WARNING!: Self-harming, homophobia, bullying, and mention of abortion
Chapter 34: What's Between Us?
'That lake was once my safe haven, where I went to sooth my frustrations. I had found it one day while exploring the woods. Such a beautiful place, and so peaceful. Untouched, and entirely of nature's doing.
The way the fireflies danced above the shimmering clear water, how the trees had the area so secluded, I used to love everything about it…until it became a place holder of my most bitter memories.
I remember standing out there, staring at the lake in the middle of the night as I so often did. Only that night the wind blew colder, the moon seemed darker, and I was crying.
"Alicia…" He called out from behind me, walking up to rest a hand on my shoulder. I quickly shook him off, refusing to turn around and meet his gaze. "You know you don't want him, not like you do me. Max is a piece of shit."
"As if you're any better, Jules." I scolded him, finally turning around to meet him with a furious scowl. "I'm done playing the side, so sick of waiting for you to come around! It's either you want me or not."
"I do." He replied desperately, stepping toward me with a conflicted expression. "But I want Aleena too…"
"If she wants you so bad she can have you!"
"So what now? We just forget we ever happened? You go off and marry that fucker we both know you don't love!?" Angry tears begun pouring out of his eyes like waterfalls. I had never seen him so upset before. He was usually so upbeat and positive. "We're King Jules and Queen Alicia."
"We're nothing." I retorted coldly. "I have to go. Locke is probably wondering where I am. I think it's best if we don't meet up like this anymore."
"The gay best friend can wait." He grabbed my forearm, pulling me back over to him as I tried to make my leave. I was always physically stronger than him, but so weak in the moment. I suppose a part of me wasn't really ready to go. "This can't be goodbye forever…"
"It is Jules. It has to be."
I pulled away from his hold, sliding the gold ring he had given me earlier that year off of my finger. I handed it back to him, and I swear I could literally hear his heart shatter to pieces. He looked back up to me, shaking his head in refusal.
Both of us, so young and naïve. Seventeen and heartbroken.
"Can we make a promise? That if neither of our relationships work out, that we'll come back here someday…and we'll—"
"Jules."
"PLEASE!" He cried out, getting on his knees before me, holding my waist tightly as he sobbed frantically into my thighs. I closed my eyes, tears slipping down onto his long blue quills. "Just promise me that...so before I go into the military I'll have something worth fighting to stay alive for."
Although he had put me through the ringer that year and proved to me how unworthy of his heroic title he was, I still felt a tiny bit of love for him. I should have kept to my guns, refused his promise, but I couldn't bring myself to do so.
Regardless of my senses, I loved him too much to leave him hanging, too much to leave it all behind forever. So I granted him that spark of hope.
"I promise."
He slowly got back up to his feet, quickly wiping the tears off his face before pulling off his own ring. He then tossed both of them into the beautiful lake.
"Then if it's meant to be, we'll find those rings again…and our love." '
"Alicia? Hello?" Locke's voice called out through the speaker of her phone, snapping her out of her daydreaming. She sat up right in her chair, shaking off the intense flashback.
"Sorry, I was just…reading something." She lied, staring at the new engagement ring on her finger.
"I'm sorry Thanksgiving dinner was…burnt to a crisp the other night, and that my son wasn't feeling so well. How about I make it up to you with dinner tonight?"
"As long as it's not your cooking it should be safe."
Cream bustled down the hall, struggling to keep the stack of books upright as she rounded the corner. She staggered dangerously from side-to-side until she could no longer balance herself and toppled over with the mass of books scattering the floor. She sighed heavily, mentally scolding herself as she began picking them back up. While doing so, her ears picked up on a sound, a voice she never thought she'd hear again.
"D-D-Do you really thing I-I sound better than be-before?"
She picked up her head, light-brown eyes locking onto the yellow squirrel like missile projectors. He was walking down the hall with that red vixen everyone despised so much. The rabbit felt her heart melt at the sound of his voice, astonished that he had found it.
"Yeah." The fox girl chuckled, resting a hand on his head. "With a little more practice I bet the stuttering won't even be an issue anymore."
"You think so?" He asked, looking up at her with hopeful eyes.
"See? Not a single stutter in that sentence. You're well on your way."
"Thanks Fiona. I'm really h-h-happy you're around a-a-again. The way you used t-t-to be."
"Me too Ray."
The little rabbit watched with a confused expression as the yellow squirrel shared a warm embrace with the red fox before she disappeared into a classroom. He waved after her with extra energy before turning around to see Cream staring back at him.
He begun to walk over to her subconsciously, so used to being the one to pick up her books when she fell, but the squirrel quickly turned heel with a regretful expression as he watched the young kitsune she so desperately adored walk up behind her to rest a hand on her shoulder.
"Cream?" Tails called out, kneeling beside the rabbit who watched as Ray turned away from her. "Are you okay?"
