User blog:Sunshineandravioli/Misery Business

Hey guys! Guess what I've been working on? My very... first... ONESHOT!!! And it's now complete! The problem is, it doesn't really have anything to do with TDI (aside from cameo appearances, mentions of it, references to it, and Sunshine as a main character). So, I'm posting it here on my blog so y'all can read it! The story is a ShadAmy fic (meaning, it's about the Sonic the Hedgehog characters Shadow and Amy) and is told from the perspective of Amy Rose. I've worked really hard on it and I hope you guys like it, even if you don't like Sonic the Hedgehog, don't support ShadAmy, or think I should be working on my regular stories instead! (Which, on a side note, I am working on XD)

EXTREMELY HUGE SPECIAL THANKS to Chimmy (Chimchar2356025, from the camps wiki), who allowed me to use her character, Brittney, previewed bits of the story, and supported it all the way!

Misery Business- A Story by Sunshineandravioli
“…so I was just like ‘What the heck are you talking about?’ and then he gave me this kind of exasperated look…”

I let the pixie babble on, not paying attention to a word she said. I’d learned it wasn’t worth it. You’d have to have her repeat the long, complex story three or four times, only to figure out there was no point to the story anyways.

My life had pretty much collapsed once I transferred schools. I was now in this weird combination of humans, animals, and, er, pixies, daily. The love of my life had rejected me once and for all. The place I had worked at for three years mercilessly fired me after a freak accident, and I hadn’t been able to find work elsewhere. One of my best friends had gone off to college and left me homeless, as I had been staying with her since I was 12. Freakishly enough, it was this insane little pixie that was keeping me sane… and giving me a place to stay, for that matter.

Sunshine and I walked out into the school courtyard, and my stomach churned as I caught sight of yet another remnant of my shattered life. Over near a long row of plants, Shadow was cuddled up with his girlfriend, Brittney, kissing her pretty passionately. It made me want to hurl.

Shadow and I had become unlikely friends before my life broke down. We had a mutual respect for each other, mostly because we knew we would be equals in a fight. There had been many times he had shown up at my door, hurt somehow and needing someplace to stay the night. I never asked him why- never really thought about it, even. I’d just let him in, settle him down, bandage him up, and bring him a cup of tea. He really was a sucker for some hot tea, though he made me promise never to tell anyone. I never did. Not even Sunshine.

Then the week that Sonic “dumped” me (I’m not sure if it can be called that if we never really were together), Julie-Su left for college and left me on the streets, I got fired from my job, and I got the flu- the week my life fell apart. I stumbled my way through the rain and ended up at Shadow’s apartment, crying. Without even asking me why I was there at 1 AM, he let me in, set up the sofa bed, and then ran out in the rain to a store, coming back with a big bag of White Rabbit candy. I loved White Rabbit candy, but had never told anyone. When I asked him how he knew, he told me he’d seen me sneaking them out of my bag during class. He let me cry on his shoulder and pig out on candy until I finally fell asleep. Then, in the morning, he told me I could stay as long as I needed. He never asked why.

Then came Brittney.

As soon as she and Shadow got together- three days after they met, by the way- he asked if there was any way I could move out. He didn’t want Brittney to get the wrong idea, he said. I was really offended and hurt- I was being cast out in favor of his girlfriend- but I didn’t say anything. Sunshine let me stay with her, thank God, but still…

“Heh.” Sunshine chuckled, snapping me out of the memory.

“What?” I snapped.

“You’ve been glaring at Shadii-kun and that girl for a minute straight.” She laughed. For some weird reason, she called Shadow “Shadii-kun”. I had no clue why. “I think you’re jealous.”

“What?! No!!!” I shouted, flustered. Sunshine had this weird idea Shadow and I would be a good couple. Though I’d assured her it wasn’t happening, she persevered. “We’re just friends. I was just remembering how he kicked me out of his place the second he and Brittney started dating. Besides, you know how my last relationship worked out.” Sunshine gave me some blank, confused stare, and I glared at her. She never could seem to remember how I’d had my heart broken before.

Back in their own little world of love, Shadow and Brittney finally stopped making out. They grinned stupidly at each other, Shadow said something to her, and then he walked away. Sunshine stared after him for an extremely long time, until he was completely out of sight. Sunshine had a very well-known crush on Shadow- some might call it obsession- but she turned down my offer to set them up before he and Brittney got together, and showed no disdain for Shadow and Brittney’s public displays of affection. She was weird in more ways than one.

“Well,” Sunshine announced, “I’m going to take this opportunity to hug the living daylights out of my Shadii-kun.” That was another little quirk of Sunshine’s- she always referred to guys she liked as “hers”, though she never dated them, and they often had girlfriends already. Before I could reply to Sunshine, she had dashed after Shadow. I pitied him silently.

I glanced towards Brittney, who was punching something into her cell phone, and had an idea. Maybe I could actually try befriending her. If we became friends, we would hang out, which would allow me to see Shadow without potentially making her jealous. Maybe she had an attractive brother she could set me up with, and we could all go on double dates. I liked the idea.

Seizing the moment, I walked over towards her. “Hi!” I greeted her cheerfully. Very slowly, she looked up from her phone to stare at me through narrowed eyes. I swear I felt my blood run cold, and I instantly wanted to abandon the plan. I hadn’t thought about it, but Brittney was actually very intimidating. She wore dark, gothic-Lolita clothing, a perfect match to her fur, which was so black it looked blue, except for the bright red streaks. She was covered in purple fishnets, which made up her leggings and gloves. Her eyes were the same color, underneath thick, dark lashes, and slightly darker purple eye shadow. Finally, her lips were a perfect maroon, slightly smudged from her recent PDA with Shadow.

“I’m Amy.” I continued, swallowing my fear. She didn’t react, so I added “Amy Rose? I sit behind you in math?” Brittney was a grade above me, but I’d gotten into advanced math, with the eleventh graders. This included Brittney- and, of course, Shadow.

She seemed to remember me with that hint. She sat up, looked me straight in the eye, and flashed a row of perfect white teeth. “Oh, THAT Amy Rose!” She crooned. “I remember you now. You’re the girl who used to live with Shadow. He’s ALWAYS talking about you.” Though she said it in a sweet, friendly way, I could hear the double meaning behind the way she said it… not quite a reminder of how we knew each other, but an accusation…

Just as I thought that, Brittney stood herself to her full height, glaring down at me. She was a good three or four inches taller than me, and I suddenly felt like an injured bird staring up at a hungry lioness, fangs bared. She opened her mouth like she was about to speak, but we were interrupted.

“For crying out loud, you stupid pixie, LET GO OF ME!!!”

“NOOOO!!!!! I NEED MY SHADII-KUN HUGS!!! LOTS OF ‘EM!!!!!” Great… Sunshine, as usual, didn’t know when to quit.

Shadow staggered towards us, Sunshine clinging to his leg. “I believe this is yours?” He asked me, gesturing to Sunshine.

“Unfortunately.” I laughed, helping Shadow yank Sunshine off his leg. I gave Sunshine a little bop on the head, and she let me drag her away, though she pouted and folded her arms. Shadow rolled his eyes playfully, used to Sunshine’s antics by now. Brittney, conversely, rolled her eyes seriously, like we were all morons.

“Your old friend Amy was just introducing herself to me,” Brittney explained in her sing-songy voice. I noticed she emphasized the word “old”- past tense.

“I realized I never did officially introduce myself,” I added, deciding to play along out of respect for Shadow. “I felt rude, forgetting that for so long.”

“Well, good. Now I don’t have to go into details.” Shadow laughed. “Amy, Brittney; Brittney, Amy.”

“Your name’s Brittney?!” Sunshine exclaimed. “I always thought you looked more like a Justina, or Heather.” I quickly flashed Sunshine a stop-talking-before-you-make-everyone-hate-us-again look, while Shadow facepalmed himself and Brittney narrowed her eyes at the pixie.

