Beaten and thrown out of his home by his father, Guy ends up on the streets. A few days later he's 'adopted' by two strays, a German shepherd mix and a gray kitten. Later that night, when he returns to a vacant house he'd found the previous day, he meets three other homeless teens -- Mack, Tone, and Dani. After a false start, because they think he's a punk looking for trouble, they become friends. Dani insists the animals need names, and she decides to call the kitten Ghost, while the dog becomes Shadow. When Mack and Guy are threatened by two real punks in the alley behind the house, Shadow defends them, with Mack's help. This leads to their decision that it isn’t safe to remain where they are. As they move on, the quartet's friendship deepens, and Guy eventually trusts them enough to tell them he's gay ... which they accept with no problem, as it turns out so are Mack and Tone. Now they have to continue dealing with life on the streets while COVID ravages the country, making being homeless a fight for their very survival.

Strays in the Time of COVID

“A penny for your thoughts,” Tone said when the kiss ended.


“Not sure they’re worth even that much.” Guy leaned back, studying Tone for a moment. “Two months ago I was barely accepting the fact that I probably wasgay. Even after I had to leave home—” He grimaced. “Okay, was forced to, it was still iffy. I told you that back when we first met. I knew…but I didn’t. Anyway, now there’s no question about it and it’s all your fault.” He grinned, planting a fast kiss on Tone’s lips.


Tone laughed. “I don’t mind taking responsibility for it. I’m just glad it was me and not Mack or that gardening guy you were crushing on.”


“Yeah, that was stupid. He never gave off any vibes that he might be gay. I guess it was the fact he was cute and he treated me nice. Mack?” Guy shrugged. “He made it real clear nothing would happen because I was…am…I have no idea about…”


“None?” Tone lifted an eyebrow, obviously figuring out what Guy hadn’t articulated.


Chapter 34