A/N: Hey guys. So I'm sorry about the wait, life again heh.
Don't forget to vote, comment, all that. Next chapter should be up soon. Thanks guys -Sara
She should have expected it.
The way dinner had went, the way the word 'okay' hung in her head. How it was okay Lapis joked, but not fine because it made things tense. How it was okay Peridot's mother smiled, but not great because it didn't reach her eyes. How it was okay her aunt offered seconds, but not good because it meant yellow eyes were narrowing and thin lips were tightening. Trying to be polite. Nearly failing.
Still, as she watched from the front window, watched Lapis disappearing into the fading distance, it was still a surprise. A surprise to find her mother's hand on her arm. To look up and see angered eyes, but not on her. On the window. On an already faded figure.
"Peridot, I don't want you seeing that girl again." It wasn't a request.
Peridot felt her throat tighten as her eyes fell to the floor, to her hands as they clasped each other in a manner that did little to comfort. "Yes, mother."
A firm squeeze of her upper arm, a pat that was too rough to be anything save affirming. "Good. It's getting late. Don't forget to wash your dishes."
She wasn't expected to respond, so didn't. Just listened as her mother turned, stalked off. Back to the kitchen, for the moment. Back to her awaiting aunt and hushed talk, though there wasn't anything hushed about her aunt's tone. Peridot was fairly certain the woman didn't know what 'whisper' meant.
Another heartbeat of silence and staring at the reflection of her face in the glass. At the way lights from windows blazed within the dark confines of edging night.
Her jaw tightened as she herself turned, shaking off a chill that found its way down, traversing her spine. But it wasn't because of the cold she knew awaited outside, or because of the way her mother's words echoed in her ears.
It was because she didn't want to care about those words.
It was because she wasn't going to care about those words.
She let her phone fall to the tabletop, shrugging into her seat even as the rest of her friends winced at the noise made from plastic hitting wood. Ruby threw Sapphire a look, stretched across the table to tap Peridot's shoulder gently.
"Hey, you okay?"
Emerald eyes narrowed, darting between the two as her phone lit up to the side of a glass of coke going untouched. "Okay, which one of you did it?"
Ruby blinked, Sapphire cocked her head. A knowing smirk graced her lips. "Did what?"
Emerald burned as it stared the older girl down. "You know exactly what I'm talking about," she snapped, gaze then flitting over to her friend's partner. "Were you in on it, too?"
Ruby's eyebrows furrowed, mouth opening soundlessly. She looked from the seething blonde, over to her girlfriend, back. "What?" It was genuine, and Peridot huffed in annoyance.
She once more settled for glaring at Sapphire. "Admit it. Or I swear I'll hand your number over to Jamie."
That knowing smirk faltered. Ruby went from looking confused to angry. She pointed a purposeful finger dangerously at the blonde. "Do it and I take back the laptop we gave you."
"Woah, hey now," another voice spoke up, and Peridot had a single second to look back and see some sort of old rock band promoting tee before something was shoved down over her hair and glasses. "Why're we threatening each other this time?"
Amethyst let herself fall down unceremoniously in the chair next to Peridot's, close enough their shoulders and knees brushed as the blonde forced the beanie off herself. It was more funny that intimidating when she very literally growled, throwing the hat down.
They all stared at the rainbow material, and Ruby was the first to speak again after a short pause, where the only sounds around them were Kiki taking someone else's order and the ceiling fan whirring.
"We knew you were gay, Ames, but seriously?" She added emphasis by picking the beanie up and fiddling with its material.
Amethyst chuckled, pushing back from the table so her chair was balanced on its back legs. "I know, pretty sweet, right? I got it yesterday." Her eyes landed on Peridot as she grinned. "Think of it as an initiation to the order."
The smaller girl winced, crossing her arms almost defensively. "Shutup," she muttered. It only made her friends smile more eagerly, looking between themselves.
Ruby took the beanie and slid it over Sapphire's head, taking a moment to push loose strands of bleached blonde back behind her ears. Her fingertips lingered across the girl's cheek as she gave a small simper.
Amethyst rolled her eyes as her two friends got caught up in themselves for the millionth time in a single day. She was tempted to ball up a napkin and throw it at them, if only to end the sickening googly eyed scene being played out. That was before she caught Peridot trying to be sneaky about checking her phone, using a glass as a makeshift cover.
