1,424(Cade's POV)
I always considered myself to be a quiet guy. For some reason…girls always liked it.
I didn't.
So, I would try to make friends, which was easier than I thought.
"Andy you're on Cade's team!" A ten year old boy shouted as he assigned boys on the basketball team during recess.
A little boy with black shaggy hair and dark blue eyes ran up to another boy with dark brown hair and blue-green eyes.
"Hi. I'm Andy." Andy stuck out his hand.
Cade smiled. "I'm Cade." He shook Andy's hand.
They started playing the game and fifteen minutes later, the game was tied.
"Andy!" Cade shouted as he passed the ball to Andy. Andy caught it swiftly and threw the ball straight into the net.
"Yeah!" Cade, Andy, and his team all high five each other as they won the game.
"That was awesome!" Cade praised Andy for his shooting skills. Andy blushed a little.
"Thanks," Andy whispered.
"Yeah, and when you-" Cade started but stopped when he saw a girl with red hair and blue eyes standing next to Andy.
"Andy! Who's your new friend?" She asked sweetly.
Cade watch as Andy rolled his eyes and grumbled.
"This is Cade. Cade, this is my cousin, Kate," Andy grudgingly introduced.
"Hi!" Kate reach out with her hand as she gave him a dazzlingly smile.
Cade smiled tentatively.
"Hi," he replied as he reached for her hand. Her smile only grew more as their hands touched.
"So, we have five minutes before we have to get back to class. Did you want to play something else?" Andy butt in.
"Yeah, sure. What do you want to play?" Cade asked as he immediately withdrew his hand from Kate's.
"Let's play on the monkey bars!" Andy declared and then ran for it. Cade smiled and ran after him.
"I want to play too!" Kate shouted as she ran after them.
Cade halted in his tracks as he saw his new friend, Andy, standing in the middle of the play ground.
"What's wrong?" He asked and turn to look at what Andy was looking at.
Ten feet away a little girl with dark brown hair that was tied into a pony tail sat in the sandbox forming shapes as she continuously added water to build a mold, she looked like she was building something, but no one could tell since a boy just stepped on her creation.
"Hey!" The little girl immediately stood up and glared at the boy who stepped on her sand masterpiece.
"Didn't I tell you that this was my sand?" The little boy started seething.
"No," the little girl shook her head, dumbfounded. "I didn't know you could own sand."
The boy laughed in her face.
"You're so stupid Sunflower." He smirked.
"Stupid is a mean word. Take it back!" Sunflower demanded.
"No," the boy replied easily, "and get off my sand."
Sunflower pouted and crossed her arms.
"It's not your sand Gary," she retorted.
"Yes, it is! Now get off!" He demanded.
"Nuh uh! If it were, then why isn't your name on it?" Sunflower pointed to the corned of the sandbox, and there it was. Her name written in the sand.
"What the-" Gary stared dumbfounded by the name in front of him.
"So, you need to get off my sand." Sunflower smiled triumphantly.
Gary's initial shock disappeared and started walking over to the name written in the sand, and then he proceeded to stomp the name out.
"Hey!" Sunflower shouted as she started towards him.
"That's property of Sunflower, and if you think that it's not mine anymore, because you started stomping on it, then you've got another thing coming." Sunflower tried to pull out her best lawyer talk as she tried to copy her Mom.
"Oh, yeah, who'll know besides you and me?" Gary taunted.
Sunflower felt stumped right there. She started looking around and saw two boys and a girl standing not so far away.
"They do!" Sunflower shouted with glee. She rushed up to them and pushed them towards the sandbox.
"These three witnesses watched the whole thing," Sunflower confirmed.
Gary frowned and crossed his arms.
"Did you see the whole thing?" Gary asked all three of them.
Before Andy and Cade could open his mouth, Kate answered.
"No," she stated offhandedly. Sunflower's jaw dropped and stared at Kate in disbelief.
Andy turn to glare at his cousin, but then turn back to look at Gary.
"I did," Cade piped in.
"I did too," Andy followed.
"See! Two against one. Besides, she might've came later, so she doesn't know what's going on." Sunflower reasoned for Kate's cold behavior.
Gary would've fought more, if not for both Andy and Cade's glare. He hesitantly backed away.
"Fine. I didn't want the sandbox in the first place." He tried to cover his embarrassment and quickly walked away.
Sunflower turn to beam at them. "Thanks so much!"
Cade couldn't help but feel warm all of a sudden. Her smile was different from all the other smiles he had ever seen. Her smile lit her entire face, her chocolate brown eyes were bright, and the glow of it surrounded her entire body. She seem so genuine.
