A/N: Hey guys! So, sorry about the delay in updating, I was snowed under in homework and that took a little/long while to finish up (and I may have gotten sidetracked with watching anime XD Death Note and Inuyasha are now my favourites!). However, there is a lot of drama in this chapter which should make up for it! :D
Anyways, thank you very much to: PoeticLover1996, The High School Hero, shadamy1fan, explodinghead, KumarKitty24, Ashuradahedgehog, GuestKori, Savvy0417, musicalocelot, Zgirl101, SadieQHiddleston, TheMidnightShadow, Steve993, ToxicWolf1132, guess who, Blackmage23, Eli Swafford, waveandcipher, animelover5641! Thank you for all your support! :3 It means the world to me!
Replies:
werewolf lover99 – Ouch :( Sorry about that. I hope your relationship wasn't as bad as what I have planned for Sonic and Fiona :/
AHeartForStories – Ha ha, oh god, I love Shadow in this chapter. I'll let you judge if he did something stupid or not ;)
PoeticLover1996 – Thank you ever so much! :3 I'm definitely pleased to hear how Shadow, Sally and Fiona are turning out. Amy and Sonic's relationship is a bit confusing at the moment, but it should become clearer in this chapter. Shadow - I adore in this chapter ;) And, of course, I'm still enjoying writing Sally's character. However, I have to say that my favourite is Fiona. You basically summed it up, brilliantly :D And I suppose that was what I was trying to convey – she's a bitch, the reader can't stand her but somehow, they admire her :D No problem! It was the least I could do and thank you so much for the confidence-boosting review! :D
The High School Hero – Ha ha, aw! Don't worry, one thing that I can say, is that Shadow is NOT flirting with her :D Yeah, Sonic kinda screwed up on this one :/ Well, this one should be even more dramatic! XD And I don't think that chapter was that M-rated...not in comparison to some things that I've read! XD Ahh...maybe I should end a chapter without a cliffie XD Don't tear your hair out! :D See ya, FFN BFF! :D (Ah, I should update T.C.o.L soon! Tee hee! XP)
shadamy1fan – Thank you ever so much! :3
explodinghead – Oh gosh, reading over it now, I can definitely see some things that I need to sort out. I plan to edit most of these chapters soon, so thank you for your suggestions. I particularly agree with your comment about the character development. I shall bear that in mind for future stories. Thank you :D P.S. I shall try to amplify all of the character's powers a bit more.
KumarKitty24 – Thank you very much! :3 So many unanswered questions! Ah, but there is something about Silvaze and Tailsmo in this chapter! :D Why is Fiona one of my favourite characters to write?! XD
Ashuradahedgehog – Ah, I'm glad you found it again! :3 Thank you very much! I hope it was worth the search! :D And thank you! I am trying to change my writing style a bit more – longer sentence structure and really just making it a bit more mature! I hope it changes for the better and you enjoy it! :D
GuestKori – Ah, thank you very much! :3 My cold has gone now, finally! XD Oh gosh, it sounds like you've had a terrible week, honey :'( Things might have changed by the time you read this (damn it for my delayed updating XD) but if things are still bad, I would suggest:
Try to stay out of those people's way and ignore them. If you didn't say whatever they're saying, it's their fault for making the mistake. Easier said than done, I know, but something else will come up soon and everyone will have forgotten. Focus on your friends and studies ;)
Oh, dear ;D I feel for you. I'm definitely no expert when it comes to boys! But after embarrassment, frustration and cringing, I can honestly say that it will all blow over soon. Try not to dwell on it and act the same as before ;) Uhhh...love sucks! XD (just kidding!) Writing romance is definitely a lot easier than dealing with it! XD
Aww, thank you! :D Well, I hope this update brings you joy! :D It makes me really happy to hear that :3
musicalocelot – Aw, thank you very much! :D Shadow is about to give Fiona hell! That's definitely a way of describing it! :D
Zgirl101 – Thank you! :3 Here is the update, finally! XD Uhh...no, I'm not in collage, actually. I've still got to deal with secondary school! XD
SadieQHiddleston – Aw, well, thank you ever so much! :') That means an awful lot to me! I'm sure your writing is brilliant! :3 My advice if you want to improve: read a lot of stories from the genre that you're choosing and take inspiration from them. And, if you ever want any advice or help with writing, feel free to PM me :3 Aw, I'm glad I got Apple right! :D Of course that's fine! :D That would be very helpful, thank you! She's in this chapter and shall pop up again soon! :D Love you too x ;)
TheMidnightShadow – Definitely! :D No worries! They're not stupid at all :) Part of writing is being able to connect with other people and I'm honoured that you want to share your problems with me :D Yeah, I prefer talking to people on the internet because you have a chance to think about what you're going to say! :D
Steve993 – Thank you ever so much! :D Character development is definitely what I enjoy writing and am quite good at – and relationships are a big part of that. I definitely enjoy the Amy/Sally conversations :3 I hope you like the next chapter as well! :D
ToxicWolf1132 – Ha ha! XD Here it is! Finally! Ah, gotcha, yeah. I wouldn't put Mean Girls in my 'favourite movie' list. Ah, Scot Pilgrim. That was a good film :D
guess who – Here it is! :3 You'll have to wait and see for Shadow's relationship ;) I'm glad you like Savvy, she'll come up again soon :D
Blackmage23 – Thank you ever so much! :'D Aw, shucks, thank you so much for your lovely words! :3 I'm glad you're enjoying it :3 I hope you enjoy this chapter too! :D
Eli Swafford – I'm very sad to hear that. I'm sorry for your loss and I hope you're feeling a bit better soon :) I'm sure that your grandmother is in a good place :')
Waveandcipher – Haha! :D Well, I suppose it's time to test your theory! XD
animelover5641 – Finally, I've updated and you can find out what Shadow's going to say to Fiona! :D
END OF REPLIES (For the people who are skipping to the story)
WARNING: This chapter is definitely rated T for Fiona's bad mouth. Sorry if you don't like swearing. I'll have to wash Fiona's mouth out with soap. Or maybe I'll let Shadow and Amy do that.
