She was tall and skinny, with dyed blue hair cut into bangs with a fringe that covered her forehead. Her skin was a very light brown, almost tan, and she wore a black leather jacket, blue jeans and high-tops. Her eyes were the deepest, brightest blue Peridot had ever seen. Lapis held out a hand, and Peridot felt her body slowly migrate her hand up and into a handshake. 'Her eyes…' Peridot thought. She could not stop looking into her eyes.
"Lapis," she greeted.
"P-Peridot..." she responded. Lapis snorted.
"Peridot? Like the gem? I thought the name on the sign-up sheet said 'Peraline Olivine'."
"Um…", she muttered, blushing. "People c-call me Peridot. It's just a nickname."
She laughed, a beautiful sound to Peridot's ears. "Lapis Lazuli and Peridot Olivine. We could be in a band."
Peridot couldn't find a response to this, as she could not tear her gaze away from the other's eyes. Green was no longer her favorite color, she decided.
"The living room is open for you two kids to set up in." Vidalia stated jovially, shepherding them into the next room and leaving them. Lapis removed the bag she had draped around her shoulder and pulled out a black sticker-laden laptop and a small bottle of Fiji water onto the coffee table. Peridot sat on the couch next to her very silently, her hands folded in her lap. She managed to look away from her eyes and instead studied the rest of her face. Her tan skin was flawless, her mouth set in a resting smile, her ears had a helix piercing with black studs in. Her hair bounced so fluidly with every movement of her head, it was hypnotic. Peridot felt like she was holding her face directly onto Sal's scalding case. It wasn't possible she could forget a face like this. She remembered Lapis from before; she never said a word, following Peridot's posse wherever, always looking shy and reserved.
Vidalia re-entered the room with a plate of sandwiches and two bottles of water. "You kids hungry?"
"Nah, but thanks, Mrs. Shallot." Lapis said, picking up her bottle of Fiji. "I got my nutrients right here."
Vidalia shrugged. "Suit yourself. Peridot?"
Peridot was mildly startled, and managed to cease her optical worship of Lapis' face. "Uhm… water?"
Her adoptive mother tossed her a bottle, and Peridot managed to catch it even in her distracted state. She twisted the top off and drank, hoping to quench the burning in her cheeks. Lapis also took a sip of her water. Again, they were alone.
"What do you tutor in, exactly?" She said after putting down her drink.
"W-what do you mean?" Peridot stammered. "I'm a math tutor if that's what you're asking."
"I'm bad at pretty much everything except math." Lapis responded. "I didn't really read the whole sign-up, I just saw 'tutor' and went for it."
"Oh…" Peridot suddenly had the horrible feeling that Lapis was going to leave. "BUT," she added a little too loud, "I can help you with pretty much anything."
"That's a pretty big 'but'," she chuckled. Peridot realized she was going to need a cooling fan of her own to survive this encounter with Lapis. "So I guess you're a savant or something?"
"Well, I wouldn't say that." Peridot said. She cursed herself for her words.
"Can you do Crystallography?" She asked, again sipping from her bottle. Peridot traded embarrassment for confusion.
"Crystallography? What… what grade are you in again?"
"I never said, but I'm a college sophomore." Lapis stated.
"College?" Peridot almost exclaimed. "But the sign-up information is at Beach City High!"
Lapis smiled. "Well, I was at the high school picking up a friend when I saw it."
"But don't you have tutors at college?" Peridot asked, shouting at herself in her mind. 'Stop giving her excuses to leave!'
She shrugged. "It's an online college. University of West Keystone." Lapis opened her laptop, and pulled up the tab on one of her lessons. It was titled 'Crystallography - Sophomore Level'. "I'm trying to get my degree in mineralogy so I can become a jeweler," she explained. "It's nerd stuff, so I figured there's no bigger nerd than a high school tutor."
Peridot usually objected to being called a nerd, but with Lapis, she didn't mind. Taking a closer look at the lesson text, she sighed resignedly and rubbed the back of her head. "How familiar are you with the study of spectrochemical analysis?"
Peridot felt a rip in her chest as she watched Lapis drive away in her car. She had gotten the basic jist of what Peridot was trying to explain, mainly how atomic emission spectrums work. After two hours had passed, Lapis consulted her watch and said she had to leave. Peridot meekly protested but didn't say much. She paid her (Peridot's rate was $10 an hour) and then asked when she was free for another session. At this point Vidalia entered the conversation and told her just to call ahead a few hours before she wanted another session, saving Peridot from what was sure to be half a minute's worth of blushing and stammering like an idiot. She tried to ignore the thoughts she had, with little success. She tried to walk back down to the basement, but before her foot hit the first step, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Not so fast, Dot." Vidalia said. "Kitchen table. We need to have a talk."
