WARNING: Homosexual scene approaching (Just warning you homophobes) and bullying.
Song: Escape the Fat- Harder Than You Know
Chapter 14: Strained Relationships
C'mon Cindy, you know you wanna hang out with me! Just say yes!
No thanks, and for the last time, IT'S SALLY!
Right. But seriously, you'd love me if you got to know me.
I seriously doubt that. What's with the sudden interest anyway?
Sudden? I've been interested since I saw you.
Yeah right, I'm 'Plain-Jane the Freshmen' remember?
I was just kidding Cindy.
Just leave me alone.
Sonic had been passing notes like this to Sally for about three weeks now. The chipmunk wanted nothing more than to just be left alone, but he was persistent. He was not going to lose this bet with Jet, not with his reputation on the line. One way or another he was going to get Glasses-Girl to fall for him, just like the rest of 'em.
He glanced over at her, scoping her up and down as she sat beside him in English class. Chaos, she was unappealing. Her gigantic glasses took up half her face, and made her eyes look huge. She wore extra-baggy clothes, with no figure to show for. She was so plain looking, not his type at all. Her only physical redeeming qualities were that her eyes were a beautiful sapphire color, and that she smelt good, like lavender.
"Stop staring at me please." She whispered to him, a red glow of embarrassment forming on her face.
"Can't help it." He lied, "You're just too cute."
The blush on her face only burned deeper as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "Just stop okay?"
"Not until you agree to hang out with me." He grinned evilly.
Amy sat behind the blue hedgehog, trying so hard to listen to what that chipmunk girl was whispering to him, but couldn't focus with Ms. Breezie's lecturing. She whipped out her cellphone, making sure to be stealthy as she texted under her desk. A second later, Sonic felt the buzz of his phone in his pocket.
Amy: Is she being a jerk again?
Sonic: Nah. I just needed some notes.
Amy: Oh, well I could give you the notes if you need them. You don't have to force yourself to talk to her.
Sonic: It's cool. We've gotta learn to get along sometime right?
Amy: I guess, considering you have to be desk-buddies for the rest of the year.
Amy: She just better play nice with my Sonikku.
Sonic: Heh. Speaking of desk-buddies, what's with you and Blaze? You guys aren't fighting are you?
Amy: Not exactly, just not talking right now.
Sonic: Well, if it came down to it you know she'd beat you hands down in a cat fight right? Lol
Sonic: Just kidding, but seriously Ames, I don't want my two best gals fussing over stupid shit. You two better kiss and make up (Preferably in front of me)
Amy: Haha, very funny. Honestly, I don't want to talk to her.
Sonic: Why though?
Amy: Girl stuff.
Sonic: That's such a bullshit answer.
Sonic: I get it, you don't want to tell me. Seriously though, work it out please. For me.
The pink hedgehog looked over at the purple cat taking notes beside her. There was a sad aura just glowing around her. As much as Amy was upset at her friend's sneaky attempts on Sonic at the party, she was willing to make peace, mainly because he asked.
Amy: I guess I could try…
Sonic: That's my girl! We're still on for tonight right?
Amy: Of course!
Sonic slid his phone back into his pocket with a big grin on his face thinking about sneaking out with Amy tonight.
"Tilly's been real down lately. I feel like I've just been watching her spirit slowly fade away. She hardly talks anymore." Mighty explained to Espio, "I feel so helpless. I want to help her so badly, but I barely know what to say to her."
The two boys were standing by their lockers. Beside them with ears pointed up listening in was their locker neighbor, Shadow. He had his locker door open, pretending to search for books as he once again listened to Mighty discuss the deteriorating mental health of his sister. Guilt shot through his heart like a giant arrow made of green energy. If he weren't already on his knees, he would have collapsed from the razor sharp pain in his chest. He didn't mean for anyone to get hurt that night.
"Yo, ready for art?" A voice asked him.