"No problem." Andy smiled back. "My name is Andy."
"Hi Andy!" Sunflower shook his hand.
"This is my cousin Kate," Andy continued.
"Hi Kate!" Sunflower smiled, and tried to shake her hand, but Kate just gave a half-hearted smile.
"I'm Cade," Cade heard himself saying. He wanted to see her smile directed at him.
"Hi!" And of course, Cade usually always got what he wanted, and he got Sunflower's fantastic glowing smile.
"I'm Sunflower," she said to all of them.
"That's your name?" Kate spat out as she gave Sunflower a weird look.
Sunflower smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah," she replied, and everyone could tell she was embarrassed.
"I think it fits you." Cade smiled back, trying to lessen the embarrassment. Sunflower smile started shining again.
"Thanks!" She beamed at the compliment, but as Cade continued to take in her glowing smile, he started to realize that what he just said was actually true.
Her name did fit her.
"I think we should call you Sun-sun for short. What do you think?" Andy asked excitedly.
Sunflower made a face that made Cade laughed loudly.
"I take that as a 'no'." Andy's shoulder deflated.
Sunflower stepped up to him and patted him on the shoulder.
"It was a good try though." Sunflower reassured Andy.
Andy smiled.
"You guys wanna play in the sand with me?" Sunflower asked.
Both the boys nodded and Kate hesitantly followed.
"What were you making?" Cade asked.
"A cake, but Gary stepped on it." Sunflower pouted, but suddenly her eyes lit up. "How about we play sand ball fight?" She asked excitedly.
"Sand ball fight?" Kate looked at Sunflower in confusion as did the two boys.
Sunflower nodded her head vigorously. Her dark brown pony tail bouncing along with her movements.
"It's like a snowball fight but with sand!" She explained excitedly.
"Okay!" Both the boys agreed thinking it sounded like fun, and so they played sand ball fight, minus Kate who stared at them disapprovingly.
Since that day, I remembered always being excited to hang out with Andy and Sunflower. They were always joking around, and trading insults, with me included.
I wasn't use to that. I thought that if you insulted someone, it was suppose to hurt you. Their's didn't. It just made me laugh. Not like my parents.
My parents married for love. I'm pretty sure that's laughable, and I sometimes even laugh in disbelief when I hear that.
You'd think that people who married for love would be joyous of raising a son together. A son they brought into this world with love.
They raised me with a silver spoon in my mouth. Spoiled me without a doubt. Both my parents came from money.
If I ever wanted anything, all I had to do was say it and I'd get it.
That's what my parents repeatedly told me. What a bunch of bullshit. If for his 9th birthday, your son ask you to stop fighting and love each other, and you can't give that to him, then you didn't give him what he wanted. What he always wanted.
I grew up with bitter shouting and arguments at the dinner table. I started appreciating the quietness of the house. Silence made me feel calm, and it signified that my parents were not fighting.
I know for Andy, he felt the same way. Not that his parents fought, but when his parents were home, they were always hounding on him about his grades, or his extra curricular activities. He was an only child. Like me. He told me that he loved his parents, but it was nice to hear silence instead of their nagging voices.
It was completely different with Sunflower. She was the oldest of her two siblings, and her parents were like us. They teased each other and they even played with us sometimes. I remember when Sunflower's parents first started fighting. They were really annoyed with each other about dinner plans, and I expected plates, books, and lamps to be thrown at each other. I was practically frighten for Sunflower, Jacob, Joshua, and Andy's safety. Then suddenly, the fight grew silent and we all poked out head into the kitchen to see both of the grown ups kissing each other.
The Berry kids started to make pretend barf noises, and Andy looked away in embarrassment, but I couldn't help but gawk. Kissing happens after a fight?
I felt foolish for thinking that, but then I came to realize some couples can fight and make up peacefully afterwards. Not mine. My parents even had separate rooms.
I was jealous of Sunflower to say the least, but I knew that she deserved it. She deserved nice parents. She was always nice herself. She even tried to make excuses for Kate's mean attitude towards her for the first year we all met.
Just like any fairytale, I fell for Sunflower. Hard. We were best friends first, and I realized I fell in love with her three months after we met at the sandbox.
To say I was nervous as hell around her was an understatement. At first, I thought Andy might have feelings for her as well. They were spending a lot of time with each other, and the more time they spent together, the more they realized they had a lot in common. I felt jealous, but I tried not to act on it. Andy was like a brother to me, and if them being together made me happy, then I would leave it alone.
I see you rolling your eyes right now Sunflower. It's true though. I was never possessive before as I am now.
