Hii! First thing that I have to say is I am so sorry! I know it has been a seriously long time since I last updated, but here is Chapter 10! (Finally!) It is seriously much longer than the other chapters, trust me, and the chapters coming up are going to be just as long! My laptop screen broke, and it took a few weeks before I could get a new one, and the same thing happened to the charger. However now I'm not so busy and I shall hopefully be able to upload Chapter 11 much sooner than it took to upload Chapter 10!
Disclaimer- I do not own Sonic or Tails. Though I seriously wish I did. Credit goes to Sega.
The awkwardness seemed to float around in the air like dust in the middle of heat, and Alex knew that whatever happened, he would have to talk to her. She seemed shocked, in fact, so shocked that she nearly seemed to fall to the floor, like a mirror of Alex. However, when she spoke, it was Alex's turn to feel shocked.
"So do I."
Calmly as it was spoken, Alex could still see that spark that gently flickered in her eyes, one that didn't carry peace, but instead offered sadness. She walked bluntly over to where he kneeled, and collapsed beside him. Immediately, Alex was shocked. He suddenly realised how tired she looked, and how stressed her shoulders seemed to be, as if they had been weighed down for multiple weeks. She looked… familiar… somehow…
"Soo… awkward, huh?" Jem managed a smile, which twitched as she tried to hold it.
"Yeah… haha…" Alex did the same. "Couldn't get more awkward than this…!"
Even just attempts at humour seemed to lighten up the atmosphere, but Alex was still majorly uncomfortable.
"So, um… you're not gonna tease me about anything, right?"
Stupid question.
"No, why would I?"
"Well, we don't exactly get along perfectly…"
He picked up the lego and sighed. This was gonna be a looong afternoon, and a very horrible one too. Just to recap on this whole episode, he had been mesmerised by lego, been called downstairs for dinner, Jem arrived, and now he is sitting next to her, stammering and tripping over his words. Great. He sighed again.
At this moment, neither of them knew what to say. They just let the time pass with both of them just sitting down and 'enjoying' the moment. Until one question was asked, and panic began to brew…
"So which middle school is Sonic going to?"
"What, after Watefield Lower School?"
"Yeah."
"Sauland Middle."
'Frozen' and 'amazed' easily described how Alex reacted to that news. One of the first things he had ever been told when he entered the adoption centre was where he would be going for his education. Sauland Middle School was on the list.
"But… he… he can't go to Sauland Middle School…"
Jem looked at him.
"I was told the same… WE are going to Sauland Middle too…"
Anger started to brew inside Alex.
"NO! It's not the same for you! You are his GIRLFRIEND! YOU would be HAPPY about this! You wouldn't UNDERSTAND!" He put emphasis into many of his words as he forced them out. He didn't want to be horrible to Jem, but it was beginning to be far too much…
"Don't you remember? The way you leaned against him and called him to calm down? You LOVE him, and I HATE him. You love someone who is a BULLY, and you shouldn't be proud of that! Don't you see what he has done to me?"
Yet again, his last words were spoken weakly, with no strength, with the realisation that ever since Sonic came into his life, Alex hadn't been so open, or so shy (for him), or so… not himself…
Throughout his rant, Jem just listened to him, and he didn't seem to care about he was saying about her and Sonic. In fact, she felt it was true. Deep inside, she knew that she shouldn't love Sonic, and that she would get herself in trouble for doing so, but she was too young to think too much of it.
"Do you even care?"
Yes. No. Yes! What was she thinking? Of course she cared… didn't she? Alex seemed seriously messed up… but maybe Sonic MADE him messed up? But he's nasty! He was sent to the headmaster's office before he was being bullied... wait… Alex was being bullied! While she… she was going out with the bully!
"Hello?" Alex waved his hand in front of Jem's face. "Hello? I didn't mean it, you still like me? Well… I mean, oh whatever. Hello?"
"Huh?" Jem's eyes began to focus. "Is my mum here?" She looked at Alex, and realized what she said. "Wait… oh yes, don't worry." She blushed in embarrassment.
Alex relaxed. She still liked him (kind of)… why did he care if she liked him or not though? Did he… did he like her?
"So… what do you want to do? Lego? Draw? Or do you want to just talk? There isn't much more to do, so I guess we will just have to improvise."
"Ooh, big words!" Jem nudged Alex playfully, and it was his turn to blush.
