Steven eyes widen before he pinched his nose.."I see...Admirable of you to comfort her."

"Yeah...Well she got her heart broken by someone she admired. She needed her girls with her."

"The united we hate Steven front."

Connie gave him a light elbow for his terrible joke.

"Like anyone can hate you. Even the people you fight ends up liking you."

"I have been told I'm loveable."

Connie rolled her eyes while taking a sip of tea to hide the smile on her face.

"Oh, so loveable.. You missed my birthday cause of all that."

"I didn't appear true, but you got my gift I see.." He tapped on her headphones as indication.

Connie blushed as she nodded "Yeah, though you being there to celebrate with me would've made it perfect. "

"You enjoyed yourself though, from what I saw."

Connie looked at him him suspiciously as his smile widened, causing her jaw to drop..."YOU DID COME!" She squeezed his arm tightly.."AND DIDN'T SAY HI OR DANCE!?"

"Well I did say hi..to your parents and Stevonnie, but it was mostly to drop off your gift. Didn't stay long..Besides..that's was the same day Laps confessed."

"Oooooh.." Connie remembered how lapis was much more gloomy and hot tempered the day after, especially around her. She didn't lash out..but she was extra insulting to anyone who wasn't Connie...SHE got HERS the next couple of days after that. It actually caused a bit of a dispute between them.

When Lapis told her the reason for her behavior, Connie decided to hold off on Steven and help Lapis over her heartbreak. One of the very few times she'd put her best friend second.

"You really do lack tact sometimes, Steven."

Steven exhaled in shame and embarrassment. She was right, he did lack tact and Lapis had bad timing. Admittedly, he was a bit frustrated over Connie's now ex- boyfriend. The fact that he had to find out on his own and honestly didn't feel comfortable being around them at the time.

It hurt to see someone else, especially someone he didn't know, hold her so closely. So instead of staying he dropped off his present and like he said had few conversations before heading off. What he didn't know was Lapis had spotted him leaving, she caught him as he was walking away from Connie's, the corner of the block.

Claiming that she was leaving anyways, she got him to walk with her home. They talked as he escorted her, about school, clubs, their friends.. relationships. When they got to her home, she confessed. Confessed her admiration, her appreciation and her attraction. She admitted to her observation of him and Connie, how they acted when no one was around or when they think their mix-match group wasn't paying attention to them. The simple and sometime silent flirtations. The lovers like teasing. The spouse like serenity they shared.

She confessed that she envied it. She was jealous of them..Of Connie. Of their attraction towards each other. Of the fact that everyone thought they would be together..Her included.

Steven didn't say anything, mentally reeling at all this.

Which is why he was caught off guard when he felt her hug him tight, even more so when she attempted to kiss him...Which he would've went for..was going for...Only to stop and step back, looking disgusted for a second before giving her a small sad smile and a rejection.

He never will forget the shattered look she gave him..or the truth laced tongue lashing.

"Yeah...You're certainly right about that Connie."

"What happened exactly?" Steven arched an eyebrow at Connie..

"She didn't tell you?"

"Not the whole story" Connie shook her head and subconsciously rubbed the back of her head..Lapis didn't say much about the confession, but she told her a lot she couldn't disagree with.

"She told me off in a way that I didn't dare respond to." Steven walked towards the window, the snow had at least reached a foot by now "Made me really look at myself, my relationship with others. and how they differ from the one with you."

"Steven?"

"Your secretary is quite observant, Berry. Crap..haven't called you that in a few weeks...Lapis confessed...with a kiss."

"Quite aware of that." Steven heard the coldness in her voice. "You stepped back and rejected her with pity. That what she told me."

"It was guilt." Connie brows tightened at this as she waited for him to continue. "Guilt, that she had wasted such emotions on me...I was going to kiss her back..A centimeter apart that all it was."

"Why didn't you? Would of made her happy, you would of made a cute couple." Steven could only smirk at the tone, it was one used when she is mad at herself more than anything.

"Cause it would be wrong to give her false hope. It wouldn't be an reciprocation of emotions. I wanted to kiss her..because I wanted to get back at you."

"That's...messed up. Were you really that mad at me?"

"I was frustrated, not at you alone but the whole situation. Frustrated that the week I'm out, my best friend starts dating some guy and I know nothing about it, yet everyone else do and no one says a thing. That it was due to another close friends assistance that this happened. That I was stupidly not talking to you cause of my hang ups. That I didn't even know why I was frustrated in the first place."

"...It was a non-issue." Steven looked at her quizzically. Connie was facing the ceiling, frowning as she did. "The whole Jeff thing. A non-issue...That's why I never mentioned it or introduced you."

"I'm lost."

"We were never really together passed two weeks. One true date, that all. Not even worth noting, though we did have a few common hobbies. We both decided to stay friends, nothing more. We just kept up appearances for a bit longer."

"For what? Why keep it going?"

"Because Lapis was in love with you."

"That statement is much more loaded than it sounds."

"Yeah..."

They said nothing. The howling wind outside, the only sound in the classroom.