Hiya peoples! :D Here is Chapter 8! :D Also, on my youtube channel, I added another song that goes along with this chapter! :D :D :D If you're reading this JUST AFTER I posted the new chapter, it may not be up yet (it's loading as I'm typing this!) ALSO: I was able to make a full body picture of Layla! :D It's in the video, so you should check it out! :D

To reviewer N. Harmonik: Look pal... no offense, but your facts were not exactly straight! Nic and Fiona were buddies, so why is it so wrong that they're friends in my story? NIC IS NOT PLEASANT! Also, I'm not a big Sally fan. I wanted to make her a bully. Why? It's my story! Please don't go hatin' on my story just because the character's interpretations are different than they are in the comics. There's this new thing called "creativity", and it allows you to change things about a story to make it to your liking! :O Another thing: I really don't like the Sonsal pairing! I like Sonamy! And there is probably another 54,836,923 other people who do too! So don't take that against me! If there was a girl out there who is exactly like Amy Rose in human form without the whole "Sonic Stalker Motive" that is me! I'm a living, breathing, walking, talking, human Amy Rose! I prettty much live my life by her ways! (why yes, I do have a boyfirend, and a bunch of awesome friends, so I am NOT a creeper!) And don't think I don't know what I'M talking about: I've been a Sonic fan since the first SEGA game that my dad gave me for my 5th birthday. I've watched every episode of every show, and read almost all of the comics. So just because my characters are not how they are in the comics, don't rip it apart in a review. You don't like how I write my story? Don't read it! Well... read it, but open up your mind to something new and fun! Sure the normal Sonic world is awesome, but try out my Sonic world for change! It might not be the best story out there, but if you give it a chance, you might like it!

This one "reply" probably is not going to change your opinion about my story, but I can't say I didn't try.

Good day and good luck to you too!

Phew! Glad to get that out of my system! :) For those of you faithful readers out there, I'm so sorry you had to see that side of me! Guess what? This chapter is where the romance picks up! :D :D :D Enjoy! Have a frabjous day! :D OOO! And don't forget to check out my youtube channel for the new song and Layla picture! :D My username is: LaylaHedgie


Chapter 8: Stinky Cheese, Secrecies, and Melodies

The Stinky Cheese

"Oh my god….. so good…" Knuckles moaned, his mouth full of pepperoni pizza. Surrounding him was the rest of the gang: Rouge next to Knuckles, Tails next to Mina, Blaze Next to Silver, Shadow next to Layla, and Cream next to Amy, who was sitting as far from Sonic as possible, still being angry at him for what he said earlier.

What does Sonic want? It's probably not good news after what happened during lunch… she thought. Amy left her pizza untouched, getting cold on the plate as she gazed out the window at the sun that was soon to be touched by the rippling blue water. Sunset was coming near, and she needed a way to get away from the group without being noticed.

"Hey Mario! Could we get the check please?"Silver called.

"Sure thing Silver. Hey, could you introduce me to your new buddies?" the Italian golden retriever asked.

"Oh! Sorry! I totally forgot! Hey guys! This is Mario; he's one of our buddies we met last year when we were freshmen. His family has owned this place for over 50 years," Silver informed them. "Mario, this is Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Amy, Cream, Rouge, and Mina. You already know Blaze and Layla."

"Let me guess- your brother's name is Luigi?" Knuckles joked.

"How'd you know?" Mario laughed. "No… but that'd be pretty awesome! Anyway- nice to meet you guys! Don't be strangers; you are welcome here anytime. In fact- the pizza's on me tonight! Welcome to Emerald Coast!" Mario offered.

"Wow! Thanks man!" Sonic thanked him, giving him a wink and a thumbs up.

"No problem- you all have a good night!" Mario said as everyone got up and headed for the door.

Dorm Living Room

Everyone except for Sonic, Amy, Layla and Shadow sat around the large flat screen TV, mesmerized by the show that they were watching. Nobody knew where the four missing friends were, but they knew that they were alright on their own.

Amy cracked open the door connecting the dorm living room to the girl's area, peering into the room to plan a quiet escape. She was ready to hit the beach to meet Sonic wearing a strapless red sundress covered in flowers, with red flip flops to match and a daisy in her hair. As much as Amy really didn't want to admit it, she wanted to look pretty for Sonic; even though she was still mad at him. She took a few steps out of the girl's wing and silently tip toed towards the back door.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cream noticed Amy trying to leave. "Amy, where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm going for a walk on the beach." She told her.

"Ooo! That sounds fun! Can we come?" Mina asked.

"I'm sorry Mina, but I really just need to be alone right now. Please don't take it personally." Amy assured her.

