Chapter 27: Countdown
Amy couldn't breathe.
She didn't think this would be happening so soon.
She honestly thought that this conversation would be more healing than stressful, but she did agree to help him. Amy sighed out of frustration as she found herself in the car with Sonic again, going back to his manor and going inside a busy home full of maids working overtime to renovate the place.
"I really hope you know I came there to apologize to you honestly; I didn't know they would be coming back so soon. They said they were coming in a couple of days," muttered Sonic, looking away from Amy like a child in trouble.
Amy glared back at him, "Yeah, right! You probably knew you had to scramble so that's why you swallowed your pride and went to apologize to me!"
Sonic chuckled, patting Amy's back in reassurance, "I swear! You crack me up!"
Amy pursed her lips together in a pout; I know that's probably why he really did it, that asshole! She thought as she set her purse down and proceeded upstairs.
As she went into her formal room, Sonic followed behind her, sitting on her unmade bed that hadn't been made since she left.
"Look: here's the game plan," he started, grabbing a pillow and settling his elbows on top. "My folks text me and said that they would be landing in the evening, so we still have plenty of time to review everything we learned from Mrs. League. She should actually be coming by any minute–"
"Is that why you put me through all that? All those etiquette classes?"
"Well yeah; you can't have forgotten what kind of people we're dealing with, Amy. They're total big wigs that are used to the finer things in life. We have to give them what they're accustomed with. Otherwise, they're gonna disown me…"
Amy laughed at him, "I think you're being a little dramatic. There's no way they would disown you. You're their son, you pull this kind of crap all the time."
"You don't get it, Amy," said Sonic with a slight chill. "They're sick of my shit now! I have to buckle down and get them to think I have it all together! Otherwise, my party life is OVER!"
Amy's eyes narrowed, "So is that what this is all about? Your 'party life'?"
"It's not just that! I just… I can't have them think I'm a fuck up, okay? I can't!"
She couldn't believe the concern in Sonic's voice; throughout the whole morning, she had seen many faces of Sonic that she was yet to see, so it was always a nice surprise to see a different emotion that isn't always 'asshole'.
After a bit more deliberation, the doorbell rang and Sonic went downstairs in a hurry, letting in Mrs. League. As he did so, Amy couldn't help but pull her phone out from her pocket, looking at the screen for a notification. Nothing.
She had sent Shadow a reply to his dozens of calls and messages, saying that he would listen to what he would have to say, but nothing had been sent back. Which seemed odd to her, considering the urgency that he gave off at the rate that he was calling her. Amy shook her head, putting her phone away the moment she heard two voices climb the stairs, and it was then that Amy was greeted with Mrs. League, her dry presence still bringing a gloom to any room.
"Miss Rose… It is lovely to see you again," she said stoutly.
"It's nice to see you too… So, what are we going to do?"
Mrs. League proceeded into the room and sat down on a chair, letting out a sigh, "It does seem short notice to have you perform in your condition, but it will have to do. You're not great, but you're not terrible either. I'm sure for the young sir's parents, your performance will be convincing, but you still need to be careful. They're sharp."
Amy gulped. She suddenly felt all the nerves coming back to her and she just felt like throwing up. She couldn't believe any of this was even happening.
"Along with your performance, we need to dress you like you come from money. I don't trust your closet in the slightest, Ms. Rose. So I'm having a professional stylist coming right now to get you ready for their arrival."
Amy began to sweat. This was all going too fast. How was she to keep up with the hustle and bustle?
"Sir Sonic and I will allow you some time to get ready for your stylist. Come, sir: we still have plenty to work on in terms of your attitude…" said Mrs. League; Amy watched as the two of them left her room (Sonic, a little more apprehensively), and as the door closed, Amy couldn't help but look at her phone again. This time, instead of letting the screen turn dark, she phoned Shadow's contact and held the phone close to her ear, listening to the dial tone go through. The short minute felt longer than it was, until finally she heard the receiving end connect: "H-Hello?"
