Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Streams of harsh August sunlight poured in through the house’s front windows, bringing with them a torrent of devilish heat. Sunny sat on his couch, melting miserably into the cushions. Why he was sat here he couldn’t recall; at best he could remember that he was waiting on Mari for something. Knowing his sister, she was more than likely packing up a quick picnic for the day. He let out a long sigh and flopped over onto his side. Did today really have to be so hot? It was the last month of summer vacation and everyone wanted to go out and enjoy it while they could. It was a sentiment Sunny agreed with, but this heat made it just so unbearable. What were they even going to do today? A trip to the lake, the beach, somewhere else? Sunny closed his eyes as he strained to remember; it felt like he was wading through a thick fog trying to recall the day’s plans. A sudden knock on the door roused him from his stupor and he got up from the couch. It was probably Hero and Kel, likely coming over early so that they could help get things set up. Rather, so Hero could help Mari get everything together. Kel was likely just tagging along because it made more sense to wait here instead of coming over separately. Still, despite the desire to see his wonderful friends, the thought of having to open that door to the wretched heat outside filled Sunny with dread. It would also be impolite, he thought, to make them stand out there in such awful conditions. Yes, better to wait inside where the air conditioning was at least trying to put up a fight. Slowly he trudged towards the door as the knocking came again, though this time it sounded more…frantic. Upon opening the door, his eyes were immediately flooded by a frankly ridiculous amount of light from the hated sun. A few blinks and an outstretched hand helped his eyes adjust to see…a singular person standing outside. They weren’t tall like Hero was, nor did they have Kel’s giant smile. Long black hair flowed from a head standing at his height, surrounding a soft face holding a deep frown and dark eyes. They were red around the corners and so was the nose.
“Aubrey?” Sunny asked, somewhat perplexed that Aubrey had, firstly, shown up directly at his house and, secondly, looking completely miserable, “Are you ok?” Aubrey just shook her head. Sunny waved her in, mostly so he didn’t have to stare out into the blinding light anymore, and she immediately went right to the couch and sat down. Sunny followed and sat right beside her.
“Is everything alright?” He asked again. Aubrey didn’t look his way; her hands were trembling and her face looked to be barely holding itself together.
“My dad hasn’t come home yet.” She said, her voice was weak and small.
“What do you mean?” Sunny raised an eyebrow, “Where did he go?”
“I don’t know…” Aubrey shook her head, “I don’t know. He and my mom got into a fight last night. It was really loud and they were really angry and, and…” She sniffled quickly, cutting herself off, “And then all of a sudden I heard the door slam and a car driving away. I woke up this morning and mom was on the couch crying.”
“Aubrey…” Sunny started. He wanted to help cheer her up, but nothing was coming to mind. He could hold her hand but the thought made his chest feel…fuzzy.
“I asked where dad went, but she just shook her head.” Aubrey continued, a few tears making their way to her chin, “We waited and waited, but he still hasn’t come home. Mom got really scary too…” She sniffled again, “She started yelling, and then she locked herself in the bathroom and I didn’t know what else to do so I…I came here…” A few more tears fought their way free as she went quiet. Sunny looked her over, desperately trying to think of something, anything he could do to cheer her up. Briefly the memory of Mari stroking his head popped into view; she always did that after he had a particularly rough day. Without thinking of the consequences, Sunny reached over and started to stroke Aubrey’s hair as gently as he could. Upon being touched, Aubrey quickly turned her head towards him, her face finally breaking. The dam had broken and the tears and sobs quickly started pouring forth. Sunny had no time to react as Aubrey threw herself into him, crying into his shoulder, knocking the both of them over. Sunny adjusted both of them so they were flat on the couch to keep either of them from falling off but now he had a problem. Aubrey was pressed flat on top of him, arms locked around his torso, face still buried in his shoulder, and the full weight of her body laid upon him. They were well into that age where girls would start developing into themselves and Aubrey was certainly no exception. He’d tried not to look at his friend that way since it started, she was a dear friend after all and he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but with the small pressure of softness now pressed against his chest Sunny was finding it increasingly difficult to ignore. A feeling he was most definitely kicking himself for feeling in such a hectic time. Mari appeared in the doorway, looking rather worried on the account of hearing a sudden breakdown in the living room. Sunny reached a hand out towards her, a silent plea for help, but Mari shook her head. Instead, she made the stroking motion with her hand. But doing that only made things worse, Sunny thought, wouldn’t continuing to do so only make it even more worse? Still he obliged, gently stroking her head as Mari would for him. Aubrey’s sobs only grew and grew, with a few incoherent pleas for her father to come home. Pleas that would go unanswered in the coming years, but neither of them knew that at the moment. Slowly the sun faded away and night fell upon the house. The pair hadn’t moved from their spot, though they had certainly grown quite a bit. Sunny continued to stroke her hair to the pace of her breathing, feeling his eyes getting heavier and heavier as he slowly drifted off.

When the light hit his eyes, Sunny awoke from his dream. He sat up slowly, so as not to disturb the slumbering body next to him, and checked the clock on his nightstand. 6:00am it read, a full hour before his alarm was set to go off. Letting out an annoyed sigh, he turned towards Aubrey, still dozing peacefully to whatever dream she was having. Sunny reached out and started stroking her hair gently, his fingers following each pink highlight as he went.
“Hnng…” Aubrey groaned. She rolled over and Sunny cupped his hand around her face, switching to rubbing her cheek with his thumb.
“Good morning.” He chuckled quietly.
“Mornin…” Aubrey huffed. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, nuzzling her face against his hand, “What’s got you up so early?”
“Another dream…” Sunny mused. Aubrey looked at him with concern.
“Oh Sunny, not again.” She sighed. Sunny shook his head.
“No, no, it was a good dream.” He chuckled, “I promise.”
“A good dream, huh.” Aubrey breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s a nice change of pace. What was it about?”
“Do you remember, that day you came over after your father left?” Sunny asked. Aubrey’s face twisted in annoyance.
“I wouldn’t call that day a particularly good one.” She huffed, “But yes, I do remember.”
“Right, right. Sorry.” Sunny chuckled nervously, “I just…I guess I was remembering that day and how I couldn’t think of a way to cheer you up. So I did what Mari always did to help me feel better after a bad day and you…basically threw yourself into me crying.”
“You looked so uncomfortable.” Aubrey sighed. She finally sat up and leaned against Sunny, “But…I really needed it that day, and as awkward as it was, you didn’t let go, so…thank you for that.”
“You know…” Sunny said as he pulled Aubrey into his lap, “Odd as it might be to admit, but I remember that was the day I finally started to…well…”
“See me as a girl?” Aubrey chuckled. She leaned over and kissed Sunny on his cheek.
“I mean…yeah I guess so.” He shook his head.
“We finally got together not long after that day.” Aubrey closed her eyes, “I think it helped that your family basically took me in after my mom started…losing herself.” Sunny took her hands and gave them a tight squeeze.
“What else did we do that day?” He asked. Aubrey looked up at him and tilted her head, “We were getting ready to do…something that day, but I can’t remember what.”
“Hmm…” Aubrey closed her eyes for a moment, “I think we were supposed to go to the lake that day, but after I broke down, your mom went to go check on my mom and then…I think Kel’s mom took us to the mall?”
“Oh right.” Sunny smiled, “A day out of town, to help get your mind off of it. We ended up seeing a movie in that theatre next to it…oh what movie was it?”
“Argh!” Aubrey groaned, “I can’t remember. We’ll have to ask one of the others if they can remember what movie it was.” She took Sunny’s arms and wrapped them around her, “I guess that day wasn’t all bad, in the end.
“I’m glad to hear that.” Sunny nodded. He squeezed her tighter as the pair sat together, enjoying the moment as long as they could. Aubrey suddenly got a shocked look on her face, which quickly turned into a devilish grin.
“Well, good MORNING indeed.” She giggled evilly. Sunny was about to ask what she meant when Aubrey pressed her butt deeper into his lap. What blood he had left rushed urgently to his ears, much to Aubrey’s delighted laughter. Sunny buried his face into her shoulder, which did nothing to improve the situation at hand.
“Twelve years later and you’re still embarrassed?” Aubrey teased. She spun around and wrapped her legs around his waist tight, “It’s not like there’s much left to be seen between us.” Gently she kissed each of his ears, only adding more fuel to the fire.
“I have to get ready for work.” Sunny said, failing to keep a slight panic out of his voice. Aubrey glanced over at the clock on his nightstand.
“Nuh-uh.” She giggled mischievously, “You’ve got a whole hour before you gotta start doing that.” Sunny could feel the soft pressure of her chest as Aubrey pressed herself onto him. He placed his hands on her waist, moving them slightly up her tank top and onto the soft sides of her stomach.
“Why do I get the feeling I’m going to regret this later today?” He sighed.
“Not even for a moment.” Aubrey snickered. She kissed him hungrily on the lips. They continued to kiss as Sunny lowered them back down to the bed. Heck it, he thought to himself, he did have plenty of time before work.

Normally the fact that the radio station remained unchanged would bother Aubrey while she was working, yet today she couldn’t help but to hum along to the same upbeat music she’d heard all summer. With careful speed and gentle precision she snipped and clipped her clients hair to the style she preferred. This time it was a woman old enough to be her grandmother and then some; how much Aubrey didn’t dare ask, but they always got on pretty well the few occasions she’d come in. She’d even just told Aubrey to start calling her Grandma after her second appointment. Measuring carefully with fingers, Aubrey felt satisfied that the length of the curly white hair was correct.
“There we go!” She cheered, “How’s it look?”
“Oh it looks perfect as always, Aubrey.” Grandma chuckled
“I’m so glad to hear that.” Aubrey smiled wide into the mirror, “Let’s get you up then.” She removed the cap from her elderly client and took her by the hand.
“I gotta say, dear.” Grandma smiled as she slowly stood up, “You’re looking extra radiant today.”
“O-oh, you think so?” Aubrey chuckled nervously.
“Oh I know so. That’s a look I’ve seen many times before.” Grandma grinned at her devilishly, before leaning in and half whispering, “He gave it to you good last night, didn’t he?” Several snirks and chuckles clattered around the room as Aubrey’s face went bright red.
“GRAM!” She groaned, “We are NOT going to talk about that.”
“Oh it’s nothing to be embarrassed about, dear.” Grandma chuckled as the pair walked towards the front, “Trust me, get it while you still have the energy for it. You’ll miss those days when you get to be my age.”
“I’ll keep your advice in mind.” Aubrey sighed. The pair engaged in some less crude smalltalk while Grandma paid at the counter. Aubrey then waved her off as she left the salon.
“She’s right about one thing at least.” Her manager chuckled. Aubrey stared at her in shock.
“M-ma’am?!” She asked. It wasn’t like her to suddenly comment on Aubrey’s personal life. Manager stared back for a second before waving both of her hands.
“No, no not that. I mean-” She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, “It’s good to see you energetic again, that’s all.”
“Oh. Yeah, it feels good to feel like myself again.” Aubrey nodded in agreement.
“I take it that the nightmares have stayed away, then?” Manager raised an eyebrow at her.
“So far so good!” Aubrey gave her a large smile. She stretched her arms up as far as they could go, “I’m gonna go take my break!”
“Not so fast.” Manager gently gripped the sleeve of her shirt before Aubrey could take more than a step, “You’ve got one more heading our way.”
“Can’t someone else take them?” Aubrey half whined, “I’ve been on my feet since I started.”
“This one should be quick, hon.” Manager chuckled, “Your new regular’s about to walk in.” Aubrey turned around just as the bells chimed, announcing the arrival of a new visitor. A small girl with dark, bouncy waves down just below her shoulders walked in, brilliant smile shining bright on her face. She wore a lovely purple dress with a white lace trim on the hem, sleeves and collar.
“Hi Aubrey!” She said, her voice high and cheerful.
“Hey there, Hailey!” Aubrey giggled, “Back again so soon?” Not long after Aubrey and Sunny had returned from Faraway town, Hailey had started showing up at the salon at rather frequent intervals. She had immediately taken to Aubrey out of all the girls working there and refused to let anyone else even touch her hair.
“Well you know how it is, this heat has been very mean to my hair.” Hailey sighed. Aubrey looked it over carefully; there was a little frizz, sure, but otherwise it appeared very healthy and loved.
“Uh huh.” Aubrey smirked, “Well if you really think you need it, let’s get you back there.” Hailey jumped in place and clapped her hands together.
“Thank you Aubrey!” She cheered gleefully. The pair walked back towards Aubrey’s chair together.
“Aw, is your little mini me back, Aubrey?” Her snarky coworker teased. Aubrey shot her a look as she helped Hailey into the chair.
“She is not my mini me, Marleen.” She huffed, “We don’t really look that much alike.”
“I don’t know Aubrey…” Her quieter coworker mused, “I think she has a bit of your face.”
“Oh not you, too, Carol.” Aubrey sighed. She wrapped her cape around Hailey’s petit shoulders. Looking up into the mirror, she could see both of their faces side by side. They had similar shapes and nearly identical eyes, but other than that they didn’t look too much alike to Aubrey. Maybe, just maybe, if she grew her hair out and Aubrey straightened it flat, she would look a bit more like Aubrey did at twelve. Regardless, Aubrey didn’t dwell on the thought much longer, instead focusing on Hailey’s hair. A quick run of her fingers confirmed Aubrey’s earlier suspicion; despite the small frizz, her hair was soft and smooth to the touch and decidedly well taken care of. She had, perhaps, a few split ends, but nothing serious.
“Ok.” Aubrey mused quietly, “A quick wash, a little bit of product to keep the frizz down, and then just a small little snip to take care of those split ends.”
“Sounds good to me.” Hailey’s face beamed at her through the mirror. She hopped out of the chair and circled around to stand next to Aubrey.
“Don’t you have friends to hang out with on days like this?” Aubrey sighed as they walked back to the washing station.
“They’re all busy today.” Hailey sighed, a sad frown spreading on her face.
“I see…it is the last month of summer.” Aubrey nodded, helping Hailey into the chair, “Have you and your friends done much this summer?”
“We’ve gone out to places.” Hailey answered, leaning her head back, “A small trip to the beach, we saw a movie, a couple slumber parties, but that’s about it.”
“Is that so?” Aubrey nodded. She turned the water on, feeling it rush over her wrist in a brisk torrent. Once the temperature was to her satisfaction, she quickly got to wetting Hailey’s hair. Hailey closed her eyes and pressed her head into Aubrey’s hand. Silence enveloped the two while Aubrey got to work, lathering up her hair with a nice lavender scented shampoo, taking great care to massage it into her scalp. Happy with her progress, she quickly rinsed it out and started again with a nice conditioner, humming quietly as her fingers worked.
“You have a nice voice, Aubrey.” Hailey said quietly.
“Oh, why thank you Hailey.” Aubrey smiled. Hailey’s eyes shot open and a look of mild horror spread over her face.
“Did I say that outloud?” She whined, covering her face with her hands.
“Hold still, hon!” Aubrey giggled, giving Hailey’s shoulder a squeeze. She could hear some muffled laughter coming from the main room.
“I’m so sorry.” Hailey sighed. Aubrey shook her head, rinsing the conditioner out of her hair.
“It’s fine sweetie. It’s a compliment.” She giggled, “Alright. That should be good. Let’s get those ends taken care of.” Aubrey quickly wrapped Hailey’s hair in a towel and hand dried it as best she could. With a short hop, Hailey was out of the chair and the pair returned to Aubrey’s station. Taking her comb and some scissors, she got to work clipping the ends off of Hailey’s hair. Marleen, who had finished up with her previous client and was leaning against her own counter, peered down at little Hailey.
“Hey Hailey” She smiled at the child, “Have you ever thought about growing your hair out to be as long as Aubrey’s?”
“Marleen.” Aubrey groaned, keeping her eyes on her delicate work. She could hear the woman make a small snicker at her.
“You could even put some pink in it.” Carol agreed quietly as she swept gathered clumps of hair off the floor.
“That would be fun!” Hailey giggled, though it quickly turned into a long sigh, “But my dad’s really strict about that kind of stuff.” The words put a small twinge of pain in Aubrey’s chest.
“Yours too, huh?” She asked.
“Is your dad also strict about your hair?” Hailey looked up at her in the mirror.
“Well he was.” Aubrey nodded, trying to keep her face from falling into a deep frown, “But then he left while I was still in school, and I grew up, so he doesn’t get to make those decisions anymore.” She finished clipping and put her hands on her hips in mock triumph. Hailey giggled again.
“I wish I could be grown up, too.” She said.
“You take your time with that, kiddo.” Aubrey gave her a sad smile, “At some point you may look back and miss these days.”
“As if…” Hailey grumbled to herself. Aubrey grabbed a bottle of product to help keep Hailey’s hair from getting frizzier in the heat. A couple spritz followed by a good combing ensured the product was spread as evenly as possible. Blow dryer in hand, she got to work drying off Hailey’s hair while she sat quietly in her chair, eyes now closed once again. She still looked rather down after their exchange so Aubrey started humming along to the radio. Once her hair was sufficiently dry, Aubrey grabbed her bright pink hairbrush and started to gently brush out Hailey’s hair. Hailey’s face started to relax at the repeated sensation. They sat there a few moments longer, as Hailey’s hair went from freshly dried and wild to properly brushed and back to its wavey state. No words passed between the pair as Aubrey focused on getting her hair just right. It was a gentle moment between the two, which came to a rude end at a snort to their right.
“Honestly, if she was just a bit younger, people would actually think you two were mother and daughter.” Marleen chuckled.
“Can it, Marleen.” Aubrey groaned, which only made Marleen laugh some more.
“...Are they not?” Marleen’s new client asked as she took her seat. This prompted laughter from both Carol and Hailey, which in turn had Aubrey covering her face with her free hand.
“No, no. I’m only twenty six.” Aubrey sighed, “I do not have a child, and probably won’t for some time.” She tapped Hailey on the shoulder with the brush handle, “How’s it look, kiddo?”
“It looks wonderful!” Hailey gave her a bright smile through the mirror.
“I’m glad to hear it.” Aubrey smiled back, happy at another job well done, “Let’s get you out of here, then. Maybe one of your friends is done with their stuff and you can go hang out with them.”
“Yeah maybe.” Hailey sighed, hopping out of the chair. Once the cape was removed, Hailey dashed for the front.
“Hey, don’t run!” Aubrey chided, but the child was already at the front. She watched as Hailey paid with cash and then started to bolt out the door as Aubrey got up to the register.
“Wait, hon, your change!” Manager tried to call out after her.
“Keep it! It’s for Aubrey!” Hailey called back, still all smiles. She waved as she dashed away from the store.
“That girl sure is something.” Manager chuckled. She handed Hailey’s change to Aubrey.
“Definitely a handful that one.” Aubrey sighed.
“Cut the girl some slack.” Manager smiled at her, “She sounds like she’s pretty neglected at home, and she really looks up to you.”
“You can tell?” Aubrey smiled awkwardly.
“Yeah.” Manager’s smile grew wider, “Well, that or she has a crush on you.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Aubrey sighed and waved her hand dismissively, “I’m gonna take my break now.”
“You do that, girl.” Manager chuckled, “You gonna give that boy of yours a call?”
“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t.” Aubrey huffed, “What is it with everyone talking about my personal life today.” Her phone beeped in her pocket. She pulled it out and read Sunny’s name next to the symbol of a letter, “Speak of the devil…” She flipped open her phone and started opening up her messages. Whatever could be so important that Sunny was texting her in the middle of his work day?

“So let me get this straight.” Kim’s stern voice felt reassuring to hear after a long day of work, “He ditched you tonight to work overtime and then go out with his coworkers?” She jabbed a spatula repeatedly into the ground meat cooking in the frying pan before her. Aubrey huffed a sigh as she sliced olives into a bowl.
“He did not ditch me, he’s trying to get this work project done before the wedding.” She sighed, “We’ll both be taking some time off to make the trip, so he just wants to get as much done as he can beforehand so he’s not coming back to a mountain of work.”
“Ok, but the food afterwards?” Kim glanced at her sideways.
“I think it’s good that he’s going out and socializing a little.” Aubrey grinned confidently, “He’s always been so quiet and reserved. You know, he didn’t make any friends when he went to college.”
“So you’ve told me.” Kim sighed. She plucked a pouch of seasoning from the counter, “But does he really have much in common with them? Is he actually going out to be social or are they pressuring him into it because he’s part of the team.”
“I don’t know, honestly.” Aubrey sighed. She finished chopping the olives and pushed the bowl to the side. A heavy container of salsa was next on her radar. Chock full, she gave the top a nice firm twist, releasing the contents with a satisfying pop. Kim stopped moving and gave Aubrey a look.
“What?” She asked. Kim rolled her eyes.
“I don’t even want to mention how much I was struggling with that this morning…” She sighed. Aubrey grinned at her smugly.
“Glad to be of service!” She giggled. Kim just shook her head and started mixing the seasoning into the ground meat, “That doesn’t smell like ground beef, what is it?”
“Ground turkey.” Kim said, keeping her eyes focused on the frying pan, “It’s a bit healthier than ground beef is.”
“I see…” Aubrey took a quick glance around at the rest of the ingredients laid out before her. Thick, leafy lettuce, the kind Cinnabun would just die for, heirloom tomatoes, the bowl of olives, shredded cheddar cheese, and a container of pinto beans.
“How’s Vance doing?” She asked nonchalantly as she poured some of the salsa into a fresh bowl.
“He’s doing pretty well.” Kim nodded, adjusting the heat on the stovetop, “He got a new girlfriend recently.”
“Oh did he?” Aubrey asked, a little shocked, “That’s good news, is she nice?”
“I haven’t met her yet.” Kim shrugged, “Was gonna head his way this next weekend to catch up and maybe have him introduce us.” She smiled softly, still not looking Aubrey’s way, “Says she’s real understanding of his needs and even helps him with his insulin.”
“That’s very sweet of her.” Aubrey nodded.
“Yeah….” Kim started, but whatever else was said was reduced to grumbles.
“You’re grumbling again, dear.” Aubrey chuckled. Kim sighed loudly.
“I said!” She started, taking a moment to breathe in and out, “I said if she wasn’t I’d have to kick her ass.” The comment got Aubrey laughing.
“Awww you still worry about your big bro?” Aubrey teased lightly. Kim’s face turned a slight shade of pink.
“Of course I do!” She huffed, “I know we’re all grown up now, but he’s still my brother and after he got sick, I swore…” Aubrey noticed her fist clench around the spatula. She placed a hand on Kim’s shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze.
“I remember how scared you got when it first happened.” Aubrey smiled weakly. Kim nodded solemnly.
“Certainly gave us all a wake up call.” She sighed, resuming her mad mixing of the meat and seasoning, “Made me realize my mom was right, at least when it came to food. Certainly made sure Dad stopped giving us candy when we were at his place.”
“I bet that was hard for you.” Aubrey chuckled.
“Oh it was, but it was worth it.” Kim closed her eyes for a moment, “I was probably…I don’t even know how much candy away from ending up in the same situation. The withdrawals felt like murder, but I needed to be strong. For both of us.” She took a moment to wipe the steam off her glasses. Aubrey grinned wickedly. While Kim was distracted, she reached down and gently pinched the small of Kim’s back, which caused her to jump in the air a little while shouting in shock. Her glasses flew into the air. Aubrey quickly reached up and grabbed them before they could fall in anything.
“Aubrey!” Kim groaned, “What was that for?!”
“Cause I missed you.” Aubrey chuckled. She carefully placed Kim’s glasses back on to her face, gently caressing her cheek in the process. Kim gave a small, sharp gasp as Aubrey moved closer and pressed her forehead down against hers. She leaned forward briefly before Kim stopped her with a finger to the chest.
“Get the tortillas.” She said sternly.
“Yes, Ma’am.” Aubrey snorted.

