Jack 'Cowboy' Kelly

I was eager to escape Arizona after graduation, but when I saw the ad for Foothills Golf, that it was up for sale, I changed my mind. Scrounging up a little cash, I made the down payment and became the official owner of a failing golf club.

Aunt Rae was really upset. "Francis, it's too big a risk!" she kept saying. But I was twenty-two at the time, and perfectly capable of making my own decisions, so I stuck with it.

And I did wonderfully.

I launched a whole new advertising campaign, and it worked wonders. People started to complain because I wasn't open on weekends, so, in July of '08, I made it so Foothills Golf was open on Saturdays too. This wasn't enough either, and in February '09, my business was open every day except for major holidays, which I spent with my aunt and uncle, who had finally had their own child on May 26th, 2005; my cousin, Kayla. I adored Kayla, and when she asked me to come to her school for career day in 2011, when she was in first grade, I gladly accepted.

Walking into her classroom that morning, I stopped breathless at the sight of her teacher: tall, slim, blue-eyed and curly-haired. I recognized his cheekbones and friendly smile, but asked Kayla for confirmation.

"Mr. Jacobs," Kayla said, beaming. "He's the bestest!"

"Introduce me, Kayzter?" I asked her cheerily.

"Yeah!" She responded, giggling and taking my hand to drag me over to 'Mr. Jacobs'.

"Mr. Jacobs!" She cried, tugging on his shirt sleeve. "Mr. Jacobs!"

Her teacher turned, looking down at her. "Hi, Kayla, how are you?"

"I'm good, Mr. Jacobs. This is my cousin, Jack. He owns a go'f comp'ny."

Her teacher smiled pleasantly at me and held out his hand. I shook it as he praised my little cousin. "Oh, she's such a good, happy girl, I hope you appreciate her."

"I'm sure I do, Davey," I told him, grinning.

He paused. "Did I tell you-…?" His eyes widened. "Oh! Jack… Jack Kelly?" I nodded and he laughed. "Holy cra-… holy crow, Jack!" He threw his arms around my neck and we hugged, best friends (and maybe sorta-boyfriends?) from high school reunited.

I whispered in his ear, "Still gay?"

"As the day is long. You?"

"Like a Frenchman." He laughed and we pulled apart.

"So you're doing well?" He asked. I smiled and nodded confidently. He hesitated before continuing. "Seen Spot, er… James later?"

My eyes widened. "I thought you knew! He and Race ran off to Vegas after they graduated and we haven't really heard from them since!" A sly smile crossed my face and I leaned in closer to Davey, lowering my voice. "Though Isaac told me that, for a play he was in, they tried to get a Vegas girl called Jaina Conlon-Higgins. Didn't get her, so he's not sure, but we're both certain it's our dear, old Spotty-boy."

Davey was grinning too. "Jaina Conl-… oh, man… Somehow, I'm honestly not surprised."

"Me neither."

We laughed together for a moment, and when the laughter died, there was a comfortable silence. We watched the children play, laughing as my Kayla attempted to play checkers with a young boy. Finally, Davey turned to me.

"Are you with anyone?"

"Romantically? No."

He looked relieved. "Do… do you wanna go out to dinner Friday night, then? Kinda… y'know… catch up on things…"
I put my hand on his and smiled.

"I'd be glad to."

We've been dating ever since; two years come March.

And I'm really glad we are.

When I got my acceptance letter to U of A, I realized with horror I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

Mush, who had decided he wasn't going to college, wasn't very sympathetic. "I don't even know why you're bothering," he said. "You're a good soccer player; skip college and go pro."

I glared at him. "I'm good at soccer, but not that good."

Itey, the only other boy of our original ten that was left my senior year, spoke up: "Be a teacher."

"Why?" I said, surprised.

"It'd be fun," he said, shrugging. "I'm gonna teach middle schoolers, eighth graders, hopefully."

"Pray for the children of the next generation!" Mush cried, earning himself a face full of Sierra Mist.

I thought on it, though. It did sound fun… but not eighth graders. Too rowdy and hormonal. "… I think I might do teaching… only kindergartners or first graders. The young ones."

"Your funeral," Mush muttered.

But it actually was fun. I breezed through the classes, enjoying them immensely. I went up to Phoenix every weekend to visit Itey, who was attending ASU. I would always ask Itey if he'd seen Jack yet, and my friend would always roll his eyes and say "No! Get a life, Dave!"

I guess some might call it pathetic or obsessive that I kept longing for Jack even after I'd lost contact with him… but I just kept thinking "Its meant to be. Somehow, Jack and I'll be together."

And we are.

I love him, dearly.

We live together in an apartment in Phoenix. My niece, Gretchen, calls us Uncle Davey and Aunt Jack, much to my sister's amusement. It upset Jack at first, but eventually he found the good humor to laugh at it too.

I think that's why I love him most: That good humor.

That, and those beautiful eyes.

My senior year, Race shyly invited me to Homecoming, and I gladly accepted. He was so cute… and God knows Italians are just too sexy and irresistible. I mean, come on! Look at Matt LeBlanc. Rowr.

Anyway.

Race and I dated the rest of that year. He was rather uncomfortable with my flamboyant tendencies, but I couldn't help it. As I grew more and more comfortable with my gay self, I let more and more of my 'real', 'female' personality show through… while looking like a guy.

"Male or female, one or the other," Race always said. "You can't be both."

After graduation, the majority of the Outkasts split up: Jack and Skitts were already at college; Itey, Mush, and Davey still had another year at DV; Blink went to Florida; Snitch was off to Los Angeles; Pie Eater went to Boulder… Race and I hadn't been accepted at any colleges.

We finally decided to screw college, but we were getting out of Phoenix. My first suggestion was 'Frisco, and Race actually thought that over for a while. Then, one July morning in Java Jive, while sipping an iced cappuccino, Race took my hand. It was cold, so I jumped slightly.

"Jamie," He began; he never called me James, even though the others had once we decided to stop using the nicknames. "Jamie, let's go to Vegas."

At first, I laughed. "That sounds like a song, Trav." I teased.

"Seriously," He squeezed my hand. "Let's go to Vegas. We're legal there. We could get jobs, good jobs, and live well."

I was a little nervous, but I told him yes anyway. The smile on his face made it all worth it.

So we went to Vegas. He quickly got a job at Caesar's Palace, handing out change around the slot machines, but I didn't want a job like that; I wanted a job that was glamorous and exciting.

But where would I get a job like that in Vegas?

I'll tell you where: Late night adult shows, that's where.

In other words, crossdressing.

On one of my nights off work, I took Spot down to walk the Strip with me. While walking, we came across a broad-chested, thick-necked woman. She spoke with a deep voice, but I associated that with the cigarette between her fingers. She kept calling Spot, who was growing his (and it's tough for me to call her 'him' anymore…) hair out, 'Missy' or 'Young Lady'. When we moved on, Spot grabbed my arm and whispered, "Trav! That was a man!"

"No, it wasn't!"

"Yes, it was!" He insisted. "A crossdresser!"

