"Again."
Sunny stretched his aching hands as Mari started the song again. She wanted the piece to be perfect for today for a particular reason. It wasn't because of the recital, that's still weeks away. It's because their mom was coming home and Mari wanted to put on a small performance to show how much they improved since she last heard them play.
Sunny was happy that his mom was coming home because he finally would have someone to defend him against his dad and Mari's unreasonable expectations. It also means that his punishment would be over and he could finally catch up on the CAPT. SPACEBOY cartoon. It also meant he had time to do his homework at night and did not have to worry about rushing to answer all the questions on the bus or in homeroom.
"Again."
Sunny blinked as Mari started the song again. Guess he played his part and messed up while he was lost in thought. He had gotten good at playing without paying attention, though it also meant he was more prone to making mistakes.
The hockey lessons were going great according to Omar, JJ, and Alec. He had gotten better at shooting, even though it felt like JJ was stopping everything coming from him. Faceoffs weren't as big of an issue as he once thought after winning a few from Alec. Skating was the least of his problems, he was faster than Alec and knew how to stop and change direction on a dime.
All that was left to do was work on his stick handling and passing. Alec and JJ said that they were able to get Rudy to help out. They said that he would help him with passing, deking past a defenseman, and zone entries. Sunny didn't know what that meant, but if it'll help him during the tryouts, he won't complain
Sunny felt his stomach churn when he thought about the tryouts. It was so bad that he was late for his part in the song.
"Sunny, pay attention!" Mari reprimanded him before starting the song over.
Sunny tried paying attention to the music and clearing his head but he couldn't. All of his thoughts kept leading back to the tryouts. Everyone who'll be on the ice will have played the game for years while he just started learning the basics a week ago. The odds of him making the team were extremely low.
He had to make the team to justify all the time Omar, JJ, Alec, and now Rudy wasted to make him a decent player. To show Aubrey she didn't support a loser and a failure. He had to make the team so that Mari wouldn't get angry about him lying to her and wasting time not practicing his violin. Just thinking about how upset she'll be made him nauseous.
Sunny heard his part coming up but couldn't find the strength to lift his bow as he was too busy thinking about how Mari would react if she found out the truth. She would yell and say a lot of mean things to him. She might even hit him and that thought alone terrified him to death. He could feel his lunch working its way up his body.
Too busy panicking, Sunny missed his cue, and Mari slammed her hands onto the piano keys. She glared at him and in his panic state, Sunny dropped his violin and rushed to the bathroom. He locked the door behind him and heard Mari order him to open the door as he slid to the floor. Mari pounded on the door and Sunny felt his stomach continue to disagree with him.
Not being able to take it anymore, Sunny slowly made his way over to the toilet and expelled the contents of his stomach into it. The pounding slowed as Sunny heard his sister's soothing voice behind it.
"Sunny? Is everything ok in there? Please unlock the door."
Sunny wanted to let his sister in but his mind kept showing him different scenarios of Mari coming into the bathroom and yelling at him. They were so bad they caused him to throw up again. Mari started to rapidly knock on the door as her worried voice filled his ears.
"Sunny, please! Open the door!"
Sunny tried to move away from the toilet but his stomach kept forcing him back. He wanted to call out to his sister but he was scared that when he opened his mouth more vomit would escape. He was stuck and there was nothing he could do.
Minutes passed and Mari remained adamant about getting him to open up. She kept pounding at the door and fiddled with the handle. She made multiple promises, some that he would've loved to accede to, but he couldn't respond.
Then the noises stopped.
Part of him was glad because all of the loud noises were giving him a headache, but he was also heartbroken by it. Mari gave up on him and abandoned him to stew in his mess. He couldn't blame her because he wasn't responding to anything that she said or did, but it still hurt that she left him alone. He didn't bother to hold back the tears.
His worst fear has come true, Mari stopped loving him. She finally came to terms that he was nothing but a failure that couldn't play a simple song correctly. She probably also found out about his lie and is just waiting to tell Dad so he could kick him out. It's what failures like him deserve.
"Sunny?" A new voice filled his ears. It sounded familiar but it might be Mari playing a trick on him. She's trying to get him to open up so she can throw him to the curb as soon as possible. "It's Mommy. Please open up. Mari is really worried about you."
