Chapter Text
Amy had decided for herself long ago that if love— true love— was actually real, she would do anything in her power to chase it. That was why she spent so many years longing for Sonic, after all. Constructing elaborate picnics, fighting by his side against world-ending horrors unknown to many, pining without resolution for years; all of it was done in hopes that one day, her and Sonic would be together forever.
It wasn’t uncommon for her to have to remind herself of that.
Sonic was sweet and loyal; a commanding presence to friends and foes alike. No one knew his kind resilience better than Amy herself. It had only been a few weeks since he had assisted her in packing her bags for university, promising that they’d have the time of their lives while they sought out their degrees. He had held her outside her dorm as if he’d die if they couldn’t remain together. Always together.
So why did this sense of bitterness creep in? As if on cue, she peeled her eyes from the book in her lap to check the clock. Another half hour had passed since she last checked her messages. Constantly checking was beginning to become a distraction to her studies. He put in no more effort than before they had become official. It wasn’t out of spite, simply carelessness, she knew that deep down. With a sparing glance, she checked her perpetually-open planner on the side of her bed. Between her list of assignments and classes, was a tiny note scribbled in red: ‘call Sonic’
She threw down her thick textbook— she enjoyed her civil law course, but the pages were little more than black and white strings of thought, and would remain that way until she resolved the problem that consumed her waking mind. With a huff, she flipped open her phone. Her wallpaper brought her back in time to their last trip back to Station Square, a month ago, right before they began college together. It felt like a century had gone by, though there were no telltale signs that she had aged on her face. The way he had held her hand while they traversed the streets, crunched between concrete sidewalks and sharp, metal buildings like ants in tight quarters, the lingering kisses he had left on her skin within the stolen moments behind a garlicky restaurant. They felt fictional in the way that only love could feel. Like photos in a scrapbook, still palpable, but distant. At least, that’s how she rationalized the odd feeling bundled low in her stomach.
Selecting his contact, she thumbed through her notes while the lilting dial tone chimed around her room, desperate to soak in as much information as she waited to hear his voice. It was a decent distraction from the suspenseful, indefinite quiet.
Finally, the scratchy sound of air and scrambling came from the other end of the line. “What’s up, beautiful?” His tone, sweet and electric, forced a smile across her cheeks.
Amy hummed as she fiddled with the pen in her hand. “Just studying. You know how it is. I really wanted to hear your voice. I needed to talk to you.”
“Then talk to me. Open ears, open heart.” As carefree as always.
She expected the words to come with ease, but she hesitated. “Are we going to do anything this weekend? I have an exam on Monday, but I can find time between homework to see you.”
“You say that like I’m a thousand miles away!” Sonic chuckled, his tone as light as air. The sound of a few dozen distant voices managed to sneak their way in through his receiver. That and his perpetual joy were evidence enough that he was at another social event, probably a party. “You know that you can see me any time. I’ll always make time for you.”
“My schedule is a bit tight, you know,” she chided. She leaned across the mattress, tapping her pen against the bloated pages of her planner. Indeed, she couldn’t be busier. “I have a study group tonight. Can we do tomorrow?”
A hiss, like the sound of sucking air in through teeth. “I have that Delta Nu party tomorrow night. I can’t miss that, not again. Rouge has invited me twice now.”
“You’re going to a sorority party?” Amy deadpanned. She was acting particularly brave despite the bothersome concept. The sororities here were known for their chirpy parties and their bubbly girls, not their raging study halls.
Sonic gave a weary chuckle, like he had already lost control of the argument. Perhaps he knew he couldn’t win against her. Maybe he didn’t want to try. “Only because Rouge insists. You could always come with me, you might actually enjoy yourself for once!”
There was nothing that Amy could want less, especially with her current workload. “You know that’s just not me. I love the smaller events they put together, but a full-blown party during the first quarter of the semester? It’s just asking for trouble. I need to keep my grades up, not get wasted.”
“Do you think you could put off your study group, just for tonight?” If his voice could form a physical expression, it’d have puppy dog eyes. He tended to have that sort of impression when he desired a certain outcome. “I really want to see you.”
She may become ostracized from the group for canceling once again, but that was just the price she had to pay to make sure her relationship could function. Relationships required sacrifices. All of this would be worth it in a few years, after she finally got her degree and could move on to greater things with Sonic by her side. Just a few more years of squeezing every ounce of time out of her schedule so they could be together. As if law school wasn’t stressful enough. Justice had to be served by someone.