"Just fine." She sighed, missing the way she and her locker-buddy used to be before the Halloween party. She then turned back to look up at Tails, the sight of him quickly flushing any regret lingering in her system away. The kitsune just smiled at her and begun to help her pick up the books.
'I can't stand her. She's so uptight, so plain-looking, and has one bad fucking attitude. She dresses like she's homeless, and wears glasses that make her look like a bug-eyed creature. She's been nothing but trouble for me ever since she got here! Dissing me constantly, kicking my damn face, and forever making second guess myself.
She's all these things I can't stand, but at the same time she's exactly what I need. Someone to tell me when I'm wrong, someone to give me a reality check when I need one, and the only person I've ever met in my life who could verbally keep up with me.
She's also not that ugly…she's got a nice little body on her. Maybe if she stopped dressing like a plus-size dude and took off those glasses she'd be—
Wait, what the hell am I saying? Am I really thinking this way about the troll bitch Glasses-Girl? C'mon Sonic, get it together! She's just a pawn, something to get back at Scourge with…
But if that's really true, why do I have to keep constantly reminding myself that for?'
"Sonic, have you been paying any attention at all?" The music teacher called out, slamming a drumstick down on the blue hedgehog's desk as he narrowed his eyes.
Sonic quickly sprung back into consciousness, blinking a few times to adjust back into reality. His mouth quickly fell into a frown at the sight of the most annoying teacher on the planet. Mr. Ash Mongoose.
"Uh, sure." He nodded, making the teacher cross his arms.
"Then can you tell me where ballads originated from in the country of Mobius?"
"Umm…"
"That's exactly what I thought." The mongoose grumbled, taking a pen from his dress shirt pocket along with a red slip of paper. He quickly scribbled on it before slamming the red slip of paper down on Sonic's desk, making him sink into his chair. "Detention."
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" Julie-Su screamed, stomping into her armadillo friend's dorm. He was alone, sitting on his bed with a textbook in his lap. "YOU NEARLY KILLED HIM! HE'LL BE IN A WHEELCHAIR FOR A MONTH!"
Not even less than an hour after her hospital discharge yesterday she got a call back from them informing her that her fiancé was brought in. The devil was in critical condition, immediately brought to ICU after an old human women found him bleeding to death in Mobotropolis Park.
Mighty immediately shut his textbook, and rose from the bed to loom over her, but she was far from intimidated.
"HE'S LUCKY. IF I HAD GOTTEN IT MY WAY HE'D BE DEAD." The armadillo shouted, audible anger radiating in his voice.
"And what the hell would I have told my daughter then? Huh?!"
"For starters, how about who her REAL dad is—" He was quickly silenced with a slap to the face, but he was not moved. He stared directly into her infuriated violet eyes, tears of anger brimming in his own.
"You swore to me Mighty, that you'd never tell him."
"You didn't leave me with a choice! Knowing you and your stupid hard-headed ass you would have stuck with him until he killed you…and I couldn't let that happen Julie!" He scolded her before throwing his arms around her, pulling her in for a tight hug. "Because if something ever happened to you, I couldn't live with myself."
She knew there was no fighting his hold, or the undeniable fact that everything he did was only because he cared so much about her. No matter how bad the argument, he would always win, because he was her safe place. She fell limp in his hold, throwing her arms around him as she cried with him.
"I don't know what to do."
"Just please, don't go back to him Julie-Su…"
"But what about Lara? How can I do this to her."
"We'll figure it out together. Just you and me, like we always have." He assured her, pulling away from their hug to smile at her. "You've always liked Knuckles…Maybe this is Chaos' fucked up way of finally bringing you two back together, for good."
Tails reluctantly walked into his science class, strolling over to his seat in the far back left corner. Just as he was about to reach out to his chair, the green hawk sitting before the empty desk stuck his foot out and tripped the kitsune. Before he could hit the ground face first he was caught and hoisted back up to his feet. His eyes went wide with shock to be greeted by Fiona, who bore a kind smile.
The vixen shot Jet a cold glare before turning back toward her seat. A baffled Tails just stared at her, confused at the sudden change in demeanor. Not only that, but her style had changed a lot since the last time he saw her too. No longer did she sport all black leather. Today she wore blue jeans and a simple yellow long-sleeved shirt that matched the pretty bow in her hair.
He watched from the corner of his eye as she flicked a note onto his desk, just like they used to do. He eyed it for a second, debating on whether or not it was a cruel prank to humiliate him. Curiosity soon got the better of him, and he found himself quickly unfolding the paper.
Don't worry about Jet, he's just a jerk. Swears he's the king of the school now that everyone hates your brother. Anyways, I've been meaning to apologize to you Tails. I'm sorry I've been so shitty to you, especially since you were one of the only people I've ever met to be kind to me. I want you to know that you're a big reason why I've decided to change my ways and give the good-girl thing another shot. Consider this my first step in the right direction.
