Her Forgiveness

Night Time

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Recycle bins and trash bags lined up along the neighbor's yard on the way to Sunny's house. Aubrey walked alongside Sunny underneath the light of a half-moon that sparsely lit up the concrete sidewalk. Up until this point, neither had said a word regarding the recent events that had occurred. Sunny found the situation quite representative; just the night before, his friends were celebrating his supposed last day in Faraway town, having a classic sleepover like when they were children. Things can change really quickly, he thought as he remembered his battle with Omori.

"Hey" Aubrey began, looking up to the stars. "What are you planning to do when you reach the city?"

"Actually, I'm staying here," Sunny answered.

"What!" She turned around to face him with a face colored in surprise. "You're staying here? As in, here in Faraway town?" She stopped walking.

"Yea," Sunny said awkwardly.

Aubrey turned back around and peered up to the moon. Her head tilted. "So, does that mean you might go back to school?"

School. Having been free from the responsibilities of a normal teenager, Sunny had completely forgotten that most people went to school. Of course, it was summer break, so he wouldn't have to worry about it for a while. "Maybe" he responded.

"I guess you haven't had to think about that in a while." She began walking again. They were nearing the intersection before the Pastor's residence. "You were gone for so long, I had almost forgotten that we were in the same class. If I remember correctly, you were a pretty good student. I'm sure you'll be fine."

Passing the religious statues scattered across the preacher's lawn, Sunny reminisced on the first time he and Aubrey met. It was a bright and sunny day. Around that time of year, the wind subsided and Mari could hang clothes outside without the fear of passing showers. After helping his mom with breakfast, he would greet his father in the living room and go out to the front yard.

Around lunchtime, Kel and Hero would come around with a captain space boyfriend magazine and some playing cards. On this particular occasion, Hero brought along some orange joe sodas for the four of them to share. Having worked the whole morning in the yard, Mari suggested they take a trip to the church for a change in scenery. Kel wanted to go to the park, but Hero's father was good friends with the pastor, and he enjoyed his company from time to time. In this way, Hero could visit the religious man and his two sons, one who was Sunny's age and one younger.

On their way to the park, Mari educated Kel on the importance of having a balanced diet. Hero would occasionally reaffirm Mari's lectures but seemed preoccupied in balancing the orange joe bottles in his arms. Sunny walked slightly ahead of the group, having been in an especially good mood. At breakfast, his father had complimented him on finishing all his meat, spouting nonsense about being a pro-football player in the future. It seemed like a small occurrence, but Sunny was grateful to hear an occasional compliment from his parents.

The church emanated structural glory. It was definitely one of the more flashy buildings in the neighborhood. The pastor greeted them outside the church, and Hero put on the signature smile he used to impress the adults. Sunny stayed behind them. He disliked being forced into social situations. Looking off towards the road, Sunny noticed a small girl sitting across the street on the sidewalk. She was wearing a long pink t-shirt, (presumably) short pants, and high-heel socks. One of her feet had a cute little pink sandal, while the other was bare, She sat crying into the palms of her hands, then looked up at the church. She made eye contact with Sunny, who tilted his head to the right looking puzzled. Her tears caused her eyes to glisten, and Sunny stood in uncertainty. The girl began to cry harder, looking back down and burying her eyes in her fist.

Sunny rushed over to Mari and tugged at her blouse, pointing at the weeping girl. Mari's presence demanded attention; she had a special kind of charisma and beauty, and people unconsciously noticed little nuances and changes in her demeanor. Both Hero and the priest had observed this alteration and looked away to see what she was distracted by.

"Ah, young little Aubrey" the priest began. "She's one of the children that live along the church street. She and her parents often frequented morning service" His eyes saddened "Recently, her mother has become a bit ill, and her father..."

"It's ok, we'll go see what's wrong," Hero said confidently. He turned to Sunny "Good thinking letting us know she was there. She might need help," Hero gave Sunny a pat on the head.

Next to his, the twin's house stood silently. It was pitch black, the windows showed no signs of life, and even Hector, their dog, slept peacefully in the front yard. Aubrey had stopped to check herself, eyes scanning left to right, starting from the roof and ending at the bushy shrubs near the front door.

At most times, Aubrey was difficult to read. During their youth, Sunny took pleasure in trying to predict what she was thinking, but his efforts were often fruitless. The past few days had only reconfirmed this. Now, however, he knew what she was thinking: how are Hero and Kel? Are they taking the news well? More importantly, what will become of our group of friends? A sudden urge to break the awkward silence overwhelmed him, and Sunny threw any insecurities to the wall and felt compelled to ask the first thing that came to his mind.

"S-so Aubrey, do you have a boyfriend" Sunny blurted out, instantly regretting his existence. Initially, it seemed like a normal question to ask a teenager. But context matters and Sunny realized that this scene was right out of a Capt. Space Boyfriend X Sweetheart comic.

Aubrey's cheeks grew red and her eyebrows began to quiver. "W-what did you say?" Perhaps she asked this question because she genuinely misheard him, or maybe her feelings could not process the implications of the question.

Unlucky, thought Sunny. He had half-hoped that she wouldn't hear him. In circumstances like these, Sunny believed it was best to double down, else he would risk falling back into a pit of awkwardness. "Oh, I was just wondering if you had a boyfriend," he said, avoiding eye contact.

At a pace that could be described as slightly slower than running, Aubrey rushed past Sunny, heading back towards the street's beginning. "Y-you don't n-need any more help, r-right?" She stammered. "W-welp, goodnight!" She continued to walk off, but then something peculiar happened. The cold night winds running through the trees halted, and Aubrey stopped in place. She then turned back around at Sunny, her appearance subjectively shaken up by the recent developments. She began walking back to Sunny.

Feeling rather lost, Sunny's heart began to beat faster as the girl got closer. Aubrey was now standing a short length away from Sunny, at a distance that a push from the back could send the duo into a hugging embrace. A plethora of untapped emotions fled over Sunny, as the girl grabbed his hand. She then placed a small envelope in his palm, wrapped in a small pink bow.

"Here's my number. Call me if you need anything," Aubrey said sheepishly.

"T-thanks" Sunny replied, emotionally dazed by the whole ordeal.

With a quick smile, Aubrey turned around and started heading back to her house. She stopped again and said "By the way, I don't have a boyfriend," before continuing to walk at a much faster pace. The moon cast calm hues over the pavement as Aubrey disappeared into the darkness cast by the shadows of the trees.