All characters belong to Sega/Archie except my OCs.

Chapter 11

On Saturday, the girls found themselves huddled together in Sonia's room. Amy's fathers were reluctantly out of town for the weekend. They were hesitant about leaving Amy after the events on Monday, but she convinced them she'd be fine; Sonia and Sonic would take good care of her. Over the course of the week, she'd gradually forced her dark thoughts to the back of her mind. Scourge and Shadow weren't in school due to their fight with Sonic and his friends, so she didn't have to deal with them. The aftermath of the photo fiasco wasn't so bad on Wednesday when she returned to school. Most of the boys still snickered at her as they passed, but no one really bothered her. On Friday, when Sonic came back to school, none of the boys dared to even look her way. They knew Sonic wouldn't hesitate to punch them in the mouth if they even looked at her the wrong way. Scourge and Shadow kept their distance as well on Friday. Sonia had seemed to have broken up with Shadow over the situation. She refused to talk to him and ignored all of his calls and texts. Amy was grateful to have such great friends by her side, but the small voice in her mind kept reminding her she didn't deserve them. At her therapy sessions that week, she talked to her psychiatrist about what had happened; she acknowledged her actions and talked about the feelings that had driven her to do it. Afterwards, she tried to forget it had ever happened. She reasoned it hadn't been a suicide attempt in particular; rather, she'd just self-harmed on a larger scale. Thus it didn't have to be as big of deal – or at least she thought so. If she wanted to die, she knew she wouldn't want to do it on the dirty floor of her high school's bathroom.

The television hummed in sync with the characters' mouths on the screen. Amy was sitting on the floor between Sonia's legs. Her best friend was sitting on her bed with clips attached to her shirt and her hands fiddling with Amy's di-pink locks. Amy had agreed to let Sonia practice a new hairstyle on her hair earlier in the day. Thus far, Sonia had washed and straightened Amy's curls. At the moment, she was pulled her friend's hair up into a high ponytail; her fingers were sticky with the gel she was using to tack her edges down. As her friend worked, Amy watched a romance movie she'd thrown on. Now and then, they'd hear Sonic and Tails scream profanities at each other or explode with laughter from the living room downstairs. Neither of the girls knew what game they were playing, but they knew they were taking it way too seriously. A string of loud profanities echoed through the house. Both the girls shook their heads. "Idiots," Sonia muttered as she separated Amy's ponytail into three locks. She quickly clipped them in their spots before walking to her closed room door. She opened it and yelled into the hallway. "Hey dumb and dumber, shut the fuck up!"

"Make us!" Sonic yelled back.

"Don't make me come down there and wax your eyebrows off!"

"You aren't gonna do shit!"

Sonia growled. "Wait until I'm done with Amy's hair! We're gonna fuck both of you up!"

"I didn't even do anything," Tails exclaimed. "Y'all better jump his ass and leave me out of it!"

The girls giggled at the sound of a thump on the floor. Sonia shook her head as the thuds of the boys wrestling on the floor followed. Sonia shut her door and returned to her spot on her bed. "You are down for kicking Sonic's ass when I'm done with you, right," she asked her friend.

"I'm always down for kicking Sonic's ass," Amy said. "Besides: ride or die, hoe."

Sonia laughed. She wrapped her arms around her friend's neck and gave her a soft hug. "I fucking love you."

Amy smiled. She continued to sit still as Sonia continued with her hair. When Sonia was finished, Amy had a high bun that was styled in the shape of a bow. She stayed still as Sonia took pictures of her completed work. "I love your hair," Sonia said as she fussed over Amy's edges.

"My hair is a piece of work," Amy replied.

"Your hair is a beautiful piece of work. I can do so much to it. You have to let me experiment more styles with it. This looks so cute on you."

"I like your hair better," Amy said with a shrug.

"You just like it because it's long."

Amy got up from her spot. She began playing with her friend's long waterfalls of dark curls. "I like it because it's soft and silky." The switched spots; Amy sat on the bed and Sonia sat on the floor. Amy brushed Sonia's smooth curls. "Plus your hair doesn't tangle like mine."

