I have to admit, it's taken me a while to get round to actually reading this story, even though I've been really enjoying reading "Adjustments" by Jenny wrens, and honestly I'm beginning to wonder why. This story is very well written, and all of the characters are interesting in their own way. I especially love how you're capturing the dynamics of the private high school life, and how everyone else sees the impact of Makayla's actions.

I also love how you've shown the aftermath of the fight in the previous chapter, and how both Riley and Makayla are seen by the rest of the school. I really enjoyed reading the fight in the previous chapter, so seeing the aftermath with Gibbs getting involved and questioning them was interesting and fun to read!

I'm excited to see how the talk between Josh and his dad will go, considering everything that's going on with the Marshalls. I'm excited to see what you have in store for the next chapter!

I think Gibbs needs a break! These kids are driving him nuts! If it were me, I think i'd have smacked their heads together. So much teenage testosterone in that room. Yikes!
Riley needs something-not sure what-a cuff in the ear or a stiff drink? That kid is messed up.
Josh needs to be knocked down a peg or two. He is drowning in entitlement. His father needs to knock him off that pedestal he is standing on. The other students at his little preppy school hold him up like some kind of god. He has some lessons to learn when he is in the military. He would probably be shocked to know Riley is more or less a Marine. Wonder if that would change his opinion of Riley. I mean Riley has been beaten up, smacked around and now attacked by Josh-the poor kid must be in severe pain yet he never showed it once. Josh on the other hand is almost passing out from a kick in the nuts? Must have been a powerful kick to make him act like that. Still NO comparison to what Riley has been through. Riley amazes me. He is either a master of controling his pain or his prain threshold is very high. I'm thinking the latter because of being so badly abused as a kid and during his training in the Marines.
I have to admit my heart is racing a little to see what Marshall Sr is going to say. He came down on Cassandra (which I very much enjoyed...little snit deserved it) Josh seems like he is a good kid overall-he is obviously upset about his brother and many other things. I admire his ability to respect Gibbs through the ordeal. His father must really speak highly of Gibbs. Interesting!
Josh needs some compassion from his father too. Sometimes these military types seem cold and standoffish...nothing wrong with a cuff in the ear but hopefully it comes with a hug as well. Josh is already showing signs of remorse now that he is going to face his father. BUT is he remorseful because he lost his head and is afraid of the consequences? Is the Headmaster at the school going to give him some consequences as well? After all, he is a prefect and they are held to high account.
Good job! Looking forward to reading more about Josh and his family. Hope Cassandra is okay. Her ego took a beating from her father.

Whoa, so much happened in this chapter that I don't know where to begin.
Gibbs! Why didnt you let Riley speak? Josh got to talk but not once did you let Riley speak. Grrrrr. Josh knows NOTHING about Riley! Riley is a Marine. If Josh knew that, maybe he'd give Riley some respect. Josh made me so mad! He was all nice and honest in front of Gibbs but totally a jerk to Riley. Riley never got to talk. What the heck? SO not fair! No wonder Riley is so pissed. Gibbs is supposed to stick up for Riley but he didn't. He just kept telling Riley to calm down. Riley has been through so much! UGH
On the other hand, I guess maybe Gibbs didn't want to reveal Riley's business. I'm so torn.
I do feel for Josh. He is a mess inside. I get he misses his brother and things are kind of upside down. His dad came down on his sister really hard. She totally deserved it but whoa that was humiliating. I felt like crawling into a closet when he was lecturing. I picture him being quite the steamroller of a man. Things have seemed to go crazy in the Marshall home and it all seems to be Riley's fault. BUT IT'S NOT! I think Josh and Riley could be great friends...but Josh needs to get his head out of his ass first. I hope Josh's dad creams him. Josh was a jerk! I hope Josh comes clean with his dad and doesn't make any excuses...he obliterated Riley and he was so pretentious! A part of me wished Riley would have smacked him silly. Riley must have looked a sight after Trace pounding on him. Couldn't Josh guess that he was hurt? I mean he was in the hospital for a reason, right. HELLO? So yeah, Josh's dad better read him the riot act and lay down the law. Josh deserves it! As another reviewer said, maybe a page out of Gibbs book is in order? or a kick in the ass!

What the heck is with Xavier? The kids are so mean to Makayla. No wonder she wants to leave. That school sounds horrible! Is private school like that? I went to public school and it can be bad but wow, those rich kids are jerks.

Looking forward to reading more.
This co-writing with Jenny is awesome! I love it! Your story adds so much depth to Jenny's. Together, they make one hell of a fun read.
I hope you continue to write in this universe. :)

I hope Josh's dad comes down on him like a load of bricks. He was awful to Riley! All those mean things he said? He thinks his family is better than Riley? That's just crap! Marshall Senior should take a page out of Gibbs book and head slap him.

