Chapter 25: Visitations
Rouge had come over only minutes after she had received Amy's call. Rouge hadn't heard from Amy in some time, and although she knew that it had something to do with Sonic, she didn't interfere, which was her biggest regret. She knew something had happened when Shadow ended up calling her, sounding erratic on the phone about what had been going on and what secrets had been kept out of light. She knew that this whole situation was bad from the start, but she was finally going to go to her friend and provide her some form of comfort.
Rouge had parked her car haphazardly on the curb before entering the apartment complex, but not even a ticket is going to scare her from seeking her friend in need.
She opened the door to Amy's apartment and saw her sitting on the floor, her bag to her side and her apartment desolate. Rouge sped to her side and wrapped her arms around her, holding her tightly, "Oh, thank god you're here, Amy! I was worried sick! What happened?"
Amy held her best friend back, sighing a sigh of relief, "I was being stupid, that's what happened."
"Shadow called and only told me what happened in pieces. What's going on? What has Sonic been having you do?"
"Honestly, Rouge… It wasn't even all that bad. All that didn't matter to me."
"What do you mean?"
Amy released herself from Rouge's embrace and leaned back onto her couch, one of the few pieces of furniture she still had, "It doesn't surprise me to know Sonic would pull this kind of crap on me. What surprised me was Shadow…"
Rouge attempted to speak, but tightened her lips shut.
"I never would've imagined in my wildest dreams of Shadow doing something that conniving… I mean, honestly after we broke up, I thought I wasn't going to be okay, but really… I am. I even thought of giving us a second chance."
"So… What was it that changed your mind?"
Amy looked towards her and gave her a faint smile.
"It was the fact that I had reached out to him and begun seeing him again. Spending time with him, hanging out with him at the park reminded me of the good times we had together… But it was the fact that Shadow broke it off just for himself, and didn't even tell me about it."
"Amy, you have to tell me what happened. What did Shadow do?"
"Shadow pretty much made a deal with Sonic about breaking up with me for a time so that Sonic can use me as a fake "wife" for when his parents get here in exchange for paying for Shadow's tuition costs for school."
Rouge can only stare at Amy, jaw dropped.
"There's… NO WAY! That sounds totally unreal! How do you know that?"
"I only know because Shadow had it slip while we were hanging out again. I just… I just don't understand how he can do that to me. Hell, forget about just him– those two were exchanging me like I was a slab of meat!"
Rouge was stunned. She always knew the three's history with each other, but she never thought it would've bubbled to something like this…
Rouge cleared her throat, adjusting herself to make herself more comfortable on Amy's floor.
"That's absolutely horrible, Amy. I'm so, so sorry."
"I'll be fine. I already cried it out and had my pity party. I'm just so over being the one in the middle. Do they just not respect me that much?"
"I still can't believe that Shadow would do something like that… He hates Sonic."
"I know! Which is why I just couldn't believe that he would do that to me…"
"So… what are you going to do?"
Amy paused. What was she going to do?
"Well… I can't stay here, that's for sure. Sonic apparently owns this whole building."
"Forreal?! There's no way!"
"Yep. And I can't stay here because of that."
"Honestly, Amy, if you need to stay with me for a while, you know Knuckles and I wouldn't mind that in the slightest."
"I might honestly take you up on that because… I'm just so tired."
Rouge and Amy had talked for hours. Amy needed a game plan, and it was already being set in motion. But the only thing that she needed to worry about was getting the rest of her stuff from Sonic's place, but… does she want them back that badly? She'd honestly rather watch the city burn before she can do that. As she and Rouge were together, Amy continued to get calls from Shadow every few hours, but she wasn't in the mood to talk. She wasn't in the headspace to hear any more excuses. She just wants to get her things together and leave this place for good.
—
The next morning, Amy said goodbye to Rouge. She appreciated the company, and loved having Rouge there with her for the night. She needed a break from all the petty arguing and just total disrespect of her time and identity. Constantly being referred to as a 'servant', being spoken to rudely, just being pushed around like a nobody was just tiresome. But today, she was going to make a stand and rebuild what she had lost. She didn't care about the shoes anymore: she just wanted to be respected. And after careful deliberation with Rouge, Amy decided to go back to Sonic's manor to get the rest of her things.
Although it was definitely a risk, she wanted to gain control of the situation. She got up and got dressed, and as she grabbed her purse, she checked her phone.
More missed calls from Shadow.
She placed her phone in her purse, grabbed her keys, and just as she opened the door, she stood with eyes widened, absolutely stunned.
Sonic stood right in front of her door, his arm midair as though he were about to knock, sharing the same expression that Amy gave him.
Amy felt her heart start up again, but it only kept beating faster and faster. Her fight or flight was triggered, and she didn't know which one to give more leverage. Before Amy could even say anything, Sonic cleared his throat, "Um… I…"
She blinked, her puzzled expression making a home on her face. "... Yes?"
Sonic could only be still. He didn't even know how to speak to her, much less can't even look at her. "I… I just wanted to talk to you about what happened."
Amy suddenly felt her heart reach regular momentum, and she finally got her nerves back. She furrowed her brows, looking away from him, "I have nothing more to say to you."
"Please, Amy. I just… I can't let things end like this. Especially after everything, I just can't help but feel–"
"Feel WHAT, Sonic? Nothing you FEEL can compare to how I feel–"
"And I know that! I know I… took advantage of the situation, and seeing the way you looked, I just regret it all. Everything I did, everything I said to you, just please…"
Amy couldn't help but feel a twinge in her heart. She's never heard him plead like this before, even after all the years she's known him. But she didn't want her confidence to waver. She knew that this was what was best for her and she didn't want to fold.
"I'm just so tired of you guys thinking that all this is a game. Everything I've been through with you has just been some pre-calculated move to getting closer to your goal. All you guys cared about was yourselves, despite how I was feeling about everything, and what's even sadder is for the fact that if I'd have never found out, you guys would've kept going as normal."
Sonic didn't even defend himself. His hurt expression was that of a child's.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this… Can I just please talk to you? Inside? And if you still don't care for what I have to say… then I'll leave you alone for good. I'll give your shoes back, I'll leave the apartment to you, free of expenses, hell– if you wanted to leave out of the city, I'll write you a check and you can use it however you want, just please–"
"I can't be bought that way, Sonic… I know in your world, that's probably how you've solved all your problems, but that's now how it works. You need to have some accountability for your actions. You really fucked up, Sonic…"
"I know you don't owe me shit, Amy… But I really just want to tell you why. Please, just… let me have this moment to be open with you."
Amy finally looked back at him. He was willing to give her life back… Only if she'd listen to him. It probably wouldn't be any longer than an hour. What's an hour of her life in exchange for her freedom? Amy closed her eyes. She could already hear Rouge's counsel in her ear, the little voice urging her to not step aside and let Sonic back into her life by stepping through her door.
But the only thing that drowned out the noise was Shadow's call buzzing through her phone, her purse reverberating from the vibrations of the call. She canceled the call from her purse and finally opened her eyes from thought, stepping aside from her door.
"... Okay. Come on in."
-End of Chapter 25-
Author's Note: Hello again! I hope all of you are doing well. I am pleased to announce that we are at 60% through the story, meaning that an end IS in sight! I just appreciate all your messages and support for this story, and I hope I continue to have your support further down the road. Thank you! ~graves
