Late at dusk, Steven stands on the sidewalk in the neighborhood of Beach City as he pulls out his phone. He dials in a phone number before holding it up to his inner ear. "This is Lars. Leave a message."

The answering machine beeps to allow Steven to say his message to the receiver. "LARS! I-I mean, Lars, hi. This is Steven. Um, I was just wondering where you were. The potluck is going really great."

Steven starts to head back to Sour Cream's house which is about a block ahead of him as his footsteps tap the pavement. "Everyone's having a nice time and we're all excited for you to come join the fun. Or maybe I just missed you and you're already back at the party. And-!"

Steven cuts himself off as he witnesses the spectacle in front of him. His eyes widen, gasping as he watches Lars dump his Ube roll in the trash bin. He shakes his head in disbelief as Lars whips his head around with a gasp of his own.

Lars slams the bin shut as Steven hangs up on his call before thrusting his phone back into his pocket. "Lars?! What are you doing with your cake?!" Lars' first intention was to retreat back home, but upon noticing Steven's keen eye catching him in the act, he feels he has to explain himself.

Lars' forehead sweats as the neon skull on his shirt glows in the dead of night. "Steven! I-I didn't know you would be-!" Lars' cheeks heat up as Steven clenches his teeth. "Looking for you?! Lars, I thought something really bad happened to you!"

Lars rolls his eyes, scoffing at his oppressor. "Steven, there is nothing like that anywhere around town and even if there was, I would've been able to handle it myself." Steven facepalms. "Ugh! Dang it, Lars! Why can't you just go in there and show Buck, Jenny and Sour Cream how cool of a baker you can be?"

Lars glances over at the house before rolling his eyes back to Steven with a sigh. "Steven, I just can't do it." Steven's fingers curl into fists as he takes a step forward, stomping the pavement. "Why not, Lars?! Why can't you do it?!" Lars grits his teeth as the knob on the front door starts to turn.

Steven's eyes narrow as they well up. "Lars, before today, I thought that you didn't have anything amazing to show about you. But when I tasted your pumpkin bread, I was blown away! Stop thinking that you aren't good enough to be the better version of you for anybody!"

The windows' blinds fold open a crack to allow the occupants inside the house to view the debate unraveling outside. Lars' tone lightens up a bit as he widens his eyes. "I'm--I'm afraid, Steven." Steven presses a hand to the skull on Lars' shirt as he looks up into his eyes.

Steven's glare fades as his eyes glisten in the moonlight. "It's okay to be afraid. But you need to face your fears so you can stop being afraid of them. And you don't have to do it alone. I've got you back and so does everyone else." Lars gazes into the dumpster with his Ube roll trashed inside.

He shakes his head as he turns his back towards his friend. "I'm sorry. It's too late now. Once I make a new one, the party will already be over. I may never get another chance like this again after that."

Steven's lips curl up into a smile as he chuckles. "Who said there won't be a another chance? Just make something that you think Buck and everyone else will like and show that to them when they come around. I know you're afraid to humiliate yourself, but trust me. I did it and I have no regrets and you wanna know why?"

Lars raises an eyebrow. "It's because I had fun doing it. I was afraid I would embarrass myself in front of the Gems on my first mission. I was afraid to embarrass myself on any mission. But the Gems knew I would mess up because I've never been on one before until then. They aren't any different from you and neither are those guys."

Lars hangs his head, casting his eyes down on the pavement. He nods and he starts walking off down the street back to his house as Steven looks over to the party. He turns his head back in the direction Lars went and he starts strolling along just the same.

He hears a sound coming from straight ahead near a streetlight. He stops in his tracks as he looks around. "Lars?" He proceeds with a cautious step as yellow glow blinds his sight of vision. He shields his eyes, gritting his teeth as the glow fades, leaving in the dark again.

Steven rubs his eyes as he groans. "What was that?" A voice calls to him from behind his back. "Steven!" Sadie rushes over to his side to join him on his trek back home. "We were having such a blast! I sung to them as we were making music and you should've seen it! It was amazing!"

Sadie's lips curl down as Steven's eyes droop. "Steven? Are you okay?" He sighs as he looks back up at the streetlight. "Sadie, Lars trashed his cake." Sadie blinks as she gapes for a moment. "What? You mean he just--chickened out or something?" Steven nods as he resumes his walk.

"Yeah. He said he was too afraid to show Buck, Jenny and Sour Cream his cooking." Sadie sighs as she digs hers hands into his coat pockets. "Lars." Steven concurs with her through his own line. "Bingo bongo." Steven and Sadie stop at the streetlight, waving each other goodbye for the night.

"Good night, Sadie."
"Good night, Steven." Steven and Sadie go their seperate ways down to the street as a bulky figure approaches her. It glows, causing Sadie to freeze.

She starts to turn around as she widens her eyes. A smaller figure with water wings swoops down towards her. "Well now, a Lars--and now a Sadie. This must be our lucky day."