The calm of the morning was abruptly shattered by the sound of sharp rapping against Blaze's door, followed by the sound of her aunt's voice telling her to get up. Blaze stirred and pulled herself upright silently, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. When Blaze didn't respond to her aunt, her aunt knocked again.

"Blaze? Blaze honey, it's time to get up!"

Blaze groaned, "I'm up and awake!"

Blaze threw back her comforter, kicked out her legs, and stretched while letting out a wide, satisfying yawn. She slumped out of her bed onto the floor, walked over to her windows, opened her blinds, and then made her way over to her full-length mirror. She looked at her reflection, bleary-eyed and visibly exhausted.

It's so unrealistic, but I really wish I could wake up looking somewhat pretty. Y'know, to make me feel a bit better about myself.

She snapped out of her trance-like state and walked to her bathroom to start her usual morning routine: taking her shower, washing her face, debating and ultimately deciding against wearing makeup, starting her hairstyling routine, getting dressed, and finishing up her hair. Today, Blaze was wearing a loose-fitting gray and floral shirt; a fingertip length pair of plain denim shorts; a pair of brown socks with pink ribbon accents; black Converse sneakers; a pair of small gold hoop earrings, her favorite gold necklace, and a simple watch with a black strap. Her purple hair was in her usual style, tied back in a ponytail, and was decorated with a red scrunchie. She checked herself out in her mirror once more and decided it was acceptable for school. As she was doing this, she heard another knock on her door.

"Blaze? Your breakfast is ready," said her aunt.

"Okay, I'll be down Auntie," Blaze replied.

Blaze hurried downstairs and into the kitchen. Waiting for her on the table was a slice of whole-wheat toast with peanut butter and a mixed berry smoothie. Aunt Monica was drinking her own while finishing getting ready for work.

"Eat up, okay?" Aunt Monica chirped. "I've left you some lunch money on the counter next to the stove."

"Thank you, Auntie," Blaze replied, sitting down. She quickly began to eat her toast while watching the morning local news from the kitchen table. Blaze's aunt finished grabbing her things while throwing on her suit jacket. When she was finished, she came over and gave Blaze a hug. "Love you Blaze."

"Love you too Auntie," Blaze replied, her mouth full of toast. She washed her bite down with smoothie as she heard her aunt exit the house.

Blaze glanced at the clock, which read 6:45. Crap, she thought. I've got to get going.

She gulped down the last of her smoothie, repressing the developing brain freeze, and sprinted upstairs to brush her teeth and grab her bag. She sprinted downstairs, placed her dishes in the dishwasher, and sprinted out the front door at 6:50 sharp.

She started her walk through her cul-de-sac down to her bus stop, and as she started her walk down, she looked out of the corner of her eye and saw a certain someone exiting his house . . . Shadow the Hedgehog!

Shadow, by some stroke of luck, happened to live in her cul-de-sac! She never interacted with him outside of the very few moments in school, but still . . . at least it left opportunities for communication in the future. For now, though, Blaze couldn't risk it. She wished to speak to him over the summer, but due to a combination of shyness and fear for his and her own reputation, she never did, and she didn't see it happening anytime soon. However, no one else from her school appeared to live near them, so they still interacted nonverbally. During the summer, they frequently waved to each other if they saw each other outside. Now, during the new school year, Shadow left for school in his pickup truck around the same time Blaze left to catch her bus, and she got to wave to him as he passed by in his truck. She did this just now, remembering to shoot him a smile as well.

As soon as his truck turned out of the cul-de-sac, Blaze heaved a heavy sigh. The bus was pretty bad. No one could actively do anything to her due to the security cameras on the bus, but she could feel their judgemental stares and hear them whispering about her from the back. She hated it. Her uncle couldn't take her to school, as he left for work very early in the morning. Her aunt could take her in, but both Blaze and her aunt would be late or nearly late every single day, which just wasn't viable. She wished she could hitch a ride to school with Shadow, but that could never happen. Not in a million years. Shadow was pretty popular, especially with the girls. And who could blame them? He was tall, had a handsome face and strong jawline, that short haircut all hot guys seemed to have, and expressive (also endearing) facial expressions despite his aloofness. He played football, basketball, and ran track. He was also fairly smart, even if he didn't show it. He was the mysterious heartthrob every girl in the school, popular and unpopular, wanted, Blaze included.

Because of his insane popularity, many girls watched him from the second he pulled into the junior parking lot, and because of that, her coming into school with him would jeopardize his reputation, which she couldn't bring herself to do. Not to mention what the school would do to her . . . The bus was the best option for her.

She stared into space, pondering this situation when she heard the familiar sound of a diesel engine approaching her street corner. She lifted her head up and saw the dreaded bus. She took a deep breath and slowly climbed on to the bus. Keeping her head down to avoid the stares from her peers, she quietly slid into a front seat. The doors slid shut, the bus lurched forward, and Blaze began her ride to hell.

