Why was he like this?



He had a total breakdown in front of some girl, she stayed there with him until he calmed down, and then the next day, he ran when she tried to return his phone. She invited him to join her club on purpose? Was she this kind or this stupid?



He didn't think he could show his face around anyone ever again. Giving her handkerchief back and checking out the greenhouse took more energy than he thought. Running was easy... Talking to her, though? He did it so easily before. Why was it so difficult afterwards?



"I think you should join," Belle said through Metal's phone. "I know it's not running, but maybe there will be something about it that feels good like track does to you."



"It's probably some kind of trick," Metal grumbled back. He sat in his desk chair, staring at his laptop with the university email page open. He had Amy's email typed out... Nothing else.



"She didn't seem like that kind of person," she sighed back. "I mean... Okay, I don't know anyone. But if she was trying to get some type of fame or money, I don't think it'd be through a... gardening club."



"It's not suspect. Wouldn't that just make it a smart cover?" he asked back.



"What's-- alright. I'll ask. Why are you being weird about her?"



...



Metal tolerated all his siblings, but they were prone to reporting everything to their father. Sage was the most faithful, while the twins Orbert and Cubert had their moments. Belle was different. She broke ties with their father long ago and began living in a small trailer she saved up for herself. She was incredibly gifted-- all Robotnik kids were-- so she was able to financially sustain herself with commissions and repairs.



For some reason, Metal and Belle got along. She tried to get him to join her when she left their home, but he refused. Some days, he wished he accepted her offer. Pressure from Dr. Robotnik never cracked her like it did for Metal. He fantasized of one day taking his own stand against him... Probably not going to happen anytime soon.



Metal trusted Belle to not share anything with their father since she had every reason to avoid the man. He took in a deep breath and finally answered: "She... She saw an attack."



"You had an attack?!" screamed Belle.



"I will hang up."



"No! Sorry," she sighed. "I won't ask about why you had one... Um, what happened?"



Metal pursed his lips in thought, trying to decide on how much more he wanted to reveal. "She talked to me a little and stayed there until it was over." And gave him a handkerchief... He didn't want to tell her that part.



"... A person who does that isn't trying to trick you, Met."



Deep down, he knew. But he hadn't been kind to her. She kept being kind anyway. It was easier to think she had some kind of motive...



"Did her being there help?"



He didn't want to answer that question, either. He didn't know why it helped him... Maybe it was because she was something physical that he could focus on. A person gave a presence easier to lock onto than blades of grass. "I... I prefer being alone."



Belle was quiet for a little while. "Well... To dispel any awkwardness, maybe you could go thank her for trying to help, whether or not she did."



"It would be better to not see her anymore."



Belle sighed on the other end. "You know... It's hard doing things by yourself. When I first left, I knew I'd be on my own, and it was so..." Her voice trailed off. "I felt ridiculous. I was in over my head, I made the wrong decision, I... I wasn't going to last. But... Thanks to the kindness of others, I was able to hold my own. I have very, very precious friends that keep me going."



To Metal, Belle's whole explanation could be summed up to say 'I'm worried about you'. Not exactly news for him.



"I actually like my life now. I hope you meet people that make you feel the same way."



They were both quiet for a little while. "... I have to go study," Metal said quietly.



"Alright... Have a good rest of your day, Met."



He hung up the phone and sighed to himself, leaning back in his chair. He caught up with all his homework, though one of his classes was frustrating and confusing. He stared at one of his textbooks for a while, then glanced at his computer screen again. Which option was more painful?



...



Student email addresses all followed the same pattern: the first letter of their first and middle names if they had any, their entire last name, then the lowest number available that kept the address unique. Amy's was listed as 'arose1'... Her last name was Rose? He supposed it was fitting for someone who managed a gardening club.



Truthfully, he didn't have any questions about the club itself... He was hardly sure why he had her email pulled up to type a message at all.



He groaned to himself, letting his forehead slap against his desk. He hated the feeling churning in his chest. He felt sick, anxious.



He brought himself back up and composed an email to send her way.





