Hey, I'm back with a new chapter! Sorry this one took so long, I was busy this week. But it's extra long so I hope that makes up for it. I won't keep you any longer so please enjoy! Remember to leave me a review when you finish reading it, it helps a lot!

Chapter Eleven: Dividing Me

"Glad you could make it."

Sally Acorn was sitting across from me in a luxury hotel's high class bar. For what she had told me was a business meeting, she was dressed in quite unusual attire; that being a tight black sleeveless dress that dipped at the neckline to reveal her very noticeable chest and a pair of very tall black stilettos that complimented her long, skinny legs. She was sipping a cherry martini, leaning her elbow against the countertop next to the bartender who she had just called over for me.

"Bartender! Over here."

"Yes miss, what would you like?"

"I'm fine; my friend would like something though."

"What will it be sir?"

He was drying a champagne glass as he was speaking to me. It made me realize just how much of a classy place this was and when I glanced around, I noticed all of the men were in full suits and all the women in very elegant dresses. I felt out of place.

"Uh, a gin and tonic, please."

I answered quickly after passing the discomfort. I looked back in Sally's direction and took a seat next to her.

"So this is your idea of business?"

"Oh don't act surprised Sonic. You knew exactly what I meant the entire time. And right now, I'm in no mood to talk about work."

She let out a small giggle and smiled seductively as she took another sip of her martini. She seemed so different out of her conservative look that she wore in meetings. She looked really good; I didn't want to think that because of Fiona but I couldn't help it. I tried to divert my attention elsewhere to avoid looking directly at her.

"So what exactly did you want to see me for then?"

"Oh, stop playing dumb. You're hot; I'm hot, what's the problem with the two of us having a little fun on the side? It's not like you're my client although it wouldn't be too good an idea for my boss to find out about a relationship between the guardian of one of my clients and I."

"Sally, there is nothing between us! Plus, I have a girlfriend and I'm not interested."

It was the first time I considered Fiona my girlfriend. I was kind of surprised at how quickly it came out; it wasn't that I didn't want her to be, it was that we had never discussed making it official. Sally was coming on strong and I had to make a decision fast. I took a big gulp of my drink and tried to distract myself by staring at others in the room. To my dismay, they were mostly couples and I could pick out a few escorts hanging off the arms of old rich men. It wasn't much help seeing the connections between everybody so I slipped my hand in my pocket and searched for my phone but sadly realized I had forgotten it on my desk at home.

"Oh, I see. You don't really look like the loyal type; I always saw you as a player."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"It's your attitude and whole demeanor. You just seem to be the kind of guy who gets around; doesn't settle."

"Well, I'm not like that, okay. You don't know people just by looking at them."

"Don't get so defensive, it's not a bad thing, it's just most guys your age are. Just remember, you chose to come tonight whether or not you deny that you're attracted to me. Who wouldn't be, hehe?"

"You know what, I don't even know why I agreed to come but I'm leaving now, I shouldn't be here."

I got up to leave but Sally grabbed hold of my arm and gave me a pleading look.

"No, please stay, at least finish your drink."

I thought for a minute but then decided that it wouldn't really be fair to leave her with the bill so I told myself I would finish the drink, pay and then get out of there before I got myself into trouble.

"Fine, but only for a couple of minutes, nothing more."

"Deal."

I took a smaller sip of my drink. Sally had only a little left in her glass when she plucked up the cherry with her manicured nails and twirled it letting little droplets fall back into the glass. I watched as she brought the small fruit to her glossy lips and slowly put it in her mouth. I knew what she was doing; her every motion was executed in a suggestive way and it was doing a number on me.

"Since you're still here, do you want to see something cool?"

"Sure."

I was trying to not sound enthusiastic to try and turn myself off of the idea of cheating. I couldn't ignore it; the temptation was there, hanging in front of me like mouse to a cat. I knew it wasn't a good choice but I tried to finish off my drink as fast as I could which only worsened my inhibitions.

"Watch this."

I stared as Sally placed the cherry stem in between her teeth and then pulled it out after a couple of seconds and revealed a knot.

"That is pretty cool."

