CHAPTER 38

"You? No sex? Two weeks?" Espio obnoxiously laughed while he stood in front of the big desk Shadow was sitting at in the main lobby of the Chaotix.

Shadow had his arms crossed with an annoyed look on his face while he sat in the desk chair behind the desk he sat at.

The purple chameleon continued to laugh hysterically. "This is priceless!"

"…It's not that funny", he spoke in an annoyed tone.

"Yes it is!"

"Well I don't see what's so funny about it."

"Because you and Rouge are complete sex maniacs! You couldn't go a day without getting some!" He held the side of his stomach as he tried to stop laughing. "Oh God! This is killing me!"

Shadow shrugged his shoulders. "Well what else could we do? When we saw the doctor yesterday he advised that I gave up stress, drinking, smoking, and sex."

Espio had made a nod, "Well you sure as hell couldn't get pass the drinking and smoking. And let's not get started on your stress levels." A sly look appeared on his face, "I guess the no sex thing was the only option you really have a chance at."

Shadow couldn't believe Espio didn't think he could go through with it. "Screw you, dude! Sex is not the only thing keeping our marriage together!"

Espio shrugged his shoulders, "I totally do not think that. I just think you guys need to chill with it. Every time I turn around, I catch you guys fucking." He pointed at the desk Shadow had sat at, "You fucked her on this desk, outside behind the building, the weaponry room…" A disturbed look had formed on his face, "Your office…"

"Okay! Okay! I get it! So Rouge and I have sex more than a little often…big deal! But we're not obsessed with it. We can go through with this." He wanted to believe that he and Rouge could actually go the entire two weeks without having sex.

"Whatever you say, dude", he spoke with a smirk before walking away from him. He had then saw Nails standing in the far corner of the room. He walked over to her while she held a mug full of hot chocolate in her hands. "So I take it you heard what's going on with Shad and Rouge?"

After when she took a sip from her mug, she made a small nod. "Yup! Rouge told me yesterday." She turned to him with a sly smile. "Two weeks without getting any?"

A small laugh escaped him. "Yup! Rouge will totally fuck up first."

Nails arched an eyebrow towards him. "Rouge? I think you mean Shadow."

"What?"

"Oh come on! He's a guy after all. He'll want to stick his dick in her sooner or later."

He couldn't help but to feel slightly offended that Nails thought that guys were more sexually active than women were. He crossed his arms as he turned to her. "No way! This is all gonna fall on Rouge."

Nails placed a hand on her hip. "Espio The Chameleon, is that a bet?"

"You know what? Yeah it is!"

"Okay you're on! Fifty bucks on whoever caves first?" She extended her hand so he could shake it.

"It's a bet", he took her hand and shook it.

Later on at Tonya's house, Tonya had came downstairs and saw Tikal sitting on the sofa in the living room. "Hey, Tikal", when she walked into the room, she had saw quite a few backpacks and other bags on the floor near where she was sitting. "Um, what's going on? You going on a trip or something?"

Tikal looked up at the cat woman in excitement. "Oh hey, Ton!" She quickly stood up from the sofa and held her hands. "Guess what?"

She gave her the same excited look back. "What?"

"Nails wants me to move in with her!"

The excited look had suddenly faded from her face. She couldn't believe it. Tikal was going to move in with Nails? "Oh? So soon?"

She nodded happily. "Yes! We just love each other so much, I just really want to be closer to her."

She slowly took her hands from hers, "Yeah I'm happy for you both and all but do you think that you're maybe rushing into things a little…fast?"

The smile she had on her face had faded. "…Fast? I don't understand."

"You and Nails just started dating. How do you know that moving in with her is the right move? How are you so sure that this is even love?" She had began to think that Tikal was just confused. She thought that maybe she was overtaken with lust instead of it being an emotional kind of feeling.

In shock from her words, she slowly turned away from her. "I can't believe this…" She turned back to her with an angered look. "How dare you say that! You don't think what Nails and I have together is love?"

Her heart raced when she realized that she had upset her. "I didn't say that…"

"What is wrong with you, Tonya? First you throw Shadow and Rouge's relationship in the air and now you have doubts about me and Nails?"

"Tikal…"

"I thought you were happy for me?"

"I am happy for you!"

She slowly shook her head, "No you're not. If you were, you wouldn't shoot down the decisions I make with her. You're not being very supportive and it hurts that you feel this way…"

In regret that she spoke out her opinions to her, Tonya watched as Tikal stormed her way upstairs and slammed the door to her room.

Later on that evening at Margaret's house, Charmy slowly walked downstairs and had made his way into the kitchen where Margaret was.

Margaret turned to him and noticed that he was wearing a green jacket and had a blue backpack on his back. It had looked like he was ready to go out somewhere. "Charmy, you're finally awake?"

He turned to her with a confused expression at first. He shut his eyes and placed a hand on his forehead. He looked down and slowly shook his head like he had a terrible headache. When he thought he could respond to her, he slowly looked up at her with a dazed expression. "What? Oh! Uh yeah I just woke up."

She knew right then that something was off about him. He was lying to her. She didn't think that he was in his room all night last night. She focused her attention to him and studied how he was acting. He was acting dazed and confused for some reason. "…Are you all right, Charmy?"

He knew that she thought something was strange about how he was acting. He looked away from her and made a small chuckle, "Yeah I'm just peachy."

Her heart raced when she suddenly heard a small laugh escape him. What was so funny? She feared that he was high from something. Did he have more pills on him? Or was it something else? She tried to not overreact around him, "…Where are you going off to?"

The bee shrugged his shoulders and began to walk towards the door, "I'm just…going out…"

"Doing what?"

"Just hanging out with some friends and stuff…"

"…You've been going out a lot lately you know? I barely even see you anymore."

"I guess I've just been busy…" Another small laugh slipped from him as he reached out towards the doorknob. Before he attempted to leave, Margaret had spoke out to him.

"Busy doing what? Popping pills?"

His eyes shot open after when she had mentioned pills. Did she know what was really going on with him? If so then how did she find out? He slowly spun around to her. "…What?" His mouth hung open when he saw her taking out a white pill bottle and held it up so he could clearly see it.

"…Does this belong to you?" She asked in an angered tone.

"…Where'd you get that?" He tried to take the bottle away from her but she jerked her hand back before he could grab it.

"…You dropped this on the floor yesterday."

His eyes shifted away from hers. He murmured in a low tone, "So that's where it went…" He fixed his eyes back to her, "Give that back to me."

"…As I recall, you're not in any real intense pain. So what are you doing with these?"

He paused and hesitated before he could reply to her. "…I'm just holding it for a friend."

She didn't believe the answer he had gave her. Something else was going on and he wasn't telling her the entire story. "Don't lie to me, Charmy."

He still didn't completely have his attention on her. He stood there in silence.

"I want you to tell me the real reason why you have this."

"…I…I have to go." He quickly spun around and placed his hand on the doorknob.

"Charmy, don't you walk away from me! Charmy!" She begged for him to not leave but he had ignored her pleas and left the house in a hurry. She leaned against the counter and crossed her arms while she was deep in thought. She thought what could she do? Charmy obviously wouldn't listen to her and if he didn't listen to her, who would he listen to?

In The Next Chapter…

Charmy: No one gets it. No one seems to understand. How could they possibly feel the pain I'm feeling? I'll get rid of the pain. My own way…