Red Hole (Skephalo)

Why Are You Here?

Zak's POV

As I was walking down the path to Red Hole, I saw a kid in a black and red cape just sitting down on the rock just relaxing. He didn't seem to have any beer with him. He just seemed to be listening like I did.

I didn't know if I should leave and go down to Blue Hole instead, but I made the decision to keep walking carefully down to the rock. The kid turned and looked at me then, getting spooked.

"Sorry, didn't mean to be a creep," I said, "I come down here every night."

I sat down on the rock next to him when I got carefully down. He seemed to relax.

"Wait, I know who you are," I said.

"Do you?" He asked.

"Yeah you're that Darryl kid. You were in my class last spring, before we graduated."

Darryl was either the football quarterback or one of the quarterback's best friends. Darryl played on the football team with two guys named Dream and George. I didn't pay attention to football well enough to know their positions on the field, but I knew Dream, George, and Darryl were all best friends. They always were super close during practices or in school.

"Yeah... Football," I said very carefully, "you're either the quarterback or Clay is."

"Clay is," Darryl replied and turned back towards the water, "I recognize you too. You are the smart and alternative guy."

"Not as cool as a football player huh?" I asked.

"No I think you're a cooler muffin than a football player," Darryl said.

No one ever called me cooler than the kings of questionable male contact ball game before.

"So.. why are you here? You seem like you'd be here partying instead. Y'know with the football guys," I said.

"Honestly? I was really stressed out. I got.. a lot going on at home and in my head and I figured I'd come here to relax. I've been partying here before, but I remembered how calm I was when I was here. And it works for you," Darryl said.

"How'd you know I-" I started to say.

"A lot of people at school knows. They see you out here when they leave their parties as they walk down the road. They just think you're getting stoned or drunk everynight, but that doesn't seem like you. Why do you come here then though?" He said.

"Same reason you did tonight. I'm also an insomniac. It also gets hard to just stay in bed and try to sleep. Instead, I enjoy having adventures and doing stuff with my time," I said, "even if in reality.. I'm not doing that much."

Darryl nodded and started to think quietly for a few minutes, staring at the trees around us.

"Want to ride down the current with me?" Darryl asked suddenly.

"What? That's crazy!" I said.

"Come on! Let's have some fun!" He said and pulled me into Red Hole's water.

I gasped and laughed and clung onto him for stability.

This football player was crazier than I thought.