sunsets with you - karlnap

chapter one

karl :) - author's note: the pov will be written here for every chapter!

gazing upwards, i press the cool metal of my energy drink to my lips, swallowing the sugary liquid. i already felt buzzed, considering the can was half-way empty.

the sun was setting, leaving streaks of pink, orange, and purple in the sky. it was beautiful. i've always loved sunsets, especially in the summer.

"aye karl!"

i snap my head to the side and see alex, my best friend, standing at the top of a drop-in. he stands there excitedly, a wide grin plastered on his face. he wore his signature black, blue, and red beanie with a pair of jeans, a hoodie, and some beat up shoes.

"watch this!" he shouts as he drops in, picking up speed.

i watch as he skates around a bit, until i realize he's about to attempt a trick he's never successfully done before.

my breath catches. i set my drink down and wipe my sweaty palms on my cargo pants. biting the inside of my cheek, i stand up and start to walk closer to where alex was skating. he looks concentrated, eyes trained in front of him where he was about to jump into a frontside flip.

he lifts off the floor, and a squeal escapes my lips. what if he fell? what if he hurt himself? broke a bone? concussion? would it be my fault? should i stop him? no, that's stupid, he can take care of himself. but what if he can't?

he lands, wobbling to the side as he throws his arms in the air and lets out victory shouts, "WOOOOO! did you see that karl?"

i let out a heavy sigh i didn't realize i was holding, collecting myself as i responded, "yeah dude, that was awesome." i flash a smile, hoping he didn't see my jumble of nerves.

"quackity! that was awesome dude! quite impressive, quite impressive."

i tilted my head to the right and saw ranboo, a lengthy sophomore i met at the skatepark a while back. his floppy, dirty blonde hair fell in his eyes as he beamed at alex. i liked the kid, despite the noticeable height difference between us. i swear he would be double my height someday, considering he hasn't even hit his biggest growth spurt yet. he wore a black and white split hoodie, cargo pants, and extremely dirty black vans. they looked closer to brown than anything.

alex came to a stop in front of them, "thank you, thank you. it took me forever to get that. i almost didn't land it, did you see?"

"yea, that was well done alex. do ya reckon i could give it a try?" tubbo questioned with a soft british accent.

i almost didn't notice the freshman. he was so small and quiet compared to the towering sophomore that stood beside him. i thought back to the day i bumped into him - a short month or so ago. he was hiding in the bathroom on the first day of school this year. i found it strange that the boy was just standing there, but understood when i heard his heavy accent and found out he was new. not only to the school, but to the country. we exchanged a few kind words and he stuck by my side since that day, no one questioning it.

he dropped his board on the cement and started to glide away. my eyes were trained on him for a moment before a realization hit me.

"i- tubbo! i don't think that's such a good idea, we have school tomorrow. y'know, don't wanna get too hurt before classes and all," i threw in nervously. to tell the truth, i didn't want to go through the anxious wait just to see if the brunette would land the trick or not.

"he does have a point, and it's getting dark. i should probably get home before my parents get worried," ranboo piped in.

tubbo flipped around and rolled back to us. "awh, alright. i guess i'll have to wait till next time. there will be a next time, right?" he directed his gaze towards me, staring with his dark brown eyes. his thick brown hair fell over his forehead, similar to ranboo's. he had a crooked smile stuck on his face as he adjusted his hoodie around the jeans he was wearing. i felt as if i were making the decision.

i stared back. i hated making decisions for the group, even if the answer was blatantly obvious. "o- of course, tubbo. of course we'll come back."

"yea tubbo, then you can try to beat the most incredibly impressive, difficult, and overall bestly performed trick at this park. no sweat or anything, it'll just have to wait till tomorrow," alex shrugged, tugging on the corners of his beanie so they covered his ears. he was smirking as tubbo shrugged, turning to ranboo and gestured for them to leave.

i turn to grab my drink and board, chugging the rest of the liquid so i could ride home with free hands. "imma head home too. alex, you ready?"

he nodded, giving a wave to tubbo and ranboo who started to walk off in the opposite direction.

i drop my board and skate by the metal bin, dropping my empty can with the rest of the trash. looking over my shoulder, i wave my hand, shouting a goodbye as they move farther away.

alex and i skate down the middle of the street. he happened to be my neighbor, so we've grown up around each other.

we move in a comfortable silence. i tuck my hands in my purple hoodie pocket, letting the cool evening air flow past my face. the sun was no longer visible past the clusters of trees that scattered the neighborhood. peeling off into my cul de sac, i look over to alex. "bye man, see you at school, right?"

"yea karl, where else would i be."

we burst out laughing until he travels too far down the street to see. i glance up to my small one story house, not seeing any cars in the driveway. the usual, mom was still out at work. overtime, if i had to guess.

i walk into the house, greet my sister as i make my way to the kitchen for dinner. warming up some leftover lasagna, i go back to sit next to her in front of the tv. i get comfortable while i dread the next day, not wanting the weekend to end.

-

1172 words

first chapter is always boring, you know. also, i don't know anything about skateboarding so i looked up "kind of easy but difficult tricks to learn on a skateboard" and watched some guy do that trick quackity did in slow motion. it was pretty cool so i chose it. i have some prewritten chapters already, so if people end up seeing this, they will be out soon. anyway, au revoir.