Have you ever imagined that the one you love doesn't love you back? That you spent almost half your school life loving them but find out they never had feelings for you in the first place? That's what Alia went through. Alia was once a happy hedgehog, always open to everyone and always wanting to show her love for her boyfriend; Xavier. Xavier was your average hedgehog in high school. He was on the football team while Alia was a cheerleader. They became friends in kindergarten and took it a step further in 6th grade. But now that love was starting to fade. One day it just ended. Xavier moved on but Alia didn't.
Alia was pissed, more than ever. Xavier was now dating Celine; leader of the cheerleading squad, who she had envied since the first time they met. One day Alia told Xavier to meet her in the park. Xavier knew she was pissed about something so he agreed to show up. Later that day Alia waited in the park, soon Xavier showed up. He sat down beside her, a cross look on his face. "So why'd you ask me to come here?" Xavier asks in an annoyed tone. Alia takes a deep breath, and turns to Xavier. "Xavier…I have to know this…do you still…love me?" Alia says. After a few minutes of uneasy silence Xavier breaks the silence with the ice cold words of his heart. "No…to be honest…I never did love you." Xavier says, his eyes as ice cold as his heart.
"Wha-what?" Alia says in disbelief. "I said I never loved you…I never did and I never will." Xavier says. Alia was angry and heartbroken at the same time, but mostly heartbroken. "Then why'd you tell me that you did all those times in the past? Why'd you lie to me?" Alia yells standing up, wanting to beat the crap out of the cold heart bastard. "Tell me!" He says standing up, his temper rising. He was known to have a short temper. "I DON'T FUCKING KNOW WHY I DID!" He screamed back at her. They were practically breathing fire in each other's faces. He shut his eyes then turned to walk away. "I-I wanted you to be with Blade." Xavier says. His tone was softer than before.
"I-I wanted you to be with Celine…" Alia lies. She turns her back to Xavier. She wanted him to say that he still loved her, but he didn't say that. He broke her heart. "Listen Alia…just move on…we were never meant to be…" Xavier says walking away. Hot tears burst from Alia's eyes as Xavier disappeared into the shadows. The sky grew dark as clouds covered the night sky, it started to rain. Alia turns to see Xavier wasn't there anymore. But his words still echoed inside her head, haunting her. "Just move on…I never loved you…we were never meant to be…"
Alia starts to run as fast as she could, hoping it was just a dream. But she knew it was a nightmare, a nightmare she'd never wake from. She wanted Xavier's words to stop. To stop haunting her…to stop killing her. The rain fell hard and fast, it was pitch black as she ran blindly to anywhere away from Xavier. But then she saw lights, two tunnels of lights growing bigger. She gasped knowing what they were. "ALIA!!" A voice calls out. It was a car…it rammed right into her, knocking her to the ground. She hit her head so hard that she blacked out for a second. She just laid there on the bloody road. Her breaths shallow and a puddle of blood began to form under her. She knew she was gonna die.
"Alia! No!" Alia opens her eyes and saw Xavier right next to her. He was in shock. She coughed up some blood. Xavier kept calling her name but she could barely hear him. Her vision began to fade in and out. "Xavier…I-I know I'm gonna die here." Alia says. Her voice was soft and weak. "No Alia, please don't die on me! I'll get you to a hospital! I won't let you die!" Xavier says. He actually started to cry. "Xavier…when you told me you never loved me-I did die. Now, even if my heart stops beating…I'll still be dead. Regretting of ever asking you…" Alia says. She coughs up some more blood and her vision started to fade. "Alia, I'm sorry I ever said that! I should've just kept to myself! But I'm not gonna let you die!" Xavier says. He picks Alia up and runs toward the hospital.
"Xavier…before I die I…want to let you know…I…always…loved……you…" Alia says. She closed her eyes and started to grow limp in Xavier's arms. "No Alia! Don't die on me! I don't want you to die! Please hold on!" Xavier says. Alia slowly slips into a deep sleep that she had always wished to enter. She was finally going to get her wish. But soon she begins to see the light again. Her vision faded in and out until her vision finally cleared again. She saw she was in the hospital, surrounded by doctors and nurses. She couldn't hear what they said, but soon they walked away. Soon as she could hear again she saw Xavier approach her bedside.