He looked up to see Manic standing beside him, one foot kicked back against the lockers, and his arms crossed. Shadow shook himself out of his thoughts before standing up and dusting himself off. He glanced over to where the chameleon and armadillo had been conversing, only to see they were already gone. He must have gotten lost in thoughts again.
"His sister is real messed up." Shadow mumbled, barely audible.
"What?" Manic asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who are you talking about?"
"THE GIRL WE NEARLY KILLED!" He yelled, losing his cool. Manic quickly grabbed him by the shoulders, ushering him to calm down.
"Dude, chill out!" The green hedgehog demanded.
"We have to tell him." The ebony hedgehog shook his head frantically, "We have to tell him we're the ones who spiked the punch, the ones who nearly cost his siblings their lives, and killed the others."
"You don't know what you're saying right now." Manic replied, "We could go to jail for life dude. They'd never let you serve in the military then."
"We have to tell…" Shadow continued, "If something like that happened to Maria I'd—"
"Who the hell is Maria?" Manic questioned, "Look, we didn't kill or injure anyone. They did it to themselves, alright? We didn't shove anyone in the car, we didn't run the light. They did!"
"What if it was Scourge?" Shadow piped up in anger, "You'd care then, right?"
Manic's eyes widened in shock, taken completely by surprise at that name escaping Shadow's mouth. His grip on his friend's shoulders grew increasingly tight, digging his nails in as he clenched his teeth in anger. With a bit of force, he shoved Shadow down the hallway, making him fall clean on his back in front of the few passing students. People gasped in shock, while some simply turned to watch.
"Fuck you." The green hedgehog said, heaving with anger. "You don't know shit!"
With that, Manic just walked off. Shadow sat up from the ground, watching his friend stomp down the hall as he tried to process what happened. Apparently, he'd struck a nerve, making him a bit more curious.
"Are you okay?" Shadow looked up to see a familiar yellow cat extending her hand out to him. He took it, allowing her to help him off the floor.
"I'm fine." He replied, dusting himself off while avoiding the gaze of the girl he'd been ignoring.
After some navigating, Cream found herself in front of hospital residency room E102. She took a deep breath, preparing herself to see her good friend in a less than prime condition. She opened the door to see the squirrel lying in his bed with his eyes closed. The bed beside him was empty, his sister must have been in occupational therapy at the moment. The little rabbit tip-toed her way toward his side, examining his features. She smiled to herself upon seeing his sweet face, thanking Chaos that he was alright.
She set the flowers down on the bedside table, and tied the little blue balloon to his bed post. She wished he was awake so she could talk to him, but seeing him was just as good. It took a lot of pleading with Principle Acorn to get the special outing pass.
She whispered goodbye to the sleeping squirrel, before brushing the back of her hand up against his cheek. The thought of never being able to see his face again was so terrifying, she was so grateful he was okay. Soon after her hand made contact with his cheek, his eyes began to lazily flutter open. They were met by Cream's warm chocolate-colored ones. He quickly sat up, blushing madly at the physical contact. He tried to spit out words, but no sound came out.
Cream tilted her head in confusion before remembering how she overheard one of his friends say he couldn't speak. Her ears quickly perked up as an idea came to her mind. She pulled out a dry erase board and a marker from the yellow bag she'd been carrying and handed them over.
"I heard you couldn't speak, so I brought this to communicate." She smiled, "Sorry I woke you."
He nodded, taking the board and pen from her. He quickly popped the cap off the marker and began scribbling something down. Once he was done, he held it up to her.
How did you get here? How did you know where I was?
"I got a special pass from Principle Acorn to come see you, and my mom drove me here. I sort of heard some of your friends talking—well I was kind of eavesdropping…" She admitted, feeling a bit ashamed. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to know if you were okay."
It's okay Cream. I'm glad you're here.
"Me too. I really miss you being by my locker every day."
I do too. It gets kind of lonely here. I can't wait to get back to school.
"I'm sorry all of this happened…" The rabbit sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Bad things shouldn't happen to good people."
If you ask me, I got off pretty easy. Sure, I died for a little while, but I came back in one piece. Tommy and Mellow didn't.
