DISCLAIMER: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog or any of the other characters in any of its (his?) various medias. Y'know? The comic, the three cartoons, the video games--not mine. Cheese Wizardmon just wants me to torture them. Please don't sue. Oh, and hey, I don't own Jello. Or Nerf balls. Or Mountain Dew. (Yes, they're actually mentioned in here, I'm not naming stuff at random...)
Authoress's Notes: Ah yes, back again. Since I'll be posting these all at once, there's no need to recap. So, what can I say? Uh...not much. Lotsa references to Sonic Adventure in here, particularly Station Square/NeoCity. Okay, on with the ficcy...
Finally conscious thought returned to Sonic and he realized that Sally would probably send someone out to look for him--just because she was in love with someone else and just because she was angry with him, as she undoubtedly was, didn't mean that she wouldn't be upset if he fell over a cliff or anything else equally stupid. He didn't really want to go home, but on the other hand, he didn't want to be found.
He headed back towards the open part of the Mystic Ruins, finding Tails relaxing near the waterfall.
"Yo! Tails! Let's go home on the next train!"
Tails looked up at him, and pointed to the train tracks. "The 'next train' is leaving now."
"Then let's go!"
"Isn't it a little early?"
Sonic could see that Tails hadn't finished the book he'd brought along, a book that had something to do with computers and circuitry and all that other stuff that Rotor and Tails were good at that he wasn't. "You can read it on the train," he said. "I just want to get out of here."
Tails sighed. "It's nice here..."
"I'll explain on the train."
Tails stood and flew up to Sonic, and they both headed for the train. "Fine...this had better be good..."
After they had settled into seats on the train, Tails asked, "What's up, Sonic? What happened?"
"I'm not sure, Tails. I keep thinking that I'm going to wake up with you shaking me, telling me it's just a bad dream."
Tails reached over and pinched Sonic's arm.
"Ow! Hey, what was that...oh, thanks. Damn, it's real!" Sonic crossed his arms and looked out the window, avoiding Tails' gaze.
"What's real?!"
"You're not going to believe it."
"Just tell me!"
Sonic could tell that Tails thought that this was one of those things that everyone considered him "too young" for. Sonic hated to make Tails feel that way. "Fine. Sally dumped me."
Tails' eyes widened. "Sally...dumped...you?"
"Yeah, and for Antoine of all people!"
"Antoine...?" A horrified expression crossed Tails' face. "Antoine over you...? What was she thinking?"
"I wish I knew, Tails. I wish I knew."
~*~
They were silent throughout the rest of the train trip. From the station they walked--well, ran and flew, respectively--back to the apartment they shared with E-102 Gamma.
Sonic loved the city. It hadn't been very hard to make the decision to move to NeoCity with Tails. It beat Knothole any day, and Mobotropolis was so different after they cleaned up Eggman's mess, it was nothing like the Mobotropolis Sonic remembered from when he was a kid. Good thing the evil doctor was no longer evil.
But NeoCity--NeoCity was different. You could *feel* the energy pulsating throughout NeoCity. Things were always in a rush. Everyone was constantly moving. The people were loud, sometimes a little rude, and never slowed down.
It was Sonic's kind of town.
The apartment building wasn't far from the train station, it was in the next square, right by City Hall, across from the Burger Shop, and over a small gift shop that specialized in Faberge Chao eggs. (A/N: Anyone who's played Sonic Adventure will know what I'm talking about.)
The pair climbed the stairs and entered the apartment. It was fairly spacious, and the rent was cheap, due to the noise. What the landlord didn't realize was that Sonic and Tails could sleep through nearly anything, and E-102 didn't sleep, and when they were awake, they *liked* the noise and the bustling.
"E! We're home!" Sonic called.
"I am in the living room." E-102 was sentient, but his mannerisms were still like that of a robot. No contractions in his speech, perfect grammar. He was learning slang but it sounded kind of funny coming from him.
"'Kay!" Tails said. He went into the living room himself. "Ooh, documentary..."
"I'll start dinner," Sonic yelled. No answer, but he started anyway.
He pulled some hot dogs out of the freezer and buns out of the breadbox and started chili on the stove. It wasn't the world's most difficult meal, or the world's prettiest meal, but it *was* the world's tastiest meal.
Tails came in about fifteen minutes later and started digging through some of the cabinets.
"Whatcha lookin' for, Tails?"
"Oh, I just realized that I wanted something sweet to snack on later and I remembered that we had some Jello powder somewhere in here..."
Sonic nodded. "Oh. Try the cabinet way on the end."
Tails did. "Paydirt!"
Sonic went into his room while the chili cooked and let Tails fix his own Jello. Tails might try to talk Sonic out of Jello later since he hadn't helped, but Sonic already had the ammunition of the fact that Tails hadn't helped with the chili dogs.
He flopped back on his bed. There was a Nerf ball within his reach on the desk, and he grabbed it and tossed it casually towards the hoop hanging on the back of the door.
Airball. Perfect airball.
And he didn't even care.
Sonic began to do something he didn't do often--think deep thoughts about emotions and relationships.
He knew he'd never really get along with Antoine now, but they had never really gotten along to begin with, so there was no great loss there.
Sally--she still wanted to be friends, but he wasn't sure he could be around her and not think of her that way. He'd lay low for a while, until he got it sorted out in his mind.