"Pretty sexy, wouldn't you say?"

"Sally..."

"What? Is it that hard to admit that you're interested? I'm not asking you to do anything you don't want to do; I'm just telling you that I'm aware you want to do it."

I finished up the last of my drink and stood up. I slowly pushed my way through the crowd of people near the door.

I'm almost there. The exit is right there and then this will all be over and I can forget this night ever happened.

Just as I was reaching the front door, I was pushed against the wall beside it and pinned there by two feminine hands holding onto my shoulders and leaning into me. Sally pushed herself up to face and kissed me firmly without any warning. Before I even knew what I was doing, I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist and let her place both arms around my neck; deepening the kiss. I pulled away for a minute to breathe from the intensity. She was panting and so was I.

" Your place or mine?"

"Yours of course."

"Oh yeah, silly me."

She put her lips against mine one more time before we walked out the door hurriedly.

"Let's take your car, I took a cab here."

"Alright."

It took us ten minutes to reach her apartment which was also downtown. She stumbled out of the passenger's seat and ran up the stairs to her door and started fiddling with her keys. To be honest, I hadn't even noticed she was wearing her coat. I quickly followed her inside and kicked the door closed. I couldn't believe how weak my will power was.

xXx

The next morning, I woke up to a blaring headache despite the fact that I only had one drink. I hadn't eaten much the day before so the alcohol affected me greater than ordinary. I opened my eyes to blurriness before they adjusted to daylight.

"Good morning sleepy head."

I heard a soft voice call from a little bit away from me. I could hear the sound of coffee brewing in the distance and small footsteps getting gradually closer.

"What time is it?"

"Almost noon. Do you want some coffee or an Advil first?"

"What!? Neither, I've gotta go!"

"Why? You just got up."

"Yeah and I shouldn't have been here in the first place. Look, last night was a mistake, I was drunk and careless so can we just pretend it never happened? I can't even remember most of it."

I jumped out of bed and out my clothes on. My head was pounding and her fast paced voice wasn't helping.

"What? You're just going to leave me here like some tramp that doesn't even deserve a hello!?"

"Weren't you the one who said I look like a player? Well it turns out you were right. See ya."

"Don't forget about Amy. At the end of the day, I'm still the one who fills out the report."

"I can always ask for a new social worker."

"But I still have an influence. I'd be careful how you treat me."

"Alright what do you want Sally? You know this was a bad idea."

"I'll keep you posted. From this point on, don't do anything you'll regret."

"I already have."

With that, I slammed the door shut behind me and walked to my car. As I started the engine, I looked up to see her face through the front window looking down on me with a blank expression drawn on her face. I drove away, giving her a dirty look I wasn't even sure she could see.

I was having a pretty bad morning which never led to a good day. I drove through the slow traffic of a Saturday morning and made it home at around 12:30 P.M. It was a good thing Sonia worked on Saturdays; I didn't want to get my head chewed off yet for not coming home again and this time she knew who I was with. I walked through the door, lights and sounds still bothering me greatly, to a quiet and peaceful environment I was ever so thankful for. I crashed on the couch, not even bothering to take my shoes or jacket off and shoved my face into a cushion.

"Well, look who decided to come home."

I looked up to see Amy standing in front of me her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"What?"

"Sonia said you didn't come home last night and she was acting kind of pissed off about it."

"Yeah, well Sonia always feels like she needs to give her opinion about every Goddamn thing so I don't really care."

I stood up and walked over to the fridge. As I leaned in and rummaged through the contents, I heard Amy approaching me again.

"You don't look so good. Are you sick or something?"

"A little. Hey since you're up, do you mind fetching me some Advil from the counter beside the sink in the bathroom?"

"Sure."

I sighed and just took ended up taking out some juice and pouring myself a glass as I sat down at the table. Amy came back a minute later holding the little dark blue box in her hand and passing it to me.

"Thanks."

"Why are you so quiet? Normally you talk a lot. What happened last night, I've never seen you like this."

"Oh, uh, I drank a lot and uh, did some stuff."

