Growing Lonely 6

[ldaniel13]

Previous Chapters of Growing Lonely (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Thanks for your support and... otherwise, I plead the fifth.

Growing Lonely 6

Part One (Eric)

Over the next two months, I continued to grow. People, expressing only whispers and thoughts about me before, were now openly talking about my unexplained growth. In fact, they were talking about it in front of me. However, very few of them actually talked to me; everyone was starting to get a little too intimidated by my massive presence for that. Despite the fact that I was the centerpiece of the everyone?s attention, it was starting to get a little lonely at school. People wanted to be me or wanted me, but they were too afraid to approach me anymore. Everyone thought that I had it so easy. Well, at least I had Marco.

It had also got around school that I didn?t beat the tar out people over words. Once everyone realized that they were safe, they became much more bold in their gossip. They were as safe as anyone could be around a 6?9?, 407 pound giant of a teenager.

I knew that I needed to be slightly more composed than the average teen. People were just starting to look a little too breakable around me. The world simply wasn?t made for people this large.

Currently, the halls of my high school were crowded with people. Nearby, lockers were slamming, people were gossiping, often about me. Some girls were looking at me. I flexed my chest and bowling ball sized biceps a little bit, and they giggled.

I sighed.

People were easily pleased, at least on the surface. It?s not like any of the girls had any intention of actually talking to me. I was just finishing thinking about my situation, pulling my biology book from my locker, and gathering my notes for class. I still didn?t regret anything. I loved my body, Marco loved my body, and I wanted to continue getting massive. Sometimes, it got a little bit lonely, though.

From my reverie, I realized that there were two people to my left that were talking loudly about me like I wasn?t even there. They were juniors. They thought of me as ?that freshman attention whore.? I grimaced.

?It?s not human...?

?What is he taking??

?I heard that he has this rare disease where he will eventually get so big that he will explode.?

Hmm... Maybe I will. Thanks.

?I also heard that he?s taking some new super-steroids. My brother says that Russian scientists made something that is completely undetectable. You can get totally huge without doing anything. I hear it makes it so you can?t get it up, though--a real limp noodle. Only losers take those kinds of shortcuts.?

I slowly closed the locker. I was getting pissed off. These guys were always talking about me as if I was some object, like my feelings were irrelevant.

I looked down to my left at James, the short, chubby, redheaded kid that was speculating about me with his friend. He had probably never even tried lifting before, so what did he know? He was always the one behind the newest rumors about me.

I reached out my arm, put a enormous hand on his shoulder, and gave him as much of a smile as I could manage. ?If you want to work out sometime, all you have to do is ask. I assure you that I spend a lot of time at the gym. Even if I have some advantages, I don?t get something for nothing.?

?Hey man, don?t touch...? He was about to go off on me. From his thoughts, I could tell that he would try to act tough, but he was actually getting excited from my touch. In fact, he was starting to get an erection. If I had paid closer attention to what he was thinking earlier, I would have known that he was gay, closeted even to himself, and just trying to get a reaction out of me, but I had let my anger...

I said under my breath, ?Please, is it so hard for you to treat me like a human being just because I?m so big? Give me a fucking break. Wouldn?t it be better if we were friends instead of you always talking about me behind my back??

James was confused and overwhelmed by my massive presence up next to him. He was breathing more rapidly. His mind was battling between his desire and what people would think of him if he backed down. ?I?m sorry,? he thought. He actually rubbed his cheek against my wrist, trying to make it look like he was trying to break free.

Loudly, he said. ?What are you going to do about it?? Subconsciously, he almost wanted me to punish him. He wanted me to pull his pants down right there and paddle his chubby ass in front of everyone until it was beet red. He obviously wasn?t thinking clearly. I couldn?t do that to someone even if they were making me unhappy.

I cringed back. James? tiny little erection was tenting his jeans, and it was just too noticeable, He didn?t consciously accept that he was enjoying my attention, so I don?t think that he noticed that he was sporting a boner. In fact, he was so hard that he was starting to leak pre-cum through his jeans.