Flashes of color danced across the walls of the dark room as the TV played. Two plates lay stacked on top of each other on the small table in front of the couch. Kim and Aubrey sat on the couch watching the movie with mixed amounts of focus.
“What movie was this again?” Aubrey asked, her voice filled with confusion.
“I don’t know. I think we maybe missed that part when we switched to this channel.” Kim shrugged, her voice also filled with confusion.
“Well there’s…certainly lots of action.” Aubrey said. The pair sat silent for a moment, “Why are his arms so big?”
“I’m not…sure…” Kim answered. Both girls tilted their heads to the side.
“Is there anything else on?” Aubrey yawned, stretching her arms up. Kim took the moment to siddle underneath and rest her head on Aubrey’s shoulder.
“Nah, just the news and infomercials and reruns of shows I don’t watch.” She sighed. Aubrey rested her forehead against Kim’s head and wrapped her arm around her shoulder.
“Is that so…” She said quietly. The chaotic din from the movie filled the atmosphere alongside the two’s breathing. Aubrey kissed Kim on the temple, then pushed her head up slightly and moved down to her neck. Kim shuddered beneath her touch as Aubrey drew her fully into her lap.
“A-Aubrey…” She gasped sharply as she felt Aubrey’s hand sneak under her shirt, gently caressing her stomach, “W-wai…wait…” Aubrey ignored her pleas with another kiss on the neck, causing Kim’s eyelids to flutter gently. Her hand slowly made its way north, grasping for another part of her, before Kim suddenly grabbed Aubrey’s arm with both of hers and forced it out from her shirt.
“I said wait!” She snapped a little, standing up from Aubrey’s lap, “Just…please wait a moment.”
“What’s wrong?” Aubrey looked at Kim with concern, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been so forward if you weren’t in the mood.”
“It’s not that I’m not, it’s…” The rest of her words were lost to more grumbling. Aubrey stood up.
“Kim, you’re mumbling again.” She sighed, taking Kim by the shoulders and turning her around. Kim stomped her foot lightly into the carpet, small tears forming at the corner of her eyes.
“I just!” She took a deep breath, letting it out through her mouth, “I just don’t want you to do me quick and dirty and then LEAVE.” She took a moment to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes, “Just…please stay with me…stay with me tonight.”
“Oh Kim.” Aubrey sighed. She lowered her head and kissed Kim on her forehead, “If that’s what you wanted, all you had to do was ask. Lemme text Sunny real quick and let him know.”
“Ok…I’ll…get the dishes done while you do that.” Kim nodded. She turned and picked up both plates from the table before heading into the kitchen. As the sound of running water joined the chorus of noise in the house, Aubrey sat back on the couch and grabbed her phone. Tabbing through her contacts she quickly located Sunny’s and started texting.

Hey! Just a heads up, staying with Kim 2night. Sorry. >_< She waited a moment for him to reply. After a few seconds her phone beeped and his message appeared.

That’s fine. Thnx for letting me know.

You’re not mad?

No, it’s fine.

How was work? Did dinner go ok?

It was fine. Dinner was good. Food was nice. Cowrkrs not so much.

I’m glad you’re getting out there more. It’s good for you to meet other people.

Annoying…

I’ll see you in the morning ok?

Staying for bfast, or should I make?

No and no, early shift tmw. Probably just home for a quick change. Bring me lunch? :(

Ok. Pizza?

Sounds yummy. :) ILY

ILY2

Aubrey chuckled to herself and snapped her phone close. She approached Kim in the kitchen and started to gather the leftover taco supplies. Kim set both their plates in the other sink to dry and also started grabbing food.
“So he’s ok?” She asked.
“I think he was hoping for some cuddles when he got home.” Aubrey sighed, “Sounds like dinner really pushed his socializing limits.”
“I see.” Kim nodded solemnly.
“But, I still told him I’m staying.” Aubrey continued, “He’s gonna bring me pizza for lunch at work tomorrow.” Kim turned her head away and grumbled something, “What? Kim you’re-”
“It’s nothing, nevermind.” Kim sighed, failing to hide some anger in her voice. She took the rest of the now packed food from the counter and stuffed it into the fridge. After she shut the fridge door, she continued to look away from Aubrey.
“Kim…” Aubrey sighed. She walked up to Kim and put both her hands on Kim’s shoulders, turning her to face Aubrey head on. Aubrey cupped one hand around Kim’s face, but Kim refused to meet her gaze.
“Kim, this only works…” She started, rubbing Kim’s cheek gently with her thumb, “This only works if we talk to each other. Open communication, ok? So please. Talk to me about this. What’s wrong?” Kim closed her eyes and took in a few deep breaths.
“I wish I could do those things for you, too.” She finally said.
“What things?” Aubrey tilted her head. Kim waved her hands in frustration.
“Bring you food at work!” She said, “Go out to places together! Get away for the weekend to someplace. Do…anything!”
“Kim, we go places together.” Aubrey started, but Kim cut her off.
“No we don’t.” She sniffed, placing one of her hands over Aubrey’s, “Not like you and he do…We don’t…get to go places and just be a couple like…like you and he do.” A couple tears started flowing from the eye closer to Aubrey’s hand.
“Oh Kim.” Aubrey sighed, She started wiping the tears away with her thumb, “I’m so sorry…I haven’t been giving you as much attention as I should be. Not for someone I consider to be an equal partner.” Kim pulled her hand away from her face and kissed the back of her hand.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get so intense about that.” She sighed, “I’ve been…feeling a little jealous lately. I know we’ve both been so busy with work, and you had the thing with Mari almost dying. Sunny really needed you by his side and…”
“That’s still no excuse.” Aubrey shook her head, “And it’s not like I don’t wish we could do those things too! I do, I really do! It’s just…”
“I know. People…people wouldn’t really understand.” Kim sighed, “And, I don’t want to put either of you in an awkward spot like that.”
“I don’t want that for you either.” Aubrey nodded. She pulled Kim into a deep, tight embrace. Her skin tingled as she felt Kim’s breathing go down her shirt. Kim wrapped her arms around Aubrey’s torso, returning the hug as tightly as she could. The two held each other there for a few moments longer. Aubrey took in everything she could; the warm scent of jasmine from Kim’s hair, the racing of her heartbeat against Aubrey’s body, the feel of Kim’s skin against her own. After she felt like she’d well and truly held this moment in her mind, Aubrey pulled back a little bit, looking down into Kim’s eyes.
“Tell you what” She smiled, “After Sunny and I get back from Kel’s wedding, you and I plan a trip for some time in the fall. A nice long week away, just the two of us.”
“Are you gonna have enough vacation time for that?” Kim chuckled. Aubrey shrugged her shoulders.
“I’ll worry about those details when I need to.” She laughed. Kim shook her head before resting it against Aubrey’s chest.
“That…does sound nice though.” She mused, a smile finally resting comfortably on her face. Aubrey reached down and removed her glasses, “Hey.” She folded them carefully and placed them on the counter before cupping her hand around Kim’s face again.
“Hey.” Aubrey smiled at her, before leaning in and kissing Kim right on her lips. This was followed by another kiss, and another, each one deeper and more passionate than the one prior. Aubrey snuck her free hand under Kim’s shirt, finally finding its mark up north. Kim let out a sharp gasp, her legs quivering slightly. Her shirt had become slightly displaced from Aubrey’s arm, revealing a little black bra strap over one of her shoulders.
“Easy…” Kim gasped, “Let’s…at least get to the bedroom before-ah!” She inhaled sharply again as Aubrey squeezed.
“Well let’s go then.” Aubrey giggled. She removed her hand from its prize and scooped Kim up into her arms. Kim, in turn, wrapped her legs around Aubrey’s waist for stability. With hungry anticipation gnawing at her stomach, Aubrey hurriedly took the two of them straight to Kim’s eagerly awaiting bedroom, kisses flying the whole way there.

A flurry of swift cuts alongside Aubrey’s quiet humming had the salon feeling a little more energetic on this lazy late Saturday morning. It was only her and Carol, and of course their manager, in the shop that day. Her current client sat silent in Aubrey’s chair while Aubrey hustled away at the finishing touches. She had elected to read a book for most of her appointment, only exchanging the briefest of words to explain the kind of cut she wanted. Sure she’d cut away what she needed to, Aubrey bent down and shuffled through her drawer for her comb and a finer pair of scissors. Smiling as she found both, she straightened herself out and started measuring her clients hair to get the right amount off the ends. Aubrey was struck with a strange feeling, something felt off about the length. She measured again to make certain, then tapped the client’s shoulder with her comb.
“Uncross your legs.” Aubrey commanded gently. The woman uncrossed her legs quickly.
“I hadn’t even realized.” She said, “Deborah’s right, you are good.”
“You know Deb?” Aubrey asked, taking a moment to adjust the client’s head.
“We go to the same…support group.” The woman said, her voice flat and emotionless, “My normal stylist is out for the month, so I asked around for a fill in. Deborah suggested I see you with much enthusiasm.” She readjusted her book to better read it while Aubrey had her head straight.
“Oh, well it makes me happy to hear such a glowing recommendation.” Aubrey smiled, taking care to snip off what she needed to. Her eyes glanced up to the mirror, landing on the book her client was reading. She couldn’t read the title, but the cover art featured two women dancing together.
“Mm.” Her client mumbled, reabsorbed into her book. Aubrey combed through a bit more, getting the last few bits of hair all nice and evened out with her scissors. She fluffed it a few times to make sure all the layers fell in the correct places. Satisfied, she tapped her client’s shoulder and gave her a big smile.
“All done! What do you think?” She asked. Her client ignored her for a moment, eyes darting back and forth over the page. Aubrey was about to say something when the woman produced a bookmark from underneath the cape and placed it within the book. She looked up into the mirror, eyes analyzing what felt like every strand of hair. Her face remained flat and emotionless, causing the nerves in Aubrey’s body to start to freak out slightly, but her stare also felt somewhat…familiar? Aubrey managed to keep her smile on her face while her mind raced to place where she’d been stared at like that before.
“It looks good.” Her client nodded, face still blank.
“Oh thank you.” Aubrey giggled, “I’m glad I could meet your expectations.”
“I’ll tell Deborah you did a great job.” The client nodded, “Who knows, if my normal girl doesn’t return to her position at my usual spot, I may come back here.” Aubrey felt her face beaming at the high amount of praise. She leaned down to start removing the cap from her client when Carol’s client loudly spoke up from her end of the salon.
“Uhhh, did somebody order pizza?” She asked. The three remaining women in the room all looked up to the door. Aubrey’s heart skipped in place as her eyes fell upon Sunny standing in the window, a box of pizza in one hand and a drink container at his feet. He made eye contact with her and waved. Aubrey smiled awkwardly as she waved back.
“Oh that’s just Aubrey’s boyfriend.” Carol giggled. She looked over at Aubrey, “Having lunch with him today then?”
“Yeah.” Aubrey chuckled nervously, “He had to work late last night so this is him making up for it.”
“Your…boyfriend?” Her client put her chin in her hand.
“Um, yeah?”Aubrey tilted her head at the woman, “Ma’am?” The woman sat silently contemplating to herself for a moment, at which point her face suddenly lit up.
“Ah! I understand.” She nodded.
“Understand…what?” Aubrey asked, still entirely confused.
“Oh, never you mind.” The woman shook her head. She stood up suddenly and removed the cape herself, dusting her shoulders, “Enjoy your lunch. Oh, and Aubrey.” She gazed directly into Aubrey’s eyes. They were dark, but she could still see some emotion dancing in them. That’s when it dawned on her; this woman reminded her a lot of Sunny.
“Y-yes?” Aubrey asked, head still tilted.
“I’m sure Deborah would love to see you at one of our support groups.” The woman nodded, her face remained flat, “Ask her about it the next time you see her.”
“O-oh, ok. I’ll do that.” Aubrey chuckled. The woman raised her free hand in goodbye and headed to the front to pay. Aubrey took a moment to start sweeping up all the hair she’d cut off.
“She was certainly an odd one.” Carol chuckled, “What do you think that support group of hers is for?”
“I couldn’t say.” Her client shrugged, “Have you experienced any kind of loss recently?” Aubrey opened her mouth to answer, but Carol did it for her.
“No, she’s been all smiles and giggles for weeks now.” She sighed, “I wish MY childhood crush would bring me lunch.”
“Let the man go, Carol.” Her client laughed, “This is why you’re still single.” Aubrey couldn’t help but snicker as Carol devolved into low grumbling. She swept up the remaining hair into her dustpan and dumped it into her trash can.
“I’m taking my lunch then!” She called to Carol as she walked towards the front. She looked up at the window and smiled at Sunny, stomach growling eagerly. Sunny nodded back, his face blank as ever, and reached down to pick up the drink container.

“So how’s work been?” Sunny asked, setting a paper plate in front of Aubrey. The two had managed to find a nice little table in the park across from her salon.
“Slow and boring.” Aubrey sighed, “I’ve only had two clients so far.” A wave of scent crashed into her nose as Sunny opened the pizza box; it was a veritable host of cheese and pepperoni.
“You guys close early on Saturdays, right?” Sunny took out a slice and placed it onto Aubrey’s plate.
“Yeah, I’m so thankful for that.” Aubrey nodded, quickly taking a bite of her pizza. The warm gooey sensation of the cheese and the sweet tangy taste of tomato sauce flooded her mouth, causing her to smile as she chewed.
“Would you mind getting a couple of groceries on your way home?” Sunny asked, moving a slice to his plate, “I can write you a list before we’re done.”
“Cnt yu dew et?” Aubrey grumbled at him, “You aren’t working today.” Sunny didn’t make eye contact as he bit into his own pizza slice, “Don’t tell me you took work home with you.”
“It’s a side project.” Sunny said flatly, “Something that might help me move up with the company.”
“That music thing your boss told you about, yeah?” Aubrey asked. Sunny only nodded in response, “Well…as long as you’re not pushing yourself too hard, I guess.”
“I’m fine, Aubrey.” Sunny sighed, “Really.”
“If you say so.” Aubrey nodded solemnly, “But Sunny…” Sunny looked up at her, eyebrow raised and pizza in his mouth, “If you start feeling overwhelmed again, please tell me, ok?” She felt his foot tap against hers gently while he chewed. She nudged it back with hers and together their feet rested against the other while the two ate in silence. Birds chirped their songloves out to each other, and a gentle breeze blew through the air. Aubrey tried to take it all in while she ate; the noise of nature, the warmth of the sun against her skin, the loving weight of Sunny’s presence against her foot. It was all so gentle, so calm, and a far cry from the general nuisance of sounds from the salon. Which is what made it all the more jarring when the loud clatter of a chair being placed down shocked Aubrey from her reverie. She nearly jumped out of her seat at the sound, turning to see a third chair being added to their table, and a small head of black, bouncy waves hopping in to occupy it.
“Hailey?!” Aubrey asked, unable to keep the shock out of her voice.
“Hi Aubrey!” Hailey smiled at her, face beaming with joy. Today she was dressed in a bright orange top and black denim overalls with a small orange flower clip in her hair.
“Is this the kid you’ve been telling me about?” Sunny chuckled.
“Uh, yeah. This is Hailey.” Aubrey nodded.
“Now that I see her.” Sunny glanced between the two girls, “I kinda see what your coworkers were talking about.” The comment caused Hailey’s face to light up in pure excitement. Aubrey put her face in her hands.
“Not you, too…” She groaned
“I’m Sunny, Aubrey’s boyfriend.” He stuck his hand out towards Hailey, who shook it gently in return.
“Hailey!” She said, her smile as bright as ever, “It’s nice to meet you!”
“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Sunny chuckled.
“How long have you two been dating?”
“About…twelve years now.”
“Oh wow! That’s as long as I’ve been alive!”
“Well isn’t that something?”
“What are you doing here, Hailey?” Aubrey finally asked, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice.
“Well it was a nice day…” Hailey removed her backpack and set it beside her chair, “I figured if you were working you might want a nice lunch, so I brought you one!” She looked down at the pizza, “But I didn’t realize you…already had plans.”
“Sorry about that.” Sunny chuckled. Aubrey gave him a look, to which he tapped her foot gently.
“No no, it’s alright.” Hailey shook her head. She reached into her backpack and pulled out an orange lunch box. After quickly unzipping it, she pulled out a sandwich in a plastic bag and set it next to Aubrey’s plate, then she pulled out a second one and set it atop her lunchbox. Aubrey took a quick peek at the side of the sandwich and saw it had a couple slices of cheese and…nothing else.
“That’s…very sweet of you Hailey.” Aubrey said, “I’ll have it later as a snack if I get hungry.” Hailey gave her that same old bright smile before digging into her own sandwich. Lunch time continued in peace for a few more moments, though Aubrey could notice Hailey’s eyes occasionally darting up to the pizza before focusing somewhere else entirely. Her fidgets hadn’t escaped notice from Sunny, either, as he soon decided to remove a plate from beneath his and place a pizza slice on top, sliding it towards the young girl. Hailey looked up at him shocked.
“Oh, no no, you don’t have to. That’s your lunch.” She tried to insist. Sunny shook his head.
“It’s alright.” He laughed, “I’m not gonna make a kid sit in front of a big, tasty pizza and not have any.” Hailey looked at the pizza with hungry eyes and a torn look on her face. She glanced up at Aubrey.
“It’s fine, sweetie.” Aubrey sighed, “There’s plenty for all three of us.”
“I don’t have another drink, however…” Sunny rubbed the back of his neck.
“Oh that’s ok!” Hailey giggled. She opened her lunchbox again and pulled out a small silvery juice pack. For the briefest of moments, Aubrey saw the shine of a second one sitting inside the small box, but Hailey zipped it closed before she could say anything. She then put her sandwich back on top of the box and pushed it to the side. Taking a bite from her new slice, Hailey lit up even further in glee, so much so that Aubrey could’ve sworn she’d go blind if she so much as glanced the excitable tween’s way. Sunny looked over to Hailey’s lunchbox, where he finally took notice of the type of sandwich it was.
“Just a cheese sandwich, huh?” He asked gently.
“Yeeah.” Hailey sighed, “I’m not really allowed to use the kitchen by myself, and my dad’s hardly ever at home.”
“What about your mom?” Sunny asked, getting ready to prepare another slice. All of the light suddenly drained away from Hailey and her eyes dropped down to her hands. Aubrey could feel a small twinge of pain hit her chest at the sight.
“My mom’s…not with us anymore…” Hailey said, her voice quiet. Sunny stopped moving and shot a glance up at Aubrey.
“Oh honey, I’m so sorry to hear that.” Aubrey said gently, “What happened?”. A couple of tears sprung forth from Hailey’s eyes. She went to wipe them away with her hand, but Sunny passed her a napkin instead.
“She got really sick a few years ago…” Hailey sighed, dabbing her eyes free of tears, “And then she just…passed away.”
“Have you had anyone supporting you and your dad during this time?” Sunny asked, but Hailey just shook her head in response.
“There’s a nice counselor at my school that I talk to sometimes.” She put her pizza down on her plate, “But other than that, there’s not really been anyone to…My mom’s side of the family doesn’t talk to us, my dad’s side of the family doesn’t talk to us, and my dad’s gone all the time, and I only have a few friends, but now even they’re falling apart and…” Hailey stopped to catch her breath for a moment, some more tears flowing over her chin now.
“Do you not have someone else at home with you?” Aubrey asked. She could feel her concern mounting in her gut.
“No…” Hailey sniffled, wiping away some of the fresher tears, “I used to have a nanny when I was little, but then Dad said I was too old for that and he fired her and now…” She inhaled sharply, trying to steady her breathing, “Now the house just feels so…cold and empty…” The three sat in silence. Aubrey tried to think of something, anything she could say to the poor child sitting to her side. With her own father gone and her mother completely broken, Aubrey could certainly feel for poor Hailey’s loss. However, she had had Sunny and Mari and their family and Kel and Hero and their family, and all the friends she’d made later in high school, and even some distant relatives reach out to help her cope with the pain. Hailey sounded like she truly had no one in her corner to protect her. As she sat there, her mind racing, grasping for something to say, a sudden buzzing snapped her attention away. Aubrey pulled at her phone, an alarm snapping at her to get back to work.
“Ah jeez.” She huffed.
“Aubrey?” Hailey looked up at her, her eyes still filled with so much sorrow.
“I’m sorry, I have to go back to work.” Aubrey sighed. She got out of her chair and knelt down beside Hailey, “But…listen to me.” She took Hailey’s hand in both of hers and took a deep breath before meeting Hailey’s eyes with her own, “I know that it probably really hurts right now, but I promise you, you’re going to be ok. There are people in this world who care about you, alright?” Hailey nodded at her, taking a moment to wipe her face free of tears.
“Mhmm.” She mumbled.
“Try reaching out to your friends again.” Aubrey tried to give her the best smile she could, “They may not be pulling away from you as much as you think they are. And if they are, well, you’ll make new friends. You’re a sweet girl, I’m sure you’ll find some.” Hailey squeezed Aubrey’s hands tight.
“You think so?” She asked, her voice cracking.
“I know so.” Aubrey tried to give her a confident smirk, but it was all she could do to keep her own face from twisting into sadness. She looked up to Sunny, “Can you…?”
“I’ll make sure she gets home safe.” Sunny nodded, “Don’t worry.”
“Thanks Sunny.” Aubrey smiled. She grabbed her purse, quickly slinging it over her shoulder, and started heading back towards the salon. Briefly she turned to look back at the table, where a melancholy Hailey waved to her. Aubrey could only wave back with a weak smile, hoping her words had helped the poor girl, even if only a little.

