Episode 2: Love Hurts

"Got any threes?" Manny asked.

"Go fish." Frida said.

Manny took a card from the stack.

"Okay dude this is lame."

"Yeah, so you wanna go with Grandpapi to play poker with other villains?"

"Will there be gambling?"

"Yep."

"Could we get in trouble if were caught?"

"Most likely."

"Ok I'm in."

"Hey Grandpapi you got two more players!"

They went to Calavera and started a game at the bar.

"Boom! All aces!" Frida shouted as all the other players groaned.

"Again?" Puma Loco said. "You must be cheating!"

"Yeah man! That's the 10th time!" El Oso said.

"Sorry boys I'm just lucky." She said. "Now pay up."

Manny, Grandpapi, and the other villains reluctantly gave up their things.

"Frida you're good." Manny said.

"Thanks you think I could-."

Suddenly cactuses burst from the ground and started poking everyone in the bar.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" They shouted.

"Hey what gives?" Manny said.

Then the Cactus kid came through the door. "Hello Riveras!" Manny spun his belt and started to slice up the cactuses. But more of them just kept growing more large. One of them trapped Grandpapi and held it's spikes up to his neck.

"El tigre drop your claws or the old coot gets it!"

"No please! I'm too old to die!" Grandpapi shouted.

Manny pulled his claws in. "What do you want?"

"Well I did come for revenge but my girlfriend and I got into a fight."

"You have a girlfriend?" Manny said looking surprised.

"I did but...but...but." His lip started to quiver. "She broke up with me!" He started crying. Manny, Frida, and everyone else had an awkward look on their faces.

"Uh okay This doesn't normally happen." Manny said. He lightly patted the Cactus kid's back. "Sorry dude it happens."

"Yeah?" He sniffled. "Well what do you and the blue haired chick do when you fight?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know the girl with goggles you hang around. Isn't she your girlfriend?"

"No!" Manny and Frida said blushing.

"So um since this is just about a relationship I'll just-." Grandpapi said.

"Not so fast old man! And El tigre you're gonna help me get my girlfriend back or your grandfather will have cactus needles in his brain for the next ten years!"

"Wait a minute why me?"

"Because you helped El Oso with his lady problems."

"It's true man!"

"Please Manny I'll be dead in ten years!" Grandpapi pleaded.

"Alright fine!"

They went in to town following Cactus kid to where his ex girlfriend lived.

"So who is your girlfriend?" Frida asked.

"I think you guys know her. There she is hide!" They ducked in the bushes as a girl with brown hair, a green shirt, pink shorts, and cowboy boots walked by.

"Sophia! She's your girlfriend?" Frida said.

"I can't blame you she looks great without that eyebrow." Manny said drooling and Frida looking annoyed smacked him. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Oh no reason."

"So what made her so mad?"

"I said she was too demanding and that she was too loud."

"Well don't worry Frida and I will get you guys back together. This I swear!" He pledged.

They came out from the bushes and approached Sophia.

"Hey Sophia." Frida said.

"Hi Frida, Hi Manny I haven't seen you guys since Raul and Browsia got married."

"Well we heard that you are now dating Cactus kid." Manny said.

"Yeah but I dumped him. That jerk said I was too demanding and loud. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!"

"Nooo." Manny said.

"Not at all!" Frida said.

"But come on so he said a few things."

"Oh it's not that Manny it's just that he never tells me how he feels."

"Duh! What real man talks about his feelings?"

"Shut up Manny! Sophia I'm sure he cares about you he just can't find the right way to explain them."

"Well until he can tell me how he tells me how he feels. HE'LL NEVER HAVE ME FOR A GIRLFRIEND AGAIN!"

Manny and Frida went back to talk to Cactus kid.

"She want's me to what!"

"Tell her how you feel." Manny said.

"How?"

"We need to think to think of something sweet, something gushy. And I know just where to get the ideas."

Manny picked the lock on a wooden box, opened it, and pulled out a book.

"Manny!" Rodolfo shouted. "You're not in my room going through my private things again?"

"No Dad! I'm...I'm helping the poor."

Quickly Manny swung out the window and went back to meet Frida and Cactus kid.

"Dad has been writing love notes, ideas, and poems about Mom ever since he was kid it's practically a dictionary on stuff like this."

"Really? Let me see." Cactus kid flipped through the pages. "Hey let's try the one on page 8."

"Okay are you almost done?" Frida asked.

"Yep check out this letter." Cactus kid passed the letter to Frida and by the time she was done she was in tears.

"That was the most beautiful thing I have ever read." She sobbed.

"Now let's get this to Sophia." Manny said.

"Viva Pantalones!" Señor Chapi swooped down, snatched the letter, and ate it.

"Nooo!" Cactus kid grabbed Señor Chapi and shoved his hand down the birds throat but it was no use the letter was gone.

"Alright that failed so how about page 12." Manny suggested.

Sophia was in the park with her grandfather not too far from them Manny, Frida, and Cactus kid were setting up fireworks.

"Okay so we light the fuse and the fireworks go up and spell I love you Sophia." Manny said.

"Great now which one do I light first?"

"Number 9."

"Okay." Cactus kid lit the fuse but when it reached it's end the firework took off flying out of control.

"Duck in cover people!" Manny said shielding Frida as he jumped to the ground. "Which fuse did you light?"

"Fuse 5."

"I told you to light fuse 9!"

"What's the difference?"

"Fuse 5 is unstable!"

"Uh dudes?" Frida pointed over to the firework. It was headed straight for the bench Sophia and it hit Sophia's grandfather.

"Grandpa!" Sophia turned angrily at them. "Cactus kid! I NEVER WANNA SEE YOU AGAIN!" She turned around and stormed off.

"Harrrrrsh!" Frida said.

"You made it worse. You made it worse! YOU MADE WORSE!"

"Uh oh! Hang on Frida!" Manny put Frida on his back and ran as fast as he could. Cactus kid chased after them with an army of cactuses. Soon he cornered them ready to scratch and poke them to death.

"Come on Cactus kid there are plenty of girls out there." Manny said trembling.

"No there's not a single girl like Sophia. She's the smartest, sweetest, most beautiful girl in Miracle City! She makes me happy and now that she's gone I will now be in enteral sadness! I will never love again!"

"Really?" A voice said. Sophia was right there behind him and had heard every word. " That was so romantic. Did you mean it?"

"Yeah of course I did. You're the only woman I ever loved."

"Oh Cactus kid kiss me!"

They kissed and ran off holding hands.

"That was so disturbing!" Frida said.

"I know. You're the only woman I ever loved." Manny mocked.

"Oh kiss me!" Frida mocked back. "Well I'm just glad it's over."

"Yeah but why do I feel like we're forgetting something?"

"Hello! Shouted Grandpapi who was still trapped in a cactus. "A little help! Anybody! Manny! Frida! These needles are making my butt sore.