Four years passed. Each came and went and Pearl just couldn't muster up the strength, the confidence, to confront Garnet and to tell her that she longed to be wrapped in her strong, powerful arms. All she wanted was to feel protected, loved. She kept these feelings buried deep down within herself. But now, time was up. Pearl gazed into the sea of faces that belonged to her fellow classmates and bit her lip. She refused to start crying in front of the entire graduating class of 2015. With a deep, clarifying breath Pearl stepped off the podium, diploma in hand. And just like that her high school years were over. Sure, she had some wonderful memories of the good times. But years from now, she'd probably only recall all her failed attempts at talking to Garnet. All the chances she had to tell Garnet that she…loved her.
After the ceremony and everyone going into a frenzy trying to find loved ones and friends, Pearl eventually found her best friend Amethyst. Amethyst had a huge grin on her face and threw a heavy arm around Pearl.
"We did it, P! I feel totally badass right now—like I can take over the world or something!" Amethyst yelled over the chatter of everyone else out in the football field.
"Where's your graduation cap? Don't tell me you actually tossed it like the rest of these imbeciles." Pearl questioned. Amethyst's grin only widened causing Pearl to sigh irritability.
"Of course Miss Uptight couldn't loosen up for a second to have a little fun. Come on, Pearl! This is our graduation day! You're supposed to act stupid. Obviously you didn't get the memo." Amethyst said flippantly as she released Pearl, only to jump up and snatch the precisely placed navy-blue cap off her head. Pearl let out a deranged gasping sound before attempting to swipe it back.
"Amethyst! Give that back this instant!"
"Come and get it then!" Amethyst taunted and ran into the mass of conversing bodies.
Pearl called after Amethyst again, but Amethyst only turned around to stick out her tongue and sprint away. Pearl started to wonder why she even bothered to hang out with such a distasteful person. The only thing they really had in common was their love for dance. But even within dance, they had very different dance styles. While Amethyst preferred more sensual erratic gyrating motions, Pearl's style was much more graceful and elegant. Apparently opposites really do attract. Amethyst also knew about Pearl's gigantic crush on Garnet, and made dance club something next to a nightmare whenever Garnet would swing by occasionally for a lesson. Garnet's dancing was similar to Amethyst, but because it was Garnet Pearl deemed it extraordinarily better. Pearl longed to dance with her, but Garnet never stayed long enough for the partner dancing portion of the club.
Deciding against running around like a lunatic Pearl stuck to a brisk walk, weaving in and out of groups of people. She ambled past a particularly large group of people that were circled around a young man who danced with glow sticks, when she slowed in her steps. Only one person could make her heart feel like it would burst from a single glance. And with hair that thick and square, Garnet was hard to miss.
Garnet appeared to be waiting for someone by the way her head slowly turned from one direction to the next, but as soon as she was facing Pearl's general direction, Pearl forgot how to walk. Her feet, as coordinated as they usually were, tangled around each other causing Pearl to instantly lose her balance and hurtle towards the ground. There was no time to pirouette and finish with a bow that stunned her peers silent. Nope. All she could do was wince, bracing herself for the impact with the ground. But the grating of skin against turf and the smell that accompanied it never came. Instead she landed in something much softer. Slowly, Pearl opened her eyes. Garnet had managed to close the rather large gap between them and caught her. In her lap. If Pearl was light headed enough she would've passed out right then and there, but panic and sheer embarrassment kept that from happening. Her face lit up like a light bulb and despite being known around school for how articulate she was, she completely lost her ability to form coherent words. Garnet tilted her head and a small smirk met her lips.
"You alright?"
"Uh—" Pearl shook her head and quickly moved off Garnet's thighs that were hidden under her navy-blue graduation gown. "Y-y-yes…um—thank you! I don't know where my mind was." Pearl laughed nervously and looked everywhere but Garnet's eyes. Or where her eyes would've been if she wasn't wearing the huge frames. A snicker grabbed Pearl's attention and she prickled instantly. Amethyst was a couple feet away from where they were, laughing her dorky laugh and waving Pearl's cap wildly. Garnet's deeper laugh sent shivers down Pearl's spine.
"Great friend you got there. You guys must be close." Garnet said, moving to stand up. She offered Pearl a hand which she eagerly accepted.
