This fanfic contains a lot of swearing, smoking, violence and various other mature themes.
Jasper, Peridot, Lapis Laszuli, Steven, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Peedee, Kiki, Gunga, Onion, Sadie and Lars are the property of Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network.
This is an AU where gems differ slightly from canon in that they have a measurable heart beat as well as other small changes that you will likely notice, I'm not mentioning all of them here because spoilers and I'm lazy. Mask Island is much bigger than canon version.
Day 6 of this story is the day of "Super Watermelon Island".
This fanfic is written from the perspective of E. K. Brooks.
Chapter 11: Beach City
I was standing at a little square in the quaint little town. The buildings were mostly one storied and were all facing the beautiful beach. It was mid afternoon and there weren't a lot of people about. I leaned on my crutch and started to make my way down the little avenue. There were a few restaurants down to my left and an arcade to my right. I followed my nose to the first eatery. It was a fry shop. If I hadn't just stuffed my face on the bus, I might have bought myself some. But I could ask if they knew Rose Quartz.
"Welcome to Beach Citywalk Fries, can I take your order?" a very young boy asked in a bored voice as I approached the counter.
"Hello there" I said, trying to remember how to speak to people. He raised his eyebrows at me.
"Uh… I-I'm looking for someone named Rose Quartz, do you know them?"
"Oh um. No, I don't think so?" he looked thoughtful. "You could try asking next door"
"Thanks" I said, smiling, but feeling disappointed.
I entered the restaurant called 'Fish Stew Pizza' thinking what a weird name that was for a pizza place and looked curiously at the menu if they actually had fish stew pizza. And they did! What a world.
"Hi!" a cute young woman in a head scarf greeted me.
"Hey. I'm looking for someone. Do you know anyone by the name Rose Quartz?"
"Uh… Gunga!" she shouted to someone in back.
A little old woman stepped through a door that presumably led to the kitchen.
"Yes, Kiki?"
"This lady is looking for a Rose Quartz, do you know them?"
"Hmm. No, I don't think I've met them, and I know everybody around here" my heart sank.
"Sorry" Kiki said, shrugging.
"Thank you anyway" I said, trying to smile, but not succeeding very well.
I stepped outside and lit a cigarette. When I started moving again I almost tripped over a little kid. He was just standing there, looking at me. He had a curiously shaped head and a blue shirt around his shoulders like a cape.
"Jesus fucking Christ!" he smiled widely up at me, creeping me out. "Sorry, little dude, I didn't see you. Uh. Do you know a Rose Quartz?" he looked away and then back at me, then pointed toward a building that stood apart from the others down the boardwalk. My heart leapt!
"Thanks kid!" I said, smiling without effort this time.
I hobbled towards the building, it looked like a café. It had a big donut on the roof. As I got closer I saw it was actually called 'The Big Donut'. 'That's an appropriate if dull name' I thought to myself.
I crossed a street and opened the door to the little shop. A bell tingled and I could hear the hum-zum of refrigerators.
"Welcome to the Big Donut, what can I get you?" a cute short blonde woman asked me from behind the long counter. There was a young man with ludicrous holes in his ears sitting at a table and playing on his phone.
"Hey" he said in an uninterested way.
I approached the young woman.
"Hi. I'm looking for a Rose Quartz, do you know them? Some little kid pointed to this place when I asked him"
"Oh, do you mean Steven's mom? I think her name was Rose" It was amazing how my heart could fill with hope, and then deflate within the space of a few seconds.
"Was?" I asked dejectedly.
"Yeah… I don't know, that whole family is a bit… unusual…" that sounded promising.
"Do you know where I could find this Steven guy?"
"Yeah, sure. Straight down onto the beach and to the left, you can't miss it"
"Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this helps me, Sadie" I said as I read her name tag.
"Will you be alright walking in the sand with that thing?" she asked kindly, pointing to my crutch.
"I'll be fine! Thanks again!" I grinned and waved as I left. The young man said "Hey" as the bell tinkled.
I started walking in the sand, following the huge cliff growing out of the ground. It was hard going, but now I had a solid lead. I broke into a sweat as I struggled with my aching leg, but I didn't stop.
Something huge came into view – a statue, as tall as the cliff! This must be it! Yes, the statue was cradling a house in its arms!
There was an incline that lead to some stairs, when I reached the top, I had to stop for a good few minutes to catch my breath. I took a drink of water and then knocked on the screen door, my heart pounding hard against my ribs.
