noahthesmallpotato

Okay, I've just finished the chapter... Hehehe! I must say, Aiden and Tyler handled their revelations better than I expected. I was expecting a fight first before they tell the truth. I've already kinda figured out that Mr. Hartley has more chess pieces in play. But what I didn't expect is that Tyler was among them. I loved that twist! Now that we're getting close to the end, I'm wondering how are Aiden and Tyler going to redeem themselves for the horrible things that they've done. The resistance has begun...

I had to stop reading after a couple of paragraphs because I had this really intense feeling I just had to express. I haven't finished the chapter yet, but that scene where Brett took out his necklace and whispered to it... It was just too powerful not to be acknowledged... God, it's just... wow! I didn't know such a simple act can speak a lot to me. “Please eat something…” Brett whispered. <--- this line! This f*ckin' line gets me! Brett is literally an Angel at this point. No one can make me think otherwise... *Sigh*. I've never felt that flood of emotion in a while. God that feels sooo overwhelming. What have you done, Jeff? Stop screwing up with my emotions again! HAHAHAHA!

I freaking knew it! It was supposed to be Tyden all along! However, this creates a more of questions that it answers. What prompted Tyler to finally confess? What took Tyler so long? What has he been doing all these time? When he said he shouldn't have listened to someone, who was he referring to? First thing that comes to mind was his friends. But I can sense it is more than that. And finally, does Aiden even feel the same way for him after all he has done? I'm so excited for the next chapter!!! I know I could just click next. But ahhhhhh! I just wanna live this excitement for a little bit more.

“You want my advice? Spare yourself the agony and just dump his ass. If he’d lie to you about something that big, what else is he lying about?” Remember when we readers kind of question Brett's irresponsible plan in Commencement? Is it possible that Aiden may have played a role in Brett's anger towards Billy after their trip? Their conversation in this chapter may have given Brett something to think about. Also, I loved that bit when Aiden and Billy stared at one another for a long period time. I don't know. It's very symbolic.

What I also find tough to accept is that Aiden may not really consider Brett as a friend, after Hartley's manipulation, even though Brett calls him one. But on the bright side, Brett would've figured it out if it's true. 🙂

I can imagine that. I also liked the addition of an aftermath! The Kids Aren't Alright ended like an intro to a superhero movie (dunnn. dundun dununnnn!!!). 😅

Edited: I just realized this comment may give readers a hint about a future chapter. Sorry. 😅

Alright, story is now getting intense! I think the moment Dustin kissed Aiden passionately was the time he felt love for someone for the since falling in love for Billy. I also believe that Dustin still truly loves Billy. But his experience with sex completely destroyed his perception towards it. He no longer thinks that sex is supposed to be intimate, but rather an abusive act (in a way). That's why he didn't want to have sex with Billy anymore. I'm hoping this will change though. (Edit: I meant I was hoping his perception of sex will change. Not to wanna have sex with Billy. Lol! Billy is only for Brett, no one else!) I've been reading other people's comments, too. I must admit, yes, it is a bit hard to try to root for the Aiden when I've been with Billy's side during the same course of time this story is also happening. It feels like betraying Billy, which I've known for a much longer period of time, if I sided with Aiden. I'm enjoying the story very much, don't get me wrong. The idea of having to see the good guys fall and the bad guys win from the bad guys' perspective kinda gives me the same vibe as House of Cards - in which by the way, it's main character, Frank Underwood, kinda resembles Mr. Hartley here, with all the manipulation and stuff. The way I see it. This is a story about an innocent boy getting caught in a crossfire. Whether he will end up being the dark side or finally finding the light is yet to be known during this point in the story.

Even though this story was told from Aiden's point of view, I can't help but begin to doubt the authenticity of his intentions in this chapter. He did say that it was all part of a plan to destroy Billy. But Brett also laid out reasonable explanations for Billy's character. Whether if Aiden considered those or not wasn't exactly pointed out in this chapter. I guess I'll have to discover it soon.

Ah the memories from Commencement, I love it! At this point, someone really has to correct Aiden's trajectory. He's under the spell of Mr. Hartley and I think only another person can save him from it.

Dude! That dangling Tyler off the balcony, and getting on top of him while smacking him in the face, is giving me Retaliation flashbacks! I've been on a 50-50 situation with Dustin, like I've mentioned before. And this particular part was a bit of a tipping point. Hope he picks himself back up in Dustin's World. By the way, that bit between Aiden and Dustin in the auditorium... feels odd. I know Aiden's a horny boy but Dustin...

