Maybe he shouldn't go.

He shouldn't go.

He's not going.

"Steven! You're here!".

He went.

His arms wrapped around Lion's neck, trying hard to resist the urge to bury his face into his mane. The last thing he needed was to phase right through it. His stomach churned and flared up as he felt a wretched pain bubbling up his chest. Steven felt like cursing himself out for turning up. He was scared. Scared my friends wouldn't like him. Scared he would make a fool out of himself. Scared that every possible thing that could go wrong today would happen.

Yet somehow when he saw me jogging up to him with excitement written on my face, he managed to calm down as he instantaneously remembered why he turned up in the first place.

"Finally", my lips pinched as I made my way beside Lion. "You're late! We've been waiting for 15 minutes!".

Steven cocked a brow, "15 minutes isn't that bad".

I scowled, "It's 15 more minutes than we should've had to wait".

Steven flinched when the sound of a high-pitched squeal circulated in the air followed by the movement of a swift and hyperactive teenage girl.

"OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! YOU BROUGHT THE LION!", Frankie bounced on the spot with a grin wider than Cheshire's. "PLEASE LET ME TOUCH HIM! I'LL DIE IF YOU DON'T LET ME!!".

Before Steven could even reply and tell Frankie that he possesses no power in deciding whether or not Lion will let someone touch him, she had already flung her arms around his torso. Lion cast her an indifferent glance, but other than that, showed no retaliation against Frankie's smothering.

"He's so cute!", Frankie finally started to calm down. "If you aren't careful, I'll steal him while your back is turned!".

Steven paused, not knowing how to respond. Should he laugh because it was a joke? Was she being serious and expected retaliation?

"Hey...", he snapped out of his trance. Frankie smiled solemnly, "I hope we don't make you uncomfortable. We wouldn't want you to feel obligated to stay or anything. (Y/N) told me that apparently, I can be....a LOT".

After a second pause, Steven spoke, "No. I'm not uncomfortable. Just nervous. I want you guys to like me". 

"I already like you!", Frankie grinned. "Mostly your Lion, but you're cool too". 

A joke. 

Steven let out a laugh, though seeming a little forced but no one seemed to notice.

Frankie glanced behind her when she felt a nudge on her back. "Oh! You've met Owen right! If not, this is Owen".

Steven leaned past Frankie's head to see a boy staring him down with eyes that stunned Steven. He vaguely remembered him as he accidentally took his binder.

An apology.

"H-Hi!", Steven's greeting was already off to a semi-bad start. "I'm sorry for taking your binder. If I'd known--I mean, I wouldn't have known--I mean, I didn't know; That it was your's, I mean!".

"It's fine", Owen muttered, his eyes glued to the ground. "It was just a misunderstanding. I'm not mad or anything".

Steven was internally grinning.

Two down, one to go.

He glimpsed past Frankie and Owen to see the last friend standing a good distance away, but not so far Steven couldn't make out his insouciant stare. Steven wondered what he could do to make talking with Jeremiah more comfortable.

He didn't have anything to apologise for (Not that he knew of) and he hadn't made a joke, so laughing away the awkwardness wasn't in the cards. Steven slid off Lion's back, blowing out a discomfiting puff of air.

"Hey. Jeremiah, right?", Steven compelled a smile to spread across his face.Jerry formally stuck out his hand with not even a glimpse of a smile, "Jerry. Hey, Steven. We didn't get to properly meet last time".

Hesitantly, Steven reached out to gradually grip his hand. His hesitance made it seem like he was attempting to clutch an electric taser or a board of nails. He began worrying about all different scenarios; Was he gripping too tight and hurting him? Was he gripping too soft and was coming on as weak? Were his hands sweaty? Should he have wiped them first? After a firm handshake, the tension seeped back as no one knew what to say afterwards.

"So...You're an alien? You don't look like an alien", Jerry queried.

"Well, I'm only half alien--I mean, half gem", Steven responded.

Realising we were starting to loose daylight, I stood in the middle of everyone. "Ok, ok! You can be an alien, gem, whatever. Let's just go so we can all get home on time", I huffed, turning to Frankie, who was still fawning over Lion, "Where's this warehouse you found?".