Enjoy! Xxx T.C xxX
Chapter 21 – Kick in the teeth
(...Fiona's P.O.V...)
"Expecting someone else?"
I pressed my lips together, trying not to show my anger to the black hedgehog, "Not at all. What makes you say that...?"
"..."
His silence was unnerving. He knew something. Undoubtedly. I approached him, slowly, with small and seductive steps. That would work every time on Sonic and Scourge, especially when I was wearing my killer red heels, like now. But his expression barely changed – and if it did change, it turned from anger to amusement.
Fuck. Fuckity, fucking fuck. This wasn't going to end well.
"I really hope that you're not challenging me," I muttered, standing side on from the poor boy and placing a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at it, disdainfully.
"Is this a game to you?" His hiss was furious and I removed my hand, but stayed close to him.
My tongue ran over my teeth, sexily, "Not at all. A game implies that each played has an equal chance of winning. I, on the other hand, will not lose,"
"Whatever you're planning," He bent his head down, whispering into my ear. I had a familiar memory of Sonic doing that, many years ago. His attempt to be charming and sexy was sweet – but embarrassingly obvious. This black hedgehog's gesture, on the other hand, was fierce. He wasn't mucking around. It was something that I could also imagine Scourge doing – but I had no doubt that this boy wasn't flirting with me; "...I will stop it. I won't let you destroy Sonic and Amy's relationship,"
"Too bad," I snapped, jerking my head away from him, "They seem to be doing it perfectly well by themselves,"
He scowled, "Thanks to you,"
I faintly heard footsteps draw near to us, also hearing a small whiney voice, "...Shadow, where's Sonic? I just saw him stumble out of the club and..."
So, this was Shadow the hedgehog. Oh...that's right. Yesss...I remember clearly now. Scourge told me about him:
"And Shadow? Heh heh, you're never gonna believe this," Scourge looked up, "I heard that he asked out Amy. And, obviously, got rejected,"
That evidence suggested that Shadow was weak and easy to break. However, I also remembered hearing that Shadow was a born fighter. He'd floored Scourge at least twice and I had no doubt that he would be lethal when fighting someone like Sonic.
Things weren't looking so good, now that I was dealing with him.
He continued to glare at me, not looking at Tails. My eyes flickered to the right and I caught sight of Tails staring at us, open mouthed. I giggled, blowing him a kiss and flicking my tail, "Long time, no see...Miles,"
His shoulders shook as he bit his lip and clenched his fists, "...F-F-Fiona...why are you...why are you here?!"
"Tails, get Silver and Knuckles and leave. I'll sort things here," Shadow was still staring at me. He hadn't taken his eyes off me in the entire time that Tails had been here. Normally, I would have been flattered but I knew that he was keeping an eye on me. And not in a good way.
I slyly watched the fox head towards a grey hedgehog and a red echidna, pulling them up and dragging them towards the door. They barely looked conscious, "Late night? Heh heh...I guess you're not a wild as your friends. Where are the rest of them, Shads?"
"I see no reason to tell you. And besides, the two friends of mine that you wanted to find aren't here, thankfully,"
"Amazing, isn't it?" I chuckled, under my breath. His expression disagreed with me, "How she runs back to him? It makes me glad that I'm not like that. It must hurt you, mustn't it? Wasn't it you that lost her to Sonic? Pretty pathetic, if you ask me. You must be worthless for her to toss you away like that..."
The next thing I knew, my arms were pinned behind my back and Shadow was behind me, with his breath tickling my neck, "If you ever say anything like that again, you'll regret it for the rest of your life,"
"Charming," I purred, coughing slightly as he released me. The position that he had forced me into was harsh on my neck, "I'll bare it in mind, though,"
"Good," Reluctantly, he stepped backwards. I growled, defensively and hitched my top into a flattering position. People were staring at us but didn't approach. They were either nervous of me or terrified of Shadow. I stared at the club for a moment before stepping up towards the bar and ordering vodka. If any of our spectators were friends with Sonic, he'd know about my conversation with Shadow and they might even be able to hear what we were talking about. I couldn't allow that to happen. If I stood at the bar with Shadow, there'd be no way that anyone could hear us.
I straightened up, tucking my escaping hair back into place, before taking a sip from my glass, "You know, my boyfriend would kill you if he saw you do that,"
"Boyfriend?" Shadow folded his arms, glowering at me. He waited for my answer, but I knew that he didn't really care about my social life.