Blaze noisily exhaled and shut her locker. Today had been a solid meh so far. Just your typical Thursday: waved to Shadow on her way to school, zoned out due to boredom in her chemistry class, got left behind in her geometry class, and dodged stares between classes. Now, she stopped by her locker to pick up her French-English dictionary for her French 200 class. Blaze stretched, yawned wide, shut her locker, and turned around, only to come face to face with a girl she recognized and hated.

"Surprise!" she said in an oozingly sweet voice. It was Alysha Linehan, the most popular girl in school. Alysha was the dream girl at Station Square High. She was very rich and threw the biggest, wildest parties (at least according to the rumor mill; Blaze had never been to one for obvious reasons). Alysha was also considered by many to be a very pretty girl, with nearly flawless skin and gorgeous auburn hair with rich curls. Alysha was sweet and funny around her friends and the highest echelons of the school, primarily in the junior class. However, she also had a very trashy side. She was a gossip, spreading rumors consisting of both truths and falsehoods for her and her friend circle's entertainment. Alysha knew she was the most popular and made sure the school's rumor mill pushed her to the very top and kept others under her. She was also well known for bullying others (like Blaze), but people still liked her anyway . . . Alysha was most certainly the reason the "gingers are from Hell" stereotype existed, in Blaze's mind.

Today, Alysha was flaunting her expensive fashion tastes by wearing a black tank top under a blue jean jacket, black designer leggings (they looked like the wildly popular Lululemon brand), and blue, over-the-knee boots. The squirrel had a falsely sweet smile on her face, the face she made when she had a bone to pick with somebody.

Blaze stepped back instinctively but was stopped by the wall of lockers. She looked to her left and right to see if she could get away, but two other girls she despised were blocking her. All three of them stood tall with their arms crossed looking condescendingly down at Blaze as if she was a piece of old chewing gum stuck on the bottom of their shoes.

The girl on Alysha's left was Selena Brenig, a silvery hedgehog. Selena was the most popular sophomore girl and one of the most popular girls in school. Like all of the most popular girls, she was good-looking, rich, had a good fashion sense, and was highly social. However, she was most well known for her beauty, to the point where she had competed in a few beauty pageants and was considered by many to be "stunning," "gorgeous," and "a goddess." That goddess part was a stretch in Blaze's mind (and in many other people's minds as well). She was highly catty and obsessive with some of the most shallow drama and issues in existence. She was also a brat, bullied others, and could get physical. Her flowing blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, and wide smile did not hide her disgusting interior to Blaze.

Selena clearly took a painstaking amount of time into her outfit today (as usual), as she was wearing a pink, sleeveless turtleneck with white skinny jeans, a red patent leather belt, and red canvas high-tops. Selena looked downright pissed, as if she was about to grab Blaze by her neck and throttle her.

The girl on Alysha's right was Fiona Fox. Fiona was an interesting girl, someone that on initial glance seemed like she should not be popular, especially when compared to the other popular girls. True, she was pretty like her best friends, but otherwise different. She was heavily "rough around the edges," and both dressed and acted that way. She hung around a lot of guys when compared to her two best friends, possibly because she was rumored to be "the best time ever." She was also blunt, with a no-nonsense attitude. This, however, also gave her a razor-sharp tongue to harass people she ridiculed. She also had a stash of gossip for anyone that wanted it (possibly obtained through questionable means; she was rumored to have a delinquent record). All of these factors made Fiona a very questionable candidate for one of the most popular girls in school, but here she was.

Fiona wore intense, aggressive makeup when compared to her other two friends, and was wearing her long, artificially colored bright red hair with yellow ends back in a neat ponytail. She was dressed in a black baby doll T-shirt; blue, hipster bootcut jeans; and silver leather platform sneakers. Fiona looked like she had somewhere to be and was just there because she wanted to see drama. Blaze wished she hadn't come along; she had to admit the fox intimidated her.

"So Blaze, how's the guy chasing going? Ya catch one yet?" Alysha started. She gave a snort. "Like anyone would let you come anywhere near them."

"Who are you after this time?" Fiona quipped.

"Shadow the Hedgehog, maybe?" Selena slowly said through gritted teeth. She gave Blaze a firm push backward.

"I'm not 'after' anybody," Blaze replied, trying to stay calm and not doing a very good job, her voice becoming hoarse as her throat dried up.

"Psh, she's obviously lying," Fiona replied. "The slut can't control that funny feeling in her clit, so she's gotta run after someone and beg them to put their dick in her."

The other two laughed as Blaze felt her cheeks burn with indignation. She opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by Alysha.

"I heard that you and Shadow have been talking with each other lately. Is this true?" she quizzed, cocking her head to one side.

