You're A Fool, Raymond Rhodes.

Chapter 1

The mud came all the way up to my calf. I tugged my legs through it, finally ending up at the end of the creek. I stepped onto the moist, cadmium green colored grass. I took about two steps before I collapsed onto the ground, heaving breaths in and out of my airway.
"Seriously, Ray?" One of my best friends, Draco, commented. "We've only been walking for thirty minutes!"
I waved my hand dismissively.
"Just give me a second, I just have to catch my breath."
Draco rolled his eyes but let it go, leaning himself against a tree. Our other friends, Nancy and Carlton, sat down near him.
"That was gross," Carlton muttered, most likely referring to the muddy creek we had just struggled through.
"Oh shut it," Draco snapped at him. "You're just being a big baby about it because we made you skip your piano lessons."
Carlton looked down, plucking grass from the ground beneath him as he stayed silent. It was always a smart decision not to reply to Draco's harsh comments.
"Okay," I finally called out. "We can go now."
Draco happily stood rightside up again and began to walk forward. Nancy got up without complaint and followed him. I, however, walked towards Carlton and offered him my hand.
"Need help getting up, bud?" I asked, beaming down at him. He quickly nodded, taking my hand and scrambling up onto his feet.
"Thanks Raymond," He mumbled sheepishly. I just smiled in response. Carlton was never much of a talker, but he was a really sweet guy, handsome too. I love his naturally curly, ginger hair. It's always so soft to the touch.
Soon enough, all of us were blindly following Draco through the thick woods. The tree leaves were thin enough to let a little light into the forest, but not much. We walked for what felt like forever, until finally Draco decided we could stop.
"Here it is!" He exclaimed, causing us all to stop walking.
"Woah," I heard Carlton mumble. "It's so pretty."
We all looked at the waterfall in front of us. It was at least thirty feet tall and was made purely out of shimmering, clear water. Draco stepped into the stream it was flowing into, sitting down in the clear water that was now turning brown because of his muddy pants.
"Come on, step in!" He told us, giggling. Nancy stepped into the water, shivering as she sat down beside Draco.
"Is it cold?" Carlton asked anxiously, causing Draco to snicker.
"It's just a little cold, Carlton," Nancy replied in an attempt to reassure him.
Carlton walked closer to the water but didn't step in. I could tell he was nervous, so like any good friend would, I stepped in right in front of him.
"It really isn't that bad, Carl," I told him as I took his hand in mine, gently pulling him into the water. "You'll be alright."
Reuntently, he followed my lead and allowed himself to be tugged into the water. I moved us away from Draco and Nancy, knowing Draco would probably splash him and I couldn't have that happening. I then brought Carlton closer to me, holding him by the waist and lowering us both into sitting positions in the water. Once we were sitting in the water, I let go of him.
"See? It's not so bad," I reassured him, though I could tell he still didn't seem too sure.
"I guess so," He murmured in response.
After a while, Draco finally got tired of sitting in the cold, and no longer clear water, and decided we should get out and head back home. I pulled both me and Carlton out of the water and onto the damp grass. As we headed back the way we came, Carlton began to shiver. It was just now getting dark outside and the temperature had begun to drop. I put my arm around him, pulling him closer for warmth.
Draco looked back at us and shook his head at me but I just ignored it. Nancy walked beside Draco, ranting about how we should all have a rest day tomorrow since we've been adventuring for days on end.
"You know, I don't really mind all of the adventures," Carlton commented, seeming more like he was talking to me than anyone else.
"Really?" I asked. "You never seemed like an adventurer."
Carlton laughed, a genuine laugh, which made me smile. "Well yeah, they're really tiring," He replied. "But I get to hang out with you, so I don't really mind all that much."
I could feel my face getting hotter. "Oh really?" I asked, looking away from him.
He didn't reply, though I did hear him cough. I looked back at him and he was just staring at the ground, his entire face beet red. I laughed, shaking his shoulder.
"You alright, Carl?" I questioned, earning a very quick nod from him.
Eventually, he calmed down and smiled at me, still not speaking. We continued to walk back towards our town, going through the muddy creek once again and then finally exiting the woods.
"Finally, home sweet Draycott!" Nancy announced once we got back to our town. I've always hated our town name, but I suppose it's not too bad. Draco waved goodbye to all of us, promising yet another exciting adventure tomorrow as he headed home. Nancy ran back to her house too, leaving me and Carlton alone in the lightly dimed town as the sun began to set.
"See you tomorrow?" Carlton asked, tilting his head about thirty degrees to the left.
"Leaving so soon?" I asked, giggling. "We could watch the sunset, if you wanted to."
Carlton agreed without hesitation, following me to the edge of the small town. We sat on the top of a hill leading out of Draycott, where we had a clear view of the sunset's light pink, sunset orange, and red hues.
Once the sunset was over, we hesitantly headed down the hill and towards Carlton's house. It was a small brick home with tiny gnome decorations in the yard in front of it.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Carl." I informed him, as if he didn't already know that information.
"Yeah, okay," Carlton replied, but then to my surprise, he hugged me. After a few seconds, I hugged him back, squeezing him before I finally let go. He then stepped back, gave me a small wave, and went inside of his house.
I stood there for a few minutes, before eventually heading back to my own home. I left footprints in the dusty yellow colored grass that covered his front yard.