Thank you, Bram's Dumbass Aunt @thankyoubramsdumbassaunt - Tumblr Blog

queerism1969

Here are 50 books Texas parents want banned from school libraries:

"Drama," by Raina Telgemeier

"When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball," by Mark Weakland

"Lawn Boy," by Jonathan Evison

"Better Nate Than Ever," by Tim Federle

"Five, Six, Seven, Nate!" by Tim Federle

"The Bluest Eye," by Toni Morrison

"Out of Darkness," by Ashley Hope Pérez

"Ghost Boys," by Jewell Parker Rhodes

"l8r, g8r," by Lauren Myracle

"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," by Jesse Andrews

"White Bird: A Wonder Story," by R.J. Palacio

"Ground Zero: A Novel of 9/11," by Alan Gratz

"Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic," by Alison Bechdel

"Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts)" by L.C. Rosen

"City of Thieves," by David Benioff

"Gender Queer," by Maia Kobabe

"This One Summer," by Mariko Tamaki

"We Are the Ants," by Shaun David Hutchinson

"The Breakaways," by Cathy G. Johnson

"All Boys Aren't Blue," by George M. Johnson

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower," by Stephen Chbosky

"Michelle Obama: Political Icon," by Heather E. Schwartz

"Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You," by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

"New Kid," by Jerry Craft

"Class Act," by Jerry Craft

"Salvage the Bones," by Jesmyn Ward

"Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice," by Mahogany L. Browne, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Olivia Gatwood

"Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness," by Anastasia Higginbotham

"How to be an Antiracist," by Ibram X. Kendi

"A Good Kind of Trouble," by Lisa Moore Ramée

"We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices," by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson

"On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God," by Louise Rennison

"The Kite Runner," by Khaled Hosseini

"It's Perfectly Normal," by Robie H. Harris

"Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out," by Susan Kuklin

"Monday's Not Coming," by Tiffany D. Jackson

"Happier Than Not," by Adam Silvera

"George," by Alex Gino

"What Girls Are Made Of," by Elana K. Arnold

"I Am Jazz," by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings

"So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed," by Jon Ronson

"King and the Dragonflies," by Kacen Callender

"Go With the Flow," by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann

"Last Night at the Telegraph Club," by Malinda Lo

"Weird Girl and What's His Name," by Meagan Brothers

"Flamer," by Mike Curato

"Milk and Honey," by Rupi Kaur

"A Court of Mist and Fury," by Sarah J. Maas

"47," by Walter Mosley

"Girls Like Us," by Gail Giles

thewinchestergirlblog

Hey, y’all! I wrote a book on Wattpad that I am actually quite proud of. This is an exclusive post to help promote it!

SUMMARY:

Ronnie Hennessey is nothing like her friend Tami Spier. She's not a partier, a drinker, and definitely doesn't do hook-ups. And that's how she likes it.

Then there is her brother Tanner. He parties, drinks, and rebels. All along with his best friend Jay Collin- his childhood friend who lives right next door to the Hennessey family.

And Tanner only has two rules regarding his sister and best friend:

1. They must get along.

2. No macking on my sister/best friend.

Ronnie and Jay never got along and they could never see eye to eye.

But when secret feelings are revealed and a relationship blooms- a relationship that could cost a friendship- they must decide how long they can keep the secret from Tanner and prepare themselves for his reaction.

And the heartache that could come with that.

FACE CLAIMS:

KAITLYN DEVER as VERONICA “RONNIE” HENNESSEY

RUDY PANKOW as JASON “JAY” COLLIN

CHASE STOKES as TANNER HENNESSEY

RAIN SPENCER as TAMI SPIER

CHAPTER ONE

I could feel the ocean breeze coming through the classroom window and dance across the room. The smell of the sea was just as strong. It reminded me of what I was missing while I was cooped up in this hot as fuck classroom in a school that didn't seem to know what air conditioning was.

The skin that was exposed around my tank-top (that just passed the dress-code) kept sticking to my chair. I wouldn't be surprised if when I stood up there would be one large puddle of sweat covering the seat. No amount of water chugging could erase the heat.

