Author's note: Yup. Please comment about these stories it makes my day so much brighter help is appreciated.
Peridot: I searched the hallways for hours, but couldn't find Lapis. I even glanced out the windows, but still didn't see her. I walked back to the dorm rooms, dejected. Pearl was standing next to Amethyst, an angry look on her face.
"Did you find her?" Pearl said, her voice quivering.
I shook my head.
Pearl glared at Amethyst. "Amethyst, you knew what would happen if you said those things – Peridot, how bad was she?" Pearl demanded.
I sighed. "She seemed pretty messed up about it. She was crying, she was at a loss for words, she was pleading with Amethyst. It hurt her a lot." I said, looking down.
"The last time she ran off and we couldn't find her – well, it ended up horribly." Pearl said glumly.
"Yeah, last time -" Amethyst starts. Pearl cuts her off.
"Oh, no you don't. You've done enough damage already. Let Lapis tell Peridot everything herself when she comes back – whenever that may be."
The two of them start to argue, and I walk to my room, dejected. I laid down in the bed. The sheets were cold. The bed was too empty without her, the room too quiet without her. I fell asleep, sorrow burdening my heart.
It had been a week, and Lapis still hadn't returned. I'd gone back to my classes, utterly alone. I was moody, and I wouldn't talk to anyone. My grades were slipping, and even the teachers were noticing my depression. In my spare time, I'd stare out of the windows in empty classrooms, watching, waiting for her.
Today, at around ten o'clock p.m., my hopes came true. I was staring out of a window on a second story classroom, when I suddenly saw police officers walking – Lapis! – up the front walk. She looked horrible. She had lost a lot of weight. Had she eaten? Probably very little. Whether by choice or from the lack of food, I didn't know. She had dark lines under her eyes that I could see from far away, and her clothes were dirt stained and wrinkled. I ran out of the classroom, and rushed down the stairs to meet her.
Lapis was standing in the main lobby with police officers and Mrs. Pink Diamond. I was around the corner, eavesdropping. I could only catch a couple phrases, but I still got the gist of the conversation.
"…Found her in the same place as last time…" "…Passed out from starvation…" "…Won't tell us why she ran off. Won't talk at all, actually…" "…Bad injury to the head…"
I heard footsteps coming around the corner. They must've finished talking. I quickly ducked into the nearest classroom, trying to avoid being seen. I saw Mrs. Diamond and Lapis walk by, and she was even worse than I'd thought. Small scratches littered her body, and her clothes which had fit perfectly before now hung loosely around her. Her hair was messy and unkempt, and I noticed the edge of a bruise on her forehead peeking out from under her bandage. I winced at the sight of her. Once they had passed, I ran towards the other stairwell, trying to beat her to the dorms.
I sprinted into the dorm room, and found it empty. I sat down in a chair, posing as if I'd been there for a while. Just as I'd sat down, the door opened, and I saw Mrs. Diamond and Lapis walk in.
"Lapis!" I cried, standing up. Lapis looked away.
"Well, I see that you're in good hands, Ms. Lazuli. Have a good night's sleep. And don't run off again." Mrs. Diamond said, walking back out of the dorm.
As soon as she left, I hugged Lapis as hard as I could. I felt a sharp pain in my ribs, but I didn't care.
"I thought we'd agreed not to leave each other anymore." I said, smiling.
"I'm sorry." She said. A tear fell onto my shoulder.
"At least you're back. I missed you so much." I murmured.
I let go, and the pain in my ribs subsided. I didn't care that it hurt, all I cared about was being with her. We walked into our room, and Lapis looked around, unsure.
"You have the bed tonight. You need it." I said, pointing to the bed.
"What about you?" she asked quietly.
"I'll be wherever you want me to be." I said, trying to sound reassuring.
She nodded. "Could I have the bed to myself tonight? I just… need to rest." She says, not meeting my gaze.
"Sure." I say, trying not to sound cold.
I hadn't seen her in a week, and all I wanted to do was be with her. But I had to think of her, too. I laid down on the cold, wooden floor. I closed my eyes, but sleep didn't come.
I checked my watch. It had been an hour, but I still hadn't been able to sleep. I sighed.
"You're still awake too?" I heard Lapis say.
"Yeah." I responded.
We were silent for a moment.
"You aren't going to ask about anything that's happened?" she questions.
I pause for a moment, and then reply, "You seemed tired. I mean, yeah, we definitely need to talk. I want to know where you've been and why you're so injured and thin. But about the other stuff… I'll leave that up to you."
I hear Lapis roll over. "I mean, Amethyst is right. I'm a horrible person. But… I think that we need to clear the air." Lapis says sullenly.
"You're not a horrible person."
"You don't know that."
"I haven't seen you act like a horrible person since I met you."
"I punched Amethyst."
"You had a good reason."
"I left you. You must've been so worried."
"You came back; it's okay."
"Not by choice."
"At least you're choosing to stay now."
"Does it matter?"
"To me it does."
"Why do you even still care about me?"
"Because you're a wonderful person."
"No, I'm not. Go ahead, tell me that I'm wrong."
"You're wrong. You're beautiful, kind, funny, smart, cool, and caring. Even if you did mess up in the past, you're trying to be better in the present. And that's what matters."
I wait for her respond, but all I can hear are muffled sobs.
"Lapis? Are you okay?" I ask, sitting up to check on her.
"You… really think I'm all that?" she says.
"Of course." I respond without hesitation.
She takes a deep breath. "You're amazing, too. Just – I can't tell you things right now. Maybe later."
Lapis had been excused from school until next week, and so I'd been alone in my classes again. At least I could see her at night. On Monday, we were walking down towards homeroom. Lapis suddenly made a turn.
"Lapis?" I asked, unsure.
"Remember, it's Monday. We have our specials on Monday mornings before lunch. This week, it's art." She says, not looking back.
I quickly followed her into the art room. It was a beautiful room with large windows on two sides. There were skylights in the ceiling. The art teacher greeted us, and went to sit down at her desk. She'd written instructions on the board.
"Make whatever art you want. I don't care." I read. I looked over at Lapis, wondering if it was a joke. She'd already grabbed a tray of multi colored paint, some brushes, some paper, and gotten to work. I raised an eyebrow, but still grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil, and did the same.
After an hour, I looked over my work. I'd just sketched out random little people, just trying to focus on the positions. I wasn't good at art, but I still tried. I looked over at Lapis' work.
"Woah." She had painted a younger girl with brown hair and a backpack standing in front of a large fire. The girl held a match in her hands. You could see a drop of water falling off of her cheek.
"Lapis…" I said, trailing off.
She looked over at me, dark lines under her eyes. I gulped.
"It's beautiful, but is that… you? Did this really happen?" I ask, unsure.
"I told you that I was bad, Peridot. Why don't you believe me?" she said, looking away.
Later that night, in the dorm, we were laying down in our beds. I could finally manage to climb to the top bunk without my ribs hurting too much. Lapis turned out the lights. It was around midnight again.
"Goodnight, Lapis." I say, closing my eyes.
"It's not a good night." She says.
I opened my eyes again. "Lapis… please tell me what's wrong." I said, trailing off.
"No, Peridot. You don't want to know what's wrong!" she yelled.
"Yes, I do! I want to help you!" I yelled back.
"Fine! You want to know what I've done? Then I'll tell you! But don't say I didn't warn you!"