"As . . . As friends . . . " Blaze managed to spit out.

Selena stepped forward. "Listen here, you dirty slut. Shadow the Hedgehog is mine, got it? I know your kind. You guys say you're "just friends" with a guy, and then all of a sudden you're fucking. That isn't going to happen this time. I'm gonna be his girl, you got that?"

"I'm not . . . I don't . . . I . . . " Blaze trailed off.

"Got that?" Selena repeated, stepping forward.

Blaze couldn't summon the words she wanted to say, choking on them instead. Her eyes darted back and forth between all three girls, looking for a means of escape and not finding any. A small crowd had started to form around them, making the situation far tenser for Blaze. Alysha, Selena, and Fiona had physically harassed Blaze before, and this appeared to be escalating to that point. Blaze was bracing herself for the feeling of her body being slammed up against the lockers and the jeers of the surrounding crowd when a strong voice cut through the din of the situation.

"HEY!"

The entire crowd and the three girls stopped and turned their heads in the direction of the voice, much to Blaze's surprise. Sure, the voice was loud, forceful, and sudden, but who would care? Who would try to stop the three most popular girls in school? She craned her neck to see who it was, and her eyes went wide.

It was Shadow!

Shadow stepped forward and spoke firmly. "Leave her alone! She hasn't done anything to you!"

"You don't know that," Alysha said in response. "Why do you care?"

"I care because I'm actually a nice person, unlike you three. I don't like seeing others harassed for no reason."

The crowd murmured, and Blaze heard a few "oohs." The three girls exchanged glances with one another. Shadow was a very popular guy, one of the most popular in the school; Alysha, Selena, and Fiona couldn't do much to him. Furthermore, Selena had an obvious crush on him. Even though she had been rejected by him a week or so back, she kept up her pursuit as if it had never happened. Her ego could still be damaged though; a fine blush had formed on her cheeks during this confrontation. Selena leaned towards Alysha and whispered furiously into her ear. Alysha spoke up once more.

"You know what? You're right," Alysha said insincerely. "We'll leave Blaze alone, okay? Just let us do our own thing otherwise. We don't tell you what to do. Come on girls, let's get out of here," Alysha finished to her girls.

The other two nodded, and the crowd parted to let them quickly walk through and away. As they were leaving, Selena turned and blew Shadow a kiss before turning and hurrying to catch up with Alysha and Fiona.

With the bulk of the drama gone, the crowd dispersed as the warning bell for third period rang. Blaze shook her head and was preparing to continue to French 200 when she looked up and saw Shadow walking directly, unmistakably towards her. Her feet locked up again. What is he doing?! she thought. We're in public! Others can see us! Shadow!

Before she could hurry away, he was directly in front of her, closer than he had been than ever before. It was insane enough he had called out the three most popular girls in school directly, especially for an unliked sophomore, but he was clearly planning on engaging directly with Blaze. Blaze felt herself sharply intake her breath.

"Hey, Blaze," Shadow's smooth voice spoke. "Are you okay?"

"Uh . . . yeah, yeah, I'm okay," she said rapidly, her voice rising in pitch.

"You sure?" he questioned, to which Blaze rapidly nodded her head in response, in fear of her voice cracking.

"Good," he said. "I hate seeing those bitches harass others and you. I'm glad I could chase them off before they could do anything for you. I was looking for you actually, and I'm glad I caught you."

He was looking for me?! Why? What for? Oh my god . . . Blaze felt her heart pounding in her ears. She tried to steady her furiously pumping heart slamming against her chest. "Oh?" she said, her voice starting to squeak again.

"I overheard Alysha, her bitches, and her boyfriend Scourge talking. They were gonna prank you on your way out to your bus."

Blaze blinked. "What were they going to do?" she asked, feeling as though she might regret asking that question.

Shadow shook his head. "It's better you don't know. It was gonna be pretty bad."

"Oh. No surprise there," was Blaze's only comment.

Shadow nodded. "Yeah. I can't believe they'd do this shit to someone who just . . . " He paused, clearly carefully thinking about his choice of words. " . . . Isn't worthy of mockery. I mean, no one is, but . . . ah fuck, I can't speak today. I'm sorry."

Blaze gave a small laugh. "It's okay," she said, relaxing a bit.

Shadow cleared his throat. "Ah, anyway. I came to ask you something."

Blaze felt her heart leap into her throat. Her brain started to race. That calm feeling that was there a moment ago? Gone. "O . . . Oh?" she squeaked.

Shadow continued. "Because of the whole prank thing the school bitches are planning, I was wondering if you'd like to hitch a ride home with me so you can avoid the bus. You know, since we're neighbors and everything."

Blaze froze. Oh. My. God. Did he actually just offer to drive me home? He did! Oh my God!

