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It’s been four years since Steven first left the comforts of Beach City to find himself on the road. During that time Connie had graduated from high school and was currently getting her undergraduate degree at the University of Jayhawk in Kansas. Steven loved their nightly video chats and could listen to her talk all day. She’d only been at Jayhawk for a few weeks but she already seemed so at home there. Steven was so excited, he and Connie had been planning when he could visit her ever since her semester started and today was the day! It was perfect, the Friday before a four-day weekend, Connie was all caught up on her schoolwork so they could spend all their time together, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
“In five feet, turn right.” Steven’s phone GPS instructed. Excitement thrilled through him and butterflies fluttered in his chest as he turned into the parking lot in front of Connie’s on-campus dorm. He parked his car and texted Connie.
Steven
I’m here!
Connie
Just head on in. I’m on the first floor, dorm 137. I can’t wait to see you!
Steven slipped his phone into his pants pocket and started the search for Connie’s dorm.
Finding Connie’s dorm was harder than Steven thought it would be, the numbering system for the dorms didn’t make any sense and every time he thought he had it figured out it was a dead end! By the time he finally found it, he was so relieved. He took a moment to collect himself, running his fingers through his curly brown hair and popping a mint into his mouth, before knocking on the door. He excitedly bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited for her to answer and fiddled with the buttons on the sleeve of his faded blue shirt. It had been so long since they last saw each other in person, what if she decided it wasn’t working? What if after all their time apart she found someone else? What if- he was saved from his thoughts spiraling further by the door opening.
“Connie-!” Steven yelled only to cut himself off when he realized it wasn’t Connie at the door but another girl with long, curly, black hair, warm brown skin, dark brown eyes, and an eyebrow piercing wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her with a loofah and a soap-on-a-rope in her hands. Steven flushed and averted his gaze, uncomfortable. “Oh, sorry, I must have the wrong dorm I’m looking for my girlfriend, Connie?”
The girls' eyes widened in surprise, “Oh my gosh you must be Steven! Connie talks about you all the time! Well, when she’s not studying that is. It’s so nice to meet you!”
The girl adjusted her towel and stuck a hand out for him to shake which he took hesitantly.
Connie’s voice called from inside the dorm, “Lottie, who’s at the door?”
Lottie said in a sing-song voice over her shoulder, “It’s your boyfriend!”
“Steven? Let him in!”
“Alright, alright.” Lottie stepped back and allowed Steven into their dorm. It was a small beige room with a bed pressed to each wall and a window between them. It was easy to tell which half was Connie’s even without her sitting on it, her side of the dorm was clean and organized with a thoughtful splattering of personal touches such as pictures of her friends and family pinned up on the wall above her desk and a Dogcopter figure sitting on her desk. The other half was chaotic and messy in a way that reminded him of Amethyst’s room back at the temple except with less garbage smell. A pair of red and white roller skates hung by their laces from the back of the chair at Lottie’s desk.
“Well, I’m hitting the showers. Don’t get too crazy while I’m gone!” Lottie teased as she left, closing the door behind her. Connie rolled her eyes and hopped up from bed, “Don’t mind Lottie, she doesn’t have much of a filter.”
Connie pulled Steven into a tight hug, “It’s so nice to hug you! It’s been too long! I missed you so much, Steven! I can’t wait to show you around campus! This is going to be so fun!”
Steven hugged her back and practically melted into her arms. She was right, it had been too long. He was going to savor every moment they had together. Connie pulled away from their embrace, took his hand, and started leading him out of the dorms. “Let’s start at the library, you won’t believe the size of it!” Connie enthused.
"-And this is the cafeteria! Me, Patricia, and Daniel usually meet up here and have lunch together a couple of times a week when our schedules allow it. And that's about it. So, what do you think?" Connie turned to Steven with a wide grin. Steven was amazed by the variety of different things they had available here to learn and understood why Connie wanted to go to college so badly. He squeezed Connie's hand and smiled, "This place is amazing! I'm glad you're liking it here so much!"
"Me too! Some of the classes are harder than I thought they'd be but the professors are all wonderful and have helped me so much!"
"That's amazing! I can't wait-"
"Connie! Steven! I'm so glad I caught the two of you!" Daniel interrupted, hurrying over to them. "I almost forgot but there's a party tonight at the Kappa Delta sorority house I wanted to know if you guys wanted to come?"
Connie's eyes widened in surprise, "Oh! Um, I'm not sure. Can I get back to you on that?”
Daniel shrugged, "Sure, I'll text you the details." Daniel turned and left with a wave.
"So what do you think? Should we go to the party? I've never been to a college party before!" Connie enthused, her eyes wide with anticipation. Steven couldn't say no to that face. He sighed and gave her a soft smile, "I'd love to go to the party with you, Connie."
Connie let out a small squeak of excitement, "Oh my gosh, really? You don't mind?"
"As long as I get to spend time with you I don't care what we're doing."
"Steven, you are the best boyfriend ever!" Connie tossed her arms around Steven's shoulders and kissed his cheek.
"C'mon, let's go pick outfits for the party!"
Later that night Connie and Steven showed up to the Kappa Delta sorority house. Connie wore a pastel yellow blouse with a square neckline and puff sleeves as well as her usual high-rise denim shorts. She had also put a touch of makeup on, just some blush and lip gloss. Steven didn’t have many clothing options so he stuck with what he had arrived in, his black t-shirt with a yellow star in the center, his faded blue button up on top of it, jeans, and red flip-flops. The house was overflowing with people, music streamed from every window, and a dizzying array of multicolored flashing lights illuminated the yard that was scattered with discarded red solo cups.
