Mark Arbour

There are actually more players than that in Robbie's potential estate. He picked up the ball to redevelop Claremont...will he fund that through his will, or leave that effort to struggle on without him? And what about Wally and Clara's brood? He was sending them money, and promised to pay for their educations. And there will probably be more.

Thanks for the review. I think that what's really neat is that Will and Brad are communicating. It's easy to see how hard that can be when the rest of your life is fucked up, and it sounds like that's where Brad was coming from prior to 9-11. Of the characters I've written, no one makes for a better conflict scene than Brad. I'll have to think about how he approaches that, and things in general, post-Robbie.

Duh. Seriously, good luck, and keep us all posted on how things are going.

I don't know which US university you're at (and I'm not asking you which one), but unless you're at some freak school like Liberty they'll have a counseling program. Take advantage of it. Your problems are not unique, but they can be dangerous, especially when the depression turns into despair and then hopelessness. I spend most of my days on a campus that is pretty conservative, but even here, gay people are accepted well by their fellow students. It's not as stigmatized as it was, and this younger generation is way more accepting. I realize that doesn't help the feelings inside you, but it does make the world you may come out in safer for a guy like you. Another thing to consider is talking to a professor that you feel close to. One that has been involved in the GLBT organization on campus, or makes gay-friendly observations in class, may be a start, but most will guide you to some resources. If you have a mentor, that person can make a huge difference, and would most likely not be hostile to your homosexuality. Bottom line is that there is a lot less hostility, and a lot more support, especially on campus. The fact that you're a good student will matter (even though it shouldn't).

I've kind of evolved in my thought like Steve has. I used to be a big proponent of fighting in hockey, but I'm less so now. The main reason for me was being involved with hockey players who play in the younger leagues. Basically from the minors on, most fights are staged. The idea that it's some spontaneous outburst of emotion isn't usually true, and if that's gone, the geniuneness (new word) is gone, and that makes fighting kind of lame, IMHO.

Will and John are cousins, but in the CAP world, it's a little more complicated. There aren't any blood ties between the two (Will's father was a bastard...some say he still is ;-)). Besides, in my informal research here on GA, it is not grossly incestuous for two male cousins to mess around.

I think you're right about the ghost writing. Red Storm Rising was my fave

I think it's probable that Brad will have a fling with a college-aged guy, because they're hot. I think you should allow some room for Brad to mature from all these events. It is possible. Filler. Yep. Should be done in a chapter or two. Because I never manage to come up with new dramas.

Great review as always, Kody! If you think about it, cars are ideal places for conversations, since it's just the two of them, and they are isolated from the world while still being part of it. I chose Wellbutrin because it works fast (as opposed to Prozac or the like, which can take a bit to build up in the system). I suspect that Brad is fluctuating between anger (which could morph into hate, but probably won't) at Robbie, and an extreme sense of loss. I would expect that to continue for a while. You picked up on a key issue in the exchange with the teacher: Will called Brad. A month ago, he would have called JP.

I think that Will actually has a pretty realistic view on things, but he was trying to boost Brad's ego, and he was trying to insert a little humor into a tense conversation. When he wants to, he can really manage his father well. We'll go on the assumption that Will has talked to Kai, and we'll see more when Will visits him in Hawaii (even though I haven't written that yet). I'd expect Tony to show up soon.

I'm going with the surprise option. I could be wrong...your mileage may vary.

An incredibly insightful review, Jason. I especially liked your remarks about the conversation between Brad and Will. When I wrote that, I hadn't clearly thought about what Brad was doing, but you're right. In order to communicate what was going on effectively to Will, he had to communicate those same things effectively to himself.

You are hilarious. Yes, I hated math. It was my worse subject. English and history were the best. Yet now I'm relatively good at math, so go figure. It's interesting that these last few chapter have exposed two root causes of problems. Without the 9-11 attacks, we wouldn't have gotten them out, at least not so cleanly.

