DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, OR ANY OF THE SONIC CHARACTERS MENTIONED IN THIS STORY!

Author's Note: Hey, everyone! I also forgot to mention in the beginning that I'm going to give Sonic another love interest in this story. Don't worry, though. This is still a SonicXSally fanfic! I just wanted to try something new and make it a little interesting. So I thought I would create a new character. But, I'm going to try not to make a lot of new characters in one story because I don't want to make anything really confusing or anything like that. But anywayzzzz, here's chapter 3. Enjoy! Ha-ha! =)

Still in Love?

Chapter 3:

Normal Point of View

Sonic continued to run and run and run.

He ran past some trees and toward the forest a little ways from his house. He didn't have a targeted destination, but all he knew was he wanted to get away. Away from his house, away from the drama, and away from Sally Acorn!

He wanted to forget about what had happened between them that day, yesterday, and any other day that he had spent with Sally. He couldn't believe her. Annoying? Immature? UGLY? How could she say these things to him? He could tell that Sally was angry at him, but just how far exactly was she willing to go just to hurt him? Did she even mean to hurt him at all?

Sonic's mind was filled with questions that he couldn't answer. And now, he was angry.

He was angry for because of all of the many unanswered questions that filled his head, he was angry that Sally had caused him to feel so angry and hurt, and most of all, he was angry because he had showed weakness to her. He was Sonic the Hedgehog; the blue wonder! The hero of Mobius for crying out loud! What did he look like running away from his problems, and from a girl? Just thinking about this problem made him sick and upset. He refused to feel this way because of a girl, but nonetheless, he couldn't help it. He couldn't help the way he felt, and that's what made him seem weak right before he ran away from Sally.

What a day!

As Sonic was running through the trees in the forest, he noticed a nice, peaceful looking area by a stream of running water, and he decided that he would stop there. It was the perfect place because it was calm, soothing, and more importantly, there was NO SALLY!

He stopped his running, walked over to the area, and sat down to lean up against one the huge trees right near the stream. He put his arms up behind his head and laid back to relax.

'Why do I feel this way?' he thought. 'Why do I even care what she thinks of me?'

No matter how Sonic tried to stop dwelling on these thoughts, they continuously popped up in his head. He couldn't shake them away by staying awake or merely by relaxing. So he slowly closed his eyes and decided to take a brief nap.

'Maybe I'll forget about her when I wake up!' he thought to himself and he drifted off to a sound sleep.

...

Sally's Point of View

After the 'little' argument Sonic and I had, which resulted in him leaving me near the doorway of his home (how rude!), I decided to leave.

There was no point in staying at Sonic's house after he had up and just left me. There was also no point in waiting around for Sonic to come back so I could apologize to him. And I sure as hell wasn't going to go search for him. It would've taken me a lifetime just to figure out where he would go. So I just decided to go home. I said my goodbyes to Knuckles and Tails and proceeded to walk to my home.

I couldn't help but think about the things I said to Sonic while I was on my way home.

I mean, I don't understand how my own brain and mouth work, sometimes. It's like they do things on their own without consulting me first! It's an outrage!

I didn't really mean to yell at Sonic in his face. I didn't mean to get so ticked off at him the way I did. And I definitely didn't mean any of the mean things I said to him. Annoying? Immature? UGLY? C'mon! Even if I tried to convince myself otherwise, me and every other female in Mobius can all agree on one thing if we can't agree on anything else. And that's that Sonic the Hedgehog, my best friend, isn't ugly! He's totally the opposite. He's, like, the epitome of cuteness! His soft, dazzling blue skin...his carefree, laid-back, addicting attitude...his pearl white, perfect smile...and those beautiful, beautiful green eyes...no one could ask for anything else in a guy. He's 99% perfect! ...Maybe...m-maybe I should see if he and I could go out sometime and...a-and...and what was I saying?

I couldn't like Sonic! I shouldn't like Sonic! I don't like Sonic!

In fact, I was supposed to be mad at him, anyways.

Ugh!

