Steven never thought he'd be here.
Sitting in a bustling café, watching Jessica, cheer captain, social butterfly, untouchable presence in the hallways, absolutely annihilate a burger. It still felt strange to him.
"Okay, don't judge me," she mumbled between bites, catching his amused stare. "I skipped lunch, and this is literally saving my life right now."
Steven smirked. "I wasn't judging."
Jessica raised a skeptical eyebrow but didn't slow down. She was comfortable. That much was obvious.
And that? That was new.
A week ago, they'd been just classmates. A forced partnership in computer science. Now, they had inside jokes, shared interests, and a pending prom proposal that neither of them had addressed yet.
Friendship was an odd thing.
"You're quieter than usual," Jessica said after finally coming up for air. "Regretting inviting me out?"
Steven huffed a laugh. "You invited yourself."
She grinned. "Details."
He shook his head, sipping his coffee. He didn't mind. Jessica was… unexpected. She talked a lot, sure, but she also listened. She laughed easily, but she wasn't afraid of silence either. And she didn't care that their friendship didn't make sense to other people.
She just was.
Steven liked that.
"Okay," Jessica said, wiping her hands on a napkin. "I gotta ask, do you always do this? Just sit in coffee shops and… vibe?"
Steven smirked. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"No, I get it." She glanced around. "It's kinda nice. Quiet. Feels like a little escape."
Steven tilted his head, watching her. "You don't get a lot of those, do you?"
Jessica hesitated. "What do you mean?"
"You're always around people," Steven said simply. "Always busy, always talking, always… 'on.'"
Jessica blinked, caught off guard. No one had ever said it like that before.
"I guess," she admitted. "I mean, I like it. But yeah, sometimes it's exhausting."
Steven nodded, like he understood completely. Maybe he did.
A comfortable silence settled between them. Outside, the sky had darkened slightly, the streetlights flickering on.
"Hey," Jessica said suddenly, breaking the quiet. "Wanna do something crazy?"
Steven gave her a wary look. "Define crazy."
Jessica grinned, eyes gleaming. "Ever been bowling?"
Steven blinked. "What?"
"Bowling," she repeated, grabbing her bag. "There's a place like ten minutes from here. C'mon, nerd. Live a little."
Steven sighed. "I feel like I'm gonna regret this."
Jessica smirked. "You probably will."