"Coming!" a voice called from inside. Footsteps approached and I steeled myself.
A stout young man with dark hair opened the door.
"Hello" he greeted me brightly.
"Uh. Hi" I said, staring at him. "A-are you Steven?"
"Yeah, who are you?"
"I-I'm Erica. Erica Brooks" his eyes widened.
"R-really? Erica Katheryn Brooks?!" he gaped and I grinned uncertainly, I had hoped no one would know me here in this little town.
"Uh, yeah… Listen –"
"GARNET! AMETHYST! PEARL! Come quickly! This is amazing!" he shouted, eyes sparkling. Hang on a minute, those were names for gems! I stood up straighter – was I about to meet the rebels? A sound like stone grinding on stone came from the back of the house and three figures stepped out of a door.
"- You should just have left it alone, Amethyst, that's all I'm saying" a thin, and pale woman said to a short purple girl with long white hair. This was it. These must be the rebel gems. I fought the urge to take up a defensive position. Taking up the rear was a taller gem with square hair and pink shades.
"I dunno, if I hadn't punched it, I wouldn't have that awesome squiggly thing it made" the purple one said defensively. "It's like, my favorite squiggly thing!"
"Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl! Do you know who this is?!" the boy asked the three gems excitedly.
"Uh, hello" the pale gem said as she noticed me standing awkwardly in the door.
"Is she the new pizza delivery girl?" the purple gem asked, looking me up and down. "Where's the pizza?"
"She's not a pizza delivery girl, Amethyst. Look at her, she's obviously here to try to sell something" the pale gem huffed.
"She's not either of those things" the tallest gem said in a serious voice.
"She's the author of 'Relentless'! Connie showed it to me! It's a really good book!"
"Ah-ha, thanks" I laughed awkwardly.
"Oh…" the pale gem changed her demeanor immediately, sounding a lot friendlier. The purple gem said 'Pff!' at this.
"Why are you here?" the tallest gem asked bluntly.
"I um. Uh. It's rather a long story"
"Oh, oh, story!" the boy squeaked, jumping from one foot to the other. "Come on in!" he stepped aside and I entered the house hesitantly.
"Can I take your backpack?" he asked politely.
"S-sure" I leaned the crutch at the wall to unburden myself from the Luggage.
"Oh, have you been in an accident?" the purple gem asked curiously.
"You could say that… " I said, not sure how much I should tell them out of context.
"Please have a seat, take a load off" the boy gestured to a sofa built into the wall behind a set of stairs.
"Thanks" I limped across the floor and sat down on the white cushions.
Steven brought me a glass of water and I sipped it as they gathered around me. I couldn't help to feel a bit cornered. I cleared my throat.
"Um. I, uh. I went to an island for a sort of vacation and there were all these earthquakes. Then they stopped and there was a huge storm. The day after I found something in the water. Before I show you, can you please promise you will hear me out?"
"Of course!" Steven said loudly.
"Go on" the tallest gem said. The pale gem frowned and exchanged a dubious look with the purple one.
"OK" I took a deep breath "I found this" I carefully pulled Jasper's gem out of my pocket and held it up so they could all see.
"Wait, is that –" the purple one started. The pale gem got to her feet and pulled a spear out of the gem on her forehead!
"What kind of trickery is this?!" she screamed.
I clutched Jasper's gem to my chest protectively, but before I could say something, the tallest gem said in an almost bored voice; "Pearl…"
The pale gem, Pearl, looked at the one who had spoken uncertainly. "But Garnet, that's –"
"I know what it is, Pearl. Steven promised we would hear her story" Pearl let the spear go with a grumble and it disappeared with a 'twing' sound. The purple one, Amethyst, snickered.
"Yeah, yeah!" Steven exclaimed.
I took another breath and closed my eyes. "I thought it was a pirate treasure at first" Steven smiled. "I put it in my pocket and forgot about it. Then, a few days later, it ripped my shorts apart and this huge woman formed from out of the cracked stone. I mean, gem" they all exchanged looks.
"She fell into the water and seemed scared and didn't notice me at first. Then she saw me, moved really fast and asked who I was, I answered and then she asked where Lapis Laszuli was" Steven gasped audibly. "I had no idea what she was talking about, then she said something about 'all of them being there' and then asked me why I was naked before passing out. I caught her before she hit the ground" Amethyst let out a "Whoa" and Pearl huffed an affronted "Oh, really".