But what was he supposed to *do* in the meantime? Find a new girl? Even the thought hurt. But, on the other hand, he couldn't just sit around in his room, moping the days away.
Boresville!
The only thing to do was start going out and doing stuff. Run around the city and do anything that looked interesting. Video arcades. Maybe the casino. Go swim in the hotel's pool. Twinkle Park. Anything to keep from thinking about Sally!
"Hey, Tails?" Sonic shouted down the hall. Amazing how few conversations in this house actually took place face-to-face.
"Yeah?"
"You wanna hang out tomorrow? E, too!"
"Where?"
"Anywhere!"
"I guess so...hey, I think the chili's ready!"
Sonic came back to the kitchen. "Smells like it." He got out two plates and fixed several chili dogs for both of them. E-102 came out from the living room. Even though he didn't eat, he sat at the table to be sociable.
Tails began chowing down immediately, but Sonic ate slowly.
"What are you thinking about, Sonic?" E-102 asked.
"Oh, nothing..."
"Sally dumped him for Antoine," Tails informed him.
Sonic normally would have been upset, but E-102 was going to find out about it sooner or later, and it might as well be sooner. Besides that, Sonic didn't really care about much of anything anymore. "So, Tails, E, are we on for tomorrow?"
"Sure, Sonic," Tails agreed. "But where do you want to go?"
"Video arcade?" Although he'd never quite gotten the hang of computers, Sonic had always been good with video games.
"Sounds great. Hey, are you gonna eat that?" Tails pointed to the five chili dogs left on Sonic's plate.
Sonic stuffed the last bite of the one dog he'd managed to eat into his mouth. "Help yourself."
"Thanks!" Tails piled the chili dogs on his plate, oblivious to the idea that something had to be wrong with Sonic not to eat them himself. Even if the thought had crossed his mind, he would have known what was wrong.
Finally, Tails polished off his meal. "Time for Jello!" He headed for the kitchen.
Sonic brightened. Maybe a little Jello couldn't hurt. "Bring me some, too, 'kay?"
"You didn't help me with it!"
"You didn't help with the chili dogs, and you ate way more than I did!"
"Oh, all right..."
Tails came back with two bowls of Jello and sat one in front of Sonic. Sonic frowned. "Is it supposed to be that color?"
"I think it was supposed to be a little darker green. I might have used a little too much water. I'm sure it still tastes okay, though..."
"Green? It had better be lime."
"It is." Tails watched him expectantly.
Sonic shrugged and stuck his spoon into it. It went in a little bit too easily for comfort. When he lifted his spoon out, greenish water dripped from it. He raised an eyebrow, but put it in his mouth anyway.
He spat it out immediately, fortunately landing it back in his bowl. "Gah! Tails! That's nasty!"
"What?"
"It tastes like flat Mountain Dew. Gross..."
Tails took a bite and pulled his own spit take. "You're right. This is worthless. Definitely too much water. Rats." Tails took both the bowls to the kitchen, and Sonic could hear him pouring the barely set Jello down the drain.
Would nothing go right today?
~*~
"Ha! 500 points! Oh, come on, come on, comeoncomeoncomeon...YES!" Sonic grinned. He was winning--as usual.
Tails watched in wonder. "Wow...you've gotta teach me that move, Sonic."
"Not a move, little bro, a cheat code."
Tails' eyes widened. "You use cheat codes?"
"All this one does is put more big targets up so you can rack up points faster. It doesn't do anything for your aim."
Tails scowled. Aim was not his strong point. He left his studying of Sonic and challenged E-102 to a kart-racing game.
The small video arcade, down the beach from the hotel, was one of Sonic's favorite hangouts. Video games were the only sane way he could release pent-up emotions and energy *without* running at full speed.
"Come on, don't let me down now...yes! A thousand points! 300 more points and I win...ooh, I think that's worth 500...yes! 500! High score of the day!" He entered SONICHEDGE as his name. He was pleased to see that all ten high scores on the game were listed under SONICHEDGE.
"Hey, Tails, E, check this out! I rule!"
Tails paused the game, swiveled in his chair, and looked. "I know. I found your name three or four times on the high scores of this game, too."
"Four," Sonic affirmed. "Next game!" He moved to another console.
They spent another half an hour at various games without incident.
Until, of course, Sonic heard a high-pitched giggle. One which he had learned to fear.
Looking towards the door, trying to hide behind the console, he tried to confirm his suspicions.
A group of girls had entered the video arcade. A blue duck, a dark green hedgehog, a red echidna...oh, no! Amy Rose was at the center of the group!
Sonic pressed his body to the wall. Peachy. He had to get Tails and E-102's attention, and let them know he was leaving, and maybe they'd want to come along. Amy could be quite irritating when pressing for information on Sonic's location.
"Hey, Sonic, you want to--"
"Shhh!"
Tails frowned, but lowered his voice. "What's the matter?"
Sonic's eyes darted towards the snack bar at the other end of the small building. "Amy. Here."
Tails glanced and spotted her. "I'll get E. We'll go."
Tails got E-102 and the three headed quietly for the door. They had just about made it when Sonic opened the door.
They had forgotten about the bell that jingled every time someone entered or left.
The jingling sound wasn't overpowering, but it was enough to make Amy Rose glance toward the door.