“Sure, we can make that work.” Not even Amy could hide the reluctance in her tone. Before he could respond, she scribbled out her evening’s tightly-bound schedule in her planner. “What did you want to do? I’m pretty tired, I’ve been studying all day, so if you want to just come over, we can watch a movie or something.”
“Don’t you want to get out of that stuffy dorm?” Sonic sounded vaguely concerned. If she were honest with herself, Amy had spent the last couple weeks almost entirely inside her home, discounting her regularly scheduled classes, barista shifts, and food runs. Most nights were spent alone, cramming for English and baking cookies she'd never eat. Sonic was very aware of that. “The skating rink on East Street is doing their Friday deal— half-off for two university students. That includes the food too.”
The idea of leaving the comforts of her dorm left Amy apprehensive. The potted fern in the corner of her room seemed to sway lightly at the thought, as if it was just as perturbed. She twiddled with her silky pajama top as she considered the possibilities. “You just want cheap chili dogs, don’t you?”
“Always,” he replied, “but more than anything, I want to spend time with you. That’d mean a lot to me.”
It would be okay. She'd just have to catch up later, that's all. “I can’t turn down an offer like that.”
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
The day came and went with relative ease, though Amy would struggle to define ‘ease’ as anything less than repetitive and mind-numbing cramming. She had to study twice as hard to make up for the experience she’d be missing out on from her cancelled study group. When her eyes finally lifted from her lap, she watched from her bed as the day melted into a warm evening, lit by a waning gibbous moon and a hundred flickering dormitory windows. Amy perched herself on her upper floor patio to view the performance. They looked like a bustling swarm of fireflies from a distance, as if the monotony of this university town could match the bug’s spastic flight pattern. In contrast, it felt like nothing ever happened here.
As Amy closed her eyes to count each beat, Sonic’s methodical footsteps rapped up her flimsy staircase, one hand gripping the equally shoddy railing, the other holding a few stray wildflowers. The variety of flowers changed every time, but otherwise, she had seen this scene over and over again, like one of her vinyls was stuck on repeat. As methodical as clockwork, he took her hand, smiled wide, and pressed a kiss against her knuckles.
“You look gorgeous,” Sonic swooned. “As always.” He strung the stems of the wildflowers above the crook of her ear, twisted amongst her pink hair.
Amy’s chin dropped down to gaze at her outfit. Her hand-me-down jeans and old t-shirt didn’t exactly scream glamorous to her, but who was she to argue with a compliment? Placing a joyful kiss to his lips, she began to make her treacherous descent down the stairs. “Say that again when I’m not wearing the last of my clean laundry.”
The rink was much more crowded than usual. Amy suspected it was likely because of the aforementioned deal, which when handed out freely to poor college students, was promised to bring in foot traffic. A lot of foot traffic. So much so that Amy was threaded between Sonic and a few dozen other people like a piece of dental floss. Eventually, after what felt like forever amongst the warm-skinned crowd, her and Sonic received their roller skates and were let loose amongst the swirling rink.
With every step, she could feel the tension in her muscles. She had worked a long shift at the café the night prior, and the evidence of that was still very apparent. She allowed Sonic to take her by the hand and lead her around the round edges of the rink, on the very edge by the tall and protective plastic walls, far away from the whirlpool of people in the center.
Sonic enjoyed moving fast. Not only on the track team, but in everyday life. Even now, he guided Amy at breakneck speeds around the bends of the rink. Amy couldn’t entirely mind it. How could she? It was the first time that week they got to spend time together, real time together, not late night visits where Amy would fall asleep within the first hour. On top of that, his smile was electric.
With her eyes distracted, her feet began to falter. Her fingers nearly slipped from his as her wobbly steps were outpaced, but he slowed, just enough to ease her back into his speed.
The thought hit her, and the bright neon scenery around her turned sour. She truly was exhausted. Amy was too resilient to just give up though, so she shut her eyes and forced herself to focus on anything but her aching legs and the lightning strikes emanating from her lower back.
“I can’t believe this place is so busy!” Sonic mused. Even with her eyes closed, Amy could hear the smile dancing on his lips. He placed his warm hands on her hips to guide her, his grip firm on the fabric of her t-shirt. “I wish we could do this more often. I’d be here nearly every day.”
The words slipped from her pursed lips. “That sounds like it'd get exhausting pretty quick, huh?” Finally, she opened her eyes to catch a glimpse of his face. Lights, people, and music spun around them like they were caught in a churning body of water, and that was exceedingly easy to get lost in. With a deep hum, she leaned forward into his chest, her cheek resting on the smooth fabric of his track jacket. “School is wearing me out. I could barely get through the day, it feels like.”
