Hey it hasn't been so long this time! I'd been meaning to post this sooner but never got around to it, sorry! This is also probably the longest chapter I've posted for this story as well so that's a plus! Anyway I have another chapter into Amy's life for you, so here you go! Enjoy :) Please remember to review afterward!

Chapter Nineteen: Respecting Me

There I was again. Legs uncontrollably shaky, hands unwillingly clammy, too early for the morning heat to have begun sinking in. I took each step very delicately, as if my weight would cause it to crumble away under my feet if I was as fast as the people who surrounded me; as if they were somehow floating and I was a stone falling to the bottom of a river. Someone rushed past me so quickly that their bag swung from their shoulder, striking me in the back and making me stumble forward on the next step. And just like that, my perfectly cautious morning was blown away by the sway of a canvas book-holder. I instinctively reached forward with my hand touching the tip of the next stair to keep myself from falling any further. The pale cement felt cool In contrast with the slowly warming air I was inhaling. Just like the past few days, I knew that the heat would rise in around an hour once the sun had a chance to pull itself into the sky; but unlike the other days, the sun was only visible through layers and layers of silver clouds that were too bright to stare at for long. I still had the thought that rain was approaching; a storm was more like it.

I entered the stainless-steel doors of the school feeling a wave of interior humidity that had collected in the building overnight. The crowd of students all trying to follow the same path, rushing together like a group of sheep entering their enclosure for the day accentuated the feeling of closeness between me and the walls. An uprising sense of anxiety welled in my center, I suddenly felt trapped when the doors shut behind me. I looked back as I heard the sound of the click they made; it sounded like a lock. I stopped and turned the rest of my body to face them once again. The flow of people had finally ceased and most had headed in their proper directions while some lingered in the nearby hallways discussing occurrences of the day before. I was soon the only one in the foyer of the school, still staring at the closed exit. I took a few steps forward until I was able to press my hands along its flat surface and then push forward on the handle. I had to make sure the door would still open if I needed it to. It slid along with ease flooding me in the wavering sunlight of the hidden sun. I smiled and sighed with relief, allowing the worry to flow away with the prospect of escape still a possibility if necessary.

Every building, room or car I entered, I always had to make sure the way I entered was still a way to exit from. This was the way it was for me ever since I'd escaped from my father's hands in March. I never thought about it much, but this time, I wasn't alone, I was with a lot more people. That made it so much worse. The idea that I'd be locked up with so many other people; individuals I didn't know, the things they could do or think of doing at any point. And I wouldn't be able to get away. A fear I'd been feeling since I was a child. Always having someone watching you, making sure you didn't get away, making sure that you had no chance either. It destroyed my sense of security. Every building, room or car… everywhere had to have an escape. Or else that would be the end of me.

xXx

I reached my homeroom class shortly after my panic at the entrance of the school. Unlike the previous day, the class seemed full for the most part. There were so many faces before me that I found my vision hazing as my eyes scanned the room for an empty seat. I spotted one at the very back of the class but it was unlike the others; this one had a separate desk and chair that were both wooden while the rest were all metal. I didn't think anything of it at the time so I crossed the linoleum tiled floor until I took a seat in the empty wooden chair. I placed my black bag on the desk which was marked up and cracked with age. I witnessed other students reading in wait for the Homeroom teacher to show up so I proceeded to pull out my copy of Jekyll & Hyde to finish it off since I seemed to only have a few pages left of the tenth and last chapter: Henry Jekyll's Full Statement of the Case. Before I could begin reading, I caught sight of a lilac-haired mongoose seated in the spot I had sat in yesterday. She was giggling with her 'Bunnie'. I also spotted Cream and Cosmo sitting in the middle row talking about something that felt unimportant. Not amused by my surroundings, I plunged back into the book.

"That child of Hell had nothing human; nothing lived in him but fear and hatred."

I would have to agree with you on that one Henry Jekyll. Quite a few people in this world were purely made of fear and hatred… like my father. Ugh! I can't even call him that. John. That's all he is. A name. A number. A very ugly number that should be pulled from infinity.

I'd deciphered it; my father was Mr. Hyde. A cruel monster that trapped Dr. Jekyll in his grasp, allowing his leash on him to become shorter and shorter until he swallowed him into death. I had just broken the leash a corroded all of his plans away.

I put the book away when the teacher walked in and began saying the daily announcements.

