Chapter Text
Chapter 1:
Winter Memories and Car Conversations
It was a good clear winter morning on my car trip back to faraway. It was a bit of a long trip from Closeby, about 2 hours by car, but it seems like the universe was wanting me to make the trip as much as I was. The roads were clear, the car ride was nice and cozy and of course the skies were looking like it would snow at any time.
Winter was always my favorite season just from watching the snow fall alone. Of course, there are a lot of different things to like about winter from getting out of school early to Christmas, but for me the snow will always be the most important aspect. Looking back, I have a lot of great memories of waking up early on the weekends and bugging Mari to get out of bed just to make some hot chocolate with our breakfast. She always more of a summer person which was clearly the wrong opinion to have saying that it was “too cold.” I tried so hard to convince her to change her mind about it even convincing Aubrey and Basil into joining me on my mission to convince her, but she never did. The closest that I ever got was that one time Hero and Kel came over early one morning and Kel—
“Hey Sunny” said a voice to my left while a soft nudge on my shoulder snapped me out of my reminiscing.
Looking over to the left, I see Hero looking over with concern.
“You ok man? I’ve been trying to get your attention for the past 15 minutes.”
Ouch, I thought to myself, I need to get better at not daydreaming.
“Yeah Hero, I’m good just thinking about stuff what did you need?”
The taller man replied with a happy look on his face “We are about 20 minutes from Faraway, are you excited to see everyone in person again?”
I stopped for a moment before answering with a bit of hesitation in my voice. “I’m ready for anything, but yeah I think I’m excited for this trip I should have came back sooner but.”
“You were worried about how Kel would react?” Hero said as if reading my thoughts.
“Yeah, I haven’t seen him at all since the hospital and I don’t know how he will react with how he did when I told you guys the truth.”
My confession on what really happened to Mari played out in a way that I never expected. While I can’t remember the exact details of how I told them I do quite vividly remember their reactions. Hero understandably broke down crying inconsolably and had to leave the room. Aubrey was arguably worse, she sunk down in to one of the chairs in Basil’s room a 1000-yard stare etched into her face. Kel, much to mine and everyone’s surprise took it the worst. Before I could even process everything after Aubrey sat down I felt a fist fly into my face knocking me to the ground. I looked up to see Kel with the most furious expression I have ever seen on him towering above me readying another fist. He hit me again, and then a third time before pulling up by the collar and forcing me to look him in the eye.
“You’re telling me that YOU and Basil are responsible for all of our suffering these past 4 years?” he angrily snarls at me. “I watched my brother sink into a husk of his former self for a fucking year, another one of our friends turn into a bully over a misunderstanding, and then come out of your own fucking room at the last possible moment before you leave and think you can fix your mistake before you just leave town just like that? Are you fucking serious!?” He throws me down to the ground and prepares another punch before a pink blur tackles him to the ground and holds him down, its Aubrey snapped out of her previous state.
“Hero, get Sunny back to his room so we can sort this out later once I get him under control.” Kel is now beginning to struggle and snarl in anger towards me as Aubrey strengthens her hold on him.
“On it come on Sunny, you don’t need to be in here right now.” I hear a voice behind me and a pair of arms lifting me up gently. I look up to see Hero still with some tears in his eyes and his face red. “Can you walk?” I nod at him “Good, let me know if you need a break or anything it doesn’t look like any of your wounds reopened but I will get a doctor to take a look just to be safe just do me a favor and don’t tell them someone punched you I will make up a story that’s believable for them.” I continue to nod, speechless of the events.
The rest of that day was a blur after hero got me back to my room, he left after the doctors examined me and didn’t come back until the next day when my mother arrived to check me out of the hospital to leave. I still can’t help but feel a bit scared whenever I think of the idea of seeing Kel again.
Quickly snapping out of the memory I continue my conversation with Hero.
“Are you sure that he is ok to see me again?”
“I promise Sunny, don’t tell him I told you this, but he tells me how much he regrets how he reacted whenever I talk to him on the phone. I think that is why he hasn't tried to reach out to you yet.”
“He does?”
“He really does, besides even if he wasn’t Aubrey and I have your back.” Hero says confidently
That was true ever since I moved away Hero has been trying hard to stay in contact with me and keep our friendship going despite the truth coming out. Going to the college that is in the city that I lives allows him to visit me constantly and it’s helped me a lot in my recovery. He does so much for me like helping me with getting caught up with school, planning a healthy diet, or going to the gym to get me back into shape after neglecting myself for so long. Even helping Aubrey reach out to me to rekindle our friendship about 6 months ago. In truth, out of all of our friend group I am closest to Hero now and I never questioned until now.
“Hey Hero?”