"I was shocked, to say the least. I couldn't move her, so I built a shelter around her. I was afraid she would get sun stroke. I left some food and water with her. Later, I built a fire so she would keep warm during the night. I sat down to eat there, since I couldn't be arsed to get more firewood in the dark. She woke up and got scared of the fire and of… me" I smiled. Pearl wore a doubtful frown.
"She got tangled in the tarp and when I shouted at her to stop destroying my shit, she stopped momentarily and said 'Peridot?'" Steven and Amethyst laughed at this, Garnet's mouth showed a hint of a smile. "I yelled at her to stop and I cut the tarp and she used the tare to rip it off herself. Then she trampled all over my camp, wrecking my tent and a lot of my equipment" Steven gasped "Oh no!"
"She started to... glitch and I asked what on earth she was" Amethyst chuckled.
"We both wanted answers to questions, so we traded information. She reluctantly disclosed that she was an alien from another galaxy, sent here on an escort mission. I answered her questions related to her gem. I described the crack to her and she was very upset. I asked if she would die if her gem was destroyed" Steven, Amethyst and Pearl all gasped.
"How could you possibly know that!?" Pearl erupted.
I smiled and replied; "That's exactly what she asked me, too" Amethyst laughed and said "Oooh!" as if I had delivered a snappy comeback. Pearl's cheeks flushed a pale blue.
"And I'll tell you what I told her. Deduction. A simple stone forms a woman who has that stone as part of her face, she seems awfully concerned about it and threatens to kill someone when she finds out that it's seriously damaged. It's not that big of a leap..."
"I asked her name, and she glitched in the middle of her response. Jas-per. Jasper. Then she fell... asleep? She was snoring. I was so tired I went to sleep too"
"When I woke up the next morning I checked on my camp and found that my satellite phone and most of my food supplies had been destroyed. I got very upset... I wanted to be alone on the island and just care about myself and swim and stuff. Simple things, so I could think. Have a break from the world... I made some plans on a new shelter, thinking about what she had said to me about what she was and why she was there. I concluded she must be a soldier of some kind, mid rank. I was gathering bamboo and on my second return to the beach there was this... thing. A huge spider thing. I tried to wake Jasper, but she was out cold. I smacked the creature to get it away from her and it attacked me" Steven, Amethyst and Pearl all gasped.
"You fought a corrupted gem?" Pearl demanded, as if it was a ludicrous idea.
"It had a gem yes. I managed to get on its back and... kill it" I spared them the gory details. "Jasper had woken up finally, and she told me to destroy it so it wouldn't come back"
"Oh, no!" Steven exclaimed and I turned to him. "W-we try not to destroy them... They look like monsters, but they used to be gems like us... We poof them and put them somewhere safe, where they can't hurt anyone"
"Did I kill... a person?" I felt color drain from my face as guilt slammed into me like a hammer.
Suddenly Garnet was standing in front of me, her hand on my shoulder. "You couldn't have known... You did what you had to do"
I swallowed hard and looked around at the gems, Garnet sitting down on my other side. Her words carried a lot of weight. "Go on with your story" she said.
"I uh... I was upset and I wanted to get clean, but I also felt proud of what I had done. I had no idea I could do something like that... I went to the water to wash myself and my clothes. I forgot Jasper was awake, so I undressed. I was so focused on what had just happened. I almost walked into her..." I could feel my cheeks burning red.
"She said 'That was pretty good for a human' and looked me up and down. I got so angry, I tried to slap her" Amethyst said "Oooh!" again, smiling. Pearl looked mildly entertained for the first time, and Steven gaped, his cheeks rosy.
"She grabbed my hand, so I try to slap her with the other one, but she grabbed that too... She laughed and then I sort of ran up her body and hit her on the chin with my knee"
"Ohh! BOOM!" Amethyst laughed.
"She lifted me into the air by my arms and told me I was feisty, then asked me why I had defended her. I was still angry, so I bit her hand and then I was hanging upside down. She asked me again and I said; 'What kind of person would I be if I let some random monster kill you?', she dropped me on the ground and then I asked her what kind of thing she was that she couldn't thank someone for saving her life" Amethyst actually got up this time and said "Oh no, you did not!" a wide grin on her face.
