Phytoremediation

It's awful out here, Socrates.

"More friends coming over? Sunny should've told me..." Magnolia, nonetheless, let whoever it was inside.

Rushed footsteps came and began wildly opening doors upstairs, similar to how Mikhael was.

The door swung open, and Angel's enthusiastic face appeared. His oversized smile somehow grew wider when he saw Mikhael.

"Master! You're here too!?! This is awesome!!" Angel exclaimed.

Less obtuse footsteps came from behind Angel. He stepped inside and to the side of the door, letting the remaining hooligans be seen in the doorway... except Charlie, who's head was obscured by the top of the doorway.

Aubrey stood at the front of the group. "Sunny, thank god you're alright." She seemed extremely relieved, but also trying to look tough for her friends.

Sunny fully turned around to face the new faces. A lot more people in his home at once than Sunny expected to ever have.

Aubrey's face instantly shifted from relief to pity. The others' faces shifted into many different expressions.

"Sunny... your eye..." Aubrey hugged Sunny, and cried, "Please tell me you can get it fixed again. I know they can fix it again."

"They... they can't, Aubrey." Sunny said with a rough voice, "They can't fix it..."

Aubrey looked like she wanted to scream. She pulled out of the hug, and put her hands on Sunny's shoulders.

"Hero will... Hero will pay for this. He's going to-"

Sunny interrupted her, "Don't. I deserve a lot worse. I killed Mari, this is the least I can do to pay for my mistakes."

Aubrey shouted, "Mari wouldn't want you to lose sight in an eye! Mari wouldn't want you to get a percussion, or whatever the fuck it's called!"

"Concussion..." Sunny muttered.

"What's wrong with his eye, I can't see his face." Charlie whispered to Vance.

"Look, I'm fine, Aubrey. It's... It's fine." Sunny began crying, but Aubrey couldn't see the tears falling behind his eyepatch.

"O-Okay. Okay Sunny." Aubrey said, trying to calm herself. She stood back up, and stepped back. This let her notice the sheet on the ground.

"What's that..?" Aubrey asked.

"Ah, Aubrey, I'm glad you noticed. You see, me, Basil, and Sunny were going to take down The Ruffians. We were outnumbered before, but now that all of you are here..!" Mikhael smiled excitedly.

"You were gonna make Sunny fight with one eye, after he just woke up in the hospital after being unconscious for two days?!" Kim asked incredulous.

Mikhael stayed silent for a moment, before answering Kim, "Well... now he doesn't need to fight! Because all of you are here!"

Kim hit herself in the face with exasperation. Angel excitedly spoke with immature wonder, "Sunny, did you like, lose your whole eye? Is it all empty under there? Like pirates have??"

Sunny silently lifted his eye patch. Angel seemed a bit disappointed by the eye still being there.

"Jeez dude, does it hurt?" Vance asked, a hint of concern in his voice blocked by a bigger intonation of disgust.

"Only sometimes." Sunny put the eyepatch back on, the tears absorbed by the patch now feeling cold from the open air.

"C'mon, I know where their hideout is, I studied them in secret while you were in the hospital, Sunny." Mikhael revealed.

That's an interesting way to spend your time...

The hooligans, Sunny, and Basil all headed outside, and Mikhael led them to where "The Ruffians" were hiding.

"Can't believe that bitch ripped off the name of our group and everything." Aubrey muttered in anger.

Sunny looked at Basil's face, seeing him seem a bit confused. Sunny realized Basil had only just entered the school Sunny used to attend in the middle of Grade 3. After Carrie had moved.

"Carrie was this super mean girl, and always was a jerk to Aubrey. She stole this one plushie from Aubrey, named Mr. Geanie or something, and never gave it back. The last I heard about her was... in Grade 6, Aubrey said she was sent a stink bomb in the mail by her." Sunny explained.

"Oh... I get it, I think." Basil seemed to still be a bit confused, but less than before.

Wish I knew more... maybe then it could explain their current rivalry...

Of course, Mikhael wasn't going to waste time explaining anything, and Aubrey just seemed... weirdly excited... in like, a murderous way.

Eventually Mikhael turned off the sidewalk, and towards a bridge in the park. They walked over it, and Mikhael showed a chainlink fence. One fence piece was completely missing, hidden behind a branch covered in pine needles.

"This stays hidden, even in the winter... pretty smart." Kim murmured to nobody in particular.

Behind the branch was a clearly visible clearing, some bikes and a scooter were visible on the ground inside.

"Alright guys, Operation: Roughhousing is a go." Mikhael made a vague gesture.

Nobody really knew what that was, so they just walked into the clearing.