Anxiety wormed its way into Steven's stomach and he squeezed Connie's hand. She glanced over at him and gave him a soft smile before squeezing his hand back. "We can do this! We've fought Diamonds, we can face a little college party." Connie encouraged him.
Steven chuckled, feeling some of the anxiety melt out of him, "You're right, we can do this."
Connie leads them into the crush of bodies. It took a bit of maneuvering but they finally pushed their way through the thick of it into the house which smelled strongly of sweat and an amalgamation of different perfumes and colognes. Crepe paper hung in rows across the ceiling, some ripped and hanging down, and metallic silver tinsel curtains hung in every doorway. "Daniel said he and Patricia would meet us at the drinks, do you see a table or anything with drinks on it?" Connie asked as she scanned the crowded room.
Steven stood on his tip toes and searched the room until his eyes landed on a table with a pile of red solo cups and a variety of beverage options. "There!" Steven exclaimed and pointed.
Connie nodded and started leading him in the direction he had pointed. After some elbowing, squeezing, and less-than-kind words from the other partygoers they made it to the table. Steven frowned and scratched his head, "I don't see Daniel and Patricia anywhere, do you?"
Connie sighed and shook her head, "I don't, maybe we got here too early?"
As if on cue Daniel and Patricia pushed their way through the crowd and popped out beside them, panting. Daniel wore a striped t-shirt and jeans while Patricia wore a magenta hijab. "Oh my gosh, this party is crazy!" Patrica said once she caught her breath.
"Can you believe this? I've only seen parties like this on TV!" Daniel put in. Connie laughed, "I can't believe I'm doing this! Thanks for inviting us, Daniel!"
"Ah, anytime. I'm just glad you two made it! Me and Patricia would have felt pretty alone here without you guys. How's the road trip going, Steven?"
Steven stifled a yawn before answering, it had been a long day but he wasn’t going to let a little bit of sleep deprivation stop him from hanging out with Connie. "It's going good, I got to see the world's largest ball of twine yesterday. How's college going for you two?"
"Could be better, could be worse. I got a pretty good roommate, which helps. We both like the same shows and stuff so we get along pretty well." Patricia answered as she got herself a drink from the table beside them.
Daniel nodded in agreement, "Yeah, me and my roommate are like two peas in a pod. I don't think I'd last the whole semester if we didn't get along. What about you, Connie? You don't talk about Lottie much."
Connie awkwardly shrugged and busied herself with getting a drink, "That's because there isn't a lot to say. Lottie isn't around very much and when she is she's usually sleeping or on her phone talking to someone. She seems nice enough though."
Connie glanced down and took a long sip from her drink. Steven put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him.
As the night wore on, the crowd began to dwindle. Patrica and Daniel left pretty early but those who remained took to the dance floor which was just the living room with the furniture pushed to the sides. Steven and Connie watched from the sidelines at first until a familiar song started playing. Steven grinned and took Connie's hand leading her out onto the dance floor as Haven't You Noticed (I'm a Star) blasted through the speakers. As they danced together, spinning and laughing with abandon, Steven's gem began to glow pink and quickly enveloped them in its light. In a flash, they fused and became Stevonnie.
The music came to a screeching halt as Stevonnie realized what they had just done and froze. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, everyone in the room was staring at them. Stevonnie suddenly felt very self-conscious and started backing away towards the door until Lottie pushed her way through the crowd and stopped in front of them. Lottie's eyes were wide with awe and her mouth was agape. Lottie wore a torn-up red Jayhawks shirt, ripped jeans, black ankle boots, and glittery black eyeshadow. She shook herself then turned to the crowd and yelled, "What are you looking at? There's nothing to see here go back to your partying. Turn the music up!"
And just like that the tension melted from the room, the music was turned back up and no one was paying them any mind. Lottie took their hand and led them away from the crowd. Once they were out of sight Lottie turned to them and squealed with excitement, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Connie, Steven, you two have been holding out on me! I don't know what this is but I need your help. I know I haven't exactly been the best roommate but please, please, please, just hear me out and if you decide not to help me I totally get it."
Lottie gave them a pleading look, her hands clasped together. Stevonnie chewed on their lip and thought for a moment before relenting. "Fine, I'll listen to what you have to say. And it's Stevonnie," Stevonnie crossed their arms over their chest and stared down at Lottie with a stern expression. Lottie beamed and began explaining, "Okay, so I'm the captain of the Jayhawks roller derby team and in a few days we have the final regional competition against Emporia State University which we've lost to the past decade. The problem is we're short a member 'cause Wilde, one of our usual blockers, broke her leg at the last competition. I was wondering if you have any skating experience and if so, would you be willing to join the team and help us finally crush Emporia?"
Stevonnie was taken aback by the offer, they'd never heard of roller derby before. "Can I think it over and get back to you?" Stevonnie asked.
Lottie nodded, "Of course! Actually, why don't you come to our slumber party tomorrow night! We always have one before a big game and it's a great way to get to know the team! If you're still uncertain after then don't worry about it. We'll figure something else out, we always do."
A slumber party? That did sound like fun... what harm could it do? "Alright, I'll go to your slumber party."
