Welcome back to this wild ride, my dears! Hope you all had a good weekend! I'm still working on balancing my life so I can get a more strict update schedule, but we'll see.
Lost and Forgotten Memories: I'm glad you liked it! :D
Mossy: Thank you! Yeah, it really has been a long time. I'm glad to be back though.
Fairlyoddme: Aww, that's sweet of you to say! I hope you continue to enjoy!
Let me know if you have any funny scenarios you'd like to see played out-this is a big story so I'm sure I can stick 'em somewhere. Also, please tell me if you see any glaring mistakes. Hope you all enjoy!
9: Provocation, Pajamas, and a Panty-Raid of Two Kinds
Amy felt sick the whole ride back to campus. When Rouge had called, she panicked and pressed "Ignore Call" before she could stop herself. Shortly after, Sonic got a call from Espio, who was also worried about the whereabouts of his friends, considering they had originally left to confront Scourge and the other members of DED. They all had exchanged nervous glances before filing out of the Lenny's bar and squeezing into Chaos Control, somber as funeral attendees.
Blaze noticed Amy biting her nails and reached over to pat her shoulder, "I'm sure your friend will understand. You have known her for a long time, right?"
Amy sighed, "I'm not so sure. I feel like we've been tiptoeing around each other ever since our fight about you guys... and now, if she finds out I've been lying to her..." The emotions Amy had been holding back ever since she started to sober up spilled over in a flood of tears. She held her hands over her eyes and sobbed. Blaze bit her lower lip and turned to Shadow, who only shrugged. Sonic glanced at Amy through the rear view mirror.
"Don't worry, Ames! You can just say we kidnapped you!"
"But," Amy hiccuped, "then she'll hate you guys even more..." she trailed off in a wail. The others were silent as they pulled onto the campus road. Silver scratched his quills morosely.
"I'm sorry, Amy... This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't gotten taken by DED."
Amy's tears switched off like a faucet, "What! No! It's not your fault!"
He smiled sadly.
"Oh... shoot," Sonic muttered from the driver's seat. The passengers all looked out the windshield, where Rouge and Espio both stood in the middle of the street in front of GNO, arms crossed. Amy shrank down in her seat at Rouge's expression—she looked furious. The car slowed to a stop and they climbed out, Sonic smiling sheepishly at Espio, who only blinked vacantly. Amy slid out of the car last, head hanging in shame. Rouge rushed at her, stomping up the cobblestone and hair flipping with the speed of it.
"Where on Mobius have you been? I've been looking for you all over campus!" She paused and inhaled, "What is that smell? That smells like pot... AMY ROSE!"
Amy burst into tears again, "Rouge, I'm sorry..."
"Sorry for what? Completely ignoring my warnings about," she shot the others a venomous look, "them? Or for disappearing multiple times in only a couple weeks, letting me think you were lost somewhere, or dead? Or for going out with the school outcasts and getting freaking high? Getting high with strangers, Amy! What were you thinking? Are you stupid?"
"N-no..." Amy burbled. She had flinched throughout Rouge's tirade, but was getting a little fed up with her friend continuously referring to the members of SLK as if they were monsters. She started to wipe her eyes and quell her sniffles.
Sonic perked up at the insult and stepped in, "H-hey now... is it really necessary to say it like that?" The rest of SLK surrounded him almost protectively.
Rouge whirled on him, jabbing an accusatory finger in his face, "Stay out of this! It's your fault for taking advantage of an innocent freshman! Who said you could just pull her into whatever sick world you live in?"
Sonic frowned, "Listen, I don't know where you got your information about us, but don't you think it's a little much to assume like that?"
"I've heard from reliable-enough sources. You're just a bunch of slackers who like to screw with everyone else at Linehardt. Well, pay attention: stay away from Amy. She doesn't need fools like you ruining her college experience!"
Sonic grimaced, "You know, normally, we wouldn't care about this... but since you're Amy's friend, I thought we'd try to explain..."