"You better believe it, baby," I held my head up high, "You've probably heard of him. I think you've had a couple of fights with him? Scourge the hedgehog,"
He raised his eyebrows, obviously interested, "I shouldn't be surprised. You're both as bad as each other,"
"He's my kind of man. Not like Sonic. The poor boy was so sentimental and worried about everyone else. It's kind of depressing, really. And besides, he just doesn't have that ruthlessness that I'm looking for in a man. At least he's loyal. I'll give him that,"
"Loyal?"
Shadow was starting to look confused and irritated. He seemed to resent the idea of Sonic being called 'loyal'. Admittedly, I had evidence which backed up my claim, but I wasn't going to tell Shadow that.
It suddenly occurred to me. Had Sonic actually told his dorks about our relationship and how it ended? Perhaps that's why Amy was so insecure...
If Sonic hadn't told Amy about me, she'd be extremely pissed to find out about some random ex-girlfriend of Sonic's. Especially since he was keeping everything secret, if he hadn't told her about me.
Oh, this was golden. Sonic was probably still protecting me, after all this time. I had to admit; I thought that he'd chicken out and tell someone. At least my secret was safe...
"Mmm. Sonic is incredibly loyal. Especially to me. What about Amy? Has he ever expressed any intention of trusting Amy with his secrets? Or his loyalty? He certainly didn't tell her about me. I wonder what else he hasn't told her. Truth be told, I don't think they're going to last much longer. Not with Sally around and certainly not with me around,"
"I've already told you. I'm not going to let you ruin things, just because you're jealous of them,"
"J-jealous?!" I burst out laughing, clutching my sides in comfort, "Me? Of who? AMY?! Ha ha! Why would I be jealous of her? She's a little bitch who doesn't know when to move on. She's such a hassle! And clingy..."
He looked like he was going to rip my head off, "Don't you dare insult her!"
My mouth curled from a sarcastic smile into a conniving grin, "You know, if you ignored my intentions and let their relationship fail, you'd have a VERY high chance of getting together with Amy,"
That was it. That had shocked him. He hadn't been expecting that, "What?"
"It's true. Sonic and Amy wouldn't want to see each other again. That's just the way they are. They're both too proud and easily embarrassed. If Amy...somehow...thought that Sonic was cheating on her, she'd hate him. Who do you think she'd run to in her time of need?"
His silence made me smirk. He was thinking about it. That's it, Shadow...join me and we'll be unstoppable. With you on my side, nothing can go wrong. Amy trusts you and so does Sonic. It would be the perfect team. You, me and Scourge...
"You," I leant towards him, tracing a finger down his chest, suggestively. He didn't even flinch, "She'll run to you. Now, I don't know whether you actually love her and want to settle down with her or just want fuck her for the night – but either way, she'll be yours. You can do with her as you wish. Doesn't that sound like a good deal? Think about it Shadow – finally, a chance to put Sonic in his place. Help me and you'll get the girl,"
He grasped my wrist, preventing me from moving. His face had changed from confusion to disgust. I didn't like the look of his expression, "Sonic the hedgehog is my friend. And so is Amy. I'm not going to do that to them,"
"So, Sonic means more to you than Amy? You're a crap boyfriend,"
The insult bounced off him, "Mine and Amy's happiness are the most important things when it comes to our relationship. If I'm happy, but she isn't, what does that make me? It makes me selfish. Therefore, my apologies, Fiona – but I decline. I'm never going to help you,"
I tried to hide my disappointment, "I shouldn't be surprised. You're just like Sonic. Weak, pathetic and sentimental. Don't you know that if you want something - you've got to take it?"
"Yes, but not when it comes to relationships or friendships. I don't think you have many friends, do you?"
That comment hurt me more than I expected. It was true, I didn't have any friends. But I didn't care. Friends hold you back, "I don't want any friends. And besides, I may not have friends, but I have certainly had relationships. Just ask Sonic,"
"He can't stand you, Fiona. Your relationship holds nothing but regrets for Sonic. A good relationship should have happy memories, even if it doesn't last. I don't think Sonic has any happy memories of you,"
"FUCK OFF!" The words left my mouth before I could snap them back up. Swearing and shouting? That showed that he'd hurt me. I couldn't show any kind of weakness, but the insults kept tumbling out, "YOU BASTARD! You don't know me! You know nothing about me! And don't act so superior! You're crap with relationships too! Amy rejected you! She doesn't want you! No one does!"
He looked close to slapping me, but I stuck my ground and continued my raging rant.
"At least I have a boyfriend! You can't deny it! I have a boyfriend! He will freely admit it! And for your information, we have 'good memories' so it is a relationship! What do you have? Nothing. Amy doesn't want you. Your relationship is over. It didn't even amount to anything! You kissed her – once. That's it. Big, fucking whoop! You're never going to have sex with her and she's never going to forget Sonic! You have the same bad luck as I do!"
"Is that all a relationship means to you? Kissing and sex? You're wrong, Fiona. I don't have the same bad luck as you. Because I have friends. Amy is my friend. She might not forget Sonic – but she isn't going to forget me, either. Scourge might say he loves you now – but he doesn't. He's using you and he just wants your body. But tell me, what are you using Scourge for? You don't need him; you could ruin Sonic without him. So what are you keeping him for? Is it possible that you love hi-"
I wasn't going to listen to the bastard anymore. I couldn't believe that I'd even considered him as a useful source. He was just like the rest of them. I was going to kill him. I was going to make his life a living hell!