Andy noticed my jealousy and my despair, and he began to realize why. He immediately reassured me that he wasn't interested in you. I didn't believe him.
"I'm serious!" A ten year old Andy stomped his foot onto the ground to emphasize his point.
"Yeah yeah." Cade waved his hand nonchalantly to make it seem he didn't care.
"Cade!" Andy pouted.
Cade's gaze turn into a serious expression.
"I can understand why you would be into her. I mean, who wouldn't?" Cade asked.
Andy's pout suddenly turned into an O-shape.
"Wow…you've got it bad," Andy replied.
I was still doubtful of his feelings towards Sunflower. I mean really…who wouldn't fall for her?
I remember a boy that had a crush on you back when we were eleven. Sixth grade. Back when boys started to realize girls weren't just to tease and pull hair.
He got to you before I could, and you were completely confused, so you ran to me.
"Cade! Jason says he likes me!" Sunflower screeched as she ran to Cade during lunch.
Cade's greeting smile fell once he heard those words. "Oh."
"Yeah! What should I do?" Sunflower asked.
Cade stood there dumbfounded. He was suppose to give relationship advice to her when he's had a crush on her for over a year now.
"Um…do you like him?" Cade asked and he carefully watched Sunflower's reaction.
She definitely had her thinking face on.
"Uh…I don't know. Maybe…I think so?" Sunflower smiled back.
Cade felt his world fall around him when he heard the admission, albeit not a full admission of love, but still somewhat.
"Oh, ok. Then I guess you should go tell him you like him." Cade conceded in defeat. He wanted to kick himself for not telling Sunflower his true feelings for her.
"Hmm…makes sense." Sunflower nodded her head and ran away to tell Jason that she 'maybe' liked him.
You never dated him, just told him you might like him. That was enough for him I guess to start following you like a puppy. I hated his guts, but I never said anything. In fact, I was nice to him and tried to help him one time. Until Andy decided to intervene and told the guy off. Saying…
"If you need another guy to tell you her likes and dislikes and don't even bother to get to know her yourself then you don't deserve her. So get out of my face!"
Jason whimpered away.
That moment solidify my thoughts about Andy in love with you, but I remember him glaring at me when boys would ask you to dance at a dance. That made me more confused.
I found friendship, understanding, and brotherhood from Andy, but you Sunflower…you were my haven. My solace. My comfort. I found love in you.
I remember you calling me one time when my parent's fight had gotten so bad that they started to throw things at each other. I ran into my room in fear and locked the door. Every time I was home, I felt like my eight year old self. Weak. Helpless. Pathetic.
Then you called.
"Hello?" Cade whispered into the new cell phone his parents had bought him. Everyone was in awe that he had received one while no one else did at that age.
"Cade? Why are you whispering?" Sunflower whispered back.
"Uh…" Cade didn't want Sunflower to know his parents were fighting. Unfortunately, a loud bang resounded the entire household and he couldn't help but flinch.
"What was that?!" Sunflower asked worriedly.
"Um…" Cade felt embarrassed.
"Cade are you okay?" Sunflower asked. Cade could hear the genuine concern from her voice and it made him all the more ashamed.
"Yeah…I'm-" Cade started, but suddenly, the tears started falling.
"Cade?"
"I'm fine," he replied through his tears.
He heard silence from the other line.
"No…you're not," Sunflower stated, "but that's okay." Sunflower's voice became gentle.
"It's okay if you're not fine. That's why I'm here. To make you feel better." Sunflower's voice was soft and comforting.
Cade let a small smile from his tear stricken face.
You got me through that terrible fight, and you didn't even know my parents were fighting. Though, I was sure you deduced it to that situation, but you never asked.
Though, I was in love with you, you never fail to annoy me with your obliviousness. I wanted to shake you so hard sometimes and ask why you didn't notice that I liked you. Or that the boy next to you in math was cheating off of your paper. Or the fact that Andy was gay. You practically didn't find out until two hours before your own parents found out.
When I finally had the guts to ask you out, it was summer time before our 8th grade year. I was nervous as hell and you were you as usual. Oblivious.
"Look! A card!" Sunflower shouted as she saw one on the floor at the park. She stared at it in confusion.
"It has my name." She tilted her head slightly to the right. She looked around her to see if anyone was looking. When no one was, she opened it.
The card was a picture of her and Cade at a carnival, smiling happily together with Cade's arm wrapped around Sunflower's shoulders.
She opened the card and it said two words.
'Look up.'
Sunflower looked up and there was Cade with a gerber daisy in his hand and a nervous smile on his lips.
