𝚃𝚘𝚛𝚗- ᑕ0ᗰᑭᒪᗴ丅ᗴ

ch 34: tristan

This feels legit weird.

I've been waiting for this moment for what feels like forever and I know the toughest part is still ahead of me.

Rehabbing my ankle will be brutal, but I'm not gonna give up.

The doctors said that for now, the use of a cane would be helpful, and I can't lie... I kinda feel like a pimp.

As I walked out of the hospital with my mom, she commented on my lime green, black, and silver cane.

"You look all fancy. I think we should start calling you Sir Tristan."

I stopped in my tracks for a moment, and as that name brought back a slew of memories, my mind drifted back to one in particular.

✨

"And then I took the scepter and make you Prince Nate."

"Yeah, and you're Princess Sunny."

I rolled my eyes, waiting for the moment for Sunny to tear her eyes off my brother. We were all in our backyard, Sunny was over for a playdate and was playing 'Castle' with Nate.

She bopped him on the top of the head and he kneeled down as she pretended to put a crown on him.

"There! Now you're a prince!"

She turned from Nate and looked over at me, rubbing her chin as she stared at me.

Her brown eyes sparkled with excitement as she bounced over to me.

"And you're Prince Tristan."

I smiled, feeling my heart tug when she looked up at me and as I leaned forward for my 'crown' I heard an annoyed groan coming from Nate.

"No, there can only be one Prince. And Sunny made me Prince first, so there!"

I wanted to run over and hit him; it seemed like all he's ever wanted was everything I had.

I had to share my mom, I understood that; I wasn't going to share my Bunni.

Her next words made me forget any violence I wanted to inflict on Nate for the moment.

"That's okay, you're Prince Nate... and you're..."

Her eyes looked back and forth at each of mine before a large smile was on her face.

"You're Sir Tristan."

✨

ᑭᖇᗴᔕᗴᑎ丅 ᗪᗩƳ

After we got back home, I told my mom I wanted to take a small walk around the property, just to get my foot and ankle used to everything.

I walked across our lawn and down the back road, stopping once I was in front of the Prescott mansion.

Walking back to where her studio was, I grabbed a few pebbles from their lawn, throwing them against her studio window, praying she was there.

She was at her window a moment later, her confusion subsiding when she saw me standing on her lawn.

I waved and pointed at her back door and felt relief wash over me when she nodded and disappeared from the window.

A moment later she was downstairs, letting me in.

"Can we talk? It's important."

She sighed and nodded and I followed behind her until we got to a set of metal doors. She pressed the button on the wall and a second later, the doors opened.

"Since when do you guys have an elevator?"

"My dad had them put it in when they were doing the studio expansion. Makes it easier to get all of the equipment up there."

We stepped in and she pressed the button, letting the doors close, leaving us alone in silence.

✨

A minute or so later, we were in her studio, and I shifted uncomfortably on my feet as she took a seat in one of her large black chairs.

"So, what did you wanna talk about?"

"Bunni, look-- I'm sorry. It shouldn't have taken a broken ankle for me to realize that I was being a selfish prick, and it didn't-- I realized what a mistake everything was the morning after Prom."

"Tristan, I--"

I pulled out the folded piece of paper from my back pocket and looked down at it.

"I've been holding onto this for like a year, and I just-- here."

I handed her the apology letter, and as she looked down at the 'Bunni' I had scribbled in the envelope, I felt a lump of nervousness bubbling up in my throat.

She shook her head and a sad smile was on her face a moment later when she looked up at me.

"No..."

"What?"

"Tristan... I don't--I don't wanna read it."

"Bunni I--"

"Look, all the three of us have ever done is hurt each other and I'm tired of it all. Aren't you? Don't you wanna stop feeling like this?"

"What?"

I looked at her in disbelief as she crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze diverting off of me, over at her soundboard as she began fiddling with different knobs.

"You should go."

🖤