I was Dared to Kiss my Straight Friend - Part 1
The house was getting really hectic with all the moving since my Dad was relocated and we had to move to a small town where our relatives from my Mom's side resided. I was dejected by the fact that I'd have to leave all my friends and basically abandon the only place that I lived in for as long as I can remember.
I don't remember how many nights I cried myself to sleep when I realized that my Dad wasn't going to change his mind about uprooting the whole family, especially since school was almost finished and I found out that he was just waiting for me since the relocation is apparently urgent.
I didn't have any memories of the place despite living there for a couple of months when I was still very young, and the only people I knew from that place were Matias and Dean, my cousins. They visited us every once in a while so I was kind of relieved that I didn't have to completely start from scratch with making friends.
We were fetched at the airport and I caught up with my cousins during the drive back home. The scenery of the place was completely different from what I was expecting. It wasn't really that much different from the neighborhood I grew up in, and maybe I was just expecting for there to be a lot less civilization.
My cousins were pretty stoked about us moving in with them, since we really got along and their house is pretty big and is more than enough to accommodate the rest of us. They helped us with our luggages and made sure that we settled in our own rooms nicely. Their house had tons of rooms so I got to keep a room for myself.
We mostly spent the rest of the day playing games on Matias's PS5, which I was very jealous of, and for a moment, I realized that it wasn't all that bad.
Soon after, they gave me a bit of a tour of the neighborhood. I noticed that it was relatively small since Matias and Dean literally knew everyone we came across with. The place was such a breath of fresh air with all the parks, the basketball court, the common open spaces, and most importantly, the beach!
I couldn't believe that a white-sand beach was just a few minutes of walk away from their house. It was really beautiful and peaceful. A pile of huge and eroded rocks partitioned the side of town and the beach where rows of tall coconut trees lined the perimeter. There were a couple of old nipa huts which was where they took me to relax and just breathe in the beautiful atmosphere and view.
We had to go home after a while because apparently, their school term hasn't ended yet and they still had to go to school tomorrow. They planned to take me with them especially since their policies aren't really that strict and sit-ins were generally allowed as long as you don't cause like a distraction or something.
I laid in my bed and realized that I was pretty excited about tomorrow. It's an opportunity to meet new friends, and as far as my first day, I was really having fun.
I'm not used to this, though. All eyes were on me as we walked the hallways leading to my cousins' classes. It was a pretty small community school, so seeing a new face doesn't really happen as much as you'd expect, so I was basically a celebrity.
My cousins were apparently part of the main roster of the basketball team, and they both were pretty popular so I was able to meet so many people who are so friendly and curious. They took me to their gym and we changed into more appropriate clothes.
We used to play basketball every time they came to visit my old place, and it's sort of our main go-to way of bonding. I turned a couple of heads when I came out of the changing room in their old jerseys to which my cousins laughed and I felt kind of self-conscious.
Matias introduced me to his teammates, and one of them caught my full attention right then and there. His hazelnut eyes were deep and assertive which were very well complemented by his long lashes. He had a perfectly prominent nose and his lips were thin and had the perfect cupid bow shape. His jaw tensed as he flashed a wide smile my way, revealing a perfectly-aligned set of teeth. He was textbook handsome.