"Um…" Cade started blushing. "I really like you Sunflower…um…do you…do you wanna go out on a date?" He asked tentatively.
Sunflower just stared at him dumbfounded.
I was sure you were about to reject me and I felt so stupid for planning all of that. I mean…I was only thirteen at the time. Then you ran to me and knocked me to the ground hugging me screaming 'I like you too!'
That was the happiest day of my life. Your admission made me feel like I was on cloud nine.
Not even my parent's fighting could bring me down that whole week.
I felt like I was on top of the world. You by my side, a friend I could call my own brother, Andy. I didn't believe anything could bring me down.
Then suddenly, everything hit me at the end of the summer before high school started. You were on vacation at the time with your family, and so was Andy.
My parents were fighting when suddenly I heard a horrible scream from my mother that I've never heard in my life.
It all happened so fast. My father being rushed to the hospital, my mom and me waiting for him to get out of surgery. I finally got to talk to my own father after all the craziness.
"Cade." My father called out softly, and Cade immediately jumped to his side.
"Dad!" Cade couldn't help but shout with relief and smiled happily at him.
"Cade." His father did not return the smile. "This would have never happened if not for your mother." His words were not harsh, but of sadness.
The smile Cade's face immediately dropped.
"What?" Cade whispered.
"I'm not saying this is her fault. This is mine." Cade's father continued. "I've been wanting to tell you this, but I didn't have the heart to. Now…now I feel I need to, just in case something happens." Cade's father reached for Cade's hand, which Cade gave.
"This is the most important thing I can ever say to you. A father who loves you and wants you to be happy." His father blinked for a moment to keep the sleep at bay.
"You know your mother and I were in love. You saw it. Before the ugly fights started. I love your mother. I still do, but I don't think she loves me anymore. I don't see the look in her eyes that I once saw. She just looks tired and empty, even when we fight. Son…I'm sorry. I know your mother and I were never really there for you. It's my fault. I made her that way. I made her into an empty shell." Cade's father released his son's hand and just looked up at the ceiling in a daze.
"I remember when she use to smile and laugh a lot. Your mother…was the most beautiful person I have ever laid eyes on. When you came into the picture, it only made everything better. There was no way we could be happier. We didn't fight at all. We just enjoyed each other's company, but I don't know what happened to it all. Suddenly, eight years after you were born, your mother started to become upset with everything, and I became aggravated with her constant whining. Each and every night for the next four years, I racked my brain to find out what I did wrong.
"What did I do to make the woman I love so unhappy. Then it clicked. The very first time we met son, was when I was ten years old at school. I instantly fell in love with her, and it wasn't until I was thirteen that I had asked her to be my girlfriend. We were high school sweethearts, and college sweethearts. We married right after college and then had you. Everything was suppose to be perfect, but now if you look at it. I trapped her. I trapped her into a path she couldn't get herself out of. We married too young son.
"She's my first love…my only love. I can never look at a woman and think of her the way I do with your mother, even when we've been fighting for this long. I pushed her into a world she wasn't ready yet Cade. I practically took her spirit from her and crushed it. I thought I gave your mother everything she wanted, but in the end…I killed her. I killed the woman I love and she's never coming back." Cade's father finished. His voice sounded so empty.
Cade couldn't help but stare at his father in horror. Realizing the parallels of his parent's and his relationship with Sunflower. It didn't make any sense to him though.
Cade's mother walked in after that.
"Cade. You should leave your father alone to rest." She said quietly. Cade nodded slowly and walked away holding onto his mother's hand.
Moments later, while Cade was sitting next to his mother, trying to make sense of his father's words, he turn to ask his mother, "Mom. Do you still love Dad?"
His mother stiffened. She took a while to produce an answer.
"No." She whispered.
Cade sat there in shock. His entire body shaking.
"Why?" He asked so softly, his mother could barely hear the word.
"He took everything away from me." She whispered back…too ashamed to say it aloud.
Suddenly, the nurse in his father's room exploded out the door and doctors were rushing in.
Cade and his mother watched in horror as his father was having another heart attack.
Dad's alive…well…if you call a coma being alive.
My father's words still haunt me. So many similarities between my parent's relationship and ours Sunflower. I know it's stupid, but I started believing them. I didn't want to kill your spirit Sunflower. I didn't want to kill your soul. So, I dumped you, because I thought I could still save you.
You might think I'm an idiot to think that the same thing would never happen between us as it did with my parents.