What was I supposed to tell her: Oh, by the way, I slept with your social worker who turned out to be some clingy, controlling psycho!? Oh and I forgot vengeful!

I just drifted off topic and prayed she wouldn't ask about it more. Thinking required too much energy at this point so I just stayed silent. I just popped the pills in my mouth and swallowed. It wasn't for another twenty minutes that it actually kicked in and the headache started to subside. I thought it might have actually been caused more by Sally's presence than by a real hangover. I made a mental note to call social services and request a new social worker for the next meeting. When I finally decided to look up from laying my head on the table, I saw that Amy had left. I thought I should get up and talk to her a bit because it was true that I hadn't really been around lately. I searched all the rooms in the house but couldn't seem to find her anywhere. I was doubtful that she would have gone off without telling me so soon after we told her not to. I hadn't realized how distracted I was with my headache that I hadn't heard her close the door. I got my phone from my room and checked the messages.

Tails – Want to hang tonight?

Fiona – Hey there sexy, u free 2nite?

Sonia – 1 Voicemail

Ugh... Okay, let's see what big sis has to say...

I pressed play on the voicemail and put the phone to my ear. Whatever she had left on the message wasn't going to be nice.

"Hi Sonic. Let me just remind you about the fact that you SLEPT WITH AMY'S SOCIAL WORKER! I know you did because it's eight o'clock in the morning and you have yet to return home. You are so lucky I have work right now but when I get home, you're gonna hear it. And what about that other girl you've been seeing? I've thought many things about you Sonic but a cheater has never been one of them! Get your shit together before you fuck everything up!"

And that was when I knew I'd fucked up. Bad. Really bad. I had two girls who wanted me bad and I had to wrong the one that I actually care about. I had no idea what Sally was planning but I knew that she wouldn't want staying too close to Fiona right now; I had the feeling that she was watching me or something. Why had I done this to myself? Because I was a stupid, senseless asshole that didn't think before he acted.

I replied to Tails' message with a 'no thanks'; I wasn't planning on touching alcohol for a while. On top of all my stupid actions, lately I had been driving under the influence which could have resulted in me or someone else ending up in a situation worse than any moral trouble. It was time for me to take hold of my life and focus on what was really important like making sure Amy would be able to stay with us; which unfortunately meant keeping Sally Acorn happy until we could do something about it.

I decided to keep my distance from Fiona for a while just for caution's sake; both hers and mine. That morning, I saw a side I had never even thought could come from the chipmunk girl. I really hadn't known her for long and was hoping that she would consider that factor in whatever we did but apparently I was wrong; she clearly had stronger feelings for me than I thought. I thought that she was just being flirtatious and coming on so strong because of the drink but things got out of hand too fast. I knew I had to fix things fast before she unravelled everything we worked for.

I left my room and grabbed my car keys then left the apartment. I sped down the stairs and flew out the entrance. I observed my surroundings in search of the familiar pink hedgehog. With worry building up inside of me, I bounded to my car and started it. I was being a little overdramatic about it but I couldn't help thinking the worst. I was already on edge after the whole Sally thing and then Amy just up and leaves without telling me- again. I was learning slowly how Sonia must have felt raising me and Manic while we were growing; we used to pull this kind of stuff all the time. I drove around the block and circled the neighborhood until I caught sight of a light pink figure in my rear-view mirror. I swiftly maneuvered a u-turn and pulled up to the curb. I jumped out and walked towards her. I noticed that she seemed determined to get wherever she was going and kept glancing around her. When she looked back, I hid behind the wooden fence of a house I was passing by. I wanted to know where she was headed and I had the feeling that she didn't tell me where she was going for a reason. I kept on moving forward behind her, making sure to maintain distance so she wouldn't see or hear me. She turned a corner and I realized she was headed towards the main road that led to the highway. I quickly chased after her and peeked around the corner. She was sitting on a bench sitting next to a stranger that I couldn't see from my position. It really wasn't in her character to talk to people she didn't know, especially after her experience. I watched further from my hiding spot and would be more than ready to blow my cover should something suspicious happen but for now she seemed in no danger. It was only after a couple of minutes that she got up from her spot and was approaching me so I slid behind a dumpster until she walked by and was well away from me. When I was certain she was far enough to not hear me, I got up and looked back at the bench, hoping to see who she was chatting with but to my dismay, the individual was already gone.