“We should get going, Shadow.” Brittney crooned, grabbing Shadow’s arm. “We have a date tonight, remember?”

“Oh, right.” Shadow affirmed, trying to act as if he knew all along, though I could tell he’d forgotten. He gave me an apologetic grin. “See you around, Amy.”

“Yeah. See you.” I replied, giving a little smile. Shadow and I hadn’t spoken since he kicked me out a month ago, so this felt great.

As he and Brittney walked away, though, I saw Brittney turn, catch my eye, and mouth the words “Not on my watch”.

My blood froze solid. I felt like I couldn’t move.

“C’mon, Amy…” Sunshine whined, tugging on my arm. “I wanted to go pick up some more Pocky and microwave ravioli, remember? Amy?” I nodded and let her drag me away, but Brittney’s glare had left me numb and cold.

Figures. Just as a glimmer of hope that my life could be rebuilt had arisen, all of it had come crashing down on top of me yet again.

It was a nice night, I noticed, staring out the window of Sunshine’s apartment. Sure, the apartment was as cramped as a trailer and didn’t even have a bedroom or separate kitchen, but the view was fantastic. The window in the living room gave a picturesque view of the city, lit up like a Christmas tree, with the stars and crescent moon above it. The only other window, in the bathroom, was a glimpse of the amazing garden behind the apartment complex, filled with trees and shrubs and flowers and pretty much any other plant you could think of.

I stared longingly out at the city from the window. I hadn’t been out in a long time. Sunshine sat on the inflatable couch that was my bed, using her laptop. Earlier she’d been working on a fanfiction- she wrote them constantly- but it seemed she’d given up on that for now; I could hear the familiar sound effects of The Sims. I didn’t understand the appeal of the game, but she loved it.

“I think I’ll go out.” I told Sunshine. It was a Friday night; maybe I’d find a group of people from my school and actually have some fun for once.

“Mmmkay.” Sunshine replied, not looking up from her computer screen. “If you go to the city, try that new pizza place. I heard it’s good.” I nodded, knowing some popular new place would be a great place to see people I knew. I pulled on my coat, checked the pockets to make sure my wallet and pepper spray (in case of emergency) were still in their proper places, and then walked out.

The cool evening air felt nice as I stepped out of the apartment’s corridor. I smiled up at the stars, enjoying my solitude, then stepped up to the curb and signaled a taxi.

The taxi dropped me off in front of the place sunshine had suggested, a bright and shiny new pizza shop, music blaring from inside. Obviously a teen hotspot. Feeling lucky, I walked inside.

Just as I thought, there were teenagers everywhere. Unfortunately, I didn’t recognize anyone. Still, staying here was infinitely better than spending another night with Sunshine debating Twilight (I hated it, she was a hardcore fan). I stepped up to the counter an ordered a slice of Hawaiian pizza- for reasons even I couldn’t decipher, I loved Hawaiian pizza. The guy working at the counter left to alert the chef of my order, and I stood to the side of the counter, waiting for my pizza.

“You like Hawaiian pizza? Weird. I never would have guessed.” At the sound of the familiar voice, I whirled around, and my eyes caught Shadow’s.

“Shadow! What are you doing here?”

“Brittney wanted to come here for our date,” Shadow explained. I felt a chill go down my spine, a reminder of our confrontation earlier today, and looked around fearfully, trying to pick out her face. “She’s at the other counter.” Shadow added as he saw me look around for her.

“Other counter?” I repeated.

“They have two counters for when it gets busy like this.” Shadow explained. “Britt and I weren’t sure where they’d put our pizza, so I decided to wait at this counter just in case.”

“Makes sense.” I nodded, looking around the crowded shop. “Do you know anyone here?”

“No.” Shadow admitted. “You?”

“No.” I replied.

Shadow raised an eyebrow. “Really? I was under the impression you were more social than I am.”

“I don’t get out much anymore,” I admitted, averting my eyes from Shadow’s.

“Obviously, too much influence from that pixie.” Shadow added. I laughed; it was true in a way. “Why did you stay with her, anyway?”

“I didn’t really have another choice.” I shrugged.

“Huh. I always thought you were friends with Knuckles’ girlfriend, whatever her name is.”

I blinked slowly. “Shadow, she went off to college forever ago. I was staying with her until then. That’s why I came to stay with you. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

Shadow stared at me with blank, wide eyes for a second, and then began violently facepalming himself. “Oh my GOD! Are you serious?! God, I’m so sorry!!! I had no idea!!! And then I just kicked you out when Brittney and I got together!!! God, I’m so sorry! I must have completely wrecked your life!!!”

“It wasn’t that bad,” I assured him. “You didn’t wreck my life.” I was silent for a long time, and then added, “It was pretty much wrecked before then, anyways.”

Silence. Well, not silence, because music was still blaring and other conversations continued, but between Shadow and I, not a sound was made.

After a moment, Shadow gently placed his hand on mine. My heart skipped a beat.

“Amy, I-”

There was a loud clunk, and then everything did go silent. Even the music turned off. My head whirled towards the source of the sound, and everything turned into a nightmare.

Brittney was standing a few feet away from us, her violet eyes wide. She’d dropped a soda, which was now slowly spilling onto the ground in front of her. Realizing what the scene between Shadow and me would have looked like to her, my entire body seemed to turn to stone in fear.

“Hey, Britt.” Shadow greeted her casually, obviously not comprehending like I had what Brittney would assume was happening. “Did you get the pizza?”

“Did I get the pizza?” Brittney repeated, giving Shadow an incredulous, angered stare. “Did I get the pizza??? I catch you here with another woman, and you ask me if I GOT THE PIZZA?!” Shadow blinked uncomprehendingly, then, noticing our hands, seemed to get it.

“I know this is the most cliché line in dating history,” Shadow commented, letting go of my hand, “but… it’s not what it looks like.”

“Well then, what is it, may I ask?!” Brittney demanded, getting angrier by the second. I still couldn’t move; I could barely breathe.

“We were just talking,” Shadow assured her calmly. I would admit, he was really keeping his head.

“That’s the BEST you can come up with?!” Brittney screamed. “I saw you, you liar!!!” She was starting to get closer, like she was going to attack Shadow.

“He’s not lying!” I shouted suddenly, regretting it instantly. Brittney shot me a fiery look, but stupidly, I kept going. “He’s telling you the truth. We were just talking. Shadow and I are friends, and that is all. I-”

Before I could comprehend what was happening, Brittney was lunging towards me, fist extended. I moved out of the direct line of attack, but she still clipped the side of my face with enough force to make me stumble into the counter and collapse onto the floor. The spectators seemed to rush forward, and Shadow quickly restrained Brittney and pulled her away from me before she could continue the assault.

“Calm down, Brittney!!!” Shadow demanded as she struggled against his grip.

“DON’T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!!!” She screeched, consumed with fury.

Without a second thought, I stumbled to my feet and dashed through the crowd, out he doors, and down the street. I didn’t dare look back. I kept running until I was well away from the pizza place. Once I knew I was safely away, I stopped, gasping for breath. My cheek stung where Brittney had punched me, my body felt cold and numb, and I was trembling uncontrollably. I realized I was crying. I didn’t know why.

After a few minutes, I remembered I didn’t even get my pizza. With that and the taxi, I’d blown twenty dollars on this outing. Heaving a sigh, I decided to walk home.

I arrived back at the apartment twenty minutes later, still shaky and unnerved. I walked up to Sunshine’s apartment and let myself in. Sunshine hadn’t moved since I left.

“Something happened with Shadii-kun and what’s-her-face and you?” She asked, not looking up from her computer.

My eyes widened. “Y… you knew they’d be there!!!”

“No, but I could tell they were by your face. You look the same as you did this afternoon. What’s her name again, by the way? Justina?”

Giving a wordless cry of exasperation, I yanked off my coat, chucked it at the wall, and then stormed into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. Then I collapsed onto the floor and cried for a very long time.

