Andre was glad he wore a hooded sweater over his shirt. There were clear skies but temperatures were way lower than the average August night. Staring towards the bonfire, Andre zoned out as the crackling and soft whistling sound from the fire muffled the talking of the teenagers surrounding him. Usually, Andre was social and the life of the party. Andre wasn't typically introverted. Still, he was used to going to high school parties where he knew everyone. This party was populated by complete strangers and people he hadn't seen in years.

"Superstar," said a voice from Andre's right. Turning his head, Andre relaxed as he saw one of the only people at the party he knew well.

"What's good Troy," Andre said, turning his vision back towards the fire.

"A lot man," Troy replied, stopping momentarily to take a swing out of his plastic cup that contained off-brand rum and Diet Coke. "For starters, a handful of girls asking who that muscular, handsome dude I came to the party with is," Troy shot Andre a smirk and a nod.

"Good, I don't have to feel bad." Andre replied with his vision still transfixed on the fire. Honestly, it was less stressful than looking around the party and potentially making eye contact with someone he only vaguely remembered from elementary school or junior high.

"Huh?" Troy asked.

Looking at his friend, Andre explained, "I don't remember most of the people here man…some of the hot girls, and some of the guys from the football and basketball team….but that's about it."

"Yeah true," Troy replied, "But we're about to start senior year man. You left Webster for Hollywood Arts when you were a freshman…you haven't seen most of these people in three or four years."

"Yeah true," Andre replied with a nod as he mimicked his friends.

"What you drinking D.D.?" Troy questioned, putting in most of the effort to keep the conversation alive.

"Mountain Dew," Andre replied.

Taking another sip out of his mixed drink, Troy nodded his head. "You know, this party going to be going on for a couple hours. I mean…not everybody's here yet. One drink won't kill you. You'll be sober way before we head out."

"Yeah I know," Andre replied politely, knowing his friend was simply trying to be nice. "But I'm good man."

"Alright, alright," Troy replied as turned as stared towards the fire with Andre. Noticing someone staring in Andre and his direction, Troy tapped Andre on the shoulder.

"You might not remember everybody, but judging from the way that dude is mean-mugging you I think he remembers you."

"Huh?" Andre questioned. Troy pointed towards the direction of the man staring. The man didn't notice as he was now talking to a girl that was at least a foot shorter than him.

"Is that…is that Michael…" Andre started as he tried to think back.

"Michael Wilson? Yeah it is." Troy replied, adding details without urging. "Dude's a jerk…becomes starting running back last year and thinks he's the king of Webster. Hell, he was probably mean-mugging you because you were our running back in junior high."

"For real, I don't-"Andre began, doubting someone would hold a grudge from junior high school.

"For real," Troy replied, cutting Andre off. "Kind of takes away from his God complex when the guy who kept him on the bench in 8th grade is at the same party."

"Maybe," Andre said with a little chuckle.

"He is good though…a couple schools looking at him." Troy said. Once he made eye contact with Andre, Troy rolled his eyes. "Of course, we hear about that all the time in school. Michael's going to go to USC…UCLA is calling him all the time…blah blah blah…"

Again, Andre let out a short laugh.

"It's crap," Troy said, "All I know is he got a couple letters from Arizona State…no scholarship offers yet…but people already talking about how he's going to be in the NFL."

Andre rolled his head back on his shoulders. "I'm just saying…but you starting to sound a little jealous man."

"Jealous…jealous?" Troy exclaimed. Before continuing, he downed the remaining liquid in his cup and placed it on the ground. "No, not jealous…he good…I already said that…but you were better."

"Ahhh," Andre replied, finally understanding the meaning behind Troy's rant. His childhood friend still hadn't come fully to terms with him spurning athletic accomplishment for artistic pursuits. "Yeah man, I was better than him man…but that was junior high. Puberty happened…he got a lot bigger…probably got a lot faster…and stronger."

"Yeah okay," Troy said in a hurried voice, nodding his head. "Still, he isn't bigger than you…I know he isn't stronger than you…Mr. I bench press and squat a small car…and I've played enough pick-up games in the summer with you to know you just as good of an athlete!"

"Man," Andre said, trying to stop his rant.

"Except he spends all his time going to football camps and speed classes…meanwhile, you play guitar and piano. That's called natural ability. You could be way better than him…you are."

"Man," Andre repeated.

"I'm just saying," Troy said, holding up his hands in defeat. "I'm not saying you'd be the next Emmitt Smith…but I'm saying that you would get a scholarship."

"I'm not saying I'm going to be the next Usher," Andre replied, "But I'm saying I already got a scholarship…and I love music."

"Yeah, to a college that focuses on liberal arts." Troy replied, sadness evident in his voice. "That doesn't even have a football team."

Letting out a laugh, Andre wrapped his nearest hand around Troy's shoulders. "Come here man."

Troy wrapped his own arm around Andre. After the two males broke the hug, Troy reached down and picked up his empty. "You know though, I am proud of you man…for real."

"Ohhh great," Troy continued.