"All club activity sign-ups begin today at lunch in the front lobby…"

This seemed to pique the interest of the majority of the class. Some people even got out of their seats to discuss this topic with their friends in the class, including Cream and Cosmo who'd begun approaching me.

"Hey there, Amy! Why didn't you sit closer to us?"

"There were no seats."

"Oh, right, haha!"

I wasn't in the mood to make small talk and her bubbliness was slightly unnerving but I didn't want to come off as rude, especially to the only one I'd been able to socialize with comfortably so I responded with a change of subject.

"I thought you said we were in the same Chemistry class. When I was in class yesterday afternoon, I didn't see you. Why is that?"

"Oh, I seemed to have read the schedule wrong; I'm in the one down the hall, 4b-5. You're in 4b-2. Sorry about that, I'm a spaz sometimes. But no worries, we still have English together and I'm pretty sure all girls in our grade have gym at the same time so you won't be alone for that either. "

"Oh that's reassuring… I guess."

"Amy, is something wrong? You seem a little… distant."

"Hm? Oh no I'm just trying to block out the noise."

I wasn't quite sure what to answer because I wasn't fully certain what she was inquiring. I responded the best way I could without revealing that I was afraid that the doors would lock behind me.

"Noise? This is relatively quiet for the morning. Oh well, you'll just get used to it eventually."

"Guess so."

I knew that I must have been coming off as cold but I suddenly felt the need to escape from all conversation. It seemed that just talking was sapping my energy at the moment. All of my thoughts were directed on the door and how a late student had just closed it. I heard the click, the bang, the creak of the hinge. The lock. The barricade, the wall the divide. That's how it felt. I needed it to be open, or else it felt like I would scream just to keep the walls from caving in.

I knew it would seem unusual for me to just stride up to the door and open it directly after someone had purposely closed it so I did the next best thing. I turned around behind me and opened the window to its full extent. A light breeze blew in pushing my anxiety down a bit. Cream and Cosmo who hadn't said a word yet, just stared calmly at my odd behaviour. They must have thought I was strange but to be honest, I didn't mind all that much. The less socialization I made, the less I would have to worry about acting normal around people. I wanted to have friends at some point but I guess I wasn't ready for that just yet. New people seemed to scare me a little. The only thing I was left wondering was,

Why didn't I feel any of this yesterday? I was so glad that someone had showed kindness to me and talked to me that the emotions I usually feel in a new place must have slipped away. All I remember feeling yesterday was the apprehension I received from that girl Mina.

I spent much time questioning my own behaviour; so much that I had to be broken out of thought by the sharp ringing of the bell in the hall. I stood from my desk and rushed out the door with my things as fast as I could; I was almost running. I just had to open the door, open up the space, make sure I wasn't locked in for good with all of these people I couldn't trust.

I slipped past the threshold and stepped out into the corridor. It was a current of people making their way to different rooms, following in different directions, it made me dizzy.

"What's your rush?"

Cream came up from behind me and surprised me with her soft, sudden voice.

"You didn't think I would leave you hanging by yourself in the hallway did you? You don't even know where any of the classes are!"

"Oh, thank you."

"Hehe, no problem. Come on, we have English first again. And trust me; you do NOT want to be late to Mr. Hartley's class."

"Wh-what? Why, what does he do if you're late to class?"

"He picks on you for a long time. It's actually pretty funny if you're not the victim."

"Oh, that doesn't sound very assuring."

I was legitimately nervous for his class. I thought that I stood out enough as a new student who had never been in a school before so to be put under a heavy spotlight was severely unwanted. I began jogging down the hall, praying that the bell would only ring after I'd crossed the threshold of the classroom. Cream was a little slow at catching up however so I had to slow my pace.

"Woah Amy, slow down! I didn't mean to scare you like that. Mr. Hartley's a good teacher, he just jokes around a lot. And he's really sarcastic."

"Sarcastic?"

"Yeah, it's just the way he teaches. You'll see in the few classes."

"Oh, alright."

I was just praying that he would leave the classroom door open so I wouldn't have to worry about being trapped for the entire period.

His class was on the second floor at the end of the hall. We arrived earlier than most students as only four of them were in the room. Mr. Hartley sat at his desk scribbling something down really quickly on what looked like a lesson plan. From the looks of it, we were supposed to discuss the basic introduction to the novel. He looked up from his paper when we walked past his desk.

"Hey new girl!"

I assumed he was speaking to me.

"Y-yes? Me?"

