BendtedWreath

Malik had no idea what he had done wrong, but was so embarrassed by their reactions, that he refused to talk for most of the evening. It wasn’t until much later that he learned the greeting he had given them was a romantic one, not a friendly greeting for the end of the day, as he assumed. - Very relatable to anyone learning a different language. If you're well-liked, the locals love to mess around and have you say things you normally wouldn't without knowing what the words mean until later. Either way, Malik seems to be developing a bond with the family.

“Four.”/“Try four hundred,” Ashley informed him loudly./“Is that good?” Brandon asked indifferently as he shoved a piece of pork in his mouth./“For a gay boy in Glacier Bay? You’re practically a celebrity,” She replied excitedly. - HA! Once they were out of earshot, Tyler asked, “So Owen, huh? Doesn’t seem like your type.”/Brandon rolled his eyes and declared loudly, “We all do stupid things in our youth.” - Ha ha! Engaging in those activities was the reason he felt that pain, and he came to understand that he deserved it. - Wild. In his fantasy, Tyler would sneak into his room one night, and they’d make passionate love, and they would live happily ever after./Then Tyler ruined that when he admitted he was the bottom. - Then you clearly don't like him as much as you think you do if you can't accept the real him as he is. Alright, so while Ryan wasn't the cause of Dylan's prior injuries, he's still eager to use him. I do still have these shovels in hand.

“B for Brandon,” a high pitched voice called out from behind them./Brandon winced. “It’s too early for her.” - Ha! Even without the hangover, I doubt he'd have had the energy. She then hit play. It was a ten second video that began with Brandon saying you can’t have Tyler and ending with your head with someone else’s dick. - Oh no! “You better stay away from my little cousin,” Ryan spat as he pulled Billy by the arm. “He doesn’t need to be seen with a queer like you and that Dylan kid.” - Oh, hell. Ryan did that to Dylan didn't he? Where are those shovels I just had?

He made a face as the strong smell of alcohol and vomit assaulted his nostrils. - Where did he get the liquor from? “How much did you drink?”/“Not enough apparently,” Dylan slurred as he stretched out on the floor. “I still hate myself.” - I sympathize. Dylan wiped at the tears that slipped down his cheek and whispered, “No.”/“Are you sure?” Devin asked as he finally got the boy’s pants off. “Because if someone hurt you, I need to know.” - Well done, Devin. Affirm, affirm. “Usually guys want to get me out of my boxers before they put me in bed,” Dylan slurred as he tried to focus on Devin’s face but the effort caused him to suddenly feel the need to throw up again. - Oof. I don't like the sound of that. He pulled the boy roughly to his feet and shoved him on the bed. He grabbed the boxers and quickly pulled them up the boy’s legs. He didn’t even care that they were crooked. - Yeah, that's not important right now. ‘when I put him to bed he said something that bothered me’/‘Who do we have to kill?’ - I'll bring the shovels. His father shook his head and gestured at the pint./Tyler grinned. “What do you offer in return?”/His father eyes the ice cream for a moment and then said, “Another year living rent free in my house.” - Ha ha! Brilliant. “You know how things come up in conversation when parents get together,” His father explained. “Are we going to say you’re gay, figuring things out? Would you prefer it if we didn’t say anything?” - I wish I had a father like this growing up. “And this comes from your mother,” His father said as he paused on the second floor before Tyler headed up to the third. “We’d like to have Brandon and his parents over for dinner one night in the near future.” - Uh-oh. Their compromising was going just swell up until Brandon's parents were brought up. Unless you knew what it was, you’d never guess it was Brandon’s dick. Tyler made it his wallpaper and then rolled over and went to sleep. - I still pity anyone else who peeks at his phone's wallpaper. The conversation between Tyler and his dad was nothing short of compelling. The consideration, care, and candidness were clear to see (and I did not mean to aliterate there, I swear sometimes it's my default corny setting).

