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

Someone behind him snickered. “You lookstupid.”


Stacy whirled around amid his classmates’ laughter, but Darian’s hand tightened on his shoulder, preventing him from swinging out at the kids closest to him. “You’ll all look stupid in a few minutes,” Darian said, his voice hard. The scant laughter dried up as he looked around, his hand still on Stacy’s arm. When he was sure he had the class’s attention again, Darian nodded at the wall of aprons waiting to be worn. “There should be enough safety gear for everyone. Grab a set and have your partner help you get suited up.”


“Partners?” someone asked, and before Darian could respond another student added, “How do we know who our partner is?” Someone else wanted to know, “Do we get to pick?”


Chapter 40