Nebula was resting in the hospital room; with the heart monitors beeping normally so that the doctors will know that she's breathing okay. She was lucky to survive from almost losing too much blood and that the doctors were able to put the wrapped bandage on her head to stop the bleeding. But Nebula was not in a very good mood from the incident that Scourge did to make her faint from humiliation.

Shadow found her room and sat on a chair near her. He held her hand with his head down.

"Nebula, I hope you're alright right now. I swear I'll defend you against that green pervert and his annoying friends" Shadow said with sadness.

"Oh, pardon me, sir. Are you a friend of my niece?" Nebula's aunt walks into the room.

"Yup, I'm her classmate. The names Shadow" Shadow smiled some but still showed worriedness for Nebula.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Estrella. But you can call me Star for short" Nebula's aunt said.

"Okay, Star. It is really nice to meet your niece" Shadow shakes hands with her.

"Indeed, say what really happened?" Star asked him.

"It's complicated to tell but you don't wanna know" Shadow didn't want to tell.

"I understand. Though I'm still worried about her. Back at her girl school, she didn't fit in with the girls. And that is why I transferred her to Station Square High. I guess it didn't work" Aunt Star sighs.

"Don't worry. I promised myself to help her at all cost. Maybe like a bodyguard" Shadow said, joking at the last sentence.

"Good, that will give her a chance to fit in" Aunt Star smiled a bit.

"......Uhhh........" Nebula moaned in her sleep and was waking up, opening her eyes slowly.

Star and Shadow saw her waking up and Nebula saw her Aunt and Shadow.

"Nebula. Thank god you're alright" Aunt Star tenderly placed her hand on Nebula's cheek.

"Aunt Star...I'm glad you're here" Nebula hugged her aunt while Shadow watched.

Nebula then saw him, "Shadow, you're here too?"

"Yes Nebula, I'm here for you. I should have protected you before you fainted. But don't worry, the picture he made is destroyed" Shadow said.

"That's good. But I'm not sure if I'll ever go back to school again. My life is ruined" Nebula sighs.

"Nebs, Shadow here told me he'll defend you at any cost" Aunt Star said to her.

"Ok, I'll give the school one last chance. Deal?" Nebula took off her oxygen mask, holding her hand out. Shadow shakes it with a promising smile.

"Deal" he said and then hugs her.

--

After signing out from the hospital, Aunt Star and Nebula drove back home as Shadow waved good bye. He also managed to give Nebula's small backpack back to her before leaving the hospital. He hover skates on the sidewalk to head home.

Nebula in the car was happy that she found someone she can truly trust.

"That boy is not so bad, Nebs. He might become your closest friend" Aunt Star said.

"I guess so" Nebula shrugs, "But I don't know about his other friends. That will take a while" she said and looks at her drawings in her sketchbook. But there was a drawing paper sketch from Shadow that he did in class was the same drawing that he was doing.

"Oh, he gave this as a gift" Nebula said and shows it to her Aunt.

"I'll have a closer look when we arrive" she replied as Nebula put the sketch back.

---

At Shadow's house, he was thinking of what to do to help Nebula be one in his group and not be the victim of the bullies.

"You did the right thing, Shads. You protect the poor girl" Shadow said to himself.

He paces back and forth thinking of something. But eventually he gave up thinking and sat down on his bed, "Maybe Sonic or my other friends can help me" he muttered.

---

The next day, Nebula managed to heal her head with her healing powers. She never told Shadow or his friends that she has powers yesterday. Right now she's driving her purple civic Honda to high school. Driving to the entrance to the parking lot and parks her care there. She gets out of the car and locks it; she takes a deep breath and goes inside the school to her locker. She smiled a bit when she saw Shadow discussing something with Sonic. She then takes out her stuff and walks up to them.

"Well today Amy asked me out but I'm a bit too shy right now" Sonic said to Shadow.

"Come on, blue boy. I know you have feelings for her. You can't hide it anymore because sooner or later she'll be taken" Shadow said.

"What are you guys talking about?" Nebula asked them both.

"Uh, we're discussing the thing between me and Amy Rose" Sonic said.

"Oh, you mean the pink hedgehog?" Nebula guessed.

"Yup" Sonic nodded. He then checked the clock on the wall, "But class is about to start, let's go"

They went to the hallway to get to swimming.

Nebula had on a black bra-top and black bikini shorts; she never liked wearing a swimming bikini-underwear-like type of thing because that would attract perverts to slap her butt rudely. But she got Shadow on her side. Her enemy Sally Acorn was glaring at Sonic and Amy. Nebula can see a hint of jealousness in that chipmunk/squirrel's eyes.

"Oh man, not her" Shadow muttered.

"Shadow please" Nebula tried to calm him down. Sonic was still shy to accept if he and Amy are going out.

"Sonic? What's wrong?" Amy asked him.

"Uh, nothing" Sonic lied.

