As we put on our makeup, Pearl sighed. "I just can't believe Steven didn't send me a candy cane."

Spinel shrugged and tossed her hair. "I dunno. Maybe he forgot about you."

Pearl dropped her hands and stared listlessly in the mirror. I could practically hear her having an existential crisis.

I took the opportunity. "Yeah, Stevens been acting kind of weird lately. I mean, is something bothering him?"

"Well, his mom is dead if that's what you mean. She gave up her gem for him so he basically was like, the whole reason she died," She confessed quietly. Then she gasped. "Oh my stars, don't tell Steven I told you that."

I felt a rush of sympathy for him. I supposed without a mother around, he'd been raised lopsidedly. Greg was great, but he enabled Steven frequently, constantly. And to blame himself? I could see why he was so closed off and yet so reckless. His reaction to basic affection should have told me enough. I'd thought she just wasn't in the picture, but she wasn't in any picture.

We watched Alex sing an interesting rendition of  'Try' and she sighed again.

"I mean, I guess I just don't understand why he sent you a candy cane. He hates humans."

Ouch. "Hazels a human."

The audience cheered and she sighed again. "Maybe he feels weird around me because I'm the only one who knows he takes it in the ass from Hazel."

What?! I turned to stare at her with wide eyes and a hand over my mouth. It's not like I didn't figure out what gay sex entailed, it was just so blunt and random and not the information I was fucking looking for!

"Oh my god. Pretend you didn't hear that!" She pleaded as Shaggy sat a stool onstage.

It clattered over and a few people boo'ed but he didn't seem to care. He held up a mic and started singing.

"I was gonna clean my room
Until I got high
I was gonna get up and find the broom
But then I got high
My room is still messed up,
And I know why!

Because I got high
Because I got high
Because I got high

I was gonna go to class
But then I got high
I coulda cheated and I coulda passed
But then I got high–,"

The Headmaster pulled the plug to his mic and shook his head. "Thank you, Brandon. That's enough."

Mrs. Larson at the piano looked so disappointed but she giggled a bit when he bowed to applause and more boo'ing.

Alex leaned over to Peridot. "Does it still bother you that they still use Milky Quartz' choreography?"

Peridot grumbled under her breath. "No. I don't like fusion anyhow. Shut up."

"Goddamn."

They turned to see Shaggy staring down at Peridots butt. "I'd rather see your fusion again shaking that ass."

Alex laughed and Peridot scowled over a blush. "Go jump off a cliff, you stoned clod!"

We walked out and Steven appeared, looking incredibly dapper in his suit and Christmas themed tie. Pearl stood next to him and I took my position as a backup dancer but Steven shook his head. "Pearl, switch sides with Connie."

"But we always do Rainbow! I thought–,"

"Well that was when there were three of us, and when Rainbow did the choreography. And now, Connie needs to go in the middle. Switch. Sides. That's a direct order," He snapped viciously. Pearl made a tiny sound of discontent as she and I switched sides.

"I didn't think I'd actually get to perform," I told him as he took my hand.

His eyes found mine, and I noticed under his shirt his gem was glowing brightly. "Surprise."

The curtains rose as the music started and the crowd cheered in excitement.

The fog cleared and everyone gasped loudly. I could feel it, that connectedness flowing through me again as the fog cleared and we turned into I.

"Ready?" I heard his voice in our head crystal clear, and I exhaled slowly.

"Ready."

"I can't help it if I make a scene
Stepping out of my hot pink limousine
I'm turning heads and I'm stopping traffic
When I pose they scream
And when I joke they laugh
I've got a–," The shocked quiet turned into deafening roars as people absolutely fell in love with Stevonnie. They were beautiful and tall and sensual in their dance.

We ran our fingers through our hair and trailed our hands up our body. I could feel Steven getting lost in the music. It was almost cute that he loved it so much it made his heart happy, seeing as it was a girly pop song.

"Stop that," He grumbled.

"Everybody needs a friend
And I've got you and you and you," We pointed out random audience members, and we smiled even harder at my parents close to the front in pure shock and Stevens dad holding up a camera hollering and wiping at his eyes. "So many I can't even name them
Can you blame me?
I'm too famous~,"

The CD started skipping rapidly and we froze in place. Pearl ran off to the side to slap the player but it skipped even harder. She kicked it and it flew into someone's face.

It was dead silent as we and Spinel stared out at the audience. Pearl was apologizing profusely as the guy clutched his bleeding nose.