No, that couldn't be possible, she was supposed to be back around dinner and he just had lunch. He didn't move, didn't speak, he didn't even breathe. He wasn't about to be tricked into letting a demon in.
Minutes passed and his "Mom" kept trying to get him to open up. She told him about the steak she brought home for dinner, but he wouldn't be fooled. He then heard the muffled sounds of his "Mom's" voice talking to someone. He didn't understand what they were saying, but he did recognize the sound of the bathroom door being unlocked.
The next few minutes went by in a blur. He didn't remember much of what happened but he did remember the door swinging open and being swarmed by two shadow figures. They took off his clothes and tried to force him into the bath, probably trying to scare him after Mari told them about his fear of water. After trying to drown him for a few minutes they covered him in some kind of binding clothes before stuffing him in his bed.
He looked around his room and noticed how dark it was. It was pitch black outside, a complete contrast from what it was when he ran to the bathroom. He also noticed that he was in his pajamas and he also smelled like flowers. He didn't know when that happened.
The sound of footsteps filled the room and Sunny quickly hid under his sheets. The door opened and he peered out from his sheets to see one of the shadow figures from earlier standing in the doorway. He shot back under his sheets, but he wasn't fast enough to stop the figure from noticing him.
"SXXXy?"
Their voice sounded static, only able to make out a few syllables. He could only assume they were trying to talk to him. He didn't know what they wanted from him but he could only believe that Mari sent them.
"SuXXy."
It was obvious they were saying his name, Mari must've told them. He didn't understand why she hated him so much that she had to send shadow monsters to torment him. Was it because of his playing? If it was then he promised to improve every day, even if his fingers bleed if it meant that he wouldn't be tormented by these creatures.
"Sunny!"
Their voice sounded familiar. Gathering his courage, Sunny peered his head out of his sheets. The shadow creature was still there, but he was able to see some color on their face. Soon, the shadows disappeared and were replaced by his mom's gentle smile and worried look.
"Sunny, are you ok? You look like you saw a ghost."
He was speechless. All sorts of emotions were coursing through him, but he felt relief above everything else. Not knowing what to do, Sunny did the only thing that felt right at the moment and wrapped his mother in a big hug. She reciprocated it by lovingly rubbing his back.
"I missed you too sweetie," his mom broke away from his hug and gave him a stern but also worried look. "Now, tell me what happened. Mari told me you locked yourself in the bathroom for hours and when we finally managed to unlock the door you were covered in vomit. You even tried to fight us when we were putting you in the tub."
"I-I'm s-sorry…"
"It's fine, sweetie, we're just worried about you," his mom placed a hand on his forehead and sighed. "You don't have a fever, but I'm not gonna let you go to school tomorrow."
"B-But…" Sunny's mom placed a finger on his lips.
"I know you want to see your friends, but I don't want you to get sick again."
He wasn't upset about missing school, he was upset that he wouldn't be able to attend hockey training. He was already behind everyone, he couldn't afford to miss a day. Sunny pouted but he knew better than to argue with his mom.
"Hey, look on the bright side. You get to watch tv all day and not have to worry about schoolwork. Plus, if you're feeling better by dinner tomorrow, I'll heat up the steak I bought for you."
That was enough to make him feel better. He beamed as he hugged his mom again. She laughed as she broke away from the hug, ruffled his hair, and walked to the door.
"Alright, get some sleep. I'll leave a nightlight in the bathroom just in case you have an upset stomach in the middle of the night."
His mom left and he lay his head on his pillow. He was upset that he couldn't train tomorrow, but he was excited about the steak that was waiting for him.
There are a lot of pros and cons to sick days. The pros: no school or work, you get to relax in your pajamas all day, and you get to watch the shows that you miss when you're at school. The cons: no friends to play with, your parents prevent you from eating certain foods and limit the amount that you can eat, and the day always seems to drag on forever. Plus, you're also sick and that's never fun.
Sunny wasn't sick and his stomach was feeling a lot better since waking up, but that didn't stop his mom from keeping him on the couch with a trashcan in front of him. Breakfast was two bland pieces of toast and a glass of water to not upset his stomach. He tried to convince his mom to let him eat some cereal but she told him the brands they have had too much sugar in them and that he'd get sick. To say that he had a light breakfast would be an understatement.
