Chapter Text
Aubrey was making her way out of the candy store along with Kim and Vance after another “successful” heist. She heard a faint scream from the owner of the store about “calling the cops” or some crap, but by that point they were already out of Othermart and running towards the direction of the park, probably already too far for anyone to keep track of them. When they made, it there they ran across the street and 4 houses to the left, where they stopped and took a break, sitting down along the sidewalk. Vance was breathing heavily, still not used to this much physical activity despite how often they did this, while Kim wouldn’t stop laughing.
“Holy shit! Y-you should have seen her face when Vance fell over and dropped one of his bags. That must be the angriest we’ve made her yet.” Kim said, wheezing.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure it was great but we almost didn’t make it there ‘cause of that.” Aubrey sighed while catching her breath.
“Too close.” Vance added, gasping for air as if he was just saved from drowning.
“Ugh, you guys are sooooo overdramatic…” Kim responded, now having calmed down a little. “We’re fine! Look at all our loot!” she said as she pointed towards the 4 remaining bags of candy.
Loot? Aubrey thought. That’s one way to put it.
“I guess… though I’m not sure that’s what “overdramatic” means, Kim.” Aubrey remarked while standing up from the sidewalk.
“Do YOU know what it means?” retorted Kim.
“Can you two cool off? I’m trying to relax here.” said Vance, who was now laying down on the floor with his head on his arms.
“Sure, whatever…” Kim replied, now sitting down with her legs stretched out.
Soon after that the two siblings started talking about something else, but Aubrey stopped listening. Her eyes were now focused on the house that they happened to stop in front of, which had a big sign that indicated it was up for sale. In fact, it had already been sold. That’s when she realized…
This is Sunny’s house.
What used to be one of her main places of comfort and safety from her home life, somewhere she hasn’t even been to in the last 4 years… Now it had been put up for sale. Hell for all she knew Sunny’s family might not even be living here anymore, and whoever moved in simply hasn’t taken the sign off yet.
But no, something in her told her that Sunny was still there, waiting. Like he waited for 4 years, call it a hunch maybe, but…
Stop that Aubrey remember he abandoned you like everyone else they’re not your friends anymore they don’t care about you they don’t care about Mari they all left her behind left YOU behind it’s all their fault-
Yet a part of her reminded her that Mari was also Sunny’s sister, her death must have absolutely wrecked him, he’s probably taken it the worst out of everyone and has been even more alone than her considering he hasn’t seen anyone but his family maybe ever since…
She felt like she was the one who should’ve been there for him.
She can’t even begin to bear how much pain Mari’s… passing must have caused him if he isolated himself for so long. Even if she wishes that he could have been there when she needed him, she can’t help but feel like she’s the one responsible for pushing him away, for also isolating herself in a way.
This was the first time she ever thought about it like that…
She was snapped out of said thoughts when a brown haired girl with red glasses and a blue hoodie called out her name.
“Yo, Aubs! You comin’?” she shouted from a few meters away.
“Yeah, just give me a sec.” Aubrey shouted back.
She grabbed her bag of candy from the floor and made her way to where Kim and Vance were talking.
“Alright, I’ll be heading home then.” Vance said while holding 2 of the bags.
“Yeah, I’ll see you in a bit.” Kim replied and waved at him. Vance waved back and started walking towards their home.
Aubrey and Kim walked down towards the former’s house for a bit longer, all the while Kim decided to ask her:
“You alright there bud?” she said while munching on some of the candy. “You stared at that house for like, 2 minutes or something.”
“Huh? O-oh yeah I’m good, don’t worry about it.” Aubrey stammered a bit, taken aback by her sudden questioning. Kim gave her a concerned look, which forced her to explain a bit further.
“It’s just that… an old friend lives there. I haven’t seen them in a while.” she continued. That was technically the truth, so she hoped that she wouldn’t need to delve any deeper into that. She wasn’t in the mood to explain that entire situation to her. Not right now, at least.
“That it? You looked like you were like, SUPER deep in thought there dude. And you like, never do that.” Kim inquired, insistent on getting a satisfying answer out of her.
Damnit, Kim… why did you have to go and be a good friend now? She really was gonna have to explain this, huh?
“...they haven’t left their house in 4 years.” Aubrey said, a bit quieter than usual.
Kim nearly spat out her nonexistent drink, her brain almost short circuiting trying to process the information she was just handed. “What the fuck!?”
Aubrey looked away, slightly embarrassed at the whole situation. “Y-yeah.. they’re one of my old childhood friends I talked to you about.”
Kim, now having fully processed what Aubrey told her, but still slightly in disbelief, went on. “I… see. Are they from the same group that Basil kid’s from?”
Aubrey simply nodded, now looking down at her feet.
“Right… this one’s not a creep are they?” she asked maybe a bit too sternly, but out of concern more than anything else.