“It’s only the first semester. How bad could it be?” Sonic pulled away from her embrace, navigated them around another tightly curved corner like it was nothing, and pressed his hand to her cheek. In that time, his smile flattened on his face.
Amy pondered for a moment before her overflowing brain forced her to ramble. “Well, there’s civil law, which is actually pretty difficult. I'm almost positive I’m just going to fail English. Then I have property law, which would be fun if it wasn’t for the long essays, and—”
“I get it,” Sonic cut in. “What I guess I mean is, if you’re having such a hard time, why are you willingly subjecting yourself to this?”
Amy slowed her pace on her skates, dragging both her and Sonic to an abrupt halt. The continuous whirlpool of people shifted and swirled around them like debris in an unkempt swimming pool. It took Amy a moment to even comprehend his indirect question, and when she finally understood, all she could do was give a weak shrug. “This is the reality of law school. You know what happened with my dad. That court case— what he did— it drives me. It drives me more than anything. Something as tiny as us hitting a rough patch isn’t going to deter me! I’m not going to give up before the first semester is even over.”
“We’ve been together for a long time, Ames. It’s not like you’ve been talking about being a lawyer your whole life. In fact, do you remember that phase you went through where you wanted to be a fortune-teller?” Sonic retorted. His eyes nervously danced around the room, far too aware of the people watching them.
The air that flowed out of Amy’s nose felt hot yet suffocating, as if a fire had been lit within her chest. She steeled her tone, resisting the temptation to lash out at what she was sure she could simply be misunderstanding. “With my tarot cards, yes. I do. I need to know where you’re going with this.”
Sonic let out a deep sigh and pressed his lips together. “I don’t know if law school is the best thing for you— for us right now, as a couple.”
As timid as his phrasing was, the implication burned. Amy’s eyes whipped around the rink, searching for the nearest exit. When she found it, she began to move toward it as her wheels clinked against the floorboards. She tried not to move too fast, as she may just crash into the rink’s wall, but in her panicked state, it was all she could do to retreat from the ever-present crowd. The moment her wheels hit the carpeting outside, she leaned down to rip off her skates.
“Amy—” Sonic called out from behind her, “I didn’t mean anything bad by it. You’re smart, far smarter than I probably am, but this—” Distantly, she could hear Sonic thump into the rink wall. “This give and take— I don’t know if we can do this for four entire years. You’re going places I’m not ready to follow. You’re outgrowing me, and I’m just standing still, watching it happen.”
“Why now?” Amy barked out, “Why are you bringing this up here? I want to spend time with you too, but not at the sacrifice of my entire career. I can’t remain stagnant. I can’t do that.”
Sonic stumbled onto the carpet and sat on a nearby bench to hastily remove his skates. “Then, maybe you could switch majors? I’m sure the other courses won’t be as intensive, and hell, maybe you’d even prefer them!”
Amy quickly shook her head and shot back. “You know exactly why I want to do law.”
“Why don’t you quit your job?” Sonic was throwing out any and every idea he could think of now, Amy knew. If it wasn’t obvious in his suggestions, it was clear in his tone that he was desperate. It must have been on his mind for far longer than just tonight.
Amy briefly considered his idea. Her job was miserable, and the work hours were even worse, but the pay was the best she would get in the area without a degree. “I don’t have a scholarship like you. You’re so lucky. Don’t get me wrong, you deserve it, but if I want to eat or have a dorm to sleep in, I have to pay for it.”
And then the words that came out of his mouth astonished her. “You could finally move in with me, off-campus.”
Amy whipped her head in his direction. She could feel the heat on her cheeks, the dozens of eyes on her startled posture. She marched over to the bench and leaned down to deafen the conversation for eavesdroppers. “I— I don’t want that. Why don’t you understand that I don’t want that? This entire thing— going to college, living on my own— I want to prove her wrong!” What she had intended to come out as commanding registered more as a disgruntled hiss. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she was quick to wipe them away. “If it wasn’t my mom taking care of me, it was you. Always you. I don’t even know what it means to be me yet.”
Sonic’s melancholy smile made her feel as if she had shrunk. She was so small. Frightened like the little girl she used to be.
“I want to keep doing this with you. You’re the entire reason I’m even here, chained to this town. It was always for you. I want to enjoy our college years together, but if you don’t want to—”
Amy’s voice quivered as she interrupted him sharply. “I didn’t even want to come here! I wanted to stay home tonight. We could have done anything, but we had to come here!”