"Yeah you. You gonna pay attention today?"

"What!? Of course Mister! I actually know a lot about Jekyll & Hyde. I-It's one of my favorites actually."

I was babbling. That was something out of the ordinary for me but for some reason I felt compelled to make up for my lack of focus in the previous lesson. I think it was a form of reforming any negative impression I gave but I was completely lost as to whether I was succeeding or not.

"Really? You know, you're the first student to say that. Good on you."

"Th-thank you sir."

I stood there for a while longer, maybe a little too long out of anxious paralysis before I quickly followed after Cream and took the same seats we had taken the last class. My earlier annoyance with speech had dissipated and I was very glad to not be alone in this strange room at the moment.

"Well, look at you; getting praised by one of the toughest teachers on your first real class."

"Is that bad?"

"No way. But try not to show off a little too much or people will start to call you a teacher's pet."

"Teacher's pet? I don't get it."

"It means you do everything the teacher asks."

"Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

"Well yeah, but most people don't. You know, like a goody-two shoes? "

She was using expressions I'd never heard before. For the first time ever, my vast knowledge of vocabulary failed me. My confused expression must have given away my feelings.

"Just stick with me, I'll show you the ropes of this place."

"Wow, thanks. I really appreciate that."

More students filled the remaining seats in the classroom until the bell rang and Mr. Hartley stood up from his desk at the front of the room.

"Alright kids, how many of you brought your novels to class this morning?"

A good majority of students raised their hands and I followed in the same direction. I was surprised that five students actually didn't remember their books on the second day.

"Well those of you who don't are going to find it very hard to follow as we are beginning it today."

Beginning? I'm almost done! Was I not supposed to read it last night?

Mr. Hartley continued speaking about Jekyll & Hyde.

"We're going to start off by talking about what you guys know about it so far. Can anyone tell me?"

A pale blue hedgehog girl with short hair raised her hand to speak.

"It's about a doctor who changes into a monster because he drinks some whack stuff."

Mr. Hartley sucked air in through his teeth really sharply as if the answer had somehow pained him.

"Ah, not really close. You got the doctor part right but the rest was just… an awful answer. Hold on for a second. I don't want you guys giving me Bugs Bunny answers and any other cartoon that you saw as a kid that portrayed this incredible piece of literature because there is no way that any of them did it justice in any way, shape or form."

All of the students with a raised hand now laid it on their desk in front of them. Since there were currently no volunteers, I thought that I might be able to enlighten the students about what they were missing out on. I raised my hand, shakily.

"Yes, Ms. Rose?"

"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is about a very lonely, rich doctor who concocts a special mixture that allows him to temporarily create a new form of himself that looses all inhibitions, morals and caution towards public appearances as Mr. Hyde. Then he finds himself… trapped in this new identity. It has taken over his once respectable and honorable title all because he was unhappy about his safe lifestyle that rendered him alone in a huge mansion all but his butler and servants."

The class was quiet after I finished my brief summary of the novel. It seemed that all of the people in my surroundings thought of the tale as a lighthearted and creepy story about a man who takes a magical potion and turns into a monster for the fun of it when the truth of the matter was that Henry Jekyll's case was one of pure sadness and madness alike.

"That was… great, actually. That's pretty much the answer I was looking for. But of course that can only come from someone who's read the book before."

There was an uneasy air around me now. I felt like I had just done exactly the opposite of what Cream had told me not to do. I looked over to her, expecting a shameful look to appear on her face but all she did was smile kindly and relieve my stress.

All I did was answer a question correctly when nobody else would. Am I to be a pariah for simply knowing a subject?

"So since you guys have a basic understanding of the novel's plot, why don't we begin this class together and the rest you guys will have to read on your own."

Chapter One: The Story of the Door.

xXx

After class, I still felt a bit of anxiety about the fact that the whole room went quiet after I finished speaking so I decided to ask Cream about it.

"Hey Cream, what was the deal with the class back there? Why did they get all silent when I answered Mr. Hartley's question?"

"Oh you probably just startled them with your brain. Most people don't have one around here."

"Haha, oh okay."

It wasn't necessarily straight forward but I guess it was nothing to worry about. Shrugging it off, I pulled out the sheet of paper that had my schedule written on it and glanced down at it. The next class I had was Art. I had never taken an art class before so I wasn't sure what to expect.

"Um, Cream, where's Art?"

"Oh you'll have to go the lowest floor where your math class is and it should be right across from the music room."