Trying to unlock her apartment door with her left hand was nothing short of a frustrating task. Why she decided she needed to carry the three plastic bags of groceries in her right hand, she wasn’t sure, but at this point she was determined to succeed. With some more struggling, she finally got it open and entered into an…empty apartment?
“Sunny!” She called out, “Are you here?” She took a quick look around the living room as she placed the groceries on the kitchen table. His car was in the parking lot where it should be, so he should’ve been there. The bathroom or his converted study were the most likely locations for him to be at. Sure enough, as Aubrey walked over to close and lock their front door, Sunny came out of the door across from their bedroom.
“Ah, you’re home!” He smiled at her.
“Just got in.” Aubrey nodded, giving the door a firm tug. It held tightly in place, “Did Hailey get home ok?”
“Yeah.” Sunny nodded, “Drove her to the start of her neighborhood. She actually lives somewhat close to that park.”
“But not to her home?” Aubrey frowned at him. Sunny shrugged his shoulders.
“Look, I couldn’t even if I wanted to.” He shook his head, “Gated community. The security guard gave me a weird look for even dropping her off.”
“Well…I’m glad to hear that she’s safe at least.” Aubrey sighed. Sunny walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out the pizza box from earlier.
“Saved you the last slice.” He smiled at her.
“Oh, my hero.” Aubrey giggled, kissing him on the cheek. Sunny took the pizza from the box and set it on a plate, before putting it in the microwave. As the delicious slice of cheese and sauce warmed, Sunny pulled out something else from the fridge.
“Comes with a drink, too.” He chuckled and handed Aubrey a silvery juice pack. She stared down at it in shock.
“This is…”
“Hailey was worried you wouldn’t have anything to go with it when we left.” Sunny said, “I mostly took it just to humor her; you don’t have to have it if you don’t want to.”
“No, it's fine.” Aubrey chuckled. She started to unpack the groceries, but Sunny grabbed her shoulders.
“No no, you sit.” He insisted, “I’ll take care of those.”
“Oh, thanks, Sunny.” Aubrey smiled at him. The microwave began beeping, declaring the pizza ready to consume, so Aubrey went over and pulled it out. Sunny moved the bags over a smidge to make room for her and then started to sort them. Aubrey took the straw off the back of the juice pack and tried to get it punched in. It took a couple of jabs but she was finally successful, and a quick sip sent a nice fruity taste into her mouth.
“Fruit punch.” She giggled, “Kid’s got good taste.”
“In juice packs?” Sunny asked, causing Aubrey to snort.
“Sunnyy!” She whined, much to Sunny’s amusement.
“I’m only teasing, Aubrey.” He chuckled.
“So, did you take her straight home after I left?” Aubrey asked, digging into her pizza slice.
“Not right away.” Sunny shook his head, “I let her finish up her part of the pizza and just kinda sat and talked with her for a couple minutes. She…” His voice trailed off as he sighed, “She really needed it.”
“What did you two talk about?” Aubrey tilted her head.
“I tried to keep it light.” Sunny continued, “Help cheer her up. Asked her if she had any hobbies, what she liked to do in school, that kind of thing.” He tossed one of the bags into the trash, “Did you know that she plays viola in her school’s orchestra?”
“She does?” Aubrey asked, shocked, “She’d never brought that up to me before.”
“Did you ask about it?” Sunny looked at her. Aubrey could only sigh.
“No. We mostly just talked about hair or fashion.” She took another bite of pizza, “Just some small talk while I cut her hair. Keep her occupied, ya know?”
“Yeah, I get that.” Sunny took the seat across from her. Aubrey studied his face closely, watching as his eyes darted from side to side, chin in his hand.
“What’s on your mind?” She asked, taking another sip from the juice pack.
“Oh nothing much.” Sunny sighed, “She did ask me if you had said anything about her being annoying.”
“I haven’t said any such thing.” Aubrey huffed.
“But you’ve thought it.” Sunny smirked. Aubrey looked away from him, “Aubrey.”
“Maybe once or twice.” She groaned, “But I mean. She’s only been coming around for a few months, and she’s gotten incredibly clingy. She came in yesterday to get her hair done because it was a teeny bit frizzy, and now she’s trying to bring me lunch while I’m working?” She let out a huge sigh, “And it does not help that all the other stylists just love to make comments about how much we look alike when we don’t.”
“You kinda do.” Sunny snorted.
“Not. Helping.” Aubrey grunted, “I’m just…I’m worried that she’s getting way too attached to the first stranger who showed her a little bit of kindness and I’m just…”
“Overwhelmed?” Sunny finished. Aubrey nodded her head.
“Yeah.” She said, a touch of sadness mixing with her voice, “I never had siblings growing up. I don’t know how to be a sister, or a mentor, or role model. I’m not…ready for that kind of thing.” Sunny nodded slowly.
“My heart breaks for the poor kid.” He sighed.
“Mine too.” Aubrey finished the juice pack, “I don't know what we can possibly do for her though.”
“I don’t think there’s anything we really can do.” Sunny nodded in agreement, “However,” He looked up in Aubrey’s eyes, “I think maybe you should start by just…being a shoulder for her to lean on.”
“How so?” Aubrey tilted her head at him.
“Just…I don’t know, whenever she shows up to your salon, maybe ask about her day.” Sunny put a hand behind his head, “Just, be there for her when you can.”
“I can try, I guess.” Aubrey sighed, “She’s certainly been showing up at the salon a lot more frequently though.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad.” Sunny started, but as soon as the sentence finished, there came a rapid, almost panicked knocking from their front door, “Who is that?”
“I swear, if that’s Miss Misery-” Aubrey grunted angrily, getting up from her chair.
“Misere” Sunny corrected.
“If it’s HER coming to complain about some stupid thing again, I’m gonna blow my lid.” Aubrey continued, making her way to the door.
“Then shouldn’t I get it?” Sunny quickly stood up to intercept on the chance it was their elderly neighbor.
“It’s fine.” Aubrey grunted, pulling the door wide open, “What do you wa-'' But Aubrey’s angry gaze was not met by the beady, aging eyes of her miserly neighbor. Instead, she had to adjust her gaze slightly downward, to the neat little head full of black, bouncy waves and one little orange flower pin, as well as two tearful dark eyes staring back up at her.
“Hailey?!” Aubrey asked.
“What in the…” Sunny quickly got beside Aubrey, looking down at the small child as well.
“Aubrey…” Hailey sniffled, tears flowing down her face. She had on her backpack from before, only it seemed like it was stuffed quite to the brim. In one hand she held a small plastic bag, and the other a viola case.
“Hailey, how did you find us?” Aubrey asked. She could hardly keep the steadily rising panic in her chest from boiling over.
“I went walking…” Hailey sobbed, “And I was walking for a while and I was really worried, and then I saw Sunny’s car and I asked a nice man which place was yours.”
“Oh my god…” Aubrey sighed, “Hailey, do you even know how dangerous that was? You could’ve been taken by someone, or you could’ve been attacked and seriously hurt!” The admonishment merely caused the tears to flow harder.
“I’ll get my keys.” Sunny said, hurrying towards the living room.
“We’re gonna take you home, ok?” Aubrey nodded.
“No!” Hailey sobbed, her voice growing louder.
“What do you mean no?” Aubrey asked, “What about your dad? Don’t you think he’s worried for you?” Hailey stomped her foot a few times.
“He’s not even home. He doesn’t care.” She sobbed, voice continuing to grow. Aubrey tried to shush her, to little avail, “Please don’t push me away.”
“Hailey…” Aubrey started, but this only caused the sobs to grow louder.
“Please!” The child pleaded, “You’re…you’re all I…” Aubrey had finally had enough.
“No, this has…this has gone too far.” She shook her head and put a firm hand on Hailey’s shoulder, “Hailey, listen to me. I am just…your hairstylist. Ok? I can’t be anything more than that. I’m sorry that your mom died, I’m sorry that your friends are growing apart, but I am not a replacement for all of that. I can’t be what you want me to be.”
“No!” Hailey sobbed, “It has to be you!”
“Why?!” Aubrey groaned, “Why does it have to be me?”
“Because!” Hailey coughed briefly, the dam fully burst, “Because you’re my sister!” Aubrey could only stare in shocked silence as the small child rushed forth and grabbed her in a tight hug, dropping both her bag and her viola to do so. Sunny had reappeared and managed to catch the viola.
“Sunny.” Aubrey huffed, “Remind me to strangle my coworkers when I go in on Monday.”
“I’d rather not.” Sunny chuckled lightly, “Don’t think I’d be able to afford rent if you got put away.”
“Ha. Ha.” Aubrey shot him a quick glare before pulling Hailey off of her, “Hailey, look. I know a lot of people have been saying we look a lot alike, but that does not make us sisters.”
“But we are!” Hailey stamped her foot, “I know we are!”
“How?” Aubrey sighed in frustration, “How could you possibly know that?”
“This!” Hailey reached into one of the pockets in her overalls and took out a photo, “Look!” Aubrey looked down at the image. Upon seeing the image captured within, her heart skipped a beat and she gasped sharply. In the photo was a lovely woman in a red dress, with wavy brown hair and a big, bright smile. In her arms she held a small child and had it not been for the mystery woman and the girl holding the photo, Aubrey could’ve sworn the child pictured was none other than herself. Most importantly of all, however, was the man who stood beside them both. Tall, jet black hair, square face, and firm expression, Aubrey’s father stood facing the photographer with one arm around the woman’s shoulder.
“No…” Aubrey said, her voice shaky, “That’s my…”
“That’s OUR dad.” Hailey sniffled. Aubrey took the photo from her and studied the image of her father carefully. Every detail of him, from the perfect lines in his shirt, the shape of his hair, the same eyes she had to see every time she looked in a mirror, and that damned, damned half smile of his. He looked every bit the same as the day he had left her, twelve years ago. Twelve, Aubrey thought to herself for a moment, twelve years ago. A lightbulb went off in her head and her eyes went wide.
“You’re…” She started.
“I’m your sister!” Hailey tried to smile through the tears.
“You’re why he left…” Aubrey continued. Hailey’s face fell, the tears flowing harder than before.
“Aubrey!” Sunny hissed, “Don’t say it like that.” Aubrey could only stare at the photo, at the man who had broken her family apart, unable to move or say anything else. Sunny gently nudged her to the side.
“Come in, come in.” He waved Hailey in, “It’s gonna be alright.” Hailey stepped in as Sunny grabbed her plastic bag and closed and locked the door. She looked up at Aubrey.
“Do you hate me?” She asked, her voice breaking. Aubrey finally pulled herself away from the photo, staring down at the lost sister she never knew.
“No…” She finally said, dropping the photo to the ground, “No I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that…I…” She pulled Hailey into her arms and held her tight, “I have a sister…”
“Yeah….yeah!” Hailey nodded, burying her face into Aubrey’s chest, wrapping her arms around her tightly. The sisters held each other there, Hailey weeping into the open air, tears finally falling down from Aubrey’s face. Sunny simply put his hand on Aubrey’s head and gave it a quick pat, before taking Hailey’s dropped possession and moving them to the living room, leaving the two to their embrace.

Having finally calmed Hailey down some, the three of them sat comfortably on the couch. Hailey sat between Aubrey and Sunny, arms clinging to one of Aubrey’s and her head rested on Aubrey’s shoulder. A tissue box had been procured by Sunny and was certainly feeling lighter after its recruitment; most of this was from use by Hailey, but Aubrey found herself needing some as well. There was quite the storm of emotions swirling within her; some guilt at how much she’d dismissed Hailey before, a touch of anger, though she kept reminding herself that her father’s infidelity was not Hailey’s fault, some elation at the notion that she actually had a sibling to love like most of her friends did, but also some fear and hesitation at that thought too. She knew she couldn’t be anything like Mari was when they were growing up, and the fear that she’d screw something up and hurt Hailey clung to heart with a firm grip. Aubrey shook her head, trying to dispel the thoughts as best she could, and dabbed away a couple fresh tears with her tissue.
“Aubrey?” Sunny looked up at her, concern stretched over his face.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Aubrey sighed, “Just…a lot of emotions right now.”
“I’m sorry…” Hailey sniffled, squeezing Aubrey’s arm tightly.
“Oh it’s nothing you need to apologize for.” Aubrey shook her head, resting her forehead against the top of Hailey’s.
“Hailey, may I ask you something?” Sunny said, causing both girls to look over at him.
“Yeah.” Hailey nodded.
“How did you find Aubrey, or even find out about her?” Sunny asked, crossing his arms.
“Oh…” Hailey sniffled, “Dad came home really drunk one night. He called me by Aubrey’s name accidentally. I didn’t stop pestering him about it until he finally told me about her.”
“We do have rather similar names.” Aubrey huffed, “I really hope that wasn’t some sick attempt at replacing me…” Hailey shook her head at the comment.
“My mother named me actually.” she said, “After a close relative who had recently passed away. Dad says she was really insistent on it.”
“Sounds like she didn’t give him much choice.” Aubrey chuckled.
“She let him pick out my middle name.” Hailey started to smile but it faded quickly, “After she passed away, he started calling me by that instead of my actual name.”
“The jerk…” Aubrey huffed. Sunny appeared to still be lost in thought.
“So then,” He started, “How did you find Aubrey?”
“Just luck, I suppose.” Hailey shrugged her shoulders, “I was out walking by myself and saw her in that hair salon. Something about her just…spoke to me.” She put one of her hands over her heart and closed her eyes, “And then I walked in and I heard them say your name, and I just knew. I knew it was you.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Aubrey asked, a touch of sadness lingering on her words.
“I was afraid.” Hailey sniffled, “I was afraid you’d reject me, or hate me, or any number of things.”
“Well I…I certainly don’t hate you, so there’s no need to worry about that.” Aubrey tried to sound as reassuring as she could, rubbing Hailey’s shoulder gently.
“Yeah…yeah!” Hailey sniffled, a smile finally breaking through on her face. She got up and started going through her backpack, “And now we’re finally together!” A pillow popped its head out of her bag, gasping for air as Hailey continued to dig through it. Aubrey and Sunny exchanged a worried glance.
“Uh, Hailey.” Aubrey started.
“We’re going to have so much fun.” Hailey kept going, her voice filled with cheer, “And there’s a bus stop to my school near here.”
“Hailey.” Sunny tried to interject.
“Oh, I’ll have to tell my viola teacher the address, but it’s not that big a change.” Hailey turned back around, her smile starting to regain some of its brightness. Aubrey slid off the couch and grabbed her by the shoulders.
“Hailey, wait. Just…wait.” Aubrey sighed, staring into Hailey’s eyes. She watched as Hailey’s face slowly contorted into a mix of sadness and confusion, “Sweetie we can’t…we can’t keep you here.”
“No!” Hailey whined. The tears started pouring forth almost immediately, “No, please!”
“Listen to me.” Aubrey cupped her hands around Hailey’s face, wiping as many tears as she could with her thumbs, “We just…we don’t have the space or the money and…”
“I won’t take up much room!” Hailey pleaded, “I-I can just be in the c-corner or something! And I won’t a-ask for much, or-or anything, I swear!”
“Sweetie, no.” Aubrey shook her head, “You deserve to be taken care of properly! And Sunny and I…we just can’t do that. Besides…”
“There’s the legal part of it too.” Sunny nodded, kneeling down on one leg, “Your dad isn’t going to just, give you up and let us take you in.”
“Well I mean there’s precedent for it…” Aubrey scoffed under her breath. Sunny shot her a look.
“Please…” Hailey begged, “Please don’t send me away…”
“Hailey, look at me.” Aubrey shook her head, “It’s going to be ok. Sunny and I aren’t going anywhere! And you’ve found me now! You know where we live, so you can come and visit whenever you feel like you need to, I promise.” Hailey’s tears only grew more and she shook her head vigorously!”
“No!” She sobbed, “No, no, please! Please don’t make me go!”
“Sweetie, what is it?” Aubrey sighed, pulling her into her arms, “What’s wrong?
“I won’t be able to see you because…because…” Hailey sobbed, “Because we’re moving away…” The words pierced Aubrey’s heart like an arrow. She looked up at Sunny, fighting back the tears threatening to break free. All he could do was give her a sad sigh and shake his head.
“Hailey…I…” Aubrey’s words stuck in her throat.
“I don’t wanna go…” Hailey continued to sob, “I-I love my school! A-and I love my friends, and my t-teachers! And I finally…” She pulled back and looked Aubrey in the eyes, “I finally get to see my sister and he’s taking me away…” Aubrey couldn’t find the words to say. What else could she say? They weren’t able to take her in, and Aubrey doubted anything she could say would change her father’s mind about moving. All she could do was hold her sister tight in her arms and let her cry. Suddenly, a strong vibrating cut through the air, and it only seemed to make Hailey’s current state even worse.
“No!” She shouted, pulling away from Aubrey. A quick hand went into one of her pockets and fished out a small, black phone, “I don’t want to talk to you!” She threw the phone against the ground and it bounced gently across the carpeting. Aubrey quickly picked it up and read the caller ID: Dad. She looked up at Sunny as the phone vibrated in her hand.
“It’s him.” She said quietly.
“What do you want to do?” Sunny asked. Aubrey stood up quickly and cupped her free hand around Hailey’s face. Hailey placed her hand over Aubrey’s and looked up at her.
“Aubrey…?” She said, her voice cracking. Aubrey gave her face a couple of soothing strokes.
“Sunny, watch Hailey for me.” She said, pulling away and heading towards the hallway, “I’m borrowing the study.”
“Will you be alright?” Sunny asked. Aubrey paused as she put her hand on the doorknob.
“I don’t know.” She said. Before Sunny could say anything further, she opened the door and stepped into the room. The door closed behind her with a satisfying click. Soft padding lined the walls of the room almost down to the inch, each one covered in a myriad of soft foam cones. Against the left wall was an electronic piano, blank sheet music left splayed out on top of it, and a small chair just beneath it. Further back was a desk with more sheet music, writing utensils, and Sunny’s violin in its case resting against it, and finally against the last wall was a pair of bookshelves dotted with various books of sheet music for different songs. Hailey’s phone continued to vibrate as Aubrey took a seat in the chair. She took a few deep breaths in an attempt to steady her nerves and slow down the frantic beating of her heart, but they only helped so much. With one final breath, as the phone was likely about to go to voicemail, she flipped it open and answered the call. The voice shouting at her was so loud she almost didn’t have to put it against her ear to hear it.
“Hailey Faith, where the heck are you?!” The sharp, angry voice of her father shouted at her, “I’ve called all your friends’ parents and not a single one of them has seen you! You need to get home right now, young lady! On second thought, stay put. Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you. And you better not even think of trying to run off! So, where are you?!” Aubrey gripped the arm of the chair with her free hand, feeling her breathing increasing rapidly as the memories all started coming back.
“Well?!” Her father continued, “Where are you?! Faith?! ANSWER ME?!”
“It’s been awhile, hasn’t it Dad.” Aubrey finally answered. The voice on the other end went silent, “I bet you never thought you’d hear from me again, did you?” She could hear some shuffling on the other end of the phone.
“What…who…no…” She could hear her father muttering.
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten who I am.” Aubrey scoffed. Her grip on the chair’s arm tightened.
“....Aubrey?” Her father finally said, “Is that you?”
“Yeah.” Aubrey said, her voice quivering, “Yeah it’s me.”
“Why do you have Faith’s phone?” He asked, “What have you done to my daughter?”
“Hailey is safe with me.” Aubrey made sure to put a little extra emphasis on Hailey’s name, “And it’s so good to hear you don’t consider me your daughter anymore.”
“That isn’t what I…” Her father gave a heavy sigh, “Look, Aubrey, I’m sorry for what happened when you were a kid. I promise, I wanted to come back for you, truly.” Those words made her chest burn with anger.
“Don’t LIE to me, Dad!” Aubrey shouted.
“Aubrey, listen-” He started to say, but Aubrey cut him off.
“No, YOU listen to me.” Her voice grew angrier, “You never once, not ONCE, tried to reach out to me after you left. Not a single card or letter or even just a fucking phone call on any of my birthdays, or any holidays, or even just because! Hell, you couldn’t even be bothered to show up to the divorce! You couldn’t be bothered to write your own alimony or child support checks! The government had to pull those out of your paychecks and give them to us for you!” She could feel her heart beating faster and faster, the rage in her chest burning brighter with every word, “And now I find out you have another child?!”
“Aubrey, please, lower your voice!” Her father hissed, “You can be angry at me all you want, but please don’t bring Faith into this. This doesn’t involve her.”
‘“This very much DOES involve her!” Aubrey yelled. The tears had finally managed to break their way free, “I am NOT stupid Dad! I can do math. You left when I was fourteen. I’m twenty six now, and she’s twelve.” She stood up and placed her free hand against the wall, “For years, YEARS, I have beaten myself up at the fact that you abandoned us. I thought I did something wrong, that you hated me, that you hated mom. I spent almost every night…second guessing every decision I had made, thinking that if I was just a better daughter that you’d come back home…and we could be a family again…”
“But it was you…” She banged her fist against the wall, the foam cones absorbing most of the impact, “You left us because you’re just an asshole! An unfaithful, worthless, cheating asshole who just decided to abandon his family!”
“Aubrey, I didn’t have a choice.” Her father said sternly, his voice low.
“You very much DID have a choice, you rotten bastard!” Aubrey screamed, the tears flowing harder, “Maybe you had to leave! Fine! I’ll accept that, but you didn’t even try to make it work. You didn’t even try to stay in touch.”
“You had your mother, didn’t you?” Her father grunted, “And like you said, you still got money from me.”
“Mom was broken because of you!” Aubrey shouted, “You left and it destroyed her inside. Do you really think any of that money mattered? She was inconsolable. All the money you sent was wasted on alcohol as she tried to drown out the pain you put her through.”
“Well that sounds like something you should bring up to her then.” Her father scoffed.
“Don’t you DARE try to shift away your part of the blame.” Aubrey hissed, “She was only like that in the first place because of YOU. And sure, she could’ve gotten help and she didn’t, but that does not absolve you of sin here.” Her lungs started working over time as she continued, “It has taken me years to cope with the damage you’ve done to me, but you know what? I’ve made it. I have my own place with my loving boyfriend, I have a wonderful job that I love and that I excel in, and I have gone to and finished college, and I have done ALL of this, despite you. I am where I am today because of the friends and families that were actually there for me and helped me to succeed.” She paused for a moment, furiously wiping away the tears that hadn’t been able to fulfill their journey to the ground.
“Aubrey…” Her father’s voice was quiet, “Just tell me where Faith is.”
“Why is it you won’t even say her name, Dad?” Aubrey hissed, “Does it remind you of me? Does it remind you too much of the family you abandoned?! Do you feel that much shame that you have to call her by a different name just to deal with it?” She could hear her father’s sharp breathing on the other end.
“Please. Just tell me where you are.” He repeated, “Then I’ll come get Fai…Then I’ll come get Hailey and you won’t ever have to see us again.” Aubrey sat there for a moment, her thoughts racing through her mind. Expelling years of pent up anger and pain sent her mind spinning, forcing her to put her back against the wall and sit down for stability. Time seemed to stand still as she tried to regain control of her breathing.
“Aubrey…” Her father’s voice finally cut through the fog.
“No.” Aubrey replied flatly.
“Aubrey!” Her father’s voice flared in anger, “Do you think you can keep her from me?”
“No.” Aubrey huffed, “As much as there’s a part of me that wants to keep her here, keep her from you, I know that I can’t.”
“Then-” Her father started, but she cut him off.
“If you’re so hellbent,” Aubrey said firmly, “On taking her away from me and leaving for somewhere far away to never see me, again, then I’m going to get one night. One night with the SISTER that you have kept from me.” Her words were met with silence. It hung for a moment, before ending in a defeated sigh.
“Alright then.” Her father said.
“I’ll have her text you my address tomorrow morning.” Aubrey continued, “You can come pick her up then.”
“Can I speak with her?” Her father asked. The defeat in his voice was palpable.
“She doesn’t want to talk to you right now.” Aubrey huffed, “But I’ll ask her.” Carefully she rose from her spot on the ground, her legs threatening to give out the whole time, and exited the room. As she re-entered the living room, Sunny and Hailey were back on the couch, with a delighted Cinnabun sitting in Hailey’s lap being lathered with pets.
“Hailey.” Aubrey said quietly. Hailey looked up at her, eyes still red, and frowned, “He wants to talk to you.” Hailey turned away and puffed out her cheek in a pout.
“I don’t want to talk to him.” She huffed. Aubrey walked over and knelt in front of her.
“At least just tell him goodnight.” Aubrey insisted, “Let him…hear your voice at least. So he knows you’re ok.” Hailey turned begrudgingly and Aubrey held the phone up to her ear.
“Good night!” Hailey snorted. She started to push the phone away.
“Hailey!” Aubrey could hear her father shout. His voice caused Hailey’s face to contort into sadness, but there was also a small confusion in her eyes. Aubrey pulled the phone back quickly.
“If you yell at her,” She threatened, “I will hang up.”
“Aubrey I!” Her father sighed, “I won’t. I promise. Just…please give her back her phone.” She complied with the request. He kept his word, it seemed, as Aubrey could no longer hear his side of the conversation.
“Hi Dad.”
“I’m alright.”
“Because.”
“Because I don’t want to go.”
“What do you mean talk about it in the morning? You don’t listen to me! You haven’t-”
“No.”
“I’m hanging up now.”
“I said I’m hanging up.”
“Good night.” With a sharp snap, the phone was closed and the call ended. A couple tears fell loose from Hailey’s eyes, though they were quickly dried by Aubrey.
“You ok?” She asked gently.
“I…think so.” Hailey nodded.
“Did he yell at you?”
“Only a little.” Hailey let out a small sob. Aubrey puffed out her cheeks in anger.
“That jerk.” She growled, “I’ll make sure he gets it tomorrow.” Hailey could only nod in response. She put her phone back in her pocket and resumed petting Cinnabun.
“Good rabbit…” She giggled under her breath, a smile breaking through on her face, “He looks like a cinnamon roll.”
“That’s…why we,er, I named him Cinnabun.” Aubrey chuckled. Sunny got up from the couch as the girls fawned over the decidedly content Cinnabun.
“I think tonight's as good a night as any to break in that tub of ice cream.” He turned and smiled at Aubrey, “What do you think?”
“Sounds good to me.” She nodded, turning to Hailey, “What do you say?”
“I love ice cream!” Hailey smiled, the light slowly returning to her face. Aubrey picked up Cinnabun from her lap so Hailey could stand up. The young girl made a quick dash to the kitchen as Aubrey put the now disappointed Cinnabun away in his pen.
“Cookie Dough ok?” Sunny asked as he opened the fridge.
“Oh yes! That’s my favorite.” Hailey giggled.
“What a coincidence…” Aubrey mused as she went to grab some bowls, “It’s mine too.” Sunny took the bowls from her and pulled a scoop out of the kitchen drawer. He started dishing up the ice cream as Aubrey and Hailey took their seats at the table. Hailey immediately hugged Aubrey’s arm tight.
“What did you and Dad talk about?” She asked, her voice quiet.
“Oh nothing much.” Aubrey sighed, resting her head on top of Hailey’s, “I mostly just yelled at him for being an as-for being a bad father.” Hailey giggled a little bit.
“I’m a big girl, Sis, you can say ass in front of me.” She chuckled. Aubrey feigned shock as Sunny gave a loud snicker in the kitchen.
“Hailey Faith, such language!” She said, exaggerated terror woven into every word. This only caused Hailey to giggle more, “Alright then. Yeah, I called him out for being a major asshole.” Aubrey let out a sigh, “Don’t tell him I said that in front of you.”
“I won’t.” Hailey smiled up at her, though it quickly shrunk to a frown, “When is he…coming to get me?”
“I told him you’d text him our address in the morning.” Aubrey said, “Buuut…I think it would be good to have a nice breakfast together before we do that.”
“Means we should probably get ready for bed soon after this.” Sunny said, setting the bowls of ice cream down on the table and taking his seat across from Aubrey.
“Aww.” Hailey groaned, “I don’t wanna go to bed yet.” She looked up at Aubrey with pleading eyes.
“He said get ready for bed, not that we had to actually go to bed.” Aubrey chuckled, “It’s a Saturday night. We can stay up and have some sister time before we need to sleep.” The response made Hailey smile brightly at her.
“Yes!” She said, “Sister time sounds wonderful.”
“Better dig in before the ice cream gets too warm.” Sunny warned playfully. The sisters agreed and quickly grabbed their spoons. Light chatter filled the air as the three of them ate their ice cream. The sorrow that had filled the room soon dissipated as the light finally returned to Hailey’s face.

