WARNING: Mentions of suicide, self-harm, war casualties, homophobia and bullying


Chapter 50: Dear Alicia

Dear Alicia,

I miss you. Every second of every day I miss you. I've called, but you changed your number. I write, every day, but I don't know where to send these letters anymore. I heard you were getting married at Station Square in Soleanna. I drove for six hours in the pouring rain from Mobotropolis to find you, and talk you out of it. Max caught me outside, and had a few of his bouncers rough me up. How could you marry a guy like him? I can't fucking stand him, and Chaos knows I can't stand the thought of you with him even more…and carrying his baby. But I did this to myself. I fucked up, and made the wrong choice. If only I had treated you better, maybe things would be different. Maybe that baby would be mine…

Alicia sighed heavily, folding the thin, old paper back up to slide it gently into the envelope that had been holding it for over a decade. It was one of Jules' first letters to her.

She sat cross-legged on the comfy red armchair by the fireplace, the flames being the only source of light in the dark as she fished out another letter from the black duffle bag.

She wore a knee-length, spaghetti-strap, pink nightgown with lace trimming. Her long chestnut-colored hair fell in loose cuff-curls, and she had removed her makeup for the day.

It was rolling around eleven-thirty at night. She was relieved from campus hours ago, and knew Locke would be home early, or so she thought at least. After a bit of a drive to his place only to not find him in, she decided to let herself in and wait for him.

To kill some time she brought the reading material she had engrossed herself in ever since opening the bag, only growing more curious with each letter.

Some made her so sad, others made her chuckle, and some even made her blush. She felt a bit guilty, forcing him out of her mind to carry on while he so desperately hung on.

After reading a few more, and a couple more hours going by, there was finally the jingle of keys at the door. The chipmunk jumped up, having been half-asleep when the echidna stepped into the living room of his home.

"Alicia." He greeted awkwardly as she set down the letter she was reading to walk over to him. "I…I wasn't expecting you."

"Well, I thought since we both got off of work at six that we could spend a bit of time together." She explained, draping her arms around his neck as she flashed him a skeptical look. "Didn't we have a discussion about you putting in so much overtime?"

"I wasn't at work." He assured her before rubbing his neck nervously.

"Clearly." She mused, poking his nose. "You smell like liquor."

"I was out having a couple drinks."

"Really? What was the occasion?" She asked curiously, undoing his tie.

"Lara-Le's staying in town for a little while." He admitted.

"Lara-Le?" The chipmunk repeated with eyebrows raised, setting his tie on the coatrack.

"She and Wynmacher are here on business." The echidna explained, "We were celebrating."

"I see." Alicia nodded, a bit of edge to her tone. "Well, you should brush your teeth. I hate the smell of liquor."

"I know…" He mumbled apologetically before his gaze caught sight of the black duffle bag on the floor. "What have you been up to in my house exactly?" He asked curiously, noting the bag stuffed with envelopes.

"Just some reading." She chuckled lightly.

"So…no dinner?"

"It's two in the morning." The chipmunk reminded him, turning to walk up the nearby staircase. "Get cleaned up. I'll see you in bed."


Dear Alicia,

I heard you finally gave birth, a baby boy. Did you end up naming him Elias, like you always used to say you'd name your future son? I bet he's beautiful, and if he looks anything like his mother he'll be one hell of a lady-killer when he's older. Do you sing lullabies to him? I bet he'd love your voice. Chaos knows I miss it. Those nights we'd sneak off to the lake, I'd bring my guitar and you'd sing your little heart out as I watched you dance. Aleena's in the next room, but sometimes I wish she was you. She's a great wife, but she just isn't you. She smashed my guitar to pieces yesterday. Said music is for kids, and that I'd never make it so there's no point in dreaming. My father gave me that guitar, and when I told her I wanted to give it to my future son, she freaked. She makes me feel like such a loser sometimes, and it only builds up on the mountain of regrets I have. I signed up for the army. Hopefully she'll stop screaming at me to get a real job. Chaos, I wish I could leave her, I wish I could find you, but I can't. She's pregnant, with not just one, but three babies. And one's a girl…


Sonia made her way down the hall with that same storm cloud of depression that had been hanging over her head all school year. She clutched her textbooks tightly to her chest, stopping in her tracks to watch the handsome squirrel boy slam his locker closed. His eye clearly caught her, but he turned and walked on anyway.

She bit her lip to stifle back an outburst of tears, but it didn't prove helpful. It was only when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to meet kind hazel eyes that her yearning to cry subsided completely.

"Don't worry, Sonia…" The yellow cat cooed sympathetically, moving her hand up to the magenta girl's cheek. "He'll come around. Just give him some time."

"I hope so…" Sonia murmured, looking back toward the direction Elias had taken off.

"This is why I don't do the romance stuff." Honey sighed, retracting her hand to pull out her cellphone from her dress, scrolling through the mass of upset messages from Mina. "Relationships are more trouble than they're worth."

"You say that like you've never had crush or dated someone." The magenta girl remarked as they begun to walk down the hall together.

"Well, probably because I never have." The cat laughed, shrugging her shoulders innocently.

"You liar!" Sonia pouted, "I've seen you at parties with people before."

"And that's usually as far as that ever goes." Honey replied, "I think dating is stupid. What's the point in putting effort into something that never lasts?"

