Ocean Waves

You guys really like this story, so I'm gonna try to update it a little faster. So, this chapter Connie is still here. Will that put Lapis on edge? Let's find out, shall we?

Chapter 3 – Deep Cuts

I watched Steven and Connie sleep all night. They slept on the same mattress, but they weren't touching. This made me feel a little better. I still felt horrible about how much I resented the girl simply for being Steven's friend. I shouldn't feel that way! Sighing, I flew off the beam I was sitting on and went out to the pool. One of the things I liked to do when I was troubled was just lay on my back in the water, staring up at the sky. The sun was just barely peaking over the horizon; it would still be several hours before anyone was awake. I took a deep breath, breathing in the smells of the country and closed my eyes.

Breathing gently, I could hear nothing except for the sound of a bird calling from far away. I heard what sounded like footsteps in the grass, and a small splash, but I didn't feel like opening my eyes to check. Suddenly, I felt someone grab me around the waist and them clamper on top of me. My control of the water kept me from sinking, but I was still surprised and my eyes snapped open. I was quite startled to see Steven, soaking wet, sitting on me and smiling. I blinked in amazement at him.

"Steven?! What are you doing awake?" I asked, "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Sorry," he apologized, "I saw you fly out of the barn, and I wanted to see where you went." He blushed a little. "Sorry for startling you."

I smiled calmly at him and gently gripped his arms to keep him balanced. "That's all right," I replied, "I just come out here to think sometimes. But what are you doing awake?"

"I couldn't sleep," he answered. I was a little confused by this. I had watched him all night, and he seemed to have been sleeping to me. Of course, I said none of this out loud.

As I lay there, staring up at him, Steven suddenly leaned down and rested his head on my chest. I took a sharp breath as laid his torso on mine, his fluffy hair tickling my skin as his head rested upon my breast. Neither of us said anything, and I listened to Steven's soft breathing. I wanted to say something, anything, but the words caught in my throat. I felt so stupid, unable to say how I really felt. Why couldn't I say those four words? Why were they so difficult?

"Lapis?" Steven said suddenly, startling me.

"Yes, Steven?"

"Do you like Connie?"

I was completely taken aback by the question. Had I been that obvious? Surely I had been pleasant to the girl? I tried not to fidget uncomfortably.

"Um, of course," I replied in my most normal sounding voice, "She's very nice, Steven."

I felt Steven nod. "OK, I was just wondering," he told me, "It would make me happy to know that all of my closest friends got along."

I breathed an inner sigh of relief as he dropped the subject. He sat up and jumped into the pool, splashing me and getting me soaking wet. I giggled a little as he swam around in little circles, still fully dressed in his clothes.

"Come on, Steven," I chided gently, "You better get changed into dry clothing. You don't want to catch a cold."

Steven looked at me and nodded. "Okay!" he replied. He climbed out of the pool and shook himself off, then ran back into the barn to change. I myself laid there for a few more minutes before getting out. When I went back into the barn, Steven had already changed and was waking up Connie.

I watched quietly from the shadows as Steven and Connie played together. Then they joined Peridot in watching "Camp Pining Hearts." I should have joined them. Why didn't I join them? What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I get over this? Sighing heavily, I walked out of the barn and around to the back. I sat there quietly, reflecting on my feelings. I knew Steven wouldn't mind if I asked to join in their activities. I was also certain the girl, Connie would not object either. So, what was holding me back?

Was it my own selfish desires? Was it simply that I wanted Steven to myself? I shook my head when I considered this.

I stared off into the distance as the sun slowly rose beyond the hill. For a moment, everything was quiet. Maybe a little too quiet. I could swear I could hear a voice on the wind, but it wasn't Steven's, or Connie's, or Peridot's. But it was still familiar. Maybe it was one of the Crystal Gems? But that couldn't be.

Deciding to find out, I stood up and walked towards the voice. It sounded far away, but at the same time it sounded so near. I could barely make it out, but it sounded like it was calling to me. Who's voice was it? I knew that I knew it from somewhere. The voice was starting to lead me into a nearby grove of trees.

I entered the grove, and just when I was starting to remember where I knew the voice from, I suddenly heard Steven calling my name from the barn. Abandoning my search, I quickly flew back to him.

"There you are, Lapis!" Steven exclaimed when he saw me, "Connie and I were wondering if you would like to come with us for a walk through the fields. It'll be fun!"

