AMY ROSE'S NEW SCHOOL
Chapter Two
"Amy's Plan"
Amy and Cream were in the same first period class together. So naturally, they took seats together. Cream, who wanted to improve her grades, wanted to sit up front, but Amy, who wanted to daydream, talked her into sitting in the back.
"We can pass notes and whisper back here," Amy said. There was little worry about being heard. Everybody was talking, since the teacher hadn't come in yet.
"I don't want to get in trouble," Cream said. "My mom says, 'Oh, honey, I'm so disappointed in you," if I do something stupid. And my daddy says, 'Go to your room, and think about what you've done, young lady.' Don't yours?"
"Actually, my mother gives me 'the look,' and my dad says, "She takes after your side of the family all right."
"So, what are we going to do to get Tails and Sonic?" Cream asked after a minute.
"Give me until lunchtime," Amy said. "I'm still working on this."
Actually, so far, Amy had only the vaguest idea of how to help Cream. She had mostly been thinking about how to win over that track star. Of course, it was important that she get to be a cheerleader first, and she hadn't met this Rouge yet.
Speak of the devil. Cream hissed, "There's the head cheerleader coming in now!"
Amy looked to see a white-haired girl with a build she would die for, wearing a dress that looked a couple of sizes too small, bounce into the room. She looked around, then folded her arms. "Hmph!" Amy heard her say dismissively. "No cute guys in this class! Oh well, maybe I'll actually be able to concentrate on the subject for a change!" She flounced to the back of the room, and ended up sitting right beside Amy. Perfect! Now if Amy could just make friends with her, she was in.
Amy was rehearsing how to introduce herself to the senior, when a tall rooster stepped into the room.
"Haha haha!" he laughed. It was an extremely annoying laugh. "Okay, class! Settle down! I'm Mr. Scratch, and I'll you know right now that I won't be putting up with any shenanigans in my class! Haha haha!" That laugh was going to drive Amy crazy!
"Mr. Scratch?" Amy said, thinking out loud. "Isn't that another name for the devil?"
"Oh, yeah, like I've never heard that one before!" the teacher said, suddenly right beside her desk. "What's your name, young lady?"
"A-amy R-rose, sir!" Amy stuttered.
"Well, Miss Rose," Scratch said. "I'll be keeping my eye on you!" He addressed the class. "Everybody, I'd like you all to say hello to…Rosie the Rascal! Haha haha!"
Amy blushed. He'd just given her an embarrassing nickname…right in front of everybody!
As the teacher went up to the front of the class, Rouge passed her a note. Amy checked to make sure the rooster wasn't watching, then unfolded it. "Nice one…Rosie the Rascal!" Amy wondered if that meant Rouge was impressed with her, or laughing at her. Probably a little of both. Well, if it helped her get to be a cheerleader, it was worth it.
Scratch was about the stupidest teacher Amy had ever seen. He was full of himself, even though he made several mistakes that Amy was afraid to point out. She didn't want to wind up in detention. Unless, of course, Sonic got it. Then she'd hit this geek with a spitball or something.
At last, the bell ending first period ended.
"What a maroon!" Rouge said when Scratch left. "I think he's even more annoying this year than last year!" She pulled a brush out of her purse and started fixing her hair.
"Um, hi," Amy said.
"Oh, yeah," Rouge said. "Rosie the Rascal. You want something?"
"Um, I was just wondering when cheerleader tryouts are?" Amy said, her mouth suddenly feeling like it had cotton in it.
"Friday, right after last period," Rouge said. "You think Scratch is an idiot, wait until you get a load of Grounder." She went back to brushing her hair and said nothing more to Amy.
Amy started to gather her books.
"What are you doing, Amy?" Cream asked.
"Um…first period's over right?" Amy said. "So we go to our next class, don't we?"
"Are you for real?" Rouge asked, laughing. "We stay in the same class all day! The teachers move!"
"Huh?" Amy said. "That's not how they do it in Mercia!"
"Mercia?" Rouge repeated. "That's where you're from? So, you're a hillbilly, right?"
Amy blushed. "What? No way! I wore satin and lace in Mercia! And a parasol!"
"A…parasol?" Rouge said. That really broke her up. "You're such a card, Rosie the Rascal!" She slapped Amy on the back. "And here I was afraid my senior year would be dull!"
"Um, but if you're a senior, why are you in the same classes we're in?" Cream asked.
Rouge blushed. "None of your business, kid!" She went back to brushing her hair and ignored them.
Amy glared at Cream. Obviously, Rouge spent a lot more time dating than studying. She was probably averaging D's, with some F's in the mix.
The next teacher was a hedgehog.
"Good morning, class!" she said, smiling. "I'm Mrs. Parlouzer."