"That's not true all the time! You don't think about marriage?"

"Why would I? I'm young! I want to party, not plan out a boring future."

"So you've never been in love before?"

"Nope, and I'd like to keep it that way." The cat crossed her arms in emphasis.

"Don't you ever get lonely? Or feel like something's wrong with you?"

"Why would I feel like something's wrong? I don't need someone else to validate the way I carry myself. The only love I need is my own." She replied knowingly, "And if I get lonely I'll just go out and fuck a couple people. No need for some worthless commitment."

Sonia blushed in embarrassment, not very comfortable with the cat's bluntness. Honey was certainly an interesting character to the magenta girl though. Her kind and caring nature highly contrasts with her promiscuity and opinion.


Dear Alicia,

Every time I come home, my kids have grown up so much. Sonia's starting to walk. She's going to be my shining star, so smart and beautiful. She reminds a lot of you. Sonic's a little speedster. I took him to the park yesterday and he kept me chasing him all over the place. It'll be any day now, when I hand my guitar over to him. I heard you've had two more children, and you've adopted a little lynx girl from DigItaly. That's very noble, considering what's going on between our nations.


"So, have you talked about it at all since?" Tikal asked curiously, pointing her pen at the pretty bat girl sitting in the chair before her desk.

"No." Rouge mumbled, crossing her arms as she looked away in embarrassment. A red glow to her cheeks as she remembered her best friend's abrupt kiss. "We've been pretty much avoiding the hell out of each other."

"Whys that?"

"Because it's AWKWARD!" The bat bellowed, standing up to flail her arms in the air. "My mom's his legal guardian! That makes us practically brother and sister!"

"May I ask what led up to this kiss?"

"When I heard that kid killed himself, I knew I had to find Shadow. He's very sensitive with that kind of thing, and no one else knows how to comfort him like me. I went to find him, and he was crying and upset. Maria's death was so sudden and traumatizing for him. He's afraid I might disappear from his life one day too. He made me promise not to ever go, and it just sorta happened."

"Two years ago, you both were at Space Ark Academy." Tikal replied, flipping through notes on her desk. "Meaning that you were there when Maria Robotnik committed suicide as well."

"Yes." The bat nodded, slowly setting herself back down in the chair. "But by the time I got to the roof, it was just Shadow…"

"You found him, and saved his life." The echidna looked up from her papers, acknowledging the disheartened look on the bat's face. "After watching his mental state deteriorate, you took it upon yourself to have your mother legally take guardianship of him, and relocate you both to Green Hill Academy."

"Yes…"

"Of all the people we've ever discussed in your life, he seems to be the most valued." Tikal explained, making Rouge pick up her head to shoot her a curious look. "He's the one person you've genuinely wanted to help without selfish intent. You care for and comfort him in a way you feel like others can't."

"What are trying to tell me?"

"I think you love him, a lot more than you think you do."

"You're out of your mind!" Rouge stood up again, voice crossing over into upset terrain. "He's my best friend! It's nothing like that! Besides, I love Knuckles. I know I do."

"Unfortunately for you, and everyone in general, the heart can sometimes make room for two." The echidna explained with a sigh, standing up behind her desk to face Rouge at eye-level. "Knuckles is trying to pave a new way for himself, and maybe you should think about doing the same."


Dear Alicia,

Today is my kids' birthday. I bought Sonia the prettiest pink dress, and I gave Sonic my guitar. Aleena took it from him, told him that it was a piece of garbage barely salvaged back together with tape and glue. She threw it out right there in front of everyone. It broke my heart, but just now I found Sonic digging in the trash for it. He told me he wants to be a musician when he grows up. I told him he could do anything he put his mind to. The same thing you said to me.


Knuckles knocked twice before the door opened. He expected to see the over-talkative pika jittering from the caffeinated beverages she downed on a constant basis, but to his surprise it was not her. It was her roommate, and his basketball captain, Shade the Echidna.

"Hey you, practice isn't for another three hours." She smirked, poking him in the chest as she playfully teased him. "Or could you just not wait to see me?"

"I…I'm here for Relic's tutoring session." He stammered with a blush, eyes unconsciously rolling over the very exposing pink tanktop she wore.

"She's out with that just-as-annoying raccoon girl." The echidna girl grumbled in disgust. "Worst pairing ever."

"It doesn't surprise that she and Marine get along." Knuckles chuckled, rubbing the back of his head nervously as he forced his gaze elsewhere. "I guess I'll just go then—"

"No!" Shade whined, grabbing his wrist to pull him into her room. She shut the door behind them before pushing him over to sit on her bed. "It wouldn't kill you to hang with me somewhere other than the gym." She pouted cutely, flicking his cheek.

"Ow!" He replied to her action, cupping his cheek as she laughed. "I'm sorry I haven't been up to hanging outside of practice. I've got…girl troubles." He mumbled, thoughts wandering to his young toddler.

"I bet I could help ease your mind a bit." She mused, hand falling to his leg as it often did, only now he didn't think much of it, simply writing her off as an affectionate kind of person.

"Unless you're some sort of genie, I doubt you could."

"Maybe I am…" She purred sensually, leaning closer to him while he was distracted.

"Yeah, right."

