Jashley13

@guest_diabound Maybe I do get swept up a little in the drama. One of the things Bashful_Scribe and I talk about quite a bit is how differently our stories are structured: his is very episodic, while mine flows more fluidly, one chapter to the next. I think if I were to publish these as books, the drama would be a little bit less. I've gone over previous chapters and found just how often Jack seems to be in over his head. Then again, drama is the essence of a teenagers' life so what you gonna do? I reiterate my promise that there will be lighter times ahead. And as for your wish about Jack, well...keep reading

@guest_diabound I completely understand what you are saying and I agree. I promise to do my best to make more light chapters in the future. However, for this particular story arc, the 'dark and depressing' stuff does have a point, I promise. And believe me, I truly see what you are saying about Jack's personal angst; I'm basing a lot of it on how I was at the time. I can't promise that the next couple of chapters will be completely above the stuff that might be a turnoff for you but I promise to do my best to get some more levity involved

Two more big scenes to write, one of which will be fairly painful. Should be out soon

Hey everyone! Sorry about the dour mood in the forum the past couple of days. Let's add some cheer, shall we? The next chapter is almost done and should be out in the next few days

Quick follow up to the previous message: this was not meant to be an attack on anyone. The message was sent to me privately, not here on the forum. I welcome any and all suggestions (seriously, the stuff you guys come up with is AMAZING) but just that particular subject...that's my one big 'no'. You guys are the best and I love and respect you all. Thank you all so much for being the best fans ever.

Hey everyone! Quick little message, a bit more serious than you're probably used to, but it's something I just wanted to say. A few days ago, I received a private message excitedly asking me when I was going to put rape in my story. I'll just answer them here so everyone else can see the answer: I'm not going to. This is not because I think rape doesn't exist or that it shouldn't be include in stories...it just won't be in mine. I could list of many reasons (one of the main ones being that it brings back some very painful memories I'd prefer not to delve into) but I think chief among them, just in terms of the story, is that there is no purpose for it. I once read an author who stated that rape is something that 'happens to women'. It's a plot device to amp up tension and drama, usually with a female, so they can go through a tough time and come out stronger on the other end. To me, there are a billion better ways to do that than to have them go through something so awful. Again, I'm not trying to demean writers who put it in but I feel like there is no place for it in my story and to put it in would go against moral principles I hold myself to, as well as the respect I have for my characters. They are not technically real...but the issue is. And I wouldn't feel comfortable putting my characters through that just for 'character growth' and 'plot development'. It's just something I've never enjoyed reading. Even with great writers, like BashfulScribe, my least favorite parts of their stories are when rape comes in. It's just a personal thing for me, not anyone else. Sorry to be so dramatic but it's just a personal thing. More positive news soon!

I'm working as fast as I can on the new chapter, I promise This is going to be another 'big' chapter, with lots of major plot points. I'm trying to get as much writing in per day as I can and I want to have it done by the end of this week (though that is kind of wishful thinking). Also...not to spoil anything, but writing this more dark, depressing side of Jack and company takes a lot out of me so I have to work slowly so I don't end up burning myself out. It's an emotional thing but I promise that I am going as fast as I can

Realize I'm very late on this but congratulations for the child and I'm sorry about the other medical issues I hope everything is going well for you guys. My wife and I keep you in our prayers

For those wondering, yes...Tara is the same age as Jack and Kayla. I thought I stated that before but if it was unclear, I apologize.

Hey everyone! Time for the Reality Check: - Jack and Kayla's argument about how to help Belle at the beginning of the chapter is very similar to one my wife and I had regarding a friend of ours. Not the same circumstances, of course, but the same sort of idea about how to approach it. - I mentioned before that I'd known several guys who gave their girlfriends promise rings, but Craig's obsession with it is based around one close friend of mine, who I had to shake on more than one occasion just so he would shut up about it. - Jack's conversation with Belle is almost identical to one I had with an ex-friend. The context is changed a little bit (I didn't think my friend was legitimately in danger) but a lot of the words are lifted from real life. - The meeting with Ms. Jens was identical to the one I had with my guidance counselor, sans the whole friend-in-trouble thing of course. Not a whole lot this time around but since this is where the story takes quite a bit of a deviation from real life in terms of what happened, that might be the norm for a little bit. Also, just a warning for you guys...the next few chapters are not going to be happy ones. I don't mean this as a spoiler or a mood-killer but I know how much you guys are invested in the story so I figured it was only fair to give you a little bit of a warning beforehand. It's gonna be a rough ride. See you soon!

For those of you wondering if Jack has gone down on Kayla, check back to Chapter 17

Bashful_Scribe has posted a new chapter on his story 'The Good, The Bad, and the Molly'. It's great, go check it out

Hey everyone. So, I had to make a slight change to something in the chapter. I really did want Belle's last name to be Harper...but it didn't end up working out. See, if that was her last name, she'd be in the Home Room class with Kayla, Joe, and Jack. After all, 'Harper' is between 'Hannigan' and 'Harrison'. So, unfortunately, I've had to change it. I didn't want to but it was one of those little details that was gonna eat at me. Apologies!