The weekend was a nerve-racking time for me. I barely slept at all those two days. I was filled with worries and questions: what would Brittney do to me the next time we met? Would she and Shadow break up? Would Shadow hate me for it? Could we ever be friends again? And, of course, it didn’t help that Sunshine was constantly begging me for all the details of Friday night, which I desperately didn’t want to get into.

On one hand, I wanted Monday to come as soon as possible. On the other hand, I wanted it to never arrive.

After what seemed like an eternity, Monday arrived with mixed feelings. Dreading math class with Shadow and Brittney, I felt numb with fear, barely noticing what was going on in class. I felt like that until the final bell of the day rang, and I realized I didn’t have math until tomorrow.

I thought I would be relieved, but instead I felt more fearful than ever, the inevitable confrontation postponed another day so I couldn’t get it over with. With a sigh, I pulled my coat from my locker, pulled it on, and started walking out.

As I stepped out into the warm, sunny school courtyard, a cool breeze blowing by, I saw Sunshine dashing towards me. Her orange ponytail bounced as she ran, and she had a look in her eyes that told me she was about to launch into another long story. I prepared to ignore her, as usual, until she blurted out “Shadii-kun broke up with what’s-her-face!”

The world seemed to disappear, everything seemed to pause, as the words drilled their way into my brain one by one. Shadow. Brittney. Broke up. Was it my fault? Would Shadow hate me? Would Brittney seek revenge? Was Sunshine just spinning one of her tall tales again? No, as I thought back on the day, I faintly remembered people muttering and whispering between each other of the rumor.

“He broke up with Brittney?” I repeated weakly, still not quite believing it.

“Uh-huh.” Sunshine nodded. “Her name’s Brittney? I keep thinking it’s Heather, or-”

“Or Justina, I know. What happened?!”

“I guess they got in a fight while they were on their date and Just- sorry, Brittney, I keep forgetting… anyway, she went home early.”

I cringed internally. So it was my fault…

“So,” Sunshine continued, “Shadii-kun felt bad and went to her place to patch things up, but when he got there, there was another guy at her place.”

My eyes widened in shock. Brittney was the one cheating on Shadow??? No, impossible… she had been so angry when she thought Shadow and I were together. Or was she just pretending, to hide the fact that she was cheating on him?

Sunshine had begun going over everything in detail, along with how she found out everything, but I had stopped listening. Why on earth would Brittney cheat on Shadow of all people?! He was loyal, funny, strong, attractive… did I just think of Shadow as attractive? Why did I just think of Shadow as attractive??? Never mind, I had more important things to think about. Was any of this true? Was Sunshine making this up? And, most importantly, if it was true… was Shadow okay?

The background noise of Sunshine’s nonstop jabbering ceased suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts. My head snapped up, and, just my luck, Shadow was there- hearing Sunshine talk about his breakup.

As he began to continue walking past us, he caught my eye. In response to my unspoken questions, he gave a tiny, sheepish grin, shrugged, and walked off campus. I stared after him for a long time.

Brittney was not with him.

“Sunshine?”

“Mmm?”

I reached into my pocket, grabbed some money, and shoved it into Sunshine’s hands. “Two boxes of that fancy Pocky you like says you give me some time alone with Shadow, and make sure no one comes after us.”

Sunshine grinned, pleased, though I wasn’t sure if the pleasure was from the Pocky money or the fact that I wanted time alone with Shadow. “Deal.”

I turned to follow Shadow, but stopped and turned back to the pixie. “Oh, and Sunshine?”

“Yeah?”

I shoved some more money into her palm. “A nice new sketchbook says you don’t interrogate me about it later.”

She grinned even more. “Can do.”

I turned and dashed off campus, in the direction Shadow had gone.

I ended up at the park not long afterwards. It was around 4, so kids were heading home, deserting the playground there. I overheard two little boys whispering to each other about a scary-looking hedgehog guy, so I asked them where they had seen him. They pointed me in the right direction, and I found Shadow, sitting on a swing, staring emotionlessly at the ground.

I walked over and sat on the swing next to him, the chains creaking under my weight. Shadow didn’t look up to greet me. I stared at him for a long time before I finally whispered, “Shadow?”

“Mmm?” He replied, still not looking at me.

“Is what Sunshine said true?” I asked quietly, hesitant. “That you and Brittney…”

“…broke up?” Shadow finished for me. “Yeah.” For a moment I was fooled into thinking he was over her, then I heard the tiniest hit of strain in his voice that alerted me he wasn’t as together as he seemed.

“What happened?” I inquired.

“Didn’t Sunshine already tell you?” Shadow half-laughed.

“I’d prefer to hear it from you.” I asserted. “I think we all know it’s best to be doubtful of Sunshine’s stories.”

Shadow chuckled, was quiet for a moment, and then shrugged. “It was pretty much like pixie-girl said. Brittney was really TO’d after you ran off, and she still didn’t believe me when I said we were just talking. She ended up going home, and after a while, I decided it might make things better if I went over to her place and patched things up sooner rather than later. When I went to her place, she was making out with another guy. So I broke up with her.”

“I’m sorry.” I muttered, feeling color rush to my cheeks. “It’s my fault.”

“No, it’s not.” He replied, shaking his head. “If anything, I owe you one; I never would have found out Brittney was cheating on me if it wasn’t for you. She was very careful about it, so I wouldn’t find out…”

Silence.

“Are you all right?” I asked quietly.

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You just found out your girlfriend of a whole month was cheating on you.” I replied. “You aren’t even a little bit upset?”

“Of course not.” Shadow scoffed. “I’m completely over her. I don’t care.” His voice broke on the last sentence. I stared right into his red eyes, seeing through his charade.

“Shadow?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m your friend, right?”

Shadow’s stare became surprised, like I was asking a question with an extremely obvious answer. “Of course.” He replied, a tiny bit of red flushing in his cheeks. “You’re one of my only friends, Amy, and probably my best friend. I-” He stopped abruptly and stared at the ground.

I leaned towards him and pulled his face back up, staring him square in the eyes.

“If I was really your best friend, you wouldn’t be lying to me about this whole breakup thing.” I retorted, letting him know I could sense how hurt he really was.

Shadow blinked once, and then smiled. But, it was a defeated smile, a sign of him submitting to the truth of my words. “Yeah.” He agreed, his voice strained and quiet. Two silent tears slid down his cheeks, and Shadow quickly broke down.

Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, Shadow was crying on my shoulder. I was shocked, honestly. Shadow had always seemed all-powerful to me, with no weaknesses, no emotion, and no pain. Yet here he was now, crying after a breakup. And he wasn’t even shedding a few quiet tears; he was sobbing hysterically, shoulders twitching up and down as he took quick, uneven breaths.

Except for Shadow’s sobs, everything was completely silent. Partially because it didn’t feel right to try and talk to Shadow now, partially because I didn’t know what I could possible say. Yes, I knew the pain of heartbreak, but not the pain of thinking someone loved you, only to find out that they had loved another behind your back. A few times Shadow choked out questions through his tears, wondering why Brittney had done it, why she hadn’t been happy with him. I responded appropriately, assuring him that the mistakes were Brittney’s, not his, and that he was far too good for someone like her. I’m not sure if he heard me. I barely heard me. I was somewhat out of it; this entire situation was so sudden, so surreal.

I faintly remembered myself only a few months ago, drowning in my own heartbreak. I’d cried on Shadow’s shoulder for hours, and though I couldn’t remember, I was sure I had blubbered out random questions just like Shadow was now. I remembered Shadow, completely silent as I broke down; he was obviously unsure how to deal with tears, but had done his best to comfort me anyways. And now the situation had completely reversed, Shadow crying on my shoulder, with me not quite sure how to help.

I gently placed my hand on Shadow’s back and stroked it soothingly in an attempt to comfort him. It wasn’t much, but it was the least I could do to repay Shadow for all the kindness he had given me.

