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    jkwsquirrel
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

Commencement - 12. Liars' Club

 

It was about noon when Brett opened his eyes again.

 

“Billy?” he called.

 

“Yeah, I’m here,” I said. I cast aside the newspaper I’d bought at the gift shop while Brett was asleep and knelt at his side.

 

“Billy, I think something’s wrong…”

 

“Are you sick or something? Do you feel okay?” I asked urgently.

 

“No… I… I think I broke my leg…” Brett said with a sly smile.

 

“Smart ass,” I laughed.

 

“Yeah. I actually feel better now, not so woozy.”

 

“Do you need more pain medication?”

 

“No. No, that’s okay. The less of that stuff I take the better.” Brett asked me to give him the newspaper I’d been reading. “This is going to be torture. Who knows what I’m going to do for the next month while I’m stuck in bed.”

 

“There’s plenty of video games, television. I’m sure you’ll have a bunch of school work you’ll have to do.”

 

“That just sounds terrific,” Brett yawned. “Say, has my mom even been here today?”

 

“I haven’t seen her. I know she was here with you all night. She probably needed to get some sleep.”

 

“Sure. You were here all night and you came back this morning,” Brett said.

 

“Actually…”

 

Just as I was preparing to tell Brett his mom had sent me home, a nurse came into the room.

 

“How are you feeling, Anthony?” she asked.

 

“Who in the world is Anthony?” Brett replied. “Nobody calls me that.”

 

“Do you go by Tony or?”

 

“He goes by his middle name, Brett,” I informed her.

 

“Oh! Well, we’ll make a note of that right away. Are you his brother?” she asked.

 

“No, he’s my boyfriend,” Brett replied.

 

“Oh!” the nurse said. “Well it’s nice to meet you. Well, Mr. Reilly, how would you describe your pain right now?”

 

“How would I describe my pain? He’s about six feet tall, blond with green eyes…”

 

“Oh shut up,” I laughed.

 

“I feel good,” Brett said more seriously. “I’d describe my pain as dull and thumping. I feel it, but everything’s still numb.”

 

“That’s completely normal. We’ll keep monitoring. Let us know if it goes from dull and thumping to sharp and stabbing, okay?”

 

“Sure.”

 

She turned to me. “It was nice to meet you…”

 

“Billy,” I replied.

 

“Billy…” she said. “Weren’t you a patient here a few years ago? Broken wrist?”

 

“I punched the mirror downstairs,” I said, connecting the dots for her.

 

“Oh yes! Well, it’s good to see you again. I’m sure you’ll take good care of Brett.”

 

After the nurse left, Brett and I just sat and talked for a while. Brett was impressed that he could just lay in bed and pee right in front of me because of the catheter they’d given him.

 

“I could be peeing right now and you wouldn’t even know it.”

 

“Are you?”

 

“I don’t know. I can’t feel anything below my waist right now.”

 

“So you could be peeing right now and you wouldn’t know it either.”

 

“Whoa!” Brett replied, his mind obviously blown.

 

“So, am I naked under this gown?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” I replied. “But I’m naked under these clothes too.”

 

“I guess that’s true. How many of these nurses do you think have seen my junk?”

 

“All of them probably. I heard them talking earlier at the nurses’ station about how impressed they were. That’s why they had to throw a blanket over you, they couldn’t work properly with your thing exposed like that.”

 

“Dude, how am I even going to put on boxers with my leg like this?”

 

“Remember how you said you don’t care if your mom sees you naked? Well…”

 

“Ugh,” Brett groaned.

 

A little while later, Dr. Reilly appeared in the doorway.

 

“How’s my little peanut?” she asked.

 

“How do you think I am?” Brett replied, his tone of voice completely shifting to one filled with contempt.

 

“Billy, I’m kind of surprised to see you here. I thought I’d been clear when I told you to go home yesterday.”

 

“I…” I started, but then Brett jumped in.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.

 

“Brett, I don’t expect you to understand. Billy and I…”

 

“No. Isn’t it bad enough that you make me miserable? Now you have to make other people’s kids miserable.”

 

“If he hadn’t been so irresponsible as to let you get on that death trap…”

 

“Oh please! Do you really think that Billy could have made me do anything if I really didn’t want to do it? No offense, Billy.”

 

“He should have been stopping you, not encouraging you.”