He grabbed the lego pieces and put them in front of Jem.
"Here. Try."
"I have played with lego before you know."
"When?"
Silence.
"So what happened then?"
"What?"
"Why are you here?"
Jem was taken aback. Surely she expected him to ask that, but it was still a huge shock that he dared to say it out loud… and so boldly like that! She sighed. Can she tell him? Is it a secret? Dammit they aren't even friends… are they? Ugh, he might as well know.
"My father is a violent man. My mother was shy and timid. She would do whatever my father wanted without hesitation. She would wash and iron his clothes, and would wake up far too early just so she could make him a big breakfast, every day. She would buy him new things every week. It wasn't enough, and he grew greedy. He began to steal from my mother and sell whatever he could get, then gamble away the money. One day he went too far. He started a fight, and someone called the police. He was taken away for interrogation, and his friend called my mother. When my father was finally sent home, my mother tried confronting him. She… she was sent to the hospital not long after…" Jem's voice began to crack, but she wasn't finished yet.
"He then turned on me. I had tried to stay out of it, but he knew who I thought was right. He tried hurting me, but my neighbour- June is her name- had come in to deliver a parcel that was meant to be ours, and had been watching from behind the door. She witnessed him screaming at me, and how he raised his arm to beat me, but stopped him before he did. I ran out from behind him, and my neighbour protected me. We ran out the house together, and went to the police station. We reported my father; how he had stolen from my mother, how he had started the fight and had been interrogated by the police, how he had then beaten my mother then tried to beat me… when we had finished, June called her…" Jem pushed herself on to tell the last part.
"My mother… she explained everything… I don't know what she said, but I was taken here immediately. I don't know what is going to happen to my mother… I don't know if I will ever see her again…" she struggled hard against the tears, but it was too overwhelming. They spilled out like rain from the clouds, and took over her cheeks. Her shoulders shook and, as her heart broke all over again, Alex watched her helplessly. He had no idea what to say or what to do. He couldn't believe she had just told him her entire story when they are only just on the brink of being friends. It hurt him more than he expected it to, and it shocked him more than he liked. He hesitated… and put his arm around her shoulders. He heard her gasp.
She was warm, despite the despair she was smothered in. It felt right to do what he was doing. In fact, it felt right to just pull her closer… just a little bit...
Jem sucked in breath as she realized that she was being moved, just slightly, closer to Alex. Closer and closer she got to him, until she felt her head brush against his chest. Was this right? No… wait! She was going out with Sonic! Alex is just a person she knows! Alex knew that… so why was he hugging her? I don't even like Alex… do I?
Alex grinned a small grin as he realized that Jem didn't pull away when he began to hug her properly. He drew his arm from his side and draped it over hers. She had stopped crying, and had begun to lean against him properly. She wasn't heavy- she was very light, and was easy to hold. Her breathing started to slow down and become more calmed, when Alex suddenly remembered that she was going out with Sonic already. So if she was letting him hug her, while she was still in a relationship with Sonic… does that mean she was cheating on him? Alex chuckled silently, and smiled so wide it bared his teeth. Hah! That gets back at Sonic…
Suddenly there was a loud thumping. Alex shoved Jem off him and began playing with the lego.
"Wha…?" Jem began, then noticed that Manu was running into the room.
"Hi!" Manu greeted cheerfully. "Jem… are you okay?"
Alex looked at Jem. Her eyes! They were visibly red and puffy from crying. They should have thought about that before!
"Huh?" Jem looked at Alex.
"Your eyes!" he mouthed to her.
"What…? Oh! Yeah, I'm just…" she hesitated while Alex shook his head violently. "…tired."
Alex sighed in relief.
"Oh, ok! So, what have you guys been doing?"
"Ummm… just… playing with the lego… getting to know each other a bit more, you know…" Alex stammered. Not surprisingly, Manu believed him.
"Cool! Mind if I join you?"
"Sure!"
Manu sat down and gazed at the lego, then at both Jem and Alex. They both smiled when Manu looked at them.
"Alex wasn't always so nice, Jem, you know."
Whaat?
Manu continued casually, "He used to be so mean to us all, and he seemed to hate everyone. He never cared about anyone but himself."
Alex mimed cutting his throat at Manu.
"Carry on." Jem prompted Manu playfully, and nudged Alex.
