SUNNY continued to go to school, despite his parents telling him he could have a few days off. But being in his - their - bedroom still made him feel nauseous.
KEL and AUBREY were ecstatic to see not only SUNNY, but also BASIL come to school. He hadn’t been coming to school ever since SUNNY was hospitalized, apparently. But BASIL seemed the most relieved to see SUNNY had come.
SUNNY wasn’t ever exactly a talkative person, but there was something about him that made him seem even more unapproachable than before. It didn’t help that most people knew he had been stabbed for some reason; rumors spread like that in FARAWAY. Though, no one knew it was a suicide attempt.
That only seemed to make KEL and AUBREY more resolute in making sure SUNNY and BASIL were feeling fine. It was sort of funny, SUNNY thought, that this is what it took for those two to sort out their differences and align their hearts for one cause.
He was glad though. It was working; he did feel better because of them. During his school hours, he could forget about MARI. He could forget about what had happened. It was just him and his friends again.
MARI left for school early in the morning. She had to schedule her day around SUNNY’s. She already knew the exact time in which he’d wake up and come back to home, so it wasn’t hard. It broke her heart nonetheless. Making breakfast for him in the morning, holding his hand to the bus stop, giving him a goodbye hug as he’d get embarrassed and try to pry himself off of her; she missed all of this. She missed SUNNY.
When MARI was done with all of her class representative duties, she was surprised to find HERO waiting for her outside the school.
“Hey.” HERO smiled upon seeing MARI.
“HERO...” MARI said. “You should’ve called.”
“I didn’t want to bother you.” HERO said. MARI frowned at that. “I wanted to talk to you, in person.”
HERO began walking towards town, and MARI followed him. They walked the streets together, awkwardly glancing at each other occasionally.
“Is SUNNY doing okay?” HERO asked.
“...I don’t know.” MARI looked down as she answered.
“Does he still...” HERO struggled to find the words. “Can you not meet him, still?”
“Yeah. I haven’t been able to say anything to him. Not ever since.”
MARI began to tear up. HERO stopped in his tracks and hugged MARI. She sniffled into HERO’s shoulders, and HERO patted her back.
“Hey. You know, we haven’t had a picnic in a while, right?” HERO let her go and tried to put on a bright face for her.
“Yeah...” MARI wiped her tears with her sleeves.
“How about we all get together today? I’m sure the others will be up for it.”
“...HERO, I’m not sure about that.” MARI looked away. “He’s... he’s still not ready.”
“But are you just gonna let this go on? You’re his sister, MARI. He loves you.”
“He’s terrified of me.”
HERO held MARI’s hands. He looked MARI in the eyes.
“I just...” He sighed. “I don’t want to see you like this. I can’t just let this happen to you.”
MARI looked into HERO’s eyes. They looked afraid; afraid that she’ll slip away from him, afraid of her becoming further broken. She didn’t want HERO to look at her like that, either. She let go of his hands and turned around.
YOU ARE READING
Lily of the Valley
Fanfiction"These flowers are called lily of the valley. It's said that they're able to ward off evil spirits and help people see a brighter future." "...Due to the concentration of cardiac glycosides, lily of the valley are highly poisonous if consumed." - 'L...