"Are you sure you want me to come with you?" I asked, blushing slightly, "You don't want to spend time alone together?"

Steven suddenly frowned at me. "Do you… not want to come with us?" he asked.

"No! No, no!" I replied quickly, "I do! I just didn't…" I paused, realizing how silly I was being. Why would he ask me to come with him if he didn't actually want me to come with him? "Sorry," I said, "I was just being silly. I would love to join you two."

"Great!" Steven exclaimed, taking my hand, "Come on! Connie's waiting for us!"

Connie was standing in front of the barn, waiting patiently for us. She smiled when she saw us. "There you two are!" she greeted, "Lapis! Glad to have you with us!"

I felt ashamed of myself. How could I harbor such resentment for such a nice girl? And of course, I should know that she is a nice person, she's friends with Steven, after all! I smiled at her the best I could.

"Thank you for letting me join you," I replied. Much like the day before, we wandered out to where the fields were. There was nothing there, but Peridot had been saying recently that she wanted to do something in the fields. But she never told me what.

Connie skipped along beside Steven, breathing deeply. "The air out here is so much cleaner compared to the city," she commented, "I can see why you and Peridot like it so much. I don't know if my parents would like it though. They're kind of sticks-in-the-mud."

Steven gasped. "You shouldn't talk that way about your parents!" he chided, "I mean, even if it is a little bit true…"

"What are your parents like?" I asked Connie.

"They're okay, I guess," she replied, "They're pretty strict with a lot of things, though my mom has lightened up a bit recently, thanks to Steven." She gave her friend a gentle nudge.

Steven laughed at the memory. "Yeah, we were totally amazing at that hospital!" he said.

I tried to fight down the jealousy that I felt building in my throat. I wished I could boast about having as many adventures with Steven as Connie clearly had. But most of my memories with Steven also involved Jasper, and I didn't want to think about her.

As we walked back to the barn, I could see Peridot up on the roof trying to break the car door she had been banging on through the roof. I wondered why, but then I remembered that it was Peridot.

Connie looked at her watch, then at the sky. The sun was right above us by now. She sighed. "My parents will be coming to get me soon," she told us regretfully, "They wanted me to be home by supper time."

"Aww!" Steven moaned, "But we were having so much fun!"

"It's not like we'll never see each other again," Connie pointed out, "I'll see you next week." As she said this, a car pulled up to the barn. I assumed it was her parents. She waved good bye to us and hopped in the car. I can't say I was disappointed to see her go.

Steven waved until the car was completely out of sight, then he turned to me. "I'm glad you got to meet Connie," he said, "I knew you two would get along!"

Again, I felt horrible for disliking the girl for no reason. Maybe if I saw her again I would make more of an attempt to be more outwardly friendly to her.

I started suddenly when Steven gently took my hand and led me back into the barn. I could still hear Peridot up on the roof doing whatever it was she was doing. Steven smiled up at me.

"What's Peridot doing?" he wondered.

I shrugged. "I have no idea," I replied, "Peridot just kind of does her own thing."

Steven giggled a little. "Yeah, that does sound like Peridot," he commented, "So what do you want to do now? We have the whole barn to ourselves!"

"Whatever you want to do, Steven," I answered, a bit shyly on my part.

We spent the rest of the day exploring places in the barn that Steven hadn't seen yet. Then we tormented Peridot a little, and she chased us around the barn for bothering her. When the sun went down, Steven was exhausted.

"What a day!" he sighed, flopping down on the mattress. I sat down next to him, gently pulling his blanket up over him. "Good night, Lapis!"

"Good night, Steven," I replied.

I sat a little bit away from him, silently watching him through the darkness. As I took my silent vigil, I suddenly heard the wind outside blowing, and once again the mysterious voice called to me. Shivering, I decided to investigate.

I followed the voice back out into the grove. Now that it was night time, the grove was much more sinister, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. This place was too much for me. I started to turn to go back to the barn, when someone suddenly grabbed me from behind, twisting my arms behind me and wrapping a strong thick arm around my throat.

I was trapped.

Whoa! Cliff hanger! Didn't see that coming did you? Next chapter we'll see who it is, and hopefully a certain someone will come to save poor Lapis! But until next time, please leave a review telling me how much you hate this!