The music room? Where I met the piano playing boy yesterday… I wonder if I'll see him again.

"Got it."

I started down the hallway on my unknown path to getting lost in the building once more when Cream called to me again.

"Oh Amy! Meet me and Cosmo in the lobby after! We're signing up for clubs at lunch; you should come and join one!"

"Alright!"

I didn't see any harm in giving them a once over. After all, I was trying to become a normal teenage girl and Cream and Cosmo seemed to be the perfect examples of that; if they were signing up for clubs, I would follow their example as best I could. Somehow though, I had a feeling I was jumping into a pool of uncertainty. Keeping in control was the only strength I had in this school and I didn't want to lose it any time soon. I had to come off as normal to the other students but, what exactly was normal?

I rushed down the nearest staircase but quickly found myself in a sea of bodies moving in different directions through open doors. I was pushed left and right until the struggle to keep in one place became so difficult I was pushed into an open room on my right. I quickly realized that it was the bathroom; the large mirrors reflecting the tall stalls opposite them, the long windows that stretched almost to the ceiling. And then a stall opened and out came Mina the Mongoose. Out of habit, I flinched backwards; just seeing her wispy, lilac spirals reflect the light caused something unexplainable to trigger in me. I must have been unconsciously staring at her because for a moment, we seemed transfixed on each other's faces.

"What are you staring at?"

"O-Oh, nothing. I was just…"

"Save it."

"…"

I stood there, letting myself adjust to the odd air that encompassed everyone surrounding her. It was a kind of guilty sadness, indescribable yet laced with a doll-like, childish, candy-sweet cloud. I felt like she was using her superiority complex to cover up how she really felt.

Aren't I doing the same though? I'm trying to be this "normal" replica of what I see from the people around here; a little bit of Sonia, a little bit of Cream, even a little bit of Mina… all because I don't want anybody to find out that I haven't been around anybody like any of them for a very long time…

I had lots of practice over the last five or so months; spending days in malls with Sonia just watching how people acted when the only thing they were worried about was a sale at their favorite store. Children running around carefree, their mothers watching from a distant coffee shop, some teenagers gathered in the food court laughing together with nothing to worry about; I studied them. Every perfectly effortless smile, every gesture, the way they crossed their feet; even when Sonia didn't notice, I studied her too, how she watched people, how she acted when she ran into somebody she knew. I memorized every move I saw; each becoming a part of my own guide to being normal. A mental handbook to hiding my past.

"…Hello? You still with me?"

"Huh? Oh! I'm sorry I have to get to class!"

I burst out of my thoughts and ran out of the bathroom, following the directions Cream had given me to the Art room. At first it felt as though the hallway would never end and that I would never find the right room when –

"!?"

The halls were now almost empty as most students were in their classes already, but now the space was filled with the distant hum of a tune not far from my current place. I walked very slowly, shuffling my feet forward as the sound grew in my auditory canal. I finally stopped in front of a closed door with a music note painted on the back of it. I lingered a while, letting the tune draw me in until I made the effort to glance in back of me. The door opposite the music room had a bright green doorframe and under the doorframe stood a white cat wearing a smock covered in various paints and materials around her neck. She had her arms crossed but unlike most of the teachers, her expression was amused rather than angered. She walked up to me and spoke in a smooth voice.

"You must be Amy Rose. The new girl, right?"

I just nodded in return. She was young; so young that at first I was debating whether or not she really was a teacher or just another student.

"Hmhm. Come on, the Art room is here. I know it's very easy to get lost in this place. I've only been here two years and I'm still finding this place hard to memorize sometimes."

"E-excuse me, but who are you?"

"Oh! How rude of me. My name is Tiffany June but you can just call me Ms. Tiffany. Or Ms. June, if you prefer. I don't really have any preferences. I'm the art teacher."

"Oh, that's what I figured."

I took the closest seat to the door and scanned the room. A few familiar faces here and there but none of them students I knew. I kept to myself the majority of the time, staying quiet and glancing down often at the surface of the table when I didn't know what else to do. Staring around might have resulting in the same instance with Mina earlier where I would fixate on something in the distance and then someone would walk in the same direction and think that I was staring at them. I thought best to avoid all eye contact at all.