"You think so? She really knows how to push my buttons." Pearl said as she dusted the loose pieces of turf from her gown. When she looked back up at Garnet she suddenly realized who she was talking to. Was she even allowed to stand this close? Close enough to see the glint of light reflecting off her full, moist lips. Keep it together. Pearl thought and quickly looked down at her hands to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks.
"Yeah." Garnet said. "It must be nice."
After a moment of no one speaking Pearl could feel herself growing tense. She knew if she didn't just come out and say something, then she would never be able to tell Garnet how she feels. Now was the perfect opportunity. Besides, even if Garnet shot her down she'd never have to see her again. I just hope it doesn't come to that. Pearl thought as she lowered her hands and locked eyes with Garnet. The idea of never telling Garnet how she felt, and going through life with that mistake weighing her down scared Pearl more than Garnet not returning the affection she had for her at all. Pearl couldn't really read Garnet's expression, but she could feel Garnet questioning her just from way she rested a hand on her hip and slightly cocked her head. Pearl took a deep breath.
"…Garnet?" Pearl started carefully. She didn't want to scare her away by knowing her name since they've never talked to each other before now.
"Pearl?" Garnet said. A huge smiled stretched across her lips when Pearl's jaw dropped.
"Wait—you know my name?" Pearl sputtered and Garnet nodded.
"Why wouldn't I? It's a small school. And I always paid attention in dance club. You're a fantastic dancer." It sounded as if Garnet was hinting at something, but Pearl could have been hearing things. At this point she was too far gone. Her crush of four years knew her name and thinks she's a fantastic dancer? Pearl's mind couldn't compute.
"…So?" Garnet asked and Pearl blinked several times as if waking from a dream.
"Oh! U-um…Garnet…I-I've…" Pearl paused to gather her thoughts. Even after all the practicing she'd done in front of the mirror, none of that compared to staring straight into the face of her long time crush. Pearl quickly combed her fingers through her short hair. "I know we've never been properly acquainted, so you'll probably think that what I'm about to say is…odd. And it might as well be since I've never gotten to know you, so these feelings I have might come off as conceited but…w-what I'm trying to say is that over the past four years I've…I've…"
Garnet rested a hand on Pearl's shoulder.
"Pearl. Stop talking."
"Oh—I'm sorry—" Pearl's words died in her throat. Garnet stepped in closer and closer until there were only a couple inches between them. Without another word, Garnet pressed her lips lightly against Pearl's. It was very chaste and quick, especially since their classmates were all around them. Of course that didn't really matter now. Pearl was so stunned she just stood there, clenching and unclenching her fists. Eventually Garnet pulled back and her hand dropped from Pearl's shoulder.
"...Did I make a mistake?" Garnet asked. Pearl was quick to pick up on the nervous tone in her voice.
"No! Not at all! I…I was just so happy…my body wouldn't move." Pearl admitted, the rosy tint never leaving her cheeks. Garnet laughed at that and Pearl joined in. Everything finally seemed to feel natural.
"Wow. That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be!" Pearl said, just becoming aware of how fast her heart was beating moments earlier.
"The kiss?" Garnet asked and Pearl shook her head quickly.
"The kiss was everything I thought it would be. What I meant was admitting to the crush I had on you since freshmen year. Ever since I saw you dance. You were so mesmerizing…I couldn't take my eyes off you."
Garnet chuckled and readjusted her shades.
"I'm glad you finally told me. But I actually knew. For a long time."
Pearl's eyes widened. "But how?"
Garnet shamelessly pointed at Amethyst who was quite a distance away talking to Vidalia, another one of Amethyst's close friends. They say high up in the bleachers facing them. Amethyst just happened to look over at the moment Garnet pointed her out. Pearl's eyes landed on Amethyst and narrowed dangerously causing Amethyst to stick out her tongue and laugh obnoxiously. Vidalia looked puzzled but laughed too. They were definitely partners in crime. Pearl huffed and crossed her arms.
"That Amethyst…she's going to pay for this."
"I agree with you." Garnet started. "But if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be speaking right now. For that, I am thankful."
Pearl could feel her heart fluttering in her chest and relished in the feeling. This moment was worth the wait.
"Me too…" Pearl all but sighed.
Garnet smiled and grabbed Pearl's hand.
"Come on. Let's go get your cap back."
A/N: Hope you liked my story! Thanks to Carol Molliniere and Meiousei Dark for beta-reading my story. Also Max Kirin for the awesome story seed that gave this fic life. You can find his blog on Tumblr if you search: maxkirin.