"Sonic! Hey, girls, catch ya later, okay?" She dropped some change on the counter for her soda, which she abandoned, and ran to say hello.
"Run!" Sonic said, and the trio took off at top speed.
"Where are we going?" Tails asked. He and E-102 were both able to fly and keep up with Sonic.
"Anywhere!"
They ducked around corners, dodged people, and ignored Amy's shouts until Sonic ducked inside a doorway.
The three tried to catch their breaths as the saw Amy run past the tinted glass doors.
"Now what?" E-102 asked.
Sonic looked around. "The casino...huh. That was a complete accident...but as long as we're here, we may as well kill some more time and let Amy get thoroughly lost."
"She knows her way around pretty well," Tails pointed out. "She *does* live here, after all."
"Yeah, and she lives right across the street from us. How often do we talk to her? She may be able to get back, but she won't know where *we* are."
Tails nodded.
Sonic headed for a pinball machine. He was almost as good at that as he was at video games.
After about thirty minutes, he decided that Amy was as good as gone. "E, Tails, you guys ready to go?"
Tails nodded, and the threesome headed out onto the sidewalk.
They walked about ten feet away from the door before they heard a shout. "Sonic! I knew I'd find you!"
"What are the odds?" Sonic muttered under his breath. But there Amy was, running towards them from the hotel lobby.
Tails and E-102 took off at almost the same second he did. They raced towards the stairs across the plaza and up into the train station. There wouldn't be any trains leaving for twenty minutes at the least, and they didn't have the time at that moment. Besides, the last thing Sonic wanted to do was hop on a train and end up at the Mystic Ruins that reminded him so much of Sally. "Follow me, guys!" Sonic led them out of the unusually crowded station and towards the hotel. They barely managed to get inside the glass doors before spotting Amy come out of the station.
"Sonic! Sonic? Aw, man..."
They didn't watch where she went. They didn't have time before the manager greeted Sonic. "Hello, Sonic! How have you been lately?"
Sonic smiled crookedly. "Eheh...well...we've been running around, doing this and that, you know..."
"You look tired. Why don't you go take a dip in the pool? I won't tell." He winked.
"Really?" Tails asked. He liked swimming.
Sonic pondered. Amy wasn't likely to find them at the hotel. Who would look for someone at a hotel when that someone rented an apartment just around the corner?
"Sure!"
They went outside to the pool. E-102 wasn't waterproof, so he sat at one of the tables while Sonic and Tails removed their shoes and gloves and jumped in.
Sonic floated on his back.
"Remember the day that you crashed way out at the other end of the beach?" he asked Tails.
"Yeah. That wasn't fun. Why?"
"Oh, I was just thinking that it doesn't seem like such a long time ago that we didn't know E, and we were constantly battling Eggman, and Sally was my girl..." Sonic sighed. "Why does everything I think lead to her?"
Tails shrugged and splashed him.
Sonic took it as the challenge it was and splashed back. It didn't take more than a few seconds to turn into an all-out water fight. They yelled at each other so loud they could barely hear Amy.
Amy?!
"Sonic!" She stood there in front of the automatic doors leading inside. She smiled brightly.
Sonic jumped out of the pool, dragging Tails by the wrist. "Run!"
He jumped over the small wall and into the beach water, and ran around the wall of the hotel. (A/N: Yeah, I know you can't do it in the game. So what?) E-102 followed closely, carrying their shoes and gloves. Sonic dashed as quickly as he could to the opposite end of the small plaza.
"Where are we going?" Tails managed to yell.
"Twinkle Park!"
"I thought you said that it was a cheesy theme park..."
Sonic halted as they got onto the elevator and it started its ascent. "It is...but she won't find us there...and the go-carts aren't that bad...a little slow, but not bad..."
Tails shook his head. "You know, you *could* just talk to her once in a while. Maybe she'd get off your case."
Sonic frowned.
"I think he enjoys the game of cat-and-mouse," E-102 suggested to Tails as he gave them their gloves and shoes and they began putting them back on.
"I do not!"
They got into the park and in line for Twinkle Circuit.
Sonic stared around, looking blankly at whatever his eye happened to run across.
"Whatsa matter?" Tails asked.
"I was just thinking that it's kind of ironic that I chased Amy through here once trying to save her from that robot Zero, and now I'm here trying to get away from her."
Tails laughed.
They got into three karts and sped away around the track.
"I win!" Sonic cried a few minutes later when they'd completed three loops around the course.
"No, it was Tails," E-102 said.
"Yeah, Sonic, I know I was ahead of you for a little while..."
"No way! You fell back!"
"Tails won the race," a perky voice said, "but you've won my heart, Sonic!"
Sonic froze, not wanting to take another step away from the kart track. "Amy?"
"Me again!" Amy Rose stood before the threesome, grinning.
Sonic turned to Tails and E-102. "You two, stay here, go on home, do whatever you want to do. I was hoping we could get away from her, but since we can't...bye!" Sonic vanished, kicking up dust.
Amy pouted. "Sonic!" she waved to Tails and E-102. "Bye!" She chased after Sonic.
~*~
Sonic entered the apartment at ten that night, exhausted. The TV was on.
"E?" he asked quietly.
"Shh. Tails is asleep."
"I figured."