I felt so betrayed by him. And I felt angry. Really angry. Extremely angry. How dare he say that to me?! He couldn't talk! Amy rejected him! But it still felt terrible. A real kick in the teeth for me.
I wasn't going to let myself give into the twinges of pain in my heart. Shadow the hedgehog was wrong. I couldn't afford to fall in love with someone. I wasn't that weak.
He was wrong.
(...)
"S-Scourge?"
He didn't reply.
"Scourge?"
"Mft...what, babe?"
"Do you mean it when you say that you love me?"
He managed to untangle himself from me – stopping the kisses on my neck, climbing off me and removing his hands from my waist, "Eh? Love? Yeah, sure, course I do. What's brought this on?"
Usually, my heart would be racing and an intense moment like this would have made me grin – but I just felt empty. Scourge was just as sexy as he usually is – but his touch was cold and it didn't feel right. I blamed Shadow, entirely. That bastard...
"N-nothing," I muttered with a sigh, before grabbing his hand and placing it back on my waist, "Come on. It doesn't matter. Forget I said anything. Sorry about that. Carry on, babe,"
He glanced at me, almost disdainfully. That hurt, more than I could say, "Not if you're pissed off at me. What's the matter now?"
"It's nothing. Just forget it. Just something that someone said..."
His hand retreated back to his side. Scourge was eyeing me up, nervously, "Who said what? Fi...don't lie to me,"
Groaning, I licked my lips with worry, "Shadow the fucking hedgehog. I thought that I might be able to get him to help us. You know, to break Sonic. But he just insulted me and said that you were using me,"
"I'll break his fucking neck," The green hedgehog leapt up, cracking his knuckles as he growled, "The little shit..."
"But is it true?" My gaze hardened, but my throat was tightening and my eyes were stinging, "Are you using me? When this is over...d-do you still want to date me?"
I couldn't believe that I was sounding so stupid. I sounded like my life depended on Scourge. It didn't, but my words betrayed me.
"Of course, Fi," He purred, sensually, before pulling me close, "Don't even think like that. You're my girl. No fucked up twat like Shadow is going to change that. Ignore him, baby. He doesn't know anything. He's the single one. We've got each other,"
"Y-yeah," I snuggled against his warm chest, tracing his scars and making him shiver in pleasure, "Yeah. Sorry about that. I don't know what I was thinking. I don't know why I even listened to him,"
"True. Don't listen to him again. He isn't going to be any help. We're not going to need him in the future, right? Cause I think I might pay him a little visit. Nothing major: have a chat, talk about our work and maybe break a leg or two," He shoved me away, roughly, with his eyes focusing on the door as he strode away.
"Wait," I ordered, grabbing his jacket and stopping him, "He needs to pay, I agree, but let's toy with him first. I want to make him cry. Shadow, supposedly, is tough. Seeing him cry will be glorious,"
He paused, before his mouth curved up into a grin, "Shadow the hedgehog? Crying? This is why I love you, Fi. I would pay to see that,"
The hedgehog pulled me into his arms for the third time, caressing the lower of my back. I giggled, dominating him as I forced my lips onto his. Part of me wondered if Shadow had made a valid point – Scourge was a known heart breaker. But I refused to let the ebony hedgehog's word affect me. Even if Scourge was just using me, I was using him too. Love didn't matter. Victory, however, did.
(...Sonic's P.O.V...)
Vaguely hearing the sound of birds singing, I shifted in my curled up position and emitted a low growl. The wind tickled my ear and my eyelids opened, blinking, before focusing on my surroundings. I yawned, twitching my legs and stretching. My neck felt knotted and pain sizzled when I looked to the right, but I sat up and glanced around, anyway.
What was I doing in a park?
I yawned again, frowning at the sunlight which was shining on the park bench. It was morning. Had I slept on this bench all night? It would explain my stiff neck. But how did I get here?
I nearly had a heart attack when I looked to the left and saw Sally Acorn, asleep, next to me.
I opened my mouth to start yelling and demanding an explanation, but I firmly shut it again. I didn't want to wake her and she looked so peaceful. I'd never seen her asleep before. She looked vulnerable. Sally was the least dependant person that I'd ever met.
I smiled, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. She looked good. I preferred her hair down and she was wearing dressy clothes. Of course, I didn't feel like that about her – I just couldn't help but wonder why she was dressed so nicely.
I must have disturbed her as I touched her hair, because her eyes flickered open. Those baby blue eyes widened as she gasped, before she proceeded to whack the back of my head.
"Ow!" I yelped, rubbing the place where she had thwacked me. It hurt, but I knew that Sally had hit me, weakly. I knew what her real strength was like. She could kick anyone's ass in a fight, "What the hell was that for?"
"What were you doing?" She demanded, sitting up straighter and brushing her fingers through her hair, "And besides, if it wasn't for me, you'd still be passed out on the high street!"
"Passed out?" I frowned, "Oh yeah! I remember! I came out of the club and passed out. So that was you? Are you wearing...?"
I looked down at her feet. Black high heels. It was her. She helped me. Not Fiona.
