David Dahlgren is finding that things are getting really difficult in school. He is fairly good at track, and he has some great friends, but he is really worried about everyone finding out his biggest secret. David is gay, and some people already have some suspicions because his best friend has recently come out.

David does everything he can to try and immerse himself in the straight life, including buying some really "guyish" magazines such as Road & Track and Playboy. he even tries getting more involved with a girl who is a good friend and is hoping to take their relationship into a romantic one.

Things become even more complex when Sean, one of the guys on the track team, starts to indicate that he might be interested in David. In fact, they end up forming a very intense physical relationship, but one that seems to lack the personal, romantic connection that David is really hoping for.

With a predictable set of circumstances, the story leads to a difficult and challenging set of experiences that forces David to go where he is not quite sure he is ready to. This is a typical "coming-out" story, but it seems to fall short in really taking the time to develop David, Sean, or anyone else in their cast of friends. David's mom is great and supportive, but she really only seems to fly on stage when she is needed. The storyline could definitely have been further explored, bringing about a greater sense of realism for David.

At the same time, the voices of the teens do have a sense of reality. They are quick to act, and less quick to think, which leads to a lot of the difficulties confronted by them. This is not really a bad book, but one that could have been stronger. It is a nice first book, and one that could prove helpful to a young man who is coming out since things are not easy for David, but they do come about with a hopeful, upbeat ending.

According to the flap on the book, Bantle drew a lot from his own personal experiences as he was setting up David's story.