32

Sonic

Me: I'm outside.

Tails : Okay! Be down in a minute!

I shoved my phone back in my pocket after reading Tails 's text. I was standing outside of his building, patiently waiting for him to come out. Wednesday night, he'd texted me asking if we could hang out today. He mentioned having a project that he needed help with. Although I wanted nothing more than to stay in the house this weekend, I really couldn't say no. Tails seemed like a good kid, and I didn't want to abandon him so quickly. The poor kid has been through enough.

I glanced at the small group of Crips standing near the corner of the building. They were all older men with lit cigarettes and snapbacks covering their receding hairlines. I noticed Travis, the man who'd pointed a gun at me some weeks ago, standing among them. He was staring at me, the ghost of a malicious smirk on his face.

After the shit my father pulled a few weeks ago, I really shouldn't be lingering around in their territory. I heard the rumors just like everyone else. I knew they were planning their revenge. But, I wasn't a pussy. I wasn't afraid of Travis or Shadow or Jet's punk ass. If they wanted a fight, then they could definitely have one.

"Hey, Sonic," Tails said as he finally emerged from the apartment building.

A slender woman with a waterfall of black curls and brown skin followed after him. She offered me a kind smile that made her hazel eyes crinkle at the sides. "Hi, Sonic. I'm Isabelle; Tails 's mother," she greeted.

I extended my hand out to her. "It's nice to meet you."

Shaking my hand, she replied, "You as well. Tails hasn't stopped talking about you since the mentorship summit."

Tails rolled his eyes. "Ma," he groaned. "Stop telling my business."

I slapped my palm on the top of his head and pushed him towards the sidewalk. "Go wait in the car. I'll be right there."

He gave his mother a hug before darting across the pathway to my parked car. His mother and I watched him climb into the passenger seat before resuming our conversation.

"Tails says he opened up to you a lot at the summit," she said.

"He did. Are there any suggestions you have to support him? I'm new to this whole mentor thing, and I really don't want to screw it up."

Her smile grew. "Not really. My only suggestion is to just listen to him. He doesn't open up often, but when he does, it's usually something he needs to get off his chest."

I nodded. "Understood." I bid his mother goodbye before walking over to my car.

I drove us to Benny's restaurant for lunch. Although Benny's food was absolutely delicious, and I thought Tails would like it, I also wanted to see Amy before her brother picked her up.

Throughout the week, she kept talking about seeing her mother again today. On the surface, she didn't seem phased, but I knew her better than that. The night we spent together after the first confrontation, I felt her quietly sobbing against my chest. Her tears hit my skin like bullets, tearing through my muscles and drilling into my heart. I tried to lift all of the pain from Amy's shoulders by holding her tight and whispering sweet affirmations in her ear. But, her tears didn't cease. Even when she'd fallen into a deep sleep, tears still rolled down her cheeks, the depths of her unconscious still suffering from the dark clouds swarming over her mind. I didn't doubt those feelings were running rampant around her mind now, and I worried they were going to push her over the edge again. I couldn't let that happen - not when the light had just returned to her beautiful green eyes.

I quickly caught sight of her when we entered the restaurant. She was speaking with some customers at one of the booths, clad in her usual uniform of black jeans, dark blue long sleeved tee-shirt with the logo's restaurant plastered on the front, and a black apron tied around her waist. She'd half of her long curls up into a small pun at the top of her head, leaving the rest hanging over her shoulders. Her eyes glanced in our direction, and I noticed a smile tug at her glossed lips.

The hostess thankfully sat us in her section. Tails curiously looked around the restaurant, his eyes examining the colorful jukebox in the corner and Marc's portraits of the community lining the walls. His eyes bounced to Amy as she approached us, widening in innocent infatuation.

"Good afternoon boys. Welcome to Benny's Soul and Fry, what can I get you?" She asked with the usual customer service politeness laced in her voice.

I smiled at her. "Your number," I replied with a wink.

She rolled her eyes. "You're annoying." Looking at my mentee, she smiled. "Hi! I'm Amy. You must be-"

"Tails ," he finished, holding out his hand. He flashed her a charming smile. "It's nice to meet you."

I kicked him underneath the table. "Put your eyes back in their sockets; that's my girlfriend."

