Steven Universe: Broken Peridot.
Chapter 44: Intermission.

[Connie's Diary]

***

Mom is acting weird.

Dear Diary,

Mom has been coming home less and less. Did something happen at work? I hope everything is okay.

The last time I saw her, she had dark circles under her eyes. She's a doctor, but she doesn't take care of her own health. This doesn't make sense.

I'm going to add more protein to her meals. Mom looks like she could collapse at any moment. Is work really that important...?

Mom is acting weird again!

Today, Mom came home and spent most of the day staring at her cell phone. What had she been mumbling about so much? I tried to sneak a look and saw that she had spent hours scrolling through a pink toy catalog. I wondered who she was buying that for—she had never done that before.

I heard that when people change drastically, it means they’re close to death. I know it’s a silly superstition, but looking at the coffee cups piled up on Mom’s desk, I thought, "Oh, maybe that really is true."

I hope she goes back to normal soon. I couldn’t even focus in class, thinking Mom might have fainted somewhere far away from me.

I hate school.

They bullied me again today.

I talked to the teacher, but she ignored me again and told me I should handle my own business. What kind of teacher is that incompetent? I’d like to have friends too. And I’d like not to worry about finding strange things in my backpack every time I go to the bathroom.

Luckily, they never hit me or anything, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt to be called “ugly four-eyed” every single day.

I’m tired. I’m going to look at some boats after school.

Was there a room like that at home?

Tonight, I took a walk to clear my head, and when I came back, Mom and Dad were nowhere to be found.

When I woke up, the house was full of new furniture and fresh paint. A pink bedroom that had never existed before had appeared in less than a day.

Is Mom infecting Dad, too? I can’t say for sure, but I’m pretty sure it was Mom’s doing.

Mom brought someone home!

Dear Diary, I promised myself I’d try to write less about Mom, but there’s no way around it.

Today, she didn’t bring a toy or a trinket, but a real human being! It was a girl who didn’t look much older than me.

I thought she might be a friend’s daughter, but then Mom suddenly told me she was my new sister. I nearly had a heart attack. Does Mom think people are like stray cats?

The girl fainted in my arms as soon as she saw me; she was so light and weak. I hope she’s okay.

Seriously, what’s been happening lately? I don’t understand anything anymore. Dad better give me a good explanation! If he doesn’t stop Mom, what else will she do?

I'm jealous

The new girl arrived home. She was like a doll in almost every way. She was beautiful and didn’t speak or move on her own.

Mom tried to downplay the girl’s situation, but even I could tell she had been through some pretty heavy trauma. I tried to be understanding and accepting, but Mom was glued to her like a 24-hour babysitter.

I knew I shouldn’t feel that way about her; Asha hadn’t hurt anyone.

In the end, it was Mom’s fault. Did she have any idea how worried Dad and I had been these past few days? And speaking of Dad, he avoided me all day; he still owes me an explanation!

She's right next to me right now.

Asha appeared on her own in my room. I was so nervous that I talked about everything that came to mind, and then she wrote to me "I’m deaf". I was so ashamed that I could die. Someone, please kill me!

She entered the room and started to read on her own. I’m looking at her right now. She’s so pretty. It’s like she’s an ice princess. When I poked her, she completely ignored me. Is this level of contact acceptable? I’m curious—how long will she keep that expressionless face? I’ll try something bolder.

[Some minutes later]

What did I do? Am I crazy? I accidentally hugged her so hard that the book fell to the floor. When I realized it, she had said goodbye and left. I don’t know what to think anymore. What if she thinks I’m weird? I swear it was an accident.

I need to apologize later.

I can’t understand her at all.

Today, I tried to approach Asha to apologize, but she completely ignored me. It was as if she didn’t even notice I existed.

When I looked at what she was watching, it was a cartoon about drills I’d never heard of before. The voice acting was a bit strange, and the way the 3D blended with the 2D felt off. Still, I was surprised there was such a big fandom around a show I’d never seen.

Even more surprising than the cartoon was the fact that Asha was watching it. I really can’t understand what she’s thinking. Should I join the fandom? It’d be nice to have something we could talk about. Maybe then we’d get a little closer.

Does she even care?

Yesterday, I saw Asha go to sleep with Mom. I don’t know if it was just the stress from school, but I couldn’t hold back my tears. I don’t want to be a bad kid, but when I see Mom treating her so gently and think about how she treats me, I can’t help but feel hurt.

Asha can’t even speak, yet it feels like the whole world’s attention is on her. Has Mom ever treated me like that? Maybe she did once, but it was so long ago I can’t remember.

She doesn’t know I buy sweets in secret, what things are like at school, or even what I really like. I wonder if she’d notice if I suddenly disappeared.

I need to cool off. My hand is covered in ink because I can’t stop crying while writing.

Dear Diary, I feel so alone.

Strange creature.

What just happened? I was looking at the stars in my secret base when suddenly, a strange creature appeared. It ate all my candy stash and then vanished as if pulled into a portal.

I was so shocked I forgot why I had been sad. Tomorrow, I need to see if it comes back.

I’m a little scared, but I feel strangely excited. For the first time, something feels interesting.

Won’t it come back?

I waited to see if the creature would return, but it didn’t. Could it have just been my imagination? I don’t think I’m schizophrenic, and the sweets are definitely gone.

