Josh had been in many different relationships before, all of which were with girls. He didn't have a type, per say. He dated all different kinds of girls.
There was Ashley, a vegetarian who had her hair cut short and dyed blue. Josh would label her as a "punk" chick. She didn't take anyone's crap, including Josh's, and it became too much for Josh to deal with.
There was Debby, a beautiful redhead from Oklahoma. She was the kindest girl Josh had ever met. Everyone took advantage of her, especially when she was drunk, and Josh left her for that.
There was Nicole, a girl Josh didn't really know how to label. She loved creepy things but looked like she would never harm a fly. She was also extremely feminist, and Josh just thought of her as outright sexist.
Josh had dated more girls than he could count on one hand, which was a lot considering he was only sixteen. Girls were great, but he always found them to be extremely flawed. He loved girls, and that wasn't frowned upon. Josh thought he was as straight as a pole, but ever since he'd met Tyler, he had no idea.
They'd met through a mutual friend, Brendon. He invited them both to a sleepover which was more awkward than Josh thought it would be. For one, he had never met Tyler before yet he found him so incredibly gorgeous. That was normal, right? Josh could think other guys were attractive without being attracted to them.
For two, Josh spent the whole night confused about why his heart felt weird every time Tyler talked or laughed. He was straight, why was this boy giving him funny feelings? His stomach felt weird, along with his head. Josh couldn't make sense of what he was feeling. Friendly love? Actual love? Maybe even hate? Who knows?
They hung out more frequently after that, the three of them spending most of their time together. Josh never hung out with Tyler unless Brendon was there. Tyler had never asked to, and Josh hadn't either because he hated the feeling he got around Tyler.
Actually, he didn't know if he hated it. It was nice to look at someone so appealing. It was nice to hear him talk, to hear him laugh, to see him smile. As nice as it was, though, it left Josh feeling even more hopeless than before. He'd never liked a guy before, why would Tyler be any different? Josh didn't even know if he'd like to be in a relationship with Tyler. All he knew was that his heart leaped every time he saw the boy.
He'd told this to Brendon, a few weeks after hanging around Tyler. He'd thought the feeling would go away, but it really only got stronger.
"Am I gay?" Josh asked, his face contorting into some kind of worried look.
"No, man, you love girls too don't you?"
"So I'm bisexual?"
"But you said you don't even know if you'd like being with Tyler."
"I don't know, dude. All I know is he makes me feel weird."
"Maybe you're bi-curious," Brendon stated, typing something on his phone.
"What's that?"
Brendon held up a finger, signaling for Josh to hold on a second. After a moment, he held his phone out. Josh read the article Brendon had pulled up.
"The phrase "bi-curious" refers to people who are interested in having a same gender relationship experience without necessarily labeling their sexual orientation as bisexual.
Not everyone loves the term bi-curious and some teens call them selves "questioning" to describe what others might call bi-curious.
A lot of teens experience periods where they question their sexual orientation or have curiosity about a same sex sexual experience.