"What now?" Andre asked with a smirk, starting to get a feeling his friend didn't like a number of people at the party.

"Mike Green," Troy replied, motioning with his head. "You remember him?"

A light bulb immediately went off in Andre's head as he thought back to junior high school. "For once…I can agree with…" Andre's words fell off as he focused on the girl walking with Mike Green.

"My name's Mike Green," Troy started in a mocking tone. "I'm rich…and I treat everyone like I'm better than them…and somehow, I always get the hot girls."

"Tori?" Andre said out loud unintentionally. Once they got closer to the fire, Andre's fears were confirmed. Shaking his head, Andre downed the entirety of his drink.

"You…know her?" Troy questioned as he watched Andre's demeanor change.

"Yeah…" Andre said slowly.

Both teenagers watched as Mike Green placed his hand on Tori's back. Next, he whispered something in her ear. Tori leaned into his chest. Finally, when he pulled away, Tori nodded her head and kissed Mike on the cheek.

"He asked if she wanted a drink," Troy said stating the obvious.

"Yeah, smooth move." Andre said in a slightly spiteful tone.

"You uhhh…" Troy replied as he stared down at his empty cup. "Do you want one?"

"Yeah," Andre replied quickly, "Sure."

LEGENDARY

There were a few benefits to underage drinking parties in the wilderness. First, the partygoers could be loud without worrying about the cops being called. Second, if the cops still got called, there were plenty of escape routes. All someone had to do was pick a direction, watch out for trees and underbrush, and start running. Another benefit is a person could wonder off and intentionally get lost. Needless to say, Andre was glad he was at a bonfire instead of a house party as he wondered through the woods. Looking back, Andre's heart jumped when he realized he could no longer see the fire in the distance.

This was definitely the worst party Andre had ever attended. It was bad enough being the outcast. Still, that wasn't as bad as one of the biggest assholes from school, who came to the party with your dream girl, embarrassing you in front of her. Honestly, it couldn't have been avoided. Tori spotted Andre within a few minutes of being at the party. Of course, Tori came up to Andre to say hello. Mike Green didn't like when he saw his date giving Andre a big hug. Next, it only took Mike Green a moment to recognize Andre. Even worse, it only took him a minute to begin telling the most embarrassing stories about Andre to a crowd that quickly started to grow.

It didn't take long before the perceived innocence of the joking around became obviously venomous. Tori attempted to stop Mike, but it didn't work. Eventually, Tori came to Andre's defense and told him off with a few choice words. In exchange, the cocky teenager had some incredibly rude words for Andre and Tori. Naturally polite and caring, Andre felt more embarrassment than anger when the words were directed at him. On the other hand, when select four and five letter words were directed at Tori he lost his cool.

Mike Green was an "early bloomer". He was the kid that was filled with testosterone in 7th grade, already could grow a beard, and towered over most of his classmates by a few inches. However, "early bloomers" are less likely to have later growth spurts. Five years later and everything was almost identical about Mike Green. The only difference is Mike's beard was a little more filled in and he was about 5'8" instead of being 5'5. On the other hand, Andre was 5'1 in 7th grade, but now stood at around 6'2". Additionally, Andre was in much better shape and had about fifty pounds on Mike. An angry push to get Mike Green out of Tori's face was intended to knock him back a few feet. Instead, it knocked him a foot or two in the air and sent him landing on the ground on his back.

People immediately held Mike back, even if it was only for his own safety. He knew Tori was safe and on her way home. Michelle, one of the few girls he remembered from Webster High School, almost immediately offered Tori a ride. It was obvious she wasn't going to get back in the car with Mike. At that point, Andre took the easiest route out. Instead of talking to Tori or dealing with Mike and the embarrassment and anger he caused, Andre simply chose a direction and started walking.

Almost on cue, Andre's cell phone went off. Pulling out his cell phone, emotion rose up in Andre as he saw it was a text from Tori.

Andre, I'm really, really sorry that happened. I didn't even know Mike. I met him yesterday when I was with Cat and he asked for my number. I had no idea he was such a jerk. Please call me AS SOON AS YOU GET THIS. I hope you are okay.

Andre had barely finished reading the text when another one from Tori came through his phone.

If you don't want to talk please just text me when you get home. I hope you are okay Andre.

The first thought that crossed Andre's mind was he had no idea what to reply to Tori. The second thought was complete panic as the ground gave out from underneath Andre. Before he even realized he was falling, Andre landed roughly to his ground as his ankle crumpled under the weight out of his body.

Andre let out a few shallow breaths as he moved his face to get it out of the dirt. With his wind knocked out of him, Andre still struggled for air as the pain from his ankle hit him fully. Andre let out a few painful screams as he tried to get his bearings. After about ten seconds, Andre was finally able to roll over and take in his surroundings.

"Where is my cell phone?" Andre questioned. Realizing that the hole was at least ten feet wide in each direction, Andre shook his head. "Who dug this?"

Andre ran his hands along the dirt, barely able to see anything, as he searched for his cell phone. Panic started to set in as Andre tried to maintain his breathing. This was the worst possible time to lose his cell phone. He knew he had it in his hand. The only two options was it landed on the ground above, before he fell in the hole, or it was down here with him. He prayed for the second option.