And he knew better than most the things a boy says after they came was rarely what actually happened. - Hear me out… did any of them send you a rainbow selfie while watering plants? He had turned left at the corner and was only two blocks from his destination when he heard tires screeching. He turned and saw Ryan Star coming down the road with a few of his teammates from the football team. - Oh, I don't like the sound of that one bit. What he couldn’t jump over, he slid under. What he could slide under he ran right through. - Go go go! He hadn’t told Matt yet, but he planned to open an online store to capture internet sales as well as listing high dollar value items on sites like Ebay. - Nice! The facetiming scene suited them. I dislike Ryan's presence looming in the background, and am more concerned about him than of Brandon's “university window.”

We didn't start the fire. It was always burning since the world's been turning.

He had no idea what her given name was, everyone just called her Nana. - You don’t question these things. Nana is Nana. Nana had outlived two husbands and served as a nurse in World War II. - Nana has contributed more to society than many, then. “I vape now,” Dylan said as he opened his eyes. “She can’t smell that on me.” - Keep telling yourself that. “The best part about vaping, you can do it inside and no one knows,” - Maybe it’s just me. I have a keener nose for these things. I can tell from a couple of yards away. “I just don’t like him,” Dylan repeated as he looked away from his brother’s intent gaze. “How can you like someone like that? He’s a whore, everyone knows it. You deserve someone better, someone who’ll appreciate you and won’t go around sucking every dick he sees.” - Green-eyed with envy, are we? The look of horror that crossed Dylan’s face confused Tyler but he said, “Hey, what makes you think I’d want to go to bed with you anyway?”/Devin looked at Tyler and then pointed to his dick and said, “Come on, I mean, you saw it.” - Ha ha! I must say, I enjoy seeing how unshaken Devin is by these things. “Look Dylan, I know this might be shocking but this is something that kind of happened recently and instead of running away, I am seeing where it leads,” Tyler said carefully. How could he explain it to Dylan when he didn’t fully understand it himself. - No, bud, that was solidly stated right there. It takes guts to keep moving forward, especially when you know you don’t know enough about where you’re heading. The few times they tried to engage Dylan in the conversation they were met with complete silence. So by the time they arrived at Nana’s house, they had given up trying. As Devin said, this was something Dylan would have to work out on his own. - I felt they handled it as well as anyone could have. “You stink,” Nana admonished him as she squeezed him tightly. “Why is someone as bright as you dumb enough to smoke?”/“Oh, Nana,” Tyler said as he moved out of the way so Dylan could get his turn. “Smoking isn’t that bad.”/“Two,” Nana said as she held up two bony fingers, “of my husbands died of lung cancer.” - Ha ha ha! Tell them, Nana. Tyler said flatly as he crossed his arms, “Sounds like you’re mad that your friend is getting sucked off by someone else. Are you sure there isn’t something else bothering you? Are you mad that you can’t suck him off?” - Oh boy. “Because I am gay, Nana,” Tyler said softly as he straightened up to his full height. “Maybe.”/Nana put both her hands on her cane and glared at Dylan as she said, “Then what he said was even more horrible.” - I didn’t expect to have to suffer eye allergens today. Where is that tissue box? I hope this whole situation gets cleared up, or at least they figure out a way to move past it.

Brandon rolled his eyes as Tyler continued, “Seriously, he doesn’t think you’re a freak. He’s just uncomfortable because he saw us in bed.”/“What?” Brandon exclaimed loudly. “When?” - I was wondering when this would come to light for Brandon. I was not disappointed. “Yes, because I’ve always been private and would like to keep us a secret because I think it’s special. But no, because I don’t care what anyone thinks.”/But the way Tyler had mentioned it was special made him feel all bubbly inside. And though they rarely saw one another during the day, it would be amazing not to pretend when they did. - Glad they sorted at least this much out. So, now we understand a little more about the rift between Brandon and his parents. A twelve year old trying to reach out to his parents only for them to ultimately send him away... actually, I'm not sure what hurt him most, the fact that they physically sent him away or that they downplayed his feelings by claiming it was a rebellion against their religion. As for the rest of the chapter, it's a miracle that glacier remains unmelted with the amount of heat those two generate.

