S063 - Smith, Darryl Jr.

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Name: Darryl Smith Jr.
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Grade: 12
School: John Endecott Memorial Academy
Hobbies and Interests: Politics, rap, basketball, theatre

Appearance: Darryl is African-American and stands at around average height at 5’9'' and weighs 140lbs. His head is square-shaped and its most recognizable features are a bright beaming smile and brown eyes that always seem to be twinkling with mischief. His nose is thin at the bridge before widening out at the nostrils. His top lip is slightly thinner than the bottom. Occasionally Darryl grows out his facial hair to a medium level of stubble but he has yet to decide if he looks good with it or not, so normally shaves it off after a few days. His hair is black and curly and sits at his shoulders. Darryl likes to either leave it to hang free or pull it back into a bun.

Darryl likes to wear form-fitting plain-colored t-shirts, along with denim skinny jeans and a brown belt. During cold weather, Darryl puts on a black Adidas windbreaker and a Boston Red Sox beanie. On his feet, Darryl likes to sport the latest and most fashionable sneakers. On the day of the trip, Darryl was wearing a red t-shirt, blue denim skinny jeans, his windbreaker, and beanie along with a pair of Air Jordan Aura Max 2 in black and red.

Biography: Darryl Smith Jr. was born to Darryl Smith Sr. and Serena Smith in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston. Darryl Sr. worked as a car mechanic while Serena worked as a cashier at Walgreens. Shortly after Darryl was born, Serena started studying part-time to become a pharmacist as a way to try and earn more money for the working-class family. As a result of this, a lot of Darryl’s childhood was spent at his grandma’s due to his parents working late. During these stays, he was frequently told stories of marches his grandparents had been a part of and taught about famous civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson and John Lewis. His parents also had to carefully manage the family finances to ensure they had enough saved up and could make ends meet. This meant that Darryl’s wardrobe during his younger years was made up of charity shop purchases and hand-me-downs from older cousins. This would sometimes lead to Darryl being teased about this and he developed a quick wit and sharp tongue as a form of defense against the people who made fun of him.

For a young Darryl, basketball was the first sport he was exposed to, through both his father watching the Celtics on TV and playing pick-up games with the other kids at his elementary school. Darryl’s enjoyment of basketball came from the flow of the action when compared to football and baseball and the freedom of expression the game allows. This is also why he prefers streetball compared to more organized forms of play as he finds that it takes the fun out of the game for him. It was through basketball that Darryl also started hanging out with a group of kids from his neighborhood and they frequently got into trouble through various activities such as vandalism and petty theft. Neither Darryl Sr. nor Serena were happy about this and both tried to talk Darryl out of these actions and punished him when this did not work but neither approach had much effect. As time went on however Darryl and his friends began to have more frequent encounters with the law, which led to a much more severe reaction from his parents who began to worry about his safety. Although, this still didn't help to dissuade Darryl and led to more pushback on his part. It wasn't until later in his life following conversations with his parents and grandparents about police brutality did Darryl realize why his parents were so worried about him and how dangerous the situation could have potentially been.

Rap was also something that he shared with his father, his dad always having a new CD to play in the car whenever they had to drive anywhere. At the time, Darryl didn’t understand what the songs meant, but he enjoyed the beats and as he grew up, he started to become more interested in the art of rap itself, trying out writing lyrics of his own and freestyling under his breath when doing other things. This passion is something that has stuck with Darryl throughout his life and there have been multiple instances at parties where people have asked him to freestyle, something that he feigns is a hassle while secretly enjoying the chance to show off. Darryl has no intention of making a career out of rap or uploading any of his freestyles to YouTube, only practicing and performing as a personal hobby.

When Darryl reached ten years old Serena was finally able to apply for a pharmacist job. The only issue was that it was located in Salem. Serena was eager to take up the job and see about moving the family out of central Boston, thinking the environment would be better for Darryl and was also eager to live somewhere where some of her family already was. Despite seeing the potential benefits, Darryl Sr. was not eager to leave his home of Boston and this caused issues between the pair. Eventually, however, Darryl Sr. relented after Serena argued that it would be a better environment for Darryl Jr. and the family moved to Salem. Despite a period of about a year where Darryl Sr. returned to Boston following an argument with Serena, they have remained there ever since.

It was in Salem that Darryl met Richard Buster Jr., and despite the differences between the two they struck up a fast and firm friendship, the pair becoming practically inseparable. Richard’s passion for politics awoke Darryl’s own latent interest in the subject and he began to pay much more attention to the political happenings in the world. It was also through Richard that Darryl took more interest in student government, something he also found himself enjoying and taking more of an active part in, enjoying both the social aspect and the word games that were frequently involved. Although part of his enjoyment does come from his ability to play off Richard’s own presence. Darryl also in the last few years has been much more active in taking part in marches and during the George Floyd protests, Darryl took part in a protest in Salem along with his parents and also traveled to Boston and Lynn to take part in marches and protests.

It was during his time at John Endecott Memorial where Darryl picked up theatre as a hobby. It came following a recommendation that he give it a try from a drama teacher and despite his usual habit of not liking to do things in a more controlled environment—and following encouragement from his mom—he found himself quite enjoying the experience. Darryl found himself enjoying the combination of skills necessary to produce a good performance and enjoyed the sense of achievement he got when he performed well. His time in the drama and theatre clubs has also expanded his social circle outside of people he would normally hang out with, which is something he appreciates.

Darryl still plays streetball in Salem regularly but has never shown any interest in joining the John Endecott Terriers. This is in one part due to his dislike of the more organized and rigid rules of school sports and in another part due to the team being terrible. Despite this, he still attends as many games as possible both to support the team and his best friend, although he is not shy about telling Richard about how bad the team truly is.

Around school, Darryl is known both positively and negatively for his frequent bantering and enjoyment of winding people up if the opportunity presents itself. Despite this, he has a charming, boisterous, and gregarious attitude and is welcoming of people as long as they don’t act in an uptight way or prove easy to tease. His favorite classes are drama and history, although he also enjoys any subject that broaches social dynamics or politics. When he graduates Darryl plans on attending college to study something politics-related such as political science. He and Richard are currently thinking about which college they would like to attend although Darryl has told Richard they will not be making their decision based on the quality of the basketball program.

Advantages: Darryl has a strong friendship with Richard Buster Jr. as the two are nigh-inseparable, meaning he will potentially have a very strong ally on the island. He can also be very friendly and welcoming to people, potentially keeping them at ease when they encounter him. Darryl also has a decent level of fitness thanks to his time playing street basketball.
Disadvantages: Among certain members of the student body Darryl has a bad reputation thanks to his habit of teasing and winding people up, this could serve to make people start out with negative opinions of him that he will need to overcome. While he has a decent level of general fitness Darryl is neither overly quick nor strong, meaning in a fight he could be at a considerable disadvantage.

Designated Number: Student No. 063

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Designated Weapon: 1 large coconut and coconut pick

Conclusion: It might seem like a letdown on the surface, but just think: we've given you both a nutritious snack and two very good tools for cracking a skull. It's time to play hardball, my man. - Josh Baines