“How gracious of you to be so honest,” Sonic grumbled. He stood from the bench, leaving his skates abandoned. “Let’s just go. We can talk outside.”
Amy lacked a proper retort, or a strong motivation to respond at all. The air outside had cooled since they had been inside, and the cicadas had begun to sing something akin to an opera in the thick summer air. Amy’s eyes stung with tears. She couldn’t bear to look at him.
“It’s hard to do much of anything when you’re so busy,” he explained. His back pressed against the dusty vinyl siding of the building, leaving gray marks on the dark fabric of his jacket. He didn’t seem to mind.
“I had to skip out on my study group to be here. I give up so much. I can’t just throw everything away. You know that’s not fair.” Her chest trembled as she spoke. So much pent up frustration was being released all at once; she couldn’t prevent the tears that dribbled down her cheeks. “I have to do this. I can’t just go out and party every day and night!”
That seemed to irk him. To tell the truth, the consequences of his destructive habits were a common argument they had. Sonic lacked a healthy sleep schedule, a peaceful social life, and good grades. To have it used against him felt nothing less than malicious. “I wouldn't have dared to ask you to party tonight, I know better to try and change your mind. You used to be so fun. We used to do everything together.”
His first sentence caught her focus. “But you did invite me to a party— tomorrow night, remember?”
There was a long pause. Slowly, Sonic turned his head away from her and toward the chaotic traffic of the city. He stared blankly at the thrumming cars dancing around each other like bees in a hive. “I knew you wouldn’t go. Honestly, it’s probably better that you didn’t.”
The ice in his voice startled Amy. She folded her sweaty hands across her torso, suddenly unsure what to do with them. “Why is that?”
Sonic shook his head, seemingly piecing together a response as they stood there quietly. “I’m tired of feeling like I'm the one that has to take initiative in this relationship. You’d only be going because I asked. I’d be surprised if you ever did anything other than study or bake on your own volition.”
It stung. Not because she felt he was vindicated in his explanation, but because she could say the same. For a long time now, they had been nothing more than two mismatched puzzle pieces. Whatever they were doing to solve their situation wasn’t working for a reason. She threw her face into her hands and groaned, allowing the hum of life around her to swallow up her audible despair. Through the sea of other noises, she could hear Sonic let a hard sigh out through his nose.
“I think… Maybe it’s time we take a break,” he said.
First came the sensation of shock— cold, dizzying— that traveled from Amy’s head to her toes. Then came more tears. It was too much to simply wipe away, even when she dug her palms across her eyelids. “I thought we were doing okay! I thought— I thought—”
“Not for forever. Just until… I guess, until either of us can figure out how to balance this. Or if it's even possible.” Sonic sidled closer to her and placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.
Amy was tempted to scream, to argue, to rip his arm out of socket, but she swallowed her bitterness down. Instead, she shrugged off his touch and stepped from the curb to the dark asphalt. “Let me know then. You know where I’ll be.”
She could hear his voice, soft and sweet behind her. “Amy…” he trailed off. After a few steps, he seemed to realize that she was fully dedicated to walking through the parking lot, and he called out after her. “Wait! Do you want a ride? You don’t have to walk all the way home on your own.”
“It’s not far,” she argued. “I’ll just walk.”
Amy was surprised to hear no rebuttal come from Sonic. No arguing. The world seemed to fall silent around them. Amy began her trudge home, one that was much longer than she had previously let on. Sonic didn’t know because he could make it to her dorm in a near instant, but for Amy to get there it’d take nearly an hour. Anything was better than taking an awkward car ride home with him. It’d feel like a goodbye. She wasn’t sure if she was prepared for the finality of that sentiment.
If her legs ached before, she was close to agony by the time she clawed her way up her steep staircase. Her clothes stuck uncomfortably to her skin. The moment she shut her door, she stripped down to nothing and made her way to the shower.
Nothing felt real. Not quite yet at least.
They had been together as friends for a decade, and it was only two years ago that they decided to begin officially dating. It had been perfect. There was never a need for them to take a break, nonetheless a desire to be apart for long. It wasn’t until these last two months that their typical routine and dynamic had been flipped on their heads. Now, suddenly, nothing made sense.
Maybe he was right. Maybe she was driving them apart.
