CHAPTER 21
It was early in the afternoon the next day at Shadow's house.
Shadow was walking throughout the house looking for Rouge until he had heard giggling in a room across from him. He heard multiple laughing. One sounded like Rouge's and the other sounded like another yet familiar feminine laugh. He peeked his head into the guest room and saw Rouge sitting on a bed with Nails.
The two sisters were softly talking while Nails was brushing Rouge's long white hair. The two stopped what they were doing when they heard a fake coughing at the doorway. They turned to find Shadow leaning against the doorway with a mug of coffee in his hands.
Nails figured Shadow was upset with her because she was in his house without Rouge informing him. "Oh, Shadow! I…"
"…You're actually getting along with each other."
The two bat sisters looked at each other with small smiles.
A warm smile formed on his face, "I'm glad that you two are bonding."
In absolute shock that Shadow didn't yell at Nails for being in the house, Rouge watched as he walked away leaving the two alone. She turned to the black bat, "Oh my God I can't believe it. No yelling."
Nails was so relieved that Shadow didn't get angry with her. "Maybe he's finally starting to like me?"
"I hope so. The less tension with him, the better."
"Well, he was drinking his coffee. So maybe that had something to do with it."
Rouge couldn't help but to laugh with her from her comment.
The two were once again interrupted when Rouge felt her cell phone vibrate inside of her pants pocket.
Rouge took the phone out of her pocket and read a text message. "…Oh…"
Nails noticed her change of facial expressions as she read the text message. "What's wrong?"
"It's Tonya. She wants us to come over."
Nails watched as Rouge put her phone back in her pants pocket and got off of the bed she was sitting on. "Why? Is something wrong?"
"I don't know but she sounds upset. We should head over to her place."
She made a nod, "Right." She got off of the bed as well and followed Rouge out of the room.
Much later, Shadow walked downstairs while the doorbell had rung constantly. He sighed heavily as he approached the door. "That tears it. I'm getting rid of that damn doorbell." He opened the door and saw Espio standing at the doorway. "Espio?"
"Before I say anything, is Rouge here?"
He shook his head, "Nope."
"Nails? Tikal? Any females at all?"
He once again shook his head, "No, Rouge left with Nails maybe an hour ago to head over Tonya's."
As Espio stepped inside, he sighed heavily in frustration. "That's just perfect! So they can all get together and talk more girly shit to each other!"
Shadow rose an eyebrow in confusion as he noticed Espio's aggravated attitude. He shut the door when he saw Espio walk inside and sit down in a chair. "…What's up with you?"
"Didn't you get my text?"
Shadow shrugged his shoulders and pulled out his cell phone from his pants pocket. He sat back down on the sofa and started to scroll through the recent messages on his phone.
"Tonya is pissed with me!"
Shadow took his eyes from his phone and looked at the frustrated chameleon. "Why?"
"I don't know!"
Shadow placed his phone down on the small table in front of him and held a glass of water in his hands. He took a sip of his water and focused his attention on Espio. "Makes sense already."
"No! Something happened that day she, Rouge, and Tikal went to pick out Rouge's dress."
"Something happened? Rouge came back happy as shit that day. It didn't look like anything was bothering her."
"That's the problem! While they were out together someone put some crazy shit in Tonya's head and now she's looking at me like I'm ruining our relationship."
"Wait a minute. What's exactly going on?"
Espio bit his lip as he hesitated. "Tonya basically said that she feels like her and I are just really close friends rather than being in an actual relationship."
He arched an eyebrow, "…What the hell did you do? Too much sex?"
He shifted his eyes over to him in annoyance from his comment. "Very funny."
"But this doesn't make any sense. You love her."
"I know that's what I told her! But for some reason she thinks I'm playing around with her feelings."
"I thought she was happy with how things were between you two?"
The chameleon shrugged his shoulders. "I thought so too, but she kept bringing up you and Rouge. She was comparing us with you two!"
Shadow was then taken by surprise as he and Rouge were apparently involved in their quarrel, "…Really?"
He made a small nod, "I don't know…she's acting like our relationship is shit compared to you guys."