"Just close your eyes and wish for something." She urged, making him roll his eyes before he complied jokingly to her request.

When he closed his eyes, she let a lewd smile cross her face before she got off the bed to stand in front of him. The second he opened them she was topless, straddling his lap as she tried to bring her lips closer to his. He pulled back away from her, as he forced her back gently by the shoulders.

She opened her own eyes, surprised and a bit irritated by his rejection.

"I'm not gonna screw up like this." He said aloud to himself before addressing her. "I've got a kid, and I'm trying to work it out with this girl. I should have told you and I—"

"I know." She cut him off.

"Wh-What?"

"You think I didn't do my homework?" She smirked, "You caught my eye the moment I set foot on this campus. Obviously I asked around about you."

"So if you know, why are you doing this?"

"Um, because I don't care?" She scoffed, removing his hands from her shoulders so she could lean over him. There was no room to lean back anymore, and now he laid flat on his back underneath her. She licked her full lips seductively, setting her body down on his. "When I want something, I take it. Don't worry about it. It'll be our secret…"

He blushed, feeling her bare breasts rest on his chest, and her hips rocking against him, making his jeans feel ridiculously tight. She was so tempting, every trait he ever adored in every girl he's ever been with rolled up into one person, and it didn't help that it certainly had been a long time since he'd been this… physical.

"C'mon." She instigated, bringing her lips to his ear for a sensual whisper. "I can take you to places Rouge or Julie couldn't even dream of…"

Her hand trailed down toward his zipper when she heard no protest. He'd been so stressed, and frustrated with everything going on, that he almost gave in.

Then he remembered the echidna girls he wanted so badly, that little family.

"No." He said, brushing her hand away. "I don't want to do this…"

"Really?" She rose an eyebrow, pointing to his jeans. "Because it sure doesn't look that way. C'mon, what they don't know won't hurt them."

"You clearly haven't been at this school long." Knuckles replied, standing up to walk toward the door. "Otherwise you'd know, that at Green Hill Academy nothing stays a secret."


Dear Alicia,

Aleena's infertility has had her really down. Today we went to Metropolis Sanctuary where we fell in love with this little boy. His name is Tails Prower, and he's two years old. He was born with a rare genetic mutation that produced a second tail. The lady at the desk told us it's the biggest reason why he hadn't been adopted sooner. I'll never understand why though, because that boy is special. I signed the papers without a second thought. I can't wait to bring him home to Sonia and Sonic. He's a sad orphan just like you were, and I'm hoping I could mend his broken heart the way I did you all those years ago.


In the main building, Cream had just got done loading away her books. She slammed her locker shut, but kept her hand on the little handle as she looked down at her feet. She sucked in her lips as her face burned an uncomfortable red, thinking back to the spontaneous kiss with Tails the other day.

It was like a fire ignited when their lips touched for the first time, sparking up the flame that had dwindled so drastically these last few weeks. She felt alive again, like he breathed life into her.

Then she thought of Cosmo, the girl she had come to be such good friends with, the girl she had given her blessing. She cursed herself for thinking back to that kiss so adoringly, rather than being disgusted at committing such an act of betrayal.

But she couldn't help it. She loved Tails, and she'd be lying if she told herself it felt wrong.

"Cream!" A voice called out, making her pick up her head to turn, her face still flushed red.

She blinked twice, reconfiguring the present reality in her mind as she pushed the kiss to the back of her head.

Running up to her with shoes squeaking on the tiled floor was her little locker-buddy, Ray. He waved her down until finally coming to a stop in front of her, offering her his typical kind smile.

"Ray." The rabbit greeted him kindly, "You're off the oxygen!"

"Y-Yes!" He nodded, "Nurse B-Bernie said my lungs didn't so-sound too bad anymore. So s-she let me go."

"That's great. I'm glad to see you're doing well. I missed you."

"I-I missed you too." He blushed, looking down at his feet in sorrow. "I-I'm sorry I mi-missed our date. I was go-going to make it up to you by ta-taking you to one of Vector's parties, but with no off ca-campus privileges I don't th-think he can throw one anytime soon."

"Don't worry about it." She waved in dismissal, offering him that warm, friendly smile he so desperately adored. "I'm actually feeling a lot better now."

"R-Really?" The stuttering squirrel cheered happily, "Wh-What brought the change?"

She didn't answer him, her light-brown eyes drifting off toward something behind him. He turned his head in the direction she had been staring to see Tails and Cosmo walking into the café hand-in-hand. He then turned back to the sweet rabbit girl, smile instantly falling as he recognized that look…

"We'll talk later, Ray. I've gotta go." Cream said before taking off after the kitsune, leaving a disheartened Ray to stare after her.

"I g-guess I did blow my last sh-shot…" He whispered to himself sadly before dropping his head to walk off in sorrow.

Cream chased after the seedrian and fox, finding them sitting at the table everyone usual sat at in the café. She kept her distance, taking note of how Cosmo was so oblivious to Tails' disinterest in whatever she was saying. His mind seemed to be elsewhere.

"Cream!" The green-haired girl stood up to call out with delight, waving the rabbit over. "Come sit with us!"

Tails turned to see the rabbit stroll up to the table to sit beside him, while Cosmo sat across from them with an innocent smile. The fox and rabbit immediately averted their gazes from each other in unison, dropping their eyes to their laps as awkward blushes formed on both their faces.