We were all handed sketch books and asked to draw the first thing that popped into our head and if we couldn't think of a way to sketch it, then we would write down the idea for later so we didn't lose the thought. Ms. Tiffany looked very comfortable sitting upfront and speaking with the students. She didn't have that authoritarian tone that most of the male teachers had; in fact, it was almost as if she was just a classmate showing us something that she learned instead of the professional teacher.

"Now we only have about fifteen minutes until lunch but I just want to give you guys a little homework assignment."

I registered that the majority of the students let out deep, exaggerated moans of contempt at this.

"Oh, come on, it's nothing big! I just want you guys to think of an experience that you think has really shaped you into the person you are right now and next class we'll discuss how you can work that into an art piece! You can do anything for the remainder of the period but try to keep the noise level down!"

My body grew cold at the thought of anything that might have to do with my past.

Why does everything seem to lead back to before! Why can't we just think about the future instead!

As frustration started to build in my body, I heard the bell ring in the hall, like it was signaling me to wake up from a dream. The students started filing out of the room until it was just about empty. I gathered my books together and slipped them into my black bag and was preparing to leave as well when Ms. Tiffany approached my desk.

"Hey, I noticed that you were very quiet during this period. Are you finding it hard being new here?"

"Um, well you see, I've never been a school or a class before. I'm still getting used to being around all these people all the time. To be honest it's a little unnerving most of the time."

"You were never in a classroom? How does that work; were you homeschooled?"

"Oh, yeah that's the word for it. Homeschooled."

"Oh, well then this is an entirely new experience for you, isn't it? No wonder you kept looking down at your desk, I don't know what I would do in your position."

"Yeah, it's not exactly easy…"

"Well, I was just making sure everything was alright. And if you ever have a problem or you just feel like talking or something, my door is always open."

She smiled honestly at me; not the fake smile I got from Mina. It was relieving to at least have someone who showed genuine concern with no fingers pointing towards ulterior motives. Not that I necessarily thought that about anybody else but you could never be sure. I wasn't even sure about myself, how could I trust others?

But Ms. Tiffany was different. I liked her. She kept her doors open.

"Thanks."

I returned the smile graciously and strutted out of the class.

xXx

"There you are, Amy! We were looking for you everywhere."

Cream shouted from the center of the school's main foyer. She was standing next to Cosmo however they soon disappeared from my sight behind the walls of people forming lines in front of every club stand. I felt as if I was going to be squished between two club lines every time I found breathing space. Eventually I reached them, out of breath with sweat droplets running down my temples due to the heat bolstering from excess of bodies all in one region at a single time.

"Sorry, I think I got the hang of the first floor now though."

"Good! Now only two more floors to go."

"Haha. So Cream, you said you guys were signing up for the club things?"

"Yeah, I'm signing up to the Mathletes Club right now!"

"Math…letes?"

"Yeah, you know, math athletes? You never heard that term before?"

"Oh, no sorry. What are you signing up for Cosmo?"

Cosmo's expression flashed a slight unbalance in her certainty before she let her smile cover it up.

"Oh, I… I wanted to try out for the… the cheerleading squad."

Cream got this excited grin on her face directed at Cosmo. I had absolutely no idea why anyone was getting worked up at all.

"What's cheerleading?"

"What!?"

They both spoke out simultaneously.

Was my question really that shocking?

"Y-you don't know what cheerleading is?"

Cream's jaw hung slightly ajar displaying much disbelief. I thought that perhaps I shouldn't have spoken at all.

"N-no…?"

"Oh. Well you remember yesterday we passed by the football field?"

"Yeah."

"Well, when there's a game going on, the school's team has a group of mostly girls who know a bunch of chants and do some gymnastic tricks to cheer on our team. I'm surprised that you've never heard of them, even if you were homeschooled."

Oh no! My irregularity is showing. I gotta think of something to pass it off as normal…

"U-um… Well, I don't… watch much television."

"Well don't worry about it! It's not a big deal or anything. Me and Cosmo'll get you caught up on everything!"

"Th-thanks."

I was more thankful than I came off as. I'd tried learning as much as I could about the current world in the past few months but mostly it had just be me getting over all of my worries for the girls. It took a lot of time, even after they were found. I tried seeing them again but it only happened once or twice when each of their parents agreed on a time to meet; they were always so paranoid around their children, understandably; however, Tikal's parents were the worst, probably because she was so young compared to the rest of us, being only eleven. Come to think of it, I knew nothing of what they were doing since the last time we met up; we didn't speak much at the trial and I was much too bitter at the time.