No. The idea was too painful to cling to. She clenched the shampoo bottle in her fist and squeezed out far more than the necessary amount before sharply scrubbing her scalp. The moment she closed her eyes to wash her hair, the previous events of the evening hit her. Suddenly they were real. Tangible. Excruciating. His expression as he stared out at the traffic and cut off two years of a relationship was ice cold. It tore her up from the inside as she bit back quiet sobs. No one other than Sonic had to be aware of her heartache. She wouldn’t allow the thin walls of her unit to reveal her shame.
It was like he hardly knew her. Amy still desired to have fun and make friends— that would never change. Should she ever have to give up spending time with them or gifting them her spare cupcakes, the world may as well just end. But there were more important things in life than partying. She desired to grow up. She desired to be known for something other than dating the campus’ trackstar and local hero. She wanted to be more than what Sonic would mold her to be. And her goal, becoming a lawyer, was something she felt she had to do.
That didn’t mean their relationship had to die. Even now, she clinged to the sense of normalcy that his love granted her. He was the status quo. It only made sense for them to be together after everything they had been through. If she gave up on that now, she’d be throwing that normalcy away.
Sonic would be going to a sorority party tomorrow night. Amy wondered what he would do if, or rather, when the girls started batting their eyes at him, handing him free beers, and sneaking lingering touches on his skin. What would he do then? The notion made her feel nauseous. They hadn’t discussed what would be off-limits, and she wasn’t about to call him then and there to beg him not to sleep with anyone. If she was honest with herself, Amy wasn’t entirely sure if Sonic was hers anymore.
Amy mindlessly removed herself from the shower. She got dressed in her comfiest pajamas and crawled into bed with her hair still damp and clinging to the back of her neck. Her ceiling stared back at her with its beige, unfeeling eyes.
After a few minutes of undisturbed silence, her phone began to ring.
She leapt up from her mattress and snatched her phone from her nightstand. The name she expected to see, or perhaps hoped to see, wasn’t there. It was Rouge. Though she was a little disappointed, there was no better time to talk to her than now.
“Hey, Rouge,” Amy spoke into the receiver, trying her best to conceal the grit in her voice. She ran her hand over her bangs and down the back of her head, smoothing the wet quills down into something presentable despite no one technically being present. Perhaps if she looks presentable, her voice would mimic the part as well.
Rouge’s voice was like milk and honey. It elicited a comforting maternal feeling, unlike her own mother’s voice, and just the tone alone was enough to calm Amy. “Hey! I told you about my party tomorrow night, right?”
The Delta Nu party. Of course she knew. The news hadn’t been shared from her lips, however, but Sonic’s. The last week had become a mush of memories, but his odd coldness hadn’t been forgotten. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Well, you still haven’t told me if you’re going or not! Sonic is going, so I figured you would too, but I had to make sure. It’s probably going to be the greatest party of the year. I’d be a bad friend if I didn’t at least try and convince you to show your face for once. I promised Knuckles I’d sneak him onto campus if he brought booze.” A resounding squee of joy followed this. Amy yanked the phone away from her ear to prevent her eardrum from rupturing.
Sonic would be going. The notion of seeing his face again haunted her, made her squeamish, even. And she hated these parties, the way that there was never a single corner in the entirety of the building in which she could hide in silence. For the first time in years, she was no longer Sonic’s Amy. She was someone new. It would be her choice to go, to stay, to leave. It was a chance to reinvent herself and pretend to be the person he wanted, even if just for the night.
It took only a moment for her to come up with a plan— something a younger, far more cautious Amy would have never done. “Yeah. I want to go. What time?” she asked.
“Really?” Rouge gawked. “It’s going to be awesome! We officially start at eight, but anyone and everyone fun is going to be late.”
That meant Sonic, Amy was positive. Fun was Sonic’s entire brand, and Amy remained to be the antithesis. She snapped the thought away with a bite to the tip of her thumb. “I’ll be there.”
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
If the skating rink was crowded, the dingy house (with its untrimmed lawn and peeling siding panel walls) that this sorority party was being hosted in was packed to the brim. Lying just barely off campus— close enough for Amy to walk there in five minutes or less— this party was a hotspot for any college student that could sniff it out. That wouldn’t be hard, though. The entire building smelled pungently of beer and marijuana. As revolting of a combination as that was, the individual prospects seemed enticing to the inexperienced Amy, who, at hardly even nineteen years of age, had never tasted a single drop of alcohol.
