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

The bus followed Sycamore past the hospital and the city library to where it met Crater Road, out near what used to be the old Walnut Hill Mall before they moved once city over to Colonial Heights. Most of the stores and boutiques crossed the bridge to the newer shopping center for more space, more appeal, and less crime. They left behind an empty husk, gutted and dark, a blemish on the side of the road that sat forgotten, its parking lot overgrown with weeds. Faded yellow police tape roped off what used to be the mall’s front doors, now boarded up and tagged with unreadable graffiti.


Chapter 63