"What happened to Amy Rose?"
Sonic slumped onto the couch. "I lost her...and I ran around for the longest time...and I ended up back here, bought a burger at the shop across the street for dinner, and I walked out the door and there she was, getting ready to go into her building over there, and the whole thing started all over...I am so sick of running from that crazy chick..."
"I believe that you enjoy running from her more than you let people think."
"I think I'm gonna go to bed..."
"Good night," E-102 said.
Sonic's sole response was a loud snore, so E-102 poked him. Sonic shook his head. "I'm going to bed." He walked off and crawled into his bed.
Somehow, even though he was tired, he couldn't drop off again. Thoughts of Annoying Amy whirled though his mind. He began to make a mental list of all the things he couldn't stand about her.
You tell a joke and forget the punchline
Why you always wastin' my time?
Before Amy, life had been...simple. She liked to talk...about nothing. Sonic couldn't understand much of her "girl talk".
Hey baby, trust me, you just disgust me
Your hair's a mess and your make-up's crusty
I don't know too many females
Who make a habit of biting their toenails
Tails had said once that Amy wasn't that bad, but Sonic thought of her that way because he didn't want to admit that maybe he'd gotten the wrong first impression, that he wasn't willing to get to know someone before he made up his mind about them.
Wo, every time you call, you drive me up the wall
She used to call a lot--"just to chat!"--until Sonic had caught on to the miracle of caller ID. He'd see her number and go over to the window and smile and wave, making motions indicating that he was busy. It was the one time she'd gotten a clue.
Honey, just the sight of you makes my flesh crawl
Any time he saw her, he ran. Anything not to be in the same room with her. He was definitely *not* in love with the girl next door.
I'm sure we'd be happy together
If only one little thing weren't true
Oh baby, I yi yi yi yi
I'm so sick of you
Maybe Tails was right; maybe she wasn't *so* bad, but he didn't want to find out--it was a pride point. He'd kept up the hate routine so long it seemed a shame to give it up--and she really did irritate him at times.
You drink the milk right from the carton
What are you, in kindergarten?
He also thought she was a little immature, but he was comparing her to Tails, who was, firstly, mature for his age, and secondly, he was a guy and Amy was a girl, obviously. There was just no comparison.
You're belchin' everywhere, foulin' up the air
Then you use my razor to shave your back hair
You don't have an ounce of class
Amy...Amy had embarrassed herself a few times trying to get to hang with Sonic. She'd do anything to be around him, even if he *didn't* like, her, which, at times, she refused to believe. Sonic found it hard to believe that she was that clueless--but he believed it anyway. As long as he thought she was that stupid, there was a reason to avoid her.
You're just one big pain in the neck
How much more can I take now, give me a break now
You even snore when you're wide awake now
He wasn't sure that living in the perfect place was worth being right across the street from her. Of course, the fact that she was right across the street made the fact that the place *was* perfect debatable.
You tell all your friends we're the perfect couple
It also irritated Sonic that a few times she had told other people that she was his girlfriend. He'd never said anything to that effect; certainly never asked her to be such.
Well, maybe you should get a clue
'Cause baby, I yi yi yi yi
I'm so sick of you
Baby, you're so nauseatin'
I yi yi yi yi
I'm so sick of you
Basically, he couldn't stand her. Pretty much everything you could say about her, he could figure out some way to make it seem irritating.
And when you softly call my name
It's like I'm listenin' to a squeaky chalk sound
Her voice was irritating--but in a way, it was the one good thing about her. Since she never shut up, he could always hear her coming--usually in time to get away.
And when you look at me that special way
It's hard for me to keep my lunch down
She tried her best, he had to give her that. However, most of her efforts to attract him did just the opposite.
And when you ask me what I'm thinkin' honey, usually I'm thinkin'
How I'd really like to tie your head completely up in duct tape
So I wouldn't have to listen to you asking me those stupid questions
over and over again
When she tried to talk to him, he just blew her off. He had better things to do...like clean the toilet...channel-surf...eat Tails' nasty Jello...
Well, that disgusting noise you make when you laugh
Gives me a throbbing migraine
(Can't stand you, I just can't stand you)
Until you came along I never dated anyone
This low on the food chain
(Can't stand you, I just can't stand you)
He hated to be around her. Sometimes there were place functions where he had to be around her, though--with her being distantly related to the royal family, she was always invited to the big functions and balls and such. He grimaced, being reminded of Sally again.
You've got inhuman body odor
You've got the hair of a boxing promoter
Yeah, your teeth are all yellow, your butt's made of Jell-O
You wake up in a puddle, droolin' on your pillow
He didn't think she was pretty, either. He tried *not* to think about how pretty Sally was, and focused on Amy. In truth, she *was* pretty, there had been an idea once that she was going to turn out being a model. She still could, probably, if she wanted to.
I hate the way you crack your knuckles
I hate your whiny loser girlfriends too
He couldn't stand her little clique, either. If being immature and annoying was a profession, she was learning the trade from her friends.
But mostly I yi yi yi yi
I'm so sick of you
Really now, you're aggravatin'
I yi yi yi yi
I'm so sick of you
Not to mention irritatin'
I yi yi yi yi
I'm so sick of you
Well, now won't you give my best regards to Satan
I yi yi yi yi
I'm so sick of you
I'm so sick of you
I'm so sick of you
I'm so sick of you
You make me sick
In a nutshell...
