Brightside | ✓

acknowledgements

Hey there,

Oh, Eddie, I really never thought we'd get here. You and me? We went through a lot together, girl. Your dips were my dives and vice versa. It's bittersweet to finally give you that checkmark, but here we are. I hope I made you proud.

Writing Brightside has been a terrible and wonderful experience. To say she's seen me through too much these last three (THREE) years feels like it's overkill but it's not. (Heh.) I've been to two universities writing Eddie—graduated with my BA and started my MFA. I went through the hardest grief of my life losing my nana while writing this book; it's where Axel's grief in the Boston chapters really stemmed from and those meant a lot to me in terms of healing from that pain. (She died on international Star Wars day, an Axel girl through and through, for what that's worth.)

Eddie and Axel started out as two very different people and while I've got a lot of mixed emotions about the longevity of this book and the process of writing it, I will hold them close forever because they helped me process a lot more than I was ready for. I'm thankful for them as much as I am excited, relieved almost, to be starting a new book. This process has been the most challenging in my writing career thus far and I think that is evidenced in what this cast of stupids went through. I'll miss them, but it's also far too fitting that the last chapter ended up being called good riddance. Green Day, you wrote exactly how Eddie, Axel, and I feel about each other. Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road.

Like most things in my life, I wouldn't have been able to get through this without Steph. And would you believe it, like most things in life, we synced up our grief cycles during these writes, too. Three years for these checkmarks, queen, look at us go. To say we're different people now almost feels like a cop-out. I feel brand new, and I don't remember who we were when we started these. But, god, am I ever grateful we let them write stories together once again. Even when we were having our moments, at least we had them together. You're forever my moment, and I'm so thankful I get to do this thing called life with you. Even from across the Pacific. Writing with you is my championship belt. Thank you for giving us Moxie, Cruella, and Mick. They're worth their weight in gold, sweat, tears, and boxed hair dyes. 

Getting to write with Steph is like seeing a sunset after too long; you might have had the experience before but it always brings you joy, comfort, and beauty when you get to see it again. I love laughing with you as much as I love crying with you. Know that I am forever in your corner, and you are my brightside in this life. I wish our find my iphone icons were closer together—but then again, we'll always have San Francisco.

Thank you if you stuck with Eddie and Axel all this time. There were times where I considered giving up on them too, but that would be to ignore the very essence of who they are. Fighters until the last moment. Know that they're the best versions of themselves in Boston, that they have Red Sox season tickets, and that Eddie's championship belt lives on the wall above their TV, never not playing Empire Strikes Back.

I'll keep this one short because this book was so long, but thank you from the bottom of my heart for the time you've given these boneheads and their story. It means the world. Thank you for reading my queer story about a girl who just wanted to do right, and it took her a while to figure out just how to get there. I'm proud of her, I'm proud of me, and I'm proud of you for trying to be the best versions of ourselves that we can.

Be excellent to each other, always,
Jordin

You can find me rocking out in another queer sports romance, Somewhere Only We Know. ❤️