Burning Conscious

Chapter 7 - Parked thoughts

The cramped space didn't help his unconscious need to stretch out. If he was at home in his bed he wouldn't have to worry about space or how the car smelled like the French Fry's he had eaten the night before as a dinner replacement. 

The cars zoomed past him, the sound oddly comforting as the sun reached its peak. It was already toasting him alive, the Dondai Supremo's black seats burning under Stevens skin as he tried to roll out of the sunlight, accidentally bumping into the horn with his foot. Even with the seat reclined back there wasn't enough room.

Steven was begining to hate this car. He spent two nights in a row basically living in it and it wasn't nearly as fun as living in a car sounds. And now he was half awake and needed to go to the bathroom and the last thing he wanted to do was take a piss in the woods where Onion could possibly catch him. Speaking of the bugger Steven hadn't seen him since he started the first grade, which was weird since Onion hadn't really grown over the past few years. Even his speech is the same. At least some things never change.

He wished Jasper didn't have that date last night, he had the plans of bunking with her till she brought it up. She told him he could stay anyways but the risk of a horny Jasper and a threesome wasn't really the kinda thing Steven wanted to be caught up in.

Besides she and her gal were probably gonna do drugs or something, those were Jasper's favorite things to do outside of drinking and fighting. In all honesty Steven couldn't really stomach the thought of drugs. Just the sight of them made him feel uneasy. And after the time he actually did try them he decided smoking would be the only thing that killed off his lungs.

Did cigarettes count as drugs? 

He let out a moan as he forced his eyes open, the sun threatening to blind him. The awake world was so bright..... Introverts like him really hated the sun.

He sat up, hitting his head on the roof of the car. He plopped back down, rubbing the spot as he hissed. "You know how fast I'd sell you? You would be disassembled in less than a day."  

After a few seconds of rubbing his head and procrastinating on living, he apologized.

Reclining the seat back up, he went to check his phone. What could he do today? 

He didn't really have any new messages. Connie's last text was a week ago, Jasper didn't text at all. Pearl had sent him a chain letter, it was weird that she believed in those things- and Amethyst had posted a meme in the group chat. But that was really it. In a way he kinda wished they worried about him the way they did when he first started all of this. They'd always call and try to talk him out of it, they'd spend time with him and make him feel wanted...

Now he was just....

What even was he....?

He went to check his game, a game where you had to take care of your virtual pets. So far he had three, a lion, a dragon, and his first and most normal pet a small speckled cat. He took the time to feed and love and pet them before his battery threatened to die. That helped past the time, despite the fact it was really only a hour or so later. 

He hated how slow time moved when he wasn't doing anything. He wished it would just pass and he'd be old and dead already.

Maybe he'd go home tonight. He did need the food and to get some actual sleep. The fever dreams weren't exactly what he needed, and a break from them would be nice. Plus he felt so wrong without at least a shower between the two days. He felt the grime everywhere.....

And he could use a aspirin.

Would the gems notice?  Amethyst would the instant he touched the fridge. And he swore she had a camera attached to the door. 

Garnet would be sure to notice, if Sapphire wasn't doing something like brushing Garnets hair or the three weren't doing a massage chain or something. 

Pearl might, if she wasn't talking to m-..... Rose.

Rose would notice.....

Maybe.... Maybe he'd just go to a hotel.