He couldn't stand that girl!
A/N: Ah, yes...denial is more than a river in Egypt...
Authoress's Notes: Ah yes, back again. Since I'll be posting these all at once, there's no need to recap. So, what can I say? Uh...not much. Lotsa references to Sonic Adventure in here, particularly Station Square/NeoCity. Okay, on with the ficcy...
Finally conscious thought returned to Sonic and he realized that Sally would probably send someone out to look for him--just because she was in love with someone else and just because she was angry with him, as she undoubtedly was, didn't mean that she wouldn't be upset if he fell over a cliff or anything else equally stupid. He didn't really want to go home, but on the other hand, he didn't want to be found.
He headed back towards the open part of the Mystic Ruins, finding Tails relaxing near the waterfall.
"Yo! Tails! Let's go home on the next train!"
Tails looked up at him, and pointed to the train tracks. "The 'next train' is leaving now."
"Then let's go!"
"Isn't it a little early?"
Sonic could see that Tails hadn't finished the book he'd brought along, a book that had something to do with computers and circuitry and all that other stuff that Rotor and Tails were good at that he wasn't. "You can read it on the train," he said. "I just want to get out of here."
Tails sighed. "It's nice here..."
"I'll explain on the train."
Tails stood and flew up to Sonic, and they both headed for the train. "Fine...this had better be good..."
After they had settled into seats on the train, Tails asked, "What's up, Sonic? What happened?"
"I'm not sure, Tails. I keep thinking that I'm going to wake up with you shaking me, telling me it's just a bad dream."
Tails reached over and pinched Sonic's arm.
"Ow! Hey, what was that...oh, thanks. Damn, it's real!" Sonic crossed his arms and looked out the window, avoiding Tails' gaze.
"What's real?!"
"You're not going to believe it."
"Just tell me!"
Sonic could tell that Tails thought that this was one of those things that everyone considered him "too young" for. Sonic hated to make Tails feel that way. "Fine. Sally dumped me."
Tails' eyes widened. "Sally...dumped...you?"
"Yeah, and for Antoine of all people!"
"Antoine...?" A horrified expression crossed Tails' face. "Antoine over you...? What was she thinking?"
"I wish I knew, Tails. I wish I knew."
~*~
They were silent throughout the rest of the train trip. From the station they walked--well, ran and flew, respectively--back to the apartment they shared with E-102 Gamma.
Sonic loved the city. It hadn't been very hard to make the decision to move to NeoCity with Tails. It beat Knothole any day, and Mobotropolis was so different after they cleaned up Eggman's mess, it was nothing like the Mobotropolis Sonic remembered from when he was a kid. Good thing the evil doctor was no longer evil.
But NeoCity--NeoCity was different. You could *feel* the energy pulsating throughout NeoCity. Things were always in a rush. Everyone was constantly moving. The people were loud, sometimes a little rude, and never slowed down.
It was Sonic's kind of town.
The apartment building wasn't far from the train station, it was in the next square, right by City Hall, across from the Burger Shop, and over a small gift shop that specialized in Faberge Chao eggs. (A/N: Anyone who's played Sonic Adventure will know what I'm talking about.)
The pair climbed the stairs and entered the apartment. It was fairly spacious, and the rent was cheap, due to the noise. What the landlord didn't realize was that Sonic and Tails could sleep through nearly anything, and E-102 didn't sleep, and when they were awake, they *liked* the noise and the bustling.
"E! We're home!" Sonic called.
"I am in the living room." E-102 was sentient, but his mannerisms were still like that of a robot. No contractions in his speech, perfect grammar. He was learning slang but it sounded kind of funny coming from him.
"'Kay!" Tails said. He went into the living room himself. "Ooh, documentary..."
"I'll start dinner," Sonic yelled. No answer, but he started anyway.
He pulled some hot dogs out of the freezer and buns out of the breadbox and started chili on the stove. It wasn't the world's most difficult meal, or the world's prettiest meal, but it *was* the world's tastiest meal.
Tails came in about fifteen minutes later and started digging through some of the cabinets.
"Whatcha lookin' for, Tails?"
"Oh, I just realized that I wanted something sweet to snack on later and I remembered that we had some Jello powder somewhere in here..."
Sonic nodded. "Oh. Try the cabinet way on the end."
Tails did. "Paydirt!"
Sonic went into his room while the chili cooked and let Tails fix his own Jello. Tails might try to talk Sonic out of Jello later since he hadn't helped, but Sonic already had the ammunition of the fact that Tails hadn't helped with the chili dogs.
He flopped back on his bed. There was a Nerf ball within his reach on the desk, and he grabbed it and tossed it casually towards the hoop hanging on the back of the door.
Airball. Perfect airball.
And he didn't even care.
Sonic began to do something he didn't do often--think deep thoughts about emotions and relationships.
He knew he'd never really get along with Antoine now, but they had never really gotten along to begin with, so there was no great loss there.
Sally--she still wanted to be friends, but he wasn't sure he could be around her and not think of her that way. He'd lay low for a while, until he got it sorted out in his mind.
But what was he supposed to *do* in the meantime? Find a new girl? Even the thought hurt. But, on the other hand, he couldn't just sit around in his room, moping the days away.
