't remember it exactly, but I don't think it was during a swimming event where he was caught. So it could have just been an "in-house.." removal that wouldn't hold outside repercussions. I honestly, think I just said.. "he was caught doping.." and Tony put a stop to all discussions on it and it was never really dealt with on a larger picture, or explained exactly. You can argue that Tony not submitting an actual report that would have come back on the program in a negative light, and got Pete further disciplined and issued bans - was a bad coaching decision. It isn't out of the realm of impossibilities that a lot of these are handled in that manner, especially someone who is attempting to grow the program like Tony, Emily, and his wife. Not excusing the decision though, it would just be the scenario I probably would have went with... I think it is more poetic for a cheater to be beaten when they're no longer cheating... rather than beaten because they're banned. The blind loyalty Matt and Aiden had for him also played into that factor of having Pete as this... mostly unseen problem.

Jackson's story was actually based on something that happened with me. I was a three sport athlete in high school. Volleyball, Basketball, and Softball - although, my schedules conflicted a lot. I was just 'good' enough for my coaches to work something out. I was best in Basketball. I started getting college interest my Junior year, pre-season. I didn't like the college that wanted me, it was local and I didn't like the academics. They contacted my coach, who went ahead and got their package and contact information. She gave me the package and the contact information, but I never opened it and I never contacted them. My Senior year, they approached me again, but I got three other offers during that time. None of which I liked, I started looking around at other college opportunities. At the time I thought I wanted to become a Veterinarian and none of them even had animal sciences or pre-veterinary specific undergrad opportunities, so that limited me. Anyway, when my mind changed and I 'started' looking at these packages, I found one that I liked. I switched from Veterinary school to teaching, specializing in Mathematics. The college had a great education program, but when I contacted them, they had moved on and had actively recruited other athletes and apologized and officially rescinded the offer. I ended up thinking about just walking on to a team, but that summer I was horsing around with some of my friends and I attempted to dunk the basketball. I do not and never had those kinds of hops and I landed wrong and severely injured my left knee, I fractured my kneecap, tore my ACL, you name it, I went all in. I had surgery and I changed my mind again academically to physical therapy. I put all my ambitions of playing a sport at the collegiate level away - I almost wrote it that way with Jackson. Getting drunk at a party and severely injuring himself enough to miss out on this season earlier in the writing. Basketball scholarships are different though, most colleges are willing to pay for a full scholarship and are limited to how many. Partial scholarships are an entirely different thing as it allows more to receive them and more people can be part of the team. If I had been recruited through Volleyball - it would have been more akin to how you described as most volleyball programs have 15 - 20 athletes on the roster and they're low market enough to not all receive full scholarships. Same with Softball. I should have done more research on the recruitment side of swimming. I made the assumption that it was similar and in some regards it is, but with partial scholarships and swimming program size being larger than what I expected does take away from some of the realism. I am now well aware of that.

Thanks for the insight, myself, I thought it would be more like that. The swimming is more instinctual, harnessed and more effective with repetitive training. I use his swimming as a tool some to create tension and such - that may not be realistic to how a swimmer may think, feel, or see under the water. Otherwise, I don't like writing my character to be so cocooned, mostly I have the mindset that people wouldn't want to read the swimming parts without that tension, mental aspects, inner-dialog, etc. I would struggle with the writing more than do when I write those part, for sure. lol. And yeah, two guys their age probably would be doing that, every chance they got.

She probably overlooked that passage.

Jackson suddenly showing up to church, after Cindy making it clear she wanted space between her son and him? Wouldn't that have been rather telling, although, it could have opened up a lot of dynamic opportunities. I also don't know if Luke could explain his insistence to moving out and into Grace's house. I don't know if the.. "you've become suffocating with your hovering..." explanation would have been enough. He could have simply said it is none of your business, but moving out in that manner would have closed the door on his relationship with her - which mind you, could still be on its way to happening anyway. And yeah, I personally wouldn't want someone else giving my child a phone or such things of that nature. Not without discussing it with me and us coming to an agreement. That is with any large or extravagant sort of gift though, not just in this context.

Oh, I had to read up to see what Grace did in this chapter to be over the top. I mostly did that for giggles, but I don't know... I wouldn't want to walk into my own home and find one of my children showering with... their other half. I would have reacted differently, I hope... and to not embarrass them past the point they already and most definitely are. But... I doubt I'd be "the cool Mom.." either. lol

I've defended Cindy some, noting that the Cindy they're seeing is the Jackson induced one. That she may well be a great mother, one that Luke should easily love and respect at home when Jackson isn't factored in. That Henry loves his wife for those same reasons and she's not a total stone cold bitch. I mean, she may turn into one eventually, and Jackson certainly thinks so and we're reading his view of her without being a fly on the Clarke household's wall.

