This is so great. This chapter was so amazing. I really liked the beginning. It was written in such a way that it made your readers want to know what you meant. I also really like this part. "The damage to his face might look bad, but I know for a fact that the damage to his soul is so much worse. After he’d made so much progress too!" It's true. He has made so much progress. Sure he still believed that he was worthless and ugly and that everything was his fault, but he got to a point where he could say "I'm not worthless because Gerard and Frank said I wasn't and I trust them and I trust that they'd tell me the truth so it can't be a lie." I don't believe this is something you'd make him say, it was just written to show his reasoning. Anyway, now he probably won't be able to even think about what Gerard and Frank say about his worth and it's all because of the kids in Mikey's class. I really like the fact that Mikey didn't stutter. I thought that was so clever and it was such a great way to make Frank realize that something amazing is happening. Mikey trusts him, which is what Frank wanted, but now he has to be extra careful because it's a special thing when Mikey trusts someone because he doesn't trust just anybody and his trust is a hard thing to keep. I also really like how caring Frank is. He wants nothing more than for Mikey to not get hurt anymore. He wants the kids in Mikey's class to stop hurting him. He wants them to hurt, not Mikey. Also, the last line. That came out of nowhere. I think my jaw dropped when I read that. Now I'm wondering what will happen. Like the kind of wonder where you bite your nails to try to keep your mind off of the surprising thing that happened but you still find yourself looking off into space and coming up with the worst theories. Your writing really provokes thought and emotion which is lacking in a lot of stories. This is so well written and extremely beautiful. I love it.
Author's response
Thank you very much; I'm glad that you liked it!
I wasn't too sure about having Mikey not stutter so it's a relief to know that you thought it was clever.
Thnak you ever so much for leaving such a kind review; they mean the world to me! :)