"Oh it tangles," Sonia says. "I just get the knots out before the rest of the world can see them. What kind of future beautician lets her hair look like a bird's nest?"

Amy shook her head. Her small smile vanished as she noticed purple bruises on the back of Sonia's neck. She brushed her long hair aside to reveal more bruises. They trailed down her neck to her shoulders. Amy knew they weren't hickeys; these were way too large, and they weren't dark like the passion marks. These were a distinct purple. Cautiously, Amy poked the one on her shoulder. She raised an eyebrow as Sonia flinched in pain. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing. I've just been straining my muscles at work." Sonia moved from her spot and sat down beside Amy. "Mrs. Lopez has been working me like a horse; you know that."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Those don't look like strain marks. Besides, don't you use your arms and hands to do people's hands? Why are there bruises at your neck and shoulders? Are there more?" Amy tugged at Sonia's shirt.

Sonia pushed Amy's hands away. "It's nothing, Audrey. Stop."

"No. Let me see."

Sonia pushed Amy away from her on the bed. "It's nothing," Sonia said firmly.

Amy glared at her. "If it's nothing, then show me."

"No." Amy sat up. She tried to reach for Sonia's shirt again, but her friend grabbed her hands.

Amy dragged Sonia across the bed to bring her closer to her. "Let me see!"

Sonia grabbed her into a headlock before she could attempt to swing her down. "No!"

Amy grabbed onto her legs and threw off her balance. They tumbled down on the mattress. Amy used the moment she had temporarily stunned Sonia to free her head and get on top of her friend. She gently lifted her shirt to uncover multiple bruises over Sonia's slender torso. They were scatted over her skin like puzzle pieces. "What happened," Amy asked. "Who did this to you?" She frowned as Sonia averted her eyes. "Did Shadow do this to you?"

"It's not what you think," Sonia said as she tugged her shirt back down. "We were playing around and-"

"Don't give me that bullshit. Sonic and I play around all the time and he doesn't leave me with bruises. Is Shadow hitting you, Sonia?"

"He was…" Sonia gently pushed Amy off of her. She sat up. "Honestly, the whole situation with Scourge gave me a way to break it off with him."

"How long has this been going on?"

Sonia shrugged. "A little while now. First he'd just get mad at me over little things; he'd yell and slam things. Then he started grabbing me real tight and get in my face during arguments. It's only been within the past few months that he's actually been hitting me. I don't know what's been up with him; he used to be so sweet, but now almost every little thing ticks him off." She shook her head. "But you don't have to worry about it anymore. We're over, and he knows that." She looked up at her head. "Promise you won't tell anyone. I don't need Sonic or Manic riled up over something that's not an issue anymore. Sonic is getting in enough trouble with the Crips; he doesn't need any more problems with them – they're dangerous."

"Sonia…"

"I'm not with him anymore," Sonia insisted. "He can't hurt me anymore."

"How do you know that?"

Sonia sighed. "I don't," she admitted. "But I don't want to tell Sonic right now. I'll tell him when I'm ready, okay?"

"You promise you'll tell him if Shadow tries anything suspicious or hurts you again," Amy asked as she held out pink finger.

Sonia wrapped her pinky finger around hers. "I promise." She nudged her with her arm. "Come on; we've got to arm ourselves. Sonic is still getting his ass whooped tonight. Tails is getting it too simply by affiliation."

Amy smiled as she watched her friend get up. They grabbed as many pillows as they could carry in their slender arms. They tip toed downstairs to the living room. The boys were sitting on the couch playing Call of Duty. The girls exchanged sly smiles. Sonia threw the first pillow at the them, hitting Tails in the back of the head. Amy followed suit, knocking Sonic upside the head. "What the fuck," Sonic exclaimed. The girls giggled as they continued throwing the pillows at the boys.

"Hey! What the hell," Tails exclaimed. The boys paused their game and took cover behind the couch. They waited until the girls ran out of ammo to return the favor. They threw the pillows right back at them. Amy and Sonia retreated back towards the stairs. The boys chased them upstairs to Sonia's room. They shut the door before they could enter.

"Open the door, you fucking cowards," Sonic yelled as he banged on the door.