"Well, he's no worse off than you," I teased. "At least he looks like the gender he acts like, Jamie."

I was a little unnerved when Spot didn't reply.

We continued on down the Strip, then took a side road that would take us to our apartment. On that road was a second-hand clothes shop, and Spot forced me to take him into that shop. He disappeared as soon as we went through the door. Annoyed and exasperated with my spontaneous boyfriend, I browsed through the slacks and dress shirts. While checking out a relatively nice black shirt, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned, and, before I could stop myself, I started to laugh. "Holy crap, Jamie!"

Spot crossed his arms and pouted. He actually was very cute in that sky-blue, sleeveless dress and those white heels. His face didn't have the right kind of make-up to give him a more feminine look, so that was kind of odd, but what really made me laugh was that he had taken a bra and stuffed it with tissue paper like a pre-teen girl.

Now that was funny.

"Jesus Christ, kid, if you're gonna stuff, at least have a little class with it," I snickered. "Don't let pieces of the tissue stick out!"

He blushed and removed the tissue. "Otherwise, what do you think, Trav?"

I smiled at him. "I think, with a little work, you could be a very beautiful young woman."

His face shone when I told him that. "Oh, God, I love you, Trav!"

I bought him that dress and we were both grinning like maniacs the entire way home.

The next day, we called my sister, and she flew out to Vegas that weekend. She worked wonders, teacher Spot how to properly use make-up to accentuate instead of just to be gay: A little mascara to lengthen his eyelashes, blush to soften his face, lipstick and liner to give his pouty-but-masculine mouth more color and to fill it out more. My darling sister even went so far as to teach him how to draw a beauty mark, which he draws under his left eye even when he goes out as a man.

He started to audition at clubs as a singer/female impersonator, and got a nice job at a place called Faerie Falcon, and, thanks to a combined income, he and I were able to move out of our slummy apartment into a better one with white walls and no cockroaches.

After a year at Faerie Flacon, word started to spread about Spot, who was performing under the name Jamie Conlon.

"She's fantastic!" People would say, "Or, rather, he's fantastic."

Spot, delighted by his success, started to audition for bigger clubs, and, in 2009, he started auditioning for shows on the Strip. He got a regular job performing at the Venetian, where my lover became a star. Reviewers and their papers started to call him 'The Jewel of the Venetian'.

Spot, thinking 'Jamie Conlon' too bland for a girl of his stature, and picked the name 'Jaina Conlon' instead. When he told me this, I teased him, claiming I was insulted that he wasn't using my nickname for him anymore.

"To make up for it, then," he said, smiling with painted lips, "How is Jaina Conlon-Higgins?"

That was perfectly fine with me.

I took law classes while at Florida State, and applied for Harvard, Yale, and Stanford so I could continue such studies after graduation. Harvard was the only school that accepted me, which was okay… I could probably find lodgings there.

I e-mailed Skittery, who had graduated from NYU the previous year, and told him I was coming up to go to school there. He wrote back and offered me to stay with him. I accepted.

Harvard was difficult. I spent most of my time either at classes or locked in my room, studying. Skitts, probably one of the best characters I've ever met, worried about me.

"All work and no play makes Lou a dull boy," He told me once while I ate a dinner of cold tomato soup over one of my textbooks.

I responded "If Lou wants to be a lawyer, he's gonna have to be a dull boy," which made Skitts laugh.

My first spring break at Harvard, Skitts dragged me away from the library to watch him rehearse; at that time, he was doing a small-time production called Picture Perfect, where he played the main character's classless best friend, Olen. I was surprised to learn that Picture Perfect was a musical, and that Skitts had, miraculously, gotten over his shakes in front of an audience, seeing as how there were quite a few seats filled during the rehearsal. I sat next to a girl with curly black hair and wire-rimmed glasses. She scribbled on a pad of paper throughout the rehearsal.

Curious, I asked her what she was writing.

She blinked at me. "I'm a movie reviewer for the paper, but my boss asked me to come here and get a glimpse of Picture Perfect. The director of the play is a friend of my boss's… he wants publicity." She leaned in close and whispered seriously, "If you want the truth, I think the director of this play and my boss are gay lovers."
I cracked up. "You're funny, kid!" I told her, and she smiled. "What's your name?"

"Rebecca Golomb. Your's?"

"Louie Ballatt. The guy playing Olen is my friend and roommate." I saw that slight raise of her eyebrows. "But not like that!" I sputtered. "Isaac… Isaac has a boyfriend. I'm single. And straight!"

She laughed. "Good. I would have been disappointed if you weren't."

Wait… what? Was she flirting with me? I mean, I wouldn't know about flirtation or anything, having lacked female attention for a rather large portion of my life, but… if I remembered right…

"Rebecca," I asked her, "Are you flirting with me?"

"What psycho-girl wouldn't?"

I'd asked myself that same question many times. "So you don't mind my patch?"

She blinked. "I hadn't noticed it until just now."

What was this joy in my chest, this insane feeling that I wanted to do something crazy, like run up onto the stage and do cartwheels while singing 'Yankee Doodle Boy'?

"Should I mind it?"

I grinned at her. "No. Not at all."

A few weeks later and I was formally dating Rebecca. Every time I mentioned her name around Skittery, my roommate would cackle with glee and start to sing a song from Picture Perfect:

"With my heart in full bloom

Springtime in my mind

It's love exploding

In my thoughts all the time!"

I was ready to shoot him about the fifteenth time he did it, but it was always nice to hear him laugh; he didn't do that enough.

By the time I graduated from Harvard, Skittery's name was a regular in Broadway casts, so he found some strings to pull and I got myself a job at a good lawfirm. I spent my first year or so doing odd jobs, but was finally my first assigned client after showing the partners I knew what I was doing. Rebecca and I celebrated that night, I can promise you that, and you can interpret that as you please.

I've done well these past few years, and that's probably the biggest reason why when Skittery suggested a reunion with the other Outkasts, I was all for it. Show off my job, my girl…

Just to show off.

I had to show off for somebody.

In April of my senior year, I saw flyers popping up around school. 'New Band looking for Lead Singer!' They said, 'Mustn't be tied down; Must be willing to live in New York Condo with Seven other Men.'

When I showed this to Itey and Davey, Itey grinned. "Nicky!" He cried in a high-pitched voice. "Are you finally coming over to the dark side?"

"You mean, rainbow side," Davey said seriously. Then they both burst out laughing.

Hurt, I pouted my puppy-pout at them - The one I'd avoided during my Fonzie-phase- "Guys! I'm serious! This is what I wanna do!"

"Nick, are you aware that the reason the entire school hates you is because you can't sing?" Itey asked, smirking.

I scowled. "'Cause they think I can't sing."

"Your funeral," Davey mocked before heading to class.

Well, I auditioned for Luscious Lust, and I made it, which I shoved in Davey and Itey's faces with quite a lot of glee.

So that May, after graduation, I flew to New York with my new bandmates. I was a little nervous that maybe, somewhere along the lines, they'd lied to me, but we really did stay in a condo in Manhattan. That was really cool and really nice.

