Agh, I know, I know, I left it for a while but once again I was stuck. However, I have got some of the next chapted already and I've got some more parts planned out so hopefully I won't get stuck again for a while. Thanks for your patients, guys, I really appreciate it. I can't tell you how I grateful I am that you still read this and review it despite how long I take to update it And thank you to Skyelara, LuvyRosy, Lightning Eyes, Mijumaruwott, zEBRA, BlueyO, RANDY, SailorStar624, doctorcookiemonster, xPurpleTopazx, P, Super-Shadow1248, Kurdave125 and syadyniar he he. That's quite a lot of people! Thanks guys! I hope that this chapter was worth the wait for you. :)
Chapter 8 - Complicated
Amy watched Sonic closely, trying to scan his expression for every single ounce of emotion there. He didn't believe her excuse? She'd thought it would go down a bit better than it had, but then again, when she'd written it she hadn't really been thinking at all. Whenever anything was to do with Sonic, her mind just didn't function properly. She'd gotten so caught up in what she thought was a brilliant plan that she hadn't properly organised it. And now there was even more to think about.
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Was Sonic really worried about her? She couldn't ask; it would be weird, but what she wouldn't give to know. From the way he was keeping his gaze away from her, she knew he would change the subject soon if she didn't respond to him. "Why don't you believe it?" she asked quietly.
Sonic looked up slightly, a frown still clinging to his lips. "Well… the Amy I know would never leave to clear her head," he said slowly. "If something was bothering her, she'd talk it out with her friends or watch some movies or something until she felt better. She wouldn't leave town. It doesn't make sense; it's not like her."
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Amy was shocked. Ever since the day that Knuckles had made that comment she'd been thinking that she and Sonic didn't know each other well at all, but perhaps she underestimated him. "So then... why do you think she left?" she said.
"I don't know," said Sonic, shaking his head as he stared into ground, deep in thought. "Something must be really wrong. Either that or she's hiding something."
Amy felt a sudden urge to tear off her hat and sunglasses and call off this stupid scheme. But of course, she couldn't. "I'm sorry that she left," she said softly. 'I really am sorry, Sonic,' she thought.
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Sonic sent her a half-hearted smile in reply and Amy's heart thundered in her chest. He looked so troubled… or was it just confusion? Annoyance, maybe? Amy could never read his emotions, and it frustrated her to no end. She had no idea whether he was worrying about her or just angry that she left her friends. With Sonic you never knew. Maybe he didn't care as much as she hoped. Her imagination might even have been exaggerating how distant he seemed.
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"I'm sure that she had a good reason to leave," Amy said after a pause.
"You think?" he replied, finally looking at her.
"Yeah. And I bet that if she knew that you guys were worried about her she'd feel really bad for leaving," she added.
"Maybe."
"Are you worried about her?" Amy asked, hoping her voice didn't sound as eager as she felt.
Sonic shrugged and looked into the distance. "I dunno- just- let's talk about something else," he said, waving his hand dismissively.
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Amy frowned. Was he so awkward around her that he couldn't even talk about her with other people? She would usually press him for answers but she didn't want to lose the flow of their conversation, which he would break off if she persisted. "Okay," she said casually. Amy tried desperately to think of another topic but her mind was clouded over. She was frustrated with herself for making it awkward between the two of them, as Sonic looked slightly irritable now. Perhaps she never should have mentioned it. What if she'd got it wrong? What if Sonic was simply annoyed by having to talk about her? Did she get on his nerves that much?
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Amy's thoughts were interrupted as a light thump sounded on the ground. She checked her pockets, knowing that she'd dropped something and looked behind her but Sonic had already heard it and stepped back to pick up the fallen object. He held it up, his eyes wide with confusion. Amy looked closer and felt herself stiffen. She'd dropped her purse! How was she going to explain that?
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Sonic stared at the small pink purse in his hand, before his wide emerald eyes moved back to Amy. "This is Amy's purse," he said, astonished. "How did you get this?"
"I… I found it," she said, trying not to sound guilty.
"You found it?" he asked, still surprised. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was trying to piece together a mystery. "Where did you find it?"
"Urm… back at the… park," she said slowly. "If I remember correctly."
"At the park?" Sonic sounded dubious. "That doesn't make any sense," he said quietly, speaking to himself although Amy could still hear him. "Why would she…?" He trailed off, shaking his head.
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"Are you sure it was at the park?" he asked.
"Yeah," she replied. "Sure as sure can be, bro. I picked it up and decided I was gonna return it to her."
"But how would you know where to find her?"
Amy feigned a shrug. "It's a small world. I figured I'd see her somewhere in Mobius."
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Sonic gave her a long, hard look. His eyes bore into hers.
'He's not buying it,' she thought, but finally he broke the staring contest.
"Well, normally you would," he said.
Amy felt her stomach relax a little, and realised how tense she'd been. She couldn't afford to slip up so often; digging herself into holes wasn't going to get her anywhere. She wasn't exactly the world's best liar.
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Sonic was turning over the purse in his hands as they walked, his eyes glazed over in concentration. Amy watched him, drawn in by the pools of green that were usually so bright but now hardened like concrete.
"What are you thinking about, dude?" she said softly.
Sonic came out of his trance. "Nothing really. It's just a little weird that Amy would leave her purse here. She's usually organised."
