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

Apologetic, Mrs. Smithson says, “He’s just hot tempered. He gets it from his father.”


“Does he fight a lot?” Mrs. Dendritch asks.


Avery can feel her gaze on his back. At the water fountain he lifts Johnny up. He holds the little boy under the arms while he drinks.


“He’s extremely smart,” Mrs. Smithson says, as if that’s an answer. Avery thinks that’s her excuse. Jacob’s bored, so he fights. He’s brilliant, so other kids pick on him. Avery wishes that were the truth.


In his arms Johnny begins to struggle. When Avery sets him down, the boy takes Avery’s hand again. “Is Jacob okay?”


“I hope so,” Avery says. Together they walk back to their mothers. Avery matches his pace with the child’s.


“Me too,” Johnny says with a nod. “I want him to come home.”


Me too,Avery thinks, but his idea of home isn’t the Smithson’s house. It’s somewhere safe, with him. He needs to find Jacob soon. He knows Jacob’s waiting for him.


Chapter 61