"It's just so sad." She shook her head, tears threatening to spill over.
Did you find the guy you were looking for that night? Tails?
"No." Cream shook her head, "I spent the whole night looking for him, but I wish I would have found you."
Ray just smiled at the rabbit. He didn't expect to see her, but he was so glad she came. Just knowing that she thought about him made his heart throb with joy. Cream brought out feelings in him he didn't quite understand. He didn't feel happy at finding a new friend, like when he met Mighty. This was different, more personal, and more emotionally-driven. Kind of like…love.
It was lunch time now. After trying and failing once more at locating Silver, the purple cat decided to just wait out the intermission in her room. It had been weeks since she'd spoken to Silver and Amy, her two closest friends, and she'd been ignoring Sonic as well. She wasn't mad at the blue hedgehog, she just wanted to distance herself a bit, hoping the time apart would cure her broken heart and rid her of the feelings that caused the rift between her and Amy.
Alas, the time apart wasn't helping one bit. She still found herself thinking of Sonic every now and then. This crush was ruining her life. Not only did he flat out tell her he didn't reciprocate the feelings, they also threatened her relationship with Amy, and made her unknowingly push away Silver. Her mind was telling her to stop, she didn't want to like him, but her heart was being so stubborn.
Tears weld in her eyes as she walked down the hallway to her room, thinking about how neglectful she'd been toward Silver, and how unfair she'd been to Amy; all because she had a stupid crush. Before anyone could spot her tearing up, she immediately unlocked the door to her room and pounced on her bed, making sure to slam the door shut behind her. She quickly threw her head onto a pillow to muffle her sobs.
The slam of the door caused the girl in the bed across from hers to jump in fright. Wave had been in the room as well, and was now watching the crying Blaze. She felt bad for the cat. The girl had been nothing but tears and depression ever since the stupid party, and that annoying pink roommate only seemed to make it worse. Wave sighed before getting up and walking over toward the cat. She took a seat on the bed beside her, causing Blaze to jump up.
"Wave?" She gasped as she sat up and wiped her tears away, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were here."
"Don't worry about it." Wave told her, putting a comforting hand on the cat's shoulder. "What's going on Blaze? You're not acting like the badass chick who killed it on the track field from last year."
"It's nothing, really." The cat lied.
"So you're crying like a baby for nothing?" The bird asked sarcastically, "I've seen the way Pinky's been giving you the cold shoulder. Something happen between you two at the party?"
Blaze lifted a hand to her cheek, remembering the cold slap Amy delivered to her that night. It sent a shiver down her spine. She never pegged the pink hedgehog to be so aggressive. "We're just going through some stuff right now."
"I think I get it." Wave nodded as she pieced things together, "Don't let it get you down though, shit happens."
"I just wished I was someone else…" The feline sobbed, "Maybe then Amy would—"
"DON'T!" Wave scolded, "Don't ever wish you were someone else for the sake of another, especially a dumb brat like her. No one can help who they are, so just be yourself, even if it upsets everyone else. Go for what you want. At the end of the day it's your life."
The cat just nodded. The swallow was right, she shouldn't have to change herself or hide her true feelings because it's inconvenient for others. She can't help who she loves, it's not a choice. If Amy was her real friend she'd understand. Thanks to Wave's encouraging words, she decided that she'd tell Amy how she felt about Sonic the next time she saw her.
"You really think that Wave?" Blaze asked.
Blaze looked up at Wave with her big beautiful eyes, wearing a hopeful expression. Wave simply put a hand to her cheek, leaning closer before crashing her lips on to the cat's. The feline's eyes widened in shock before she shoved the swallow away, immediately breaking the kiss.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Blaze yelped, blushing madly.
"Wait…you're not gay?" The swallow asked in confusion.
"Hey!" Rouge shouted, grabbing the red echidna by the arm. "I need to talk to you."
Knuckles turned around to be greeted by Rouge's scowling face. He'd been purposely avoiding her since the party.
