"Yeah. Better silly than serious." Steve could remember a time not too long ago when everything was serious for him, and every day felt like it was crushing him a little more than the day before. It seemed like an entire lifetime ago (not funny), and he couldn't even remember when it started changing. But he was pretty certain he preferred it this way. He missed laughing and smiling and being with people he was comfortable with-- and now, even with pain and guilt weighing on him, it felt good to be free from Veronica's constant threat, if not altogether free of it.

He woke up from his little monologue at the sound of her voice. "Huh? You really mean what?"