Crashed CHAPTER 4

"You ready?" The red echidna asks, entering the establishment exactly on time.

"You don't mind me walking around in this dingy uniform, do you?" I open the small door between the counters and step through.

"No, not at all. Frankly I think it makes you look cuter." He holds the door open for me, and the cold air hits me immediately.

"It's not like you've seen me in anything else yet." I mumble, rubbing my arms. "Why is it so cold tonight?"

"I think it's supposed to rain. See the clouds?" He points up, staring at the sky.

My gaze follows his finger. The usual blue and black sky and dazzling stars are shielded by a large mass of clouds.

Just as I was about to say I forgot to bring a jacket, Knuckles drapes his own over my shoulders. "Sorry, you looked cold. That dress doesn't seem very forgiving."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." We stop in front of a dark purple-colored 2012 Camaro. "This is your car!?"

"Oh, um, yeah." Knuckles nervously rubs the back of his head. "You like it?"

"It's my favorite color, and it's just… really cool looking. How do you get something like this working for a pizza place? I need to know your secrets!" Knuckles sits in the car and motions for me to sit in the driver seat.

He laughs. "Oh, this was kinda a gift, you could say. My rich grandma died and left me a huge amount of money. I've only ever met her once, though. But I decided why not buy my dream car?"

"Well, I'm sorry about your grandma. You're really gonna trust me to drive this!?" My hands grip the steering wheel, admiring the interior of the car.

"Heh, are you saying I shouldn't?"

As someone who's driving for the very first time since almost dying in a car accident, probably not. "No, not at all."

My hands started to slightly shake. What made me think I could drive right now, in this expensive, super nice car? This just added pressure times a million.

"I hope this doesn't sound weird, but I was very excited for tonight. It's so nice that you were willing to show me around on such short notice. Hell, you're the first person to really be nice to me since I moved here." Knuckles stares at the road ahead of us as I pull out of the parking lot. "So, where to first?"

"Well I thought we'd go to that park Cream mentioned first. It's really close, so why not?" And by close, I mean we just pulled into its parking lot.

I hadn't actually been to this place in a long time. I forgot about the lush grass covering the area inside the intricately designed fences. Park was almost an understatement for this place, as it didn't look completely like a place for children. Trees line the border where the fences end, leading to a large wooded area. The center of the park holds a large glass-walled gazebo that shields the wooden tables and chairs inside from the weather. A stray arch post metal swing set stood in the corner of the lot.

"This place is cool." Knuckles steps onto the grass, stopping for a second, almost as if he wanted to feel out the grass before he went any further.

I stepped toward him. "I think it's beautiful. I used to hang out here a lot on my free time."

I remembered how often Blaze and I came here after school. We used it to study and just sit and talk—it was easy to since the place is almost always empty. It's beautiful, but it's on the edge of the woods, which most people seem to be afraid of. Despite how beautiful it always seemed to me, I guess others couldn't appreciate it as I did.

"I figured it'd have more to it, like a playground or something. Not just a couple of swings. The gazebo looks super nice, though." Knuckles turned to me and smiled. "But if you like it, I like it. Where to next?"

I wasn't expecting him to want to leave so fast. "There's an indoor pool around here, it has cool slides and stuff. There's also an arcade a few blocks away. Other than that, this place is actually kinda boring."

"Pool next it is then!" His sudden enthusiasm made me jump.

The trip to the pool was pretty uneventful. When we got there it was closed, as it's only open late on Fridays and Saturdays. Knuckles didn't let that damper his mood though, and we headed off to the arcade.

"Ooh! Play this with me!" Knuckles stopped in front of one of those shooter games, handing me a gun.

I've never played a game like this before, nor held a gun. So of course when he hands me the gun I can't find a comfortable way to hold it.

Knuckles' hand stopped shy of pushing the quarter into the machine. "Rouge? What are you doing?" Knuckles quickly learned my name earlier after a glance at my name tag, still pinned to my dress.

I dropped the fake gun after trying to balance it on my boobs, and failing. "I… well… um… I've never played this before."

"Really? You live this close to an arcade and you've never come to play?"

"It's not like I've never come to play. I have just never been interested in gun games, okay?" I dropped the plastic gun to my side, gripping it by the cord connected to the machine.

"Here, I'll help you." Knuckles steps behind me, aligning his body with mine. He lifts the butt of the gun to rest on my shoulder. "Look through the sights, it'll help you aim."

"Well, I know that. I've watched Blaze play Call of Duty at least once." I roll my eyes, pretending to know more than I actually do.

Knuckles chuckled, holding my hands to guide them to their positions on the gun. "Hold the grip here—good, now you'll need to be able to shoot so here's the trigger—"

I couldn't listen to what he was saying. He was so close, and the smell of his cologne had me in a trance. How was I already feeling butterflies in my stomach? I had only known this guy for… not even a day.

I ignored the nagging feeling in my gut, and turned my head to face him. He had stopped blabbing about the parts of the gun, and was gazing into my eyes. "h-hey,"

"Hey." I whispered back, feeling my mouth tip into a smile.

For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me. But he pulled away. "S-sorry. Let's play!" Knuckles tried to hide his blush, but it was so obvious. Meanwhile, I tried to hide my disappointment.

There was a brief screen telling you the different buttons, like the one on the side to throw grenades, and to aim of the screen to reload, then the game quickly started. I felt flustered at first, but I quickly got the hang of it. I even ended up getting more kills than Knuckles did.

