(AN: So, hey, here I am again! Coming at you with a chapter that is not only very short for how long this story is, but is... INTERESTING.
You see, after writing the last chapter, I was hard at work writing the next one. However, yesterday while writing, I began to slowly realize something.
I was getting scarily close to 16k words, and I was nowhere near finished.
Realizing that this meant that the chapter would be over 20k words, I decided to make the decision to split part of the current chapter I'm writing right now into two parts. This first part is this chapter, Chapter 11, and the next part is Chapter 12. Currently, I just hit the 10k mark for Chapter 12, so you will see a fast update hopefully, but this time we have a bit of a shorter chapter that... in all honestly, I hope that you don't mind is fillery. I knew this remake had to hit this wall eventually due to being prevalent in the original story, but I didn't want it to be so fast. But mainly for the sake of my proofreader and you guys, I understand why not all people would wanna read a 20k chapter since some stories are just 20k.
Still though, I do hope that you enjoy this chapter in spite of it being much shorter. And don't worry, I'll try to get the next chapter out fast!)
"Okay, we're rolling in three… two… one!"
Behind a multitude of cameras and microphones, Wes Weasley and Sam Speed cleared their throats and quickly dropped their water bottles before picking up their microphones and headphones. With the red light on the camera in front of them, they both took deep breaths before beginning.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAND welcome back to tonight's football match between the Mobius University Badniks versus the Monopole University Robots, we've just reached the end of halftime and are currently beginning with picking up on the second half of tonight's match!" Wes began. "As usual, I'm your sports commentator for tonight, Wes Weasley!"
"And can't forget about the fastest of them all, Sam Speed!" Sam replied.
"Oh really, Sam? Were you faster than me introducing myself?"
"Ha ha, not as fast as it'll take me to become the true announcer for this program!"
"We'd like to thank all our viewers tuning in right now on MSE2, as well as all our radio listeners on KLAK 102.9, as well as our sponsors including Meh Burger, Donpa Motors, and Chao Cola, and we have to remind you about this because we got so popular, we're now on TV!"
"From the way it sounds Wes, we've sold out!"
"Well, corporations might be putting money in our pockets, but why should that matter when there's football games to commentate? Besides, we're better than the gossip programs on the main network!"
"Ha, while things are currently being set up, let's take a look at some of the highlights for tonight. First, let's take a look at the replay footage where the Mobius U's cornerback Axel the Water Buffalo did that incredible intercept on the Monopole's wide receiver…"
Espio shivered as he held the fabric of the… 'suwetter' that Mighty had given him, closing his eyes as the cold wind blew through the stadium. Even back in Gojo, whenever he had to train in the coldest of conditions, he NEVER got used to it. Curse being cold-blooded sometimes…
But still, here he was sitting next to Mighty enjoying another football game. He even got to try a bag of that strange yellow shaped snack he saw going to his first game, which Mighty told him was called 'popcorn'. It was oily like Mark's snack, as yellow as it, and despite it being colder than it was when he first got it, it was rather delicious too. He just hated that it seemed to leave something weird in his teeth.
The chameleon watched as the players on the field finished getting into position, with the same familiar bulldog that he had seen in the past few games, as well as Vector, getting behind him. Espio held his hands together.
"Nervous, Espio?" Mighty asked before grabbing the bag of popcorn Espio held. The chameleon nodded.
"W-What is… what is the… oh, h-how do you say that wa-word again?..."
"The score?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Well," Mighty pointed at the scoreboard. "Right now, Home, that's us by the way, is at 20. However, Away, that's the other team, is at 18. Both the Badniks and Robots are neck and neck right now, so it all depends on whether or not who'll be able to control the ball longer. I think it might be smart to stall the game for as long as possible until the last few minutes."
"What does that mi-mean?"
"To stall the game? Oh, well… it means to like, not really advance the game. Like, don't score, just don't do anything."
Espio turned his head. "I don't understand."
"You'll see what I mean, I don't think I can explain it too well, but basically think of it like, nothing happening."
Espio was still confused, unsure of what Mighty was talking about. He was back to using words the chameleon couldn't understand, but then again, the armadillo WAS more into this game and knew more about it than he did.
All of a sudden, a brief blow of the whistle was all Espio needed to turn his attention back to the field. There was a clamoring on both the field and in the stands as the Monopole's Center player grabbed the ball and handed it to their tight end, with Rotor, Monk, and Knuckles all trying to go after the ball while the Robots' linebackers each blocked the three's way. Espio watched as he saw Vector take a few steps back only for a throw to be attempted. However, Connery attempted to grab it in mid air only for it to fall out of his hands. As soon as the ball fell onto the field, Brawny attempted to rush towards it by grabbing it before it fell only for the warthog to slide on the ground and push the ball forward with his body. Espio could only watch as Coach Augustus put his hand over his eyes, looking away from what happened.
"M-Mighty, wh-what… what is ha-hapenn… happening?" Espio asked as he tugged on Mighty's shirt.
