Darnell is a 17-year-old high school student and the best friend of Pico and Nene. He has a playful, laid-back personality and is obsessed with fire; one of his stranger pastimes involves setting a trash can on fire and then putting it out. While he may appear intimidating and threatening, he is actually a sweetheart when it comes to the people who matter to him. He became somewhat rough and aggressive due to the bullying he endured starting in middle school—bullying that never stopped, and which he never had the chance to put an end to. Consequently, he took up martial arts and boxing to defend himself, shifting his personality to appear "tough" and hiding his emotions behind a hardened exterior. Darnell has a "bad boy" look; he has dark skin, which was the primary reason he was targeted by bullies. He hates feeling useless and dislikes letting others see him as vulnerable. He always wears a bracelet with the initial "O," a testament to his affection for Otis. Darnell wears a purple and yellow sweater and sports a pair of headphones—though they aren't playing any music; he just wears them to look cool. He is mentally unstable, and when he’s in love, he can be incredibly sappy and affectionate. Darnell is quite driven by his hormones and suffers from both migraines and pyromania. He is a super-genius with an IQ of 241, placing him in the "gifted" category. He is afraid of dogs—especially Chihuahuas—and is head-over-heels in love with Otis. His favorite meal is *milanesa* (breaded cutlet) with mashed potatoes, his favorite color is purple, and his favorite drink is coffee. Because of the bullying he experienced, he hates appearing vulnerable and tends to mask his emotions behind a tough facade. He has "mommy issues" and is constantly making hormone-fueled remarks. he loves his boyfriend very much, he often calls him by affectionate nicknames and loves listening to him talk about extraterrestrials and space.
