500 Miles
by Parker Williams

When I was fourteen I fell in love with an older man. It wasn’t any one thing that made me fall in love. In fact, I can’t even tell you when I realized it. When I started high school he was there for me. He helped me in ways that no one else would. He laughed at my jokes. He was playful. He never seemed to mind having me around. He even ate lunch with me, despite the fact people gave him funny looks. His name was Jason, but everyone called him Jase.
Jase was my brother Eric’s best friend and he was perfect in my eyes. He was poised, confident, friendly. He never treated me like a kid, even though I was three years younger than he was. Jase always tried to include me in on plans they had, sometimes against Eric’s protests. They’d…