I couldn't have their day disrupted by one of them flying off the ass-end of a horse.. 😮 Especially Jackson, that would have ended his hopes and dreams then and there. But... the mental picture of doing so.. and it not ending badly, might have been worth it. And I cannot remember when the two attempt to make babies.. we're well into the story now though.

There is a perception that it is better to keep biting criticism to the Private messenger system, sure. But, if you feel that you have some criticism to offer don't be afraid to say it. Authors shouldn't be afraid to read it, growth is important and no writer or piece of writing is perfect or immune. I would be aware of tone, usage, and such when offering criticism. Obviously stating: "I found the writing immature and I didn't finish this story," - isn't all that constructive as it doesn't explain why you thought the writing was immature. So, if you're not willing to be critical in that way, then yes, I would keep it to the Messenger system. I personally don't mind criticism in either place. I do like when people do a sort of in-depth or open discussion critical assessment of my writing to use the PM system, because I can more easily come back to it without noting the chapter, sifting through other comments to find it, etc. Also, if I found a lot of value in the criticism, I may do follow-up questions or commentaries with the reader if they are still actively reading. Or you can always wait until the Authors are revealed to do a critical follow-up wherever you feel most comfortable. Most people do feel more comfortable giving critical assessments privately as well. Some Authors only want critical assessments done privately, so knowing the author does help and waiting may help you decide which tools you'd like to use. I suggest keeping a document, if you want to hold off on your criticism until after the event is over so all your thoughts and assessments remain fresh and you're not attempting to rehash it all from memory. ---- Oh... and this isn't me outing myself as one of these current authors or authors still to come. I may or may not have participated.

Thank you! And I do appreciate the bits of knowledge you have shared with me. Swimming wasn't even a radar sport where I grew up. If it wasn't the big three.. you didn't play it. Now most schools have Volleyball - which was new when I was in school to our district. Swimming, Soccer, Tennis... I'm envious of the growth my state has done.

Thank you for the insight on how early season swimming would have actually gone. It has been eye-opening. Which makes me wonder how off-base I actually have been with everything else. I can see where a coach would fill a schedule for conditioning, and to gauge where the swimmer is in comparison to what else is out there.

Yes, I find it unfair for people to say, "You should come out, you'll be accepted.." when they're looking at it from the outside point of view. I know of someone who had a totally supportive friend - who was too positive for their own good - they couldn't fathom anything negative happening to the closeted person. So they did mention it to another friend, who took it the wrong way. It got back to that person's mother and the mother didn't take it well either. It caused a lot of anxiety that wasn't necessary if the person was allowed to do it on their terms. So I would never condone it, I wrote it in this part to be slightly light-hearted and a bit whiny from Toby, because his girlfriend wasn't in the know.. and Derek's was. I didn't do as much research into individual schedules on the high school level. I know they typically have fuller slates, with more relays and more swims, etc. Since I like to write him performing all of his events, I wanted to limit him... so it limited me. Charlie I do mention has a fuller schedule, he isn't part of the relay team though. They also swim in yards here in the US at the high school level and in smaller pools, so Jackson should have been doing more laps per swim. Swimmers also do more running, strength training, stretching, cardio, and actual weight lifting than I've ever had Jackson doing as well. I thought about adding the Mixed relays, since that was recently added to the Elite level and have Shay, Tara, Jackson, and Drae swimming that one. I never did though.

It is funny how scary girls can be... I am raising four children. Two girls and two boys.. and the two girls terrify me. I'm being told it is paybacks.. but.. mercy.

I actually learned about that late. I think most college baseball programs also hand out partial scholarships as well. Jackson's parents make more than enough money to help him finance, and he makes good enough grades to probably receive academic scholarships as well. He did lose his scholarship, but I'm also thinking in this part of the story, the school downsized the program too and he lost his spot on the team as well? I may not be remembering correctly though, even if I have read this story in full a couple times.

I like when I get new readers who comment on chapters. But, it does make me edgy when I respond to them, as I already know everything that happens.. and how scenarios play out. lol. I want everything to be organic. Although, Jackson making a fake gmail.. he'd have to work it out to where Welker reads it when he's in the room.. or else, I feel it would be a wasted moment for him. lol.

I told the mans to watch out and not to get stampeded. Or.. maybe I told him to.. 'get stampeded..'

I like to think both have been in Luke all this time.. I wouldn't want him to lose the latter as that is who he is...