Chapter 3
Sportacus quickly picked himself back up and realized that it was Stephanie who had knocked him down. He scooped up his love and held her close. Neither one said anything to one another. Finally, it was Sportacus who broke the silence.
"Stephanie, please stop crying. We can work this out. There is always a way remember?" Stephanie couldn't look him in the eyes. After what she had done, it was impossible. It was then that Amanda showed up.
She was completely out of breath and collapsed onto the ground. Sportacus carefully set Stephanie down and came to the other girl's aid. Amanda was gasping for breath and trying to reach for something in her pocket. Sportacus grabbed what he assumed she was looking for and handed it to her. Amanda stuck the strange thing into her mouth, pressed down on the top of it, and inhaled. About two minutes later, her breathing was back to normal.
"Are you all right, Amanda?" Sportacus asked.
"I think so. Thanks for helping me get my inhaler. Stinking asthma caught up to me again." Amanda said not wanting to ruin what seemed like a calm moment.
"Is that what that contraption is?" Sportacus asked.
"Yeah. Sometimes when I run my lungs tend to seize up and not let any air in. But thankfully I was able to get the medication in before I couldn't do it myself. Thanks again, Sportacus. Is everything ok with you guys?" Amanda knew darn well that everything wasn't ok but she didn't want to say something if Stephanie hadn't.
"Uh, yeah." Sportacus lied. Amanda could tell he was lying but she didn't press the matter.
"Why were you running, anyway?" Sportacus asked.
"To be honest I was running after Stephanie. I hope that whatever got her upset can be resolved. Now that you guys are together, I think I'll go to my hotel and take a shower. See ya later." With that she left Sportacus and Stephanie alone once again.
Stephanie hadn't moved from where Sportacus put her down. She hadn't even reacted when Amanda was struggling for breath. What she had done in the prison was still running through her head. Sportacus got down in front of her and asked her why she wouldn't talk to him. Her only response was to pull her knees to her chin and stare off into space.
Captain Dogooder couldn't get any answers from Robbie. It was obvious that he wasn't getting anywhere and the Captain gave up. He decided to go find Sportacus and try to figure out what to do.
Sportacus' frustration was at the boiling point. He grabbed Stephanie's shoulders and demanded to talk to him. She once again avoided eye contact. But there was no mistaking what she was about to say.
"Sportacus, forget everything. I don't deserve any of your love and affection. What I have done is beyond reprehensible. So please leave me." Shocked by her response, Sportacus sputtered,
"What… What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere until you explain what the hell you're talking about!" Stephanie was surprised to hear Sportacus swear and that he would raise his voice to her.
"All I've ever wanted to was to be with you, to love you and to be loved in return. When you asked me to marry you I wanted the world to know that the person I loved was going to spend the rest of her life with me. But if you can't tell me the truth how can our relationship survive? Please, Stephanie I'm begging you. Tell me everything." Sportacus continued. He had opened up on an emotional level. It wasn't easy for him to do that. All he wanted was her to tell the truth, but how could she?
To Be Continued…