He turned to get a look from every angle as he tugged at the crotch of his pants. They were a few years old and he could barely button them. - Oh, I feel that and I’m not even in a pair of tight pants. Not since my emo era- none of you read that. Forget you even saw it. And he wanted to make a good second first impression. - Nice detail! He had removed his black nail polish and his messy blue hair was slicked back with more product than he had ever used on any of his numerous hair styles over the years. He hadn’t even put on any eye makeup. - I admit that’s going a bit too far. Dressing for the occasion is one thing, but going out of your way to present a different image of you is just not worth it. “It would never be a bother,” Tyler said softly as he looked up and down. “You look…different.”/ Brandon looked down at his outfit and asked, “Bad different?”/“You look amazing,” Tyler said quickly. “But then I always think you look amazing.” - Well, well said, Tyler. I’m so proud. Brandon entered the warmth of the theater and explained, “He’s never been mean or anything. But lately, he’s been giving me dirty looks everytime he sees me in the hall.” - Hahaha! “Because,” Dylan said as he looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to what he was about to say. “He’s gay.”/“And?”/“What if people start saying you’re gay?” Dylan asked with a disgusted look on his face. - Oh. Looks like Dylan needs a private conversation. Brandon thought he saw Dylan and another boy he couldn’t really see slip around the corner. But there were so many people standing up he couldn’t be sure. But he found it weird that the boy would talk trash about the movie and then watch it anyway. - Young love/lust? “For how long the both of you could kiss without taking a breath,” Tyler explained cheekily. “It was really rather impressive.”/“Not as impressive as how long you could get a handjob without blowing your load,” Devin countered back with a twinkle in his eye. “Now that was impressive.” - The start of a friendship. Mindy still looked clueless so Devin offered gently, “It’s the movie where Brad Pitt played Achilles and Orlando Bloom played someone brooding.”/Mindy’s face lit up as she exclaimed, “I remember that movie. Brad Pitt is hot.” - Ha ha! Clever reference. “Speaking of that,” Mindy said as she wrapped her fingers around Devin’s hand. “Tyler, when did you suddenly turn gay?” - Ah, Mindy. Asking questions you don’t want to know the answer to. Tyler squirmed in his seat and silently pleaded that Brandon would keep his mouth shut for once. Brandon grinned at him and said, “Devin helped Tyler embrace his desire for me through encouragement and understanding. You should be proud of him, he’s a really good friend.” - Nice save!

Matt noticed Brandon and called out with a smile, “Hiya, shithead.”/“Nice to see you treat everyone the same,” Brandon said dryly as he pulled his hood down. - Ha ha. The man held out the bills again and Matt slapped his hand, “Keep your fucking money. I didn’t do anything but pop the hood. Why don’t you save it for your plastic surgery fund?”/The man laughed and returned the bills to his wallet. He looked at Brandon and said, “Don’t let him scare you. He’s really a teddy bear deep inside.” - Oh, wow. I had an uncle who behaved similarly to this, may he rest in peace. A gruff shit-talker, but dependable once given the chance. I still miss that uncle. I interrupted his very busy day of drinking beer and watching TV in his underwear. - That sounds as good a day as any. “Why would I give two shits whether or not other people understand it?” Matt asked hotly as he lit a cigarette./“Maybe because your best friend is telling you and that should be good enough,” Jesse said flatly as he opened the car door. He looked over at Brandon and said, “It was nice meeting you Brandon. Don’t let him get away with not paying you fairly.” - Another true friendship. Matt caught him staring at the disappearing car and said, “He’s hot, huh?”/ Brandon nodded and pulled his hood over his head as he said, “I wouldn’t kick him out of bed.”/“I reckon you just might.” - Ha ha! Matt looked at him with a sad expression and answered softly, “Never said he was wrong, just not gotten over it.”/“Like Jesse has?”/“Jesse understands me, maybe the only person that ever has. When he arrived at Glacier Bay High in his senior year, he could’ve been the most popular boy in school but for some weird reason, he threw that all away to be friends with me.” - I find it amusing that Brandon considers the town so boring and bland while the older generations recall lively or tumultuous times. “God damnit,” Matt said loudly as he turned into Glacier Bay Estates. “It’s yes or no. Frankly I don’t give a good two shits if you do or not.”/“Really?”/“Yes fucking really.”/“Then I will.” - Whether he knows it or not, Matt has a way with adolescents. If you ignore them like cats, they’ll want in. If you pester them too much, they scat. You can’t tell me you don’t miss my cock in your mouth.”/“Apparently a lot less than you do,” Brandon said as he pulled his hand free from Ryan’s grip. - Well said, Brandon. “If you know what’s best for you, you’ll keep your fucking mouth shut.”/“Keeping my mouth shut is the whole reason you pushed me,” Brandon called out as he watched Ryan sprint down the aisle in the opposite direction. - Yes, ironically enough. After about twenty names, Brandon blurted out, “I’m not going to tell you.”/“We definitely know it’s not Ryan,” Ashley said as she thought about who it might be. - And thank god for that. “Tyler Scott?” Ashley exclaimed as she jerked the wheel so hard she almost went off the road./“Pay attention,” Brandon screamed as he braced for impact. “Yes, Tyler Scott.”/“He’s like the hottest guy in school,” - Ha ha, score! There was a lot to both love and to be concerned about in this chapter. Ryan sounds like the type that doesn't take rejection well (even what he'd consider "playing around"), and it's great to see that Brandon has a close friend in Ashley and someone he can safely talk to regarding Tyler. I was really engrossed in this one from start to finish.

