Forgive or die trying

Quiet

Four years. It had been four years since Mari's death. Basil has not left his house since the day it happened. Hero left town the day after, saying he couldn't handle the way it felt anymore. Sunny shut down for a short while, but after Kel's constant pestering had seemed to move on. But there was one who couldn't move past it. One who knew that everything was a big fat lie. Aubrey.

She had seen the look of pure malice on his face that day. She watched as he dragged her limp body to the lone tree that stood tall in their backyard. She watched the precision with which he wrapped the bright blue jumprope around her pale neck. She saw the way his face went emotionless as he stared at her swaying corpse. He told everyone he had found her that way, but Aubrey knew it was a lie. And yet, she had no one to confide in.

Contacting Hero was impossible and Basil was so heartbroken by the loss of his, at the time, only mother figure that he had cut himself off from the outside world. The only way she knew he was still alive was Polly occasionally leaving and re entering the house. She tried to stay friends with Kel, but him having Sunny around all the time made her antsy and he eventually noticed something was off. She learnt quick that he cared about Sunny more than her, his screaming words that she was a liar and heartless for telling the truth forever rang in her head. The poor girl had no one.

Once Sunny realized she saw what happened, the rumors began. Some said she was just a liar, while others went as far as to say she's the reason Mari hung herself. It was only a matter of time until her drunk asshole of a mother stumbled out of her life the same way her dad did. She sighed as she lay in her bed, the house was definitely cleaner and quieter without her mom around, but she wouldn't deny she missed her. The only thing that kept her going were her new friends.

The hooligans, as they called themselves. A group of once playful pranksters that took her in as their own, she adored them and hoped they felt the same about her. There was Charlie, the quiet and calm one who often had to act as their voice of reason, Vance, the oldest of the group but far from the most mature, Kim, Vance's younger sister and co leader alongside Aubrey, Angel, the youngest and by far most hyper and exciteable, and The Maverick, the most outwardly 'bizarre' of them and Angel's idol in a sense. She let out a small laugh remembering Angel trying to copy the moves in one of The Maverick's favorite shows once and falling over, but still being applauded for his effort by his mentor. She had joined them roughly two years ago at this point and, much to the surprise of everyone around her, had completely changed in that time.

Physically she was not only much more strong than before, but also kept the deal she made with Mari before her passing and dyed her hair a bright bubblegum pink (don't tell anyone, but Kim dyes it for her. She's too afraid to miss sections of hair and gets very frustrated when she can't reach certain sections so she's been banned from doing it herself). She had gained a number of facial piercings, including a bridge piercing done by Vance himself which he was very proud of and which she fidgets with subconsciously all the time and snake bites on her lips that matched with the single lip ring The Maverick had. All that doesn't even mention the giant scar down her face from when she first tried to make Kel see what truly happened that fateful day. Her hand subconsciously reached to it, her index finger running along the jagged cut. Who knew a weak looking kid like Sunny could do so much damage? Whatever, she didn't care. It made people avoid her and look at her as dangerous, and that was good enough for her. Sure she may have lost her eyesight in her right eye, but she adapted over the four years.

Yes, the girl had mentally changed rather drastically as well, becoming dangerous. The Hooligans, who were once regarded as nothing more than a group of prank playing children, were nothing if not fiercely battle ready. Once Aubrey joined the group, she decided fuck it. These people in faraway thought so little of her already, how much lower could it possibly get? And so the 'reign of terror' so to speak began. It turns out when you have a nail bat and an inability to allow yourself to back down from a fight, people learn really quickly to shut the fuck up about things.

Soon she wasn't the only one in the group fighting, they became exactly what people said Aubrey was. Delinquents. Their bruise covered faces and blood coated weapons made anyone near them shudder in fear and their silent, judging gazes warned those who dared to open their mouths to keep quiet.

Aubrey did occasionally find herself missing her old friends, but after what Sunny did she could never find herself to go back to them. This group didn't ignore Mari's existence, naming her as their true leader. They accepted Aubrey's grief and she accepted theirs. They were her family, and she'd do anything to protect her family. But as she stared at her bedroom walls, she knew there was one thing she could not fight. Headspace. The only place Mari could speak to her, and the place that fuels her never ending want to gain vengeance against Sunny. Not even the Hooligans knew about Headspace, and she wished to keep it that way