"What the heck is wrong with you?" Sally curled her feet as I stared at them, "Why are you looking at my feet like that? You've seen me in heels before! And anyway, that's not important – what's important is that you need to explain what's going on with you!"
I blinked, "Ehh? What?"
"Amy! What happened!? I had to comfort her, last night, because she was crying so badly!"
I stared at Sally, open mouthed, "You two have spoken?!"
"She didn't tell you about our meetings!? I thought she would have by now..."
"YOU'VE SPOKEN MORE THAN ONCE?!"
"We've been hanging out! I thought she told you? Shadow knows!"
When I get my hands on that black hedgehog, I'm gonna...
"Sonic," Sally placed a hand on my wrist, comfortingly, "We're trying to put the past behind us. Which you don't seem able to do,"
"I can!" I pouted, acting like a small child, without meaning to, "I just don't think I should have to mention every tiny detail of my past!"
"Tiny detail?! Pah! Did you and Amy not have the 'past relationships' conversation?"
Oh yeah. I vaguely remembered something like that, "It wasn't easy for me. I'm Amy's first boyfriend. And besides, she thought that you were the only girl that I had dated...I guess she assumed that there was no one else. So, I didn't mention Fiona,"
"Why not?! Fiona was a massive part of your life, Sonic! You moved schools because of her! Don't you think she's a little bit important?! Stop trying to pretend that your relationship with her didn't happen! It did happen – so suck it up! If you keep denying your past, then it'll ruin your future! You need to stop Fiona from ruining everything!"
"She's already ruined everything," I grumbled, sulkily, "She's broken Amy and me up – just by being here!"
"No," The chipmunk bent forward, prodding my chest with her finger, "You've ruined it. You didn't tell Amy about Fiona. Understandably, she feels hurt! She doesn't trust you. You need to tell her what happened! You managed to tell me! You should be able to tell her!"
"I don't want people to know. I just don't. Technically, I could go to prison for what happened!"
Sally rolled her eyes, as if I was being difficult, "Stop being stupid and awkward, Sonic the hedgehog! No, you couldn't. She could go to prison. You won't. It was entirely her fault. She brought this on herself. Personally, I don't know why you protected her,"
"I wanted to believe that she might have changed. She might have decided that she should change. I know for a fact that she left that...that...that gang. She might have changed..."
"You're right. I don't think she's doing it any more. But she certainly hasn't changed for the better. And she certainly doesn't regard you with good feelings,"
"I understand that. I didn't expect her to forgive me for humiliating her. But she left me with no choice. Poor Tails..."
"Well, you can't change Fiona. But you can help Amy. You need to find the courage and the right moment to tell her about it. But don't do it yet. I think she's planning something with your gang. Something about Blaze, Silver, Cosmo and Tails? Understandably, she didn't want to tell me. But you probably know,"
I did. She must be planning to get them all back together. What was she planning?
"I better go," Sally was suddenly standing up, brushing off her dress and tying back her hair, "I've got to get back. I can't believe I fell asleep. I couldn't carry you all the way back to the university and there was no one to call. Sorry for putting you here while you slept,"
"No, thank you, Sal. You're right – if it wasn't for you, I'd still be passed out on the pavement,"
She giggled, innocently, like old times, "No problem. You've still got my number – don't be afraid to call me if you feel like you're going to faint again,"
"I won't," I smirked, stretching and leaning my arms against my head as she glanced around, "By the way, what's with the get up? How come you're looking so hot?"
Oops. It hadn't meant to come out like that. We stared at each other with widened eyes for a moment.
"Uhh..."
"Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't mean it like that. I just..."
"I get it. And, even though it's none of your business, blue," She started fiddling with the hem of her dress, nervously, "I've met someone,"
I smiled, genuinely happy for her. Her reaction showed that she was relieved, "That's brilliant, Sal! You deserve it! He better treat you right – or he'll have me to answer to!"
"Shut up, Sonic," But she was smiling, fondly.
"Do I know him?"
"No. I've told him about you. But, you don't know him. I would like you to meet him. You're one of the most important people in my life, aside from my parents and Elias,"
Meeting Sally's boyfriend? That would be awkward. I guess that's how Amy felt about Fiona, in a way. Except for the fact that I'm the ex, for Sally, "I...guess so. If you want me to. How is Elias, by the way?"
"Elias? He's good," Sally smiled, at the thought of her brother, "And I'd love you to meet my...er, boyfriend! Of course I would...we'll arrange it, if you're sure that you want to?"
"Yeah..." I mumbled. Realization had suddenly hit me. I suddenly realized what I was agreeing too. How was I staying so calm about all this, "...sure. Sounds cool,"
"Maybe I'll invite Amy, too,"
Undoubtedly, that comment wasn't casual. She was trying to get under my skin. She was trying to make me say something to Amy. If I didn't, then I was going to have face Amy when Sally arranged all of this. Nicely played, Sally, I had to admit...
"Hey!" I cried, clenching my fists as she sauntered off, smirking at me over her shoulder. My tense shoulders relaxed as she mouthed to me that she was only joking. All the same, she had a point.
With my mind racing, I sat back and snuggled my back against the bench, staring up at the crisp and freezing blue sky, wondering what the heck had just happened.
At least one good thing had happened.