 

“Oh, fuck off!” Brett snapped. “It’s not like you care about my safety any other time. I’ve practically been on my own since I was eight-years-old. I’ll be eighteen in three weeks. If I had put together a dirt bike in our backyard you wouldn’t have even noticed. It’s not like you’re such an awesome mother that you would have prevented this from happening.”

 

“If I had known that you were going to be riding dirt bikes up in the woods I would have stopped you.”

 

“You might have tried,” Brett said. “But the simple fact is, you weren’t there. You’re never there and you feel guilty about it and so you’re taking it out on Billy.” The monitor that was measuring Brett’s heart rate was beeping much more rapidly as Brett argued with his mother.

 

“Guys, if I need to go I will,” I suggested.

 

“Don’t even think about leaving,” Brett insisted. “If you go, I go.”

 

“I don’t think that’s possible at the moment,” I said.

 

“Brett, you need to calm down for just a moment and let me explain. I don’t blame Billy for what happened. But I am disappointed that he didn’t stop you before you got on that thing. He should have known that you…”

 

“How can someone who is supposed to be so smart be so stupid? I am responsible for my own actions, mother,” Brett said firmly. “And so are you. Billy’s got nothing to do with it. I got on the bike. I went too fast. And I’ll pay the consequences for what I did. It’s my responsibility, not Billy’s. And frankly, not yours either. So quit trying to lay the guilt trip on anybody else and shut up!”

 

Dr. Reilly stood there for quite a while. “I just…”

 

“Mom, I really don’t want to hear it.” He reached over to the call button and paged the nurse. Within a few moments, she arrived. “My pain is sharp and stabby now,” he said.

 

“You poor thing! We’ll take care of that right away for you,” the nurse replied. “May I ask the two of you to step out of the room for a moment? There’s a small waiting room at the end of the hall.”

 

“Billy can stay,” Brett insisted.

 

“No, it’s okay, let them do what they need to do,” I replied. I went with Dr. Reilly to the waiting room.

 

“I’m sorry he yelled at you,” I said.

 

“Oh, you think that was yelling? That’s just an ordinary conversation nowadays. I’ve totally lost him. He hates me so much. I don’t know how we can ever put things back together.”

 

“I have an idea,” I said.

 

“I know your idea. Destroy my best friend’s marriage and my whole life’s work.”

 

“It’s going to come out anyway, Jen. Better that he hears it from you. Jack came to the emergency room last night. He was out of his mind. Anyone could see that he was reacting as a father, not like an ambulance chasing lawyer. Have you seen Brett and Joey side-by-side lately? They look more alike now than they did before. You can’t keep this charade up for much longer. If you just tell him…”

 

“Billy, what do you expect to happen? Do you expect him to suddenly forgive me? Do you expect him to understand that his father has been living down the road this whole time and I never told him? It’s not just about him. Heather would be destroyed by what happened. I’ve worked years to build my credibility. Jack’s reputation as a leader of the community would be shattered. If it were as simple as just telling him and there were no consequences for others except for me, I would have told him by now. But it’s not about me. But the truth would destroy a lot of people.”

 

“No. The truth would destroy a lot of horrible liars. It would destroy the lie that Jack cares one bit about his family, since he was willing to throw it all away to sleep with his wife’s best friend. He doesn’t deserve the reputation he has. It should be destroyed. It would destroy the lie that you give a shit about anybody but yourself. This whole situation started because you were too selfish to realize that sleeping with your best friend’s husband would hurt a lot of people. You were afraid that the truth would hurt your precious career. You deserve to have people know what you did.”

 

“Does Heather deserve to have her marriage ruined? She didn’t do anything to deserve that. Does Joey deserve to have his parents get divorced? Does Brett deserve to know that he was the result of the worst mistake his mother ever made?”

 

“Yes. And all of those people deserve to know that it was you and Jack and your selfishness that made all of that possible.”

 

Just as I finished saying that, the door to the room opened. I was expecting the nurse to tell us that Brett was ready for visitors again, but instead Jack McKenzie entered the room. He looked much more calm than he had been the last time I’d seen him.

 

“The nurse told me this is where I’d find you. Joey is with Brett. Can’t say I’m surprised to see you here, Billy.”

 

“Where else would I be?”

 

“We were just having a little discussion about Billy’s continued cooperation,” Dr. Reilly said.

