Chapter One
- - - - X
The schoolyard is flooded by teenage boys and I find myself struggling to find my way to the dormitory. The campus is so gigantic it almost resembles a castle from the fairytale books parents used to read to their kids as children.
But that's exactly how I feel right now.
Like I'm in a fairy tale.
I can't help the big smile that spreads across my lips as I secure my backpack straps and take in a steady breath, pulling my luggage behind me as I take my first big step across the courtyard. Taking in the beautiful landscape and agriculture designs.
This has always been my dream.
I've always dreamt about the day that I could one day be able to throw away my stitch needle and cloth for a pen and paper. I am going to do big things in life and no one is going to stop me.
No more relying on solely books or eavesdropping on my cousin during his tutoring to get educated on endless subjects. I was now going to experience it all first hand and I never felt this imbued before.
"Here it is: Room E358," I note, viewing the dormitory map on the wall by the dormitory entrance, next to the desk which is being flooded by what seem as new freshman.
Even though I'm not a freshman I feel like one since this is my first day in an actual school. It seems simple enough though if you just read the school manual which I'm sure none of them bothered to even look over.
It had everything you needed to know.
I'm just glad that my cousin was also such an intellectual that he was able to get transferred and accepted here with a scholarship. If only he hadn't gotten Mari-Sue pregnant and ran off with her is a different matter.
At least I was able to gain something off of this all.
On the fourth floor, I unlock the door to my new dorm room. It's cool inside, and the air conditioning is humming away. I go to the tiny mirror on the wall and stand in front of it. My shoulders are sore from carrying my overstuffed, red backpack, and I watch myself drop it by the foot of my bed along with my suitcase.
My bangs slightly cover my right eye, and my quills, which hang just past my waist, are styled high and rather ruffled. I grab my brush from the bag, and comb through the knots. I arrange them again, and I study my pink quills, thick and straight, and my green eyes. My face still resembles the girl I used to be, but I don't look as feminine as I used to, and my chest seems less obvious underneath my shirt from wrapping myself. I look down at my small hands and think of Rob O's hands, and then I try to push these thoughts away.
I search the mirror for what I was able to see when I got dressed this morning—the long, blue, cute dress and the girl inside of it—but the image has completely vanished, just like I knew it would, because after today, this will be happening every single day. My life will forever change.
I am no longer Amy Rose.
"I am Rob O' Rose." I watched myself say. I was wearing my school uniform, quills styles upwardly, and clutching my hands, anticipating my life, wondering what the world had in store for me.
Maybe I'll finally be able to try out the laboratory Rob O' always talked about or even be able to take tests—possibly get top grade in my class! The possibilities were endless and I couldn't get enough of it. I was going to do many things with life that I was sure of.
I smile to myself at the thought of it but my happiness ends in a bust.
Suddenly, my dorm room door slams open and a handsome black hedgehog walked in without a shirt on. I snap my attention to his toned chest before we make eye contact and he flashes me a glare, looking me over and at my suitcase.
No way, was I actually going to be sharing a room with this guy? I thought to myself as my eyes tried not to look over his amazing body. I need to calm my hormones down!
I block my eyes, looking at anything but him. I smile awkwardly, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to—"
"What the hell are you doing in my room?" He asks, venom flowing out of the tip of his tongue as he ignores my presence and goes to change in front of me without a care. "Get the hell out." He snapped.
Whatever was left of my romantic notions of male chivalry and love at first sight was just obliterated. I'd never verbally admit I was a romantic, that was one of the many secrets I kept to myself, but it was a special ideal and one guy took the last bit I'd clung to.
I felt my face flush, as it did anytime anybody raised their voice at me. I was entirely too sensitive to tone. "This is also my room," I inquired, and swallowed hard. "Oh, uh, let me introduce myself, I'm Rob O' Rose," I greet with a friendly smile. "Your new roommate."
"I'm not supposed to have a roommate."
"Well uh… surprise!" I say lamely, arms open wide with an awkward grin. "You have one now."
He stares at me disgusted as he looks me over and at my suitcase with growing irritation. "You've got to be kidding me." He huffed, looking back at me with an unbelievable look. "Where's your schedule?" He questioned, searching for proof.
"Ah, it right here—" I say, pulling it out of my back pocket before he yanks it away from me and over looks it himself.
I can almost see his eyes burning a hole in the piece of paper as he reads it over and over again. As if it's something out of this world and he can't accept it. What's so bad about sharing a room anyways?
This guy had to be a major drama queen to be freaking out this much over sharing a room.
So rude too.
"Hn," he huffs, crushing the piece of paper into a ball to my grimace, throwing it at me, and I barely catch it.
My anger surges higher as I lower my brows at him with annoyance of my own at his bad attitude. He literally crushed my paper and I still needed it. My class schedule and other information was on there.
"Come here," Shadow hisses as he slams the door open and yanks me over with him by the collar, looking around the hallway until his eyes fall onto a green crocodile with a clipboard talking with a few students. "Vector!" He yells after him, making him jump and turn around nervously.
Poor guy.
