A/N: Welcome back to another chapter of Sonic High:Emerald Lake. I've somehow managed to keep up with my four day schedule, despite me just finishing this chapter an hour before midnight. Who cares, that's still making the deadline. And on top of that, this chapter is almost as long as last story's finale. Get excited for a chapter that is hitting the 5 digit number of words! I hope you all enjoy and remember, next chapter is the big two parter party chapter and shit is about to get real so enjoy chapter 11!
Chapter 11
Haunting pasts
Tikal sat in the dining hall, a fresh grilled cheese sandwich thrown onto one of the thousands of metal trays lay in front of her. She gripped the sandwich with both hands and shoved it into her mouth, taking a sizable bite as she happily munched down on the tasty lunch.
"Quite the appetite you've got there," she heard a voice say from behind her. Startled, Tikal almost choked on the mixture of cheese and break, barely able to swallow it due to the awful fright she got.
"Ohmygosh, sorry," Eclipse burst out, dropping his façade for a moment as he quickly slammed the bottom of his palm into the echidna's back, dislodging the caught morsel of food. Tikal coughed tremendously as the morsel flew from her mouth, landing with a squelch on the floor. She turned to face Eclipse, his face filled with worry.
"Th-thanks," she breathed, still trying to get ahold of herself after the close encounter, greedily sucking up air around her. She quickly turned back to the table, trying to hide the embarrassment that crept its way onto her face.
"You okay?" Eclipse asked, the mysterious, deadpan tone returning to his voice after his moment of worry.
"Yeah, it's all good. I guess I was just a bit hungry," Tikal laughed it off, acting like it was nothing as she waved the air, dispelling the thought from her mind. "Would you like to have lunch with me?"
"Sure," Eclipse shrugged, acting like the gesture was no big deal despite the wave of happiness that washed over him. He kept his joy under control, refusing to even crack a smile as he took a seat on the bench next to her.
A few awkward moments of silence passed where neither one said anything to the other. Feeling like she was boring him, Tikal quickly moved the topic of conversation to the only thing she could think of. Gossip.
"So… did you hear about Sonic and Tails?" She asked, taking another, smaller cautious bit of the sandwich, chewing it carefully before swallowing this time.
"Who, Mighty's and Mephiles' roommates?" he queried.
"Yeah, I heard they had a big break up last weekend," she whispered, looking around the dining room. Eclipse followed her gaze, falling upon Sonic who sat next to a pink hedgehog and auburn haired squirrel at one corner of the table. Meanwhile, as they moved their gaze across the sea of unfamiliar faces greedily indulging themselves on a smorgasbord of different delectables, they eventually landed on a dark eyed Tails, lying with his head in his hands.
"They don't look too good," Eclipse sighed, letting his more compassionate side shine through as he noticed the sapphire hedgehog sneak a sidelong glance at Tails, frowning at the sight of his best friend.
"Since when did you start caring about people Mr. Dark and dreary," Tikal quipped, turning back to study Eclipse who quickly wiped the sympathy off his face, steeling his features.
"I don't, it's just, I don't know, annoying that their sadness is ruining the atmosphere," he dodged unconvincingly.
"Anyway…" Tikal said awkwardly, turning to Eclipse. "What's been new with you?"
"Umm… well…" Eclipse began, suddenly choking on his words as he mumbled. "You know this guy Elias is throwing this big party on Saturday night and he's hired out this big stadium this time and… umm…" Eclipse trailed off.
"Yeah, I've heard about it," Tikal responded, trying to act like it wasn't such a big deal. However, deep down she was secretly hoping that Eclipse was asking what she thought he was eluding to.
"Do you maybe, um, want to like, go to the party, together or something," Eclipse fumbled through his sentence. His curtain of mystery completely shattering as his anxious nerves completely clouded his brain, making him out to be a bumbling mess.
"Why Eclipse, are you asking me on a date," Tikal teased, winking at him as she saw how hard this was for him.
"Well, yeah, if you want that is. Or we could just go as friends or whatever," he quickly back peddled slightly.
"What happened to mister emotionless? Not so cool anymore," she giggled. Eclipse swallowed, sweat staining his brow as he tried to keep his straight face despite the shame and embarrassment overtaking him. He thought quickly, feeling horrible as he tried to come up with some excuse to get out of that room.
"I'm still me," he corrected her. "Parties are lame anyway, I need to go anyway so don't choke while I'm gone." He stood up and tried to get away when he felt the edge of his black jacket get snagged on something. Eclipse thought he was going to die of embarrassment right then, assuming that he had himself stuck on the table corner. He turned to try and unhook himself but was saw Tikal's hand covering part of his jacket.
"No, Eclipse wait. I'm sorry, I would love to go to Elias' party with you," she smiled warmly.
"Wait you mean it," he smiled, shaking with anticipation.
"You're such a weirdo," she chuckled as she got up and gave him a quick hug. "Be by my dorm at 7 on Saturday, okay," she whispered into his ear before turning and walking off. Eclipse slouched back down leaning forwards as he bashed his forehead against the table in frustration.
'What the hell was that,' he sighed to himself, annoyed that he let down his guard around Tikal.
"Man, I thought I was awkward but that was just hard to watch," he heard a voice say as a silver hedgehog sat down beside him snickering.
"At least I got a date to the party," he smiled.
"Yeah about that…" Silver began.
…
I don't remember much from my childhood. I was told by my father that my mother died during childbirth and it was a miracle that I even survived the process at all. He called me his miracle child. Despite all that, I don't remember much of my dad, or really anything before my nanny 'adopted' me.