"Can't, gotta go meet up with Julie." He shrugged her off, but her grip found his arm again.
"You can't just keep avoiding me." She growled, "Enough with the games Knucklehead, be a man."
"What do you want from me?"
"I wanna know where we stand."
"Um, on the ground?" He replied obnoxiously, pulling away from her to turn around and face her completely.
"I mean us idiot." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Us? There's no us Rouge." He shook his head, "I was drunk, you were drunk, that's all."
"It wasn't like that and you know it." She pointed an accusing finger into his chest.
Before they knew it, eyes from all over the hallway had started drifting to them, soon followed by silence, amplifying their aggressive tones.
"It doesn't matter." He swatted her hand away in annoyance, "I was messed up! It was wrong, and I shouldn't have done it."
"That's such bullshit." Rouge crossed her arms, "You think you could just erase everything that went on before little Julie-Slut came back in the picture?"
"Don't talk about her that way." Knuckles shot back, "Just hop off, and get the fuck over me already."
"You just think she's so damn perfect." The bat shook her head before walking down the hallway.
Nicole stood outside the library, leaning against the wall with her phone in hand as she texted her new friend to hurry up. Shard promised he'd meet her at the library so they could go grab lunch, but of course he was running late. She smiled to herself, his snarky messages were very humorous. She found his playful attitude quite charming.
She was so happy to have met him. Although most people wished the night of Vector's party had never happened, she didn't feel that way. If it hadn't happened, she wouldn't have met Shard.
As she began replying to his last message, her phone was slapped up and out of her hands. She gasped as it crashed to the floor with a thud. As she kneeled to pick it up, a three inch high-heel slammed down onto it, completely shattering the screen.
"Why did you do that?" She cried, looking up to see her tormentor, Mina Mongoose.
"Just saving Mobius from another terrorist attack." The mongoose smiled, flipping her long lavender-colored hair. "What were you doing? Calling your little Nanite buddy to plan another school shooting?"
"I'M NOT A TERRORIST!" Nicole shouted, standing up from the floor. "I've lived in Mobius my whole life!"
"Nanites shouldn't be allowed in this country at all." She huffed, crossing her arms. "My father fought in the Great War!"
"Why can't you just leave me alone?" The lynx cried, shoving the mongoose out of her face.
"EW!" Mina screeched, swatting Nicole's face. "Don't ever touch me you disgusting Nanite! Just go back to your own filthy country already!" The mongoose quickly reached for Nicole's raven-colored hair, and yanked out the sacred DigItalian beads, tossing them to the floor before walking off.
Nicole erupted in tears as she scattered to pick up her beads in a panic. She sniffled and sobbed lightly, no longer able to bear the cruelty of Mina's racist remarks. That is, until Shard cupped her face in his hands, before hugging her tightly. "Nicole, it's alright…I'm here now."
It was extremely late, definitely passed curfew when Amy snuck passed Ms. Vanilla and out of the dormitory. She dove into the bushes outside, waiting for Zonic and the other campus security officers to make their rounds before sneaking off toward the football field. It felt so naughty, sneaking out in the middle of the night to rondevu with her crush, but it felt so right all the same.
Tonight was very important to her. Tonight she was going to try to move things to the next level. She was going to ask him to make her his girlfriend.
Before heading under the bleachers—the spot they chose to meet up at—she dusted the stray leaves off of her clothes and fixed her hair. She wore a cute pink romper with white poke-a-dots, and some white sandals. She tied her quills back in a messy bun before tip-toeing underneath the bleachers.
Sonic was laying on a blue blanket he put out on the ground for them. He had his eyes closed, and was seemingly asleep. Amy snuck her way over to him, staring at him adoringly with a big smile. Much unlike herself, the blue hedgehog decided to sport his pajamas. Some plaid red and black pants with a gray hoodie, and worn out old socks. She kneeled quietly beside him, admiring the attractive sleeping hedgehog. She reached out to touch him, but her wrist was grabbed, and she was pulled on top of him.
"Sonic!" She whispered harshly, surprised by the quick reflex.