Amy smiled. "I know," she said, and then realised her mistake. "Well… girls normally are… right? Not always, but… urm…"
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Sonic stopped walking and turned to face her. "Why do you keep saying stuff like that?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. "You're acting kind of weird. What are you trying to hide?"
Amy paused, feeling daunted. So much for her plan going well. Potential answers to Sonic's question were fairly limited. What was she supposed to say: 'Well, Sonic, it turns out that I'm secretly Amy in disguise and that explains my weird behaviour'?
.
She swallowed. Perhaps there was only one way out of this. "Sonic," she said with a sigh. "I've got to admit, I haven't been completely honest with you."
His eyebrows rose a little higher, inviting her confession. He was listening.
Looking him straight in the eye, she spoke. "I… I know Amy," she said slowly, making each word clear.
Sonic blinked. "What?"
"I know Amy," she repeated. "We're friends."
Sonic looked closer at her, his brow furrowed. "You're friends? With Amy?"
"Yeah," she said, forcing confidence into her voice. "Close friends. I've actually known her since she was born." 'Not really a lie,' she thought.
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Sonic's eyes were full of disbelief. "Since she was born? But… She's never mentioned you. She's never mentioned any other friends," he said.
Amy tried to smirk in the typical Shadow-fashion, folding her arms. "We tend not to talk about each other much. Keeps our friendship closer; private, ya know? We know almost everything about each other and nobody gets in the way of that. We'd prefer it to stay that way."
"So… why didn't you mention this before?" Sonic asked, still doubtful.
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"Well I would've, but at first I didn't even know that you were talking about the same Amy," she said carefully. "And you seem like a cool guy; I wanted to get to know you, and I thought that if you knew me and Amy were friends, it might've changed the way you acted around me. Sorry… dude."
Sonic finally relaxed, still a little bewildered. "I'm just surprised that she never mentioned it," he said quietly.
"Well, I guess she wasn't expecting the two of us to meet! Lucky, huh?" Amy said, just hoping that he was believing this.
"Yeah," Sonic said absently, scratching his ear. "But has Amy known you all that time?"
"Yep. All sixteen years of it!"
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Amy was amazed at herself. She really didn't know where all of this was coming from. Sonic would ask a question and just like that she would give an answer, most of it being tiny white lies spun from the truth. After all, she had known herself since birth. And it was true that she wasn't expecting Sonic to meet her twice. And obviously she did want to get to know him. That wasn't so bad, was it? She was trying hard not to be too deceitful.
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Either way, it was clear that Sonic was still baffled by the discovery that Amy supposedly had a friend that had known her all her life. His eyes had taken on that glazed look again, and they drifted towards the horizon, which was looking darker now as the sky was completely flooded with orange. A sudden thought must have come to him then because his eyes snapped back into life and he quickly faced her. "Did you know that she'd run away?" he demanded.
Amy, mentally wincing at the phrase 'run away', said very solemnly, "No. I had no idea. We don't talk so much anymore but I didn't think she'd run away. There's got to be a reason for it."
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Sonic said nothing. Their footsteps continued briefly as the hard pavement turned back into grass where the town ended and the forest began. End of the line. Sonic paused, and Amy saw his chest rise and fall heavily, before he spoke.
"It's been cool, Andy, but I've gotta run," he said, though his voice was flat and lacked his usual enthusiasm. "Got stuff to do, you know? So, urm… thanks and I'll catch ya later."
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Amy reached out but before she could object he'd gone, leaving a blast of air that almost tore the spring daffodils out of their roots. She let her arm fall limp by her side. Not even changing her identity could get that boy to stay with her, could it? She'd thought that having 'Andy' being friends with the real her was a good idea; it would mean that she could speak for herself without having to make excuses, but it seemed that she'd just made everything more complicated.
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Even so, she reasoned with herself, it was still early stages. She'd barely been living as 'Andy' for a few days, so perhaps she just needed more time. She wanted desperately for all this messing around to be over and done with, so that she could get on with what she really went to all that trouble for. Time with Sonic. And not just a few minutes or hours, but time to properly bond with him. While it aggravated her to the point of tearing her quills out that this plan was stretching her limits, she knew it would be worthwhile eventually. The thought of knowing Sonic back to front, being able to open up to him and have him do the same, was thrilling. She would do whatever it took to make that dream a reality.
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These thoughts comforted her as she made her way home, the gentle evening breeze ruffling her quills as well as the newly-sprouted flower buds. Spring was definitely her favourite season, she decided, as it was the season of new beginnings. She couldn't help but think that it was the beginning of something wonderful between her and Sonic, and that through her little scheme she was simply helping fate along.
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She soon arrived at her house, collapsing into the sofa with a tired groan. Her gaze rested on the phone, and she contemplated ringing Rouge. She wasn't sure why. After all, she had been determined to make this work on her own. She hadn't asked for Rouge's help; it was quite the opposite. She'd felt annoyed at the bat for trying to take charge and acting as she knew everything. So then why did she want to talk to her?
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Amy swung herself up and off of the sofa, and gingerly picked up the phone. Maybe she was being too needy? And besides, she didn't need Rouge's help. But… it would've been nice to talk to someone, and she couldn't exactly call Cream anymore. She didn't like to admit it, but Rouge was now the only person she had.
I hope you enjoyed that :) I'm still surfing off a big wave of inspiration so I'll hopefully update soon. Hopefully. Thanks again for reading, and I love hearing what you think about the story.