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

As always, baseball took the sting out of the rest of his life, but looking back Stacy remembered not being able to look at Darian’s face for long. Those soft, laughing eyes saw right through him, but what exactly did they see? Why did Darian seem to go out of his way to find Stacy, to talk with him, befriend him? He’s my teacher, true, but that didn’t explain much. He taught this whole class and yet…


Chapter 47