—
Shadow couldn't help but feel like a complete idiot.
Although his drinking had gotten him in trouble before, he couldn't help but go back to the same vice that got him into this mess to begin with. He never thought he would have landed himself into a situation like this, considering that he had it made. Shadow, although 'unhappy' with his current circumstances in terms of living, lived an average, acceptable life. He worked for a coffee shop (one he enjoyed, for that matter), had a steady girlfriend (who he was celebrating an anniversary with), and had a pretty good social life. All three corners of his world seemed acceptable, if it wasn't for the fact that he didn't want them that way. Shadow was always aiming for something higher, but it never came to be. He felt as though he definitely peaked in high school, and now that he's living his very average life as a very average adult, he couldn't help but feel shitty.
Which is when he turned to the alcohol.
He was never much of a drinker before, but it was when he was denied his admission to one of his top choices that he began his stupors. Of course, he hid this away from Amy during that time, feeling as though it wouldn't be fair for her to even see that side of him; considering that she saw him as the 'responsible' one, and he knew that once she saw that side of him, it would all be too late.
Shadow had always held an interest in science, and had always wanted to excel into it as a profession, but because of his lack of funds, he was never able to get to where he wanted to be. Upon meeting Amy, he was what he felt was his prime; he had been ready to take on the world, was already praised throughout high school, hell– referred to even as the 'The Golden Child'. He felt the possibilities within his fingertips, and he had studied his way through it until he realized that upon being denied, he had asked for too much.
Shadow was so used to getting favorable results, that when it came down to entering the real world, he faced real consequences, to which his future of becoming a scientist came crashing down at his fingertips. Amy saw how much it hit him, and even attempted to make up for his lack of enthusiasm after the denial by providing him unconditional support and attention, but it just wasn't enough for him. He always craved more and wouldn't stop until his thirst for progress had been sustained. But of course, instead of progressing upward, he only descended like a collapsing star, ready to implode within itself.
Which is what landed him at the bars. He was tired of his day-to-day life, and only yearned for escapism, so he had decided to go out without Amy knowing. He had only been telling her that he had been working late, when in reality, he had only been out with his coworkers, sharing a drink or two. Although his coworkers were a little more grounded, it also gave him the opportunity to get a little drunk since there were people to take care of him, to which he would just let it all hang loose and let the alcohol seep into him. And it was from that particular Thursday night that he ended up running into a familiar face that he had not seen in years.
"Shadow? Is that you?"
His eyes, which were glued to the bar TV had finally looked away from it, only to meet a gaze with a pair of deep emerald hues which still shown through the dim lighting of the bar; Shadow was taken aback, mostly surprised at the fact that he hadn't seen eyes like those in a long time, and secondly, didn't fully realize whether it was reality or not.
"Sonic?"
"Yeah, it's me, man. How's it going?"
The two exchanged a brief handshake, quickly pulling away. "I'm good," replied Shadow, attempting to cover up his inebriation. Sonic chuckled, taking a seat next to him, "What's wrong? You sound weird. You have a couple drinks tonight?"
"What are you, my parole officer? I just got off a shift so I thought of taking the edge off tonight."
"I don't blame ya. Working men like us have to do something to make it a little easier, right? What are you doing nowadays?"
Shit. "Well, honestly I'm in between jobs right now. I'm actually trying to make it through school and have picked up something to get me by. What about you?"
"I'm just waiting for my dad to pass on the family business. You know how it is with families making it a big deal out of the family business. I am their one and only son, after all."
Bullshit. Must be nice to know you have a fallback option. "Honestly, you have it so made. I wouldn't know how to act if I knew that my family already had my financial future set for me. Must be nice."
Sonic released a loud laugh and patted Shadow on the back, "Oh, please! It isn't all that great. There are just a bunch of strings attached. Nothing special."