"Oof, bad play there," the armadillo said before turning back to Espio. "Okay, so you're probably wondering what just happened. Basically, that's called a fumble. Normally, if the ball falls out of your hand, it doesn't automatically mean that you're screwed outta luck. You do have a chance to recover, but if you saw what Brawny did," Mighty pointed at the warthog as he started to get up from the ground, his stained clothes visible for all to see. "Basically, he tried to get the ball before it fell but tackled into it. At this point, the ball is dead, and the players have to go back to the starting position, again with Monopole in control of the ball. This doesn't seem good though, at this rate, they'll DEFINITELY get another point."
And as it turns out, the armadillo's prediction came true. After they got back into the starting position and the whistle was blown, the Monopole center threw back the ball to the Robots' quarterback only for him to rush forwards. Despite the attempts of Thrash to catch the ball when the Robots' quarterback made a pass, the ball was passed by their tight end and quarterback, and just as the tight end stopped, with about five men running toward him and the Robots' quarterback without anyone stopping him, he dodged quickly and made one long pass only for their quarterback to catch is, signifying another point for Monopole.
Everyone around Espio groaned with disappointment as the chameleon's face fell. Mighty handed the bag of popcorn back to him as he took a few pieces and placed it into his mouth. He was upset at seeing not just their team losing, but also noting how Vector kicked the ground he stood over in disappointment…
"They'll need everything they can to turn this around if you ask me," Mighty commented. "I think this play should be a good start…"
Espio's eyes stared intently at the scoreboard in front of him. There were only about two minutes left in the game and at the rate things were going, the Badniks were two points behind Monopole. If things kept up at this rate…
The chameleon shook his head. He knew that Vector had to win, so, with everyone around him standing up and cheering as the game continued, Espio held his hands up to his mouth as he watched with curiosity. As the click went from 1:41 to 1:40, a play that he missed resulted in Vector running to Monopole's end field and scoring another two points. Everyone around him began to cheer as Mighty hugged the chameleon.
"He did it, he did it!" the armadillo said. "Espio, you gotta cheer for him! It's the only way we can motivate him!"
But Espio wasn't using to being loud. However, as he watched Vector celebrate with his teammates as he ran back towards them and touching their hands, the field was set up as the Monopole team immediately rushed with the ball as soon as the first whistle was sounded. What proceeded was the longest minute of Espio's life, with a constant power struggle between Mobius U and Monopole U, passing the ball, tackling their players to the ground, and their quarterbacks attempting to grab the ball to mixed results before being stopped. Soon, the clock froze at 0:24 as the Mobius U punter, someone he definitely didn't recognize, rushed forward and kicked the ball high into the sky.
"Ahh…" Espio said in total awe, always being excited whenever he saw the punter kick the ball. However, the ball was caught by a member of the Monopole team, and he attempted to rush forward. He would've succeeded, if it weren't for a mix of Knuckles and Monk working together to block the ball despite not being defense. Soon, there were fewer than ten seconds left, and a countdown was heard all over the stadium.
The ball was thrown at the six minute mark to the Monopole quarterback, and he began to run towards the Badniks' endfield. However, despite how fast he ran, just mere feet before his foot touched the end field…
The clock hit 0:00, and a loud BRTZZZZZ was heard. There were gasps throughout the stadium as the players looked around.
"M-Ma-Mighty… what… what is going on?" Espio asked.
"Oh boy… this ain't good…"
Espio turned his head.
"Sorry, 'bout that Espio. You see, what's going on is that the two teams are currently tied right now. Basically, if they have the same score, no one wins. Instead, the game extends to what's called sudden death mode. For about ten minutes, the players fight for control for the ball and whoever has the ball first and reaches the other team's end field automatically wins the game."
The chameleon was confused, he just wanted to know if Vector won or not. All this time he was silent, not giving him the support he felt he should have been giving to his friend…
With the field setting up again and what appeared to be the Badniks in front of the ball, slowly but surely, the stadium started to quiet around him. He felt like nothing mattered around the world, and with everyone starting to clamor around him as soon as the Badniks' center handed the ball to Vector, he couldn't hear anything. Espio's breathing hitched, and in just a few breaths, he took one deep breath and not caring how he pronounced it or how loud he yelled…
"VECTOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRR!" the chameleon yelled in the loudest voice he ever managed in his entire life, closing his eyes as his vocal cords vibrated from his cold throat. He continued to keep his eyes shut until he slowly began to hear the world around him, a VERY loud cheering becoming more audibly clear as the chameleon opened his eyes. He looked at the scoreboard, which now read Home 28 - Away 26.
Once again, Mighty hugged the chameleon, but this time spun him around and lifted him in the air.
"YEAHH, I knew those guys would do it!" the armadillo said as Espio watched the Badniks huddle on the field. He knew how proud they must have all felt, and while Vector celebrated with his team, for a brief moment, he swore he saw the crocodile shoot him a brief glance before returning to being lifted by Rudy, Rotor, Thrash, Brawny, and Knuckles.
