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TJ Davies | Author @tjdaviesauthor.bsky.social · 28d

BFF's forever. #WIPSnips #writingcommunity #amwriting

“Give her time,” I say after a beat. “Not everyone gets parents like ours. She’s gotta
figure out if she cares more about keeping them happy or being, you know… herself. And
you don’t need to get yanked along for that ride. Not right now, anyway.”
Lena nods, but it’s pained. It doesn’t matter what I say. She’s hurting right now, and I
get that. So I wrap my arm around her waist and shove my phone back in my pocket, ignoring
the ding as a message comes through.
As confused as I am about Josh and the things he makes me feel and what I want and
what I need, I know that Lena needs me more.
“Love you. All of you. Just the way you are. And nothing, and no one, will ever
change that.” I rest my head on Lena’s shoulder and squeeze her side. “You’re stuck with
me.”
“Forever and always,” she whispers, our familiar mantra.
“Forever and always,” I repeat, smiling softly.

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TJ Davies | Author @tjdaviesauthor.bsky.social · 28d

Juniper will forever be a safe space. #WIPSnips #writingcommunity #amwriting

“Did Lena know? That you weren’t out to your parents?”
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“Yeah, yeah she knew.” Daisy sighs softly, dropping her chin to her knees. “But she
didn’t know that I told them I was dating a guy named Leon.”
“Oh, Daisy, no,” I whisper, heart breaking for my best friend, and even a little for the
girl who was too afraid of her parents to truly accept Lena.
“I know. I’m terrible. The worst,” she moans, covering her face and sniffling. “Even if
– even if my parents suddenly decided to accept my choices, I don’t deserve her.”
“No, you don’t,” I say, shaking my head and glancing toward my best friend. She’s
watching us, her brow creased with worry. She’s given up all pretence of warming up as she
gnaws at the skin around her thumb. I shoot her a reassuring smile, but she doesn’t see it.
She’s too busy watching Daisy, and even now heartbroken, there’s still that look in her eyes.
It’s the same look I saw in Josh’s eyes right before we kissed.
The realization hits hard, and I have to drag my focus back to the girl in front of me. I
shake my head, exhaling sharply. “But she wants you anyway,” I say, and I’m not sure if I’m
talking about Lena or myself and Josh. Daisy’s breath catches. Focus, Juniper. I squeeze her
knee again. “And if your parents can’t accept who you are, or the people you love, then they
don’t deserve you.”

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TJ Davies | Author @tjdaviesauthor.bsky.social · Sep 11

Silly, sleepy moments with these two. 😍 #WIPSnips #writingcommunity #amwriting

Taking a deep breath, I accept the call and paste a soft smile on my face. Josh peers at
me from the other side, a dopey grin on his face, eyes half-lidded. He waves a cast covered
arm at me and I wince.
“Did anyone ever tell you you’re a bit of a clutz?” I say by way of greeting. Josh huffs
out a soft laugh, shaking his head.
“Hello to you, too,” he quips, rolling his eyes. “And yes. My father has. Repeatedly.
Emphatically.” The screen wobbles as he shifts on his bed. I catch a glimpse of a poster
behind his bed and smirk.
“Oh my god, please tell me you’re the president of their fan club or something.” A
grin splits my face at his puzzled look. When understanding dawns, his head falls back until
he’s looking up at the poster. Three overly-made-up faces and skimpily clad bodies come
further into view with the movement, an old girl-group from the noughties that had one or
two random hit songs that dominated the charts back when our parents were teenagers. “You
do realise they’re in, like, their fifties or something now, right?”
“Shut it, Brooks,” Josh grumbles, but there’s no bite to his words. “It’s a classic. Used
to be my dad’s.”
“Your dad has questionable taste in music,” I tease lightly, earning a chuckle.
“To be fair, I don’t think he ever actually listened to their music,” he says, shooting
me a wink. I wrinkle my nose in disgust.
“Ew. Not a visual I needed, thanks,” I drawl. Josh shrugs and settles back against his
pillows, screen hovering above his face. “But seriously, are you okay? I feel kind of awful
that it happened riding home from helping me. Again.”