Luscious Lust turned out to be a big deal among Manhattan teens and college students. I got a lot of numbers from girls I didn't know. Not that I minded that, of course.

I like girls. A lot.

My band leader, a pale blonde named Kevin, sent our demo tape to a local station, and wasn't I shocked out my mind when I got into a taxi one morning to go buy a new jacket and heard my voice on the radio!

"That's me!" I cried to my driver, who stared at me then asked where I was going.

Luscious Lust was a popular band in Manhattan, so we expanded to performances in Queens… then the Bronx… Brooklyn, and finally, Harlem. I loved, thrived in, the attention I got, and was so happy to finally have people appreciate how well I can sing.

In '09, one of my bandmates, Thomas, got us a gig playing at his cousin's graduation party. "I promised her a long time ago we would!" he said when Kevin got upset. "Besides, she's been out to meet Nick ever since he joined!"

That didn't surprise anyone; I got teased a lot because the guys said I was too pretty for a pop rock/ska band like Luscious Lust.

But I got 'em fans in the female area! They can't deny that!

Anyway, we took the job at the graduation party. And that's where I met Alex.

Alex was the hostess, Thomas's cousin. She threw a good party, and I wanted to tell her so once it was over. Thomas pointed her out to me and I hopped off the state and went to her.

She was picking up trash and stuffing it into a bag. I knelt to help her. "That was some party," I said.

She didn't look up. "It was interesting, that's for sure." she sighed. "I don't think I'll throw another one for a while."

"Pity," I told her. "I'd like to attend one instead of just play at one."

She finally looked up at me. "Oh!" she cried, a smile appearing on her face. "Nick Meyers!"

"The one and only," I replied, smiling too. "Alex, right? Tommy-boy's cousin?"

"Yeah," She rolled her eyes, "unfortunately."

"Hey, he got you a great band for this party," I scolded, "And you an' me never would have met otherwise, and that would be sad." I pouted at her, and she laughed, her green eyes flashing.

"Charmer, aren't you?" she teased.

"You know it!"

I helped her clean up after the party and got to know her pretty well; She was my age, a month or two older, and had just gotten a bachelor's in drama and acting. She wanted to be on Broadway, then maybe attempt Hollywood. I even found out she knew my old friend Skittery; they'd taken the same improv class her junior year.

"He was sweet," she said, "but so flaming!"

"Isaac? A flamer?" I laughed. "Darlin', you don't know James Conlon, so you don't know flaming."

"Isaac's bangs were dyed red, and he wore mascara and tight muscle tees!" she challenged.

"James changed his name to Jaina, wears lipstick, nail polish, eye shadow, sparkly dresses and diamonds, and draws a beauty mark under his eye every morning." I had written to Race about the band, and he'd written back just recently, including photos of him and Spot.

Alex stared at me.

"I win!" I cried, leaping around the room. I was enjoying myself highly; Alex was fun.

She laughed at me. "Oy, you're crazy!"

"It's the only way to be!" I yelled, right before I crashed into the couch and fell over it. Alex laughed even harder and that made me very happy.

"It's a painful way to be," I continued, coming back up and grinning sheepishly, "But the only way."

She sat on the couch, staring at me. "You're not gay, are you?"

I blinked. "With girls like you around? I certainly hope not."

She laughed, pleased. "There's that charm again. You wanna go out for coffee?"

"At three in the morning?" I shrugged. "Sure."

We go out for coffee every morning now, and meet for dinner every night. Thomas calls me 'Cousin Charmer', 'cause he's dumb.

Sure, I charmed Alex into being my girlfriend.

But she let herself be charmed.

For the curious, I never forgave my brother.

I never got the chance.

My junior year, his senior year, he moved up to Wind Ensemble, was section leader, took Jazz Band, was at rehearsals for the Leftoriums, anything to not have to look me in the face. I think he honestly was sorry… but I wanted him to be sorry. For a long, long time. I was seriously pissed at him, and wanted him to suffer.

After he graduated, he headed off to Louisiana State University, and he never came home for the holidays. I finally started to feel bad, but every time I tried to call Tony and talk to him, he never picked up. I went to his college graduation and tried to forgive him, but he kept avoiding me. And I haven't seen him since.

Now that that's out of the way, I can tell you that I did have some good experiences. The summer before my senior year, I auditioned for, and got into, the Academy, Arizona's brand new drum corp. Third snare, I was. Out of three, of course, but hey! I was in a drum corp! That was more than good enough for me!

I got accepted at ASU, but the summer before that started, I went to California and made it into the Santa Clara Vanguard. Snitch, who was living in L.A. at the time, came to almost all of my performances. I loved seeing him; that was always great fun. Of course, he kept pressing me to find a boyfriend (Pie and I had never seriously gotten together; a couple of kisses here, a hug there, and going to Pie's senior prom together… but that was it), which was totally hypocritical of him; he hasn't seen Skitts since the older boy left for NYU.

"C'mon, Ange!" Snitch would say, "Some of those guard boys are cute!"

Well, I don't know about the guard boys, but there was this one horn player who was especially cute. His name was Aaron, his hair was spiked and black, his eyes were deep brown, and that built-in gaydar all queers have just screamed bloody murder every time Aaron walked by. He was almost insanely talented with his horn, he smiled a lot, and loved to dance… I was smitten.

Before we went off to the final competition, the Vanguard threw a party. While there, I made my move on Aaron, asking him to join me for a movie if we won.

He grinned. "And if we lose?"

"I'll join you for a movie," I responded smartly.

He loved that. "So, win or lose, I get to go see a movie with a doe-eyed curlytop?" I nodded. "Beautiful! I'd love to."

And that's how I started dating Aaron. I left the Vanguard after that year, and Aaron transferred to ASU with me. He majored in dance, and during our last possible year to be in DCI, we both joined up with the Academy. That year, my sophomore year in college, I met up with Snitch, who was doing guard with the Academy that year, and several of my old DV bandmates. When my old bandmates saw my working as first snare, and saw Snitch working so well with his flag, they decided it was time to apologize for their behavior. I didn't want to forgive them, but Snitch did, so I did too.

After graduating from ASU, I got a job as a permanent substitute at Altadena Middle School, where I had gone. In the mornings, I was a drumline instructor at dear old DVHS. I still teach there, and convinced Aaron to join me as a brass instructor. He did this, then went one further and took Abby Olssen's job as dance teacher when she moved back to Idaho. Aaron teases me a lot because he's got a steady teaching job, while I'm just a substitute.

But I love him anyway.

Yeah.

I love him anyway.

I went to U of C and attempted a major in writing. Y'know, I'd always loved to write, and thought myself good at it too, but… the assignments they gave and the things they taught… it was all so liberal!

I hated it!

A lot of people think that since, y'know, I'm attracted to guys, I should be liberal. Please. Give me a little credit. I have better things to worry about than killing cows for food.

Besides, I like steak.

Anyway, I was having such a difficult time that I put out an ad for a tutor, and hired the first response: A Miss Molly Mahoney, journalism major.

