Chapter Text
"I have something to tell you..."
Aubrey stares. Hero smiles sadly. Basil is still sleeping.
"Hey Sunny! What's up?" Kel asks.
Sunny took a deep breath, staring at the floor. "Mari didn't... kill herself." The room fell silent. He continued.
"It was the night of the performance a-and... I-I-I wasn't ready. I wasn't good enough. I told Mari that I didn't want to preform, and we got into an argument."
He took a shaky breath, "I threw my violin down the stairs. Mari got r-really upset. I tried to leave a-and to go back to my room but... she wouldn't let me. I pushed her a-and... she fell... d-down th-th-the stairs." He glanced up at everyone before continuing.
"Basil was there with me, I-I think he heard me yell. We both ran down the stairs a-and checked her pulse. She wasn't breathing. He looked at me then down at Mari and... p-put the pieces together. He was even more panicked than me. He grabbed some rope from the closet... and... and said we could stage it as a suicide. I-I know it was wrong. That I shouldn't have agreed. But at the time I... we thought it was the only option. So I dragged her to the backyard a-and Basil... t-t-tied her to it..."
He started to sob, "I-I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry..." He broke down in tears, falling to his knees. Kel was the first to approach him. He crouched down and put a hand on Sunny's shoulder.
"What the fuck." Aubrey whispered through her teeth. "What the FUCK!" She was shaking.
Voice breaking, Hero asked, "... why didn't you tell us...?"
"I-I-I-I d-don't... I was scared. So so scared..." He felt light-headed and the hospital lights seemed to buzz brighter.
Hero and Aubrey still kept their distance.
Kel laughed awkwardly, "b-better late than never..." He cleared his throat.
Aubrey takes a deep breath. "I... I'm sorry for yelling Sunny. I just... ugh. ...Hero said we should be there for each other so... we can't back down now, okay?"
The others nodded.
Basil slept soundly, unbeknownst of the spilled secrets. It was probably for the best.