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“YOU ARE SUCH A JERK!” the black-haired boy yelled, shoving the music stand over. The papers and sheet music that was on the stand fell onto the floor, making a large, unorganized mess.
“Rowan, what the hell?!” the other boy yelled back. “I need that stuff!”
“And I don’t care!” Rowan hissed, stomping on the papers, crumpling them up. “You…you only care about this stupid music shit! All because of Mari! Playing that stupid duet is all you over do, Sunny!”
“I play it with her because I want to!” Sunny scowled. “Because I want to do something with the sister I hardly ever get to see anymore! Because I want to have a hobby, something to do with my life other than going to school!”
“And I want my friend!” Rowan wiped his tears away. “I want to actually be able to hang out with you! I want to do things with you! But…but this…this is all you do now! You have no time for me, or any of us! Hero, Kel, Aubrey…we all miss you, and you don’t give a shit!”
“I do give a shit,” Sunny retorted. “It’s just…this needs to be perfect. Mari expects a lot from this, and I don’t want to let her down.”
“You’re letting us down! It’s like we’re not even your friends anymore! You hardly ever talk to us at school because you’re so exhausted from practicing. You go to school, practice all night, then sleep for what? An hour or two? Sunny…none of this is healthy!”
“You worry too much,” Sunny sighs, picking up the papers, before going back to his violin. “I’m fine. Really.”
Rowan stood in defeat. His breathing got heavier as his vision blurred from tears. He clenched his fists, breaking the skin on his palms.
“We never should have gotten you that violin.”
The papers dropped from Sunny’s hands. He slowly turned to Rowan, an enraged look in his eyes. Sunny grits his teeth, “What did you say?”
“We. Should have never . Gotten you that violin. It took you away from us. It took you away from the world. If I knew it would leave you as a worthless piece of shit who cares only about impressing ‘Little Miss Perfect’, I would have never suggested getting that hunk of wood.”
“You…you do not talk about her like that!” Sunny yells, storming up to Rowan and grabbing his collar. “DO YOU HEAR ME?!”
“Your sister has such a grip on you, you fucking idiot!” Rowan scowls. “She wants everything to be oh so perfect , that she’s destroying your life! She’s reducing you to a mindless drone, who’s stuck on a shitty cycle! How is that any way to live?!”
“Shut. Up,” Sunny hisses. “Just…shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Mari isn’t like that. She just…wants things to be the best that they can be.”
“And with that, you became the worst that you could be,” Rowan replies, shoving himself away from Sunny. “And I’m not gonna be here to see how you end up.”
The boy begins to walk away, leaving Sunny confused.
“Rowan…Rowan, wait!” Sunny called out, chasing after his friend.
“Fuck off, Sunny,” Rowan quietly says. “I…I don’t want anything to do with you anymore. It’s clear that’s how you feel about us, so…I’m not gonna hurt myself anymore by trying to convince you to come out.”
“Wait…Rowan…” Sunny reaches out, putting his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Please…please don’t…go…”
“Why shouldn’t I?” Rowan retorts, turning to look Sunny in the eye. “Hm? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t leave you behind.”
Sunny hesitates. He felt his heart race in his chest. His hands began to shake. He was about to lose his best friend. He…he had to do something, and fast. There was so much he wanted to tell him, so much he wanted to explain, but…
He leaned forward, gently kissing Rowan on the lips.
…and instantly regretted it.
Rowan shoved him back, wiping his lips in shock.
“Sunny, what the fuck?!”
“I’m sorry I’m sorry!” Sunny replied in a panic. “I didn’t know what I was thinking, I just…I…ARGH!”
He slapped the sides of his head violently, crumpling to the floor. He clenches his fists, before relaxing them, burning his face in his palms.
“I’m such an idiot!”
Rowan looked down to his friend with pity, before sighing, sitting down next to him. He gives a light chuckle, running his hand through his own hair.
“God we’re such a mess, aren’t we?” he laughs. “I…I’m angry all the time. You let everything bottle up. And we both just…lash out and do stupid shit as a result.”
“Yeah…” Sunny mopes, tears streaming down his face. “Rowan…I don’t…want you to go…”
Rowan fiddles with his fingers, thinking of how to reply. Slowly, he takes his hand and cups Sunny’s cheek, wiping the tears away. The two exchange a small smile.
“I don’t want to go, either,” he says. “But…really. Mari…I love her and all, I really do, but…her perfectionism is messing you up. You look like shit, and I can tell you certainly feel like shit, too. You need rest. You need to spend time with your friends.”
“I…I just don’t know what to tell her…” Sunny sniffles. “I don’t want to let her down…”
“She’s your sister, she’ll understand,” Rowan grins. “And if she doesn’t, I’ll kick the shit outta her.”
Sunny giggles, wiping his tears, “God, you’re such a jerk.”
“Takes one to know one, huh?”
The two, after a brief moment, share an awkward hug. It feels…nice. Sunny felt Rowan’s heart against his own chest. He was nervous, but…strangely calm. Rowan liked being with Sunny, even if they fought…a lot. Sunny liked being with Rowan, too. It was like he one completed the other.
“Rowan…” Sunny breaks the silence. “I uh…wanted to tell you something…”
“Yeah?” Rowan takes a step back. “What is it?”
“I…like you. Like you like you…a lot,” Sunny nervously replies. “I…the kiss was an in-the-moment thing but…I…I didn’t…know what else to do. I…panicked…and thought that I was going to lose you forever…so…”
“Hey, hey…” Rowan grins. “I…I like you, too. We just…need to work some things out, okay? But…I…I won’t let you do it alone. We’ll do it together. Just like we’ve always said.”
“I…I…t-thanks, Rowan…” Sunny gives a small smile. “I don’t…deserve it.”
“You deserve it. You…deserve to be loved. Yeah, you’re sometimes an ass, but…I…love you. And I love being with you, and talking with you and…god. I love everything about you. I don’t…I don’t want to throw it away. We’ll make this work, me and you.”
“Yeah…” Sunny replies. “We’ll…we’ll make it work.”