Chapter 12: Making His Exit
Before I knew it, morning arrived already. The blaring noise from my alarm woke me up, but apparently it wasn't loud enough to wake Sonic up. I looked over his bed and noticed that it was mostly messy. The bed sheet and his blanket were all over the place. I'm guessing he must've rolled around a lot in his sleep. He was still snoring loudly, and… eww, is he drooling on the pillow? Gross. But… I guess he couldn't help it. No big deal. We'll just chuck it into the laundry basket later on.
In the meantime, I got up, without disturbing Sonic, and hit the shower. That was also when I noticed that my left arm felt a whole lot better now. I could move it without any problems at all, which is good news. Guess I won't be needing the sling anymore. Maybe I'll keep it though, seeing that it has my friends' signatures all over. Anyway, after that nice shower, I went back to my room to find Sonic finally awake, although he… still looked half-asleep. Y'know, eyes droopy, long face and all that, haha… so, I told him to take a shower and get dressed before coming downstairs for breakfast.
While Sonic's doing that, I went downstairs and over to the dining table. Mom made Sonic and I pancakes with butter and maple syrup. She said she made them especially for Sonic before he goes back home, and lemme tell you: they smell good. I bet Sonic's really gonna like it. And as it turned out, a few minutes later, he came down and quickly ran over to the table once he saw what was for breakfast. After thanking my mom, he dug in and so did I. In the middle of it all, I talked to Sonic again.
"Hey, where's your jacket?"
"In my bag. Why?"
"You're not wearing it?"
"Of course not. You said I gotta cut my ties with those guys, right? So, I gotta stop wearing their team jacket. It's their colors."
"Oh wow… well, okay. That's cool. But… you sure you're not cold with just your t-shirt on? I might have a spare jacket you can use."
"Wow, you sure? That'd be great. Thanks a bunch, man."
"No problem. I'll go look for it in the closet after this."
So, after finishing our plateful of pancakes, I went back into my room to look for the spare jacket. After some time searching, I found a dark blue hoodie that had "MU" written on the front. I think that stands for Mobius University? But… that's weird. I forgot when my parents got me this hoodie, to be honest… or maybe it's Dad's but somehow ended up in my closet? I dunno. But it fits on Sonic quite well. I asked Mom about the hoodie and… strangely enough, she had no idea whose it is either. But I guess that means I could just give it away to Sonic. I'm fine with my favorite red flannel shirt, anyway. He looked really comfy wearing it too.
Anyway, after giving Sonic the hoodie, we walked together to the bus stop whilst chatting again.
"So you made some friends here on your own, huh? That's great, man. Looks like my lil' buddy's finally all grown up," Sonic said.
"Lil' buddy? Hah… that's a name I haven't heard in years. But… I think you're gonna have to drop it. I mean, I'm 15 now. And you're like, only 2 years older than me."
"So? Doesn't change the fact you're still younger than me, eh lil' buddy?"
Sonic then ruffled my bangs while he chuckled to himself. I chuckled back too. Now, I know this might sound weird, but… I kinda enjoy having Sonic rub my head. He did that to me a lot when we were kids, so I guess that's why I grew to liking it. But… come on, I'm not a kid anymore.
"Hahaha… come on dude, knock it off," I said while brushing his hand off my head and fixing my fur. "Anyway, about my new friends, you and your gang have been bullying them a lot, right? So I think you owe them an apology too."
Sonic suddenly got nervous. "O-oh… y-you're right. But… what if they don't accept?"
"Don't worry, I'll help convince them if needed. Maybe if they won't listen to you, they'll at least listen to me."
Minutes later, the bus came. We got on, and somehow, I could sense that everyone on the bus went silent as they eyed both of us and started murmuring to themselves. But I guess that makes sense. It must be weird seeing two people who just had a big fight suddenly walking and chatting together the next week. Anyway, we both took our seats at the empty row behind Charmy and Cream. They both then turned around to peek their heads behind their seats.
"Tails!? W-what are you doing sitting with him!? And talking to him too!?" Charmy said.
"Yeah! Is he making you do this!?" Cream added.
"Guys, calm down. Lemme explain. So, long story short, we had a long talk yesterday and Sonic here just had a change of heart. He's on his way to being the good guy I've always known back in our hometown. Isn't that right, Sonic?"
"Y-yeah… hey guys…" Sonic said while… awkwardly waving to them. They looked at each other for a moment before Charmy went:
"…yeah… sure… Tails, you sure this isn't some kinda trick?"
"Yeah! This guy's a perverted creep, you know! You should stay away from him!" Cream added.
Oh boy. She must be referring to the time when Sonic and the gang sexually harassed her and Blaze. And that really got him cornered. He suddenly lost all his composure whilst trying to avoid eye contact with the other two.
"A-aah! Th-that, uhh… I… umm…"
Well… that can't be good. Time to back him up.
