Who Are You?

Chapter 5 - Awake

Sonic's POV

I finish my class that afternoon and I can't help but just want to scream. After every homework we finish we always get more, this is not helping me being friendly with my mind. If I could I would stab my brain with my own blue quill. Even if I am sleeping early now it still doesn't mean that my problem is instantly solved.

"Hey."

I snap out of my bad thoughts and stare at Scourge.

"I'm going to that coffee shop again, wanna come? We can discuss our homework too if you want."

"Yeah, sure...I think I need a coffee anyway." I groan and got up from my seat.

"Dude, are you okay? You're not staying up too late again, are you?" He ask as we both walk out of class.

"I'm not...I'm just fed up with homeworks." I said that last word in disgust.

"Ah yeah, I feel you." He chuckled.

We made it to Rose Brew and ordered our usual drinks. We pick an empty table and sit on opposite sides of the table.

"Hey, before we start talking about homeworks...I wanna ask you something." I hesitatingly said and he stare at me with a raised brow.

"What?" He asked.

"Do you know a dark hedgehog with red streaks on his quills named...Shadow?"

"Shadow? Huh, I don't think I know who that is...why?" He asked.

"Nothing, nevermind." I shook him off and he looks very confused.

"Let me look him up on our socials." he take his phone out and starts typing. That came to my realization that I'm once again so stupid, why haven't I done that before?

"Weird, nobody match your description of him. He must not have an account anywhere." He said.

"I see...well thanks for anwering." I smiled, "so about our homew-"

"But why did you ask about him? Who is that? Have you seen him somewhere?"

Oh no I shouldn't have asked him of all people.

"Nevermind what I just asked, let's focus on our homework!" I anxiously smile but I think he figured me out.

"Come on now, you're hiding something from me, I know it."

"No you don't." I bluntly answered.

"Yes, you're lying, I can tell." He smirked.

"I was just asking, okay? If you don't know then that's fine, so let's drop it." I groan but he's not listening to me.

"You literally described him so well and you're planning to hide it from me? Is it someone from another campus?"

"No...it's...a friend of a friend of mine, we've been out of touch lately and I don't know where he is..." I finally decided to lie. This is so stupid but it seems to be working.

"Oh, should've said that sooner." He sigh in disappointment, "well now, let's get back to our homework." He said and I sigh in relief.

I can't possibly tell him the truth even if he is my close friend. I just have this feeling that he might think I'm crazy for dreaming of a hedgehog that I never even met in real life, I don't want to be sent to a therapist or psychiatrist or whatever.

I just can't trust anyone with how my mind is doing right now...I don't want anyone's attention and I don't want them to worry about me.

As Scourge and I are still discussing our homework, he stopped to check his phone for a second before typing in it.

"Hey, sorry but something came up and I gotta go."

"No worries." I smiled before taking another sip of my coffee.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." He got up and smiled at me before he left.

My eyes follow Scourge from the window as he slowly disappear from my sight. I took another long sip before putting the cup down.

I take my phone and start doing my own research, I open all of the installed social medias in my phone and type Shadow on the search bar. Scourge was right, there really is no match. None of them even look close to him. This is so weird.

"Maybe going to a psychiatrist really is a choice in the future..." I groan and put my phone down.

My life is such a mess ever since I started college, I wish I never made this choice.

I wonder if I disappear...would anyone even notice? I'm such a disappointment that I don't think anyone would know I'm gone. I so badly want to run away but I know I can't. My life is stuck here.

I finish up my drink and decide to leave since I really don't have anything else to do. I guess I can visit Tails...but I remember that he's busy preparing for his science olympiad this week. Guess I'll just go home.

I stop in my tracks as the door of the coffee shop is opening before I reach for it. I swear my heart stopped beating for a second when I saw the hedgehog that walk in and passed by me.

"Hi! Welcome to Rose Brew! What would you like to order?"

"I'll have an americano."

Trembling, I turn my body over and got a clear view of the back of the hedgehog waiting by the counter. Am I dreaming? Is this for real? Should I get a fork and stab my hand to know if I'm truly awake or not?

The dark hedgehog take his cup of coffee and sit down on an empty seat right next to the window. My eyes went wide. That is actually and exactly where he would always sit in my dreams. This is starting to freak me out.

Should I go and talk to him? What should I even say? Do I even want to confront him? He looks so busy with the amount of papers he have on the table, not to mention he have his laptop open.

Is he a college student just like me? Or is he someone with a job?

I hate how all the questions are just making me freeze in place. I nervously walk out of the way of the door and carefully approach the table where he is sitting.

How should I call him? Is Shadow even his real name? Do I immediately call him by his name?

I finally got closer and closer to the table.

"Shadow...?

He then stare at me.