In the late 1950's, fourteen year old Philip Noland is a gay but sexually inexperienced freshman at St. Sebastian’s, a Catholic high school for boys. Alone and emotionally isolated, with the exception of two friends named O’Riley and Carlin, there are no familiar guideposts for Philip to follow, just an excess of rules and regulations that make no sense to him.<br><br>A late bloomer, Philip learns to masturbate effectively and fall in love for the first time, but his greatest challenge isn’t the regimented behavior at St. Sebastian’s -- it's surviving a bully named Molinara who has set his sights on Philip.<br><br>Can Philip navigate the minefields of St. Sebastian's and emerge victorious?

Boys Will Be Boys

The two-week vacation passed quickly. Smith and I spent most of our time hanging out at his house and going to weekend matinees, but only once or twice did we close his bedroom door, get naked and rub up against each other. Lots of kissing and fooling around, but to be honest, neither of us wanted to do more. We were becoming good friends who liked to spend time together. Mother worked a day job during this period, and I think she knew I was well taken care of, so she didn’t worry about all the time spent at Smith’s. Only two interruptions: family dinners at Grandma’s for Christmas and New Year’s Day, and then it was back to St. Sebastian’s and my first day of gym. I was dreading it.


Chapter 11