There was also nothing good on tv. The cartoons that were on were reruns of shows he's seen hundreds of times and there were no game shows on at the moment. He could play some video games but without anyone to play with they get boring fast.
Sunny accepted that today was going to be long and boring.
Sunny stretched his arms and legs while laying on the couch as he waited for something to happen. Luckily something did as his mom came into the room dressed as if she was going somewhere.
"OK, Sunny, I'm off to help out at the church."
Sunny gave her a nonchalant thumbs up while keeping his eyes glued to the tv. His mom must've known he was bored because she appeared to have an idea.
"How about you come with me," his mom suggested and Sunny had a puzzled yet intrigued look. "Yeah, you'll get some fresh air and I don't have to worry about you getting sick when I'm not around. What do you say?"
Sunny weighed his options. Going out did sound a lot better than being trapped inside with nothing to do. He would also have an excuse for Mari about why he didn't practice his violin. It sounded like a great idea, but the couch felt really comfortable and he would get really bored at church with nothing to entertain him.
After thinking about it for a few seconds, Sunny dressed in warm clothes and followed his mom out the door. The walk to the church was both long and short. It was short because their house wasn't that far from the church, but it took them a while to get there because his mom stopped to talk with everyone she knew.
They reached the church and were met outside by the preacher.
"Hello, Izzy, I'm so glad you volunteered. And it looks like you brought Sunny along too. Is he going to help out as well?"
"I don't know how much help he'll be, Phil. He was sick last night and I brought him along because I didn't want him to be alone all day," his mom answered. The preacher smiled before leading the two inside.
"It's fine, we're just organizing clothes today so you don't have to worry about him lifting anything heavy," the preacher said. He led them to a door in the back and opened it to reveal a set of stairs. "The others are already here. I'll join you in a few minutes after our final volunteer shows up."
The two thanked him before going down the steps. When they reached the bottom, Sunny recognized the two women that were working. One of them was Basil's grandma and the other was Mrs. Baker from Othermart.
"I'm here, girls, and I brought Sunny along," his mother announced and the two acknowledged their presence.
"It's good to see you, Iz," Mrs. Baker greeted his mom while Basil's grandma pinched his cheeks, something she does to him and his friends whenever she sees them.
"Aw, look at how tall you've grown, Sunny," she cooed. She then handed him a piece of taffy. "Here's a little treat for you."
Sunny thanked her before pocketing the candy. He knows his mom wouldn't want him to have anything sweet right now. He was quick to join his mom at the table. She had him pack the clothes she folded in a box while the other two women separate and organize the clothes.
As he was working, Sunny listened in on his mom's conversation to pass the time.
"So, Olivia, where's your husband? I thought he would've been here today."
"He wanted to be, but since the kids are at school he had to look over the bakery."
"And how are your kids?" His mom asked and Mrs. Baker sighed.
"The twins are fine, but Mikhael has started his rebellious phase. It seems like me and Antonio are getting a call from his teachers every day. I just wish there was something we could do to make him behave."
"Sounds like you need to get him a hobby," Basil's grandma chimed in.
"What do you mean, Eleanor?"
"Find something for him to do that'll keep him busy."
"But we already tried getting him into baking but that only made him rebel even more," Mrs. Baker said and Basil's grandma shook her head.
"It has to be something he enjoys. Basil really loves gardening and he doesn't get in trouble."
"And Sunny and Mari love playing their instruments," Sunny's mom added, and Sunny cringed. When he first got his violin he loved playing it and playing with Mari, but when Mari signed them up for the recital his love for the instrument diminished. He wouldn't care if he never had to play the wretched thing again after the recital.
"But that's the problem, he doesn't do anything! He just stays in his room all day and doesn't help out around the bakery or the house," Mrs. Baker said while shaking her head. "And what's worse is that I hear him talking to himself in his room and acting like he's some kind of chick magnet."
"W-Why don't you try t-talking to him a-and see what h-he l-likes," Sunny suggested and all the women turned to him, making him regret opening his mouth. Mrs. Baker looked like she thought over what he said before nodding.
"You know, that's a good idea. Thanks, Sunny."
Sunny blushed as he dove headfirst into his work. The women laughed as they all went back to work. They all continued to have small conversations and Sunny made sure to keep his mouth shut even though they wanted his two cents on specific topics. They finished their work shortly after they stopped trying to include him in their conversations.