Oh no! Mrs. Parlouzer?!? Was this…Sonic's mom?!? Amy realized she'd have to be on her best behavior here. If she got in trouble now, Mrs. Parlouzer would never let her son go out with her! Amy was a nervous wreck for the entire class.
Luckily, the hedgehog was a good teacher. Amy didn't have to pretend to pay attention. They got a ten minute break after that. Amy ran to the restroom. She found Cosmo just coming out.
"Oh, hello!" Cosmo said, bowing. "You are Miles' friend, yes? Uh…Amy, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, I'm Amy!" Amy said. "But I just met Miles today."
"But your good friend, Cream, knows him quite well, yes?"
"Why?" Amy asked. If this girl wanted Amy to tell Cream to stay away from Tails, she just might take a poke at her. She hated girls who dressed all in lace and acted so ritzy.
"She probably knows what he likes," Cosmo explained. "She can tell me what to purchase for his birthday party next month."
What to purchase? Who talked like that?
"How may I arrange to meet your friend, so that we may discuss Miles' birthday?" Cosmo asked.
"I think I am going to take a poke at her!" Amy thought. She wanted to arrange a meeting with Cream? Was she for real?
Cosmo reached into her purse and pulled out a card. She handed it to Amy. "This is my address and telephone number," she said with a smile. "Thank you for your time!" She bowed, then hurried away.
Amy nearly ripped the card up, but she decided it would be a good idea to know where this girl lived, so she slipped it into her purse. Then she rushed into the restroom. She barely made it. "You'll pay for that too!" she said out loud in the restroom.
The next period, they had a just plain weird-looking teacher. He looked like, well, like a lawn mower or something. Obviously, he was some kind of robot.
"Okay, class!" he said in a voice that sounded like he had a bad cold. "I am Mister Grounder! And this is math class! So take out your books, and let's get started. Where did I leave my pencil?" It was in his hand.
"Resist the urge to get in trouble!" Amy told herself. This guy was even dumber than Scratch!
"So, in conclusion," Grounder said at the end of the class, "the square root of one hundred and sixty-nine is…" he pointed to Rouge. "What, Miss Bat?"
"Huh?" Rouge said, waking up. "French toast, Mom!"
"I ain't your mother!" Grounder said. "Let's not have a repeat of last year, shall we?"
As he left, Amy whispered, "What the heck was that?"
"Some weird experiment the principal came up with," Rouge said with a shrug. "What? You didn't know that Principal Egghead is a mad scientist?"
An idiot rooster, the mother of the guy she had a crush on, and now a robot built by a mad scientist principal for teachers?!? Amy felt like she'd stepped into a weird manga. The next teacher had to be either be a great looking guy or some kind of demon!
But he turned out to be a nerdy-looking little man with glasses. "Good morning, students," he said, bowing. "I am Mister Tanaka, and unless you're in the wrong room, you're here to learn history!" He proved to be very enthusiastic about his work. When he described the fall of Rome, he climbed onto his desk and acted out a sword duel.
"Pardon me," Mister Tanaka said suddenly. "The lady in the red dress in the back row? Could you try not laughing quite so loudly at me?"
Amy blushed. "S-sorry!" she said.
Lunch came next. Amy was relieved to get out of that room. Unfortunately, she still didn't know how to help Cream get Tails away from that Cosmo girl.
At the lunchroom, however, Amy saw something that made her heart stop. Her Sonic was talking to a girl! She moved through the crowded room, straining her ears to hear what they were saying.
"So, how 'bout it, Sal?" Sonic was saying to the girl. "Movie tonight?"
"I'll have to check my appointment book!" the girl said. She reached into her purse, pulled out a book, and skimmed through it. "I think I can pencil you in!"
"Great!" Sonic said. "See ya around!"
Amy was stewing, but it got worse. A cute purple cat came up to him. "Hey, Sonic!" she said.
"Well, hey, Blaze," Sonic said. "Aren't you afraid Silver will get jealous, you talking to me?"
"He doesn't own me!" Blaze said, pouting. "Besides, he's out today. Dentist's appointment. So how about you and me go out for a soda after school, handsome?"
"Well, I'll have to check," Sonic said, "but I'm sure I can squeeze you in."
"Well, of course you can!" the cat said, purring. "I'll be seeing you, cutie!"
Amy saw red. But it got even worse. Rouge sauntered over to Sonic. "Hey, gorgeous!" she said. "Why don't you come up and see me some time?"
"Aren't you going out with Knuckles?" Sonic asked.
"He doesn't understand me," Rouge said. "He's as romantic as an old shoe."
Amy couldn't take any more. She turned and marched out of the lunchroom, bumping right into Cream.
"Oof!" Cream cried, falling over backwards. She ended up sitting in a trash can.
"Oh my gosh!" Amy cried, helping her out. "I'm sorry, Cream!"
"Oh no!" Cream cried. "There was something wet in there!"
And, of course, it was just then that Tails and Cosmo showed up.