I hate the way he makes me feel toward him sometimes. He gives me so many...mixed emotions. One minute, I'll be perfectly fine with him, the next minute, I'll be completely angry with him, and the next minute, I just won't know what to feel anymore. I hate this emotional up-and-down roller coaster that I'm constantly on. It's almost literally making me sick! And that's definitely not something that I need.

So when I finally got home, of course I needed someone to vent to about my situation. And since I can't talk to my parents about it, (because they're so busy, and there's no way in the world I could tell my parents about this situation, let alone my dad!), I decided to just go to Nicole.

...

"Sally! How could you?" She reprimanded when I told her about my predicament.

When I got to the house, I still felt some sort of a way after the argument between Sonic and I. I had to vent to someone about my problem. So the first person I thought about was Nicole, and luckily, I found her in the kitchen cooking. I told her everything that happened. Really, I thought that Nicole and I could discuss my behavior toward Sonic in a more civilized manner, but I guess I'm really bad at assumptions.

"I thought you had more of a head on your shoulders!" She yelled at me. "You're supposed to be the princess of the Acorn Kingdom, for Pete's sake! How could you make such a pigheaded mistake?"

...I'm really, REALLY bad at assumptions. He-he!

I didn't think she would go off on me like this. In fact, I couldn't even believe it. I know I'm the Princess Acorn, the daughter of a legend, but she was blowing this situation way out of proportion.

"Calm down, Nicole. Don't make it seem worse than it sounds." I said.

"But it is worse than it sounds, Sally." She replied.

"It's really not, Nicole." I assured her. "I mean, I know I got out of hand when I blew up at Sonic, and I know I owe him an apology. So, when he shows up from wherever he's hiding, I'll just apologize to him..."

Nicole immediately gave me a look. "Didn't you already try to 'apologize' in the first place?" She said, using air quotes when she said the word apologize. Hmph! I guess she's trying to be sarcastic...

...Hey! Didn't I teach her that air quotes thing?

"I'll apologize to him, properly...and then everything will be okay! Problem solved!" I said crossing my hands and putting a proud grin on my face.

"But Sally...what if something happens?"

"Like what?"

"Like...like what if Sonic doesn't show up? What if he decides to run away and not come back because of the things you said to him?" She explained. "After all, regardless of whether or not you both aren't together, you still both seem to have an impact on him and what he does sometimes, believe it or not."

I opened my mouth in preparation to retort back to anything she had to say to me. But then I immediately closed my mouth back up when I realized...that she was actually right. Sonic did sometimes have an impact on the things I did and said and the ways that I sometimes acted. And I was sure that what I did had an impact on Sonic in some ways, too. Like when Sonic and I went out, I was talking to him, and for some reason I mentioned to him that I had a strong craving for fruit. Sonic had ordered me one of those cute little fruit flower baskets that are usually bought online. It was one of those days when he felt like being sweet. Ha-ha! Oh, and there was this other time when I just happened to tell him that I wanted to go to the beach so bad, but I was busy. The next day was a not-so-busy one for me, and Sonic picked me up bridal style, ran as fast as he could toward the Sandy Hill Beach, and we had the best day ever. We even stayed long enough to watch the sunset. It was sooooo beautiful!

Oh, and let's not forget today when I insulted Sonic so brutally. He ran away from me and I've never seen him today since then. So I guess what I do and say to him is an impact on Sonic, good or bad. Nicole was right. But, of course, she wouldn't let it end there.

"Or what if Sonic cries for years and years about what you said to him? He may never be able to get over it, ya'know." She told me.

Great. Another thing for me to think about. I don't want to think about Sonic crying. I don't like to see any of my friends sad or heartbroken because of anyone let alone me. I couldn't even take looking at Sonic when he stared back at me with those dejected eyes. It made me feel like the worst person in the world. Even though he was the one that got hurt in that argument, just looking at him that way made me feel like someone had just ripped my heart clean out of my chest. And I couldn't take that emotion. I didn't want to dwell any longer on that 'what if' that Nicole had thrown at me. And I didn't have to...but that was because she gave me something else to think about.

"Or worse! What if Sonic holds a lifelong grudge over your head and he never forgives you for what you've done? Sonic's been taking your crap long enough. It wouldn't be a surprise if he decides to give up on you, ya'know."

