It was hard to find time to herself. Between her mother's horrid lessons and school, Peridot found herself tossed from one place to another, none of them for long and none of them her idea of fun.

Every once in a while, though, she found a place where she could say she was comfortable. The seaside was one of those places. The beach wasn't a place she enjoyed, per say, but it was quiet and spacious. It gave her this feeling of independence.

The sand was itchy, warmed by the sun and damp from the high tide, as she sat down on it. She crossed her legs and tapped in the passcode to her phone, half-heartedly picking at the hem of her jeans.

Ruby had texted. Something about a party Peridot definitely wasn't into. And Amethyst had immediately texted after saying there was no way Peridot was getting out of going to said party. She couldn't help rolling her eyes when she saw that, having known it would happen.

Amethyst was predictable. It was a good thing in a lot of ways.

Peridot typed a quick message, something along the lines of "sure, whatever you say," before dropping her phone down beside her and taking a deep breath. The sunlight felt surprisingly nice, and she leaned back on her palms to relax more. Maybe she'd try tanning again; she heard it was really terrible for her skin but that didn't seem to stop anyone else.

Not that she really cared about anyone else. Just a thought.

She closed her eyes, still seeing the sun behind her eyelids as her face turned skyward. It was kind of cool, seeing the yellow outline despite not really looking at it. She briefly wondered if anyone else also did things like this. Wondered about the simplest things, about nature and their existence among the stars. Maybe she was just overthinking everything again. Probably, actually. She had a habit of doing that, she'd been told.

Those thoughts were thrust aside, however, when a toy airplane came slamming into the side of her head, making her gasp and yelp and flail as if battling an invisible force.

God dammit! Was everyone just against her today?

She groaned at the dull throb that started behind her ear, rubbing along her temple where the horrid toy had come bombarding at her from absolutely nowhere. She didn't realize someone was beside her suddenly until a throat was cleared, making her nearly jump from her very skin.

She glared, looking upward, squinting through the rays of sun. Of course it was the one person she loathed seeing.

"What the hell was that for?" Peridot growled, baring her teeth to the girl standing inches from her.

Lapis, bored expression in tow, shrugged, flicking her bang out of her face. "Sorry. You make a habit of being in the way."

The smaller girl tensed, teeth grinding and a hiss much like her cat when angry made coming from her lips. "I get in the way? Excuse me? Who do you think you are?!"

Her uninvited guest only answered with a shrug, and it was only then Peridot really looked at her. Like, really looked at her.

89% of skin was in plain sight. Only her unmentionables were covered really, by the skimpiest of a dark ocean blue material. A surprisingly adorable belly button piercing was on view, a heart-shaped thing. Partial abs flexed and smooth, soft skin protected by sunscreen lotion welcomed the sun.

Peridot couldn't lie. Her eyes wondered, and she liked what she saw. It made her insane jealous. Her figure wasn't terrible, but she was definitely not that athletic, so no muscle could be seen on her. This girl, however, she did something that brought out her strength. Those long, tempting legs helped, too...

Peridot shook her head, eyes darting away and she scowled and reached blindly for the plane she knew had fallen beside or partially behind her. She found it, but her fingers grazed someone else's.

Lapis didn't jerk back. Instead, as if annoyed, she pushed harder against Peridot's and forced the other girl to retreat, taking the plane herself. She smirked as she watched the younger girl blush, the color on her cheeks really pronounced against her pale skin.

"I'm a Messiah," she joked quietly, clutching the plane to her chest, hoping in a way it got some sort of response. A chuckle or at least a sideways glance would be nice.

But Peridot clenched the hand hidden beside her thigh and decided the ocean was so much more interesting than Lapis. At least she sorta liked the ocean. Somewhat. Lapis was a totally different thing, though.

"Ha, ha," she muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes and letting her other hand run through her hair, pushing it back. "Whatever. Just, stay away from me."

It came out harsh, and in a way she was glad for that. Hopefully this girl would get the message and leave her alone. What a thought. That it could be that easy, that painless. But life always throws a curveball.

"I don't think I want to do that," Lapis said, and though she smirked and winked when Peridot looked up in surprise, the first time she'd shown any emotion other than complete dead boredom, it didn't seem like a joke. Not like her joke earlier.

But certainly that was all it was. It would be weird if it was anything else.

Peridot didn't get to think of some smooth comeback or ask what this girl's game was. Lapis turned and began waltzing away, retreating along the beach, close enough to the water's edge for the frothy substance to lap at her feet and lick up her ankles with foam. In the sunlight, she looked like a model or movie star. Someone who should be on the front page of a magazine.

It made Peridot jealous again, but she pulled her eyes away from the sight and silently cursed Lapis in her head. What a total pain in the ass. She refused to let her get under her skin.

Ever though she had a feeling it was already too late for that.

She shook her head, picking up her phone and shoving it in her front pocket without checking the notifications that blared at her on her home screen. She didn't really care right now, even less than was normal. She just wanted to go somewhere, anywhere, that Lapis wasn't.

Home seemed like the best option.

Besides, she apparently had a party to get ready for.

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the cliché haha. Can't seem to help it. Thanks to everyone for commenting! Stay awesome! -Sara