Chapter 5

After their friendship began in earnest, a young Danny soon realized the Sweet children came to school with bruises and bandaged cuts and they weren’t just normal childhood injuries. Or Danny hadn’t thought so anyway. He didn’t know how to ask Jason if his parents were beating him, so he just made sure his mother and granddad allowed Jason to stay with them as often as possible. One day on the beach as teens, Jason admitted things were far from perfect at home.

Danny made the first move to take their friendship into romance, kissing Jason when they were both sixteen. At first, he’d been mortified he’d gone too far, certain Jason would be repelled by Danny’s action. But to his relief and happiness, Jason welcomed the kiss and their relationship progressed from there. Until the day Jason’s dad beat the shit out of his son for being gay.

He walked up the driveway and to the front door. His knock was answered mere seconds later, as though Jason had been waiting behind the door.