"Wha-what happened?" Alia asks weakly. "I brought you to the hospital. The doctors almost lost ya but they were able to bring ya back." Xavier says. "Why'd you save my life anyway? You never cared about me. It's like you said…never did, never will." Alia says. "I should've never told you that. Then maybe this wouldn't have happened." Xavier says. Alia felt a lil' guilty herself. If she'd never told Xavier to meet her in the park maybe they'd both be at their houses safe and sound instead of a hospital. Just then a nurse came and told Xavier to go home. Xavier said goodbye and that he'd visit tomorrow. He left the hospital room and Alia feel asleep.
The next day Xavier was depressed. Thinking Alia's accident was all his fault. If he'd never told Alia what he told her, maybe she wouldn't have run off, maybe she wouldn't have almost died. Just then he hears a knock on the door. He goes to check who it was, but before he could say a word to the person at the door he's socked in the jaw and launched back into the living room. Xavier looks up and sees it was Alia's old boyfriend; Blade the Echidna. He was angry with hot tears running down his face. "Why'd you have to make her do that? Why make Alia try to kill herself?" Blade yells. Xavier struggled to his feet. "It wasn't my fault. Sure I said some things I shouldn't have said, but I didn't make her kill herself. I saved her life!" Xavier yells back. "You should have never been near her! She could've died on the road! All cause of what you said, cause you didn't love her!" Blade says. "Blade, settle down." Xavier says. "Settle down?! How can I settle down when one of my closest friends is in the hospital?" Blade says.
"But Blade I-" Xavier says but Blade cuts him off by upper cutting him. "You-you broke her heart! All she ever did was love you…and she was almost killed cause of it! You told her you didn't care about her, never did, never would! How could you have been so heartless?" Blade yells between sobs. "But I-" Xavier says but stops when he sees Blade pull out his sword. "It's all your fault that she's stuck in the hospital, that she almost died out there! You don't even deserve to live!" Blade says. "Blade, wait, stop!" Xavier says. Blade prepares to strike Xavier but a hand holds his sword back. Xavier looks up to see it was Blade's partner; Rain the Fox. "Blade, stop. I know you're angry but just let it go." Rain says. Blade releases his sword allowing Rain to toss it behind her. She walks past Blade and helps Xavier to his feet.
"Sorry about Blade, we just got the news today and he knew you met her in the park yesterday. We went to see her and she told us everything. He bolted right out of the hospital back here." Rain says. "It's okay, but at least she's okay." Xavier says. "Yeah," Rain says. She turns to Blade who was putting his sword away. "I suggest you get back to the base. You're gonna need to explain yourself later." Rain says. Blade nods and heads back toward the base. "This incident's been hard on him. Especially since he and Alia were so close at one time. But of course you knew that already." Rain says. Xavier was silent. "Xavier?" Rain asks. Blade's words rang in Xavier's head, repeating with every heartbeat. "How could you have been so heartless?" This saddened him a bit, making him feel even more guilty than ever. "Xavier? Are you okay?" Rain asks. Xavier snaps back into reality. "Yeah, I'm fine." Xavier says. Rain lays a hand on Xavier's shoulder. "Don't let Blade get to ya. He's just a lil' upset. Once Alia gets out of the hospital everything will be fine." Rain says. "I sure hope so," Xavier says.
Later that day Xavier goes to visit Alia. "Hey Alia, how ya feeling?" Xavier asks approaching her bedside. "Better than before," Alia says. It was silent for a few minutes. "I heard about what happened earlier today." Alia says. "You mean what happened between me and Blade?" Xavier asks. "Yeah…but are you okay? I heard he battered you around a bit." Alia asks. "Yeah, he did. But nothing too bad, just a bruise here and there." Xavier says. It was silent for a few more minutes. "Listen Xavier," Alia says. Xavier looks at Alia who was sitting up in her bed by now. "I know you think that this whole accident was your fault…it's not." Alia says. "No, it is. If I never said what I said maybe you wouldn't be here. Maybe none of this would've happened." Xavier says. "No, it's my fault. If I never asked you to come to the park maybe we'd both be at home right now." Alia says. "But still I-" Xavier says. Alia cuts him off by putting her hand up. "I'm not putting the blame on you Xavier, you told me the truth and that's good enough for me." Alia says.
