Forgive or die trying

Her

She watched from afar at all times.

Desperately, she wanted to reach out and hug them.

But she couldn't.

Her voice had been robbed from her and her legs no longer obeyed her minds wants. She was completely and utterly stuck between wanting to be with them and being dead.

Mari had been watching them all for years now, seeing them grow and change after her death. She hated how much pain it caused all of them, especially Aubrey and Basil. Sure, seeing Hero leave was heartbreaking but seeing how everyone turned against her 'little sister' hurt worse. Sweet and caring Aubrey, fiercely loyal to her friends, was abandoned by those who claimed to love her.

She was disgusted with Kel for letting it happen. She was even more disgusted with Sunny for allowing Kel to hurt her.

But there was one positive that came from it all.

Her 'little sister' was now stronger than ever, and she was proud of her for that.

The new friends she had were just as loyal to her as she is to them, they protect her and care for her as if she were family, and they truly seem to love her.

Of course, some in different ways than others.

She hadn't turned a blind eye to the way Kim would stare at Aubrey when she wasn't looking, or the way her face would be dusted with pink anytime she saw Aubrey laugh or smile.

She saw more recently how Basil started to show the same, his face lighting up whenever she was near him, him smiling again for the first time in years, and even him starting to look at both Kim and Aubrey in that same way Sunny once looked at Aubrey as a child.

It warmed her long unbeating heart.

To see her precious Aubrey be given the love and care she deserved, to see her dear Basil have life return to his eyes and a smile return to his face, to see this family all care for each other no matter what, it brought a smile to her face.

She found herself hanging out in the corners of the room, just smiling to herself as she watched the Hooligans and Polly go about their day to day lives. And while, sure, she didn't necessarily like how... hotheaded... Aubrey had become, she understood why.

And over time, she noticed her and Basil begin to look in her direction.

Of course, Mari knew that Aubrey was fully aware she was there, but she didn't think Basil could also see her. She guessed with how close he had gotten with the pink haired delinquent, he had somehow begun to sense her presence as well.

It was even more of a shock, however, when Vance stared directly at her.

His eyes held a mix of confusion and fear for only a split second, before dissolving into a warm comfort.

Did he recognize her?

Did he somehow know that she was there?

It hurt her brain to think about an answer, she had never met him before so how could he see her? The only people who had previously been able to were Aubrey and, now, Basil.

But those thoughts were worries for another day.

Afterall, today the group was visiting her, so she should prepare herself and look her best for them!

As Mari readied herself at her new home, she found herself wondering if Sunny would ever visit her. And as she thought about it more, a sad thought crept into her mind.

Would she even want to see him again after all he's done?

She shook the thoughts from her head and got ready, she would see him soon.

She had already decided that after the Hooligans saw her, she'd go see Sunny and Kel again. Neither had really acknowledged her presence previously, so she should be fine to just observe them.

She felt the sadness begin to bubble inside her, beginning to break her concentration.

Sunny had been a person she'd been close with for years. They had been through it all together, and no matter what they had gone through they had always been there for each other. He was the best brother a girl could ever ask for, or so she'd thought.

She was so confused when he started being mean and horrible to her, she had no idea why he was acting so poorly towards her.

She always tried to look for a reason for why he was so horrible towards her, even in death she tried to understand. Why had he given her the cold shoulder for years? Why had he started to act the way he did?

I mean, just refusing to go see your dead sister entirely was beyond cruel, even if he was the one who caused her death.

The memories of that day roamed free in her mind, the way the stairs felt permanently melted into her skin.

And yet, there was one person that made her feel even worse.

Hero.

The boy she once loved oh so much had seemingly left her behind.

The boy who she could rely on for anything, who promised her the world, who constantly said he loved her, had left her memories behind.

Did it mean nothing to him? All those hours they would spend together? The late nights talking while sitting in the treehouse? The hugs and kisses? The I love yous? Did it all mean nothing?

Suddenly, she didn't feel up to a visit today.

Seeing Kel and Sunny hurt, but knowing Hero was back and didn't even come to see her hurt even worse than her death did.

At least she knows that two of her friends actually care about her

Tears began to build in her eyes, and as they slid down her face and she sobbed to herself.

It wasn't fair.

None of this was fair!

Hero was the only one who decided to abandon her entirely.

His cold and cruel refusal to even visit her stung her heart, causing tears to build even faster in her eyes.

She was heartbroken.

She tried to tell herself that she couldn't cry over him, that he was probably just still trying to cope, but that only hurt worse.

And then her mind came to a stop.

He had never had problems with her before. Hero loved her, not only because they loved the 'caring' girl she was, but because he truly loved her. And despite the two of them not being together anymore, that had not changed.

At least, she hoped.

But, thinking of that made her think of a certain somebody.

Another someone who she knew never had a problem with her.

But despite that, she found herself thinking more about how hurt she would be if he continued to never acknowledge her.

She pushed that aside. The other someone never had a problem coming to see her, talking to her, accepting her for who she is in life and in death.

Her 'little sister' had grown older than she was, and she was so so proud of her. Aubrey truly was the one who loved her most, and she could see that now.

So screw Hero who never bothered to say goodbye.

Screw Sunny who refused to admit what he did.

Screw Kel for his allowance of the other twos behavior.

She had her true friends now.

The hooligans and Polly showed her actual love.

And they were her true family.

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(A/N: hope y'all liked the longerish chapter! I really wanted to explore more of Mari's emotions as I realized I hadn't really discussed them yet!)