I’ll give it one more chance. Maybe it’ll show up tomorrow. I prepared a bunch of things to catch it by surprise.

Dear Diary, wish me luck.

Blood. So much blood…

The creature never returned, but something even more shocking happened. When I came home, Asha was covered in her own blood. She had cut herself with the blade of the utility knife in my pencil case.

I had never seen so much blood in my life. It was everywhere—on my bed, the floor, the walls. Just thinking about it takes my breath away. But when I called Mom and came back, all the blood was gone. I still don’t know how she managed that, but the cut on her wrist remained.

Strange things have been happening a lot lately. Mom told me to stay with Asha in the room. Usually, she’d just read and leave after a while, so I used the time to search for clues about the creature. But that day, it was already night, and she was still there.

Was she waiting for me? I feel guilty. Not long ago, I was feeling jealous of her, but seeing her like that… maybe I can understand why Mom has been so different lately.

Asha isn’t the kind of kid who can be left alone.

When Mom got back from the hospital, she grounded me. I didn’t argue. It was my fault.

Asha is approachable.

Since Mom banned me from going out and cut my allowance and screen time, I ended up spending more time with Asha.

One thing I noticed is that, despite her untouchable image, she’s surprisingly easy to get close to. I tried touching her while she was watching cartoons, and she didn’t even flinch.

Her hair is silky soft, and her cheeks are incredibly smooth. We use the same shampoo, but I never realized it smelled so good.

Before I knew it, I had spent the whole afternoon playing with her hair. I don’t regret it, though.

Strange noises in the room.

Dad’s been sleeping on the couch lately and seems to be having problems at work. Apparently, a wild animal got into the park, and kids were playing with it.

Mom and Dad also argued last night. I couldn’t hear much, but strange noises were coming from their room. It was the first time Asha had slept in her own room since she came here. Maybe Mom didn’t want her to see them fighting. I hope everything’s okay.

Thankfully, this morning they looked happy and closer than usual. Mom's skin was very pretty too, compared to the days when she was overworking. Maybe I was just overthinking it.

She also draws really well.

Besides watching cartoons, Asha spends her whole day drawing or studying with Mom.

She draws incredibly well, almost like a professional. Lately, I've found myself just watching her while she draws. It's strangely relaxing.

Maybe Asha really is a genius. No one in my class has handwriting or drawing skills like hers.

The worst school trip.

Today was our school trip. We spent over an hour on the bus before arriving at the water park.

While I was getting food, a boy in my class pretended to trip over me. I dropped everything, and they all laughed.

I felt awful the entire day. When I got home, Asha was watching TV like always. I hugged her tightly. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to mind.

It seems that as long as she’s focused on something, she’ll tolerate me.

I don’t know if she just didn’t care or if she was being considerate, but I was grateful.

At least the day didn’t end so badly.

Asha cried for the first time.

I’ve watched Asha for a long time, but I’ve never seen her cry.

I thought nothing in this world could get to her like that, but she started crying because she didn’t get to watch enough TV.

She really does have a childlike side.

Asha can be very clingy, too.

Even though Asha doesn’t express herself much, she’s very attached to the things she likes. When Mom tried to replace her notebook, she wouldn’t let go.

She’s also proud of her drawings. When she likes one, she stores it in a folder and looks at it again and again, for minutes, sometimes hours.

And she’s very attached to Mom, too. This morning, I saw her poke Mom’s face while she slept. I’ve never seen her initiate touch with anyone like that.

Will we ever be able to become this close? I’d better go do my homework. My thoughts have been strange these days.

The light of dead stars.

Lately, all I’ve been talking about is Asha, so I decided to change the subject.

Isn’t it fascinating how the stars we see in the night sky might already be dead? Their light takes so long to reach us that what we’re seeing is actually the past.

Space is so vast and beautiful. One day, I’d like to see it more closely.

I saw her smile for the first time.

Today, Asha came to my room. She spent the whole day writing strange symbols in her notebook.

I was surprised she wasn't clinging to Mom like usual and decided to spend time with me instead.

She didn't say anything, but just the fact that she came meant a lot to me.

After a while, she closed her notebook and smiled for just a second.

My heart stopped for a moment.

I didn't know she could look that cute.

Asha is depressed.

After writing in her notebook, Asha began watching shows about mental health. Maybe it’s because Mom is a doctor, and that sparked her interest.

I watched her silently. Nothing unusual happened, but when she closed her eyes, she suddenly began to cry. I tried to hug her and calm her down, but she wouldn’t stop.

Eventually, after I called Mom, she began to calm down. I still don’t know what happened, but she seemed to be struggling.

I wonder if she’s okay.

I know what it’s like to feel down. I’m supposed to be older than her.

I hope she can trust me a little more.

She came to my room!

She came to my room at night and hugged me the whole time. It was the first time she did that.

I was so surprised that I stayed awake all night and ended up sleeping during class.

I couldn't concentrate at all today.

I know Asha can't sleep alone, but usually, she asks for Mom. But this time, she came to me instead.

Does that mean she trusts me...? I wonder.

I hope she comes again tonight.

Dear Diary, I think I've become a little weird, too.

'Does that mean she trusts me...? I wonder.'

A/N: Connie is so cute.