A Roommate
Chapter 3: Donuts and Secrets
As Sadie walked from the Crystal Temple to Big Donut to start the day, she heard her phone buzz in her pocket. A text from Lars. where r u? had to open by myself jerk
Another text popped up a second later, also from Lars. u alright? ur never late
Shoot. She hadn't realized that she was running behind schedule. Talking to the Gems had taken longer than she thought, and all of the mess of learning her mother would be moving and trying to figure out a way to stay in Beach City had completely taken over her brain. She switched from a steady walk to a quick jog. She couldn't remember the last time she was late for work. It was a good thing that Lars had been on time for once. She checked the time. 9:23. Well, maybe Lars hadn't been right on time, but he had still made it before her.
As she ran to the donut shop, her mind couldn't help but go over her options for living arrangements again. Her mother was leaving for sure, and the house would be sold soon after. Her mother thought she'd be living with the Crystal Gems, but that plan had been shot down. Steven and the Crystal Gems were really her only friends here in Beach City... well, that and Lars.
She couldn't live with Lars... could she? Of course not. No. Maybe. No. Almost a year ago, she would have loved the thought of it. Being on the island with him had been amazing, and he seemed like a different person there. He would never agree to it though, and she was embarrassed even thinking about bringing it up. Besides, he still lived with his parents. Asking to sleep on the couch at the Crystal Temple was one thing, but sleeping in the same house with Lars and his parents was another thing entirely. Sure, she was pretty sure that they both liked each other, but how would it be to live with someone before you even were dating?
She mulled over the plan that had come to her immediately after the Crystal Gems told her she couldn't stay with them. What if she just moved her belongings into a storage unit and just slept there for now?
It wouldn't be that terrible, she told herself as she jogged her way to Big Donut, and it would would only be until she could save up enough money to start renting an apartment. No one would have to know, and it would be much less awkward than asking Lars. It wasn't ideal, and she'd ave to find a way to shower and dress each morning, but it would only be for just a little while.
Her thoughts were cut short as she arrived at Big Donut within a few minutes, bursting through the door while still huffing and puffing from the run. "Sorry... I'm... late."
"About time," Lars said from his place at the counter. "You look terrible."
Sadie rolled her eyes. "Thanks." She couldn't disagree though. The rush to get here had left her winded and red in the face, and the lack of sleep last night meant she had droopy dark circles below her eyes. She didn't just look terrible but, worse yet, felt terrible.
"I, uh... didn't mean it like that," Lars backtracked awkwardly. "I mean... what's wrong?"
She thought about telling him everything right then, but she was so tired and couldn't think of what to say without making it seem like she was desperate for a place to live (which, she supposed, she was). She gave Lars a small smile that felt very, very fake. "It's okay. I'm just tired is all." She would tell him later, she promised herself. She would tell him after she had had time to think things over more.
The bells on the door rang then, alerting Lars and Sadie that someone had come through the door, making them both jump a little. It was Steven, of course.
"Steven," Sadie said, a little surprised. "You must have left right after I did."
"What?" said Lars. "Where were you? With Steven?"
"I run pretty fast," Steven boasted. He turned to Lars. "Yeah, didn't you know? Sadie came to the temple to ask if she could move in with us, but Garnet and Amethyst and Pearl said no."
Lars looked shocked, which was an unusual switch from his generally uninterested demeanor. "Why would you move in with Steven?"
"Uh..." was all Sadie could think to say before Steven continued the story for her.
"Her mom's moving, but she wants to stay here with us," he said. "Sadie, Pearl says you're going to live in a van like my dad. Are you? Because that's pretty cool. There's a parking space right next where he parks his van next to the car wash. I didn't even know you had a van!"
"I'm not living in a van," Sadie said. "I've got a plan. Everything's okay."
The two boys were staying quiet for once, strangely enough, and Sadie realized that they were both waiting for her to continue and tell them where she was going to live. She couldn't stand to tell them the truth: that she didn't know but that her best option at this point was to live in a storage unit, which frankly was just as bad as a van. It was time for another lie.
"Everything's okay," she repeated. "It turns out I have enough money for an apartment."
"But you said this morning that you would need a month or two to save up enough," Steven said.
"No, everything's okay. Everything's going to be okay."
Lars kept looking at her, studying her face in the same way that her mother had just this morning. He wasn't always the most caring person, but they had been friends for a while. She knew he knew that she was lying.
"Okay," Steven said, unsure. His mind switched tracks. "I need two chocolate glazed, a croissant, one dog-nut and one nut-dog."
"Uhhhh..." Lars looked over at the donut case. "I guess I didn't put the donuts out this morning. It'll be a while."
This was going to be a very long day.