Damn it! Alright I missed who it was this time, but I'll follow her the next time she goes out and see who that mystery person is.

I made my way back to my car and headed back home fast. I stopped by a coffee shop on the way back to make it look like I had an excuse to leave. As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw Amy's silhouette retreating behind the main door to the lobby. I walked in behind and raced up the stairs and rushed into the apartment. I thanked the heavens for my speed because it would have been strange for a coffee run to have taken that long. She followed in almost right after me and I had to calm down my panting to not look like I just ran up four flights of stairs.

"Hey."

"Where did you go and why didn't you tell me you were leaving? That was the deal, remember?"

"Oh, sorry. I just didn't want to disturb you. You looked like you were ready to pass out. And plus, I wasn't even gone that long. I just went for a walk."

"A walk where? You don't know the neighborhood, Amy. There could be creeps lurking around every corner."

"I know that already. Besides Sonia said that taking little strolls around the block wouldn't hurt to build up my knowledge of the area and also help me with getting used to walking around like a normal citizen. Don't worry, I don't talk to anybody I don't know and I stay away from people who look threatening."

"Are you sure you don't talk to anybody?"

"Yes! Why are you interrogating me like I did something wrong?"

"I'm just worried about you, that's all."

"Well you're not my father so you don't need to worry about me like you are!"

After that she stormed off to her room and I heard the door slam closed behind her. I knew I had pushed too far but I was also aware that she had lied to my face. I knew for a fact that she talked to a stranger... unless it wasn't a stranger and she knew the person.

But who would she lie about talking to; well it wasn't a lie, just an omission? I know everybody she knows so I can't see her keeping something like that from me.

I let that go but I couldn't help feeling offended by her harsh words about me caring for her safety. I shuffled through my pockets and pulled out my cell phone and dialed the only person I knew who could explain her bizarre behaviour.

"Hello? Sonic, is that you?"

"Yeah Rouge, it's me. Sorry to bother you but I have a question about Amy's behaviour recently."

"Sure thing but I'm just letting you know that I can't divulge any of my patient's information unless she's in danger."

"No, no, I'm not asking anything like that. It's just that she's been acting a bit weird lately; like I was asking her a simple question and I may have pushed a little too far but she lashed out and said that I'm not her father so I shouldn't worry like one. Do you know anything about that?"

"That's common among many children who grow up without a father figure or in Amy's case, grew up with a man who posed as one and made a negative influence on any male character who will care for her later on in her life. It could also be a reaction to the medication I proscribed; nothing to worry about, it's just her body getting used to the added hormones."

"Alright, thanks, that makes it a bit better."

"You're welcome. And don't forget how much change she's going through right now."

"Yeah I know, the translation back into regular society- "

"No, I'm talking about puberty. Underneath everything, she's physically still an ordinary teenage girl dealing with hormones and emotions that don't make sense to her."

"Oh, I didn't think about that. When you put it that way, things add up just fine."

"See? Nothing unusual, just regular sixteen year old behaviour. Welcome to the life of living with an adolescent. I deal with them all day long."

"Ha ha, yeah I'm kinda glad I don't do your job right now. But thanks, that really cleared things up for me. I guess I'll see you at her next appointment then."

"Yup, I'll talk to you later, Sonic."

"Alright and thank you again."

"You're welcome; call anytime if you're having trouble."

"Okay, bye."

I ended the call and put it back in my pocket. Rouge had made me understand everything in a much better light. Amy was just an ordinary teenager, looking at things from a teenager's perspective. I could tell she was beginning to get comfortable here and was actually kind of glad that she felt relaxed enough to react that way in front of me. I just hoped that Sally wouldn't do anything to ruin this.

I took a sip of my coffee and headed over to the couch. I plopped down and turned on the TV. It was around 2:00 P.M. so there wasn't much on, just a couple of sports games on. It entertained me for a couple of hours until the landline phone rang. I got up off the couch and walked over to the kitchen to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Bro, that you? It's me Manic!"