"I'm glad we're all finally hanging out together again." Cosmo cheered happily.


Dear Alicia,

Aleena and I got into a huge argument, and she threw me out again. Chaos, I don't know why I still try to tolerate this. I'm so unhappy. She's just so jealous and controlling. Sometimes I feel like I can't breathe around her. I have been faithful in our marriage up until this point, and believe me when I say I've tried SO hard to better myself for her. I learned my lesson when my 'player ways' costed me you. But now I think, if I couldn't give my all to the one girl I loved, why should I give it to an ungrateful woman who doesn't appreciate what I try to do for her? I gave up music and my dreams, joined the army for the family benefits, but she still wants to say I don't do enough. She makes me work too hard for her. I'm at Bernadette's tonight, and after I down this bottle, Aleena will an every reason to hate me.


In the music room, Gold and Silver sat together at the piano, their fingers brushing against keys as a beautiful melody played back to them, and they hummed together.

He told her he was an expert pianist, thanks to rigorous training from his mother as a child. She asked if he could teach her one of her favorite songs, and he obliged. So, they've been in this sound-proofed music room for hours, with not much improvement.

"I'm sorry." Gold giggled, moving her hand from the keyboard to cover her lips with her fingertips. "I'm so bad at this."

"Don't worry." He waved in dismissal, "It takes a lot of practice. You'll get it eventually."

His amber eyes crossed over her as his ears took in that heavenly laugh, more beautiful than any instrument he had ever heard. Her platinum quills that flowed to her waist and framed her face were so vibrant she almost seemed to glow. She literally looked like an angel that had taken a physical form, and her eyes were as blue and beautiful as the sky.

"Well, we've been in here for a while." She spoke up, getting up from the bench in front of the piano to walk toward the door. "My friends are probably worried about me."

"Oh, uh right! Mine too…" He lied, thinking back to his bitter farewell to the only person he was close enough to call friend.

He walked over to join her side, but immediately stopped in front of her as his eyes drifted to the top of the doorway and widened. She turned back to him with a curious look before following his up.

"What is it…" She asked, voice trailing off as a blush took over her face.

Hanging from the doorway was a plant with white berries, and a big red bow attached. A mistletoe. The seasonal decoration to force two people into an awkward situation when standing underneath.

Both of them looked back at each other with red faces, rolling their top lip over their bottom nervously.

"Who hung that there?" He mumbled shyly.

"Dunno." The tenrec chuckled awkwardly, "So…do we?"

"Well, we're supposed to…I mean, not if you don't want to of course."

"I mean, do you want to?"

"It is tradition…"

They both nodded in agreement, faces burning as red as the bow on the mistletoe before stepping closer to turn their heads. Their hearts pounded as their faces got closer and closer before finally the space between them was gone, and they kissed.

She pulled away first, gaze instantly dropping to her feet in embarrassment as she smiled.

"I'd better get back to my friends." She reiterated before turning to leave.

"S-Sure." He stammered, "I'll catch up with you later."

She waved goodbye before disappearing down the hall. He stared after her until she faded from view, raising his fingertips to his mouth, blushing as he reimaged her lips against his.

Lurking at the opposite end of the hall, was a distraught cat with pained hazel eyes that had just witnessed their holiday kiss. The purple girl was so angry and hurt, dashing out of the building in tears.

Blaze sprinted across the grassy field, sure to swerve around the condemned area by the flagpole before barging inside the boy's dorm. She took the stairs, her calves burning like fire as she ran up to the second floor and down the corridor.

She didn't think it through, too distraught to think rationally. Before it could even register with her, she had knocked on the door, and a cruel dark hedgehog had answered.

He leered down at her with a wicked grin, reptilian eyes falling over her sporty physic, and that horribly sad frown she wore.

"So you've finally come to play." He mused maliciously, gesturing her inside his dark room with a curl of his finger.


Dear Alicia,

I should be diploid any day now. I write to you from my brother's pizza shop. I took Sonia, Sonic, and Tails out to eat, and now they're playing in the kid's area. Charles warned me that I should stop writing you, but I can't. It's the closest thing I have to actually talking with you. These letters give me peace of mind amongst the chaos that I've made of my miserable life. These days the only things that make me feel content are Sonia's giggles, Sonic's big smile, and Tails' baby-blues. It makes me wonder how you're living. Are you happy with him, Alicia? Does he treat you well? Do you love him? I hope not, because I'm still waiting on you. Not that I deserve you anyway…


Strolling innocently down the hall with a textbook pressed tightly to her chest was the kind-hearted lynx girl, Nicole. She hummed sweetly to herself as she carried along to meet up with her boyfriend in the café.

However, she was forced into a slight detour when she was abruptly pulled into a closet. She was ready to scream her lungs off when the dim light came on to reveal familiar green eyes, teary and so pained.

"Shard?" She called out with such concern, holding her hands up as she inspected his sorrowful expression. "Are you alright?"

"I'm…I'm sorry about your friend." He whispered, an edge to his voice as he linked his arms around her to rest his head on her shoulder. "I wanted to be there for you, but I just haven't been my best lately…" He admitted.

She frowned, eyes glistening with tears at the mention of her deceased friend. The wounds were still fresh, but she was grateful for his condolences, and the emotion he was showing her again.

