Graeme

Mason gave an appreciative sniff as he and Ben entered the kitchen with its aroma of fresh pancakes mixed with cooked bacon. “Sleep well?” Oliver smirked at Ben and Mason. “Breakfast will be ready shortly. I’m sure you guys will need to regain some energy after your late-night workout.” “Ollie!” Ben blushed. Mason chuckled, though he felt his face warming, too. “I’m surprised you heard anything. You seemed to be having a late-night workout, too.” Oliver shrugged. “Part of

Dave is already getting counselling from his club's psychologist, but you're right about the other victims. What happened to them can really mess them up. I once knew someone who had a lot of problems because of something that had been done to them as a kid Deon is going to have some dramas for awhile, but most people won't know what to say to him, so that should keep things relatively calm after the initial hysteria. As for Ben and Mason, yes, living in two different cities will be tough, especially when one of the pair is trying to stay in the closet. Thank you!

Sam and his partner, Marcus, were just finishing breakfast when Sam’s phone rang. “Did you know about this? Did you have any idea this might’ve been going on with Deon? Has this got anything to do with why you moved to Sydney?” Sam Bradshaw rocked back at the venomous tone his ex-wife—and mother of his three children—was using. “Mandy, what are you talking about?” “Deon! Everyone’s talking about what happened to him. Did you know?” Sam waved a hand at Marcus to indicate that he w

Hindsight is wonderful... They just didn't expect anyone to post a picture of Deon on the Internet. There are, after all, around 800 AFL players across the country. Deon hasn't even played his first game, yet, so the odds of someone recognising him was pretty low unless the person was also a strong VFLfan (since he was pretty prominent in the VFL grand final).

An astute observation It makes you wonder how much time she's ever spent alone... One thing we don't know is how big her family is. If she has a lot of siblings or close neighborhood friends, it may be she hasn't had much experience with extended time by herself.

Yeah, but he doesn't know that. Happily, for his parents, AFL football barely rates a mention in the USA, so the number of people in America who will hear about this story is fairly low. At least for now... If you're referring to when he's waiting to testify, they're in a semi-private area. There's no one else mentioned being there. To get into the building, you need to pass through security, which will keep out a lot of people. Normally, that would still allow a lot of people through, but given who is testifying, they probably had additional security in that part of the building to make sure only those directly involved with the trial could approach. Neil's a bit like Deon in that respect. He was there when Dave had his breakdown, so he's very cautious when it comes to who he could tell. After all, he didn't even tell Liam! LOL, no offense taken, @shyboy85. Clarissa is a complex character. She cares about people, but maintains an abrasive exterior to protect herself. When she's worried or concern, she tends to become more abrasive as her way of dealing with the pressure. That's unpleasant for those around her and she definitely needs to learn a new coping mechanism, but that's her. If you compare her in this story to her in Leopard Spots, you'll notice that she's more abrasive in this story than in that one. This is why. She's not perfect. She's also not possessive. She understands that football takes the number one spot in Deon's life, but she's afraid she's a distant second, not a close second. Despite that, she's still trying to maintain a relationship with Deon. She's not giving up. Having said all of that, yes, she really does need to grow up...and she is. By moving to Sydney, she's much more alone now than she ever has been in the past, and that has a tendency to mature a person. She's only been in Sydney for a few weeks, but while the move has been exacerbrating her behaviour, it's also been changing her. There's one small sign in this chapter of that process: she apologised to Deon for her behaviour and acknowledged that he was right to be reticient in saying anything. The old Clarissa would never have done that.

Thanks, @Timothy M. Unfortunately, I can't post any faster. My work commitments means I'm not staying as far ahead as I'd like. As for the court case, it's more likely procedural matters (probably started by the defense team) delayed the start of testimonies by the prosecution witnesses.

Mason zipped up his light jacket as he left the hotel lobby and stepped outside. “Is it always this cold in Melbourne?” “Not usually in January.” Clarissa glanced up at the overcast sky. “But that’s Melbourne for you. Don’t rely on the weather being consistent, because you’ll always be disappointed.” She smiled. “At least it’s not raining like it was yesterday.” “Yeah, but Saturday back in Sydney was nice and hot. Here…” Mason gave a mock shiver. It wasn’t as bad as he made out, but he h

Scott certainly has grown up. The part that drove that home to me was when he tried to talk up Alex's and David's accomplishments in that first game. As he reflected later, he was the center of attention again, but this time he was trying to push at least some of the spotlight onto others...and was doing so because he thought they deserved it. That is so different from the old Scott it's almost unbelievable. It's a tribute to @Ronyx's writing skills that it's totally believable. A young man, desperate for attention and affection, is finally receiving both in the right way and for the right reasons.