I was young, innocent and scared. Well, not entirely. After my dad was killed, I was bounced from foster home to foster home, all over the country. None of them wanted to keep me. All the kids there would bully me, call me names and make fun of how my dad was murdered. I'd snap, every single time I would snap.
I don't know how, but I'm much stronger and more skilled than I'd look.
After about my 10th foster home, I went too far. A couple of the brats that were staying there decided it would be funny to pull a prank on me, pretending that my father contacted the home and that he miraculously survived. I thought, for once, that he was my miracle.
It was all a lie. When I found out, I couldn't take the anger anymore. I snapped, putting all three of the kids in the hospital on life support. The head of the foster home threw me out, cursing my name and saying how I was a devil child.
After that, no other home would take me and I was forced out onto the streets, living in cardboard boxes and eating from the trash. I spent my 13th birthday starving in the gutter, rats my only friends. What kind of life is that for a kid entering his teenage years?
That's when they found me. My nanny and her daughter, my adopted sister, Maria. They took me in, helped give me a roof over my head, a warm bed at night and three meals a day. She even moved enrolled me in Mobius high where I've spent the rest of my years, happy for the first time in my life…
"I…I'm so sorry, Shadow," the dark hedgehog breathed deeply, sitting next to him at the bench. "I had no idea."
"Nah, it's fine. I don't really like talking about my past but there is something about you that just makes me feel… comfortable," Shadow shrugged.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Shoot."
"I know you said you still had your nanny, but what happened to Maria?" Mephiles asked, peering deep into the crimson center of Shadow's eyes. He tensed up, averting his gaze downwards. "Oh, I'm sorry, don't bother answering," Mephiles quickly said, realizing Shadows evasion to the question and generally how uncomfortable he felt about the topic.
"No, it's okay. She just… left one day. I think she must have found out about my past, found out what I did to those kids and ran away," he sniffed through dry eyes.
"I think she loved you, Shadow despite what you think," Mephiles said, placing his hand on Shadow's. Shadow looked up, peering into Mephiles' eyes neon, green reptilian eyes. Shadow quickly grabbed his hand away, shielding it from Mephiles.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Mephiles said, hiding the shame in his voice.
"It's not you, Mephiles… it's just… The whole school hates me. They blame me for putting Blaze in the hospital on life support, although it isn't the first time I've done that so they have a reason to hate me anyway. I don't want the whole school to hate you too," Shadow finished.
"Don't worry. The school thinks I'm a weird goth kid anyway. They don't understand me and they don't want to understand me either. If it wasn't for Mighty, Ray, Eclipse and Clove I probably would have left a long time ago. I was thinking of ditching this year until…" Mephiles trailed off.
"Until what?"
"Until you came over to me last week."
…
"You have a date to the party? How come you didn't tell me Blaze is out of the hospital? That's great news," Eclipse cheered, happy for his new friend. "I can't wait to meet the infamous Blaze."
"Well… it's kinda, not… Blaze…" Silver admitted, earning a confused glance from Eclipse.
"Did you guys break up?" Eclipse asked.
"No, not at all."
"So you're cheating on her then?" Eclipse concluded, a deadpan and disappointed tone evident in his voice.
"What? No!" Silver said defensively. "It's not like a date, date, y'know. It's just… well… Blaze and I have been best friends for ages. We were best friends for the better part of four years and have been dating for about six months too. But… she wasn't my first best friend… or my first love," Silver admitted. Eclipse stared at him, nodding as he listened and shot him an inquisitive glare that asked him to continue without the words needing to be said.
"Her name is Breezie. Our parents were very good friends and because of that we grew up together and became best friends. But it was more than that. So much more. I was in love with her. Always have been and probably always will be," Silver sighed.
"Did she love you back?"
"I don't know. She never seemed to. She always seemed so oblivious to my feelings. I think she just always saw me as her best friend, like a little brother or something. But… well we were in middle school and Breezie's parents moved away and I assumed she moved with them, leaving Mobius High. I guess she didn't leave after all but just moved to board at this campus."
"Why did she never contact you during the breaks?"
"I DON'T KNOW!" Silver suddenly snapped, raising his voice. The whole cafeteria grew silent, intrigued glances thrown his way. Silver looked around, noticing that he had become the center of attention and sat back down.
"Look, sorry. It's just… it's a touchy subject," Silver apologized.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. She probably just went overseas and stayed with her family during the breaks or something like that," Eclipse nodded, trying to make the hedgehog feel better.
"That's the problem though. She never showed any feelings towards me that weren't platonic until the day she told me that she was leaving. I lost my shit because she didn't tell me until the night before she was scheduled to leave."
"She probably didn't have the heart to tell you that she had to go. I think she wanted her last few weeks with you to be happy, not sad because you were her best friend," Eclipse offered reasons, trying to cheer up the saddened silver hedgehog.
"That's what I told myself afterwards but at the time I was just so mad…"
"How could you not tell me!" I screamed, throwing my hands in the air as I paced back and forth in my room. It was late at night and Breezie had asked to come over and visit me. I thought it would just be us two hanging out like always, munching down popcorn and watching a stupid comedy or horror film that she loved so much.
"I didn't want things between us to change," Breezie admitted, lowering her head. "I wanted out time together to be happy, not dragged down by the news."
"I thought we were best friends. How could you not trust me enough to tell me you were going to leave me forever," I growled, all my emotions turning to anger because I couldn't cope with the news of her leaving any other way without breaking down into tears like a sniveling little baby.
