Fake

Darren swung back and forth lethargically. His head was bent, and on the downswings of his arc, his feet would scuttle across the ground, kicking up plumes of dust. In time, his arc would decay, and be set in motion once more by a languid push.

Across the lake, the reddening sun fell to the earth. It pushed against what little air separated it from the horizon, creating a wave of pressure that hit Darren in the form of a warm breeze. He lifted his head and heard a crunching of gravel, characteristic of car tires in a parking lot. Turning his head revealed the white Corsica of Karen Moore. Darren looked back over the water and continued swinging, but now more conscious of his body he fiddled with his hands as she approached.

“I love the swings,” she said, setting down her purse and hopping into the swing next to his. They rocked for a while in silence. “I betcha I can go higher,” she teased.

“I’m not in the mood,” Darren replied, head down again. They swung back and forth a few more times. “It’s just, everybody I know is so fake, you know? Fucking Carl thinks he’s the best actor in the world, but if he’s not going to take notes the whole show’s going to suck. And Karly…”

“Am I fake?” Karen asked, slowing her motion to a stop. Darren stopped and finally looked over at her. She pursed her lips as if modeling for a fashion magazine, and Darren laughed despite himself.

“Now? Yes.”

“What?” Karen said, Her hand flew to her chest in feigned shock.

Darren laughed. His head was up, his eyes were lit, and for the first time since the horrible play practice, he felt like himself again.

“Thanks for coming out here,” he said, after the laughter had subsided. Karen smiled at him, grabbed her purse, and reached out her hand.

“Come on,” she said, as Darren let her pull him out of the swing. “Lets go get some milkshakes.”
As they left the park, the sun completed its setting. The sky grew dark, and a million points of light shone on two cars winding their way towards the nearest Red Robin.

Adapted from Everything, a Muffled Silence