"I can't wait to tell the team! They're gonna freak out! This is so exciting!" Lottie squealed again before disappearing back into the party. Once she was gone Stevonnie slumped in relief and in a burst of light they unfused. Steven stumbled a bit and Connie caught him, “You alright, Steven?”
“Yeah, just tired. Guess I’m a bit rusty!” Steven tried to give her a reassuring smile but it came out as more of a tired grimace, Connie shook her head at him and slung his arm over her shoulders. “C’mon, you can sleep in my dorm tonight I doubt Lottie will mind.”
Steven nodded sleepily and leaned against Connie as she guided them back to her dorm. He hadn’t had to use his gem powers in years and fusing with Connie after so long had taken more out of him than he realized, mixed with the fact he had spent most of the past few days driving. It seemed it all was finally catching up to him. His eyes felt heavier by the minute. By the time they made it to her dorm Steven promptly collapsed face down onto Connie’s bed and was fast asleep. Connie smiled fondly at him, gently brushed some hair out of his face, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “‘Night, Steven,” she whispered.
The next morning as Steven groggily woke up he felt a weight on his chest. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked down. A fond smile spread across his face as he saw Connie snuggled up against his chest still sound asleep. He wished they could’ve stayed like this forever but she was on his arm and it was starting to hurt. “Connie,” he whispered. She mumbled something in her sleep but didn’t wake up. “Connie!” Steven said again a bit louder. This time Connie scrunched up her face and rolled over, freeing Steven’s arm from under her. He breathed a sigh of relief and tried to shake the feeling back into his tingling limb. Once the feeling returned to his arm he slowly disentangled himself from her and crawled out of her bed.
He froze in place when he made eye contact with Lottie who was sitting crisscross on her bed with a bowl of cereal in her lap watching something on her laptop, the spoon halfway to her mouth. Steven felt his face flush as he realized what this may look like. “It’s not what you think!” Steven stammered trying to explain. Lottie shrugged and went back to whatever she was watching on her laptop. Steven glanced nervously at Connie to make sure he hadn’t woken her. Connie let out a snort but otherwise seemed unbothered. Curious, Steven approached Lottie. “What are you watching?” He quietly asked, trying to sneak a peak at what was on her laptop. “I’m watching our last match, seeing what needs to be improved. Here,” Lottie scooted over on her bed and patted the spot beside her. Lottie's hair was thrown up into a messy bun, she wore an oversized t-shirt, and her makeup from last night was smeared as if she had slept with it on. Steven took the invitation and sat on the bed beside her.
Lottie took the spoon out of her mouth and pointed at the screen, "You see the one with the star on her helmet? That's me. I'm the lead jammer, I score points when I pass the opposing skaters." Lottie points to another skater, a chubby girl with freckles, bushy ginger hair, and a fierce look. "All right, look at her. Right there. That's Marley Locke aka Hot Wheels. You see, she's reaching down. She's up to something. You see that piece of tape?" Steven nodded, already fascinated by the sport. As Steven watched Marley put a piece of tape on the back of the opposing #13. Lottie continued explaining, "Number 13, she's been marked. She's gonna get hit. She's gonna be taken down. Watch this. Watch it. Here it comes." Pink 13 is slammed by a member of the red team and falls to her stomach outside the circle of the track. Steven winces and is relieved when 13 gives a thumbs up. Someone in the video, likely an announcer of sorts, says, "That's one for the suicide seats!" The red team whoops and high-fives each other. The announcer continues, "It's happy times for Locke, Keyes, and Captain Lottie "Speed Demon" Wildwood."
Steven and Lottie watched a couple more videos as Lottie explained the game and its rules. By the time Steven felt like he had a pretty good understanding of it Connie was just starting to stir. Connie yawned and sat up in her bed. "Steven? Lottie? What are you guys doing?" she sleepily asked.
"Oh, Lottie was just filling me in on how Roller Derby works. It's really interesting!" Steven excitedly explained. Lottie nodded, "Yeah, Steven's been great company. I can't wait for you two to meet the rest of the team tonight! It's going to be so fun!"
For the better part of the day, Steven and Connie spent it together. They took Steven's car and Connie showed him some of her favorite off-campus places to hangout such as the local pizza shop, though the line was too long so they didn't eat there, the bowling alley, and the local library which was a lot smaller than the college's but it had a much cozier feel to it. They also decided to load up on slumber party essentials, it would be rude to show up empty-handed. When it started to get dark they hurried back to Connie's dorm to meet up with Lottie, loaded up with soda, candy, and cheesy horror movies. They had decided it would be easier if they showed up to the slumber party together. They packed their things into the trunk of Lottie's car and got into the cab of the vehicle. The seats of Lottie’s car were well worn and being held together by duct tape much like most of the car was from the looks of it. With a rattling churn, the car peeled out of the dorm parking lot.
Lottie drove them to an apartment complex that was part of the off-campus housing that reminded Steven of the motel in Keystone he, his dad, and Garnet had stayed in. After unloading their things they followed Lottie up a flight of stairs to an apartment. Lottie knocked on the door and a second later it swung open. Laughter and music spilled out into the hall and the redhead from the video, Marley, stood in the doorway. "Lottie! I'm so glad you made it we're just getting started! And who are you two?" Marley spoke with a thick Jersey accent, her gaze bounced between Steven and Connie in confusion. Up close, Marley had a lot more freckles, they were thickest on her cheeks, nose, and arms. Marley wore a dark green tank top with black pajama shorts.