Now I wonder what happens from here to the conclusion. This is also a stray thought, but considering the title of this chapter was "Did I Make You Gay?" that one line spoken in dialogue by Devin still landed without it having really spoiled anything. I need to remember that so that I stop worrying too much about my own chapter titles spoiling any of the contents... that words and phrases technically require context to then be considered "spoilerish."

Dylan looked over at his brother and then quickly turned his head. He asked, “Why are you watching him shower?”/Tyler shrugged but it was Devin who replied, “Because he likes looking at naked guys now.” - Ha ha. Dylan shuffled his feet and said softly, “Last time I went camping, one of my friends jerked off inside it, okay.”/“You’re right, that is gross,” Tyler interjected as he looked at Dylan’s embarrassed face. “Um, why didn’t he jerk off in his own bag?” - Ha ha. Sounds like a friend that Dylan knows quite well. Knows him better than the back of his own hand, that one. Devin is as good a friend as he is an older brother. And I wonder where the junkyard negotiations will lead in regards to Brandon.

This comment killed me with its brilliance. Agreed. I couldn't stop laughing, either! My thoughts on chap 17: Since Devin wouldn’t come down from the mountain so to speak, he’d just have to go up and find out what the hell was shoved up his thingy. - The amount of times I hear that phrase "if you don't come down from the mountain..." from my family makes my head spin. I've made my peace with not being able to provide what they want from me and of me. “Then I’ll just sit here and whistle,” Tyler said with a grin as he started to whistle the famous march from Star Wars.” - Ha ha! “Yep,” Devin said as he looked anywhere except at his friend. “Wanna take a guess at what I saw when I opened your bedroom door?” - Oh, he knows. “You blew me off so you could fuck Brandon of all people? Or more accurately so he could fuck you. How could you?” - Technicalities. “So it wasn’t for having dirty gay butt sex, it was for having dirty gay butt sex with Brandon.” - More technicalities. “Wait, did I make you gay?” - I laughed so hard when I read this. “Why didn’t you at least text me and say you were busy instead of leaving me hanging all afternoon? Nana kept asking about you. Where’s Tyler? And what was I supposed to say to that? Sorry Nana, he’s busy getting drilled in the ass by a whore but I’m sure he wishes you a happy birthday.” - Valid concerns. “I’m just saying,” Devin countered as he rubbed his leg. “Before the bet, straight with girlfriends. After the bet, on your back with your legs up.” - This entire chapter is making me laugh with every sentence I continue to read. “So seeing yourself jerking off in a painting got you excited and you fell on his dick.” - Still laughing. “Again I ask, if there was a bucket, why did you both piss out a window?” Devin asked again slowly. - Ah, Devin. Why do you ask questions you don’t want to know the answer to? Devin made a face and declared, “I still don’t know about Brandon, but I do know you and I got your back on this.” - True friendship. This chapter was comedic gold and a pleasure to read. I am relieved that Devin was more angry about being left out of the loop and Tyler not coming through on his commitment to his Nana than the fact that he was gay. I am still reeling.