Wow, I do have quite an effect on people.

Well, this was partly my fault, so now I have to fix it somehow. This could fuck totally his life up. I needed to work quick to make sure that I didn?t completely ruin high school for James. He had an erection. What would people say when they saw it? He had already drawn too much attention to us, so they would notice any minute now. Even if James was an ass, I didn?t want him to be the object of ridicule.

This was going to hurt both of us. Oh well, he had acted like it would be funny if I got so big that I exploded, so I shouldn?t feel too bad.

Everyone was starting to look at us. The hall was quiet.

?DON?T MOCK ME, ASSHOLE!? I roared, the veins and tendons on my thick neck standing out sharply. At least people were looking at me and not at James? erection. I?m sure that I looked properly frightening--I was angry as hell but more at myself than at James. I should have just left things alone as usual, but getting beaten up by a giant is better than being known as some kinky little freak, right?

I picked up James, light as a feather. He looked at me like I was going to eat him or something. ?Sorry dude...? I breathed. Then, I tossed him headfirst into the nearly empty garbage can over my right shoulder. He had been holding a couple of books, and they dropped to the floor.

I almost stooped to pick them up. No, that wouldn?t look right.

?You want some?? I gestured at James? friend from the earlier conversation. I saw from my periphery that James? feet were kicking at the air behind me, and the garbage can was rocking back and forth.

He shook his head violently and started to back away.

I walked down the hall to Biology. People gave me a wide berth, their thoughts buzzing like flies. Well, there goes my sterling reputation.

I was listening behind me to see how things played out. There weren?t any thoughts or conversation about James? erection. I smiled to myself. Nobody noticed that James had popped a boner, and I got to dump the little asshole in a garbage can. I think that situation worked out well for everyone.

Behind me,?I don?t know what James was thinking. He must have gone crazy to say that right to Eric?s face. It was almost like he was asking, ?Would you please kill me, sir?? James and I had gone a little too far with the gossip, I guess.? James? friend paused. ?I hope that he doesn?t snap and toss me into a garbage can, too, or worse...? He was talking rapidly to someone while picking up James? books. It reminded me of when...

?Maybe you would deserve it, too,? a familiar voice said apathetically to James? friend.

I looked back.

Someone was helping a struggling James, whose erection had thankfully dissipated, out of the garbage can. He quickly snatched his books from his friend and covered his crotch with them.

James looked fine if a bit embarrassed. Surprisingly, the one that helped him wasn?t his talkative friend. This guy was wearing a large gray cotton hoody with the hood pulled up and partially hiding his face. He was also wearing sweats and running shoes and carrying a duffle bag.

Ricky turned to look in my direction. For a second, from looking at the face, I thought that it was Marco--the old Marco. He had the same bone structure, hair color, skin tone, and sour expression, although he was much smaller. Ricky was slightly taller but significantly skinnier than last year. In fact, he looked like skin and bones. He also had troubling shadows under his eyes.

Marco had changed a lot in the past two months. He had become more relaxed, more able to show affection, and more capable of acknowledging himself as a worthwhile person while accepting himself as a gay man. This person was not any of those things.

Ricky... and I could still barely hear his thoughts.

I knew that Ricky had some cross country event tomorrow. It had been announced on the intercom because he had a chance of winning and making it to nationals. Maybe I could watch him compete. I?m sure that it wouldn?t hurt to root him on. We were best friends. I don?t think that I?ll ever be able to give up on him. I think that Marco has a photo shoot tomorrow, so I have some free time on my hands. I have been spending a lot of time with Marco lately; I think that the old Ricky would have liked Marco.

The bell rang and class started. I had to duck my head a little and turn sideways in order to get into the room.

***

I jogged over to the park where the cross country meet was being held. Apparently, it was the western division finals. The race ran a partial loop around a pond, through some woods, and around a track.