A pretty good amount of time passed before Shadow finally ran out of tears. His breath was even and slow, but he didn’t raise his head from my shoulder. He’s probably embarrassed, I guessed. After all, it’s not often a guy breaks down in tears, especially a guy like Shadow. My mind wandered back to the reverse of this situation several months earlier, and I got an idea.

“Can you hold yourself together for five minutes?” I asked Shadow.

Shadow finally lifted his head and grinned weakly at me, his eyes bloodshot from the crying. “Sure.” He chuckled. I stood, gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, and dashed off.

It took only a couple of minutes for me to reach my destination- a coffee shop. These days, they were everywhere. I walked in, stepped up to the counter (which had no line-up, unusual for a weekday evening), and made my order. The cashier’s eyebrows rose at my simple, yet unusual, order, and a few customers sitting nearby turned away from their fancy coffees to stare at me. I paid for the drink, trying desperately not to think of all the money I had spent lately with this, the disastrous Friday night, and Sunshine’s bribes. Then, ignoring the other customers’ stares, I left with the hot drink and rushed back to the park.

Shadow had not moved since I left, still sitting on the swing, and staring at his hand for some reason. I didn’t think of it then, but looking back, I realize it was the hand I had given a squeeze before I left. I resumed my place at the swing next to him, and handed him the drink. He took it, stared at it a second, then looked to me.

I grinned. “A hot tea; milk, no sugar. Which, unless I’m mistaken, is just the way you like it.”

Shadow gave me a grin back- not even a strained or sad grin- and took a sip of the tea.

We sat there in silence, except for Shadow drinking the tea. I didn’t mind. I knew he truly appreciated the gesture, and I could see the drink visibly calming him.

“You know, Brittney never figured out that I liked tea,” he commented after a while. “Whenever I was at her place, she gave me a soda.” He took another sip of tea, and then added, “In case you’ve forgotten, I hate soda.”

“I remember,” I laughed. The first time he’d shown up at my place, beaten up and needing a place to stay, I’d offered to go out and buy him a soda, and he’d vehemently refused. When I assumed he was just being polite and didn’t want me to have to go out, he was forced to admit that he hated the stuff.

There was another chunk of silence. After a few minutes, Shadow finished off the tea, and chucked the cup into a nearby trash can. “Do you feel any better?” I asked.

“A little,” Shadow admitted. “But I still feel so… so…” he hesitated, and then sighed. “I don’t even know what to call it.”

I nodded, remembering the feeling, the pain, of being rejected by someone you loved. How had I eased that pain, I wondered? There had to be something I had done that could help Shadow now. One idea popped into my head.

“I have a crazy idea that might help,” I explained, standing up and motioning for him to do the same. He stood, and I took his hand and began leading him out of the park. For a moment, his eyes flickered down to our joined hands, but he followed me nonetheless.

I led Shadow through the streets of the town, knowing exactly where I was going. Sunshine had often brought me down this path; we went this way whenever the weather was nice. Soon, we had reached my destination- the beach, the blue-gray waves glittering in the setting sun.

Shadow gave me an incredulous look. “I’m not really the biggest fan of water…”

“We’re not here for the water,” I explained, leading him along the sand. Seagulls skimmed over the water and waddled along the edge of the ocean, and I was suddenly relieved to be here with Shadow rather than Sunshine, who liked to chase the birds around. In the back of my mind, I wondered what she was doing. Knowing her, probably lazing around with her laptop and a box of Pocky, still giggling to herself about me wanting some “alone time” with Shadow.

It didn’t take long for us to reach the worn-out wooden picnic tables settled in the sand. I’d been led here by Sunshine many times; I wouldn’t be surprised if we eventually wore a path straight through the sand with our constantly walking here.

“Stay.” I ordered Shadow, pointing to the table. He grinned, gave me a mocking salute, and sat at the table. I tried to playfully glare at him, but ended up giggling instead as I walked past the tables.

Just a bit further down the beach, two girls sold homemade ice cream whenever the sun shone. Apparently both of them were on a reality show once, but no one really cared about them since they were both eliminated pretty early on. At least, that’s what Sunshine claimed, and I didn’t quite believe it because, well, it was Sunshine. Whether the story was true or not, they made the best ice cream I had ever tasted. There was nearly no line, so I was able to go straight to the counter. I ordered two dishes of chocolate ice cream, which the pale, plump girl scooped out and the skinny, tanned girl handed to me. I paid for the ice cream, once again forcing myself not to think of all the money I’d spent this week, and headed back towards Shadow. I remembered how I’d always wanted to ask the ice cream girls where they got their matching outfits, but pushed the thought aside. Today, Shadow was more important.

Shadow raised an eyebrow when I returned with the ice creams and handed him one. “I don’t really like ice cream.” He reminded me.

“Trust me on this,” I assured him, sitting next to him at the picnic table. “Eat it.” He shrugged and shoveled a spoonful into his mouth. A few minutes later, he’d finished off more than half his ice cream, whereas I’d only finished off a few spoonfuls.

“I didn’t really like ice cream.” Shadow corrected himself, swallowing another spoonful.

“I knew you would,” I laughed. “There’s just something about ice cream that makes you feel better after a breakup. Especially chocolate ice cream, since chocolate has anti-depressants in it.”

“You sure seem to be an expert,” Shadow joked. My heart jolted, and I froze. Even though it was a joke, the mere mention of me having experience in breakups reminded me of that horrible, painful day.

“I got broken up with once too, you know,” I commented quietly, staring down at my ice cream.

“You did?” Shadow replied, giving me a blank look. He hadn’t heard? It seemed like the entire school had known in only a few days; people I’d never met previously had come to express their sympathy. Actually, that was how I’d met Sunshine- she quickly introduced herself, then dragged me to this beach to cheer me up through ice cream.

“I guess it wasn’t really a breakup,” I admitted. “More of a rejection.”

“Who?!” Shadow asked incredulously, like he was honestly surprised someone hadn’t wanted me. Ha. At this point, my hopes weren’t high that any boy would ever glance my way.

“Sonic,” I explained, the name shooting pain through me once again. I felt my eyes prick, and internally shouted at the tears. I was here to make Shadow feel better, not to pity myself.

“…Oh.” Shadow nodded, looking away, like he felt stupid for having needed to ask. “…what happened?” Memories flooded through me, and I had to continue silently reprimanding the tears demanding to spill over.

“It was just a few months ago,” I began. “Right before I got fired from my job and Julie-Su went to college. That week was a living nightmare… anyway, I found him alone right after his gym class. It was just the two of us.” I swallowed back tears as the scene replayed itself perfectly in my mind. “It was the perfect moment. I decided to risk it all. I finally declared officially that I had feelings for him, and asked him once and for all if he felt the same.”

The reply that replayed itself in my mind stung just as much as it had that day.

''“I’m sorry, Amy. I don’t.”''

“He said no.” I choked.

I felt a couple tears finally break their way out of me and roll down my cheeks. No, no, no! I thought, trying to stop them. But the effort was in vain, they poured out now, unable to be restrained. I covered my face with my hands, trying to get these mindless tears to end, but to no avail.

“I’m such an idiot,” I sobbed.

“No.” Shadow quickly retorted. He grabbed my wrists and tried to pull my hands away from my face. I wouldn’t let them budge, not wanting Shadow to have to see me cry. “Amy!” He tugged on my hands again, but I held tight. “Amy, you’re not an idiot. Amy…”

Suddenly, Shadow gave me a huge tug, propelling my tear-streaked face into his chest, and held me tightly. “Amy, shh. Don’t cry.” He begged me. “I’m sorry, Amy. I shouldn’t have brought that up. Amy, don’t cry…”

I started crying even harder, but not because of the memories of my rejection. No, it was because Shadow, in spite of having just gone through a breakup, was now comforting me.

As I sobbed into his chest, shocked by his kindness, a strange and surprising question popped up from the back of my mind.

Why couldn’t I have fallen in love with Shadow?

