im working on my updates guys! im so proud for forcing myself to write the next chapter :D reviews just keep piling up and i absolutley loooooove~ them all ;) keep it up guys!

Sonic and Amy sat side by side, silence hanging like a thick cloud over them. Neither of them had spoken a word to each other since English class had begun. They were supposed to be working on their project, which was due in a couple of days.

Sonic kept replaying yesterday's event, making him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He wanted to say something. He really did. But he didn't know what to say. He played a couple of scenarios in his mind.

Amy, thanks for cheering me up in the boy's washroom yesterday. I really needed that and-

Nah, that's too straight forward.

You have no idea how much you helped me. I spent the rest of the day thinking about you-

As if he would even admit that! He'd probably creep her out.

Don't worry about that happening again. I'm not that weak…honest. So keep that mushy gushy stuff to yourself-

Too vain. Plus, the last part was a lie. All that 'mushy gushy' stuff she did made his body experience the most amazing feeling.

You are the most wonderful person on this entire planet, Amy Rose. You've really made me feel like I'm not a nerd. You've made me feel like I'm someone cool. You've helped my self-esteem go up. You've made me like myself for who I am. You don't make me embarrassed by what I'm labeled as. And most importantly, you don't see me as a nerd.

Sonic sighed to himself as he spilled out all of his feelings to, well, himself. Beside him, Amy glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Little did he know, she was trying to think of something to say as well.

She was replaying their moment the entire day and she still felt his touch linger on her, making her body tingle with a strange feeling she didn't want to leave. To any other person, it would have looked almost innocent. But to her, it felt…intimate. She rubbed the goose bumps that appeared on her arms, trying to get rid of them.

She swallowed, knowing that he probably wouldn't speak up.

"Sonic, I-" she began, but was surprised when he cut in.

"I think we should start working on that project. You already have some information about me, so I'm gonna ask you some questions. Is that alright?" he asked timidly.

She blinked. Wasn't really where she was heading, but he was right. They did have a presentation due in a couple of days and they were barely half way finished. She nodded slowly and watched him take out a notebook and a pen.

He adjusted himself in his desk so that he was facing her. He scribbled a couple of things down on his paper before speaking.

"Alright, Amy, what's your favorite color?"

"Um, blue"

He wrote that down.

"What's your favorite subject?"

"English"

He wrote that down, but slower that the last word.

"Do you have any siblings?"

"I'm an only child"

He glanced up at her for a brief moment before scribbling that down. She was gazing intently at him.

"Any hobbies?"

"I like collecting comic books. Does that count?" she asked while cocking her head to the side.

His pen fell out of his hand and rolled a few inches away from Sonic when it hit the floor.

"You like collecting comic books?" he asked in awe. He couldn't believe it.

She nodded with a small smile as she fiddled with the bottom hem of her shirt. "I know, I know. I'm a girl and I'm supposed to like shopping, and pink frilly things, and manicures" she said in a high pitched voice and made small hand motions to exaggerate. "And don't get me wrong! I do have a total girly side, but it just doesn't come out as strong as other girls" she finished.

Sonic stared at her. And stared, and stared, and stared.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" she asked, slightly worried.

Sonic finally snapped back to reality and shook his head fiercely. "I just…" he trailed off, trying to find the right words to say.

"Wasn't expecting that?" she guessed with a small giggle.

His mouth curved into a smile and he shook his head, agreeing with her. She took this opportunity to say what she was going to say at first.

"Look, Sonic, about yesterday," she started. She saw Sonic stiffen and he immediately tore his eyes from hers and bent down to pick up his pen.

She bit her lip, wondering if she should just drop it. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

No, Amy. You have to say it.

"Sonic, I…Sonic?" she asked when she saw him turn around and write in his notebook, pretending she didn't even exist.

"Hm?" he asked, but didn't glance up at her. He just kept writing.

She leaned to the side and quickly snatched his pen out of his hand. His eyes widened, but he still didn't look up. He simply took out another pen from his pencil case.

Amy frowned and took the other pen from his hand. Still no reaction from him.

"On second thought," she said and took away his pencil case.

Sonic sighed in defeat, and finally, turned his head in her direction. "What?"

"Thank you" she hissed at him, but her face softened after a second. "I just want you to know that if you need me, I'm here for you" she told him, meaning every single word of it.

Sonic nodded slightly but she held up a hand.

"I'm not done! Look, I'm not going to ask you what happened yesterday. You can tell me whenever you feel like telling me. And if you don't want to do that, then that's okay too, but it really is better to just get it off your chest. What I'm really trying to say is," she paused and swallowed "is that I really want us to be close, Sonic. I feel like you and I are so alike and I haven't been able to…to connect with someone like this. Ever. I really feel like I can trust you" she finished. She made sure all of those words were clear and sincere, so that it all sunk in.

Sonic was in shock. He sat there, his hands limp in his lap, mouth hanging open, and his eyes bulging out. He scanned her eyes, trying to look deep, trying to find any trace of humor inside of them. Only to come out empty-handed. What she had said was the absolute truth and nothing but the truth.

