My very first fanfic. No flags please.

Chapter 1: Amy's POV
Changes

Through school, I was known as the weakling or as the crybaby. The other kids looked down on me because I was so quiet and alone, something hard to believe considering I'm the complete opposite now. It was the day I met Sonic that I changed. No, it wasn't love at first sight. Hello, I was just a kid! It was the way he was so confident and caring. When Eggman kidnapped me, I was pretty sure no one would care, not even my parents, who were too rich and busy to even notice me. But here, a complete stranger had come and saved me. At first I believed he did it because he was a hero and it was his job. It was his reassuring smile that made me think otherwise. He took me home and said that he would see me later. He also told me to always smile and be happy. He then dashed off, leaving me awestruck. This experience changed me. It wouldn't have changed others though. They would have been simply excited to be saved by Sonic the Hedgehog. If he spoke to a girl, she was instantly popular. But to me, it meant a lot, even now.
The rescuing happened during school break, so I was back at school three days later. I had spent the remaining days of vacation catching up on homework and practicing my smile. I had a very low self-esteem, making the mirror become my enemy. I felt like screaming at it, but I remembered that the truth hurts and jumped in bed, crying. The mirror would shoot cruel words at me that had me crying tears of inferiority every night, even as I drifted off into sleep.

At school the next Tuesday, I was determined not to think of gloomy thoughts, so I smiled widely for no particular reason. Many looked at me as if I was an alien, until I bumped into Sonic yet again. He started talking to me, asking me how I was feeling. I answered his questions as if they were reflects. As I talked to him, I wasn't faking my smile. I was really smiling. For the first time. Sonic made me believe that someone did care for me. His emerald eyes that were soft and caring proved it. Sonic had things in him that lacked in many peoples' hearts. I realized that I enjoyed talking to others, especially Sonic. As soon as the bell rang and Sonic was on his way to class, the 'popular' girls suddenly started talking to me. Next thing I knew, I was part of their group.
Sonic didn't talk to me after that.

After a few months, I truly believed that the 'popular' gang and I were best of friends. I didn't come to earth until I overheard their conversation…about me. The insults hit me like a whip, slashing me again and again with every word. The feeling of being appreciated was coughed out of me, and the inferiority and low self-esteem collided into me yet again. I felt like someone was holding me up by the neck, making me cough out words that had me crying. I remembered, then, why I never wanted attention. It always ended in a painful way. It never lasted. For some, it's more painful than others, such as in my case. To be stabbed in the back like that, by not just one person, but seven, was one of the most painful things I suffered through. So, I was alone again. I didn't smile for a while after that. It would simply cause more pain. Because I smiled, I went through this girl drama that everyone wants to avoid.
So, I did what I was suppose to do, working and remaining silent. I got teased again, but I simply ignored it, knowing that their silly insults were nothing compared to what they thought. I knew that I needed a friend, but I couldn't find one. I was afraid. The only one I wanted to talk to was Sonic, but he didn't seem to even notice me. He probably forgot about me completely. It was simply his job to stop Eggman, and coming with that job was saving me.
I even came to hate Sonic. He was able to smile because he had friends. I saw him every day at school, walking and laughing with them. He didn't feel pain. I found myself envious of him. Why did he have it all? He wasn't the one who was kicked to the ground and beat up. He wasn't the one who was laughed at and was pushed around. He wasn't being bullied. I glared at him every lunch as he laughed and teased his friends, who were all enjoying themselves.

Soon enough, I considered suicide. The pain was starting to overwhelm me. So one day, when no one was home, I took out a knife. I stared at it, knowing that this tiny object would end it all. This tiny object, that many took for granted, would be my savior. It would end all the agony and suffering I was going through.

But I couldn't do it. That simple movement to push that sharp object into my chest was incredibly onerous. Due to my strength, it probably would have been the easiest thing to do. But I just couldn't move my hands. I was frustrated with myself. Why couldn't I do it? I cried and cried that day. I wanted to end it all. I wanted to die at that moment. I hated living. It was a wasted life that God created. But my damn arms wouldn't move. I began to hate God for creating me. For letting me live. Why wasn't my time up? I hated this. I ended up fainting because of the stress. The knife lay next to me on the floor, as if waiting to be picked up.