I fanned myself with the worksheet that Mr. Turner handed out to us at the beginning of class. We were supposed to use it to follow along with the lesson. To me, it was the best source I could find to replace a fan. Other students in the class had the same idea. I could hear the movements of the papers as they went up and down, sending each student a cool breeze to fan their faces.

Mr. Turner was discussing The Fall of the Roman Empire or something Italy culture from a few thousand years ago, when the classroom door creaked open slowly. I looked over, as with everyone else, to see Jay Collin crouching his way into the classroom, his University of Charleston cap shielding his face from Mr. Turner. He was the only senior in junior year history, and it was a class that he always found himself being late for.

Mr. Turner crossed his arms as he sent a deadly glare towards Jay. "Just because you're crouching doesn't mean I cannot see you."

Jay was near the back row of desk when he received Mr. Turner's statement. He stood up with a cocky grin, like always. He lifted his cap up, finally making eye contact with Mr. Turner. "Sorry, Mr. T. I had family stuff going on."

Mr. Turner nodded slowly, not at all convinced. "That is your excuse every time. Try to be creative every once in a while," Mr. Turner exclaimed, annoyed. Whenever Jay was late for class, he would make up some excuse that involved family problems. And it was always about the same family member which made it even more unbelievable.

"My grandmother died," Jay said, obviously lying. And that was the family member.

"That's your seventh grandmother to die this semester." Before Jay could badly defend himself any further, Mr. Turner pointed towards Jay's regular seat, signaling him to sit down. "See me after class, Jason." Jay absolutely hated being called Jason. He told teachers at the beginning of every the semester that he preferred to be called Jay. But most didn't shy away from calling him Jason when they were annoyed with him. Which was frequent.

"Not if I see you first," Jay said sarcastically and leaned back on his chair. Perspiration already coating his skin. Out of all the classrooms at that Godforsaken school, Mr. Turner's was the hottest and most humid. Not even having the windows open could help reduce the unbearable heat.

"And take off the hat," Mr. Turner ordered.

Jay removed his hat from his head dramatically and placed it down on his desk. "Are we good now?" Mr. Turner ignored him and immediately went back into the lesson.

"Hey, Hennessey," I heard a whisper from behind me.

I turned to see Jay leaning forward on his desk a couple rows behind me. "What?" I asked, annoyed.

"What are we learning right now?"

I scoffed and pointed my pen towards the front of the room. "Look at the board, dipstick."

He imitated my scoff. "Who are you calling dipstick, dipstick?"

"Just focus on the lesson. I can always help you with it later," I tried to assure him.

Jay has lived next door to my family for over ten years. We were friendly to each other but that was at the request of my brother, Tanner. Jay is one of Tanner's closest friends. They became close after Tanner invited Jay over to play video games on his new system shortly after Jay and his family moved in. Our home was like his second home. I woke up in the morning and there was a big fat ass of a chance that he was sitting with my family, eating breakfast. He stayed at our house more than he stayed at his. But he did annoy the shit out of me.

I was so relieved when the bell rang, signaling the end of class. As I predicted, my bare skin was peeling away from the chair. I was glad that I had a free period, meaning I could take a detour towards the cafeteria and grab a new water bottle from the vending machine outside the doors.

"Jason, come here," Mr. Turner called out to Jay when he noticed that he was trying to sneak out of the classroom to avoid the lecture Mr. Turner seemed to have prepared for him.

Jay sighed and walked over to Mr. Turner, imitating his stance as they both watched the students file out of the classroom.

Jay saluted me as I walked passed. "See you later, Ron-nosaurus Rex." One of the many nicknames he had given me over the years. And one of the many nicknames from him that I hated.

Without saying a word, I flipped him off and left the room. I could hear him cackle from inside the classroom.

I got a cold water from the vending machine as I planned. I wasn't surprised to see that other students had the same idea. I had to wait for a few minutes just to press a button and get a water.