See, I look at this differently. I think that people can define their relationship in terms of what works for them. Stef is a good example. With Greg, he needed to be monogamous, but with JP, they are both fine with a more relaxed approach. I don't think it cheapens things, I think it is just different. I think in relationships that are more open, it works best where the emotional bonds are strong, and the trust is complete. So I think it is probably accurate to say that for Brad and Robbie, an open relationship didn't work, any more than it would have for Stef or Greg. That's not to say that Brad couldn't actually have that kind of relationship with someone else (an open one), but i tend to think it's unlikely.

Thank you so much for this review. It was very nice, and very thoughtful. Sometimes I wonder how I do this and have a real life. Brad always narrowed his choices down to Max (the safe bet) or Robbie (the fun thrill with gain and pain). For him to grow, he's going to have to see that there are other options out there, and that not everyone is that extreme. But his love affair with Robbie has been pretty obsessive for both of them, and it's good for him to realize there were both positives and negatives to that.

When my son had issues at school, I was usually the one who went ballistic. He hated to call me when there were problems. Then again, so did the administrators. :-) But you're assuming that Brad is the one who confronts the teacher. ;-)

I'm so glad you weren't disappointed! Thanks for the review. Damn, you guys are a demanding bunch. :-)

Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you liked the chapter. I don't think the teacher deliberately sparked the outburst; that would be a little raw. But it's an interesting idea.

LOL. Thanks for the review. I hope you've showered now. I've been trying to keep up a posting schedule of every 4-5 days, while still maintaining a real life. So far, I'm on track. I agree with you about how Menlo would probably handle things, but then again, teachers are individuals, and individuals are unpredictable.

Thanks Carlos. I recognized that the Brad-Will conflict was becoming tedious, but I think it was necessary as a precursor to the 9-11 attacks, and it also makes sense, since these two are very strong characters, and it is likely that they will butt heads throughout their lives. They are learning to do that in a better way.

A good summary of Brad and Robbie, but remember that Robbie's mode of retaliation was to fuck other people, and that's bound to fuel Brad's insecurities. He's never been able to handle that. I wonder if he could handle it if he was with someone besides Robbie?

Thanks Miles. I really do think that Brad and Robbie are that classic couple with an almost fatal attraction, where they love each other so much, but they're really not good for each other.

Or perhaps there's another reason the teacher lost it like that. Regardless, the author cherishes his license. Such an excellent observation about teen attitudes in general, and I loved your comment on the psych class. I think I cataloged all of my pets, current and past, by personality type after that one. You've accused (or credited) me with often having some moralistic point to my stories and chapters, and in this case, it's pretty apparent. I've been struck by how often people in relationships revert to the same destructive (or self-destructive) behavior when faced with stress or conflict. For Brad and Robbie, they have a pattern where they each made each other insecure to the point of irrationality. And Brad is asking himself now if it was worth it, if that roller coaster ride of insecurity was worth the emotional bliss that came during the up-cycles. Hopefully he'll ask himself, before he gets involved in another relationship, whether the insecurities his potential partner stirs in him are insecurities he can manage.

September 15, 2001 “I hope you don’t mind driving over with me,” I said to Will as we motored down I-280 in the Ferrari convertible Robbie had bought me. I was getting immune to these constant reminders about him, probably because they were everywhere. “No, it’s cool,” he said casually. “I ride in this car a lot.” “In this car? In my Ferrari?” I asked him, pretending to sound outraged, when I was only joking. “Ye

Thanks for the review Kody! Great as always. I loved this line: "I asked you to talk to my daughter, not fuck her" LMAO.Will used protection, so I think we're covered there. I think that Will did that more for Marie than for him (I know...hard to believe) to provide that extra intimacy between them, and to help heal the rift. I'm not sure it was such a good idea either, but it seemed to work out. I think the reason Kyle targeted Will was partly out of jealousy, but mostly just because he found a way to deflect the blame (and Erik's anger) away from him.