"That's right!" Rouge stood in front of Amy, "I am her friend. I think I'm the one who knows what's best for her!"
"ENOUGH!"
Everyone went silent and turned to Amy. She was trembling. She shook her head vehemently, "Stop it. I don't want anyone to fight like this." Rouge and Sonic glared at each other before taking a step back. Amy held the hem of her dress, wrinkling it anxiously. She looked up at Rouge, "Rouge... I really am sorry that I stayed out without letting you know... again." Rouge opened her mouth to interrupt but Amy pressed on, "That doesn't give you the right to be so rude to them though!"
Rouge blinked, "What?"
Amy gestured at SLK, "Don't be rude to them! They're my friends too! I know you said to stay away from them but... I don't want to. I'm an adult, Rouge! I'm not even a teenager; I'm twenty years old! I'm old enough to make my own decisions, especially about stupid stuff like who I hang out with." She glanced over at Sonic. He smiled gently. Amy swallowed the rest of her anxiety and looked Rouge in the eyes, "Rouge, I have a confession to make."
The white bat raised her eyebrows haughtily, "Oh, like that wasn't already a confession?"
"I've been lying to you!"
Rouge's ears drooped, "W-what?"
Amy nodded and squeezed her eyes shut, "Remember at the start of the week? I uh... I came back without my books and after that I told you I had left them in the classroom to go easier on my back? And all sorts of other stupid excuses..." She opened wet eyes, "I lied. The truth is... That day I got into a bit of an accident... and all my books got destroyed. I've been studying with SLK while they save up to pay off my books and replace them. I'm so sorry."
Silence pulled the street into its grasp. Amy stared at Rouge, who had wilted, all her forceful talk and bravado blown away by Amy's confession. Eventually, Rouge looked up from staring at her shoes, face cautious, "Why are they paying for your books?"
Silver stepped forward, "Uh, actually... it was kind of my fault that they got destroyed in the first place." He gestured at the car, "It's... kind of my fault that she was out all day today too." He smiled, a pink dusting of embarrassment on his cheeks. Rouge looked him up and down.
"I see..."
Amy moved closer to Rouge, brushing a hand over her elbow, "It'll all be dealt with soon enough, Rouge, I promise. I just... I wish I would've trusted you and told you then, instead of lying about it."
Rouge's teal eyes flicked up, "Well... I'm glad you learned your lesson." She observed the others, who were starting to get restless and were placing old gum wrappers on the fallen-asleep Espio. "I guess... I don't mind so much, you hanging out with them. As long as it's for your books, Amy."
Amy shuddered a little, "Yeah... I can live with that, I guess."
Rouge extended a hand towards Sonic, "No hard feelings, honey?"
Sonic shook her hand, a mischievous glint in his eye, "You know I'm the same age as you, right 'honey'?"
Rouge wrinkled her nose and turned to Amy, "Anyway... I think it's time to head up. We're starting to get ugly looks from the windows."
Amy felt warmth build in her chest.
Good... she's not too upset.
"Sure thing, Rouge." She turned to the residents of SLK and waved, "Goodnight, guys!"
They watched as the pair ascended the front steps, smiling and waving after them.
Surprisingly, almost two weeks passed with no extraordinary events. Rouge had been a little more distant to Amy, but she figured she deserved it after the lies. Instead of returning to her dorm in the afternoon, Amy took to hanging out with SLK after class. They'd drive to Lenny's for lunch, or go out to the mall, or just stay in and study and play video games. She wondered why they hadn't retaliated against DED—she even asked Espio when they were alone in the kitchen together. He had plated up the sliced apples—shaped like tiny rabbits—and handed them to her before glancing at the others in the rec room.
"There's really no need," he had murmured. "That's not to say that we won't get revenge at some point, though." Amy followed his line of sight to where the four other boys were battling each other on some military game. When she looked back, Espio had vanished.
March thirty-first. When Amy arrived to her literature class, Blaze was smirking and curling her tail back and forth while reading. Amy plopped down, smiling from Blaze's infectious expression.