Tails 's brows came together as he looked at me. "Really? How'd you pull her? She's hot!"

"Watch your mouth," I snapped, kicking him again.

He held my gaze, raising an eyebrow. "Or else what?"

"Don't make me whip your ass in front of all these people."

Amy giggled. "Let me know if you need backup," she said, staring at Tails .

I glared at her. "You can get knocked out too, short stack. Keep playing."

"Do you see how mean he is to me?" She asked Tails .

My mentee grinned. "I do. I'll make sure I dedicate a right hook to you."

She pretended to swoon. "Ah, a man after my own heart."

"Order a damn drink before I body slam both of you into this table," I said, crossing my arms against my chest.

Tails chuckled. "Can I have a Sprite, please?"

"Of course." She offered me a kind smile. "And a Coke for you?"

"Mhm," I grumbled.

"Relax," she said, nudging my arm. "We were just teasing. I'll be right back with your drinks."

Tails watched her jog off towards the back. "Seriously, how did you convince her to date you? I'm looking for some tips to pull my own girl."

"What you need to pull is those grades up," I said. "Then, once I see some A's and B's, we can talk about girls."

Tails rolled his eyes. "My grades aren't that bad. Technically, I'm passing."

"Earning a C is passing; having D's is a pity pass."

He kicked me. "Shut up."

"Do it again, and we're squaring up outside."

A smirk spread across his lips. "What's up, then?"

I was about to get up when Amy came back with the drinks. I dropped our playful argument for now. We ordered burgers and fries before Amy jogged off again.

Tails dug into his backpack and pulled out a folder filled with pre-algebra worksheets. After retrieving a pencil as well, he dived into his homework.

I watched him zip through the problems for a few moments, impressed by the quick pace of his mental math.

When he got to the longer word problems, he asked me if I could translate for him. Once he'd heard the problem in his native language, he immediately knew what to do. He scribbled out the equations and solved them without breaking a sweat. This kid was definitely smarter than Mrs. Tierney perceived him. Once he conquered the rest of the language barrier, I had no doubt he'd graduate in the top percent of his class.

After we finished lunch, I bid Amy goodbye with a kiss. As soon as we walked back outside into the warm May air, I grabbed Tails in a headlock. "Remember all that shit you were talking?" I asked as I rubbed my fists into his hair. "What's up, now?"

Tails chuckled within my grasp, struggling to push out of my grip. "You cheated! I wasn't ready!"

"If you stay ready, you won't have to get ready," I told him. I released him, shoving him away.

Tails tried to square up with me, playfully swinging his small fists at me.

I caught one of his wrists and pulled him closer. I popped him lightly in the back of his head. "Chill out before I beat your ass," I told him.

We climbed back into my car and drove a few minutes down to one of the local libraries. This one had two floors. The first floor resembled a usual library with shelves upon shelves of books and reading tables. The second floor was a large open work space. Long rectangular tables were scattered around the room with multiple chairs. Along one of the walls sat a row of computers, free to use and connected to printers. The large windows on the wall let the natural sunlight illuminate the room. Since it was a Saturday, the library was essentially empty. Only a few other people were sitting alone at the tables with their laptops and notebooks.

Tails and I took a seat at one of the computers.

"Explain to me this project again," I said, watching Tails log into the computer.

He logged into his Google Classroom and pulled up the assignment. "We have to create a presentation on a famous person who's made a positive impact on society. It's for English. My teacher said we have to use the internet to find credible facts about this person: their childhood or background, their career, their philanthropy…" Tails trailed off, stumbling over the letters as he read them.

"Mhm, their philanthropy," I encouraged him. "What else?"

"Their personal life, their death if applicable, and we have to cite our sources. Mrs. Gallagher provided the slides for us; we just need to input the information. She said this may be what causes some of us to either pass or fail."

I raised an eyebrow. "And are you in that category?"

"Yes, and no. I'm pulling a solid D plus in the class, but Mrs. Gallager said if I do a good enough job, then I may be able to pull my grade up to a C minus."

"So, what famous person do you want to write about?"

Tails shrugged.

I looked down at him, immediately noticing the light in his eyes had dimmed. "You don't know or you don't want to choose one?"

"I just don't care about famous people," he admitted.