I woke up in my mother's arms, who was crying like never before. Turned out, she did care. That kept me living for the remaining of the year. I was sent to social workers, and was recommended a chao. The chao I received, who was named Toby, became my one and only friend. But I was alright with that. I continued to isolate myself at school, but was happy to come home to my best friend and loving parents.

The next year came along, and I had a complete new makeover. I suddenly had a growth spurt and matured into an attractive teenager. I changed from my pathetic green skirt and tacky hairstyle to a completely new hair-do and a red dress. But because we had to wear uniform, I only wore it on weekends. I was still alone for the first two weeks of school, although a few guys had asked me out. I rejected every one of them, knowing that I would simply get hurt later on.

Everything at school changed for me when I was in the cafeteria the fifth day, waiting in line to get lunch. That's when the 'three female dogs' came along and cut in line right in front of me, insulting me as they past. I still remember their names: Brittney, Trisha and Heather. I was in an extremely foul mood that day too, due to my lack of sleep. My temper did not remain silent for long.

I was known throughout the school from that day forth. I was the first one to have any guts to talk back at them. I don't know why they even thought they stood a chance against me, but a whip of my PikoPiko Hammer made victory. I hadn't realized that the principle was standing right behind me. I got my very first detention that day. After school.

And to my best of luck, so did Sonic. I didn't necessarily care, since he had no interest in me.
At detention that day, I was already sitting and staring out of the window when Sonic came it. I only spared a glance at him, then looked away again. No point in wanting something that I wouldn't get. I almost fainted when Sonic sat right next to me. I tried to ignore him and stare at the window, but I was too aware of his presence next to me. He was leaning against the back of his chair with his arms in a pillow position to hold his head.

And he was watching me.

I pretended not to notice as the teacher made his way around the class. He then exited for a few minutes, allowing the students to shoot paper airplanes and talk among each other. Sonic used this as an opportunity too. To talk to me. I remember that conversation as if it were yesterday.

"You know," he started, "that was pretty cool, the way you used your hammer and stuff earlier."

It took me a second to respond. Sonic wouldn't be talking to me, would he? The best answer I could say at that moment was thanks, then to look away.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sonic smile and close his eyes. "Where did that hammer come from anyways? It just appeared out of nowhere."

"Uh, well, it's just there when I want it to."

"Really? That's cool."

He was about to say something else, but the supervisor came in. I looked back to the window and allowed my heartbeat to slow down. The supervisor took a turn around the room, then exited again. Not much of a supervisor, if you ask me. Sonic started talking to me again. I started smiling again. I wasn't even aware of it until he said that I should smile more often. The supervisor came in again and went to his desk. After a few more minutes, he started letting people out. I was the first one excused. I got up from my seat and gathered my stuff. As I walked away from my seat, Sonic said one last thing.

"See ya tomorrow."

I was overly excited for the next day. I ran home with a smile on my face. The next day, I wasn't disappointed. Sonic greeted me at my locker. With him was Tails. Sonic introduced us, and Tails complimented me on my 'bravery' when giving Brittney, Trisha and Heather a taste of their own medicine. After every class, he and Tails were waiting for me at my locker. I spent the remainder of the break time with Sonic and Tails, meeting the rest of the clique. I even ate with them at lunch and made new friends. I instantly cliqued with Cream and Tails and was feeling comfortable within the first few seconds of meeting them all. I received the evil glare from the 'popular' girls quite a few times, especially from Brittney, Trisha and Heather. I had two guesses of why they wanted to kill me at that moment. First, because I was with Sonic the Hedgehog. Second, because I had embarrassed the three main leaders of the group by beating them up in a single blow.
I received a lot of congratulations, to my surprise. Surely it wasn't such a big matter. So what if I beat the three leaders? I'm sure anyone could have done it. Beating them had been the easiest thing I had ever done.