Without a word, Frankie led the way, past the school boundaries and into the wide landscape. We all followed her, some of us jittering with excitement, others pursuing in deafening silence. Steven was one of those silent followers. No. He had to salvage the conversation. He didn't want to come off as boring or openly dependent on others for a discussion to start.

Stepping over a fallen log, Steven took a deep breath and spoke, "So, how are you guys liking school? I mean, I've never been but, I bet it's awesome! You guys must love it!".

Frankie blew a raspberry, kicking her heel into the dirt, "Heck no! I cannot wait to get out of there. Homework doesn't help, I've been getting the same grades whether I do it or not. Going to the bathroom shouldn't require prior approval. It's a natural body function, I should be able to just get up and leave!".

"I don't know, school's not all bad", Owen muttered, ruffling up the back of his hair. "There are certain people I would prefer weren't there, but in general, I kinda like it".

"That's because you're a weirdo", I spoke, feeling the weight of the books in my bag dragging me back. Owen pouted, gripping tightly onto his backpack strap and turning his head to the ground. 

Whoops! I must've touched a nerve.

"I meant that in a good way. Y'know I'm just kidding around", I corrected myself.

Owen held his frown, "There's no good way of calling someone a weirdo".

"Sure there is! Frankie's a weirdo".

"I embrace that title. It's just another way of saying you're not afraid to go against the social norms".

Finally, I earned a tiny grin from him, which seemed almost foreign.

As we kept walking, the number of trees began to increase, forming a thick woodland around us. The sun still streamed through the gaps between the branches, but its hazy glow suggested that dusk was soon to come. Steven reached out to graze his fingers on the tips of the leaves, which left felt so crisp in his fingertips. He noticed a trail of ripped and crunched-up leaves and twigs which suspiciously lead to me.

Steven sighed, "I wish I could go to school".

Finally, after what seemed like hours of nothing by silence leaving his mouth, Jerry spoke, "Why don't you? You can always apply for next term. But, considering you've never been to school, you might get put in remedial education".

Steven was initially stunned that Jerry was talking to him. But then he reminded himself that he needed to make a good impression and he couldn't do that walking in silence. "What's rem-e-de-al education?", he sounded out the new term, slightly grinning to himself. Whatever it was, it sounded really important. Maybe it was something really cool. Like a club!

"It's a class for people who don't know how to do basic skills and topics you normally do at school", Jerry answered abruptly.

The smile on Steven's face faded. It no longer sounded cool.

Jerry caught Steven's immediate change in demeanour and his formidable exterior softened up. "Sorry, that came out wrong. It's just that you'd be behind everyone else because they have more experience. So, you'd need to have someone to help you out. It's not a bad thing, it's basically the same thing we all do just with some extra guidance".

"Guidance?", Steven muttered.

To chip in and make Steven feel less agitated, I added, "There's nothing wrong with getting a little help. It doesn't make you stupid or weak. 'Cause in reality--", I reached up and snapped off a loose tree branch before dragging its edge through the dirt, "--The strongest people are the ones that can ask for help".

Jerry eyed me with a soft smile, "Wise words for someone who uses English class as a doze-off lesson".

I jostled his arm with my elbow with a frolicsome scoff.

As Steven started to understand, his face lightened up a little, "Oh! That's not so bad! But, with all the stuff going on with Homeworld, I don't think I would be able to handle school on top of that".

"Being a half-alien superhero is a full-time job, after all", Frankie smiled over her shoulder. " 'Stick with one thing and do it well rather than juggling multiple things and doing them bad', that's what my aunt always says!".

The conversation must've made the walk feel shorter because once I glanced back up, we were finally there. Hidden beneath overgrown shrubs and plant life, the warehouse stood proudly, though its exterior was in shoddy shape and the walls looked like they were one gentle push from collapsing. It was covered in tags and mischievous spray paint art and sharp shards of glass rested below narrow window panes just big enough to fit an arm through.

It only took one glance for Owen to instantly change his mind, "Uh, I don't think we should go in there. It looks unsafe. Maybe we should head back".

I friskily scoffed, "It's nothing compared to what Steven and I went through. Try being stuck in a house that came to life".

Jerry uncrossed his arms that were previously folded over his chest and eyed me with curiosity. "A house came to life? That's not possible", he spoke.