"Well, you said you're into architecture and building things, right? Maybe you could do your research on a famous architect?" I nodded to the computer screen. "Type it into the search engine and see if there's one you like."

He glanced over a list of names that popped up before settling on one: a woman named Zaha Hadid. According to Tails 's research, she designed major buildings such as the London Aquatics Centre and Guangzhou Opera House.

We spent most of the afternoon sifting through websites and filling in the slides with the requested information. Thankfully, we were able to get a good chunk of it finished. I re-taught Tails how to cite his sources in MLA format, having him write down a template to use for when he returned to that section of his work.

I would've had him type everything down on his slide, but the sunlight sifting through the room was fading. Instead, the artificial lights on the ceilings illuminated the room. Tails also started yawning subtly in between his work. His last yawn left his eyes glazed over with weariness, his eyelids threatening to droop as he stared at the computer screen.

"I think that's enough work for one day," I said after we finished the template.

Tails nodded. Sighing, he started logging out of the computer.

"Do you need to stop anywhere on the ride home? Grab food or something?"

"Nah. My mom probably cooked. You can stay for dinner if you want. I don't think she'd mind."

"I wish I could," I murmured.

Tails frowned. Averting his eyes, he asked: "Is it true? What happened to some of the boys from my complex?"

"Yeah," I admitted. I didn't care to lie to him. I wasn't going to pretend to be perfect - not when I was trying to build a relationship based on trust and mutual understanding. If Tails and I were truly going to build some resemblance of this mentor/mentee relationship, then we needed to be honest with each other. I was as flawed as they came, and I wasn't ashamed of it. If Tails didn't want to accept that, then so be it. At the end of the day, it was up to him to choose people he wanted in his life, and I'd understand if I wasn't one of them.

"Would you have shot him if your brother hadn't stepped in?"

His question floated around my head for a moment, summoning memories from that night. If Manic hadn't stepped in, what would I have done? I remember the flames of my anger burning brightly around my brain, inhibiting any logical thoughts. I remember wanting to make Shadow feel all the pain he caused my sister. I remember feeling my finger tighten against the trigger, ready to put a bullet right between his eyes.

But, somewhere, between all the fire and rage and shock at the scene in front of me, there was a tiny voice telling me to shoot my father instead. If there was anyone I wanted to exact my revenge on, it was him. He played a huge part in crafting who I am, fueling me with a fire I struggled to control and an impulse for violence that I didn't understand. If he'd left when Sonia and I were little, maybe I would've ended up like Manic - with the bleeding heart of our mother and our father's handsome face. But, he stayed, and I was cursed with nearly each and every one of his traits. And that alone meant that I was more than capable of killing someone. At that moment, with a gun in my hands and flames searing through my eyes, it was only a matter of who.

"Yeah," I answered his question.

Tails looked up at me, a crease forming between his brows. "Really? I don't think you would've."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Because you're a good person," he said. "Our counselors, as annoying as they are, wouldn't have put us together if you weren't."

I scoffed. "No offense, kid, but you don't know me yet. I'm not the guy who's always traveling on the straight and narrow."

"Maybe not," he agreed with a shrug. "But you're trying - and I think that counts for more than you're giving credit for."

I rolled my eyes. "Now, you're sounding like Mr. Connors. Get your ass up. I'm taking you home."

Tails chuckled. He shoved me as we walked out of the library, and I put him in another headlock. This time, I refused to let him go until he admitted he was a little punk. He barely lasted 30 seconds before he was yelling it loud enough for the other pedestrians on the sidewalk to hear.

On the ride home, I let him play DJ. He hooked up his phone to the AUX cord and played songs he liked. Surprisingly, I knew a few of them and sang along with him. He gave me a wide smile as we sang in unison to a Chris Brown song.

When we pulled up to the sidewalk near his apartment building, his smile immediately fell.

I followed his eyes across the quad to the large group of Crip members loitering around near the doors of the building. Even in the darkness, I quickly recognized Shadow and Jet among the crowd. They were standing near Travis, chatting quietly with him as he idly smoked a cigarette.

"Maybe you should stay in the car," Tails said. "You can see me from here. I'll be okay walking by myself."

