By Ray Smith

As Alex's sixteenth birthday arrives, his family is planning one party while his best friends plan another. That his friends are keeping where their party is to be held a secret bothers him. Secrets can be fun, but they can also be trouble. And Alex has many secrets - especially Toby. His best friend, Tom, knows most of his secrets; that Alex is gay, that he is falling for his second-best friend, Jeff, who is straight, and that Alex is no virgin. His friends have secrets too, and during the party thrown by them, he is going to learn a few. And he is going to reveal some of his own. But the parties are only the beginning. As the ghost of Toby haunts him, one special gift will change the lives of Alex and his family, as well as the lives of his friends. And he will begin to suspect that those who have passed on aren't always far away.