I rolled my eyes, "Magic powers, Jerry. A moving house isn't far off from magic powers. The whole place came to life and attacked us. Then I almost got severed in half by a giant mouth, which wasn't a lot of fun".

"What the heck?!", Jerry exclaimed, "You almost got severed?! Why are you saying this as if it's a completely normal sentence--".

"Calm down, would you?", I patted him on the shoulder before making my way closer to the broken-down warehouse. "This kind of stuff is like second nature to me now".

It did feel a little off how nonchalant I was to the concept of being severed, but with everything going on lately with the whole Homeworld-wanting-to-invade-Earth and Jasper, everything that used to seem like just a fantasy to me was now my entire life. We all approached the personnel entrance of the warehouse, seeing it blocked with wooden barricades. Frankie marched up to it, gripped onto one of the boards and pulled. The wood creaked under her grip, but other than that, made no indication of moving.

Frankie backed away from the entrance and hummed, "Well, it looks like we're not getting in through here".

"Oh well, we did what we could. Too bad", Owen rushed through his sentences in a tiny voice. "Seems like a good sign to leave".

"No, it seems like a good sign to look for an alternate entrance!", Frankie wiped her hands clean from wood chips and dust. Whether or not some actually got stuck in her hands was beyond me, because she kept the same grin she'd been wearing since we left school. "Everyone split up and look for a way inside!".

Owen tried to retaliate, "But--".

"Like that one show about those mystery-solving teenagers and their pet dog?", he exclaimed, elation evident in his voice.

"Guys, we shouldn't--".

"Oh my gosh, Steven, you just unlocked a memory for me!", a smile crawled up my face as I began to recall, "I haven't watched that show in forever!".

"Hold on--".

"We should all meet up and rewatch it together!", Frankie smiled, "After we check out the warehouse, of course!".

"Can you please listen to--".

Before Owen could further express his concerns, Frankie had already taken off to inspect the left side of the building. Shrugging, I went the opposite way to see if there was a backdoor that could still be opened or a window that wasn't surrounded by glass shards from previous break-ins. My eyes wandered over the graffiti art that cover the outside walls of the warehouse. Some were harmless, like hippy peace symbols. Others weren't so innocent, such as the large message in crimson bubble writing that read "TURN BACK". I tried not to let it settle into my head, after all, if all these other kids were running in and out of the place, it must be somewhat safe. So, assuming it was just some pranksters being stupid, I kept searching.

"I heard from Frankie that this was a 'Climate-controlled' warehouse", a voice behind me spoke. I turned to see Jerry caressing his hand against the walls of the building as he made his way to me.

I turned back to look for an entrance, "Should I pretend to know what that means or are you going to tell me?".

I heard him huff, "I'm going to tell you because it's a chance to prove my superior intelligence".

Stiffing up, my hand moved before my brain could and whacked Jerry's shoulder. He chuckled, and gave it a rub before explaining, "First of all; Why are you always hitting me? That's rude. Second of all; It also hurt. Third of all; It's a storage area where the temperature can be adjusted. It can be used for different products. This was probably used for food and beverages though".

'He got all that just from looking at the outside?'

I raised my brows to his explanation as a sudden thought drifted through my head. I began to recall something Steven told me a while ago. Something he was completely obsessed with. I began to speak aloud, "So it's like a giant freezer. Freezers have ice cream and if this warehouse got decommissioned ages ago, that means...".

"Where are you going with this?", Jerry asked, pulling a perplexed face.

I looked up at him, "Have you ever heard of a Cookie Cat?".

~

Again. He felt it again.The bitter taste he knew so well in his mouth emitted from a searing feeling in his chest. A feeling of both desolation and annoyance blended into a sour mixture. A feeling he got when he was looking over at me. With Jerry. He had made his way to try to help Owen find any weak points in the building they could use to slither in, and Steven was under the impression that I had forgotten about him. He was convinced I would've invited him to come search with me if Jerry wasn't occupying my company--.

'No! Stop it! Don't think like that!', he scolded himself. 'Why am I being so selfish? Jerry's her friend and she's allowed to talk to her friend. There's nothing wrong with that. And, there's nothing stopping me from inviting myself'.

So that's what he did.