She wrapped her arms around him, returning his embrace.

"It's okay." She assured him, "I understand—"

"It's NOT okay, Nicole." He cut her off, pulling back to reveal the tears rolling off his face to her. "Nothing is okay."

"Oh, Shard." The lynx cooed sympathetically, "What happened? Was it Mina?"

He inhaled before looking back up to her with sad eyes, the concerned feeling she had for him only worsening.

"She terminated her pregnancy without telling me." Shard explained, making Nicole's eyes widen with shock. "She was afraid I'd leave her."

There was a long pause before the raven-haired girl spoke up again in her anxious tone.

"You will leave her, won't you?"

"I already have." He nodded.

"Good." The lynx girl replied, raising her hands to cup his cheeks and force his gaze to hers. "You might see yourself as a bad person, but you're one of the kindest souls I've ever met, Shard. You deserve someone who makes you happy, and will appreciate all that you strive to be, rather than berate you for things you've done."

He missed this so much. Her touch, her words, her honest green eyes. So unlike Mina's deceitful cold ones. She was like the purest, most radiant light in his dark little world. When he told Mina his heart had never once been faithful to her, he meant it, because his heart only yearned for one girl…

Nicole the Lynx.

Without even thinking, he grabbed her shoulders and crashed his lips down onto hers, making her eyes shoot open in surprise. It didn't last very long, because she immediately used all her force to push him away.

"No!" She shrieked, covering her mouth as her face flushed red. "I didn't mean me… You know I'm with, Espio." She stammered before bolting out of the closet in embarrassment.

He watched the door shut behind her with a distant stare before slamming his head against the nearby, cold, brick wall.

"I'm such a fucking idiot." He scolded himself, wiping the stream of blood running down from his forehead.


Dear Alicia,

I've been on a mission with, Vigil the Chameleon. We're scouting the borderlands of Mobius for any injured refugees from DigItaly. This war isn't looking good for anyone right now. This morning we found a small child suffering from fatal injuries. His parents were shot dead on the raft ride, and he miraculously floated the rest of the way here barely alive. We couldn't save him. I keep thinking to myself, what if that were Sonic? Or Tails? I couldn't imagine this battle crossing into our lines, I won't allow it. Captain Metal has taken it especially hard, considering he's got a son the same age as the casualty. He says he's got a plan to bring peace. Arthur and I have both agreed to accompany him into the war zone. I'm scared, but it's something I know in my heart I have to do. Pray for me.


Both Mephiles and Scourge had been running late today, leaving the gothic-styled Rosy to lean up against the black Hummer all by herself. She crossed her arms and glared down at her black boots, annoyed with being kept waiting.

She tapped her foot impatiently on the pavement, gritting her teeth, and digging her nails into her forearms as she struggled to suppress the bitter memories that haunted her in her alone time.

The urge to cut flared in the pit of her stomach, the stinging pain from her wrists persisting her to reach for the sharpened blade she kept in her back pocket at the ready.

She started to sweat, and her jaw became sore from the grinding of her teeth. Unconsciously, her shaking hand had slipped from her arm and toward her pocket, but before she could reach into it, her eyes caught sight of white sneakers stepping in front of her boots.

The pink girl instantly retracted her hand, and looked up to see Shadow staring back at her with his arms crossed.

"What do you want?" She snarled, on edge thanks to the heavy urges gnawing at her.

"I know what you do." He replied, using his eyes to gesture down to her arm. "I saw your cuts."

Her face twisted into an angry expression, red with embarrassment as she shot him an annoyed glare.

"And?" She retorted, "It's none of your business."

"You're in a bad place, and one day you might just take it too far."

"So? What if I fucking want to?" She replied angrily.

"What if I want to save you?" He countered, making her brows come together in confusion.

"Save me?" She repeated, stepping closer so that they were nose-to-nose.

"I want to save you from you…" He explained cryptically, "Before it's too late."

He returned her skeptical gaze with an assuring and stern one. Peering into her light-brown eyes felt so familiar. He recognized that rage, that sadness, that self-loathing.

"You know what? I wish you'd stop fucking following me!" She finally shouted, turning to stomp off back toward the main building. "Fuck you, and your hero-complex."

"Rosy!" He called out, making her stop to turn her head back toward him. "Why do you hate yourself so much?"

She snarled at him before turning back toward her destination, holding up her hand with middle finger extended.

He watched her go, frustrated as he reimagined her fading figure to be that of long lost Maria Robotnik. The ebony hedgehog had accepted the fact that he couldn't have saved her, but there was hope for Rosy…

1 NEW MESSAGE

Manic: Yo! Smoke sesh in the janitor's closet?

Rouge: Sorry, maybe next time.

Shadow: I'm doing something else too.

Manic: C'mon! This whole dodgy thing is getting annoying now. What the hell is up with you guys?

Rouge: Nothing.

Shadow: Nothing.

Manic: Fine, don't tell me. All I'm saying is, you better work it out soon. I can't keep smoking alone!