 

Jack closed the door and sat down. “I see. Well, Billy, I can understand your frustration. I’m sure from your perspective not much of what Jen and I have done has made a lot of sense. I’m sure you think Brett would be better off if he knew certain things. To be honest, sometimes I wonder if it’s worth keeping up the charade. It’s been eighteen years since everything happened. Sometimes it feels like the lying has become too comfortable.”

 

“Well there’s an easy solution. Quit lying,” I said. “Tell Brett the truth today. He deserves to know you’re his father. He’s been lied to enough.”

 

“Have you truly considered all the consequences, Billy?” Jack asked. “Are you prepared for Brett to hate you? Whether you like it or not, our lies have become your lies too. It was never our intention that you find out. But you did, and now you’re just as involved with this as we are.”

 

“Bullshit,” I said. “You have nothing to threaten me with, Jack. I fell for your lies before because I was afraid of your power. But I’m not afraid of you anymore. Your power is a joke. You’re just a smalltime lawyer in a smalltime little town. If you guys don’t tell him the truth, I will. This has gone on long enough.”

 

“No one is trying to threaten you, Billy,” Dr. Reilly said. “We’re trying to help you. You don’t know what it’s like to have Brett look at you the way he looks at me. Are you prepared for him to speak to you with the same contempt that he speaks to me? You could tell him, that’s true. But in Brett’s mind it will mean that you were the one responsible for breaking up Joey’s parents. It will mean that you were the one who lied to him for a year. Your relationship with him is built just as much on my so-called lies and selfishness as you claim my relationship with him is.”

 

“This is so stupid! I knew I should have never listened to you and just told him. I’ve been so blind! I thought I could trust you, Jen. You were never going to tell him. You don’t care about Brett at all!”

 

“You want to talk about trust?" Dr. Reilly said. "Let’s talk about a woman who claims that she loves my son, but then rejects him and tosses him aside like garbage when she finds out that he’s gay! I’ve never rejected you, Billy. I’ve been your biggest supporter! Your mother broke my son’s heart and treated him like garbage.”

 

“If you expect me to defend my mother’s actions, you’re sadly mistaken,” I replied. “You’re still trying to shift the responsibility for your actions to anyone but yourself.”

 

“No! I’m trying to keep you from making a mistake that would destroy your relationship with Brett. He needs you, Billy, especially now!” she said.

 

“No, you know what? You’re right, Billy,” Jack said. “You’re right. There’s no need to threaten you. You’re too smart for that. You know what? We’re going to go right now. We’re going to march right into that room and you’re going to tell Brett that you have hidden the truth from him for a year and that I am his father. Let’s go right now.”

 

Jack got up and opened the door. Jen and Jack exchanged a look, but she got up and stood by the door with him.

 

“Come on. You’re going to tell him right now,” Jack insisted.

 

Slowly, I rose from the chair I was in and walked to the door. Jack insisted that I lead the way. We walked back to the room to find Brett and Joey chatting and laughing together. When they saw us come in they stopped talking. Brett looked so happy and I was about to destroy him. I walked into the room and then Jen and Jack stood behind me. Brett looked at me with a hopeful expression.

 

“What’s up guys?” he asked.

 

“Brett, Billy has something he wants to tell you,” Jack insisted. “Go on, Billy. Tell him.”

 

I looked at Brett and Joey, then I glanced back at Jen. “I…” I stuttered.

 

“Come on. Tell him the news,” Jack insisted.

 

“What is it?” Brett asked.

 

“I…” I stammered. Now that it had come to it, I couldn’t do it.

 

“Aw don’t be so shy,” Jack said. “He wanted to tell you that I’ve offered him an internship at my law firm over the summer. And that your mom and I are going to pay for his college, anything that he has to pay for that his grants and scholarships won’t cover. Isn’t that right Billy?”

 

“I… Uh…”

 

“Aw, don’t be so shy, boy! I know talent when I see it. You’ve got what it takes to make it big. Anything I can do to help a bright young man like you along the way.”

 

“Uh… Yeah…” I said.

 

“Wow, that’s… That’s something,” Brett said. “I guess now you won’t have to worry about how you’re going to pay for school, Billy.”

 

“Yeah…” I said. Great, I’d just been bribed. That Jack really was smooth.

