Stories

In the author’s serial novel, Brilliant Boy Billionaire, Chapter 34, J.J. remembered how he was taken in by the Rodriguez family, seemingly by fate. Known to them as Simon, he learned the true meaning of All Hallows Eve as they celebrated the Day of the Dead and remembered the son they’d lost in Afghanistan. In the end, J.J. learned that his suspicion of having a guardian angel was true.

Following graduation and a double wedding, joined by their younger brothers, the newlyweds honeymoon in Europe. Upon their return, the younger teens start high school, but then tragedy strikes, bringing all Naptown Tales characters home for a final farewell. (June - August, 2010)

This is the 28th and final story in the Naptown Tales series, which can also be found at Awesome Dude and Nifty. Please see the Introduction for important background info.

It was a very restless time for the boys in New York City. Forced indoors by the pandemic, the school year was coming to a close in name only, as much felt left undone in the paradigm of remote learning. Then on Memorial Day, a black man in Minneapolis was lynched by a white police officer who strangled the man with his knee, touching off a firestorm of pent-up rage. Naturally the boys had to get involved in the protests. They had to, but then one of their own fell victim to police use of excessive force

Asher White was everything Clarke hated. He was half-black and half-Asian, and out and proud. But when Asher actually managed to beat Clarke in wrestling, he just snapped and punched Asher out. Clarke knew this was it. He'd worked so hard to get into New York's elite Stuyvesant High School and now it would be for naught. Grasping at straws, he tells the vice-principle the one secret not even he knows he has. With the help of a new friend, he is forced to confront years of abuse he has suffered at home. After all, bullying starts in the home, and it must end in the home.

Jack's grandson Steve Jr. fears his mother will reject him, just as she did his father when she learned he was gay. (November, 2010)

When Josh and his sisters move from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Manhattan Beach to the Lower East Side of Manhattan, he quickly befriends a group of gay kids that go to Stuyvesant High School, where he's a freshman. His youngest sister, Robin, forges her own relationships with fellow students at the Salk School for Science. In the meantime Freck's mother attempts to make amends. All look forward to the festivals of Passover and Easter, but then a global Pandemic forces a change of plans.

Seth and Asher are two boys growing up on New York's Lower East Side. Nearly finished with their first year at Stuyvesant, one of New York's elite public specialty high schools, they’ve become inseparable as boyfriends. Asher dreams of opening a restaurant and looks forward to helping his father open a new Cajun place. As the son of a politician, Seth helps to find a prize location for the restaurant nearby that they can afford. When tragedy strikes and faced with the possibility of it closing before it even opens, the young teens take over and manage the restaurant by themselves.

Nearly a century before this story begins, a race known as the Cereneans conquered and subjugated the people of Loran. Seeking to expand their empire, they set their sights on Earth, unaware that a refugee from Loran was already there. Although young Lansley was unable to prevent the attack, the knowledge he brought with him allowed the humans to fight back and ultimately rebuild. Little did he and his boyfriend, Steve, realize they were about to play an even bigger role.

Born with hereditary spastic paraparesis, Simon had spent most of his life in a wheelchair, unable to walk and barely able to use his hands. To his parents, home schooling had seemed to be the only way for Simon to get an education; yet Simon was smart and yearned to be another Stephen Hawking - not to live with his parents until they became to infirm to care for him. He decided to take a chance on applying to the Bronx High School of Science, one of the best public secondary schools in the world. Going to a public high school would be scary, but there'd be new opportunities to live life, and to love.

Four boys who attend one of New York City's elite specialty public high schools face a unique set of challenges as the year draws to a close. Faced with a lost bet, Asher and Seth have agreed to spend a New Year's Eve together that neither will ever forget, and they've talked their friend, Freck, into hosting a party for the special occasion. In the meantime, Kyle's father makes a surprise offer that will help solidify his burgeoning relationship with Freck. As they count down the final seconds and sing Auld Lang Syne, the four boys will find that their lives have been changed forever.