I Tried Getting My Dad To Buy

A Lot Of Authors See Their Book Being Banned Or Challenged As A Badge Of Honor. But For Me, It's Nothing But Frustrating And Upsetting. I Hear From Readers That My Work Encouraged Them To Ask For Help Or Reach Out To Someone About The Situation They're In. When You Hear Stories Like That On A Daily Basis And Then Hear Adults Call For Your Work To Be Banned, It's Proof Of Why The Stigma Around These Issues Is So Dangerous.

And What If In The Future We're At War Again, Or We Still Haven't Elected A Non-white Or Non-male President, Or The Rolling Stones Are Still Dragging Their Tired Old Butts On Stage? That Would Depress Me Way Too Much.

If I Had A Chance With Him, I Missed It. No, I Didn't Miss It. I Threw It Away.

Because When You're Posed, You Know Someone's Watching. You Put On Your Very Best Smile. You Let Your Sweetest Personality Shine.

My Heart And My Trust Were In The Process Of Collapsing. And That Collapse Created A Vacuum In My Chest.