"You look awfully happy today, Blaze!"
Blaze turned and smiled wider, "Listen. How would you like to spend the night tonight? As like a... study group sort of thing?"
Excitement boiled up in Amy's veins. A slumber party! "Of course," she replied. "I'd love to!"
"Great," Blaze returned to her book and pushed her textbook towards Amy, "now read up on today's assignment."
Since she was spending the night, Amy returned to her dorm to pack a small duffel bag before heading over to Sigma Lambda Kappa. She left a note for Rouge, who was sleeping in, before leaving. When she arrived, the door was unlocked, same as always. She dropped her bag in a coat closet she had discovered under the stairs and began her search for Blaze. Sonic, Silver and Knuckles had gone on a fast-food run from the look of things; Chaos Control wasn't in the driveway and the mansion was completely silent.
Amy wondered if she was allowed upstairs. She didn't see why not, but then again... she had never gone up before. There wasn't any reason to, what with the size of the house. Biting her lip, she decided to risk it.
The stairs wound up one side of the house before curving and then following it up the other side. They were covered with very thick, very red, very soft carpet. There were countless doors and hallways it seemed. By the time Amy reached the top and final hallway, she was almost winded. She straightened from resting her hands on her knees and studied the different doors, noticing small details that seemed to denote whose room was whose. The first door had a sticker of blue trainers on it, the second a drawing of a pair of boxing gloves holding what looked like some kind of diamond. Amy walked down the hall, checking for any hit of someone being home. The third door had some kunai lodged in it, the fourth had a poorly-drawn pot leaf on it, crossed out with a blue marker and some sharp writing that read "stop saying I smoke pot knuckles!". Amy chuckled before continuing on to the end of the hall, where two rooms were next to each other. The last one set into the main wall had pictures of guns all over it and the last room, set into the next wall was a door that was simply painted purple. Amy's face lit up.
That must be Blaze's room!
Just as she reached the end of the hall, Shadow popped out of the door that was covered in guns. He looked as startled as his expressionless face could at seeing Amy in the hall.
"Oh. It's you."
"Hi Shadow," she said brightly. "Blaze invited me over for a sleep-over tonight!"
"Oh really," he said flatly. "That's... cool... I guess?"
Amy nodded, used to Shadow's bizarre personality after spending so much time at the SLK dorm. She pointed at the purple door, "Anyway, I'm gonna check if she's in there, if that's all right?"
Shadow shrugged, "Personally, I'd knock first but—"
It was too late; Amy, over-excited at the prospect of a slumber party, had forgotten to knock. She tried the handle and the door popped open.
Amy froze. Shadow swallowed thickly.
Blaze was standing next to her bed, bent over, wearing nothing but a loose band shirt and her underwear. It looked as though she was pulling on some black leggings, but hadn't had the chance to finish before being... interrupted. Her gold eyes were wide and unblinking, like a deer caught in the headlights of her open bedroom door.
"S-strawberry panties," Amy blurted. "C-c-cute." The door beside her slammed shut. Amy noticed Shadow had disappeared. She gulped, "S-sorry..."
Blaze's ears twitched. She waited a moment before finishing pulling on her pants. After straightening up, she called out of the room, "Shadow! It's okay! You can come out now!" Loud power metal blared from the black hedgehog's room. Blaze shrugged and beckoned Amy into her room. Amy shuffled in nervously.
"Sorry... I forgot to knock..."
"It doesn't matter all that much," Blaze said. "It was bound to happen sooner or later. I can't count the times I've seen too much of Sonic. The idiot's too lazy to take a towel to the bathroom when he showers."
Amy's mind was overrun with thoughts she'd rather not be having about a certain blue hedgehog. Her face flushed red and Blaze raised her eyebrows. Amy slapped her cheeks gently, "Whoo! I sure got warm on my way over here! It's probably showing in my cheeks, huh!" Blaze blinked and shrugged once more.