When I first saw Molly, I thought Wow… she's kinda pretty. Then I remembered I was supposed to be, kinda, oh, I dunno… gay?

She was a little shy at first, but a lot better than I was; after a few weeks of tutoring, she opened up better, and I guess she taught me to do the same. Without Molly, I don't think I would have been able to make Flavorful Jones the hit it is.

Around April of our freshman year, in the middle of a tutoring session, Molly looked up at me, her dark eyes hiding behind her bangs.

"Richie," she said, "let's go out to dinner. Like a date."

I looked up and stared at her. "…What? But… but, Molly, we're-"

"Screw studying." With a grin, she slammed her book shut. "I'm hungry, and it's not like you'd really object to a date with me anyway."

"But Molly-!"

She was already up and grabbing her windbreaker, putting her keys in her pocket, and all the other things you do when you're getting ready to go out.

"Molly!" I yelled. She finally stopped and looked at me. "Molls, I… I think you should know…" I paused and she waited patiently. "Molls, I'm gay."

She stared at me for a moment, then threw her head back and laughed! Can you believe it? She frickin' laughed!

"What's so funny?" I asked sulkily.

"Richie! Please! What kind of a fool do you take me for?" She grabbed hold of the doorknob to keep herself up. "I've seen the way you look at me, heard the way you talk about me… everyone who knows us sees it too!"

"Someone's full of herself," I pouted, but as she laughed, I started to think about it. If I was really gay, why did I always anticipate Molly's arrivals with a speeding heart? Why, if I liked men, did Molly's feminine curves and giggles make me blush and smile?

"Holy fuck," I said, "Molly!"

And thus! Richard Matthew Jones discovered this strange thing called bisexuality.

On the way to dinner, Molly talked me through it; it was okay, it was normal, she was bisexual too (oh, that made me feel better. Note the sarcasm), and other things. At first, I kept telling myself No, no, think about Itey!, but the problem with that idea was that I seriously hadn't thought of Itey since I came to U of C. I had never seriously dated Itey anyway… it was mostly just an attraction… so who was I to call myself gay?

Then I got upset because I felt like I was an insult to my friends' culture. Molly started to tease me then: "Richie, maybe you are gay. You're acting like a girl going through PMS!"

I stopped for a moment at that, then started to laugh.

"Molly," I said, "I owe you a lot more than you think I do."

She took my hand and smiled. "You don't owe me a thing."

After that, we started dating, and I absolutely love Molly. Her constant teasing gets on my nerves every once in a while, but I'm sure my constant ups and downs bother her too, so it's all good.

My sophomore year, I said "Screw it" and dropped my writing classes; there were rules to creative writing, yes, but that's not what those liberal a-hole teachers were teaching. I took up cooking instead, which delighted Molly.

"If we get married, you could cook and I could clean, and that would leave a lot more time for other things," she said, grinning.

"You're getting a little ahead of yourself there, Molls," I responded with a smile.

We graduated and I got a part time job at a local Olive Garden, cooking. I wasn't head chef or anything, hell no, not a twenty-two year old kid, but I liked what I was doing. Liked it enough that I wanted to do it for the rest of my life, but not under someone's watchful, containing eye. I told this to my parents, who were being a lot nicer to me since I started dating Molly, and for my 25th birthday, they bought me a shut-down Carl's Jr. and told me that if my savings wouldn't pay for the necessary renovations, they'd pay.

Eight months later, Flavorful Jones, a soda-malt and hamburger shop for the modern days, opened. I made burgers the old fashioned way, had fountain drinks right out of the fifties, but the music and style of the restaurant fit the tastes of modern teens. It took a while, but eventually, the high schoolers and junior high kids opened up to my restaurant, and suddenly there were more kids studying there than at the library, and more couples having dates there than at the movies… and business was good. My restaurant was a success, and I couldn't have been happier.

Well, yes I could've.

But Molly'll just have to wait until her birthday to get that ring.

I know, I know. You're thinking 'Dude! Snitch? A dancer? You're joking!"

But I'm not.

My senior year, I took a beginning dance class at school, something Ashley recommended for better rhythm and movement on the field. After our first test, Mrs. Olssen caught up with me and asked me to audition for the intermediate dance class.

"You have talent," she said, "Did you know that, Danny?"

I didn't know that.

That year, all I knew was that I missed my Skittery.

Thinking Why the hell not?, I auditioned for and got into the intermediate dance class, something I both got applauded and teased for by my friends.

Mrs. Olssen, impressed by my talents, recommended that I choose a dance school and take lessons as an extracurricular activity. By that time, I had decided I loved dance quite a bit, and was more than willing to take dance classes outside of school.

By the time December rolled around, I was so in love with dancing that if someone told me I could choose to either live life without dancing or die, I would hold out my hand and ask for the pistol.

So I didn't go out for Winter Drumline.

I went out for Winter Guard instead.

And I had the time of me life!

I applied for NYU, but they turned me down. UCLA accepted me, and, not really having a choice, I went there, majoring in dance. Things were a lot more hardcore there, but I rose to the challenge brilliantly, if I may be so bold as to compliment myself.

At UCLA, I was too busy trying to learn new moves to 'snitch' anything, and thus was able to make friends of my own. I still missed the Outkasts, of course, especially Skitts, whom I hadn't really heard from in a year, but my new friends were great too; I was the tallest kid in class (by a lot… dancers are short, dude!), so they took to calling me 'Big Dee'. I loved that nickname so much that I kept it after graduation, and when I got my first job as a teacher at Dance20 studies in southern L.A., I told my students to call me 'Big Dee'.

As for my love life, it's pretty much been at a standstill since Skittery left. At first, we were too bust with college to keep in contact. Then, he was always at auditions or I was at work. When he finally got on Broadway, I got myself a job choreographing a couple songs for Eccentric's (A bubblegum pop group that really took off in '09) World Tour, and thus we couldn't keep up with each other then either.

Ten years since I last saw him.

Ten years.

Life goes on, they say. Well, sure. Life goes on.

But does love go on?

I don't think so.

I moved to New York, spent four years at college, made new friends, got an old one back as a roommate, started a career in show business, and just all around led a successful life, one to be envied.

Except for the fact that the one guy I ever loved lived all the way across the country, and I was only able to keep tabs on him thanks to Blink and Itey e-mailing each other twice a week.

And I was frickin' tired of hearing just the bare bones of news about Snitch from my roommate.

So, I got this idea…

To: jackkelly , djacobs ksd. , jainathejewel , DbleorNthn777 , nickmeyers , lballatt , aassaro tuhsd. , owner , bigdeericcio

From: Br04dw4y5t4r

Subject: !Outkasts 10 Year reunion!

Man, I feel stupid. You guys have these professional e-mails, and I'm still using L33T. I'm such a geek.

Anyway.

Lou and I both have a week off the second week of June. School's out then, so Davey and Ange should be free, we thought, and everyone else should have enough time to get places filled at jobs, so… maybe that week all ten of us could get together? It's been over ten years, so… it would be really nice.