She wore her best looking outfit. The skirt was something she had carried with her all through high school and into college. Plain, solid-colored, and pleated. The top was recently bought with whatever she could skim off of her razor-thin budget. There was a sheer layer of lace over the top of her bralette, but the rest of the fabric was an opaque, off-white color that reminded her of whipped cream. It hung off of her shoulders, cinched around her waist, and shimmered like seawater in direct light. Even if it meant she had to only eat beans and rice for a couple weeks, it was well worth the money, she thought. Especially if it helped prove her point.
Her eyes scanned every inch of the golden-lit living room, across an entire sea of humans and Mobians. Even for a Mobian, Amy was fairly short, so from the floor she couldn’t see much of anything. After working her way into the middle of the room, she stopped at an unmanned coffee table. A few dozen cases of beer and assorted liquor were presented there, ripe for the picking. She was unsure about which one would be ideal for her first time. One thing that was clear was that she’d probably dislike beer. She had only ever heard of the drink being bitter, never sweet, and that simply wouldn’t work.
A tan, manicured hand slipped into her peripheral view. “You look indecisive. Just take one of these— Knuckles brought at least five more.” Rouge offered Amy a bottle of liquor. She held it by the neck, like a baseball bat.
Without thinking twice, Amy accepted it. Flipping it over in her hand, she realized that it was an entire bottle of rum. “This is illegal, you know.”
Rouge hooked her arm over the back of Amy’s neck, pulling her close. She smelled like coconut and some intoxicating mixture of fruit juices that she couldn’t quite place. Amy wasn’t sure if the scent came from her perfume or whatever liquor she was drinking, all she knew was that it wasn’t subtle. It was thick and cloying, like the odor of stale beer that filled the room.
“You’re an adult now,” Rouge whispered into her ear. “This is your first college party! I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.”
For the first time that day, Amy smiled. “I won’t tell anyone. Just be careful if you’re going to hand out alcohol to every freshman you see.”
Playfully, Rouge scoffed and perched a hand on her waist. Her many silver bracelets jingled like bells. “You think I’m giving handouts to anyone but my friends?” She waved her hand dismissively at Amy. “Go, before anyone sees and thinks these are free.”
Amy lifted the bottle by the neck— a silent gesture of gratitude. “You’re the best. I mean it.”
Rouge gave a wink. “Don’t remind me.” With that, she turned and disappeared back into the crowd as if she was never there. Amy was sure she remained nearby though, just so she could keep an eye on the booze table.
She felt excessively awkward holding such a large bottle all alone, so she wandered around the room, trying to find anyone she knew. She made her way through the packed living room and into the sparse (in comparison) kitchen. Paint chipped from the cabinets, and the pile of dirty dishes in the sink was too disgusting to describe, but at least she wasn’t surrounded by a potential audience. She twisted off the cap of the rum, and the seal snapped. It was silly to hesitate any further; it was just alcohol.
With resolve, and perhaps some overly enthusiastic expectations, Amy took a swig straight from the bottle. Everything she had heard had been right— mostly, at least. The liquid burned, not only on her tongue but also in the back of her throat. It was bitter, almost revoltingly so, yet an undertone of sweetness lingered. More surprising than anything though, was that Amy didn’t immediately feel drunk. There was a certain heat on her breath, like licking a cinnamon stick, but she felt as sober as she had a moment ago.
She was prepared to go for another sip, but then she heard a familiar laugh leak in from the archway. She froze on the spot.
In one hand, Sonic held a beer bottle. In the other, a Mobian girl’s craned hand. That in and of itself wasn’t much of a game changer, Amy was sure there were a thousand explanations for his behavior. The problem, however, was the bright lipstick smeared across his neck.
Feeling impulsive, Amy took another full swig of rum, squeezing her eyes shut tight to prevent throwing the hard liquor back up. When she opened them again, Sonic had seemed to notice her. He looked panicked. Scared, even. Behind that fear was a sense of attraction as his eyes skimmed from the skin of her legs to soft peaks of her clavicles. Something that was once so simple and obtainable to Sonic now seemed to cause him to stumble. Amy hoped, at least, that now he regretted his actions. Maybe he’d at least question them. That was all she had wanted.
She left the room before he could get a word in. Amy wasn’t entirely sure where she was going, not until she found a staircase that led to somewhere. Anywhere. It didn’t matter where. Her rapid heartbeat pounded in her ears as she raced upstairs. She was surprised to find anyone on the second floor, no less an entire group.
A chorus of faces turned to stare. And surprisingly, amongst the sea of people, he was there.