It was a sunny but cold Saturday morning. There was actually a little bit of frost underfoot that crunched as I ran over the grass. I was in huge grey sweats and a sweatshirt stretched tightly over my massive chest. My dad had all my clothes specially made for me now, but it was hard to keep me in the correct size. My massive quads and glutes barely fit in the pants, and the spectators followed me with their eyes as I approached.

Luckily, I had become pretty good at concealing my other large assets. My balls, however, still made a rather obscene bulge in my pants. One particularly bold lady whistled appreciatively as I passed her. She was thinking about putting her face under them and...

My cheeks blazed in embarrassment.

I noticed Ricky off to the side stretching among a stand of trees.

I cautiously jogged over to him. I didn?t want to jinx him before the race, but I felt like I should at least wish him luck, even if he wouldn?t respond to my comments.

As I approached, he slowly stood up without facing me. ?So, you suddenly became a cross country fan, eh?

Perplexed that he was finally talking to me, I mumbled my reply. ?I always liked watching you race. In fact, I never missed any of your races if I knew about them. It?s been a while since you told me about stuff like that, though.? I ran my hand through my shaggy blond hair. I was used to only having one-sided conversations with him lately, and I didn?t know exactly how to proceed. ?How did you know it was me? You didn?t even look at me.?

He finally turned around. ?You run like you?re trying to kill the ground. It?s like Godzilla trying to sneak up on someone and being shocked when they notice him.? He smiled. It was an awkward smile as if he hadn?t been doing it much lately, but God was it beautiful. I would give anything to know that he would always be able to smile like that, to know that he would always be happy.

?I?m surprised your running didn?t cause the pond to make a tsunami and kill us all.?

My mouth twitched.

?You probably left tracks so big that all of us little runners will fall in them and break our necks during the race.?

I started making choking noises. I hadn?t heard Ricky joking in so long.

?Did you check your feet for toddler?s? I think that I hear some frantic mothers calling.?

I finally started laughing, and I could barely stop. I didn?t want to stop. Ricky joined me after awhile. People kept looking over at us; my laugh was a little booming. I was even crying a little. It was partly from the humor and partly from the fact that Ricky was finally talking to me. I was really happy. I hadn?t realized how much I missed my friend. Marco is great, but Ricky is my age, and we have known each other since we were toddlers.

?Yeah, I am huge. I admit it. I know that running isn?t ?my thing?, but I am pretty sure that I haven?t killed anybody with my size 20?s yet.? I slowly dropped my head down, letting my bangs fall across my face. I was shuffling my feet in the cedar needles. I felt so lame--like a bashful giant. ?So, why are you finally talking to me? I thought that you hated my guts.?

Ricky stopped smiling and got an enigmatic look on his face. ?Oh, don?t worry. I forgave you a long time ago. I am just putting some things in order. I don?t want you to feel bad later... I wish things had been different, but well you know. Once I get something in my head, it is hard for me to let go. I think that is why I am so good at cross country. You know? I?m tenacious.?

I nodded. I was still confused, though.

?Plus, I saw that James had a boner before you tossed him in the garbage. I figure that you should be rewarded for your good deed. I don?t know why you would conceal that from everyone. You probably don?t know half of the crap that he has said about you.?

?You saw that? I was hoping that nobody could see. I?d rather that people just thought that I was a bully. Poor James.?

?I think that I was the only one, though. I was kind of glaring at you at the time. It?s a habit that I have, apparently, so I don?t think that you have to worry about anyone else having seen. His secret is safe. James needs to get control of little James when he is around you unless he plans to come out of the closet sooner rather than later. He looked like he was going to start humping your leg at any moment, despite what he said. It?s pretty obvious to me that he likes you. I would know.?

?Yeah, well, I hope that he?s alright, that he?s not too traumatized, and that he understands the reason behind what I did. Maybe he will go a little easier on me in the future now that I know his ?little secret?... I haven?t felt that great at school lately with all the crap that people are saying.?