He couldn't believe it, double scanning the paper just to make sure he read it right. The fox then turned to her, unconsciously blurting out his rapid thoughts. "Is this for real!?"
"It is." She nodded, smiling to him as she watched his eyes light up.
"Mr. Prower and Ms. Fox, I know the topic is quite embarrassing, but I cannot tolerate any disruptions." Dr. Robotnik bellowed, walking over to them and slamming two red slips on their desks. The egg-shaped teacher then headed back toward the front of the class, pulling down a chart plastered with reproductive organs. "Now I know some of you might find this quite embarrassing, but it is a science, and part of the curriculum."
Half of the class blushed uncomfortably, while the degenerates snickered and made perverted remarks on the naked figures. In the front row, Mina Mongoose sat with her chin resting on her desk and a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as she listened to the teacher go on and on about sexual reproduction.
The obese teacher pointed at the male genitals poster with a ruler, tracing its length in emphasis as he gave a long and VERY in-depth speech on the function and anatomy of a penis. Kids around the room snickered and whispered jokes to one another. Being the cocky prick he was, Jet the Hawk decided to make his remarks known to the teacher.
"You SURE do know a lot about dick Dr. Robotnik." The hawk remarked sarcastically, causing laughter to erupt from nearly everyone in the room. The teacher just narrowed his eyes behind his thin-framed glasses, strolling over to the hawk before kneeling down to whisper in his ear and making sure his words weren't audible to anyone other than him.
"No more than your father, Mr. Hawk." He whispered, making Jet's red face twist up in anger. Dr. Robotnik then pulled away, walking back to the front of the class nonchalantly.
Sally and Ken sat outside on one of the picnic tables by the fountain. Over vacation they just got in the habit of having lunch out here together, especially since the rest of the Freedom Fighters were busy doing their own thing these days. The monkey was quite charming, and made for a great conversationalist. Usually there was a lot of chatter between them, but today Sally's mind was off somewhere else.
"Everything alright Sally?" The monkey questioned, waving a hand in front of her face. She quickly perked up, letting an awkward chuckle escape her as she remembered her surroundings.
"What? Oh, I'm sorry Ken. Just a lot on my mind." She explained with the wave of a hand.
Her eyes widened in surprise as Ken leaned over the table, extending an arm out to graze his hand over her auburn ponytail. She blushed in surprise before he pulled back his hand and opened it up to reveal several soaked spitballs. The chipmunk cringed, looking over her shoulder to see three girls glaring at her, all of which wearing a yellow pendant in the shape of an 'M'. The pins Mina Mongoose gave out at her concerts.
Sally sighed heavily, lowering her head in shame. It was so infuriating to still be criticized for the fight she had with the mongoose long ago, especially because they had no idea what it was about and only assumed she was the bad guy. Worst of all she could not speak of it, thanks to that agreement between their mothers.
"That popstar and the blue hedgehog must be really popular if you're still getting heat for something that happened so long ago." Ken remarked, wiping his hand on his jeans after tossing the spitballs.
"You know about that?" She gasped.
"Of course. Very first day on this campus some girls came up to me and warned me about your violent tendencies, saying that you had a habit of beating up the beautiful people."
"I don't have violent tendencies! Mina deserved everything she got after she…did what she did." The chipmunk bellowed, voice trailing off into a whisper. "I can't really talk about it, just know that I had actual reasons and it wasn't some random attack over jealousy. Looks mean nothing to me."
"I'll take your word for it. Girls like her usually aren't as good as they appear." The monkey chuckled, "I knew there was more to you than what people around campus went on about. I wanted to get to know you myself, and I'm really glad I did Sally." He added, reaching over the table to rest his hand on top of hers. He shot her a warm smile, coaxing a blush out of her before she quickly pulled away.
Sonic breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that he had finally escaped the vicinity of the music room. Although he had a talent for it, his grade in class sure as hell didn't reflect that. He genuinely believed Mr. Ash had it out for him personally.
The blue hedgehog began walking down the hall toward the café. He was in desperate need for some chilidogs and an energy drink. His brain felt fried from rapid thoughts, and he had barely slept at all the night prior.
As he made his way down the hall he attempted to wave at some familiar faces, the ones who used to coo adoringly at the sight of him, only now they did no such thing. Instead, all of the once die-hard fans of him snarled in disgust at his greetings, sticking their noses in the air as they turned away from him. He rose a confused brow, feeling a heavy blow to his pride.
He had no idea what the hell everyone's problem was, but their ignoring him did a serious number on his ego. He panicked internally, palms sweating as he pondered the thought of his popularity decreasing for reasons unbeknownst to him.