With the game now over and everyone starting to head home, Espio continued to shiver as he and Mighty waited for Knuckles and Vector to return.
"T-Thank you… thank you for… oh… how do you say that word…" Espio said.
"Bringing you here?" the armadillo added.
"Y-Yes! Th-thank you for bu-brii-brin… eeeh…"
"BRINGING."
"Bu…ring… ing?"
"There isn't a Bu in it, just, BRIN, like, brrrr… or something like that," Mighty laughed.
"Br-Bring-ging… Brrringing…" Espio repeated to himself.
"There you go, just keep practicing for a bit until those two get back. But hey, you're doing a good job! How did you think of the game by the by?"
Just as Espio continued to repeat 'bringing' to himself, a familiar face walked past the two boys. With her white fur and her mauve coat, she turned to face the chameleon and armadillo.
"Ah, Espio! What a surprise to see you here," Rouge said, walking towards the two with her hand over her mouth. "I didn't think you knew much about football, but you always surprise me it seems. How are you?"
Espio nodded his head. "I-I'm good… a-and you?"
"Goodness, where have I been all this time! You've been speaking English quite well. And I'm even behind you in our English lecture too."
"Say, what are you doing here, Rouge? Doesn't the volleyball team's season start this week?" asked Mighty, hands behind his head."
"It started yesterday for us, this is probably one of the very few times I had free time this week. It's going to be busy soon for me. I just came mainly because a few friends of mine invited me and we were going to go out into the city for a late night dinner. What about you, Mighty? I know you're on the wrestling team."
"Oh, my season started back in September. In fact, this Friday is our next match of the season. You wanna come?"
"No thank you, I have practice that day, and well… when do you ever see women in wrestling?"
"True that, it's probably the biggest sausage fest on the planet!"
"Says a lot more about you than it does me, don't you think?"
"Ha ha… wait, what?"
The bat chuckled. "Well, I should be taking my leave soon. Not only do I have to join my friends but I know as soon as your echidna friend sees me, he's going to jump all over me. Of course, not like ACTUALLY jump but like… oh, you know what I mean."
"Yeah, plus it's also really cold too. Don't worry, we won't let Knuckles know, will we, Espio?"
The chameleon, who hadn't been paying attention, turned to face Mighty and nodded. Rouge patted Espio's shoulder.
"See you in class tomorrow morning, Espio honey. Make sure you have a good night too," she said as Rouge walked off, her heels clacking. Mighty gave the bat girl a strange look.
"…who goes to a football game in heels?"
It was a few more minutes of waiting when less and less people were leaving the stadium did members of the Badniks start filing out of the exit. Espio and Mighty poked their heads out to see a few people the chameleon didn't know, alongside Thrash and Brawny. Then, after that group walked past them, it was Connery and his friends Monk and Rudy.
"Yo, nice game, guys!" Mighty said as they walked past the two.
"Well hey, there's the wrestling maestro himself!" Rudy said. "Hey, I'm REALLY pumped up for you guys' season. Wish I could join the team too but football takes up too much of my time."
"You can always quit the team, Rudy," Monk said, arms crossed. "'Course, if you're REALLY going to quit football for wrestling when there's… too much obscenity in there, I think I would find myself looking down on you."
"It ain't too bad, Monk!" Mighty replied. "Yeah, sure there's some… touching but I mean, you guys do the same in football too! Just… yeah it is a bit touchy feely compared to running into each other, but wrestling is all about showing your strength! Besides, Rudy is pretty agile."
"Well, it's his choice. I'm just asking the questions here."
"But if I left the team, who else is gonna be the voice of reason for you two?!" the lizard replied.
"Not you, because I speak for myself," Connery replied. "But the congratulations is thoughtful, Mighty. I do hope that your season goes well. While the Wrestling team isn't as strong as our football team, perhaps things can change with your new teammates. And remember, try not to get distracted by…"
The horse moved his eyes towards Espio.
"…outside influences."
Espio looked into the eyes of Connery, and for a brief moment, he could see the same anger filled eyes that he had seen in people like Jewel.
"Mighty isn't the type to be distracted, but what do you think we could do with a man like that on our team?" Monk asked as the three of them walked away.
"Take your place!" Rudy laughed.
"Oh, now you're just asking me to make sure you're benched for the rest of the season…"
Espio looked down at his geta shoes and put his hands over his waist.
"Man, they really think they're subtle with all that passive aggressiveness," Mighty replied. "Well, I suppose I can understand why they're a little on edge. They DID almost lose-"
"Mighty…"
Espio looked at the armadillo.
"W-Why… why do… do… eeh…"
Mighty turned his head in confusion as Espio continued to look for the words he wanted to find. He knew what he wanted to say, but he didn't remember how to say it. Was it why do or why does, maybe it was how does?
Regardless, Espio shook his head as if he couldn't remember how to say it, well, what was the point opening your mouth?
"…n-no. I… I fo-forgot."