"Don't worry- we understand. Have fun!" Mina smiled.

"Thanks! See you guys later!" Amy sighed in relief as she walked out the back door.

She walked up the steps of the small boardwalk behind the dorm and slipped off her shoes just before walking into the warm sand, leaving them on the steps. Looking around, she saw a small dock that stretched about 50 feet out into the water. Sitting on the edge with his feet dangling over the side was none other than her hero –or whom she used to call her hero…

"Hey Ames!" Sonic grinned, offering her a seat by his side.

"Alright Sonic- I'm here. What do you want?" she questioned impatiently.

"I just wanted to tell you that I- umm…. I…. uhh…." Sonic stuttered. C'mon Sonic! Just say it exactly how you practiced! You've got this!

"What? Are you gonna break my heart again? Ugh! I should've known!" Amy cried, tears stinging her eyes.

"No! I… uhh…"

"Well then spit it out already!"

That was the problem: Sonic knew he wouldn't be able to say it; he's too shy. Instead of telling, he decided to show her:

Quickly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and gently pulled her towards him, bringing together their lips for a long passionate kiss. After about 30 seconds, Sonic broke the kiss, looking deeply into her emerald green eyes.

"I love you Amy Rose." Sonic said, taking both of her hands.

"Oh Sonikku! I love you too!" Amy wailed, tears of joy cascading from her eyes as she leaned in for another kiss.

Amy jumped into Sonic's arms and he swung her around the deck, still locked in the kiss. Breaking the kiss, Amy exclaimed, "Sonic, you just made my life!" He blushed, giving her a big hug and kissing her on the forehead, letting her let out a few small sobs.

"Thanks for the magical night, but I've gotta get back to the dorm." She worried, turning away from the horizon and towards the school.

"Wait Amy! Before you leave… you want to watch the rest of the sunset with me?" Sonic asked, scratching his head awkwardly.

"He he!" she giggled, "I'd love to!" Amy sat down next to Sonic on the end of the long pier, blushing as red as the color of her dress. Just as the sun reached its most beautiful point, Sonic reached out to Amy, offering her his hand, and without hesitation Amy lightly rested her hand in his, bringing small tears of joy to her eyes. Looking into each other's eyes, they slowly leaned in for a kiss.

Dream's really do come true… Amy thought as she kissed her Prince Charming.

Dorm Living Room about 5 minutes after Amy left…

Ready for his nightly jog, Shadow slipped on a black hoodie and sweatpants as he headed for the back door.

"Hey Shadow, where are you going?" Rouge asked.

"Hmph. I'm going for a jog." He replied with no emotion as he left out through the back door without waiting for Rouge's reply.

Shadow dashed back and forth across the beach, watching the sunset while he jogged, when a pair of shadowy figures (no pun intended :P) caught his eye on the end of pier behind the dorm. Trying to make out who they were, he watched the two slowly coming together for a long kiss.

Wow… way to go faker! I knew you had it in you! He thought, grinning at the sight of Sonic and Amy finally together. He knew Sonic had feelings for Amy, but he was just too shy to admit it. Shadow didn't seem like the type to care, but inside, he knew about most of the feelings of his friends.

When Amy stood up and began to walk away, Shadow took off in fear of being spotted just before Sonic asked her to stay and watch the sunset.

Heading back to the dorm, Shadow walked up the beach passing the 1A side of the huge house, when suddenly, he heard a voice in the distance. Where is that coming from? Shadow wondered, following the sound of the angel like voice.

Back at the Dorm…

Layla sat by her white grand piano which she set up outside on her balcony which faced the beautiful blue ocean. To her joy, Eggman made sure her piano was brought to her dorm by the end of the night; he knew her favorite thing in the entire world was to play music while enjoying the sunset each evening. It made her happy in such a lonely life of lies.

Resting her fingers lightly on the keys, Layla began to play on her favorite songs as she sang:

*Listen to "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane and Natasha Bedingfield cover on my youtubr channel LaylaHedgie*

Shadow began to get closer and closer to the source of the sound, and eventually, he found himself below Layla's balcony. Is… is that Layla? Her voice… it's so beautiful! He thought to himself with wide eyes. Is she singing "Somewhere Only We Know?" That's my favorite song… Quietly, he hid beneath the balcony, singing the lyrics as she sang from above, creating her own twist to the accompaniment.

After listening to her sing the first verse, Shadow could not contain himself; he began to sing loud and proud, not caring if he sounded good or not.

Scared out of her pants to hear another voice singing, she stopped singing herself. After a moment, she thought Whose voice is that? They sound great whoever it is… and they know all of the words and pitches to the original version. Maybe I'll help them out! Deciding to help Shadow, Layla stopped playing her twist of the song on the piano and began accompaniment from Keane's version as Shadow continued to sing.