Aubrey felt quite…intimidated by the amount of facial care products Hailey had produced from her backpack. She herself had her own collection, sure, but Hailey’s pile really put Aubrey’s to shame.
“You’re really into skin care, aren’t you?” Aubrey chuckled, rubbing some of her own cleanser over her face.
“Never too early to start a good skin care routine.” Hailey nodded back. She was applying some of her own product with a cute little orange brush.
“What made you get so into skin care?” Aubrey asked. Hailey just shrugged her shoulders.
“A friend of mine showed us a picture of her mom from when she was our age.” She said, gently massaging her face, “Her acne was like, bad.”
“How bad?”
“REALLY bad.” Hailey continued, “My friend got real worried that she was gonna end up the same way since it was her mom and all, so she started getting real serious about skin care and getting us all into it with her.”
“And you just went along with that?” Aubrey asked, taking a moment to rinse her face off in the sink.
“We were all kinda reluctant at first.” Hailey sighed, “She was being super pushy about it. At first I did it just because she’s my friend and I wanted to support her, but then I found out after talking to her mom that…” Hailey paused for a moment so she could also rinse her face off, “I found out that one of the biggest causes for her mom’s acne being so bad was doing ballet and all the stage make-up that she used to wear.”
“So do you also wear a lot of make-up then?” Aubrey tilted her head at Hailey through the mirror, “I’ve never seen you come in with your face done up.”
“Well, daily no I don’t really wear make-up. Dad says it’s not something I should be worrying about.” Hailey rolled her eyes, “But I’m also up on stage a lot, performing at recitals and what not, and I do wear some make-up for that.” She patted her face dry with a towel and started applying some kind of cream around her eyes.
“Dad’s really ok with you getting that much product?” Aubrey asked.
“Mhmm!” Hailey nodded, screwing the lid back on the cream container, “A clear face helps boost self confidence, after all, and a clear, confident face on stage helps him look good to the other parents.” She let out a scoff after that last remark.
“Yeah, that checks out.” Aubrey huffed back. She glanced down towards Hailey’s backpack, “And you managed to fit all of that in there?”
“Oh yes!” Hailey giggled, “It was quite easy actually.”
“And what’d you end up leaving behind.” Aubrey chuckled.
“Mostly just clothes.” Hailey nodded, applying a much thinner looking material around her nose, “I was able to pack the essentials and some of my more favorite outfits, as well as my pillow, Miss Leo, my diary, my address book, music folder, and some important stuff that reminds me of my mom…” Her voice trailed off at the end.
“You managed to fit ALL of that in one backpack?” Aubrey asked, shocked at Hailey’s adept packing skills. The girl only sighed in response
“And it still wasn’t good enough.” Hailey looked down at her pajamas, a cute black short sleeved top and fluffy yellow cotton pants dotted with orange lions, “I still had to pack my pajamas in a plastic bag.”
“I think you did pretty good.” Aubrey chuckled. She pulled off the headband keeping her hair up, “All ready then?”
“Yeah…I think so.” Hailey nodded, doing the same. She put the headband inside her backpack and picked it up by the straps.
“Sunny should have the couch all set up and ready.” Aubrey turned and opened the door to the hallway. The girls stepped out as Sunny stepped out of the bedroom, Hailey’s pillow in one hand and his under his other arm.
“Oh!” Aubrey exclaimed, narrowly avoiding running into him.
“Easy, Aubrey.” Sunny laughed, “No need for such violence in front of the kid.”
“Ha. Ha.” Aubrey huffed at him, “Is the couch all set up?”
“Just finished.” He nodded, “Cozy blankets and everything.”
“Thanks, Sunny.” Aubrey smiled at him.
“I promise I’ll keep good watch over Cinnabun!” Hailey’s face beamed up at Sunny as she spoke. A little smirk sprawled over his face.
“Actually,” He said, “There’s been a change of plans.” Aubrey and Hailey both looked at him in shock, but before either could ask what he meant, Sunny tossed Hailey’s pillow at her. She caught it with one hand and hugged it tight to her body.
“I’m taking the couch.” Sunny declared, placing his now free hand on his hip.
“Really?!” Hailey asked, her smile going wide.
“Sunny are you sure?” Aubrey asked at the same time, her voice more concerned
“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure.” Sunny chuckled, “You two…this might be the only night you’ll be together for who knows how long. So you should enjoy it as much as you can.” Aubrey wrapped her arms loosely around Sunny’s neck.
“Thank you, Sunny.” She smiled, resting her head against his, “I owe you for this.”
“Big time.” Sunny chuckled, wrapping his arm around her waist and resting his hand on her hip. The pair began to share a deep, loving kiss goodnight; a kiss they were allowed to hold for just a few seconds before a grunt of protest sounded behind them.
“Do you HAVE to do that in front of me?” Hailey let out a disgusted groan, “Get a room, geez.”
“Are you offering to take the couch then?” Sunny looked over at her. The comment made Aubrey snicker, but Hailey’s eyes went wide with panic.
“No!” She dropped both her pillow and her backpack and rushed to hug Aubrey from behind, “No no no!” Sunny managed to move his arm out of the way as Hailey wrapped herself around Aubrey. She stuck her head beneath Aubrey’s armpit and puffed her cheeks out in a pout, giving Sunny a deep glare from her position.
“Hailey!” Aubrey chided, which only caused Sunny to laugh.
“I’m only kidding, I promise!” He gave Hailey a pat on the head. She remained unamused.
“Better go claim your spot then.” Aubrey giggled, “Before he really does change his mind.”
“Fiiine.” Hailey whined. She quickly gathered her belongings and rushed into the bedroom, “I better not hear anything weird out there!”
“You won’t!” Aubrey huffed, which only made Sunny laugh more as he pulled her back into his embrace.
“Look at you two.” He chuckled, “You sound like sisters already.”
“Aren’t you funny?” Aubrey snorted, puffing her cheeks out in her own pout. A few face kisses from Sunny saw it quickly deflated though, “Seriously though. Thank you.”
“No problem.” He smiled at her. They shared another kiss, before Sunny made a move towards her neck.
“Sunny wa-..” But that was all Aubrey could get out before the electricity shot through her body. Her eyes fluttered at the warmth of his lips, “Sunny, no!” She pushed on his chest gently.
“She did say she didn’t want to hear anything weird.” Sunny chuckled, “But you’re pretty good at keeping quiet, right?” Aubrey rolled her eyes.
“Maybe later…” She giggled, before kissing him gently on the lips, and then on the nose, “Good night.”
“Good night.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Sunny kissed her temple gently before pulling away and heading to the living room. Aubrey headed into their bedroom to a rather despondent pout glaring up at her.
“Are you two done smooching?” Hailey huffed. Aubrey felt her temple pulse slightly.
“What’s the problem with kissing my boyfriend good night in my own apartment?” She huffed, trying to keep her smile on her face. Hailey flopped backwards on the bed and sighed.
“Cause he’s a boy.” She groaned, “I mean he’s nice and all, but that doesn’t mean you have to kiss him in front of me.”
“Aren’t you a little old to be complaining about two people kissing?” Aubrey snickered as she climbed onto the bed. She laid next to her sister and propped her head up with her arm, “Shouldn’t you be worrying about whether or not a boy likes you?”
“Ugh!” Hailey groaned. She clutched her stuffed lion a bit tighter to her chest and rolled away from Aubrey, “As if.”
“Well, maybe you feel that way now, but someday you might like boys.” Aubrey tried to sound as encouraging as she could, but Hailey continued to rebuff her.
“I doubt that.” She snorted.
“So there’s not a single person at your school you have a crush on?” Aubrey asked. Perhaps her little sister already had exacting standards that the average boy couldn’t live up to. Maybe she really just didn’t like them yet. Aubrey couldn’t say either way, but Hailey’s reactions were making her heart worry just a little.
“...I didn’t say that.” Hailey muttered quietly. Aubrey’s eyes widened a little.
“So there is someone…” She thought to herself for a second, “Is it…someone older?”
“What?” Hailey glanced back at her.
“Hailey, you really need to be careful with those older boys.” Aubrey gently rolled her sister back to face her again, “I know it may seem like the cool thing to do, but you need to make sure you can stand up for yourself. Otherwise they might pressure you into doing things that are dangerous for you. Is there someone you can talk to-”
“Just stop!” Hailey groaned, rolling away again, “I told you already, I don’t like boys!” Aubrey paused for a second, sitting up and adjusting herself. One night. They were only going to get one night together and she was already mucking up at being a big sister. She let out a sigh as she looked towards the mirror she had placed at the corner of the bedroom. What else could she do, she thought as she ran her fingers through her hair, what else was there to talk about. Pink curls gently twisted around her finger. Kim really liked it when she first dyed her hair this way. They were going out to dinner for Aubrey’s birthday that night. A lovely night at a pasta joint, followed by a late night movie, and then back to Kim’s house for…
A lightbulb went off in Aubrey’s brain. Oh how dense could she be, really? She turned back to Hailey and gently put her hand on her sister’s head, stroking her hair a little bit.
“Hailey…” She started, her voice quiet, “Do you like girls?” Hailey’s face darted back at her, fear growing in her eyes.
“W-what?!” She asked, her own voice tight, “N-no! I don’t, don’t be ridiculous!” She tried to turn back away and curl in on herself, but Aubrey pulled her back.
“Hailey, it’s ok.” She said gently, “I’m not going to judge you.” She’d managed to get Hailey sat up, but her sister still refused to make eye contact with her. Aubrey started rubbing her back gently, trying to think of what else to say, before finally letting out a long sigh.
“Hailey, it’s ok if you like girls. I promise.” She started. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “I like girls, too, ya know?” Hailey looked up at Aubrey, her eyes going wide.
“You do?” She asked. Aubrey nodded in response, “But…then why are you with Sunny?”
“Well, I still like boys, too.” Aubrey shrugged.
“Then, how do you know you really like girls?” Hailey pressed. Aubrey bit her lip, debating internally whether or not to tell Hailey about Kim. Expectant eyes stared up at her as she struggled with a decision.
“I…found out after an event a few years back.” Aubrey said, “And I’m very sure that, yes, I do like girls as much as I like boys.”
“But how sure?” Hailey pressed again, this time playfully bumping her shoulder into Aubrey’s.
“If some kind of magic star or lightning bolt hit Sunny and turned him into a girl,” Aubrey chuckled, “I’d still be with him…or her, in that case.” The response made Hailey giggle.
“That’s very silly to imagine.” Hailey chuckled, moving herself snuggly into Aubrey’s lap. Aubrey started mindlessly playing with Hailey’s hair, trying to picture what Sunny would look like as a girl. The answer she landed on ended up being just…Mari but with slightly shorter hair and a blanker expression.
“I’ve still got some wigs from my cosmetology school days.” Aubrey smiled, “Maybe I’ll get him to wear one one of these days.” She gently tapped Hailey’s temple, “What about you?”
“What about me?” Hailey lifted her head back a little to look at Aubrey.
“When did you know you liked girls?” Aubrey asked. Hailey tilted her head down and stared at her hands. She sat in silence for a few moments while Aubrey continued playing with her hair. Aubrey was contemplating whether or not to push on the subject further when Hailey let out a sigh.
“It was…sixth grade gym class.” She said, every word oozing embarrassment.
“Gym class, huh?” Aubrey giggled, “Not the most unusual of places I guess.”
“Well it was…more like the locker room.” Hailey sighed. She leaned backwards into Aubrey, who went from playing with her hair to wrapping her arms around her sister in a hug.
“That sounds more likely.” Aubrey nodded.
“It just kinda…came out of nowhere.” Hailey continued, “In elementary school nobody really talked about…liking people like that before. There were childish crushes, of course, but it all felt so unreal and distant back then. Sure, some of the other girls had started…growing early, but I didn’t even really feel anything for them back then!” She let out a defeated sigh.
“Then we get to middle school and suddenly we have to wear certain clothes for gym class.” Hailey went on, “Ok, sure. We’re all girls, I thought, we’ve been to pools before and had to change into swimsuits. It shouldn’t be a big deal, right? But, oh wow, I was so wrong. It was like…a lightswitch flicked on somewhere in my chest or my brain. Just about every girl in there was already in some kind of…big girl bra, and there were so many of them.” She put her face in her hands and let out an even bigger sigh.
“I even knew some of those girls, too, so I was so confused as to what was going on.” She flopped back into Aubrey’s chest, though refused to make eye contact with her, “My heart started racing like crazy and everything felt…weird and tingly and sweaty. I thought I was having some kind of panic attack so I went and asked the gym teacher if I could sit down in her office and wait for a moment. I must have been really out of it because I hadn’t even finished getting dressed. She told me to put on some pants first and then she’d let me. Rushed back to go put them on and my locker neighbor tried to ask me if I was ok.”
“I hope you didn’t know her.” Aubrey giggled. Hailey let out an annoyed groan.
“Oh but I did!” She sighed, “We were in the same class for the last three years of elementary! And oh God, did she not look like that before middle school.”
“Summer growth spurt hit her pretty good then?” Aubrey asked. Hailey nodded.
“I couldn’t even speak. I just sputtered out something and grabbed my gym shorts and ran back to the teacher’s office.” Hailey shook her head, “My face felt like it was burning from the inside out and I assumed I was coming down with a cold.”
“You must have looked like a tomato.” Aubrey teased, causing Hailey to whine a little.
“Ha, ha!” she snorted.
“So that’s when you knew?” Aubrey asked, patting Hailey on the head.
“Well, that’s when it started.” Hailey sighed, sitting up straight, “I didn’t know that’s what I was feeling right away, until some other girls started talking about having similar feelings to some older girls about some boys they knew. Ended up with some of the usual light teasing you get when teens talk about that kind of thing.”
“But that still wasn’t enough.” She continued, “No one had ever told me that a girl could like another girl before, so I assumed it was a fluke or a coincidence.”
“What finally made you realize, then?” Aubrey pressed.
“Well…” Hailey closed her eyes tight, “Like a week or so later at lunch, my friends were all talking about kissing boys, for some reason I can’t remember, and they’d ask me if I’d ever thought about trying it. I told them no, and they tried to get me to picture a bunch of boys from some of our classes trying to kiss me and they all just left me feeling…so gross and icky all over.” She let out another sigh, “And when they got bored trying to get the reaction they wanted out of me, they started complaining about our upcoming gym class and my brain bounced back to my locker neighbor and without realizing where it was going I pictured myself kissing her and everything…” Her voice trailed off.
“Everything started going weird and tingly again?” Aubrey finished, chuckling slightly.
“Yeah…” Hailey nodded. She opened her eyes and looked back up at Aubrey, “That’s when it hit me that, these feelings that my friends were describing about the boys they liked, those were the feelings I was having towards other girls and…”
“And especially towards Miss Locker Neighbor?” Aubrey grinned mischievously. Hailey’s face went bright red and she buried it back into her hands, which caused Aubrey to only laugh harder.
“Aubreyyy!” Hailey whined.
“That’s so cute.” Aubrey hugged her sister tightly, “What’s her name?” Hailey let out a big sigh.
“Her name’s Melody.” She said quietly.
“Huh, that’s…kinda fitting actually.” Aubrey chuckled, “Is she in the orchestra with you?”
“No actually.” Hailey shook her head, “But she is in the choir.”
“Ahhh, a singer then.” Aubrey smiled, “Do you ever get to listen to her sing?”
“Oh all the time!” Hailey smiled, “She’s been taking singing lessons about as long as I’ve been taking viola lessons.” She leaned back into Aubrey again, eyes closed once again, “I could listen to her voice for hours…”
“Is that so?” Aubrey chuckled. Hailey only nodded in response. The pair sat there in silence for a few moments. Aubrey could finally start to really feel like maybe she could do pretty well at this sister thing. At the very least they’d found some more common ground between the two of them. Hailey’s face suddenly turned into a frown and she opened her eyes to look at Aubrey again.
“Aubrey?” She asked, her voice sounded small and afraid.
“What’s wrong?” Aubrey asked back.
“Please don’t tell Dad.” Aubrey could hear the fear in her sister’s voice.
“I won’t, I promise.” She smiled at Hailey, “Trust me, I haven’t seen Dad in twelve years.” An irritated look fell over her face, “There are a lot of things I would sooner say to him over ‘Hey Dad, your daughters are gay.’” Hailey’s face broke into a smile as she laughed at the phrase, but there was still some sadness in her eyes.
“Do you think Mom would hate me if she knew?” She asked, her little dark grey eyes starting to wet with tears.
“Oh sweetie.” Aubrey sighed, shaking her head, “I don’t know. I didn’t know your mom, so I…can’t say for certain.” She hugged her sister tight, “But I think that…she loved you very much so I would hope that if she was still here, it wouldn’t be something that mattered to her.”
“Do you think she’s still watching over me?” Hailey sniffed.
“Of course, Hailey.” Aubrey smiled down at her, “Of course she is.” She noticed Hailey’s hair had become a little tangled from all the fussing Aubrey had done. Reaching over to her nightstand, she opened the drawer and pulled out a small pink brush, “Hold still now, your hair’s gotten a little messy.” With practiced precision, Aubrey started brushing through Hailey’s hair, working carefully around any potential knots. Hailey giggled a little bit.
“What is it?” Aubrey asked.
“Oh nothing.” Hailey sniffled, “My mom used to brush my hair all the time when I was little. Every time before bed, sometimes even after I had started brushing it myself. She always told me it was important to take good care of my hair.” She took a deep breath to try and steady the tears, “Those were always our special bonding moments.”
“Well, you’ve done a wonderful job.” Aubrey nodded, continuing to brush, “I couldn’t help but notice you’d taken such good care of your hair in between appointments. I was even thinking to myself ‘oh why does she keep coming in? Her hair is fine. She doesn’t need to be here!’”
“I wanted to see you!” Hailey giggled, “It was the only time I got to see my sister!”
“Well I know that now!” Aubrey chuckled.
“Besides…” Hailey sniffled again, “It wasn’t just my mom who taught me to take better care of it.”
“Oh yeah?”
“It was you too.” Aubrey was slightly taken aback by Hailey’s words, “I wasn’t just sitting there excited to see my sister. I listened to every word you said, I watched everything you did. I learned so much from you during those appointments.”
“Hailey I…” Aubrey took a deep breath, now herself trying to stifle the tears, “I’m touched.” Hailey turned and smiled. Suddenly she hopped off the bed and ran to her backpack. After some digging around, she pulled something out of it. Aubrey recognized the photo she had shown her earlier; the proof of their sisterhood.
“Here.” Hailey said, hopping back onto the bed and handing the photo to Aubrey, “I want you to have this.”
“Hailey no, I…” Aubrey looked down at the smiling family. Mixed emotions clouded her chest as she stared at them; joy from seeing her sister so happy, a gentle warmth from the thought of her sister gifting her something of such importance, but there was also a jabbing pain at the sight of the happy family she was ultimately robbed of. She pushed the photo back into Hailey’s hands.
“I can’t take this.” She said, trying to keep her voice from breaking.
“But Aubrey I…” Hailey looked at her, sorrow plaguing her face, “I want you to have something to remember me with.”
“Hailey, I will always have the memories of our talk and our time together tonight.” Aubrey shook her head, “But this, this is something important to you. An important memory of your mom. So please, hang on to it tight, ok? We’ll make our own memories together.” Hailey nodded silently, returning the photo to its place in her backpack. She hopped back on the bed and embraced Aubrey in a tight hug. Aubrey hugged her back, trying to press the memory of her sister’s warmth into her mind. She glanced up and looked back into the mirror; some of her pink highlights intermixed with Hailey’s own hair. At that moment an idea struck her.
“Hey, turn around real quick.” She instructed. Hailey obliged, turning around and sitting squarely in Aubrey’s lap. Both sisters were now facing the mirror and Aubrey took a moment to single out one of her longer pink stripes.
“What are you doing?” Hailey asked.
“I’m trying to see what you might look like with pink hair.” Aubrey giggled. She lowered her head closer to Hailey’s and lined the hair up against hers, “Not too bad, if I do say so myself.”
“It’s cute.” Hailey smiled, “I think Dad would die though.”
“He’d certainly not be happy about it.” Aubrey chuckled, “But we could do just a little touch of pink. What do you say?”
“I don’t know…” Hailey sighed, “Pink’s not exactly my favorite color.”
“Hmm…” Aubrey pulled back and thought to herself for a moment. Images of Hailey’s outfit that day, the flower hair pin, and even some of the toiletries she used, “Orange is your favorite color, yeah?”
“Yeah!” Hailey smiled at Aubrey through the mirror, “Good guess.”
“So maybe…” Aubrey nodded, “We do a little pink and a little orange then.”
“Both?” Hailey asked, tilting her head.
“One for you, one for me…” Aubrey smiled at her, “And perhaps…” Her voice trailed off. The confusion on Hailey’s face only continued to grow.
“What are you thinking, Aubrey?” She asked. Aubrey looked over at Hailey’s backpack.
“Hailey, what was your mother’s favorite color?” She finally asked.
“Oh, easy. It was red.” Hailey smiled, “Roses were always her favorite flower, so she liked red the best because it reminded her of them.”
“Red huh…” Aubrey became lost in her thoughts again, “And your birthday was recently right?”
“Yeeah.” Hailey tilted her head, “July 27th. I came in the day before because I wanted to see you! And my friends were throwing me a party and I wanted my hair to look nice.”
“And I didn’t get you anything…” Aubrey nodded.
“Oh! You don’t have to worry about that!” Hailey shook her head vigorously, “You didn’t know we were sisters then! And Dad got me something already and so did my friends and…” Hailey’s voice faded from her focus for a moment as Aubrey thought back to her own childhood. All the wonderful birthdays she and her friends all shared. Even after her dad had left, they never failed to make sure her birthdays were filled with as much love and joy as they could give. Memories that have stuck with her all these years, captured forever thanks to Basil’s pictures. Upon thinking about Basil and his pictures, something he said back then struck a chord within her. Glancing quickly, she looked over at the clock on Sunny’s nightstand. Eleven thirty, it read. How perfect, she thought.
“Aubrey?” Hailey snapped her fingers near Aubrey’s face, “Are you still in there?”
“Hailey!” Aubrey turned back to her sister quickly. So quickly, in fact, Hailey nearly jumped out of her lap.
“Ah! What!?” Hailey asked, looking at Aubrey with a mix of confusion and terror.
“Stay awake.” Aubrey said urgently. She moved Hailey off her lap and rushed off the bed, grabbing her jacket and keys as she did so.
“What do you mean stay awake??” Hailey tried to ask, but Aubrey was already rushing out the door, “Aubrey!” Within moments she was in the living room. Myriad colored lights danced from the TV and illuminated a still mostly awake Sunny on the couch. He sat up and looked at Aubrey with worry.
“Aubrey, what’s going on?” He asked, his voice urgent, “Where are you going?”
“I…” She turned to look at him. Hailey had appeared at the front of the hallway, “I forgot something at the store.”
“And you’re going to get it now?” Sunny asked, only slightly irritated.
“Mhmm!” Aubrey nodded, “Watch Hailey for me please!” She opened the door and started to leave, taking one last look at Hailey, “I’m serious, stay awake!” And with that, the door was closed and she was gone. Sunny looked over at Hailey, who still looked very confused and concerned. He let out a long sigh.
“So…” He started, “Is there anything you’d like to do?”
“Actually…” Hailey thought to herself for a moment, “Can I ask for your help with something?”
“Sure.” Sunny smiled at her, “What is it?” Hailey smiled back at him, her face still bright despite the lack of light in the room. Sunny got the feeling that, somehow, no one was going to be getting much sleep this night.