Boresville!
The only thing to do was start going out and doing stuff. Run around the city and do anything that looked interesting. Video arcades. Maybe the casino. Go swim in the hotel's pool. Twinkle Park. Anything to keep from thinking about Sally!
"Hey, Tails?" Sonic shouted down the hall. Amazing how few conversations in this house actually took place face-to-face.
"Yeah?"
"You wanna hang out tomorrow? E, too!"
"Where?"
"Anywhere!"
"I guess so...hey, I think the chili's ready!"
Sonic came back to the kitchen. "Smells like it." He got out two plates and fixed several chili dogs for both of them. E-102 came out from the living room. Even though he didn't eat, he sat at the table to be sociable.
Tails began chowing down immediately, but Sonic ate slowly.
"What are you thinking about, Sonic?" E-102 asked.
"Oh, nothing..."
"Sally dumped him for Antoine," Tails informed him.
Sonic normally would have been upset, but E-102 was going to find out about it sooner or later, and it might as well be sooner. Besides that, Sonic didn't really care about much of anything anymore. "So, Tails, E, are we on for tomorrow?"
"Sure, Sonic," Tails agreed. "But where do you want to go?"
"Video arcade?" Although he'd never quite gotten the hang of computers, Sonic had always been good with video games.
"Sounds great. Hey, are you gonna eat that?" Tails pointed to the five chili dogs left on Sonic's plate.
Sonic stuffed the last bite of the one dog he'd managed to eat into his mouth. "Help yourself."
"Thanks!" Tails piled the chili dogs on his plate, oblivious to the idea that something had to be wrong with Sonic not to eat them himself. Even if the thought had crossed his mind, he would have known what was wrong.
Finally, Tails polished off his meal. "Time for Jello!" He headed for the kitchen.
Sonic brightened. Maybe a little Jello couldn't hurt. "Bring me some, too, 'kay?"
"You didn't help me with it!"
"You didn't help with the chili dogs, and you ate way more than I did!"
"Oh, all right..."
Tails came back with two bowls of Jello and sat one in front of Sonic. Sonic frowned. "Is it supposed to be that color?"
"I think it was supposed to be a little darker green. I might have used a little too much water. I'm sure it still tastes okay, though..."
"Green? It had better be lime."
"It is." Tails watched him expectantly.
Sonic shrugged and stuck his spoon into it. It went in a little bit too easily for comfort. When he lifted his spoon out, greenish water dripped from it. He raised an eyebrow, but put it in his mouth anyway.
He spat it out immediately, fortunately landing it back in his bowl. "Gah! Tails! That's nasty!"
"What?"
"It tastes like flat Mountain Dew. Gross..."
Tails took a bite and pulled his own spit take. "You're right. This is worthless. Definitely too much water. Rats." Tails took both the bowls to the kitchen, and Sonic could hear him pouring the barely set Jello down the drain.
Would nothing go right today?
~*~
"Ha! 500 points! Oh, come on, come on, comeoncomeoncomeon...YES!" Sonic grinned. He was winning--as usual.
Tails watched in wonder. "Wow...you've gotta teach me that move, Sonic."
"Not a move, little bro, a cheat code."
Tails' eyes widened. "You use cheat codes?"
"All this one does is put more big targets up so you can rack up points faster. It doesn't do anything for your aim."
Tails scowled. Aim was not his strong point. He left his studying of Sonic and challenged E-102 to a kart-racing game.
The small video arcade, down the beach from the hotel, was one of Sonic's favorite hangouts. Video games were the only sane way he could release pent-up emotions and energy *without* running at full speed.
"Come on, don't let me down now...yes! A thousand points! 300 more points and I win...ooh, I think that's worth 500...yes! 500! High score of the day!" He entered SONICHEDGE as his name. He was pleased to see that all ten high scores on the game were listed under SONICHEDGE.
"Hey, Tails, E, check this out! I rule!"
Tails paused the game, swiveled in his chair, and looked. "I know. I found your name three or four times on the high scores of this game, too."
"Four," Sonic affirmed. "Next game!" He moved to another console.
They spent another half an hour at various games without incident.
Until, of course, Sonic heard a high-pitched giggle. One which he had learned to fear.
Looking towards the door, trying to hide behind the console, he tried to confirm his suspicions.
A group of girls had entered the video arcade. A blue duck, a dark green hedgehog, a red echidna...oh, no! Amy Rose was at the center of the group!
Sonic pressed his body to the wall. Peachy. He had to get Tails and E-102's attention, and let them know he was leaving, and maybe they'd want to come along. Amy could be quite irritating when pressing for information on Sonic's location.
"Hey, Sonic, you want to--"
"Shhh!"
Tails frowned, but lowered his voice. "What's the matter?"
Sonic's eyes darted towards the snack bar at the other end of the small building. "Amy. Here."
Tails glanced and spotted her. "I'll get E. We'll go."
Tails got E-102 and the three headed quietly for the door. They had just about made it when Sonic opened the door.
They had forgotten about the bell that jingled every time someone entered or left.
The jingling sound wasn't overpowering, but it was enough to make Amy Rose glance toward the door.
"Sonic! Hey, girls, catch ya later, okay?" She dropped some change on the counter for her soda, which she abandoned, and ran to say hello.