Shadow bit his lip in hesitation before he spoke out to Espio about what the problem may have been. "I'm no expert on relationships or anything but…do you think that with Rouge and I being engaged and all is making her kinda…jealous?"
Espio looked back at Shadow with a shocked expression. "Tonya? Jealous? Of…Rouge?"
He made a small nod, "I'm not saying she is, but with Rouge being all super excited about the wedding and all, it probably got to Tonya a little."
"Well what the fuck! What does she want me to do? We've been dating for like six months! She expects me to move in with her? Get married?"
Shadow's eyes widened as he saw Espio stand from the chair and starting to pace around the room anxiously.
"Have kids? It's too fast, Shadow! It's too much!"
"…If that's how you feel, then you should tell her."
A saddened look at overcame on his face, "But…but I might…lose her."
Meanwhile, Rouge, Nails, and Tikal were sitting in the living room with Tonya at her house.
Rouge sat alongside with Tonya on the sofa rubbing her back trying to comfort her.
Nails and Tikal sat down on the floor and had tried to sympathize with Tonya.
Tonya sniffled as a tear fell down her cheek.
Rouge handed her a tissue so she could wipe the tears from her face. "Oh sweetie, it kills me to see you upset like this."
Tonya used the tissue to wipe some of the tears from her face. "I just don't understand anything anymore. My entire relationship with Espio could be a sham. What if he's just confused? Maybe he only loves me for my body?"
"Tonya, that can't be true. Espio's a great guy and you know he cares about you", Tikal spoke.
"Well", Nails spoke. "Tonya may have a point. Us women, are always the emotional ones while in relationships. And they men, ninety nine percent of the time are always thinking with their dick. It's facts!"
After hearing Nails speak, Tonya had began to once again sob.
Rouge glared at the black bat woman, "You're not helping!"
Nails shrugged slightly, "Sorry just saying."
"Hey!" A male voice shouted from the kitchen.
They all then saw Ker walk into the living room with a tray of cookies in his hands.
"I take offense to that! Not all men are a bunch of horny animals! Some are actually gentle and passionate when it comes to relationships." He held out the tray of cookies towards the girls, "Cookies?"
Everyone decided to take a chocolate chip cookie off from the tray.
"Ker", Nails spoke while she ate her cookie. "If more men acted like you, then they would all be gay. No offense."
"…Again…offense!" The snow white skinned demon rolled his eyes in annoyance and walked back into the kitchen to put the tray he held away.
Nails focused her attention back to Tonya, "Tonya sweetie, don't worry about Espio. Just go gay and find a girl who's on your level."
Rouge flashed her eyes over to Nails. "Um I think she'll just stick to dick but thanks, Nails."
Tonya tried to hold her tears back, "I just don't know what to think anymore. Are me and Espio actually right for each other?"
"I got it!" Nails exclaimed.
Tikal arched an eyebrow towards her in confusion, "What is it?"
"Bowling!"
Everyone in the room gave her a strange look . "Bowling?"
"Yeah! We could all go out on a double date! No!" She held Tikal's hand, "A triple date! Me and Tikal! Shadow and Rouge! And Tonya and Espio!"
"Well that sounds fun, but how is this supposed to help Tonya and Espio?" Ker asked from the kitchen.
"We'll work in teams! Which means working together! Bowling with each other! Then they'll know for sure if they're right for each other", Nails had explained.
Rouge placed a finger to her chin and thought about the idea. She had figured that Nails had only wanted to do this to get closer to Tikal. Other than that, it just seemed like a useless tactic. "I'm kind of with Ker. It sounds kinda useless but fun." She turned to Tonya, "But it's up to you, Ton. What do you wanna do?"
Tonya carelessly shrugged her shoulders, "I don't see the harm of trying it."
Nails excitedly stood from the floor, "Then that settles it! It's a triple date!"
In The Next Chapter…
Shadow: Bowling!? No way!
Rouge: Oh come on! It'll be fun!
Espio: If you didn't mouth off to rest of those girls, we wouldn't be here right now!
Tonya: I wish you'd stop acting like such a jerk!
Tikal: …Nails?
Rouge: Holy crap! Did she just do what I think she just did!?
Tonya: I can't take this…