"Espio? Is everything alright?" Mighty asked. "Is it something that Connery said or did? Yeah, he can be a… frankly a bit of a dick. He thinks that he's honest when in reality he can be kind of an asshole. B-But, that doesn't mean that he's all bad. He can offer some genuinely good advice SOMETIMES. I'm sure he definitely wasn't talking about you! Besides, you're not my roommate anyway, you're Vector's!"
Just then, two pairs of familiar voices came into listening distance. Espio perked up as soon as he heard one of the voices.
"…I'm telling you, we should NOT have won! I'm gonna file this under, 'I shouldn't be alive right now!'"
"Yer the one tacklin' into people, Knux! Could ya imagine how much sports commentators should shit talk me if I fucked up that sudden death play?"
"You mean more than they already do? Mighty and I literally watched MSE the other night and they spent like ten minutes talking about our team and predicting we're gonna lose because of our last performance against Winterberg."
"Ain't it one of those shows where they bring two commentators to a debate?"
"Yeah!"
"Yeah, well wait 'till I get on one of those shows and then I'll show them what a TRUE sports player actually can say with his mouth…"
With that, the two noticed Espio and Mighty by the side. A smile formed on the chameleon's face as he ran up to the two.
"Ha ha, hey there, Espio!" Vector said as the chameleon gave him a high five. "And ooh, lookacha! Learnin' how to high five as well? Been watching the game good, huh?"
Espio nodded.
"Don't tell me he already forgot about me!" Knuckles replied, pointing at himself.
"Ya ain't as important as me, Knux! I'm the quarterback, last time I checked!"
"Well, last time I checked, I didn't have a narcissist problem!"
Vector and Mighty chuckled.
"Okay, that's enough you two. So, what's the plan. You going to that party in the K building this time?" the armadillo asked.
"Who in the fuck parties when there's class the next day?" Vector shook his head.
"You act like this is high school, dude!" the red echidna replied. "Professors don't give a shit if you don't appear in class!"
"Sounds like somethin' yer used to, Knucklehead…"
"Hey, only Sonic can use that nickname on me!"
"Alright alright," Vector raised up his hands. "But seriously, Mighty, no parties fer me. Frankly, that Halloween party had me fucked uuuuuuuuuup. Did Sonic and Manic want us to come over?"
"I haven't heard a word from them, so likely not. It was probably just a one time thing since it was our first game of the season and because it was the weekend."
"And the dining hall is likely closed right now…" the armadillo sighed. "Did you have anything in mind?"
"Well, Knux and I got tacos last night while yeh were asleep-" Vector replied before being interrupted.
"W-Wha-?! Tacos?! WITHOUT ME?!"
"Hey, yeh were asleep and Knux didn't wanna wake you up! I think that's valid-"
"Hell no it isn't valid! How DARE you go out to eat without me!"
"Didn't realize yeh'd take so much offense to that. Well, I dunno… maybe something not… TOO greasy should work? Any ideas, any ideas?"
The echidna and armadillo looked around, shrugging.
"Espio, whadda 'bout 'cha?"
Espio held up the leftover bag of popcorn he had in his hand, with Vector feeling it. "Aw, so ya probably ain't too hungry. Well…"
That's when Vector got another good look at Espio.
"Actually, why don't we go to the Sub Station II that's close by?"
"That place?" Knuckles questioned. "I've never been there. Is it good?"
"Yeah, it's pretty small, but Espio and I went there to grab lunch and we saw Espio's guide person there too. The sandwich was pretty good too! Ya hungry, Mighty? Did Espio eat this all?"
"Espio and I shared it together, I bought it for him," Mighty replied.
"Did he say thank you? I've been always tryin' to make him remember to say that if someone gives ya somethin'."
"He did, actually! Said it pretty good too."
"Well, yer not only a team supporter, but also a gentleman too!" Vector patted Espio's small shoulder. "Next yeh'll be tellin' me yer now a bachelor!"
The chameleon softly smiled up at him, even if he didn't know what he really said.
"Well, is it determined? Sub Station II it is?"
"Well, I got no objections," Knuckles said. "Sounds good anyway. Sub sandwiches are always great. Mighty?"
"Frankly I think it's healthier than burgers, so I'm down. Are you sure you don't wanna drive there? You guys' feet must be in PAIN," Mighty replied.
"Nah nah, it ain't too far from here. We can walk," Vector added. "Well, that's that! We're off! Come on boys, time to gorge like kings!"
The crocodile brought his three friends together around his arms as they walked off the grounds of the stadiums, heading back onto the main campus past the stadium parking lot.
TWO DAYS LATER…
"Okay, ya got everything, right?" Vector said the next morning at breakfast as mostly everyone at the table of football players was distracted by the large canvas Espio had sitting next to him. "Remember, if that girl starts to mess with you, I give you all permission to go ninja on her ass. Trust me, I frankly would like to go apeshit on her, but it would reflect SUPER badly on not just the team, but on coach as well."
Espio nodded, putting his hands into a cup of fruits and nuts and scooping them out to place in his mouth.