And there it was again. Thank sinking feeling of anger boiling in my blood every time I thought of him. My father. If there was one strong thing about my personality after being weak for so long, it was my seething animosity towards the people that did me wrong. It was something I could never let go of until I had all of the answers I needed…

I realized I must have zoned out because I found Cream prodding my shoulder with the back of a pen.

"Amy, you okay today? You seem to be spacing out quite a bit."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Do you think we can eat outside again, I think I need some fresh air."

"Sure, let's just let Cosmo sign up for what she wants and then we'll head to the cafeteria."

Cosmo turned to, the sun from the window above lighting up half of her face in and turning her bright blue eyes into stars.

"You should sign up too Amy. You'll find it easier to get to know people."

"But if I don't know anyone than it'll be – kinda scary."

"Hehe, that's okay! If you're doing something you like, then you should already have something in common with the other people in the club."

"Oh. Okay. So what clubs are there?"

"Let's see. Well there's the Mathletes, the art club, drama club, the yearbook committee, student council, there's band, chess club, leadership and cheerleading, which is mostly a sport that you have to try out for along with basketball, volleyball, soccer, football, track – "

"What's track?"

"Running mostly."

"I like to run."

"Are you fast?"

…somebody's hurried sprint through the blackened night… short breaths of fear quickened as she continued on… and high bushes kept her pace from accelerating by incessantly tripping her and fumbling her footsteps…

"I'm pretty fast."

"Great! Then you should add your name to the signup sheet for tryouts next week."

"Alright."

Cream was pointing in the direction of a long table utterly covered in students, most were boys. I squeezed through until I reached a sheet of paper that had "Track & Field" written at the top. I picked up the pencil beside it and wrote my name down on the list. There were already a lot of people who signed up for it.

"Amy Rose huh? Nice ring to it."

I inhaled sharply in surprise and whipped my head around. It was the boy from the day before.

What's his name again… Silver?

"Silver?"

"You remembered."

"It was only yesterday."

"Hah, yeah. So I finally got a last name out of you."

"And what does that do for you exactly?"

"It's something. So I heard you were invited to Mina's party on your first day here. How'd you manage that?"

"Mina's party? Oh I sit next to her in the Chemistry class and she told me about it. I don't know if I'll actually go to it though."

"Why not? Mina's parties are always the best! You should really come. I'll be there."

"I should get back to Cream and Cosmo now."

"Alright, well think about it?"

"U-Uh… I could. See you later."

I found Silver's phrasing awkward and if it's possibly, too appropriate. I enjoyed speaking to him but most of all, I remember the way his hands glided over the ivory keys with such ease and produced such a beautiful sound that reached the inner core of my body. I desired to hear it again.

I walked peacefully back to Cream and Cosmo, who for some reason had gaping faces.

"W-were you just talking to…"

"I th-think she was…"

"What's your guys' problem?"

"You don't even know who you were just speaking to! He's like the hottest guy in school."

"Hottest? What does temperature have anything to do with it?"

"Oh my God. No, hot as in he's the best looking in school!"

"You guys rate each other on appearance here? That makes me slightly frightened about what people have said about me…"

"Don't worry about yourself, you look just fine, but I mean, Silver's just so… ah!"

"What is so special about him? He seems like any other person in the school. I can't the difference."

Cosmo and Cream turned to face each other and were speaking in very low voices to each other, like they were stunned.

"She can't tell the difference…"

"I don't understand anything of what you guys are doing."

"Silver's just really popular so, it's weird that he would speak to you."

"Why is it weird for anybody to speak to me? You guys are speaking to me right now."

Cosmo's expression changed to one of frustration.

"Yeah, but we're uncool. We're saying that it's weird for someone as beautiful to speak to somebody who hangs around us. Unless…"

"Unless what? And what's the problem with you guys?"

"Nothing really, it's just that we're not usually the ones who get invited to the parties and get boyfriends and get away with a lot of things."

"And who would those people be?"

"You apparently! Along with Mina, Bunnie, Silver and his friend Espio the Chameleon."

"If you're going to categorize people based on what they get, I don't think I should be classified under the same category as Mina the Mongoose."

"Sorry. We're just being stupid, we don't actually think like that but the majority of the school does believe in it like a religious code."

"So this school's mentality has been reduced to the Caste system for how "good" someone looks."

"Basically."

I sighed inwardly. I knew there was something odd about the atmosphere that changed the minute I stepped into the building. I found that everyone had their own air to them, some of superiority, like Mina and others with one of insecurity, like the vibes I got from Cream and Cosmo… especially Cosmo.