Thankfully, I was able to wrap up the tears fairly quickly, though I was sure my eyes were already completely red and my face was a mess. I quickly proceeded to wolf down the rest of my ice cream, narrowly avoiding a brain freeze. When that was done, Shadow offered me what was left of his, and I ate that too.

“I’m going to get fat one of these days,” I complained as I finished up Shadow’s ice cream.

“Nah,” Shadow laughed. “You could probably put on a few pounds, and you’d still be cute and skinny.” My heart pounded for a moment when I noticed he’d said still. So he thought of me as cute and skinny now?

“I’m sorry.” I muttered, tossing the empty ice cream dishes in a nearby trash can.

“For what?”

“You just broke up with Brittney, and here I am crying about a relationship that never got off the ground.” I explained, embarrassed. “I should be comforting you, not the other way around.”

Shadow grinned and raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? You’re apologizing?”

“It was insensitive of me,” I admitted, blushing.

“No, it was insensitive of me.” Shadow corrected. “I pried into events that you were obviously still sensitive about. I should be the one apologizing.”

“Still, the whole reason I brought you out here was to make you feel better.” I argued.

“And you did.” Shadow replied, grabbing my hand. My heart hammered against my chest at the touch. “Seriously, I’m feeling a lot better now. I think I’m finally over Brittney.”

I stared straight into his eyes. There was no sign of him lying this time. I gave a little smile, and he wholeheartedly smiled back.

“C’mon, let’s go somewhere,” Shadow suggested, standing up.

“Go where?”

“Somewhere you want to go.” Shadow explained. “And I’ll pay this time.” He gave my hand a tug, trying to get me to move, but I planted my feet firmly on the ground.

“No, you’re not.” I snapped. “Either we’re going somewhere I want and I pay, or we’re going somewhere you want and you pay.” Shadow sighed and shook his head, grinning to himself.

“Fine,” he laughed. “We’ll go somewhere I want, I’ll pay, and you’ll have fun. Okay?”

I grinned. “Okay.”

“We’re not going back to that pizza place, are we?” I asked as the taxi rounded a familiar-looking corner.

“Amy, do you seriously think that’d be the place I wanted to go?” Shadow asked sarcastically. I gave a quiet sigh of relief. Honestly, I never really wanted to go to that pizza place again, after what happened with Brittney.

As the taxi turned yet another corner, a thought occurred to me. Shadow and I were going somewhere together, just the two of us. Was… was this a date?

I gulped as I mulled it over. It seemed like a date. Should I ask him? No, that wouldn’t end well. I was probably just thinking this over too hard, I decided. We’re just friends. Just two friends, hanging out, going somewhere…

“Here we are.” Shadow announced. I instinctively reached towards my pocket, but Shadow grabbed my hand to stop me. Yet again, his unexpected touch sent my heart thudding against my chest. “We agreed, I’m paying.” He reminded me, handing the driver some bills. I nodded, feeling color rise to my face, and followed Shadow out of the taxi.

“The movie theater?” I commented, noticing the familiar double doors of the local theater as I stepped out of the taxi. I tried not to think about how the movies were a popular date destination.

“There’s a new horror flick I’ve been wanting to see.” Shadow explained. “You don’t mind, do you?” My heart skipped a beat. Boy and girl, alone together, watching a horror movie. It just screamed “date”. I nodded nonetheless, and followed Shadow into the theater.

I mulled over the situation again as Shadow bought us tickets and popcorn. Almost everything seemed to point to this being a date. Just the two of us. A nighttime horror movie. Shadow was even paying for everything. But, why would Shadow take me on a date? He’d just been dumped, for crying out loud! And besides, we were just friends. Weren’t we? Or did Shadow like me? Did I like him?

I felt like I was in a trance while Shadow led me into the theater the movie was playing in. The questions swirled around in my head, with no answers in sight. I didn’t snap out of it until Shadow offered me some popcorn. Blushing, I accepted and tossed a few kernels in my mouth. I stared at the blank movie screen, wondering when the movie would start, grabbing some popcorn from beside me every few minutes. At one point, I placed my hand in the bucket to grab another fistful of popcorn, and felt Shadow’s hand, most likely in there for the same purpose, brush against mine. My cheeks flushed, and I turned to look at Shadow. He had a flustered, embarrassed expression, his cheeks bright red.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, turning his head away and pretending to be fixated with the blank screen. I blinked slowly and glanced at my hand, as if there might be some physical evidence of the contact. After a moment of this, the lights began to dim, and I grabbed a fistful of popcorn. I tend to eat when I’m flustered like this, I noticed, popping a few kernels into my mouth. Or, upset in any way, shape, or form. Someday I really was going to get fat…

I glanced up at Shadow. His cheeks were still burning red, enough that I could see it even in the darkness.

An eerie soundtrack began to play, and I focused my attention on the screen. An attractive, skinny blond girl was walking though a grey, suspicious looking forest. Within the trees in the background, something stalked her, holding a metallic object that glinted in the moonlight. Suddenly, the creature- a grotesque headless lumberjack- tore out of the woods wielding an axe. The girl emitted a high-pitched scream before her grisly death began.

I felt the blood drain from my face, and my stomach did a cartwheel. It was like a car accident; I couldn’t look away. I realized a little too late that, when Shadow asked me if I minded seeing the movie, he was asking me if I was okay with horror movies. To be honest, I’d never actually seen one, and at this moment, with cold sweat beginning to roll down my neck, I realized why.

“Amy?” Shadow squeezed my hand. “Amy, are you okay?” I wanted to tell him I wasn’t, but my brain seemed disconnected from my mouth. “Amy???” Shadow repeated, squeezing my hand again, as the headless lumberjack swung at the girl for what was probably the hundredth time. My stomach lurched.

“I think I’m going to hurl,” I choked out, still unable to look away. Shadow quickly stood me up, whirled me away from the screen, and led me out of the theater. As we walked out, I heard a sickening noise come from the movie, and was relieved we had left when we did.

“God, Amy, you look awful,” Shadow commented, placing a hand on my clammy forehead. His arm was held tightly around my waist, but I felt too awful to even consider thinking about that.

“Thanks,” I replied sarcastically.

“I meant in a sick way,” he explained, brushing my bangs away from my face. “I mean, you’re white as a sheet and covered in a cold sweat. And you told me you didn’t mind horror movies!”

“I lied,” I admitted. “I’ll be fine now that I’m out of there, though. Geez, that was a creepy movie!!!” Shadow glanced away from me awkwardly, like there was something he wanted to tell me, but he was hesitant to do so.

“Can I tell you something without totally crushing your ego?”

“Sure…” I allowed, not sure what he meant.

“…that was just one of the previews.” Shadow admitted. I blinked in shock, and then let out a heavy sigh of defeat and embarrassment. “But it was a really creepy preview,” he added, obviously just trying to make me feel better.

“Thanks, Shadow,” I laughed. “I really am pathetic, aren’t I?”

“No, of course not,” Shadow assured me. “Now, are you still feeling the need to hurl? ‘Cause if you are, I’d suggest not puking in the middle of the theater lobby. Or on my shoes, I might add.”

“I’m fine,” I replied, reaching into my coat pocket and grabbing a package of tissues. “How bad do I look?” I asked, dabbing perspiration off my face.

“Not that bad,” Shadow lied, shrugging. I was about to chew him out for not telling me the truth when a familiar voice cut through the quiet of the theater lobby.

“Shadow! Fancy meeting you here!” I whirled around to see none other than the person Shadow and I least wanted to see right now.

“Hello, Brittney,” Shadow responded coldly. I was amazed. There was no resentment, no regret in his voice. He really was over her.

“Are you seeing that horror movie?” Brittney chirped, still wearing her cheerful disguise in spite of Shadow already having seen her true colors. “You promised you would wait to see that with me.”

“That was weeks ago,” Shadow reminded her. Weeks. Before the breakup.