"Well, he always used to be so grumpy! None of us liked him… not like he liked us… he seemed to be so full of himself, and would always take pride in getting into trouble."
Frantically motioning for Manu to shut up, Alex had turned a beetroot red.
"When he finally asked to come and play with me and Waco, we guessed that he had never played with lego before, and it was so funny! He was just like-"
"Ok, that's enough, it's getting boring now. Who wants to go and draw stuff?"
Jem took pity on him and agreed to go and draw, while Manu just ran straight over to the paper. Glad it was all over, Alex grabbed a piece of paper and put it on the too-small table. He sat down and grabbed a pencil from the pot, and started to draw.
He started by drawing himself. He drew his floppy hair and panda ears. He drew his usual clothes- A red and grey striped hoodie, plain grey trousers, red, white and black trainers and a cap turned backwards to finish it off. He then drew Harmony from memory- beautiful eyes the same green as his own, with long curly red hair that shone in the light. He carefully drew in her side fringe. Then he sketched her favourite purple dress top which she always used to wear, with a short plum jumper to match. She wore stainless white jeans and stunning purple heels. It brought unwanted tears to his eyes.
Then he began to draw Craft. He frowned in hatred as he remembered how Craft treated him, and drew his black hair as scruffily as possible. His brown eyes were drawn as slits with huge pupils, and his clothes were just as bad. He was drawn with a stripy office shirt that was too big, and tracksuit bottoms that were high up his legs. His shoes were a hideous green, with a purple strap. Alex grinned in satisfaction as he looked at his picture: him, Harmony, and… the… that… Craft.
However, the page still looked blank, so he grabbed the pencil again and started drawing a black panther. He drew her with curly pink hair that was swept to one side, and stunning deep blue eyes. It wore a beautiful magenta top with black straps across both sides of her chest and up to the opposite side's shoulder. It had ¾ length skinny jeans that made her look like a rock star princess. It was Jem.
"Whattya draaawin'?" Jem leaned over his shoulder and cheerfully grinned into his ear. What a change in mood! It made Alex jump, and let out a small yelp, which made Jem laugh hard. He growled, having been disturbed from his thoughts.
"Nothing… hey, don't look at it!"
Alex, embarrassed, didn't want her to see the picture, so he snatched it up and put it up his jumper.
"Aww, come on!" Jem tried giving Alex puppy eyes, but it didn't work. Alex gave her a death glare and pulled his jumper to his sides so it wouldn't slip out from underneath. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours?"
Aghh! Alex hated bribery. Not that he was innocent, of course.
"No, I'm not going to-" He was cut off by having a piece of paper shoved under his face.
"See! Here it is!" Jem sang out merrily.
"Ow! You gave me a paper-cut!" Alex scowled at Jem before snatching the paper from her hand. She had drawn the end of an orange mop, with 2 black things poking out of it. It had arms and legs, and two shocking green circles under the mop. It was him!
"So, you like it?" Jem's voice sounded carefree, but with just one look at her, Alex could tell that she was desperate for a good answer. He looked back at the picture, then at her, then back again, and said:
"It's… it's great!"
Suddenly, he felt movement near the bottom of his jumper, and with a jolt, he remembered his picture that was down there.
"Hey!" Alex swiped at Jem's hand, but it was too late. She whipped out the paper a heartbeat before Alex's hand swept through the air where her hand used to be. She held the paper with one hand, while using her other hand to hold Alex back. Alex jumped up from the tiny plastic chair he had been sitting on, and grabbed for the paper, but she pushed him back. He lunged again, and this time managed to snatch it from her grasp. He quickly folded it in half, then in half again, just to be sure.
He looked at Jem, to find her staring at him in curiosity. He looked away, blushing, and trying to find words to say.
"I… I…" He gave up, and turned to leave the room.. He felt a hand grab his shoulder and pull him back. He turned again to look into Jem's eyes. They were filled with concern.
"You never told me why you're here." She said, not in a nosey way, just in a way that made him want to sit down and spill out his whole story, then lean on her shoulder and cry. Instead, he glanced at Manu, who was watching them with a worried look on his face. Trying to look encouraging, he gave a little smile to Alex, then turned away in politeness. Alex sighed, stood a little straighter and led Jem to the seat he had just been sitting on. Noticing that there was only the little red one he had been sitting on before, he saw a yellow one next to Manu and went over to get it. Before he could turn to go back to Jem, Manu took hold of his wrist.