"And remember, yer gonna do good today! So dun worry, I'm sure yer gonna… gonna go into that class… present yer drawing and get a perfect grade! Well, it's almost 7:50. Yeh should really start headin' out now, Espio. I dun think I need to tell ya where yer classroom is."
"Y-Yes…" Espio replied, finishing up his breakfast and walking to the trash to throw away his trash before grabbing his canvas. Before he walked off, Vector slapped the chameleon's back.
"Hey, remember! Calm, cool, yer gonna do this man!" he said, finger gun pointing at the chameleon as he nodded and smiled before walking off. As the crocodile turned around, the rest of his team turned towards him.
"So… what was that?" Rotor asked.
"Oh, Espio got some project he has to present today. Unfortunately, he's working with some jewel beetle that likes to antagonize him despite her best attempts to hide it."
"Her?" Rudy questioned. "Oh, you mean that beetle girl that's usually around whenever they set up events on campus? She always seems so nice and perky. She asked me a bit what I was doing when they were doing that career fair last week in the main lobby."
"Is that frankly what we should be discussing this early in the morning?" Axol asked. "Frankly, I think now that we're here, we need to start discussing stuff as a team in regard to future plays. While we were able to win Tuesday's game, we almost lost our game, and this time, we don't have Vector's injury as an excuse to claim why we lost. Expecting to rely on sudden death is only going to do us harm in the end. Therefore, we need to start changing our strategies and start getting more focused on our match for two weeks from now."
"The Soleanna University Priests is our next game, wasn't it?" Connery replied as he finished eating a small bowl of pickled vegetables. "Regardless, I'm glad to see SOMEONE is taking up as leader in spite of us having one…"
The horse turned his head towards Vector, the crocodile noticing it just a couple of seconds later.
"What's with that look, Connery?" he asked.
"You know what I mean, Vector. I can tell from how you've been acting not just during game but also practice at all, something has been dragging your performance down. You're supposed to be our quarterback, but it's starting to seem like you no longer care. In fact, now that we're all here as a team, I think it's time we need to have a serious discussion about this."
"About… what?!"
"Ugh, how can you continue to play dumb?! Tell me, Vector, who do you think is distracting you from focusing on this season?"
"…no… one? I mean, maybe Knuckles-"
The echidna whipped his head. "H-Hey, thanks a lot man…"
"Frankly, I have my choice words to say about Knuckles and his performance too, but I'm not talking about him. I'm talking about your little roommate."
Vector groaned. "Gaia, not this again…"
"Vector, try and cover your ears as much as possible, he's distracting you from focusing. Think about it, not only were you trying to show off during the last game to him, but didn't you see him in the stands Tuesday night? Thinking that he actually has an idea how football works, pah!"
"Look, Connery, I dunno what it is with yer little hate boner fer Espio, but how come he's apparently distractin' me while he's somehow livin' rent free in YER head?!"
"Surely you aren't as blind as to see how you were treating him just moments ago. Like some kind of child or something…"
"Or a lover…" Monk growled. "Men don't act like that to another."
"Yeah, unless ya dun got any kinda positive friendships with people," Vector rolled his eyes. "Look, where are ya goin' with this? I ain't gonna stop bein' friends with him-"
"And THERE'S your problem!" the horse continued. "You still continue defending him, pretending to think that he's somehow helping you when all he's doing is… is leeching off you, leeching off this school all to fill some 'diversity' quota! That's all that his little caretaker's program has been! And the headmaster and everyone around him just… PLAYS into his little hands! Ask yourself this Vector: do you really think your sophomore year here would be different if he wasn't around?"
"Ya really dun want him here, do ya?" Vector was now starting to get angry.
"As far as I'm concerned, people like him only come to our schools just to stifle out talent we could be finding in our own country. We don't need people like him coming to our schools, wasting the local people's tax dollars when I highly even doubt he's had any formal education. Tell me, Vector, do you think he's as intelligent than you think?"
"I dun need to answer ya!" Vector slammed his fist on the table. "Yer REALLY startin' to cross the line, Connery… If ya wanna hate Espio, be mah fuckin' guest, but at LEAST keep it to yer fuckin' self!"
"Ha, how immature you're being right now. You resort to personal insults when you know you can't handle the truth. Let me tell you, Vector. Even if I have a sports scholarship, it wasn't a full ride for me like it was for you and some of our fellow teammates. I still have to pay my way, stomach all the eye rolling jargon, and you mean to tell me that little… that little foreigner got a free ride? And for what? For being born somewhere else?!"
"It sounds like yer jealous to me, so why doncha drop the fuckin' topic-"
"Jealous?! May I remind you, that I worked hard to get where I am. My family may be well off, but I work hard daily in not just my playing ability but my studies too. I base my thoughts on not just what I see, but also what I read. And let me tell you, we don't need a quota system like we have in our colleges. That's the only reason someone like him got into a school like this. Don't you forget that, Vector. Just because he may start learning our language doesn't mean that he'll be speaking like a native speaker by the end of the term in late May, or that maybe he might know some kind of jargon in whatever backwoods town he's from, but he's in Central Mobius. And as far as I'm concerned, he's going nowhere with his life, he'll be gone after this school year, and you can focus on your football career, graduate, and just... forget about him once you get scouted by professional teams. So, you have no reason to continue trying to be apart of his world-"
"SHUT UP!"