"Over our dead bodies," Sonia replied.

"I'm pretty sure we're already arranging that," Tails piped in.

Sonic twisted the knob and pushed the door with his shoulder. Tails helped him push the door open. The impact sent the girls flying to the floor with soft giggles. The boys didn't give them a chance to get up. They used the pillows they had in their hands to pound down on them. Amy tried to use her feet to kick at them, but Sonic grabbed her ankles. He dragged her across the floor to the hallway. "Yo, grab my sister," Sonic called to Tails. Amy giggled as Sonic bent down to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder. Tails emerged from Sonia's room with the girl over his shoulder. The two walked downstairs and slammed the girls down on the couches. Amy tried to get up, but Sonic lay down on top of her. She let out a dramatic groan.

"You're suffocating me," she whined.

"Good. That's what you get for starting shit."

Amy shook her head. She pushed Sonic off of her and onto the floor. She giggled at the glare he sent her.

"You know what, bring your little ass here," he said as he grabbed her ankle. He dragged her onto the floor. He put her in a headlock. Amy wrapped her arms around his torso and forced him down onto his back. She tried to climb on top of him, but he trapped one of her legs between his.

"Sonia," she called. "Help me!"

"Nah, I'm good enjoying the show," Sonia said as she lounged next to Tails.

"What happened to ride or die, hoe?"

"You'll be fine. Sonic is a pussy anyway."

"Shut up before I fuck you up next," her brother said. He flipped himself and Amy over so he'd be on top of her. He released her head to tickle her stomach. Her laughter erupted through the house causing her three friends to smile. Sonic stopped to pin her arms over her head with one hand and use the other to gently tap her cheeks with his palms. He grabbed her cheeks with his hands and squeezed, causing her lips to pucker. "Stop starting shit," he told her. "Next time, you can meet me in the street."

Amy stuck her tongue out between her puckered lips. She giggled as he gently tapped her cheek with his knuckles. He got off of her.

"Since you two pains in my ass are down here, you wanna play video games with us?"

"Sure. But we're not playing Call of Duty," Sonia said. She walked up to the consoles under their television. "Let's play Mario Smash Brothers."

"Oh so you want me to beat your ass in the video game instead of real life," Sonic said. "I see the method to your madness."

Sonia rolled her eyes. "You wish you could beat me in Mario Smash Brothers."

"I think I hear a bet coming on," Tails said with a smile. "If we're doing that, we might as well throw on some good old WWE or UFC so it's a fair competition."

The siblings exchanged a smirk. "Whoever wins has to do the other's chores for a week – and they have to buy dinner tonight," Sonia said.

"Agreed," Sonic nodded. The two shook hands to seal the deal.

Amy and Tails watched in amusement as the two siblings tore each other to pieces via video games. Their one game turned into two out of three, then three out of five, then five out of seven. Neither of them wanted to lose to the other. In the end, Sonia ended up winning. Sonic took the loss like a good sport. He applauded her for her skills – and then admitted he'd let her win. Their friends laughed as Sonia argued she'd won fair and square. After the sibling rivalry ended, they turned on Mario Smash Brothers on their Wii and played together. When they got hungry, they ordered a large pizza and hot wings. They sat around the living room chowing down on their food with a horror movie playing on the television. Somewhere between their movie marathon, they all fell asleep. Sonia curled up on the love seat. Tails sprawled out on the Lay-Z-Boy. Sonic and Amy cuddled up together on the sectional. Sonic was laying behind Amy with his arm draped over her hip. He'd woken up at an absurd hour. He glanced at the clock, and the girl snuggled into his chest, with a sigh. Cautiously, he lifted himself up. Amy's hands tightened on his shirt. "Where are you going," she whispered. Her eyes cracked open to look up at him.

"I need to pee, and then I'm gonna smoke."

Amy rolled over to glance at the time. "It's like three in the morning. Pee and then go back to sleep."

"Don't tell me what to do." He playfully smacked her cheek before moving around her. "You can come if you want," he told her.