"Don't worry about it. It'll only bring you two closer together to talk."
"What happened to you? I mean, it was only yesterday when I was breaking your lego creations and ripping up your drawings, and yet you still act nice to me. Why?"
Manu smiled at him again.
"Just cause you always acted like a bat with a thorn in his wing doesn't mean I have too." He gave a small wink and let go of Alex's wrist. "Have fun with your new girlfriend!"
"Hey!" But Alex smiled too. Then he walked back to Jem, who had been patiently waiting. He put the chair down next to her, and pulled it out for her, as if it were a chair in a fancy restaurant.
"My lady!"
Jem giggled and sat down in the chair. Alex seated himself on the red chair, took a deep breath, and began to tell his story…
"I was born on the 31st October, well, Halloween. My mum was called Harmony." His voice cracked when he said it, and cleared his throat before carrying on. "And my dad was called Craft. Craft, as far as I know, only ever wanted a daughter, not a son. However, he put up with me, which, honestly, was pretty amazing, considering I was really bad. I remember one time…" Alex took a deep breath, and carried on. "My mum and dad were arguing. I remember a lot of shouting, and a lot of crying, and then my dad came into the room I was in. He picked me up by the back of my top, and I know I got hurt a few times- I think he made me bang my head against the wall."
"I saw my mum, Harmony, tried to grab for me, but he moved me away, banging my head again. Then my mum did get me and she started wiping away my tears and murmuring to me. She took me downstairs, where Craft followed us. He said something… something about adoption… then my mum took me into the living room. She laid me down and then laid down herself. She said to me- I remember it clearly… too clearly… she said to me- "If I knew having a child would so hard, I wouldn't have even bothered."
Jem opened her mouth as if to speak, but Alex carried on before she could interrupt.
"A few years after, I remember my dad taking me into the same room I was in when they were arguing, and I remember seeing all my mum's family, and all my dad's family- my family, I guess- and Harmony lying on the bed. I didn't see much- Craft pushed me out of the room only seconds after we had gone in there. He closed the door, and I heard him shouting, saying something like: "No, don't go!" and stuff like that. I didn't know at the time what had happened, so when I couldn't find Harmony anywhere, I thought he had made her go. I hid his money, and he got really angry, so he sent me to adoption. I haven't seen my mum or my dad since. I don't think I'm ever going to see my mum again."
His eyes had been pricking the whole time, threatening to spill tears, but now he couldn't hold them in. They slipped down his cheeks, and Alex looked away from Jem, frantically wiping them away. Jem knew exactly how he felt. She didn't know if she was going to see her mum again either. Suddenly, she felt cold, and goosebumps appeared on her arms. She shivered as she heard a faint voice, nearly too faint to hear. It sounded familiar, but Jem couldn't quite catch hold of who it was.
"Some day. Not now, but some day."
"What?" Jem whispered, wanting to know more. She didn't understand what had just been said to her- or even who had actually said it- but suddenly she felt the need to tell Alex something she had never thought of before.
"Do you think you know what's happened to her, Alex?" she spoke softly, and much less shakily as she thought it would be.
Alex didn't look at her.
"Alex…?"
He turned his head and looked her in the eye.
"Yes."
"You will see her again. Maybe very soon, maybe not. Some day. Not now, but some day."
Alex walked into school with Jem at his side. They had become good friends that last night. He found it slightly confusing how they had gone from hating eachother to best friends, but he wasn't complaining. He looked around the playground for Sonic, but couldn't see him. Suddenly he spotted Tails, who was looking at him with a face full of concern. He took a few steps towards Alex, then turned and hurried away. Knuckles was nowhere to be seen either, and Alex didn't want to be in the way of him when he entered the gate.
"Come on, let's go." He said to Jem.
"Where to? We could go to Tails, I guess. He looked pretty upset."
Alex felt dread as she started towards where Tails had gone.
"Wait! That might not be such… a um… good…" He trailed off as she looked at him with annoyance.
"I know you don't get on with Sonic well, and honestly I understand that, but Tails is nothing like him! Sonic and Tails are like brothers to each other, but they aren't similar at all! Now come on, let's go!"
She stalked away, leaving Alex with no choice. However, as soon as he started to go, he heard his name being called.