"Shouldn't sneak up on me like that." He grinned, they're jade eyes meeting as their faces were mere inches apart.
"Sorry." She blushed at the closeness.
He replied by holding her body tightly above his before kissing her soft pink lips, "I'm not." He joked once he pulled away. She just smiled before kissing him again...
Silver couldn't sleep, he just couldn't shake the constant negative thoughts out of his head tonight. Although he knew he'd get in trouble, he decided to take a walk around campus to cool himself off. He snuck out of his dorm, and passed Mr. Ash at the front desk before exiting the dormitory into the cool night. He walked around, being extra cautious to avoid campus security. Upon seeing that the door to the electives building was open, he took the opportunity to sneak inside. The school was so different at night, it was so quiet and calming. He soon found himself in the dimly light auditorium.
The white hedgehog got onto the stage, looking around at the props and empty seats. In the corner of the stage, he noticed a large old piano. His mother taught him how to play when he was young, he picked it up pretty quickly, but didn't do much with the talent. Music wasn't a passion, but it was something he was gifted in. He played piano, guitar, violin, saxophone, and even sang. Much to the dismay of his parents, he was more interested in graphic design and comic books.
Before he knew it he was sitting at the piano, and had lifted the lid up. He fumbled a bit before getting the tune he wanted, then he began to sing from the soul.
You said this could only get better
There's no rush 'cause we have each other
You said this would last forever
But now I doubt if I was your only lover
Are we just lost in time?
I wonder if your love's the same
'Cause I'm not over you
Once again Fiona had kicked Sally out of their room, leaving her nowhere to go. She didn't feel like crashing on one of the couches in the lounge—not just yet at least—so she decided to go on a stroll. The chipmunk too noticed the open door to the electives building, and quickly snuck inside. She wanted another chance at being up on stage, when no one was around to stare.
Just as she made her way toward the auditorium her ears picked up on a somewhat familiar voice. She followed it, leading her inside. As she made her way down the aisle, she watched the hedgehog boy in awe as he sang from his heart. His eyes were closed as his fingers moved swift across the piano keys. His voice cracked a bit, as he was losing his composure, emotions overflowing from his heart; but his singing was beautiful all the same.
And if you don't want me than
I guess I'll have to go
Not loving you is harder than you know
Silver ceased his singing, unable to bear the emotions and images of Blaze fluttering through his mind. When he opened his eyes they caught sight of a pair of sapphire ones staring back at him. He yelped, jumping up from the piano in fright. He thought he'd been caught by security, but saw that it was only the auburn-haired girl.
"Oh thank Chaos." He breathed in relief, holding his chest. "It's only you."
"Sorry to frighten you." She apologized, "I just heard your voice and…you're astounding!"
"Thanks." He smiled, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I was probably a bit rusty, haven't played in so long. So what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"I could ask you the same thing." She smiled, hopping up and taking a seat on the stage. "My roommate kicked me out, and I'm not tired."
"Too much on your mind?" He asked, taking a seat next to her.
"Yeah." She nodded, "You too?"
"Yeah." He agreed. "Just having some problems."
"With a girl you like?"
"How'd you know?"
"I could hear it in your song." She explained, "Someone broke your heart."
"Well, yeah." He sighed. "She was my best friend for years, then this new guy came into her life and ruined everything. I feel completely pushed out. I didn't even get a chance to tell her how I feel."
"What kind of guy is he?"
"A freaking jerk! Thinks he's so damn cool, and thinks he's the hottest guy in the world." Silver rolled his eyes at the thought of the blue hedgehog.
"This school seems to have a lot of those." Sally sighed, rolling her eyes at the thought of the same blue hedgehog.
"I just don't know what to do. I still like her, but she's all about him…"
"Just give it time." Sally put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Guys like him always screw up somehow, and it's guys like you that end up sweeping the girl off her feet."
"Thanks." He smiled, "So what's troubling you tonight?"
"Oh, it's nothing important." She waved in dismissal.
