And They Lived . . .

by Steven Salvatore

I’m moved to tears by a Black girl who artfully turns classic lullabies like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” into a spoken word eulogy for her mother who died of cancer.

what……??

“You had to go and ruin it, huh?” he says, playfully punching my arm. I glance down, and he’s tenting. “Yeah, I really ruined it.”

He’s “tenting”?!?!?

“Coming out stories matter,” I assure him. “They’re so important. If I didn’t have stories like Love, Simon and Love, Victor and Moonlight, and all the books I read and shows I watched in middle and high school, I think I might have had a really shitty time.

his tongue lapping at mine, which sends him over the edge, and he explodes on his chest.

not the use of the word “explodes”…😵‍💫

Chloe clears her throat, and I blink to find her borderline enraged. “Sorry, I’m—” “In another solar system?” Chloe huffs. “We’ve noticed.

‘Draw me like one of your French twinks!’

screaming at this

Benny stares at him blankly. “Does not compute.”

truly i am losing brain cells on this one