"Silver… please… I'm sorry. I just… I don't know. I didn't want to leave," she tried to reason with me, a stray tear streaking down her cheek.
"Then don't go," I bargained. "Stay here, with me. We have a spare room."
"We both know I can't do that Silver," she sighed.
"But… but I…" I stammered. I had buried my feelings for her so far deep down inside of me, scared of what she would say if she ever found out how I felt about her.
"You what?" Breezie asked, smoothing a stray strand of hair back behind her ear, staring at me with those shimmering eyes, filled with care, beauty and love.
"Breezie… I l-l-l… I'll miss you," I sighed in defeat, unable to admit my feelings for her.
"I'll miss you too, Silver. You're my best friend and I'll never forget you," she cried, rushing over to wrap her arms around me as the two of us stood in my bedroom. I couldn't take it anymore. The tears came, spurting like waterfalls as I tried to keep my feet planted firmly on the ground.
After a few minutes passed, Breezie finally broke contact, drying her eyes with the sleeve of her green sweater.
"I guess I should go now," she sniffed, heading towards the door.
"Breezie, wait!" I yelled, grabbing her sleeve. I didn't know what came over me, but I just couldn't let her leave just yet. "I have something I need to say," I admitted.
"Silver?"
"Breezie… I, um… I…" I stumbled over my words, unable to admit the truth. "Good luck at your new school," I sighed, looking down as my nerves got the best of me.
"You really are an idiot, aren't you," she giggled before stepping up to me, gripping my shoulders between her hands and placing her lips softly against mine. Her sweet, supple lips felt like heaven as I tilted my head and closed my eyes to enjoy the moment that felt like it lasted forever.
"H-h-how did you…" I stammered after she finally pulled apart from me.
"Know you loved me?" she finished my sentence.
"I thought you didn't like me back," I said, still stunned by what just happened after years of dreaming about it at night.
"Silver, I've always known you liked me. I was just scared that a relationship might ruin our friendship. But… well since I'm leaving I thought this was long overdue," Breezie smiled at me, gazing deep into my topaz eyes.
"Breezie… I love you," I finally was able to say it to her, the girl of my dreams and my first love…
Eclipse stared at me, not knowing what to say.
"I know Blaze is in the hospital but… Breezie is finally back into my life and… I just don't know," Silver sighed, letting his head fall into his hands.
"Look, Silver… I don't know what to tell you. I have no idea what you are feeling right now but I think you should just let your heart decide," he smiled. "If you really love Blaze, then nothing will happen between you and Breezie on Saturday night but if Breezie really is the hedgehog for you, you'll know it and Blaze will understand."
"Thanks Eclipse… You're a really good friend," Silver smiled thankfully at the darkling.
"Anytime."
"Hey guys, I have something I need to ask you," a stunned fox asked as he waddled up, struggling to keep his balance as the world spun around him.
…
My world was suddenly brighter from then on. It was like a weight was lifted from my shoulders any time she walked by. Her smile was like the spinning light of a lighthouse, shining through the fog and guiding me safely through the storm, saving me from the jagged rocks and roaring waves that were the rest of my classmates.
I never thought I'd be happy, but she changed everything. My pink angel. Granted, my life wasn't perfect. I was still ridiculed and bullied like crazy, same with Wave, but together we were happy. My feelings for her continued to grow exponentially to the point where I was sad whenever I wasn't with her.
Wave, the girl that saved me from misery and depression and helped me see the brighter side of life. I didn't just love her, I needed her and I think she needed me too. That's why I finally worked up the courage to say what I needed to.
It was a normal night like any other. I invited Wave over and we set up the little bed in my room before throwing on the newest Rosemary Prower movie that Wave was so into. My knees were weak and my palms were sweaty but I couldn't let my nerves get in the way. I needed to tell her. She deserved to know my true feelings. I needed Wave to be more than my best friend. So much more.
"You feeling alright?" Wave turned to ask me after noticing how uncomfortable I was.
"Yeah I'm fine, better than fine actually," I said confidently despite the butterflies swarming around inside my stomach. I turned to her, taking her hand. "Wave, there is something I need to tell you."
"You can tell me anything Jet, you are my best friend," Wave smiled, not understanding the atmosphere until it was too late.
"Wave… I love you," I proclaimed as I closed my eyes, tilted my head and leaned forward, closing the gap between our lips. My lips crashed against hers and for a split second, she returned the gesture. I was in complete bliss… for about five seconds.
After giving herself over to me for mere moments, Wave quickly pulled back, repeating the word no over and over to herself.
"W…Wave?" I asked, hurt and confused by her strange behavior.
"Jet… I…I'm so sorry," she sniffed before grabbing her bag and rushing out of the room, her eyes filled with tears.
"Wave…" I sighed under my breath. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to chase after her and apologize but I couldn't move a muscle. I couldn't even force myself to cry, to let my feelings out. All I could feel with the large crevice that had been created in my heart as I sat, slouched on my bed sleepless for the whole night.
I tried to find her, to contact her after that. I didn't see her at school and neither her, nor her family were at their house. I was too late. She was gone… or at least I thought she was until I came face to face with her at my new Emerald Lake campus at Mobius High.
Jet sighed as he finished recounting his tale to the sympathetic rabbit who lay next to him in his bed. Jet had spent most of his time since he first saw Wave in his room and Cream had finally had enough. She had come to find Jet and figure out what was wrong with her boyfriend, but she wasn't prepared for the story he told her.
"Jet… I'm sorry that happened to you. It was wrong and cruel," Cream said, placing her hand on his back.
