At 16, Stacy Evans dropped out of high school in the hopes of moving on with his life. But four years later, he's stuck in an abusive relationship with Lamar, a "friend with benefits," and works long hours at a dead-end job just to get by.<br><br>Then his mother enrolls him in a program to earn his GED. There he meets Darian, a woodshop teacher who is everything Stacy's friends are not -- smart, successful ... and who seems to take a personal interest in helping Stacy turn his life around. The two develop a rapport that keeps Stacy after school just to spend extra time with him. In intimate moments alone, they grow closer than just student and teacher.<br><br>On the right track for once, Stacy has a chance to choose between his troublesome past and a promising future with Darian. But his jealous friends won't let him go so easily.

Stepping Up to the Plate

The third door was just outside the cafeteria and usually kept open for the students to use, those who had classes in the Vo-Tech building across the street. A cardboard placard ahead sat just off the sidewalk, an arrow pointing through the open door. learn while you earn, the sign read, with a graduation cap and diploma drawn at the end of the phrase like a period. Stacy thought it was a stupid name for the program. Earn what? His GED he supposed…but his mother was still out five hundred dollars and Lamar was right, he could use that money on something else instead of a damn piece of paper with his name on it to show how smart he was, or wasn’t. He could use it for the rent, for starters.


Chapter 15