Shadow leaned against the brick wall outside the school gym, arms crossed, his usual cool and indifferent demeanor giving nothing away. It was supposed to be just another typical day, like every other one at Sega High. Nothing extraordinary, nothing to make him feel anything more than mildly irritated with the noise and chaos of high school life.

But then—there he was. Sonic.

And of course, Sonic was in the middle of the schoolyard, laughing—that carefree, infectious laugh that always seemed to turn heads. He was surrounded by his usual group of friends, as usual. And of course, she was there, the girl everyone had been talking about for weeks now. The one with the perfect smile, the kind that made everyone stop and stare. Shadow didn’t know her name. He didn’t care to know it. But he sure as hell noticed how Sonic’s eyes lit up whenever she spoke.

Shadow’s fist tightened against his arm. He told himself it wasn’t important. That Sonic was a flirt, that he didn’t really mean it. But that didn’t stop the flicker of something in his chest—the way his stomach twisted as he watched Sonic run his hand through his quills and throw a teasing wink at the girl.

God, Sonic really likes her.

"Hey, Shadow! You good?"

Rouge’s voice broke through his thoughts, and Shadow quickly turned, his usual scowl returning to his face. She raised an eyebrow, following his line of sight toward the crowd of students.

“Don’t tell me you’re getting all worked up over that,” she said with a smirk. "It's Sonic, after all. He's practically in love with anyone who looks his way."

Shadow opened his mouth to say something—anything—but his throat went dry. The words wouldn’t come out. He didn’t know why it bothered him. Sonic wasn’t his. Sonic had never been his. They were just rivals, after all, right?