Brittany should have tried to reach out to Mak. Poor girl was in tears! That kid was a jerk to her.
Mann these Xavier kids are bullies.

My heart aches for Mak and Riley.

I Like Josh.
BUT He needs to chill out and maybe reach out to Riley though and he was very snotty...he sounded so stuck up when he was telling Riley he wasn't good enough.
I really am a fan of Riley...I feel so badly for him...he has been through so much.
I hope Gibbs can get him to let down his guards.

I also really like your character Josh...I think he is struggling and I hope his dad hears him and doesn't just punish does need some consequences though. Maybe Josh should have to do some community service with Riley...they need to connect...Josh could teach Riley the ways of the Richie riches so Makayla's mom will like him.

Poor Gibbs needs help figuring out how to deal WITH Riley.

Thanks for writing this...I'm enjoying it.
What happened to Cassie? I was feeling sad for her because her dad kind of embarrassed her at the table.

Have to hand it to the his friends like Harry to spin a totally different tale then what happened. Mrs. Byron is right Harry would make a good PR guy. Could be a new career option or an ambulance chasing lawyer .

Yipe...what a fight between Riley and Josh Jr.!
At least Josh seems remorseful and a little worried about his father finding out. Riley is just off the wall ticked off. Such a chip on his shoulders. How on earth is Gibbs going to get through to him?
Excited to read the next chapter.

Could you give a quick cast of characters in the next chapter?

I'm so glad that Elizabeth talked to Josh Sr. about Cassandra. Mothers have a way of seeing things fathers do not. Cassandra was brave and selfless but for reasons that just weren't necessary. I think that knowledge was a shock to her. I also think Josh realized the discussion was needed based on his daughter's snippy attitude towards him. Cassandra needed to be knocked down a peg or two.

Aww...my heart breaks for Cassie that Lukas cannot stay for the holidays. Is it because of the accident? I wasn't clear on that. Was he being sent home as punishment to Cassie or because Lukas's parents were so worried about him? Or maybe a little of both?

Whew, I had no idea Riley picking up Makayla at Xavier would cause such a stir. I wonder if Gibbs knew? So many rules. Would it be worthy enough news that CAssie should have mentioned it to her parents? the Headmaster? Was he breaking rules?

I want to bottle Josh Sr. steely look for my daughter. My stubborn girl would have stormed off no matter what her dad said. I'm glad Cassie had common sense enough to sit down and listen. So much pride in this family. Whew. Josh Sr has high expectations for his kids.

Then we have Josh Jr...he is surly for sure. I'm actually surprised he didn't come to his sister's defence in this conversation but he is obviously lost in his own internal battle, one that he picked with his mother. My heart rate picked up when he spoke to his mother like that! WHAT? If my son spoke to me like that, oh my goodness, my husband would have dragged his surly carcass to his room. But I was very proud of Mrs. Marshall. She can hold her own! And Josh backed down thank goodness but his surliness did not go away. I wondered if his dad noticed that. Whew..some tense moments. Poor Melissa must have wanted to crawl into a hole. Gulp...thankfully William jumped in and changed the subject to something more pleasant.

OH boy and now Josh is back at school and mad as a hornet about being separated from Chris...and feeling rebellious against his parents as well...double whammy. OUCH poor Riley standing there minding his own business and gets a cigarette flicked at him. Josh, Josh...you have no idea that you're picking a fight with a loose cannon right now.

WHOA! What an epic fight. Neither boy was backing down anytime soon!
And GIBBS entered the scene dun dun dun dun :0 GULP!
At least Josh Jr has the presence of mind to stop when he realizes who Gibbs is but not Riley...poor Josh ...that last kick is nasty! Riley is wound up and not so eager to listen to Gibbs because they have their own issues still.

This was fantastic! I look forward to the follow-up discussion. :)

That was some fight at the end. Glad Gibbs broke it up. Wonder what Josh's parents especially his father will think of him fighting Riley after all the trouble he got into earlier.

This chapter gave me such happy 'feels'. I adore getting to know the Marshall family. I have read some of your stories about Josh Sr when he was a kid. He did have a very hard beginning. I love seeing him interact with his adopted father. Thomas rescued Josh and Chris and made a huge difference in their lives. I have a feeling life had its rocky times as Josh Sr allowed himself to trust in Thomas. Maybe Thomas would commiserate with Gibbs...too bad he couldn't give Gibbs some advice and insight. Gibbs could use it about now. Riley is a conundrum.