"I just… I don't know what I did wrong," he sighed.
"Is that why you seemed so distant in that hospital bed?" Cream enquired. Jet nodded solemnly.
"I had just given up at that point and in what I thought were my last moments, I thought about her. Then suddenly you saved my, my bunny angel. I didn't trust you, or anybody. I didn't want my heart broken again but you were so calm, gentle and… well you know the rest," he managed to show the slightest curvature of his mouth. Cream smiled, any resemblance of that trademark smirk that she knew too well was welcome.
"Don't worry, Jet. I won't leave you," Cream said, kissing him on the lips. Jet returned the kiss happily, but it still wasn't the same. Everything he had done with Cream was heaven, and he enjoyed it all but now that his thoughts flew back to Wave, he couldn't help but think that it just wasn't the same. It was never as good as that one, first kiss he had.
"I know, Cream. But… I just don't know what to do about her, Jet sighed, leaning back against the wall of his room. "I replayed that night, and many others over and over in my head. I've thought of a million things I wanted to say to her if I ever got the chance but now that I've found her again, I just can't face her," Jet admitted solemnly.
"Jet, you're not going to get past this until you face her and talk to her. Just let her know that what she did hurt you, but you don't want to dwell on the past. You won't be able to avoid her all semester and will be forced to see her so if you push passed this, it will be easier," Cream said, giving out her sage advice.
"You really think I should do it?" Jet asked.
"Yes. I'll be here every step of the way if you need me. I trust you and I love you, Jet," Cream nodded.
"Okay, I'll do it! I love you, Cream. I don't know what I would ever do without you."
…
"You know Razor's rules. No going into the city unless there is a serious emergency or it's the weekend," Gold dismissed the purple chameleon with a mere wave, turning back to her mountain of work that she had been given. On top of all that, Gold was still looking feverishly for the person who set the fire and the stress was clearly evident on her face.
"Gold, please I really need to see Blaze," Espio pleaded.
"I SAID NO!" Gold suddenly snapped, her face turning red with a sudden rage. Espio cowered backwards, taking a few cautious steps away from the tenrec. Gold's eyes slowly opened with realization as she looked down at her shaking hands in fists.
"Oh my Chaos, I'm so sorry, Espio. I didn't mean to snap at you," Gold apologized, hiding her shame and embarrassment. "I just have a lot on my plate at the moment and I guess the stress is just catching up with me."
"I-It's okay," Espio replied, still a little shaken up by the sudden outburst of the normally calm and collected secretary that he had known for almost four years.
"Look… don't tell Razor about this but… the bus driver is heading into the city at two. Just make sure you are back before diner time," Gold whispered, handing Espio a permission slip that allowed him access on the bus.
"But the hospital closes at five and the trip takes almost two hours! By the time I make it to Blaze I won't be able to visit her," Espio complained in a whining voice.
"IT's the best I can do Espio, take it or leave it," Gold finalized. Espio sighed, accepting the slip and saying goodbye to Gold. He walked over to the bus stop, sighing as he pondered whether this was all worth the effort.
"Hey freak, where's the special lady," he heard a voice call out to him.
"She probably dumped him after seeing those pictures," the hedgehog next to her laugh. Espio covered his face, his walk turning into a sprint as he made his way to the bus to avoid further taunting by the student body who clearly all had seen the nudes.
'I guess all the new kids have seen it now two,' he sulked as he regretfully climbed aboard the bus, silently handing the paper to the driver as he made his way to the back seat, plugged his headphones in and sat in silence as the bus eventually reversed out of the school and set out on its journey towards Central City.
After a few hours, and a memory filled walk through the city later, Espio finally arrived outside the gigantic, white building. Rows of windows lined the side of the building in a coordinated, symmetrical fashion. Espio strolled through the sliding glass doors and made his way to the receptionist to enquire about Blaze. After receiving her room number, he made his way up to her room to catch her just as she was slowly slurping down a fresh bowl of chicken noodle soup.
"Hey, Blaze," Espio greeted her awkwardly, standing at the door as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Espio…?" Blaze asked, confused and surprised by the chameleon's presence. "You are the last… person I expected to see… today. What do I owe the… pleasure?" Espio tilted his head in confusion, not expecting this kind of warm reception from the cat. Not only was he surprised at how well she was healing, but also that she was acting so nice considering how much the cat despised him.
"Are you feeling alright?" Espio asked as he took a few tentative steps into her room.
"I've been better… a lot better. I'm not in as much… pain anymore and my vocal chords… aren't as sore when I speak… I'm also coughing a lot less… now," she smiled as she slowly let the words escape from her mouth. Espio smiled, keeping patient as he let her try to speak, noting how it was extra hard for her to speak at a normal speed, let alone at all given her condition.
"That's good… that's good," Espio repeated, trying to make some small talk despite the uncomfortable, awkward atmosphere that had descended upon the hospital room.
"Espio… seriously… why are you here?" Blaze asked again.
"I just wanted to come see how you were doing," Espio began but seeing the deadpan stare that Blaze was giving him, he knew that she wasn't believing any of his crap.
"Okay, okay… I just wanted to ask if… maybe… you were the one who… kinda, sorta… sent around all the leaked nudes of me," Espio finished by spewing out all the words at once without a break or breath.
"I'm sorry I missed that… Could you say all of that… again," Blaze strained. Espio sighed, taking a deep breath.
"Did you send the nudes to everybody?" Espio asked confidently.
"Are you serious…" Blaze stated plainly.
