Amy sighed and leaned her upper body against the steering wheel, careful not to blow the horn. It had been well over thirty minutes since her little incident, and she still felt like shit. Not only had she made a fool of herself by assuming the impossible, but she also caused a riotous scene in front of some important people. She could care less how Sonic had felt after she'd left him sitting there, because she was positive he was feeling no where near as hurt as she was.

Since her freshman year at Metropolis High, Amy had had a thing for Sonic. He was still the same as he was now: Honest, Determined, Carefree, Straight Forward, Protective. In her eyes, he'd been the prince she used to dream about since she was only a kit. He was brave and kind, stood up for whatever he believed in, and never backed down. When she began seeing those traits in him, it was at that point that she began to fall for him. She was quick to introduce herself to him and his group of friends. Although most of them had been a bit uneasy with the thought of some preppy girl joining their crew, Sonic hadn't seemed to mind at all.

Soon, she began to shadow him, pursuing his every step. Others began to notice, and they didn't like it one bit. They told her that she was becoming obsessed with him; that she clung to him a little too much. She hadn't listened, though. He was her soon-to-be-prince, and everyone else were just specters in her dreams.

Looking back at it now, Amy had to admit that everyone had been right. Rouge had told her a million times that Sonic wasn't committed, that he didn't care about her stupid hopes and dreams. She had been right, too. He was always away with work, and whenever he'd come back to her, the first thing he'd bring up was sex. Back then, Amy thought of it as a romantic thing, thinking that he'd missed the feel of her soft fur and plump lips. Now, after her eyes had begun to finally open, she realized it had seemed a bit selfish.

The lights on the building in front of her flickered on and off a few times. She was sitting in the parking lot of The Hole, a bar that her friend Rouge worked at. The building itself was old, signifying that it may have been well over fifty years. As it often was, the parking lot was fairly empty, save for two cars and her own. The place was always empty, being that it was outdated and had the stench of rotting cheese.

The only reason Amy had come to the nearly abandoned building was because she needed desperately to see Rouge. She had always been like an older sister to her, plus there was no where else she could run to. If she went home, she'd likely have to face Sonic, since he knew where she lived and had his own house key. She couldn't keep driving around the city, because then she'd be upset and out of gas. Her only reasonable choice was to come here.

It wasn't that she didn't have a lot of friends; she had plenty of those. It was the fact that she didn't want them to see her looking the way she did. She was always happy and smiling around them, and she didn't want them to see her down and out of character. The only reason she had felt comfortable enough to do it around Rouge was because of their history together.

Amy checked her rearview mirror, noting that she'd wiped off some of her eyeliner during her fit, so now her eyes looked darker. The fur beneath her eyes was slightly matted due to the amount of tears she had produced, and her naturally soft lips looked dry. She ran her tongue over them once, making sure to get them moist enough to where they were once again plump. Then, she grabbed her purse from the passenger seat.

Taking a deep breath, she carefully opened her car door and stepped out. She smoothed out her dress, which now seemed wrinkly, and closed the driver's door behind her. Quickly, she began her pursuit to the building, scolding herself for not bringing a jacket to protect against the mid autumn winds.

Before she even opened the door, the smell of rotting dairy hit her nose. She had to hold her breath to keep from gagging. She already looked and felt like a mess. She didn't need to smell like one, too.

She pushed the door open with a slight force, hearing the squeaky hinges and the cow bell sounding. When she got inside, she was glad to see that there were only four human gentlemen seated in the corner, all looking to be in their sixties. Now she wouldn't feel like a complete mess.

Amy made her way to the bar, her four inch heels tapping against the old, lose wooden floor boards, making them squeak like the door. She took a seat in one of the stools that was nailed to the ground. The cushion on the seats were torn here and there, hinting the true age of them. The walls were decorated with boring grey wall paper, some of it ripped down. The bar was placed against the right side of the room, facing the other side, where an old, worn out jukebox stood. There was a ceiling fan in the room to keep the customers cool, although it only succeeding in spreading the foul stench.

When she was comfortable, she began craning her neck to the left and the right in search of a white bat. After five minutes and no sight of Rouge, Amy grabbed the silver bell that was on the counter and rung it. Within ten seconds, one of the bartenders was out.

Amy's heart seemed to pause for a matter of seconds. Standing in front of her was an unfamiliar black hedgehog. For a moment, when he had first come out of the back room, she had thought him to be Sonic. But now that he was standing up close, there was no resemblance whatsoever.

Unlike Sonic, his quills were style in an upward position, and it looked as if someone had dipped a paint brush in red and streaked his hair. His eyes were a capturing crimson, and there was an industrial piercing in his left ear. He wore the standard bar outfit : A white long-sleeved button up with a black vest over it and matching black pants. He'd customized the outfit a bit, hooking a small silver chain from his belt loop to his pockets. He had a glass in one hand, and a small towel in the other.

By the sudden change of his expression, Amy could tell that she had been caught staring. She felt her cheeks heat up, and she quickly stared down, finding the vandalism on the counter to suddenly be interesting. The man cleared his throat, which made her look back up at him with a slightly embarrassed look.

"Can I help you, Miss?"

His voice was deep and smooth. It sent chills down her back, and she clung to those words that seemed to somehow warm her injured heart.

"Oh! Sorry, you just reminded me of someone, is all."

" Yeah, that's great and all, but I meant was, would you like something to drink."

Amy felt her brain form a palm and face palm her from the inside. First impressions meant everything to her, and this was one of her worst.

"No thanks. I was just seeing if Rouge was here, which it looks like she's not."

The hedgehog gently wiped the glass cup clean, then carefully sat it upside down on the shelf with the others. He slung the towel over his right shoulder and placed his hands flat on his side of the counter, using it to support his weight. " Yeah, she was off tonight. Said she had some things to take care of."

Amy sighed. Now that he'd mentioned it, she did remember her friend saying something about being busy this week.

"Oh, well I guess I'll just go-"

" Amy Rose."

She paused as she heard the stranger say her name. Although it frightened her that he knew it, it also made butterflies form in her stomach. The way he'd said it sounded pleasant. He said it with familiarization, and it had rolled of his tongue like butter. Instinctively, she straightened in her seat and put on her serious face. This was no time to be getting excited over someone she didn't know. Especially not after what she'd gone through earlier.

"How do you know my name?" she managed, her ears perked with caution.

For a few seconds, she thought she saw excitement in his eyes, but it was replaced with a smug look that irritated her for some reason.

"You don't remember me, do you?" he asked, a hint of sadness in his voice.

Amy delayed the answer, trying to see if she could remember him. Maybe they'd met at a grocery store, or maybe they'd taken a class together in school. Still, she couldn't quite imagine meeting someone like him and forgetting. He seemed like the type to have an ever lasting impression on people.

Giving up, the pink hedgehog shook her head, her eyes full of confusion and doubt.

The black hedgehog gave a cold chuckle and stared down at the counter. He paused for a few seconds and gently bit his bottom lip, as if he was searching for the right words to say. Suddenly, he looked up, staring her straight in the eye.

" I confessed to you our senior year."