"Hey, Ron." I turned my head at the sound of my brother's voice. I leaned aimlessly against the wall outside the cafeteria and drank my water, trying to preserve it. "I'm just wondering, at Mom's request anyway, if you are getting a ride home with me or Tami." Tami was my best and oldest friend at the school. She was also my only friend with a license and a car.

I took a large gulp of my water before answering. "Tami's sick. So I guess you're stuck with me."

"Okay. I'm driving Jay home too," he started. "Call it now and you get shotgun and you can be in charge of the radio."

I scoffed at the idea of sitting in my brother's hot car with Jay for the twenty-minute ride home. "I guess I'm calling shotgun."

"Okay, I'll meet you in the parking lot after school." He began to turn away when I stopped him.

"Tan," I called out. "Tell your boyfriend to stop being a pain in the ass to me in class. It's annoying."

He laughed and walked back over. "He's not that bad."

I motioned an accusing hand at him. "The fact that I said, 'your boyfriend' and you knew exactly who I meant is truth enough."

He held his hands up in surrender. "Fine. I'll talk to him."

"Good," I said and took another sip from my water bottle.

Tanner didn't say another word. Instead he took his route to his next class. I shrugged it off and took another sip from my water bottle before heading to the library.

***

Jay was waiting beside Tanner's car when I reached the parking lot. Tanner was never in a rush to get out of school. He was that kid who had many friends. Pretty much tried to be friends with everyone. Jay, on the other hand, was never much of a people-pleaser. It always seemed as if he didn't get the concept of making friends. Only the ones that let him win at Mario Kart when he was seven years old. He was still convinced he won that game fair and square. In other words, my brother was just a huge softy towards him.

He was leaning against the front passenger door of my brother's beat up old Chevy that was older than him and that he bought for an incredibly low price from a sketchy dealer. Jay's hat was back on his head, and he wore his douchey sunglasses.

"Move it, boy who should've been a stain on the bedsheets," I scowled, trying to get to the front passenger door.

He scoffed and leaned off of the door. "Nice insult, Ronald McDonald," he replied, sarcastically. We very rarely called each other by our real names. He always tried to put some version of my name into his nicknames for me. Ronald McDonald was one of his regulars. And also the least creative.

"Do I look like a creepy-ass clown trying to sell food and toys to children to you?" The Ronald McDonald insult would have been even worst if I was a red head.

He tilted his head at me, considering my question. "Kind of. You already got the feet."

I looked down at my feet. Size nine and a half. All thanks to my dad. "I really want to kick you in the balls right now."

He chuckled and took off his sunglasses. The perspiration on his face somehow made his already bright blue eyes look even brighter. "You're just setting this conversation up for a bunch of dick jokes."

Could Tanner be anymore slower getting out here? "I swear, you better not talk to me when we get into the car."

He laughed and put his sunglasses on the collar of his shirt. "You know, you're supposed to be nice to me?"

I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes. My foot tapping impatiently for my brother. "You and I both know that's only valid when Tanner is around."

"Me and Tan are going surfing after we drop off our stuff," Jay said, changing the subject. "You should come."

"No, thank you," I answered. I enjoyed surfing with my brother. What I didn't enjoy was surfing with Jay Collin. "Tami's home sick and I am going to video call her as soon as I get home."

"She can come too," he countered. Was he serious?

"She's sick, dipshit."

He narrowed his eyes. Not looking too convinced. "Is she though?"

I groaned. My hands forming into tight fists at my sides. "I swear to god, if there weren't so many people around, I'd-"

He smirked. "You'd do what?"

Before I could say, "I'll kick your nuts in," Tanner approached, swinging his keys around his index finger.

"You two ready?" Tanner asked once he was at the driver's door.

"Can you just open the car doors already?" I asked, ignoring his question.

He mouthed an "Okay" and opened his door, clicking the unlock switch. "Were you guys arguing again?" he asked once we were all situated in the car.

"Your sister told me I should've been a cum stain," Jay said, being a bit too over-dramatic.

"I did not say it like that," I tried to defend myself. "And he said I have clown feet."

"I was just stating facts," Jay defended his case.

