"Alright– pop quiz! How much do you already know about her?"

I took a sip of my canned sweet tea and twiddled with a small pebble, scraping it against the blackish-gray pavement. Sonic and I sat in the middle of an empty parking lot that appeared midway on the trek from the gas station down the street to my home. It was the perfect place to chill casually on random nights to talk and hang out if we didn't want to be inside. All we had to do was cut through a small forest of trees that separated the parking lot and my neighbourhood and we were out in the vastness of a lot isolated after 10. I sat on the ground criss-crossed while he rested in front of me in an abandoned shopping cart we found, legs hanging over the front side as he leaned back in it. His elbows were perched up on either sides as well while he crunched on some chips.

The cool night was brisk but we felt comfortably warm underneath the appropriate amount of layers and from the mild, sweat-breaking walk. It was pleasantly tranquil, around 11 pm, the only sounds echoing from some cars passing through occasionally on the street adjacent or a bat squeaking in the shady ink sky above us as it flapped over.

It'd been two weeks since Sally's arrival and Sonic had been adamant in spending as much time with her as possible and socially acceptable, careful not to come off as borderline obsessed.

Apparently she enjoyed his company just as much so far, so it was off to a good start.

"Like what, favorite color and all that mess?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm, her favorite color is blue. I mean why wouldn't it be, just look at me– I pull it off so perfectly~"

"Ha! I bet she likes a lighter blue, like sky blue. Be honest."

"..."

"I knew it!" I wiggled delightfully.

"Whatever it's still blue." He pretended to flip one of his quills.

"Mhm. What else. Music? Hobbies?"

"R&B, vocal, jazz, singer-songwriter…"

"Like Amy Winehouse?"

"Yeah. But she'll listen to anything."

"Nice, nice."

He squinted up towards the floodlight, "Let's see what else… She likes messing around with electronics and softwares, computer science stuff... The outdoors… Sunshine... Hangin' out with friends. I think she's the extrovert type."

"That's good– like you."

"Yeah. I bet her and Tails will get along nicely too with that computer stuff."

"Hmm… How's she and her family holding up with the loss?"

About two years ago it went public that Alicia Acorn, beloved first lady, wife, mother and overall an amazing and kind being, lost her life in her battle to cancer. The nation was devastated but no where near imaginable to what the immediate family and friends were feeling.

"She hasn't said anything about it… Never shows anything on the surface and I haven't dared to ask so soon. But who knows what she's feeling internally. I guess it's another reason why she moved here." Sonic thought out loud.

"Yeah… Man. It's devastating to lose a mom at this age, when your life is essentially just beginning. And especially if it's so public. Chaos, she masks her feelings well…" I murmured to the ground in extreme sympathy.

"I'd straight up go crazy. She's strong."

"Yeah."

-Sip-

"Hmm. Anyways, what else you get to know about her?"

"She really wants to do everything high school has to offer. Socially and academically both. I told her we'll try to squeeze in as much as we can to make up for the last three years lost. It's a lot."

"Seems like you'll be spending a lot of time with her then." I smiled in his favor.

"I'm hoping so!"

"Does she like us? Our group of friends? I have a feeling she reveals to you a lot more than she does to us. She's warmed up to you nicely the most."

"Right!? I mean, I hope she warms up to you guys more too soon but I thought it was just my ego talking when I noticed that as well." He perked up giddily as he admitted it, ecstatic that she was generally OK with him from what he guessed. "And yeah, of course she likes you guys. She's pretty serious about that hardcore party stuff with Rouge and Knuckles, haha."

"I had a feeling! Even Rouge was curious about that, I saw."

"She doesn't seem like the type to be interested in that stuff huh? It's great that she's flexible."

"True. It's also been awhile since we last went to a wild party though. I need to go to some a few last times before we graduate."

"The last one we went to was last year around this time right? I don't think we went to anymore after that for the rest of the year."

"Yep. They started to get boring, same stuff and people." I shrugged.

"Yeaaah. But I agree, we should definitely go before we're outta here. Make some final high school memories."

"Chaos...I can't believe this is our final year… I mean as much as I wanna finally graduate, it's still weird to think about."

"Time fuckin' flew right on by." He sighed, a puff of fog expanding out from his nose.

"Like crazy. It feels like just yesterday we went on that freshman biology field trip to the beach. Haha, remember how quick Silver was to pee on Knuckles after a jellyfish stung him? 'I had to go really badly anyway! It was either this or pee in the ocean with everyone in it!' And then everyone's disgusted reaction. Haha! Classic Silver. No doubt he's gonna get voted for Class Clown in the senior superlatives."

"He has that title in the bag. He came out of his mother for that sole purpose, nothing else."