"Run!" Sonic said, and the trio took off at top speed.
"Where are we going?" Tails asked. He and E-102 were both able to fly and keep up with Sonic.
"Anywhere!"
They ducked around corners, dodged people, and ignored Amy's shouts until Sonic ducked inside a doorway.
The three tried to catch their breaths as the saw Amy run past the tinted glass doors.
"Now what?" E-102 asked.
Sonic looked around. "The casino...huh. That was a complete accident...but as long as we're here, we may as well kill some more time and let Amy get thoroughly lost."
"She knows her way around pretty well," Tails pointed out. "She *does* live here, after all."
"Yeah, and she lives right across the street from us. How often do we talk to her? She may be able to get back, but she won't know where *we* are."
Tails nodded.
Sonic headed for a pinball machine. He was almost as good at that as he was at video games.
After about thirty minutes, he decided that Amy was as good as gone. "E, Tails, you guys ready to go?"
Tails nodded, and the threesome headed out onto the sidewalk.
They walked about ten feet away from the door before they heard a shout. "Sonic! I knew I'd find you!"
"What are the odds?" Sonic muttered under his breath. But there Amy was, running towards them from the hotel lobby.
Tails and E-102 took off at almost the same second he did. They raced towards the stairs across the plaza and up into the train station. There wouldn't be any trains leaving for twenty minutes at the least, and they didn't have the time at that moment. Besides, the last thing Sonic wanted to do was hop on a train and end up at the Mystic Ruins that reminded him so much of Sally. "Follow me, guys!" Sonic led them out of the unusually crowded station and towards the hotel. They barely managed to get inside the glass doors before spotting Amy come out of the station.
"Sonic! Sonic? Aw, man..."
They didn't watch where she went. They didn't have time before the manager greeted Sonic. "Hello, Sonic! How have you been lately?"
Sonic smiled crookedly. "Eheh...well...we've been running around, doing this and that, you know..."
"You look tired. Why don't you go take a dip in the pool? I won't tell." He winked.
"Really?" Tails asked. He liked swimming.
Sonic pondered. Amy wasn't likely to find them at the hotel. Who would look for someone at a hotel when that someone rented an apartment just around the corner?
"Sure!"
They went outside to the pool. E-102 wasn't waterproof, so he sat at one of the tables while Sonic and Tails removed their shoes and gloves and jumped in.
Sonic floated on his back.
"Remember the day that you crashed way out at the other end of the beach?" he asked Tails.
"Yeah. That wasn't fun. Why?"
"Oh, I was just thinking that it doesn't seem like such a long time ago that we didn't know E, and we were constantly battling Eggman, and Sally was my girl..." Sonic sighed. "Why does everything I think lead to her?"
Tails shrugged and splashed him.
Sonic took it as the challenge it was and splashed back. It didn't take more than a few seconds to turn into an all-out water fight. They yelled at each other so loud they could barely hear Amy.
Amy?!
"Sonic!" She stood there in front of the automatic doors leading inside. She smiled brightly.
Sonic jumped out of the pool, dragging Tails by the wrist. "Run!"
He jumped over the small wall and into the beach water, and ran around the wall of the hotel. (A/N: Yeah, I know you can't do it in the game. So what?) E-102 followed closely, carrying their shoes and gloves. Sonic dashed as quickly as he could to the opposite end of the small plaza.
"Where are we going?" Tails managed to yell.
"Twinkle Park!"
"I thought you said that it was a cheesy theme park..."
Sonic halted as they got onto the elevator and it started its ascent. "It is...but she won't find us there...and the go-carts aren't that bad...a little slow, but not bad..."
Tails shook his head. "You know, you *could* just talk to her once in a while. Maybe she'd get off your case."
Sonic frowned.
"I think he enjoys the game of cat-and-mouse," E-102 suggested to Tails as he gave them their gloves and shoes and they began putting them back on.
"I do not!"
They got into the park and in line for Twinkle Circuit.
Sonic stared around, looking blankly at whatever his eye happened to run across.
"Whatsa matter?" Tails asked.
"I was just thinking that it's kind of ironic that I chased Amy through here once trying to save her from that robot Zero, and now I'm here trying to get away from her."
Tails laughed.
They got into three karts and sped away around the track.
"I win!" Sonic cried a few minutes later when they'd completed three loops around the course.
"No, it was Tails," E-102 said.
"Yeah, Sonic, I know I was ahead of you for a little while..."
"No way! You fell back!"
"Tails won the race," a perky voice said, "but you've won my heart, Sonic!"
Sonic froze, not wanting to take another step away from the kart track. "Amy?"
"Me again!" Amy Rose stood before the threesome, grinning.
Sonic turned to Tails and E-102. "You two, stay here, go on home, do whatever you want to do. I was hoping we could get away from her, but since we can't...bye!" Sonic vanished, kicking up dust.
Amy pouted. "Sonic!" she waved to Tails and E-102. "Bye!" She chased after Sonic.
~*~
Sonic entered the apartment at ten that night, exhausted. The TV was on.
"E?" he asked quietly.
"Shh. Tails is asleep."
"I figured."
"What happened to Amy Rose?"
Sonic slumped onto the couch. "I lost her...and I ran around for the longest time...and I ended up back here, bought a burger at the shop across the street for dinner, and I walked out the door and there she was, getting ready to go into her building over there, and the whole thing started all over...I am so sick of running from that crazy chick..."