Blaze couldn't think of the words to say. Her thoughts were a blur of shock and disbelief.

"Uh, Blaze?"

Shadow's slightly confused voice snapped Blaze out of her stunned state. She quickly glanced around to see if Alysha, Selena, Fiona, or any of their friends were around. They didn't appear to be, so she turned back to Shadow and said, "Oh yeah, of course! That'd be great."

Shadow gave his trademark smile, slight but kind, and replied, "Great. Where can I meet you?"

"After homeroom?"

"Yeah. Where's your homeroom class?" Shadow asked.

Blaze quickly snapped out of the shock and excitement of the moment and remembered an important caveat: no one could see them together. Doing this was . . . risky enough. Blaze couldn't be seen with Shadow for much longer out here, nor when they were leaving the school. She would surely get bullied even more for being with him, with people most likely saying "she doesn't deserve to be with him," and similar. And Shadow . . . she didn't want people to rag on him too. She felt like he deserved to be as popular as he was, and didn't want to ruin that.

Blaze made a hurried decision, and quickly said, "Uh, actually, I'll just meet you out in the parking lot. And uh, I gotta go. To, uh, French."

"Wait, Blaze, are you sure? Do you know where I'm parked?"

Blaze, who had turned to go, turned back to Shadow and said, "Uh, well, no . . . but I do know what your truck, uh, looks like."

"If you insist," he replied. He cleared his throat. "I don't want to keep you waiting, so I'll see you at 2:45 in the parking lot."

"Uh, yeah, okay," said Blaze, smiling but turning away to her class.

"Oh, and Blaze?" Shadow called out.

Blaze jumped and turned around. "Y . . . Yeah?" she squeaked. She was excited that he was talking to him at the same time as being worried that she was already noticed by the passerby.

"Don't let Alysha or anyone else get you down," he said, smiling and giving him a small wave. He turned off down the hall. "See ya."

Blaze waved back, but then in her awkwardness felt her feet pounding against the tile, around the corner, and down the stairs towards room C102.

Her head was practically spinning. What . . . just happened? Did Shadow really just offer to take me home?

She slid into her seat in her French class and paused. Yes! Oh my God . . . This is happening! Shadow is going to take me home!

Blaze was beside herself with excitement. She couldn't help but perk up and grin to herself. She was mostly certain no one was around during their conversation to really notice or care, and she would just exit the building after most people left and meet up with Shadow next to his truck. And then . . .

This is surely the start of our relationship! He's noticed me, defended me, had more than a brief passing conversation, and is going to take me home! I can't even—!

The final bell rang, and the French teacher entered the classroom and started the class. Blaze tuned out the teacher, but this time, it was out of excitement.

Things are finally looking up! Hopefully this is that start of a great thing!

"He said what?"

Selena stared in disbelief at the news bringer, a petite sophomore with black pigtails, a red crepe top, black jeans, and red boots. "Yeah. He said he was gonna take her home."

Selena slammed her locker shut in anger. "That bitch! Who does she think she is? Fucking stealing Shadow away from me."

Fiona rolled her eyes slightly. "Did she initiate the conversation?" she asked. "Or was it Shadow?"

Selena rapidly turned her head. "Why is that important, Fiona?" she snarked.

"Whoa there girl. I'm just curious," she replied. "I wanna know if she grew a pair of balls for once in her pathetic existence"

Selena rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

The girl telling the news shook her head. "No, he went up to her and talked to her. I don't know what he sees in her. She was clearly nervous during the conversation, it was like she didn't wanna be there."

Alysha shook her head. "Dumbass bitch. She thinks she can get with one of the most popular guys in school." She turned to Selena. "You gonna let her get away with this?"

"Oh of course not!" replied Selena instantly. "Shadow is mine. I got dibs on him."

"But . . . didn't he reject you over a week ago?" the news bringer asked.

"Oh shut up Honey!" Selena snapped again. "Just because he rejected me doesn't mean that slut can take him! She doesn't deserve him, and he doesn't deserve her."

"So what're you gonna do?" Alysha asked.

"I'm gonna talk to her first," Selena said with fierce determination. "And if that cow doesn't back down, I've got a backup plan."

"Oh that'll be easy," Alysha laughed. "Blaze is a spineless coward. She couldn't stand up for herself if she was mocked by a special needs kid."

The group of girls laughed.

"When do you wanna talk to her?" Honey asked.

"Lunch, duh," Selena said. She turned to Honey. "Thanks girl, you just got some love points from me. But you don't need to come with us to talk to her. We got this," she told her, gesturing to Alysha and Fiona.

Honey smiled. "That's all right. Go get 'em, girl." Then she turned and hurried to her next class.

"Blaze Katba, you're so gonna get it," Selena smirked to herself.

⬤⬤⬤⬤⬤⬤ END ⬤⬤⬤⬤⬤⬤