“What’s up Bud?” he says while staring at the road
“This is probably a weird question for me to ask now, why have you done so much for me since the hospital?”
We get off the Farwaway Interstate exit and stop at an intersection and he looks at me with a semi-confused expression.
“You’re asking me this now? After about a year and a half?”
“Well yeah I guess, don’t get me wrong I’m super grateful, but you should honestly be angrier than Kel was. I took my sister and your girlfriend from us in an avoidable accident.”
The light turns green and we start moving again and he was silent for a few minutes before he finally answers
“Sunny, there isn’t really a point in being angry at you for it, it was an accident after all.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah, I mean the news certainly hurt a lot and definitely shocked me you saw how everyone reacted for better or worse, but I can’t hurt you for it Mari would never forgive me and I can’t forgive myself if I continued to let you rot like you were. In fact, I’d be more mad if you just went back to being a shut in after that.” He continues after taking a sip of coffee from his thermos. “Plus seeing Kel react the way I did actually scared me. He’s the nicest guy I know and watching him get like that really put into perspective of controlling emotions at the right times. Part of being an adult is stepping up to hard moments and overcoming them and that’s something a lot of people don’t think about until they are in the moment. I went back home and really sat down to think on what to even do and I decided that I would be the best person that I could be for Mari, you and our friends and keep my promise to be there for you guys.” He somberly says his tone shifts a bit. “That being said I was way angrier in the moment at Basil for covering it up like that with you, like really did he really just jump to the jump rope that quickly? While you were obviously disassociated, he was traumatized too I get that but it made me so shocked I had to leave the room to go throw-up once I processed what you had said.”
“Thank you for explaining that to me it honestly makes me feel a bit better about seeing Kel again, I didn’t realize that you were that mad at basil though, Hero.” I say cautiously
“Oh I’m not anymore I promise, I talked things out with him around the same time Aubrey reconnected with you.”
“Really why didn’t you tell me?”
He looks at me sheepishly “I honestly was caught up with hanging out with you and schoolwork that I honestly forgot to tell you I’m sorry.”
“That’s something Kel would do, Hero you are slipping.
“Hey we are brothers after all so I think I’m allowed to do it once every now and again.” He says laughing
“I guess so, speaking of Kel besides him, who will be meeting us when we get to your place?”
“Just him and Aubrey, my parents took my Sally up to our grandparents and are staying at their house for a couple of weeks for the Holidays.”
“Basil isn’t going?”
“Nope, he’s taking Polly on a cruise as a Christmas present this year, but he did get something for everyone to make up for it.”
I look at Hero surprised at the newfound information that he gave me.
“I really do forget that Basil’s parents are loaded and just give him money to do that kind of stuff. Aubrey didn’t want to go?”
Hero replies with a quick shake of his head “Nope, says she felt a bit guilty for mooching off of Basil’s hospitality too much.” Aubrey has been living with Basil for almost a year now after he discovered her living conditions, he quickly got the authorities involved and had her move in with her in his grandmother’s former room. Hero’s face then quickly turns sly and adds “Besides I think she wants to see you way more than she would want to go on a trip with Basil.”
I felt my face begin to burn up intensely and Hero begins to laugh “You should see the look on you face right now Sunny, I wish I wasn’t driving so I could take a picture.” He is laughing so hard that he begins to wheeze a bit.
“Shut up Hero and focus on the road.” I snap at him quickly and turn away from him to hide my embarrassment.
“Awe does someone still have a little crush, that’s so cute.”
“I said shut it Hero.” I bury my face in my hands to further hide how red my face has most likely gotten at this point.
“Alright, Alright I’ll leave you alone for now about it.” He smugly says before continuing “Go ahead and get your stuff ready we will be there in about 2 minutes.”
I look out the window and sure enough I find myself in a familiar neighborhood. The houses looked just as I remember them with the only difference is the white snow and Christmas decorations that have yet to be taken down. Looking past Hero, I can see my childhood home as we slowly pass by it. The new owners have well been moved in and have adjusted it, but It will always have a place in my heart for both good and bad reasons. Finally we turn in to Kel and Hero’s Families’ home. Stopping the car, Hero looks over to me and says “Go ahead and grab your suit cast out the back seat and go inside ill grab the rest, I’m sure Kel and Aubrey are ready to see you again. I nod and step out of Hero’s car and grab my luggage from the back seat and begin to make my way to the front door. As I approach, my previous anxiety from meeting Kel resurfaces. Was he really wanting to see me or was Hero lying? I quickly shake the thought from my head I have full faith in Hero’s words and use them to help give me confidence to knock on the door, ready to see two people that I haven’t seen in about a year and half as I hear footsteps approaching the door.