(...A couple of weeks later...)
(...Amy's P.O.V...)
Time passed at dull speeds. It was now mid November and the air grew colder. My late-night strolls were relaxing – but I caught a horrible cold in the middle of the month. I was in the runny-nose stages of flu when I was finally able to talk to Shadow, alone.
Sure, I looked half dead and kept feeling faint whenever someone spoke to me, but I managed to spot him in the crowd of people who were running to their lectures. He was leaning against the wall, calmly, with his eyes shut. I assumed that he was alone, until he cracked one eye open and nodded.
Wondering who he was nodding at, I frowned. My eyes flickered to the right, catching sight of Apple, from my art group. The purple wolf was blushing like crazy as she smiled at him, dreamily. Her arms were wrapped around her body as she looked at him from underneath her hair. I didn't say anything, as I just continued to watch them. Eventually, Shadow straightened up with a blank expression before speaking to her. She giggled, giving him her best smile and waving as she skipped off in the other direction. As soon as he was alone, I stepped out of the shadows and grabbed his attention with a small cough.
A tiny bubble of envy threatened to pop inside me. But, all in all, I guessed that I was happy for him. At least there were people who he could turn to. He deserved that.
"Amy? You don't look very well," His expression softened as he took me by the arm and led me out of the crowd.
"Wait, S-shadow...ACHOO!" I sneezed, desperately swiping a crumpled tissue out of my pocket to make myself look recent, "My seminar...other way..."
"Let's bunk," I could have sworn he said 'let's bunk', but he acted so casually that I couldn't be sure. I didn't object, letting him lead me away. It was only when I saw the fountain outside the university that I knew he really did intend to bunk.
"Haven't you got some lectures?" I asked, lowering my head and hiding my flushed face under my hair. I was curious about his time table, but I was mainly hinting that I wasn't sure about bunking.
"Yes. But I don't feel like attending," He replied, casually hoisting his back pack onto one shoulder. I nodded, not really bothering to oppose his plan. I didn't really feel like going to my seminar either. More discussions on Cubism? I'd rather face Sonic.
Sonic...
Things hadn't been the same. I kept thinking that Sally had been right: he did think that we were over and didn't want to try and patch things up. Fiona had left me alone for a while – but I knew that she'd be back again to cause trouble as soon as she got the chance. I didn't know if Sonic had made contact with her. In some ways, I wasn't sure if I wanted to know...
I barely spoke to anyone anymore. Of course, I always saw the girls – but I tried to keep my head down and spend as much time alone as possible. I sometimes met up with part of the gang: Cosmo, Rouge, Tails, Cream and Silver – but it wasn't the same. We wouldn't all meet up together – I'd either see one of them or a couple of them together. None of them spoke about Sonic. At one point, Tails had started to ask questions, but he seemed to think better of it and dropped the matter.
Sonic...
What's wrong...?
What happened...?
I thought things would go back to normal. I had a sense of déjà vu. You did too. I could see it in your eyes.
But you just walked away...
(...Two weeks ago...)
Shit. Shit! Shit! No no no no! Don't do this to me!
BANG
URGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I think I'm gonna cry! Why do I keep thinking about him at times like this?!
Scrambling around on the floor, I managed to swipe all the spare bits of paper from the floor. I needed to pick it all up before people came along and stomped all over my work. Why was I carrying everything at the same time? I should have known that I wouldn't be able to hold all of it. How can papers weigh so much...?
"Amy?"
I couldn't breathe. My throat had tightened dramatically and my stomach lurched to the side as I looked up. I was going to be sick. Or worse, I was going to cry...
He didn't say anything. He didn't need to.
I could only watch as he slung his bag onto the floor, before bending down and scooting the papers into one pile. He seemed to be doing it as slowly as possible – which wasn't normal for the fastest thing alive.
Standing up, he glanced at one of my drawings, commenting in a small voice, "It's brilliant. You made the right choice...doing art, I mean..."
I wasn't aware that I was still sitting on the floor until Sonic held out his hand to me. I stared at it, timidly, and met his gaze. His emerald eyes were as bright as the day we met but he was barely smiling. My eyes danced around his lips, desperately begging for his trade-mark grin to appear.
Grasping his hand, I ignored the heat that was spreading onto my cheeks. Ignoring the beating of my heart was harder, but I pushed it out of my mind as I stood normally. He lowered his head, staring at the ground with a blank expression. He kept blinking, furiously, and an evil part of me wanted him to feel like I did. I regretted it, immediately, afterwards – but the feeling was still there.
Sucking in his breath, he still wouldn't look at me as he handed over my work, "No point...c-crying...over..."
"...spilt milk..."
My heart squeezed when he looked at me. His eyes brightened, considerably as a tiny smile tugged at his lips. He chuckled, lightly, before spinning on his heel and starting to walk away.
"Sonic!" I cried, reaching out and grabbing his arm. He turned his head, revealing a stunned expression. My own eyes widened, as my hair tumbled in front of my face. I sunk my teeth into my lips – in fear of saying something stupid.
Patiently, he waited for me to say something. I tried to summon the courage to talk to him – but I couldn't. I had absolutely no idea what to say and I didn't know what to do.
Yelling at him wasn't going to solve anything.
I let go.
He frowned.
We stared at each other.
