Krista

That was in this chapter. He ate the first set of wings. But yeah, during the first visit to the Kepler house Davin and Gavin ate a pizza and Joel had wings. Gavin even fussed at Joel to speak up and say what he really wants, if he didn't like the pizza.. to get wings on the ride over. I am surprised I remembered that in great detail, but the Kepler house chapter was one of my favorite chapters in the writing... probably one of the least favorite for readers as nothing really happens but Davin character development and knowing their family dynamics that are actually more effed up than Joel's... to be fair.

Not true, it is because I am slow at writing, I can go weeks to a month without opening word documents... have to reread my own story to know where to go next, etc. Definitely not true about you not being a good writer, as you are. Confirmed.

Rather unfortunate ship name, so the sex has to be hot to overcompensate.

You did come up with it, it was clever... and I almost laughed when I read that section, because it was absolutely true. It sucks that it didn't cross my mind that Lorianne saw him naked before Joel... and that everyone knew that whole scenario. Hmm... if it is to be a signature, at least make it pretty.

Even if I did, it would take me over a year to write. You can probably get like three stories done in that time... and keep your job. Maybe even behave yourself, who knows.

I gave you compliments! I said you were efficient in all things, take the compliment my dear I don't give them out often.

Lol, I think I'd have to draw the line at someone continuing my story and characters from the point of close. Alternative universes, wild shenanigans, and character studies are fine.. But what if I wanted to write a sequel? It would be like me competing with myself, but not myself... and that confused me, so can't happen.

Now hold on a minute, Joel had BBQ wings during that depressing house tour of the Kepler house. Where he got his shoulder squeezed in the hot tub by a mostly buzzed Davin. So there. Maybe you were distracted by the wet butts in that chapter, I don't know.

Sorry, I wish I could offer you a refund if anything for the lack of wet butts. Since you're doing this all to yourself though, free will and all that... I cannot. And I probably very much almost wrote a SA. I very much did write one in 'Something Unexpected...' my earlier writing didn't have healthy or proper relationships... as I hadn't had a healthy and proper relationship yet - I mean I dated, but they were all very innocent little things that I barely count them as anything more than just a step above friendship.. I was going to say friendships with kissing, but I kissed the gays and girls in my life as I did my boyfriends at the time. I was also writing sex scenes as a full blown virgin... although also female, it put me at a disadvantage. Life matters some in writing and I had been rather sheltered of the world then...

My rambles are fair game, I'm thinking. But if you ever publish for profit I want my fair cut.

Which is probably a good thing, at least as far as the person you squared up against is concerned. They throw a punch and you somehow keel them over with a toothpick and ambition or something...

There is a reason I've not marked this story as complete yet. As I have one more chapter to post. It will be the end though. It isn't an epilogue. Something in this chapter just failed with me and I kept thinking... it has missed its mark. So I set out writing a fix for it over a week ago after reading and doing some trimming down work. So yeah... we get to round out this story in 32 chapters. No epilogue. It is a short chapter, just around 6600 words if I'm remembering correctly. Next week, or whenever this chapter gets posted will be the last one.

That's your kindness? Remind me to be nice to you, forever.

Oh gosh, I don't know star signs... let me go look up Virgos and see.. Okay, I did a quick scan... it says Virgos are picky and that they love hard and seek partners who fall seamlessly into the relationship with them. Good thing the boy was born in May... let me go look again.. Ohh ohhh he's a Taurus, apparently they're confident in bed and have great attention to detail. They're powerful and can satisfy others and themselves easily. You're welcome Joel. Which Joel would be Leo, I'm thinking...but Leos are challenging matches for Taurus... pity.

Oh it's fiction, Kathy Taft can come drink her bitter resentment tea as a ghost. I don't know her story, how she died - probably rather inventive if your street credibility is to be believed, I don't doubt it.

... also, why is this popping up every time I hit the .gif thing... I mean, I'm not entirely hating it... for a reason in blue shorts, but wtf else is happening? Is he that hungry?

