In honor of Pride Month, here’s a short excerpt from Jack’s Ever After: Another Modern Queer Fairy Tale coming 11 July 2023 from Jetspace Studio.
Jack started his day full of determination. It was an unexpected feeling, rising from the depths of half-remembered dreams to warm the fires of his spirit. His usual response after any homophobic bullying was to go low-key. Better to blend in than to invite any reprisals from his attackers. But what he remembered of his dreams was a lot of being chased and running. And Jack was tired of running. Maybe it was time to stop and face his demons.
When Jack decided on his outfit, he went total queer punk, choosing his Pink Signal t-shirt that had shrunk enough to become a second skin. Not the black one with a pink logo that the band had sold to fans but the pink one with a black logo that only band members got. He paired it with his tight, artfully torn black jeans and black Murray low tops. Jack put a little extra product in his hair, giving his waves some height and volume. He also managed to coax a little more eyeliner out of the stick he’d picked up for his Café Ember show, giving his already dark lashes a little punk boost.
A half-asleep Isaac walked in on Jack as he was bent over the sink, carefully applying his eyeliner. “Whoa. Sorry, bro.” Jack caught his confused expression from the corner of his eye but focused on his work. “Is something happening today that I don’t know about?”
“Yep.” Jack slapped the cap on his eyeliner. “I’m headed to battle.”
Isaac nervously chuckled, clearly unsure about what he’d interrupted. But he was straight, so Jack forgave him for not knowing that sometimes eyeliner could be armor. “Okay. Give ‘em hell for me.”
Copyright © Owen Lach