Freshman: Chapter 2

Shadow's POV

English class proved to be more interesting than I thought. Our teacher's lecture was about English literature and authors. It was actually a bit interesting. Not bad for a very first class in high school.

I let my fellow students' glances and whispers escape me, but I did notice Amy's curious glances. She looked like she really wanted to ask me something, but wasn't sure if she should. After she continued to stay silent, I figured that she would speak up later on.

After the first two hours of English I gathered my English textbook and stuffed it away in my shoulder bag before getting up from my seat, swinging the bag over my shoulder, planning to search for my next class. As I moved to leave the classroom, I found Amy standing just outside the door. She seemed to be waiting for me.

"Hey, Shadow! I didn't know you would be coming to school!" She said, obviously curious for the reason behind my sudden appearance at school in the middle of the year.

"Well, apparently I'm still supposed to be in school at my age. So Abraham decided to fire me so I can go to school instead." I explained, refusing to call the Commander by his title after he fired me for something as silly as the law.

"Really? The Commander fired you? Just like that? But I thought you were his best?" Amy asked as she placed her hands on her hips. It did seem a bit strange to her.

"I thought so too! But apparently he's glad to be rid of me for the next three years and a half!" I answered while I crossed my arms in front of my chest. Yeah, I guess I do still feel a bit angry about my disgraceful resignation. How dare he anyway? Couldn't I just find a way to combine school and work?

I asked Rouge that question once too and she blantantly refused even the thought of it. The reason? Why because I won't have any time for future boyfriends of course!

Well, Rouge just immediatly assumed that I was for the guys. Something about a woman's instinct telling her that. Upon hearing that statement and sceptically asked how she could be so sure, after which she responded with 'Of course you don't believe me! You haven't been outside of the laboratories long enough to discover all about attraction and sexuality! Just wait until you do finally start school!'

Rouge seemed pretty convinced with her assumption so I didn't bring it up again.

"Let's go! If we don't go now all the benches will be taken!" Amy, as energetic as always, took my hand and practically dragged me down the hall. What is it with people dragging me all over the place today?

"Amy? Why are we going outside? I thought we were supposed to go to our next class now?" I asked as Amy pulled me outside. It seemed odd to me that we would leave the building when we were actually supposed to do to our mathematics class. Or was this a shortcut I didn't know about yet?

"Of course not! Math can wait! Now we have a fifteen minute break!" She said as she came to a sudden stop, making me bump into her. Thankfully, neither one of us ended up on the ground as she was surprisingly strong on her feet.

I guess it shouldn't have been all that much of a surprise. She does wield a pink hammer of doom, more commonly known as her Piko Piko Hammer, heavier than herself. If she hadn't been so strong, she would've fallen over every single time she swung that thing!

The hold she had as she held my hand as if I was a little child who might run away in the blink of an eye also told quite a story. She had a hard grip. Maybe that's why Sonic didn't like being hugged by her? Because she was a little too careless?

I watched the pink hedgehog in front of me as her head slowly moved from one side to another. She seemed to be looking for something by the way her eyes scanned the school courtyard. It seemed difficult to try and search for something or someone through the thick crowd of students. I was surprised to see the amount of students there were in this school. Are there really this many?

"There they are!" Amy suddenly shouted as she spotted what she was looking for and pulled me along again. I followed without complaint. I assumed that she was looking for that bench she had mentioned once before, but as I noticed golden twin tails and a set of blue quills up ahead, I knew that I was wrong.

"Sonic! You'll never believe who has decided to come to school today!" Amy stated as she pulled me next to her, albeit a bit too roughly.

"Shadow!" Tails called my name is surprise as he wore a smile. Just like his pink, he seemed just as happy and cheerful all the time. Although, 'always happy and cheery' seemed to be the general norm in Sonic's group of friends.

And speaking of the blue devil, the blue blur himself shot up from his seat on a grey, plastic-looking bench most likely made of recycled waste. An expression of shock and disbelieve was apparent on his features.