"Guys, please. Give him a chance. I know he's done lots of terrible things. At first, I was mad at him too for it, but… I'm willing to put it all behind because Sonic's also willing to change. In fact, he's planning to quit the football team so he won't have to hang out with the rest of those bullies anymore, even though he worked hard to become the team's captain and quarterback. He's that committed, you guys."
"Y-yeah, that's… right…" Sonic said… unsurely? Hmm… I guess he's still embarrassed with being confronted about his past mistakes. I get that.
"Also, you guys need to understand that there's a reason he's been acting like this, and that's-"
"DUDE! Don't tell 'em that! I told you it's already embarrassing enough for you to know!" Sonic butted in.
"O-oh… right. Sorry. How about you tell them, then?"
"Alright… look, I've… umm… been having problems back at home. I've-"
"Hang on, what kinda problems?" Charmy butted in.
"W-well… the kinda problems that lead to… this," Sonic said while pointing to his black eye, which slightly healed last night but could still be faintly seen. "Let's just say that… someone in my family, who's supposed to be protective and supportive of me, has been doing this to me. Almost every night."
Charmy and Cream responded with a gasp. Looks like they got the message.
"So… yeah, that… got me into hanging out with the wrong kinds of people. I bullied others so I could vent out my frustration over… all of this. I was pretty stupid back then. And angry too. I've made lots of bad decisions and… I regret all of them. But I wanna change. I really do. Just like Tails said, I'm ready to give up my hard-earned place on the team and cut my ties with the other jocks. So… how about it, guys? Can you… umm… forgive me?" Sonic said as he offered his hand to Charmy.
"…well… okay…" Charmy said as he shook Sonic's hand.
"Ah, that's great. Thank you so much."
And with that, Sonic began chatting with Charmy and Cream, and getting to know them better. It might take some more time before they really warm up to him though, but for now, I think Sonic just made a huge progress towards his change.
Minutes later, we got off the bus. Charmy and Cream walked on my left while Sonic walked on my right. I'm guessing they're still trying to distance themselves from him, but I can understand why. Like I said, it's gonna take some time before they warm up to Sonic.
"Hey… come to think of it, after I quit the football team, that means I won't have any afterschool activities, right?" Sonic said to me.
"Hmm… you're right. Oh, I know! You can join me at the tech club!"
But… Charmy was quick to reject the idea. "What!? But Tails, he's not even into computers! Or technology! I don't think he'll fit in!"
"Hey come on, don't be like that. So what if he isn't into computers? You guys weren't interested in those things either when I asked you to join. And besides, these days, don't you feel like all we do is just… hang out? And not talk about computers and all that stuff? So come on, like I said, give him a chance. We're probably the only close circle he'll ever have once he quits the team."
"Well… fine. But let's just ask Silver first."
"Uhh… who's Silver?" Sonic asked.
"He's head of the tech club. And speaking of the guy, there he is. Hey, guys!"
I waved at Silver who was waiting near the entrance while talking to Blaze. And… yeah, they were pretty surprised too to see Sonic walking with me. But Blaze had more of this sorta… mixed expression between fear and anger on her face.
"Tails? W-what on earth is he doing with you!?" Silver asked, pointing to Sonic.
"Well, long story short, we-"
*SMACK*
Before I could say another word, Blaze walked past me and slapped Sonic hard on his face. That caught me off guard. He stumbled back and nearly fell down because of it.
"OW! What did I do!?" Sonic shouted at her.
"You know well what you did to me! And after all that, you still have the nerve to come near my friends!?"
"Guys! Please! Settle down!" I tried getting between them, but they still shouted at each other.
"Okay! Fine! I'm sorry! For everything I did! But did you really have to slap me that hard!?"
"What do you mean!? Of course I have to! And I can! You deserve it for being such a dirty-minded sicko! And-"
Outta nowhere, Knuckles and his usual pair of posses showed up and butted into Sonic's and Blaze's argument.
"There ya are. Late again, huh? And what the hell ya doin' with these dorks?" Knuckles said.
"Yeah, ya tryna have some fun with 'em? This early in the mornin' too? Save some for us, man," Vector said.
"O-oh, right. Sorry, I was-"
Hey! I thought he said he was gonna quit! So, I cleared my throat to remind him what he actually needed to say. And surely enough, he got the hint.
"Y'know what? No. I'm not trying to "have fun" with 'em. If anything, I'm done "having fun" with other people. You guys are a bunch of scumbags who like to torment weak kids 'cause you're all compensating for something. I shoulda seen that earlier."
Ah, now that's more like it. Sonic said all that as he walked up to them while the rest of us watched behind him.
"Oh, whoop-dee-doo, now he tells us. Don'tcha remember that talk we had? Ya seriously wanna go back to being a dorkwad defender?" Knuckles said. Yup. He said it. Sonic's number one hated word. Thankfully, that wasn't enough to break him.