Ah, so that's when good ol' Bishop began his quest. I can't stand Mr. Hartley's words. I don't see how those kids can't see his manipulative behavior. I guess that's what happens if you're at your lowest point in your life.

Oh my gosh, I didn't realize that when I wrote it. Sorry! Lmao! Tyden it is!

I guess you can already tell before that I will enjoy this chapter. If so, then yeah, I absolutely did. Hahaha! I've mostly seen Brett as a romantic partner to Billy in the W.A.R. series. I think It's refreshing to see this different side of him as a good friend. With regards to Aiden, I don't really see him having any sort of long term relationship with Dustin. It feels a little bit odd for me. Call me however you want, but I'm rooting for Tyden! (or Aidler, maybe?).

Jeez, Billy. Chill the f*ck out! Or should I say, Jeff chill. Don't make me hate Billy. That's never gonna happen. Hahahaha!

Hey Jeff! It's been a while! How are you doing? I finally got a chance to return to reading. And I followed your suggestion to read Aiden's War first. So far the first chapter is looking pretty compelling. Interesting set of characters, especially that Tyler boy. Kinda reminds me of Danny from String, because he also seems to string Aiden along in a way. I'm highly curious to see what you got in store for him. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to the W.A.R. story. As a matter of fact, I'm a bit scared it may bring back the memories and emotions that I had back then. Regardless, I'm very excited to see this whole new perspective in the W.A.R. Universe! Looking forward to Aiden's War!

Not as outrageous as my "hidden bunker" theory but we can't have everything, can we?Hahaha!

I literally teared up during the last bits of this chapter. So it took me a while to formulate my thoughts. This is gonna be a very long comment so you might wanna sit down. Lol! First off, I just wanna say how much I've enjoyed reading Billy and Brett's story from the very beginning. It was a helluva ride! We've witnessed the boys get crushed and dragged down along a rocky hill, and then eventually standing back up to finally reach the top. I'd just like to share my thoughts some of the memorable characters in the story: Paula definitely has the most satisfying redemption arc out of all the side characters. I can still remember how much I hated her from the previous books. I said that there's no way she's gonna fix her mistakes. But she did it anyway and with a bang! It's sad to see Jen go without leaving any sign of change. The thing is, I never saw her as a bad person at all. It's just in her character not to have any idea on how to become a mom. If we want her to accept Billy and Brett for who they are (which she did), then I guess we probably have to accept her for who she is. Joey is particularly mysterious to me. It's interesting how he didn't retaliate against Billy after their clash in Retaliation. He must've done some self recollection after that. (spin-off potential maybe?) I won't forget George. Even after death, he is still a hero of the story. He was the reason I shed some tears during the earlier chapters of Commencement. I loved his character over the course of five books, and that connection was retained even after his sudden departure. Now for the main characters: Dustin has been a vital part of the story since The Black Summer. We've seen him destroy himself and emerge as a more determined person. However, during Commencement, I noticed that he began to fall back to his former self. He slowly drifts away from Billy and we didn't even notice it until his farewell. I won't consider it as a flaw in the story, but rather an opportunity to branch out to a new narrative. Now for the man, the myth, and the legend: Mr. Anthony Brett Reilly! Among all of the characters, he is the one who I respect the most. When I first met him in String, I was amazed by his character, his wisdom, and his dignity. I knew immediately that I have to know his origins! This series told us a story of how a largely flawed boy was able to defeat his shortcomings and surpassed everyone's expectations. Brett Reilly is definitely a man that we could admire and follow his footsteps. And yeah, if it wasn't obvious enough, he is absolutely my favorite character in the entire W.A.R. series! Finally, for the boy who I relate to the most, Billy. I've shared his thoughts and emotions from the start. Since we have a lot in common, I understood why he's stubborn, arrogant, and sometimes acting like a jerk. One of my favorite scenes of him is when he punches the glass at the end of The Broken Boy. The portrayal of depression and anger in that book is absolutely on point. After that moment, Billy learned to accept his limitations by not blaming everything on himself. It kind of went too far when he started blaming everything else for his miserable life, but I'm really glad that he balanced it out in the end. Billy's Salutatorian's address summarizes the entire story in a very inspiring way. I swear I got chills while reading that part. And the fact that he even mentioned Helen and George in his speech made it even more meaningful! I can imagine how heartbreaking it was for your early readers thinking that this may be the last time they'll ever hear from you, and the characters. Watching Billy and Brett grow from two little kids dragging each other in the pond to... two tall teenagers dragging each other in the pond... (I love that parallel!) has been enthralling to say the least. It all started at the Park and ended at the Park. My connection to these characters has never been stronger, and it would be very tough to let go. I'm really glad you decided to continue the narrative from different perspectives. Once more, thank you Jeff for letting us experience this one-of-a-kind story! P.S. Is it weird that I kinda wanna visit the Park now in real life? I know the pond doesn't exist but still...

