Rainbow Snippets is a group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week to share six sentences from a work of fiction–a WIP or a finished work or even a 6-sentence book recommendation (snippets are 6 sentences long–one for each colour in the Pride flag). You can find all the snippets by clicking here.
RJ is on holiday this week so I’m taking over and I’ve picked a snippet from one of my favourite RJ books, Boy Banned and the lovely Corey and Angel. ❤ Rachel
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He didn’t like people touching him, didn’t ask to be touched, but something in Angel spoke to him, and he saw compassion and not dismay in Angel’s eyes. “Fuck.” Corey extricated himself fully from Angel’s arms. The only other person he allowed such close contact with him was Aunt Mim, so where had this come from? He’d wanted to say “I can’t bear wearing this stuff, it’s scratchy and it hurts,” but who would he tell? The stylists, who would look at him as if he were an alien? Or Angel, who he didn’t even know that well?
When the only way to win is to hide who you are, how far are you prepared to go?
Reuben “Angel” Jacobs is one step away from giving it all up. Losing a place in the live finals of Sing UK almost kills him. He has no choice but to go home and work for the family business, even though it means giving up his dreams and proving his old bullies right.
Corey Dixon is a rocker at heart. Being on the spectrum means that making sense of other people’s ‘normal’ is hard in itself, let alone in the chaos of a high-powered competition. Singing is his safe space, the only way he can think through the noise in his head. Messing up his audition for the live shows means his journey is over, and it’s the worst day of his life.
The judges throw them a lifeline and create a boy band from the near-miss hopefuls. Angel, Corey, and three others are put together in a room and offered the chance to sing as a group. Agreeing to become part of the new band means Corey has to hide who he is and what Angel has come to mean to him.
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AM Leibowitz says
Oh, man. I can definitely relate to clothing issues. Poor guy.
J.D. Walker says
Oh, poor Corey. The struggle between wanting a connection and not liking touch must be a nightmare.
rhodrymavelyne says
Aww, poor Corey.
Addison Albright says
I love the premise of this story. Great job conveying poor Corey's confused emotions in the snippet. ♡
Kai Tyler says
Looks like Angel would understand.
PT says
I can relate to Corey — I'm not a fan of hugging and being held either. But somehow I think Angel is an exception to his rule.