"I know I screwed around with you last semester and was just wondering if you…" Espio began but was cut off.
"If I what… sent naked pictures of you to… everybody in the whole school? No! No I didn't send… the pictures… Silver has helped me not give into… my revenge seeking ways," she scolded Espio. "I can't believe you would…"
"I was just asking," Espio interrupted her.
"Don't interrupt me! How can you… come in here with me like this and… accuse me of something so… horrible?! I'm not you," she growled angrily.
"Hey! I've changed."
"Bullshit!" Blaze raised her voice slightly louder. Although she was not able to yell due to her burnt lungs and vocal chords, she was still able to give off her normal fiery personality when she got mad. "Get out."
"But Blaze, I just…" Espio began but was cut off again by Blaze.
"Get out now! Doctor!" she called. "Doctor help!"
Espio quickly darted out of the room, narrowly avoiding running into the skunk doctor who rushed to Blaze's help. The purple chameleon rushed down the hallways, staircase and out onto the street, barely being missed by a speedy car whose driver honked viciously at Espio's stupidity for running across the road.
"Do you want to die, kid?!" The driver screamed as he drove past.
'Maybe it would be best…' Espio thought to himself as he trudged back to the bus, head fixated on the ground the whole walk back.
…
The corridor around him was spinning as he struggled to connect his key to the lock on the door. Eventually, after his third attempt, Tails managed to stick the small, silver key into the lock and relished in the sound as the lock clicked open.
He threw the door open, startling Mighty, Mephiles and Sonic who all arose.
"There you are buddy; we were worried about you. It's curfew in like five minutes," Sonic mentioned, clearly relieved that the fox had returned back to the dorm room.
"Where have you been Tails?" Mighty asked, concern flooding his voice. "You haven't been here in the past couple of days."
"Yeah ever since Sonic Broke-" Mephiles began but was cut off as the armadillo threw his pillow at the hedgehog, silencing him.
"Shut up," Mighty hissed under his voice, shooting Mephiles an angry glare before turning back to Tails, putting on a happy smile again.
"Whatever," Mephiles huffed as he picked out his phone and sent a text to the other dark hedgehog, and the only other person who seemed to understand him.
"I've been staying at friend's dorms," Tails huffed angrily as he pushed past Sonic who had stood up to greet him. Tails wasn't in his right mind at that point and the sudden emotions that flooded his system upon laying eyes at the hedgehog for the first time in a couple of days were effecting him in negative ways.
Tails stomped over to his bed and began ripping off the sheets. He noted the familiar scent of the sapphire hedgehog staining them and only ripped them off faster, stripping his bed clean so that the mattress was bare.
"Whoa, what are you doing?" Sonic asked, grabbing Tails' arms and stopping him.
"Don't touch me," Tails let out a guttural growl which scared Sonic. He quickly let go and stood back. "I talked to Silver. He has a spare bed in his room so Razor said I could transfer rooms."
"But Tails, this is your room," Sonic pleaded with the fox.
"Not anymore," Tails dismissed him, keeping his emotions as in check as he could. Tails then stormed out of the room, carrying his sheets with him as he began to walk down the hall. "I'll come get my stuff tomorrow," he finished, not turning back as he left.
"I've ruined everything, haven't I?" Sonic sighed, sitting on his bed with his hands on his knees as the rain began to pelt against the window.
"He's just going through the stages of somebody who got dumped. He'll settle down eventually, just give him time," Mighty said calmly.
"He wants to go, let him go. Good riddance," Mephiles stated plainly eliciting an angry scowl from Mighty and Sonic. "What? More room for us."
…
Jet stood underneath a tree, concealing himself from the outside world. He wore a wide brimmed, black hat that he tilted downwards to shroud his face in shadows as he watched the students rush from building to building. The clouds rolled in late last night and rained non-stop since.
Small puddles formed in the low-lying areas of the ground, flooding the sports ovals and creating little rivers in the over flowing gutters that lined the crisscrossing gravel and cement pathways that connected all the buildings together.
Jet shivered, the wind whipping his damp feathers causing chills to rupture all over his body but he was determined. He was thankful for the grand tree that hung above him, sheltering him from the worst of the torrential down poor but he was still soaked to the bone whilst waiting. He knew that Wave would pass by eventually, moving from her classes to the dorm and he waited for his moment.
There. As if Chaos had heard his plea, a little pink dot appeared from one of the large buildings that housed most of the classrooms and gradually got bigger as the swallow that Jet cared about so much rushed through the rain, one feather raised above her head to shield her face from the piercing droplets.
"You should go for it," he heard a seductive voice purr from behind the tree.
"Rouge?" He yelped quietly, startled by her sudden appearance. She smirked, pushing herself off the tree that she was leaning against with her boot and turned to him.
"It doesn't matter how you still feel about her. You both need closure and it's unfair on my little funny bunny to put her through this," Rouge sighed.
"How do you know about me and Wave?" Jet asked, flabbergasted. Rouge just chuckled lightly, placing a gloved hand to her mouth to stifle the laughs.
"Honey please. I know everything that goes on in this school," she smirked. "And most of the time it can be solved if people just talk to each other, which is what you need to do. Now go to her."
"Okay, I will. Thanks Rouge," Jet smiled, steeling his nerves as he turned to see that Wave was nearing the dormitory.
"You're missing your chance," she urged. Jet nodded before he turned and sprinted off into the rain, calling the swallows name. Rouge smiled, watching as Jet approached Wave and sighed as she continued to view the events transpire.