"I'm glad you asked," Lottie entered the apartment and dropped her duffle bag and sleeping bag onto the brown carpeted floor before turning to the rest of the group that sat on top of their sleeping bags on the floor of the front room.
The walls were white and plastered with posters for various bands and movies. On the far wall, a TV sat on the floor across from a lumpy-looking black couch with a window behind it looking out over the parking lot. To Steven’s left was a small kitchen with wooden cabinets with crooked doors, it had a white fridge, a stove, a sink, and a microwave that sat on the countertop. Next to the kitchen was a hallway led off to the left with three doors along it, two of them were closed but the closest one, the bathroom, was open.
"Team, I'd like to introduce you to our potential new teammate, Stevonnie!" Lottie dramatically gestured towards Connie and Steven who had followed her in. Marley closed the door behind them and leaned against it, her brow lifted curiously. Connie shuffled closer to Steven and held his hand. She cleared her throat and waved, “Hi, I’m Connie and this is my boyfriend Steven! We’re so excited to get to know you!”
“It’s nice to meet you, Steven and Connie. I’m Violet also known as Violencia Violet in the rink. So how do you know Lottie?” Violet asked warmly, she spoke with a thick country accent. Violet had shaggy black hair that just brushed her shoulders, high cheekbones, cool brown skin, and pretty dark brown eyes. Violet wore a baggy pink t-shirt with the “Crying” Breakfast Friends on it and long black pajama pants with pink hearts on them.
“She’s my roommate, though I didn’t know about this team until last night,” Connie answered.
“Oh? What happened last night to bring all this about? I’m Sheri by the way.” The other girl asked, intrigued. Sheri was short but muscular with dark skin, her coiled hair was cut in a short pixie perfectly framing her round face, each eye was a different shade of brown, and she had a nose that looked like it had been broken and hadn’t healed right. Sheri wore an oversized black pajama shirt and long black pajama pants.
Steven rubbed the back of his neck, not sure where to start or how to explain it, “That’s a bit of a long story, it might be easier to show you.”
“Oh, you guys are going to love this!” Lottie enthused and took a seat next to Violet. Steven looked to Connie to make sure she was okay with it, Connie gave him a comforting smile and nodded. They put their things to the side, Steven took a deep breath and as his gem began to glow the team gasped. As the glow enveloped the two it made them feel warm and light then in a flash they fused into Stevonnie.
Stevonnie landed with a thud. When they stood they had to slump so that their head didn’t hit the ceiling. The group gaped at them, their eyes wide in either amazement or horror. Then all at once, they began talking over each other with a barrage of questions.
“How did you do that?”
“What was that pink glow?”
“Can you teach us to do that?”
Stevonnie chuckled lightly, “One at a time, please! I’ll answer all your questions but let’s start at the beginning…”
"...and that about sums it up. Any questions?" Stevonnie clapped their hands together and looked around the group. They all shook their heads, their eyes still wide in amazement. While they were explaining they had all taken a seat and Stevonnie had joined them. They now sat in a circle on the floor. Sheri raised her hand, "Wait, so you're kinda like space royalty?"
Stevonnie tilted their head thoughtfully, "I guess I was at some point but not anymore. The Diamonds abdicated their thrones and Homeworld now votes for their leader."
Sheri blinked slowly and nodded, "Cool."
"Does your gem ever get itchy?" Violet asked curiously, enamored by the pink gem embedded in Stevonnie's stomach.
"No, can't say that it has. I'm glad it doesn't, though, I feel like that'd be a hard itch to scratch!"
"What does fusion feel like?" Marley pondered.
"That's a good question, it's kinda hard to explain. I guess the easiest way to put it would be it feels good, like I'm seeing the world in a whole new perspective but it's also the same if that makes any sense."
Violet opened her mouth to ask another question but before she could Lottie held up a hand, "That's enough questions for Stevonnie right now. I think it's only fair they get to ask us some questions too so how about a game of Truth or Dare?"
Stevonnie smiled, "Sounds fun! Just one question, what's Truth or Dare?"
Violet gasped dramatically, "You mean you've never played Truth or Dare before? It's a slumber party must!"
Stevonnie shifted in their seat, suddenly self-conscious, "I never really went to slumber parties when I was a kid. I mean me and the gems had them occasionally but we usually just slept."
Lottie gave Violet a scathing look before turning to Stevonnie and explaining, "It's simple, we go around the circle and you choose either truth or dare. If you choose truth you get asked a question and if you choose dare you get dared to do something. It's all in good fun though so if anything makes you uncomfortable you don't have to do it."
Stevonnie straightened back up, excited to try this new game, "Alright, sounds fun! Who starts?"
Marley dug around in her backpack and pulled out an empty soda bottle, "We can spin this, and whoever it lands on will start."
"Perfect!" Lottie said. Marley sat the bottle on its side in the center of the circle and spun it. The group leaned forward and watched in anticipation as the bottle spun, spun, spun, and then slowly came to a stop in front of Sheri. Sheri seemed unsurprised and looked around the group slowly before her gaze landed on Lottie. "Lottie, truth or dare?"
Lottie thought for a second before responding, "Dare."
"I dare you to switch outfits with Violet for the rest of the game."
Lottie laughed, "Starting out easy, are we? I'll do it. C'mon, Violet, you're gonna look great in my pajamas!"
