I'll Be There

I'll Be There- Part Seven

Shadow was up in his room, hysterically crying into his pillow. He knew his life would never be the same. How could it? Maria was gone. Gone forever. And no one seemed to care or even acknowledge that fact. His crying persisted up until he heard soft knocks on his door. Due to no response, the door opened, and Shadow looked over to see Rouge the Bat standing in his doorway. Shadow angered his eyes at her. "Go away", he said simply but coldly. Rouge refused to do so. "Shadow", she said sympathetically, closing the door behind her. "It's okay, I'm here. I can try to help you feel better." Shadow rolled his eyes at his best friend. "No, you can't", he said, brushing off her sympathy. "Maria is gone, and the only help you can be is if you could revive her. But she can't be revived. So your help is 100% unnecessary!" Shadow went under his covers, not wanting to see the bat any longer. Rouge's ears flattened, and she herself began to have tears in her eyes. "Shadow", she said, fighting back the sting of her tears. "I know I can't bring Maria back, not even Dr. Eggman, the mad scientist, could!" She breathed in harder to stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks. "But, please, listen to me!" Shadow then rolled his eyes, not coming out from under his covers. Rouge then gathered up all of her courage, and let all of her thoughts spill out. "Shadow", she said once again. "I just want you to know, if you ever need a friend to talk to during this hard time, I will be there for you. I will be there to hear your every word, and though it may seem that no one in the world understands you, I do. Remember that." Shadow wanted to hear no more. How could Rouge dare to say that she understood him? She knew nothing about how he felt! He then yanked the covers off of his body, and a flash of hatred covered his face. "NO YOU DON'T!" He shouted, letting his emotions go. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOSE SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO WITNESS YOUR BEST FRIEND'S DEATH! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HOW I'M FEELING! SO WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO AND LEAVE ME ALONE!? THAT'S WHAT I-" "NO!" Rouge harshly screamed, interrupting Shadow's rant. "That is NOT true, Shadow! I'll have you know that I lost my mother to a car accident last year, so I know EXACTLY how you're feeling! You're hurt, confused, and don't see the point in life!" Rouge continued, fighting back her tears. "But don't worry, Shadow!" She said. "Although no one was there in my time of suffering, I've learned to be strong, and I WILL be there for you!" Shadow stayed silent, now feeling remorseful for yelling at his best friend, and for what he'd said. He looked at Rouge, and Rouge forced a small smile onto her face. "Remember that", she told Shadow. Shadow said nothing as he watched the ivory bat exit his room, closing the door behind her.