Dear Alicia,

We've made camp for the night. The weather here is relentless, blistering hot mornings, and freezing cold nights. This place is a full on war zone now. Buildings burned to the ground, mountains of bodies and ashes everywhere. It's hard to believe this was once such a beautiful place. Captain Metal is devastated. When I asked him why, he waited until Arthur was asleep to tell me that he is an immigrant from DigItaly. Can you believe that? I had no idea. He must want to end this war more than all of us. He's fighting his own people for the sake of a country that despises his kind. Such an honorable man, a true hero. Someone I wish I could be. I'm a horrible husband, and an absentee father, the furthest thing from honorable. But I'm out here, and it's not to please Aleena anymore. I'm here for me now, to prove to myself that I can be a better man, and one day I'll come home to you and my kids a war hero.


Manic sighed in frustration, shoving his phone back into the pocket of his orange hoodie with a grumble. The pink girl walking beside him noticed his upset demeanor and quickly brought it to attention.

"No luck on getting the triangle back together?" She asked.

"Ugh, they're both being so damn frustrating!" He whined, tugging his face as he passed his hand down it. "One minute they're giving me a speech on how important our friendship is, and the next their avoiding each other at all costs."

"What do you think's going on?" Amy asked curiously.

"I don't know." Manic groaned, "Shadow was probably shitting on her about still liking Knuckles or something."

"Well, I mean he wouldn't be wrong." The pink hedgehog huffed, crossing her arms to stick her nose up in the air. "Don't get me wrong, Knuckles is a good friend, but he's a total tool. She needs to move on."

"You're one to talk." He replied in a defensive tone, making her growl in annoyance. "Sonic's not exactly A-list boyfriend material either."

"Whatever!" She pouted before dropping her eyes to the cement they walked on, "He didn't call to apologize like you said he would last night."

"He's probably busy trying to help his old friends cope. They all grew up together with that kid ya'know." The green hedgehog explained, "With that video going around, they probably feel terrible."

"I guess, but we're his 'current' group of friends and we're all a freaking wreck right now too. I haven't seen Cream or Blaze in days, Knuckles is off doing his own thing, and Tails is always with his girlfriend."

"It's called prioritizing, Angel Face." He chuckled lightly, "They need the emotional support more than we do right now. I actually think it's pretty cool of him, to help them like this."

"Not when he puts them over us." Amy shot back, "I still can't believe he'd try to defend that girl over me AND Tails!"

"Opinions differ sometimes, that's all." The green hedgehog shrugged, "Hey, what's going on over there?" He pointed toward a bustling crowd crying out in outrage.

They both walked over curiously, noting all of the items being thrown, and the cruel remarks being made. On their tiptoes, they could see over a few heads toward the center, where the auburn-haired chipmunk had just been shoved to the ground by an upset echidna boy.

"He's dead because of you! Have you seen this?" The echidna shouted, kneeling down to shove his cellphone in her face, the horrid video playing on screen. She closed her eyes, refusing to watch another second, tears streaming down her cheeks as the crowd pelted her with objects, and the echidna shouted at her some more. "Someone did this to him, because you kicked the hornet's nest!"

With every harsh statement he screamed in her face, the crowd roared in agreement. Manic frowned, disgusted by how the LGBT students she once tried to defend were treating her like she was to blame. Amy felt bad about the public shaming, but agreed with every word the echidna boy uttered.

"Leave her alone!" A monkey shouted, emerging from the sidelines to shove the echidna away.

"Get out of my way, Ken!"

"Cobar, this isn't right. She stood up for Rotor, for you, all of you!" The monkey addressed the crowd, "She's not to blame! Why are you wasting so much energy ganging up on an innocent girl when you could all put this effort into finding the real sick bastards who did this? The ones in that video!"

Just when Cobar and the crowd lowered their hands and began to have a change of heart, that malicious darkling shoved his way to the front of the crowd to point an accusing finger at Ken.

"Don't listen to him!" Eclipse roared to the crowd, "He's trying to distract you from something you already know! I know for a fact that it was her speech that pissed off half the school! She killed your friend."

He grinned evilly when the hype of the crowd stirred up again, his intentions solely on redirecting their attention off of him and his friends.

They shouted more aggressively this time, some charging at the chipmunk with angry fists raised. Things appeared to get increasingly violent, forcing Manic to pull Amy off to the side in fear of her safety.

Angry bodies closed in on the chipmunk lying on the sidewalk. Her heart began to race as her anxiety spiked. Her monkey friend tried his best to keep people at bay by shoving them back, but there were too many coming from every which direction.

"What are they gonna do to her?" Amy whispered nervously.

"C'mon, we gotta go tell Zonic!" Manic replied, grabbing her hand to pull her back toward the main building.

Just before they could make a break for it, the sound of horrid screams rang in their ears, coaxing them into turning back to look at the angry crowd. People in the crowd were dropping like flies, accompanied by a loud striking sound.

Soon a pathway was manually created after people dispersed and stepped away in fear of getting struck with a skateboard. Once the way was cleared, wheels hit the cement and rolled furiously down the path.

Amy and Manic both watched from the sidelines as Scourge emerged to the center, scooping the auburn-haired girl up off the ground and into his arms.

To everyone else, it all happened so suddenly with little time to even register she had disappeared, but for Manic it was like slow motion. He watched through as the other green hedgehog tightened his grip on the chipmunk, taking note of that blissful expression he wore with her in his arms.

"He's in love with her you know." Amy huffed bitterly, a bit of jealousy in her tone.