"Hey Tiara!" He called out with as much enthusiasm as he could muster upon siting his second biggest fan of all time. She turned toward him upon hearing her name, the beautiful features of her face quickly falling into a disgusted scowl.
"Don't talk to me." She snapped, flipping her extra-long brown ponytail as she turned away from him. It really ticked him off, coaxing an outburst out of him.
"What the hell is everyone's problem?!"
"Our problem? More like what's yours!" The mink retorted as she turned around to glare at him, "Amy is such a sweetheart and like, crazy in love with you! More so than any one of us could ever hope to be, and you just drop her like nothing."
"Not this bullshit again." He rolled his eyes before flailing his arms around in emphasis. "SHE SLEPT WITH SOMEONE I HATE!"
"And you slept with her best friend!" Tiara shot back, placing her hands on her hips as she narrowed her baby blue eyes at him. "She only did it because she felt obligated to not be a virgin for you, and Scourge is one hell of a persuader."
"I'm a jerk, I get that, but that doesn't mean I don't have the right to be pissed off! She should have just talked to me about it instead of assuming shit, just like you dumb bitches." Sonic snapped, pointing out to all of the girls glaring at him.
"Spoken like a true asshole. Chaos knows why anyone ever thought you were cool." The co-captain of the cheer squad huffed, crossing her arms. "Now if you don't mind, me and the girls want to go get front row seats to watch Jet run track. Buh-bye."
The mink then rudely shoved her way past the blue hedgehog, who turned around to shoot her a nasty glare as he watched a few of the hall occupants follow her out the double-doors to the outside world. The hedgehog muttered a few curse words under his breath before feeling a gentle hand come down on his shoulder. He turned to be met with the concerned hazel eyes of Blaze the Cat.
He instantly relaxed upon seeing her, gesturing to her with a nod to follow him on his journey to the café. She walked beside him, taking note of his stressed-out demeanor.
"I'm sorry everyone's been giving you a hard time about the breakup." The feline spoke, breaking the awkward silence.
"It's seriously working my nerves. Why the hell does everyone keep making me feel like I'm wrong to be upset? Do you think I'm wrong Blaze?" He asked, turning to the cat and awaiting her cherished input.
"You have every right to be upset with her Sonic, but you must understand her side of things too. Insecurities can drive a girl to do crazy things—"
"Like sleeping with your almost-boyfriend's worst enemy?" The hedgehog snapped sarcastically.
"Yes. Sometimes even making a girl stupid enough to sleep with her best friend's crush while she had someone who truly loved her waiting back home."
He ceased his walking, feeling a pang of guilt and sorrow spike through his heart before turning his head to face her. A disappointed frown crossed his face as he understood what she was referring to.
"Blaze—"
"What I'm trying to say is…just talk to her Sonic. She really does care, she just made one little mistake. It happens to the best of us, and you shouldn't kick her out of your life for it!"
"Are we even speaking about me and Amy anymore?"
"Sonic...I'm serious." The cat scolded him lightly, "Amy's going crazy out of her mind with depression. I know you care about her too. She's even got some crazy suspicions that you might like someone else…" Her voice trailed off as she eyed him curiously, awaiting an answer that could debunk the theory, but the blue hedgehog didn't offer one right away.
It was only when he noticed her skeptical gaze casted upon him that he yelped out an answer.
"What? No! The depression really must be getting to her. I'm not seeing anyone, or even trying to. I just want to be alone right now, it's what seems to work best for me."
"I might not have been a big fan at first, but from my perspective, she's what works best for you. You just look so on top of the world when you're with her, like king of everything. Neither of you are looking too good without each other, so I hope for both your sakes that you find it in your heart to pay her a visit Sonic…"
"Maybe."
"Hey ladies." Jet greeted with a wink to a group of girls as he made his way down the sidewalk toward the electives building. He smirked to himself, basking in the delightful feeling of being the center of attention. The girls giggled, offering him dainty waves and compliments.
"He's so cool!"
"Yeah, that totally hot bad guy kind of cool."
"So much for Sonic's sorry ass. Go Team Jet!"
With every compliment his head swelled in size, trying to keep up with his rapid growing ego as he strolled elegantly, feeling like the real king of everything. Since the breakup with his girlfriend, Sonic's popularity had dropped dramatically, more so than when the unappealing chipmunk made him choke during an argument. His following had diminished, making Jet's peak in contrast.
No longer was the green bird second best, no longer was he living in the shadow of the blue hedgehog. Now he had fully risen to the top, crowned king of the school after two years of being nothing more than second best.
He grinned upon siting his first and new girlfriend, Tekno the Canary. After their first encounter their relationship just took off like a plane. Although quite the talker and a tad bit annoying, she served well as a girlfriend. She was cute, sometimes funny, and very intelligent. Many wondered why he picked her, sometimes he even wondered himself.