"We can study up here; it's a little quieter and I know the guys will be back soon. We can head down for dinner later."
Amy only nodded, still trying not to picture Sonic emerging from a steaming bathroom.
"Want a mug brownie?"
Amy started, blinking sleepily at her surroundings. She was on the couch in SLK's rec room. A marathon of old horror movies was playing on the TV. Espio was reading a historic romance novel in the overly-squishy lazy chair in the corner. Blaze was standing over her, holding two steaming mugs with forks in them.
"Just try it," Blaze shoved a mug that read "Knothole Hot-dog Eating Champion" into Amy's hand. As Amy pulled it close to her, Blaze added, "Oh and... don't let your face get too close to it."
Amy held it away from herself, "What?! Why?!"
"Because they are void mug brownies," Espio remarked without looking up from his novel. Blaze calmly curled up on the other side of the couch, pulling her fork out of her mug and taking a bite. Amy cautiously tilted her own mug so she could peer inside. It was pitch black and the edges of the mug seemed to be blurring inwards. Amy held the mug a little closer to her nose for a few seconds. There was a strange energy emanating from it, tugging on her nose, cheeks and lips.
"Gonna lose your face like that," Blaze said.
"H-how...?" Amy asked.
"It's a recipe Shadow taught me."
"Oh."
A few quiet minutes passed. Blaze chuckled as a man on the TV had his arm ripped out by a monster. Rustling came from Espio turning pages in his book. Amy chewed thoughtfully. Suddenly, she noticed the house was far too quiet.
"Where are the others?"
Blaze tilted her ears for a moment, "Well, judging by the Breaking Benjamin I hear from upstairs, Shadow is still moping around in his room." Amy waited for her to elaborate on the whereabouts of Knuckles, Silver and Sonic, but she didn't.
"Okay," Amy prodded, "what about the others?"
"Tomorrow's April first," Espio cut in. "Sonic figured it was high time we teach DED a lesson."
Amy cocked her head, "H... how are they doing that?"
He set his book down in his lap and looked at the clock hanging on the wall, "Well, right about now they should be wrist-deep in underwear drawers."
Amy's brows knit together, "What?"
Blaze stretched out, pulling a blanket down off the couch back to cover herself, "Don't get too caught up in the details. I'm sure you'll find out tomorrow, anyway." She snuggled down into the blanket. Amy, wrapped in her own blanket that she had brought from home followed suit, mind running wild with questions. They soon fell asleep to B-movie soundtracks and Espio's quiet breathing.
The school was awash with rumors come morning. Amy walked to class with Blaze. They kept having to move out of the way for people running by, to and from the academics buildings. Students were checking their phones and laughing madly.
"What do you think is happening?" Amy looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of what was being sent from phone to phone.
Blaze's ears were folded back, "Oh, trust me... we're about to find out." They reached courtyard where the massive school fountain resided. There was a crowd around it. Blaze pulled her hood up and tucked her chin down, attempting to skirt around the back up of students and faculty. Amy stood on her tiptoes to see what all the fuss was about.
The fountain was absolutely plastered in boys' underwear, all shapes and sizes. Boxers, briefs, and everything in between. Amy saw a pair of loose boxers that were bright green with the initials "S.H." embroidered on them in red. It dawned on her.
"Blaze!" She hissed, swatting the cat's arm excitably, "Is that what they were doing last night? Stealing all of DED's underwear?"
Blaze grimaced, "...Yes."
Amy giggled, "Serves those jerks right! I had no idea Sonic had something this funny planned."
"I wouldn't get too excited," Blaze pointed to the other side of the fountain, where Scourge and Jet were standing with their arms crossed, shaking their heads as they drank in the sight of their undergarments glued to the most public place on campus. Amy stared too long and Scourge caught her gaze. He bared his teeth in a chilling snarl before mouthing a threat.
"You. Are. So. Dead."
Amy bit her lip and bowed her head before pulling Blaze to class.