Green Hill University (Sonadow College AU)

Chapter 1

Sonic

Sonic raced across the south lawn of Green Hill University, Redbull in hand. Barely a week into the semester and he was already running late to everything, as per usual. It didn't help that his next class--home ec--was literally across campus from his dorm. He checked the time on his phone as the humanities building finally came into view--only ten minutes late, not bad.

Sonic's feet finally slowed as he burst through the front door. He wandered through the maze of halls, trying to remember the room number on the schedule that he had barely glanced at since registering. He hadn't planned on going to college, really, but the university had offered him a track scholarship and Tails had almost begged him to come to Green Hill with him, not wanting to be alone in college at the age of 13. Sonic could never refuse Tails anything, so he relented, filling his schedule with easy-sounding gen-ed courses and hoping to just coast by until he was forced to choose a major. What he was really here for, anyway, was track. Green Hill's track team was the best in the region. Past members had held most of their records for almost a decade--fastest 100m dash, fastest laps, most matches won in a single season--and Sonic wanted to break all of them.

After giving up and pulling out the schedule on his phone, Sonic finally found the classroom--105. He pulled open the door, the creaking interrupting the haggard-looking professor in the middle of his lecture.

He turned towards the source of the noise. "Oh, nice of you to finally join us, Sonic," he droned, voice dripping with dry sarcasm.

Sonic winced sheepishly in lieu of a response. Now probably wasn't the best time for one of his usual quips. Ducking into the room, he quickly scanned the room for a place to sit. The small ancient looking classroom was a kind of kitchen-class hybrid, with one side presumably for the home and the other for the ec. Almost every seat was full.

Only a lone desk in the back of the classroom remained empty. Without thinking twice, Sonic strode towards it. He plopped down unceremoniously into the stiff plastic chair, sparing a passing glance at the kid beside him. He looked older than Sonic—dark red eyes and black fur. His arms were crossed tightly at his chest and his lips were turned downward into a seemingly-permanent frown. His dark quills were slicked back, sharp streaks of red running through them, and thick gold bracelets encircled his wrists.

Sonic leaned over to him as the teacher continued, offering the gloomy boy his biggest smile. "Hey," he whispered, "I'm Sonic."

He offered nothing but a side-eye and a sneer in response.

Sonic didn't take the hint. "So what have I missed?"

The brooding hedgehog broke the icy silence with a biting voice. "Listen, kid. Please. Don't talk to me."

Sonic felt the venom in his glare. He blinked, startled, and sat back in his chair. He tried to turn his attention back to the professor's droning lecture, something about food prep or family care. But it all turned to white noise as his mind wandered to his next track meet—how he could improve, whether he should replace his lucky Soap shoes with newer Nikes, how hard he should train before the next meet.

Eventually, the rustle of backpacks being gathered and everyone leaving in a mass exodus startled Sonic out of his daydreams. He snatched up his half-empty Redbull and turned towards the mysterious boy beside him. Maybe now that class was over he would respond with more than an icy stare.

But he hurried off before Sonic could say a word, leaving him open-mouthed and stupefied.