Graeme

Mason woke up with a dry mouth, an aching head, and a sense that something wasn’t quite right. When he opened his eyes, he realised he wasn’t in his hotel room. “There’s a glass of water on the bedside table,” a voice next to him whispered. Mason rolled his head to see Dexter propped up on one elbow and smiling at him from the other side of the queen-sized bed. “What…?” “I’m sorry, but I let you drink too much last night.” Dexter shifted himself into a sitting position, reveali

Charlie's reaction will be clearer in future chapter And, yes, Deon knows his animosity is because of his father. As he said at the end, he'll be reserved and keep a wary eye out, but he knows Tony is not his father...

And so the 'partner swap' is just about complete. Kyle & Andre, and Buddy & Donnie. I also loved the way Kyle's father told Buddy he was getting Kyle's sister's computer. Poetic justice! The one part that really intrigued me though, was Brad nodding to Kyle the first time he saw him at the school. Exactly what was Brad acknowledging? That Kyle's sister is to blame? That Kyle had nothing to do with what happened? That Brad finally understood he'd been a jerk? Something had clearly changed with Brad, but we don't get to see what it is. That's the sort of little detail that fires up my imagination

Thanks, @Albert1434!

Happy Anniversary!

Despite how he came over in previous chapters, this is the chapter where Donnie shines. He's not shallow, and he has a great heart. As he said, he picks his friends carefully, but once he's befriended someone, he's there for them.

Thank you! Getting dialogue to flow naturally can sometimes be a challenge, so I really appreciate you saying it's believable.

Thanks, @Albert1434 Yes, sometimes deceptions can get complicated. Just don't forget that that also applies to authors...

Thank you! People can be surprisingly illogical when they're jealous. They will believe the worst, even if it's not justified.

When I first read this story, I didn't appreciate how pivotal this chapter was. I do now, and it gives me a fresh appreciation for the complexities that Ron has written into the story. Thanks, @Ronyx

Baby planet found! The first "baby planet" detected so far, though the article comments that a baby planet boom is imminent....

My apologies, Tim, but I didn't see this when you first posted your blog entry. What you've done is wonderful -- a consolidated list of stories along with detailed reviews of those stories. Thank you

High School Baseball: Sportsmanship Isn't Dead

Talk about how to make a 'good' impression. In that opening scene, Mr. Caldwell helped Andre collect Buddy's things. He then helped Mavis to her door and gave her kiss on the cheek. What did Kyle do during all of that? He sat in the car and did nothing. Yep, he's a snob. At least he's empathic enough for the realisation to bother him.

Thank you, @Timothy M. This was a very pleasant surprise. And, yes, I know how you feel about Alex...

Free on a Tree: 'If you need this, it's yours'

Ah... @Timothy M....do you really expect me to resoond to you speculation? 😛 Sometimes, it's the journey that's important, not the destination...

I enjoyed both the book and movie for "I Am Number Four", but the series went downhill fast afterwards. We persisted for awhile (my son and I), but we both eventually gave up before we bought the final couple of books in the series. It became too extreme, too fast. It may have made logical sense, as to what was happening, but it wasn't enjoyable to read.

Mason glanced at his phone and made a quick mental calculation to determine the time in Los Angeles. After firing up his laptop, he sent Jeremy a text to check if he was available for a chat. Minutes later, Mason was viewing the grinning face of his friend on his laptop screen. From the background he could see, it appeared that Jeremy was having lunch at Subway. “Dude! How’s life in Australia?” Mason laughed. “It’s been one day, Jeremy. So far, it’s been okay.” “Hey, you can le

Aunt Mavis is a crotchity old lady, but her heart's in the right place. I love her put down of Mr. Caldwell at the hospital when he asked her how Buddy was doing. Kyle's father really needs to learn to think a little before speaking (he also outed Kyle to Andre when he didn't know if Andre knew), though I'll give him a pass since he seems stressed about the whole situation. As a parent, I could really empathise with his comment about thinking of what if it had been Kyle who had been attacked.

TV and FaceBook combined to help save a woman's life Okay, that's a little melodramatic, but it's the thought that counts. A doctor spotted what he thought was a cancerous growth during a TV show and used FaceBook to track the person down and recommend she gets some tests done to confirm his potential diagnosis.

I'm not sure what else I can add. This chapter is largely a pause in the story as everyone gathers breath before moving on. Donnie is the only significant addition, apart from learning that Buddy will survive. Probably the only surprising thing to me was the accuracy of the rumours. Normally, after something like this, the rumours range from the accurate to the outrageous, and picking out the truth can be a real challenge. Under the circumstances, a rumour about a home invasion or an attack by a gang wouldn't be unreasonable for why Brad was involved in a fight, or maybe rumours that Buddy was sleeping with Joy, and that's why Brad attacked him. I'm not really surprised by the football players saying they tried to stop Brad. Some did the first time Brad tried to beat up Buddy (at the school), but those that helped him this time would want to cover themselves.

Thanks, @Defiance19. Having parents who are perfect would be wonderful, but most parents don't meet that ideal. Mason's parents may not be very close, but their heart is in the right place. If only their brains weren't in a "we know best" mindset...

Best wishes, @Renee Stevens for you and your (expanding) family!

Oops...I missed that