They praised and thanked him for his hard work as they all snacked on the food the preacher left out for them. As they ate, they wondered how they were going to get the boxes out of the basement. There were a lot of them and no doubt they were heavy.
"It's a good thing we have a big strong man to help us ladies," Basil's grandma proclaimed and Sunny felt an enormous amount of pride swell within him. He stretched his arms with the full intention of lifting all the boxes by himself but his mom stopped him.
"Oh no, I'm not gonna let you do all the work. Especially after you got sick last night," his mom then turned to the others and waved them over. "Come on, girls, let's help him out."
The women walked over to help Sunny, but before they started they heard the basement door open and saw the preacher walking down the steps. He was followed by a tall man that made Sunny catch his breath.
"Sorry for taking too long. Harper couldn't make it, but her husband was kind enough to come and help out," the preacher moved aside to allow the man to step forward.
"Hello, I'm Omar and I'm glad I could be of service," he introduced himself and Basil's grandma was the first to step up and shake his hand.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Eleanor, that's Olivia, and that's Izzy and her son Sunny," she introduced everyone and Omar went around shaking their hands.
"It's great to meet all of you, but I must say I am surprised to see Sunny here. Shouldn't he be in school?"
"He got sick last night and I decided to bring him along so he wasn't cooped up in the house all day," his mom answered and Omar sympathetically nodded.
"Ok, I can tell the boys that he won't be able to make it today. I'm sure they'll be fine with a normal skate around," Omar said, causing Sunny's mom to raise an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about?"
"His hockey training and I gotta say with the way he's progressing I have faith he'll make the team," he told her and she turned to Sunny with a stern look.
"And when were you gonna tell me about this, Sunny?"
"U-Uh…" Sunny started to panic. He looked around for any possible escape route but came up empty. He shrank under her gaze and gave her his best puppy dog eyes and begged for her forgiveness. "Y-You weren't a-around w-when I st-started my t-training. I w-was g-going to t-tell you i-if I m-made the t-team."
"So you were just going to keep it a secret?"
"Y-Yes… Please d-don't be m-mad," Sunny pleaded. He waited for his mom to drag him out of the room to yell at him, but she never did. He studied her face and instead of anger, she looked content.
"I'm not mad. I don't mind if you want to try out for a sport, I just want you to tell me, ok," she told him, and Sunny nodded. She then turned to Omar. "So, is there anything else I need to know or get?"
"Tryouts are this Friday and I gave him some of my son's old equipment. I can give you a list of things that you need to get him and anything else that you would need to know," he answered, and Mrs. Baker appeared intrigued.
"Do any of your players cause any problems off the ice?"
"I do get some calls from parents and schools sometimes, but it's rare. Usually, because of the threat of them not being able to play, but I believe hockey gives them an outlet to release any pent-up stress and emotions they're feeling," Omar answered, and Mrs. Baker hummed.
"Could you also give me a list of stuff that I need to get for my son?"
"Sure, and if Sunny doesn't mind, he can join us for some training if he wants," Omar offered. The two looked over at Sunny and he gave them a thumbs up.
The preacher clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.
"OK, let's get to moving these boxes. Ladies, you can leave if you want. I'm sure Omar and I can handle this."
"We would love to stay and help, but I should get Sunny home. Don't want to overwork him and cause him to get sick again," Sunny's mom said as she took her son's hand. Basil's grandma also took the chance to leave, but Mrs. Baker stayed to help.
Before they left, Omar gave his mom a list of everything that she needed to know. She read it over as they walked back home.
"So, hockey, I can't say I'm too surprised, you were always a great skater."
"I-I'm sorry for not t-telling y-you," Sunny apologized again, but his mom brushed it off.
"It's fine, sweetie. Just tell me next time."
"O-OK, b-but c-can you p-promise not to tell d-dad or M-Mari. I don't w-want them to think I-I'm n-not taking the r-recital p-practices s-seriously," he pleaded and his mom nodded.
"Sure, but you will tell them when the recital is over. Deal?" Sunny nodded and his mom ruffled his hair. "How about I go and heat up some of the steak for lunch? I did buy a big one just for you."
Sunny silently cheered and couldn't wait to get home. Not only did he have his mom's support, but he also had a delicious lunch waiting for him at home.