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Congrats! You’re in.
He couldn’t believe it! He was going to Oberlin!
It’s everything I’ve wanted, all through high school!
He had to tell her. She’d be… well, not proud, but marginally less disapproving.
In a split millisecond, making sure to avoid knocking over any pictures or vases with the shockwave he left behind, he was out of his room and down the stairs in the kitchen. “Alice! Alice! Alice!” he shouted, excited.
Oh dear. Alice Wright barely registered her younger brother crash into the sofa she was sitting on. He wasn’t there, and a flash of blue later, he was, collapsed into the cushions.
“Sonic Hedgehog-Wright,” she began scoldingly, because how else would he ever listen, “for the millionth time, please respect the furniture, and your own body, better than that. If you’re going to be the fastest creature alive, you must ensure you keep your body at a state of maximum performance. Or you will lose your speed.”
“Aww man, you’re just jealous I’m the fastest thing alive,” he replied.
“I concede that is true. However, I am older than you. And I will always be older than you.” She smirked the confident smirk she always sported. “Anyway, clearly you have something you’re excited to share. So be quick with it.”
“I’m going to Oberlin! Alice, I got in!”
Her eyes widened. That was as much excitement as she was willing to show.
“It figures. It was easily within your range. Just like it was easily a safety school for me. You know, I could have gotten into Harvard on my SAT scores alone.”
Sonic smirked. “But you didn’t.”
Alice looked ready to strangle him. “Well.” She took a deep breath to decompress. “It was better for me to go to Oberlin anyway. I have excelled and demonstrated my superiority to everyone there, academically and intellectually. Unfortunately, it has not yet garnered me the recognition and respect I deserve.”
“Well, I’m not a know-it-all like you,” Sonic wisecracked, knowing he’d get a rise out of Alice, “so maybe they’ll respect me!”
Alice stood up from the sofa, making sure to look down on Sonic, so she’d be stark and condescending. “That just makes you a beta cuck.”
Let that drill in, and three, two, one… Alice saw Sonic’s shocked face, properly momentarily demoralized. “I’m kidding. It’s true, of course, but I am just kidding.” Alice sat back down. “For what it’s worth, Sonic, congratulations. I am proud of you. And I’m sure you are going to excel almost as much as me at Oberlin.”
“Thanks,” he said. “By the way, anyone I should keep an eye out for on campus?”
“Hmm…” A few names popped into Alice’s head. “Cait Lynn Dreyer… she is positively revolti-“
“Oh yeah! You two are dating, right?”
Sonic could see Alice’s face get red. Out of anger? Embarrasment?
“Our situation… is complicated.”
Sonic couldn’t help but giggle. “Who else?”
“Well, Lizzie Quimble, a class or two below me, I think – is… positively stupid. She is convinced birds don’t exist. And she is convinced vampires do. But… she is loyal, and trustworthy. Oh, and Alex Terry. I think they graduated, but if they haven’t, keep an eye out for them. Tell them Alice says hello.”
Six months later, and Sonic Hedgehog-Wright was out of his first classes of college. His dorm was pretty far away from everywhere else, but he could make it there in twenty seconds flat from anywhere on campus.
At least, he figured based on some back-of-the-napkin math he did in Intro to Computer Science. And now it was time to test it out. As he left the building, he saw a clear gap across the quad to run through. Ready, set, go!
One second later, he’d cleared the quad entirely. Two seconds later, he was across the street – maybe he’d make it to his dorm in fifteen!
Three seconds later – and he saw someone right in his way. “Woah!”
He did his best to stop in his tracks – which only cushioned the impact some, as Sonic collided with the mystery pedestrian and knocked a big basket out of their arms.
“Aah!” The mystery pedestrian managed to keep their footing – unlike Sonic, who, for all his speed, was always a klutz – and just sort of stumbled in their path, visibly shocked at the four-foot, super-speedy blue hedgehog who knocked into them.
“Geez, I’m so sorry,” Sonic said. The basket was on the ground next to the stranger, and its contents, spread out over the cement and grass nearby, looked to be… dozens of little origami flowers, most of them lavender and purple. Instantly, Sonic jumped back up and ran around, collecting all of them into the basket and handing it back to the stranger.
“Oh, um. Thanks. Just… don’t tell Wisteria about this, okay? I’m late enough for ball preparations as is.”
“Wisteria? Ball? What’s that about?”
“Oh. My mistake,” the stranger said. They had a maroon hoodie and a beanie on. Bold choice in this weather,Sonic thought. It’s too nice out for that!
“Thought you were. Uh. Magical,” they continued, stumbling over their words.
“Ha! I’m not magical. I’m just born this fast!” Sonic spun around, eager to show off a little bit. “Sonic Hedgehog-Wright, he/him, at your service! But people call me Sonic the Hedgehog.”
“Alex. They/them.”
“Oh! Is your last name like… welp. I can’t remember, but is it like, a first name too? T-something?”
Alex’s eyes widened a bit more. “Um. Yeah? Why do you ask?”
“Alice says hi! She’s doing well.”
Alex looked puzzled and nervous. “Um. You know Alice? How?”
“Alice Wright, right? I’m her younger brother.”
Alex relaxed visibly. “Oh. Um. Okay. Yeah. Don’t know why I thought… well, whatever. I kind of remember Alice Wright from a class. Alice-Always-Right, she called herself. Unironically. She was a lot.”
“Ha! Try living with her your whole life.” Sonic extended his hand. “Well, I don’t mean to make you late. But it’s awfully nice to meet you, Alex!”
“Oh, uh, same, Sonic.” Alex took Sonic’s hand and held it firmly, but shook it slowly. Like they were trying to assess Sonic’s soul through his arm. “I really gotta go. But I’ll see you around, I guess.”
“Yeah, definitely! See you around!” Leaving Alex with a full basket of origami flowers in their hands once more, Sonic took off, watching where he was going more closely this time.
Alex watched the blue hedgehog zoom away down the street and around a building, and then promptly kept walking where they were supposed to go.
I don’t think he’s a fae, Alex thought to themselves. Nobody in the courts looks like him.
Wisteria’d probably already come up with twenty different décor ideas Alex and Juniper were gonna have to help wrangle. But in spite of how busy they always were, Alex hoped they’d see Sonic again. Especially if he wasn’t a fae – Alex needed more friends outside of internship work. Even if said friends were a superfast blue hedgehog.
Jeez, this town is weird.