I hugged Sonic the next day. He wasn't expecting it. And he didn't like it. I could tell by the way he retreated quickly. He kept a safe distance from me. I would consider it over-reacting, but guys had minds of their own. I apologized later, but he said not to. He blamed himself, since a girl had never hugged him before. I let out a loud 'what' unconditionally. He simply laughed and rubbed his head. I hugged him a lot since then.

Soon, we graduated and got our own lives. We still worked together as the Sonic Team, and I still chased him like an obsessive fan-girl. And I was obsessed with him. I began to have feelings for him and refused to let him go. A simple touch was like a trigger to a lighting speed heartbeat. Sonic had become my world, especially after the death of my only family. Sonic had supported me then, and I had never felt better. Unfortunately, Sonic didn't feel the same for me as I felt for him. He ran from me, and saving me from Eggman became a habit. He must have started to get annoyed with my kidnappings. Either way, my feelings of being appreciated became less and less. Soon, I believed that he didn't care. Sure, he showed me some attention sometimes, but it was like taking one step forward and two steps back. On second thought, it was more like taking one step forward and three steps back.

So I gave up.

I realized that he wasn't happy with me. And I only wanted him to be happy, but when I found out that I wasn't the one that could do that, I gave in. I was crying a lot that night. That night that changed everything.

We had met a girl at a fair that was taking place. Her name was Sally. She didn't even notice me, and I was pretty much thankful for that. Sonic had been talking to her a lot. I was kind of scared, so I tried hard to separate them, only to bring them closer together. I had a good reason to be scared. The look in Sonic's eyes said it all.

Love.

That night, after dropping off Sally at her place, we all went to Cream's house for another 'get together.' Cream and I were cooking the food along with her mom Vanilla. I was bringing a plate of spaghetti to Tails when I overheard their conversation.

"Sally's pretty cute," Knuckles had said.

"Yeah." I shook then. It was Sonic's voice.

"You talked to her quite a bit," Tails stated.

"Barely. There wasn't enough time to talk about much," Sonic answered.

"Sonic, you spent five hours at the fair with her."

"Really? Time flies."

"What do you think of her?"

"She's cool."

"Do you like her," Knuckles had asked.

"Yeah."

"No, I mean, do you like her?"

There was a pause here, one that seemed like an eternity.

"Yeah," Sonic finally answered. "I do like her."

I dropped the plate then. It was as if I was in some sort of coma. I was in too much shock to realize that Cream was trying to get my attention. Coming to my senses, I told her I was fine and started picking up the broken pieces of the shattered plate.

Shattered. The plate and I were so alike. Tears were blocking my vision, making me cut my self on a piece. Cream was watching me, worry showing in her expression. I told her that I would be right back. She nodded, understanding that I was in pain. I ran all the way to my house without turning back, accompanied with enough tears to cry a river. I jumped into my bed and cried myself to a painful sleep with dreams that evolved only around Sonic, as they did every night.

Sonic meant the world to me. The one thing I wanted was for him to feel the same. But he didn't. There was someone else. Even if it wasn't this Sally person, it still wasn't me. If it was, we would have been together years ago. Six years was wasted. My attempts were futile. Instead, some girl who we had only met today stole Sonic's heart.

In just one day.

But no matter how much I envied her, I couldn't hate her. She made Sonic happy. She was probably going to be that special someone that makes the world go around for Sonic, just as he was for me. And because I loved him so much, I wouldn't try to break them up. He was happy. That's all I needed, right? And Sally was the one that could make him happy.

But it was just the fact that I wasn't the one who could.

To realize that my efforts to catch his attention were all in vain was hard on me. To know that I couldn't be that person who could help Sonic when he was down was despairing. To not be that home where he would always want to be was saddening. To not be the one he wanted was intoxicating.

After thinking about all this the next day, I came to that conclusion that I wasn't needed. Just like before, when I wasn't needed in the group. When I wasn't wanted in the group. It was the same scenario. So, I did something that was against everything I lived for. Against my nature, against my mother's words, against everything.