My mother had never once visited my father in the hospital. I thought that once he moved home and under the care of our personal doctor, she would start visiting him. She doesn't. Not once. She just keeps to herself. She doesn't talk to anyone. She's just there. Existing, but not living. I couldn't do that to you Sunflower.
Unfortunately, my father didn't tell me how much it would hurt to let you go. Once you were gone, I felt empty.
Getting with Kate made sense in my head. You were gentle and kind. Kate was not. She was strong willed and not a people pleaser. So, I knew there was no way she would make the sacrifices my mother made for my father. It also helped that I didn't love her. Kate knew that. I told her to never expect love from me. She knew, and she still took me. At first, I thought she only wanted me for popularity, but then I slowly noticed the look in her eyes. The look I had so often given you. Every week, I would remind her that I was not in love with her, and I hated that crushing look in her eyes. I thought to make her feel better to let her know that I would never cheat on her or leave her. That it was her choice. Her choice to leave me.
I know I left you in a mess, but I also know you were still young and you had Andy to help you. I had hoped you would get over it and start moving on.
I didn't even think about how I would feel if you moved on. I couldn't let you go, even though I tried. Watching guys looking at you in a way that made me angry. Hearing them talking about you as if you were just another conquest made me boil. No guy knew how to treat you the way you were suppose to be treated. So, I started to issue threats before I could even think it through.
I couldn't let you go. I didn't have enough time with you for myself, and I know that's selfish, but I couldn't stop caring for you. I tried to hate you. I tried to find the truth in Kate's harsh insults about you, but the harder I tried the more I felt insane.
So, before I could stop myself, I put a guy in the hospital for wanting to ask you out and that's how it all started. I never meant it to be that way. I thought I would stop after him, since I realized what I did was completely wrong, but word spread like wildfire, and before I could stop it, guys were too afraid to ask you out Sunflower. The fear of me was more powerful than the crush they felt for you.
The power was addicting, and sometimes I would stop and I could imagine you screaming at me for being so power hungry. For not being myself. Then I would suddenly think about how you should be by my side. How we should be enjoying our first everything together, and I became possessive again.
I never meant for it to get this far, but somehow it did, and I'm not saying that it still isn't my fault.
You have every right to be mad at me Sunflower. This is all my fault, and in some way, I can't help but think I did exactly what my father did to my mother to you. Only earlier.
I made the biggest mistake in my life when I let you out of my life, and now I'm looking at you. You've changed. You're not the Sunflower when I first met. You're not the 'Sunny' Andy calls you anymore.
You're someone else.
You've changed for the worse, and yet you've changed for the better.
Everything bad is my fault, and everything that is good is your's to call your own.
You've become stronger, and I'm glad, but I also don't take credit for it, because there was also a chance for you to break and just accept defeat, and I risked that chance all because of my stupid possessive ways.
When it comes to you Sunflower, I can't help but want your love. You're everything that was good in my life, and I still wanted that.
Now, I realize you're stronger. You're strong enough to have no man's protection anymore.
You've truly moved on, and I haven't.
I still love you.
I will always love your warm chocolate brown eyes, your messy dark brown hair that flowed and tickled my skin, and your beautiful smile and joyous laughs. I will always love you Sunflower.
You've ruined me for any other girl to have me.
I won't do the same to you though. I won't be my father.
You still have time to move on and be happy.
I'm looking at the mess I made and I realize through it all, you can still get out.
You and Andy can still get out. I love you both. You're the two people I will always care for.
I'm looking at you right now Sunflower. You're cuddling in the blanket I gave you earlier, and though you've changed, I can still see the old you, and yet, I see your strength coming out.
I know it's selfish, but I never wanted you to change. I never wanted you to be strong, because I wanted to be your knight in shining armor.
Now, I know I'm the villain, and you're your own knight in shining armor.
You don't need anyone to pick up the pieces anymore.
You're the new Sunflower, and I can't help but fall in love with the new you.
You've moved on though. You've changed.
I guess I have to too.
Author's Note:
Yes…I'm alive and I just updated. The chapter that everyone, including myself, have been waiting for. I know you probably want to kill me for taking this long to update.
I don't blame you.
I'm not even going to try and defend my work on this chapter. Everyone reacts differently, and that's what I learned with you guys, and I really do appreciate that. It's an important lesson I needed to learn.
I also wanted to thank everyone for their reviews. Wow! Over 1000! I felt so giddy when I saw that. It only made me feel worse for not updating sooner.
Now…the 2nd part of the story ends, and we move onto the 3rd and final part of the story.
I also know many of you have different views on how the story should end…well…I'm not giving that away at all.
So let me know what you think.
Thanks for reading and please review!