"Faker?!" The tone of his voice backed up the surprise he felt.

"Hedgehog?" I said as I was quite surprised myself. Why was Sonic here of all people? Didn't all that hero business get him the money he needed? So why did he still go to school? For personal reasons?

"What're you doing here?" Sonic asked. Just like Amy, he wanted to know why I had showed up at school.

"What am I doing here? What're you doing here?" I asked as I wanted some answers aswell. I really don't like not knowing and I absolutely hated it if someone kept me in the dark about something. Especially if it's something that turns out to be important.

"What do you mean? I go to school for an education and a diploma. Now what's your excuse?" He asked.

"I was fired and send to school." I briefly said.

"What why?" Tails asked as a frown replaced his smile. Sonic seemed curious to know aswell.

I sighed as I had already explained to Amy not even a minute ago. I wouldn't mind explaining it to them, but I do hope that this is he last time.

"I was fired because I am still supposed to be in school at my age. I can just go back once I have graduated." I explained, silently hoping not many people would keep asking the same question over and over again.

"Oh, Shadow! That reminds me! You have never told us your age." Amy said right as Tails was about to comment on my explanation. But as he didn't try to bring it up again, I decided to answer to Amy's question. One of Sonic's eyebrows raised as he was pretty curious to.

"Well... I'm... fif-something..." I muttered as I glanced at everything except for the people standing near me. Yeah, I think I do feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Excuse me?" Sonic said as he hadn't understood what I had said. Neither of them had.

I sighed once more.

"I... might be fifteen... I'm not sure." I repeated, only this time a little louder. The three Mobians in front of me stared at me in shock.

"What? How can you not know your own age?" Amy asked before Tails could. Sonic stayed silent despites wanting to know too.

"W-Well..." I wasn't exactly sure I would want to tell them. I mean, it was a little embarrassing to not know your own age.

Amy and Tails just kept looking at me in silence as they expected an answer from me.

"You know... You don't have to tell us if you don't want to." Sonic decided to step in as he noticed that I was visibly getting uncomfortable, something that I didn't easily show.

Hearing him say that I should tell them this piece of information of my own choice made it alot easier for me to speak. I felt the urge to smile a little.

"Well... After the raid on the Space Colony Ark and I was put away on Prison Island... I sort off lost track of time. Accordig to Abraham I had just turned fifteen when I was put in suspended animation. That's why I think I'm fifteen." I explained, albeit a reluctantly.

"Really? Oh, that reminds me of something else!-" Amy wanted to ask me another question, but she never got to finish as a loud ringing noise resonated through the whole courtyard. It was the same ringing that I had heard twice before. Once during English class and once when it ended.

"Is it right to assume that the bell signals the end of an hour or break?" I asked, silently thankful that the attention was now diverted from my age.

"And it also tells us when school begins and ends." Tails added in case I hadn't figured that out for myself.

After the bell had stopped ringing I could hear several students around me groan in either dismay or annoyence. I didn't see why. It was just sitting on your butt and listening to a teacher. What was to dislike about that? Well, besides the obvious that alot of people might find it boring.

Slowly , but surely, the student mass dwindled as they made their way back inside the building. Amy motioned for me to follow her as she was sure I didn't know the way back to our classroom just yet.

"I guess we better get back to class." Sonic muttered to no one in particular. He seemed a little reluctant.

That was a bit odd.

Just like 'Always Happy and Cheery' was pratically the norm of their group, so was 'Do Everything As Enthousiastic As Possible!' Or it seemed that way with the way they always seemed to dive into each adventure and battle. This group definitely had something with positive attitudes.

That was why I found it so odd to see Sonic so reluctant when he usually dove head first into ... Well... Everything really! I wondered what the reason behind that was.

"Shadow, we'll be late." Amy said when I had failed to respond to her gesture to follow. Because of that, she once more took my hand and dragged me back to class with that tight grip of hers.

I wanted to ask Sonic what was wrong, but he and Tails were already gone. Guess I can find out later on once lunch break arrived.