Polygems Week:
Day 1: First Meeting OR Date Night
"Excuse me," someone said.
Amethyst raised her head to squint at the woman standing over her. The woman was tall and pale, tapping her foot and holding a plastic shopping basket in one hand while the other rested on her hip. "What d'ya want?" Amethyst asked, not in too good a mood herself.
"You're in the way," the woman said, pointing to the assorted juices behind the freezer door Amethyst's back was leaned against.
Amethyst turned to glance at the juices but made no move to stand up. "What? You want your..." She paused, reading the label on one of the bottles. "...guava juice? Or the kale one? Or the guava kale one? Jesus, that's disgusting."
The woman frowned and opened her mouth to reply when the high pitched droning of a tornado siren seeped through the grocery store. She stood on tippy toes to look out the front windows of the store, glimpsing the grey sky outside and leaning trees.
Amethyst found herself studying the way the corner of the woman's mouth twitched. She pressed herself more firmly against the cool freezer door and cleared her throat. "You better get outta here lady. Tornado gonna getcha."
The woman dragged a hand down her face. "Just let me get my juice and then we can get out of each other's hair," she said.
"Nah," Amethyst said.
The woman threw her free hand up into the air with a incoherent noise of frustration. "You! Agh! Why?"
"I just walked for like an hour and this door is nice and cold," Amethyst explained, sinking down further on the door.
The woman stared her down and Amethyst stared back, the sirens still wailing outside.
"I'll get the manager," the woman threatened.
"You do that, hot stuff," Amethyst replied, now busy tracing a smiley face into the neighboring freezer door.
The woman flushed before spinning on her heel and storming off.
Amethyst tilted her head back and closed her eyes, knowing she was digging herself into an even deeper hole and yet not caring.
"Hello," a different someone said.
Amethyst eyed who she assumed was the manager, a dark woman even taller than the other woman. "Hi," Amethyst said warily.
"I'm Garnet, the manager," Garnet said, adjusting her glasses.
"I'm Amethyst, the uhh..." She had tried to come up with a witty title, but she couldn't think of anything to call herself but "leech" and that was a bit of a downer in her opinion.
"...The person?" Amethyst said, grimacing.
"The person interfering with a customer," Garnet said, not unkindly. The other woman nodded vigorously beside her.
"I'm going to need you to move. I don't want to have to call anyone," Garnet said.
"Pfft." Amethyst crossed her arms. "Go ahead and call 'em then," she said, voice breaking.
Garnet sighed and bent down to sit next to Amethyst in the floor. "What's wrong?"
Amethyst wanted to clamp her jaw shut, but something about Garnet tugged the words right out of her chest. "I got kicked out of my house."
"You don't have anywhere to go?" Garnet asked.
Amethyst shook her head no, keeping her gaze on the tiled floor in the fear of bursting into tears if she looked back at Garnet. Garnet stood up and whispered something to the customer.
"You can stay with us if you like," Garnet said, "Just until this storm has passed."
Amethyst looked up, confused by this generosity. "Really?"
"If you want. It's better than wandering outside in this weather," the other woman said.
"Wait, wait, you guys know each other?" Amethyst asked, gestured between the manager and the customer.
"We live together actually," the woman said, blushing, "My name is Pearl."
"Mine's Amethyst."
"I know," Pearl said, amused.
"Oh, right," Amethyst said, rubbing her neck awkwardly. "Well uh, I'll take you up on your offer."
Garnet extended her hand to Amethyst and tugged her to her feet. "Thanks. Oh uh, you can get your juice now, Pearl," Amethyst said, a little embarrassed with her earlier antics.
"Finally," Pearl said under her breath.