Just by a given glance you can tell the guy is terrified of him.
"Shadow Robotnik!" He greets nervously, walking over to us with an uneasy look. "How are you this fine even—?"
"Why the hell is this kid in my room?" Shadow interrupts, pushing me towards him roughly as we reach him.
Why I have never—! I think to myself as I send him a glare of my own, who does he think he is? Throwing me around like a rag doll!
"Oh, that's because he's your roommate."
"There has to be some kind of mistake," Shadow huffed. "I was promised my own room this semester. So why the hell did you give me a roommate?"
"We understand that, Shadow," our dorm advisor injected. "Unfortunately we had a surplus of students this semester and we do have to fill out the rooms. There is nothing we can do to change that but he needs a room and you are the only student on campus who didn't have one."
"Then put him with a room of three." He hissed through his teeth in aggravation.
"I'm afraid we can't do that," Vector blinked. The crocodile seemed to sense the anger rise in Shadow but he didn't waiver in his words, even though he did seem to shrink in size, hiding behind his clipboard. He continued, "every room only has two beds so unless you have something more to complain about please speak with the headmaster about it."
Shadow froze, staring down at the shaking crocodile. He looked genuinely anguished, which made three of us. Surely, they'd gotten something wrong somewhere. I wouldn't want to share a dorm room with someone so rude either.
Shadow didn't say anything for a few moments as he rolled his eyes over at me and tilted his head, almost as if he was trying to figure me out and it made me feel uneasy. Almost as if he could see right through me and my disguise but that couldn't be possible. At least he wasn't glaring anymore, but I could have sworn I saw his eyes widen for a second, however, now his expression was unreadable, and he looked away.
I had just met him a few minutes ago and knew that sharing a room with him was going to be chaotic hell. The man was already making me dislike him from the first few seconds. I did not want to share a room with him for a whole year if he was going to keep acting like this.
Vector took in a breath after a few moments of silence passed, opening his mouth and glancing at his watch, saying,"Class is supposed to be starting soon so I suggest you both try to get along and—AND he's gone." He exasperated with his arm flinging up when he realized Shadow had already walked down the hallway. "Chaos damnit, Shadow!"
I had to admit that I had barely noticed him leave. He was very stealthy and silent. I had never had a roommate before but I already knew he was one of the worst there could be.
"Sorry about that, kid." Vector said, snapping my attention back at him when he turned to me to finally look at me and his eyes widened. "Ah, you're a freshman," he said with shock, "maybe there was some sort of mistake."
I grimaced, "I'm a senior."
"Oh, my apologies! You just look so young…" He said, looking me over with a look of confusion. "You should be going to class soon though. It's about to start in fifteen minutes but the campus is quite large."
"Will do, sir," I said with a smile. "Just one question though."
Vector blinked, "yes?"
- - - - X
"Class D143 is supposed to be down the hall here," I say to myself after getting directions from that lame dorm advisor. At least he could help me out with this at least. He wasn't much help at fixing Shadow's attitude. You'd think an advisor wouldn't be scared of a student but this guy was terrified of one.
Even so, I wasn't going to let my jerk of a roommate ruin my first day of school. I still hadn't even started class but I was hopefully it wouldn't get any worse. All I had to do was—!
BAM.
My face comes to a stop and I feel like I just ran into a brick wall and my head spins. When I open my eyes, for a second I do think I ran into a brick wall, red scatters my vision and I realize I'm looking at someone's chest and he's glaring right at me.
"What's your problem?" He asked me. I could see myself reflected in the his purple eyes, glaring and full of rage.
He's at least 6'5 and a massive red echidna with dreadlocks where I on the other hand am just 5'2 and thin as a stick. No muscles on these arms and it doesn't help that I don't workout. Still, I'm sure we can just work things out once I apologize. He can't be that bad of a guy. I'm sure he can understand it was an accident.
"Holy shit, that guy is going to get his ass beat by Knuckles!" Someone in the sideline murmured and my eyes widened and ears perked at the sound of that. Beat my ass? I wonder incredulously, glancing over at the forming crowd of boys.
"Are you fucking listening to me, idiot?"
My neck jolted back to face him. "Oh, yes! Of course!"
"Then watch where the fuck you're going, stupid!"
"I'm sorry!" I apologized, grabbing his arm. "It was an accident, are you alright?"
"Don't fucking touch me," He spat out in rage, picking me up by my collar. He growled, raising up a fist and glaring right at me. "It looks like you need someone to teach you a lesson of how things work around here when you mess with Knuckles."
I let his threat settle in my mind and processed what was happening. This had to be the biggest guy I had ever seen, and he was getting about ready to beat me up. Shutting my eyes tight, I raised my hands to cover and block my face, and before I had time to take in the fear, I felt my butt hit the cold floor with a thud, sending my books flying across the floor, but the punch never came.
My hands still remained locked around my head, just as a precaution, but glancing up at the red echidna, I wondered what made him stop and drop me. I was just glad I was still in one piece.
That's when his voice filled my ears and he made his presence known.