"No he's not…" Manic replied, watching the hedgehog on the skateboard until he disappeared from view.


Dear Alicia,

Do you remember our first kiss? When we were accidentally locked in the detention room and forgotten. I asked you if you'd ever been kissed before, and you said no one would dare ask such a thing of you because you were so intimidating. I told you I wasn't intimidated in the slightest, and you gave me that terrifying glare in response. I stepped up to you anyway, wrapped my arms around your waist and pulled you in for your first kiss. It's one of the many memories that keeps me going out here in these wastelands. Aside from Sonia, Sonic, and Tails, you give me something to strive to come home for. I promised myself that whenever this mission is over, I'm leaving the military, I'm divorcing Aleena, and I'm gonna do everything in my power to find you…


Scourge had rode his stolen skateboard all the way to the school parking lot, where he gently placed Sally in the backseat of his car before getting in the driver's seat to pull the car out of the lot. Sally cried silently as the vehicle bounced over the gravel of the single dirt road.

After getting some much needed distance from the school, the green hedgehog pulled over to the side and turned off the engine. He looked back over his shoulder, a sympathetic expression on his face as he watched the chipmunk lay on her stomach and cry into her folded arms.

He got out of the driver's side to open the back door. After a bit of shifting and maneuvering, he managed to slide in behind her in a spooning position.

Normally, she would have freaked at such close contact, but she was too distraught over the misguided anger. Her entire back was pressed up to his front, with his hand stroking her shoulder in a comforting motion.

His vibrant blue eyes grazed over her frame, her shoulders jumping up as she let out low sobs. He couldn't see her face, but he could imagine the tears sliding off her cheeks, upsetting him greatly.

She shuddered a bit when she felt his arms snake around her stomach and his face nuzzle into the crook of her neck, but she didn't try to break free from his hold, desperately needing the comfort he offered.

This window of opportunity was grand. She was emotional weak, and definitely had her guard down enough to be taken advantage of. They were all alone in the back of his car, far from school grounds with her body already pressed so tightly against his.

But he didn't try anything…

He just held her for hours as she cried in the dark, neither of them uttering a word the entire time.

Eventually, the sun dipped behind the horizon, and the moon emerged from the dark clouds. It had gotten incredibly late, and thanks to the new curfew they were probably in for some big trouble whenever they decided to return.

Now the two sat up. The chipmunk had edged away from him, staring at her shoes in the dark with an embarrassed blush on her face from him seeing her so vulnerable…again. He had sparked a joint, and was exhaling a cloud of smoke when he caught her curious gaze from the corner of his eye.

"What?" He asked, popping the stick back into his mouth.

"We talked about—"

"I know what we talked about." He cut her off quickly, not wanting to entertain the topic at all.

"So why do you keep doing this?" The auburn-haired girl asked in an irritated tone, "Why do you keep coming to my rescue anyway?"

"Because…" He began, pulling the joint out of his mouth to turn his head to meet her with sincere, honest, breathtakingly blue eyes. "When I look at you…I see everything I've ever wanted…"

Her blush worsened, the tense features of her face easing up into a much shyer expression. She turned away, making him chuckle a bit.

"W-We should go back." She stammered shyly, "We're going to get in trouble."

"What's the rush if we're already late?" He shrugged, taking another hit. "Besides, you don't look ready to go back and face those fags."

"Don't call them that, its offensive." She corrected him sharply, turning back to give him a stern look.

"Fine, I guess 'idiots' would be a more appropriate term for the way they've been acting anyway." The green hedgehog rolled his eyes, "All the shit they're giving you for making that kid a target, but not looking for the pricks who took aim and fired at that target. Like seriously, why the hell hasn't anyone arrested that Jet fucker? He did threaten the kid in broad daylight a few times."

"The people in the video were wearing masks. No one wants to go around accusing people like a witch hunt." Sally explained in a stressed tone.

"But they're pretty quick to burn you at the stake." Scourge countered, making her frown.

"I did put him in a dangerous position, with all the homophobes on campus I should have known better." Tears began brimming her sapphire eyes again, irritating the hedgehog.

She closed her eyes to push the tears out, and as soon as she did his index finger was at her cheek, wiping them away. The auburn-haired girl opened her eyes to look back at him in confusion.

"Hermoso, incluso cuando ella está llorando. (Beautiful, even when she is crying.)" He sighed, the back of his hand resting adoringly on her cheek as he gazed down into those familiar sapphire eyes…

INCOMING CALL

Before anything else could come of the moment, her phone went off, and she immediately broke their staring contest to retrieve it from the pocket of her blue hoodie.

"Hello?" She called out to the speaker.

"SALLY?! Holy fuck! Where the hell are you?"

"Sonic? What's going on?"

Scourge grimaced in disgust upon hearing the name of his blue enemy, easing what little remained of the joint back into his mouth as he watched her turn away with a blush to whisper harshly into her phone.

"Where the hell are you?!" The blue hedgehog bellowed through the speaker in panic, "Its four hours past curfew, and your mom is freaking out! Officers all over campus are looking for you!"

"I'm fine." She assured him, "I just…decided to go on a late night walk and forgot the time."

"Forgot the time?" He repeated anxiously, "It's pitch black out!"

"I'm sorry." She apologized.

