Fall Arc: Cross Country (Shadow)

I ran at a comfortable speed, which placed me far in front of the other runners. It came naturally to me, I suppose. While the others would over-exert themselves to even keep up a speed half of mine, I was barely breaking a sweat. I'm not like those other cocky athletes, prancing around like they own the gym, though. I'm not doing this to show off, become captain, anything.

I just need something to take my mind off of life once in awhile. Cross country would have to do. If I ran any slower, I would surely get caught up in a throng of people and be forced to listen to their meaningless and irrelevant conversations about their pathetic lives.

One young runner seemed bent on catching up with me. I could hear her huff and stumble occasionally. While it has been annoying to no end, I was happy to give her a good workout. When we finished running through town and our team meeting was over she came up to see me, much to my chagrin. I tried staring straight ahead, pretending she wasn't there in hopes that she would just resolve to pass me by.

"Wow, Mr., you sure do run fast!"

Damn. This small rabbit would not give up. I nodded my head politely in her direction, trying to end the conversation then and there. I wanted to be left alone, to wait on the front steps for Silver in peace and quiet with just myself for company.

"How do you do it? I'm not the best runner out there, so I don't know much about techniques." She plopped down right next to me, merely inches away from my being.

My eye twitched slightly as I gave her a response that would hopefully rid me of her. "I just run" I replied curtly.

"Oh, right." She fiddled her thumbs together, obviously a bit disheartened. To my shock, however, she immediately sprung back to life and visibly brightened as she offered her hand. "My name's Cream, I'm a sophomore. I don't think we've really talked before, but I sometimes see you walking around the halls alone."

I looked at her from the corner of my eyes, cringing slightly at her cutesy smile. This girl was pretty odd, starting off with as strange of an introduction as that. Still, she held out her hand, brushing back her long brown bangs with her free hand while eagerly waiting for me to shake back.

I obliged, sighing slightly, "Shadow. Uh…nice to meet you, I suppose."

She retracted her hand, seemingly pleased beyond belief as she grinned and giggled. "So Mr. Shadow, why?"

I turned my head towards her, slightly irritated now. What was her problem, anyways? Everyone knew not to really talk to me much. I just wanted to be left alone. "Why? Why what?"

She softened slightly, raising her eyebrows as innocently as anyone could. "Well, why are you always alone?"

My closed eyes opened widely as I turned to check her expression. No mockery, no sign of playfulness on her face. I couldn't believe she was being serious. Huffing out, I scrunched up my brow at the intrusive bunny. "Don't you think that's a little personal, kid?"

She bit her lip slightly but continued to stare at me with those lost-puppy-like brown eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I was just hoping…maybe we could be friends?"

My ears perked up slightly at this. Why was she trying so hard to be nice to me? Before I could respond a car horn beeped and Cream jumped up from her spot. "Sorry, that's my mother. I have to be going now, but thank you so much for the nice talk!"

Before I could react, she bent down and had wrapped me in a tight hug that seemed to last for hours. My body tensed up, blood running cold as I vacillated between screaming at the girl or knocking her down on the spot. Before I could decide she had already skipped away, safe from my grasp in the passenger seat of her mom's minivan with the burning of her arms still fresh on my torso.

As they drove away, I heard muffled laughs coming from behind me. Whipping around, I was mortified to see Sonic and Tails, fresh out of practice, standing at the doors.

"Wow, Shadow, didn't realize you were such a cradle robber!" Sonic joked, walking down the steps. Tails clutched his stomach in glee, doubling over in laughter at my agony.

"W-we weren't! I…I don't even know…I mean…" I stammer, face turning a bright shade of red as I stand to face them.

"What? Too happy with your newfound love for words?" Sonic patted me on the back, leaning against me as he continued laughing. I pulled out from under his support, sending him falling on the ground as I gritted my teeth in anger.

"For the last time, I do not know nor like her in the least bit! The stupid pest just came up to me after practice and started bothering me. Got it?" I yelled angrily.

"We're just kidding Shadow, sorry" Tails apologized as he helped Sonic up.

I rolled my eyes at the childish hedgehog and his playmate. "What are you two fools doing here anyways?"

"Silver asked us to take you home. He said he got caught up in something and would be at school late."

My shoulders slumped as I begrudgingly followed them over to Sonic's obnoxious and garish bright blue convertible. Well, this definitely won't attract any muggers in my neighborhood...

"How was practice, Shadow?" Tails asked from the back seat once the three of us were safely buckled into the car.

