J.M. Snyder

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

Even though he didn’t want to ask about the fight, Stacy needed to know where he stood. Was this his first strike? Was he going to be sent home after he ate? Carefully, feeling his way around the words, he asked, “So am I in trouble now?”


He winced—that sounded bad, like he just admitted that he knew he was screwed. Darian looked up from his lunch with raised eyebrows, amused. “For what?”


“Are you serious?” How could Darian not know what Stacy meant? Did he want him to fucking spell it out?


Again, Darian answered his question with one of his own. “Are you?”


Chapter 35