Summer Crush

By S.R. Silcox

Take one last end-of-school bonfire, a girl who's never been kissed, and the encouragement of a best friend. Will Jess finally reveal her feelings to Ellie before it's too late?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Juggernaut Books Pty Ltd
• Release date: Feb 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393715245

S.R. Silcox

Selena grew up in small-town Australia. A child of the 80s and a teen of the 90s, it was a multi-coloured, fun-filled time of hypercolour t-shirts, Slip’n’Slides, outrageously teased fringes, MC Hammer and Dunlop Volleys. She played cricket in the summer and soccer in the winter, all while wearing shorts and t-shirts with a cap glued firmly to her head. She’s passionate about team sports, has an overwhelming sense of injustice, barracks for the underdog and tries really, really hard to have patience with stupid people. She believes that everyone makes the right choices given the right set of circumstances, but most of all she believes that re-making movies from the 80s should be made illegal. She writes lesbian fiction in various genres.

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Author Note

The Summer Crush short story was originally published in the Harmony Ink Press anthology, ‘First Time for Everything’. As you can probably tell from the title, it contained short stories with queer characters from across the LGBTIQ+ spectrum having ‘firsts’ of all kinds. It was also my first published story, which is sort of appropriate, don’t you think?

It’s been re-edited since it was first published, but the story essentially remains the same as the original.

Summer Crush is about Jess, a high school senior who’s never been kissed and is seriously crushing on a girl called Ellie. Take one end-of-school bonfire, a warm summer night, and the encouragement of a best friend, and she may just be a little surprised at the outcome.

Summer Crush

You know when you like someone so much that when you see them, you totally forget what you were doing, like walking, and crash into a pole, and then everyone looks at you like you’re a complete and utter idiot? That kind of thing happens to me whenever I see Ellie Preston.

Thank God for my best friend Ben, who steers me around those poles that jump out of nowhere. Plus, he bought me some really cool sunglasses to wear so that my gawking isn’t so obvious.

Lusting after straight girls is so not a good look, Ben says, pulling off his t-shirt.

I turn my gaze away from the pool and onto Ben, who is getting ready for his phys. Ed. exam. I’m not lusting, I’m just—

Drooling, says Ben, pointing at my face.

I wipe my hand across my chin but find no trace of drool. Ben laughs. I’ve really got to stop being so obvious.

"You should just tell her,