This chapter was just delightful. I loved seeing them interact together, teasing and having fun...just being kids. It's awesome! Melissa is not used to seeing this kind of foolhardiness. Melissa and Makayla have spent more time in boarding schools than with their parents. And summers, when they are were able to be together, just seemed to be more about Julia making her daughters into perfect replicas of her. Most of the fun times and memories centred around their dad, Mike. He was the fun-loving one but still a very quiet presence who never much interfered with his wife. Melissa and Makayla are so different that they never bonded much and mostly ignore one another or argue...neither one appreciating the other very much. They do have some good memories of playing together as little girls...hopefully, those memories will pull to the surface.
Melissa must find the Marshall shinanigans very amusing :)

Poor Josh and Chris...those two are so endearing! I love their relationship. I can see Chris being frightened by his impending surgery. Cassandra's tantrum with the trays was epic! I'm sure dad Marshall wasn't very impressed by his little girl LOL But it showed some real emotion and it was good to see Cassandra being real. I hope her conscience pricks at her a little and maybe help her see that rushing headlong into things without thinking them through to completion can end with some pretty nasty consequences. She's just lucky Chris is going to be okay.

The little romantic time between Josh and Melissa was cute...and felt very authentic.
Josh is very proud of his family heritage. He does have a BIG ego...good thing Melissa is so smitten with him haha
He can say he doesn't care about Riley Janssen but me thinks he doth protest too much :D

Those two are headed for a meeting in the future.

Well done on this chapter! I just love this story so much. :) Keep them coming !

Enjoyed this chapter! I'm not sure how I missed reviewing it...I blame it on my scattered mind LOL So many insights into the Marshall family dynamics. I read it before I went to bed last night and was mulling it over in my mind. The Marshalls operate very differently than my family.

Firstly, the level of respect that the kids have for their parents-dad especially- is mind-blowing. They hold him in such high esteem. I love it. They obey out of love and devotion rather than fear. That is the ultimate desire of every parent. I'm still trying to figure out how discipline works in the family. Still envisioning the drop-down and give me 50 situations LOL I think I need to see a scene or two with a hotheaded teenager disagreeing or defying Marshall Sr. Let me tell you, there is NO such thing as a teenager that does NOT get hotheaded and blow up at dear old dad or mom. Even the most even-tempered, devoted kid has their moments. So there is my challenge for you :P

The next thing that struck me as odd was the use of language between the teens and Marshall Sr. They all seem perfectly comfortable tossing the f-bomb into casual conversation. Is this just a normal thing in the Marshall household? It is definitely NOT normal in my household. We do not casually use it in conversation at all. If my teen let it slip out in conversation, I'm not sure I could continue speaking until I addressed it. :D I think you've already learned that about me. haha

The relationship between the twins is beautiful! My brother has 19-year-old twins boys and they are very close as well. I understand the connection because of my nephews. I can't tell you enough how much I love your depiction of Josh and Chris. I adore them. They just feel so real...their feelings and reactions and inner thoughts. Chris is funny too (I keep thinking about the scene with him and the nurse in the previous chapter; it was hilarious.)

I enjoy hearing Josh's inner thoughts about Riley. He is really ticked at Riley for so many reasons. He just can't wrap his head around why Riley does the things he does. And how can he? He has no idea of Riley's journey. Even Gibbs is perplexed at this point.

I love Josh's devotion to Melissa even though he is so worried about his brother.

Now, Cassandra really irks me in this chapter as usual. She is bound and determined to feel like she had every justification to barrel to the rescue. Marshall Sr. annoyed me as well. He was telling her she was justified but I disagree. I understand that the Marshalls are proud people. They are selfless and that is admirable BUT Cassandra was wrong. Her father needs to call her out on it. Her stubborn pride is going to be her downfall if that is not addressed. There's a time and a place for pride but that wasn't it. While the accident was not her fault, she had no business going after Riley. Her superior attitude with following Riley and Makayla in the first place was out of line. However, I chalk that up to petty teenage girl behaviour. I know she is the oldest but why doesn't Chris put her in her place or at the very least question her? You have written Cassandra really well! She drives me batty! haha I want to reach through the page and throttle her. :D I can't help thinking that it must be exhausting to be Cassandra.

Will is endearing! Mrs. Marshall is a darling. Josh Sr is a little corny sometimes LOL but so is my husband.

At the end, I'm sensing Josh Jr is feeling a little weary of being a Marshall and always feeling like he has to do the right thing.

The chapter was great! It really gave the readers insights into a wonderful family.

Enjoyed the Marshall family interactions

Enjoying the backstory to Jenny's story. Thank you for filling in all the side stories. It makes for a delightful read. I hope you are staying safe.
I would have loved to be privy to the conversation between Ellis and Makayla. That girl is a mystery! What was she thinking?
How did the dog get locked in the shed? I'm very glad he wasn't harmed. Perhaps Trace had something good in him somewhere.
I hope you will continue writing these little side stories to Jenny's.

Great job!