Sidelined

Senior year at Crenshaw County High School in Meridian, Texas, has one purpose for Julian Jackson: football. A college scholarship is his only realistic way out of his small hometown, so he plans to stay focused on the field, keep his grades up, and avoid trouble. That plan falls apart when Elijah Vance reappears in his life.

The two boys were once close, and possibly on the verge of something more. Three years earlier, though, Elijah was caught breaking into the school to take money from the coach's office, and Julian was the one who reported him. Soon after, Elijah and his family left town and seemingly vanished. Now Elijah is back, sitting at Julian's grandmother's kitchen table, determined to show Julian that he is no longer the person he was.

Their feelings have not faded with time and distance, but the past still hangs over them. As small-town secrets continue to surface and an uncertain future closes in, Julian and Elijah discover that leaning on each other may be far harder than they expected.