Yikes that sounds rather creative... lol. I may need to take notes.

Yes, that tugged on me. At the end of their day, it was a special day for them... out of the ordinary and everyday. Something that only would come around once a year. Thanksgiving and Christmas are family functions and I doubt Joel will be eating at the Benton table for either one of them... so yeah, it tugged on me.

Yes, the world would be better if there were more Trace and Celia to counter balance the Lisa and Francines walking alongside them. Lorianne has been rather observant, but she hasn't had the time to figure everything out. Roy and him have been rather attached at the hip since joining and Joel didn't give them much to go on. I doubt it will take her long to figure out the correct pairing now that she has more information to go on. Trace was strong with his promise not to tell Joel's story. That it was Joel's to tell. I don't know if I could be that in the dark as Celia and not ask or push for further information, especially after I saw healing and more of the living circumstances by meeting Joel's parents. But yeah, Celia never pushed him to tell her things that he didn't feel comfortable telling her and in the end, that's what he needed. Support without pressure. Guidance without expectations, at least until he showed her that he could handle them. I think with twins, they're just so comfortable with one another that they let their guards down. Although they never had the conversation to set it all bare. Gavin decided early that he didn't care who Davin was sexually though, since he realized when they were fourteen.

Franny and Lisa Benton sipping tea together would be a rather scary combination of bitter and judgmental minds. It would be interesting to see how quickly they turned on one another about their parenting styles... totally missing the point that they're both flawed, of course. Colt being a songwriter, I needed something worthwhile for him. He seems rather secretive about it, but he's let Davin, likely Gavin, and now Sierra, Faith, and Joel in on his plans. So it is something he's felt passionate about. I do wonder if he's any good... and how much depth his thinking goes. He's shown hints of it throughout the story, or at least I've thought he has. Maybe he won't be one of these country artists that sing solely about tight holey jeans, dirt roads, drinking, and trucks...

Are you trying to sell them on the idea? If so, keep at it.

I'll let a more filthy author take on this scenario. lol. But it has legs, not going to lie.

Yeah, the distance is very dependent on Cody's lack of freedoms due to his age. But they don't stay young forever. It sucks that there is such a separation between them. I felt throughout the writing that Joel and Cody have always been rather close. His parents worked long hours and Westley older than Joel didn't want anything to do with either of them for the most part. So they kind of bonded as brothers in the absence of the rest of the family. They developed friendships with classmates to a point, Cody more so than Joel it seems. But yeah, severing that bond and keeping them at a distance is a cruelty. Francine didn't see it coming from Joel either, mind you... lol. I don't think she is the type that gets told where to go and how to feel about it very often. She got three good doses of it during her stay though. I doubt it does anything, Celia has seemingly dealt with a cold parent type her entire life. I wonder if Celia's father is the warmer one, someone had to show Celia how to love and be loving. Celia may have just wanted to break the cycle too though and taught herself. It kind of makes her story a bit sad, if that's the case... we don't know much about that dynamic. Jaxton crashing a birthday party for an 11 year old boy, mostly it was for him... and partially Lacey really since she helped plan it. That would have been rather rude and ballsy... and stupid. Trace probably would have grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and pants and tossed him. Or at least that's how I would've written it. Of course Lorianne or someone would have recorded and and we have volume two of the series of unfortunate fails by Jaxton the would be bully. He wouldn't come back from failing to crash an eleven year old's birthday party...

Yeah, he got to see Cody, got more affirmation that Trace and Celia are behind him. Got told he was loved by Davin... found some accepting friends that he was somewhat afraid of. Overall it was a good party for him to build the rest of his life on... a bit bittersweet that it still likely feels like a large part of his life was stolen from him, but he can see himself building it back again.

Thank you! It was a lot. I tried to close some things, leave things nuanced, and my usual open-ended pointing towards positive sort of ending I lean heavily on.