The pink-haired girl looked up again and shook her head. “N-no… they were really nice actually… but a few weeks after everything with Mari happened, they shut themselves in. No one’s seen them ever since.” Thinking about it again actually made her a bit sad. She really did miss him… probably more than she thought.
Kim was also saddened by her friend’s story, though mostly for her sake. “Wow… that’s… I’m really sorry to hear that they left you like that.”
Aubrey quickly corrected her, not taking the time to think about if she meant to or not. “Nononono it’s not like that… Mari was his sister.”
The sudden realization hit Kim like a truck. “Oh god… yeah I get it now, that must’ve been real bad.” She felt a bit guilty now.
“Hey, don’t feel bad about it. It took me longer than it should’ve to actually get it as well.” Aubrey didn’t like worrying her friends with her own problems any more than necessary, which is why she rarely if ever vented to anyone in the hooligans, or just anyone in general.
That’s when a memory flashed through her mind.
Her parents were arguing, again, God knows how many times that is now. She was so tired of it, tired of having to sit back while her family rips itself apart from the inside. “Please stop! I don’t like it when you fight!” She cried, but no one heard her. They didn’t even bother to give her a look, they were too focused on ruining each other's lives. Aubrey couldn’t handle it. She ran. She kept running as far away from her “home” as possible. She didn’t know where, just anywhere but back in there. She couldn’t take it. Not anymore.
Suddenly she found herself at the park, the one she’s been to so many times over now, probably more of a “home” than her own. Specifically… the swings.
The park was emptier than usual, probably because of how early it was. She hadn’t woken up long ago, actually. First thing in the morning she had to bear Mom and Dad screaming at each other. She even forgot to feed her bunny. She would apologize for that later.
Aubrey sat down at one the swings and just… let it all out. She cried for what felt like hours, letting all her emotions run free. She was a bit surprised no one heard her, but figured she was used to that. Except someone did hear her.
It took her a few minutes to even realize that someone was sitting on the swing to her left, and probably saw everything that happened in the last several minutes. She only noticed when she looked up for a second and saw a black-haired boy with a cliff-faced expression, wearing a grey hoodie and a pair of black sweatpants, gazing into her.
“S-Sunny!?” She was taken off guard by her friend’s sudden arrival, even if she would probably consider it a pleasant surprise.
“Hey Aubrey…” He spoke!?
While Sunny wasn’t entirely mute, he only really talked when it was necessary if at all, so despite everything it was still a bit shocking to hear his voice.
“W-what are you doing here?” She said perhaps a bit too shakily. She was still a bit embarrassed at the thought of Sunny having seen her like that… and also a bit sad. She didn’t like to worry him too much and felt like he’s helped her enough already anyways.
“Went for a walk to take my mind off things, heard cries coming from the park and decided to check what was going on.” said Sunny, still with the same reserved expression he always seems to wear.
Aubrey was wiping her tears, now having regained some of her composure. “R-right…” She sighed.
Silence engulfed them for a moment.
“...wanna talk about it?” asked Sunny, now wearing a far softer expression instead. His face didn’t actually emote much, but after having been friends for so long she’s able to tell just enough of a difference to understand how he’s feeling.
Aubrey nodded, seeing as she could probably use having someone listen to her.
“Um…” She was struggling finding the words she was looking for. “It's just…”
Suddenly she started speaking again like her life depended on it: “I-I’m just tired! I’m so tired of having to wake up only to hear my parents argue for the 10000th time! I’m so tired of not feeling safe in my own home! I’m so tired of not even being able to call my own house “home”! I’m tired of letting my family tear itself apart, while all I get to do is sit back and watch! I’m tired of not being in control of my life! I’m… I’m… I-”
She covered her face with her hands and broke into tears again. Really? You’re just embarrassing yourself at this point. Maybe if you weren’t so weak and pathetic people would take you serious-
Her thoughts came crashing down when a pair of arms started wrapping themselves around her. She looked up to see Sunny, with his face buried on her shoulder. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t need to. All she needed was someone to comfort her and he understood that.
Despite being startled by the sudden physical contact, Aubrey eventually gave in and hugged him back. For a moment, for just a moment, she felt at peace with herself. For that one moment, it was like she forgot all about Mom and Dad fighting, about how shitty the situation at home was and everything else that life could’ve possibly thrown at her. She wished it could last forever...
Before she realized it, they were already at her doorstep.
Kim sighed. “Well then, guess I’ll see you tomorrow, huh?”
“Yeah…” Despite being used to it at this point, Aubrey never looked forward to re-entering her house. Deep down, she wished she could stay anywhere else.
Kim turned to look at her: “You know you don’t need to keep staying here right? I’m sure any one of us would gladly open their door to y-”
“I-it’s fine. Really. I don’t wanna burden you guys any further.” She quickly cut her friend off. She genuinely didn’t feel like she was worth the trouble, on top of all the already existing issues her and her gang had to deal with.