"Hey, what's up? I haven't talked to you in ages!"

"Just university crap that you wouldn't understand, ha ha. I'm just joking; you know just the usual, school finishes in a couple of weeks so things are a bit hectic but the rest is alright. How've you been getting on without me?"

"Um, fine. I got promoted the other day to deal with this big project that's going on next week and if I nail it, I've got a secure spot at the company so that's always good."

"Good for you, bro! That sounds awesome! And how's Sonia?"

"Working hard, as usual. Um, listen when you get back, there's something we need to talk about; its kind of serious."

"What happened? Did the apartment burn down or something?"

"No, no , nothing like that. Just, uh- how do I put this..."

I thought for a moment if I should tell him the story now or just give him the minor details and go more in depth about it with Amy when he got back. I went with my first idea and just give him a little heads up so he's not entirely shocked when he arrived.

"What is it Sonic? You're killing me."

"Your room is currently occupied."

"By who?"

"Uh, it's a little too complicated to explain over the phone but we'll work it out once you get back. Don't dwell on it, it's not a big deal, just something you're going to have to get used to."

"I'm not liking the sound of this, bro."

"Relax, it'll all be fine, okay? Just trust me on this one."

"Is said person in my room right now?"

"Yes. Don't worry, Sonia made sure all of your personal things were out of there before she arrived."

"Oh, it's a she now is it? Is she hot?"

"What? She's a sixteen year old girl, I can't answer that question. And she comes from a very troubled past so you better watch your mouth when your around."

"Wow, sounds like she's really important to you. So tell me, why is she in my room, again?"

"It's- complicated. I told you that, already. It's for a good reason and that's all you need to know for now."

"Dude, you can't just tell me there's some random chick staying in our apartment, in MY room, sleeping in MY bed and expect me to act like nothing's out of the ordinary. How long have you known her for anyway?"

"Almost a month."

"You know that's not long enough to let them LIVE in your HOUSE!"

"I didn't exactly have a choice; look I promise this will make a whole lot more sense when you get here."

"Alright, if you say so, but I want my room back; I'm not spending my summer on a couch!"

"I told you we'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, just leave it alone until the time comes, okay?"

"Alright, man. Uh, I gotta go but I'll call you later."

"Sure, bye bro."

"Peace!"

I hung up the phone and leaned my head against the wall. I had no idea how we were going to manage the both of them living here at the same time. We couldn't kick Amy out of the bedroom but it also wasn't fair to Manic to just lock him out of his own room.

Maybe I could give up my room and let Manic stay in there until he goes back to the campus.

I pushed it to the back of my mind when I heard a door click open down the hall. I turned around and saw Amy standing at the entrance to the kitchen. She had solemn look on her face.

"Who was that?"

"That was my brother, Manic. He'll be coming home in a few weeks so I was just letting him know about you before he gets here."

I was speaking very slowly, leaving spaces in between my words. For some reason, I felt as thought I had to tip-toe around her for the moment; I didn't want to set her off again.

"Oh, yeah. I took his room."

"Well, it's not really a problem; we'll just deal with it when he gets here."

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that before, it sort of just came out."

"It's alright; I get it. You're right, I'm not that much older than you so it's hard seeing me as an authority figure and by no means am I asking you to do that; I'm only here to help you and watch out for you."

"Yeah, it just seems so strange to have other people looking after me when I've been on my own for so long. I guess I've developed this instinct to push back at people who try and help."

"And I understand that completely. I don't know how you feel most of the time but I do try my best to do the right thing. I don't want to see you go through anymore of what you've been through. I'm just trying to keep you safe."

"I know. And I'm extremely grateful for everything you've done so far. I don't want you to think that I don't appreciate it; I do. I'm just happy to have somewhere I can stay where I don't have to fear for tomorrow or worry about getting through the night. I'm still trying to hope for the girls I basically grew up with. I'm sad that they don't have it as good as I do right now."