"Can we just go eat now? I'm kind of hungry."

"Sure and let's drop this. We're not that low as people."

We waited in yet another line in the cafeteria and then we paced back to table we had eaten at outside. I bought yet another sandwich which I found myself unable to finish. Discovering that my appearance may have had something to do with the lack of people communicating with me left me stumped. My appetite was skewered by the thought of how stupid the concept was, how twisted it was.

Do these people actually believe that the only way they can be happy is to classify themselves higher than someone on some stupid degree?

Cream eyed me from across the table, glancing back and forth from my face to my half-eaten sandwich.

"What?"

"Please tell me that the reason you're not finishing that is because you're self-conscious about your appearance?"

"What? Why would care? I'm just not feeling as hungry as I was before. I'll just finish it later."

"Alright. That makes me feel better."

We continued on, talking about certain teachers and Cosmo complained about the assignments she has already and everybody was all smiles like nothing had happened.

I guess to them, nothing really did happen. They've known this entire time…

I listened to them while they spoke casually but observed them as well. I got used to masking it most of the time; nodding every once in a while, laughed when they laughed but also watched the way they spoke and their expressions. Upon doing so, I noticed that Cosmo, who was sitting next to Cream, hadn't even made a dent in her salad before closing the lid and placing it back in her bag. I tried not to make anything of it and zoned back into the conversation.

"So Amy, you said you've never been to a party, right? What are you going to do about Mina's on Friday?"

"I actually don't know if I'm going at all. One of my guardian's doesn't think it's a good idea."

"Your guardian? Where are your parents?"

I stiffened. Why had I done that? Why the hell did I do that!?

What the hell do I do now! I've got to explain it now but how can I do that without saying anything about my father being in prison AND the fact that I thought he was dead for my entire life up until a few months ago. This is bad, really, really bad…

"Oh um… they're –"

"I'm sorry, Amy. You don't have to answer that, it was rude to ask about that."

Whew.

"Oh no, that's not necessary but I'd prefer not to talk about it. If it's any concession my guardians are very nice and living with them is a lot better than living… where I was before."

"Wow. Thanks for sharing that."

Cream's smile made everything better. The sun sparkled in her brown eyes for a moment before a large shadow crept over the area as a massive grey cloud swam its way through the sky and over the sun.

"A storm's coming."

I said it mostly to myself but Cosmo looked over to me.

"But it's been so hot for days now and the sun's been brutal."

"That's why it's been so humid. The moisture's been rising to the sky and forming that cloud you see up there."

Cream nodded knowingly. Mina had been right; Cream was a brainiac but it wasn't an insult in the slightest. Personally, I thought that she was just jealous.

Cosmo got up from her seat and glanced over at the door that led inside the school again.

"I want to go inside now."

I was reluctant to go back inside the building but I pushed my anxiety down and followed her and Cream. They each took a seat on a bench close by.

"So, Amy, why don't you want to go to the party? It's the perfect the place to get an experience for it. We'll go with you since you're the one who's invited. It'll be so fun. Please!"

"I thought you said that you guys didn't like Mina."

"Well not really, but stuff happens at those parties, that everyone talks about and then we're normally left out because we don't know what everybody's talking about."

"Who's everybody?"

"Ugh! Everyone in the school. Come on Amy… Please say you're going, for us?"

"Fine, if you guys think it's that important than I'll go with you."

"Yay!"

They both jumped on me and hugged me so tight I couldn't breathe.

What was I going to do at a party anyway?

The lunch bell rang and we all made our ways back to our lockers to grab our books for the next class, me having a little more difficulty than everyone else with finding the places I was supposed to go to.

I only had two more classes: Chemistry with Mina and Gym with Cream. I walked through the doors of the annex and traced the path that I had taken the day before to get to the Chemistry class.

"Look who's on time today."

The teacher gave me a worksheet as I passed by his desk and took my seat at my own at the back of the class. Next to Mina.

"Hello."

"Oh. It's you."

No hello or how's it going. Nothing but a cold acknowledgement.

I placed the worksheet down on the table and read it to myself. With my partner, I was supposed to work on a lab. I glided the paper across the table to Mina. She glanced down at it briefly and slid it back to me.

"You're smart; you don't need me to do this."

"U-um… Okay but I don't think that's what we're supposed to do."

