New trial story...
Chapter 1
She knew what she was getting herself into when she first signed off on this new job. She knew that she was being sent to a crime-filled, poverty-stricken neighborhood with one of the highest high school drop-out rates in the nation. She knew that what she was sent here to do may or may not help the kids that she was going to talk to. Then again, she knew more than likely that there was almost absolutely nothing she could do for these kids in the first place. Their lives were bad, she knew that for a fact but coming from her own personal experiences she believed that their bad lives could still be turned around. Besides, she was assigned high school freshman. Surely, they couldn't possibly be too bad.
Ariella Thomas sat at her desk patiently, watching the wall clock as it ticked quietly. Today was the first day of school and the first day of her new counseling job. At the school that she now worked in, they developed a group counseling course for all of the kids in the school. The program was new but the school board had been asking for something like it for years. Since the kids did live in a bad community and each had their own story to tell, the leaders of the school board decided that they should be able to dig themselves out of whatever hole they had fallen into. Ariella wasn't quite sure how deep these kids' holes might be but she was positive that she was going to help them in any way she could during the next four years.
Ariella jumped lightly at the sound of the school bell ringing. Painting a bright smile on her face, she stood up and walked around her desk to lean against it. She quickly straightened her blouse and skirt before mussing her curls. Although she wasn't much older than the kids she was going to be helping, that didn't mean that she wanted to look as if she wasn't there to be professional. She was strictly there to give guidance to her students and appearance was the first thing to show that purpose.
The young teacher smiled widely as she watched her ten students walk slowly into the room. She nodded and said to hello to each and every one of them. To her surprise, only two actually smiled back. The others just glanced at her while they took their seats. Because the class was a personal one, they only put but so many kids in each teacher's possession. Ariella was only responsible for these ten in which she would have every day at this given period. At first she had thought it would be an easy task but then she actually saw what she was working with.
There were five boys and five girls in the classroom, all of which were spread apart. All of which were also nothing alike. All of the boys were dressed differently as were the girls and she could already tell that once she actually dug into their lives then she would see that the only common thing in their lives would be the fact that it wasn't the best one. "Hello," she said brightly as she went to shut the door. "My name is Ms. Thomas and I will be your counseling teacher – or just counselor – for the next four years. Now, to all of your advantages, I am straight out of graduate school so therefore I know most of what's going on in your generation. Note that I said most." She let out a small laugh and waited expectantly for her students to laugh with her. To more of her surprise, they just stared at her. She shut her mouth and cleared her throat.
"So, today, we will just be getting to know each other. I brought a little beach ball here," she picked the small blow up ball from her desk and held it up. "When you have the ball, you are required to give the class a description of yourself, maybe a little run down of your life, and one positive thing about yourself or your life. Oh and don't forget your name. I'll go first as an example. My name is Ariella Thomas. I am 25 years old and engaged. I can be described as caring, kind-hearted, out-spoken at times, a bit ditzy, eccentric, and a total book nerd. I grew up in Harlem, New York. My childhood wasn't exactly the best. Um, my father left my mom and I when I was little due to his drug addiction so my mom lived pretty poor but she did the best she could in raising me the right way. One positive thing about me is that I never give on people, projects or anything that is important to me." She scanned the room before passing the ball to the small girl who had returned the smile when she walked into the room.
The girl was pretty but looked a lot younger than she probably was. She had these wide, chocolate brown eyes, long cascades of golden hair, and a petite, skinny body. She was dressed in a simple orange dress and a pair of flats. She seemed surprised when the ball came flying to her but she did catch it and slowly began to speak. "Um, hi," she said, her voice softer than soft. Ariella was immediately reminded of a small child when she heard the girl speak but then again, that was still what she was after all. "My name is Cream Marionna. I'm 13 years old, I turn 14 next week. Um, I guess I can be described as quiet, nice, and a bookworm as well. I live with my father who is really sick at the moment. My mother died giving birth to me and yea. One positive thing about me is that I enjoy helping smaller children up at the community center and such." She then passed the ball to the other boy who had also offered me a smile when he came into the room.
This boy was also small in size with messy orange hair, glasses, big blue eyes, and his scrawny body. He was dressed in a plaid button up shirt and jeans with a pair of converse. He seemed hesitant to speak but eventually spoke, his voice soft as well. "My name is Miles Prower but everyone calls me Tails because I'm obsessed with airplanes. I can be described as smart, eccentric, clutter-minded, and organized. My parents are drug addicts so I don't get a lot of recognition at home. Uh, one positive thing about myself is that I have a dream to go to college and become an inventor one day."