Admittedly, Amy hadn’t spoken or even seen Shadow in a few years. Following the incident on the ARK and a few other begrudging meetings, she had no reason to reach out to him. It seemed he felt the same, as he never put in the effort to contact her either. That left it painfully clear to Amy that she shouldn’t bother to stick her nose where it didn’t belong, nor where it wasn’t wanted. So, that was the end of that.
But now he was here, in front of her, the vitriol in his body language as clear as day. He hadn’t aged, not even a little, though it would surprise her if he did; he was ageless, after all. Everything, from his height, to the deep caliginous shades of his fur, to the spite in his eyes continued to be exactly the same as it had been when she had last seen him. He was unapproachable, and unsociable, and intolerant to annoyances like her. Attempting to speak to Shadow would only end in him shooing her away like a misbehaving dog.
Despite that perfectly sound reasoning, Amy approached their man-made circle. They all sat on the floor, surrounding a singular, empty green bottle. She could recognize immediately that this was some kind of party game, but the name eluded her.
“Hey— you looking to play spin-the-bottle?” A Mobian man said to her. His backwards cap and ruddy cheeks made it very obvious that he was drunk, and that would normally intimidate Amy, but she felt rebellious just being there. Not much could cause her to falter at this point.
Shadow looked up at her nervously. He appeared as if he were being held at gunpoint, with his chin perched in his curved palm and his posture sullen. If Amy had to guess, he got roped into joining at some point and was for whatever reason unable to leave. How anyone forced Shadow to do anything was a foreign concept to her.
Another Mobian, a girl this time, smiled wide at her. “There’s some extra rules, though!” Her giggle was light and feminine, almost shrill sounding. “You gotta go into the closet with whomever it lands on!” She wiggled her fingers and shook her voice as if she were a ghost at a haunted house. If her intention was to frighten Amy, it didn’t work. Not even the hundreds of possible consequences, as daunting as they were in that moment, could shake her from her decision.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to join,” Amy breathed out. She spoke it quickly, as if to prevent herself from taking back the words once they left her lips.
“Then sit,” another girl said, “but you have to give me a sip of that.”
The circle spread open to make room for her, like a bite was taken out of a donut. As her thoughts began to blur, smearing like a handprint against glass, she sat directly across from Shadow and handed her bottle willingly to the girl that requested it. Without gagging, or whining, or having much of a reaction at all, she took a few gulps of the rum. When Amy received it back, she took a heavy sip too. She didn’t want to stand out by looking inexperienced. Most, if not everyone in the circle, seemed two, maybe at least three years her senior. If she choked, they’d clock that she didn’t belong at this alcohol-fueled party.
Speaking of alcohol, it was beginning to work its way through her system. Her body felt heavier and warmer, the room seemed to shift and swivel as she turned her head to look at the lack of decor, and whatever horrible feelings she had about Sonic seemed to melt away. Those were all good things, Amy thought. Let him melt away.
A few comments and inside jokes were thrown out between the group. She felt like an outsider looking in, though that wouldn’t be inaccurate to say. Shadow also had that look, like he wasn’t sure what to say or if he should bother speaking at all, so both of them remained silent as the game proceeded. The man to the right of Amy took the bottle, twisted his elbow up, and flicked his wrist to spin it. It scuttled around on the uneven floorboards, until after a few seconds, it slowed. A rising sound— several people saying “Ooo!”— peaked when the bottle finally stopped moving. A young girl, probably another freshman like Amy judging by the flush of her cheeks and the bead of sweat on her temple, was chosen by the will of the bottle. She and the man disappeared into the closet on the other side of the room, shutting the poorly-hung door behind them with a rattle of the doorknob.
Most of everyone else remaining in the room jumped up to go press their ears to the crooked closet door, leaving Amy and Shadow alone.
“Long time, no see,” Amy said, breaking the silence. She was being pretty quiet, all things considered, as she didn’t want to garner the attention of the eavesdroppers by the closet.
Shadow blinked a few times at her, as if he was considering not even continuing the conversation, and took a swig of his beer. “Yeah. It’s been a while.”
“Who dragged you here? Or, well, did you come willingly?” Amy palmed her bottle. Her clammy hands felt nice against the cool class.
He jutted out his chin, gesturing toward a particularly athletic-looking man on his knees with his ear pressed flat against the door. “Rouge forced me. She wanted me to keep an eye on the guy she likes. Make sure he doesn’t go home with anyone else.”
Amy couldn’t help but laugh at the reasoning. “I can’t believe someone like you could be made to do anything at all, especially joining a game of spin-the-bottle”
Shadow groaned behind clenched teeth. “Not one game. I’ve been here for an hour.”