"Ah, Ah, easy there big guy. Leave the kid alone, why dontcha?" I hear a gravelly voice offer from behind me and I feel myself freeze when I feel a body behind me, lean lazily on my shoulder.
It was that voice and touch that convinced me to lose focus.
My gaze shifted to the left just enough to make out a guy with his hands tucked into his jean pockets and spiky blue quills styled downward with piercing emerald green eyes, kneeling down besides me as I sat on the ground in utmost wonder.
This guy.
A total stranger.
Saved me.
"Back off, Sonic," The red echidna bit out. "This has nothing to do with you."
Sonic?
I glance back up at the blue hedgehog with wonder as he held me there besides him casually. He stood with a smirk, a knees-turning-to-jelly kind of smirk and I found myself dazed as he helped me up.
"Come on, Knucklehead, don't you think you're a bit too old to be bullying a freshman."
"I'm actually not a freshman," I argued with a sharp glare. "I'm a senior."
Sonic paused, something so strong going through his mind it was visible on the planes of his face. Finally,his mouth dropped. "No way! Sorry, man, you just look so young. What's your secret?" He asked, leaning close to me and looking me over in surprise.
I blinked."Oh, well I use this lotion and apply aloe vera on my skin as a facial cleanser."
"No way, I need to try that," he noted in thought as he nodded. "my skin keeps breaking out!"
"Chaos, just forget it." Knucklehead sights with an annoyed roll of his eyes and sends me a last glare which leaves me sinking down in fear. "But if you ever try to start something with me again, you won't be so lucky."
"He seems like a nice guy," I mutter sarcastically, watching him walk off into another hall.
"He does come with an attitude," Sonic chuckles heartily—his laugh making me blush for some reason—and he drags a hand over his jaw then spins around to face me. He smiled down at me. Actually, it was more of a grin. A grin full of attitude and ego. It was a tad sexy too, and it could have been hella sexy if I hadn't already decided to not fall into this boy's traps. "Seriously a senior though," he asked, eyes sweeping down to my form. "You look like a preteen, no offense."
Pushing his chest, which was like trying to move a tank, I moved my bangs aside so he could see my glare. "I am a seventeen year old gir—boy!"
He laughed at that, like I'd just said something as cute as a kitten. "I'm just messing with you, man"
I try my best to stop my blush from further forming but it's almost impossible when I have this guy looking at me. So at look at anything but him and notice my things scattered all over the floor. Great, he made me drop all my things. I think to myself as I groan and get on my knees to pick everything up.
"Hasn't he heard of global warming? Some people nowadays don't even care to protect the planet anymore." He comments, watching me get in my knees and pick up my things."Here, let me help you out." He offers.
"No, it's fine!" I say, but he's already on his knees before I can say anything else and helping me pick up my belongings and every piece of paper that got spread around the floor in an utter mess.
"Try not to let that guy affect you too much, he's a real Knucklehead," Sonic emphasized as he knocked on his own head with a friendly smile. "His attitude is really hard to handle."
I sucked in a slow breath, hoping my voice wouldn't make it seem like I was hyperventilating. "Thanks, it means a lot knowing there's decent people at this school."
He waited a few seconds, maybe waiting for me to further explain my "bad" experiences. I sealed my lips tighter.
"Central Academy is your typical snob school," he said finally, grabbing a book off the floor. "But there's still plenty of good mobians here, you just have to watch out for the bad ones."
"Bad ones?" I asked, glad my eyes were covered so he couldn't see the fixation in my pupils, "I'm not really here to make friends so that doesn't matter to me. I'm just here to learn and that's it. I don't need anyone else but myself."
He seemed surprised by my response but smiled with interest. "Smart boy, I like that!" He laughed, smacking me gently with a roll of papers.
My blush grows and I'm thankful for being a pink hedgehog that he doesn't notice my cheeks flush. Why are there so many cute guys in this school? I need to stop getting distracted.
"We have to go so hurry up and stop playing good samaritan!" A voice called from a few yards behind Sonic.
"Wait a second!"
He nodded thoughtfully. "What's your name anyways?" He asks, eyes gleaming with life and I feel almost lost in them. "I haven't seen you around before."
"Am—es!" I shriek, almost blowing my cover yet again.
"Ames?"
"Rob O' Ames Rose"
"Rob O' Ames Rose," he repeated, tasting the words in his mouth. Shooting me another tilted smile, nodding and giving me a handshake. "Sonic T. Hedgehog."
"Sonic, we got to go or we'll be late for English!" A gray hedgehog shouted again from outside a classroom, this time sounding a special shade of pissed. "Hurry up!"
Sonic tensed, the smile faltering. "Coming!" he shouted over his shoulder before turning towards me and handing me my notebook. "See you around, Ames," he offered with a wink and I felt my heart begin pounding.
This is going to be an interesting school year.
A slow start but I might delete this story if it is not popular since I do post based on reviews considering it's what inspires me to continue writing. If I do get reviews then this fanfic will begin Updates Every Saturday. :)
Also I am in need of an editor if anyone is interested and this person will have access to future chapters before anyone else. (That is if I reach wanted reviews.)