I gave up.

I gave up my life, my home, and my only family. I would have done something more severe, as I had years ago, but again, my attempts were forlorn.

I was living in another town by the next month. I became the gloomy, white ghost as I had when I was in school, haunting the streets with my loneliness and depression. The first few months in the town of Retro City were silent and peaceful, despite the hustle and bustle that was hard to keep up with. The silence was comforting for me, making me feel secure from any feelings that could happen all over again.

I regretted my decision of moving when the city was attacked a few months later. Eggman killed at least half of the population. He got what he wanted, the Chaos Emerald, then left. Without even a feeling of consent or regret. After leaving from my hiding place, I went into the streets to see the damage.

I regretted that too.

People were lying on streets full of blood, along with survivors who were crying and trying to revive the people. They kept calling for doctors, but the number of medicals was scarce. I had many nightmares after that. I had sleepless nights because I was so paranoid. The thing that frightened me the most was all the families without a father or a mother or a child because of the attack. How were they coping? The very pain of losing my parents was almost unbearable. How many people were suffering the same thing I had because of Eggman? I cried when I thought of the amount. There were not enough people to help the people who could have still been living. They needed more people to help them help others.

I then realized that I could help others.

I wasn't very helpful when it came to fighting Eggman. My physical strength was a great factor, granted, but I didn't use it very well. Even with special training from Sonic, I never seemed to be the type of person who was meant for combat. So what if I helped people by fighting diseases? Sonic would handle the fighting, and I could handle helping people after the attacks. Or even during.

After every adventure with Sonic, I was always helping others recover from the attacks. That must have been what I was good at! There was more than just saving the world by defeating Eggman. People suffered a lot after crisis. I could help them.

I made my decision.

After making enough cash, I entered medical school. I put everything I had into studying and learning about healing. Soon enough, I was no longer a ghost. With all my attention on schooling, I wasn't as concerned about my pain. I knew that Sonic was happy, and that was all I needed. I improved drastically and was offered special training that students are rarely offered. I graduated early, due to my constant studying and all my all-nighters. I became a master surgeon in the Retro City Hospital, where many people admired me because of my endurance and my hard-working spirit.

Before I became a surgeon, though, Cream attended a boarding school in Retro City. It was close to where I lived, so on a regular basis she would come and visit me. It was nice to have her over, even when I had a truckload of homework. Every long break and summer, Cream would go back to Station Square to visit her mother and friends. Whenever she came back, she would tell me the latest news. Her updates were what kept me from forgetting my experiences. Turned out that Sally and Sonic were dating, just as I presumed. Sonic was happy, so I was able to deal with that. It was hard to avoid the realization that that could have been me standing beside Sonic and receiving a truck load of kisses, but I somehow managed to keep working hard at my new life.

I was sure to make Cream promise not to ever mention me to the gang, and, after a long argument on the matter, she would agree. I never saw the gang for a long four-year period. This was enough time for my wounded heart to heal. I was sure not to ever see the gang again for the sake of that healing to be a wasted effort. My only fear was that my love for Sonic might ignite again. After so much pain I had already suffered, I didn't think I'd be able to live through it.

After every visit to Station Square, Cream would be more and more attracted to Tails, who was still single, happily for her. Tails didn't suffer as much from Cosmo's death, thanks to Cream's comfort. At about the third year, Cheese, who was grown up now, was off to a Chao Garden to help train the younger ones. Cream and I would pay a visit there every-so-often.

Tails had grown a lot taller and his voice became deeper, according to Cream. Knuckles was as stubborn as ever, but has shown obvious attraction to Rouge, who changed her clothes into a complete black body suit. Rouge had become the head of a spying committee, as Vanilla started dating a hare, leaving Vector fuming.

After the four years of medical training, I had become a professional healer.

Life was going smoothly after that. I had saved many lives, and received a good pay along with the happiness of helping others.

However, my life suddenly became complicating when I bumped into Sonic again.