 

“Yeah, good for you,” Joey said, looking suspiciously at his dad and then at Dr. Reilly. I’d seen the glare he gave me before. It was the same look of contempt Brett had given his mom when she walked in the room earlier.

 

I felt sick. Jack didn’t even have to tell me the conditions of the deal, I knew exactly what he wanted from me. That he was willing to pay me to keep me quiet revealed his desperation. I told everyone that I needed to eat, but I really just wanted to get away for a while and process what had just happened. I walked to the elevator and pressed the button to go to the cafeteria floor. Just before the doors closed, Joey slipped into the elevator with me.

 

“I’m coming with you,” he insisted.

 

“Joey, I don’t have time to…”

 

“What’s your game Roberts?” he interrupted.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“Oh cut the crap. My dad isn’t paying shit for my college. If I didn’t get a scholarship, I wouldn’t have even been able to go. I was begging him for that fucking internship and he just fucking gave it to you! So what’s your fucking deal? What makes you so fucking special?”

 

“Why don’t you ask your dad?” I replied. The elevator stopped and we got out. I walked toward the cafeteria and Joey kept walking beside me.

 

“I just don’t get it. I work twice as hard as you. You barely study and yet you get all the breaks. Sarah has her dad change her grades if she doesn’t like them, gets a teacher to quit, fucks everybody… I don’t get it! Why am I always the one getting screwed?”

 

“Joey, I don’t give a shit about your problems. I really don’t.”

 

“That’s hardly surprising. You don’t care about anyone but yourself! You made that obvious today.”

 

“Are we going to go through this shit again, McKenzie? Look, I might give a shit about you if you hadn’t tried to shove your dick into my mouth and made my life miserable for years now.”

 

“Jesus, it’s back to that again! Look, Roberts, I’m sorry I did what I did. I was so fucking high that day, I barely remember it. I know that’s not an excuse, and I’m not trying to say it is. But it is what happened. I apologize.”

 

I stopped walking and faced him. “You apologize? Are you serious?”

 

“Yeah. And I’m not making one of those stupid ‘I’m sorry you thought I hurt you’ apologies either. I shouldn’t have done what I did. It was stupid and I’m sorry,” Joey said.

 

I looked at him for a long time. God, except for his dark brown eyes he looked so much like his brother. The dark brown hair and handsome face… It was almost like looking at Brett. Almost… “You don’t actually expect me to forgive you, do you? That was way too far. You should be in jail, not worrying about getting some stupid internship.”

 

“Whatever. I don’t really need your forgiveness. I’d just like you to know that I’m sorry. What you do with that is your business. You want to rat me out to my dad? Go ahead. He already thinks I’m worthless anyway. Hell, if it were me in the hospital instead of Brett I don’t think he’d even give a shit. He’d just complain about how much I was costing him in medical bills.” Joey turned and started to walk away.

 

“Where do you think you’re going?” I asked.

 

“I’m going back upstairs. Why?”

 

“Well, don’t you at least want to get something to eat? You did walk all this way. We’re almost there.”

 

“Why would you want to eat with me?” Joey asked.

 

“Because I don’t know anybody else here,” I replied. “Come on. We won’t be long.”

 

Joey and I grabbed a couple of sandwiches and diet sodas and then to my surprise he offered to pay for me. We sat at a small table and ate quietly. I pulled out Navi to check my sugar.

 

“How’s that working for you?” he asked.

 

“My meter?” I asked.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“It does pretty good. I haven’t had any issues.”

 

“Too bad they didn’t have that kind of thing when your dad was around. He might still be around. Hey, I’m sorry about what happened to him. That must have been hard.”

 

“Yeah it was.”

 

“I’ll bet. Is that why you grew your hair out?”

 

“I don’t know. I was growing it out before he died. I just never felt like cutting it until my birthday.”

 

“I could never have grown my hair long like you did. My dad would have killed me.”

 

“Yeah. Sounds like your dad’s kind of a dick to you.”

 

“Yeah he is. It’s like he expects me to be perfect all the time. I mess up one little thing and he’s all over me. All he does is yell at me. Nothing I ever do is good enough for him. Everything I do is wrong in his eyes. I hate him. I don’t even know why he had me. But nothing was worse than the day you told him about the abortion.”

 

“Why? Did he hit you or something?”

 

“I wish he would’ve hit me. He said I was the biggest disappointment in his entire life. I tried to say you were lying but he can always tell when someone is lying to him. He said he’d rather that you were his son than me.”