Completely sucked into the music, Shadow didn't even realize that Layla had stopped singing, or that she began playing the original version on the piano. Pouring all of his emotion into the song, he sang:

*Song transitions into Shadow (Keane) singing*

Determined to finish the rest of her version, Layla continued off of Shadow's last note, and continued where she left off before Shadow began singing. Quickly and swiftly, she transitioned back into her own version, letting the music take control.

*Song transitions back to Layla (Natasha Bedingfield) singing*

"Wow…" Shadow said aloud, revealing himself from below the balcony.

Layla gasped at the sound of his voice, "Shadow?" she asked, glad to know it was him. "That was you?"

Wanting to be able to talk to her face to face, Shadow teleported onto the balcony, making Layla's eyes widen to the size of ping pong balls.

"HOLY CRAP!" she shrieked in shock. "How did you just do that?"

"Oh, did I forget to mention that I could teleport? It's one of my abilities. I can also travel through time if another person induces chaos control at the same time as me." He informed her.

"Wow! That's so awesome! I can't tell you how many times I could have used that... why didn't you just teleport us out of the courtyard earlier?" she questioned jokingly.

"Well, sometimes teleporting isn't the fastest getaway, and it draws a lot of attention. But more importantly… how did you learn to sing like that? I had no idea you could sing! You sounded beautiful." he complimented, making her blush as red as the streaks in her dark brown hair.

"Aww! Thanks Shadow! But… if somebody didn't decide to ditch chorus … Shadow… they would have heard me earlier!" she joked.

"Dangit! Really? Guess who's not ditching chorus tomorrow?" he laughed, making Layla blush harder.

"But seriously Shadow!" she squealed, "Your voice is AMAZING! Where did you learn to sing like that?"

"Uhhhh… I honestly have no idea. I thought my voice sucked."

"Are you kidding? That was INCREDIBLE! I'm so proud of you!"

Shadow blushed and said, "Thanks Layla."

"You know, you were just playing my favorite song."

"No way! That's my favorite song too!" Layla cried.

"Really? Well, I think you sang it better than Keane." Shadow complimented.

"Thanks… I'm not that good…" she admitted.

"Well you're better than me!"

"Oh, shut up! You're voice is amazing, and you know it!"

Shadow blushed and said, "Thanks Layla."

"No problem! I'm surprised that Eggman hasn't come to check on me yet. I really hope he doesn't… I don't want him to interrupt our fun!" Layla worried.

KNOCK KNOCK! came from the door as if on cue. "Really? REALLY?" Layla asked aloud.

"Layla? Can I come in?" Eggman asked from the other side.

"Uhh… just a minute! " she stalled. "Great! Eggman's here at the wrong time again… I'm soo sorry!" Layla whispered.

"It's fine, I'll just jump off the balcony!" Shadow joked in a drugged up voice, making Layla laugh, until she realized he was really going to jump.

"Shadow! Are you crazy?" she asked.

"Why yes, yes I am!" he told her smoothly, jumping over the side and making a perfect landing.

"I'll give you a signal when he's gone!" she informed him.

"Layla? What's taking you so long?" Eggman questioned impatiently.

"Oh! You can come in now!" she cried as Eggman opened the door.

"I just dropped by to check on you… and to make sure you're keeping your promise. You haven't told anybody your secret, have you?" he asked.

"No! Why the heck would I do that?" she lied.

"Good." He sighed in relief.

"Sooooo" she said to break the awkwardness, "How was your first day? Did you see anything bad going on?"

"Actually yes, I did." Eggman admitted. "I caught a student ditching class; he was rude, selfish, and egotistic. His name is Shadow the Hedgehog, and I want you to avoid him Layla; he looks suspicious, and he is a bad influence.

"Shadow the Hedgehog… hmmm… never heard that name in my life!" she lied again, making it completely believable.

"Well that's a good thing. Then at the end of second period, there was this giant red bubble that engulfed the courtyard! I have a feeling that Shadow kid had something to do with it! He seems like the type." Eggman accused.

"I wouldn't be throwing around accusations that quickly Doc. I would just let it go; it was probably a senior prank." Layla suggested.

"Perhaps it was. Well, it's getting dark so I'm going to go back to my dorm. Remember, stay away from Shadow!" he instructed, pointing his index finger at her.

