There was a thump as his shoes hit the floor, along with his belt and his shirt. As he walked to his bed, he looked in the mirror and got a good look at himself. His body was thin and long. He shook his head as he flexed his arms and found that he didn't have much muscle. I really need to work out this week. I look like a twig. He looked at his face. It had gained some color, but he still had rings under his eyes. He rubbed them and looked again. His hair was messy and his head was itchy. My dandruff must be coming back. Why didn't Skylar or Garnet say anything? I look like a home-less person. Fed up with himself, Steve jumped into bed. He sighed and took in the silence. He thought about Garnet. He still was suspicious about who she really was. He went over all that she said and did, but couldn't find anything that he should be worried about. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine where that terrorist might be. Probably with her terrorist partners. Or maybe she's planning something against me. Or maybe.... He trailed off to sleep.
Steve peeled open his eyes. The bright sunlight sent tears to his eyes. His head had a sick ache and he felt worse than yesterday morning. He tried to move, but felt a furry ball next to him. He looked and saw a red tomcat curled up on his bed. His eyes widened. He got up and stared at it. It's ears twitched. He jumped. It's eyes suddenly opened and looked at him. It was a skinny little thing. It's fur was rough and messy. It's eyes looked like it was rabid. He backed off. I've been sleeping with this thing? No wonder I'm sick! He grabbed a book and whacked it's back. It hissed and all it's hairs were on end. He whacked it again. This time it scratched his hand. The scratch was surprisingly deep, and red blood oozed out of it. Steve growled. He grabbed the cat by the back of it's neck and threw it out on his balcony. It meowed lowly, then jumped into a scrawny tree and climbed down. He scowled. He closed the doors and cradled his hand. It was pretty bloody for just a scratch. He walked over to a shelf and opened it's doors. The cupboard was filled with medicine, junk mail, band-aids, and a few first aid kits. He grabbed a box of band-aids and started to walk away. Then he quickly turned and picked out a couple bottles of Tylenol. He sat at the table and put a big band-aid over the scratch. He sighed as he took three pills of Tylenol and gulped them down with a glass of water. Though he was exhausted, he didn't want to call in sick at work. It was his first week. So he decided to get ready.
The cold air stung his throat as he slowly walked down the side walk and to the mall. His striped hoodie didn't seem to be able keep him warm. He groaned and complained to himself about his headache. Even with three pills; it didn't seem to go away. The foul smell of the mall seemed to be worse than yesterday and made him more grumpy. He stomped into Hot Topic; the incense calming him down a bit. Skylar watched him toss his bag in the back of the store and walk to the counter. "Why didn't you call in sick?" she asked with a worried expression on her face. He huffed, "It's my first week. It would just be lame to call in sick." She raised an eyebrow and said, "It would be lame for me to have to make you call you in sick." Steve frowned. She grabbed his bag and shoved it in his chest. She asked seriously this time, "Steven. Go." He sighed, took his bag, and left.
He was almost home when someone shouted, "Hey! Steve! Wait!" He looked around and saw it was Garnet. She was wearing a short red and black skirt with black and white striped tights. She had tall black boots on and her hair was down with a little black bow on it's side. He muttered some words to himself and said, "Hello, there." She jogged over to him; she was out of breath. She panted, "I was just on my way to the mall when I passed you. Aren't you working today?" He started walking back with her and said, "Yeah, I was. A friend of mine said I should call in sick....so I just went home to rest. Don't I look horrid?" She studied him for a minute. "You do," she blurted out. He chuckled, "I found a cat in my bed today. It looked sick or rabid or something. It scratched me too. I bet that's why I'm like this." Her face became grave, "Hmm. You should go see a doctor. Rabid animals can be deadly. That scratch could get infected or something." When they finally reached his apartment, Garnet asked, "Would you like me to help you? I mean, if you're not feeling well, I make a mean soup." He was beginning to get annoyed, but he politely said, "I wouldn't want you to go through all that trouble just to--" She walked into his apartment and said, "I insist." He rolled his eyes and closed the door. He dropped his bag on the kitchen table and opened it. He took out the Tylenol and got a glass of water. And picked out three more pills and swallowed them quickly. He looked at Garnet; she was staring with a concerned face at him. He cleared his throat and asked her what kind of soup she was going to make. She smiled as she dug into his pantry for the right ingredients, "It's a family recipe! You'll love it," she looked at Steve, "Trust me." She hesitated, "But....are you allergic to anything?" He took off his shoes and said, "Nope." Steve stretched and said, "I'm going to take a snooze. Come and get me when you're done or you need something." She nodded. Steve walked over to his room and took off his shirt. He sighed with relief as his head hit his pillow. He groaned and laid on his back.