...Okay. That last one was a teardown. W-why would she say something like that to me? Sonic's an amazing person. He's not the grudge holding type! He always forgives everyone for the things they've done to him, and he's not the type of person to take stupid stuff to heart like that. He wouldn't really remember all of the things that I said to him earlier today, would he? And besides, I didn't even mean the things I said to him. Like I've said a million times, I was just angry with the way he tried to make me feel. He tried to make me feel like I wasn't someone worthy to date, like I was just some kind of evil biotch seeking to destroy the lives and hearts of men everywhere. That's what he was trying to accomplish by telling me those things, wasn't it?

I wasn't really impossible...was I?

I couldn't help but feel terrible with not only the way that I treated Sonic earlier and the way I may have treated him when we went out, but also with Nicole made me think about. I didn't want Sonic to hold some terrible grudge over my head for the rest of my life. And I sure didn't want him to be mad at me. I didn't want him to avoid me, or refuse to be around me or seen with me, either. I just didn't want to think about any of these things. But I just couldn't help thinking about them. And as I thought about this, I didn't quite realize that my mouth had suddenly gone dry or that there were tears welling up in my eyes, threatening to fall at any moment.

I was crying.

I snapped back to reality and tried to quickly and unnoticeably wipe away the tears so that they couldn't be seen. But, Nicole must've seen them because as soon as she looked up from her cooking, I could tell that she immediately felt guilty. She stopped what she was doing and rushed over to my side to try to console me.

"H-hey, Sally. Please forgive me and don't be upset about what I said." She said trying to keep me calm. "I really just thought I would give you something to think about, that's all."

I nodded my head to assure her that I understood what she was trying to do, but she continued anyway.

"I don't want to see you take any of your best friends for granted. The worst feeling ever is being left by your friends because they feel mistreated by you." She explained. "And I'm not trying to act like I'm your parent, either, because I'm just your little ol' cousin. Ha-ha! I just want to see you at your best, Sally." She told me as she smiled at me.

And I smiled back at her. I knew she was just trying to get me to understand. She was just being the best cousin she could be, that was all. But, SHEESH! She didn't have to make me cry! Oh, well. I guess I deserved it, though.

She opened her arms and welcomed me in a long, embracing hug. And then she assured me that everything was going to be alright. And after that, I assured her that I was going to go and apologize to Sonic. And I was going to mean it that time. It was going to be a true-blue, dear and sincere apology to him. For everything.

I thanked Nicole again for the little talk that she gave me, and I hurried up the stairs and to my room.

If Nicole was a little bit older and she wasn't my cousin, I would swear that she was my long-lost mother or something crazy like that.

But anyway, as I was hurrying to my room, I was also silently praying that Sonic had gone home, already.

'Please let him be home! Please let him be home!'

...

Sonic's Point of View

(...during the time where Sally was on her way home from Sonic's house...)

A little while after Sonic's nap, which wasn't actually very long, he woke up stretching and yawning.

He took a look at his surroundings to make sure he was where he settled himself before he took the nap. When he realized that he was in the right spot, he sat up from his slouching position against the tree. After he took a few breaths, he remembered what his purpose was for being where he was.

'Oh, right. I was getting away from...Sally.' he thought, sadly.

He brought his knees up to his chin and placed his arms around them as he remembered back to earlier on that day. He wasn't too upset with Sally anymore, but then again, he wasn't completely over the situation, either. As a matter of fact, he found it a little difficult to get rid of the whole event, period.

How did he and Sally even get to such bad terms, anyways? As he recalled, they used to be best friends. They were damn near literally inseparable. How did they get to almost completely avoiding each other? It was something that confused him ever since they had split. Just as before, he wanted to forget everything that had to do with Sally, but he just couldn't.

Sonic took a deep breath in frustration as he stared out into they beyond. But, as he did so, it made him unaware of his surroundings and anything around him. So as a young girl appeared from the forest and walked up from behind him, he had absolutely no idea.

She got closer and closer until she decided to stop. She was not afraid of strangers, but she knew her boundaries when it came to them. After the girl stood behind Sonic for some time and had realized that he wasn't going to notice her on his own, she decided to help him realize that he was no longer alone.