Lottie and Violet left the room and a few minutes later returned in each other's pajamas. Stevonnie snorted in amusement, their clothes looked so wrong on each other! Lottie and Violet struck a pose before returning to their seats, giggling. "Okay, okay, my turn. Marley, truth or dare?"
Marley hummed thoughtfully, "Truth."
"What's the grossest food combination you secretly love?"
"Hmmm, I think it would be... popcorn and sushi. I like the crunch it gives it!"
Lottie gagged, "Yeah, you would like that."
Marley stuck her tongue out at Lottie and giggled, "Violet, truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"What's your guilty pleasure?"
Violet inhaled sharply and covered her reddening face with her hands, "Camp Pining Hearts New Generation."
Stevonnie gasped in shock, "You like the reboot? But it- it's so- ugh!"
"I do! I love it in all its awfulness! I love the campy silliness and I think Jasmine and Rodrigo are cute together!"
Stevonnie gasped and put a hand to their chest, "Jasmine and Rodrigo?! But he's so bland!"
Violet looks up from her hands and passionately says, "Only on the surface! But if you dig deeper he's such an interesting character! He wears his heart on his sleeve and isn't afraid to show it!"
Stevonnie is flabbergasted by this, Peridot will be hearing about this later. Lottie snickers and pats Violet on the shoulder. Violet takes a deep breath and slowly exhales. "I'm good, I'm good. Sheri, truth or dare."
Sheri grins, a spark of mischief in her eye, "Dare."
"I dare you to talk in an accent for one round."
"Oh, c'mon Lottie you can do better than that!"
"Fine then... I dare you to go outside and do your best wolf howl at the moon!"
"Now where talkin'!" Sheri got to her feet, rolled her shoulders, and went straight out the front door. The group followed and crowded around the front door to watch as Sheri cleared her throat and then let loose her best wolf howl. It echoed through the parking lot and someone from a different apartment crankily yelled, "Shut up!"
Sheri and the group scurried back into the apartment and closed the door behind them before turning into a giggling mess. "I can't believe you actually did it!" Lottie cackled.
After that they played a few more rounds in which Marley chugged a liter of soda, Violet had to hold a handstand for a minute, Stevonnie bit directly into a lemon, Lottie admitted to shoplifting once on accident as a teen, and Sheri confessed that she believes in ghosts. Once they got bored of Truth or Dare they sang some karaoke then did makeovers and painted their nails a matching red while watching one of the cheesy horror movies Stevonnie had brought and gorging themselves on soda, candy, and pizza. By 2 in the morning, the party was starting to wind down. Violet was the first to fall asleep, which was the normal, and got her bra frozen for it, the rest were doing whatever they could to try and stay awake a little longer. Marley yawned and rubbed her eyes smearing her colorful makeup. "How about ghost stories? The one who tells the scariest wins." Marley suggested.
Sheri and Lottie sleepily nodded in agreement. Lottie stood up and stretched, "Might as well set the mood." She turned off the lights and dug a small flashlight from her backpack. She turned it on and directed the light up underneath her face casting it in stark shadow. Stevonnie started feeling a bit nervous, they pulled their knees up to their chest and hugged them as Lottie cleared her throat and started her spooky tale.
"Many years ago, on a night much like this, a young woman was waiting by the side of the road trying to get home. Sadly, she never did. She met her untimely end in a tragic accident. Now, her ghostly apparition appears along that very same stretch of road, hitchhiking to her destination, but never quite getting there. The scary part? Many drivers have picked up a young woman on this road only for her to vanish before their very eyes leaving nothing but a cold spot. So, weary travelers, if you see a mysterious hitchhiker while driving, be cautious for it may be the Phantom Hitchhiker looking for a ride!" Lottie cackled manically and flashed the light on and off.
Stevonnie shuddered and hugged themselves tighter. Marley snorted, "Oooh, so scary!" She snatched the flashlight from Lottie's hands. "Let me tell you an actually scary story. This is the legend of Huggin' Molly. Molly was a giant of a woman, around 7 feet tall and as big around as a bale of cotton. Some say her ghost still walks the streets late in the night, sweeping her black skirt as she goes. If she sees you she chases you down, gives you a big hug, and screams in your ear!"
Stevonnie shivered at the thought, what a horrible ghost! Surely it can't get worse than that!
Sheri let out a bark of a laugh, "You call that scary? No, no, no, I'll show you what scary is."
Marley handed Sheri the flashlight, Sheri cleared her throat and dropped it an octave, "This is the story of a little ghost called Bloody Mary. In the 1800s there lived a young girl named Mary. An illness washed over the place where they lived, making people drop dead after a short period. When physicians couldn't find a pulse they would put a mirror under the nose of the seemingly dead, if there was no condensation on it they would be assumed dead. But were they?
People being pronounced dead - but weren't - happened all too often. So when someone died they would put a small hole in the coffin with a piece of string going through it attached to a bell. The bell would hang on a stick by the homes of the deceased and if they woke up they could simply pull the string to ring the bell and be dug up. When Mary was bedridden and slowly died she was laid in a coffin in her grave yet she wasn't buried, it would be easier to simply un-nail the coffin than to unbury her. The string and bell were of course in her hands. Days turned into a week. Her parents never left the house, hoping with everything they had that their sweet Mary would soon awaken. Their friends claimed that she had not awoken yet she never would. That night the parents left the house with their friends.
