Aubrey was sick of all this bullshit.

A lot has happened in the last few days, ever since Sunny suddenly showed up since god knows when she last saw him...probably three or four years. Now he's going to move away after ending up in the hospital with Basil. What the fuck? She couldn't even process what happened last night. The commotion was...something. She couldn't describe it with all the shock she felt.

Aubrey and Kel awoke to someone screaming and caught up to Hero who was already running ahead of them. She noticed the empty quilt next to Hero's and the first thing that came to her mind was the whereabouts of its user.

Where is Sunny?

She got her answer soon enough, after they barged open the door to Basil's room.

The moon illuminated Basil's figure on the ground as he knelt over something. It was too dark to see, but she could make out another figure lying underneath him, unmoving. Something dark was pooling around it too. Dread came over her as several thoughts flashed through her mind, asking who that was and hoping it was not whom she thought was lifelessly lying down there.

Hero turned the lights on. It was that moment that the fear in Aubrey worsened as they bore their eyes on the scene in front of them for what felt like an eternity.

There Basil was, shaking and breathing erratically while his eyes were locked down on Sunny who was...

He was...not moving at all. Aubrey's sight followed Basil's arm, which ended with gardening shears splattered with blood, just inches above Sunny's head. She couldn't recognize his mangled face with the amount of blood flowing out from his eye and pooling around his head.

"Sunny…?"

An agonizing scream jolted her and in a flash she saw Basil with his arms overhead, shears in his hands. Before he could swing it down to himself, Kel rushed in and slapped the weapon out of his hand. The shears landed with a thud and slid on the wooden floor as he pinned Basil down to keep him from moving. Hero and Polly ran to tend to Sunny, while Aubrey just stood by the doorframe. She couldn't move, only watching in shock as the scene unfolded. Even if she tried to look away, her eyes kept locking on the motionless sixteen year old on the ground.

Is Sunny…?

The thought didn't finish when Hero yelled something, but his words didn't register in her mind.

"...brey! Kel! Call for…..bulance! Now!"

"Aubrey?"

A tap on her shoulder put her out of trance.

"Hey Aubrey, you okay?"

It was Hero. She saw the look of worry on both his and Kel's face.

"Huh?" She blurted. "Oh, yeah. I was just thinking about last night."

"Man, I had no idea Basil had it this bad," Kel spoke, his brows furrowed as he glanced at the unconscious boy in his hospital bed. "Should've seen it when he left for the bathroom the other day."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "Of course you don't. You're a dumbass."

"Hey! You didn't have to say it like that."

"Settle down, you two." Hero intervened between them, lightly pushing them both away from each other. "I know a lot has happened today, but let's keep it down. For both Sunny and Basil."

"...Okay."

Aubrey just scoffed, then began to walk toward the door. "Whatever. I need some air."

She ignored the brothers calling for her as the door shut quietly behind her.

The hallways were eerily empty. Aubrey could hear the reverb of her steps as she walked. She really needed some fresh air, but she couldn't bother going all the way down just for that. She wanted some peace and quiet, somewhere people don't usually go to.

The rooftop.

Her eyes scanned the ceilings for signs of the fire exit; that's usually the most convenient way to get to the roof.

Something caught her eye and she stopped in her tracks. There was a trail of red drops leading all the way toward the fire exit. Where did it come from? Her eyes followed the trail opposite of the way to where she wanted to go, and she found herself at Sunny's room.

What the…

Whatever this is, it concerned Sunny. She tried to knock at the door.

"Hey Sunny? It's me, Aubrey."

No response. She opened the door and entered the room...only to find it empty.

The trail of blood started from the unattached needle that hung from the IV stand.

Aubrey quickly followed the trail that led to the roof. Wherever Sunny was, this should lead her to him. She ran up the stairs, skipping a step or two whenever she could.

She opened the door. The light from outside blinded her temporarily, but a moment of readjustment allowed her to see the roof. She spotted someone standing on the ledge of the roof, where the railing had fallen-a small, pale figure with black hair, in a hospital gown and facing away from her. They had bandages wrapped around their head, like someone she knew-the trail of blood led to them.

"Sunny?"

Aubrey wasn't sure if her voice was loud enough, because there came no response from him. He was just standing still, dangerously on the ledge, the wind swaying him easily as if a strong gust would make him fall. Clearing her throat, she tried again.

"Sunny? What...are you doing over there?" She took quiet steps forward, as if making a noise would make him do something horrific. "You...shouldn't be up here."

Now he turned his head to her.

Aubrey made contact with Sunny's lifeless gaze.