Oh, and Lou wants everyone to bring their girl/boyfriends. 'Cause he thinks Rebecca beats 'em all out. **sighs** Lou, get a life, man. Either that or a frickin' ring? and gimme my extra room back.

Anyway, I was thinking maybe we could all get out to Colorado and meet up at Richie's restaurant and sample his stuff, eh?

Well, get back to me, and once I get the aye or nay, I'll get back to you guys.

Thanks!

3

Izzy Tatum

To: Br04dw4y5t4r

From: jackkelly

Subject: Re: !Outkasts 10 Year reunion!

Davey and I are both in, Iz. I got my Aunt to cover for me during that week.

See ya then, kid!

~ Jack + Dave

To: Br04dw4y5t4r

From: jainathejewel

Subject: Re: !Outkasts 10 Year reunion!

Izzy, dearest! That's the best idea! Travis and I are currently working on trying to get that week cleared so we can go. :-* Love! 3 3

3 James 'Jaina' and her Trav

To: Br04dw4y5t4r

From: bigdeericcio

Subject: RE: !Outkasts 10 Year reunion!

Got my friend Sammi to cover for me at work.

So I'll be there.

You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to it.

~Danny 'Big Dee' Riccio~

5UP4H 5T4R! ß See, I still use L33T too. 3 You, Iz.

To: Br04dw4y5t4r

From: owner

Subject: Re: "!Outkasts 10 Year reunion!"

You guys are so gonna love my food.

And Molly too. XD I know you will.

Woo!

To: Br04dw4y5t4r

From: aassaro tuhsd.

Subject: Re: !Outkasts 10 Year reunion!

Message:

Movin' on up! To the East Side!

**cough**

Yeah, I'll be there, and I'll bring Aaron to.

Fun!

To: Br04dw4y5t4r

From: lballatt

Subject: Re: !Outkasts 10 Year reunion!

Message:

When I get home, you die! XP x_X

PH33R /\/\3!

Dork. XD

XD

~ lou!

To: Br04dw4y5t4r

From: nickmeyers

Subject: Re: !Outkasts 10 year reunion!

Need music? I'll bring Luscious Lust (or their CD… Kevin wouldn't like having a gig on such short notice… ^_^; )

Need planning? My gal Alex is the best.

You got it (The Right Stuff) =)

Isaac Tatum, also known as Skittery, or Izzy on the stage, hesitantly entered the restaurant. Walls painted checkerboard red and black, covered with pictures of different popular bands and stars greeted him. Isaac scanned the pictures curiously. Some of them, like Eccentric and Jason Mraz, he recognized. Others, like someone named Kelsey Raab, he didn't. A smile crossed his face when a signed picture of Luscious Lust came his way. Nick Meyers, his hair long and his smile huge, knelt in the center of the picture, giving a 'rock on' sign to the camera. On the bottom, Nick had written:

"Richie (Pie!)

Way to go, man. Your own joint! Maybe I'll get to eat there sometime. Stay cool, and remember, blueberry's DA BOM. - Nick"

Isaac smiled. Some of them had stayed in touch after all.

"Izzy?"

Isaac turned. Richie Jones stood behind him, dressed in a dirty red apron over a white polo shirt and black slacks. He was smiling brightly. "Love your hair!"

Isaac grinned and fingered his crimson-colored bangs. "Thanks, man. You got a tattoo, Louie said?"

Richie flushed slightly, and lifted his left sleeve. "Nothing much." He pointed at the Chinese characters on his bicep. "Man… and woman. Molly's got one just like it."

"Matching tattoos! How sweet." Isaac responded. "Very romantic."

"Speaking of which… you seen Danny recently?" Richie smirked.

"No… I'm really looking forward to seeing him."

"Lemme give you a sneak peek," Richie said, going to the opposite wall and taking down a picture. When he handed it to Isaac, the actor gasped.

"This… this is Danny?" he demanded. "This is my Danny?"

The young man in the picture was unmistakably Danny Riccio, even though he'd signed the picture 'Big Dee =)'. The large-toothed smile that never quite reached his eyes, which were a deep hazel color; the lean body, limber fingers, the soft curl in his hair… yes, this was Danny Riccio.

"You… sound upset…?" Richie said quietly.

"Oh! No! I'm just… surprised…" He swallowed loudly. "Goatee?"

"Looks good on him, huh?"

"Oh yeah." Isaac grinned. "Oh yeah."

Richie laughed. "C'mon back while we wait for the others. I want you to meet Molly."

"No one's meeting Molly when she's covered in flour!" came a voice from the back.

"But you're so cute with that white stuff on your nose!" Richie called back.

"You make it sound like I snort crack!"

"Don't you?"

"Go away!"

Richie was grinning widely now. "How can I go away if I'm already gone?"

"Shut up!"

"You can just feel the love!" Skittery joked, snickering.

"Well, if Molly is going to be-"

"Howdy, boys!"

Richie and Isaac looked up as Jack Kelly and Davey Jacobs entered the restaurant. Jack wore a black cowboy hat, and white polo shirt over tight blue jeans, while Davey wore a red dress shirt and black slacks. They looked very classy and very close; a cute couple.

"Hey! Weren't you the only two to stay in Arizona, huh?" Richie asked.

"Ange escaped for a few months while he was in the Vanguard, but he came back," Davey said, grinning ear to ear. "Idiot that he is."

"Vanguard?" Isaac asked.

"You know. Drum Corp International? Marching Band for uber-geeks? The Vanguard is the Santa Clara Corp." Davey shrugged. "I dunno. I just know that he was in the Vanguard one summer."

"Danny'll be jealous, I bet." Isaac said, smiling.

"He was," Jack replied, "until '07, when he got into the Academy's guardline."

"Danny did guard?"

"Fuck yeah!" Davey cried. "After you graduated. He did Winter Guard his senior year, and we all laughed at him, even though he was really good."

"So that's why he's a dancer…" Isaac mused.

Suddenly, there was a pounding noise at the door, and the young men turned to look.

Nick Meyers was pulling roughly on the door, and the tiny girl behind him was yelling something he apparently couldn't hear.

Richie grinned and pulled the door open. "Push, Nicky." he said, "Push."

Nick stared at him for a moment, then scowled. "Fuck you, Rich."

"What a greeting for old friends!" Davey said with a giggle. "We love you too, Nicky."

"You're not allowed to tell me that, remember?" Nick grinned.

"Why, Nicky? I'm allowed to love you!" Davey batted his eyes.

Nick grabbed his girlfriend's hand. "'Cept that I have a very cute girl, Davey. Duh."

Davey pouted playfully, then cracked a smile.

"Guys, this is Alex," Nick said.

Isaac furrowed his eyebrows as the tiny, green-eyed girl greeted them. "Do I know you?"

Alex beamed. "Glass's Improv class?"

"My senior year! You're that Alex?"

She grinned cheekily. "One and the same!"

Isaac smacked Nick on the arm. "You asshole, you never said she was that Alex!"