Steven tried to piece together what I was talking about, "--There could be some left".

"But, this place has no power and was probably decommissioned ages ago, so even if there was any, I doubt they're in good condition".

"What are you guys talking about? Have you found a way in?", Steven's voice chirping behind me unexpectedly caused me to jump. I turned around, inadvertently appearing suspicious even though I wasn't hiding anything.

"Um, no. We haven't found anything", I responded, not wanting to mention the ice cream sandwich discussion in case my hunch was a bust.

Steven knitted his brows in a way that seemed like he was sceptical of me. 

Jerry clearly caught onto it. "What? You don't believe us?", he asked.

Steven widened his eyes, "I...I didn't say that. I do believe you".

"Well, you're looking at (Y/N) as if you don't believe us", Jerry pressed.

There was a brief silence before Steven's gaze unexpectedly hardened up. "I do believe you guys, ok? I never said I didn't", his voice was laced with a sharp, acidic tone that I've never heard come out of his mouth. 

I was slightly taken aback as stood between the two boys.

"Guys, come on", I ushered them to calm themselves. "Don't start an argument over something stupid. We're trying to find--".

"I FOUND A WAY IN!!" Frankie exclaimed with excitement, making me, Steven and Jerry temporarily forget the discussion that almost turned into an argument. Glancing between the two boys whose eyes averted from each other's gaze, I scoffed and made my way over to the other side of the warehouse. I tried to brush off what happened but my mind wouldn't let me. Even though technically, neither of them said anything rude to the other, there's definitely some unspoken tension between them. This was especially weird since neither of them had talked to the other. Once turning the corner, I caught Frankie and Owen pushing against a giant rear lift bin that seemed to be blocking something. Two of the wheels had popped off and even though there were two people pushing, neither of them made much movement. 

"Th-There's...A vent...Behind this b-bin", Frankie heaved, pressing her back against the side of the bin, hoping it would move. "What on Earth is in this thing?! Bowling balls made of cement?! A solid gold piano?!".

Panting, she forced more weight against the bin, but to no avail.

Owen gave up.

When Steven turned the corner, Frankie's eyes lit up.

"Hey, Steven! Maybe your lion can help! Lions are strong, right?", Frankie asked, pushing her back further into the bin. It still hadn't moved.

Steven glanced back over his shoulder and frowned, "Uh, I think he actually just took off".

I sighed, exasperatedly, "Of course he did. He's always there to eat your lunch and never there to help you out".

"Heh", Steven whimsically chuckled, "That's Lion".

"Alright, new plan; Frankie, Owen and Jerry, grab the bottom and try to lift up the bin from the floor as high as you can. Steven and I will push".

Raising a brow, Frankie rose from her slouching stance. "Since when did you become Miss 'Idea Girl'?", she asked with frivolous puzzlement.

Everyone dropped their school bags to the side and began getting into their positions as I leant onto the bin with Steven on my side. A whimsical sigh left my lips as the feeling of grime on my fingers made me jitter with disgust, "Almost getting killed a hundred times does that to you, I guess".

"Don't say that!", I turned to see Steven pouting with a glance of distress. "I would never let that happen to you!".

Though the sudden response caught me off guard, I smiled, "I'm holding you to that".

"Alright, alright. Let's just move this thing already. My fingers hurt", Jerry sounded like he speaking between tight teeth.

Counting down, we all synchronically pushed our weight against the bin. With three people holding up the bin, it made it easier to push it aside. It was a slow process and really physically demanding but luckily we manage to move the bin enough to get a clear entrance to the vent. It was quite big and probably had enough room for us to crawl in.

"I could've stayed home with my dads to bake blondies and watch Fail videos on TubeTube, yet I'm here; Breaking into an abandoned warehouse", Owen slid a hand down his face, muffling his sigh, "Please tell me at least one of you has the common sense to recognise this as a bad idea. This whole thing could collapse on--".

Frankie was already on her hands and knees before Owen could finish his sentence, effortlessly removing the grate as the loose screws popped off and sticking her head into the entrance of the vent. "You chose to hang out with the wrong people if you wanted common sense!", her chuckle resonated through the vent walls. "Honestly, Owen, we've known each other since we started high school. Come on! I want