He could only conclude it to be the fact that she possessed so many qualities identical to his unrequited crush, his good friend Wave the Swallow. With her sexual orientation, there was pretty much no way he'd ever get her so he settled for the next best thing that caught his eye.
"Hey Babe." He sang, making her pull away from the book she was reading. Her blue eyes lit up at the sight of him as she jumped up from the blanket she had laid out on the grass to embrace him.
"OMG! I like missed you so much Hun!" She yelped in over-excitement, noticing the crowd of girls and fanboys following him as she rested her head on his shoulder. "You seem to have quite the following compared to when I first got here."
"Ain't that the truth." Jet smirked, pulling out of their hug to flash the crowd another smile.
'Dr. Robotnik said pregnancy lasts twenty-one weeks in nonhumans. I'm only about four-five weeks along, only in the first trimester still. Thank Chaos I'm not one of those ugly human girls, I couldn't handle this for nine months straight! I still have no idea what the hell I'm gonna do.
I should have never started seeing Manic, but he had the drumming skills to get me to the top, and not to mention that damming smile. Curse my stupid Sonic affliction.
He's a nice guy and all, a total sweetheart in fact, but he doesn't really mean anything to me beyond being my Sonic rip-off sex doll. Shitty as it is, that's the truth of it all.
I'm a terrible person and I know it, but Shard…he doesn't care. He understands, he's got his bad qualities too, and doesn't make me feel judged for mine. The cocky sarcasm can get pretty irritating, but it's that sadistic charm that makes me smile. I never thought I'd like anyone more than Sonic, or that I'd even like a DigItalian.
It's through him that I've discovered a new side of myself, a better side. A compassionate, tender, more redeeming side…
But this baby, this thing ruins everything.
How do I tell him? How do I tell Manic? What the hell am I going to do?'
"Mina? You alright?" A voice called out before the mongoose noticed a hand being waved in front of her face. Shard was standing before her as she sat at one of the picnic tables by the fountain, a tray of assorted foods before her.
"Oh, I didn't even see you." She blushed in embarrassment as he kissed her forehead and took a seat before her. He cringed a bit, taking note at the odd pairing of food on her tray.
"Chilidogs, ice cream, and a jar of pickles…is this the new diet Seventeen magazine is raving about this month?"
From another table not-so-far from theirs, the hedgehog's good friend sat, every so often glancing her jade eyes over to their table as she found it difficult to focus on the conversation she was having with her boyfriend.
"Nicole, you should be happy for him." Espio commented, pulling he gaze back to him.
"I am." She assured him, letting her smile fall a bit as she stared at her untouched food. "I'm just upset he hasn't really talked to me…"
Megan sat in a very uncomfortable wooden chair, eyes fixed on her hands as they clasped her now quite visible baby bump. There was an awkward and sorrowful tension in the room as she tried to keep her line of sight away from Principal Acorn who sat behind the wooden desk between them, her fingers intertwined as she studied the pregnant teen in silence.
"Megan, don't feel as though I look at you any differently. Court was court, school is school. You didn't know of your father's ill intent."
"Ray probably thinks I'm scum just as he does our parents…" The squirrel sniffled, emotions running high as she begun to sob uncontrollably.
"He doesn't quite understand the situation just yet, but with time comes wisdom." The chipmunk assured her, "An angel like him can only hold a grudge so long, but I didn't call you in here to talk about family affairs Megan."
"Then why did you call me in?" The pregnant teen questioned, wiping her eyes on the pink sleeve of her long dress.
"You're about thirteen weeks along, well into your second trimester. You've done a fine job at keeping your pregnancy under wraps, but at this point your belly is almost impossible to hide, and by law I can't have a student this far along on campus as a liability."
"YOU'RE KICKING ME OUT OF GHA?!"
"Of course not, but you will have to return home for the duration of your pregnancy."
"But what about my classes? Graduation?!"
"I've transferred your classes to online courses. Your due to give birth two months from now, meaning you'll definitely be back in time for graduation this spring."
Megan sighed heavily, reluctantly nodding in agreement before the principal offered her sympathies and sent her on her way. The squirrel girl walked out of the chipmunk's office, looking around the main office until she spotted the father of her child standing by the exit, his eyes staring down the hall, and a blank expression casted on his face.
"Eli?" She questioned, walking up to him to encircle her arms around one of his. The sudden action made him jump, but he quickly relaxed when he realized it was only her. She shifted her gaze to where his once was, seeing nothing but an empty hallway. "What were you looking at Dear?"
"Oh, notihng really. Just staring off into space." He waved in dismissal before smiling at her, "So what did my mother want?"
The squirrel couple started making their way out of the office, turning left, the opposite direction of where he had been staring. Down the other end of the seemingly empty hallway, Sonia the Hedgehog had just rounded the corner, a few books clasped to her chest as she made her way to her locker. She looked around, noticing no one else. Then she let a disappointed sigh escape her.