"Wave! Wave!" Jet called, waving his hand as he rushed towards her. She turned around and her mouth flew open when she saw the green hawk rush up to greet her. In her startled state, her grip loosened and the textbook that she held fell to the ground, getting coated in a thick layer of mud from the wet dirt.
"Here, let me get that for you," Jet stumbled, bending over to pick up her book. He took a quick, deep breath before straightening up. "It's… it's good to see you again."
"Cream told me about you being here but I didn't believe it…" Wave breathed, still processing seeing her old friend standing in the flesh in front of her.
"Wait, you and Cream were talking? No, that's no important now, I have something to tell you," Jet confirmed, shaking the thought out of his head for the time being. However, before he began, Wave quickly threw her hands around him and brought him close to her chest, nestling his head in her neck.
"I missed you so much," she sniffed, her tears mixing with the rain that was pouring down tremendously. Together, the two stood there, embracing each other until Jet finally pulled apart.
"You… you did?" Jet questioned.
"Of course I did, stupid," Wave laughed with tears still in her eyes, punching Jet in the arm. "How could you think I didn't?"
"Because you ran away and left me forever," Jet sighed, looking down. Wave breathed deeply, a feeling of hurt and regret crept over her.
"Jet… I had to," she whispered, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"Why?! Because I kissed you! Because I said I loved you! Were you so repulsed by me that you had to run away and never tell me about it again?!" Jet yelled, his emotions getting the better of him. All the pain and hurt he felt from that night began to bubble inside of him. All the years of pain, of pushing down his feelings. All the years of his insecurities from that night erupting inside of him, warping and altering into a manifestation of anger itself.
"Jet… it wasn't-" Wave tried to begin.
"Do you know how hard it was? I loved you, I loved you more than myself. Do you know how it felt when I finally admitted it to you and you just left? Didn't you stop to think how that would affect me? For years I felt worthless, like I wasn't good enough for anybody. I tried to hind behind this stupid, cocky ego because I needed to mask the pain and worthlessness that I felt on a day to day basis. There was only one way to relieve the pain you gave me…" Jet trailed off after interrupting her.
"Are you seriously pinning all of this on me!? Don't you think I knew it would hurt you! I didn't want to go but I had to! I fucking had to, okay and I didn't want to hurt you! When you kissed me, I realized that I did love you and it made it that much harder to leave, but I didn't have a fucking choice so I ran. Did you ever stop to consider that?!" Wave yelled, exploding with anger herself as those same emotions that had accumulated within her also bubbled to the surface.
"Wave…"
"But look at you. That didn't stop you from moving on! I never liked any other guy because I never gave up hope on one day being able to see you again, but you couldn't care less. You have a girlfriend now. I heard that you also were dating this pink hedgehog and an auburn haired squirrel?!" Wave shook with fury.
"Wave, it's not like you think. Those two didn't-"
"No… I can't believe you honestly thought I could be that cruel. I can't believe I ever had faith in you," Wave sighed as she turned and ran into the dorm house.
"Wave, wait!" Jet called but was met with a textbook thrown into his gut, causing him to topple over in pain. He just managed to tilt his head upwards as he caught a glimpse of pink feathers disappear through the doors.
…
Sonic walked down the many corridors that twist and turned around one of the large buildings situated near the center of campus which hosted the majority of the classes in the campus. Sonic, wanting some of the exercise since it was a lot harder to go for runs due to the constant downpour of rain that persisted throughout the week, opted to take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator to descend.
"Can you stop," Sonic called out as he continued to walk down the flight of stairs, not even bothering to stop or look back. No response. After a few moments, he heard the footsteps continue.
"I said can you stop," Sonic growled angrily, swiveling around to come face to face with a startled, orange porcupine.
"Oh, hey Sonic, fancy seeing you here. I was just going to class and-" Spike began with his excuse when Sonic cut him off, fed up beyond his limit.
"I have seen you following me around for the majority of the week. Can you just quit it?" Sonic yelled. After having his best friend leave his dorm room the previous night, he was in no mood to have to deal with his annoying little shadow.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You helped me out when I needed you so now I'm just returning the favour," Spike cowered slightly, not expecting this sudden angry outburst from the sapphire hedgehog.
"What the fuck does that mean? I don't remember you at all, kid. So why don't you do us both a favour and just fuck off," Sonic growled.
"I heard about the break-up and-" Spike began but was once again interrupted.
"How the fuck do you know? Only Sally, Silver and my dorm room knows about it," Sonic glared at the porcupine.
"I just know, okay. I just wanted to make sure you were okay and stuff."
"Well I'm fine so can you fuck off now," Sonic bellowed, completely losing any form of composure he had left. "Look, I'm flattered that you remember me and whatever I did and wanna be like me but you just need to step back and be yourself. I don't need more fucking fanboys in my life!"
"Fine, be that way. Throw away somebody just trying to help," Spike spat back, clearly hurt by the way the conversation was going. It wasn't at all like he imagined it would go in his head. "I'll leave but if you need somebody, you know where to find me."
With that, Spike turned and sprinted up the stairs faster than Sonic could have imagined. Sonic stared at the spot the porcupine once stood, feeling slightly guilty for the way he handled that but the feeling of relief to finally be rid of Spike far outweighed his feeling of guilt.
"Finally, some peace and quiet," Sonic breathed silently.
…
Cream: Is she still in her room?
Amy: Yeah, she seems really pissed off recently but like also sad. What did you do to her?
Cream: Nothing. Is she in the room now?