That was definitely more interesting.
Looking away, sort of, and trying not to be too suspicious, she let the chair come to rest on all four legs. "Hey, Peridot?"
The girl's gaze jerked up, surprised to hear her full name for once. "Yeah?" Her hand twitched, bringing the phone back closer to her body instinctively.
"Whatcha doin'?"
Peridot floundered wordlessly a moment, before something lit up in her eyes and she was very quickly turning back to the two currently whispering love birds across from her. She pinched her mouth up in this way that looked so very childish it was impossible not to snicker.
"Texting Lapis. Because a certain someone just had to go and give her my number." Amethyst followed the pointed look to a once again smirking Sapphire.
The two blonde's shared a moment of simple stares, one grimacing one grinning, before the older of the two sighed. Her hand slipped across the table, fingers tangling with her girlfriend's, before she stated, clearly, "Believe what you will. I had nothing to do with it."
Peridot's forehead scrunched, and she looked very near to yelling. "But you know who did. That's just as bad!"
Ruby threw a protective arm over Sapphire's shoulder, letting the taller girl lean against her with a loose sigh. "Doesn't mean you gotta get all pissy, Per." Any possible threat was lost behind a well placed smirk.
Amethyst, who'd up until this point been listening to the little showdown, decided now was as good a time as any. Seeing as how Peridot had gotten to that 'throw my hands up in the air to show how exasperated I am' phase, she simply reached out and swiped the unattended electronic.
She was bolting from her seat and snickering as she did so before any of the others could react.
And then Peridot was fumbling after her, a slew of curses and Kiki's yelling to calm down while inside and two quietly chuckling friends left behind.
There was a reason her gym teacher hated her. She was out of breath before she reached the end of the sidewalk, huffing as she watched with horror as Amethyst fervently swiped across her phone screen, rushing around one of the many sand dunes that made this part of the beach normally uninhabited.
She groaned internally and started another slow, dragging jog toward where the girl had disappeared. It didn't help her throat or sinuses any that the air she was breathing was crisp enough to sting. Or that she'd left her coat across the back of a chair, and now had to deal with the nipping breeze when it reared its ugly head.
By the time she rounded the dune, she was rubbing her arms for warmth and more than less interested any longer. Sure, she was cursing the day she'd given Amethyst her phone passcode. And sure, she was wishing she'd blocked Lazuli and pretended she didn't know the girl. Or, at least deleted her texts.
Not that there was anything wrong with them!
On the contrary, their conversations were ultimately mild. Never passing the 'hey, how are you?' aspect before dipping into small talk about how bad this Christmas' weather was supposed to be, or how Lapis was maybe hoping they could grab a bite to eat somewhere. An offer very quickly shot down, of course. They didn't even have real conversations through text, or at least, not yet. That was being saved, apparently, for those unexpected surprise visits Lapis had far too great a habit of arranging.
Still, Peridot scowled when she found Amethyst lazily sitting on the shifting sand, cross legged and engrossed in whatever she was currently reading.
"You're a dork," she grumbled, heavily falling to the ground next to the girl. She received a smile, flashing a brief second only, before she was being ignore once more, the swiping up on her phone much more engrossing.
She frowned, crossing her own legs and hugging her arms to her chest. She let her eyes wander, and found them falling easily to the ocean. How could they not, it was everywhere.
It wasn't the gently, rolling blue it had been all week. Instead, frothy and spewing azure crashed into and against itself. A raging battle that the sky only encouraged, clouding over menacingly. Another storm on its way.
"Hey, Peridot?" It was gentler than expected, almost hesitant, and the blonde was returning a soft gaze that left her confused before she knew it.
"Yeah?" Something in the way her friend was looking at her had her stomach jumping.
Amethyst shook her head, holding out a now dark screened phone, and the blonde took it slowly, letting it fall to her lap. Amethyst's hand stayed outstretched, though, and it took Peridot a moment to realize what she wanted.
She slipped her fingers through the other girl's and let their hands fall together between them.
A beat of quiet. Then, "You really like her, don't you?"
No response.
"Yeah, well, she really likes you."
Peridot blinked. Shook her head. Let her eyes fall to the electronic in her possession. "And?"
The grip on her hand tightened. She was taken by surprise when Amethyst sniffled, gaped when she looked back up to see her friend blinking back tears. grinned at the open mouthed blonde.