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TJ Davies | Author @tjdaviesauthor.bsky.social · Sep 10

I'm a 'Masshole' by birth, but I've lived in England from nearly 15 years. I can still confidently say, beans are NOT a breakfast food. 🤪🤣 #WIPSnips #writingcommunity #amwriting

When I pull up to the curb outside the Ellis’ raised ranch, Lena is sitting on the step,
eyes glued to the screen of her phone. I honk the horn and laugh as she startles so bad her
phone goes flying. She hops up and snatches it from the middle of a rose bush, shoulders her
bag, and marches down the path with a glower on her face.
“If I wanted a heart attack before lunch, I would have eaten the grease-soaked Full
English my mother tried to foist on me this morning,” she grumbles as she climbs into the
passenger seat. I quirk a brow, trying to place the term. Lena’s mother was from England, but
her father was a born and bred ‘Masshole’, like us. It was easy to forget that, while the
language was the same, there were a lot of terms that differed, and Lena switched so
effortlessly between them that it was sometimes hard to keep up. At my confused look, she
rolls her eyes. “Eggs. Bacon. Ridiculously over-priced imported Heinz beans…”
“Ah,” I grimace. Yes, her mother had served that breakfast after many a sleepover,
and I still couldn’t stomach the strange, tomatoey-beans. “Beans are not a breakfast food.”
“Do not say that in front of my mother,” Lena replies, laughing. I pull onto the street
and head for the high school on the other side of town. “Speaking of mothers…”

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TJ Davies | Author @tjdaviesauthor.bsky.social · Sep 9

Synonyms and vibes today. Gee, I wonder who David's son is... #WIPSnips #writingcommunity #amwriting

“My boy would be happy to lend a hand, if you need it,” the assistant is saying to
Dad. It sounds like the two know each other. Maybe from years of trips to the hardware store,
or maybe they knew each other from their younger days, I don’t know, but it’s obvious the
man had no idea about Dad’s illness. Not that I’m surprised, Dad hadn’t exactly been singing
it from the rooftops, and he’d all but disappeared from public life when he’d been forced to
go off work on long-term sick leave.
“That would be great. Junie’s great with a paint brush, but I don’t want to leave it all
to her. I’ll pay him. Is he available today?”
“Dad, I can handle it myself.” I cross my arms over my chest and glower at both men.
The man, David according to his name tag, chuckles at the look on my face. He’s already got
his phone out, ready to contact his son, but pauses, looking back and forth between me and
Dad expectantly.
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“Humor me. More hands make quicker work.” He looks at me meaningfully. I know
he’s hoping to get it done before mom emerges from her migraine cocoon and can stop us,
and the little girl part of me that wants nothing more than to make her Dad happy can’t argue.
“Fine,” I grumble. While Dad swipes his card to pay for everything, David types out a
quick message to his son. By the time I’ve transferred everything back to the cart, his son has
replied.
“He’ll be there in twenty,” David is saying, coming around the register to help me
load the last tubs of paint. “Seems excited. Doesn’t want to be paid, either.”
“Good boy you’ve got there,” Dad says, leaning heavily on the full cart. I can tell that
the trip is starting to take a toll. The shaking in his hands is more pronounced than ever, and I
can see a tremor jumping in his left thigh.
“Yeah, I really have,” David replies with a proud smile.

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TJ Davies | Author @tjdaviesauthor.bsky.social · Sep 8

What I should have been doing today: cleaning.
What I did instead: broke my own heart (aka, writing).
(Click the image to read the whole excerpt. Have a tissue ready.)
#writingcommunity #amwriting #wip #yacontemporary

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TJ Davies | Author @tjdaviesauthor.bsky.social · Sep 7