I ignored his suggestion, unbuckling my seatbelt. "One thing you're going to learn about me, Tails : I'm not afraid of anyone. Now, let's get you inside."

Tails stuck close by my side as we walked towards his building. His eyes were trained on the group of blue-bandana wearing men. The rise and fall of his chest accelerated with every step closer to them. His hand slowly wrapped around my wrist. His fingers dug into my skin, cutting off the circulation in my veins.

"Relax," I told him. "I got you. You're safe. You'll be inside in a second."

"But what about you?" He asked, looking up at me. Underneath the bright lights illuminating the pathway, I could see the tears threatening to brim his eyes.

"I will be fine," I promised. I ceased my steps as we arrived at the main doors. "Go inside. I'll text you to let you know I got home safely. Okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Okay." He didn't move for a moment, glancing again at the group standing only a few feet away from us.

From my peripheral, I noticed a few of them taking a few slow steps to the side, subtly moving closer to us. "Get inside," I said firmly in my native tongue. "Now."

Tails finally obeyed my requests, darting inside and racing up the visible steps.

I didn't spare the group a parting glance as I turned and headed back towards my car. Behind me, footsteps clicked against the concrete, moving swiftly to keep up with my fast pace.

I ducked when I passed the threshold of the light's boundaries - and the building's security cameras. Perfect timing too. A fist flew above my head, missing my skull by a few inches.

Before I could even turn to see my attacker, a different fist punched me in the back.

I stumbled forward, caught off guard.

Another fist swooped into my gut. As my head bopped up from the loss of breath, two different sets of hands collided with my face - one at my cheek and another at my nose. In an instant, I was surrounded by dark figures, all of their hands and feet attacking me from all angles.

I let instinct take over, flailing my limbs every which way to deter their attacks. I felt my fists make a few impacts, but nothing to wear them down. I didn't know how many were around me, but from the constant punch after punch, I had to assume at least five or six.

One of them grabbed my jacket and threw me down onto the ground. My collision with the concrete barely hurt compared to all of their punches and kicks mercilessly laid on me. At least two of them aimed for my ribs, kicking and stomping with such strength that I thought they were trying to break the bones. The others focused on my head, simultaneously punching my face in and kicking my head back and forth like a goddamn soccer ball. Within seconds, stars spun behind my eyes, and my vision blurred with black spots.

A yelp of pain escaped my lips as one of the sneakers stomped on my ribs so hard that I felt something crack. My stomach exploded in a fiery blaze, sending blood up my throat. In my position on my back, I nearly choked on all of the metal-tasting liquid in my mouth. I coughed helplessly, trying to catch a breath amidst all the chaos.

At the sound, their hits ceased. Through my blurry vision, I could see the figures move aside, making room for three swirling Shadow's. A hand gripped his shoulder from behind, and I could see the red tint of Travis' lit cigarette. "Put an end to this," Travis commanded.

Shadow raised his arm, the mouth of a gun filling my vision.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. There was still too much blood flooding my vocal chords. I wanted to tell Shadow that he was better than this too. He used to be a decent kid; one who dropped my sister off before curfew and made her laugh so loud that I could hear her from my room. Until recently, he was the class clown who pulled pranks and cracked jokes with everyone he met. He used to have a light that shone onto everyone around him. I don't know what the fuck happened to it after he joined this damned gang, but I had some hope that it was still there. He didn't have to do this.

He hesitated, his lips twitching into the remnants of a fearful frown.

"Don't be a fucking pussy," Travis snapped into his ear. "He was going to kill you. Now you need to make sure he never gets that chance again."

Shadow took a deep breath, his lips pressing into a firm line. "Sorry, Sonic," he whispered.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The shots echoed through my ears, followed by the deafening noise of silence. My vision swirled as an agonizing sensation spread around my body like wildfire. My muscles went numb as ripples of heat licked up every inch of my bones, burning everything in its path. The fire raging in my bones, once my friend, was now my demise, quickly swallowing my body in it's torturous flames.

"Sonic!" Tails' voice sounded a million miles away. "Sonic! No! Sonic!"

His face appeared above me, his hazel eyes wide with fear and tears soaking his cheeks.

It was the last thing I saw before the dark spots consumed my vision, throwing me into a void of complete darkness.