Duck Duck Goose

[colinian]

I don't think Matt is a drama queen either. He's a nervous nelly, a quaking aspen, a trembling birch, and maybe even a wilting daisy, but NOT a drama queen.

I add my vote to this. I never thought he was a DQ nor did he come across as one.

It's obvious. The only way to stop this 'is he or isn't he a drama queen' question from becoming contentious and possibly very ugly is to publish the next chapter (or two or three) IMMEDIATELY - if not sooner.

That has my vote

Oh, Matt was a total drama queen, trust me, he was, until an editor (whose name will remain unmentioned to protect the innocent ) put Mr. Parker on the bent and narrow path.

Colin

[Cole Parker]

Bent? The bent path?

Anyone else, I'd think he'd been smoking some of that strange smelling stuff.

Or sampling the elderberry wine just to make sure it was all right, and then the bottle was suddenly empty.

As that cannot be the case here, it must be sleep deprivation.

So, what's been keeping you up nights?

C<G>

[Insomniac]

Spoiler Alert (read chapter 21 first):

Originally posted by Altimexis: Matt is still in evolution. Knowing how Cole thinks, I still wouldn't put it past him to have him turn out straight (see Josh Evolving for an example of this), but I think we're getting very close to Matt accepting he's gay, if he hasn't already, and recognizing that the only one he'll fool in trying to put a lid on his feelings for Kevin is himself. So enter Timothy in chapter 18. I really thought we'd see Matt get jealous of Tim in chapter 19, but Cole never takes a straight path to his objectives, which is one of the things I love about his writing, frustrating though it may be. I'm still expecting jealousy to be the motivating force that pushes Matt into accepting his growing love of Kevin, but we shall see.

A little early but you did call it.

[Oliver]

*Agrees with Insomniac's black lines*

We'll see.

[colinian]

Side note: that stands for Dairy Queen in the Eastern part of this fine country. C

DQ also means Dairy Queen in the SF Bay Area. There's a DQ in downtown Walnut Creek, in Sun Valley Mall in Pleasant Hill, there's one in Berkeley, and lots more around the Bay Area. Also, in the SF Bay Area DQ doesn't mean drama queen. Or drag queen. It's too easy to get confused.

Colin

[R.J.]

Matt is definitely not a drama queen. That thought never entered my mind until I read these posts. Matt is just a worry wart, and a drama queen is much different than that. Matt just needs a little push. Or shove. Just as Kevin has already been pushing him all this time. I also think Matt has great ideals. I, too, would hesitate to enter into a relationship with a younger guy at that age. I think at that age (16), the age gap seems to be more obvious. Like a year is a decade. And a cross-grades relationship is something that is not heard of. And for it to be a gay relationship.... But when one is in the twenties, those things seem immaterial. I mean, what is a two-year difference at that time?

And jealousy? I don't know. With the way Matt is, I see him letting Timothy get close to Kevin just to follow his principles.

Rad

[Trab]

By the time you're in your 'golden years' (more like gray, really) even decades apart seems immaterial.

[Oliver]

(more like gray, really)

We call that silver, my dear. Silver.

[Trab]

You're sweet. Okay, silver it is.

[DesDownunder]

Silver threads among the gold

[Cole Parker]

Damn it, Des! Now you've got that melody running through my head.

C

[Camy]

Chapter 22 is pure gold!

The shower scene, and the conversation over lunch had me laughing like a drain.

Thanks Cole!

Camy

[Trab]

had me laughing like a drain

Okay, if you say so. :wink: :blink:

[Altimexis]

Chapter 22 is pure gold!

The shower scene, and the conversation over lunch had me laughing like a drain.

This chapter was funny as Hell, but there was a lot more to it than laughs. First, there's the whole jealousy thing. Let me assure you, we haven't seen the last of Timothy - Cole doesn't introduce characters for no reason, and I'm sure there's more to this character than a single jealousy scene.