"Don't ruin it. I know you, Per. I know how stupid you think." Another sniffle mingled with Peridot's indignant scoff. "Stop making yourself feel like shit."
The shorter girl frowned, hurriedly shifting closer and throwing her free arm around the mess that was becoming her friend. "Shut up," she mumbled quietly, not minding when a face buried against her shoulder, when she could feel the material dampening. "You're the one that feels like shit apparently."
A chuckle against her skin, reverberating and making her giggle despite the moment simply because it tickled. She let her cheek rest against the girl's crown. Her eyes drifted shut.
Until a fist connected with her stomach, and she was gasping and doubling over in both pain and surprise and Amethyst shot up, snickering and wiping at her eyes. Peridot let herself fall back into the sand, staring up at the smirking girl even as she tried and failed to breath evenly.
Even with still misty eyes and a smile that looked more like a grimace, Amethyst leaned over her. "Who's the dork now?"
And the blonde was left half laughing, half gasping as she watched the retreating figure. Payback was so in order.
But, it'd have to wait for right now.
There was something... exciting, about shopping for someone she barely knew. Well, maybe that wasn't completely true. Over the last couple of months she'd certainly gotten to know more about Lapis than she'd originally planned on. But still.
Peridot browsed a couple of necklaces, mostly cheap knockoffs that screamed last minute, before huffing and deciding perhaps jewelry was too much. And too cliché. And she didn't even know if Lapis was more a necklace or bracelet kinda girl. She herself didn't care for either, honestly.
Flowers. Cards. Assorted candies. She went up the isle and could've sworn she was looking for a Valentine's Day, or maybe even anniversary present instead of something small for Christmas. She'd go normal and get a game or something like she always did for Amethyst, or even some sort of food like for Jasper. But Lapis didn't like games. And it seemed... wrong?... to get her food. Too cheap a move. And it might come across bad.
The blonde groaned as she ran a hand through her hair, spiking it up further in her annoyance. What was she even doing, anyways? It wasn't like she had to do this.
Right?
A giant stuffed bear was always good. Couldn't go wrong there, yeah? Unless Lapis didn't like stuffed animals, in which case she'd only make herself out to be an idiot.
She liked the water. Maybe a pet fish or turtle or something. But if she didn't like animals... No, she liked Pumpkin. But Pumpkin was a cat. So, maybe she was a cat person? But cat's were really sort of out of Peridot's price range. And even then, there was no telling if Lapis would even be okay with the task of keeping an actual fur ball.
Well scrap that.
"Need any help?"
Peridot jumped as a voice cut through her inner debates, turned on her heel. She had to blink when a mountain of pink met her sights.
It was that girl from school. The one Pearl had always been so infatuated with. She looked older up close, with definite laugh lines and crinkles at the corners of her eyes. But those same eyes were alive in the best of ways, and her smile was so genuine. The nametag on her blue, employee vest read, "Rose."
Peridot cleared her throat, smiled lightly. "Um, yeah, actually. I... I'm looking for something. For a friend. But I don't really know what I'm doing."
The girl cocked her head, smile dipping away and being replaced by thought. Bangs of bubblegum pink swished out against her forehead as she looked up and away. "Hm. Tell me, what's this friend like?"
The blonde blinked. Furrowed her brow. "Oh, um... She's an outdoors person, I think. Loves the ocean and the beach. I think she likes animals, cats at least, and, um..." Peridot racked her brain. There had to be something, anything she could use. "She likes music. There's this one band, she has a bunch of posters for them."
Rose's smile returned, slowly. She crossed her arms as she rested back against a shelf. "Okay, hm. Maybe you could go classic, get her some sort of memorabilia to go along with an oceanic theme. Then there's always stuffed animals, most girls like those. Jewelry. I think we have a decent selection of posters in the back if you want to come with me, see if you see any she might like."
Peridot chewed on her lip as she listened, nodded when the offer arose. Maybe she'd find something that looked similar to the posters she'd seen in Lapis' room already. And maybe she actually would go with a stuffed animal. But, that was debatable.
"Okay," she mused aloud, pushing her glasses back up her nose where they'd started slipping. "Lead the way."
Additional A/N: I'm currently working on the next chapter, it'll probably be up by tomorrow. Sorry if this one seems short? Idrk. Next one's ended up a bit longer.
Anyways enjoy and see ya soon! -Sara