Try as I might, I can't seem to forget those wild times I had in New York with some of my friends. In case you're wondering who this is, my name is T.J. I'm a young black man who is currently attending Emerson College. I was drowning in debt and things weren't going too well but I was determined to make it. I hated my life at this point. Oh, last year, I had been fortunate enough to win an academic scholarship to college but college was turning out to be a lot tougher than I imagined. Also, I hated the people.
During my freshman year, I began exploring a different side to myself. A side of myself that I had denied throughout my eighteen years of living under my parents roof. My dad is a police officer and a real macho guy. He is very much against homosexuality, plus he's a deacon at our church. My mother is a construction worker and also a church-going classy lady. I didn't think either of my parents would think much of me if they discovered that their youngest son was bisexual.
This year, I entered my first real relationship. I met a guy named Sean. He was a tall, good-looking Irish guy. A former soldier with a great body. He was studying criminal justice at school. We had a lot in common and became pals. I was drawn to Sean. Even though I saw him flirting with girls left and right, I knew he had to like me judging by the way he looked at me. I hoped and prayed that Sean liked me back. One day, while we were alone in the gym, he confessed that he was bisexual. Then he kissed me. In that moment, my life changed forever.
Sean and I became lovers afterwards. I was very new to all of this. For years, I had secretly desired men but I didn't think I would ever do it with one. I felt attracted to both boys and girls but the idea of sex terrified me. Sean was the first man I ever had sex with. Heck, he was the first person I ever had sex with, period. I remembered our passionate nights spent in his dorm. Yeah, those were some good times. Too bad they had to end. We were together for several months, keeping our little thing a secret. One day, he broke up with me. Apparently, he had found a new boy to play with. Like an old toy, I was thrown away.
My breakup with Sean was painful. For a long time, I was quite sad about it. I was starting to fall in love with the bastard. He ditched me for a Brazilian athlete named Paolo. Oh, well. My friends Jason and Deanna invited me to join them in New York for a couple of weeks during summer vacation.
I've known Jason and Deanna forever. Jason is a tall, brown-skinned youth and a very quick-witted, nice guy. He has a thing for macho men, preferably black or Hispanic. He's a fashion design student at New England Tech. Deanna is a tall, large young black woman. A chunky but funky black girl, as she often describes herself. Currently, she's taking up nursing at Quincy college. We were friends throughout high school, back in Hyde Park. Yeah, it was a good thing to be with those two again. Both of them know me inside and out. Jason had recently broken up with his longtime boyfriend Larry. I think he needs this vacation as much as I did.
Deanna is perpetually single. I don't know why. She's a nice girl and all. A bit thick but cute in the face. Definitely someone I'd be into if I felt like being with a girl at the moment. alas, I had my mind set on men. Besides, I didn't really think of Deanna that way. This tough tomboy had been my playmate during my youth. I never thought of her as girlfriend material, more like a big sister. You know, we've known each other for so long and all that. Yet all that was about to change.