"Well then, you can figure it out on your own. I don't do this kinda thing, sorry."

I didn't understand what she was doing at the time but for some reason, I decided to go along with it. I followed the instructions on the sheet of paper exactly how it was written and then answered the questions at the back of the paper. I looked over to Mina who was painting her nails on the side, not assisting in any way, shape or form. The teacher sat at the front of the class writing stuff down, not noticing that she wasn't helping. At the moment, I was just focusing on getting the work out of the way and trying to figure out what the questions were asking. According to the outline, I should have done something similar to this last year, if I was in school and wasn't being held somewhere for around ten years. I sighed yet another time that day.

I barely understood the terms on the paper and managed as best I could. There were just some things that unfortunately, I had to ask Mina to aid me with.

"Mina, I realize that you don't want to do this but I need you to explain this to me."

"Honey, if you don't understand it, don't expect me to. I know close to nothing about science."

"Well then make yourself useful for once and open up the damn book and start looking!"

A few heads turned and I was surprised at myself. I was fed up of watching her laze around making me do everything when the paper clearly stated that this was the work for two people.

"Jeez, you don't need to cause a scene."

I was about to apologize for my disruption when she actually started looking in the textbook for the answers to the questions. Shockingly, once I passed her the worksheet, she finished the remaining questions. Before I knew it, the bell rang and class was over. I grabbed my books and proceeded to exit the classroom when someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind. A brown fox girl with glasses was staring back at me.

"That was something back there!"

I could feel my cheeks turning red. Had I really caused that much of a scene?

"Yeah, sorry about that. I get pretty loud when I'm frustrated."

"Hah, no need to apologize! You're the first person to talk back to Mina. Usually she just bosses people around and gets her way. People will appreciate what you did."

"Wh-what did I do exactly?"

But she had already taken off by the time that I asked my question. I maneuvered through the halls back to my locker and walked to the foyer where the hall that connected to the gym was. I spotted Cream and Cosmo standing next to the bathroom talking so I walked up to them.

"Hi you guys."

"Hey Amy. Ready for gym?"

"I don't know what to expect but I guess I have no choice."

"It shouldn't be too hard if you like exercise."

"I don't mind activity but I don't do it very often."

"Well then you'll be in for quite the run."

We walked into the gym and sat down on the bench next to the rest of the girls in our grade. A very fit looking woman walked out of a small side office.

"Alright, listen up! I don't care about your hair or your makeup, if I don't see you girls working your asses off this year, I'm gonna make you work. Got it?"

Well that was a harsh start up. I leaned my back against the wall to hide myself a bit.

"I'm gonna pass all of you a uniform now. Wear it to class every time or you'll be given a detention."

I turned to Cream who sat to one side of me.

"Detention?"

"They make you stay an hour after school and write lines."

I nodded not fully understanding what 'writing lines' meant and focused back on what the teacher was saying or screaming rather.

"Once everyone has one, I want you all to go to your assigned lockers in the changing room and put it on."

We each received a pair of shorts and a t-shirt with the school's logo on it and filed out of the room into an adjacent room filled with lockers in rows. The floor was of the same material in the halls and the walls were painted a dull gray. I wasn't expecting everyone to just change in front of each other so casually. I gasped when I witnessed girls taking off their tops and bottoms and replacing it with the ones we were just given. Cream started giggling beside me.

"Not used to the changing room I see. Don't worry, nobody cares in here."

I wasn't so sure however. I searched the area for a possible bathroom or enclosed area and saw one just at the other end of the room.

"Have you seen Cosmo? She was here a minute ago but now I can't see her."

I looked around the room but couldn't seem to find her either.

"I'm going to go change in the bathroom over there. Maybe she went to change somewhere else too. I'll look for her."

"Okay."

I wandered through the rows of lockers until I reached the bathroom. The mirror was dirty and cracked in more than one place and there were only three stalls, one of which was already closed. I hesitantly walked into another one and began to change when I heard the sound of someone purging. It was hard and the room was silent around the sounds of the gagging. After a while, I heard them flush the toilet. Concerned about them, I stepped out of the stall only having changed into the gym top and waited for them to come out. When the door slowly hung open, I was shocked to see who it was.

Cosmo…

So what did you think? Tell me in the reviews; it helps me out a lot! I may not post for a while because I'm going back to school next week and might not have the time. Thanks for sticking around for this story and I'll see you again the next time I update! ;P

- DarkRose