Well, we know what's going on with David, Alex and Scott, but I'm still curious as to what's going on with Devin. He and David appear to have had words, though it's possible that Devin has simply observed Scott's attraction to David and is reacting negatively due to jealousy and disappointment. We can see Devin shutting Scott out, but we still don't know exactly why. One curious point, for me, is the change in Scott. It appears he's willing to give up on David (or at least postpone any possible relationship) until the situation with Devin is resolved. That's not the old Scott. The old Scott never thought about others' wellbeing, or what was best for someone else. He certainly would never have sacrificed something he wanted to help someone else. That's a big change and a big improvement!

Scott certainly has fallen into an alternate universe. From a homophobic world where he has to be a bully to hide his secrets, he's in a world where two guys -- brothers, even -- are now fighting for his attention. But I agree with @tesao, in that David is after a sex partner, while Devin is looking for an affection partner (a.k.a. a boyfriend). Scott appears to recognise the difference, but who knows whether it'll be his heart or hormones that win out in the end.

While it may not be in the story, it's reasonable to assume that the Leopards talk to each other. We already know that Deon has been left out of things to some extent (the epilogue of Leopard Hunt shows that, with respect to Todd's upcoming wedding), but if he's involved, it's probable that he's been told that all the other former Leopards who are now with AFL clubs will be there. Of course, they're all based in Melbourne, so it's easier for them. Has Deon (or Charlie and Ty) thought through all the consequences? That remains to be seen... I wouldn't say expressing an interest in Ben's career is stalking. Andrew doesn't know that Ben doesn't want him there. Remember, while VFL players are not celebrities like AFL players, they're only one level below them. For someone who is a keen follower of football (shown by his interest in having a photo with a celebrity football player), having an interest in someone playing at the VFL level is quite reasonable. If Ben didn't have somethig to hide, it wouldn't be an issue. Contraceptives and family planning isn't an issue at most churches I know. Abortion is still a touchy subject though, regardless of religious (or non-religous) affiliation. That's a legacy of past progress. An exemption for religious schools (which are all private schools) was necessary at the time to allow broader anti-discrimination laws to pass. Now that society has progressed, we're in a position to remove that exemption. Even so, I know there will be a lot of pushback on the subject so I won't guarantee that it'll be repealed, even with both sides of politics being in general agreement (with a subset in both major parties being against the idea).

@Bft I think your comment about Clarissa qualifies as an understatement.... As for Andrew, I will let you make up your own mi d.

Please, @Timothy M., we both know you've hacked into my computer and read the chapters before everyone else. It's the only way you can right so often... What's creepy about wanting to get to know his prospective brother-in-law, especially since said brother-in-law will be living close by? As for the episode with Jim, from Andrew's perspective, Jim is both a celebrity and an AFL football player. That fact that he's gay isn't important. Isn't that the way it should be? Yes, there is religious-based homophobia in Australia, but in my experience the majority of Australians, including those who consider themselves to be religious, are not particularly homophobic. Andrew is an example of such. Indeed, there were many churches during the recent survey on same-sex marriage that were prominent in campaigning to allow same-sex marriage, even if the 'official' stance of that denomination was against. In short, there are many gay-friendly churches, including Anglican and Catholic churches, so being religious in Australia is by no means an automatic indicator of homophobia.

Clarissa stared at the paper ticket that the Qantas self-serve, check-in machine had printed off and then glared at Mason. “Business class?” Mason shrugged. “Apparently, there’s no first class for flights between Sydney and Melbourne, so business class was the best I could do.” He gave her a cheeky half-smile. “And before you ask, I don’t think I would’ve gotten away with chartering a private jet for the trip. The ‘rents aren’t that oblivious.” “Even business class is too much!” She

Scott has half-promised to tell David about his history, or at least part of it. I wonder if he'll keep that promise, and how much he tells? At least he's now got an outlet for his anger and frustration. Protecting Devin looks like it may keep him busy in that respect!

