As the Seasons Change and the Flowers Bloom (A Sunflower fanfic 🌻)

Headaches - Basil

4 months later

Basil couldn't focus. He was going insane. Or at least that's what it felt like. He couldn't stop thinking about Sunny. The thoughts of Sunny ranging from worry, to sadness, to he couldn't describe how he felt with some of them. It'd been four months since Sunny had left and every second was absolutely KILLING him. Worse than he thought it was going to. 

'He's my bestfriend. So of course I miss him, but I miss him way more than should be normal.' He sighed, gathering up the stuff from his desk, 'I wonder how he's doing. He hasn't called me in awhile...'

After he'd left they stayed relatively in touch, though they mostly texted one another, it was rarely. Since Sunny had been gone, he was still friends with Kel, who checked on him regularly and invited him to hang out all the time. Aubrey had grown distant, she wasn't mean to him, she just wasn't around him. He figured she needed time, and he wouldn't force it. Hero, had gone back to college, but he had come to speak with Basil beforehand. Hero had said that he forgave Basil and Sunny. He also said that it may take him awhile, but he would try his best to have things go back to normal, because that's what Mari would have wanted. 

Basil let out a sigh, walking out of his classroom. He bit his lip in annoyance when his thoughts circled back to Sunny. He remembered the last conversation they'd had, when he wanted to beg Sunny to stay. 

Basil's face turned a slight shade of pink when he remembered what Sunny had said after Basil had made him promise to come back. 'You're so cute' Basil shook his head quickly. It was weird, why was he getting all worked up thinking about that? Sunny used to call him cute all the time. Maybe it was because they were getting older. Yeah, they're getting older so he's embarrassed to be called cute, especially by someone who is younger than him. 

 'Polly is probably waiting for me at home.' He left the school, his bag feeling heavier than usual. As he made his way down the street, he thought over everything that had happened for about the millionth time. Mari's death, the four years he'd spent pretty much alone, Sunny's return, and the their fight. 

He still felt bad about Sunny's eye, though Sunny had told him plenty of times before that it was okay. Basil didn't think he'd ever forgive himself. He had been holding onto that guilt for so long, now that it was (mostly) gone he didn't know what to do, or how to feel. The only things he knew were that Aubrey hated him, and Sunny drove him crazy for some reason.

'Maybe all that time wishing Sunny would come back got to me?' He sighed, 'I got so used to wishing he'd show up I can't just stop thinking about him?'

He was broken from his thoughts as someone ran into him.

"Gah! S-sorry!" The familiar voice reached his disoriented ears.

"Hahaha Aubrey you gotta watch where you're going," Kim laughed, "This is why you shouldn't walk backwards like that."

"Aubrey?" Basil looked at her and they stared for a moment.

Aubrey hesitated, "Sorry Basil." The words were cold and she simply turned away from him, "Let's go guys."

Basil hesitated, "Hey uhm Aubrey."

"What?"

He flinched at how sharp the word came, "K-Kel has been saying he want to see you... that's all." He walked away before she could respond. Once he got to his house, he dropped his bag on the floor and set his shoes on the porch. 

"Hey Basil! How was your day?" Polly's voice called to him sweetly.

"It was fine."

"Are you hungry? Dinner should be done soon."

He smiled slightly, "Thank you, Polly."

She smiled back warmly, "Come sit, it's almost ready and I want to talk with you."

He looked at her, sitting down as she said, "Can I ask you something?"

Polly's eyes lit up, "Of course!"

Basil sighed, "I'm having a hard time thinking. I can't focus at school. I'm starting to get a severe headache." He rubbed his temples with slight annoyance, "What do you do when you can't focus?"

She thought for a moment, "Well, usually I can't focus on what I'm trying to because I'm focusing on something else. Usually what I do then is I write about whatever is clogging my brain and get it out that way." She smiled slightly as she poured a ladel of stew into a bowl for him. "What's bothering you so much?"

He shook his head as if trying to shake away a bug, "I can't stop thinking about Sunny. I'm worried and I really miss him."

She nodded slightly, "That makes sense. How about you start a journal or something, write about what you're thinking so the thoughts don't keep ruining your focus."

Basil nodded, "Alright, I'll do that. Winter break is soon, so that should give me time to figure this all out."

Across town, Kel was playing a video game. He stared at the screen intently, even as his phone started ringing.

"Kel!" His mom called up from downstairs, "Kel answer your phone or turn it off! Your sister is trying to sleep!"

"Okay!" He tore his eyes from the screen to look at his phone, checking to see if the call was even worth answering.

The moment he read the name on the screen, he dropped the game controller and dove for the phone to answer it. He pressed the green answer button and brought it up to his ear.

"Hello Sunny!"