?Don?t worry, you?ll probably get a Valentine?s day card from him asking for a repeat canning.? Ricky was only being partly sarcastic.

?Funny.?

?That?s me, the funny guy.?

I heard the coach calling for the runners to gather. ?I just wanted to wish you luck, Ricky. I wanted to let you know that I?ll always be here for you, rooting you on. I love you, man, and I have missed you so much.? I reached out to give him a hug.

He just looked away guiltily. There was a sudden burst of regret from Ricky. I felt it so clearly. I dropped my arms. Something was wrong. He almost felt like opening up to me, but it seemed like he had already made his choice. What choice? I tried to focus harder, but he was blocked off again. Stoically, he nodded in my direction. ?I?ve missed you too, but I?ve got one more race to run.?

He ran to the starting area.

?Only one more...?

I notice a coppery taste as a thin trickle of blood passed over my lips. I wiped it away.

***

The race had started a while ago. I was waiting near the finish. I had talked to Ricky?s coach, and he thought that Ricky had a good chance to win this. I didn?t doubt Ricky?s abilities. I was worried about Ricky?s earlier attitude, though. It seemed like something was wrong and that he was putting up a false front. I asked Ricky?s coach, and he said that Ricky had been doing great. Perfect kid. Perfect student. I was happy if Ricky was doing well without me, but for some reason, I wasn?t sure that I believed the coach. I knew Ricky better than anyone, even if he had gone through some changes lately.

The leaders were just coming out of the forest. Ricky was ahead by a few yards. He was breathing hard, but his movements were very precise and controlled. It looked like he was born to run...

I had found a seat on the cold grass by myself, supporting my body with my hands. I took up a fair amount of space, and I didn?t want to block anyone?s view. A much handled piece of paper was laid out on my lap. I had wanted to show it to Ricky, but I wasn?t sure how he would react. Maybe after the race. I concentrated on Ricky, and I was shocked. He was so much more mentally open when he was running. I should have tried this before. With only a little bit more effort than with normal people, I could hear his thoughts as clearly as anyone?s.

?One more day, one more day, one more...? He kept repeating that over and over in his thoughts like a mantra.

He looked at me as he got closer and thought, ?Why can?t he just leave me alone??

I felt deep hurt. He was my best friend. How could I leave him alone?

I concentrated a little harder. There was pressure in my head, and I felt wetness on my upper lip. I was concentrating too hard and for too long, but just a little bit more.

?I want everyone to be happy when I?m gone. I?ll finish what I started in England. I?ll kill myself. I?ll do it right this time. I know exactly where to cut.?

No, Ricky. I thought things were going well. Everyone said that you were happy. How could I be so blind? I could have prevented this if I had been there for you when you needed me, but I was just too afraid. I must not have tried hard enough. I should have tried harder. I was starting to twitch. One hand grabbed the piece of paper and started clutching spasmodically at it. It started to crumple. I faintly heard a woman in the background talking on the phone. ?Please help. He?s bleeding terribly... park lawn....?

?Tomorrow. I?ll bring the trophy home. People will be happy. It will be a good sendoff.?

He passed me, but he wasn?t looking in my direction anymore. He hadn?t really looked at me in a long time. I?m here for you Ricky. I started coughing wetly.

?I can?t live without him, knowing that I will never be able to touch him. It hurts too much.?

Sudden pain lanced through my temple, and I could no longer hold my body up. I fell back on the grass. Everything went dark as Ricky was passing the finish line in the lead. I smiled. I?ll still save you Ricky, I thought drunkenly. I should have been there for you. Things could have been so different. If you only knew. With my last strength, I held Ricky?s fragile presence in my mind and I cradled him there, trying to give him all of the love that he deserved. I?m sorry Marco. Then, I died.