I could see Tanner roll his eyes as he started the car and rolled down the windows to let some air inside. "I seriously only have two request for you both. One: No macking on my sister. And Two: Be friendly to one another."

"Which would you rather have, Tan?" Jay started in a sarcastic tone. "Me calling your sister a clown or screwing her?"

"I would prefer neither," Tanner said seriously. "And don't talk about screwing my sister. That's gross."

Jay leaned forward in his seat. "Bro, can you stop at the hardware store? I need to get some things for my dad."

"No problem," Tanner said and took the first turn that led towards town.

Tanner soon pulled up to the curb of the hardware store. "Thanks, I won't be long," Jay said and left the car, closing the door a little too roughly for my comfort.

Tanner pulled into a front parking space. When Jay said he won't be long, what he really meant to say was you have enough time to go catch a movie and grab dinner. I pulled out my phone and began texting Tami. All I had to do was text her I am in hell, and she was quick to reply and she always knew what I meant.

"How's Tami doing, Ron?" Tanner asked as he impatiently drummed his hands on the steering wheel.

"She's doing better," I answered, not taking my eyes off of my phone screen. "She may stay home another day or two though."

"Does she know what she has?"

I nodded. "Stomach flu mixed with food poisoning."

He grimaced. "Eck."

"I know, right?"

"Can I ask you something?" he asked after a moment of silence.

I wrote Tami a quick reply to one of her texts and put my phone down. "Sure."

"Can you try to be a little bit nicer to Jay?"

His question caught me by surprise. It wasn't as if he never asked me that before. But I guess the twentieth times the charm. "He starts it half the time."

He huffed. "Yeah, I know. It's fifty-fifty with you two. And I'll talk to him. I'd just really appreciate it."

I reached over and soothingly rubbed his shoulder. "I'll do my best."

"Thank you." He paused for a moment. "You know his parents are going through a divorce, right?"

I was pretty sure everyone knew. "Yeah. But haven't they been going through this divorce for like three years?"

"Yeah. But Jay's dad just got the papers back from the court to sign. He just needs a break is all."

"Fine."

Our lovely sibling bond was ruined when Jay jumped into the car with a grunt. "Now, if we could stop by my dad's mechanic shop so I could drop this shit off. Thank you."

Tanner scowled and turned around in his seat to cast a warning gaze at Jay. "Do I look like a personal chauffer to you?"

Jay actually seemed skeptical for a moment. "Not quite. You need one of those hats that look like a Frisbee."

Tanner groaned. "Fine. Is it still at the same location?"

Jay laid down in the backseat. "Yup, sir." He moved his cap down to cover his face.

This was going to be one long twenty-minute car ride home.

***

The boys were quick to grab their surfboards and drive down to the beach as soon as we got home. Tanner dumped his book bag in the entryway, almost making me trip over it. I kicked it to the side to get it out of the way. Mom would have a fit if she was the one to trip over his bag.

I finally had the house to myself once Tanner closed the front door when he left. At least for another hour.

I pulled out my phone as I walked into the kitchen to get a snack. I opened up Tami's contact and sent her a video call request. She answered a couple seconds later.

"Hey, girlie," she greeted me in a raspy voice followed by a cough.

"Hey, to you too," I greeted back. She coughed again. "You sound awful." I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. My fifth one that day. My water intake had to be through the roof.

"It's this damn medicine they gave me," she replied and held up a medicine bottle. "It burns the shit out of my throat. I guess it's supposed to fight bad bacteria in the stomach or some shit."

I hopped up to sit on the counter, swinging my legs over the side. "Awe. Well, I hope you get better soon. School has been awful without you."

She took a gulp from her water bottle, trying to sooth her aching throat. "Yeah? How's motor dick treating you?"

I couldn't help but burst out laughing. I knew who she meant. "He annoyed me in history class and then after school he told me I have clown feet."

"What is he? Five?"

"I mean, he did say this after I told him he should've been a stain on his parents' bedsheets."

She nearly choked on her water. "Is it just me or are his comebacks getting dumber? I have better material than clown feet."

