J.M. Snyder

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

For a long moment he stared at the clock, watching the second hand tick tick tickbetween the numbers, his mind blank. Darian watched him, silent. Finally, with a glance at his boss, Stacy asked, “What are you doing here so early?”


“It’s my store,” Darian reminded him. “I own the place.”


One corner of Stacy’s mouth tried to pull into a smile, but he wouldn’t let it. “No, really.”


Carefully, Darian said, “I got a phone call this morning. From the security system. Asked did I know my alarm was disabled shortly before midnight.” He raised one eyebrow as if surprised. “Five hours later, it’s still off. No movement in the building, so they called to see if I wanted the police to check it out.”


“You knew it was me,” Stacy said softly. It wasn’t a question, but Darian shrugged in reply. “You’ve been here since five? Why’d you let me sleep?”


Chapter 89