At this point, Vector's anger had boiled over.
"Is it gonna be like this for ya ALWAYS?! Ya think that me bein' friends with someone not from Central Mobius is ruinin' this team when MAYBE it's yer ass who continues to think that he's helpin' people out by bein' an ASSHOLE?!"
By now, the team had gotten silent.
"V-Vector, Connery, give it a rest-" Rotor said trying to diffuse the situation.
"He's ALWAYS been like this, Rotz! Ya fuckin' know it too! Him AND Axol have antagonized you for the stupidest shit ever, and he thinks he's somehow bein' nice about it when he's just a fucking asshole!"
Connery's face, however, hadn't changed.
"No no no, don't intervene, Rotor," he replied. "If this is me being 'an asshole', then clearly you have never truly seen me angry, Vector. If me telling people the truth no matter how much they close their eyes and shut their ears is me 'being an asshole', then perhaps I should keep my mouth shut forever and see how they enjoy being in denial. Is that what you want, Vector?"
But Vector sucked his teeth, grabbed his bag leaving his plate on the table, and got up from his seat.
"Tch, I ain't answerin' that. I gotta go class soon anyway," he said while shaking his head.
"Wait, what do you mean class?!" questioned Knuckles. "We got weight training, dude!"
But it was too late, as Vector had walked away. Connery snorted in response.
"We need to do something about that roommate of his," he said.
"From the way that sounds, kinda sounds like you wanna abduct the dude…" Thrash said. "Maybe Vector has a point, maybe you SHOULD let it go-"
"But he does have somewhat of a point even if he can be harsh in how he says it," Axol replied. "We can't let Vector continue to get distracted by a friend. I think this applies for all of you as well. It's good to have people you're close by… but once it's starts getting to a point where you forget about your team and the sport you play, maybe it's time you reconsider what you should be giving your undivided attention to. And if I were you, if you want to be someone who makes it somewhere in life, I would pick up the ball and not complain."
The water buffalo drank the last bit of his carrot juice and shook his head as the table grew quiet once again.
"B-But what about you, Connery?" Brawny asked as he put down his spoonful of eggs. "Shouldn't you apologize to Vector?"
"As far as I'm concerned, I have nothing TO apologize about," the horse put his fist on the side of his head, elbow on the table. "I told him what he needs to hear, and he doesn't accept it. But once he sees I'm right…"
"Frankly, I'm getting concerned too about how attached he's getting," Monk added. "It's one thing to have a friend, but as I was saying, it's not… normal the way he was acting towards his roommate. Like, THAT'S supposed to be our quarterback? Reminds me of a housewife in old sitcoms my old man used to watch while drunk. And last time I checked, a doting housewife ISN'T what a quarterback should be."
"Besides, he should be thankful he's getting all this advice, preferrably from me. As far as I'm aware, the amount of stuff I see daily on campus about some of the most irrelevant things I've seen would tell me I would need to stay away from progressive preach choirs like this college. I'm simply here because in spite of the bureaucratese liberal speak, there's a good sports scene, it's the cheapest non-tech college in Central Mobius, and finding fellow likeminded people can be a treat."
"Likeminded like what, complaining about pronouns in an introduction worksheet like you did the first dinner we had here?" Rotor asked as Connery glared at him.
"Yes, as a matter of fact. Does that somehow offend you, Rotor?"
"W-Well… it's just an example… heh heh… hehhhhh…"
Rotor lowered his body in his seat, trying to deflect attention.
"Knuckles?" Rudy asked. "Any last comments? You are super close to him."
The echidna looked down at his breakfast. "I mean, I guess I know Espio better than you guys and while he's still learning, calling him a burden doesn't feel all that true. Despite people like Vector and Mr. Valdez, they know when to let Espio have his freedom. They know not to baby him, I promise. Even he enjoys going out with us and Mighty and he has a good time. Maybe you guys should really get to know him more, especially you, Connery. He's not AS bad as you put him out to be. Heck, once he starts to learn English better, maybe he might be the only one to listen to all that philosophical crap you like to preach in the locker rooms."
"No thank you," Connery replied. "I told you already, we don't need people like him in our schools. We're perfectly fine staying as a team and sticking to our fellow teammates, not including someone who's centuries behind on everything trying to tag along like some child."
"Okayyy… never mind, forget I asked…"
Espio walked into the Creative Drawing I classroom with only a few minutes to spare before the start of class. Valdez was already standing by where Espio normally sat.
"Ah, Espio-kun. You're on time. And you brought with you your project. Where's Jewel?" the blue chameleon said.
