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

Darian.Why did all of Stacy’s thoughts circle back to him?


Angrily he tugged the gloves off, first one, then the other, then ripped off the bands that held his sleeves down. Shoving both into the pouch of his apron, he started across the room as he slid off the safety goggles. The air was cool on his skin, especially around his eyes and along the path where the goggles’ strap lay against his face. What time was it now, a little after two thirty? The bus ran every ten minutes but there was no way he’d make the next one, it’d take that long to get to the stop—


Chapter 41