This was usually the time she'd come out of history class, Elias always waiting patiently by her locker…
Shadow and Manic sat on a couple logs in the forest, once again back at the random stump to retrieve the liquor and cigarettes from their secret stash. Too lazy to go back to school just yet, the two decided to just chill out for a moment, crack a few beers open and sooth their sorrows.
"Eclipse has been nothing but a pain in the ass since he got here." Shadow grumbled, laying on his back as he stared up to the sky. "Three fights, seven arrests, and two suspensions. I hope my idiot father didn't expect me to babysit, because I sure as hell don't give a shit."
The green hedgehog laying in the same position on a log adjacent to his frowned, feeling an envious sting in his heart in reference to his friend's brother. He shifted awkwardly in an attempt to get comfortable, ignoring the envious feeling.
"If you're brothers how come his last name is Darkling? And your last name Is Hedgehog, but your father's is Doom?"
"Eclipse and I are only half-brothers, sharing the same paternal DNA and nothing more. His mother is some feminist-nazi bitch who didn't want to feel oppressed by taking my father's last name when they got married, so he inherited her last name. I'd rather nail my eyes shut than associate myself with anything related to my father, so I kept my own mother's last name."
"Jeez, and I thought my family was dysfunctional." Manic snickered, twirling his drumsticks as he held his arm up in the air.
"You have no idea." The ebony hedgehog rolled his eyes.
They went on and on, talking about their likes and dislikes, carrying such an in-depth conversation. It was nice, finally learning things about one another, no longer at such a vast distance. Slowly but surely, their friendship was mending, and finding a depth after being so vague for so long. Fearing that the green hedgehog might shut down, Shadow didn't dare test the waters by asking about Scourge. Instead they discussed other questionable relationships, like his secret romance with Mina Mongoose.
"YOU REJECTED ROUGE?!" The red-striped hedgehog yelped, spitting up his beer a bit as he stood up to shoot Manic a shocked expression.
"Dude, come on! She was in a bad place, Knuckles did a pretty solid number on her. She was crying and sad, she had no clue what she was doing—"
"All the more reason for you to take advantage of the situation!" Shadow screeched, "You've liked Rouge forever, much to my disapproval…"
"I'm just not that kind of guy." The green hedgehog shrugged, sitting up to face Shadow. "I really have always liked Rouge, but I'm in love dude—"
"For the love of Chaos please don't say with fucking Mi—"
"With Mina."
"Chaos dammit." Shadow groaned, smacking his palm to his forehead.
"I'm serious. She's amazing, and I'm about ready to tell her."
"You've been seeing her in secret for like a month. Don't you think if she even remotely gave a shit she would have told people about you by now?"
"She's got an image to keep up for these hungry fanboys, but she does like me."
"Just because a slut lets you bust inside her doesn't mean she likes you. It just means she's probably got an array of STDs—"
"Why the hell are you so against me and her?" Manic growled, growing quite irritated of Shadow's pessimistic outlook on his relationship with the upcoming popstar.
"She hasn't spoken to you in three weeks! Conveniently after all of those Soleanna record companies started checking her out."
"So? She's just busy,"
"Are you really that fucking delusional? SHE USED YOU! And now that she's got all those talent scouts looking at her she doesn't need you anymore. You weren't a secret to keep the fanboys away, you were a secret because you were never anything in the first place—"
"You only think that because Honey screwed you over. You just don't get Mina…I love her Shads, and nothing you say or do will change that so quit with the bullshit."
"You want to keep being stupid and believe that? Well go right ahead. Just don't come crying to me when she screws you over too."
"Whatever, I don't want to argue." The green hedgehog sighed, getting up and dusting himself off. "C'mon, we're gonna be late for English."
' STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, YOU'RE SO STUPID! This is your own damn fault. You choose to suffer, you make it this way! What did you expect? This sorrow, this heartache you're feeling, this isn't about Fiona at all…
You just wanted what Scourge had, you always have, and it's left you in ruins once again.
Scourge, the core root of all your suffering and you know it. He brings misery everywhere he goes, and you just love being his Chaos dammed company. You must be addicted, to the pain and anguish, I bet you like it.
He's caused you such heartache, such sorrow, yet you still choose to stick around. Too afraid to look away from those damn blue eyes, afraid that you might forget that face…
You sold your soul to the devil, at the cost of your sanity, at the cost of your—'
"SHUT UP!" Rosy screamed at the top of her lungs, taking fist-fulls of her dirty pink quills to yank them in an attempt to stop the voices screaming at her from within her mind. She clenched her teeth and heaved, feeling a few quills rip out from the root before she went back to trashing her dorm room.