She had exactly three experiences with Aunt Vidalia's 'talks'. The first came after a week of Peridot's residency with the Shallot family. It was about feelings of grief and how to properly handle them, which taught Peridot a lot about Vidalia's past, specifically that she used to have a sister. The second was about parking tickets (and tips on getting out of them). The third was about Peridot's mother and her condition. On each occasion Vidalia always initiated them with those same six words, and she never looked very happy. However, when Peridot turned, she saw what amounted to be a scary-looking smirk on her face, something that unsettled her more than a frown or a scowl. Nevertheless, she followed her back into the kitchen.
"Sour Cream," Vidalia said loudly. "Beat it."
He took the hint that a 'girl talk' was happening and exited the kitchen, going supposedly to his room. Vidalia took the now vacated chair, and Peridot sat across. The former was still smirking, making Peridot slightly uncomfortable.
"Did I… do something wrong..?" Peridot asked cautiously.
Vidalia shook her head. "Not at all, kiddo." She paused. "How was the tutoring session?"
Peridot could sense an ulterior motive, but nonetheless she replied. "It was good."
"I could tell." Her smirk grew.
"But… you weren't there for it." Peridot's confusion grew by the second.
"Didn't need to be. I can see it on your face, it's awfully red." This caused her to blush harder.
"I-It's hot in here." She countered. She fumbled for the zipper on her hoodie to try and prove her point, tossing the jacket away and smiling stupidly.
"Peridot," Vidalia laughed. "I get what's happening."
"Nothing's happening! It's just-"
"I know you like her."
Peridot was silent. Her face was on fire, her vocal chords would not function.
Vidalia continued. "Before you try to deny it, and I know you will, please know that I've known you were gay before you ever moved in here. And please listen when I say that I do not fucking care in the slightest."
Peridot's mouth moved, but no sound came from it. 'How the hell does she know? I never told anyone!' She barely moved when Vidalia grabbed her hand with both of hers and held it, hard.
"Peraline, I love you and I want you to know you can tell me anything. I will never judge you for anything you think or do, because you're my kid. I may not be your real mom, but you are my daughter and you always will be. Do not be embarrassed to be who you are around me or anyone else."
Tears began to sluice down Peridot's face, and she let out a quiet sob. She was suddenly pressed against Vidalia's chest in a hug, and the tears that continued to pour from her ducts were liquid catharsis.
"How long have you known?" Peridot had finished crying, although her green eyes were still puffy and reddened.
"Six years," Vidalia answered. "It was actually your mother who told me. She found a Hustler magazine under your bed."
Peridot laughed and rubbed her head. "Oh God, I remember that thing. I found it rolled up in a trash can on Chesapeake St. I thought my eyes were going to bug out of my head when I opened it up. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days."
"Do you still have it? I'm asking for strictly academic purposes."
"Heheheh… no. I threw it out after, uhm, after Dad died. I was really angry with myself and the world, and I just tossed it because it reminded me of a time when he was still alive."
"Dude, that sucks. Everybody needs their porn." They both laughed even louder at this. When the laughs subsided, Peridot wiped a final tear from her eye and smiled unsurely at her aunt.
"Have… have you done this before? I mean… the whole… 'coming out talk'?" Peridot asked awkwardly.
"Well," She said, "Just once. It was actually… do you remember Amy? You two used to hang around together."
Peridot's jaw dropped. "No. Freaking. Way. Amethyst is gay?"
Vidalia chortled. "Kid, are you joking me? The only thing straight about her is the lines on her freak flag. Her and Pearl used to…"
"PEARL TOO? Oh my God, everyone I fucking know is gay!" Both women dissolved into hearty laughter loud enough that they didn't hear Sour Cream enter the room.
"Uh, you guys finish your 'girl talk'?" He asked.
Vidalia turned, still chuckling. "Yeah, we're good. You need something?"
"No, I just wanted to let you know I'm leaving for the skating rink." He twirled the car keys in his hand once to indicate.
Vidalia stood up to hug him. "Okay, see you later, kid. Love ya."
Sour Cream was nearly out of the kitchen before Peridot called, "Hey, Sour Cream!"
He took a step back. "Yeah?"
"Can I come with?" Peridot stood up awkwardly.
"Wait… really? You want to go out?" He seemed genuinely surprised Peridot would voluntarily leave the house for something that wasn't school.
"Yeah," She said, looking to Vidalia, who looked back with a smile. "I want to try something new."
"Well, sure, yeah. You need to get ready? I don't actually have to leave for twenty minutes, so…"
Peridot smirked like her aunt. "All I need is ten."