"Fine. It ended a little earlier than usual."

The kit paused for a moment, seemingly thinking it through. "Ours, too. Guess it's so everyone can get a good sleep tonight."

I paused for a moment. A small dose of fear came over me as what her said hit me, so I asked what he meant by that to clear up any worries of mine.

"Well, I mean, you know school starts tomorrow, right?"

I froze. Silence.

"Shadow…please tell me you're joking" Sonic looked concerned as he glanced at me briefly. I couldn't speak. How could I be so dull?

"Shit!" I yelled out in anger. I pounded my fist against the dashboard, pointed my head to the floor as shame and humiliation overcame me.

"Wh-what? You're serious? Shadow, how did you not…" Tails began.

"I have more important things on my mind, okay?" I snarled back. This sent the kit into a fearful recession, where he grabbed both of his tails and stroked them softly to calm himself.

"Did you get your books? Do summer reading? Anything?" Sonic asked, eyes pointed in my direction. I looked the other way, looked out of the car; I couldn't stand for him to see the confusion in my eyes.

"…no."

"Well, uh, do you want us to drop you off somewhere? A bookstore, perhaps? Maybe I can talk to some of the guys of the team, a few of them had some books from classes last year that they wanted to sell" Sonic mused.

I nodded my head in gratitude. Sell. Money. I didn't have any for books. The price of a math book alone would cost me about a week's worth of no dinner, plus overtime at my job. Because of this I dismissed Sonic's idea of going to a store but asked him if he wouldn't mind looking into those used books for me tomorrow.

Another looming dread came crashing down over me when we pulled up my street. Those voices…I could hear them yelling, egging me on and tormenting me. As the blue convertible slowed to a hobble, denizens of the worst kind came chanting, throwing, and taunting. Out of their apartment they slithered, the bear and the weasel armed with an endless barrage of garbage.

"AYOOO! Shadow, rollin' 'round with your prep friends?" the purple weasel shouted, running alongside the car while hurling trash my way. A few other shadowy figures joined in, littering the inside of Sonic's car with their projectiles. I growled lowly, flattening my ears as I prepared to attack if necessary. I usually tried to avoid conflict with Nack and Bark's gang, because they lived in the same apartment and knew where I lived.

No intereaction usually ever came to force, however, and the group was mostly harmless save severe taunting and some minimal property destruction. I wasn't about to mix it up with a bunch of high school dropouts who resented and mocked me for getting an education.

"Hey! Knock it off you creeps!" Sonic said as his car swerved slightly from the distraction. We turned into the parking lot as the gang crowded us. Some moved dangerously close to Sonic's car, causing him to park and hop out to shoo them away.

"Sonic, don't bother with them. These guys are all talk and no action" I said as I glared at Nack. I really didn't want a confrontation tonight. Not that I couldn't take them all blindfolded, I just didn't want to get any of their blood on my sportsbag.

"Aw, getting your boyfriend to protect you, Shads? Isn't that what you all are up there? A buncha queers?" Bark cooed, running his dirty fingers under my chin mockingly. Suddenly, my temperament changed. All I could see was red. I wanted nothing more in that moment than to pin the bucket of lard to the ground and punch him until he lost consciousness.

"Hey, nice car there, buddy. Mind if I take it for a spin?" Nack moved threateningly towards Sonic, making a lame attempt to grab the keys from his hand as the speedy hedgehog pulled them away.

"Eh, a speedy guy, huh? You know, you really don't need this thing if you can just run the whole way to the café" Nack stepped even closer to Sonic, who seemed did not seem phased in the least bit as

"S-Sonic…"

"Oh, Nack, you don't want this clunky piece of crap. Look, it even has this huge scratch on the side…"

I covered my ears as the paralyzing noise was heard for miles. The screeching pulsated against my eardrums as the unnerving sound of giant claws tearing into metal unnerved all who heard it. Tails yelped loudly, only adding to the twisting unrealistic feeling the scene created. Even as he was finished covering his own pointed ears with his hat, Nack looked up and gave an evil smile.

Sonic gasped, and he had no sooner turned around than he was up in the air, taking out the yellow bear with a swift homing attack. Bark toppled to the ground, motionless and silent. Blood trickled down his face from his nose and mixed with the small amounts escaping the top of his mouth.

I jumped out of the car swiftly, fearing that the situation may get worse at any moment. Sonic saw the deep, winding cut up the side of his prized automobile, remaining quiet for a few moments as he stroked it with wounded eyes.