"I believe that you enjoy running from her more than you let people think."
"I think I'm gonna go to bed..."
"Good night," E-102 said.
Sonic's sole response was a loud snore, so E-102 poked him. Sonic shook his head. "I'm going to bed." He walked off and crawled into his bed.
Somehow, even though he was tired, he couldn't drop off again. Thoughts of Annoying Amy whirled though his mind. He began to make a mental list of all the things he couldn't stand about her.
You tell a joke and forget the punchline
Why you always wastin' my time?
Before Amy, life had been...simple. She liked to talk...about nothing. Sonic couldn't understand much of her "girl talk".
Hey baby, trust me, you just disgust me
Your hair's a mess and your make-up's crusty
I don't know too many females
Who make a habit of biting their toenails
Tails had said once that Amy wasn't that bad, but Sonic thought of her that way because he didn't want to admit that maybe he'd gotten the wrong first impression, that he wasn't willing to get to know someone before he made up his mind about them.
Wo, every time you call, you drive me up the wall
She used to call a lot--"just to chat!"--until Sonic had caught on to the miracle of caller ID. He'd see her number and go over to the window and smile and wave, making motions indicating that he was busy. It was the one time she'd gotten a clue.
Honey, just the sight of you makes my flesh crawl
Any time he saw her, he ran. Anything not to be in the same room with her. He was definitely *not* in love with the girl next door.
I'm sure we'd be happy together
If only one little thing weren't true
Oh baby, I yi yi yi yi
I'm so sick of you
Maybe Tails was right; maybe she wasn't *so* bad, but he didn't want to find out--it was a pride point. He'd kept up the hate routine so long it seemed a shame to give it up--and she really did irritate him at times.
You drink the milk right from the carton
What are you, in kindergarten?
He also thought she was a little immature, but he was comparing her to Tails, who was, firstly, mature for his age, and secondly, he was a guy and Amy was a girl, obviously. There was just no comparison.
You're belchin' everywhere, foulin' up the air
Then you use my razor to shave your back hair
You don't have an ounce of class
Amy...Amy had embarrassed herself a few times trying to get to hang with Sonic. She'd do anything to be around him, even if he *didn't* like, her, which, at times, she refused to believe. Sonic found it hard to believe that she was that clueless--but he believed it anyway. As long as he thought she was that stupid, there was a reason to avoid her.
You're just one big pain in the neck
How much more can I take now, give me a break now
You even snore when you're wide awake now
He wasn't sure that living in the perfect place was worth being right across the street from her. Of course, the fact that she was right across the street made the fact that the place *was* perfect debatable.
You tell all your friends we're the perfect couple
It also irritated Sonic that a few times she had told other people that she was his girlfriend. He'd never said anything to that effect; certainly never asked her to be such.
Well, maybe you should get a clue
'Cause baby, I yi yi yi yi
I'm so sick of you
Baby, you're so nauseatin'
I yi yi yi yi
I'm so sick of you
Basically, he couldn't stand her. Pretty much everything you could say about her, he could figure out some way to make it seem irritating.
And when you softly call my name
It's like I'm listenin' to a squeaky chalk sound
Her voice was irritating--but in a way, it was the one good thing about her. Since she never shut up, he could always hear her coming--usually in time to get away.
And when you look at me that special way
It's hard for me to keep my lunch down
She tried her best, he had to give her that. However, most of her efforts to attract him did just the opposite.
And when you ask me what I'm thinkin' honey, usually I'm thinkin'
How I'd really like to tie your head completely up in duct tape
So I wouldn't have to listen to you asking me those stupid questions
over and over again
When she tried to talk to him, he just blew her off. He had better things to do...like clean the toilet...channel-surf...eat Tails' nasty Jello...
Well, that disgusting noise you make when you laugh
Gives me a throbbing migraine
(Can't stand you, I just can't stand you)
Until you came along I never dated anyone
This low on the food chain
(Can't stand you, I just can't stand you)
He hated to be around her. Sometimes there were place functions where he had to be around her, though--with her being distantly related to the royal family, she was always invited to the big functions and balls and such. He grimaced, being reminded of Sally again.
You've got inhuman body odor
You've got the hair of a boxing promoter
Yeah, your teeth are all yellow, your butt's made of Jell-O
You wake up in a puddle, droolin' on your pillow
He didn't think she was pretty, either. He tried *not* to think about how pretty Sally was, and focused on Amy. In truth, she *was* pretty, there had been an idea once that she was going to turn out being a model. She still could, probably, if she wanted to.
I hate the way you crack your knuckles
I hate your whiny loser girlfriends too
He couldn't stand her little clique, either. If being immature and annoying was a profession, she was learning the trade from her friends.
But mostly I yi yi yi yi
I'm so sick of you
Really now, you're aggravatin'
I yi yi yi yi
I'm so sick of you
Not to mention irritatin'
I yi yi yi yi
I'm so sick of you
Well, now won't you give my best regards to Satan
I yi yi yi yi
I'm so sick of you
I'm so sick of you
I'm so sick of you
I'm so sick of you
You make me sick
In a nutshell...
He couldn't stand that girl!
A/N: Ah, yes...denial is more than a river in Egypt...