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

Once he started looking for street signs, there were none to be found. Stacy didn’t know this part of town, with its dark rows of homes lining the road, wrecked cars rusting on cinder blocks in the yards, weeds strangling the sidewalk into broken bits of pavement that sometimes disappeared completely. He should’ve stayed on the main roads, he realized now, though it was a bit late for that. At least he’d managed to avoid Lamar, no matter how fucking lost he got in the process.


Chapter 86