"I walked away and started to scream to let off steam. She followed me and asked what I was doing, so I told her. She said I was the strangest human she had ever met and I asked if she had seen a lot. She said 'Yes. During the war'. She told me earth was meant to become a gem colony but that some gems had disagreed and rebelled. Her attitude towards humanity was... awful. Called us vermin..." I sighed as I remembered how I had made a connection between the rebels and PETA. "She said the rebels used a weapon to destroy all gems and that the home world gems retreated. Then I asked what she was doing here now and she said the peridot had needed an escort, since she had evidence there were still gems on earth. She called you rejects and I said they must be stronger than you and she got really mad..."
Amethyst fell to the floor laughing, Steven clapped his hands to his cheeks, Pearl gaped and Garnet nodded, grinning.
"What?" I asked them, looking around confused.
"I'll tell you later..." Steven whispered, awestruck.
"She... The anger was a mask. That comment made it slip and I saw something in her that took away my fear... I asked what had happened to her and she flinched away from me and started to glitch again. She told me it was her gem and that she needed to rest, so I helped her to my camp. I offered her food and water but she said she didn't need any, then she fell asleep"
"The next day there was a storm. I had made a shelter out of the remnants of my tent, tarps and duct tape that was big enough for the two of us. She went inside when I finally managed to wake her. The rain started and I went inside too. I started to draw and sing to pass the time, I doodled her gem on the paper. Then there was a clap of thunder and she woke up, startled, shouting 'the cluster'" the gems gasped.
"I tried to reassure her that it was just thunder. I asked what she meant by cluster, thinking cluster bombs. She asked if there had been any earthquakes and I told her yes, but that they had stopped the same day the last storm hit, the day before I found her gem" all the gems looked at Steven. "She said the cluster was a powerful weapon that they had grown on earth to use for colonization. And that you guys must have destroyed it"
"We didn't destroy it, but it's OK. It's not a weapon anymore" Steven said breathlessly.
"I asked her how they grow gems and she told me a bit about home world. It sounded so... rigid. That all gems must do what they were created to do, no matter if you liked it or not. That your only purpose was to be useful to your Diamond. I asked if being a soldier made her happy and she said it brought her satisfaction. I asked what other things made her happy and she gave me a rehearsed list that sounded like propaganda" Pearl looked uncomfortable at this, Amethyst glancing at her and then away.
"Then she asked what made me happy and I told her some stuff... I played her some of my favorite music on my phone. She seemed to really like it, and I started to doodle again. She saw that I had sketched her gem and was really upset, like she hadn't realized how big the crack was before. She started to... cry"
"She did?" Steven asked, surprised. Pearl and Amethyst looked astounded too.
"Yes" I said, "I didn't want her to feel embarrassed... So I held her hand and told her to breathe, then I hummed a song my grandmother used to sing to me when I was a kid, and she calmed down..."
Steven looked around at the other gems, smiling.
"I asked if her gem would heal on its own and she said no. After talking for a while she realized that Rose Quartz must have some sort of technology to repair gems and that there must be a warp pad on the island that led to your base. She got really excited and said she would go look for it. I suggested she should rest until the rain stopped"
"But... That warp pad was destroyed" Amethyst said and Pearl looked at her questioningly.
"It got smashed in the battle with Malachite" the purple gem explained.
"Oh... "I said, feeling a little disappointed.
"Wait, she told you about Malachite?" Amethyst asked me.
"Yes…" she nodded at me to continue the story.
"The next morning she woke me up and we went looking for the warp pad. We searched for a few hours every day for about three days, using a satellite image I had brought as a map. Then..." I hesitated at the next part. But, I decided, if I wanted to convince the gems to help Jasper out, I'd have make them understand that she wasn't what they thought she was.
"I um. Uh, I started to get... cramps..." Steven's face went red and Pearl blushed blue. Amethyst raised an eyebrow. "And, and I used a heated rock to help with the pain. Jasper asked what I was doing and I said, sarcastically, that my body was celebrating and that the rock was helping me. She went to look for the warp pad by herself and when she came back, she had brought me another rock. She put it in the fire to warm it, then handed it to me and said 'Congratulations'" Amethyst burst out laughing. Garnet chuckled, Steven looked confused and Pearl pressed her lips together as if trying not to laugh on principle. I smiled at the memory.
"It was sweet of her. We talked for a while and she asked to try one of my cigarettes. She didn't like it at all, but I felt glad about it. She was already so different from the first day"
"We went to look for the warp pad again, but no luck. When we came back to the beach she had gotten a burdock stuck in her hair. I said I'd get it out and started to sing as I worked at it. She started to sing along after a while and it made me so happy, I didn't know she knew the words. I told her about what the song was about and where it came from. She sounded interested in the story. Then a... cramp hit me and I was about to fall, but she caught me. It was... very sweet of her" I blushed.