She smiled at him, patiently waiting for a response.

"I…I, um…" he stammered. "Wow" he breathed, realizing that the entire time he had been holding his breath.

"It's okay if you don't feel the same. I understand" she said quickly but it was evident that she did care by the way her mouth twitched into a fake smile.

Now it was Sonic's turn to lean over towards her. He lay his hand on top of hers, covering it completely. Amy looked down at their hands before looking up at him. His eyes were fixed on hers with a softness that made Amy's heart skip a beat.

"Amy, you have no idea what effect you have on me" he told her in a husky voice she had never heard him use before. He gently squeezed her hand before pulling it away. He retrieved the pens and the pencil case she had taken away and began working in his notebook once again.

She looked down at her hand and she could still feel the warmth from his hand on hers, but what got to her the most, was what he had said to her. There was a funny feeling in her stomach and she felt her cheeks tainted with a blush.

Even though she admitted a bunch of things to him, he had only admitted a couple of things. But it was enough to make Amy's system go haywire and it made them so much more memorable.

.. ** ..

Sonic walked down the hallways, with only one thing in his mind.

Find Shadow.

The jerk hadn't shown up to English class, but he was certain that didn't mean he wasn't somewhere inside the school.

He had been practicing in his room all night what he was going to say to him and now, he was ready. He knew he had the confidence to do, too. He glided through the halls, looking in every direction, searching for the devil himself.

"I'm not going to take this crap anymore" he murmured to himself. He was trying keeping his confidence level high, so that he wouldn't back out of this.

"Sonic!"

Sonic looked over his shoulder and pushed up his glasses. He saw Tails running down the hall after him. His eyes narrowed at his friend.

He was clearly out of breath when he caught up with Sonic. "Where…are you going…in such…a hurry?" huffed Tails as he readjusted his backpack.

Sonic did not want Tails involved in this, let alone anyone else involved in this. This was something he had to do. Alone.

"I'm just looking for a teacher" lied Sonic before walking away. Tails followed behind him.

"What teacher? I can help" offered Tails.

Sonic shook his head and smiled slightly when he turned around to look at his friend. "It's okay. I already know where he is so I'll meet you in ten minutes"

Tails shrugged his shoulders and turned to walk in the opposite direction. "I'll meet you in the cafeteria then, I guess" called his friend with a wave.

Sonic continued to roam the halls, trying to find the black and red-striped hedgehog.

And there he was.

He was walking with his back facing Sonic and the hallway was absolutely clear. Sonic seized the opportunity right away.

"Hey!" yelled Sonic from the end of the hall as he speed-walked towards Shadow.

Shadow did a double take when he realized it was Sonic who called his name out with some anger behind it. His brow furrowed into a slight frown as he remained frozen in his spot. When Sonic arrived, Shadow's eyes widened when Sonic took his shirt into his hands and jerked him forward so that his face was merely inches away from Shadow's face.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Shadow growled as he wrestled out of Sonic's grasp, but he didn't let go.

"I'm sick and tired of having to deal with you insult me" Sonic spat ferociously. His eyes were alive and burning with all of this anger that he had bottled up inside.

"Oh, yeah?" hissed Shadow, and suddenly, pushed Sonic against the locker. His back slammed against it, rattling the entire row of lockers. Sonic winced in pain, but he kept his guard up.

"What are you gonna to do about it?" asked Shadow with a grin on his face. He had Sonic trapped by pressing his shoulders against the locker. "Is the nerd of the school gonna beat up the toughest guy in the school?" taunted Shadow with a snicker.

"No, not yet" replied Sonic in a cool matter. "But let's start with the email"

Shadow frowned at him. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Sonic's eyes narrowed. "Don't 'what the fuck are you talking about' me, you ass hole! You know exactly what I'm talking about" he said and surprised Shadow by taking him by the arms and whipped them around so that they switched places.

"You sent the email that said to stay away from Amy," continued Sonic. "I know you did"

Shadow scoffed and shook his head. "Guess again"

Sonic released some tension from Shadow's arms. "What?" choked Sonic.

"I didn't send you a single email to you, moron. I don't need to tell you to stay away from her through emails when I can have the pleasure of doing it to you in person"

And with that, Sonic received a blow to the jaw from Shadow's fist. The pain didn't come until moments later. Sonic rubbed it lightly and faced Shadow, who was cracking his knuckles with a smirk.

"If you think that hurt, I'm just getting star-"

Shadow was cut off when Sonic punched him square in the nose. While he was stunned, Sonic used his other fist and punched him in the gut.

Shadow ducked down when Sonic tried to swing another punch and took him by the legs, slamming him onto the ground. His glasses slid away from him, but before he could retrieve them, Shadow kicked the side of his stomach.

"HEY! KNOCK IT OFF!" yelled a deep voice from the end of the hall. Sonic could make out two blurry figures running towards them, but as far as he could tell, it sounded like one of the gym coaches.