"Haha, Sonic!" I lightly slapped his foot near me.

"It's true!"

"Good thing he's not here to rough you up."

"As if he could!"

"He has before. He might be goofy as hell but he's pretty tough too. He took wrestling in tenth grade, remember?"

"Yeah, and quit when it became too much for him to constantly be in a headlock by musty, sweaty guys! Plus Blaze started fantasizing about him and those guys all yaoi like and drooled over them at every match."

"OH MY CHAOS I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THAT! HAHAHA!" I almost choked on my drink recalling it.

"Don't ever tell her I brought that up again, or else Silver's not gonna be the one roughing me up– she is!" He shuddered.

"Filed away for future use in case you ever piss me off." I taunted.

Sonic stuck his tongue out that had been enriched crimson from the spicy chips.

A bell chimed, briefly breaking the easygoing quietude and we turned our heads to see the source. Across the lot, Nack, a purple and white weasel we had become familiarized with stepped out of the sex shop that he owned and waved to us. We waved back and he turned around to lock up for the night.

"I used to think Cherry Pie was a breakfast diner." Sonic remarked about the so titled sex shop.

"How can anyone not with a name and exterior design like that." It was white with appealing brunch vibes emanating from it as a welcoming sign written in pretty, red calligraphy was perched on top of the homely entrance roof.

"I think it was. Didn't Nack say his great grandma owned it and then he completely redesigned it from the inside to make it a sex store?"

"Oh yeah, something like that."

"I'm sure his great gran is so proud."

"So proud that she's rolling in her grave with joy."

"Ha."

"We were so excited to go in there the second we turned eighteen and got our IDs."

"I'm pretty sure that's where Rouge and Knuckles' freak sides were unleashed. It was like that's where they were baptized for the sex gods."

I chuckled into the can clamped in between my teeth.

We sat in another hush-hush as I beheld the milky azure above us with my chin on my palm. I flicked over to Sonic and he sat staring out of space, eating his chips mindlessly and swinging a foot. The parking lot floodlight beamed down directly over him and casted shadows of his charismatic features. His glowing speculates focused back to reality and he glanced over to me casually. He held out his hand with the chips bag.

"Want some?"

I smiled, "Nah, I'm good. Is it 12 already?"

Sonic jerked his arm for his sleeve to fall back and checked his watch. "Yep."

"Let's head back." I picked myself off the ground and dusted off my pants.

"I would if I could."

I turned to him and he sat remaining in the cart, not moved an inch and licking the red residue of the Cheetos off his beige fingertips.

"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely puzzled.

"I can't move. I think I'm stuck Amy."

I stifled a snort. "You're not stuck Sonic, there's so much space for you to move and pull yourself up. Use them arm muscles kid."

"No I mean I've sat in this position for so long it's gonna hurt to move." He whined.

"So what, you plan on spending the night out here cause you can't handle a few seconds of pain." I cocked a hip and leered at his immobile form.

He pouted, narrowing his brows in and slightly poking out his bottom lip with his nostrils flaring. I laughed into the empty nighttide. It felt as if I had swallowed it whole and stuffed myself fuller than the moon.

I pulled out my phone and quickly took a picture of him.

"Try pulling your legs in, standing up then hopping out." I suggested, stuffing my phone back in my pocket.

He began to try but struggled miserably, his long legs refusing to squish in with his slouching body and hefty quills in the cart.

"I'm too tall!" He cried, almost trapping himself entirely in it. My stomach began to cramp from laughing so hard with tears dewing in the corner of my eyes as I observed him fidget around awkwardly in limited movements.

"If you don't get out in five seconds, I'm pushing the cart over!" I threatened through my cackling.

"Chaos why…" He mumbled in humorous disorientation as he looked around himself.

Without even counting to five, I lifted my foot and gave the cart a hard shove with all my bodily might transferred into my leg. He screeched ridiculously as the cart toppled over from the side, barely sparing him a moment to catch his fall. But he managed to halt the damning fall with one leg that had been sticking out, yet his balance on it wobbled so he allowed himself to crumple to the ground a small distance from the crashed cart. I shortly collapsed right next to him, my body unable to withstand the unstoppable laughter aching my lower abdomen.

He began to laugh with me while sputtering out a stream of insults, shoving my shoulder as we lay on the cement uncaringly.

Our merriment died down after a solid ten minutes, a few giggles escaping here and there as we fought to catch out breath.

"Damnit Ames." He softy crowed once it was totally stilled, nothing but the atmosphere comfortably heavy in the nipping air.

"What?" I hoarsely questioned.

"Why'd ya have to choose Central City University as your dream school."

I snickered.

"Sonic it's only an hour long drive away. Why'd you have to pick Green Hill University!"