"Y-yeah. And… I don't care what you're gonna call me for it. What you guys are doing is messed up and as long as I'm here, I won't let you bother these guys again. Oh, and another thing: I… *gulp* I quit." Sonic reached into his bag to pull out his folded letterman and shoved it onto Knuckles' chest. "Someone else can have this stinkin' jacket. Screw you and the team. You're all jock trash and somebody oughtta put you in your place someday."
"The hell's gotten into ya, man!? Ya know how pissed Coach is gonna be when he hears this!?" Vector said.
"So? Screw him too. He can always find some other "feckless maggot" to replace me. Just like what he always says, right? If so, tell 'em to do it, then. I'll be glad to know this other maggot's willing to take this burden off of me."
"Bro, you really have lost it, huh?" Jet said, before he laid his eyes on Sonic's new hoodie. "By the way, where'd you get that MU hoodie, huh? You too eager to go there or something?"
"Yeah, and what happened to that athlete's scholarship ya were gonna take, huh? Ya just gonna throw that away?" Knuckles added.
Immediately I could notice Sonic tensing up after that. But I was shocked too! I mean, an athlete's scholarship!? He didn't tell me anything about that! If I had known about it, then maybe I would've reconsidered telling him to quit the football team! This could be his way into the highest ranked university all around! Is he seriously gonna give that up just for… me!? Aww no… I shouldn't have said all those things yesterday… I might be responsible for ruining Sonic's future…
But… Sonic looked back to me for a moment with this… really unsure expression on him before eventually sighing and saying…
"…yeah. I'm givin' it up. It's not like that's my only way to MU, anyway."
"Oh, so you're gonna take the test? What, a guy like you? Hah! Yeah, right. Keep dreamin', dude. You never were the brightest in class, you're an idiot. You even need this dork to do all your homework for you," Jet said while pointing at me, to which I said "Hey!"
"Now come on, stop wastin' your time with these losers," Jet continued.
"How about you guys get lost, huh!? Before I make you all," Sonic shook his fist at them.
"Jeez, fine… y'know, ya coulda had it all as QB and team captain. All the chicks, the fame, the scholarship… and you'd rather be with your freak boyfriend? Pfft. Whatever. Your loss, moron," Vector said before walking away.
"Yeah, man. You just flushed your entire high school life down the drain," Jet added before following Vector.
"Yeah. And don't come cryin' to us when ya got your rejection letter, nerd lover," Knuckles added before finally joining the others.
After they all made themselves scarce, Sonic turned around and just… sighed in defeat. But… I can understand how he feels.
"Well… there goes 3 years of my high school life… and an opportunity for a better future…" Sonic lamented.
Seeing him all gloomy like that, I went up to him to put my hand on his shoulder and try and comfort him.
"Hey. I just wanna say thank you. I mean it. Thank you very much. What you just did back there took guts. And I'm proud of you. But… why didn't you tell me about the scholarship in the first place?"
"Oh yeah, that… I, uhh… forgot, to be honest. I gotta admit, the moment I heard Knuckles mention that, I nearly lost it. I… actually considered going back to them, but… then I remembered that I only knew about this whole scholarship thing months after I got in the team. It wasn't the main reason I joined. It was still about me wanting to be one of the "cool kids." So, in the end, I picked you. I guess it's the right thing to do, but… still, I dunno how to feel…"
"You should feel good about yourself. That was definitely the right thing to do." I then looked to my friends who are probably still doubtful about Sonic. "You see, guys? He just sacrificed his gateway to MU for me, for all of us too. If that didn't convince you that he's serious about trying to change, then I don't know what will. So please, give him a chance."
All four of them looked at each other, murmuring and nodding their heads. Well… save for Blaze, who had her arms crossed and a disapproving expression still on her face. The rest of them talked to her for a while before she eventually agreed to forgive Sonic… for now, at least.
"…ugh, fine. But you're still a sicko to me."
"Sure, sure. Just know that I already said sorry," Sonic replied indifferently.
"Well… friend, consider yourself forgiven. Good to have you on our side," Silver said, offering his hand for Sonic to shake which he did firmly.
Ahh… yeah. Isn't this great? At this rate, Sonic is gonna clear up his name and clean up his act in no time. Hopefully, with him around, those bullies are finally gonna leave us alone. But… then again, I kinda doubt it. Those guys always seem to have an excuse to bother us.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, time for another reply:
"XD I know exactly how you feel about posting chapters lol
AUs are basically just the characters in a totally different life. There's this one AU story I once read about everyone in a Medieval world with a bubonic plague going around XD And it wasn't even focusing on Sonic! LOL (I seriously forgot the name of the story...)
I really wanna see Sonic's old gang ecounter with him and Tails being buddies and them they all come up to fight Sonic and he and Tails be like: "FIGHT ME!" Haha" -T3ddyBearL0ve
Thanks for the reassurance. Now, remember how I said in the last a/n that there's gonna be 3 chapters left? Well… after reading the last part of that review… I got inspired to write yet another chapter (my papers are never gonna get finished at this rate lmao). I like your idea, so expect to see it (or something similar to it) materialized in the next chapter.