Amy: Last I checked she was but I left like 20 mins ago
Cream: Okay, thanks Amy
Cream put her phone back in the small little pocket attached to her yellow skirt as she walked a few doors down the corridor, stopping outside the dorm room of her pink friend Amy. She gracefully knocked on the door and after a few seconds was greeted by an unfamiliar face.
"Hey, can I help you?" A green and black pronghorn greeted Cream at the door.
"Oh, I'm sorry is this Cosmo's room?" Cream asked, putting on the sweetest and most innocent voice that she could muster.
"Yeah, I'm her roommate, Clove" the pronghorn greeted her, shaking the rabbit's hand. "Cosmo, there is somebody…" Clove began but as she whipped her head behind the door to see her seedrian roommate, she noticed Cosmo frantically shaking her head.
"I'm sorry, Cosmo isn't here right now," Clove quickly said, covering her tracks as she began to close the door.
"Clove, don't," Cream begged, placing her foot inside the door so Clove couldn't completely shut it.
"She doesn't want to see you," Clove stated.
"Please, she has it all wrong. I just need to speak to her and then I'll leave," Cream pleaded.
"I don't think that's the best idea," Clove held her ground.
"Just five minutes, that's all I ask and then I'll leave." Clove darted her head back to Cosmo, who was still sitting on the bed and then back to Cream.
"…Okay, five minutes," Clove gave in, eliciting a small happy gleeful hop from Cream. "But I'll be right outside and if I hear any yelling I'm coming in," Clove warned as she stepped outside and shut the door behind her.
Cream took a few tentative steps towards Cosmo before the seedrian held up her hand, signaling Cream that she had gone far enough.
"What do you want?" Cosmo asked, turning her head. "Tails and Jet not enough for you? Are you going to try and take Clove's boyfriend next?" Cosmo spat bitterly
"Cosmo, it's not what you think," Cream begged.
"I know. He's gay. I got it," Cosmo sighed angrily.
"Well, he's bi. I actually used to be his girlfriend. We were going out for about a year before he dumped me," Cream sighed. Cosmo looked up at the rabbit. She wanted to be mad, she really did but seeing how the breakup still clearly held some sadness inside the rabbit, she couldn't help but feel a bit empathetic towards the rabbit.
"At least you had a boyfriend. All boys hate me," Cosmo sniffed.
"Come on Cosmo, don't say that," Cream cooed, taking a cautious step forward. When the seedrian said and did nothing to halt her advances, the rabbit continued until she got to the bed and took a seat next to Cosmo.
"It's true. Tails was the first guy in the longest time that ever even looked at me twice. He was so nice and friendly and I could tell he actually cared about me. He even asked me to hang out with him again," Cosmo said sadly.
"I'm sure plenty of guys want to hang out with you," Cream soothed.
"Not really. Back at my old school, everybody hated me. Anytime I tried to talk to a boy, they would laugh at me. Call me ugly or just walk away without saying anything. I got so shy, so self-conscious of myself because of it," Cosmo sniffed.
"That's… that's awful," Cream breathed.
"I thought a guy loved me once, but after a date I tried to kiss him, my first kiss… but it was all just a dare that his friends made him do," Cosmo let a few stray tears leave her eyes. "I thought Tails might be different, but of course the only guys that would ever talk to me are the ones who turn out gay… or bi or whatever."
"Cosmos… come on… you're beautiful in your own way," Cream tried her best to comfort the seedrian but didn't know what to say without making the situation worse.
"Get out, now." An indignant voice shouted at Cream from the door.
"What?"
"I said get out," Clove said as she came in. "How dare you make Cosmo cry!"
"But… it wasn't-"
"No Clove… it's okay. She is only helping me," Cosmo sniffed through her tears, drying her face on her light green sweater. Clove raised a skeptical eyebrow towards the rabbit but decided not to take any further action.
"If you say so. I'm always right here if you need me," Clove said, smiling at the saddened seedrian.
"I know… thank you," Cosmo sniffed again.
"Well… guys suck anyway. Who needs them. You have Clove and I here and we aren't going anywhere," Cream tried to cheer her up.
"Yeah, we think you're cool," Clove chimed in.
"Th-thanks," Cosmos choked as she managed to forge a slight smile on her face. Together, the three girls continued to talk and, eventually, laugh through the day as the heavens continued to dowse the world below in the unrelenting rain.
…
Manic smiled to himself as he strolled down the staircase of the male dormitory, striking his twin set of drumsticks along the metal railing in rhythmic fashion. After finally receiving a message from the purple mongoose accepting his invitation to join the band, he was in extremely high spirits and nothing could topple him from his cloud.
He closed his eyes in his blissful state, twirling the sticks around in his hand when the railing came to an end and he stepped out into the lounging area. However, he didn't get far before he collided with something hard and toppled to the floor.
"Ouch, why does this keep happening to me," a shrill voice whined in pain. Manic groaned, rubbing his backside as he stood up, retrieving his drumsticks off of the floor. "Watch where you're walking."
"Sorry, my bad," Manic sighed as he stood up to be stared in the face by a particularly angry pink hedgehog.
"Yeah, it was."
"Geeze, I said I was sorry, what is your problem?" Manic growled.
"I'm just not having a good day and I don't need more people smashing into me," Amy snapped back, clearly in no mood to argue with the green hedgehog.
"Fine whatever, I need to go to band practice anyway," Manic shrugged the hedgehog off and continued along his path.
"You're welcome, by the way Manic," Amy called out behind him.
"What?" manic asked, turning back around to face her.