While her parents were gone a neighbor came and began to fill her grave, string and all, just in case she woke up. The neighbor said his goodbyes and walked to his home. Not soon after Mary awoke from her slumber. Frantic, she pulled the string. The bell rang and rang but no one heard. She pulled the string until the bell toppled and so did the stick. Desperate, Mary began clawing and scratching at her wooden prison until her fingers bled. She kept scratching until her last breath.
The next morning when the parents returned home they soon realized the bell wasn't where they had left it. They quickly dug up the grave, threw open the coffin, and found Mary in a petrified state, her hands like claws covered in blood and all over the white dress she was buried in. They put a mirror under her nose to see if her breath would show. Condensation collected on the mirror but even so she was dead. Her spirit is said to have become attached to the mirror. They say that if you light a candle in your bathroom late at night when the lights are all out, look in the mirror and say her name three times 'Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary' she'll appear and claw at the unknowing victim!"
Stevonnie shivered in horror and looked at the others. Marley and Lottie looked equally as terrified as Stevonnie felt which made them feel a bit better. After sharing a glance they nodded and said in unison, "Sheri wins."
Pleased with herself, Sheri gave a small bow. "Thank you, thank you. I take this honor with grace and dignity. We should get to sleep now, though, we still have regionals tomorrow."
Lottie and Marley murmured in agreement before they all settled down into their sleeping bags. Stevonnie lay in the darkness staring at the ceiling and listening to the gentle breathing of the others. The story of Bloody Mary was still rattling around in their head. They tossed and turned but just couldn't fall asleep. Suddenly, they were unfused. Steven and Connie turned on their sides so they'd be facing each other and rested their foreheads together. Staring into each other's eyes they finally drifted off to sleep.
"Shush, don't wake them up!"
"I won't, I'm just taking a picture! Aw, Steven and Connie look so cute snuggled up like that!"
"Do you think they've made a decision yet? I hope they join the team I really like them!"
"We'll just have to wait and see, no pressuring them!"
"Oh, wait I think they're waking up!"
Steven groaned and rolled onto his back, his eyes slowly fluttered open. Connie yawned and stretched next to him. "What time is it?" She groggily asked as she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes.
“It’s 11. You guys must be starving! Let me whip you something up to eat, what would you like?” Violet asked as she headed into the kitchen. As if to answer the question his stomach grumbled loudly. Steven flushed, “What do you have?”
Violet's head disappeared into the fridge and she shouted out, “Let’s see… we have a couple of eggs, what used to be a bagel, bread, a jar of pickles, and some leftover pizza from last night.”
“I’ll just have some pizza, thanks.”
“Do you want me to heat a slice up for you?”
“I’m good thanks. I like it cold.”
“Suite yourself.” Violet shrugged put a slice of pizza on a paper plate and handed it to him. “What about you, Connie? Anything tickle your fancy?”
“Hmm? Oh, uh, pizza is fine, thank you!”
Violet nodded and set out another slice for Connie. Steven took a bite and looked around the room, Sheri and Marley were sitting across from each other on the floor with an unfamiliar set of cards spread out on the floor between them. Steven watched, intrigued, as Sheri flipped three of the cards over and explained each one to Marley. “What are you doing?” Steven curiously asked.
Sheri looked up from the cards, “I’m a Wiccan, I’m giving Marley a reading with my tarot cards. I do this for everyone before a big game. Would you like me to read yours?”
“I’m good, thanks. Where’d Lottie go?”
“Oh, she went to check in on Meredith and see how her legs healing up.”
“Ah.”
Connie kissed Steven on the cheek before standing up, “I’m going to brush my teeth before breakfast. Lunch? Be right back.” She disappeared into the bathroom the door closing behind her with a click. Sheri finished reading Marley’s cards and started putting them away. “Last chance, Steven, you sure you don’t want a reading?” Sheri waved the cards enticingly in front of him. Steven shook his head, “I’m fine, thanks though.”
Sheri shrugged, “As you wish. Can I read your palm?”
“Read my palm?”
“Yeah, I can read the lines in your palm.”
Steven took another bite of his pizza and thought about it, “Sure, why not.”
Sheri took his hand and examined his palm. She hummed thoughtfully and traced some lines on his palm then tapped it, “See this line here going from your pinkie finger to your index finger? That’s your heart line. See how it’s broken up? That tells me you have emotional trauma. And this line here is your head line. See how it’s separated from this line? That tells me you have enthusiasm for life. Oh, this, this is interesting… this line near your thumb that travels toward your wrist is your life line. See these extra lines next to it? That means you have extra vitality. And this circle in the line indicates you’ve been injured. And this break here indicates you’ve had a sudden change in lifestyle.”
Sheri let go of his hand and Steven quickly took it back, unnerved by the accuracy of her reading. He stared down at his palm and rubbed it with his thumb.
Steven was startled out of his thoughts when Connie sat down next to him with her food and asked, “Did I miss anything?”
Steven shook his head to clear his thoughts, “Nothing at all.”
Connie frowned, her brow furrowed with concern, but she didn’t push it. The front door was kicked open and in the doorway stood Lottie, her arms full of grocery bags. Lottie yelled, “I’m back and I brought sustenance!”
Sheri, Marley, and Violet all cheered and helped her put the groceries away while Steven and Connie finished their breakfast/lunch and quietly talked together. Once the groceries were all put away Lottie sat on the floor next to them with her elbows on her knees, cupping her face. “So have you made a decision?” Lottie asked.