Espio set down his project. "I'm not sure. I do hope she was able to finish her art. After I left, there was still a lot needed to be done," he replied. Just then, as he turned around to watch who was coming into the room, Jewel came flying in with her project in two hands. She sat down in her chair, placing her canvas atop the easel as she unpacked stuff from her bag. Espio looked over to see her drawing completely, mimicking the art he saw the artists of Gojo make for not just the village that would recount ancient stories and legends, but also showcase the faces of the Shinobi clan. Only this time, instead of it being someone like Momotaro… it was Espio in the kimono he wore that day, holding the Shinobi Clan's fan like he did in Jewel's lost art piece.
As Jewel finished unpacking, she turned to face Espio.
"Remember what I told you, this BETTER net me a good grade," she said, pointing at him. "I followed your little 'style' as best as I could. So, if it's not perfect…"
She swiped her finger over her neck, making some kind of noise that Espio couldn't identify. Just then, the room fell silent as Professor D'Coolette entered the room. Jewel's face turned from annoyance to happiness as the red coyote mess with the fur atop his head his fancy gray coat sticking out against his sharp red fur.
"Good morning, class!" he said as he walked over to his computer. "Don't worry, we shall get started on our presentations soon, but first, I 'zall take 'ze attendance first. Okay, when I call out your name…"
As usual, the attendance was taken and everyone said their 'presents' or 'heres', while Espio went with his usual, "Hai". Once attendance was over, the coyote grabbed a clipboard, a pen, and a stack of papers and walked to the middle of the room.
"Okay, 'zo, we all know what today iz," Professor D'Coolette began. "Today, we begin 'ze presentation for our 'istorical portraits. So, let uz not waste any time. On 'ze small stage where I usually lecture is where you 'zall present with 'ze two easels I provided. 'Zo, I'd like to know who would like 'ze honors of volunteering first?"
Normally, this would be the point where Jewel would be beyond ecstatic, always volunteering to go up for demonstrations or presenting times when given the chance. But now with her different circumstances, the Jewel Beetle looked down at her feet.
"Oh, none of you?" the coyote said. "Even Mz. Jewel does not want to present? Oh, non non non! We can't have 'zat! 'Zo, I 'zall pick someone to go first… 'ow about… Belle and Belinda, Belle and Belinda, please present your project to 'ze front of 'ze class for presentation and critique."
With that, the presentations began. Belle, that mysterious wooden looking girl, and Belinda, a middle-aged 'housewife' as she described herself on the first day, grabbed their canvases and walked to the middle of the room, placing their canvases atop the easel. Espio took a step forward to see that the two did a replica of some kind of ancient art, with the two women wearing somewhere they didn't even look remotely as to what they were wearing. What he COULD tell was that the art was made very well, even if Belinda's wasn't as good as Belle's.
This continued for a bit, and for forty-five minutes, this continued from presentation to presentation. After Gadget and another student's was finished, Professor D'Coolette flipped the pages on his clipboard.
"Okay, 'zo, 'ze next person presenting iz… ah, Mr. Espio and Ms. Jewel!" he said. "Please, you know what to do."
The chameleon turned to face Jewel, who had already had on a face as she turned around from her peers. Espio grabbed his canvas and turned to face Valdez.
"Do you need to come with me?" he asked the blue chameleon.
"Are you nervous?" Valdez replied.
Espio turned around to see Jewel already going to the middle of the room. "…no. I just wanted to be sure in case since I don't think I can still properly present yet."
"Well, just try for now and if you really need my help, just call for me, okay?"
The chameleon nodded as he walked towards the front of the room, placing his canvas on the easel to the right of Jewel's. The beetle tried her best to put on a smile, but Espio knew she must have been upset that this is what she was presenting to Professor D'Coolette.
"Well, tell me about your project," the coyote said.
"WELL…" Jewel immediately began. "Our project was based on the ancient art of Northern Mobius thanks to a… SUGGESTION I gave to Espio. We first sketched this with HB pencil, and did the painting in acrylic with a size 4, 18, and 24 brush for the multitude of different parts that the painting contains. The style we used as you can see, is also based on the art of ancient Northern Mobius as I had just mentioned, with no specific artist in mind."
"Ohh, intéressant! I must say, I'm very impressed with your level of creativity!" Professor D'Coolette held his hands together.
"Y-You are?..." Jewel questioned, head turning.
"Oui, oui!" the coyote got up from where he was sitting. "As you know, class, 'zis project was meant to replicate 'ze great renaissance of art itself, but I don't think I ever said 'zat it had to look like something out of 'ze art coming from Central Mobius about five 'undred years ago. Many other places 'ad 'there own renaissance, and yes, 'zis even included Northern Mobius! While it's important you 'ear from your classmates, I praise you two for trying 'zomething different!"
Professor D'Coolette sat back down as Jewel looked almost shocked. Espio could tell that she was expecting everyone to hate it, but from how excited the professor looked…
The chameleon looked at Valdez, who gave him a thumbs up and a nod.
