Steven's POV
Connie and I follow my dad to his van. "Hey, Connie, can you remind me how to get to your house? I haven't driven there in a while since you guys just use lion most of the time" he asks Connie. "Oh yeah, sure. Just take a left at the next intersection and follow that road to the end, then take another left. I'll tell you what house it is when we get there" she replies. The rest of the car ride is pretty awkward, at least for me. Finally, we drop Connie and start heading home. "Hey, Steven, do you mind telling me exactly what happened? Like, how did you get so hurt, and where were the gems in all this? How come they just, left you there?" my dad asks from the front seat. I guess I have to tell him the truth, too, but I'll probably leave out all the emotional stuff. "So," I start, "I was trying to train and, well, the gem I was fighting was too strong for me. So I tried to run away, but then Connie called, and I passed out before I had the chance to leave or heal myself, except for one big gash on my arm." "Wait, so, where were the gems? And I thought you were going to some water temple thing? Or was that where you were the whole time? Wait, no, because you said you didn't have a chance to run away, but then, where is the gem that attacked you? I'm so confused..." my dad spastically asks, getting paler with every question he asks. "Well, I wasn't actually at a water temple. Lion took me to this weird place in the middle of the nature reserve because I said I wanted to train somewhere, but it disappeared. The gems didn't know I was there. The gem that attacked me left... I'm not sure where she is. Maybe she disappeared with the arena, too" I say while looking out the window, feeling a mixture of guilty and embarrassed once again. "Steven, you... lied to us?" he says, sounding both hurt and disappointed. I say nothing. "You could've gotten yourself killed! Why would you do that!" he sort of asks, sort of shouts. I still say nothing. "Alright, well you're grounded, for now. No leaving the house until we sort out what's going on, okay" my dad says a little more calmly. I don't blame him for doing that. Although, I am a little confused why I was taken to the hospital when I can just heal myself, so I decide to ask him. "Hey, Dad, how come you guys took me to the hospital? I can just heal myself" "We just wanted to make sure you weren't severely dehydrated. You might have healing spit, but you still need to drink water to live" he replies. I guess that makes sense. Finally we arrive back home, and I just walk in the door, head up the stairs, and jump into my bed. I don't even bother to wash my face or change my clothes, all I want to do is sleep. Within a minute, I'm already passed out cold.
Connie's POV
It's been nearly an hour since I was dropped off at my house. All I can think about is Steven. But not just about him kissing me, but about why he felt like he wasn't good enough. It makes me really sad to think that someone as amazing as him can be so hard on himself. There's also a fear in the back of my mind that things would ever go back to normal. Not that that's necessarily bad, but I just want to be able to go back to hanging out on the boardwalk and chilling and stuff. I want to be able to have fun like that again, and not have it be awkward. I figure that he'll probably be in trouble for lying and practically getting himself killed, and he's proably really tired, too, so I think it's best wait a few days before I head over there again. I try to distract myself by getting ready for bed, but as soon as I finish and lay down in my bed, the fear comes back. But this time, it's stronger. How could things ever be normal again? I think to myself. What'll happen to us? Will we just... stop being friends? That last thought scares me. He's been my best friend for so long, and without him, I... really don't have anyone. Well I have my family, but they're not the same. Without Steven I wouldn't have someone my age to talk to, someone who really gets me. This is going to be a long sleepless night. I think as I stare at the ceiling, feeling the most awake I felt all day. Fear is the only thing I can feel right now.
So, it's been a while since I've updated, and I'm sorry. I also revised all the spelling mistakes and incorrect tense errors I could find (there were a lot, so there's probably still more, sorry), and I also tried to fill in some plot holes and stuff to make the story clearer. If you see any errors in this chapter or any of the following chapters, don't be afraid to (kindly) point them out in the comments, and if there are any questions about the plot or anything ask them and I can try to clarify. Thanks for reading, as always!
~~ Emmie