Brittney ignored him and turned to me, putting on an expression of mock terror at my obviously unpleasant appearance. “Amy, is that you?!” She gasped. “You look terrible! Oh, did you go in to see the horror movie and get scared? Poor thing! But, it’s only six-thirty… they would’ve just started the previews, wouldn’t they…?” I couldn’t help but glare at her. She was taunting me!!! What was wrong with this girl?!

“Oh, and you came to make sure she was okay,” Brittney crooned, grinning at Shadow as if Friday night had never happened. “You sweetheart! It’s too bad you’ll have to miss the movie, though…”

“I don’t mind,” Shadow snapped, taking a few steps away from Brittney.

“You don’t have to be so humble,” Brittney assured him, taking a few steps forward so she was near him again, and a little further away from me. Her eyes suddenly lit up, like she’d had some brilliant epiphany. “Hey, I’ve got an idea! I can take Amy’s ticket, and you and I can see the movie! I don’t get scared by horror movies.” My eyes widened. She was trying to steal Shadow back??? Why?! She already had her other man, and considering how she had once entranced Shadow, she could probably get any guy she wanted. Then, I realized that was exactly why- Shadow was the one guy she couldn’t have, a challenge.

“In case you’ve forgotten, Brittney,” Shadow growled, glaring at his ex, “I already broke up with you.”

Brittney pouted and put on a hurt look. “Shadow, sweetheart, I told you,” she explained quietly, “Jet is my ex-boyfriend. He showed up out of nowhere and forced himself on me. I wouldn’t cheat on you, Shadow. Please, believe me…” For a moment, I truly believed her, but then, for a brief second, I saw a familiar, triumphant glint in her eye. She was lying.

Shadow, however, was not as good at reading people as I was, and seemed to be suckered into her sob story. Brittney gave a brief grin of triumph, took Shadow’s hand, and started leading him away.

Before I knew what I was doing, I stepped in between Shadow and Brittney, keeping Shadow protectively behind me, and grabbed his hand away from Brittney.

“Shadow,” I hissed, “is not doing anything with you.”

Brittney gave me a shocked stare. Obviously, she hadn’t expected me to speak up. “Excuse me???” She stated incredulously.

“I think you’re full of it, Brittney,” I replied, glaring at her. Her eyes narrowed, daring me to go on. I did. “I don’t think you even care about Shadow. You just want every guy you meet to drool all over you, and Shadow’s just another challenge to beat. And you’re willing to do anything to get what you want- cheat, hurt, lie…”

“Oh, you’re gonna get yours, you little-” Brittney’s threat stopped short at the same time Shadow gave my hand a squeeze. I glanced at Shadow behind me. He was giving Brittney the darkest, most chilling glare I had ever seen. No wonder Brittney had shut up- I think even Sunshine would’ve stopped jabbering if she had seen it.

“Let’s go, Amy,” Shadow whispered to me. I nodded, and we turned to the exit, leaving a shocked Brittney behind us.

“Shadow!!!” She finally shouted as we started to walk out the door. “You’ll regret this!!! I swear, one day, you’ll regret this!!!!!”

“I already do,” Shadow called over his shoulder. “I regret getting together with you in the first place.”

Then he shut the door of the theater behind him, and didn’t look back.

“…wow.” It was all I could say. I was amazed that Shadow had defended me against Brittney, who was actually pretty scary.

“I could say the same to you,” Shadow laughed. “I can’t believe you stood up to her like that. Her face was priceless. How’d you tell she was lying, anyway?”

I shrugged. “Something just told me.”

“It’s still pretty early,” Shadow noted. “Do you want to go somewhere else?”

“This day has been eventful enough,” I laughed. “Just take me home.”

“No problem,” Shadow replied. “I’ll call a taxi.”

“Why? It’s a nice night, and I don’t live too far from here,” I explained. “Let’s just walk.”

“You sure?”

“We’ll probably just get into a fight over who’s paying, anyway,” I commented.

“True,” Shadow admitted. He took my hand, barely seeming to notice the action, and gestured for me to lead the way. The casual touch sent a shiver down my spine, but I grinned and began walking, Shadow by my side.

It was just past seven when we reached the apartment. The sky had already darkened, the area lit by streetlights. Overhead, a crescent moon shone bright, surrounded by billions of twinkling stars.

“Is this it?” Shadow asked, glancing up at the apartment complex. We had stopped outside, under a streetlight.

“Yup,” I nodded. “Sunshine and I have this tiny little place on the third floor. It’s only two and a half rooms, but it’s got a great view, and the rent’s really cheap.”

“Two and a half rooms?” Shadow repeated.

“A bathroom, and a living room with an attached kitchen,” I explained.

“Nice,” Shadow commented sarcastically. There was a brief silence. “Well, thanks for today, Amy. I feel a lot better.”

“No problem,” I replied. “I had fun.”

“Me, too.”

Silence.

I had to tell him, I realized. While we had walked, I had really done some thinking. About the past few months. About today. About Shadow.

“Shadow?” I finally began, staring down at our joined hands.

“Yeah?”

I felt my cheeks grow hot. “You know how I was talking about that whole thing with Sonic earlier today?”

Shadow was silent for a moment. “…yeah?”

“After he rejected me, I was really upset,” I explained. “I was in so much pain. I vowed never to fall in love again.”

Shadow did not reply.

“…but…” I continued, my cheeks flushing even more.

Shadow’s fingers twitched slightly, briefly touching my palm.

“…but…” I repeated, feeling my entire face grow red. “…I think… maybe… after today… I can fall in love again.”

There was dead silence. I felt incredibly vulnerable, my heart exposed and unprotected, even more so than the last time I had confessed my love.

“…ah,” Shadow finally commented.

I peered up at Shadow from underneath my eyelashes, not wanting to make direct eye contact. “…what about you? Do you think… maybe… you can fall in love with someone else after what happened with Brittney?”

“No,” Shadow stated bluntly.

My eyes snapped up to meet his. What did he mean, no??? Was I being rejected yet again???

But, Shadow’s expression was calm, happy… loving.

“After today,” he stated, “I will never fall in love again.”

And I heard the double meaning behind his words. After today, he would never fall in love with another…

…because he’d already fallen in love with someone.

Just as I thought that, Shadow closed a little of the short distance between us and stroked my cheek. I realized it was the one Brittney had hit, when she thought Shadow and I were together.

“Does it still hurt?” He asked. “I still can’t believe Brittney did that.”

I gave Shadow a stern look. “No more Brittney,” I declared. “It’s just you and me now.”

Shadow grinned, and gently took my face between his hands.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” he laughed.

Then he pulled my face to his, closed his eyes, and gently pressed his lips to mine.

My eyes widened as I took in the strange, foreign sensation of our lips together. After a moment, however, I released a contented sigh, closed my eyes, and happily settled into the kiss. After what seemed like forever, we pulled apart to breathe, and I contentedly rested my head on Shadow’s chest. He sighed happily and held me tight.

We stayed like that for a very long time.

“I should probably go,” I commented eventually.

“Mmm,” Shadow agreed. I made no attempt to move, and he made no attempt to release me.

“Really,” I added after a few more minutes of us standing together in the streetlight. “I should go. The longer I’m gone, the less likely it is that Sunshine will continue to leave me alone.”

“All right,” Shadow sighed, admitting defeat. Reluctantly, he released me from his hold, and I stepped out of it equally reluctantly. Shadow grinned at me. “See you around, Amy.”

I smiled back, realizing he had said the same thing to me only three days ago, before the mess with Brittney had even begun. “Yeah. See you.”

I began to turn to walk into the apartments when I heard footsteps. I whirled around and saw Shadow running towards me. He scooped me up in another quick, passionate kiss, grinned at me again, then turned and walked away. I was left in shock, my cheeks flushed, as I stared after Shadow. After a moment, I grinned, giggled to myself, and skipped back inside, feeling better than I had in a long time.

“Sunshine, I’m back!!!” I announced, letting myself into the apartment.