"That's good, Tails," Ariella told him with an encouraging smile. The boy nervously smiled back before tossing the ball to another girl in the room.
This girl seemed a bit more mature than the first girl did. She was dressed in a tight black miniskirt, a fitted pink crop top, and knee high stiletto boots. Although the girl did have the body for the outfit – even at her young age – Ariella could see that she was just trying to prove something to the world. The girl was pretty though, even though her face was caked with makeup. She had nice, elegant cheekbones, mysterious dark blue eyes, straight snow white hair that came to her shoulders and pink lips that she had poked out in a grimace. "Is everything in this class confidential," she asked, her voice a bit rough but still normal for a female.
"Yes. Everything you say in here will not leave this classroom," Ariella responded although she was a bit taken aback at the question. She guessed that the first two wouldn't be much of troublemakers but she hadn't been sure of the other eight of them.
"Well, my name is Rouge Karin. I can be described as sexy, clever, and promiscuous. My step father owns a club downtown and I am one of his strippers. I live by myself since my biological father kicked me out and I refuse to live with the sick bastard my mom married. One positive thing about me is that I deal with my own problems and I don't ask anyone to help because I know I don't need it." Her last words were filled with venom and Ariella could tell that they were formed at her. Obviously the girl didn't exactly think that she needed to be in this course but little did she know that maybe the course was exactly what she needed. The fact that she was living alone and making money by dancing on a pole didn't sit well with Ariella. She felt bad for the girl and wanted to do everything she could to help the girl. Too bad she could only hope that the girl would even accept her help.
The next boy that the ball got passed to looked pretty rough in Ariella's opinion. Scars covered the boy's body and face but that didn't make him any less attractive. He was good looking with his head full of red braids, intimidating purple eyes, big muscular torso, and long legs. His attire was a simple tee and jeans with sneakers. When he spoke, his voice was deep but Ariella could tell that it was natural rather than to the effects of smoking or drugs. "My name is Antwon Naylor but everyone calls me Knuckles because I'm always fighting. I can be described as hot headed, impatient, impulsive and hard headed. I live with a bipolar condition which doctors think play a part in my violent outbursts and short temper. My parents are both in my life but I don't live with them because they gave me to my grandparents. They had me at a young age so they couldn't care for me. One positive thing about me is that I fight for what I want and I've been told that it's a sign of determination. So, if I am a determined person, I believe that I can get somewhere in life."
The ball flew over to another overly attractive girl. She had long waves of bronze hair, bright caramel colored eyes, caramel colored skin and long legs that were crossed over each other. Her face seemed sweet but hard at the same time and she had some makeup on but it was enough to emphasize her natural beauty. She was wearing a fitted sparkly tank top, a pair of skinny jeans and wedges. "Hi," she said, her voice smooth. "My name is Brittany Taylor. I can be described as creative, witty, and fashionable. My parents are rich – or at least they used to be – and their bankruptcy landed us here. They don't pay much attention to me so I got a hold on to drugs. I wish I could tell you I've been clean but I'm not. One positive thing about my life is that I hope I have enough talent to start my own fashion label someday."
With that, she flicked the ball on to the boy beside her. He looked like the complete opposite of her with his eyebrow piercing, fauxhawk, dark forest green eyes, tan skin, and lean body. He was dressed in a metal band tee, ripped jeans, and high tops. "My name is Donatello Harris but I go by Dante. I can be described as music-influenced, rough edged, and a bit of a loner. I live with my dad who is a bank robber. I myself also steal from time to time. One positive thing about my life is that I'm in a band and we're about to have our first gig and hopefully things soar from there."
The girl he passed the ball to caught it effortlessly without looking up. She was small in stature but she had a lot more curves than the first girl did. She was also really pretty despite her dark makeup. She had wide, jade green eyes, long curly pink hair and sweet face. She was wearing a fitted black tee shirt, black skinny jeans and combat boots. "My name is Rosalinda Bethany Rose but if you call me by my real name then I won't answer. I answer to Rosy – nothing else. I can be described as sarcastic, short tempered, and gothic. I live in a foster home and I've tried to commit suicide multiple times before in the past. I would give you one positive thing about me or about my life but there isn't one."