Xavier spent a few more hours visiting Alia. Just talking; Alia asking how everyone's been doing and all that. Xavier answered all her questions happily, but still in his heart he felt sorrow. A sorrow he couldn't get over, no matter what. Soon the nurse comes in and asks Xavier to head home. Xavier says goodbye yet again and heads home. On his way home, so many thoughts went through his mind. Thoughts that made the sky turn gray and the city go dark. Alia told him it wasn't his fault; his mind believed it. But his heart…his heart was still blaming itself. Still blaming him for all of this. Still asking the same question over and over again…what if he'd never told the truth?
Over the next couple of days, Xavier visited Alia. They became good friends but nothing more. Blade hadn't spoken to him since the day he almost killed him. And Celine started to grow suspicious, like she knew that something was happening between Xavier and Alia. Just then it hit her, what if they tried to get back together? It might have been improbable but it wasn't impossible. Ever since the accident Xavier has spent more time around Alia and less around her. She knew what she had to do. She couldn't let Xavier break her heart or get back together with Alia. That's when she thought that if she couldn't have him…then no one could.
The early the next day Celine goes to visit Xavier. Her plan was to put so much grief on Xavier that he'd kill himself, making sure he and Alia could never be together again. Celine knocks on the door. She hears footsteps then the door opens, Xavier behind it. "Celine, what are you doing here?" Xavier asks. "Xavier, I think we need to talk." Celine says. "Sure, come in." Xavier says. Celine enters the door and walks into the living room. She takes a seat on the couch, Xavier right beside her. "So what is the reason for this talk?" Xavier asks. "Well, I need to ask. When we visited Alia she told us that you told her that you didn't care for her." Celine says. "Well yeah, but I-" Xavier says but Celine cuts him off. "But you saved her life and you've been visiting her for the past week. Are you so sure you don't have feelings for her?" Celine says. "I didn't have feelings for her, I still don't. But I wasn't gonna let her die." Xavier says. "Oh really?" Celine asks annoyingly. "Yeah, but-" Xavier says. Celine cuts him off yet again with a question he had no answer to. "Are you sure you didn't just save her life to look like the hero?" Celine says.
Xavier was silent, he didn't know how to respond. "Well, if you didn't have feelings for her that's the only reason you had. Just to make yourself look good. You think just saving her life will make her forget this. These visits will help her forget the words you said that broke her heart. Well they won't. She might heal from the pains from the accident, but she'll never help from the pain of the broken heart you gave her. That pain will last her whole life. Up until her last breath. It's too late for you guys to be anything, it's been too late once those five lil' words pasted your lips." Celine says leaning into Xavier so her lips were so close to his ear that her words would echo like his words did in Alia's mind. Those same five words he told her that night. "I…never…did…love…you." Celine whispers with a smirk. She pulls back, wiping the smirk from her face.
Xavier was silent, that when he finally realized that it was his fault; that he almost caused Alia's death. Celine stands up and turns to Xavier. "I'll just be leaving now, see ya tomorrow." Celine says. She leaves the house with an evil smirk on her face. She knew she got him. Now all she had to do was wait until tomorrow. Until the day Xavier would never see Alia again. It was check and mate, she had him cornered. And the only way he had out now was to relieve himself for this suffering. By killing himself. That night Xavier didn't visit Alia, Celine's words echoed in his mind, haunting him til' the darkest hours of the night. "Are you sure you didn't save her life to look like the hero?...She might heal from the pains from the accident, but she'll never heal from the pain of the broken heart you gave her. That pain will last her whole life. Up until her last breath." Then Xavier couldn't take it anymore, he bolted right out of his house; hot tears in his eyes, never looking back.
Celine looks out her window and sees Xavier run by. She wonders what he's doing. She sticks her head out the window and looks ahead of his path to see that he was heading to what her friends called Suicide Cliff. An evil smirk spread across her face. She knew she had won, she always won and that was a fact. Meanwhile at the hospital Alia begins to worry. "Where is he? He would never skip out on a visit. Unless…" Alia says to herself. Then she realized what was going on. She quickly hopped out of bed and quietly snuck out her hospital bedroom window. She ran towards Suicide Cliff fast as she could. Please Xavier, don't be stupid. You can't die now, it's not your time. Oh god, please don't let me be late. She hurries to the cliff, hoping it's not too late.