"Alex! Oi, Alex! Are you deaf or what?"
Alex sighed and turned around to face who was calling him.
"Diva, isn't Spark hanging around somewhere? I really can't come right now."
"Yeah, he is actually." She glanced at Jem, who was looking back for him impatiently. She smirked and looked back at Alex. "Ah, right, I get it. You're following your little girlfriend around everywhere, right?" Alex opened his mouth to protest, but she carried on. "Don't swallow each other!" She winked at him, and walked away.
"Diva! Wait!" Alex started after her, then hesitated, then turned back around and headed toward Jem.
"Come on, retard." She sighed, irritated at the hold-up.
"Sor-ree."
"Whatever. Look, he's right there, at the corner of the playground."
"So? Why don't we just leave him alone?"
"You can't keep this going, Alex, not for too long, anyway, it's ridiculous!"
"He hurt me!"
"No, Sonic and Knuckles hurt you, not him."
"He is in alliance with them!"
"Of course he is! They're his friends!"
"Bad choice of friends."
Jem replied by cuffing him round the ear, then continued her stride towards Tails. Alex groaned, but followed her all the same.
"Tails!" Now Tails was in the corner, there was nowhere else for him to go, so he just cowered there, waiting for Alex and Jem to get to him.
"Er, hi, Jem, umm… Hi, Alex…"
"Hi!" Jem was now looking expectantly at Alex.
"Oh, yeah, umm, hi." Please throw me out of a window, he thought.
Jem broke the ice: "So where are Sonic and Knuckles today? They're a bit late aren't they? I swear the bell is gonna go in like, 2 minutes?"
With a jolt Alex remembered the upcoming doom of the embarrassment when Sonic tells everyone in the school that Alex is adopted. He had completely forgotten all about it.
"I don't think they are coming into school today… I'm not sure really…"
"Why not?"
Tails looked at Alex in surprise.
"They- they didn't really tell me. I don't really know."
Alex wasn't satisfied with his answer. There had to be a reason why the boys weren't in school, and Alex was sure it was to do with him. Before he could say anything the bell rang and children surged up the steps into the school. Walking as a three, with Jem in the middle, Alex, Jem and Tails all pushed their way through the sea of bodies.
"See you two at break." Jem said and turned towards a different corridor than them.
"Wait!" Alex stopped her. "I thought you have clubs or whatever to go to?"
"That's only at lunchtimes mostly. I'm sometimes out at break. It's my choice, and I will be out. Now, bye!"
Walking away, Alex noticed Tails trailed behind him instead of beside him or in front. They were late already but Alex didn't care.
"Tails?" Alex stopped him in his tracks.
"Er… yeah?"
"Why are you behind me?"
"Because I am, I guess."
"Are you scared of me?"
"What? No…" Tails looked fidgety.
"Tails, I'm not going to hurt you."
"I know that."
Sighing, Alex trudged to the classroom door.
"Sit next to me." The shocked look on Tails' face was expected, and Alex stared back at him calmly.
"Um, oh, er, ok?"
Together they walked through the door to face Miss. Blouer, who was staring at them with eyes of ice.
"So, yet again it is you, Alex, late for class. Oh, and what's this? You brought your little friend with you too. Isn't that nice?"
She was clearly looking for some signs of obedience, which Tails quickly gave by dipping his head and muttering a small 'Sorry Miss'. However Alex held his head high and said nothing but looked into her chips of frost.
"Alex? Have you got a tongue?" Miss. Blouer's voice was strained, clearly trying to hold back her annoyance.
Still, he said nothing.
"It appears not. You shall have a ten minute detention at break for your rudeness and disrespectfulness. Yet another note shall be sent to your guardians. Tails, you shall have a five minute detention at break for wasting valuable lesson time. Sit down, both of you! Now!"
Tails quickly headed towards a table in the middle of the classroom, his cheeks a bright red, and Alex followed him, strolling with his hands in his pockets. Sitting down next to Tails, Alex let his head lull back into the chair and he gave a long sigh.
"No, not next to each other! Alex, move to the chair next to Sonic, and sit up properly when you get there!"