Steven and Connie shared a look before answering in unison, “We’ll join your team.”
Lottie squealed in excitement and crushed them both in a tight hug, “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You won’t regret it!”
For the rest of the day, the team split up to do various things, Lottie had to clock in to work for a few hours at the local bowling alley, Sheri had to babysit her niece while her sister was at a job interview, Violet had to work on an extra credit assignment for her photography class, and Marley promised to help Violet with her assignment. That left Steven and Connie to do whatever they wanted until the competition that night so they decided to hang out at Connie's dorm until then. Steven sighed contentedly as Connie snuggled into his side, her head resting on his shoulder, as they sat on her bed watching the newest Dogcopter movie Dogcopter 8: Til Death Do Us Bark: The Barkening on her laptop.
"No Dogcopter! Don't do it!"
"I have to... for our future."
"Noooo!"
Steven glanced at Connie who was deep in thought, her brow furrowed. "You alright Connie? Is something on your mind?" Steven asked.
Connie sighed and leaned forward to pause the movie before turning to face him, worry and concern written on her features. "It's just that... well are you sure you're okay with the whole roller derby thing? It's not too violent for you?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's just that last time you did something like this it led to Jasper getting shattered and then you turned into a pink monster and- and- I just don't want you to lose yourself again!" Connie was on the verge of tears as she buried her face in her hands. Steven's heart softened and he gently pulled Connie's hands away from her face and held them in his own. "Is that what you're worried about?"
Connie stiffly nodded and sniffled, a stray tear falling down her face. Steven cupped her cheek and gently wiped the tear away with his thumb. "I appreciate your concern but this is different. Back then I was lost, I didn't know who I was or what I wanted to do with my life. I felt like I had no purpose, no place in the world and I thought Jasper had the answers. I'm not that same person anymore, I know who I am and though I'm still not quite sure what I want to do with my life it doesn't scare me anymore like it used to. I promise everything will be okay, so just relax. It's gonna be fun, just you see!"
Connie stared searchingly into Steven's eyes then let out a deep breath. "Alright, I trust you. But if it gets to be too much for you please don't hesitate to tell me and we'll leave."
"Deal."
Connie smiled and for a moment leaned into his hand on her cheek, her hand covering his, before hitting play on her laptop and snuggling back into his side. "You know it's quite impressive how many Dogcopter movies they've made, do you think they'll ever stop?" She pondered aloud. Steven hummed to himself, "I hope not, it's becoming a bit of a ritual of ours I'd hate to lose."
Connie hummed in agreement and gently traced circles on his palm with her finger. That sat like that until the credits started to roll. Steven yawned and stretched, "What time is it?"
Connie checked her watch and nearly jumped out of her skin, "It's 8:45! We gotta go now or we're gonna be late!"
Steven nodded and extended his hand for her to take, Connie grabbed it and in a flash, they fused as Stevonnie. Stevonnie rolled their neck to loosen up then in a pink blur sped them to the roller derby track where the rest of the team was waiting for them in the locker room. "Sorry! Sorry! Lost track of time!"
Lottie waved their apology off and handed them a bag with the team outfit and safety gear in it, "It's fine just hurry up and get ready, it's about to start!"
Stevonnie nodded and hurried to change into the team uniform: a red tank top with the team's logo on it, black fishnet leggings with black shorts on top, a red armband with the number 5 in black, a black helmet, black elbow pads, and black knee pads as well as a pair of red and black quad roller skates. Once they were ready they rolled out onto the rink next to Lottie and the others. Lottie beamed, "You look great! We thought of a derby name for you, wanna hear it?"
Stevonnie nodded, intrigued, "I'd love to!"
"Royal Pain! Because you used to be royalty and you can bring the pain!"
A smile spread across Stevonnie's face, "I like it!"
"I'm glad! Okay, remember, Royal Pain, the key is to just get through the pack. Whatever it takes."
"We don't want to injure anyone, do we?"
"Of course not! But if someone's shoulder has to get dislocated, well, make sure it isn't yours. Now let's get this thing started!"
Stevonnie nodded and lined up with everyone at the starting point, the Emporia team looked tough and took Stevonnie in with a critical eye as if planning how they were gonna take them down. A sharp whistle pierced the air signaling the start of the game. The game was a bit of a blur as adrenaline coursed through their veins, overhead an announcer narrated the game. "Lead jammer, Miss. Bash is trapped in the pack! Speed Demon trying to slash through Pismo's vulnerable inside line. Emporia are gonna have to do a 180 in the second half tonight!"
Lottie winked at Stevonnie as they whizzed by. At one point Stevonnie remembers smashing their elbow into someone's nose, breaking it. At another point, they had someone in a headlock. "Unless Sheri Bomb and Violencia Violet have their way, it might just happen. It's down to the wire, friends." The announcer narrated. Out of the corner of their eye, Stevonnie sees Sheri reach down to her leg, pull out a tag, and stick it to one of the Emporians' backs. Sheri then whispered to some of the other players something Stevonnie didn't quite catch. They nodded and soon they started targeting the marked Emporian clearing a path through the pack for Lottie. A few more jams later they had their victory.