She saw movement. She saw him lift his foot over the ledge and tilt downward. It was in that instant that she sprinted toward him as fast as she could. She raced to close the distance between them-her hand landed on the railing with a loud clang as she grabbed his wrist before he fell further. She pulled him back with all her adrenaline strength and slammed onto the ground with him atop her. Unconsciously she had her arms wrapped tightly around him as she gasped for a breath. Her heart was racing. It happened all too quickly. She needed a moment to breathe.

Aubrey kept still as she tried to pace her breath, her embrace getting tighter by the second as if letting go would make Sunny disappear. She didn't even care if she was hurting him right now. The boy himself was nearly weightless, just limp in her arms.

She nearly missed.

She nearly missed.

She nearly missed grabbing him.

The thought rolled in her mind like a broken record. She nearly missed. A second late and he would've fallen to his death. He would've died while she was just there, helplessly watching it all unfold. She would've been the sole witness, and no one would be around to help her.

She was...really glad she made it on time.

She barely registered the sound of the door opening.

"Hey, Aubrey...have you seen Sunny?"

She turned her head around to meet Kel, who looked out of breath as well.

"I found a red trail that came from his room and it led to here, so I thought he'd be..." He stopped, now eyeing their position and spotting whom he was looking for. "...Oh, there he is. Why are you guys like that? Did something happen?"

"Kel," Aubrey voiced, still heaving, "Call someone….anyone...please."

"Huh? Why-"

"He was about to jump off!" Her voice nearly cracked as she yelled. She could feel the tears in her eyes as her throat tightened. Kel was instantly silenced. "Just-call for help!"

He nodded and hastily ran back inside. Aubrey turned back to Sunny, who was still limp and silent, as if he wasn't alive.

Just like last night.

She loosened her embrace and brought Sunny to sit upright with her before grabbing him tightly on the shoulders.

She was livid. She wanted to shake him, yell all sorts of things at him, ask him what the fuck that was or why he did that, but no. She can't do that. She had to check on him first. She stared at him, but he just looked through her. The look in his eye had a dark void. Empty. Lifeless. She took a breath.

"Sunny."

No response. She continued.

"Sunny. Are you...okay?"

Still no response. She inhaled once more and prepared to speak, but then she heard him.

"...better off dead."

That was his voice, hoarse from being unused. Aubrey realized she hadn't heard him at all in the last four years. His voice sounded deeper, but it still had the meekness from when he was younger. But she barely heard what he said. She wasn't sure if she heard him right or if his voice was too quiet.

"Huh? What...do you mean?"

Silence for a few moments.

"...it's...all my fault."

"Is...this about last night?"

Sunny looked away. Aubrey saw this as a way to continue. "Hey, it's okay. I don't know what happened between you and Basil, but neither of you are at fault."

"...but we are. mine...especially. basil...just happened to be there."

Something told her this wasn't about last night's incident. "What...are you talking about…?" She asked hesitantly. It feels like something bigger is involved than just last night.

"...mari."

Something in her clicked. Just now she fully realized the weight of how much Mari's death affected him too. Of course he's badly affected. She was his sister . She was someone he grew up with since birth. She was someone whom he shared a room with. She was his first best friend. She was his loving, older sibling.

Now she's gone. And he's all alone.

Aubrey didn't know how it felt to have a sibling, but losing Mari felt like losing the older sister that she never had. If it was painful to her, she can't even imagine how Sunny felt when it happened. Her voice softened as she tried to console him.

"Sunny. It's not your fault."

"...it was. i…was the reason she…"

"No, it's not. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault."

Aubrey hoped she sounded stern enough for him to understand. Sunny can get too fucking stubborn sometimes. But he spoke again. This time his voice was more hushed than earlier.

"...i don't deserve to live."

His words ran a chill down her spine. Something in her snapped as she stared at him intently. He wasn't even looking at her anymore.

"Sunny…"

She tackled him with an embrace.

"Don't you dare fucking say that. You deserve to live," She tried to speak firmly, but her tough exterior was beginning to break down as her voice cracked. Even cursing didn't sound that strong anymore. "It's not your fault."

She repeated her words, over and over. Tears threatened to spill and her throat tightened. Her face was probably flushed by now, but she had to hold it in, for him. Now he became silent.

Aubrey felt him give in to her hold. Something felt odd about it, but she paid no mind to it. Right now, she had to be there for him.

"I'm...sorry I wasn't there, when you needed someone the most." She tried to regain her composure as she spoke. "But...Hero, Kel, Basil, and I...we're here now. I'm here now. I'm not abandoning you again."

She heard his shaky breath when he sighed, but he was still quiet. It's okay. He doesn't need to say anything. Though before she broke off from the embrace, he spoke once more.

"...i'm sorry."

His voice was barely a whisper. Aubrey shuddered for a moment. The way he said it rubbed on her the wrong way. She hoped she was just overthinking. A little hesitant, she broke off from the embrace and made eye contact again.