With the quick click of a button, the electronic piano whirred to life. Sunny quickly made the adjustments he needed, testing the keys as he went, to get the piano to sound as close to its more traditional cousins as he possibly could. Once he was satisfied with the sounds it sang, he turned his chair around and watched Hailey as she got her viola out of its snug little home.
“I’ve got a music stand around here, somewhere.” He said, getting out of his chair.
“Ah! That would be appreciated.” Hailey smiled up at him, “I…forgot to pack mine.” She gave him a nervous chuckle.
“You have the music, though, right?” Sunny said, heading back towards his desk. After some quick poking around, he found his old music stand in its bag under his desk.
“Mhmm!” Hailey mumbled, “Was able to fit it in my backpack!” Sunny pulled the elderly music stand from its resting place and began to set it up. It creaked and groaned with as much protest as it could muster, but eventually, as it always did, it gave way and allowed itself to be adjusted as needed. After much fussing, Hailey was able to get her music folder out of her backpack. It was sleek, compact, and made with black leather and lined with gold trim.
“That’s quite the music folder.” Sunny chuckled. Hailey looked away with a mildly embarrassed smile.
“It was a gift from my viola teacher.” She laughed nervously, “She gave it to me after my first recital; told me I was gonna go places as long as I kept up the practice.” She rustled through her folder for a second before handing Sunny a piece of folded paper. A quick glance revealed the song to be Saint-Saëns’ "The Swan". Hailey had tightened the hair on her bow and began to apply some rosin to it.
“This is usually a cello piece, correct?” Sunny asked as he set the sheet music up on his piano’s own music stand.
“Yeah.” Hailey nodded, “But it’s been transposed to so many instruments, my orchestra director didn’t have much trouble finding me an arrangement for viola.” She pulled a tuner from her case and set it on the music stand. Almost at once she began to tune her strings. Sunny could see the intense focus on her face, her eyes partly closed, listening carefully to the lovely song each string made. With movements born from repeated practice, she adjusted the pegs as she felt she needed, and even tightened the hair on her bow by a miniscule amount. Once again, she sawed her strings with grace, the notes sounding even more lovelier than before, and looked up at Sunny with a satisfied smile.
“What made you want to pick this one?” Sunny asked, returning her smile.
“It’s a very pretty song.” Hailey giggled, “And it’s not all that technically challenging, so it was an easier piece to practice over the summer.” She moved her tuner back to her case and placed her sheet music on the stand, “Thank you for helping me practice, by the way.”
“It’s no trouble.” Sunny shook his head, spinning back to the piano, “My sister would be much better suited for this, but I should remember enough of my own lessons to be able to play with you tonight.”
“Is she pretty good at piano?” Hailey asked. Sunny let out a nervous laugh.
“Yeah, you could say that.” He nodded. Playing through a few measures, Sunny could feel the muscle memory kick in, and soon enough his fingers could dance along the keys without much fuss. He turned back and nodded at Hailey, who in turn readied her bow for play.
It started, as it always did, with the gentle flow of rapid notes from the piano, who sang solo for only a moment before being joined by the lovely drone of the viola. She took the lead with no effort, her beautiful medium voice humming through the air. Now at center stage, the show became all about her, with the piano singing only to help keep the pace and the air from feeling dead. She sang forth long notes with such haunting beauty, emphasized with the light touch of vibrato, and soft moving notes held with such light tension it would make a heart flutter along with. Yet for all her beauty, the song she sang felt strangely empty; it was like she was only partly there, her voice not at full confidence. No mistakes were made, but the performance still felt like it was left…wanting. With the song at its end, she bows away from the stage, shy and unsatisfied.
“Your technique is certainly wonderful.” Sunny nodded, swiveling his chair around, “How long have you been playing?”
“I’ve been playing since I was four.” Hailey looked over at him, “So about eight years, and I practice for a few hours each day.”
“That’s quite a long time for someone your age.” Sunny smiled at her, “You’re clearly well practiced, and you certainly seem to have this song nailed down.” Hailey looked away sheepishly.
“But…” She mumbled.
“But.” Sunny sighed, “Your heart didn’t really seem in it while you played. Tell me, who’s idea was it for you to start viola?”
“...it was my parent’s idea.” Hailey sighed sadly, “But it wasn’t like I was against it or anything. We had gone to a local performance of a play that used a pit orchestra. Apparently I was so enamored with the music, I completely ignored the actors on stage and stared at the musicians the whole night.” She chuckled lightly to herself at the memory, before frowning deeply again, “I was always so excited to play for my mom. When she passed away…I don’t know, my hands just started to feel heavy every time I tried to pick my viola up.”
“So why do you keep playing?” Sunny asked gently. Hailey looked him in the eyes.
“Consistency, I guess.” She shrugged her shoulders, “I’ve practiced for so long, it just feels like the natural thing to do. It keeps my dad happy, and I do like being in the orchestra at school with some of my friends but…” This was followed by another long sigh.
“May I see your viola?” Sunny asked, stretching out his hand. Hailey nodded quietly and handed him the instrument. He cradled it carefully as he examined the beautifully crafted child, “This looks like…an Amati model, yes?”
“That’s right.” Hailey nodded, “Hand crafted with some very high quality European maple wood. Spruce wood for the front and willow for the interior, rosewood for all the smaller pieces.” She smiled weakly, “Not the most durable wood, I know, but…it was important to me.”
“I see.” Sunny nodded, “It’s extremely well-made, and you really know your stuff.”
“Dad tracked down some well known luthier.” Hailey laughed gently, “He lived about a day’s worth of travel away from us. Paid him quite a bit to have it made to my specifications, I even got to pick out some of the finer details.” She sniffled slightly, “It was my first birthday present after mom passed away, so I guess he wanted it to be extra special.” Sunny turned the viola over and saw that the underside had a small rose etched in gold into it.
“A wonderful gift.” Sunny nodded in agreement.
“And an investment, as he put it.” Hailey laughed bitterly. Sunny handed the viola back to her.
“Hailey, look.” He took a deep breath as Hailey sat on the ground across from him, “I won’t encourage you to stop playing, but I do want you to know that you can quit at any time.” She tilted her head at him, “The only reasons that matter for you to play, not just the viola but any instrument, are the reasons that you have. Not your dad, your teachers, or even your friends. If you don’t want to keep playing, you don’t have to.”
“So what should I do then?” Hailey asked, her voice sounded like it was close to breaking. Sunny gently placed a hand on the top of her head.
“Only you can answer that question.” He said gently, giving Hailey a small pat, “And again, I’m not trying to encourage you to quit. I just want you to understand that, if you feel like you want to, or even need to, you have that option.” Hailey nodded, wiping the start of tears from her eyes.
“Thanks, Sunny.” She stood up, “I will think about it when I get…home.” She sighed at the thought. Sunny swiveled back around to his piano.
“Here, let’s try something.” He looked back at her, smiling. Hailey tilted her head in confusion, “Let’s play again, but this time I want you to play for your mom.” Her eyes widened.
“But…” She started.
“Let’s try it.” Sunny chuckled, “You’re not playing for your dad, your peers, or even for me. Just play for her and put as much of yourself into it as you can. I’m sure if you do that….” He smiled as brightly as he could, “Your feelings will reach her.”
“It’s almost midnight, though.” Hailey sighed, “I don’t wanna disturb anyone…”
“Hailey, I went through a very painstaking process to get this room as soundproofed as possible.” Sunny laughed, “You would have to get pretty loud before we started bothering the neighbors.” Hailey took in a deep breath.
“Ok!” She nodded vigorously, “Yeah, let’s do it then!” She rubbed her eyes with her arm and readied herself to begin again. Sunny, too, positioned himself to give her the necessary introduction. The stage was set, and the players ready to begin, only to be interrupted by a sudden knocking on the door.
“Sorry!” Aubrey’s head poked in through the door, “Am I interrupting?”
“No, no.” Sunny chuckled, “We were just about to start again.”
“Mind if I watch?” Aubrey asked, big smile on her face.
“Not at all!” Hailey shook her head, “Please come in.” Aubrey nodded in response and hurried into the room. In her hand she carried a solidly full plastic grocery bag. She walked over and gave Sunny a kiss on his temple.
“What’d you get?” He asked quietly.
“Oh, just some things, you’ll see.” Aubrey chuckled, “And don’t worry about the cost too much. I had a lovely customer tip me, like, forty dollars today.”
“Wow, that’s quite the tip.” Sunny chuckled, “You must have left quite the impression.” Aubrey simply chuckled at him before taking her seat on the ground. She ruffled through her bag for a second and produced a camera. Sunny raised an eyebrow at her, but Aubrey only responded with a single finger over her lips. Hailey hadn’t noticed the minor ordeal and was instead readying herself to play once more. Sunny turned back to his keys.
The piano gave the introduction once more, making way for the viola to join, but this time it was different. She came in with notably more passion. Her voice was strong; the haunting voice from before reinforced with much stronger, more colorful vibrato. This time she sang with her heart at the front, with the voice of a child crying so desperately for her mother to see her, to love her. She moved when the notes did, her melody dancing through the air, free and unrestrained. As her song reached its end, her voice became more tamed and intimate; a daughter’s final goodbye in a performance set only for two. Silence enraptured the room as the song faded, ending with one, final click.
Sunny looked over at Aubrey, fingers already at work turning the dial on the camera, small tears flowing from her eyes.
“Hailey, that was beautiful.” She sniffled, taking a quick moment to wipe the tears from her eyes. Hailey looked up at her and smiled shyly.
“You think so?” She chuckled nervously.
“That was much better.” Sunny nodded in agreement, “Keep it up and I’m sure your recital will be a success.” Hailey’s face beamed with joy as she looked over at Sunny. There came another click from Aubrey’s camera, which caused Hailey a small shock.
“What are you taking pictures for?” She asked.
“I figured,” Aubrey smiled at her, “It would be nice to take some photos of the three of us, so that way you had something physical to go with the memories you made today.” She rolled the wheel on the camera again, “I’m also making sure to take double. That way there’s a set for you, and a set for us.”
“You ran all the way out to the store, just for a camera?” Hailey asked. Aubrey puffed out her chest a little.
“Oh no, not just for a camera.” She snickered. Hailey and Sunny exchanged worried looks as Aubrey went back into the bag. Very quickly she produced three boxes of colored hair dye and a box of hair bleach.
“Aubrey…” Sunny started.
“You’ve gotten to bond with big brother Sunny.” Aubrey grinned devilishly, “Now it’s time for some much needed, sister on sister bonding.” Hailey fidgeted nervously.
“Oh geez.” She sighed, “Dad’s so gonna kill me.”
“I won’t let him.” Aubrey huffed. She walked over and put a hand on Hailey’s shoulder, “This is my birthday present to you, ok? Both of these.” Hailey nodded, wrapping herself around Aubrey as some more tears formed in her eyes. Sunny sighed as he watched the sisters hold each other, now more than certain in his original assessment that sleep was going to be rather scarce that night.