Sweaty and exhausted, the team celebrated whooping and lifting Lottie onto their shoulders. A lady around Greg's age joined the celebrating team as Lottie was lowered back to the floor. "Mom you made it!" Lottie yelled cheerfully, trying to be heard over her celebrating team. "Of course I did! I wouldn't miss this for anything in the world! My little Lottie, a regional champion! I'm so proud of you!" Mrs. Wildwood squeezed Lottie in a tight embrace. Lottie laughed and gently pushed her mom off, "Mom, I'm all sweaty! Hugs later!"
Mrs. Wildwood waved off her comment and turned to Stevonnie, "Fine, fine. Then introduce me to this new friend of yours, they did such a fabulous job!"
Stevonnie blushed at the praise, "It was nothing, really. I'm Stevonnie. It's nice to meet you Mrs. Wildwood!"
Mrs. Wildwood's smile faded as she studied Stevonnie's face. "There's something familiar about you... Who are your parents?"
Stevonnie chuckled nervously, "That's a bit hard to say. One second." In a flash of pink light Stevonnie unfused. Mrs. Wildwood gaped at them in confusion, "You... wha- how?!?"
Steven rubbed the back of his neck, "That's an even longer story. The simple version is magic. Hi, I'm Steven and this is my girlfriend Connie. To answer your first question my parents are Greg Universe and Rose Quartz."
"And my parents are Priyanka and Doug Maheswaran. Do any of these ring a bell?"
Mrs. Wildwood shook her head and then scrutinized them both before settling her gaze on Steven. "Greg Universe you say? That wouldn't happen to be Greg DeMayo would it?"
Steven's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "It is! How'd you know?"
Mrs. Wildwood beamed, "Ha! I knew your father when we were in college! I gave him the CD that he took his name from! I can't believe he named himself after a song. How's Greg doing? I haven't heard from him since he took off to pursue his music career!"
"He's doing great! He's been living in Beach City ever since then. Oh man, my dad won't believe this when I tell him!"
"He better! And tell him to call me sometime, I'd love to catch up!"
"I will!"
The next day as Steven's packing up his car to leave he calls his dad to tell him about everything that's happened.
"Wait, did you break somebody's nose?"
Steven giggled, "Yes, I did. Thank you."
Greg went quiet so Steven quickly explained, "Oh, but it was a clean hit! It was actually more of a dislocation. You know, it just popped right back in. Yeah. She curled into my wingspan, so I was totally justified. We're friends now. She has a cat."
"If you say so. What happened after that?"
"Oh, you won't believe this, dad! Lottie's mom was there and she said I looked familiar so we started talking and it ended up she knew you in college! She said she was the one who gave you the CD that inspired your name! How crazy is that!"
"Wait, what? You met Nora? How's she doing?"
"As far as I could tell, she's doing good. She seemed happy. I didn't get to talk to her very long before the team took us all out to celebrate. She did say to tell you to call her sometime, she wants to catch up."
"Huh, well I'm glad you met her. She was a great friend to me back then."
"Steven! We have a gift for you!" Lottie called out as she and the team approached him, Lottie was holding something behind her back.
"Talk to you later, Dad, bye." Steven hung up and slid his phone back into his pocket. "Ah, Lottie, you didn't have to!"
Lottie shook her head, not taking no for an answer, "Yes we did. Without Stevonnie, we would have lost that game for sure! Don't worry, we have a gift for Connie too. She'll get hers later. Here!" Lottie pulled a neatly wrapped box with a red bow on top out from behind her back and handed it to him. "It's a care package from the team, we each put something in there to remind you of us."
"That's so sweet! Thank you!"
"You don't have to actually unwrap it, it's just a box made to look like we put effort into it."
Steven chuckled and lifted the lid off the box. Inside was a picture frame with a photo of the team from last night when they had gone out for ice cream to celebrate, each of them had signed the frame and on the back it said To the best blocker around, we hope you have a safe journey. Don't forget us! Love, the Jayhawks, a small, pink, plastic toy doll of a troll with hair that stood straight up and a pink gem embedded in its belly, a red tank top with the Jayhawks logo on the front and on the back the number 5 with Royal Pain written above it, and a metal charm of roller skates. Steven smiled and hugged the box to his chest. "Thank you so much, I love it!"
Violet sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes. "I know we haven't known each other for very long but man do I hate goodbyes they always make me so emotional!" Violet sniffled and wiped a tear from her cheek.
"Aw, I'm gonna miss you guys too. How about one last hug for the road?"
Violet pulled them all into a group hug and mumbled, "You guys are the best!"
By the time everyone had gotten their goodbyes in the day was half gone. Connie was the last one to say goodbye to him. They sat on the roof of Steven's car watching the clouds drift by, holding hands. "I know we talk every night but I'm gonna miss this." Connie looked longingly over at Steven. Steven sighed, "I will too. But it's only for now. Once you're done with college and I'm done with travel we'll be able to settle down and just hang out again."
Connie looked down at her hands, "I decided to join the team permanently."
Steven gasped, "That's amazing! You're going to have so much fun!"
Connie giggled, "Yeah, I like the team and I had so much fun last night! It'll be nice to have something else to do besides homework."
"I can't wait to hear all about it. I love you, Connie."
"I love you too, Steven." Connie smiled and kissed Steven on the lips, her hand cupping his face, before pulling away and resting her forehead against his. They sat for another hour before campus security told them to break it up. Flushed and giggling, Steven and Connie said their last goodbyes before Steven drove off into the distance.