 

“Ouch,” I said. “Sorry about that.”

 

“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t give you much of a choice. I was high on speed or something that day. Andy would hook me up and I’d shoot up in that bathroom at the church. You almost caught me snorting coke in there the one day.”

 

“Is that what you were doing? Wow, I thought you were crying.”

 

“I probably was. That shit fucks up your sinuses pretty good.”

 

“So… You’ve done cocaine, then?”

 

“I’ve tried a little of everything; heroin, meth, speed, you knew about the pot, ecstasy, coke, LSD, everything but crack probably.”

 

“Holy shit! Does your dad know about all that?”

 

“I wouldn’t be alive right now if he knew. He’s sent me to rehab once. That was pointless.”

 

“Does Brett know what you’re into?”

 

“All Brett ever wanted to do was pot. Pot, pot, pot. Dude was such a stoner. I guess you must be important to him because when you told him to quit he did. Cold turkey. Not even a hit in years. I wish I could find someone who was important enough to give up everything for.”

 

“Why do you do all that shit? You’re going to mess around and kill yourself someday if you’re not careful.”

 

“What do you care?”

 

“Well, if you died from an overdose or something, Brett would be really sad. He likes you for some reason.”

 

Joey just smirked. “Some reason, huh? Okay. Whatever. Anyway, we should get back up there.”

 

We finished up our lunch and made our way back to Brett’s room. Joey had just enough time to tell Brett goodbye and then his dad insisted on leaving. Once again it was down to me, Brett, and his mom. But this time the conversation was much more pleasant.

 

“What are you going to do with me when we get home? I can’t go up the stairs to my room.”

 

“We’ll put you in the living room,” Dr. Reilly said. “We’ll have Billy bring your computer downstairs. You’re willing to bring his homework to him, aren’t you Billy? You can borrow Brett’s car to get to school and back.”

 

“Sure,” I said. If she was going to be paying for my college bills and lending me a free car, I guess I had to do whatever she wanted. Funny how we never had to have a conversation about it.

 

“What about Sneaker?” Brett asked.

 

“We’re not bringing him downstairs. Billy can feed him.”

 

“Sounds delightful,” I said.

 

“Guess I’m going to have a lot of time on my hands,” Brett said. “Better buy a box of tissues next time you’re out.”

Thus ends our time in the hospital with Brett. What is a hyperactive young man to do with nothing but time on his hands?

Next time: The Kids Aren't Alright
Copyright © 2017 jkwsquirrel; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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Dr Reilly is certainly not mother off the year stuff. That is very true. She then tries to ban Billy from Bret in  the hospital but never really gives a good reason for this. Billy to his credit at first and even later accepts her wishes without much of a fuss or fight and it is Brett that insists his must stay so she gives in like she always does. I also think it there is a very in dependant streak in this whole group of kids where they very much do their own thing regardless of what parents say or thinking things through. But they are at that invincible I am superman stage anyway.lol

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  On 2/16/2018 at 9:34 AM, Bushman60 said:

Dr Reilly is certainly not mother off the year stuff. That is very true. She then tries to ban Billy from Bret in  the hospital but never really gives a good reason for this. Billy to his credit at first and even later accepts her wishes without much of a fuss or fight and it is Brett that insists his must stay so she gives in like she always does. I also think it there is a very in dependant streak in this whole group of kids where they very much do their own thing regardless of what parents say or thinking things through. But they are at that invincible I am superman stage anyway.lol

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She never really had a good reason for the way she handles Brett anyway.  The kids are also at that age where they want to become their own person and make their own decisions instead of following the path their parents laid out for them.  And with the parents these kids have, I can't say I blame them. :P

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  On 2/16/2018 at 3:02 AM, Shadow086 said:

You forget this: "Anyone could see that he was reacting as a father, not like an ambulance chasing lawyer.  Have you seen Brett and Joey side-by-side lately?  They look more alike now than they did before.  You can’t keep this charade up for much longer."  and this: "Your power is a joke.  You’re just a smalltime lawyer in a smalltime little town."

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Nah, those are opinions, not necessarily true

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  On 2/16/2018 at 12:00 PM, Shadow086 said:

Fair enough, but so is this part of what Jack said: "I’ve never rejected you, Billy.  I’ve been your biggest supporter!"  That's not the truth, it's not even an opinion, it's an outright lie.  But the rest of what you quoted is the truth, though.