I felt his panic like it was mine, but I made us a deep breath. "Haven't you noticed
I'm a star?" The audience caught on and clapped the beat as we started dancing again, Stevonnie singing their heart out along with Pearl and Spinel and what felt like the entire world. "Now everyone can see me burnin'
Now everyone can see me burnin'!"

They clapped and Steven and I unfused, now for some reason in a romantic dip. He was smiling down at me like I was an angel sent straight from heaven into his arms and the curtain dropped.

But only just barely before he kissed me.

It was a slow, indulgent, kiss that felt different from the other times. No one was backstage besides me, Pearl, him and Spinel but it felt like we were the only two there.

He pulled away but his eyes were still closed as if he couldn't open them. "Good... good job."

"Thanks."

He let me go just as Hazel ran backstage and pulled Steven into a hug. "That was awesome."

"Hey, good job, Freshie," Shaggy appeared and nudged my shoulder.

"Thank you, Shaggy. You too." I smiled big. I couldn't stop, even when Hazel pulled Steven into a kiss and the girls squealed in excitement hugging me tight.

"You guys were amazing, Connie," Pearl said earnestly.

I squeezed her back. "I know Rainbow would have been amazing too."

"Oh my stars, Connie is totally blushing!" Spinel exclaimed. "You totally have a crush on Shaggy!"

I frowned and laughed awkwardly. "No, I don't."

"Oh so that's why you wanted to join Knowledge Bowl!" Pearl nodded as if understanding my motives.

"Wait, Knowledge Bowl? I thought you hated school," Hazel said skeptically.

Shit. I'd forgotten that I had started slacking off in favor of him helping me more in our classes together, claiming how hard college was.

Steven gave me an odd look and I turned away to address Hazel. "No, I totally do. I like, suck at learning."

"That's so fetch!" Pearl gushed.

Steven rolled his eyes. "Pearl, stop trying to make 'fetch' happen. It's never going to happen."

She looked like a scolded teenager as she tried to stop her lip from quivering.

The next day in English, it happened.

"Why should King Henry VIII get to tirade and be a dictator collecting wives and servants while the ones who've been here the whole time try not to get beheaded under his massive ego? What's so great about Henry's other wives? Parr is just as pretty as Aragon. Parr is just as sweet as Aragon! Okay, Parr is just as smart as Aragon, and people totally like Parr just as much as they like Henry! And when did it become okay to just be boss of everybody and bully everyone close to you, huh? Because that's not what England used to be about we should all just overthrow Henry!" She paused her rant, clutching her paper in her trembling hands and looking around at all of the rest of us freaked out students.

Pearl had officially cracked.

I followed her out to the bathroom when she ran off, ignoring the teachers cries for me to stay seated.

"Okay, like if you actually knew how Steven really is when no one's looking?" Pearl dabbed at her eyes and blew out a quick breath. "Like, you know that I do everything around the house? I don't mind it, but it's like he doesn't even notice everything I do for him! Everything I do, I do it for him!"

I placed a hand on her shoulder sympathetically. I couldn't use that, and it wasn't a surprise with her neurotic attitude. I knew things about Steven that I wondered if she even knew, like the night in the car and his blushing.

"And his mom! I was there for his mom, way before anything ever happened I served under her first! She never treated me like he's been treating me since you came around, no offense. I was in love with her and then she met his stupid father and it just– ugh! He used to cry himself to sleep every night! And I used to cry myself to sleep every night after comforting him for as long as he wanted! He never even said thank you to me! She died and... it was so hard for me. And you know he's only dating Hazel because he doesn't want him to have you, right? Hazel was totally in the friend zone before you came along and now they're dating again because he can't bear to watch his ex and crush dating. He can't bear it! He's so defensive with his feelings he can't even admit it out loud! I had to go through his music and journals! I could've told on him, I just didn't! I never told anyone because... I'm such a good Pearl!" She broke down again and I pulled her into a hug.

My mind was racing at a hundred miles an hour. I did it. Everything made sense now. Of course he would start dating Hazel to keep him off of me because no one else dared to even try! Everything was aligning with how we'd planned it. I didn't know how to feel. Steven Universe had a crush on me, or maybe was even in love with me!

It was that sensation again I'd had at the party, but reversed.

My heart was beating in slow motion.

My mouth was dry but I was beaming like the sun.

I had butterflies filling my stomach and fluttering around.

My throat was closing but it was because my heart was trying to escape out of my mouth.

This had to be the feeling of nearly completing the plan. It just had to be.