Still devoid of life. But upon closer inspection, she could see a small spark of life within that darkness.

The door barged open just in time and through came Hero, Kel, Sunny's mother, and some of the hospital staff. His mother was the first to rush forward and hug him after Aubrey helped him up. She didn't bother to listen to what his mother was saying as she cried to him out of relief; her focus was still on her friend. She felt like keeping an eye on him just in case.

She spotted him making eye contact with her for a brief moment, before he looked away. She watched as he was led back downstairs, presumably back to his room. The look in his eye burned into her mind. His lifeless, hollow eye bore into hers for a moment. It felt off. Something was really wrong. She knew this was far from resolved.

But right now, she needed a break after that stressful turmoil. She walked away from the door and toward the railing, carefully eyeing the spot Sunny had nearly jumped off from. Someone needs to fix that. Hero and Kel stood behind her.

"Aubrey," She heard Hero call her. "Did Sunny...say anything to you?"

She turned a bit, but not enough to face them. She sighed. "He did. He kept...blaming himself over Mari."

"But...no one's at fault with that," Kel said. "Why would he?"

"Exactly, he shouldn't be blaming herself for her death." For once, she actually agreed with Kel. She turned around and faced them. "Though...did you see how he looks? He looked...miserable." Miserable didn't feel like the right word, but she couldn't find the right term for it. She couldn't exactly describe it right now, but it was something worse. Lost. Empty. Hopeless. Lifeless.

"I saw it too, when he looked at us," Kel added, "I hope he gets better soon." He sounded oddly pessimistic.

They all knew it wouldn't be that easy.

Hero stepped forward to look over the ledge before retreating almost immediately. "We have to be there for him, now more than ever. We almost lost Basil...we can't...lose him too."

Like we lost Mari.

The thought went unspoken. Aubrey saw him falter. She knew Mari was special to him, probably even more than she is to everyone. With Sunny being the closest connection to Mari, losing him would feel like four years ago all over again. The trio kept silent as the wind blew across the roof. Hero was the first to break the silence.

"Hey Aubrey, how are you feeling? You okay?" Worry showed on his face, like the older, responsible sibling he had always been to their little friend group.

"Yeah, you were the one who found him and all. You good?" Kel followed.

She sighed.

"Honestly? No. I was about to go up here for some fresh air, only to find a trail that led to Sunny and found him about to jump off." She turned around once more and leaned on the railing. She looked down the roof. It was so high up. People on the ground looked like ants in the distance. The view was almost nauseating. She doesn't think she can handle going off at this height.

Now she wondered what was going on in Sunny's mind, attempting this...without any warning. Even Basil almost did it too, last night. She felt sick. Sick that she wasn't there when they were going through this alone, sick that she just fooled around with her gang and focused on trying to get peace for herself, pushing away her old friends when they needed each other the most. It was a mistake, and she knew that. She already told that to them the other day, and again to Sunny. But she repeated it to herself: she vowed not to do that again.

"Give me a fucking break," She muttered to no one in particular.

"Well, at least you found him on time," Hero added, trying to sound optimistic. "That must've been...really horrible."

"It was. God, it felt like...the worst fucking race I've ever been in. It sucked." She buried her face into her hands. When she closed her eyes, her mind relieved the scene when she saw Sunny about to jump. Over and over. She sharply opened her eyes and stared at the horizon. She could feel a headache coming.

She felt a pat on her back coming from Hero and saw Kel sporting a melancholic smile. It's been a rough day, and it's not even the afternoon yet. Their actions were reassuring enough for her. She sighed and pressed her weight on the railing. She felt like swearing a little more, but she was exhausted. In the corner of her eyes she saw the brothers walking over to her sides, Kel leaning on the railing like she did. Hero just placed a hand on the bar and faced away from the open air.

Silence.

Aubrey took it all in. She listened to the wind blowing gently across the roof, accompanied by the noise made from the ventilator fans. It felt kind of peaceful. She liked it. A few minutes of this peace would be great.

"We...should head back soon," Hero said, now moving off the ledge. "We just left Basil on his own...he might be awake by now."

"I'm gonna go check on Sunny," Kel added as he followed his brother. They both turned back to her. "You coming, Aubrey?"

She waved a hand. "I'll catch up. I just...need some more air."

"Alright, take your time."

She watched as the brothers head back inside. Now she glanced upward and stared at the sky. The sun was up; it wasn't that cloudy. Now she was really alone, like she originally wanted. She needed this solitude. Sighing, she slid down the railing and sat, letting herself bask in the sunlight. She stayed there for a while.

This is going to be a long day.

A/N: no solid plan of continuing this story, sorry