Wait, what? Sonic? Sonic isn't in school! Turning around, Alex scanned the classroom, and, startled, he stood up snail-like and forced his legs to move to the table that Sonic sat at. He slumped onto the chair, which seemed much more uncomfortable than the one next to Tails, and took a glance at Sonic's face. He must have snuck in when he and Tails were getting told off! Sonic's face looked triumphant, and yet again the pit of fear of impending doom began to open itself up in Alex's stomach. Whatever hell that was waiting to unfold was going to unfold soon- too soon.
It was quite amazing how much trouble Alex was going through at such a young age- he is only 9 years old, and it didn't seem fair that he should have to worry so much!
Instead of paying attention to the lesson, he blocked everything out and began to think over what would happen at break. Maybe if he stuck with Jem it would be okay, because she is in the adoption centre too, and she would understand… wait- Jem is up for adoption too! If Sonic says anything against Alex, it'll go against Jem too! Feeling guilty that he had to drag Jem into the whole big mess, he began to hatch a plan in his head, concentrating hard on what could possibly happen and how he was going to make Sonic lose his girlfriend and how Jem would start liking him more because she won't have to feel guilty anymore and how-
"Alex, have you been listening to a word I have been saying?"
With a jump, Alex opened his eyes and panicked.
"Yes, err, 6 x 4 is twenty-three Miss!"
The whole class erupted with laughter as Alex's cheeks went crimson with embarrassment. The loudest laugh came from beside him. Alex didn't even look at Sonic. He just stared Miss. Blouer in the eye, wishing that he could somehow grab her and rip her to shreds for getting him into such a mess. Deep down he knew it was himself who had brought this upon him, but his pride fought with it and shoved it away.
"Alex, your ignorance and rudeness is absolutely disgraceful! I have a right mind to send you to the headmaster for your horrendous behaviour! Did you even know that we are in the middle of a Humanities lesson, not a maths lesson? An is certainly not twenty-three! Sonic, please tell him the correct answer."
"It's twenty-four, Miss!" He answered smugly.
"Correct, Sonic." Miss. Blouer stabbed Alex with her eyes and words. "Your behaviour is disgraceful, and so are you. You don't deserve to be in my class- I shall negotiate with Mr. Montgomery to have you moved into the nurture group, because clearly that is where you belong. It's not surprising you have more enemies than you do friends- no one wants to be friends with an awful boy like you!"
Absolute silence.
Alex stared at the teacher in shock. Several thoughts begun to race through his mind. Did she seriously just say all of that? Is she even ALLOWED to say things like that? Will the headmaster really move him to the nurture group? He didn't need nurturing! What was Sonic thinking- oh. Great. This is perfect. Now here's another thing Sonic can say at breaktime to everyone. Congratulations, Alex, congratulations! He wished he could just disappear into thin air and pretend he never existed. It's not like anyone would care, no one likes him, yet alone needs him or even has some love spared for him when he needs it most… wait, yes there is. There is a person. How could he have forgotten about her?
He jumped up from his seat and opened his mouth to contradict her.
"Actually, Miss-"
"I want to be his friend, Miss!"
Alex jumped, startled to see Tails standing up staring defiantly at Miss. Blouer. Tails quickly turned towards Alex, secretly winked at him, then turned back to Miss. Blouer. Alex just stared at him in shock as a response.
Tails cleared his throat.
"Alex isn't as bad as you all may think. In fact, he's quite a nice guy! He's just lonely, because no one gives him a chance. I was quite scared of him at first," Tails looked at Alex and blushed. "but he isn't a bad person after all. He does have friends- I think it was unfair of you to say he doesn't, because I'm not going to lie to you Miss. Blouer, no one in this classroom likes you either, so you can't say anything to Alex!"
Nothing happened. No one moved. The usual laughter and cheers when a student proves a teacher wrong never came. Instead, everyone looked in shock and awe at Tails. Whatever had happened to him, Alex didn't know, but he liked it! This shy kid had shown that he can really stand up for himself, and made it clear that he wasn't up for any kind of rubbish that was thrown at him. Alex did a silent 'respect' in his head.
"Miles Prower!" Miss. Blouer's voice was like thunder. "How DARE you speak against me so rudely in front of my own class? How DARE you stick up for this scum that pollutes my classroom? How DARE you even say ANYTHING when I am telling off a student? You are in serious trouble for what you have said! Get out of my classroom! NOW!" Tails opened his mouth, hesitated, then reluctantly slumped out of the classroom. "You too, Alex!" Her sharp words were tainted by her hatred for him, and she said his name as if it were a disease. He could feel her corrosive eyes burning into his back as he jumped up, knocking his chair backwards as he did, and, hands in his pockets, moved his legs across the classroom as if he had pins and needles. When he strutted out of the classroom he slammed the door behind him and looked at Tails. He had his eyes on the floor.