I've been saying that I share a lot of similarities with Billy as I progress through this this story. I'm shocked to know graduating as Salutatorian in high school is one of them. You sure we haven't met before IRL, Jeff? Hahaha! Anyway, I have many things to say about this chapter and the story. I'd prefer to share it in the final chapter. Here we go. One last trip to Palmer Park...

Paula is our hero of the day! She defended B&B against the powerful men as fearless as she can be, she fought against Jen for her parenting, and she seemingly adopts Brett in the process! Remember that I said she was far too gone? I take it back. I also take back all the hateful words that I said about her. She got a very satisfying redemption arc that I didn't expect. George would be proud! As for Jen. I'm gonna go along with Billy's thoughts. I think Jen is still struggling to let go of something that she's been working on all her life. She knows that it's the right thing to do, but she just doesn't have the strength to do it yet. Brett just needs to show her that her greatest achievement in life is not her works, but Brett himself. Now for the storm brewing. Mr. Hartley's choices for Billy is a moral conundrum if you think about it. Both choices lead to a disastrous situation. One choice would cause Dustin's downfall and perhaps the destruction of their friendship. Another would lead to a continued rise of hypocrisy and casualties to an already insane town. We don't want any of that. Some would say that he must choose the lesser of two evils. But I think Billy must think of a creative idea to deal with the situation. He can't just play with the cards he's been given. He must think outside the box. He's smart, and he has his friends and family. Maybe this time it's better to turn to them for help. Awesome chapter as always, Jeff!

YES! WOO-HOO! Way to go, Billy and Brett! I'm proud of you two! I've read this chapter again and again and I keep loving it every time! I couldn't think of a better way to bring the boys back together. This is as perfect as it is, and is absolutely one of the best chapters that I've read from you. Definitely at the top of my favorites! You can call The Reason the corniest song ever. But at the exact moment, i find it as the most fitting song for them. I think it marks the moment that both Billy and Brett finally chooses to change their ways and begin to show their love for each other in a way how it is always meant to be. I love the way how music and other forms of art integrates to the story. Yeah, that includes The Phantom from String. Here's an interesting story I'd like to share. After reading the Road Trip chapter, I was emotionally devastated for a couple of days. Originally, I had planned on reading the rest of the chapters on the following weekend. But I had a problem focusing on my daily activities as much as I used to because I kept thinking about this story. So I continued reading after two days of feeling drained. Thankfully, The Dance just brought my energy back. I'll be back soon to finish this beautiful series! I feel like I'm gonna experience another post-series depression like I did after reading String. That's the reason I scheduled reading this on a weekend - so I have at least 2 days to fix myself! Hahahaha! Wonderful work as always, Jeff!

Oh yeah! I'm just remembered that necklace part! I'm starting to think that are a couple more Easter Eggs in String that I might have missed since I paid more attention to Jake's story.

It's feels weird not to hear even a single word from Brett in this chapter. Somehow, it felt incomplete.

Interesting turn of events. Dude! During that speech, I kinda saw Mr. Reilly from String with the way he delivered his words to Billy. The Asperger's revelation really caught me off guard. I always have thought that Billy's actions were normal and that he's just a typical socially awkward genius. I don't recall him showing any restricted and repetitive patterns of interests and behavior. But It explains his lack of empathy and disregard of other people's feelings (as evident by the previous chapter), which would make him appear to his friends as insensitive - or in their own words, an a**hole. I think he has some symptoms, but I never categorized him to be as such. I do not completely agree when people say that Paula did the wrong thing by hiding Billy's diagnosis with Asperger's because, like what she said, it's not always necessary to categorize someone for their personality. Kinda like the idea of gender identity, not everyone has to categorize themselves as gay or bi. You love who you love, no matter their gender. Isn't what the LGBT+ community has been fighting for for a long time? To be regarded by society as an equal. To amend "Love, Simon" quote, "Why is [Having no Asperger's] the default?" However, that's just my opinion. I may be wrong. I'm completely open for corrections. But isn't it interesting that both Billy and Paula hid something from someone because each of them think that it was best for them? In Paula's case, Billy doesn't seem to be bothered as much as Brett is with Billy's case.

Ohhh I see, I might have misunderstood the intersection part. I thought it was a road intersection. Now it makes sense now. Thanks!