Part Two (Ricky)

Ricky finished the race in the lead. People were cheering. Whatever. Talk to my coach. He handed me a gatorade. Smile. Everything is going as planned. Nobody has to know. I can make everyone happy until I end it all. Nobody has to suffer while I am suffering.

Suddenly, it was like something incredibly precious was gone, and I was left groping in the dark for it. I realized that I hadn?t felt true pain until now. I didn?t know why I had felt depressed in the first place when this love had been there all along. I was just too stupid and frightened to accept it. Eric did love me. His presence had been there comforting me somehow during all of my problems, but it was somehow gone now. I bent over as if punched in the stomach. People asked me if I was okay.

I looked around. I needed to find him. He should be here. Somehow, I had felt him in my mind, telling me that everything would be alright, but I had ignored it like I tried to ignore his continuing attempts at friendship. Why couldn?t I have let friendship be enough? He was so special. That comforting feeling, however, was rapidly getting fainter. I was desperate. Where was he? Don?t leave me, not now.

I started to move towards the short, grassy incline where I had seen him earlier. I was pushing through the crowd of spectators. The world felt like it was getting colder and colder around me. The bright winter day began to dull. The clouds were moving in. I was falling again, down into the pit from which I would never escape. If I could just see Eric one more time and tell him that I was sorry, I felt like I might be able to escape. If I just let him, he would pull me out. I was sure of it. He had been trying over the last three months. He had been dangling a rope into the pit, but I had stubbornly refused it.

I kept pushing through the crowd. People kept trying to stop me and congratulate me, but I just ignored them.

Suddenly, a woman screamed. There was a commotion up ahead. I broke though a group of people that had formed a space on the hillside. Eric... he was collapsed on the grass. Blood was soaking his sweatshirt. So much blood was covering his perfect body. It was also covering the bottom half of his face--his beautiful, angelic face. His pale blond hair was matted and damp. He was smiling peacefully. He was just laying there, not breathing, and nobody was helping him. His eyes were rolled back in his head, showing a thin line of red as if he had been crying tears of blood. Only the slightest bit of his perfect ice-blue eyes were visible.

Everyone was just staring. They weren?t helping him. People probably didn?t want to touch him because he was covered in the deluge of blood, but this was Eric...

Oh my god, what a waste? I have been wallowing in self-pity for so long. I didn?t even know what was actually going on in Eric?s life. What was causing the growth? Had it also slowly been killing him? While I have been dealing with my stupid problems, I have taken it out on him. He has been trying so hard to be there for me. I just kept ignoring him, but he kept trying. He never gave up on me, but he must think that I gave up on him. Over the last several months, Eric had tried to sit with me at lunch, but I always left him there. He always saved a seat for me... Since he got so huge, people gave Eric a wide berth; he was pretty much alone most of the time. I think that Jenny was the only other one to talk to him after awhile, but I always made her choose between him or me at lunch. School must have been miserable. I?m so selfish.

Who other than Eric would ever be so persistent with a depressed loser like me? Who could ever compare to him? Now, he?s...

?He?s not fucking dead you goddamn bastards, somebody help him! Call an ambulance! Goddamn you all!? I ran up to Eric. There were tears streaming down my face. I was weak from the race, but my fear gave me strength. I wrestled his arm to his side, so I could start CPR. There was a badly crumpled piece of notebook paper on his lap.

I stared at it dumbfounded. It was the picture that I had drawn of Eric. Why would he keep it? It?s not fair. My mind could not process this. I barely noticed a keening wail rising from my throat. ?AAAAAHHHHHHH!? Surrounded by the curious and shocked crowd, I clawed at my face. Long streamers of blood flowed where my fingers managed to find purchase. I could barely see. The world looked red and bloody. It had finally shown its true form. People made feeble attempts to grab me, but I shook them off. Fear made me strong beyond whatever limited reserves I had left.