“Look, just- Ugh, whatever… Just think about it alright? I’m your friend and I care about you. You know that, right?” She was genuinely concerned for her but it was a bit too hard to get through to her at times.
Aubrey looked away again. “Yeah, I know… I just really don’t wanna cause any of you any more problems than I already have.” Sometimes she feels bad about dragging her friends into all her little escapades, making them bully and make fun of Basil like she did, at times feels… wrong? She still knows he deserves it of course, for ruining her and everyone else’s memories, how is he even able to face her after what he did? Does he have no shame!? Yet a part of her feels like she didn’t need to get her friends involved, even if they’re usually fully on board with it…
Kim sighed, again, in defeat. She didn’t have the energy for this right now. “Still as hard-headed as ever, heh. It’s okay, I won’t push it. Just please at least consider it, will you? I’m just trying to help is all.”
“And I really do appreciate it, Kim, it’s just… It’s complicated.” She said, hoping she wouldn’t need to explain much further… again.
“Alright, I get it. I’ll get off your case for now.” Kim reassured her while patting her on the back. “Me and the rest of the gang will probably come pick you up sometime in the morning, if you don’t mind. We’ll just hang out in the park, y’know, like usual. Maybe get some Gino’s afterwards, who knows. And I WILL throw rocks at your window if you’re late again. Don’t test me.”
That last comment made Aubrey chuckle. “Heh, sure you will dude.”
The sun was setting down by now, Aubrey never even realized how late it was actually getting. It’s not like her mom would care anyways. It seemed like Kim took notice of that as well.
“Shit, my parents are probably wondering where I am by now. Hey, I’ll see you around, boss. Remember to think about what I said, okay? No like, really, I’m serious. Promise me you will.” She added in a suddenly serious tone.
“Yeah, yeah, I promise. C’mon now, off you go.” Aubrey replied while waving her hand in her direction.
“Can’t get rid of me that easily!” Shouted Kim, now on her way back.
After bidding each other goodbye, Aubrey took a deep breath and prepared for what’s about to come. Despite having done this a million times over, it never got any easier. The constant arguments and screaming stopped ever since her father left, instead being replaced by a largely unresponsive mother and a house almost completely overridden by all sorts of trash, from broken bottles to old cans and trash bags filled with all sorts of crap. She tried to keep her own bedroom clean, but couldn’t be bothered to take care of the entire house. It would definitely be way too much for her to handle.
She took another deep breath, pinched her nose and opened the door (unlocked, of course…), making her way through the stench-ridden building. She spotted her mom, sitting on the couch and not even daring to look at her, with an empty bottle of beer in her hand, her eyes fixated on the TV as always…
She kept stepping through the heaps of trash laying on the floor while holding onto the candy bag that she got to keep for herself, until she finally got to the stairs leading into the attic, which also operated as her room. She let go of her nose and went up the stairs, with the candy bag now on her arm. Once there, she sat next to her bed and left the bag on her side, finally able to breathe somewhat properly. After a while, she stood back up to feed Bun-Bun, her pet bunny and companion, some carrots while also petting his soft fur. Once the petting session was completed, she laid down on her bed, ready to devour her bounty, and thought about everything that happened today. Except she could only really think about one thing.
Sunny…
She never realized just how much she really missed him until today, simply lumping him together with everyone else who she believed had left her behind, pushing all those sorts of feelings down as well. She even made all these new friends who she was able to enjoy herself around, yet at the same time she didn’t really feel like she was “truly” herself around them. She doesn’t feel the same type of comfort she felt around… him. For some reason it’s just… not the same. She took a look at the pictures of Mari she put up in her corkboard, and decided there was no use denying it any longer.
She wanted to see him again. And she had to act soon.
Aubrey isn’t actually sure of how much longer it’ll be until he moves away, ‘cause she has no clue when it was even put up for sale in the first place, but chances are she doesn’t have all the time in the world. She knew about the times Kel knocked on his door in an attempt to bring him out again, to no avail, though she hasn’t seen him there in a while. Did he give up?
Come to think of it, she genuinely doesn’t remember a single occasion where she tried to approach Sunny ever since he shut himself in. All she’s ever done was wait around for someone to show up and fix her life up like it was that easy. But she should know better than anyone things aren’t ever that simple.
Maybe, just maybe, it’s not too late yet…
Maybe she could allow herself to see him again, just this once. For old time’s sake.
…
Was she really gonna do this?
She thought about it the whole night, thinking of all the possibilities, the pros and cons, if he would even want to see her after so long… What if he forgot about her? If he doesn’t recognize her? She’s not even sure how likely it is for him to answer the door in the first place. Probably not a whole lot.
After a long while of brainstorming and analyzing all the possible outcomes and such (maybe a bit too much), she eventually made up her mind.
Yes. Yes, she was.