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Sunny had returned to Faraway.
It wasn't for very long, and he wanted to meet his friends more than anything. Kel and Hero were succeeding at college, and Aubrey was getting help from the Hooligans to improve her home situation. It really did seem like things were growing brighter for the future.
Things were less certain for Basil. The gang had... varying opinions of him after his role in Mari's true death was revealed.
As the blonde was very likely in the midst of therapy, Sunny decided to meet up with the others at the old picnic spot. However, it seems they were running late as the only one there was Hero who seemed to also be waiting.
The jet-haired teen approached slowly and took a seat a couple meters from Hero.
"Oh, you arrived." Hero commented as he noticed Sunny, his voice having a hint of joy to his tone which barely masked a faint undercurrent of sadness. Out of the group, Hero seemed to be the last to fully comprehend the confession.
Sunny tensed slightly. When he told the truth, Hero had stayed silent, only speaking to tell the others he needed some time to himself. Sunny believed that Hero might've thought he was lying or trying to hate himself. Being in a coma after traumatically having your eye slashed out wasn't the best time for confessions.
Hero seemed to notice Sunny's discomfort and shuffled a bit closer with a softened expression. "Sunny, I'm not mad. I understand more... or at least I'm trying to."
Looking to the sky, Hero continued to speak out loud. He didn't really expect Sunny to listen, but hoped that his venting might benefit them both. "I didn't want to believe it, but... it was great that you had the courage to say what really happened. Basil confessed the same, and when I brought it up to the church officials, it all made sense."
When he and Kel went home that night, the elder brother hadn't spoken. The last time any major revelation about Mari broke out, Hero had driven his own brother away in anger. He didn't want that happen again, and eventually Kel's desire for the group to rejoin gave Hero the courage to finally reconcile with it all.
Hero exhaled. He was training to get a doctorate and help others, so the confession shed context on everything. The bruises consistent with impacts against hard surfaces that the officials said were there. The splinters that younger Hero assumed were from the tree. The lack of resistance from self-preservation kicking in. It all clicked knowing that Hero hadn't failed to see any signs of Mari's desire to end it all... because there were none.
He didn't mention these thoughts as reopening those wounds wasn't what he wanted.
"What I'm trying to say is what we can still be friends."
Sunny slowly turned his head to Hero, his eye blinking. No smile broke through yet.
Hero continued. "You were twelve, Sunny. No child acts sensibly when they do something much as break fine china, I'd be stupid to expect it to have gone better. But Basil..."
The older of the two boys stared to the ground with a sigh. The blonde chose, in that moment, to 'protect' Sunny by faking a suicide. A twelve-year-old boy decided the best way to protect his friend was to hang up the body of his friend's sister and knew enough to make it convincing. No scream for help, no trying to do anything else, not even shut down like Sunny did.
The group might've forgiven Sunny if they had seen what really happened, the emotions Sunny felt when he threw that violin and gave that push. How, in a vortex of emotion, both Mari and Sunny were at their breaking points.
"I'm still upset by what he did... and concerned for him, Sunny. He needs all the help he can get." Hero finally finished, feeling a weight off his shoulders and hoping Sunny felt the same.
Sunny too seemed to relax a little, enough for Hero to shuffle over and put an arm of assurance on Sunny's shoulder. "Eating enough?"
Sunny nodded.
Relieved that he was putting his life back together, Hero stood up and ruffled Sunny's hair, causing a small smile to break free of the boy's stoic expression.
Entering through the bushes, Kel ran through in a playful panic as Aubrey chased after him.
"When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna throw your orange joe in your face!"
"Please nooo!" Kel shot back with a grin.
Hero beamed. The group was truly back together. Except for Basil, but there was still hope for him in the hearts of the gang.
"Heeeeero! Aubrey's being mean to meee!" Kel joked with a nostalgic smirk, to which the pink-haired tomboy slapped him on the back. "You started it!" She said with a toothy grin.
Sunny stood up and joined the others. Everything was okay.