(NEW CHAPTER!) Mobius High (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Chapter 10: The Room Where It Happens

Shadow and Tails managed to catch up with the bus quickly, probably because they didn't really need to 'catch up' with it at all. It hadn't moved--the bus driver was unconscious in the driver's seat for whatever reason, so they weren't too worried about missing their ride. Not that it would've been a big deal anyway.

Wait, why did I agree to do this? Shadow thought as him and Tails sat down on a vacant seat close to the back. Tails seemed a bit fidgety and awkward, which Shadow took note of. In his peripheral vision, he noticed the fox glance at him nervously a few times before Shadow turned to face him with a mildly annoyed expression. "What is it?" He said in a bored tone, causing Tails to give a thin smile in response. "Um . . . it's nothing." Tails said, shaking his head slightly as if trying to clear his mind. Confused, Shadow turned away and stared at the back of the seat directly in front of him. It was grey with many brown stains.

The bus suddenly lurched forward, then abruptly launched itself across the street. In the driver's seat, the driver howled with laughter as he sped down the highway at the speed of sound. Shadow observed the driver quickly take a swig of a concealed bottle in a brown paper bag, choking as he slammed on the brakes and swerved around some kids in the middle of the road.

A few minutes of rocky silence passed, the hedgehog and fox sitting together quietly.

"So . . . about what happened on the bus . . ." Tails started, twiddling his fingers timidly and averting his bright blue eyes down to his hands.

Shadow turned to look at him with a blank expression. "What about it?" He questioned plainly, not really wanting to delve into the topic. He could practically feel Sonic's hot breath rushing down his neck, and he shuddered at the memory and closed his eyes out of repulsion.

"Oh . . . well, you attacked him. I mean, he seems to have forgiven you, but . . . why did you do it in the first place?" Tails said, his confused and mildly concerned gaze swapping from his apparently incredibly-interesting fingers to Shadow's crimson irises.

Shadow sighed, rolling his eyes. "He's been hitting on me nonstop ever since I got here. Has nobody else noticed this? It's pretty weird." He grumbled uncomfortably, and Tails frowned slightly. The fox looked away, the confusion on his face remaining. Noticing his confusion, Shadow stared at the fox.

. . . Did he not understand what you said? I thought he was smart. One of the voices said loudly in his head. Shadow folded his arms in frustration and annoyance.

Heh, too bad you only get to see the story from Shadow's perspective. Wouldn't it be nice to see this through someone else's eyes and mind? The voice chuckled knowingly, and Shadow became incredibly confused at the implications of it but brushed it off a moment later. Silly voices.

The bus screeched to a stop, the brakes screaming loudly as they were suddenly put into action. Shadow was surprised they hadn't hit anything on the way to their stop. Unless he just didn't notice.

Shadow and Tails stood from their seat, swiftly exiting the now-smoking bus and strolling down the sidewalk. Don't get into any fights when you get there Shadow! The voice sang mockingly, and Shadow clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes, focusing on the concrete as he put one foot in front of the other repeatedly.

"Alright. Here's her home." Tails said calmly as they approached a rather small beige house. The front yard was overgrown and unkept, and Shadow noticed a concerning amount of rats and raccoons poking their heads out from under the decaying porch as the two approached the front door.

They didn't even knock before Sonic (for some reason) opened the front door with a grin and stepped to the side to let them in.

"Didn't you guys take the bus? How did you all get here before us?" Tails questioned, removing his shoes and throwing them as far as he could within the small foyer. One smacked into the coat rack, and the other flew into the mirror and shattered it into a million little pieces.