"No…"

"Whatsamatta big boy? Gonna go cry?" Nack kept egging on Sonic gaining laughs of approval from his dark cohorts, who seemed unconcerned about the condition of their fallen member. They continued laughing and I gritted my teeth in anger as Sonic knelt in desperation by his ruined treasure. In an instant he snapped out of his trace, a recognizable white hot fury burning in his eyes. He sprung up and yelled out a cry of fiery passion, making a full leap over the car with his fist aimed at his target.

Nack was hit square in the jaw. Force propelled him backwards, slumping against the brick wall behind him.

The crowd gasped.

I jumped into action.

Suddenly, the whole thing erupted into an all-out street brawl.

I punched and kicked with all my might, silently wishing it would never have come to this. Come tomorrow, there would be broken glass and graffiti all around my home. Well, I use home loosely. More like cell. And my cellmates were rapidly retreating. My guess is fear; without their leaders, a fight against us three was a quick and brutal loss for them. Even Tails was able to swiftly take down one or two, albeit with some comical cowardice displayed.

As soon as the last of them had slunk off I eagerly scooped up and dumped the unconscious bodies of Bark and Nack into a nearby dumpster. They ;anded with a satisfying thud at the bottom. Hopefully if they didn't awake, I wouldn't have to see their ugly faces around for a few days. I wiped my hands clean, returning to the clearing where the mourning over Sonic's car continued.

"Why, why, why?" the hedgehog gloomily chanted, banging his fists on the side of his door as he hung his head in defeat. I almost felt bad for him and his pitiful problem. Tails put a reassuring hand on Sonic's shoulder, both looking up as I approached.

"I would get going if I was both of you. As you can see, it starts getting pretty dangerous around dark…"

Sonic only continued staring at me, any glimpse of life gone from his eyes. He relaxed all muscles keeping his head up, allowing it to swing down and crash into the metal door. Ouch…that even sounded like it hurt.

"They slashed his tires" Tails confirmed, covering his ears as Sonic wailed out once more.

I put my hand against the back of my head, slightly resenting what I would have to say next. No, more than resented; I hated when…

"Would you guys want to come in?"

Tails brightened and Sonic nodded his head solemnly. Before ascending up the front steps we pushed Sonic's car out of sight, behind the landlord's garage when no one would think to look. We walked inside past the tiny, cramped lobby and up the dark red steps which were probably the only thing I liked in the whole place.

There was a strange feeling inside me; it wasn't all that strange, after all. I felt it every time I would have to rely on my friends to shelter me when nights on the street got bad. Even though the situation was quiet the opposite now, it still felt the same.

Shame.

Shame, when I had to show them my door, the paint on which was tearing off in shreds. Shame, when their upper-middle class eyes scanned over my ripped furniture, my stained carpet. Shame, when even I realized that I would not want to step foot in here, much less stay to hang out for any period of time. Shame when…

Sonic punched me on the shoulder, cheering as Tails jumped up and down on the couch while telling me how cool this place is. They high fived, raiding my fridge for slightly flat sodas while raving about the newest episode on 'Park Week' as they flipped through the channels on my old, bunny-eared TV.

I stood in the doorway, dumbfounded.

"Shadow, what are you doing? Come on, get in here!" Sonic beckoned, his eyes gleaming with happiness. I recovered from my surprise, sighing as I reach for the telephone to begin dialing car repairmen. Theses two are delusional; that's the only way they could appreciate something so…meager.

An hour on the phone. No auto place could come tow until tomorrow. I regretfully informed the two, neither of who seemed to mind. A place would come tomorrow at six, but there was no guarantee the car would be fixed soon. Either way, we would be extremely late for our first day, or even absent all together. Neither seemed to mind, however, only awaiting those final confirming word from my mouth.

I groaned, painfully wishing it would never have come to this. Damn Nack. Damn Bark.

"I guess you guys are staying the night."

Their cheers both repulsed me…and comforted me. I joined them on the couch, looking at the both of them chugging and stuffing their faces with contempt. However, something caused me to lower my defenses, to sit back and enjoy their idiotic programming. Maybe company was good for me. Just maybe… just for one night.

I love these guy bonding time moments! This is just a small glimpse into Shadow's world. I'll definitely add more Sonic and Tails later, too. They will most probably be in the spring arc. As always, thanks for reading and please review! I really would like more reviews on this, but as long as even just one person is reading I will continue the story. Also, I would like to give a shout-out to Supersaiyaninfinitygohan for reviewing every chapter so far! Thank you so much, I really do appreciate it :)