I like how Scott reacted instinctively to Devin when they first met, in that he acted just like he would have in California. He didn't think, he immediately took an offensive position and called the other guy a fag. That shows how much he still has to learn. The ending also shows how much he still has to learn. While it's a start, Just because Devin grinned and shook his hand doesn't make Devin a friend. Devin is giving Scott a chance to be a friend, but Scott doesn't know enough to understand the distinction. Scott is still emotionally inexperienced when it comes to friendship and is in danger of making mistakes as a consequence. I hope it all works out, but I won't be surprised if Scott makes a few missteps along the way.

You'll learn more about Eve's boyfriend in later chapters. As a hint, though, not everyone is a stereotype...

I found it interesting how quickly Scott's aunt blamed his mother for his problems. At least one person on that side of the family understands the concept of compassion, and she's clearly taught her son the same. Scott still has a long way to go before he's healed and reformed, but it looks like he's on the right track. School will be the next big challenge for him, because it'll be so easy to fall back into a familiar destructive pattern of behaviour....

I suppose I had been aware in the back of my mind, but this chapter brought home something about Scott that I hadn't consciously realised before. Scott was emotionally starved. And when a starving person find sustenance, they latch onto it. In California, the sustenance was the sense of power he achieved through bullying, and the respect of his peers for being the leader of the pack of bullies. In Arkansas, it's Alex, starting with the hug, and then leading through to the breakdown on the way home. In California, the emotional sustenance was negative and corrupting. So far, in Arkansas the emotional sustenance has been positive and sustaining. Let's hope that continues.

You are correct. I was describing it from the perspective of Ben's father, not describing reality.

@Timothy M. Mason's going to have an income of $500 a week. That's $26,000 a year. It's not a big income, but he won't be paying rent, so his biggest expenses will be the utilities and food. He'll still have plenty to spend in frivolous stuff if he wants. He just won't be able to buy anything particularly big unless he saves up. Oh, and with the way his father has organised things, he won't be paying any Australian tax on that income. I don't know about USA taxes, but I'm sure those taxes will be minimal, too. So, as an after-tax and after-rent income, $26,000 a year is quite decent. @impunity Anti-religious and anti-gay is an uncommon combination. It's just in this case that the source of that attitude is due to Ben's uncle being molested by a someone at a religious school. Ben's father hates the religious organisation for protecting the molester, and hates gays because his brother was molested by one. That appears to be the father's views, though so far we only have Ben's thoughts on the matter.

Mitchell gave Ben another kiss. “I’m sorry, but you know the routine.” Ben chuckled. The two were still intertwined in Mitchell’s bed. “You’re kicking me out again.” He knew Mitchell worked on Saturday mornings, and Mitchell had more than made up for the inconvenience the night before. Ben wasn’t bothered by the impending early-morning departure. “Only after I make you breakfast.” Mitchell propped himself up on one elbow so he could smile down at the young football player. “But since

I'm not sure that Scott has truly learnt his lesson. His attitude at the start of the chapter was that everything was Mark and Bobby's fault. That they had enticed him and that was the cause of the problems. Yes, he had a change of heart while tied to the goalpost, but moving to Arkansas, he'll be in a very similar mindset to when he moved to California. He has the chance to do the right thing, but he could easily revert to being a bully. When he moved to California, he was desperate for acceptance, and found it by bullying others. He's leaving California desperate for acceptance, and...

Given how many people he'd been having sex with (Richard, William and now Ryan), it's surprising that rumours never started. William, in particular, I would have expected to have said something to someone while he was jealous that his cousin had stolen Scott from him. I actually found Scott a little less revolting in this chapter. Admittedly, this is from his perspective, but he didn't come over as bad as he did from Mark's perspective. When he wasn't near Mark and Bobby, he sounds almost reasonable, with normal concerns about what his peers will think of him, and whether he'll be left all alone...again. Of course, we don't see what he's doing or trying to do to Mark and Bobby, except at the theatre, but it's interesting. I wonder if what he's left out is a reflection of him not wanting to think about it, or not realising how wrong it was and therefore not worth mentioning?