Sixteen year old Jacob Smithson has quite a temper. He’s picked on by other kids because he likes boys, and recent fighting has kicked him out of public school. As a last resort, his parents have placed him in the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Boarding School for Boys.<br><br>It’s at his first mass at St. Thomas where he sees Avery Dendritch, a senior who serves as altar boy during the service. When they meet, the attraction between them is hard to deny. The two become fast friends, and as the school year progresses, their friendship deepens into something more. For the first time, Jacob has found a place where he belongs ... and someone with whom he’s falling in love.<br><br>But the other students gossip about their growing relationship, and while Avery can ignore them, Jacob cannot. As the rumors and slurs start up again, can he curb his temper, or will his penchant for fighting get him expelled from St. Thomas, as well?

Without Sin

When they reach the house, Parker drapes an arm around Jacob’s shoulders, pulling him aside. “If anyone asks,” he tells him, his voice low, “you’re Marie’s cousin from out of town. Senior in high school, even though you don’t look it.”


“Who’s Marie?” Jacob thinks it might be the woman from the front seat.


He’s right. Parker points to her and adds, “If we get busted, you run. I got a house full of minors drinking as it is. You hear me?”


Jacob nods. This is the first party he’s ever been to with alcohol. He wonders if he’ll be able to con a drink. Hadn’t Parker said two kegs? Jacob’s not sure what a keg is but he likes the idea of getting drunk.


Chapter 12