I laughed while grabbing an apple out of the plastic bowl beside me. "I think it's the both of us. He's running out of material."

Her eyes glistened as if she had an idea. "You should make him sexually frustrated. That will be a sure-fire way to get him to shut up."

"Yeah, I'm not doing that."

She groaned in frustration. "You are no fun."

I laughed again. I loved talking to her. "I am not going to tease him to make him sexually frustrated. That's gross."

She scoffed and took another chug of her water. "Am I the only one who senses some major sexual tension between you two."

I pretended to think for a moment. "Yes, you are."

She rolled her eyes. She knew I would never admit to something like that. Mostly because it wasn't true. "Whatever. Are you still going to drop off my homework tonight?"

I smiled, so glad she was changing the subject of the conversation. "Yeah. My mom will drive me over once she gets home from work."

"Okay," she said before coughing into her elbow. "You can just leave it in the mailbox. It's germ central here."

"Noted. We have to read chapters five through nine by Friday for English."

She held up a finger to tell me to wait a second while she took a long chug from her water bottle. "Sounds good. It will give me something to do. I've been cooped up in this house for two days. I'm bored."

I gave her a soft laugh. "I promise, we'll do something amazing once you're feeling better."

She lifted her water bottle as if she was calling a cheers. "I'll hold you to that."

I heard the front door open and close with a near slam. At first, I thought it was Mom, but she wasn't due to come home for a while. When I heard their voices, I knew right away that Tanner and Jay had come back. My guess was that the waves were sucky when they got there.

I groaned. "The boys are back."

Tami laughed followed by a cough. "They weren't gone that long."

I shrugged. "I guess the waves weren't that good today. I'll see you soon."

She blew me a kiss. "Love you, girlie."

I blew a kiss back. "Love you too. Bye." I hung up right as the boys entered the kitchen. "You're back early."

"The waves sucked," Tanner said while pulling two waters out of the fridge for him and Jay. "They barely hit two feet."

"Yeah," Jay began. "We should've checked the site first. We don't surf unless it's at least six feet."

"Maybe we can head to Charleston and Folly Island this weekend. Maybe their surf is better. It always seems to be," Tanner told Jay right before he took a sip of his water, Jay following suit.

Jay slapped Tanner on the chest. "No way. There's that bonfire Saturday night. We can't miss that."

I could tell Tanner was mentally slapping himself for forgetting. "What about Sunday? We'll have all day."

Jay shook his head. "Can't. My dad wants me to come into the shop and help out or some shit."

"Since when is he open on Sundays?" Tanner asked.

Jay shrugged. "Since he needed the money. He's open seven days a week now and he works all of them."

"Shit." Tanner shook his head and took another sip of his water. "We can work up a plan to go to Charleston."

Jay turned to look at me as if he was just then noticing I was there. "Are you going to come to the bonfire? It's just drop-in."

I shrugged. "I don't think so."

"Why not?" Jay asked. "It's going to be pretty chill and it's right on the beach."

"Maybe if Tami is feeling better by then, sure."

"There's going to be drinking," Tanner warned. "If you come, you promise to stay away from that shit?"

I smirked, mostly to annoy him. "Depends. Will you be drinking?"

"That's not the point." He was definitely planning to be drinking. "I just don't want to explain to Mom why you're hungover on a Sunday."

I crossed my arms. "I don't drink. You don't drink."

Jay burst out in a fit of laughter. "Dude, you're getting scolded at by your little sister."

"Shut it, ball sack," I warned him.

"Can I at least smoke?" Tanner asked, trying to meet me halfway.

I thought for a moment. "Fine. Just don't come home as high as a kite." I hopped off of the counter and headed for the stairs. "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone."

Tanner gave me the finger as he chugged his water. I rolled my eyes and proceeded up the stairs, wanting to get all of the notes for Tami in order before I headed over to her place.

TO READ THE FULL STORY, GO TO WATTPAD AND SEARCH UP “RIPTIDE”. MY USERNAME IS SarahSwartz (I’m having trouble posting the link on here)