Basil's Hope

Far Away

What is bothering you? Sunny texted, to Basil's disbelief. He wasn't sure exactly he wanted his ex-best friend to say, but it wasn't that.

Not checking up on me, for one, Basil texted back, not caring so much if he sounded rude. You're better than that, he texted soon after. At least he hoped he was better than that.

Sunny took a moment to reply. While he waited, Basil splashed water in his face and went to his room. Polly smiled at him on the way but he ignored her.

Back in his room, Basil noticed the sun setting. He changed into his pyjamas, which were green with flowers along the sleeves. They were warm and comforting.

The phone on his bed buzzed and Basil rushed to check it. I shouldn't get my hopes up, he thought. Remember how poorly he treated you, he reminded himself.

I couldn't bring myself to message you. I felt too guilty. That's the truth.

Basil was stunned, and also quite hurt. He had barely enough energy to get worked up again. He frowned slightly, plopping himself on his bed. He put his phone face-down and put his face in his hands.

Was Sunny feeling guilty for telling their friends about what Basil had done? Maybe he's not so bad, after all, Basil thought. But he still abandoned me, and hurt my friendships without consulting me.

He bounced ideas back and forth in his mind, trying to decide what to say to Sunny and whether or not he deserved any ounce of forgiveness. For a brief moment he remembered his dream at school that day. Basil almost kissed Sunny. He ruined my life, he concluded.

By the time Basil checked his phone, it was already late. Sunny was probably asleep. But Basil wanted to answer so it wouldn't linger in the depths of his mind.

We should meet up, he found himself texting to his own dismay.

I can visit next weekend, Sunny replied, almost instantly. Do you have an extra bed? he asked soon after.

Basil felt a strange feeling in his stomach. Excitement? Fear? Hatred? Love? He couldn't tell. But either way, he replied, Sure.

He sighed. It would be a lot easier to settle things if Sunny was in Faraway Town. Since he moved away a month ago, things have been hard for Basil. First his grandma died, then he was in the hospital, then Sunny confessed to them committing Mari's mock-suicide. Although he no longer carried the burden of their crime, his life was still in shambles.

As he settled into bed, he thought again about that dream with Sunny. He remembered how beautiful his eyes looked in the sunlight, and how soft his hand was as he held it. It reminded him of back when things seemed okay. Before the incident.

Basil found himself dreaming of Sunny all night. He dreamed about the picnics they used to have, but this time, they were alone. Pinwheels spun around them, and the flowers swayed in the wind. The air smelled of forest, and there was something else. As he leaned forward to get a better whiff, he realized embarrassingly that the smell was Sunny. He shuffled closer, hoping he wouldn't notice.

Sunny was focussed on a flower in his hands. It looked a lot like the flower clip Basil used to keep in his hair, before his friend left. He twirled it in his hand, then looked up at Basil.

"This would look really cute in your hair," Sunny said softly, lifting his hand to the boy's hair. He brushed a piece aside and slid the flower under his ear. Basil blushed deeply.

Everything is perfect, Basil thought whimsically, losing himself in the dream. He noticed Sunny lean a little closer to him, his sweet scent filling his nose. Basil closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss him...

Knock, knock! Basil jolted awake to knocking at his bedroom door.

"Wake up, Basil, or you'll be late for school!" Polly called from the other side.

"Thanks Polly," Basil called back halfheartedly, then got up and put on his school clothes. He wore a white collared shirt and a green vest. His shorts were stiff and beige, socks were tall and white, and his shoes were black.

Basil neatly lint rolled his white shirt, grabbed his bag, and headed out the door without saying anything to Polly.

At lunch, Basil and Kel sat with some of Kel's athletic friends. Kel insisted that he shouldn't sit alone, and encouraged him to make new friends. Basil hated this concept but played along as to not lose his friend again.

A guy named Shaun had the group's attention as he excitedly reported about some game on the weekend. Basil didn't care. He kinda wished Shaun would shut up so he could read. That was when Kel poked him.

"Hey Basil, what did you think about your first day?" he asked, grinning hopefully. Basil blinked.

"Yeah it was alright," he said, then continued to pick at his food. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you," Basil started, looking back up at Kel.

Kel nodded to prompt him to continue. "Sunny is coming over next weekend. He's staying at my place."

Kel's jaw dropped. Then he smiled really wide. "That's great news! Are you excited?" He winked playfully. Basil shrugged.

Kel gave a puzzled look. "I thought you liked to look on the bright side of things, yknow, like your plants!" He shook Basil's shoulder.

Basil shrugged him off and mumbled, "I'm not like that anymore."

Kel leaned in close and whispered in his ear, "you know I'm not mad at you or anything, you don't have to worry so much anymore." Then he was pulled away by a girl at the table with a high ponytail.

Basil tried to turn back to his food, but found himself trapped in his thoughts. He felt guilty about the way he treated Kel, but he couldn't help himself. And he didn't think he really deserved Kel's forgiveness anyway.

He thought about what happened last night. Sunny. He's coming back, he thought. Just to leave my life again, I'm sure, he added.

He sighed but he couldn't help but be excited to see his old friend. Although he met Kel, Hero, and Sunny at the same time, he still felt far more attached to Sunny. They used to spend lovely summer days and long nights together, having picnics, sharing fears, taking pictures...

Damn. He missed him.