Spooky

Chapter 8

-Scourge's POV-

"So, where are we gonna go?"

Rouge walks along at Steel's right, smiling cheerfully; Spooky walks to her left, at my right side, face blank as per usual. It's so hard to tell what he's thinking, but right now, I'd daresay he has an idea—his muzzle wrinkles a bit as he squints, looking down at the pavement to avoid the harsh sun. After being cloudy all morning, the sun finally showed its wrath at around 2PM, and I swear to God, the pavement's melting. "Well," he finally rumbles, iridescent ruby eyes flicking over to her, "I know of a couple different places nearby that might be fun."

"Do tell," Steel prompts, leaning a bit to look at Spooky. The darker hedgehog starts a little, glancing around; an uncomfortable expression crosses his face for a mere instant, and then he answers.

"There's an ice-cream parlor a few miles West, on First Street, and a movie theatre a block away from that," he replies, "and, of course, there's always the mall, just a half-mile away." Before he'd even finished I could tell what everyone would choose—or, rather, I could tell that the harsh sun bearing down on us had made the decision.

"Ice cream!" Steel and Rouge cheer simultaneously, bouncing around excitedly. I stifle a chuckle when Spooky flinches, amusingly spooked by their sudden outburst.

"Awright," I grin, baring razor-sharp teeth as I pull my keys from a pocket in my jacket, twirling them round the end of my finger. "Steel and I will drive, since I'm guessin' you two didn't bring cars?"

"Can't afford it," Rouge answers, as Spooky just shakes his head silently, not offering an explanation.

"No problem," Steel grins, pulling his keys out too. We're almost there, and I can see our bikes parked ahead, a row or two away; Steel and I share a parking space, to prevent people from being assholes and complaining about not having enough space and motorcycles not being 'big enough' for a single parking space all to themselves (which happened to me last year). "Who's gonna ride with who?"

"I'll ride with you, Steel," Rouge immediately answers, and I bite back a complaint. It's not like I don't want to take Shadow with me, it's just that I...well...I don't want to take Shadow with me. He seems to share the same sentiment, brows furrowing as he opens his mouth, but then he blinks and his expression clears.

He looks over at me, making eye contact for the first time all day. "Guess that means you're stuck with me," he smirks as we come to a stop in front of the bikes.

Steel gets on his bike, turning the key, and the engine roars to life. "I wouldn't say that," I reply a bit quietly, glancing away. Spooky doesn't answer, just waits as Steel delicately pulls the bike out of the space, giving everyone plenty of room to get situated. Rouge hops onto the back seat like she's done it a million times before, and I step up to my bike, suddenly feeling terribly sweaty. I should've showered this morning, I realize, face flooding with embarrassment. I must smell awful—he's gonna think I'm some kind of sewer rat! Carefully I swing my leg over the side of the bike, leaning it off its kickstand as I clumsily jam the keys into the ignition. Ruby-red eyes feel like they're boring into the back of my skull as I shove the kickstand away with my foot, then twist to look at Spooky over my shoulder.

He's watching me with a sort of vacant, polite interest, hands clasped behind his back. The sun washes across his fur as a cloud passes, above us, and for a moment his pupils dilate slightly to adjust; a welcome gust of wind runs its fingers through his quills as Steel takes off, calling, "I'll meet you guys there, okay?"