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You are right that this is not necessarily the truth. We don't know.  However, I think he is telling an important truth here.

I can see Jack supporting Billy and have no reason to think this is not true.

 

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Jack threatened to sue Billy and his family into bankruptcy if he didn't keep his mouth shut.  He also threatened to out Billy to the entire town.  That's not what I call 'being a supporter'.  I also think that Joey saying Billy was a loser not good enough for Brett was a line fed to him by Jack.

 

I guess we'll have to disagree, because I don't think Jack is supporting Billy at all.  He's very manipulative, and he'll do whatever it takes to keep his secret safe, even if it means pretending to be nice to Billy.

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My thoughts on Billy

's comments about the likeness of Joey and Brett being more noticeable now than previously and his other comments about that are likely very true. I suspect that even though we aren't told this , he has heard a number of comments from others along those lines.It is naive and silly not to expect that type of thing on a small community.

    The same holds true about Billy's comments about Jack being not as important or influential as Jack thinks he is. Billy would have heard plenty of comments on the small town gossip vine along this line of thinking and would know from his own observations as to whether Jack is a wind bag and blowhard!

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  On 2/16/2018 at 12:18 PM, Shadow086 said:

Jack threatened to sue Billy and his family into bankruptcy if he didn't keep his mouth shut.  He also threatened to out Billy to the entire town.  That's not what I call 'being a supporter'.  I also think that Joey saying Billy was a loser not good enough for Brett was a line fed to him by Jack.

 

I guess we'll have to disagree, because I don't think Jack is supporting Billy at all.  He's very manipulative, and he'll do whatever it takes to keep his secret safe, even if it means pretending to be nice to Billy.

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Yes, we do disagree.

The kind of support Jack is talking about is not in the things that happen between Billy and Jack.

It is about what happens between others and Jack in things regarding Billy. Think Billy's mom, the pastor, etc.

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  On 2/16/2018 at 12:19 PM, Bushman60 said:

My thoughts on Billy

's comments about the likeness of Joey and Brett being more noticeable now than previously and his other comments about that are likely very true. I suspect that even though we aren't told this , he has heard a number of comments from others along those lines.It is naive and silly not to expect that type of thing on a small community.

    The same holds true about Billy's comments about Jack being not as important or influential as Jack thinks he is. Billy would have heard plenty of comments on the small town gossip vine along this line of thinking and would know from his own observations as to whether Jack is a wind bag and blowhard!

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Don't you think that that is just Billy finally growing up? Realising that your town is not the center of the world, daddy is not superman, etc?

 

And the similarities between B and J. You'd be amazed at what people don't see if it isn't spelled out to them. Billy knows, so he'll see it...

Edited by Freerider
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  On 2/16/2018 at 12:28 PM, Freerider said:

 

Yes, we do disagree.

The kind of support Jack is talking about is not in the things that happen between Billy and Jack.

It is about what happens between others and Jack in things regarding Billy. Think Billy's mom, the pastor, etc.

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I still don't see it.  He didn't seem to do anything to stop the pastor from almost calling out Billy in his sermons, nor did he do anything to stop the rumours about Billy's mom having an affair with David.  In fact, he could've made the whole thing up to drive a wedge between them and isolate Billy.

The only thing I can give Jack credit for is getting Joey to leave Billy alone.

 

So let's agree to disagree, because I don't see anything in the chapters that would indicate Jack defending Billy from other people.  Of course, we only know what Billy knows, so you could be right, but from what we've seen of Jack's character, it doesn't sound like something he'd do.

 

What Miss Winston said when Billy visited her makes me think that the pastor knows too and will use that to push Jack out of the way very soon.

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  On 2/16/2018 at 12:39 PM, Shadow086 said:

I still don't see it.  He didn't seem to do anything to stop the pastor from almost calling out Billy in his sermons, nor did he do anything to stop the rumours about Billy's mom having an affair with David.  In fact, he could've made the whole thing up to drive a wedge between them and isolate Billy.

The only thing I can give Jack credit for is getting Joey to leave Billy alone.

 

So let's agree to disagree, because I don't see anything in the chapters that would indicate Jack defending Billy from other people.  Of course, we only know what Billy knows, so you could be right, but from what we've seen of Jack's character, it doesn't sound like something he'd do.

