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

It’s a ritual now. Every morning, he turns off the alarm clock and looks at the ring. He likes the way the stone glistens in the early light, and how it looks on his hand against the white sheets. When he gets out of bed, the first thing he does is take off the ring. He sets it on the shelf in the closet, the stone facing out like an eye watching him. He gets his towel and shampoo, closes the closet door, and goes to take his shower.


Chapter 41