"Hello?" she said in a soft tone.

Sonic slightly jumped and quickly turned his head toward the girl. His eyes widened as he finally realized the presence of another and he took some time to take in her features.

The girl looked to be about his age, and although he was still currently sitting in his previous position, he could tell that he was a bit taller than she was. Her cerulean hair was long and it reached all the way to her mid back. She had a green halter on that stopped a little above her stomach in a way that it revealed skin, but not in a whorish way. She wore blue shorts with pre-made holes in them, and she sported green and white striped sneakers with two green buckles on the top, and her gloves were completely white, as were Sonic's. Her skin was a lovely lavender hue, her teeth were as white as fresh snow, and her little nose fit perfectly with her facial features.

But what soon caught Sonic's utmost attention were her eyes. Her eyes were a beautiful bright-as-the-sky blue that shone beautifully when the sun had shone just right. And the sun was perfect.

Sonic found himself trapped in a pool of her eyes. And although his lacking ability to swim had nothing to do with this situation, he still found it difficult to escape her beautiful peepers. It didn't take long for Sonic to be absolutely curious about who this girl was. But as Sonic was unconsciously staring at the girl, he didn't realize that she was anxiously trying to get his attention.

"H-hey, are you okay?" The girl asked. "Y-you...you've kinda been s-staring at me for awhile."

Sonic continued to look into her eyes, and this made the girl nervous, but determined to get his attention nonetheless.

"Hey...helllloooo...can you hear me?" The girl tried harder.

Sonic didn't budge.

"HELLOOOOO!" The girl tried with all of her might.

Sonic finally snapped back to reality and realized that he must have zoned out in front of his new acquaintance. How embarrassing!

"Uh...he-he...h-h-hi. Uhmm...w-what are you d-doing here?" Sonic stuttered while completely embarrassed.

"I was just going to ask you the same thing...until you zoned out on me." She said.

"O-oh, yeah. I-I'm real sorry about that." He apologized.

The girl giggled at his shyness. "It's okay, cutie." She said with a bright smile. When Sonic blushed, his face turned so red, it maybe could've rivaled the skin tone of Knuckles. He managed to put a small smile on his face at the nickname the girl had given him.

"I'm Cara, by the way. Ha-ha! What's your name?" She asked eagerly as her bright blue eyes beamed back at Sonic, causing another shade of red to form on his face.

"I-It's Sonic." He said, still nervous. 'What is wrong with you, you dork?' He reprimanded himself in his head. 'Why are you acting so nervous? You're Sonic the Hedgehog and she's just a girl! Man up!'

Oblivious to the little pep talk that Sonic had with himself, Cara replied. "That's an awesome name, Sonic! It's nice to meet you." She said as she held her hand to Sonic, who gladly took it and replied with a "Ditto!"

"S-so..." Sonic started. "I mean, so...what are you doing out here, anyways?" Sonic asked curiously.

"Oh, I just came out here to get away from all the drama back near my place." She replied. "It gets so hectic where I live sometimes. I just need a place to get away from everyone every now and then. It keeps me sane, ya'know?"

Sonic nodded his head. Cara then proceeded to talk once more.

"But, hey. You never told me why you were here either."

"Same problem as you, pretty much." Sonic answered. "Too much drama where I live. I just ran away as fast as I could to nowhere in particular and I led myself here."

Cara also nodded. "Life is such a pain, sometimes." She added.

"Yea, and sometimes friends make it worse."

"I know! My friends are completely crazy! I thought all along that they were the ones that were s'posed to be there for you when your real family gets on your nerves!"

"Tell me about it." Sonic added. "So much for that." Sonic and Cara both giggled.

They continued to converse with each other back and forth. They asked about each other's family and friends, they talked a little about their childhoods, and a few other things that they found they had in common. Sonic was having so much fun with this new girl that he completely forgot about the 'Sally problem'.

He was also so preoccupied, he forgot about going home. He was really enjoying himself. But until Sonic got home, he wouldn't realize that he had missed a call to receive a well-deserved, overdue apology from a certain Sally Acorn!