Posters were torn off the eggshell-white walls, her dresser tipped over, everything once on top of it now broken on the floor. She tossed her mattress over, her screams and cries confined by the closed door. Her mind was in a frenzy, her heart in pieces.
Fiona's departure had awakened something in her, old memories accompanied by that eerie voice that whispered hurtful things to her.
"JUST GO AWAY!" The pink hedgehog screeched, blackened-tears rolling down her face, taking her heavy eyeliner with them as they dribbled down her chin. She held her head in her hands, her fingernails digging their way deep into her scalp as she flung her head about.
In the midst of her flailing, she bumped into the side table by her bed, knocking over the black-shaded glass lamp, causing it to shatter in pieces. She peaked her light-brown eye through her fingers, instantly catching sight of a large shard of white glass just beckoning for her to pick it up. Without even thinking she did so, undoing the bicycle chain off her arm and hastily rolling down the black arm-warmer to reveal a series of scars, both old and new.
She bit her lip as she took the shard to her wrist, pressing it deep against the skin before grazing it across with a harsh sweep motion. Crimson liquid erupted from the wound like lava, cascading down her fingertips and onto the floor she kneeled on. The physical pain was there, but more importantly the voice had subsided, easing her mind as she closed her eyes and breathed out in relief.
"ROSE?!" A voice shrieked before she heard footsteps coming closer and closer to her. When she opened her eyes, Mephiles was pulling off his white T-shirt, pressing it against her wrist as he called out to her. The dark hedgehog had come to retrieve a cigarette since he was running low, never imagining to find Rosy in such a…vulnerable state.
The room was trashed, and both hedgehogs kneeled on the floor covered in broken glass. Rosy could barely keep her head up, too ashamed to face him. It was a pretty unfortunate situation, but the reptilian-eyed hedgehog saw it as an opportunity to amuse himself.
She was at her ultimate vulnerability, no tough-girl act to hide behind, and nowhere to retreat. He did his best not to grin, opting to rest a comforting hand to her cheek as he held the other one on her wound with his shirt.
"Poor little Rosy, what could possibly have you in so much pain? To stoop to something like this…"
"I just want it to stop." She sobbed, "I want the pain to go away."
"I can't promise you that, but I can assure to you that it will ease the pain to speak your mind." The dark hedgehog told her, stroking her cheek with his thumb as he put on his most compassionate expression. "Confess to me all your sorrows. Just tell me Rosy…what did Scourge do to you that was so horrible?"
He didn't care about her, or that fact that she had just slashed her wrist. All he wanted was answers, curiosity was his motive, not sympathy. Scourge was impossible to read, but those around him weren't.
Mephiles knew the only way to get answers on the green hedgehog, was to go through those around him. Where better to start than the girl he dubbed Psycho?
"He made me do it…" She whimpered, completely falling into his trap. He expected something stupid, the usual thing that upset a high school girl like a boy not returning her feelings, but there was no way he could ever prepare himself for her next words.
"Made you do what?"
"He made me kill my baby…"
Rotor was once again back in the boy's locker room. He had his head in his locker, but didn't bother pretending to look for anything today. He was alone, mentally drowning in depression. His father hadn't called him since he was thrown out, and the abandonment was breaking his heart.
The only thing that had made life bearable these last few days had been the LGBT committee and Wave. They tried their best to keep him in better spirits, but the loss of his father was just too devastating to simply move on from.
Coming out to his father had put a halt in his attempt to fully come out. If his father had such a horrid reaction, he didn't even want to think about the reaction of others, like the Freedom Fighters, or the entire school. He wasn't ready to deal with the daily taunting so many of the LGBT students faced, especially with the depression he already dwelled in, so they promised to keep his secret and he was back to square one.
The walrus sighed heavily, wishing so desperately to be someone else. He didn't want to be gay, he hated himself more than anyone could ever imagine.
"Rotor…" A voice sounded from behind him. He pulled his head out of his locker to turn around, meeting the kind smile of a dripping wet Cobar the Echidna, wearing nothing but a thin white gym towel around his waist.
Rotor quickly turned away, suppressing his blush the best he could as the light-orange echidna took a seat beside him, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. Rotor dropped his gaze to the floor, too humiliated to look Cobar's way.
"I'm sorry." The purple walrus apologized, "I'm just so upset with myself. I knew my father would react poorly. I should have just—"
"You shouldn't be upset with yourself. You are who you are, and you can't help that."
"I'm more than upset with myself. I hate myself, because I drove the last piece of my family away…because of who I am."
"Well I for one am glad you are who you are." The echidna told him, coaxing Rotor to lift his head and meet his kind blue eyes. "You shouldn't hate yourself Rotor, or be ashamed that you came out. You're still an amazing person, and your father will soon realize it too."