Nick rubbed his arm where he had been hit. "Was I supposed to?"

"Yeah, I think you were." Rich sniggered, then called "Molls! Come on!"

"I'm covered in flour!"

"Big fuckin' deal! We got a girl out here now, come keep her company!"

A sandy-haired girl with flour on her face appeared from the back, and Richie's face softened slightly. "A girl?" she asked. "I thought all your friends were gay."

"All but two," Rich grinned. "Guys, this is Molly."

Molly grinned and waved cheerily at them. "All but two, Rich? No wonder you're bi!"

"Shut up, Molls," Richie responded, smiling as he put an arm around Molly's shoulders.

The bell above the door jingled, and two young men entered, one with ebony curls, the other a sway in his walk.

"… Ho-ly fuck," the one with curls, Angelo Assaro, said, grinning a fully Italian grin. "Lookit this. Rich got himself a fuckin' girl." He raised a fist to his eye and playfully pouted, wiping a pretend tear from his eye. "I'm hurt!"

Richie rolled his eyes, keeping his arm around Molly. "Oh, please, Ange. Get over me."

"I'm playing, asshole. Don't need you no more." Angelo grinned smugly. "I got Aaron."

The lithe waif of a boy that had followed Angel inside smiled. "Hi," he said, "I would be Aaron."

"Ange! I'm hurt!" Richie mocked, throwing himself to the tile floor and writhing with pretend sobs. Molly kicked at him, telling him to get up before he got the floor dirty.

"Is he always this crazy?" Alex asked. Molly grinned.

"Sweetheart, you have no idea," she replied.

"Maybe I do," Alex said, smirking as Nick body-slammed a still writhing Rich, who screamed, "Jesus Christ, Nick! Get the fuck off!"

Molly put a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Let's let the boys be boys and go talk in the back. I got tea."

The girls headed for the kitchen, and Richie called, "Molls, remember, you're my girlfriend!"

"Shut up, Rich!"

"Ah, how many years since I've heard that phrase?" Louie Ballatt sighed with nostalgia as he entered the restaurant, his arm around curly-haired Rebecca's shoulders.

"Lou-ie!" Nick cried. "What took you so long!"

"Went shopping with Becky," Louie kissed his girlfriend's cheek, "lost track of time."

"You actually found somewhere to shop in this place?" Richie got up, sounding surprised.

"Yeah! There's lots of places."

"You lie! The only place I can shop at here is the Big & Tall five blocks down!"

"Then you just don't know where to shop!"

"Hey, I've lived here for nine years, I know Boulder Shopping better than you!"

A few moments silence.

"Aw, man, I missed you!" Louie beamed.

"Hug me!" Richie cried.

"Group hug!" Davey crowed.

The seven Outkasts present ran and embraced each other while Aaron and Rebecca watched.

"They're so cute!" Aaron commented gleefully. Rebecca glanced at him. "Come on, you know you think so too."

"It's like Classmates meets Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," she quipped. "Which is really cool."

Aaron shrugged his black leather jacket into place. "Shall we leave them to it? Two other girlfriends are in the back."

"You call yourself 'girlfriend'?" Rebecca asked, beaming, as they headed for the kitchen. "How cute!"

The Outkasts were enjoying themselves, laughing in their mass of embracing. "This is so gay!" Nick cried at one point, making them all laugh.

While they were absorbed with their nostalgia, two more people entered the restaurant. One wore a black blazer and black trousers that, combined with his slick black hair and Raybans, made him look like a Mafia man. With him was a girl, her dark blonde hair streaked with strawberry red, and pulled off her thick neck into a messy bun. She wore a long khaki skirt, white shirt, and khaki jacket. Beneath one of her icy-ocean eyes was a beauty mark.

Jack looked up and saw them first. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw the girl, who smiled with mulberry lips and waved her ring-coated fingers at him.

"Oh, my God, you're gay!" Jack accused, his face shining. The boys broke apart and stared at the girl.

"How's it goin', fellas?" she asked, her voice husky.

"Oh, my God, I hate you," Isaac muttered, clapping his hand to his mouth. "I totally hate you… you're gorgeous!"

The girl -actually James Conlon, now Jaina 'The Jewel' Conlon-Higgins- beamed at him and held her arms out for a hug that Isaac gladly took.

"Are those real?" Richie asked tastefully. James rolled her eyes.

"Please, Rich, give me credit. Of course not. I wouldn't be a female impersonator if I had female genitalia."

"She said genitalia!"

"Grow up, Nick."

The young man, Travis Higgins, cleared his throat and removed his sunglasses. "If we're all here, I say-"

"But we're not all here," Isaac interrupted.

"Who's missing?"

"Danny," Angelo answered.

"Is he coming?" James asked.

"He said he was…" Isaac's voice was soft and Travis gaped.

"You mean you're still for Danny?" he demanded.

"You're still with James!"

"Yeah, but I've been seeing her every day for the past ten years. Have you seen Danny at all?"

"…Well, no, but-"

"But I have," Angelo butted in, "and he doesn't have anyone either. He told me he only wanted Izzy."

Isaac blinked. "Really?"

Angelo nodded, and looked up when a new voice spoke: "Really, really."

Travis and James turned to watch as a tall, dark-eyed young man with a slight curl to his hair entered the restaurant. He grinned, displaying rather large teeth. "Sorry I'm late," he said sheepishly. "Sammi pulled up a map on the internet, but it didn't print right… I got lost."

Richie grinned. "No prob, Big Dee, at least you're here."

James raised a curved eyebrow, smirking. "Big Dee? That mean what I think it means?"

"It means I'm the tallest dancer at UCLA and Dance20 studios, James," Danny Riccio made a face at his old friend, then turned to the rest of them. "Ange! Weren't you gonna bring Aaron?"

"He's in the back," Angelo replied.

"I wanna see him; He asked me to show him a few notes on the sax."

"There's someone else you should see first, Big Dee," Ange said, grinning as he shoved Isaac forward. The young actor suddenly felt positive that his outfit -tight, red pants, a black muscle tee, and white boots- wasn't quite right for this situation.

But Danny smiled. "Izzy… you look good."

"Thanks," Isaac flushed slightly. "You too."

"I missed you."

"Yeah? I missed you too."

James rolled her eyes. "Just kiss already and get it over with!" Travis smacked her shoulder and glared at her, but the others agreed.

Danny took one of Isaac's gloved hands. "Well… you ready?"

Isaac put his other hand on the back of Danny's neck. "Big Dee, I been ready for ten years."

And with that, lips that had been cold for ten years warmed with the caressing touch of lover's love.

After a few moments, the others tired of this tender reunion, and they all sat down to catch up with each other, stories which have already been shared with you, Reader.

Isaac told about his brother's arrest in '07, for pulling a gun on a kid in a bar. After his dad bailed him out, Joe enlisted in the army.

"I think he's a captain now," Isaac said, "But I honestly haven't kept up with him."

The boys talked for a while, then Molly, Alex, Aaron and Rebecca joined them, and new friendships formed.