"How was gardening club yesterday, sweetie?" yawned Rouge, leaning against the door frame to Amy's room. Amy sat at her desk, laptop open and showing her desktop. She had an opposite sleep schedule since Rouge's classes and interests were often around nighttime. They got to connect much more in the evenings, particularly when there wasn't much work to do.



As much as Amy liked her, she was a bit shady in her own way. Shadow and Omega, students closer to Rouge, seemed to be a part of a group with her... Whenever Amy asked about it, though, Rouge acted aloof and avoided direct answers. Amy would at least answer Rouge's question: "It was fine. I almost had someone join," she sighed.



"Wow. Actually, I'm surprised no one's joined. A chance to get with a cute girl alone in a pretty building? Psh."



Amy rolled her eyes with a smile. "I'd kick anyone out joining to get a date or whatever... Unless I was desperate. Oh, God. Am I desperate?"



Rouge laughed. "Not yet, I'd say. What happened for that person to not join?"



"Ugh, it's kinda complicated. Maybe it's for the best... Not that I mind being surrounded by plants on my own. I thought Sonic would come by at least once though," she sighed. "How can I ask him out if we never even get to spend time with each other?"



"Honestly, just ask him out. Sonic's a guy who appreciates that forwardness, from what I know about him. And you do not know how to go backwards."



"Taking that as a compliment," Amy huffed. "I dunno... When I see him, my heart flutters and gets weak. But I still feel like he's so far away. I start having these doubts, then he talks to me and they all melt away so fast. I'm so... confused!" she groaned.



"Then figure it out, girl. Not that hard." Rouge yawned again. "Sorry to cut our chat short, but I need my own beauty rest. I did a lot more flying last night than I liked..." She moved a sleep mask onto her head and passed Amy a wink. "Nighty night~"



"Night, Rouge." Rouge quietly shut Amy's door as she left. Amy reached for her headset and covered her ears, finally focusing back on her laptop. Hm... What to do? She finished her homework already since she hated it lingering the whole weekend. Time for some video games!



Oh, she had an email alert. She checked that first.





Amy raised a brow. This was Metal, right? Probably one of the weirder messages she received. She typed a response back:





She minimized her emails window and launched her favorite online roleplaying game: Thorncraft Realms. The beginning of the semester was so busy that she hadn't been able to play as much as she wanted, but it was a source of comfort for her. With no one to show up to her tennis games or her gardening club, at least she got support in the game.



Her eyes flicked over to the flashing email icon at the bottom of her screen. She hated how curiosity got the best of her... Eh, she was in a queue to join the game anyway.





What a charmer. Amy genuinely wasn't sure what his angle was.





She received a response very quickly. Communicating with emails was fun in a weird way. She never talked to another student purely over email... It didn't feel as harsh as waiting for a text, either.





Hm... Amy followed her instinct and sent another email:





She got a pretty quick response that time. She barely played her game, and weirdly, she looked forward to the email responses.





She didn't expect such a loaded response. She was honestly kinda invested by that point.







What-- did he think she was sending him hearts?! Amy flushed to herself. Over her dead body! She minimized her game and huffed as she typed the next response.







Amy crossed her legs in the chair and puffed her cheeks. Was he teasing her then?! She furiously typed back.





She gave herself a confident nod, then tapped her fingers against her desk. She wondered if he would reply back or ask anything else... Eh, probably not. She re-opened her game and finally allowed herself some time to relax.



Metal hadn't sent an email back, so she assumed their conversation was over. Fifteen minutes later, though, she got another notification. Amy got to a stopping point in her game and checked to see what it was.





Ah. Amy sighed.





Their conversation was likely over for real, then. She wondered what he was going to do since he was no longer in the track team... He probably wouldn't be able to join any other sports. It was too late to ask him more. She didn't want to be too nosy.



Weekends were always too short. Ugh! Amy didn't want to deal with her classes the next day. The only classes she liked at all were ones not related to her major... The only real reason she took up nursing was because she felt like it'd be easier to get a job.



She didn't know what other career spoke to her, really. She did love helping people, but a hospital didn't really seem like her thing... And some environments she'd be in for her major brought back pretty bad memories.



She couldn't let everyone else find out that she had no real clue what she was doing. Amy sighed to herself as she took off her headset and closed her laptop.



"I need some fresh air..."