"We shared a meal that night and talked about... old girlfriends. We went to sleep, but I had a nightmare. She said she had bad dreams too and told me about Lapis and how and why they had formed Malachite. She explained about fusions, but I'm not sure I understood. She was sad about it all and I tried to reassure her we would be bound to find the warp pad soon. And if we didn't, my friend Fernandez would come to the island and pick us up, and we'd just have to take the long way round"
"The next day was a hard day. I woke up before her and saw a space ship! She called it a Roaming Eye and said it was there to arrest her. I convinced her to hide in the jungle and I talked to the rubies. They said they had come to find the traitor Jasper and bring her back to Yellow Diamond for questioning"
"Whaaat?" Steven breathed.
"I told them that she had gone to Siberia, and I think they believed me and they took off. I went to find Jasper and she was devastated. At first she was so angry she tore off the yellow diamond symbol from her clothes and stamped on it" the gems stared at me, incredulously.
"Then she was so sad. I asked if she wanted me to go, but she said stay. I sat down by hear head. She said she was nothing without her diamond, and I said that told her that she was a proud warrior and that she would get through this. She asked me how and I said by not hiding from how much it hurt... to let her heart break..." things were losing focus and I realized I was crying. I let the tears fall, taking a deep breath. A small warm hand touched my arm.
"She... broke down... Her head was in my lap and I just..." I cleared my throat. "After a while she calmed down and we went back to the camp. It started to rain and I told her to go on inside the tent, she said she was very tired. I needed a moment to... think. Eventually I went to go lie down and sleep"
"When I woke up the rain had stopped. Jasper was awake too and I asked how she was feeling. 'Empty', she answered. I lay down next to her. I remember thinking how much it hurt me to see her that way, but also felt honored she was showing me that side of her. I told her I couldn't imagine what she must be feeling, but that I knew what it felt like to feel betrayed by something you never thought would turn on you" I touched the scar at the back of my head and sighed deeply before I continued. "I had a brain tumor", the warm hand on my arm squeezed gently. "It was benign, but I was traumatized by the ordeal and I lost myself in anger, because it was easier to be angry and push everyone away than to deal with how violated and alone I felt. I got help, and things got better. I told Jasper that the most important lesson this had all taught me was that you should never run from how you feel. I told her she wasn't alone and that I was there for her" I remembered the feel of her breath on my neck. "She hugged me and embraced how she felt. I held her close… Afterwards, she said she felt tired, but lighter. I told her to rest" I wiped my eyes.
"The next day..." I felt my body begin to tremble. I realized I hadn't told this to anyone but Fernandez, and then I had been so happy to be getting off the island; I had been able to keep a smile on my face the entire time.
"I went to see if I had caught any fish. One of my nets had gotten tangled over the reef and I went to sort it out. I had a fish in my string bag tied at my waist. I killed it so I could concentrate, then..." I swallowed hard "Then a s-shark took the fish and slammed me into the reef. I tried to swim away but my foot got caught in the net. I screamed for help and then the shark bit my leg and dragged me down. I thought I was going to die... Then there was a white light and the shark let me go. I swam to the reef and turned around. Jasper was fighting it. She sent it flying and raced toward me, telling me to hold on to her. We got to the beach and she..."I lost my voice for a second "I promised I'd take her to you " I squeezed the gem in my hand. "Please say you can help her"
"O-of course!" Steven panted.
"Now wait just one minute!" Pearl exploded.
"You heard her, Pearl. Jasper's changed!"
"Yes, but! It's Jasper!" she wailed exasperatedly, waving her arms in my direction. "She attacked us! Ripped Garnet in two, punched you in the face, Steven! She imprisoned us! She was going to hand us over to Yellow Diamond! Then she tried to kill us by forming Malachite!"
"And then she spent some time with a human" Garnet said calmly.
"And sacrificed herself for her! Doesn't that sound like she has changed?" Steven said to Pearl. "Look at Lapis! She tried to kill us, and so did Peridot! And they've both changed!"
"J-jasper was just repaying a debt! Erica saved her from a corrupted gem!" Pearl said dismissively.
I stood up, anger gripping my heart.