When Richie finally checked his watch, it was half past one in the morning, and time to go to hotel rooms for rest. They arranged to meet at a Denny's the next morning for breakfast, then headed out.

Before getting into his rental car, Danny had a short chat with Isaac.

"You're on Broadway?" Isaac nodded. "Are you gonna be in the Spaceballs musical they're starting soon?"

Isaac laughed. "Yeah, man! Mel Brooks's latest. I got Lonestar."

"Oh! Congrats, dude!" Danny said.

"Yeah, thanks. Why do you ask?"

"Um, I… my friend Sammi and I were invited to come up and do the choreography for that show. So… so I thought you'd like to know."

Isaac paused. "You'd be living in New York?"

"Yeah. Oh, and after? They just finished building a Dance20 studio in Manhattan, and my boss said… I could transfer there… if I found reason to." He looked meaningfully at Isaac, who smiled.

"Thanks, Danny," He said.

Danny ran his fingers through his hair. "Well… see you at breakfast…"

"Yeah," Isaac replied, accepting the following kiss on his cheek with much satisfaction. "'Night, Danny."

Danny hesitated before replying. "Love you, Izzy."

Isaac's heart rose. "Love you too."

Danny's face was shining as he got into his car, and Isaac started to get into his own when Louie grabbed his arm.

"You asshole! Why didn't you invite him to your room?"

Isaac threw his arm free. "It's been ten frickin' years, Lou!"

"So? Just means you're more mature sexually!"

Isaac didn't reply.

"Iz…" Louie hesitated. "Becky invited me to move in with her once we get back. I accepted."

Isaac stared at him.

"Danny told me about the choreography job." Louie raised his eyebrows, but didn't continue.

Isaac stood there silently for a moment, then sighed and got into his car. "See you in the morning, Louie," He said before driving off.

James, her make-up starting to fade, shook her head. "How sad."

Travis grinned. "Ten bucks says they come in the same car tomorrow morning." He said, snickering. "To 'save gas'."

"You're on!" Nick reached for his wallet, as did Aaron and Richie.

Louie shook his head. Imbeciles.

Just made them easier to love.

Later that night, Danny heard a knock on the door of his hotel room. Having just gotten out of the shower, the dancer swore and wrapped a towel around his waist.

"How can I hel-… Isaac!" He blinked, and Isaac blushed. "What are you… how did you know where I was?"

"Louie asked Ange for me," Isaac said, keeping his face averted from Danny's bare chest. "If you're busy, I'm sorry, I just-"

"No, no, come on in…" Danny stepped back and Isaac walked inside. "I just got out of the shower, and-"

"Danny."

Danny stopped talking and hitched up his towel. "Huh?

"Why is it so tense between us?"

"Well… it's been ten years since-"

Isaac shook his head. "It's been ten years since I last saw Rich, and my conversations with him weren't so…curt."

Danny sighed and sat down on his bed. "I… I don't know."

Isaac sat next to Danny, and hesitantly put his arms around his shoulders.

"Maybe… maybe we just need an icebreaker?" Isaac suggested, very aware of Danny's nudity beneath the towel.

Danny looked at him for a moment, then leaned over and kissed him. A few seconds, and the kiss deepened. A few more, and they were lying on Danny's bed.

Forty-five minutes later, they were asleep in each other's arms, clothes discarded, energy depleted for the night.

When Isaac and Danny stepped out of the car together the following morning at Denny's, Travis held his hand out to the others.

"Some of you owe me ten bucks," he said, grinning.

James kissed his cheek as Nick and Aaron reluctantly handed over a ten each to Travis. "You'll never change, Trav," she said.

Travis glanced around; Richie and Molly were exchanging playful banter; Louie was tugging at the strap on his eyepatch, joking with Rebecca; Nick and Alex were making out as indiscreetly as possible, and Angelo, Aaron, Jack and Davey were catcalling and cheering as Danny and Isaac approached, holding hands and blushing like virgin brides.

Travis smiled.

"We've all changed, Jamie," he said, slipping an arm around James's waist. "But for the better."

A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
~Margaret Mead

"Friendship is the union of spirits, a marriage of hearts, and the bond thereof virtue"
~William Penn

"I could feel the charge, y'know? That charge you get when you're enjoying yourself with your best friends? I think Stephen King captured it best in It; kids and their friends goofing off, having fun, teasing each other, and feeling the charge.

It's a great feeling."

~ Louie 'Kid Blink' Ballatt

***AUTHOR'S NOTES***

It's DONE! **dances**

And look at some of the things I did! **blushes and smacks herself** Big Dee… I'M SUCH A DORK! XD

LOVE TO B, SHORTIE AND KEZA FOR LETTING ME USE THEM HEAH. XD

Gothic Author: **blushes** You don't MEAN that sweetheart. Look, you're making me blush! It's not that big a deal.

But if you say so. LOL. ^_^ LOVE!

Sweet Anne the Pervy One That I Love: LOL, I love writing Race. He's just… I dunno, fun. XD LOL! I love you, darlin! XD Mwah!

Speed: I love it when people gush about my stuff. It makes me feel special. Don't you just wanna stick a coat hanger up Joe's ass and rip his entrails out his bunghole? If I can be vulgar for a moment. LOL. And I don't really mind that you didn't review every chapter. That's okay. ^_^ WOO!

Braids: Thanks for the talk that boosts my ego, kid! XD

Sage: LOL, well thanks for all the good talk about me. And for spreading the word. I love getting new readers for my stuff, and I'm really honestly glad you enjoyed it. Spot in red leather pants is SEXY. And think of it this way… if I had never dreamed up Spot in red leather pants, Outkasts would never have been written. Seriously! Outkasts started because I drew Punk!Spot, and it looked more like Queer!Spot 'cause he was wearing red leather pants, and I'm like 'I have to write a story about this' and tada! Outkasts was born! XD And I'm aware it could stand on it's own… I may someday make it stand on it's own. If I feel like it, LOL.

Ivy: Another faithful reader comes out from behind the curtain. I'm so loved and never knew it! XD Thanks for sticking with me. ^_^

Aura: I love you, kid. XD You've been there since the beginning, smacking me around and begging me for more. THANK GOD IT'S OVER. But yeah, I love you. ^_^

Ember: Glad you liked it. ^_^

Funkiechick: Spot/Race! it's my first Spot/Race! XD Can you believe it? But it's just sexy anyway!

Sparks: It's bittersweet. ^_^ That's the word for it. Bittersweet. Loves! Thanks for sticking with me all the way through!

Sinhe: LOL! FuckingPissedOff!Skittery was major fun to write. I was like 'YAY I get to say the eff-word a lot! WOO', 'cause I'm a dork. XD And sappy is GOOD sometimes. XD Especially Sappy!Blink, because he was sappy a lot in this story. As for the rape, I guess you could say one of two things: a) The Outkasts weren't expecting anything less or anything more than rape, really, and it's not like they hadn't been treated like shit a lot anyway, so it's one of those 'last straw!' kind of things instead of a 'they raped us let's kill them/kill ourselves' kind of thing, or b) I'm just a dumb little bitch who's not very good at portraying characters with psychological problems. One or the other, LOL. Probably the second one.

