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

Parker’s asleep on the couch, snoring softly. Jacob thinks he probably passed out there—he’s still fully dressed and looks like a rag doll just tossed aside. A small pretzel is stuck to one cheek, and as they tiptoe by the couch, Jacob reaches out and flicks the pretzel away. Parker snorts and raises a hand to rub his cheek but he doesn’t wake.


When his hand falls back to the couch, the outline of the pretzel is still on his face, like a ghost pressed into his skin. Jacob thinks Parker would be a fun guy to know.


Chapter 17