Eighteen year-old Aaron Pickard is dealing with a lot: he’s falling for his straight best friend, his mother has ended up in the hospital after a violent assault by his father, and he’s trying to decide when to come out. Tack on the stress of an upcoming prom and graduation, a part-time job, and the possibility he could lose his best friend, and he’s an emotional wreck.<br><br>Aaron’s best friend Jeff Leaton provides a soft place for him to fall when his life is thrown into chaos, literally holding him each night as they fall asleep. As Jeff helps Aaron navigate through the mess that has become his new normal, Aaron’s feelings for Jeff intensify.<br><br>Aaron’s pretty sure it’s all going to end badly, but he’s holding on to hope.

Holding On

A few minutes later,in the truck,my body thrummed with excitement.I couldn’t believe my mom had figured things out.And she’d accepted me.There was no judgment from her.She could also see how I felt about Jeff,though,which meant I needed to better hide my emotions.I bounced my leg nervously as we drove on.


“What’s with you?”Jeff asked,breaking the silence.


I looked at my best friend,the light from the dash illuminating his features.God,I wanted to kiss him.Tell him how I felt.But it wasn’t meant to be.He was straight.I sighed.“Um,my mom knows.About me.And she’s fine with me being gay.”The word still felt foreign on my tongue.Not that I was ashamed.Not at all.It just felt weird to be saying it out loud to others.


“That’s great,Aaron!”Jeff flashed a grin at me.


Chapter 29