It happened so fast. One moment: Matthew was brimming with confidence, the next: Matthew was scared for his life. Was he going on a date with Amy? If he ended up paying for her, then yes, it was a date. What if she paid for him, would he just pay her back? He had to make sure this was just two friend eating together, and not a date! He'd never been on a date before… He didn't know proper dating etiquette. He'll just remember his manners and be friendly, he thought. Since Amy already liked him, there was no need to impress her.

A friend of Amy's was disdainfully staring at him during English. She obviously didn't want her friend to eat out with this guy in the next hour. Matthew could feel her eyes on him the entire class, taking in all the negative things about him.

Why don't more people like me? he thought to himself. Why do they judge a book by its cover? I mean, seriously! If they got to know me the way Amy did, they'd like me, right?

As lunch got closer, Matthew started getting more nervous. His heart was pounding as if it wanted to burst out of his chest. He felt cold and hot at the same time. Keep it together, Matt, he thought. You need to remain being charming!

Matthew let out a silent yelp as the bell rang. Part of him wanted to stay in his seat. Groaning silently, he gathered his things and made a beeline to his locker. He had packed his lunch just in case she'd forget about the whole thing. But he bet she wouldn't have. He checked if his money was still in his pocket. It wasn't! Oh, wait, it was in his other pocket.

"Here goes nothin'," he said to himself.

Amy was in the cafeteria, waiting for him. He waved when he saw her. She led him to a silver minivan. It was probably a 2010 model.

"So, why are your eyes red?"

"I have no clue."

Amy and Matthew were at the Subway, waiting in line. Matthew had thought he'd get a kick out of this, getting to watch a sociopath throw together his sandwich. Amy was standing behind him, poking his back. Half of him wanted her to stop, while the other half wanted her to never stop. Her turned toward her a little, trying to make it harder for her to poke him, but not too hard. He remembered his mom saying how she would want to see how toned he was. When it was their turn, Matthew ordered a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato and mayo, while Amy got a meatball sub. Matthew couldn't believe it, but he ended up paying for both of theirs. So this was a date. But that didn't make it bad. They were doing something interactive—talking—instead of something not interactive—say, watching a movie.

"Do you come here a lot?" he asked.

"Pretty much. I love it."

"Yeah, it's pretty good."

"Do you?"

"Come here a lot?"

"Mm-hm."

"Uh, no, not really. I don't have a car, so…"

"Do you have a permit?"

"Yeah. But I'm not good at driving…"

"Why?"

"Well, I'm not good at driving cars. Motorcycles. That's what I can drive."

Amy adjusted her hair. It was so blond, so beautiful. "So, how're your parents doing?"

"My mom's doing fine."

Silence. "What about your dad?"

"Uh, I don't ever get to see him," he said, trying to make it sound like no big deal.

"When's the last time you did?"

"…Never."

"What do you mean, 'never'?"

"I've never seen him. I don't even know who he is. My mom doesn't seem to know either."

"That's too bad… Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Despite saying that, Matthew was starting to get uncomfortable. "How's your family?"

"Great. My dad just got promoted, and my mom recently got a raise."

"Wow, that's lucky."

"I know, right? And I'm gonna go back to lifeguarding this summer. Are you planning on doing anything?"

"I want to get a job, too. I just don't know what's out there. And I'm only 15."

"You'll find something."

"So where do your parents work?"

"They both work for the law firm."

An easily corruptible place to work, Matthew thought. "That's cool," he said.

"Where does your mom work?"

"She works full-time at the hospital and part-time at a diner."

All they really did was talk. It was a conversation Matthew wished he could have again and again. They talked more about their future plans and what they wanted to do. Amy talked a lot about doing volleyball and cheerleading again next year. Matthew didn't talk about next year that much, other than what classes he was taking. He even made her laugh from time to time. He noticed that her hands were often close to his. She even "accidentally" touched the once. Suddenly they stopped talking and just stared into each other's eyes. Even though it was nerve-wracking, Matthew did his best to not look away and keep that friendly look in his eye. After ten weird seconds, Matthew finally said, "We better go."

Amy didn't rush to get to back to school on time. It seemed like she was driving slower than she was on the way to Subway. While she was driving, Matthew was scribbling his cell number on a napkin.

"You wanna do this again sometime?" he asked.

"Definitely."

"Would Monday work?"

"Yes, it will."

When they pulled into the parking lot, they stared at each other deeply again. Matthew could've sworn he felt a spark, and he knew Amy felt it, too. Her head slowly started moving close to his, so he did the same thing. They both closed their eyes… and brushed their lips against one another's. Matthew would've shot off like a rocket if the seatbelt wasn't holding him. Amy smiled coyly as she brought her hand up to his cheek, touching it tenderly. She tenderly wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him into a lip lock. Matthew almost melted. This feeling he was getting… It was so heavenly, so otherworldly. He put a hand on her leg, not knowing what to do with it. She smiled and pushed him back to where he was. Had he done something wrong. He was surprised to see her get on top of him, straddling his hips, and continuing their make-out session. He still wanted to be polite, so neither of them tried anything weird.

"You're a good kisser," she said teasingly, her lips a half-inch away from his.

"Th-thanks… You are, too…"

"Wanna hang out sometime after school?"

"I, um… uh…"

"I just want to kiss you forever," she breathed, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"But what about school?"

"Screw school," she said.

Matthew walked home with a little swagger in his step. He guessed he was officially dating Amy Rose. He knew he had missed his afternoon classes, but being with Amy was well worth it.

"Hey, Mom," he called as he entered his house. No answer. Weird. Today was her day off, wasn't it? He took a step forward, then felt an enormous pain in his leg. It hurt so much, he didn't even scream. He collapsed on the ground saw what it was: a tranquilizer. A tranquilizer? He could feel the world slipping away. He saw meny men in black military uniforms, pointing their guns. At him. He could hear his mom's voice.

Don't worry, Matt, it's just to make you sleep… her voice said. You're going to be alright…

Ivo was working in his lab when two men with the same uniforms entered.

"How did you…?" he began to ask them.

"Save it, Robotnik."

Matthew tried to say something, anything, but nothing would come out.

Everything's going to be okay, Maria's voice said.

"Uncle of Matthew Martin-Robotnik. Son of Gerald Robotnik. We're possessing your equipment as propert of the Guardian Units of Nations."

It's okay, Matthew…

"Wuh? How? Why?"

"Just do what we say, or we will use force."

Matthew…

"Please! NOOOOO!" Ivo screamed.

More men came in. "What's in there?" one of them asked, pointing to a safe.

"N-n-nothing!" said Ivo. "Hon-honest!"

Matt?

"It's… a Chaos Emerald!" exclaimed another soldier.

Matthew!

Blackness.