Artemis: Joe being stupid: Because he's a jackass. XD Skittery was really close to his brother when they were young, which is part of the reason he didn't turn Joe in after chapter 12 or whatever it was. Having Joe betray him like that really upset him. He just kinda cracked, which was fun. XD I loved writing that part. Loves!

Frenchy: Don't tell me, you're Pagan. Hah, I'm psychic. Anyway. LOL. You're one of the ones that's been with it since the beginning, so thanks for stickin' with me. I appreciate it major!

Aquachica: It's my little one! How ya doin', kid! Aw, man, that's the best story. See? That's part of the reason why I've been writing Outkasts; to achieve stuff like what's in that story. You never know what'll happen. ^_^

I stalk nez: I think cut you off there at the end, but that's okay. You know, you're not the only one this story got people slashified on. ^_^ Which amuses me so completely. ^_^

Seraph: Actually, Joe telling on the Outkasts wasn't planned at all until I got to that point! I was writing about Joe helping the Outkasts, but it just didn't seem right, so I got to that part, and was about to write him turning in the jocks, and I said to myself '…No. No… it would be better if…' and tada! Joe is evil again. HAH. I surprise even myself sometimes. And Outcasts Anonymous also never crossed my mind until I was about to start writing this chapter. The real O.A., at my school, is Otakus Anonymous. ^^; I'm a big dork. XD Love!

Sita: MY DARLING LOVE. And I don't really hate it… it just had problems with me sometimes, that's all. ^_^; And I made another person cry! YAY! I RULE. LOVE YOU.

Hentai: Darling, you are my conversion. XD YOU MADE ME DO THIS… THIS… SLASH THING! XD But I love you for it. I'm so glad you started reading this story, and even gladder that you liked it! XD See you at school tomorrow, :-* Love!

Pinch: It's mah SNITCH-SISTAH BABE. XD Thanks for all the compliments, I love you too. ^_^ The reason I do Snitch/Skittery so often? I created it! **is proud** XD XD XD And we so need to discuss the lesser known newsie listing. Talk ta me, kid! XD

Sydney Kiss: here's a New face. LOL. ^_^ Thanks for reading!

Sphinx: Another person from the start! Woo! Thanks for stickin' with me and my insanity and my lacking of fast updates!

Hotshot: WOO, a long review! What fun! It made me laugh, darlin', completely made me laugh! I love you darling! **hugs**

hilaRy: WOO, another long review! ROCKS MY SOCKS. This made me laugh too, oh my God, I love you! XD I didn't know I could evoke such powerful emotions in people! **blinks** **cackles maniacally** WITH THIS POWER I WILL RULE THE WORLD! **cough** Or not. XD **eats snitch-shaped cookie**

lemur76: Well, thanks for waiting, LOL. You're not the only one. XD

Tabloid: Of course I write Snitch/Skitts loverly, I CREATED THAT PAIRING. I love telling people that, LOL. **cough** Anyway. Thanks for the sweet things you said, and for letting me know I confused you. I like confusing people. ^_^ LOVE!

TechniColor DreamGirl: Well, I'm just glad you liked it! As for IDMAT, I'm working on that, but I devoted myself to finishing Outkasts first. Now that it's done, I'll be working on my other stories more, so no worries!

Starchild: Hey, an O.A. gal. XD LOL, thanks for sticking with me, kid. ^_^

Shot: Woo! I love being me! XD Thanks for reading, kid! WOO! LOVE

Book: NO! NO! NO! **is very emphatic** NO SEQUEL. NUH-UH, I had enough trouble with this one. NO SEQUEL.

Shakes: Dude, your review made me laugh until I fell off the chair. Seriously! XD I love seeing stuff like that, it makes me feel special. And all I have to say in response is: Of course my Snitch characterization is the best! I OWN and LOVE him. I would only make him cool… and a band geek… and stupid, but we won't go there. WOO! EHEHEHEHE, I'm right under Cher; I'm almost a queen! XD WOO! I ROCK! This is so bad for my ego… but again I say: NO SEQUEL.

Dragonfly: LOL! I feel special 'cause your 50th review was to my story! XD And there are other good stories to read on here… not many, of course, but there are. ^_^ Love!

Fantasy: WOO! Someone mentioned it wasn't all about slash, because IT WASN'T! YES! I LOVE YOU! XD And woo, I almost converted someone to bandgeek-dom! THAT would be cool. ^_^

Lucky: Woo! Thanks for stickin' with me kid, and thanks for all the kind words!

Twitch: MY DARLING, don't cry, for all is well. ^_^ **huggles**

Shade: I already told you this, but I think I can phrase it better now: There has not been another review for this story or any of my others that has totally made me grin with pride the way yours did. Calling this story 'inspiring', telling me I portray the boys well, and letting me know my voice is heard inside the story… I just felt so good about myself after reading that review. ^_^ I love you, Shadells. AND AGAIN, NO SEQUEL.

Cards: NO MORE NO MORE NO MORE NO MORE! NO MORE! XD Love you anyway. ^_^;

Nerikla: It was even a twist to me; that's part of the reason I love writing: sometimes you can even surprise yourself with what you write. HAH. I'm a dork. WOO. LOL. ^_^; Love you!

geometrygal: Mmmm, LOL. Slashy men. GOOD STUFF. But it wouldn't have been probable to make them all gay. That, and I don't really like Mush/Blink. Luckily, I'm established enough in this fandom to say that without getting killed. HAH!. And I feel bad for Tony. **sniffle** But I'm probably the only one who does.

studentnumber24601: You know what, the counter was wrong, I've been keeping tabs on the review count all day. So here's the story.

I was typing up some of the shout-outs, and I felt this little twinge like 'Hmm… I should check my e-mail', and when I checked my e-mail, there was an review alert from you! So I clicked it and read it and felt good about myself, then I said 'Wait… geometrygal was number… so B is number…**delighted shriek* 400!'

So y'know what, YOU'RE REVIEWER 400! **throws a party for b** Gah! I love you! So completely to pieces! **glomps** WOO WOO WOO! XD So it's okay you reviewed late, 'cause since you reviewed late, you're #400. WOO! I am so excited about that. **cough** Anyway. Why is it with a 'k'? Because I felt like it, that's why, LOL. That, and when I someday go through this story and make it original, I want to have legal lawsuits where Outkast the band/singer or whatever sues me, 'cause that'd bring a LOT of publicity. WOO! And I've told you before I love fight scenes. They're just totally fun to write; they bring out the Stephen King fan in me. ^_^ I'm really glad you liked the ending! I was afraid people were gonna be mad because I didn't make them accepted or anything like that, but I guess not! ^_^ People liked it! I'm so special! I LOVE YOU

AND ANYONE ELSE WHO'S BEEN THERE SINCE THE BEGINNING OR HAS JUST STARTED READING IT, OR JUST IN GENERAL LIKE THE STORY: THANKS AND LOVE!