“And? Have you gone into the closet yet?”
“Hell no. Every time it lands on me I tell them to spin again.” He swirled the liquid in the bottom of his bottle. Judging by the stack of similarly colored bottles behind him, this wasn’t Shadow’s first drink of the evening. “Just because I’m helping Rouge doesn’t mean I want to participate. This display is revolting to watch.”
Maybe it was the alcohol, but something tugged at the corners of her lips. “I don’t know, it seems kind of fun to me. I wouldn’t mind getting picked.”
Her comment seemed to peak his interest. “Oh yeah? And what about Sonic?”
Oh, yeah. Him. Reflexively, Amy took another sip, just to edge off the fading memories a little further. She didn’t say anything in response, even after Shadow raised a brow at her.
Within that first minute of silence, the crowd around the closet yanked the door open. They hooted and hollered, and though Amy couldn’t see what they were looking at, she could judge by the silence within the closet that the two that had entered were probably already swapping spit.
The crowd dissolved and returned to the donut, notably with the addition of two very red-faced individuals. Without much deliberation, the bottle was given to the next in line, which just so happened to be Amy.
She had to remind herself that, no matter what, she didn’t have to do anything with whomever the bottle landed on. She knew how that worked, at least. All that was required was a few minutes alone in the closet. Just long enough to… What was she here for again? To make a point? No. Sonic wasn’t here, and even if he was, the last thing she wanted was for his existence to continue guiding her life choices. Amy followed the previous man’s motions, spinning the bottle across the ground. Her heart pounded as she watched it spin, and slow with a low skidding sound, like nails on a chalkboard, and she almost couldn’t believe who the hunk of hollow glass chose.
Shadow peered up at her with wide eyes. The bottle lay perfectly vertical between them.
Someone on the left side of the circle spoke up as they reached for the bottle. “Just skip him— he never goes anyway.”
“No, I’ll go,” Shadow said after a short pause. “Come on, Rose.”
“What?” Amy sputtered out, her cheeks flooding with color.
“You heard me,” he groaned. “I won’t say it again.”
When he stood and made his way over to the closet, Amy could hear the chorus of slurred voices pleading for her to follow. A few hands even popped out from the small crowd to push her to her shaky, stumbling feet. She was hesitant, but she figured that perhaps this was the best possible outcome of this ridiculous situation. Shadow may be difficult to talk to, but at least he wasn’t a stranger.
She brought the bottle of rum with her as she followed him into the stuffy closet. It was hardly big enough to fit the both of them, especially with Shadow sitting on the floor, but when she joined him, it wasn’t nearly as bad as she had feared. They sat knee-to-knee, facing each other. Someone shut the door behind them, casting the tiny room into darkness.
Amy was the first to speak, though it came out more like a sharp hiss. “Why did you go? I figured you thought this game was stupid.”
“I’d rather be in here than let you sit in a closet with some stranger. Besides, I wanted to talk to you,” Shadow explained. Amy could hardly see him in the extremely dim lighting, but she could tell he tightly crossed his arms by the shifting sound of his jacket sleeves.
“Never thought I’d hear you say that,” she jested. Finding her bottle in the dark, she took another heavy swig. It was the only thing she could do to muster up some confidence. “You want to know about the Sonic thing, don’t you?”
“Naturally,” he said. Amy felt her bottle being lifted away from her, and the liquid inside the glass gurgled as Shadow tipped it entirely upside down to drink it.
Sonic was the only other person who knew, and he was covered in lipstick downstairs. Amy would tell Rouge eventually, but she was more than busy controlling (if you could call it that, considering the utter chaos) the party. If Amy was being honest with herself, she knew the only person she could trust in that moment was Shadow. At least he had been a confidant once before. Maybe they were still friends? It was irrelevant— he was there, and he went out of his way to ask her about it. Besides, more than anything, Amy just needed someone to talk to.
Amy let out a deep sigh. She took another swig of rum, grimacing as it burned her throat, and then she buried her face in her hands. “I guess I can tell you. Just tell me— promise me you won’t tell a bunch of people about it.”
“The crowd outside might, but I won’t. I can promise you that, Rose.” The way he spoke sounded deadly serious. She knew very well that he wasn’t one to make promises lightly.
Amy leaned forward, the alcohol causing her to sway with the shifting of her gravity; she had to feel his shoulders with her hands to make sure she didn’t accidentally headbutt him. She perched her chin on his shoulder, her mouth right beside his ear. Her whisper was so soft that it was nearly inaudible, even to her own ears. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”