"Is that a tradition here?" Cosmo asked. "Climbing in trash cans? My sister, Nova, once squeezed into a phone booth with twelve other people."
"It's the latest trend," Amy said with a straight face. "You should try it, Cosmo!"
"Maybe in old clothes," Cosmo said, looking at the trash can. "I think someone poured hot chocolate in that one. It doesn't seem like a good choice, Cream."
"Amy, don't tell Cosmo crazy things!" Tails said. "Come on, Cosmo!" They went into the lunchroom hand in hand.
"Well," Cream said with a sigh, "there's always Bokkun."
"Who?" Amy asked.
As if he'd heard her, a short, skinny, weird-looking little guy came up to Cream. "Hey, beautiful! Would you like to go out with me? Hahahahaha! Whoa, I got an itch!"
Amy looked at Cream. Then she grabbed her arm. "Let's go!" she said.
"See you around, Bokkun!" Cream said.
"See ya, Cream!" He looked at the trash can. "Oo, somebody threw in French fries! Five hour rule!"
"No!" Amy said as she led Cream outside. "You are absolutely not going to go out with that dweeb!"
"But he's the only boy that's ever asked me out!" Cream said.
"You can do better!" Amy insisted. She looked at Cream's dress. "Your little monster's cute, but you're not going to get boys that way. What else do you have in your closet?"
"Um…an orange dress, a pink dress, a green dress that says 'Nobody Loves the Hulk!,' another orange dress, another pink dress, another orange dress, a…"
"That's enough!" Amy cut her off. "You know what this means, don't you?"
Cream looked confused. "What?"
"You need a whole new wardrobe," Amy said. "And that means…shopping trip after school!"
"But my mother won't let me buy anything she doesn't see first," Cream said.
"No problem," Amy said. "You can keep anything you're uncertain about at my place. You come over before school in one of your baby outfits, and change! First problem solved!"
"My outfits are babyish?!?" Cream sobbed.
The next three teachers were letdowns after the first bunch. More competent than Scratch or Grounder, but less interesting than Mrs. Parlouzer or Mister Tanaka. That just left last period, gym, to get through.
"Ah! Cream! Amy!" Cosmo cried as they entered the locker room. "I am pleased to see we have one class together! This school is so different from what I am used to." Her face fell. "But Daddy says I have to come here this year because he's going to be doing a lot of business with Black Arms Manufacturing."
"Uh…that's nice," Cream said. "That's a big automobile company, right?"
"Yes, and they also make other things," Cosmo said. "Toothbrushes, combs, and Y-Boxes."
Amy rolled her eyes. They hadn't asked Cosmo for her life story!
As Cosmo left the locker room, she called, "Oh, Amy! You should see a doctor about that mole on your back!" She walked off, humming to herself.
"I'm gonna kill her!" Amy muttered.
"Bokkun's not too bad," Cream said, sounding like she was talking more to herself than to Amy. "You just have to watch out for his practical jokes."
"You are not going out with Bokkun!" Amy insisted. "There has to be somebody else."
"Well, there's Charmy," Cream said. "But he's sort of seeing someone too. Then there's Big. I think he kind of likes me…"
Poor Cream. A nerd, a practical joker, a boy with a girlfriend, and a guy whose own father said he was stupid. Those were her choices? "We'll talk more on the way to the mall," Amy said. "Let's get this over with!"
Amy and Cream left the locker room. The lady's coach, a huge woman who looked like a former sumo wrestler, blew a whistle. "Okay, you maggots!" she yelled. "I'm Coach Woods, and today I think we'll just run laps, so…move out!"
Amy moaned as she headed for the field. Then she gasped. The boys were running laps too. And one of them was a blue hedgehog. Suddenly, gym was Amy's favorite class!
"You're joking," another hedgehog said. This one was black with red streaks in his quills. He was speaking to a figure seated behind a large desk.
"Have you ever known me to joke, boy?" the other demanded.
No. No, he never had. "But, Father…"
"Better do what he says, little brother," a smirking lizard said from the doorway. "It's not like you have a choice, anyway."
"Why not have him do it?" the hedgehog demanded. "Why me?" The lizard stuck his tongue out.
"Because I said so," their father said in a cold, hard voice. "Do not go against me, Shadow! You will be starting at this school tomorrow. And you will do exactly as I told you."
"I won't!" Shadow cried. He turned to leave. As he did, the lizard tripped him.
"Don't walk away while Father's talking to you!" the lizard said.
Their father pounded his desk. "You will obey me, ungrateful son! Or do you want your friend, Maria, to hear that you've been cheating on her?"
"I would never cheat on Maria!" Shadow insisted, getting to his feet.
"At my command, you will, boy!" Black Doom said. "YOU WILL!!!"
What does Black Doom want Shadow to do? And how does it affect Amy and Cream? Maybe we'll all find out next time!