The thing about growing up, is that every individual experiences something completely unique. No one can tell you how they did it, no one can tell you how to do it and no one can help you do it. All anyone can do is tell you about their experience.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that life's journey is something you make for yourself. Take me for example; my name is Rick Stevens, I'm a gay male that had a run of good luck, or bad luck depending on your point of view.
I'm not gonna bore you with my basic, average upbringing, I'll just jump right to where my personal journey took a turn for the interesting.
I guess it all started when I met a guy named Buck. Yeah, what kind of Hillbilly name is that, right? To top it all off, he wasn't even an American! See, Buck was a freshman studying Commerce at Avalanche Garden University on the South Western coast of Cape Town, South Africa.
AGU was an institution of higher learning that encouraged diversity and took great pride in allowing students of all backgrounds to attend. It was a place where nationality, ethnicity, religion and sexuality got thrown out the window. I'm sure you're starting to see the appeal this place had for a closeted gay teenager.
So, back to the guy named Buck. I actually met the guy through a friend that was taking Advanced Physics along with me. Apparently the two of them went to high school together or some shit.
My first impression of Buck? He was cute, strong jaw, healthy amount of stubble running along his chin, slightly taller than my 5 foot 10 inch height. He was a bit too skinny for my liking, but hey, he was still hot, especially due to his light brown eyes, my all time weakness.
It was just a pity that all his attractive qualities fled the second he opened his mouth! Within two minutes of speaking to him, I knew that Buck was a douche bag. He had a loud, boisterous voice and an arrogant, attention-seeking demeanour. I figured, seeing as all of us were attending a school that was all about acceptance, that I owed him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was just an introverted, shy guy that was overcompensating.
I quickly disproved that theory; Buck didn't appear any different at our second meeting, nor our third or fourth. I'm an easy-going dude, so I had made quite a few friends in the first couple of weeks, the problem was that Buck seemed to have invaded every single one of my social circles. I also got the impression that he didn't like me that much. I couldn't open my mouth and he would be jumping down my throat with some sarcastic comment or the other, he'd always try to make me the butt of any joke and basically served as a minor nuisance in my life.
My one great falling is my quick-temper, it wasn't long before I started fighting back, out-cussing, insulting and humiliating him in return. I hoped that he might get the idea that I didn't like him and back off.
Sadly, it didn't work. Buck apparently needed to have the last word and our mutual dislike began getting worse with each passing day. The hostility finally culminated in a violent fist fight on the campus grounds. Not many people were around, and the few that were, were too stunned to even cheer us on. I can't even remember what set it off, or which of us dealt the first blow.
A crowd had began to form and I was sure someone had called Campus Security. We stood, panting, trying to assess the damage. I had a split lip and a jagged cut on my forehead that was bleeding profusely. My opponent had a beauty of a black eye and a bloodied nose.
Without warning, Buck lowered his fists. "What say we call this one a draw, Rick?"
One of my eyebrows rose in disbelief. "What the fuck? Had enough already?"
"Nah," he replied nonchalantly. "I just don't feel like losing any priviledges.
He had a fair point, hesitantly I lowered my fists
Buck gave me a cocky smile that catapulted my already simmering blood to a full on boil. He raised his arms and turned to the crowds. "Alright, nothing to see here people! Just a bit of hormones and tension," he wrapped his one arm around my shoulder as he spoke.
Needless to say, his false show of friendly rivalry didn't sit well with me. Once the crowds had dispersed, he turned on me with another one of those infuriating smiles. "Wanna smoke a joint?"
It was a Friday afternoon, what did I have to lose. "Yeah, sure," I replied with a shrug. Little did I know how that one, single, motherfucking joint would change my life!