"Holy shit! Are you sure you weren't bluffing or something? There's no way that was your first time!" Knuckles pulled me into an unexpected hug, then receded just as fast as he engaged.

I smirked. "It really was. I just learn fast, I guess." I shrugged, playing off my victory. Inside, I actually felt very pleased with myself. "And I have great aim." I winked.

"Do you wanna play again?" He asked.

"Sure."

We played a few more times, Knuckles getting his ass kicked every time. Even though we were technically supposed to be working together, we compared the kill counters in the corners of the screen. I always beat him.

"Is it weird that I find it attractive that you keep beating me like that?" Knuckles laughed, then suddenly covered his mouth. "Sorry, that was weird."

"Nah, it's cool." I leaned on the game, crossing my arms. "You ready to go? I still gotta fly home, and I don't want to kill my wings if I get too tired."

"If you don't mind, I can drive you home." Knuckles eyed me expectantly. "I don't want you getting hurt. Weird people come out at night."

I was suddenly reminded of the dark hedgehog I ran into earlier. "I think I'll be alright."

"Are you sure?" The smile on his face started to falter, and it was a sight I did not like.

"You know what? I'd actually really like that." I let him grab my hand as we walked through the crowded arcade.

I couldn't help letting myself enjoy his touch. This was the fastest I've ever gained feelings for someone, and it feels so weird. I've always been a guarded person, and letting that guard down was something that wasn't so easily done.

Knuckles opened the passenger side door for me, letting me step in before he shut it behind me. "Now I'll need to know where you live pretty lady."

His smile put me at ease. I told him the address, and he pulled it up on his phone. "About twenty minutes? Hmph, I figured you lived closer."

"Nah. I just like to fly most of the time, so I actually like the distance." One of the only times I drove, I flew out a windshield.

"Now it's my turn to show you something." Knuckles smirked, watching as the top of the car moved to reveal the brilliant sky.

"How come I didn't even notice this was a convertible?" I laughed, amazed. I've never been in a car like this before.

"I like feeling the wind when I drive." His easy smile stayed on his face while he pulled away from the parking lot and drove off.

I suddenly felt very tired, as if I ingested a truck full of sleeping medicine. I hadn't drank anything or even eaten the entire time we've been out, so I know it's not his fault. "I'm gonna take a fast nap, okay?"

"That's fine. I'll wake you up when we're there."

…

The stoplight again.

I don't think it'll ever stop haunting me.

I hear a faint grunting noise, as if someone were boxing nearby. There are no cars, just an empty street. No almost-dead version of me. No shards of glass.

The grunting quickly turns to screaming, and I turn in circles to find the source, to no avail. "Hello!?" I call. "Are you okay!?"

The screaming gets louder… angrier. I run towards it, sprinting as fast as I can.

There.

He was punching the floor and tearing out grass, leaving circles of bare dirt. He didn't care about anyone or anything around him, ripping the grass so violently it hurt to look at.

"Why am I here!?" He cried, punching the earth with so much force I thought it'd split in two.

The hedgehog from earlier today. Why is he in so much pain? What happened to him?

"Hello, um—" I reached for him, only for my hand to completely phase through. "Can you hear me?"

"The voice… why is it back!?" The ebony hedgehog grasped at his ears, staring at the holes he created.

"So… you do hear me?" I whispered, getting closer.

"Yes I do but—why are you answering me? You've never—"

"I never what? Please turn around—"

His face abruptly turned to me, yet his gaze seemed far away. He seemed to be looking through me. "I can never see you. But I feel you."

"What are you talking about?"

When those blazing crimson eyes closed, I could see his pain. As much as I hated him the first time I met him, I felt awfully sad at the sight of him like this. No one deserved this kind of pain. The feeling of going insane… none of this. I didn't want to see even him like this.

"Can you just leave me alone!?" His yell was so loud and filled with emotion. "I don't understand why you have to make me feel insane!"

I don't know what I did. I don't know why I feel so guilty. I somehow know that this state he's in is my fault, and I've never said more than a few sentences to him.

I gripped my ears, shaking my head. I can't take his yelling anymore. I don't want to hear his pain. I can't take the agony.

Screaming, I ran the opposite direction. Away from him. Away from falling into the depths of his anger.

"Rouge!" I wake up to Knuckles' hand on my shoulder, shaking me. "Oh my god, are you alright!?"

I look around. It was just a dream, thank god.

"Yeah it was just… a nightmare…"

Knuckles wordlessly pulled me out of the car and into a hug. We stood like that for a while.

"I don't ever want to hear you scream like that again."

"I'm fine, I promise." I slightly pushed away, staring up at him. "Thank you for bringing me home."

"No big deal. As long as your safe, I'm happy." He got closer and closer and—

A flash of crimson eyes. Black fur.

This all suddenly felt wrong.

"Knuckles I… I can't." I pushed away from him, starting for the stairs. "It's just…"

"Too soon? I'm sorry Rouge I just… I thought…" His gaze never left the floor.

I couldn't even face him. I rushed inside, sliding down the door after I shut it.

What was wrong with me? He was about to kiss me, which I wanted all night, but I denied him. Why? Because that damn hedgehog invaded my thoughts. I felt guilty for what I was doing. I felt guilty for reasons I couldn't explain.

I stayed up all night thinking about not thinking about violet eyes, but about red ones.