Amy wrapped the blanket around her shoulders as she reluctantly got up. She followed him upstairs. She waited in his room as he used the bathroom. When he returned, he scrambled for his stash of cannabis. He gathered his smoking materials before opening up the window. He stepped out into the cool air with Amy following behind him. They sat down on the fire escape with their legs dangling down over the edge. Amy watched him put together his blunt and light the end. He took a long drag.

"So," Sonic said as he blew out the smoke. "How are you holding up?"

Amy shrugged. "Good, I think. So much has happened in such a short amount of time that I haven't really had time to process any of it; sometimes it feels as if meeting my brother and being exposed by Scourge hasn't even happened. They're just distant memories." She looked down at the concrete below her. "Then again, I also haven't really been trying to process any of it. I've kind of just been existing; whenever something happens, I only allow myself to feel the effect in the moment it's happening. Afterwards, I kind of just try to forget and move on. I've been trying really hard not to hurt myself again. Monday was just…not a good day to feel the effects of my emotions immediately after an event. I just don't want to dwell in my emotions. They make me sad…"

"Have you been feeling sad recently," Sonic asked after another drag. He looked down at her when she didn't respond. He gently nudged her arm. "Talk to me; I'm always wiser when I'm high."

Amy shook her head, but she smiled. "I haven't been feeling sad, particularly. I've just been thinking about…my past. When I met my brother, he was nice, but he was also feeling guilty. He said he didn't reach out sooner because he thought I'd hate him; he wanted to apologize for not being able to protect me in the way a big brother should." Her brows formed a crease between them. "He knows what happened to me; he experienced it secondhand to some extent. He didn't have scars like I did, but he seemed so upset over what'd happened when we were just kids. I mean, I'm not mad at him; we were just kids, and there was likely nothing he could've done. But still, I want to know what happened, and that alone scares me." She rubbed her covered arms. "Someone hurt me; they hurt me really bad. My brother seems to have loved me, so that only leaves me parents as the last suspects. I don't think they loved me." She paused. "I don't…I don't think Rob and I have the same parents. He has teal hair with fair skin, and I have pink hair with light brown skin; the only thing we share is our eye color. What if…what if my parents didn't love me because of that? Because I wasn't…completely theirs?" She wrapped her arms around herself. "Maybe that's why I can't love my damn self or find a decent guy who likes me. I can't decipher what love is because I wasn't taught what that looked like at a young age. Maybe my scars are the reason why I believe I deserve to be in pain. Maybe the emotional disconnect is the reason why I can brush off every little bad thing that happens in my life, but still let it simmer deep within my bones; I think I don't deserve to be happy. I think I don't deserve to be loved. I don't think I can be loved…"

Sonic was silent for a long moment. "Is that why you pushed me away at the end of the summer? You were afraid I may not actually be able to care for you?"

"I was afraid of a lot of things last summer," Amy admitted. "But mostly, I was afraid you were going to turn into the others. I didn't want you to hurt me or for us to lose our friendship. Even if we are at each other's throats half the time, you're still one of my best friends. I don't…I can't lose you. I don't know what I'd do if I did." She wrung her hands in her lap. "But I think I kind of already did," she murmured almost to herself.

Sonic blew out a puff of smoke. He smiled around his blunt. "We had fun last summer, didn't we? You were happy. I was happy. We were happy."

"Yea. Yea, we were." She glanced at him. "Do you think we'll ever be that happy again," she asked cautiously. "Or have I ruined our chances of ever being like that again?"

Sonic was silent again for a minute. "No," he finally said. He set his hand on top of hers. Her green eyes looked up at his small smile. "I think we still have a very good chance."

Amy stared into his warm eyes as a smile graced her lips. She enveloped his hand into both of hers. She scooted closer to him and set her head on his shoulder. They sat in a content silence; the wind and the subtle sounds of the cars filling in the world around them. Amy grimaced as the scent of the cannabis wafted through her nose. "Ugh," she said. "This weed smells awful – or is that you?"

"Shut the fuck up before I push you off this fire escape."

Amy giggled, her soft laughter carrying through the wind. She closed her eyes as she acknowledged the one less weight pressing down on her chest. Her smile widened as the memories of the past summer in the same spot flickered through her mind. Maybe Sonic was right. Maybe they still did have a good chance at being happy again.

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