SonAdow - Romance in Highschool?

Sonic: Friendship Abounds

My face beams with radiant joy as I follow my friends into the cafeteria, and I feel like jumping up and down and squealing with happiness; I've gotten Shadow to join my group! In front of me is my crush, standing next to Rouge by our table, about to sit down with his gray lunch box. He cautiously pulls out a chair, and when he sits his posture is perfectly straight. I marvel at how he manages to look natural with such a rigid back, how he appears comfortable with formality. Rouge sits down next to him, and I eagerly claim the chair on Shadow's right.

"So, uh, Shadow," I say nervously, smiling at my crush, my very body shaking with excitement. "This is Amy, Julie-Su, Knuckles, and I guess you already know Rouge. Welcome to our little group!" I continue smiling at Shadow, and I notice that he seems apprehensive about responding.

"..." His mouth opens, but no sound comes out of it. Shadow has a light, pink, embarrassed blush dusted across his upper cheeks, and I can only barely keep from blushing myself at the sight. "It's nice to meet you?" Rouge snorts slightly, and Shadow looks somewhere between annoyed and resigned at his somewhat-feeble attempt at being nice. A concerned feeling creeps through my chest as I see him send a quick glance at Knuckles and Julie-Su, who are both looking a bit awkward at Shadow's introduction.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Shadow," Amy replies, and the tension at the table defuses only slightly. A scream sounds from somewhere in the cafeteria, making me tense slightly in reflex. Shadow's ears flatten and then pop back up, acting skittish about the noise.

"You know," Julie-Su says unexpectedly, making everyone jump, "you haven't aged a day since you last sat here; you look exactly like you did two years ago. How?" Shadow blinks back at her, and I tilt my head in confusion.

"Wait, you've sat here before?" I ask Shadow, almost squeaking as I realize how close our faces are. My crush sighs, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms.

"2 years ago, yes," he says, not looking too happy about having to answer the question. I light up, excited that Shadow has a deeper connection to my group than I'd thought.

"Seriously? Awesome! Then you already know our group!" Shadow gives me an odd look, seeming surprised at my enthusiasm. Rouge interrupts, breaking the eye contact I had with my crush.

"Well..." she says, drawing out the word. "He kind of knows our group. You see, hon, Shadow was kind of an...outcast when he enrolled during freshman year. He still is, really..." Shadow gives Rouge a disapproving look, but she doesn't even notice. "You see, Shadow has always stood out from the crowd for several reasons, and two years ago he had even more than he does now...

"You see, hun, Julie-Su was referring to the fact that Shadow looked like, well, a senior back when he was barely fourteen. He had his 'growth spurt' early, so even though he's one of the youngest in our year--like you, actually, with a June birthday--he was taller than about everyone and his voice had already changed. It was hilarious watching all of the seniors expecting to get a cool new classmate be shocked senseless when they found out Shadow was barely past his pre-teen years."

"No kidding," Knuckles mutters, nevertheless cracking a smile. "I didn't believe Shadow was fourteen until Rouge had him show me his ID card."

"I still didn't believe it, honestly!" Julie-Su laughs, and Amy and I give each other an odd look.

"So, then, Shadow's sixteen now?" I ask, and Rouge nods.

"Yep. And he's not a day older for it!" I blink, wondering if Shadow really could have looked as he does now two years ago. I try to imagine him as appearing younger, but immediately stop when I feel a huge blush coming my way. Rouge, Knuckles, and Julie-Su are laughing, and Amy is smiling now that she gets the joke. Rouge manages to quit her mirth and continue her list of 'Reasons Why Shadow Stands Out From the Crowd.'