All right, here are those fun facts I mentioned. I tried to make it so that it was relatively easy to read without knowing the exact context, but I mean, I read through the story while I wrote them, so if you want to re-read it, go ahead. :) These are a mish-mash of plotlines that had plans but never happened, back-stories and reasoning behind different things that happened, or just little headcanons that popped up as I re-read. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Richie walked out into a rainy night, symbolizing the trauma and emotional turmoil that he was about to go through over the next few weeks.

At the beginning, Richie had been talking to his mom quietly about possibly asking Virgil to prom, just as friends. Shawn overheard, and that's what prompted the big fight.

Richie had kept a partially-packed suitcase ready to go ever since the events of "Sons of our Fathers"

Chapter 3

As soon as Robert saw a glimpse of bandage during dinner, he had a hunch as to what was going on.

Virgil asked his last question during 20 questions ("Does it work?") because he almost resorted to cutting when his mother died. He never did it, though, but still had that lingering curiosity.

Chapter 5

That wasn't the last time Virgil had that nightmare about Richie killing himself. It was a recurring dream that lasted another two years.

When Richie closes his ears and hums loudly to prevent a panic attack, it's the first time he'd used that coping technique since he was around 12 or 13, when he first started having them.

Chapter 6

When Robert and the boys had their talk during the night, there were surprisingly few tears shed. Richie was too tired and drained to cry, and Virgil was simply furious at Shawn.

Chapter 7

Richie laughing at the movie they're watching together on the "Normal Day," was the first instance of Virgil realizing he might have feelings for Richie.

Chapter 8

The thing that really set Richie off and got him yelling at Maggie was her saying that Shawn can't help what he does. She had said that Richie's entire life, and this was what put him over the edge.

The ending of the chapter, with Virgil taking Richie's glasses off and curling up to sleep on the floor next to the couch was another reminder of just how much Virgil cares for him.

Chapter 9

Maggie had only visited the Hawkins' house once before, and that had resulted in a broken arm from Shawn.

Liz Anderson was meant to be a much bigger character, but I could never fit her in too much. The receptionist that Robert talked to a few chapters back, Janice, was also supposed to show up periodically, but she only made 2 appearances.

Chapter 10

Just like Liz, all my notes on this story abbreviate characters' names to their first initial.

Virgil has seen 2 therapists before Liz. The first being a grief counselor at the center after his mother died, and the second was the counselor brought to the school after Jimmy shot Richie. Both counselors had the nasty habit of repeating "And how did that make you feel?" over and over, leading to his hesitation about trusting Liz. He also mentions this indirectly in chapter 18 when he's talking to Richie.

When Virgil asked, "What if [Richie] actually killed himself?" he was hoping that Liz's answer would be to reassure him that Richie wouldn't do that. Her silence only confirmed his fears that it might really happen one day.

Richie's hesitation in promising Virgil that he would never kill himself stems from his fear of worthlessness. He's afraid that one day Virgil won't care about him anymore, and then Richie will have nothing holding him back from suicide except this promise. (Yes, all that happened in one ellipses. I am the author. #yolo)

Chapter 11

It took a while for the workers at the Burger Fool to realize something was wrong. It was a customer who spotted the blood seeping from underneath the door and informed the employees.

Chapter 12

Sharon had only seen Virgil in such a state of shock a few times before, one of which was at their mother's funeral.

Chapter 13

What Richie's feeling when he says everything is a dream is called dissociation. It presents in many different ways, some of which include "blacking out," feeling like you're on autopilot, or a floating feeling. Often, a good way to bring someone back from a dissociative episode is gentle stimulation of the senses, such as a massage like Virgil does, or a friendly scent like lotion. If you're in this situation, make sure you ask the person if it's okay to touch them, because some people don't like being touched while they're dissociating.

Chapter 14

If Virgil were to ask me about his sexuality, I'd suggest he look into either demisexual or bi/pansexual, since bi/pan people can definitely be 90% attracted to one gender and only 10% attracted to all other genders!

Ivan still self harms occasionally to this day. He tried to break the habit, but now that his jet-black skin doesn't show the marks like before the Big Bang, he's given himself some nasty wounds.

Chapter 15

Henry the counselor was also planned to be a bigger character, but never showed up after this.

Chapter 16

When Maggie was gathering her things, Robert managed to keep his cool, knowing that more yelling would only panic Maggie. It wasn't until she left the room to get Richie's stuff that he really let loose and gave Shawn a piece of his mind.

In contrast to Richie's exit from the Foley house in chapter 1, Maggie steps out into the sunlight, symbolizing her freedom from the abuse. While Richie's exit was filled with turmoil, Maggie's was filled with relief.

The tactic that Daisy is subconsciously using is called "signifying." That means that she's using Virgil's name frequently in the conversation in order to make him feel validated and loved. Unfortunately, she's using it a bit too much, which can make people feel like they're being attacked or looked down upon. Daisy should have paid a little more attention when they learned that in Psychology.

Chapter 18

Okay, this is the easter egg that I'm most proud of. I had planned on turning it into a huge plot arc, but, as you can see, it never happened. Abigail the therapist, with the brown hair and light hazel eyes is actually Gail aka Nightengale from the Night Breed. I had planned on taking the plot down to the Night Breed, where our duo would see that Nightengale was no longer with the team. She had split once the cure was released and continued her schooling from where she left off before the Big Bang, studying to be a therapist for troubled teens. That's why her voice sounds familiar to Richie, but Abigail didn't recognize him out of costume. I WAS SO EXCITED I CAME UP WITH THIS AND IT NEVER HAPPENED. I even had an OC to take her place in the Night Breed. Oh well!

Richie's complete 180 regarding recovering was mostly brought on by his mother's plans to return back to Shawn. That knowledge caused Richie to give up in his recovery.

Chapter 19

I think Bridget might be my favorite OC in this story, with her fast-paced speech and calling Shawn a "shmuck." This woman is wonderful.

Chapter 20

For anyone who hadn't put two and two together, it was definitely Daisy who let the cat out of the bag. She didn't do it out of malice, of course, but when Freida asked if she knew anything about Richie, of course Daisy told her best friend. And Freida felt that Nina should know, since she was friends with Richie, too, and the story spread from there.

Epilogue

Richie managed to convince Maggie to let him live with the Hawkins once Shawn was arrested. He was convicted of first degree assault and sentenced to 12 years in prison. (Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. I googled this. If any of you are a lawyer, feel free to let me know what he would actually be convicted of and what his sentence would be. xD)

Sharon and Adam named their daughter Jena as a tribute to Jean Hawkins.

As you can infer from the epilogue, Richie didn't officially stop cutting until another seven months after the last chapter! Chapter 20 ended in November, and the epilogue takes place the next June. Poor Richie went the rest of his senior year cutting, but with Virgil's help, he slowly got a handle on his addiction.

I spent, like, an hour researching Niagara Falls and the surrounding area and now I really want to visit it and I blame these boys.

So, I hope you've enjoyed this ride as much as I have. It's been a pleasure! 3