It must have been hours until Garnet was done making the soup and it had cooled off. Steve was still asleep, so she was deciding on whether to wake him up or let him sleep. Well, he wanted me to wake him up when I was done, but he does need his sleep. He didn't look so good, she thought. She sighed and walked to his room. The door was open. When she walked in, Steve was all sprawled out on his bed in a very interesting position. She giggled quietly. She tip-toed over to his side and said, "Aww, you sleep like an angel." He didn't move. She sat on the floor. He moaned quietly. She smiled and poked his shoulder. He moved on his side facing her, still asleep. She observed his face. He still had rings under his eyes, but they were barely visible. His nose and cheeks were red; he must be cold. She brushed her hand against his face; He is cold! Then she touched his head; his hair was messy from moving around in bed, but it was soft. She touched his face again. I've never known anyone who'd be this chilly when its-- Suddenly, his eyes opened and widened. They both jumped and fell over. He quickly pulled the covers over himself and shouted, "Ah! What are you doing?" She shouted, "I was just waking you up! Like you asked me to." He dropped the covers and grabbed a shirt. As he put it on he said, "Well," he grunted, "you could have just knocked. I would have woken up." She growled, "The door was open! Besides, you didn't wake up when I was talking to you." She stomped out of the room. Steve rolled his eyes and chased after her. She was grumpily spooning out the soup into a bowl. He smirked and said, "I know people say red-heads have a temper, but this is just ridiculous." She tried to hide her face from him. Steve could tell she was trying to hold back a smile. He laughed and sat at the table. She hauled a huge pot over to the table and dropped it with a thump. He was surprised at the size of it. She gave him his bowl. The soup was hardly a soup. It was basically rice, hamburger, tomatoes, carrots, corn, and other vegetables in a red-orange broth. He looked at her. She was enjoying her hard-earned masterpiece. He took a spoonful and hesitantly put it in his mouth. The soup was just the right temperature and had a wonderful flavor. "Hmm. This is very," he chewed, "interesting." She smiled, "Admit it. You love it!" He gave up, "I love it." She laughed victoriously, "I knew you would! It's called Spanish Rice. It's one of my all-time favorites." Not bad, he thought. Not bad at all. While they ate, they talked.
When he finished his second bowl, he felt all warm and fuzzy inside. "Thanks, Garnet. I feel alot better." She giggled as she washed the dishes, "Wonderful. You can keep the soup, then. I'm glad I was able to help." He walked over and set his bowl on the counter. He noticed that her hands were trembling and said, "You can leave the dishes. I'll take care of them later." She looked at him. He was way above her head. She measured herself against him and said, "Dang. I never realized how tall you were." He walked over to the door. He came back with her boots. "Probably because you were wearing these." She smiled and took her boots. She sat down at the table and pulled them on. He frowned and said, "Leaving already?" She looked up at him and chuckled, "I've been here for hours, Steve. You were the one who was asleep the whole time." Garnet stood up and said, "Maybe another day. I had a really good time." Steve walked her to the door and opened it slowly. Before she could leave he grabbed her hand. She turned and asked, "What are you doing?" His eyes were suspicious, "Your hands were shaking. Do you know why?" She shook her head slowly. The light overhead made his green eyes look accusing and hateful. She tugged her hand free and hurried down the stairs. He ran down the stairs faster than her and stopped her. Since they were a few stairs apart it made Garnet look taller than Steve. He asked her, "Is there something you're not telling me?" She smiled. His face was still suspicious. She sighed and rested her arms on both of his shoulders. His eyes widened as he recognized this scene.
Suddenly, Garnet was wearing a long red dress and her hair was longer than before. She stepped down a couple steps. They were face-to-face now. She whispered in her serpent-like voice, "Steven, you're quite clumsy." He scowled and tried to take her arms off him, but she stood firm. He tried to ignore her words. Her eyes pierced his mind; they seemed to be getting a deeper red every second. She giggled, "You had better keep your guard up. Anyone could be one of my spies." Steve turned his head away. Then she released him and walked back up the stairs next to his door. He stomped up the steps and into his room; the door slammed. He closed his eyes and threw himself onto his bed. He turned his head and opened his eyes to find the terrorist lying right beside him. He jumped, quickly sat up and shouted to the ceiling, "Ugh! Won't you leave me alone?" She pulled him back and pinned him down on the bed. "You won't defend yourself? Why don't you kill me right now," she whispered in his ear. He growled and struggled, but once again, she held him in place. He snapped at her, "Because you're not really here! I'm with Garnet." She raised an eyebrow and said, "Are we so different?" He calmed down. She grabbed his shirt and said, "If I were you, I would be careful who you choose for a friend. Betrayal is very possible."
Garnet was staring at him. Reality came back to him. He was with Garnet on the steps again. He massaged his forehead and groaned. Garnet took her arms away and asked, "Are you OK? You kinda zoned out on me." He rubbed his eyes and stepped back. She frowned and walked downstairs. Steve shouted, "Hey, Garnet?" She looked back at him. "I'm sorry I acted weird. I was nervous that you could still be her." She smiled kindly and said, "I understand. I'm sure I would still be spooked if that happened to me." He nodded and closed his door. Nice going freak-a-zoid. He looked out the window and noticed it was dark already. Steve sighed and got himself a bowl of Spanish Rice before sitting on the couch and picking out a movie from his entertainment center.