"Well you didn't thank me making Mina text you back after you gave her your number," Amy giggled slightly.
"How the fuck do you know about that?"
"Mina bumped into me the other day, complaining about your brother and how he isn't into her even though she loooooooves him," Amy taunted slightly, earning a disgruntled grunt from the shaggy quilled hedgehog.
"Yeah right, Mina wouldn't love him," Manic shot back, feeling slightly self-conscious and envious.
"Yeah, it was quite embarrassing when she tried so hard to flirt with him," Amy shot back.
"Why don't you just shut the fuck up," Manic tried to shout in a hushed whisper to not gain the attention of the rest of the room. "Sonic wishes he was half the man I was."
"Don't talk about Sonic that way," Amy spat back stomping up to him and standing up next to him, their body and faces mere centimeters apart. Manic could feel the angry, warm breath emanating from her nostrils as she tried to control her temper.
"Why do you care? Are you going out? Oh wait, no, your jealous because he has his dick up that stupid little fox instead of in you," Manic sent Amy a crafty grin, enjoying the metaphorical steam erupting from her ears due to anger. Neither one could understand why the other made them so mad, but both assumed it was just because of the way they thought of and treated the sapphire hedgehog.
"At least the girl I like isn't in love with his brother. It must feel bad being a step down in Mina's eyes," Amy yelled, finally snapping and earning the glances of everybody in the room, including a quite surprised pink hedgehog.
"Amy, Manic, what's going on here?" Sonia asked, rushing up to get between the two. "Manic, stop yelling at her!"
"Nothing, I'm outta here," Manic threw up his arms, giving up as he turned to stomp out into the snow.
"Good!" Amy shouted back at him.
"Great!" Manic yelled back.
"Sorry for him," Sonia apologized before turning to sprint after her brother. "Manic, Manic what's up?" she asked after finally catching up to him.
"Sonia, what the fuck was that? Why do you never, ever stand up for me? How could you take her side?" Manic was fuming at the mouth.
"I just didn't want to cause a scene," Sonia replied, cowering back slightly at the immense rage bubbling inside of her normally calm and care-free brother.
"That's always your excuse. I'm your brother, your real brother, but you never take my side. Ever!" Manic began. Sonia sighed, knowing exactly where this was going. This wasn't one of the first times they had had this argument.
"Manic, please, I'm sorry. You are my brother and I love you. I'll always be on your side no matter what happens and you can always rely on me but I just wanted to defuse the situation as quick as possible," Sonia admitted.
"Yeah, and that always involves making me look like the bad guy, doesn't it? I have to go to band practice, cya," Manic waved as he began to head off.
"Manic please," Sonia begged, reaching her hand out to grip his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. "Don't be so distant with me. We haven't hung out at all since we got here. I miss you."
"Sonia," he sighed. "Look, I'm just really busy. Don't worry, I won't become distant with you. I promise," Manic concluded. "I'll cee you around," he waved as he walked off, leaving Sonia alone with her thoughts.
…
Espio sighed as he darted past the ridicule that the students continued to throw his way. Despite over two weeks passing by, him and his nudes were still the center of attention in the school and he never seemed to be able to catch a break.
Despite all the mean comments and name calling that he was subjected to, he managed to smile as he was on his way to band practice. He heard from Manic and Knuckles that they had gotten a new lead singer and that they were all ready for the big show on Saturday at the stadium.
Espio checked his watch, picking up his pace when he looked down and noticed that it was almost five o'clock. He was already about ten minutes late and didn't want to keep them waiting any longer. He skidded to a halt as their practice room appeared in his field of vision.
Espio smiled as he found his way to the music room that their teacher so graciously let them use to practice outside of class hours. However, the smile was instantly wiped off of Espio's face as he entered the room.
"Oh yeah! Well at least she isn't a fucking slut who throws herself at every boy she meets!" Knuckles snapped back at Manic. Both of them wore scowls on their faces and their eyes were red with anger. Espio could see by the tossed instruments and body language that this fight hadn't only just started, but had been raging for a while.
"Maybe that's because she is probably a boy!" manic fought back.
"Just because she is into sports doesn't mean she is a fucking guy! I've seen her and she isn't," Knuckles spat back.
"Yeah, but I don't have to check Mina out while she is taking a shower to know that she is a girl. She isn't a flat chested bitch like Julie, you fucking pervert," Manic yelled.
"That's it. I've fucking had enough. Why don't you go start your own band with Mina, despite the fact that she is probably choking on your brother's dick as we speak. I'm out of here!" Knuckles growled angrily.
"Whatever, at least she isn't tongue deep in some other chick's pussy! I'm fucking gone too," Manic bellowed with anger.
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
"Guys, guys. What's going-" Espio rushed into the room, trying to calm them down but was interrupted as both of the doors that connected to the room were slammed shut simultaneously as Knuckles and Manic both left in a huff.
"Please… this band is all I have left," Espio sighed as he slumped to the floor.
A/N: Well there it is, chapter 11. I hope you all enjoyed and are excited for Elias' big bash. Rich kids always throw the best parties, naturally :P Please don't forget to review to let me know what you thought of the chapter and what you hope transpires in the next one. There will be at least one, maybe more, relationship that are going to be over by chapter 13's end so the question of the chapter... Which relationship do you hope gets the boot at the party and which relationship do you hope stays strong?
Next time on SH:EL
Relationships will blossom, relationships will fall
Sex, Fights, a lot of alcohol and even more drama
Next time in Chapter 12 and 13: Elias' Big Bash
Elias' Big Bash!