He saw Shadow get pulled back by one of the figures, while the coach pulled him off of the floor.

"You idiots think this is going to solve all your problems?" huffed the gym coach as he pulled Sonic up against a locker.

He felt something in his hands and immediately knew they were his glasses. He slipped them on and saw Shadow being restrained by a teacher. He tried wrestling out of his grasp, but the teacher yelled at him and he backed away instantly.

Shadow had blood dripping from his nose and he was breathing hard and ragged.

Sonic was breathing hard as well, but his jaw was throbbing and his side didn't feel any better.

Ten minutes later, Sonic and Shadow were sitting in the office, each with a pack of ice pressed to their face. They had been told to sit out here and wait for the principle to call them into their office.

Sonic had a stomach full of butterflies. He felt as if he were going to redecorate his shoes at any instant. He would have never imagined that he would have ever gotten into fight. He knew he wasn't like that. He was praying that the punishment would just be a detention, even though he had never received one of those either.

And then he thought about his mom.

He groaned.

His mom was going to kill him.

Both Shadow and Sonic's heads snapped up at the sound of a door opening, revealing the principle. Mr. Grey was a bulky red fox with an ever-present frown upon his grouchy face. He wore a black suit and brown penny loafer, along with large circular glasses.

"Come inside, boys" he called out in a stressed tone. Sonic and Shadow stood up and walked to his office, the ice packs still pressed against their faces.

They entered his small office and sat in front of his desk. A filling cabinet was beside his large office chair, and on top of it, picture frames of his family smiling happily seemed to enlighten the room.

Mr. Grey gently closed the door and rummaged through a stack of papers beside his desk.

"Don't you think it's a little too early into the school year to be getting into any fights?" asked Mr. Grey while he sat down with some papers and documents in front of him.

Sonic shrugged his shoulders slightly while Shadow remained still.

The principle sighed and looked between the two boys. "Alrighty, then. Let's start from the beginning. What happened?"

Shadow explained that he was on his way to his locker when Sonic suddenly came after him and started accusing him of sending him a mysterious email. He told that Sonic had been the first to lay a hand on him.

Sonic admitted to what Shadow had said but told that he had been dealing with Shadow's bullying for a long time now, and that he just couldn't take it anymore. He said that he was almost positive that it was Shadow who sent him that email.

"Well, boys, since you both made some way of physical contact on each other, both of you are automatically involved" he explained and wrote some things on a piece of paper in teacher handwriting.

"And as for the email, I want you to show it to me so that I can run some copies" he said to Sonic. He then turned to face Shadow.

"And you say that you had nothing to do with this, correct?" asked Mr. Grey.

Shadow shook his head. "No, sir"

"I want you both to understand that this is a type of blackmail, and that it will be taken into not only the hands of the school board, but also the police" he told with his hands folded together. "If it is found that you have anything at all to do with this, Shadow, you will have charges laid against you"

Shadow shook his head once again. "I know I don't have anything to do with it, Mr. Grey. I swear" told Shadow, his words not stumbling once.

"Shadow, this isn't the first time I've had you in this office" said the principle suddenly.

Shadow nodded his head lightly, but his eyes looked grim.

"Three days of suspension" he said and stamped a piece of paper. He handed it to Shadow.

"Give it to the secretary and she'll get a teacher to escort you to your locker to get some of your belongings. Come back to the office to make a phone call home" he said and waved him off.

Once Shadow was out of the room, Mr. Grey took off his glasses and looked at Sonic.

"This is the first time I've seen you in my office, Sonic" he told while folding his arms across his chest. "I'm shocked that such a wonderful student like you is sitting in front of me because he got into a fight"

Sonic quickly wiped away a tear that escaped from his eye, hoping that Mr. Grey didn't see it. He heard him sigh.

"I know you're not like this, Sonic. You remind me of how I was back in high school" he explained with a small but reassuring smile.

"Unfortunately, I do have to take my job serious and this incident won't go without punishment. One day of suspension" he said and stamped a piece of paper like the previous one.

Suspension.

The words hit Sonic like a blow to the stomach, feeling much worse than the one Shadow had sent him.

Sonic left the principle with the information to access his email account and shortly after, his mother had picked him up from work.

When she stepped out of the car, Sonic was sure he was in for it. But to his surprise, his mom pulled him into a loving embrace. Sonic returned it without hesitation and found it hard to stop the tears that were now running freely down his face.

"Oh, sweetie" she cooed while patting him lightly on the back. She pulled away and took his face in her hands and kissed him on the forehead.

"C'mon. Let's get out of here" she said.

Sonic could see a flicker of disappointment in her eyes, making him feel much worse.

On the way home, Sonic was surprised to feel absolutely no regret. In fact, Sonic thought that Shadow deserved a bloody nose and a sore stomach. But they still had unfinished business.

This was only round one.

well THAT was a shocker! dont forget to drop me a review~