The male tiger teacher stepped out and stands in front of them, "Okay class, get into the pool and when I blow the whistle you all start swimming! And after that it's jumping from the diving board" The teacher tells them. They all nod and got into the pool, but Sonic was a bit nervous to get near the water.

But he tries his best to overcome his fear and he swims among the first. His buddy Tails swims underneath him with his swim goggles on. Nebula was swimming close with Shadow nearby.

All of a sudden, Sonic lost his breath for swimming underwater for long. He gasps for air and struggles to swim up. Amy gasped by watching her crush starting to drown. She swims to him along with Nebula, dragging him up to the surface to the edge. Sonic pants out for air but didn't get up.

"Amy, do you know CPR?" Nebula asked.

"Yes I do" Amy nodded.

"Get out of my way! I should give him CPR!" Sally pushed Amy to the edge of the pool.

"Amy! Grrr!! What is your problem?! She was trying to save him! You did nothing at all!" Nebula yelled at the chipmunk.

Amy got out of the water and ran into Sonic to give him CPR.

She held his head up to breathe air into his lungs, after a few takes he coughs out some water and opens his eyes.

"Uhhh..... What happened?" Sonic groaned.

"You lost your breath in the water" Amy said to him. Sonic smiled at Amy saving his life. She even helped him up as Sally watched with a glare.

"You bitch!" Sally tries to get to Amy but Nebula stopped her.

"Don't even think about it! I tried to be polite with you but you're really getting on my nerves, chipmunk" Nebula growled, trying to calm her anger before it makes her eyes glow purple.

"Fine!" Sally huffs and walks away.

"Don't worry, Nebula. Sally can be like that" Silver said to her.

"I know, you really are my friends" Nebula smiled.

---

After the swimming lesson, Nebula and the gang were out on the school garden.

"I know you guys are on my side and all. But why?" Nebula asked.

"In hope you have someone to trust" Sonic explained to her.

"Yeah we don't want you to feel miserable again. So what do you say, you want to be in our group?" Amy said.

Nebula thinks for a minute and nodded, "Sure. But first, introduce yourselves to me" she said.

"Sure, you have already meet me, Amy, Tails, Shadow and Cream" Sonic said.

"I'm Rouge the Bat if you know" Rouge introduced herself to Nebula.

"I'm Silver and it's a pleasure to meet you" Silver said.

"My name is Blaze, nice to meet you" Blaze shakes hands with Nebula.

"Oh, nice to meet you guys" Nebula smiled.

"And I'm Knuckles, best football player here" Knuckles said, posing like a hero.

"You all have nice names" Nebula said.

"Same to you" Shadow smiled.

"Thanks" Nebula said and high-fives with him.

"Say Nebula, wanna hang out with us at Shadow's place after school?" Sonic asked.

"Hmm......okay" Nebula nodded, but then her ears start to twitch, "Uh oh"

"What's wrong?" Tails asked.

"Problem" Nebula said and ran to see what's wrong.

"We should follow her" Shadow and Sonic said unison and follows her. Nebula ran to see that a grey albatross with his hawk friend taunting a male lion half-cyborg.

"Alright kitty, giving up?" The albatross taunts the lion boy.

"Don't call me that, Storm! I don't like it!" the lion whines a bit.

"Why? Because your arm is made of scrap?" the green hawk taunts him and pushed him to the ground. As the lion boy tried to flee, he got grabbed by the tail by Storm and it sure hurts a lot.

"Hey! Get away from him!" Nebula shouted.

"And who the hell are you?" Storm asked, releasing the lion boy's tail.

"Hmph, I don't need to tell you my name! Just what do you think you're doing to that boy?!" Nebula growled.

"He's a disgrace in skateboarding!" Storm said with a grin.

"Well guess what?! You are doing it in a selfish way! Now leave him alone!" Nebula said in an angry voice.

"I'll leave him alone until he's taught a lesson!" Storm said.

"Hmph, wanna do this in an arm wrestle?" Nebula smirked.

"So be it" Storm grins and they grab each hand and began arm-wrestling. Sonic and Shadow witnesses this as they struggle.

Storm began to get tired but Nebula got a sly grin and didn't get tired.

"Haha!" Nebula moved Storm's arm down with her strong arm.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Sonic thumbs up at her.

"How?! Impossible!" Storm gasped along with the green hawk.

"I have super strength" Nebula smirked.

"What? Jet I don't wanna mess with her" Storm said to Jet.

"Me neither, let's go!" Jet said and they ran off like cowards. Nebula watched them leave with her hands on her hips.

"Thanks" the half-cyborg lion thanked Nebula and walks to the other direction.

"Nebula, you have powers?" Shadow asked her.

"Yeah" Nebula said shyly.

"That's great so you're not defenseless" Sonic punches her friendly on the shoulder.

"Yup but I don't usually use them. Or else I get into trouble" Nebula said to them.

"Ok, but let's get back to our schoolwork" Shadow said. They walked together inside.