He wore a sad smile.
He walked away.
I tried not to cry.
(...Present time. Inside 'Endless Sensation' Coffee Shop...)
"That outfit looks good on you, Rose,"
"Oh," As if I wasn't feeling awkward already. Subconsciously, I straightened my black v-neck and stared at my red tartan skirt. Shadow was sitting opposite me, sinking back into the leather sofa. I offered a small smile, taking my tea cup from the saucer and sipping it, delicately, "T-thanks..."
He looked worried, "I didn't mean to offend you,"
"You didn't!" My assurance came with a shake of my head, "It's just...never mind. Thank you,"
He mumbled something inaudible before downing his coffee in one sip. My smile broadened as he put it down on the table, quietly.
"So," I placed my tea back on the table, before resting my hands in my lap. Admittedly, I was extremely curious about Shadow and the rest of the gang. It had only been a few weeks since we'd drifted apart, but I was curious about the boys. And Sonic, "How have you been?"
He shrugged, dismissively, "Same as ever. I haven't changed. But it seems like everyone else has,"
I could feel my lip wobbling as my eyes stung. I seemed to be doing that a lot, lately, "At least you haven't changed. I think I'd lose it if you were different,"
"We've all got responsibilities, Amy. Our priorities have changed. It was only to be expected. I had a feeling that something like this would happen. It's only natural that we'd have different feelings from when we were in high school,"
"But why has it changed!? And all my problems seem to be circulating from the past. I...I don't understand. Am..am...am I being unreasonable for wanting to know? I'm just so confused. Why didn't Sonic tell me about all of this?"
He didn't look too concerned at my outburst, which almost annoyed me. He simply sighed, staring at the dregs of coffee in his cup, "I don't know, Amy. Only Sonic and Fiona know that. Perhaps, he will tell you, once he's gained the confidence to talk to you. Or when you gain the confidence to talk to him,"
"Yeah..." My reply was weak and I knew that he was right, "I just can't understand why he didn't tell me about her. No, it's not even that. I can understand why he didn't tell me about her. It's the fact that he won't tell me what happened. He's clearly hurting. I want to help him. But he won't let me,"
"Sonic's always been independent. He doesn't like relying on others. He'll regret it and will come speeding back to you. He does that to everyone,"
My mouth became dry and I took another gulp of tea to quench my thirst, "Mmm. Suppose. But Fiona...I don't trust her. She's cold. I don't know...I just don't get a good impression from her. It doesn't help that she's also gorgeous,"
"Don't be stupid," Shadow muttered, folding in arms across his chest in defiance, "Don't tell me that you're jealous,"
"Of course I'm jealous! Who wouldn't be?! She's obviously confident and rightly so! I'd be confident if I looked like that. And what if the reason she's introduced herself is because she wants Sonic back?"
"Well, he clearly doesn't want her back,"
"Yes, but she's not just going to take no for an answer. She'll seduce him. What...what if he leaves us and goes off with her?!"
"He'll be an idiot if he does. But firstly, he's not going to. And secondly, if he does...he does have a choice. He can decide to date her again,"
"I know. God, of course, I'm not trying to control him! He can do what he likes! I just don't want to see him hurt. I...I...couldn't bare it if I saw her break his heart. Especially since everything was going so well between me and him..."
"That's not going to happen," Shadow leant forward, placing a warm hand on my arm, "He's not going to do that. Trust me. He doesn't like her. He told me! But you shouldn't be worrying about this. You're in the middle of your degree, Amy. You can't afford to be fussing about Sonic. You need to put him to one side and focus on your studies. Our exams are in January. If you don't pass them – you can't stay here,"
"I know," I nodded, realizing that he was right, "But I need to sort this out, while I still can. And it's not just Sonic and me. I need to fix everyone else's problems,"
He furrowed his brow, "That has nothing to do with you. They can sort that out themselves. Why would you need to sort it out?"
"Because it is my fault. It's my fault that Tails and Cosmo are embarrassed to see each other. It's my fault that everyone thinks that you and Cosmo are dating. It's my fault that Silver and Blaze aren't speaking. It's definitely my fault that I'm not speaking to Blaze,"
"You're wrong. Half of those things aren't your fault! And besides, what can you do? They need to sort it out themselves. You can't speak for them. They can fix it, if they want to. The fact is that they don't want to,"
"They do want to!"
"Not enough. They need to gain the confidence to fix things,"
"And I can help them gain that confidence. You can too. They're our friends, Shadow. They're falling apart with all this stupid drama. We can't let them continue like this,"
"We?"
"I have an idea. But I'll need your help,"
He paused, staring out of the window. He'd managed to snag the window seat (possibly because it was obvious that the waitress thought he was hot?) and we were right in the corner of the shop. The smell of coffee beans was drifting from the bar in the middle of the room, tickling my nose. There were a few pictures hanging on the beige walls and a couple of fake trees in pots standing in the room. It gave the place a nice, homely vibe.
"I'll do it," He muttered, staring at me as my mouth stretched into a broad smile, "Just tell me what you need doing. Who do you want to help first?"
"Silver and Blaze. I still need to sort something out with Tails and Cosmo. Cream confirmed my fears..."
"Fears?"
"She likes Tails. Well, it's more than that. She thinks she's in love with him,"
(...A week ago...)