 

What Miss Winston said when Billy visited her makes me think that the pastor knows too and will use that to push Jack out of the way very soon.

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We'll have to wait for new chapters to get this resolved! :D

 

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My thoughts on Billy's comments about the likeness of Joey and Brett being more noticeable now than previously and his other comments about that are likely very true. I suspect that even though we aren't told this , he has heard a number of comments from others along those lines.It is naive and silly not to expect that type of thing on a small community.

    The same holds true about Billy's comments about Jack being not as important or influential as Jack thinks he is. Billy would have heard plenty of comments on the small town gossip vine along this line of thinking and would know from his own observations as to whether Jack is a wind bag and blowhard! More than this, he is very manipulative of those around him. We are shown ample evidence of this by his actions in what he says to Billy away from Brett's room. While those action may have the end result of supporting Billy they are merely a poor attempt to keep Billy from telling what he knows  about who Is really Brett's father. These actions are those of a manipulator who is afraid of dirty secrets being revealed not those of someone who genuinely likes and supports Billy.                                                             I find it quite ironic and amusing that the father has put himself in this position so quickly. I wonder if there is more that is being hidden that no one knows about yet!

Edited by Bushman60
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Time will tell if Jack's intentions are honourable or if they pave his way to hell.It is difficult to know for certain what he is doing until after he has done it and the results are there for everyone to see. I would have thought if Jack supported Billy's and Brett's closeness he would have locked horns with the errant preached and told him in no uncertain terms to leave well enough alone. But he hasn't . So something has to be happening that we know nothing about at this point in time.

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  On 2/15/2018 at 6:22 AM, droughtquake said:

Billy never could have done it, but he really should have come clean while everybody was in the hospital room! Jack had promised him everything and Billy would have had witnesses! But Billy just can’t confront Jack in front of Brett – or anyone else, for that matter!  ;-)

 

It really sounds like Joey knows about his connection to Brett. The three boys could team up to take down Jack – but what an unholy trio they’d make! I don’t know about Heather, but it doesn’t sound like Joey would be too upset if his parents divorced!  ;-)

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Thanks DQ!  This was Billy's best chance to tell the truth.  Instead, he crapped himself.  He may regret it later.

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  On 2/15/2018 at 6:50 AM, jaysalmn said:

I can't believe Billy let those two assholes get to him again! The longer he keeps the lie, the worse Brett's reaction is gonna be. He should have called their bluff! I bet they would have pissed themselves! Brett's mom and Jack are two of the most narcissistic assholes ever! So worried about their standing in the community! I can't wait til the lid is blown off their lie and the whole town knows exactly what kind of people they really are. Of course it won't come from Billy because he doesn't have the balls. I won't blame Brett one bit if he resents Billy when it all comes out.

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I think Billy is still a bit naïve when he deals with adults he's respected in the past.  Jack and Jen are using their knowledge of Billy to manipulate him.  Desperate people do desperate things.

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  On 2/15/2018 at 6:59 AM, BlindAmbition said:

OMG! Joey is a raging drug addict... That explains so much. Just look at the slimeball father. His church is the house of Satan. Built on lies and sins.

I have no more patience for Billy. He was doing so well standing up to Jack and the Dr. Brett stands up for Billy, while Billy can’t do the same.

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Fear has always been Billy's weakness.  He had the golden opportunity to tell Brett everything, and he blew it.  I think he'll regret it.

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  On 2/15/2018 at 8:22 AM, Page Scrawler said:

There's no doubt in anyone's mind that Joey knows Brett is his half-brother. As to whether Brett's figured that out yet? Well, Dr. Reilly has underestimated her son before. -_- I think Billy will eventually work up the nerve to tell Brett the secret, and Brett will say, "Old news, moving on."

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Wouldn't it have been nice to know what Joey and Brett were talking about before Billy walked back into that room?  Might have been interesting.  

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  On 2/15/2018 at 10:38 AM, Freerider said:

I'm very tempted to look up my earlier comments about how I think Billy is a weak boy and Joey is not the asshole everyone thinks.

But I can't find it. It must be buried under all the attacks I received for it :ph34r:

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  On 2/15/2018 at 11:51 AM, Israfil said:

I’d hardly call them attacks.  

