1. Travels and Friends

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I stepped off the plane, strolling past the people. I had landed in Japan. I decided to visit for the fun of it and I really wanted to go to Suicide Forest. I was about to go to the bathroom when I ran into a man. He was a tall black dude.

"Oh, I'm sorry dude. I didn't see you there," I said.

The guy laughed. "Nah, it's alright, darling. I wasn't watching where I was going either."

I blushed and smiled. I held out my hand. "My name's JJ."

The man took my hand and shook it. "I'm Jay."

Before we could say anything else, Jay's friends came up. They greeted me, shaking my hand.

"So what brings a Kiwi to Japan?" Elton, who was the second person I met, asked.

"I wanted to travel, I guess," I answered. "What about you guys?"

"We got a channel called TFIL, which stands for The Fuck It List," Elton said. "And we basically just said fuck it, let's go to Japan."

I laughed. "Same. Where are you guys going to do while you're here?"

"Well, basically we wanted to look around, but we also wanted to go to the Suicide Forest," Brennen answered.

"Choice, bro!" I exclaimed. "I'm going there too!"

The guys laughed awkwardly. They looked hella confused.

"Choice, bro? What does that mean?" Colby asked.

I shrugged. "It means like okay or cool, I guess. Kiwi slang is different than American slang, bro."

There was a pause in the conversation. I took the time to excuse myself and leave. As Jay shook my hand, he smiled at me and held on a little longer.

"See you around, JJ," Jay answered.

I flashed a smile at him. "See you around, Jay."

I turned around, heading off. I didn't get very far before the guys caught up with me.

"Can we walk with you?" Elton asked. "We're going that way anyway."

"Yeah, sure, bro," I replied.

"What's it like in New Zealand?" Brennen asked. "I haven't been there before."

"It's beautiful, mate," I answered. "The beaches are stunning. You guys should visit sometime."

"Elton and I already went before," Colby answered. "We loved it there."

"Isn't it great?" I asked.

"It was amazing!" Elton exclaimed. "I know I would definitely love going back."

"My place is always open, if you want to come visit again," I said.

"Sure," Elton said. "Sounds fun."

We walked across the airport, talking and laughing. We joked around, my humor matching theirs. It was amazing to joke around with these guys.

We got to where the buses were. We stood for a while, just talking hanging out. Eventually, a bus to my hotel pulled up. I said goodbye to my new friends and climbed onto the bus.

I turned my attention to my phone. I looked up all four of the guys on Instagram. I followed all of them and tucked my phone into my pocket. I stared out my window until the bus got to my hotel.

I climbed out, dragging my bags with me. I had a duffle bag and a backpack. I slung the backpack onto my back and basically dragged my duffle bag with me into the hotel.

I checked in and went to the elevator. There weren't many people in the elevator with me, which was great. I had major claustrophobia, which made elevators terrifying, especially if it was filled with a bunch of people.

Just as the door was closing, I saw the four guys walking into the hotel. I made eye contact with Jay. He smiled and waved. I waved back just as the doors closed.

I thought nothing of it. Maybe they had a room here or something. Maybe they were asking for directions. I didn't give them another thought as the elevator doors closed.

The doors opened and I dragged my bag with me. I found my room and opened it. I had just kicked the door open when I heard my name being called. I looked over my shoulder to see Jay jogging over to me.

I blew my hair out of my face as he got to me. "Thanks, mate."

"You're welcome, darling," Jay said as he grabbed my bag and followed me inside my room.

He set my bag on the bed and looked around. "Nice place."

"Thanks," I agreed. "Are you guys staying here?"

"Yeah. I think we're a few doors down."

There was a knock on the door. I looked over to see Brennen looking in, awkwardly.

"Yo, Jay, we need you over here," Brennen hesitated. "Hey, JJ."

"Hey, Brennen," I greeted.

Jay left, waving to me as he walked out, closing the door behind him. I sighed and turned to my bag. I set it on the ground and I laid on my bed. Jet lag sucked.

--

I woke up three hours later to a knock on the door. I got up with a tired sigh and went to the door. The four guys were standing there, smiling.

"We're going to go wander around," Elton said. "Do you want to come?"

"Sure," I answered. "Hold on a second."

I walked back to my room and grabbed my backpack. I slung it over my shoulder and went to the door. I closed the door behind me and followed the guys.

We walked out of the hotel and walked down the street. I mostly stayed quiet. I didn't know these guys very well and I wasn't sure how to act.

After a while, the guys dropped back and walked beside me. They started talking to me and I got to know them better. I began to feel more comfortable around them after a few minutes.

We ended up at this little cafe looking thing and we decided to stop to eat. We all got something and sat down at a little round table. It was nice to have people to talk to.

"So, what's the weather like in New Zealand like?" Colby asked.

"It's very cold," I answered. "It's winter right now in and it isn't the best. What about the states? What's the weather like up there?"

"It's pretty warm where we are," Elton answered. "We're from California."

"Ah, chill, bro," I said. "I've never been to California. Or the states, for that matter."

"You could come visit," Jay said. "I got an extra room at my apartment."

The other three looked at each and had goofy grins on their faces.

"Are you trying to get in JJ's pants?" Brennen joked.

Jay laughed and shook his head. "Nah, bro. I'm just to be nice, man."

I chuckled. "It's fine. I'll hit you up with an answer, Jay. I'd love to go hang out."

The conversation changed and we spent another hour or so at the cafe before going back to the hotel. We got to our floor and we separated from each other. I stepped into my room and kicked the door shut. I fell on to my bed and sighed, feeling hella tired. I had done a lot today.

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