The Sunflower Girl

Prologue

Knock

"Hey Y/N,"

Knock

"I need to talk to you Y/N,"

Knock

It was a cycle. A vicious cycle of early morning wake-ups and pretending to be dead asleep to having your sister rip open your bedroom door anyway.

Slipping under your covers, she nestles her tired body up against your back. Wrapping her arms around your waist, she buries her head between your shoulder blades and cries.

Lifting your gaze to the only source of light in your room you groan as your alarm clock emits the warning numbers of dawn.

"You know Mia, I wake up in two hours for my graduation ceremony," you rasp, the morning tendrils clinging to your vocal chords. "What is it now?"

"Don't leave," she sobs, turning onto her back but still holding you tight. "Fuck, I guess it's just the myriad insecurities and loneliness talking, but I couldn't sleep after thinking so hard about it and I don't want you to leave the city. I don't want you to leave me. I want you to come to my college and I want us to be close forever."

Turning onto your back, you both stare at the glow-in-the-dark stars glued to your ceiling.

Their glow had faded significantly over the years and the thought of tearing them down after so many nights of saving you from nightmares scared you more than you'd like to admit as an adult. You thought that maybe, the karma of the universe would push you into the perils of catch up nightmares, so they stayed.

"Please don't go," she begs, nestling her face into your shoulder. "I'll be good. I'll even drink less alcohol, just don't leave me alone in this hole."

Letting a river of discomfort and grief flood your disgruntled morning self, you sink further down into your duvet with a frustrated sigh. You still hadn't told your family that any semblance of an opportunity of going to a university far away had disintegrated in less than a week and that you had decided to stay instead. What else could you do?

"Mia, I'm not going," you whisper. "Something happened and I didn't end up getting the required grade for Brown. So, you don't have to worry about being lonely, I guess I'm staying here. So go away so I can sleep before I murder you."

"Something? Are you talking about Taehyung?" she asks, yawning into her hand. "If you are, I'm going to hug him. You and me forever. "

"Don't even say his name," you croak, pulling the sheets back over your face. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to sleep so I don't look like an axe murderer in my graduation photos."

"If something was meant to happen Y/N, it would. Stop being dramatic, the kid doesn't sound that bad at all. So he lied to you, big whoop. Did you die? NO." she shouts, her voice too loud for the mush that was your morning brain. "I'm glad he did to be honest. I think I might hug him when I see him. That's how glad I am." she says, squeezing you tighter before leaving you to slumber the last remaining hours of being a high school student.

"Like hell, you will," you whisper as she leaves. "Kim Taehyung is a murderer of dreams and flowers and all things in between."

She laughs as she closes the door behind her, "Be careful there sis, love and hate are separated by a very thin curtain. You might just burn it down with all that fire of yours."

Sinking back into your sheets, you mull over every single interaction you've ever had with him. You didn't have that many, but they filled you with regret and anxiety. You felt hopeless and tormented by his stupid grin, his stupid toenail clipping eyes, his soft brown hair and his baritone laugh.

Looking back, your entire body trembled with the desire to uppercut him. And good lord, if only you knew it was just the beginning. 

You hated him.

You hated Kim Taehyung.