Bleach’s biting scent always stung at the nose, and in the small bathroom that was doubly so. Still, despite the prevalent punch of the prickliness, Hailey sat through it like a champ. Of course, this was added by the fact that Aubrey insisted on only doing a few strips of hair. Sunny was promptly sat in the hallway, the camera in his hands, and a rather perturbed Cinnabun plopped directly in his lap. The rabbit was decidedly despondent over being awoken by the humans at such an hour, though thankfully a couple of fresh cucumber sticks were enough to tide over his annoyance. Aubrey’s hand diligently worked through Hailey’s hair, carefully painting the bleach over the precisely measured amounts she needed. A few gentle dabs near her temple had Hailey fidget a little.
“Easy.” Aubrey commanded softly.
“It’s cold!” Hailey whined, “And tingly!”
“Yes, that’s what it’ll do.” Aubrey sighed, “But don’t you worry, I’m almost done.” Camera clicks sounded through the air as Aubrey put on the finishing touches, making sure to run her comb through a few times. Then she wrapped the hair in protective foil to keep it from touching the non-bleached hair.
“How long will it take?” Hailey asked, looking herself over in the mirror.
“With hair as dark as ours, about half an hour.” Aubrey ran her fingers through the other side of Hailey’s hair, “And we might need to do a second coat, since your hair’s never been colored before.” Hailey covered a big yawn and stretched her arms upward.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been up this late before.” She sighed, “We always tried at sleepovers when I was younger, but I always ended up falling asleep first.”
“Well don’t you worry.” Aubrey chuckled, “We’ll make sure to keep you awake.” She tickled Hailey’s side just a little, causing Hailey to spasm into a fit of laughter.
“Aubrey, no!” She giggled. After a click from the camera, Hailey hopped out of the chair and dashed into the hallway.
“That’s what you’re taking pictures of?” Aubrey turned to Sunny and smirked at him.
“I’m just snapping photos of moments as they happen.” Sunny chuckled. Hailey sat down across from him and took one of Cinnabun’s cucumber sticks, much to the rabbits displeasure.
“C’mon. Come here.” Hailey coaxed, wagging the stick above her lap. Begrudgingly, Cinnabun hopped out of Sunny’s lap and crawled into Hailey’s, much to Hailey’s delight. He nibbled contently on the cucumber held in her hand while Hailey stroked him gently.
“Soft rabbit, sweet rabbit.” She cooed to herself. Aubrey smiled at the scene, getting a couple of small metal bowls ready for the dyes. Sunny took a couple of pictures of Hailey holding Cinnabun, who simply could not be bothered to look properly at the camera.
“I’m glad the two of you were able to play together.” Aubrey smiled as she poured a small amount of pink hair dye into the first bowl, “Did Sunny tell you he plays violin?”
“Mhmm.” Hailey nodded, looking up at Sunny, “How long have you been playing?”
“Oh I started young, too.” Sunny chuckled nervously, “But I kinda took lessons on and off, and then I stopped playing altogether at one point before picking it up again shortly after Aubrey and I moved here.”
“Maybe I can see your violin before I leave?” Hailey asked, her eyes glowing with excitement.
“Y-yeah, maybe.” Sunny nodded, “I can’t promise it’s as nice as your viola; it’s just a rather decent one I could pick up with my income.”
“Wouldn’t have needed to if you kept the first one alive.” Aubrey snorted, pouring an equally small amount of the orange hair dye into the second bowl. Hailey tilted her head at Sunny.
“What happened to your old one?” She asked, her voice lined with concern.
“O-oh, we…we don’t have to talk about that.” Sunny rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, “It…took a bit of a tumble and broke…pretty badly.”
“That’s a shame.” Hailey nodded solemnly, “But it happens, I guess.”
“Damn right it’s a shame.” Aubrey huffed, “Do you know how hard I worked for that one? It was so…many…cookies…” She let out a long annoyed sigh as she poured another equal amount of red hair dye into the final bowl.
“You bought it for him?” Hailey turned back to look at Aubrey.
“Not just me, we all did.” Aubrey nodded, “Ah, by all I mean our childhood friends, and his sister. We all took odd jobs here and there to get the money together, because we wanted to get him a nicer one.” She shook her head gently, “My heart hurt when I found out how broken it got.”
“I said I was sorry, didn’t I?” Sunny chuckled.
“Yeah, yeah.” Aubrey playfully waved him off with her hand. The night continued like that with the three making light conversation. At one point, Cinnabun became exceptionally bored and decided the best use of his time was to stretch out as long as he could over Hailey’s lap and doze off, much to the tween’s utter excitement. Sunny, of course, took a picture of this as well. As the conversation went on, Aubrey eventually checked the clock on her phone and motioned for Hailey to return to the bathroom.
“But…Cinnabun is sleeping.” Hailey looked up at Aubrey with sad eyes.
“And if we don’t get those foils off, the bleach is gonna start eating your hair.” Aubrey stated plainly.
“I got him.” Sunny chuckled, gently picking up Cinnabun from Hailey’s lap. The rabbit, for his part, did not physically object, but he did glare at Sunny with very annoyed eyes. Now freed from her obligation as a rabbit pillow, Hailey returned to the bathroom. With great care, Aubrey removed the foils from around the bleached hair.
“Easy now.” She said, gently guiding Hailey’s head into the sink, “Oh I wish we were at the salon for this, but we’ll just have to make do.” It was a difficult endeavor, trying to wash the bleach out of Hailey’s hair with such a stiff, immovable faucet, but Aubrey was able to get the job done. Hair dryer in hand, she quickly got Hailey’s hair dried and ready for the actual colored dyes. She guided Hailey back into the chair, and took a moment to look over her work; the bleach had done its job…for the most part. It wasn’t as bright as she would’ve liked, but given their limited time frame, she’d have to work with it.
“Is it ok?” Hailey asked nervously.
“Well, ideally, we’d bleach it again.” Aubrey sighed, “But it’s already late enough as it is, and I don’t want to fry your hair, so we’ll make it work.” She quickly grabbed her comb and some new foil and measured out about a third of the bleached hair. Taking the bowl of pink dye, she brushed on the color up and down the hair in nice, even strokes. Hailey fidgeted around as Aubrey got closer to her scalp.
“That’s even colder than before!” She whined.
“Hold still!” Aubrey ordered, “It’ll be over in a moment.” Hailey did her best to comply while Aubrey finished with the pink. Satisfied it had been thoroughly painted, she wrapped it in foil and then moved on to the middle third of the bleached hair. For this part she grabbed the orange dye and proceeded on the same path. Hailey did her best not to fidget as the cold, goopy substance brushed against her scalp. Once the middle had been nice and foiled up, Aubrey grabbed the red dye for the last section.
“Last one.” She said confidently, and with precise, practiced strokes, got the final third painted nice and red, “And done!” With the final part wrapped comfortably in foil, Aubrey helped Hailey down from the chair.
“How long does the dye have to sit for?” Hailey asked with a big yawn.
“About…forty five minutes.” Aubrey chuckled.
“Ugh.” Hailey groaned, “I’m definitely gonna pass out.”
“We can watch something on the TV.” Aubrey laughed gently. Opening up her phone she set up a timer for the needed time. The three of them walked into the living room together. Sunny deposited Cinnabun back into his pen, where the rabbit, who was decidedly finished with the night’s antics, promptly hopped into his little fluffy bed and sprawled out over it.
“Someone is very tired, it seems.” Sunny laughed.
“That makes two of us.” Hailey yawned loudly as she sat on the couch next to Aubrey.
“Hold on just a bit longer.” Aubrey pleaded, switching the TV on, “We’ll be done soon, and I believe it’ll be worth the wait.” Sunny sat on Aubrey's other side, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. This arm was promptly rejected by Hailey, who tossed it back and cuddled against Aubrey’s shoulder. Aubrey shot her a look but Sunny only chuckled in response.
“Ok, ok.” He nodded, “I’ll stick to my side then.”
“You better.” Hailey huffed. Sunny took Aubrey’s right hand in his and the two cuddled up shoulder to shoulder. Colorful lights and muted fight sounds poured forth from the TV. They’d certainly dropped into the middle of something spectacular, but unfortunately for whatever movie they had stumbled upon, the fancy art style and dramatic scenes left the trio feeling more perplexed than anything else.
“Why is her hair shaped like that?” Hailey asked.
“I have no idea…” Aubrey mused.
“Could you make something like that?” Sunny asked.
“What, you mean on a real person?” Aubrey snorted, “Maybe with like…a ton of hairspray.”
“What movie is this?” Hailey asked.
“I have no clue.” Aubrey shook her head.
“I think this is a show actually.” Sunny mused, “I’ve heard about it…I can’t remember the name though. I think we may have been dropped into the middle of the whole thing.”
“Hey, I recognize that guy.” Aubrey said, as a familiar looking man with overly large arms appeared on the screen, “I think Kim and I watched this just the other night.”
“Who’s Kim?’ Hailey asked, eyes still fixed on the dancing colors of the TV.
“She’s…a really good friend.” Aubrey nodded slowly. She found herself unable to push down the small twinge of guilt eating at her chest. Perhaps, when the time was right, she could be more truthful to Hailey about her and Kim’s relationship, but for now she kept quiet. The three continued to watch the bizarre show, even as it became increasingly and truly strange. At one point, the trio all tilted their heads to the right in confusion as a character was revealed to be another character none had seen before this moment. This moment was treated with much drama and fanfare. Aubrey looked down and noticed Hailey’s eyes were fluttering closed repeatedly. She nudged her sister’s shoulder gently.
“I’m…awake.” Hailey mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
“It should be almost time, I swear.” Aubrey said gently. Sure enough, as she was reaching for her phone, the alarm started to call out. Sunny nearly jolted in his seat.
“Ah, what, who!?” He stammered, taking a few quick breaths. The outburst caused both Aubrey and Hailey to laugh.
“You can’t fall asleep either” Aubrey teased, “I need you to take pictures once her hair is dry.”
“Yeah…yeah.” Sunny yawned loudly, “Let’s get it dry then.” He reached over and grabbed the camera from the table. The trio got up and returned back to the bathroom, where Aubrey quickly removed the foils from Hailey’s hair. As before, she gently guided Hailey into the sink and washed away the excess dye from her hair, and just as quickly, got her hair all nice and dry.
“Well?” Aubrey smiled proudly as the two stared into the mirror, “What do you think?” On the left side of her head, just behind her ear, ran a gentle waterfall of color in three stripes. Red, then orange, and finally pink. It wasn’t so far forward as to immediately grab attention, but it wasn’t so far back as to be easily hidden away.
“It looks lovely.” Hailey gave Aubrey her usual big bright smile, though it was dampened down somewhat by the exhaustion in the poor girl’s face.
“Why those three colors, exactly?” Sunny asked.
“Well, as you know, Pink is my favorite color.” Aubrey giggled, “And then there’s orange for Hailey, and the red…” She stopped for a moment and ran a finger through the waterfall, “Red is for her mom.”
“Aubrey…” Hailey sniffled slightly.
“This way,” Aubrey nodded, resting her cheek against the side of Hailey’s head, “This way, even if we aren’t near you, you’ll always have us with you.” She could feel the small sting of tears hitting the corners of her eyes.
“Look this way, you two.” Sunny chuckled. Hailey got down from the chair and the sister’s turned to face Sunny, their heads together. Aubrey put up a little peace sign near her eyes and Hailey did likewise. A couple clicks and turns of the wheel saw a pair of photos taken.
“I think that’s enough fun for one night.” Sunny yawned loudly.
“I’m about to start sleeping right here.” Hailey agreed, joining in on the yawning.
“Alright, alright.” Aubrey laughed, “Let’s get to bed then.” She walked over and kissed Sunny lovingly on the cheek, “Good night.”
“For real this time?” Sunny asked cheekily. Aubrey playfully punched him in the arm.
“Yes, for real this time.” She snorted. Sunny embraced Aubrey in a tight hug, kissing her deep on the lips.
“Good night then.” He nodded.
“And Sunny?” Aubrey looked into his eyes. Sunny raised an eyebrow at her, “Thank you for your help tonight.”
“Of course.” He smiled, before looking over to the sink, “But about the mess…”
“I’ll clean it up in the morning.” Aubrey snorted, “Promise.”
“Mhmm.” Sunny chuckled. Aubrey punched his arm again. The pair disengaged their hug and Sunny placed a hand on the top of Hailey’s head.
“Good night Sunny.” Hailey yawned, “Thanks for playing with me.”
“No problem.” He nodded, “Your recital is gonna go great, I just know it.” Hailey smiled back at him. Sunny headed back to the living room and shut off the TV. Aubrey shut off the hall light, shrouding the apartment back in darkness. Together the sisters made their way into the bedroom and snuggled into bed.
“Did you have a good day today?” Aubrey asked quietly, but instead of an immediate answer, she was met with Hailey’s body shoving its way into her arms. Aubrey quickly wrapped her little sister into a tight hug, the sharp scent of fresh hair dye invading her nose.
“Today has been wonderful.” Hailey said quietly, “I’m so glad…I’m so glad we finally got to meet…” Aubrey could hear Hailey sniffling into her chest.
“Mm…” Aubrey nodded, trying to fight back her own tears, “I’m so glad we got to meet too…” She tightened her hug on her darling sister, letting the tears flow down into her pillow, and in that gentle shroud of night, the two finally drifted off into peaceful slumber.

The rushing sound of sink water was about the only noise in the small apartment as Sunny washed that morning's dishes. It was only interjected by the occasional yawn from any of the room’s occupants; not a single eye between them was spared the indignity of exhaustion. The sole exception was Cinnabun, who was munching quite happily on his breakfast of pellets and parsley. Hailey was sitting patiently on the couch, dressed nicely in a short sleeve blue top and knee length blue and white plaid skirt. She held her stuffed lion tightly in her arms. Aubrey was kneeled in front of her, looping one color of hair over the other, fingers moving expertly down the length of dyed hair.
“Haven’t done braids in a while.” Aubrey yawned, “But I should be able to do this much without trouble.” Hailey yawned back, causing Aubrey to pause briefly as her hair moved.
“How much longer?” Hailey asked, trying to rub some of the sleep from her eyes.
“Won’t be much longer now.” Aubrey nodded, making the last few folds needed, “Annnd, done!” She leaned back a bit to admire her work; the three colors of hair now sat snuggled together in a simple braid, with the pink and red stripes wound around the middle orange strip. She quickly picked up her hand mirror to show Hailey her work, who in turn responded with that same bright smile.
“It looks wonderful.” Hailey giggled, “Thank you for doing that.”
“No problem.” Aubrey smiled back. The sisters stood up and Hailey quickly embraced Aubrey in a tight hug. Aubrey looked down at her and smiled, returning the favor. She was about to pull away when Hailey suddenly tightened her squeeze.
“I don’t wanna go….” She whispered quietly, her voice already on the verge of breaking.
“Hailey…” Aubrey sighed. She gave her sister a quick squeeze back before disengaging the hug. Tears had already started forming at the corners of Hailey’s eyes, which Aubrey gently brushed away.
“I doubt we have much time.” Sunny’s voice cut through the air. Aubrey turned towards the kitchen and saw Sunny drying his hands with a towel, “Might want to finish packing up.” Hailey could only nod in response and hurried over to her backpack to secure Miss Leo. In a flash, the stuffed lion was fixed comfortably in place, her little head left out to allow for air. Almost as soon as she had finished, a knock sounded loudly at the door. Aubrey could feel a chill run down her spine and she looked over at Sunny.
“Could you…?” She pleaded quietly. Sunny only nodded in response and headed to the door.
“I’ll get my viola.” Hailey said and hurried down the hall towards the office room. Aubrey stood on Sunny’s left, trying to mentally brace herself for the upcoming confrontation. It had been over a decade since she’d last seen her father. There wasn’t really much left for her to say after their phone call last night, but regardless, she couldn’t help feeling such a tight knot in her chest. Sunny looked over at her, hands on the locks and doorknob. She nodded at him. Ready or not, she supposed, it was time. Sunny nodded back and swiftly opened the door, though only enough for him to be visible.
“Hello, sir.” He said, “It’s been awhile.”
“I remember you.” The sharp, cold voice of her father huffed from the other side, “You’re the…weird boy from the street behind ours.” There was a brief scoff, “She went on about you quite a lot. Well, you’re better than most of the boys she could’ve ended up with, I suppose.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Aubrey huffed, yanking the door open. Before her stood her father. He looked much the same as she remembered; tall, sharp, well dressed. The only real difference was the grey streaked through his hair and a bit of grey stubble around his face. He looked down at Aubrey, slightly taken aback at her sudden appearance.
“Aubrey, I…” He said briefly, eyes darting up and down her. Whatever he was looking for, perhaps he couldn’t find, as he folded his arms in and continued with a grunt, “Well, nevermind that. You’re a grown woman, who you choose to spend your time with is your decision.” His words lit a fire in Aubrey’s veins and she could feel the heat start to burn in her face. She crossed her arms and maintained her glare at him.
“Hello to you, too, Dad.” She said bitterly. Her father looked away from her face briefly and sighed.
“Where’s Hailey?” He asked.
“She’s getting the last of her things.” Aubrey said coldly, “She’ll be here in a moment.” They stared at each other for a moment longer. Her father rubbed the back of his head.
“I can’t believe you actually colored your hair.” He snorted quietly.
“There’s nothing wrong with having dyed hair.” Aubrey huffed back.
“It’s unprofessional.” Her father countered.
“Maybe in your stuck up office.” Aubrey retorted, “But not everyone thinks that way. Hell, I know a woman who’s a marine scientist who constantly has her hair dyed blue.”
“Well if that’s what you want to spend your money on I guess.” Her father shook his head, “Hair stylists who do that aren’t cheap.”
“I know, Dad, I am one.” Aubrey growled.
“I imagine that means you pull in the brunt of the money then, yes?” He looked over at Sunny.
“We both make enough.” Sunny responded flatly, narrowing his eyes.
“Well, will it be enough when kids become involved?” Her father scoffed, taking a moment to remove his glasses and wipe them with a cloth.
“We haven’t talked about kids yet.” Aubrey said firmly, “And that conversation is none of your business.” Her father opened his mouth to give some kind of retort, but he swiftly closed it, instead letting out a huge sigh.
“Yes…I suppose you’re right about that.” He said. Aubrey could swear she almost heard the tinge of regret in his words, but she shoved the feeling down, “For what it’s worth, Aubrey, I am…I am sorry.”
“I don’t want to hear it.” Aubrey snorted at him, “All these years you could’ve reached out and apologized, and you never did.” She put her hands on her hips, the fire in her veins growing rapidly, “And when I finally DO hear from you, it’s only because my half sister happens to find me and you try to call her while she’s staying with me. If that hadn’t happened, if she never found me, would I have heard from you at all?” Her father looked away.
“I did try.” He sighed, “But when I tried the old house number, it said it was disconnected. Nobody else returned my calls, and I had no idea where you or your mother were.”
“So you gave up?” Aubrey huffed, feeling the slight sting of tears in her eyes.
“All my leads were dead ends!” Her father grunted, “What would you expect me to do?”
“I don’t know, try calling again?” Aubrey said back, her voice starting to rise, “Keep trying until you get ahold of someone, anything besides throwing your hands up in the air and walking away!?” Sunny put a hand on her shoulder, and Aubrey took in a sharp breath. It took a moment for her to get her heart back under control. Her father couldn’t even make eye contact with her.
“Maybe you’re right, then.” He sighed, “But there’s nothing to be done about it now.” Aubrey couldn’t respond, couldn’t find the words to respond, so she just continued to focus on controlling her breathing. He was right; the past was already set in stone and waking her neighbors shouting about it wouldn’t fix anything. As she stood there, Sunny’s reaffirming grip on her shoulder keeping her calm, she heard the soft patter of footsteps behind her. Hailey set her viola and plastic bag down and hugged Aubrey tightly from behind, burying her face in her sister’s back. Aubrey placed a hand over one of Hailey’s and squeezed it tight.
“Hailey.” Her father started, but a swift glance from Aubrey cut him off.
“You can’t be mad at her.” She said firmly.
“I’m…” Her father let out a defeated sigh, “I’m not. I won’t, I…I’m just glad she’s safe.”
“I mean it.” Aubrey said, “You cannot be mad at her.”
“I won’t! I won’t, I swear.” Her father’s voice was becoming more and more exasperated, “Just…please Hailey. We have to go.”
“I don’t want to go!” Hailey finally spoke up, tightening her grip on Aubrey.
“Hailey you can’t stay here.” Her father sighed, “This isn’t your house, and your sister isn’t responsible for you, I am.”
“I…” Aubrey could feel her shirt starting to get wet as Hailey started crying, “I don’t want to move!”
“Is that what this is about?” Her father shook her head, “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“When would I?” Hailey finally pushed herself between Sunny and Aubrey, glaring up at her father with tear strewn eyes, “You’re never home! You don’t talk to me anymore! All you do is work, come home, eat, and go to bed!” She finally broke down into sobs as she yelled. Her father knelt down in front of her and reached a hand up, but instead of consoling his crying daughter, he went straight to her dyed braid.
“What on earth did you do to your hair?” He asked, his voice thick with annoyance. Aubrey smacked his hand away, the fire reigniting in her chest.
“Don’t change the subject!” She hissed, “Did you even hear a word she said?” Hailey hugged Aubrey’s side. Her father let out a heated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose in the process.
“Look, I work very hard to be able to support the both of us.” He grunted, “We’d be out on the street otherwise! Is that what you want?”
“Don’t you dare put that on her!” Aubrey snapped back, “None of that is on her! She’s a child! All she wants is for her own father to be there for her, and care about her and support her.” She could feel her own tears fighting to form but she pushed them down. Gently she wrapped her arm around Hailey’s shoulder and squeezed it tight.
“But that’s a lot to ask for from you, I guess.” She continued, no longer hiding the pain from her voice. Her eyes bore daggers into her father, who could only look away and clench his fist.
“The husband works, the wife raises the child.” He snorted, “That’s how it’s always been in my family. It wasn’t my fault her mother got sick and died.”
“Maybe not.” Aubrey huffed, “But you’re all she has left, especially if you move her away from everyone else in her life. If something, anything happens to her…” She narrowed her eyes further, “That’s on YOU.” Her father let out a huff and hung his head in defeat.
“Well, maybe you’re right then.” He said quietly, “It certainly wouldn’t kill me to spend time away from work.” Aubrey watched him carefully as he stood up, wiping away the dust from his knee. She took a deep breath, not daring to hope that what she was about to attempt would work.
“Don’t move.” She said firmly. Her father looked at her with his trademark blank stare, though this time she could swear there was some small sadness in his eyes, “I know you have no reason to listen to me, and you probably won’t anyways, but please. If there’s any way you can make it work, don’t move away.” The pair held their stares for a moment as her words hung in the air. Hailey, too, had finally looked at her father, her eyes silently pleading with him to agree. In the end, he simply shook his head.
“There’s nothing to be done about it.” He said firmly.
“But-!” Aubrey started.
“Dad please!” Hailey pleaded. But neither sister could speak further as their father raised his hand to quiet them.
“I’m sorry, but it’s too late!” He sighed, “The house is already sold, the purchase on the new one is already set to go through. I’ve already agreed to everything, I can’t back out now!”
“Why are you even moving to begin with?” Aubrey asked desperately.
“Company’s opening up a new branch.” Her father crossed his arms, “Other side of the country. Got offered a position to help oversee the whole operation; it’s a major promotion. To reject it now would be tantamount to career suicide.” Now it was time for Aubrey to look away in defeat. She glanced down to her sister, who only clung tighter to Aubrey’s side.
“So that’s it then?” She asked, her voice struggling against her heart.
“I’m afraid so.” Her father nodded. He let out a quick sigh through his nose, “But come on, you’re acting like this is the end of the world! Lots of kids do it all the time, and they make it out ok. I mean, even adults move all the time. It’s just a part of life, sweetheart.” The pet name stung Aubrey right in the heart, but she pushed the pain down. She looked over to Sunny for some kind of support, but he only shrugged his shoulders.
“He does have a point.” He said sheepishly. Aubrey shot him a quick glare, but all she could do was sigh in defeat. It wasn’t like her father was wrong or anything. She looked down to Hailey who returned her stare with pleading, tearful eyes.
“Hailey…” Aubrey started. Hailey shook her head and started stamping her feet.
“No!” She shouted, “I don’t want to go!”
“Hailey, listen to me.” Aubrey said firmly. She knelt down and gripped both of Hailey’s shoulders, “Everything is going to be okay. I promise you. You have my phone number now, and you can call me whenever you need to, alright?”
“But…!” Hailey sniffled, “My friends!”
“You can call them, too.” Sunny tried to give her a warm smile, “Just like you can call us. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to keep in touch with them.”
“But still…!” Hailey shook her head vigorously, “My tutor…”
“I’ve already gotten a great recommendation from her for someone over there.” Her father sighed, “An old college friend, I think. Says you’re going to love her.”
“But, but…!” Hailey continued, her voice growing more and more frustrated.
“Hailey, what is it?” Aubrey asked, but her sister had finally had enough. She pulled away from Aubrey and stood opposed from her father; her chest was puffed out and her shoulders were square.
“But what about mom?!” Hailey snapped, tears flowing down her face, “We can’t just leave her behind!” Silence filled the hallway as the young girl sobbed. Aubrey reached out and pulled her into a tight hug while their father merely looked away and sighed.
“Hailey…” Aubrey started. She took in a deep breath before continuing, “Hailey, no matter what, no matter how far you move away, your mom is always gonna be watching over you.”
“I promise…” Her father said quietly, “We’ll come back to visit her.” Hailey sniffled a few times, taking a moment to wipe away the tears that had over accumulated on her face.
“We’d better!” She snorted, breaking free from Aubrey and throwing herself into their father’s arms. She could feel her heart begin to crack at the sight of the two of them hugging, but, again, she pushed the feeling down.
“Say goodbye now.” Her father instructed. Hailey obliged and ran back into Aubrey’s embrace. The sisters held each other tightly as they hugged goodbye.
“Message me when you’re home safe, ok?” Aubrey said, allowing a few tears to slip through.
“I will.” Hailey nodded, still holding fast to Aubrey.
“And give us your recital information, ok? Sunny and I want to be there.” Aubrey continued.
“Mm!” Hailey nodded. They continued to hold each other there, unmoving, unwilling to be the first to break away. Their father made a quick cough, causing Aubrey to glare up at him.
“Don’t you dare cut it off.” She growled at him.
“I won’t!” Her father shook his head, “I swear.”
“You’d better.” She huffed, finally disengaging the hug. Hailey ran over to Sunny and hugged him as well.
“Oh, I get one too, eh?” He chuckled lightly, gently tussling the top of her hair, “You’re gonna do just fine, kiddo. I know it.”
“Thank you.” Hailey nodded. She pulled back and Sunny handed her her viola and pajama bag. With much reluctance she returned to her father’s side. He looked Aubrey straight in her eyes for what felt like the first time that morning.
“I know that…I’ve pretty much burned our relationship beyond redemption.” He sighed, “But now that you’ve found each other, I won’t interfere in your relationship with Hailey. I promise.”
“I would certainly hope so.” Aubrey huffed, “Besides you, I’m all she’s got for family.” At this her father once again averted his gaze. He looked down at Hailey instead.
“Let’s go, sweetheart. Your viola tutor’s probably waiting for us.” He gently urged her forward.
“Do I have to today?” Hailey sighed as the pair started walking towards the exit.
“....We can talk about it when we get home.” Her father mumbled. Aubrey and Sunny waved as they left, Hailey looked back and, with a sad look still sat firmly on her face, waved back. After that, the pair disappeared around the corner, and were gone. Aubrey quickly rushed back into their apartment.
“Well.” Sunny said as he closed the door behind them, “I certainly think that could’ve gone worse, but…” Aubrey could hardly hear him through the sound of rushing blood. Her heart started beating so fast as the image of her father and sister walking away played through her mind over and over again. Her lungs kicked into over time as the anxiety spread through every cell in her being, gasping for more and more air to try and quell the spreading pain, but it was too late. At long last the dam had burst, her heart felt like it was shattering into pieces.
“Aubrey!” Sunny called out, moving quickly to catch her as Aubrey fell to the ground, sobbing her eyes out.
“He’s leaving me again!” She cried, her voice completely broken, “He’s leaving me, AGAIN!”
“Easy, easy.” Sunny tried to hush her, but Aubrey simply buried her face into his chest, unable to stop the tears or the sobs from escaping. Trying not to lose his balance, Sunny hoisted Aubrey up from the ground and headed to the living room couch. He carefully laid the both of them across it, letting Aubrey continue to sob into his chest. Just as he’d done so long before, he gently stroked her hair as she continued to cry, shushing her as gently as he could. Unable to stand the painful wails of his mother, a determined Cinnabun sprang from his bed and hopped the pen gate, scurrying over towards the couch.
“Thanks bud.” Sunny chuckled, lowering his arm to scoop up the worried rabbit, “I could use your help with this one.” Cinnabun wasted no time in squeezing himself into Aubrey’s arms, who in turn rolled to her side so as not to squish the fragile thing. He stretched himself as long as he could, making sure that his face was as close to his mom’s as possible. Aubrey could say nothing while the pair consoled her, she simply sobbed and sobbed at her family’s departure to Sunny’s gentle strokes of her hair and Cinnabun’s small rabbit kisses on her chin, until the exhaustion finally caught up to her. Nestled in the crook of Sunny’s arm, she finally dozed off once more, hoping to find some kind of peace in her sleep.