"Hey."
Tails said nothing.
"Tails?"
"I've messed up, Alex."
"What?"
"Did you not see his face?" Tails looked at Alex in the eye, and Alex realised with shock that his eyes were watery and there were tearlines down his face.
"Who's face?"
"HIS face!"
"Who's face?!"
"Sonic's face!" Tails looked back at the floor. "He's gonna get me back, Alex, he's gonna kill me. I saw it in his eyes. I'm so scared, Alex!" The tears broke free of the foxes eyes as Alex watched in silence. He didn't know what to say. Tails had done this for Alex. Alex knew what Sonic was like. He was probably going to do something at breaktime.
His mind began to stray from Tails to Miss. Blouer. What had made her hate him so much anyway? He had never done anything to her, yes he had been bad but there was never anything aimed at her? He shook his head in annoyance. Everyone hated him. It must be contagious. Or not. That was the reason why Tails had gotten himself into this mess- because Tails was his friend. And Jem. And Manu. And Waco-
"Hello? Alex? You there?" The voice was deeper than Tails' voice, and Alex looked up in surprise to see Mr. Montgomery, the headmaster, standing there looking at him with concerned eyes.
"Ah, there you are. You have come back to us, I see!" He grinned cheerfully. "So why are you two out here instead of in class?"
Tails said nothing.
Alex said nothing.
"Listen, boys, I don't want to have to go in there," –he gestured towards the classroom- "and ask Miss. Blouer what you are doing out here. You either tell me it your way or have it told to me her way."
Tails looked up at Alex. Alex returned the look, then opened his mouth and explained the whole scene. He skipped the parts about Sonic and didn't explain why Tails was really upset. He just said that Tails wasn't used to getting told off so he started to cry. When he had finished, Mr. Montgomery stayed silent for a while, and, with a thoughtful look on his face, finally spoke what he was thinking.
"I shall talk to Miss. Blouer about how she speaks to her students," he said slowly, "but you really should have been paying attention, Alex. As for you, Tails," he turned his gaze towards Tails, "that really was quite rude to speak to a teacher like that, however I admire your loyalty to your friends." He stayed silent for a while again. In the silence, Alex could hear the blood pounding in his ears. He was getting a bit worried- he had no idea what was going on in the headmaster's head. He sneaked a glance at Tails, who was biting his lip and staring at the floor again. Alex was startled that the urge that Alex would usually get to say something nasty didn't come. Maybe it was because Tails was his friend- Wait, what? So Alex had basically become friends with his enemy. Well, friends with his enemy. Which basically made him his enemy. This was getting confusing to Alex so he turned his mind away from it and focused again on his headmaster.
"Come to the library, you can spend the rest of the lesson there."
"What about the rest of the day?" Alex asked.
"Well, you can't sit in the library the whole time… however it wouldn't be a good idea to stick around in the classroom. You can stay in my office this afternoon, I'll be teaching Class 4B. However until lunch you will have to stay in the library."
Alex and Tails nodded and they followed him to the library which was just above their classroom. The computers were all on the login page, and the books were shoved untidily onto the shelves. There were loads of circular tables- 8, Alex counted- and 5 chairs at each one. There was a brown sofa in the corner, and Alex made a mental note to jump on it as soon as Mr. Montgomery was gone.
"Pick a table, and promise me to be good, boys."
They muttered their promises and sat down together at one of the tables.
"Right, now I'm going to leave you here until breaktime. Don't leave here, and wait for me to come and collect you at break and lunch. Okay?"
Again they muttered their answers and Mr. Montgomery left the room. Alex saw him stand at the window in the door for a few moments after, then finally walk away. He sat in silence, not knowing what would be suitable to talk about, when he 'read' his mental note. He jumped up enthusiastically, nearly knocking his chair over, and he jogged up to the wall so that the sofa was all the way across to the other side of the room. He heard Tails begin to ask what he was doing, but he ignored him and, with a great intake of air, he sprinted across the room and threw himself... onto the floor.