"Sure! Will do! You can count on it! Okay, well… see you later! Bye! Good night! Hasta luego! Aloha! See you tomorrow! Bon voyage! Goodbye!" she rushed, literally pushing Eggman out of her room and quickly shutting the door behind him, leaning against the door in relief once he was gone. Quick like a bullet, Layla ran back to her balcony. "He's gone! You can come up now!" she yelled, instantly causing Shadow to teleport back into her room.

"Man that was close! I'm so sorry about him! He's so embarrassing!" she apologized.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be honest- I'm not a big fan of Eggman." Shadow admitted.

"Trust me, I don't blame you, but it doesn't sound like he's a big fan of you either. He told me to avoid you because he thought you were a bad influence. "she sighed, walking towards the end of her bed, sitting down on the edge. "What am I going to do now?"

Slowly, he followed taking the spot next to her on the bed, "Well are you going to listen to him? You shouldn't take anymore crap from him, Layla. He's not even your real father! Plus he's a fudgebag…" Shadow commented.

After considering Shadow's argument, Layla's eyes filled with anger as she rebelled, "You know what? You're right! I shouldn't take anymore crap from him! The only thing that I've been known as around here is "Dr. Eggman's goody-goody daughter", which has only brought me pain and humiliation. I'm done!" she cried. "And I don't want you out of my life because of Eggman, Shadow! I've only known you for 2 days, but I've already gotten to realize how special you are. You're too awesome of a guy for me to lose! I don't care if he locks me in my room for weeks; I'm still going to be friends with you." She assured him.

Shadow blushed and said, "I'm really glad you feel that way Layla, because I was wondering… maybe after school sometime… do you want to hang out? We can play around with our powers and maybe even sing some more. What do you think?" Shadow asked nervously.

"I'd love to!" Layla exclaimed excitedly, letting out a high pitched giggle as they stared into each other's eyes. After about 30 seconds, Layla broke the silent awkwardness and said, "Hey, Shadow? I've got a question for you."

"Hm?"

"Do your friends know that you're the Ultimate Lifeform? I mean, you all seem to have powers; Sonic has super speed, Tails can fly, Knuckles is super strong… " she asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, they all know. They're my friends, and I trust them. But… I was told not to tell anyone else."

"Who told you that?"

"Alright I'll tell you, but this is classified information, so you can't tell anyone, or we could be in major trouble. And I mean MAJOR."

"Okay…" she said in confusion. What more could he possibly be hiding? She thought.

"Okay- Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, Cream and were sent to Emerald Coast High School by a secret military agency known as GUN."

"You were sent here by GUN? Shadow! You know they were the ones that destroyed our home!" Layla gasped.

"Yeah, I know, but trust me: they did it for a good purpose. It was secretly a a giant floating cannon ready to destroy earth."

"WHAT!"

"Uhh… I'll tell you the whole story later, but we were sent here by GUN because they noticed a large power source that was so huge, it could be a danger to the students here. GUN told me that the only living thing in existence that could create that much energy was me, but since I'm the o- Uh oh…."

"What?" Layla asked eagerly.

A flashback of the meeting with GUN rushed through his mind:

"Well, when I have a chaos emerald, I can create unnaturally large power surges, but I can only do it because I am the only Ultimate Lifeform."

KNOCK KNOCK! Came from the door once more, interrupting Shadow's thoughts.

Rolling her eyes, Layla cried, "Come i-"

Interrupting Layla sentence, Amy let herself in and asked, "Hey Layla, have you seen- oh Shadow! There you are! Cream's mom on video chat through Tail's laptop, and she wants to talk to check up on us." She lied.

"I'll be right there. Give me five minutes." Shadow requested as Amy nodded in acknowledgement. Ugh… what do those stupid GUN agents want now? "I'm sorry Layla, I-"

"No! Don't worry about it! How about you and I hit the beach this weekend?" she suggested.

"Sounds like a plan." He smiled. "Well I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night." Shadow said, getting off of the bed and slowly walking towards the balcony.

"Good night!" Layla said, waving and watching as he walked away. "Oh, Shadow! Wait!" she called. Before Shadow could fully turn around, Layla was already in his arms. As she hugged him, she told him, "Thanks for being you; the awesome, amazing you that you are."


At long last... SONIC AND AMY ARE A COUPLE! :D :D :D SHADOW CAN SING! Eggman wants Layla to stay away from Shadow... :( TOO BAD SHE WON'T LISTEN! :D What does GUN have to say? Find out in the next chapter of Hedgehog, High School, and Drama! (I absolutely LOVE writing that at the end of each chapter! It makes me feel like the nerdy awesome dude at the end of each episode of Sonic X) Haha, well I'll have the next chapter up by Christmas! But I'll say it now: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! (Or to those of you awesome people who live in the U.K: HAPPY CHRISTMAS!) :D