She started tearing up a bit and wiped her eyes. The sight was tugging at my heart. Her friends, maybe even sisters in her eyes, were still trapped in hell and she was staying here. I hated seeing her cry; it was one of the worst feelings in the world to see her upset. I pushed myself away from the wall and walked over to her. I put my hand on her shoulder.

"They're going to find the girls, trust me. You'll be reunited with them soon."

"I just hope they don't hate me after it all."

"Amy, how could they possibly hate you?"

"Because I'm safe and they're not. Because I was too slow and the police didn't find them in time and now they're going to be gone forever."

"No they're not. I promise you that they'll come back, even if I have to track the bastard down myself."

"You can't do that."

"But I would if I could."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. I'll do anything right now for you to stop crying. I want you to smile as much as possible and enjoy your freedom and live your life. What I want is for you to be safe and happy."

"Thank you."

She hugged me tightly and stopped sniffling. I was so glad that it worked. I knew I was making promises that I wasn't sure if I could keep but I couldn't stand to see her sad anymore. She let go of me and walked over to the table. She sat down on the chair and propped her elbows on the table. I followed and sat across from her.

"So aren't you supposed to teach me math or something?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Hah, we could start right now if you want. I'm not exactly sure where to begin though..."

She was distracting herself from her feelings by changing the subject. I got up from the table and made my way to my room to grab a couple of my old text books then came back.

"Alright so, why don't we start off with the basics. You have your simple math like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and then you have graphs, algebra, trigonometry, equations, formulas and all that other boring crap. Why don't we start off with your basic skills..."

xXx

Sonia came home when we were deep in conversation about the point of using letters in dumb situations to which I had no answer. Amy was a fast learner but she was still very far behind. It would take quite a long time before she was caught up with the rest of the kids her age. I was supposed to cram around seven years of math into 5 months before she started grade 12. I didn't want her to be put in a grade lower but there was a lot of chance that she would end up in grade 11 or maybe even 10 if she wasn't properly educated in time to take the entrance exam.

"What are you guys up to?"

"Math."

"Exciting stuff. Hey Sonic, can I borrow you for a minute?"

"Yeah. Um, Amy I think that's enough for today. If we go any further, you won't retain anything."

"Alright."

She got up and walked down the hall to her room while I followed Sonia to the living room.

"You want to explain to me exactly what the fuck was going through your head when you decided to sleep with that social worker?"

"Um, about nothing. I let the alcohol control me and that's why I've decided to stop drinking for a while. I know it was a stupid decision and I take full responsibility for any of the consequences that follow."

"Wow, somebody's acting mature for once. Do you know what's going to happen though? I mean, have you told that girl you've been seeing yet?"

"What? No, I'm not going to tell her. But, uh, there may or may not be a little problem..."

"What?"

She spoke through her teeth in a low growl. I was scared to tell her exactly what happened so I kept it short to not make it sound so bad.

"I might have pissed her off a bit and so we need to call and switch social workers."

"What did you do?"

"I told her t forget it ever happened and then she went all psycho and was saying stuff like 'I have the power to decide whether or not Amy stays with you' and 'don't do anything you'll regret'..."

"You need to fix this. She's nuttier than a squirrel, oh wait! She is a squirrel. And what does she mean 'don't do anything you'll regret?"

"I think that pertains to my 'girlfriend'; as in don't see her for a while."

"You've really done it this time, Sonic. You better think of something, and think of it fast because you don't know how much time you have before she acts on her rage."

"Yeah, I know."

But I didn't know. I had no idea what O was going to do about it. This would require some serious thought on how to handle her.

Fiona will become suspicious if I just stop talking to her but then again, what will Sally do if she sees me with her?

I didn't want Fiona to get tangled up in this but I also didn't want to just stop seeing her. What was I supposed to do? Amy had gotten me involved with some pretty strange women and she didn't even know about any of it. At the end of the day, she was the one that mattered most.

So Sally isn't completely all there and is head over heels for Sonic! What is he going to do about it and will he be able to get away with it with Fiona? Please stay tuned to find out what happens with Amy and who the mystery individual is; feel free to guess in the reviews or PM me with your views on the chapter! I thank you for continuing to read my story and I hope I'm keeping your interest!

-DarkRose