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

Brian steps into the room. “Hey, Avery—”


Avery sits up. The covers fall to pool at his waist. Stretching, he growls when he yawns. He doesn’t want to get out of bed just yet. “I got a call,” he says. His voice is an octave lower than usual and thick with sleep. “I heard you already. Who is it?” He hopes it’s Jacob, even though he doesn’t think he’d call this early. He hopes there’s nothing wrong.


Brian turns and walks away. “It’s for you,” he says over his shoulder. Like that’s a real answer.


It’s not Jacob, it’s Parker, and something iswrong. Avery can hear it in his friend’s voice when he asks, “Have you missed morning service at all this week?”


Avery frowns. He’s in his boxers and an old T-shirt, and he’s cold. The hall advisor hasn’t turned on the heat in the dorm yet, and probably won’t for a few more weeks. Avery thinks he should start wearing long johns to bed.


Chapter 34