Meet the Characters: Jace

Jace is just your typical star athlete.

I mean, is typical for a teenager to hide some life-altering secrets, isn’t it?

The only person in his life that knows about the abuse he deals with regular is his best friend Alex. Instead of treating him differently for it, Alex goes out of his way to make sure Jace doesn’t have to be home more than absolutely necessary, but while spending so much time together, Jace develops feelings for his best friend.

But a championship athlete can’t be gay, right?

Jace spends over a year of his life hiding who he really is. He forces himself to date girls so he can be “normal,” but he isn’t happy.

Things take a turn for the worse when his dad finds out his secret. His abuse moves to another level, and Jace decides to end his life.

He survives his first suicide attempt, and he turns to self-harm to cope with his feelings. Keeping his scars hidden beneath long sleeves or sweat bands, Jace is able to feel almost normal. If only he could continue to block out the feelings for Alex.

After losing an important hockey game, his father stumbles in his room to find Jace cutting. Mistaking the self-harm for a suicide attempt, his abusive father decides to take Jace’s life into his own hands

Alex finds Jace unconscious in a pool of his own blood. A small pocket knife is still embedded in his side.

Foster care turns out to be very beneficial for Jace. He no longer has to hide who he is, because his new family is accepting.

Jace is probably one of my favorite characters (yes, I say that about a lot of people) because I love how he developed. Even in One of the Guys, he remains one of Cam‘s biggest support systems, even when Gavin turns his back on their friend. While I am currently taking a step away from his family, I am sure I will come back to the characters I have spent so much time with over the last few years.