"Okay...here it goes! I...think I'm in love with Tails~!"
So, that's what she had wanted to tell me for so long.
I struggled to keep a surprised expression. Come on, Cream. We're best friends. Did you really think that I hadn't noticed?
"...r-r-really? Wow! I had no idea!" I forced a huge smile as Cream grabbed my hands and laughed, "When did you realise?"
"Over the summer holidays, I thought I might be developing feelings for him. But then, when we came back and I saw him, I kept thinking about him. My heart keeps racing whenever he's near. I keep blushing. Oh, Amy, I know how you felt about Sonic and Shadow now!"
She was growing up. Cream had always been a lot less mature than the rest of us – but now, she was starting to stop calling people 'Mr Sonic' and 'Mr Shadow'. She was also realizing her feelings for boys. But, Tails – of all people? I guess I could see why she would have a crush on him. The two of them had always been close; especially when Sonic and I had been dating. I remembered that Sonic had arranged a trip to Spagonia in the summer: just him, me, Tails and Cream. It had been a great day and I had actually noticed Cream and Tails getting closer.
"Should I tell him? Oh gosh, I really want to!" The rabbit was now leaping up and down. Normally, I'd be jumping with her, but I kept thinking about Cosmo. Admittedly, I didn't know for sure that Tails liked Cosmo – but I had a pretty good idea. And besides, everyone else thought so. We couldn't all be wrong, could we?
"Wait, wait. You're not feeling shy about it? What if he doesn't feel the same way?" I was surprised that Cream was so confident about it. Most girls would worry that the boy would turn them down and things would be awkward. Cream didn't seem concerned about it at all, "And, what about Cosmo? You know how she feels for Tails,"
"But she's dating Shadow," Cream's face fell, "So, she doesn't love him anymore. Does she? But..."
Crap, "Yeah...I guess your right..."
She seemed happy with my mumbled defeat. After another squeal, she pulled me into a hug and cried, "Oh, I hope it goes okay! I'm going to tell him before Christmas. Hey, maybe I should tell him on Christmas eve – like Sonic told you!"
I winced at her mention of Sonic. I knew that she was trying to be kind, but I really wished that she didn't keep bringing him up. He was ignoring me. After last week, I didn't even want to think about him, "Yeah, yeah. Good for you. I'm happy for you. Really,"
I didn't sound that enthusiastic, but she didn't seem to mind. She was too busy dreaming about Tails. I decided not to tell her that it was a bad idea. I'd already upset Blaze. I didn't want to crush Cream's dreams, as well.
(...Amy's P.O.V. Outside Silver's lecture...)
"What's taking him so long? The lecture should have ended around now!" I moaned, slumping against the wall, impatiently. Underneath the surface, I was worried that someone would recognise me and ask why I hadn't been at my seminar. I wouldn't have been punished, but I felt guilty about bunking.
"He's probably grabbing his stuff as we speak. He'll come out in a moment, just you wait,"
I nodded, leaning against the wall as we waited. Eventually, the grey hedgehog that we were searching for, sauntered out of the room. Big, black headphones were pulled over his ears and he looked lost in his own world. Shadow stepped forward, grabbing him by the elbow and tugging him over to me.
"Hey! What the hell are you...oh, Shadow. I should have known. Oh! And Amy! What's up, guys? I haven't seen you in a while,"
I agreed, sadly, "I know. Things have gotten complicated,"
"You're telling me. Have you spoken to Sonic yet?" Silver pulled off his head phones, hanging them around his neck, "He's really upset about your break up,"
"I know. I feel terrible too. And, in truth, I didn't mean to break up with him,"
The two of them stared at me with wide eyes. Shadow was the first to comment, "What do you mean?"
"I never actually said to him 'it's over'. I just said that we needed space. I didn't mean for it to be permanent. I wanted him to tell me what happened with Fiona. But he thought that I'd broken up with him,"
Laughing in relief, Silver started shaking his head, "Then why are we standing around like this? We need to get to Sonic and you need to tell him this!"
"No. I...I...I can't. I can't just forget about this. He needs to face his fears. He needs to tell us what happened. He needs to face Fiona and he needs to finish it with her, properly. If he wants to, that is,"
The psychic hedgehog lowered his head, but nodded in understanding, "Yeah. I suppose. This is all just so stupid! If Fiona hadn't come along and ruined things..."
"You're telling me!" I snickered, patting his arm, "But, it's not really her fault. Okay, sure, I'm mad at her. But, we can't blame it all on her. She only showed up. She hasn't actually done anything to us,"
"Hmm. I don't know. I don't trust that fox. She has 'mean girl' written all over her," Silver replied, frowning as his ears lowered in disapproval, "Don't trust her, Amy,"
"I don't intend to. Not yet, anyway. But people can change. I know that, first hand," A small smile appeared on my face as I thought of Sally. I really wanted to meet up with her again and thank her for what happened on that night. Perhaps I could invite her on a shopping trip to hang out, "But that's not what we came to talk to you about. Certainly not about me and Sonic. We have an idea,"
Silver's frown deepened, as his voice rose in suspicion, "An idea? About...what?"
"You. And Blaze. I think we have an idea on how to get you two back together,"
He definitely perked up after that comment, "Okay, I'm listening. What's the plan?"