I had really strict parents, which meant I hardly went out, or had sleepovers or even went to parties or gatherings or fun-fares or camps and that also meant I didn't have any friends. It was always to school and right back home. I had no idea what their reasons were, but I just guess they were really over protective.
When I got older, I started to rebel, as usual, the teenage age comes with so much energy and I couldn't help exploring this side of me alone. I started to come home back from school late, I'll play football with my mates and sometimes spend hours in their homes playing video games and some of our favourite Korean Drama. Whenever I came back, I got tongue lashed or beaten, but it still didn't stop me.
I kept doing these things in a bid to find a friend. I had people I could have fun with and do some sort of stuffs with, but I still didn't consider any of them my friend. I didn't feel this connection, I couldn't confide in any of them and they just didn't cut it for me. I got really frustrated after a while and went back to my usual staying at home all day routine.
Then one holiday, I decided to go for an holiday class in another school nearby. It was a good chance for me to meet new people. Right away, they received me with open arms and on the first day I was on the pitch playing football with them. My new classmates were both fun and notorious. We went along really fine but then I still found it hard to socialize. The next day I was confined to a spot for the whole day.
The day after that, we got out to play football and there was this guy that drawing attention to himself. He was really loud, good looking too, but the loudness covers that all. Apparently he was in the same class with me and he was supposed to be playing in the team but incurred an injury and I came right on time to fill his place. I started hearing rumors that he didn't want anyone playing his position, because no one could replace him.
I got really pissed, who did he think he was. I hated him right away and couldn't even meet eye to eye with him. Everything about him just pissed me off. Plus I couldn't understand why the girls were all over him, screaming his name like he was some kind of mini god. I got really disgusted and found myself talking to some junior students, there was this black girl that particularly caught my attention and we vibed.
It was fun to find out that we took the same path home, but I was pissed to discover the loud guy also walked that same path. One day I was with the girl telling her all about the loud pompous guy, when I heard him call her name and say something i couldn't understand, then they started arguing bitterly. I couldn't understand what was going on. But later discovered that she was his junior sister, as if things couldn't get any worse.
Few weeks later, his injury got healed and he was back on the pitch, everyone kept screaming his name and you could see the pride written all over him. Him being around meant i got the bench. He was a good player but I still didn't like him, who could like someone this proud. I kept my distance until I was asked to replace another player and gave him one of the best assists in his life. He scored the goal with ease and I saw the joy in his eyes, he took my hand and hugged me tightly.
After that moment, we became close, football always bringing us together. When school was over, we'll work home together and talk about the girl that was crushing on him and the one I liked. We kept that up until one day he invited me to his house. I was reluctant at first but then I went. I was surprised about how similar his family was to mine, his mom was quite receptive and his dad was grumpy as usual, I immediately fell right at home.
I didn't know how close we'd become until the day he stood up for me. Apparently, a girl's phone had gone missing in class and unluckily for me, I was the only one who'd stayed behind in class during break because I didn't have any money to get snacks and there was no vibe to socialize. Every finger pointed at me, and they were ready to make sure I got dealt with. My pleas also fell on deaf ears. I was already being dragged to the principal's office when I heard someone scream for them to stop.
It was him, standing in front of everyone, red as a boiling pepper. He flung all the hands holding me, pulled me behind him and gave all who cared to listen a thousand and one reason why i couldn't be the thief. I stood there and tears ran down my eyes, no one had ever stood up for me before. He went on to ensure the case was investigated properly and the phone was found, she'd misplaced it in the toilet.
He still went on to protect me against bullies, encourage me to keep dancing, help me build my self esteem, help me socialize and be my friend. There's a lot he has done for me and it's quite unbelievable that I could find someone like him, that one true friend.
Thank you for reading this, if you enjoyed it or it connected to you in a way, I invite you to drop a comment, I'll be glad to reply and Upvote for more content ❤️