“About time!” The pixie replied. She was just as I had imagined her, sprawled out on the inflatable couch with her laptop and a box of Pocky. She turned to me with a curious grin. “Soooo…?”

“I already bribed you,” I reminded her. “No asking questions.”

“I didn’t buy the sketchbook yet…” Sunshine commented.

“Nice try, Sunshine,” I laughed, “but no dice.” Sunshine pouted, consoling herself with a stick of Pocky.

I sat cross-legged on the floor, staring out the window, going over every detail of the day in my head. Going over everything chronologically was difficult, as my mind kept skipping to the last few minutes, replaying the kiss. Eventually, I just gave up and ran the scene over and over again in my head, contentedly lingering on the details. Suddenly, I was snapped out of my fantasies by the nervous drumming of Sunshine’s nails on the keyboard of her computer.

The sound was familiar. Whenever Sunshine had done something she was hesitant to tell me about, she drummed her fingers like that.

“Okay, spit it out, Sunshine,” I sighed.

Sunshine gave me a sheepish look. “I did a bad thing, Amy.”

“I can tell. Now, what did you do?”

Sunshine hesitated, suddenly interested in focusing on a bare corner of the room, before finally admitting, “I knew that Brittney was cheating on Shadii-kun, and didn’t tell anyone.”

I blinked uncomprehendingly. She knew??? And she’s kept it to herself this whole time??? Then, I realized something else that shocked me even more.

“You knew her name was Brittney the entire time, didn’t you?” I gasped.

“I was trying to use it to tell you,” Sunshine explained. “Heather and Justin are the antagonists in that show I like.”

My head spun. It didn’t make sense. Sunshine had known??? How??? Why didn’t she tell anyone??? Suddenly, a piece of the puzzle clicked into place, and a lot of things began to make sense.

“Brittney knew,” I breathed. “She knew you’d found out!!!”

“And she wasn’t too happy about it, either,” Sunshine nodded. She pulled up her shirt sleeve to point out a giant bruise on her shoulder, which had been there for weeks and was just starting to fade.

“You said you got that falling down the stairs,” I reminded her.

“I lied,” Sunshine shrugged.

Another piece clicked into its place, and every event over the last three days suddenly made total sense.

“Brittney thought you told me,” I gasped, understanding now. “That’s why she didn’t want me around Shadow. That’s why she hated me.”

“Yuppers,” Sunshine nodded.

“And at the pizza place,” I continued. “She thought I was telling Shadow about it. That’s why she was freaked when she saw us. The jealousy thing was just a cover-up.”

“I wasn’t there, but yeah, that sounds about right,” Sunshine agreed.

“And when she punched me,” I added, “she was trying to shut me up so I wouldn’t tell everyone she was cheating on Shadow.”

“She punched you?” Sunshine repeated, confused.

“…I guess I didn’t mention that,” I admitted.

“You never told me anything about that night,” Sunshine pouted. She hated secrets, unless she was in on them. Then, she loved them.

“It all makes sense now,” I mumbled before turning back to Sunshine, “except one thing. Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“Three reasons,” Sunshine replied, holding up four fingers. I rolled my eyes at her antics. “Reason one- if Brittney found out I was the one who ratted her out, she would not be a happy camper.”

“Can’t argue with you there,” I admitted, shuddering as I remembered Brittney less than an hour ago.

“Two,” Sunshine continued, “I think we both know everyone takes the stories I tell with a grain of salt. No one would believe me if I was the one telling it.”

I wanted to tell her that wasn’t true, but honestly, it was. Even I thought so. So, I just kind of glanced away, avoiding eye contact.

“And, three,” Sunshine finished. “If I had told Shadow, and, by some miracle, he believed me, none of today would have happened, would it?”

I realized what Sunshine meant. This whole time- from the moment we’d met- she’d been trying to get today to happen; waiting for that magic moment where Shadow and I would look into each other’s eyes and realize just how much we meant to each other, as friends and as… more than friends. Right under my nose, Sunshine had been playing matchmaker, doing everything in her power to bring Shadow and I together.

I couldn’t believe I hadn’t figured it out before. She might as well have jumped out and shouted, “I’m gonna set you up with Shadow!” it was so obvious. Actually, now that I thought about it, she did say that once. Wow, I was oblivious sometimes.

“Thanks, Sunshine,” I grinned.

“For what?” She asked, faking a confused expression, though I saw a glint of a smile in her eyes that told me my assumption was right.

“Just, thanks,” I shrugged, playing along.

“You can thank me for this,” Sunshine suggested, grabbing an object from beside her and tossing it to me. It was my cell phone. “I charged it for you.” Sunshine shut down her computer and stood up from the sofa, leaving it free for me to flop down on.

“Cool,” I grinned, taking my usual spot on the inflatable couch. I flipped the phone open to check for messages. Though there were none, a notice in the corner of the screen caught my attention: ONE NEW NUMBER ADDED.

Confused, I selected the list of numbers on my phone. I hadn’t picked it up in more than a week, let alone added someone’s number. I hadn’t stored many numbers on my phone, so the new addition was quickly apparent.

“Sunshine?”

“Yeah?” Sunshine replied from the kitchen over the whirring noise of the microwave; she was obviously heating up some ravioli. Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten anything but ice cream and popcorn today. I would grab some pasta later.

“Shadow’s number is on my phone,” I explained.

“You have no idea how much trouble I went through to get that,” Sunshine stated bluntly. I grinned to myself. If nothing else, Matchmaker Sunshine was dedicated.

“Thanks, Sunshine,” I smiled, hitting the text button and punching in a text message to Shadow:

[''HEY! IT’S AMY. HOW R U? HOME YET?'']

I sent the text message and mentally debated what to have for dinner- ravioli, lasagna, ravioli, spaghetti, or ravioli. Suddenly, I was snapped back to reality by the muted buzzing of my phone vibrating. I flipped it open again to find a text from Shadow:

[''HEY. JUST GOT BACK. HOWD U GET MY #?'']

I laughed to myself as I sent the reply: [''SUNNY GOT IT. IDK HOW. NOT SURE I WANT 2.'']

Shortly afterwards, Shadow responded: [''LOL! KNOWIN HER SHED GO TO GVRMNT PHONE RECORDS JUST 2 GET THE #!'']

I couldn’t help but laugh. It was entirely true. Sunshine really might go that far. I replied through my laughter: [''LOL TOTALLY! I CAN PICTURE THAT! XD'']

“Amy!” Sunshine whined. “Quit texting Shadii-kun!”

“Why?” I asked incredulously as I sent the text.

“Because I’m busy eating and can’t read over your shoulder!” She complained. I rolled my eyes and looked at the message Shadow had just sent:

[SO… BOUT 2DAY…R WE BF/GF NOW?]

I thought it over, my cheeks pink. After a minute, I replied: [DO YOU WANT TO BE?]

Shadow’s reply came quicker than I expected: [''WHUT DO U THINK? ;)''] I blushed, imagining Shadow’s face as he sent this, probably smirking mysteriously in that way he did.

“EEE!!! Amy, you’re totally red!” Sunshine squealed. “What’d he say??? What’d he say???”

“None of your business, Sunshine!” I snapped, cheeks burning even more. To Shadow, I wrote: [''SUNSHINE’S GETTING ALL FANGIRLY ON ME. SHOCKED SHE HASN’T FORCED ME 2 TALK BOUT 2DAY.'']

After bribing Sunshine to shut up with a box of Pocky, I read Shadow’s reply: [''LOL. DONT SEE WHY U STILL PUT UP W/HER.'']

I responded: [''I DONT HAVE NEWHERE ELSE. TOLD U ON FRIDAY.'']

Sunshine attempted to steal my phone and read the messages, but I fought her off. I read Shadow’s message: [U COULD ALWAYS COME BACK HERE IF U WANT.]

My eyes widened in surprise. I texted back: [RLY?]