"I'll meet you there in ten minutes. Don't go anywhere."

"Meet me where?"

"The lake!" He said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Where the hell else would you be?"

She looked over her shoulder at the green hedgehog flicking his joint out the other window before turning back toward her phone.

"Right." Sally agreed before hanging up the call.

Then she opened the door on her side, and got out of the car. Her hair picked up with the cold wind that nipped at her nose, the night being so dark she could barely see through the trees.

"Get back in." Scourge called out to her, "I'll drive you back."

"I'm not going back." She turned around to shoot him a half-smile, "I'm gonna go for a walk."

"Through the forest? At midnight? Hell no. Get back in."

"Sorry." She apologized, leaping into the dense forest as she waved him goodbye. "I'll see you around."

Before he could protest, or hop out of the backseat to chase after her, she had already disappeared into the darkness. He sighed heavily to himself before hopping over to the front seat.

Sally darted through the forest. Bare branches whipped across her body as she pushed through, hands out to shield her face from the jagged tree branches. Thanks to countless visits to the beautiful lake, she could easily get there with her eyes closed, making this dark running a bit easier.

About twenty minutes later, she finally broke through the tree lining, and fell into the grassy plains by the lake. She sighed heavily, wondering how in the world the blue speedster could possibly find running to be a fun leisure activity.

She rubbed her forehead as she stood back up from the ground in a bit of a daze. Shortly after, she heard the crunching of twigs behind her before a pair of arms were thrown around her and pulled her in to a tight embrace.

It was dark, the fireflies long gone for the winter. What the moon offered wasn't much, but just enough to allow her squinting eyes to see the outline of a blue hedgehog.

"Sonic?" She questioned, brows coming together in confusion as she listened to the light sniffles escape him and felt the shakiness of his body.

"You idiot." He scolded her in a harsh tone, clutching the back of her hoodie tighter as he gritted his teeth and lightly sobbed over her shoulder. "When they said they couldn't find you… I was so fucking worried that you might have done something to yourself!"

"I didn't mean to worry anyone." The chipmunk replied, pulling away from his lung-crushing embrace to drop her gaze to the ground. "I just…needed to get off campus for a little while."

Sonic frowned, remembering how horribly people had been treating her over Rotor's death. He put a comforting hand to her cheek, ushering her to look back up at him. His jade eyes full of sincerity, and his heart on his sleeve.

"I'm so sorry. About everything you're going through, Rotor's death, and just not being there enough for you."

"It's okay, Sonic."

"No it's not." He shook his head, resting both hands on her shoulders while he kept her gaze. "Rotor died before I ever got the chance to apologize for the way I left them hanging, and when they said you were missing I was afraid…. Afraid that I wouldn't get the chance to tell you that I think I love you."

"You…You what?" She stammered, completely taken aback by his confession.

"I love you, Sally." He rephrased, nodding his head in agreement with his words.

Her bottom lip trembled, mouth slightly agape in surprise accompanied by a deep tint of red to her cheeks. The clouds moved over slightly, allowing the moon to shine down on them like a spotlight, the grass swaying with the wind, and the lake shimmering beautifully behind them.

He moved his hands from her shoulders back up to her face, fingers locking around the legs of her glasses before he slowly inched them off her face. For a brief moment, he winced at her scarred face on instinct, the mass of tiny gashes around her eyes looked gruesome, and probably painful once.

She caught this, and felt a wave of embarrassment and shame wash over her, biting her lip to fight back shameful tears. He tossed her glasses to the grass before putting his hands back to her cheeks, aware of her insecurity.

"You're beautiful…" He whispered to her, slowly closing the gap between them.

It would have been a beautiful and blissful moment for the both of them, if only the pink hedgehog wasn't lingering in the back of his mind…


Dear Alicia,

We've been captured. I think this'll be my final letter to you. Our execution has been set for dawn. We've each been locked away in separate cells, beaten ruthlessly and unfed. Aleena is a strong woman, I know she'll go on just fine, and my kids are probably better off not knowing me. So I should be at peace with this, but I'm not. There's one unresolved thought trapped in my head that just won't escape me. Something that won't allow me to let go, and it's the thought of you.

If tomorrow never comes, will you know how much I loved you? How badly I wish I could go back in time and change things?

Please, if by some miracle you read this I want you to go back to the lake and fish out our rings. Rest them on my coffin in tribute to another promise I just couldn't keep to you…

Forever Yours,

Jules the Hedgehog


So much romantic drama, not even just amongst the teens either. Locke having late night drinks with his ex-wife, Lara-Le. Alicia reading twenty year old love letters from her first love, Jules. This engagement is sure as hell being put to the test.

Speaking of Jules' letters, there's a lot of interesting information in them. And if you look hard enough, you might find something quite strange about them...

Also just a reminder, the story as of right now is still set in December, about a week and a half before Christmas and vacation yet it has not snowed.

Next Time On Green Hill Academy!

Espio vs. Shard!

Little Lara-Su makes a new friend

Maybe not the 'sexy playboy' type like his brother, but Manic proves he can be just as charming in his own way

Mephiles is out for fresh blood, another depressed toy for his collection of characters to amuse himself with, and he's got his eyes on one yellow-striped hedgehog

Amy and Shadow are put in a compromising position

And so much more!