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

Suddenly Stacy realized he’d left his notebook in his locker. “Shit,” he muttered, turning around. His locker wasn’t that far, just down the hall, he could run and get his stuff and be back before—


The bell rang shrilly. A couple straggling students raced into the room and scrambled for seats before they could be considered late. Not wanting Darian to look up and see him standing stupidly in the middle of the class, Stacy ran for the first stool he saw, near the front. Breathless, he slid into the seat and gave the girl beside him a strained smile. “Hey.”


Chapter 37