He needed CPR. I pressed my lips down on his. I tried to force air into his lungs, but his chest barely moved. My first kiss... I shuddered. I love you Eric. Don?t die. I promise that I?ll be better. I missed you so much, but you never left me. I left you. I left you every day, over and over, but you never gave up on me. WHY? What did I expect you to do when you saw that picture. ?Don?t give up, Eric! Please.?

I needed to give him chest compressions. I was trying my hardest to force his chest down, but I could barely move it--it was so massive. My compressions caused the slightest dip of his ribs. My whole small frame was shaking, and I was breathing harder than I had during the race. I was exhausted. I had just run so hard. I had thought that that was my last big effort... ever. I don?t think that I have eaten anything for several days. I just don?t remember. I?m just not strong enough, not by a long-shot. I keep trying, but... he?s dead. I shuddered. I tried again and again. Minutes passed by, but I kept giving him CPR.

No response. His lips were starting to get cold, tinged with blue. I lingered at his lips.

The EMTs had come, and one of them dragged me back. They took over trying to help Eric. ?No pulse. Attach the AED... Resuming compressions.?

I leaned back on my shins. Everyone was staring at me. I was covered in blood. Eric?s blood, my blood. Did it matter? Deep scratches furrowed my face. I looked at the blurry group of people surrounding me. My mom could be there or the coach; I wouldn?t have known. ?WHAT? WHAT? What are you looking at? You don?t know anything. He was a good person. If you?d known him, you would have loved him, too. Why couldn?t you have loved him better? Saved him? Good person... You don?t know me... him...?

I struggle to my feet, grabbing at the long sleeves of my running shirt, tearing at them, trying to tear at my arms. ?Kill me. Please, just kill me. So tired.? I was ranting, beseeching the crowd of people. My voice was a hoarse whisper. I showed them my forearms, covered in scars. Noises of shock and quick indrawn breaths spread through the crowd. Nobody moved.

?That?s right, these bastards didn?t even help him. All of you... bastards... left him all alone. He, he needed you. All you thought of was YOURSELVES.? I spun around, gasping large hiccuping sobs, pointing at all the shocked people hovering around, confused. People were trying to grab me but I was swaying too erratically. I swatted at their hands. I couldn?t breath. I didn?t want to. I needed to be dead with Eric. I killed him. He needed me, and I was the one that had left him alone. I was falling. I heard a crunch as one of my frail arms struck the ground and bent in an unnatural angle. It couldn?t hurt any worse than how I already felt.

Flickering in and out of consciousness, I was on the ground staring at Eric?s bloody face. His shirt was ripped open, exposing his beautiful body like a garishly painted sculpture. People surrounding the EMTs were holding each other and crying. He was like an angel fallen from the heavens or a superhero among men, men who were too inured by their petty lives to recognize true beauty until it was gone.

An EMT tried to hold me down to splint my arm. I didn?t feel anything. I kept making feeble arm gestures at Eric, wanting to hug him, show him that I cared, My right forearm was discolored and bending back toward me at an odd angle. I couldn?t get my arm to straighten. I hadn?t even let him hug me before the race. I could have felt his huge warm arms around me, but now all that was left was cold.

Before, I thought that I couldn?t live in a world where Eric didn?t love me romantically. How stupid was I? How much worse was a world where the most beautiful part of it was gone? I knew deep down that this was entirely my fault. I could have prevented this.

Eric, I promise you--my heart will beat only as long as yours does. I felt something poke me in the shoulder.

A curtain of darkness fell over me, and I went to a land without pain.



Writing this put me in a rather dark mood.

[arpeejay]

Great story, bummer ending.

I think a "Who Killed JR" plot twist would be appropriate at this point!

rpj

[sexiscriptor]

Originally Posted by ldaniel13

Writing this put me in a rather dark mood.

