How A Person (Character?) Effectively Ruined My Life

In my last blog post, I professed my love for Joey Cosentino (and by extension, the series Winger). Now, I am going to re-profess my love for Joey Cosentino and Stand Off , the sequel to Winger. 

At first, I was hesitant to read Stand Off, I did not want to ruin a perfect book. But, a friend of mine convinced me I HAD to read it (she may of may not have said Joey Cosentino was a major theme in the novel), so I caved and read the damn book. 

(image source: books)

Boy am I glad I read that damn book. 

Like Winger, Stand Off was incredible. The writing, humor, wit, cartoons, characters, and themes were top notch. Andrew Smith is a very talented author. 

Sadly, like Winger, in the last ten(ish) pages there was YET ANOTHER GAME CHANGER THAT EFFECTIVELY RUINED MY LIFE. 

I am not being dramatic here. The end of Stand Off was so ughhh! that I have been mentally composing a letter to the author since I finished*. 

Do you see that little * after finished? That little icon that usually means there is a clause to whatever is being stated before? Well guess what? 

There is a clause! (surprising)

When I say finished, I mean the sequence of events went something like this:

Night one: Receive Stand Off in the mail, read it all night. Every time Joey Cosentino is mentioned, cry. Cry honest-to-god tears about how f*ing sad life was for Joey Cosentino and Ryan Dean West. Fall asleep dreaming about what could have been. 

Day one: Spend the next day re-re-reading Winger, cross examine literally everything. Spoiler: my heart broke for Joey Cosentino literally every other page. I am still feeling whiplash of the emotions.  

Night two: Reread Stand Off and cross examine everything Nico Cosentino (!!!) says. 

Day two: Sort of stalk Andrew Smith’s blog during English class. 

Finished. 

If you, dear reader, are observant and noticed there was a second character with the last name Cosentino, kudos. If not, there is a (!!!) after it to show my excitement and direct your attention to it. 

Nico Cosentino. 

Younger brother of Joey, slight recluse, sick rugby player, and an effective ‘bro-er’. 

Ryan Dean West and I had the same reaction when Nico was introduced. 

Run, scream, fall, and hurt ourselves in emotional grief. 

Nico (probably) had the same reaction as Andrew Smith did (as he was writing this and probably cackling at my [and other reader’s] future heart break), ‘bro’ us and laugh at our emotional pain. Or, in Ryan Dean West’s case, falling in front of his dead best friends family. 

In this scene, the ever horrible foreshadowing occurred. Mrs. Cosentino, for the first time in the novel, mentioned how much Joey Cosentino talked about Ryan Dean West. This lead to Ryan Dean and I being very confused. The the same idea was brought up many times later. 

So…WHY WAS JOEY COSENTINO TALKING ABOUT RYAN DEAN WEST TO HIS FAMILY???

I had an idea, from way back when I read Winger, but I had no clue it would be canon. 

Guess what?

It was canon.

Joey Cosentino was in love with Ryan Dean West. 

Joey Cosentino (through his brother) literally confessed his love. 

And Ryan Dean West’s reaction was to think “Of course Joey loved me. I love Joey too.”

This sounds perfect. 

It should be perfect. 

Except Joey Cosentino is dead and Ryan Dean West is not. 

Ryan Dean West is not over Joey Cosentino. (nor am I)

The only reason Ryan Dean even knows about Joey Cosentino’s love is because he asked Nico. Because he snuck back into the O-Hall and went to Joey Cosentino’s room. Ryan Dean West took his pillow case and clothes and a note. A note that said “TELL RYAN DEAN” and other things that Joey Cosentino had to accomplish, like calc homework.

Spoiler: Joey Cosentino died before he could tell Ryan Dean West. 

His brother had to do it. 

I cried. 

There were lots and lots of tears. 

Stand Off was an amazing book. 

The End. 

Lots of Love, 

Shaun

P.S. read Winger and Stand Off because they are perfect and the emotional  destress is worth it. 
P.P.S Joey Cosentino never finished his calc homework