Corrupted Heart - Steven Universe x Reader

Chapter 22

"I don't understand what you see in her", I pointed out.

Jerry glanced up at me, letting out a few sniffles and rubbing his eyelids roughly. It was obvious he was holding in the urge to cry. Finally, he muttered, "What do you mean?".

"That girl, the one I developed a sudden hate for", my mouth curved up, tauntingly, "You like her".

His eyes widened, shifting to the ground as his face heated up with a flustered red colour. "No! It's not--I mean...".

He pressed his lips together and let out a sigh, "Mable isn't as horrible as she seems. It's just a facade, I know it is".

I subtly rolled my eyes. I attempted to stay away from her after she left that not-so threatening message to me on the day we had detention together, and even then, she doesn't hesitate to throw me a glare whenever we cross paths. I was tempted to point out the obvious flaws in her, but, not wanting Jerry to have to hold back any more tears, I kept my mouth shut.

"You wouldn't believe the things she went through growing up", Jerry stated, his eyes shifting to his side. "Her parents sent her younger brother to foster care when they couldn't afford to keep them both. She drifted away from her old friends when she isolated herself after losing her brother".

I sat and listened, at one point, the story reminding me of something. Have I even talked to my old friends since I moved? Did we instinctively drift apart? I had their numbers, but I was half expecting them to contact me, and when they didn't, did I assume they didn't want me anymore. I shook that idea out of my head. That couldn't be it. It's all of this space travel and gem domination shenanigans, I've been forgetting to do a lot of things because of it.

Jerry continued, "I still stuck by her, but I guess things were going downhill for her because, at one point, she completely cut me out of her life. And now...", hearing the sound the TubeTube stars giggling and chuckling amongst themselves, Jerry could distinguish one particular laughter among the rest. He glared down at his shoes, "Now, she's forcing herself to pretend to be someone she's not. She pretends to have everything when she lost it all. I'm the only one who knows about her past and home life, so she's only treating me like garbage because of the constant fear that once word gets out, she'll be along again".

"That doesn't explain why you have a crush on someone like her", I point out.

"I'm hoping that if I'm nicer to her, she'll see that we're still friends", Jerry took a deep breath and let it out in one cold sigh. "I liked the person she used to be, I want to bring that girl back. I miss what we used to be".

I raised an eyebrow, with scepticism, "And you think by following her around everywhere, her behaviour will change?".

Jerry's cheeks heated up as he buried his face into his knees, flustered. He muttered out, "I wasn't following her! I just happened to walk by when she was talking to her friend. I'm just a victim of circumstances".

I glanced back, hearing the chattering sound of students overflowing the hallways. Lunchtime was probably over. I stood up from the grass. "This whole crush thing is giving me a headache anyway", I stretched my arms up. "Let's just head inside and we'll figure this whole thing out later".

Jerry nodded, slowly. He stood up and followed me inside the school. Luckily, no-one noticed that we were out of bounds, so we got off the hook.

Jerry turned to face me as we walked down the hall, "How did you know I was out there anyway?".

Not wanting to tell him the truth, I blurted out the first excuse that came to mind, "If I wanted to avoid my friends, that's probably the first place I'd go".

Jerry's mouth curved up into a tiny smile when he heard me use the word 'friend'. Other than with Steven, that's the first time I'd use that word with any of them. I wanted to immediately take it back, but it seemed to cheer Jerry up, so, I pretended not to notice.

~

"Want to come on a walk with me?", my mother asked, tying the laces of her sneakers. "You can bring your music with you".

I raised a brow and replied, "Can I go get sushi with Steven tomorrow?".

"Why don't you hang out with some of your school friends?", she asked me. "You never invite them over".

I knitted my brows, "I'm not asking about my school friends, I'm asking about Steven", I said to her.

She sighed, staring at me with a soft frown. Even if she means well, I was not in a proper mood to forgive her for trash-talking Steven the other day. "Why don't you and I get some sushi right now?", she smiled, hoping I'd agree.

That's when I snapped, "Why are you still so against him?".

Mum scoffed, turning around so she wasn't facing me, "Not this again, (Y/N). I'm not going to repeat myself like a broken record".

I folded my arms over my chest, a seed of resentment planting in my stomach and working its way up my throat. I clenched my fists tightly, "Steven isn't hurting me! He likes being my friend!", I exclaimed, my whole mouth stung. "Stop making stupid accusations! He's not some--some...abuser!".

"(Y/N), I will not tolerate your tone!", my mum pointed an irate finger at me. "You're not going out with that boy and that's final!".

She opened the front door and shut it closed with such force that I flinched slightly at the sound as she left me standing there, stunned. My foot naturally began to tap repeatedly in exasperation. I couldn't believe she was still holding a grudge against Steven for something he didn't even do. I guess that means no sushi unless I'm in a rebellious mood and decide to sneak out. Almost like magic, my phone began ringing from my pocket. But, I was still engulfed in fury.

"What do you want?!", I exclaimed, intuitively taking out my anger from the argument on whoever called me. The line was silent for a moment, then a tranquil voice spoke.

"Did I catch you at a bad time?", Steven muttered into my ear. I rubbed my forehead, a sigh escaping my lips.

"S-Sorry, Steven. I didn't know it was you", I said.

Steven asked, "Were you planning on yelling at someone else?".

I narrowed my brows, "Did you call me for a reason?".

"Oh, yeah! Everything's finally good at home. Garnet and Pearl made up and now everything's back to normal".

I could roll my eyes, not needing to be subtle about it. "Thanks for the update. Remind me to throw a party and invite people from all across the world to celebrate the accomplishment", I grunted to him.

Steven let out a little chuckle which I had to admit, lightened my mood. I wasn't sure how it did, but my chest, which previously felt like a huge weight of rage had been dropped on it, felt lighter. I felt like I could breathe easier and it made me feel better. "You sound a little grumpy. I know we're not really allowed to hang out right now, but do you wanna stay on the call and talk for a while".

I raised a brow, "Talk about what?".

A shifting sound was heard on the other line, which I could only make out as Steven getting comfortable on his bed. He smiled, though I couldn't see it, "Whatever you want. I just like talking to you".