“I read online that two bottoms never work out, as they can’t give the other what they really want.” - Don't believe everything you read online. “I think we should do what comes natural and don’t worry about putting a label on what we do in bed." - That's a fair perspective to have. “Out of all the amazing local places in town, you pick a national chain that uses frozen pizza dough.” - Ha ha! More than one of them does, not just "Pizza Slut." Not that it still doesn't make me hungry. I now crave pizza. “What was the truth?”/Tyler squirmed until he could stand up. - Still very much dancing around instead of answering him. “I was thinking, you have such a big dick for such a small boy.” - HAHAHAHA! I'm glad they're listening to each other and are relatively honest.

I owe you an apology. Whether it was my ADHD, being distracted with events and fun collaborations, or severe lack of the passage of time of anything outside of my work calendar... I lost track of not just this story, but a lot of other multi-chaptered work from other writers. That being said, the best part about my 'key moments as I go' method of leaving comments is that it gently jogs my memory of the scenes I read. For example, how I envy Brandon's hyperthymesia just a bit. The worst part about reading my older comments was cringing at a version of me that was still half new to the site and didn't know or recognize as many members as I do now. A lot of the comments left by others were brilliant, and I ended up wrapped up in reading them all as I hunted for where I left off. Seriously, the comment section is practically bonus reading content at this point. @Cane23and I have similar funny bones, @Thirdly and @weinerdog became fans of the fictional version of Christine, @chris191070& @drsawzall were really wrapped up in the family dynamics you portrayed, @Lee Wilson and you shared personal anecdotes... it was all quite entertaining, half of which I missed because: A. I was reading during my lunch breaks at work. B. I didn't check all the notifications that came after. Well, after finding where I left off, I now remember why I avoided the comments section before. Where I last left off, it was not only halfway into this chapter, it was halfway into the whole story, and some of the comments contained spoilers. Onwards: Tyler ran his finger down Brandon’s crack and pulled on the straps of the boy’s jock as far back as he could before he let go. Brandon squealed as it made a slapping sound against his bare skin. - I swear I heard that sound from here. He pushed Tyler’s face deeper as he said, “Oh fuck, eat my ass.” - Ah, now I remember why I needed a day off work before I continued reading. I made myself a note to continue reading during time off, but not why... talk about inefficient efficiency. “Shut up and eat my ass,” Brandon ordered as he wiggled his butt. “Shove your tongue in there.” - Ha! You heard him. “Sorry, I couldn’t last any longer.” - It was still hot enough to melt another segment of Glacier Bay, if you ask me.

I know even less. And grammar checking programs are a double-edged sword. Sometimes they boost a sentence, and other times they kill the fun of it.

Unfortunately, even short falls could kill a person if they landed the wrong way. Thank goodness he didn't land in a more arid field with rocks.

The amount of amusement I find in this is unable to be expressed in words. 🤣

Welcome to the forum!

It is a relief that the priest was able to communicate with Malik. While he didn't get the answers he wanted, at least he knows a little more about the environment he's in.

I'm about to go through a tunnel and my connection will be lost, so I'll keep this brief: I assumed on first read that Malik didn't fall from too high to have survived, or was his fall possibly buffered?

Of all words beginning with R, auto correct chose Chalice? 😂

IMPORTANT: Please DO NOT do ANYTHING with your story once it has been submitted to the anthology. We lock edits to anthologies, but we can only lock so much and making ANY changes can cause issues with the system. If there is something with your story that absolutely needs fixed, added, etc, PLEASE contact @Cia or Valkyrie. Thank you! Does this include events that aren't anthology-specific? I was unaware of this. Does altering include attaching them to a "Series" or "World" posthumously? If so, I apologize, as I did this some months ago to a couple of stories that I forgot were attached to other events.

This initial peek of Malik, the fighter and survivor, and his vulnerability is an opening I will never forget. Add the mysterious way in which he vanished, and I'm already concerned about what's to come!

I'm a little late on this, but I also enjoyed this one, and not just because of the Japanese elements. The rocky state of our world as it is present day, it was a pleasure to read about an exchanging of culture that resulted in both sides developing a deeper understanding of each other.