“Well, this certainly looks like the place.” Sunny said. Aubrey looked out the passenger side window and towards the large theatre. Several cars dotted the parking lot; the light of the afternoon sun glaring off of a handful. From their spot on the road, Aubrey could make out a handful of people walking into the building. All of them were dressed in black, and she could make out a few men in suits and girls in lovely dresses. She took a quick look down at herself, frowning deeply at her choice of white sundress with pink roses printed over it.
“I think we might be a bit under dressed for this.” Aubrey sighed. She looked over at Sunny, dressed in a black pair of work slacks and a white dress shirt with alternating black stripes.
“We’ll be fine.” Sunny said calmly, moving into the turn lane, “Everyone’s gonna be there for the kids, they won’t pay much attention to a couple of young adults in the crowd.”
“Didn’t you all get dressed up for Mari’s recitals when we were kids?” Aubrey asked, grasping her hands together.
“Well…” Sunny sighed, “That was mostly my parents doing. Plus, Mari went to more…organized recitals, so black tie attire was the standard anyways.”
“So is this not as organized?” Aubrey asked, tilting her head.
“I looked it up when I had time at work.” Sunny nodded, “It’s just something a group of the local music tutors put on to raise money for music programs in schools; more a charity event than an actual formal recital.”
“Don’t people get dressed extra nice for charity events, though?” Aubrey sighed.
“We’re fine.” Sunny huffed. He quickly pulled into a parking spot about halfway to the theatre. With the car stopped, Aubrey hurried out of her side, though she wobbled and needed to lean against the car for support.
“Ugh!” She huffed. Her legs felt like jello, having had to endure the somewhat long car ride and continued to endure the suffering of a lovely pair of bright pink heels.
“I told you to wear flats.” Sunny chuckled. He wrapped around the car and took Aubrey’s arm in his.
“Yeah, yeah.” She snorted, leaning on Sunny for support, “Does my make-up look ok?” She turned to look at Sunny but was surprised with a quick kiss.
“You look great.” Sunny smiled at her. Aubrey felt her face go red beneath her make-up as Sunny closed her door and locked the car, “C’mon. Let’s go.” Her brain refused to formulate words for a few minutes as Sunny guided her through the parking lot. Thankfully after a few steps, her legs did remember how to walk in heels and she didn’t need his support as much. Despite being later in the afternoon, the summer heat still blazed through the atmosphere. While the couple moved towards their destination, a small child in a sweet black dress ducked behind a car. Aubrey tilted her head in confusion, and as the pair passed the car in question, she could hear the little child speaking.
“That’s them!” She squealed, “I saw them kiss!”
“Abigail, shush!” The child’s mother hissed. Aubrey could feel her face catch fire again. She watched the child’s father mouth a quick ‘Sorry’. In return, she could only shake her head and wave back. Turning back to Sunny, she noticed his ears had gone a little red.
“Didn’t think we were in the sun for THAT long.” Aubrey teased gently.
“Quiet.” Sunny huffed, undoing the top two buttons of his shirt. The pair quickly entered the building. Blessed air conditioning filled the room and provided a sweet, cool relief to the very red faces of Sunny and Aubrey. Various musical posters and other related decorations lined the wall of the wide open room. The light din of conversation hummed through the air as parents and children alike discussed topics about tonight’s event. Sat nice in the middle of the room was a collapsible table with two women sitting behind it taking money and handing out tickets. The pair quietly shuffled in line and waited their turn. In front, and behind, and all around, they were surrounded by a sea of black suits and dresses.
“Are you sure we aren’t under dressed?” Aubrey asked quietly.
“We’re fine.” Sunny nodded. Slowly but surely, the line scooched forward. Time seemed to stretch longer and longer as they waited. Aubrey could feel the whispers in the air start to turn cold and sinister. Harsh words and malicious laughs played around her ears, and she could feel her heart start to race louder and louder. You don’t belong here, she could hear them say, Who do you think you’re fooling? Tears started threatening to escape from the corner of her eyes, and she could feel a wicked sting plant itself into her heart. The voices continued to grow, louder and louder, taunting her with every step.
Poor, poor thing.
I can’t believe she’d wear her hair like that.
What a garish outfit.
How indecent.
The things her poor mother has to put up with.
It’s no wonder why her father up and left.
Shadows turned and twisted, faces appeared to be glaring down at her as vicious eyes began pointing more and more. Aubrey’s lungs slowly started to pick up pace as she tried to get her nerves under control. The laughter began to pick up pace and the voices whispered harder and harder. Her world began to spin around her; her face started to go numb.
“Aubrey.” Sunny’s voice snapped her back to reality. The whispers vanished into the fog from whence they’d come. She took a moment to squeeze Sunny’s hand in hers, to feel every inch of his skin and his warmth.
“I’m ok.” Aubrey said quietly, “I’m sorry…I…went somewhere for a moment.” Sunny took a cursory glance around the room.
“Remind you too much of high school?” He asked quietly.
“...I guess so.” Aubrey sighed. Soon enough the pair had finally reached the table, where the older woman on the right waved them over. Keeping his arm interlocked with Aubrey’s, Sunny pulled out his wallet as they approached.
“Good evening!” The nice lady smiled at them.
“Evening.” Sunny nodded, smiling politely, “Are the tickets priced or is it just by donation?”
“Oh, just donation, dear.” The woman nodded. Sunny quickly pulled out a twenty dollar bill and a five dollar one.
“All I can give, I’m afraid.” He sighed, “Budget’s a bit tight this month.”
“Oh think nothing of it!” The woman replied cheerily, “Any amount helps, honestly.” She quickly boxed the cash and notated down the amount. After which, she produced two small tickets and started to stamp them both.
“So are you here for family or just because you like the music?” She asked, giving the pair a lovely smile.
“Ah, we’re here for my sister, actually.” Aubrey said nervously.
“Oh really? Who’s your sister?” The woman asked politely.
“Ah, well, it’s…Hailey.” Her heart started to beat fast again.
“You’ll have to be a little more specific, I’m afraid.” The woman chuckled, “We have three Haileys performing tonight.” It was at this moment that the other woman, slightly younger and with a much sterner gaze, finished up her transaction and looked over at Aubrey.
“Buchanon.” The stern woman said bluntly. Her gaze was so sharp and her voice so commanding, Aubrey couldn’t help but recoil a little.
“Ah, yes Ma’am!” Aubrey responded like she would if one of her old teachers had called her out.
“Ooohh!” The kind woman gasped, “I didn’t know Hailey B had a sister!”
“Pat’s certainly never mentioned it before.” The stern one huffed, “Not until a few weeks ago at least.”
“And now that you say it…” The kind woman reached up and gently took Aubrey’s chin in her hand, “She does look remarkably like young Hailey.”
“Shockingly so.” The stern one agreed.
“Well, you certainly wouldn’t be the first to say that.” Aubrey chuckled nervously. The kind woman let Aubrey’s face go and finished stamping their tickets.
“There you go, all set.” She said with a beaming smile, “I hope you enjoy the show!”
“Thank you.” Sunny smiled. Aubrey waved in agreement and the two began to head towards the building’s seating. The kind woman reached out and stopped them briefly.
“By the way” She smiled, “I love your dress.”
“Oh, thank you!” Aubrey smiled. She could finally feel her heart start to return to normal. As they entered the auditorium seating, Aubrey felt a wave of relief crash over her as the sea of formal black tie attire was dotted with others in much more casual outfits of a whole palette of color. They found a quiet pair of seats towards the back of the room and settled down nicely. Aubrey opened up her purse and removed a small camera.
“Make sure the flash is off.” Sunny instructed quietly.
“I did!” Aubrey huffed back. She looked down, noting that the flash slider was indeed switched to the off position. Taking a quick peek through the lens, she looked over the stage, happy that the exposure was bright enough for a decent picture. Patrons continued to flood in, filling the seats around them. Despite the reassurance that they weren’t in violation of dress code, and the somewhat warm reception from the ticket table, Aubrey couldn’t help but feel a small tinge of nervousness. She tried to calm her nerves with some deep breaths, but to little avail. Instead, she leaned into Sunny and rested her head upon his shoulder.
“I can’t believe I feel so nervous.” Aubrey sighed, “Do you think she’s going to be alright?”
“This isn’t her first performance.” Sunny chuckled.
“But what if something goes wrong?” Aubrey insisted.
“She’s going to be fine, Aubrey.” Sunny chuckled.
“Is it normal to feel like this?” Aubrey groaned, “Did you feel like this when you went to any of Mari’s performances?”
“Well, I’m sure our parents did.” Sunny nodded, “I always had full confidence in her.” He gave her a quick smirk.
“I’m sure you did.” Aubrey huffed back. This only made Sunny laugh again, before giving her a soft kiss to the side of her head. Another couple settled in on Aubrey’s side of the aisle. The woman of the pair seemed around their age, and she leaned towards Aubrey.
“Do you have a little one playing tonight?” She asked, adjusting her glasses.
“Oh! No, I’m here for my sister actually.” Aubrey answered.
“Is this her first time?” The woman asked.
“No, I don’t believe so.” Aubrey shook her head, “But, it’s my first time getting to see her perform.”
“I see, I see.” The woman nodded. She started digging through her bag and pulled out a small camcorder, “I’m just so nervous, you know?”
“Leave them be, dear.” Her husband sighed. The woman muttered something to him as she toyed with the diminutive device. Aubrey settled against Sunny once again. A quiet din filled the room as the remaining seats all filled, though this was quickly silenced once the house lights dimmed. The stage lights went up, and thunderous applause cried out as a gentleman in tails walked towards the microphone. He gave them all a quick nod and dismissed the applause with a quick wave.
“Good afternoon everyone!” He spoke into the mic, “First off, I’d like to thank you all for taking time out of your busy summer evening to join us tonight, and for all the wonderful donations you have given us thus far.” He made a quick, unnecessary adjustment to his tie, “As I’m sure you’re aware, our little organization helps to keep music programs funded in several schools around our fair city; from the elementary schools to the high school, we strive to ensure that our children will always have access to music’s wonderful enriching and empowering nature.”
“Tonight we will be having several music students performing for you, with skill levels ranging from the quite advanced to the, well, quite new.” A chuckle rippled through the audience, “But they’re all here and ready to give you the best they can, so if you could, please, give them all your wonderful encouragement. I’m certain that they would be most grateful.” Another round of applause echoed through the auditorium. The man announced the first child to perform, and a small boy walked out accompanied by the kind woman from the table earlier. They both took their places at the piano and started to play. It was only a simple nursery rhyme, played in a round, but the boy did fairly well for being so young. After a small clap, the next child would come onto stage, and the process would repeat. The instruments would sometimes protest at the toddlers playing them, and it wasn’t always pleasant on the ears, but they each did their best. At one point, a small girl, probably no older than three, walked out on stage with a child’s clarinet in hand and a bright pink simple hair band in the middle of her head. The woman to Aubrey’s right got all antsy and started her camcorder up.
“Oh she looks so nervous.” The woman said very quietly.
“She’s going to be fine.” Her husband sighed under his breath. Despite her husband's dismissal, the poor girl did seem rather nervous to be on stage. Her accompanist was a very elderly man who had been on twice before with other clarinet players; presumably their tutor. Once she had been given as much reassurance from her tutor, and some of the kids in the front row, the pair started an arrangement of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” that didn’t sound terrible. With her performance done, she quickly ran away from the stage to the crowd’s applause, and slight laughter. After her some older kids came out for a bit, playing similarly beginner friendly hits. Aubrey was starting to doze off a little when the man from earlier came to announce the next kid to play.
“...Hailey-” Aubrey perked right up at the mention of her sister’s name, “Jones.” The wrong last name though, and sure enough a young, darker skinned girl with curly hair walked out with a flute. She quickly slumped back in her seat, laying her head back against Sunny’s shoulder.
“Ah, I got worked up for a moment.” She whispered quietly.
“Much too early for your sister.” Sunny chuckled into Aubrey’s ear, “This is still the beginners.”
“When is my Hailey gonna be on?” Aubrey asked.
“Given her skill, she’ll likely be on with the advanced players.” Sunny nodded. Aubrey noticed the family to Sunny’s left get a little worked up, and a quick glance over saw two adults with a young girl seated between them; the same girl from the parking lot. She gave a small chuckle to herself and refocused on stage. The fledgling flutist gave a very nice performance of “Over the Rainbow”. Upon finishing, the audience began to clap, and the little girl hopped down from her chair, bouncing with excitement.
“That’s my sister!” She shouted with glee. Her mother quickly pulled her back up and into her chair as a small laugh bounced around in the audience.
“Abigail, shush!” Her mother hissed quietly, “You can’t shout like that in a theatre!”
“She’s certainly got a lot of energy.” Sunny whispered to the father next to him. It took him a second to realize who they were, but the father laughed quietly as well.
“Hard to contain sometimes.” He joked, “Sorry again about earlier.”
“Oh, think nothing of it.” Sunny chuckled. Little Abigail finally glanced their way, her eyes narrowed in a glare as she pointed at Aubrey.
“Boy kisser!” She snorted quietly.
“Oh my god, child.” Her mother sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Aubrey playfully stuck her tongue out and the child returned the gesture in kind. Her mother scooped her up and imprisoned the child in her lap, though she did not seem to mind her sentence, snuggling further into her mother’s arms. Aubrey took a moment to cuddle further into Sunny’s side. The performances quickly moved on to the more intermediate students. Of these, a particular piano piece nearly put Aubrey straight to sleep, causing her to rub her eyes vigorously.
“What song is this?” She asked very quietly.
“Pachelbel.” Sunny whispered back, “Canon in D is very popular.”
“Mm.” Aubrey nodded. Not long after, the second Hailey was announced to play, though this was a Hailey Favreau, and she played on a beautiful acoustic guitar. Before she knew it the intermediate performances had come to a close, and they were starting to announce the advanced students. Surely Hailey had to be on soon, Aubrey thought to herself. The first kids were definitely much older, likely around high school age. All of them played absolutely wonderfully; there was a cellist, a pianist, and even a french horn player. The pieces they played were all certainly technically impressive, and a degree longer than any of the students who came before them. Aubrey did her best to enjoy the performance as she could, but her eyelids were starting to get very heavy. She closed them for just a moment, keeping her head rested on Sunny’s shoulder. She could feel him squeeze her hand tight; his thumb stroking the back of her hand ever so gently. The sensation put her nerves at ease, though that, in turn, made the sleepiness in her head all the more worse.
“Thank you, Rebecca, that was a lovely performance.” She heard the tails man say into the mic, “Ok, up next is certainly the youngest member of our advanced students, but don’t let that fool you, she has been playing for quite a number of years and has grown into quite the splendid violist.” Aubrey’s eyes shot open and she sat straight up in her seat, all traces of tiredness erased from her veins, “Please join me in welcoming to the stage, Miss Hailey Buchanon.” And just like that, to muted applause, Hailey walked across the stage, viola in hand. She was accompanied by the stern woman from the ticket table. Aubrey looked her sister over carefully, and breathed a small sigh of relief upon seeing her face; the few locks of dyed hair remained intact in their subtle position behind her left ear. The dye job looked as if it had held quite well, much to Aubrey’s relief. Sunny ruffled through Aubrey’s purse and pulled out a small video recorder. Aubrey got her own camera to zoom in just enough for Hailey and her pianist to be the only things in frame. The audience awaited with baited breath as Hailey placed her music upon the stand. She looked up at the audience, her eyes scanning the crowd, until eventually they made contact with Aubrey’s. Aubrey gave her the best smile she could, and Sunny held up a quick thumbs up. Hailey smiled back, her face as bright as ever, and readied herself to play.
With the stage finally set, all eyes were on her. The piano led her in as it ever did, soft and light and ever fleeting. She joined in, restrained at first, holding back her emotions from the front, but not out of fear or shyness. No, as her melody danced through the air it became very plain that this was a concentrated effort on her part. The longer she sang, the more she let out, and the more she held back. Notes ebbing and flowing like the ocean tides, coyly coming in closer and closer, before pulling away further and further back. It wasn’t until the final climax of the piece did she bear her full heart to the world; each note, each vibrato filled with love and longing, a hand reaching out for her loved ones to take. Her message finally delivered, her voice pulled back once again, ending the song on one final, tense note.
It was on this final note Aubrey felt compelled to take a quick picture. The soft click of the camera interrupted nothing and, much to her relief, the flash did indeed remain off. With her song finished, Hailey gave the crowd a small bow. In return, they showered her with applause. Aubrey was on the verge of standing up. After all, her little sister deserved nothing less for such a wonderful performance, but a quick elbow on her leg from Sunny kept her from doing so.
“You got it all, right?” Aubrey asked.
“The whole thing.” Sunny nodded in response. He closed down the video camera and carefully stuffed it back into Aubrey’s purse, which she followed suit with her own camera. The applause finished, Hailey made her quick exit to stage left. Aubrey took a moment to cuddle back up to Sunny’s side, settling in nicely to enjoy the rest of the show.