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  On 2/15/2018 at 12:32 PM, Freerider said:

Haha, you are right. Those were no attacks. I just wanted to play the drama queen for a bit ;)

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It's hard to register differences of opinion on the internet and gauge the feelings of the sender and recipient.  It was a good conversation.  I appreciated it because it helped me to see that I couldn't just let Billy forgive Joey easily for everything he did.  Billy doesn't move very much in regards to Joey in this chapter, he just proves that he's able to have an adult conversation with his enemy without acting like a jerk, and he's able to do that because he sees some resemblance of Brett in Joey. 

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  On 2/15/2018 at 12:21 PM, Shadow086 said:

Billy Roberts caved under the slightest bit of pressure?  I did not see that one coming!

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What's the story description for this book?  "Billy must conquer his fears or risk losing everyone he loves" or something like that? :*)

 

  On 2/15/2018 at 12:21 PM, Shadow086 said:

Jack and Jen played him for a fool, and Billy knows it. 

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Yes he does.  He's sinking further into the mud with them.  How will he escape?

 

  On 2/15/2018 at 12:21 PM, Shadow086 said:

Wow, Joey's even more fucked up than I thought.  He's probably second only to Dustin in the messed-up life department.

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I killed off the one good parent in the story.

 

  On 2/15/2018 at 12:21 PM, Shadow086 said:

I can't forgive or excuse the things he did, but I now that I understand why he acts that way,

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That's what I was going for here.  I think you're in the same boat as Billy.

 

  On 2/15/2018 at 12:21 PM, Shadow086 said:

The Kids Aren't Alright:  such an appropriate title for a chapter at this point.  I think this is where all the lies start blowing up in people's faces,

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I wanted to call it The Empire Strikes Back but that title was already taken!

 

  On 2/15/2018 at 12:34 PM, Shadow086 said:

The people who care the most about their good reputation and standing in the community are usually the people who least deserve to have them.

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That's certainly the case in WAR land!

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  On 2/15/2018 at 2:39 PM, spikey582 said:

So... Billy is smart and objective enough now to know that he was manipulated by both Jen and Jack the previous year, tells them so and then essentially let’s them do the exact same thing...

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Billy has never been good in pressure situations.  Jen and Jack knew exactly how to play Billy: Complement him on how smart he is, call his bluff, and force him to make a life-changing decision very quickly under pressure.  These aren't kids Billy is dealing with.  They're pros, and they've had much more practice than Billy in manipulation.  Billy can talk a good game, but he's always been easily manipulated.

 

  On 2/15/2018 at 2:39 PM, spikey582 said:

No, Billy didn’t need to courageously stand up to them walk into Brett’s hospital room and give a dramatic revelation.  It wasn’t expected, nor was that the time or place for such a gesture.  

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I disagree - I think this was the best opportunity he was going to get.  Now that window has closed.

 

  On 2/15/2018 at 2:39 PM, spikey582 said:

Then again maybe not, as Joey’s years of sexual assault, misconduct, and harassment are apparently swept under the rug with a casual “sorry, drugs or something.”

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I wouldn't go that far.  Billy didn't accept Joey's apology.  He only ate lunch with him because he sees Joey's resemblance to Brett.   Maybe he's hoping that Joey will come to resemble his brother in his attitude and heart as well.  Life hasn't punished Joey for his sins quite yet.

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  On 2/15/2018 at 3:42 PM, Shadow086 said:

Joey's years of sexual assault, misconduct, and harassment are swept under the rug with a "Daddy doesn't love me, so I started doing drugs and treating you like shit so I don't feel so worthless."  That still doesn't excuse what he did, though.  I don't think what Joey did was right, and I don't think he deserves a free pass on it either.  But I don't think we should completely dismiss his explanations and circumstances either.  Joey's still an insufferable asshole, but at least now we know why he's an insufferable asshole.

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I agree.  Joey is every bad thing that everyone has said about him.  His life, while tough, isn't nearly as horrible as Dustin's.  Yes, his father is a manipulative, pompous, and emotionally abusive scum bag, but he's not exactly Frank Smith.  Joey gets a lecture for making his father look bad.  Dustin gets beaten if he swings at a bad pitch.  And yet, Dustin worked his behind off to get better while Joey retreated to substance abuse and taking out his frustrations on others.  But at least know we know why he's such a dick.  The drugs are a symptom of a bigger issue.

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