She put the ball on the desk of the boy sitting next to her, not even bothering to look up at him or anyone else. This boy struck Ariella as intimidating with his almond shaped eyes that held ice blue irises, arched eyebrows, tight cheekbones, crossed arms, and leanly muscular body. His green hair was messy but he didn't seem to care. He was dressed in a white tee with a black leather jacket on top, black worn jeans, and a pair of converses. He spoke with a strong Hispanic accent that mixed well with his smooth voice. "My name is Miguel Delgado but everyone calls me Scourge. I can be described as hardheaded, mean, intimidating, handsome, and a bit devious. I would rather not talk about my home life – just that I live with my shithead father. Like Rose just said, I don't have anything positive about my life either."
He threw the ball to the other small girl who was sitting quietly and watching everyone. She had a striking resemblance to the other girl who had spoken before with her pink curls and wide jade eyes. Still, Ariella could see that they were nothing alike. This girl had no makeup on, expressing how naturally pretty she was and she was dressed in a bright tee, skirt and sandals. "Um, my name is Amelia Eleanor Rose. I'm Rosy's twin sister. I can be described as shy, soft-spoken, and kind. I also live in a foster home. I'm actually diagnosed with depression. One positive thing about me is that I have a big heart."
The ball went to the last boy in the class. He also had a resemblance to one of the other students in the class but there was still a difference that defined them. This boy had blue hair and light green eyes. Although he was just as intimidating as the other boy was, this boy seemed a bit softer in looks. He also spoke with a Hispanic accent but it wasn't as defined as the other boy's. "My name is Javier Ramirez but I go by Sonic because apparently I'm a fast runner. I can be described as outspoken, charismatic, and energetic. I live with my mother and father but they're both terrible parents. I'm not so much a good guy for the community. Um, I can't think of a positive thing about myself or my life at the moment."
With that, the ball was passed back to Ariella. She smiled widely at her students. "Thank you all for cooperating with me on this game. Now, I just need you all to do one more thing for me before the bell rings." All of the students raised an eyebrow at their teacher, mentally preparing for whatever she was about to say. "I want to partner you all up with someone."
"For what," Rosy asked.
"Yea, what exactly do we need a partner for? We didn't give off any impression that we wanted any of these people in our lives despite for this class," Rouge said. Ariella sighed, shaking her head.
"I want you all to be partnered because I will be giving projects in which you and partner will have to complete. Life projects really. They're supposed to help turn your life around and what better way to do that than if someone is by your side. There will be no switches with this partner thing either. You will be partners until you graduate from this school. I won't allow any of you dropping out so don't even think about it. Alright? I also don't want to hear any complaining about who I'm pairing you with. This is for your own benefit. Now, Cream I want you with Tails. Rouge you're with Knuckles. Brittany you're with Dante. Rosy, you are gonna be paired with Scourge. And Amy, you're with Sonic. Okay?"
"Are you trying to play matchmaker," Brittany asked as she popped her gum. "Because as you can see, all of us girls are pretty enough to get guys on our own terms. We don't need you to get boyfriends for us."
"And who said that any of us actually like who we got paired with," Knuckles asked, posing a good question to Brittany. Rouge popped him upside the head, causing him to glare at her.
"Most guys would kill to be my partner, you'd better appreciate it." Knuckles narrowed his eyes.
"If I do recall, you are a stripper."
"Hey, leave her alone," Rosy yelled.
"Shut up. Your little ass isn't going to do anything," Scourge told her. Rosy raised an eyebrow before she stood up. Scourge also stood up, towering over her as they started to argue.
"Don't talk to my sister like that," Amy yelled softly, as she stood up. "She didn't do anything to you."
"Hey, sit your little ass down before I make you sit your little ass down," Sonic told her. Amy looked taken aback by his comment but it didn't take long for them to start arguing as well. The only ones who weren't arguing was Cream and Tails. Instead, they were talking quietly amongst themselves. Ariella sighed quietly. This was going to be one hell of a course.
So, this is more of a trial story for an idea that I've had for a while. This will be a change in story format for me since I will try to incorporate all of their different stories into one big thing as well as the love interests that will come later on. Or I might just focus more on the Sonamy part of it. So, it will be a lot but I will see if I can manage to pull it off haha. So, continue or delete?