Rotor blushed, nodding his head at the kind words before feeling Cobar's hand fall to his cheek, pulling his face closer. The walrus' heart raced, overwhelmed by the echidna's genuine kindness and caring nature. All those years of silently crushing, watching, and admiring from a distance…it had all led up to this point.
This long awaited and constantly dreamed about kiss. Both boys closed their eyes, melting into their pressed together lips, neither one of them wanting to pull away and end the blissful moment.
CLICK!
With that high-pitched beep they both pulled away, blushing madly as they turned their heads to inspect the noise. Rotor's eyes widened in horror as he saw the notorious homophobe Jet the Hawk standing behind them with his cellphone pointed at them, and an evil yet disgusted grin on his face.
"I fucking knew you were a fag!" The hawk bellowed, quickly tapping a few keys on his cellphone. "And now everyone will too." He added with the final click of a button, sending the photo of the two boys kissing to everyone in his contacts.
"NO!" Rotor cried out, but it was too late.
All over campus, phones either vibrated or chimed with a new message, Storm being one of them. The albatross was sitting on the bleachers with Wave, waiting for Jet to get out on the track field along with his new crowd of fans.
1 NEW MESSAGE
"Who the hell is texting you?" Wave questioned curiously.
"Why you sound so jealous though?" He chuckled, poking her shoulder teasingly, making her blush a bit. "It's probably just Jet to brag about how all these people are out here to see him run. He's letting this new popularity go to his head I swear. See? It is him, and the message says…" His voice trailed off as his jaw dropped.
"Well?" The swallow piped up, leaning back on the bleachers behind her as she folded her arms and rose an eyebrow his way.
"That new LGBT friend you said was trying to keep it low-key…he wouldn't happen to be that walrus kid from science class would he?"
She quickly sat up, eyes practically bulging out of their sockets as she swiped the phone from his hand to look at the message. Her jaw dropped in the same manner, and she clenched the phone so tight it was a wonder it didn't crush in her hand.
"That son of a bitch!" She yelped, hopping up to her feet and taking hold of Storm's arm before dashing off the bleachers and away from the snickers and cruel remarks of those amongst the crowd on the bleachers who had also received the message.
This chapter and the next serve to set up the next arc, which focuses on bullying.
A lot went on this chapter, and we've even sorta got answers on a few burning questions for a change.
The Lake of Rings that serves as the sanctuary of both Sonic and Sally once served the same purpose for their parents, and those rings Sonic found when he discovered the lake belonged to them as well...
We see Fiona truly has reformed, and it's not a facade like most of you had suspected, but the real question is will it last? Either way, Tails seems pretty happy about it.
Julie-Su struggles with coming to terms on ending her violent relationship, but is still apprehensive on doing so due to her mental condition.
Like most popular celebrities, Sonic is definitely feeling the backlash of his breaking up with fellow popular student Amy Rose, causing an incredible decline in his own popularity. Will he let it get the better of him? Or will someone with glasses convince him popularity isn't' everything.
Amy and Knuckles get a lot of heat from you guys, but they aren't bad guys. No one really is. It's high school, everyone makes mistakes, everyone gets a little stupid, and no one is perfect. We all don't mature on the same level, sometimes it takes a while, and sometimes it's never. She's a naive and insecure fifteen year old with a crush and no common sense. He's just a seventeen year old boy who tends to think with his penis more often than his head and is very undecided.
Mina, once a bigoted-brat on the road to reforming, but now her lies and cruel ways have finally caught up to her. Falling for the foreign kid with the short temper but big heart, while carrying the child of someone she only wanted to use.
And oh Manic, so hopelessly in love with a girl he has no idea straight up used him. Too blinded by feelings to see the bigger picture. Rejecting longtime crush Rouge, dismissing best friend Shadow's warnings, and setting himself up for disaster.
Now that Sonic is down for the count, Jet has seemingly risen to the top. This sure will prove to be bad for not only Rotor, but for the entire LGBT community.
Lastly, we should probably touch base on Rosy's bombshell. It's been hinted at quite a bit that Scourge and her had some sort of history neither of them wanted to acknowledge, but good ole Mephiles just lives to unravel secrets. Taking advantage of her depression and psychotic state, he had uncovered why Rosy hated Scourge so much.
Fun Question: What do you think Mina should do in her situation?
Next Time On Green Hill Academy:
With the persistence of his sister to pursue a normal high school boy life, Mighty decides to give romance a try
Sonic has gone from hero-to-zero fast, and it seems that only one other person on campus can sympathize
Mephiles confronts Scourge on the information Rosy had provided
We see the aftermath of the breakup taking its toll on Rouge, but not everyone is sympathetic
Although the public hasn't, Sonic and Amy have both seemingly begun to give up on one another
Manic finally has a run-in with Mina, but just what will come of it?
What happens when Honey reemerges in Shadow's life? Will he stay true to Sonia or fall back into old habits?
And so much more!