Next, we have the wrestling scene in Keven's bedroom. At the end of it, Matt says, "I was refusing to do what we both wanted to do because of my stupid principles, that was the only thing stopping us, and right now it all seemed so very silly." So they end up rolling around on Kevin's bed, laughing like hyenas and feeling each other up (or at least Kevin was feeling Matt up), so did that mean that Matt was changing his mind about Kevin being too young, or was he just venting. This is pure Cole - teasing us and then cutting the scene without giving us the answer!

Then there is the shower scene and Kevin's discussion of it at lunch. Cole, that was priceless.

Finally, there was Matt's decision to forgo playing the Mozart Concerto in favor of the Weber. This indicated a degree of maturity the reader never suspected Matt had. Here he was giving up the opportunity of a lifetime - one that could literally propel himself into his career, in favor of something that would showcase the talent of the clarinet section. There are a couple of thoughts I have on this. One is that Matt may not be as keen on a career in music as Mr. Tollini thinks he is. The other is that Matt truly is enjoying his leadership role and is proud of his fellow students. It wouldn't surprise me actually if Matt is heading in the direction of a career in teaching rather than performing music.

I've been giving a lot of thought lately to Matt's whole attitude toward Kevin and Kevin's feelings toward Matt. At first I thought that Matt was being entirely unreasonable and that this whole - I'm leaving in two years thing - was yet another aspect of his immaturity. We start out with Matt trying to convince himself he's an adult and then Cole fills us in on his past as Matt tells his story to Kevin. Kevin just seems so much more mature than Matt, particularly with what he's had to go through. And of course teenage love is supposed to be fleeting - it's a time to experiment and try out the whole concept of caring for another person and to, well, try out sex, although parents cringe at the idea of that. Kevin sure is eager enough, and that perhaps is the problem. I have no doubt that Kevin likes Matt and that they could be lifelong friends, but I'm not sure how much he really loves him. He certainly lusts after him - he likes him well enough, but his primary interest is in sex. Matt on the other hand loves Kevin for his mind, his wit and his personality. Sure, he'd like to have sex with him, but to Matt, that's secondary, and so I'm beginning to think Matt is being the more mature of the two. If they have sex, they could potentially lose each other as friends, and that would be a crime.

[Trab]

Good point, but I doubt that sex would cause them to lose their friendship. I think the stepping back from the limelight as done by Matt, with regards to the music, is a reflection on his maturity, and his concern for the feelings of others, unlike his feelings were concerned, but at the same time, it may also be a feeling of not wanting to be the main interest. This has already been shown with his marching band issues, where he wanted to be heard, but not particularly seen, and it is likely a reflection on his past, in which he was hurt badly by being put in the spotlight, and this later turned into a disaster for him. On an unconscious level, I am sure Matt would also be thinking that being the sole focus of the Mozart piece could backfire instantly into attacks on him should something ugly happen, like a wrong note, or even just illness and he cannot go on and the show suffers for the hole he left.

[Altimexis]

Both excellent points, Trab, and much more likely than my hypotheses.

[Camy]

Almost time for chapter 23!

[colinian]

Almost time for chapter 23!

Chapter 23 has been posted.

Here's a bit of a spoiler.

Chapter 23 is where Matt loses his Drama Queen persona for the time being.

Colin

[Altimexis]

Here's a bit of a spoiler.

Chapter 23 is where Matt loses his Drama Queen persona for the time being.

I must say, this was most unexpected,

and I told you Timothy would be back.

Great work, Cole

[Altimexis]

Cole,

Since when did you become a cliffhangermeister? Is that even a word???

Oh yeah, for those who haven't noticed, chapter 24 is up - the story's getting better and better, and Matt's evolving right before our eyes.

[Oliver]

cliffhangermeister? Is that even a word???

Since today it is.

And after this chapter, I really don't have a clue again where it will go.

Well done, Cole!

[Cole Parker]

Awww!

You guys are sooooo sweet!

C

[Lugnutz]

Awww!

You guys are sooooo sweet!

C

Nah. We just taste that way.

[Camy]

Chapter 25!

... and it keeps getting better and better.

[Bruin Fisher]

25 - A really great chapter so I can't wait to see what happens next!

Bruin the impatient