I'll bet...what a dark ending, man...great story all the same. I'm not sure--and this is entirely beside its tone, mind you--the ending....fit. If you know what I mean. Like, it was somehow different--again, besides the dark tone of the chapter, though I'd point out a lot of this story was pretty dark already, so it's not all that entirely different for it to end darkly--in terms of pace or characterization or something. Not sure what, so nevermind. All the same, as I said, overall a great story, and I look forward to more, man
-palmer

[ldaniel13]

This isn't actually the ending of the story. I didn't want to make that too obvious, but I think that I should include this since things look rather bad. Ricky was in a rather unfortunate state of mind at the end, so his perception of events may not have been entirely accurate. I will say that the poke in the shoulder at the end was a sedative and not him dying as he hoped for. I don't think that I am capable of leaving things in such dire straights for these characters since I like them too much.

[Ctopher]

Originally Posted by ldaniel13

This isn't actually the ending of the story. I didn't want to make that too obvious, but I think that I should include this since things look rather bad. Ricky was in a rather unfortunate state of mind at the end, so his perception of events may not have been entirely accurate. I will say that the poke in the shoulder at the end was a sedative and not him dying as he hoped for. I don't think that I am capable of leaving things in such dire straights for these characters since I like them too much.

That is good I've never been a fan of the Romeo and Juliet ending.

[nj.]

As much as I like sending stories and characters through hell myself, I'm glad it's not the ending. Not only because I too like the characters too much to see it end already.

I'm sorry when I say that it's the least well-written chapter so far, though, because certain realisations came too suddenly or were a bit clumsily worded, as if you didn't flesh certain situations out well enough.
That does not (at all!) mean it's a bad chapter, because the story as a whole is really pretty good.

[sexiscriptor]

Originally Posted by ldaniel13

This isn't actually the ending of the story. I didn't want to make that too obvious, but I think that I should include this since things look rather bad. Ricky was in a rather unfortunate state of mind at the end, so his perception of events may not have been entirely accurate. I will say that the poke in the shoulder at the end was a sedative and not him dying as he hoped for. I don't think that I am capable of leaving things in such dire straights for these characters since I like them too much.

Holy christ, i'm relieved to hear that. you know what words I think I was looking for before? 'too easy'. it'd just be "too easy" an ending if it were one 0.o True, it would have been kinda poignant, ironic, whatever, but it wouldn't "resolve" the plot, the characters' conflicts & all, but rather just avoid them, mostly.
So I'm glad it's not (quite) over
- Palmer

[dimarvalc]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... *my chest hurts*

NOOOOOOOOOOOo.... he can't be DEAD...!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... *now my throat hurts*

This was really good, but as you pointed out, it leaves you in a dark mood...

Now I'm the one Growing, but desperate... the anticipation is too much

dimarvalc

(damn it... my heart still hurts)

[tagsnola]

... to be good. It's excellent.

One of the encomiums, "super hero," was apt. Eric's selfless regard for others makes him that, in spades. It was indeed gratifying that someone, Rick, in this case, got it that Eric's seeming act of bullying of James was at it's heart a rescue.

It is no wonder idaniel's mood was dark after writing this chapter! *MY* mood has been dark after every chapter but this has been the darkest. I take exception that this was the lowest quality chapter. Au contraire! It's the best so far!

- TagsNOLA

[Ender]

Just a quick note... When Ricky let Eric talk to him in the "clearing" it was obviously saying good bye. (Maybe that's why there was a clearing where I would not have expected one to be.... it's a pun... an open area surrounded by trees or a reconciliation) But at the end of it when Ricky ran off to his race and Eric tasted blood in his mouth I knew some thing was shifting. By the end of this chapter it appears that Eric is dead, but why and how???

If my guess is right the final reveal will turn everything that came before inside out. I'm thinking something more like "Jacob's Ladder" rather than the "shower scene" from "Dallas"

I think the story will end with Ricky or Eric dead (or in an irreversible coma) if it stays as dark as it has been so far. Although when the truth comes out there still could be a happy ending. What ever the next chapter reveals it won't be what is expected...

Great story....

Ender

[qapl2001]

Great Story. Can't wait for the next chapter.