"Okay, 'zo… who 'as a critique for Mr. Espio and Jewel?"
"Well…" began Gadget. "I do agree with what you said, Professor. I think the way they incorporated the old style of Northern Mobius art was done really well. The use of acrylic really makes it look like old woodblock paintings done back then. I was always curious about how stuff like that was done, especially back then, and having Espio as your partner I feel really helped you in understanding the style. Even though they use the style from back then, there's enough distinction between the way that Espio and Jewel draw that they still have their own level of creativity. Like, Espio's is far more flat where as Jewel keeps the composition while having some things be a bit more detailed."
"Y-You…" Jewel began to look around the room. "U-Uh… th-thank you…"
"Anyone else?" continued Professor D'Coolette.
It was after some more critique, most of it positive with the occasional critique about the flatness of the drawing that the chameleon and jewel beetle were able to return back to where they were standing. Upon returning to his easel after everyone clapped for them, Valdez moved closer to Espio.
"You did a good job, Espio. I'm proud of you. And I think Jewel learned something too," he said.
"She did?" Espio questioned, turning to face the jewel beetle. There was an unintelligible expression on her face, but when she noticed the chameleon, she looked away and huffed.
"She still seems mad at me."
"Perhaps for now, but I think that this experience taught her a lesson, even if she wouldn't admit it."
Espio was confused, but didn't let things pry at him. Soon, it was the end of class, and Espio immediately had his weekly meeting with Professor Longclaw, which he couldn't wait for.
Packing up his things, the blue chameleon instructed Espio to leave the canvas on the easel in front of him, as Professor D' Coolette would collect the canvases and present the remaining few on Saturday, where they'd be graded over the weekend and returned next Tuesday.
After leaving the class on his way to the C building, Espio's hakama was pulled by an ever so familiar face. Yelping, he was face to face with Jewel once again.
"Okay, listen here, Espio. We may have gotten good marks with both Professor D'Coolette and the class, but there's still our grade. Remember what I told you, I get a bad grade and I swear I'll make you regret coming to this school," she threatened. "I can't believe I presented something so EMBARASSING and yet people liked it!..."
As she buzzed away, Espio knew it was yet another threat, but it didn't matter anymore. She couldn't hurt him anymore, and from how everyone reacted to the paintings, they all loved it. So, why did Jewel's opinion matter anymore?
In spite of the threat, Espio found himself in… a good mood. He was in a good mood after leaving the A building and entering the C building and Professor Longclaw's classroom.
"I must say, I'm proud of how attentive you are today, Espio!" the owl professor said during the lesson later on. "Valdez, I must comment that I'm proud of how far Espio's been coming with his English. If he keeps this up, we may be able to put him into an actual ESOL classroom before the end of this semester!"
And this continued for the rest of the day, with Espio meeting Vector for lunch, enjoying a nice bowl of rice and soy sauce with him and some of his football friends. He was even listening in as Rotor was telling some kind of story, getting everyone sans a few others at the table laughing. The chameleon found himself joining in with everyone, even if he couldn't fully understand what was going on.
This was the mood that Espio found himself in for the next couple of days. His mood was raised when he got to meet Mark that Friday during Algebra 101, and they talked about My Sister is also the Demon Lord who I have to Slay while working on a worksheet about polynomial functions, which Espio had started and was on the fourth episode. It continued into Psychology 101, where Professor Starline pointed it out during the middle of class.
"Well…" the duck said upon hearing Espio reply to the question, 'What is the Id', which he had read from the textbook (even if it was slow, soft, and filled with mispronunciations). "It's not everyday we hear from you, Mr. Espio. Could it be that even your own Id is coming out? Or perhaps… there's a change from within you that I seemed to have missed? Well, if I'm hopefully not mistaken, then perhaps you can explain to me what the ego is, can you?"
And for the rest of Friday and Saturday, things just continued like this. In fact, his and Vector's Saturday ended with the crocodile watching something on TV, inviting Espio to watch it with him. The chameleon wasn't sure what it was, but it wasn't a normal sports program, and he couldn't make most of what was going on, but he still had a good time regardless, and he got to eat more of that 'popcorn' he had during the last game.
With Espio going to bed that night, he thought that things would only get better from here. Not only was Jewel taken off her feet due to their performance, but Mark's replacement DVD arrived earlier that day, and he was becoming more attentive in his classes. Once Monday came, he KNEW he had to give a good report to his mother and let her know how well he was doing in his classes, and how he taught the heathens in his Art class about the art of Northern Mobius.
And most importantly, there was the fact that he got to spend so much time with Vector. After everything that happened a few days ago, Espio was beyond happy to spend all that time with his friend. No... it was becoming more than that. Espio knew for certain that in all the time he's lived on Mobius, Vector is the one ally he knew he could trust with his entire life. And that he couldn't wait to wake up tomorrow, see the crocodile's perfect, smiling face and that toothy grin of his as they walked to breakfast together, enjoying a nice relaxing Sunday break.
…if only he knew…
END OF CHAPTER 11