Shadow took another swig of his drink. Everything this man had said revolted him. The privilege just oozes from his mouth. "On the contrary. But to each their own."
Sonic and Shadow shared another laugh. It was at that point that Shadow's co-workers had already begun saying their goodbyes, leaving him on his own with his opposite. The two exchanged more conversations until Sonic realized how off Shadow was from his vice. The more Shadow drank, the gigglier and red his face got. It was definitely a new look on him that he's never seen before, that's for sure.
"But enough talk about me!" Sonic exclaimed, taking his glass in hand. "What's been going on with you, Shad? Besides the work front, how's life?"
Shadow's already-red face twisted into another big smile, giving another hearty laugh before answering, "It's g-good! Amy and I are having the best time together!"
Sonic paused between sips, "... Amy? You still talk to her?"
"Y-Yeah! She and I have been together for a while… I r-really see a future with her…"
"Hm. How's she been? Haven't heard from her in some time."
"She's doing great, she's just been working on and off and has been trying to f-figure some stuff out… But she doesn't m-mind it so much… I wish I had her confidence…"
Sonic turned his head to face him; although Shadow's smile hadn't left his face, he could tell by his tone of voice that he was reaching a certain level of vulnerability. Although in the past, Sonic would've exploited that as a weakness, he controlled himself.
"... What do you mean by that?" Sonic asked innocently.
"Just… She doesn't really n-need direction in life… She's just happy living in the moment… She never had to worry about the future because she a-always knew what to do… Y'see… I always w-wanted to give her that life so that she could continue to not have to worry about that, but… I don't know i-if I can give it to her… I want t-to so bad…"
Sonic couldn't help but press on, "Say… It's interesting that you say that…"
Shadow stopped his drunken dialogue, "What?"
"About Amy… If she's looking for work, I can give her something to do. And maybe you can help me out, too."
"W-What do you want?"
Sonic leaned in closer to Shadow, "I'll give you all the resources you need to elevate. And by that, I mean money. For school. Anything you want. Only with the condition of loaning me Amy for a few weeks."
"L-Loan Amy? She's not a p-pair of shoes you can wear! T-That's my g-girlfriend–"
"I know, and I find it so heartfelt that you want to center your whole future around your girlfriend, but think about it: don't you think this would not only benefit me, but you too? That way, you won't have to waste any more time working at some coffee shop scraping pennies, when I can just give it all to you in one lump sum. Whatever and whenever you want, it's on me when it comes to your education."
Shadow began to sweat. Each thing he listed was enough to make him drool; going to school was all he wanted. And if he helped Sonic out, it would mean that he would be set.
"But… There's no way I wouldn't tell Amy this… Only if she's in on it–"
"Oh, and she will! I'll be sure to tell her, but you have to make it convincing enough for her to not turn back. She needs to be convinced that this is all real in order for this to work. Does that sound fair?"
Sonic held out his hand, watching Shadow looking back at him apprehensively. Taking this deal would not only change the course of their future, but their relationship as well. After taking another moment of thought, Shadow took his hand and gave it a firm shake.
"Alright, then…" sighed Sonic with glee. "We have a deal."
And with that, the two strung a plan that eventually became a tale as old as time.
Which brought Shadow to his current state in affairs.
There he sat at his job, wearing the same old coffee uniform and sitting at the same old table he usually sat on during his breaks. With Shail quitting not that long ago, he no longer had anyone to talk to, making him reevaluate his living situation. He was tired of always being in limbo, not knowing what the next step is, but it was as though the universe heard his lamentations, because his phone started ringing. He jumped at the noise, his volume turned up unbearably high, but he took a look at the caller I.D and realized: it was Amy on the phone. He looked about him to secure his surroundings before he took the plunge and answered the phone, hearing the shakiest 'Hello' he's ever heard, yet it was the voice that he had been hoping for these past couple of days to hear.
-End of Chapter 27-