Andre's head snapped as he heard his cell phone going off. Getting to his knees, Andre saw the lights on his cell phone as he followed the sound. The bottom few feet of one wall was caved in, and Andre could see his cell phone lying on the ground. The only problem is the cell phone looked to be about another ten feet down, in what appeared to be the start of a tunnel.

By the third ring, Andre shook his head. "No way," he told himself. There was no possible way he was going down into that hole. This seemed like the beginning of a horror movie. By the fourth ring, panic set in. It was highly unlikely he would be able to get out of the first hole on his own accord; he needed that cell phone to call for help. Either way, he had to get his cell phone. Grabbing onto the edge of the opening, Andre slid himself through the opening of the tunnel.

Andre tucked his feet as he let out a short yell. The fall was shorter, but he didn't want to do any more damage to his ankle. Landing directly on his shoulder, Andre let out a loud grunt as pain shot through his chest. Rolling onto his stomach, Andre reached his hand out and managed to grab the cell phone with the tips of his fingers.

"Hello" Andre spoke loudly into the phone, hoping whoever called was still on the other end.

"Dre…it's Tori. I'm sorry for calling I'm just really sorry abou-"

"Tori, can you hear me?" Andre rasped, considering he could barely hear Tori.

"Andre…?"

Again, and louder, Andre repeated, "Tori, can you hear me?!"

"Barely Andre, are you okay?" Tori said in a worried voice, clearly hearing the panic in Andre's tone.

"No…no…I'm not okay. I need you to call the police…paramedics…someone…"

The panic in Tori's voice quickly matched Andre's. "Andre, what's going on?"

"Did you hear me?"

"Yes, but what happened?! What should I tell them?"

"I'm in the woods…I…I fell down into a hole. It's deep…I'm not sure if my ankle is broken or not…but I'm bleeding."

"Andre, where are you at?! Where at?" Andre was still having difficulty hearing Tori clearly, but he could hear as she broke down into sobs.

"Tori, I don't know." Taking a deep breath, Andre tried to remain composed. Panicking would only make Tori worry even more. " I can't be far…I can't be more than…a mile from the bonfire."

"Oh my God…are you okay?"

"Tori, listen to me. I'll be fine…but if you want me to be fine I need you to hang up right now. Hang up…and call help okay?"

There was no response for a few seconds. However, Andre could clearly hear Tori crying on the other end. Finally, through sobs, she replied. "Okay…okay…Andre…I-I'll call help"

Once Tori hung up, Andre slowly got up to his knees. Next, Andre managed himself up to his feet. His weakened ankle almost gave out as he caught his weight against the nearest wall of the tunnel. His ankle wasn't broken, but he would bet money it was badly sprained. Slowly, he took his weight off the wall and placed it evenly between both feet. He could manage, he just had to pamper the weaker of the two legs to prevent injuring it further.

Andre quickly utilized the flashlight option on his cell phone. Turning to look down the tunnel, Andre held his breath when he couldn't see the end of it. His cellphone illuminated about twenty feet of the tunnel, even at the highest brightness. Beyond that, was complete darkness. Even worse, Andre couldn't help but notice the slope he was on. The tunnel headed down.

Leaning down, Andre found a small rock laying against the floor of the tunnel. Flicking his wrist, Andre sent the rock flying into the darkness hoping to hear it hit off a wall just out of vision. Instead, he heard the dull thud of it hitting of a wall, bouncing off the floor, and rolling down further into the tunnel.

"You've got to be kidding me," Andre exclaimed to himself.

Turning his head, Andre looked at the small hole that worked as both an entrance and exit to the tunnel. He had no bigger urge than to get out of the tunnel, and it grew by the second. For some reason, he couldn't help but to feel, in his gut, something was down there. He didn't know if it was an animal, a person, or something his brain couldn't fathom. All he knew is he needed out of the tunnel as quickly as possible.

A high-pitched, yet faint, humming noise caused Andre to snap his head back towards the darkness. Shining his flashlight down the path, Andre bellowed, "Hello?!" It was instinct, he didn't want to hear anything in response. Andre held his breath as he tried to listen closely. Slowly, the high-pitched humming noise dropped in volume. Finally, when the noise went away, Andre let out the breath he had been holding in.

A spit second later the high-pitched humming returned. The only difference was it was louder this time.

"Hello?!" Andre screamed again, still pointing his flashlight down the tunnel. Internally, he cursed himself for screaming down a dark, underground tunnel. If there was something down there, he didn't want to disturb it.

LEGENDARY

The first thing to enter Andre's perception was the same high-pitched humming noise. Squinting his facial features, Andre slowly opened his eyes. His head immediately started to pound from the bright light, trying to focus his eyes, and the sound of voices around him. He could see two figures standing beside him, but it took a few seconds to focus his eyes. Once his eyes focused, everything started to come back to him. Still, how his mom and dad wound up beside him in a hospital bed still escaped him.

"Mom...Dad."