Brianna R. Shrum - Rebel Boys and Rescue Dogs, or Things That Kiss with Teeth

Copyright 2022 by Brianna R. Shrum

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or used fictitiously.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Daniel Brount

Cover photo credit: Getty Images

Edited by: Nicole Frail

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-5782-0

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-5783-7

Printed in the United States of America

PRAISE FOR BRIANNA R. SHRUM

The Liars Guide to the Night Sky

The Liars Guide to the Night Sky is Shrums best book to date; a survival tale lit with sparks. A winter thriller that combines witty dialogue with a slow-burning romance, Liars Guide is the book every teen needs in their life this year. Shrums plot hurtles forward unceasingly, and even the coldest readers will find their hearts lit by the romance between Hallie and Jonah. Colleen Oakes, author of The Black Coats

This clear-eyed examination of trust, sex, and family dynamics is enhanced by vivid, lucid prose and a thrilling plot. Publishers Weekly

An adventure that will keep readers wondering what will happen next.... While romance is a major factor of this novel, Shrums frank, yet gentle, exploration of self-discovery on the side of a mountain make this stand out. School Library Journal

Kissing Ezra Holtz (and Other Things I Did for Science)

Realistic and will resonate with many teens. Give this to readers who love witty, humorous love stories mixed with STEM. Booklist

Predictable hate-becomes-love romance is given new life by an inclusive cast.... Worth picking up. Kirkus Reviews

The Art of French Kissing

Fun, flirty, foodie, and filled with way more heat than your average kitchen, The Art of French Kissing has all the ingredients for a perfect summer romance! Dahlia Adler, author of Behind the Scenes

I ate up this hate-to-love-and-back-again romance! If you love Top Chef but wish more of the show was focused on the romance and rivalries behind the scenes, youll eagerly devour The Art of French Kissing. Like the best sweet and savory pastries, Carter and Reid deliver both sugar and spice. Amy Spalding, author of The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles)

This meet-cute romance stands out thanks to the nuanced characters and subtle treatment of bigger issues such as race, gender, and money (Carters family flirts with poverty).... A thoughtful and delicious romance. Kirkus Reviews

How to Make Out

An addictive mix of heart, humor, and hot. How to Make Out is the perfect lesson in how to fall in love with YA romance. Gina Ciocca, author of Last Years Mistake

How to write a seriously addictive book? Mission accomplished. Smart, hilarious, and un-put-down-able, How to Make Out will capture readers hearts. Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of Firsts

Full of humor, heart, and some serious chemistry, How to Make Out is a fun and romantic read with dynamic characters I wont soon forget. Chantele Sedgwick, author of Love, Lucas

This is a story with an obvious lesson to it, but the lesson is delivered in an entertaining manner and will be an easy sell to teen girls. VOYA Magazine

This laugh-out-loud coming-of-age novel engages readers immediately and never lets go... School Library Journal

ALSO BY BRIANNA R. SHRUM

Never, Never
How to Make Out
The Art of French Kissing
Kissing Ezra Holtz (and Other Things I Did for Science)
The Liars Guide to the Night Sky

For everyone except TERFS, Joanne

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

ON A MESS-OF-STRESS SCALE from one to ten, Im somewhere between shredding my DIY manicure with my teeth and I regret to inform you, Miss, but youve spilled the contents of a burrito down your shirt. Im not kidding.

Ive been working through this monstrous pile of documents for forty-five minutes with beans drying on my boobs.

I have bean breasts.

I dont care.

Well, I care a little.

I care enough to grimace each time I shift and feel the gritty squelch of thirty to one hundred bean carcasses making their way enthusiastically to second base.

I grit my teeth.

I can do this.

Ive been here for four hours (three and change before the burrito disaster), and hell if Im stopping now for something as petty as my own personal comfort.

Im never like this, I swear. I cant believe my nail polish is flecking, that my shirt is probably stained, for gosh sake. Where people could potentially see. My hair is coming out of my bun and keeps falling in my eyes, and this is the biggest whirlwind of chaos I have been since the tenth grade when some jerk smoking in the gym (smoking! In the gym!) triggered the fire suppression system and drenched the room three hours before the homecoming dance I was on the planning committee for.

The point is, the school security cameras and probable dust mites in this room... are not seeing me at my best.

I blink at the bright orange atrocity before me, willing my eyes to interpret the lines written on it as something approaching English. But nothing can get me past the color. This is a professional application! Who turns in a scholarship application on tangerine paper?

Ill tell you who: someone whos not expecting to get it.

I roll my eyes and toss it in the trash to be shredded with a hundred other applications. If I cant read it, you didnt earn it.

And this scholarship? Its one youve got to earn.

Its a huge deal, the Wilkeson Scholarship. Theres a bunch of rounds of service and academia and papers and everything, and at the end of it, one standout student gets twenty grand to jumpstart the service-oriented career of their dreams.