Freshman: Chapter 1

Shadow's POV

School was a place of knowledge and learning. Children were send there to achieve the skills and knowledge they needed later in life for when they had to live independently. Of course, alot of these necessary skills were also taught by parents and guardians, but they could not provide you with all the knowledge you needed.

That was why it was mandatory for people to go to school. So of course, experimental hedgehogs who were recently officially considered to be civilians were expected to go to school aswell.

And that was the reason why I was fired from my job at G.U.N and standing in front of a local high school.

"Oh, don't be so grumpy! Just think of it as a break away from G.U.N." Rouge stated as she noticed the expression I wore. She knew that I regretted the day my first day at school would come and she had tolerated it as she knew how much I liked that job, but now she found that it was time I let it go and just enjoy my time in school.

"hmpf!" A huff was all I answered. It was the only answer I had provided her with ever since I woke up this morning. And frankly, she had about enough of it.

"Seriously, Shadow? You can stop being so childish now." She said.

"Well, apparently I still am a child. So I get to be childish as much as I want." I moped, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Oh come on, hun. Are you really still made at me? You know that there was nothing I could do to make the Commander change his mind." She said.

"We are partners, Rouge! I belong in Team Dark too! You could've atleast tried something, couldn't you?!" I yelled.

"Oh, stop being such a drama queen and get your butt in there!" Rouge grumbled in annoyence. She knew that it was really about time I got into class. They had already told us it was okay to come in later and she didn't want to prolong it any more than necessary.

"I'm a drama queen? Well, just keep in mind that I learned from the best." I retorted, after which my dear housemate, Rouge, grabbed me by my upper arm and practically dragged me into the building, not wanting to waste another second standing around outside of the school while I was needed within.

After Rouge had practically dragged me inside the school building, we made our way to the secretary's office as that is where Rouge remembered you were supposed to go ask for your schedule first and then go to your class. I guess, I shouldn't questio Rouge. She had gone to school before, not me. She should know what to do. And during the time I spend at home while Rouge searched me a school, after I was fired from G.U.N, she made sure that I knew I could come to her whenever something troubled me. She knew how harsh high school could be sometimes.

"Ah! Is this the new student? Shadow Robotnik, I believe?" A woman, who I assumed was the secretary, asked. I answered with a simple nod.

I had always been a bit quiet towards strangers. That is, unless I absolutely felt like saying something. My social awkwardness, as Rouge called it, was something that was sure to get me in trouble. According to Rouge that is.

"Well, here's your schedule for this year. The class your in is class 1-C, which is up the stairs and down the hall. They should be in the middle of their English class right now." The secretary quickly informed us before answering a call on the telephone.

I looked at Rouge as we walked away.

"English? People still have English in high school? I thought being able to read and write was a given by now." I stated. The ability to read and write was taught in elementary school, right? That's what Gerald told me when he taught me about the alphabet when I was at the age of six. So why did people still study English in high school.

"Of course, they know how to read and write! In high school they just teach students the right forms of sentences, read English books and other stuff that has to do with English." She explained.

Or atleast tried to.

Sure it hadn't been all that long since she graduated from high school herself, but her classes wasn't exactly something she had tried to remember. Rouge could name all her boyfriends, her friends, heartbreak, friends' lovers, friends' heartbreaks and cute teachers. But ask her about a class and she wouldn't be able to tell you.

"I see." I simply muttered, although I still didn't really see the point of having an English class.

I decided to look at my schedule instead.

'First period - English. Second - Mathematics. Lunch break... Is this really my week from now on? Seems a bit dull.' I thought as my eyes quickly scanned over all the classes I would have for five days a week now. Usually I'd work from Monday to Sunday. And now I had school from Monday to Friday and free on Saturday and Sunday. I think this will prove to be quite a change.

Rouge and I followed the secretary's instructions and walked up the stairs. It took a bit of searching, but we did eventually find the classroom I was supposed to be.

"I guess, this is it." I sighed as I read the '1-C' on a little plague that adorned the door.

"Oh don't be so melodramatic. It's only for four years." Rouge said as we came to a stop. She turned around to face me.

When I didn't answer, she decided to speak up once more.

"Think about it this way. You've never really had the chance to be a normal teenager, right? Just look at this as the opportunity to finally have some fun and be normal!" She said with an encourging smile as she placed her hands on my shoulders.

I sighed again. She was right. I had been a normal baby, toddler and little kid. Gerald was my parent and Maria my sister. The latter and me were both taught by the former. We played and everything!

But as soon as I reached the age of ten, normal was something that didn't apply to me anymore. Maybe Rouge was right. Maybe I should give this an honest chance and see this as a opportunity.

"Okay, I'll try my best." I answered, after which Rouge captured me in a hug.

"Be good, okay? Don't get in trouble and don't pick fights. And don't forget what the Commander said. NO Chaos Control of any kind!" She lectured after we broke away.

"I know, I know. No Chaos Control, Spear, Blast or any other attack I might have up my sleeve because the Commander would personally see to my punishment." I said, reciting every word he had said the day he fired me.

"Exactly! Now get your butt in there and enjoy school!" Rouge told me wholeheartedly before she knocked on the door with a few rapid knocks before she walked down the hallway. She quickly waved her goodbye to me before turning around the corner and leaving me to stand here alone.

I stood there for a couple of minutes in silence, debating weither or not I should change my mind now and Chaos Control back to the Commander's office and demand my job back when the door to classroom 1-C opened. A young human woman stood on the other side.

"Oh? Is this the new student we were expecting? Come on in." She said with a smile as she took a step aside. Was she my English teacher? She seemed friendly enough. After hearing all these tales of horrible and strict teachers, I had expected to see something completely different.

I did as I was told and walked inside. As I did so, I heard an audible gasp coming from one of the students. Once I stood in front of the classroom, I let my eyes quickly scan the faces of the teens who would be my fellow classmates from this day on. Every single one of them was a complete stranger to me.

Except for one familiar face.

'Amy?' I asked myself mentally as I saw the familiar pink hedgehog stare right back at me in surprise.

Amy Rose, as her full name was, had always been an intriguing hedehog to me. Not because of her habit to chase her crush, Sonic, or because of the fact that her weapon of choice was a sledgehammer, you can say all you want, but her hammer was definitely not the ordinairy one used as an everyday tool.

It was because of what happened onboard the Space Colony Ark that day. I was so set on ending it all and yet she had somehow forced me to remember what Maria wanted and changed my mind. Nearly dying wasn't the only thing that stayed with me from that day. Ever since than she has always seemed a little intriguing to me.

"All right, class, this is your new classmate. His name is Shadow Robotnik and he will be joining us from today onward!" The English teacher happily announced as she clasped her hands together.

"Shadow, you may take your seat." She said, gesturing to the only empty seat they had added at the back of the class once the news of a new student had reached them. Coincidently it was right next to Amy.

I walked towards to the other side of the classroom to my goal, my appointed seat. I was somewhat glad to see that Amy's surprised stare had turned into a welcoming smile, but the stares of my fellow classmates had failed to escape me. Some of them seemed to think of my arrival as suspicious while others simply didn't know what to think. I couldn't blame them. I was, after all, the guy notorious for trying to destroy our beautiful homeplanet Mobius.

As I took a seat behind my desk, one that I mentally noted was much smaller than the one I had at G.U.N Headquarter, there was one thing made quite clear to me as I watched some of my new fellow students divert their stares away from me as they whispered to the person seated next to them.

This year was going to be quite an experience.