These two, oh my heart. #WIPSnips #writingcommunity #amwriting

“Don’t feel bad. I was happy to help,” Josh insists, poking the screen of his phone. I
lean back against my own pillows and turn on my side, propping my phone on my bedside
table and curling my body around my comforter. “Besides, it was all Thumper’s fault.”
“Thumper?”
“Cute little bunny rabbit just hopped out of nowhere. Swerved to avoid hitting it. I
didn’t fancy rabbit stew for dinner.” Josh mimes a bunny hopping as he speaks, the quip
about rabbit stew rolling of his tongue so nonchalantly that it makes me laugh.
“Well, I’m sure Thumper was grateful for your sacrifice.”
“Yes. He will live to hop another day.” We’re both laughing now. I pull up the edge of
my pillow to muffle the sound. It takes us several moments to calm down, and we stare
quietly at each other with lazy smiles.
“So, you really weren’t just avoiding me today?” I say at last, voice small and unsure.
Josh frowns and I feel bad for putting him on the spot like that.
“Not on your life, Brooks. Seeing you is the highlight of my day,” he murmurs.
My face is on fire. I bury it in my pillow, dropping my phone for a minute while I
struggle to compose myself.
Yeah, these things I’m feeling definitely aren’t one-sided.
“Juniper? You still there?” Josh calls out and I take a deep breath before picking the
phone back up and holding it above my head.
“Yeah,” I murmur through a goofy smile. “Will you be in school tomorrow?” My toes
clench in anticipation.
Josh lets out a long-suffering sigh

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TJ Davies | Author @tjdaviesauthor.bsky.social · Sep 6

Juniper's mother is surprisingly chill about having a strange boy sleepover - but when said strange boy helps miracles occur... Well, that just might be worth making an exception for. #WIPSnips #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerlife

“Are you sure?” I ask, glancing back toward Josh. He’s shuffling awkwardly by the
door.
“Absolutely. Can you show your friend to the guest room? I’m sure his family won’t
miss him for one night, and, from the looks of things,” she pauses and glances out the living
room window, “it’s not safe to be driving right now. I’m betting school will be cancelled,
too.”
“I don’t want to impose-“ Josh starts to say, but mom cuts him off.
“You’re not, I promise. Just let your parents know you’re safe and that we’ll give you
a ride home when the roads are cleared.”
Josh looks completely flabbergasted by this. He shoots me a cautious look and I
shrug.
“Come on, I’ll show you where everything is.” I grab his hand and tug him toward the
stairs, Poppy and Mom’s soft whispers following in our wake. At the top of the stairs, I turn
left, leading him toward the room across from my own. I stop, gesturing to another door at
the end of the hall. “Bathroom,” I explain, then let him into the guest room, flicking on the
light as we enter.
It’s sparsely decorated, a simple day bed against one wall, with soft, blue linens that
might have a layer or two of dust on them. The room hasn’t been used since Uncle Nick
visited over 4th of July weekend.

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TJ Davies | Author @tjdaviesauthor.bsky.social · Sep 4

This is totally me. Do not even attempt conversation with me until I've had my morning coffee. #WIPSnips #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerlife

Bleary eyed, I trudged down the stairs, bag dragging behind me. My shoes scuff on
the hardwood floor, but I can’t muster the energy to walk properly. The sounds of morning
echo through the house. A pan clatters on the stovetop. The scent of filtered coffee fills the
air, rich and deep and I can’t help but follow it like the starved zombie I’ve apparently
become.
“Food. Coffee,” I groan as I stumble my way into the kitchen, dropping my bag near
the sideboard. My mother looks up from the pan of eggs she’s scrambling, a brow raised. She
looks… better. There’s still some redness around her eyes, but she’s less puffy in the soft
morning light. She’s pulled on her brave face and musters a soft, sad smile.
“Did you finish your homework?” she asks, and I know she’s fighting to make
conversation. Normal conversation. Not end-of-the- world, life-shattering conversation. I
shrug.
“Yeah.” I snatch up the coffee pot and fill my favorite mug, I’m here, I’m awake,
Don’t push it slowly appearing in bold, black font as the heat of the coffee warms the
ceramic. And I had finished it, eventually. After I’d devoured every word on every website
dedicated to ALS that I could find. After I’d cried for another hour. After I’d stumbled
downstairs at one a.m. and scarfed down two brownies and half a pint of cookie dough ice
cream.

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TJ Davies | Author @tjdaviesauthor.bsky.social · Sep 3

When my father was sick, my best friend was my sanity. But it was also incredibly hard seeing how much his illness affected her as well. Part of me wonders, if I had to do it again, would I be more like Juniper? Would I keep it to myself, to save her from the pain? #WIPSnips #writingcommunity