"I didn't go through all this just to falter at the finish line! I know what she has done! I know what she was! And I know that that's not what she is anymore!" tears rolled down my cheeks, but I didn't care.
Before I knew what was happening, Steven licked his hand and slapped it onto Jasper's gem.
"STEVEN!" Pearl shouted, shocked and angry.
"Whoa" Amethyst gasped.
I looked at Steven, not understanding what was going on.
"I believe her" he said, crossing his arms.
Jasper's gem sparkled and then started to glow, I held on to it and hobbled away from the sofa. The gem rose into the air as they all got to their feet, Pearl pulling out the spear again and Amethyst pulling out a whip from the gem on her chest.
"Pearl, Amethyst, don't!" Steven yelled, Garnet restraining him.
Jasper started to form and I turned to face Pearl and Amethyst, throwing out my arms.
"Don't you dare touch her!" I screamed. I heard a grunt and a thud behind me, then a 'Thoom!' sound and the beginnings of a roar. Time seemed to slow as the two gems in front of me took on offensive stances. I opened my mouth and sang as loudly as I could;
"WHO ARE YOU, THE PROUD LORD SAID! THAT I MUST BOW SO LOW! ONLY A CAT OF A DIFFERENT COAT, THAT'S ALL THE TRUTH I KNOW! A COAT OF GOLD, A COAT OF RED – "
Then, from behind me, Jasper's voice joined me; "A lion still has claws. And mine are long and sharp my lord, as long and sharp as yours" my eyes were streaming and my voice was breaking, but I continued, not caring how I sounded. "And so he spoke, and so he spoke, that lord of Castamere. And now the rains, weep o'er his halls, but no one's there to hear. And now the rains weep o'er his halls, but not a soul to hear…" Nobody moved. I turned around. And there she was… Standing tall and proud, arms relaxed at her sides, looking down at me with a warm, crooked grin. Her gem was whole and her outfit was slightly altered, but I only had eyes for her face.
"Jasper…" I whispered breathlessly, reaching out my hand towards her face. She looked at me with eyes full of tears. I caressed her cheek and she leaned into my touch. My heart leapt in my chest.
"Erica" she said slowly and my spine felt like it was being electrocuted. She opened her arms wide and I stepped into her embrace. I leaned my head against where the yellow diamond used to be and began to cry in earnest, shaking. My injured leg gave way, but instead of going down, I went upwards. I saw her cheeks flush with color, and I became aware of my burning ears. She carried me over to the sofa, Pearl and Amethyst moving out of her way, stunned into silence.
She placed me gently on the cushions and then sat down herself, looking around at the other gems.
"I am no longer part of Yellow Diamonds army. She believes I am a traitor, and I can't serve a Diamond who doubts my honor" she stated solemnly. "I want to… find who I am, without a master"
I squeezed her hand. She looked at me and smiled confidently.
"I give you my word, that I will never try to harm you again. I have no reason to. Rose" she turned to Steven "I will never be able to repay you the kindness you have shown me today. Thank you"
Pearl looked like her chin was going to hit the floor. Amethyst threw her hand up into the air, her whip vanishing. Steven's eyes were full of tears and wonder and Garnet reached under her shades to wipe her cheek.
"That was beautiful" the boy gasped and then "Do you want to stay in Beach City? Oh, please, please stay!"
"There is a lot I have to think about here. People… to talk to" Jasper responded. It didn't seem possible, but Steven's eyes went even wider.
Pearl drew in a breath as if to protest, but Garnet put a restraining hand on her shoulder.
Amethyst looked pleased and then said; "I could really go for some pizza right about now"
"Yes! Pizza!" Steven shouted, raising his arms into the air. "This day is just getting better and better!"
"I agree" Garnet said, and to Pearl's great surprise, she got up and started walking towards the door. We all stepped outside, me grabbing my crutch.
"See you at the pizza place in a few minutes?" Garnet asked me and Jasper and I nodded. Pizza did indeed seem like a good idea. The four of them went ahead, Pearl glaring at us suspiciously.
Jasper looked at me questioningly. "What is pizza?"
"It's a type of food" I answered, looking at the ground.
"Hey… Um. I-I was thinking of hanging around here for a while to heal up. It seems… It seems like a nice place… I mean, I-if you don't mind"
She leaned down and took my chin in a firm but gentle grip, lifting it up so that she could see my face. My pulse started to race as I looked into her eyes, I could see the light of the setting sun reflected in them. Then, in a husky voice that promised so much, she whispered;
"Stay"