"C'mon, you gave me some advice, let me give you some in return."
"Well…" Sally began, "There's this guy who keeps passing me notes in one of my classes. He wants to get to know me, and hangout, but I keep rejecting him. He just seems like such a pompous asshole, completely not my type at all."
"Maybe you should give him a chance." Silver shrugged, "You're only seeing one side of him, the side your perception has created. Maybe you're completely wrong, and he's the prince charming you've been looking for your whole life."
Sally nodded, taking his words into consideration. Maybe Silver was right, maybe there was more to the boy in English class than what appeared. His advice is what led her to the decision that next time Sonic asked to hangout, she'd say yes. The two continued talking on the stage for a bit, until Sally realized it had gotten incredibly late.
"Oh no!" She yelped, dashing for the door. "It's crazy late! Get back to your dorm before my mom kills you! Bye!" With that she vanished.
"Hey wait!" Silver reached out, "Shoot. Didn't get to ask her name."
Sonic and Amy had been lying under the bleachers for hours. Talking, kissing, and more kissing. The blue hedgehog grew quite restless. He hadn't seen much action since the one night he spent with Blaze last summer. He tried to go a bit further each time Amy pressed her body on his. He tried to snake a hand up her thigh, but her stupid attire wasn't allowing any further access. Amy could tell he was growing frustrated, and felt a little embarrassed. She was very relieved she wore the romper, otherwise she would have been very clueless as to what came after kissing.
After some time, he'd given up and opted to just lay beside her as she cuddled him. They both looked out into the darkness as they spoke.
"Why do you like so much Ames?" He asked curiously.
"Because you're the greatest." She smiled.
"I know that." He chuckled, "But what made you realize it?"
"Definitely that day you came to my rescue."
"What day was that?"
"I was sitting on the curb outside. It was raining hard, and my parents had kicked me out of the house so they could argue. I was cold, and crying. Then you came along, and handed me a green umbrella. I still have it. You told me I should get inside before running off back to your house. From that day forth, I knew I wanted to be your girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Sonic grinned, eyeing Amy in the darkness.
She gasped, realizing that she'd just let it slip out without thinking. Her face turned red with embarrassment as she covered it with her hands.
He didn't remember that day, but it sounds like something he would do. His mother didn't nickname him 'Hero' for nothing. He was always trying to save the day somehow, especially back then.
He weighed Amy's girlfriend proposition carefully in his mind. She adored him forever, and whenever he was with her he felt like king of everything—the complete opposite feeling he got from Glasses-Girl. He never would have thought of himself with Amy, ever. She was such a pest back in the day, but now she's a hottie-with-a-body, and completely devoted to him. She practically met all his ideal-girlfriend requirements, all but the ones about having D-Cup breasts, and never addressing him as Sonikku. Still, she was a near perfect fit for him.
"Do you think people would think we look cute together?" He asked her half-jokingly.
"DUH!" She laughed, "We'd be the cutest and most popular couple in the entire school! We'd even outshine Knuckles and Sonia—if they were still together I mean. I'm sure people have been waiting for us to get together for centuries!"
"Yeah." Sonic agreed laughing. "Maybe they won't have to wait much longer."
"Re-Really?" She stammered hopeful.
"Yep." He nodded, "I just need to consult my best gal pal about it."
He never had an actual relationship before, just a few flings here and there. He wanted this to be serious though. Amy wasn't just any girl, she was a good friend. It was his junior year, and the only thing he hadn't done yet was have a serious thing with someone. He's just never found the right girl with enough social status, or one that was appealing more than just physically. Amy however, is extremely popular and made him feel so important. She could be the perfect candidate, but he needed a second opinion from someone whose opinion actually mattered to him.
Someone like Blaze the Cat.
Next Time On Green Hill Academy
A piece of Shadow's tragic past is revealed
Manic's rebel past and connection with Scourge are revealed
Julie-Su finally reveals why she left
Sonic backs Sally up into a corner
And more...
Leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter!
Fun Question: What do you think Nicole should do in her situation?