Shadow replied shortly after: [''SRE. RLY HASNT BEEN THE SAME SINCE U LEFT. EVEN W/BRITTNEY I MISSED U. UR WELCOME NETIME. BSIDES, I STILL HAVE THAT BIG BAG OF WHITE RABBIT CANDY. HATE SWEETS, CANT EAT IT ALL MYSELF. ;)'']

He had saved that bag of candy? I very nearly cried, I was so touched; the only reason he would keep it would be for me, as Shadow hated candy. Smiling, I responded: [''U SAVED IT? UR SUCH A SWEETHEART SHADOW. ♥ I’LL COME OVR SOMTIME AND WE CAN STUFF OUR FACES WITH CANDY TILL IM FAT AND YOU CAN LAUGH AT ME :P''] It wasn’t until after I’d sent it that I realized I’d added a heart to the message.

After a moment, Shadow replied: [''LOL. I TOLD U. U COULD GAIN LIKE 20 LBS AND UD STILL BE CUTE N SKINNY. ♥'']

I blushed and replied: [''AW, THX. IT’S NOT TRUE, BUT THX. U PUT A ♥ IN THAT MESSAGE!'']

Shadow’s response arrived: [''NICE TO SEE UR SO PERCEPTIVE! ;)''] Even though it was just a text, I could practically hear the sarcasm in his voice.

I replied with a grin: [''THX. ;) SO I’LL C U TMOROW?'']

Shadow reminded me: [''YEAH. 1ST PERIOD. MATH, RMEMBR?'']

I cringed, and responded: [''RIGHT. MATH. W/BRITTNEY.''] I sent the text, knowing my fear would be decipherable even through an electronic message.

It was. Shadow replied: [''BUT THERE IS NO BRITTNEY. JUST U N ME NOW. ♥'']

My cheeks turned bright red, and I smiled. I punched in: [''THX SHADOW. ♥ I PRBLY SHOULD GO NOW. HAVEN’T EATEN NETHING XCEPT ICECREAM AND POPCORN.'']

Shadow sent an apologetic reply: [''OOPS. SRY. PRBLY SHOULDVE TAKEN U TO DINNER.'']

I responded: [''LOL, IT’S FINE. I CAN RAID SUNNYS PASTA STASH. BSIDES, DINNER WOULD’VE SEEMED 2 MUCH LIKE A DATE. ;)'']

Shadow’s reply came quickly: [''BUT IT WAS A DATE, WASN’T IT? ;)'']

I blushed. He was asking me? I responded: [IDK, I WUZ GONNA ASK U. XD]

Shadow replied: [''LOL. I’LL LOOK UP “DATE” ONLINE AND C IF 2DAY FITS THE DEFINITION. XD U GO EAT.'']

I couldn’t help but giggle at that. I texted: [''K. I’LL CYA TOMORROW THEN. ♥'']

Shadow’s last message made my heart skip a beat: [''CYA THEN. BYE LUV. ♥'']

I felt my heart flutter so quickly it almost seemed to hum rather than beat. “Love”? He was calling me “love”? It was so sweet… so romantic… so old fashioned; but, in a good way.

“He called me ‘love’,” I sighed to myself, flopping backwards onto the inflatable couch, hugging the cell phone to my heart, with the wonderful text still on the screen.

“He did???” Sunshine gasped, reminding me she existed. “That is sooo romantic!!!”

“Sunshine,” I groaned, unhappy about my moment being interrupted, “do me a favor and poof out of existence for a while.”

“Can do,” Sunshine shrugged, skipping away from me. “I can’t believe it!” Sunshine giggled to herself as she left. “Shadii-kun is so romantic!!!”

I stood up, placing the cell phone and its precious message in my pocket, and walked into the kitchen. I rummaged through Sunshine’s many frozen pastas; if it existed, she probably had it, and if it didn’t, she probably had it anyways. I randomly pulled out a package of microwave mac & cheese, and decided it would do.

As I shoved the pasta in the microwave and watched it rotate, I thought about the past few days. On Friday, I’d been convinced that my life was a lost cause, hopelessly crumbled and broken beyond repair. Shadow was a good friend I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to be around again. And Brittney’s hatred was unexplainable, and excused by the theory that she thought Shadow and I were together. Nothing made sense then.

Over the weekend, I had been even more of a wreck than before. I was fully convinced that I had wrecked Shadow’s relationship and lost his friendship forever. Brittney’s fury became something I was completely, truly, and rationally afraid of. And, still, none of these events made sense to me.

Then, today, everything seemed to have fallen into place, everything had explained itself. I had finally gotten over my heartbreak. I’d realized I had some true friends who really cared about me. I was no longer scared of Brittney; she was just a girl with an overwhelming desire for attention that didn’t deserve someone like Shadow. And I had- I guess the only thing to call him was a boyfriend- who really loved me, really understood me, really cared about me, and who called me “love”.

It’s funny in a way, I thought as I pulled the macaroni out of the microwave and gave it a stir. Everything had just fixed itself so quickly and so well, all on its own. At least, I felt like it was all on its own. I didn’t really feel I had done anything.

But Sunshine had, I realized suddenly. None of this could have happened if it wasn’t for her. It was just like she’d said- if she had taken my place, and enlightened Shadow about Brittney’s true nature, nothing would have worked out this way. I would be miserable because my life would still be a train wreck. Shadow would be miserable because Brittney had lied to him. Sunshine would be miserable because Brittney would come after her. And Brittney would be furious at all of us. But because Sunshine had kept that precious piece of knowledge to herself, Shadow and I were together and happy, Sunshine was safe from Brittney, and Brittney had gotten exactly what she deserved.

I went into the living room, thinking she would be in the corner playing The Sims again, wanting to truly thank her for everything she did. But, she wasn’t there. I could hear her in the shower, belting out some song:

“WOAH, I NEVER MEANT TO BRAG,

BUT I’VE GOT HIM WHERE I WANT HIM NOW,

WOAH, IT WAS NEVER MY INTENTION TO BRAG,

TO STEAL IT ALL AWAY FROM YOU NOW,

BUT GOD, IT JUST FEELS SO GOOD,

‘CAUSE I’VE GOT HIM WHERE I WANT HIM NOW

AND IF YOU COULD THEN YOU KNOW YOU WOULD,

‘CAUSE GOD IT JUST FEELS SO…

IT JUST FEELS SO GOOD…”

Normally, Sunshine’s imperfect singing would make me block my ears and scream at her to stop. But, instead, I smiled, sat down on the couch, and ate a forkful of mac & cheese.

THE END

Trivia
(Thanks for reading all that, guys! It took forever, but I really enjoyed writing this, and I feel like it's good practice for my soon-to-come main stories! XD Please comment/critique, I'd really appreciate it!)
 * The title, "Misery Business", is the title of a song by Paramore. The song Sunshine is singing in the shower at the story's end is the chorus from "Misery Business".
 * The story was originally named "CrushCrushCrush", after another song by Paramore, but the author decided that the lyrics for "Misery Business" fit the story more.
 * Brittney was a character created by Chimmy to be Shadow's girlfriend prior to Chimmy's switch to supporting ShadAmy. Brittney first appeared in the chat for TDA3 and last appeared in Chimchar University. In the latter, Brittney was revealed to have been cheating on Shadow with Jet. This was later incorperated into the story.
 * Pocky is a Japanese snack, a stick-shaped cookie/biscut partially covered in chocolate icing; however, it also comes in other flavors. White Rabbit candy is a Chinese/Asian milk candy.
 * As stated towards the story's end, Sunshine's calling Brittney "Justina" and "Heather" is a reference to TDI's Justin and Heather.
 * The girls selling ice cream on the beach are meant to be Katie and Sadie, as a reference to their TDI Interactive profile, which states that they sell homemade ice cream.
 * This is the author's first completed story, and was originally written by hand in a notebook before being typed on the computer and posted here. The handwritten version was 50 pages long, and the typed version thirty pages long.
 * The author is considering writing a sequel to the story, depending on the reaction to this one.