Jealousy

Chapter 12

At the evening, the Meanswells and the kids arrived to the restaurant, not before the chef Pablo Fantastico greeted each of them personally with a kiss on the cheek.

"Ah, Sportacus! *mua-mua* It's so good to see you!" said Pablo in his Spanish accent.

"It's good to see you too, Chef Fantastico!" Sportacus said and shook his hand.

"Oh, and that must be your special lady!" Pablo said as he noticed Maddie behind him and kissed her cheeks too.

"Um, we're not together anymore," Maddie said awkwardly.

"Oh," Pablo felt embarrassed, "well, take a seat then!"

Milford, Bessie, Maddie and Ziggy sat in one table, while the rest of the kids and Sportacus in the next one. Stephanie made sure she catches the seat next to Sportacus. "Excuse me for a sec," Maddie said and went to the bathroom. Milford and the rest started to get suspicious about Maddie hanging around wearing always that black hoodie, but Milford thought that if she's not coming to talk to him, so there's no problem. After coming back from the bathroom, Maddie went to talk to Pablo and the two went up to the little stage where he had a band playing for the customers.

"Excuse me, everyone, may I have your attention please? I would like to present you a special singer tonight, she is the daughter of LazyTown's mayor. Please welcome Maddie!" Pablo introduced her and left the stage.

Really Don't Care/Demi Lovato You wanna play, you wanna stay, you wanna have it allYou started messing with my head until I hit a wallMaybe I shoulda known, maybe I shoulda knownThat you would walk, you would walk out the door

Hey!

Said we were done, you met someone and rubbed it in my faceCut to the punch, she broke your heart, and then she ran awayI guess you shoulda known, I guess you shoulda knownThat I would talk, I would talkBut even if the stars and moon collideI never want you back into my lifeYou can take your words and all your liesOh oh oh I really don't careEven if the stars and moon collideI never want you back into my lifeYou can take your words and all your liesOh oh oh I really don't careOh oh oh I really don't care

The song was about to continue to the second verse when Sportacus stood up and yelled "STOP! Stop the music!"

The band stopped, and Sportacus and Maddie stood face to face.

"I really can't believe you. You stood me up and broke up with me and then you're the one playing the victim?" he told her.

"Excuse me?! You're the one who didn't show up for dinner and simply broke up with me through a letter! Who does that?!" she yelled back at him, going off the stage.

"What?! I never did that!! I never wanted to break up with you. I mean, we're almost three years together, I've been talking about marrying you, and you're literally the best thing that ever happened to me ever since I came here!! And now..." he wanted to continue, but noticed the blood dripping from her sleeve, "now you are bleeding. Please tell that's not what I think."

"I, um..." she stuttered.

"Madeline. Please," her father stood up as well when Sportacus approached to her and saw her wrist. Full of scratches from cutting herself, old and new ones. Some were actually so new they were still bleeding.

"Madeline... Why didn't you say anything?" Milford came closer, tears were forming in his eyes.

"I thought I could be stronger this time..." she said to her father, "guess I was wrong," she turned to Sportacus. "But I only did this because you broke up with me. Or so I thought..."

Stephanie felt really guilty now. And so did the rest of the kids. But not Ziggy. He knew it was finally his time to speak up.

"I can't take it anymore! It was all Stephanie's fault, and the rest of the kids too!" he claimed.

"What?" Maddie looked at him confused while one of the waiters got her a band aid.

"Yeah, Ziggy, what's going on?" Sportacus looked at him too. But Ziggy turned his look to Stephanie. She sighed and finally admitted – "Ziggy's right. It's all my fault. I was the one who broke you up."

"But why, Steph?" Maddie asked.

"Because I couldn't stand it! I couldn't stand the fact that you got him, that you're dating him, that you're around him all year long and I don't!" Stephanie cried.

Sportacus and Maddie looked at her in shock and horror.

"Is that what it was all about?!" Sportacus asked her.

"Stephanie, I can't believe you!! I almost ended my life over this, because it was the only good thing happening in my life, only because you had a crush on him?! I, I just can't..." Maddie got upset and left the restaurant, leaving her hoodie behind. Sportacus ran after her.

"Maddie, wait!!" he called her.

"Sportacus, please, I need to be alone right now..." she told him but he hugged her instead.

"No, you've been alone long enough. Now we need to be together," he said and she hugged him back.

*****

At the end of the night, Stephanie helped her uncle to make a list of all the things she did to sabotage Maddie and Sportacus' relationship in the past two months.

"Wait, the fire at the city hall was your responsibility too?!" Maddie asked in horror.

"In my defense I just wanted to make the equipment to stop working, I didn't know everything will blow up," Stephanie said.

"Okay, then. Tomorrow I will call your parents to come and pick you up, because I can't let you stay here after all this," Milford said and Stephanie just nodded in defeat.

"And I will pack a bag for tonight and go sleep at Sportacus' because I, obviously, can't stay here tonight as long you're still here. Plus, we've got a lot to catch up on," Maddie kissed Sportacus' cheek and went to her room to pack.