Buzzing excitement filled the lobby as Aubrey and Sunny stepped out from the theatre. Groups of people clustered around here and there, all chatting ecstatically about the night’s performances. Aubrey glanced around, a worried expression on her face. Her eyes darted over the sea of blonde, brunette, black, and even the occasional red, but among none of them could she spot that warm little braid. Panic started to spread through her chest the more she looked. Had they missed their chance, she thought to herself, did Hailey already leave? All the hair in the room started to blend together as Aubrey’s searching got more panicked, until a gentle elbow from Sunny stole her attention.
“Ah! What?” She asked, looking over at him. Sunny responded by pointing further towards the hallway at the end of the room. Aubrey turned and saw immediately what had caught Sunny’s attention; a giant, solid black lighthouse amongst the sea. It was all she could do to keep herself from smacking her own forehead.
“Why didn’t I think to look for him?” She huffed.
“Because your mind was focused on Hailey?” Sunny chuckled.
“I guess so.” Aubrey sighed. Arm in arm, the pair made their way towards the tall man. As the crowd parted ways here and there with the flow of movement, Aubrey could finally make out Hailey. That bright smile cutting through like a full powered beacon. Surrounding her were some other girls who looked to be roughly her age, as well as some adult women. Aubrey could only recognize one, the stern woman from the ticket table, so she assumed the others must have been the children’s mothers. As they got closer, Aubrey noticed Hailey held in her arms a bouquet of flowers and immediately stopped in her tracks. Sunny almost tripped trying to stop in time.
“What, what’s wrong?” He asked.
“I didn’t bring her anything.” Aubrey said quietly, cursing herself with every fiber of her being.
“It’s fine.” Sunny sighed, “I’m sure she’s happy enough that you’re even here.”
“I feel so bad. That’s what family does, isn’t it?”
“Aubrey-”
“Besides, she's with all her friends. We shouldn’t bother her. We should just-”
“Nope. We’re going.”
“But Sunny…ah-!” Aubrey stifled a yelp as Sunny started to pull her forward. For just a moment, her feet had forgotten the proper technique to walk in heels and she pitched forward just slightly. Sunny was able to catch her, and it took a few steps for her to regain her balance. Looking back towards where Hailey was located, it appeared her sister, and her friends, heard Aubrey’s small cry. The moment their eyes met, Hailey’s entire being seemed to light up to eleven; the beacon was now squarely placed right on Aubrey. Embarrassment coursed through Aubrey’s veins under the burning weight of such pressure. The bouquet took flight straight into their father’s arms, nearly nailing him in the face, as Hailey made a mad dash towards Aubrey and Sunny. The impact rocked her body as Hailey threw herself into Aubrey’s arms; she’d surely have been knocked over were it not for Sunny’s support. Giggles sounded from around them, but she paid them no mind.
“You made it!” Hailey squealed.
“We did.” Aubrey nodded. She wrapped her arms around Hailey and squeezed her as tight as she could, “I’m sorry I didn’t bring you any flowers.”
“Oh don’t worry about that!” Hailey shook her head, “I’m just glad you’re here.” Aubrey looked over at Sunny as Hailey squeezed her tightly. He mouthed ‘Told you’ at her, to which Aubrey stuck her tongue out in response.
“C’mon!” Hailey suddenly pulled herself away, grabbing Aubrey’s hand, “I want you to meet everyone.”
“Hailey wai-ah!” She stifled another yelp as Hailey suddenly started dragging her forward towards her group of friends. Besides their father and the stern woman from earlier, who had in her hands Hailey’s viola case, there were three girls and two moms, all of varying ages.
“This is Heather!” Hailey started, pointing to the most petite of the three, with a large round pair of glasses and medium brown hair. She raised her hand back shyly.
“This is Jasmine!” She pointed to the next girl who was slightly taller than Hailey, had long, raven dark hair, and raised her hand with much more confidence. This one seemed slightly familiar to Aubrey, but she couldn’t quite place why.
“And this is Melody!” At last, she pointed to the blonde girl, who stood equal height to Hailey and was slightly more done up than the other two girls. She gave Aubrey a smile nearly as bright as Hailey did.
“Oh, so this is Melody.” Aubrey smiled back at the girl, “Hailey’s told me all about you.” Both girls’ faces turned slightly red beneath their make-up.
“Aubrey!” Hailey whined.
“Well, only good things I hope.” Melody chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her head.
“Only good things indeed.” Aubrey nodded, “Are you performing tonight as well?” Melody’s face lit up with mild shock.
“Oh, me?” She shook her head, “No, not tonight. The vocal students are performing next week.”
“Ah, that’s a shame.” Aubrey sighed, “We’ll be out of town next week. Hailey says you’re quite the singer.”
“A-ah! Is t-that so?” Melody looked away, her face getting redder.
“I’m so thankful I get to go.” Hailey sighed, “It’s literally the night before we leave…”
“And we’ll be sad to see you go.” One of the girl’s moms spoke up. She turned to look at Aubrey, “Oh you must’ve been devastated when you found out.”
“Yeah, you could say that.” Aubrey nodded solemnly. She shot a small glare over at her father, who was turned away from her, unable to make eye contact, “I only just found out I even have a sister at the beginning of the month, and now she’s moving away?”
“You’ve all she’s been able to talk about for weeks.” The other mom chuckled. She gave Aubrey a quick look over, “And it’s just striking how similar you two look!”
“My mom was saying as much.” Jasmine nodded. Aubrey tilted her head at the child, “You cut her hair on occasion, I’ve been in your salon before.”
“Oh!” Aubrey’s eyes widened at the realization; that’s where she’d seen this girl before. Her mother was a long time customer of Carol’s, “Right, I recognize you now.” Jasmine chuckled slightly and gave her a wide smile.
“Well, admittedly she thought you might have been Mr. Buchanon’s long lost baby sister.” She rested her chin on her fingers, “Or, half sister given your age.”
“I guess that’s part right, at least.” Aubrey chuckled, “I am a half sister, but I’m THIS one’s half sister.” She took Hailey into her arms and held her from behind.
“It’s a shame we didn’t know you were in the area sooner.” The first mom said.
“Even then, Pat’s never mentioned you once.” The other one shot a small look at Aubrey’s father, “We were all under the impression Hailey was an only child.”
“Why have we never heard of her before, Patrick?” The stern woman asked, glaring over at him.
“Ah, well…” Her father started, unable to look at the group.
“I’m from his previous marriage.” Aubrey stated flatly, returning the group’s attention onto her, “I imagine it was a rather sore talking point.” She glared back up at him, trying to make sure her gaze bore through the back of his skull.
“But seriously.” She continued, “To not even tell Hailey I existed until…until…” She looked down at Hailey for a moment, “When did he tell you about me?”
“Beginning of summer.” Hailey said flatly, also glaring at their father.
“Yeah. That’s messed up.” Aubrey huffed. She reached over and gently punched his arm.
“Aubrey!” He snorted angrily, though he didn’t move from his spot.
“I already scolded him for it.” Hailey leaned her head back to smile up at Aubrey.
“Good girl.” Aubrey nodded. She leaned down and gave Hailey a small kiss on the top of her head, causing both girls to giggle loudly.
“You two…” Their father sighed. The first mom looked over at Sunny.
“And this fine gentleman with you is…?” She asked. Sunny raised his hand in greeting.
“I’m Sunny, Aubrey’s boyfriend.” He said politely, “It’s nice to meet you all.”
“Boyfriend, huh?” The other mom chuckled, “How long have you two been together?”
“Oh, uh…” Aubrey laughed nervously, “We’ve been together for…awhile.”
“Twelve whole years.” Hailey said plainly. All the girls there seemed immediately taken aback. Aubrey could feel the heat rising in her face.
“Twelve years as of earlier this month.” Sunny confirmed.
“That’s as long as we’ve been alive!” Heather said, her voice full of shock.
“Wow, that’s some dedication.” Melody nodded, “And you’ve never broken up once?”
“I mean, we’ve had our ups and downs.” Aubrey said nervously, “But we’ve always found a way to work through it.”
“That long and still not married, huh?” The first mom asked.
“I mean, what are you two still waiting for?” The other mom pressed. Aubrey could feel the embarrassment growing hotter; her chest was starting to tense up as well.
“Ah, well, you see…” Aubrey found herself at a loss for words.
“Marriage isn’t something we’ve really discussed yet.” Sunny cut in, “We’re still in an apartment, and we’re still more or less at the beginning of our careers. Perhaps when we’ve gotten to a point where a small house might be something attainable, marriage can be something we discuss.”
“Hmph.” The stern woman huffed, “Well said. At the very least it seems you both understand your situation well enough to know not to rush into things recklessly.” She smiled at them both, and Aubrey could’ve swore she saw something of kindness in her face.
“Thank you.” She nodded. Letting go of Hailey, Aubrey stretched her arms far into the air, “Well, it’s getting kind of late, we should probably get going.”
“You’re staying for the second half?” The first mom asked.
“Second half?!” Aubrey recoiled slightly in shock, “Are there more students performing?”
“Oh, you don’t have to stay!” Hailey quickly took both of Aubrey’s hands, “The second half is all ensembles, and then the teachers are all gonna play a song. I’m not in any of that, so you don’t have to stay if you have to go.”
“She does have work tomorrow.” Sunny nodded.
“It’s not that early.” Aubrey sighed, “But I was planning on going to the store to get some of these pictures I’ve been taking developed.” She placed a hand gently on Hailey’s head, “I got a really nice one of you playing tonight.” Hailey’s smile beamed up at her with the intensity of a hundred suns, before suddenly her face went wide with shock.
“Ah, hang on, I almost forgot!” She dashed over to the stern woman, “Ms. Meadows, where’s my music folder?”
“It’s right here, Hailey, calm down.” The woman sighed, handing over Hailey’s music folder. A quick rifling through and then the music folder was also sent flying through the air towards their father. Hailey dashed back to Aubrey and handed her a small pile of photos.
“Here!” She said as Aubrey took them, “From our sleepover!” Aubrey took the stack of photos, looking over them carefully. She could feel a small warmth spread through her chest as she flipped through.
“Oh Hailey.” She said quietly, “These turned out so well.” Hailey quickly wrapped herself around Aubrey once again, squeezing her tightly in her embrace. Aubrey quickly put the photos away in her purse and returned the hug. The sisters stood there for a moment before Hailey could be heard audibly sniffling.
“Hey hey hey.” Aubrey shushed quickly. She reached back into her purse and pulled out a couple of tissues, “No more tears now. We don’t want to ruin that beautiful make-up.” A few dabs were enough to stop the tears from flowing, but in the end, she still missed one. The wet sensation hitting the side of her cheek gave Aubrey quite the shock.
“Now you’re crying too…” Hailey sniffled.
“No, no! I’m fine!” Aubrey huffed, dabbing away her own tear. With a few deep breaths, she managed to regain her composure, “It’s like I told you before, this isn’t goodbye. You still have my number; I mean, of course you do, you’ve texted me every night since I gave it to you.”
“Hailey Faith!” Their father huffed angrily, “You’re not supposed to be on the phone that late.” Hailey ignored this admonishment and instead pushed her way back into Aubrey’s arms. The sisters squeezed each other as tight as they could; a desperate attempt to imprint the memory of each other’s presence in their minds.
“You’re gonna be just fine.” Aubrey said quietly, “I know you will.”
“Mm.” Hailey nodded. Their father let out a sigh.
“Aubrey, I…” He moved towards the sisters. Aubrey extended her arm and stopped him with a finger jab to the chest.
“You don’t get one.” She said coldly.
“Alright, alright, jeez.” He shook his head, stepping back. Ms. Meadows let out a small snicker.
“I think you’ll be in the dog house with this one for quite some time, Patrick.” She gave a quick glance at her watch, “Not to cut such a tender moment so short, but it’s time for the performances to start up again. I suggest we find our way back to our seats.” The others all agreed and began to make their way down the hall, except Hailey, who squeezed herself tighter to Aubrey. Aubrey, in turn, squeezed her back, doing her best to keep the tears at bay.
“If you keep hugging me here,” She whispered, “You might not be able to sit next to Miss Melody.” Hailey gave the ground a few quick stomps.
“Ohhhh!” She groaned, “Why did they have to start so soon?”
“Hurry up, kiddo.” Aubrey chuckled, “Everyone’s waiting.” Despite her words, she found herself also unwilling to let go.
“I love you, sis.” Hailey said. Aubrey could feel the tears starting to put up more of a fight.
“I love you, too.” She said, finally releasing her sister. Hailey reached up and gave Aubrey a quick peck on the cheek before making the mad dash back to her friends. Aubrey could hear their father telling her not to run so fast. She ignored him and instead linked arms with Melody. Disappearing into the theatre, Hailey looked back and gave Aubrey one last wave. Aubrey and Sunny both returned it and then she was gone. With that, Aubrey quickly turned around and started heading to the exit. Sunny caught up quickly and took her hand in his.
“Are you gonna cry the whole drive home?” He asked teasingly.
“Shut up.” Aubrey pouted at him, “Maybe.”
“Good thing I’m driving then.” Sunny chuckled. He bent down and kissed the side of her head, “We can stop and get some ice cream on the way home, if you’d like.”
“That would be nice.” Aubrey smiled at him. Sunny smiled back at her.
“You’re a good sister, Aubrey.” The comment caught her off guard.
“Wha-?” She sniffled, “You really think so?”
“I do.” Sunny nodded.
“Ohhh. Now YOU’RE gonna make me cry.” Aubrey sniffled again. A chuckle was Sunny’s only response. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and pushed open the theatre doors to the pleasant August evening. Stars had started to peak their weary little faces out and the moon was making its grand nightly appearance. As the two made their way back to their car, Aubrey placed her free hand over her purse, content at the knowledge the pictures of her and Hailey were tucked away safely inside.

There was something about Saturday mornings that felt particularly lazy during the summer heat. Aubrey rushed through the salon door as fast as she could. The assistant manager was sitting at the counter, eyes glued to her magazine. The building seemed devoid of customers, so Aubrey breathed a sigh of relief and started to walk towards the back.
“You’re late, Aubrey.” The assistant manager yawned, not even looking her way.
“I know, I know!” Aubrey groaned, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not normally like you.” The AM continued, “Something happen this morning?”
“No, I went to this one hour photo place to get some pictures developed.” Aubrey gritted her teeth, “One hour my a-”
“Language.”
“Right, sorry.” Aubrey sighed, “Well, they took longer than anticipated and then traffic ended up being a nightmare.” She crossed her arms and tilted her head at her AM, “Why are you here Sonya? I thought Belle was supposed to be in today.”
“Family emergency.” Sonya said, sleepily flipping the page of her magazine, “Or something like that. She said she’d be in soon though.”
“Ah, well I hope everything’s ok.” Aubrey nodded, heading towards the back, “Any customers yet?”
“Just one.” Sonya called back to her as she entered the main salon room. Carol was hard at work cutting a small child’s hair. The poor tot was blubbering all over his cape despite the reassuring soothing of both Carol and his mother.
“Aww.” Aubrey giggled, “First cut.”
“Yeah.” Carol chuckled, “The first one’s always scary, but he’s being so brave. Aren’t you?” She gave the despondent child a pat on his shoulder, but he only gave her a small nod in response. Not wanting to delay any longer, Aubrey headed to her station and started setting up. Opening up her drawers saw her greeted by a whole host of bright pink handles and the collective sheen of multiple scissors. No loose hair cluttered the ground and her hair dryer was right in the lower cabinet she always left it in. She set her purse down on the counter and gave herself a once-over in the mirror. Thankfully, everything still seemed in order despite the best efforts of both the summer heat and the tardy-induced panic. Out of the corner of her mirror, she watched Carol finish up with the child’s hair. Mom and stylist both helped him down from the chair, after which Carol pulled open one of her drawers. A large bag of candy unveiled itself as the drawer slid open. With a quick confirmation that the toddler was indeed allowed to have one, Carol let the boy pick out his flavor of sucker. As mother and son headed to the front, and Carol started sweeping up the small amount of hair now resting on the ground, Aubrey heard the front door open. There was some brief conversation followed by the door opening again and footsteps heading towards the salon floor.
“Thank you so much for covering that, Carol.” Manager Belle appeared in Aubrey’s mirror.
“It’s no problem.” Carol shook her head, “I’m always happy to help when it comes to the little tykes.”
“Good morning Belle!” Aubrey smiled through her mirror. Belle turned to look at her and smiled back.
“Morning, Aubrey.” She said politely, “Or, well it’s just afternoon, actually.” Aubrey turned around to face her manager.
“Everything alright? Sonya said you had a family emergency.” She asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing to get frazzled over.” Belle shook her head, “My sister had to run an important errand and our mom couldn’t watch her kids, so I stepped in to keep an eye on them ‘til she got back.” She took a quick look around the room, “Where’s Marleen?”
“I’m here.” Marleen’s voice droned from the backroom. She appeared on the salon floor and slowly shuffled over to her work station.
“You look like hell, Marleen.” Belle huffed.
“I don’t want to hear it.” Marleen groaned. She sat in her chair and gently nursed a coffee.
“You look like you had a late night.” Aubrey chuckled, opening up her purse.
“Cousin’s bachelorette party.” Marleen moaned, “God help me, I cannot keep up with the youngsters anymore.”
“You gonna be able to work?” Belle asked with a firm, even tone.
“I’ll be fine.” She sighed, “Just let me finish my coffee.” With a bit of fishing around, Aubrey pulled out a small stack of pictures and some adhesive putty.
“That’s not gonna damage my mirror, is it?” Belle’s sharp voice pierced Aubrey’s ears suddenly. She nearly jumped away in response.
“AH!” Aubrey shrieked.
“Oh my god, can you not?” Marleen growled.
“Sorry Marleen, that’s on me.” Belle giggled, “Seriously though, that stuff’s safe, right?”
“Yeah.” Aubrey responded after taking in a few deep breaths, “I used to use it all the time as a kid. Never damaged my walls or my mirrors.”
“That’s good to hear.” Belle smiled at her. Her eyes went to the pictures in her hand, “What’s that you got there?”
“Oh just…some pictures I wanted to have around.” Aubrey replied sheepishly. Pulling off a small amount of the putty, she carefully stuck the first picture to the top left corner of her mirror. It was a picture of her and Sunny at the local gardens; Aubrey was wearing a lovely pink sundress, ankle socks and a nice pair of black flats. Sunny was in a nice casual outfit with a dark blue polo shirt, black shorts, and sneakers. She had both of her arms wrapped around one of his, and his head rested on top of hers. It was lucky there was someone there willing to help her get a picture of the two of them.
“Oh how lovely.” Belle said, “The two of you look so adorable.”
“So wonderfully lovely dovey.” Carol grumbled, tightening the grip on her broom, “I’m just so happy for the two of you.”
“I’m sure you’ll find someone someday, Carol.” Belle chuckled. Aubrey started to put up the next picture, just next to the first one. It was of Sunny, on the couch in a light yellow short sleeved button up and white shorts. He was dozing peacefully, a book in his hand on the ground. More importantly, however, was the delightful Cinnabun also dozing peacefully stretched out on Sunny’s stomach, with Sunny’s other hand resting comfortably on the rabbit’s back having stopped mid stroke.
“You keep rabbits?” Marleen asked, raising an eyebrow at Aubrey.
“Yes?” Aubrey responded, a little perturbed, “You’re shocked by this?”
“A little.” Marleen scoffed slightly, “Didn’t think you had it in you to keep a small thing like that alive.”
“Ha. Ha.” Aubrey huffed back.
“Play nice, you two.” Belle chided gently. A bit more putty pulled and it was on to the third picture, just below the first two. This one had Aubrey in it as well, wearing a cute white blouse and floral print skirt, and a nice yellow ribbon in her hair. Her right hand held up a little peace sign, but underneath her left arm was not Sunny, but Kim. She was wearing a maroon polo half tucked into some black cargo pants with a dark pink and black flannel tied around the waist. Her face was twisted into a shy smile and she also held up a small peace sign with her right hand.
“A friend of yours?” Belle asked.
“Mhmm.” Aubrey nodded, “Her name’s Kim. She’s…one of my best friends actually.”
“You two seem close.” Belle gave Aubrey a knowing smile through the mirror. Aubrey looked away, feeling a small bit of heat in her cheeks. Anxiety gripped at her heart a little, knowing that photos four and five were likely to cause even more questions. She pressed on though, determined to have all the photos at her station. Up went number four, the photo Sunny took of Hailey and Aubrey right after they finished dying her hair. Both girls in their pajamas, more peace signs being held in the air. All of her coworkers seemed a little taken aback by the presence of the photo.
“Is that…little Miss Hailey?” Belle asked.
“In your apartment?” Carol continued, her voice a little more filled with concern.
“I know we said she was your mini me and all, but don’t you think that’s pushing it a little?” Marleen scoffed. Aubrey gave a heavy sigh.
“It’s not the only picture I have either.” She said, sticking up photo number five; the picture she’d taken of Hailey on stage at her recital. Satisfied with the tight placement of the photos, Aubrey smiled and put the putty back into her purse.
“Now Aubrey” Belle sighed, “I know I said that she looks up to you, and that she’s probably feeling neglected in her home life, but something like that…that might be a bit far, don’t you think?”
“I thought so, too, honestly.” Aubrey sighed, turning to face the three of them, “Especially when she just showed up at my door that night.”
“When was that?” Belle asked, her voice now also filled with concern.
“That day at the beginning of the month when Sunny brought me pizza.” Aubrey nodded, “She actually joined us for lunch, and then ended up trying to run away from home and managed to find our apartment.”
“My word.” Carol gasped, “Is she ok?”
“She’s fine now.” Aubrey sighed, “At first I was so freaked out. It was a step too far and I just couldn’t handle it. I tried to explain to her that I was just her hair stylist and nothing more, but then she showed me something…” Her voice trailed off as she took a deep breath.
“And that was?” Belle asked.
“It was a photograph of her family.” Aubrey sighed, “And as it turns out, you all ended up being right.”
“About what?” Marleen asked.
“She really is my mini me.” Aubrey said. Marleen nearly spat out her coffee, and Carol and Belle gave her the wildest looks.
“Wait, is she like some long lost baby you gave up?” Carol asked.
“I think Aubrey would know if she had a baby.” Belle gave Carol a look. She turned back to Aubrey, “Unless you’ve been lying to us this whole time.” Aubrey shook her head.
“She’s my sister.” Aubrey said firmly, “Well, half-sister to be more accurate; we share a father.”
“Wow.” Marleen scoffed, “And you didn’t know?”
“I haven’t been in contact with my father since he left.” Aubrey shook her head, “I had no idea until she showed me a picture of her family and there he was.”
“How did you take the news?” Belle asked, “I mean, I assume pretty well given the photos you have of her.”
“It was really shocking to hear at first.” Aubrey sighed, “Had we met much earlier, I think I would’ve handled it pretty poorly but…” she took a deep breath, placing a hand over her heart, “But when I saw how sad she looked, I was reminded of how badly I was hurt when our father left me; how alone I felt. I didn’t want her to suffer through that same feeling.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Belle smiled warmly.
“So, will we be seeing more of Hailey then?” Carol asked.
“I should warn you” Belle sighed, “Even if she’s family, she’s still gotta pay full price.”
“That won’t be something we have to worry about.” Aubrey sighed sadly, “They’re moving pretty far away.”
“Truly?” Belle’s eyes went wide with shock.
“Oh how heartbreaking.” Carol sighed.
“That sucks.” Marleen groaned.
“It does.” Aubrey nodded, “But, at the very least we each know about the other now, and I’ve got her phone number, too, so we’re still in communication.”
“Well, that’s a small silver lining, at the very least.” Belle nodded. The front doors opened and some small talk could be heard at the desk, “Alright ladies. Enough chatter, let’s get ready to work.”
“Can you take the first walk in?” Marleen looked over at Aubrey.
“Yeah, yeah.” Aubrey chuckled, “Go nurse your hangover.”
“Hmph. Thanks, Aubrey.” Marleen nodded, rising from her chair. She slowly shuffled towards the back room as Aubrey looked herself over the mirror again. A quick adjustment to her collar, some hair tucked behind her ear, and a bright smile, she was all ready for the day. She took a quick look up to her little collection of photos; moments with the people dearest to her heart. With a tender warmth spreading through her chest, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Little memories from every day, with the people who mattered most, those were the things that made life worth living. Content with her photo job, and the knowledge that they’d always be there for her, Aubrey was ready to face the day head on. She turned to the approaching customer and gave them the brightest smile she could muster.
“Welcome in! How can I help you today?”