Chapter 1: Anthropology
Loud laughter erupted at the cafeteria table. Kevin pointed his finger at me while laughing, "What the hell happened to you, LOOK IAN," referring to another friend of ours. "I got an infection," I sighed in defeat while he laughed at me. "I told you to take out your contact lenses," he said with a smug expression. "Okay, I get it." Kevin has always had a superiority complex, but I can't blame him too much. Despite the fact that we don't have much in common, he's still my friend... or at least I think so. A few months ago, a weird incident happened between us that made me wonder what we really are. I'm hesitant to tell my other friends because of how they'll react, but it's something I think about almost daily.
The bell rings, and we're sent back to class. "Hey Samuel, want to come over to my house later?" I turn to look at Kevin with a raised eyebrow. "What for?" We both stop walking, not really caring about class. "Just to hang out? I'm often bored at home..." he leans towards my ear and whispers while reaching to touch my hand gently, "why don't you keep me company?" I back away, yanking my hand away dramatically. "I don't want to feel your hot breath near my face." He laughs at my joke and walks to his class. It's hard to understand him. I truly don't know what to think about his actions; they confuse and bother me.
Getting to my last class, I sit down next to Ian. He's been a friend of mine for a few years now, and he has always been calm and collected. "Hey Sam," he turns to look at me with his usual straight face. "Hey, uhh, Ian, can I talk to you about something?" He turns his body to face me and crosses his arms. "What's up?" Just as I open my mouth, the teacher announces that she'll be starting class. We have no choice but to wait until she's done teaching.
(Time skip of 30 minutes)
After the teacher finishes her job, we still have about 20 minutes left in class to finish our work. I thought Ian would forget about it, but apparently not. He taps my shoulder. "What did you need to tell me?" he asks with genuine curiosity. "Well, how do I explain this... fuck... a few months ago, during my sister's birthday party, me and Kevin were just hanging out in my room, like normal, but uhh..." I cover my face, feeling my heartbeat about to burst out of my chest. "He kissed me. Not on the lips-" Ian suddenly makes a confused yet disgusted face. "NO, NO, NOT LIKE THAT. He kissed me on the cheek." My hands begin to sweat.
"I don't know if that's normal or not. We didn't drink or anything. What the hell am I supposed to think of that?" I ask in confusion, but Ian seems to relax after I tell him all of that. "One thing I can absolutely tell you about Kevin is that he's always making gay jokes with you, and you go along with them. I guess it's just a normal thing for your friendship. Maybe he took it too far with the kiss."
