Graeme

Neil’s head was down as he trudged through the school gates. He didn’t care if he ran into Doug and his cohorts; the way he felt, it would be what he deserved. “Neil, how was your holiday?” Clarissa asked. He looked up at his other nemesis and dropped his head again. “It was okay.” She slipped her arm into his. “You know I wanted to see you, but you said you were working.” “I was.” “Seven days a week, including nights and over Easter?” Her sarcastic tone told Neil that she wasn’t buying tha

Thank you! This was one of the harder sections in the story to write because there was so much to cover. There were a lot of different reactions to what was going on, but, yes, they're all pulling together to do what's right for Dave.

I decided to not include the interation with Dave's mother and brother. It would've been a long scene with little in the way of new content. As for Neil, yes, there's a conflict there, but human beings are rarely 100% consistent. We're amazing creatures, quite capable of justifying the holding of contradictory opinions because 'that's different!' After all, from Neil's point of view, Jim is an appropriate person to fixate on because he's also gay, and as for Tony, well, people don't always stay with the same partner. Tony is obviously not the right person for Jim (proof: He's not Neil ) so trying to break them up was acceptable behaviour. That would've been how he viewed it at the start of this story. He may or may not still hold that same opinion.... And, yes, I love Ollie and Helena, too. They are very open characters -- they don't hide a lot. That doesn't mean they're shallow; both of them have depths that aren't always apparent...which is another example of my statement about holding contradictory views: how can I say they're open when they have parts of their characters that they're not showing? My defence? I'm human

Thank you! I think almost everyone in that situation would find themselves feeling helpless. Not knowing what to do, not knowing if something will make it worse, not knowing if there's going to be a solution.... I think I can promise that Ollie will get some The rest, you'll have to wait and see.

Three steps forwards, two steps backwards. Things rarely go all in one direction. Neil's had a setback, but he knows he has Todd's support. That's something he didn't have before. Maybe that will make a difference?

After a night where he had little sleep until Dave had returned home, Jarrod was awakened early on Easter Sunday by the sound of someone banging on the front door. He lay in bed for a moment, but then he realised that someone would have to see who it was. After rolling out of bed and pulling on a pair of tracksuit pants, Jarrod padded down the hallway to the house entrance. He glanced back once to confirm that his housemates had either not heard the noise or had elected to have someone else res

I'm an amateur photographer, so every year my wife gets a few photos framed. We're slowly filling up the walls in the house with photos I especially liked a couple of the ones this year; they've come up really nicely. My gift giving is never particularly imaginative, so I would have to say the best gifts I gave were Season 3 of Death in Paradise and a copy of Shirley Valentine that I managed to find, both of which I gave to my wife.

Most, if not all, events in the world affect more than just those immediately involved. Everyone who touches those people are affected in one way or another. How they deal with it also varies. Karen and Stacey didn't want to be left alone, but that is what Neil wanted. When I did the research for this part of the story, I was surprised to find that sending Dave home would be the typical reaction of the emergency department. I had honestly expected them to keep him overnight. However, after a dose of anti-psychotic drugs, once they determined he was not in any immediate risk, there's no reason for them to keep him in the hospital. Most psychiatric treatment is done in the community and not in the hospital -- something I hadn't known before looking it up.

Thanks, Maarten! The stereotypical bully-becomes-boyfriend is generally hard to believe. As Liam acknowledges, it doesn't make sense for Neil to ignore the years of bullying that has occurred. If he's to have any chance, he's going to have to overcome that hurdle. Let's face it -- the odds of that happening have to be astronomical.

Dave's biggest problem is that his condition was undiagnosed. Everyone, including Dave, was misunderstanding what was going on. Since his anger problems were only recent, there's hope that they can be dealt with successfully. It's the underlying cause that's the major issue.

Thank you! Yes, Neil is beginning to grow up. Maybe all he needed were some friends? As for Dave, untreated PTSD can have some nasty consequences, as we've seen. Sadly, as you've said, it may be something he has to live with for the rest of his life

As soon as the police had finished questioning Karen, she went looking for Ty. He found her first, and she was quickly wrapped in his warm, comforting arms. “It’s okay, Karen. You did what you could,” Ty murmured. “I should’ve insisted he go back to the doctor. I should’ve–” Ty silenced her with a light kiss. When she tried to speak again, he gently shushed her and held her head to his chest, letting her tears stain his shirt. Karen didn’t know how long it was, but she eventually eased herse

Thank you!

:joe: Happy Birthday, Greg! :joe: :wizard: :wizard:

Ah...but how were they supposed to know that?

Thank you! Yeah, I'd hate to be in that situation, too

I think we all know a few people like that

Oh, my God... I never had any idea you were going to review this story. Thank you for all your kind words Humour is not something that comes naturally to me, but sometimes I get inspired. This story is one of those times The phase being highlighted came from an event during my university days. I can't remember the exact phrase, but it was poking fun at all the 'causes' at the time -- unmarried mothers, gay rights, whales, aboriginal rights.... It was a phrase that just needed to be made into a story

But, but...they had the best of intentions. Don't blame the girls too much

Hook? I'm sorry, but using a hook to catch gay whales is frowned upon...

I'm glad you liked it.

Thank you. I had fun writing it

Thank you. That scene took a lot of research, trying to work out what was reasonable and what wasn't. In the process I learnt that we're so varied that almost anything is plausible when it comes to mental health issues Triggers can be anything. In this case, it was an apparently innocent conversation. Dave has been getting 'primed' for almost two months since Tony joined the club, starting the process of his internal mental walls crumbling, and then everything happened at once.

I can't remember all the details as it was too long ago, but I do remember learning about GA when someone told me about a post here regarding one of my earliest short stories (now also here at GA). I came over and had a look at what people were saying, but I didn't join at that time. I was a member of a couple of other communities, and they were taking my focus. In addition, my life was just starting to settle down after coming out to my wife earlier that year. I wasn't prepared to join another online community. Unfortunately, the main community I was started dying. I was by that stage also a member elsewhere, but the community here was more vibrant and broad, so I joined. I can't remember the exact reasons or circumstances, but I'll just say it was a long time ago I joined in, made some good friends (several of which are still here) and then they made me a staff member. They've been stuck with me ever since PS: Please don't include me in the draw.

Thank you