Chapter 48 is up Ugh, sorry this one took so long. I'm gonna be trying to work a bit faster with future chapters. Work situation has evened out so I'm sitting happy in that regard. With a more fixed schedule, things should be going better in terms of planning out the next chapter. Hope everyone is doing well, hope you enjoy the new chapter, and I'll see you again soon P.S. Love all the theories. I'm not going to confirm or deny anything. Why ruin the fun?

Buone notizie! Il prossimo capitol dovrebbe essere sulla giovedi!

And now comes the time I must turn to my faithful readers. I have been looking through the previous chapters to see if I gave Belle a last name and I can't seem to find it. Before I go and give her one, I just wanted to check and see if any of you remember her having a last name.

Hey guys! Closing in on the end of the chapter! Just a few more pages! This, however, is a tough section I'm working on and I've already junked and rewritten it three times. Sorry about the wait but it should be out soon

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of updates but it's been kinda crazy. I'm zeroing in on the end of the chapter, meaning that I know what needs to happen before the end but not how long it's going to take. Hopefully within the next few days, I'll be done. Sorry about the wait but with things in the story getting extra complex, I have to keep looking back at previous chapters and making sure I'm not screwing things up.

Hey guys! Sorry for the late update, I had to go out of town for a couple of days. But I'm back and ready to get the Reality Check going: - My wife and I never had the discussion Jack and Kayla have at the beginning of the chapter but it's one that we discussed at length to figure out how we would react should anything like that ever happen. We also had to subtract a couple of years of marriage to understand mental state and everything but we both figured that's how we would have reacted. - Jack's questions to Rhona about whether she would ditch guys for girls is one I really asked and one I really took a swipe for. - There was a surprising number of guys who gave promise rings to their girlfriends when I was in high school. Some of them worked, some of them didn't (not going to name the specific example Craig is based on for fear of spoilers), but it was something I was always fascinated by. - Binyam and Shannon's real-life counterparts really did end up getting together after Christmas Break the year I met them. - Jack's awkward conversation with Joe is actually based off a really awkward conversation I had with an ex-girlfriend. We'd kind of avoided each other since the break-up (she'd dumped me for no reason that I've ever been able to figure out) and my attempt to rebuild the friendship was just as stilted and awkward as Joe and Jack. - Mrs. Karlow's real-life counterpart didn't replace Ms. Locke's real-life counterpart; rather, she was more what Ms. Locke's real-life counterpart gradually became while I was in high school. And, before you start getting any ideas, she is not Ms. Locke in disguise. Again, sorry about the wait. I'm moving ahead on the next chapter and it's coming along well so hopefully I should have that out soon. Hope everyone's doing well and I'll update you as soon as I can

Hey everyone! Reality Check coming soon. Sorry, I've been really with stuff but I promise that I am writing the next chapter

Chapter 47 is finally posted. Again, I'm so sorry about the wait for this one. You've all been wonderful and patient and I will do my best to keep the wait from being this long again. I wish I had some sort of machine that could write this while I wasn't on the computer. Anyway, I hope it was worth the wait. Thank you all for being wonderful friends and fans and I will do my best to reward your patience. Hope you're all well

So sorry about the wait on this one but the employment situation is being worked out and the next chapter should be up in the next day or so Sorry again, guys. I feel really bad

So finally, after the wait that was much longer than it needed to be, here is the Reality Check: - Though completely accidental, I've been clobbered more than once by my wife, leading to awkward explanations for how I got dinged up. - The section of the book that Jack 'analyzed' for his English class is the same interpretation that I gave when we read the book in high school. - Jack's Gourmet Foods class is identical to my last Gourmet Foods class before Christmas Break the year I took it. - Jack listening in on the couple in the bathroom is something that also happened to me, though I was able to turn and leave a lot quicker than Jack was. - My wife makes the same kind of sandwich Kayla made for Jack. They're AMAZING. - The Christmas day was very similar to other Christmas days I've experienced. They pretty much always will be; kind of picked-and-chosen of the best bits from multiples Christmases. I'm so sorry about the long wait on the next chapter but I am closing in on the end and I'm gonna try to get it out as soon as possible. Sorry that real life kind of barges in to slow it down so I'm really hoping that it will be worth the wait. I hope everyone's doing well and I'll hopefully be back soon with good news.

Hey guys! So sorry about being silent for so long. Having some issues with the employment situation so I'm dealing with that but I promise I am working as fast as possible on the chapter. Closing in on the end of the chapter and I'll have the Reality Check out within the next day or so. Sorry again!

Back and writing. Ahhh, how I've missed it.