Xavier reaches the cliff, stopping only a few feet from the edge. He fell to his knees and started to cry. Boiling tears running down his face in rivers. It's all my fault, I never should have told her anything. Blade was right; I don't deserve to live. It's time I ended this, once and for all. Xavier sits up and leans against the oak tree behind him. He pulls out his special knife that he had since he was only a boy. He looks at his reflection in the blade. The memories he and Alia had shared in the past flashed before his eyes. Each making his heart feel heavier for ever letting her go. Then he just couldn't take it anymore. He slit his left wrist and dropped the knife in pain.
He struggles to pick up the knife with his left hand and slit his right wrist. Then he just drops the knife and just sits there, waiting for it all to be over. Just as his vision started to fade; he hears footsteps behind him. They suddenly stop beside him. "Xavier!" A voice says. He knew that voice, and to his surprise, it was Alia. Alia runs to his side and just falls on her knees. "Xavier, oh god Xavier, why'd you do this? I told you not to blame yourself! Why'd you do this?" Alia says between sobs.
"I'm-I'm sorry Alia…I just couldn't take the guilt anymore. Blade and Celine were right, I was just heartless." Xavier says. He was growing weaker by the minute. "Please, Xavier, I don't wanna lose you! I love you too much! I lose you, my life will be empty!" Alia says crying her eyes out. "Just leave me Alia, I don't deserve to live…you don't deserve a heartless hedgehog like me." Xavier says. "No! You didn't let me die, I'm no gonna let you die!" Alia says. With all her might she picks Xavier up and runs fast as her could, hard as she could; back to the hospital.
"Alia…in case I don't make it out…I just wanna say that……I love you." Xavier says. His eyes closed and he started to go limp and cold in Alia's arms. "Xavier, no! Please stay with me! We're so close! I'm not gonna lose you! Not now!" Alia says. Alia rushes through the emergency room entrance. After waiting for nearly two hours the doctors come out of the emergency room. Alia approaches one on them. "Did he make it? Is he gonna be okay?" Alia asks. The doctor was silent. Alia feared the worst. "He'll be fine, we've stabilized him and he'll be ready to go home in a week." The doctor says. Alia lets out a sigh of relief.
The next day Alia gets up bright and early to visit Xavier who was right next to her hospital room. Alia approaches Xavier's bedside. "Hey Xavier, ya feeling alright?" Alia asks. "Yeah," Xavier says. It was silent for a second. "Listen Alia, I was stupid for trying to take my own life. I just couldn't take it anymore. The pain and guilt was just too much." Xavier says. "I told you not to blame yourself. I know Blade might have told you otherwise but you shouldn't have listened to him." Alia says. "It wasn't just Blade," Xavier says. Alia was confused, who could have filled him with so much guilt that he'd try to kill himself? "Then who else was involved in this?" Alia asks. Xavier was silent for a bit. "Celine," He finally says.
Alia was surprised. To think that Xavier's own girlfriend would try to push Xavier to kill himself. "But how? How could she have been involved?" Alia says. "She visited me yesterday and just started bombarding me with guilt. That the only reason I saved you was to be the hero. That I hurt you for life. That it was my fault you were here. I just couldn't take it." Xavier says. "Well, any girlfriend who does that to their boyfriend isn't a girlfriend at all." Alia says laying her hand on Xavier's. That's when it happened. That same feeling they had years ago, the thing that started in 6th grade. They were in love again. Only this time it wasn't fake, it was real as real could get. They both knew it; Celine had lost and they had won.
Over the next couple of days they started bonding a bit, getting closer than they ever did before. After a week, both were out of the hospital. They were so close that it was like they belonged together. So the next day Xavier asked Alia if he would be his once more. And this time he promised that no matter what he'd always love her. She happily agreed, and up to today she still wears the necklace he gave her that day. Celine smoldered in her defeat, angry and heartbroken. And everything returned to normal. Both Alia and Xavier still remember those moments where they nearly lost each other, but they didn't and that's all that mattered. I guess this sad love story ended happily for our love birds. It goes to show you that True Love Never Fades Away.