One of the Boys

Chapter 1: All About Me

Hello there! If you're expecting some kind of cliché love story or a story with vampires and werewolves or maybe even a story about witches and wizards, I'm sorry to disappoint you but this is NOT it. This is a story about me, (Wow! That sounded so much more self-centered than I intended it to be), and how I am not your typical girl.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Who would want to read a book about some girl? What makes her so interesting? Why would I want to waste my time getting to know her? But give me a chance. I am pretty likable, you know.

So, where do I begin? I guess we should start with the basics. My name is Mackenzie Torres but everyone calls me Kenzie. Age? I am about to turn 15. Birthday? Uh, is this really necessary? Oh, what the heck, it's on October 12. Address? Nowhere and everywhere. What do I look like? This one's kinda hard to answer. I'm the kind of person that doesn't like to look at myself in the mirror. But I will try my best to give a pretty accurate description of myself. I have dark hair that is always a mess, chinky brown eyes, dry bruised lips (because I always bite them), pale skin, and last time I checked I'm about 5'5" and weigh about 100 lbs.

I'm an army brat. I get tossed from place to place, from school to school. You think I'd already be used to all the moving and all the changes? Think again. I don't make a lot of friends. I'm not so good with adapting to a new environment. That's not a skill I possess. I'm like an old engine of an old car; it takes me a while to warm up especially in most social situations. But as soon as I'm heated up, I'm like a radio that doesn't have an off button. It would be hard for you to shut me up once I start talking.

I have spent every waking hour of my 15 years of existence trying to fit in but I barely succeeded in doing so. I kind of blame my parents for keeping me sheltered all my life. I know it's because they don't want me to get hurt and all of it is for my own good but that lead to me not knowing how to properly socialize with my peers. I guess they're like this because my dad knows and sees the danger and chaos in this world every day and also because they don't want to lose another child. My older brother was mugged and stabbed while we were on vacation in New York. My dad and I were staying at our hotel room and my mom and brother went out for some hotdogs and that's when it all happened. I was still only 3 years old when it happened so I don't have trauma unlike my parents. I mean it's okay to be cautious but I think there is such a thing as being too cautious that one tends to get paranoid.

But despite my parents being a bit overprotective over me, I still think they're cool. They don't let me go out much but they used to let me have neighbors come over at our house for play dates when I was a kid. My mom is an artist; she paints, she sings, she even makes pots. She has all these art stuff and has her own recording equipment and she lets me use them even if it's just for fun. And when my dad is at home, we play basketball or if we're not in the mood to go out we just play video games until our eyes pop out and our fingers go numb.

I'm pretty close with my folks mainly because I don't have anyone else besides them.

My parents met when they were in high school. My dad was the school quarterback and my mom was the head cheerleader. They were like school royalty. Oh, how I wish I was like them. I dream of a story just like theirs. High school sweethearts and after decades of being together they're still strong and very much in love. I wish I could meet a guy who would treat me like a queen just like how my dad treats my mom.

I'm sorry I was already daydreaming about my future life. Now I'm back.

I come from a very big family but I barely get to see most of my relatives because we move a lot. But when we do get the chance to have a reunion, it's always a blast. My dad is Filipino Mexican American and my mom is Chinese Filipino American. That being said, you can only imagine the kind of food served at our reunions. When my cousins and I see each other, you couldn't separate us even if you had cranes to help you pull us apart. We love to play Filipino games like sungka and patintero. We also play this weird game at our reunions where one family member tries his or her best to make everyone laugh but everyone else tries not to. It's really fun and frustrating at the same time. I always win because none of them could resist my charm and sense of humor.

Enough about my family, now let's talk about my life outside the four walls I call home. As I've said, I don't have and make a lot of friends but when I do, most of them would be guys. And this is something a lot of people don't understand. They think that when a girl is friends with a boy or a group of boys, they're either a flirt or a lesbian. I don't know what I can say to make people understand this situation. What's wrong with having boys as your friends? As far as I'm concerned, boys make better best friends than girls. Why? It's less drama!

If you're in a group or clique filled with girls, everything tends to feel like a competition. Who has the best shoes? Who wears better makeup? Who gets noticed by boys more? Who is more feminine? Are your dresses designer? School is stressful and hard work enough as it is! I don't need girl "friends" to make me feel even more insecure about myself than I already do. There's just too much work that goes into all of this!

Having more guy friends than girl friends make my life so much easier. Boys, unlike girls, don't talk about you behind your back. If you do something wrong or something they don't like, they tell it straight to your face. Boys are pretty straight forward. And most people don't know this, boys are really good listeners and give the best advice.

When a girl hangs out with guys rather than girls and if she looks kinda butch, the first thing people assume is that she's lesbian. That the reason she hangs out with guys is because she wants to be one. But that's not always the case. I have experienced being called a lesbian because of this. I know for a fact that I am not so I just let it slide.

There is also a case where I was called a slut because I started dressing more girly and I hung out with a lot of guys. I don't sleep with these guys that I hang out with. I just feel more comfortable when I'm with them rather than when I'm with girls.

People are so quick to judge and assume a person's character without actually getting to know them first.

Boys don't give you judgmental looks when they see you, unlike girls do. They would probably give you "rape-y" looks when you wear a skirt or shorts that are way too short but other than that, they're actually pretty carefree when it comes to physical appearances. That's why I'd rather be friends with them than girls.

I don't want to have to worry about counting the calories of the food I eat. I just eat whatever I feel like eating. If I feel like going out and just wearing sweatpants instead of a dress or whatever, I don't want to think and worry about what my friends would say. I need them to accept and understand that I feel crappy that day and I don't feel like wearing a dress. I feel confident without makeup on, I don't need anybody pressuring me to wear makeup just because it's considered 'normal' for girls to have makeup on. And I can achieve all of this when I'm around boys.

I treat my guy friends like they're my brothers. I can always go to them for anything. I can rely on them. And it's pretty cool to know you have people like them that will always have your back no matter what.