"Hour and a half, excuse you!"

"Hey, it could've been a lot worse."

"That's true... But it's still not gonna feel right without constantly having you around after all these years. And… College is prone to changing people… Moving on."

My brows narrowed in taken back discern. "Are you scared I'm going to change?"

"No… Change is unavoidable… I'm just…" His sentence died as he stared at the swirling clouds drifting by lazily.

"What is it Sonic?" I egged, peering at him with my muzzle brushing against the road.

"I don't want you to forget me in the process… Outgrow me. Us."

"You really think I'd do that…?"

"You… Never know with these things."

I scoffed harshly. "How could you even think that Sonic! That's genuinely offensive. Hurt, bro."

He twisted his head to face me, countenance unreadable. Then it broke out into an eye-crinkling, closed mouth grin. "Yeah, I'm sorry. It was stupid of me to think that huh?" He apologized heartily.

"Forgiven. Don't ever be in doubt about it again! I can't see a life without you Sonic, no matter how much I've "grown" which I honestly don't think will be much. Adulthood is just not for me, I can feel it."

He chuckled, "Same."

"And I don't have to worry about you right?" I jokingly inquired, nudging his waist.

But he took it seriously, "Heck no! You're one of a kind Ames. Irreplaceable. I don't think I can ever even be around someone who isn't you for too long. Like, 'alright I've had enough of you. Time to go back to Ames. Time to go home.'" He sniggered.

My heartbeat picked up significantly at those words, as if it was trying to punch right out and flutter away into the darkness with the bats. He might not have not realized how sentimental he was being or how much weight those words carried but that was the best thing about it. That he didn't have to put in effort and thought into making me feel so happy. It was just natural. We were just something natural.

I was like home to him.

But I snickered as well, "You lie, Sonic."

"What! No I don't! Seriously, thinking back on it, I've never spent any time with anyone as much as I've had with you– like 50% of my life has been spent in your presence. I swear. Doesn't it feel the same to you?"

I didn't have to reflect on it to know he was actually telling the truth. Even I felt that 50% of my life consisted of him. From the moment we met, that's when our lives had truly begun, for we had finally developed independent conscious and thought, but also because we found each other. One of my earliest memory featured him by my side as we would creep up to the blue metal hedgehog animatronic that bared uncanny resemblance to Sonic at Eggman's Empire play place down the street from our neighborhood, and try to provoke it to see if it would interact with us. And then run away screaming or crying our heads off when it moved an inch or flash its red eyes at us. But then we would be doing the same thing again the next time we would visit the place. We were "adventurous" that way. I tittered lightly at the memory, unaware he was listening. He looked over to me.

"What? You don't feel that way?"

"No, no– I just remembered something. Something that proves yes, I do believe as well that half of my lifespan has been spent with you by my side. Doing stupid shit."

"See? I think it's incredibly awesome."

"We might as well be attached to the hip huh?"

He threw a fist up to the sky and shook it proclaiming, "If we don't get chosen for that superlative, I'm not buying the yearbook!"

I laughed out loud, "I'm sure Cream will actually abuse her power without us even saying so and make sure the yearbook committee will hand that title over to us."

"Yeah, I think she will too, haha."

I sighed.

"Sonic… Don't worry about us. College is just a short fork in the road that we're taking separately. But at the end of it… I guarantee we'll be together again. And we'll see each other on the weekends as much as we can, duh." I patted his hand that rested next to mine and faced him, smiling with as much alleviation as I could, hoping he could feel it and have secured comfort from now on.

"Thanks Amy. I know it's nothing I should doubt, but it's just nice to hear it y'know?"

"Yeah. I know."

He fumbled with my fingers mindlessly, rubbing them, squeezing them, and brought his other arm up to nestle it under his head and quills. "Let's lay out here a little bit longer... I like this." He husked.

I hadn't taken my eyes off of him ever since peering over. As he dazedly stared at the sky, an easygoing hint of a smile twanged his lips in a natural form that lacked any effort. His ambience was so ameliorating. He billowed raw solace from his aura and it was always a treasure, so rare for it to be at its fullest, but not with me.

"Yeah. Me too."

I picked up his arm nearest my side and brought it over my head and around my shoulders as I scooted into him. Getting the hint, he took over and brought me in closer to nestle into the nook of his open arm and held me as we focused back to gazing at the firmament in our new position.

The floodlight closest to us flickered twice and we glanced over to it. Twice more after a second, before it fused altogether and draped our area into shadowed dimness.

"At least we have a glare-less view of the sky now." He murmured, ever the optimist.

I chuckled, agreeing.

I missed him already.

*Rewritten as of 2/23/16

Xx,

Venus