Girl·friend noun,
A regular female companion with whom a person has a romantic or sexual relationship.
"Oh...that's a girlfriend" Peridot thought to herself. The idea of a romantic relationship was in no way a foreign concept to her, many gems back on the home world were known to be together in some form or another. On the other hand, a "sexual" relationship was still a relatively new idea to all gems. Before gems discovered planets with normal mammals such as earth, the most intimate things two gems could to one another was fusing, but some research was done on how most beings reproduced, many gems at the time became curious and started to reenact what they saw. Needless to say, all it really did was cause a lot more fusions and prove that even though a gem's body is a magical construct, it reacts the same as humans would react, if shape shifted right.
"If that's what a girlfriend is, why did Ronaldo's father refer to me as his son's girlfriend, I don't think either of us gave the impression that we could have been at all romantically or even, dare I say...sexually attracted to each other." Peridot thought to herself, the mere idea of herself and a human together romantically caused Peridot to blush and become flustered. "Could that even work?" Peridot asked herself, genuinely wanting to know, the blush on her face still very visible. "Gah, why am I even thinking of course it could never work, ones a gem the others a human!" Peridot shouted internally, trying to stop all the taboo thoughts that where going threw her head. "All right Peridot, you can't have the other humans getting the wrong idea of you and Ronaldo, remember you're just a friend from out of town, that's it, strictly platonic." She told herself, trying to keep focused on the task at hand.
"Alright, what is the difference between a friend and a romantic partner?" Peridot asked herself, as she used her floating digits to type away on the laptop. The first thing to show up on screen were the words "friendship vs romance". After clicking it Peridot saw a site that listed the many differences between friendship and romance, or at least what humans consider the difference.
"Ok, let's see what we have here." Peridot said to herself, as she started reading the information on the screen. "Number one, a friend will have your back when your right, a lover will have your back even if you're wrong." Peridot read. As Peridot continued to read the many differences between a friend and lover, she noticed that very often that the line separating the two would blur, causing much confusion. "For diamonds sake, could these humans be anymore convoluted when it comes to showing the difference between two different social positions in their culture?" Peridot complained internally.
As Peridot continued to research the differences she started to somewhat regret never really socializing back on the home world. "I know I would mock all those other gems back on home world for trying to make relationships and not devoting all their time to their work, but I'd be lying if I said that it wouldn't come in handy right now if I had done the same." Peridot quietly told herself with a defeated sigh. "Who knows, maybe after this mission is all over I'll go to home world and maybe start on some sort of social life, maybe even find that special gem." She thought to herself as she stared blankly at the laptop screen, lost in her own thoughts. "Wait, what are you talking about you clod?" Thought Peridot, internally snapping at herself. "You've been on this miserable rock for one day and you're already starting to question your life choices? Come on, you're a gem from the home world, best there is, you can't let these simple minded humans and their psychology make you question yourself." Peridot internally told herself in a desperate attempt to get herself back on track and focus on the mission.
"Ok Peridot, just keep calm, you just have to blend in with the humans for a few days at the most, I mean, it can't be that hard right?" She quietly asked herself out loud, slightly unsure of her own capabilities. "Oh come on, what are you saying Peridot, of course you can pull this off, you're from home world after all." She told herself, reinvigorating herself and giving herself some much needed motivation.
After her little internal monologue was finished Peridot was once again focused on her mission and found herself using Ronaldo's laptop to search up information that she felt would actually be useful, such as how to turn every day household items in to a space engine. Surprisingly, what showed up on screen did not disappoint. From the looks of it Peridot was not the first to research it. After a while of research, learning everything she would possibly need to convert practically any peace of technology on earth into a space ship, she had unknowingly let time fly by. Peridot was so focused on her research that she hadn't even notice the sun was out, signifying the early morning as it illuminated the room from the window. As she was in the middle of reading a large article on space thrusters, Peridot was suddenly pushed out of her train of thought thanks to the out of nowhere beeps that came from Ronaldo's alarm clock.
"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" Was the only sound that Peridot had heard in a good five hours. Even with her wearing the headphones Ronaldo had given her, the sudden beeps where just enough to make Peridot yelp back out of shock and cause her floating digits to shoot out like some sort of tiny projectiles and scatter all over the room. Ronaldo, hearing more commotion then the sound of the electronic alarm clock he would normally be able to sleep threw, groggily sat up to see what was going on.
"Uhh...ya...you ok Peridot?" Ronaldo asked, half awake and not totally focused.
"Yes I'm fine, but why is that small box making that sound, is something wrong, is someone breaking in?" Peridot asked with concern in her voice as all her fingers started to float back to both of her wrist.
"Huh? Do you mean my alarm clock? It's supposed to make that noise." Ronaldo told Peridot, slightly confused at first before he remembered that she was from off world and really must have been unfamiliar with earth appliances.
"Why would anyone invent something that makes that noise if there's nothing wrong?" Peridot asked, generally questioning what thought process would be needed for the creation of such a device.
"Well, it makes that sound so you don't sleep in and miss most of the day. What, do they not have anything like this from where you're from?" Ronaldo asked as he turned over and shut off the alarm.
"Gems don't usually sleep and even if we did we wouldn't need a such an unnecessary device to simply wake up." Peridot scuffed. "Anyways back to the topic at hand, I've done the research and I'm fairly certain that I'll be able make a fully functional ship within a few weeks, so I suggest we should get started right away." Peridot explained, her voice sounding more excited when she mentioned starting on her ship.
"Alright!" Ronaldo enthusiastically said as he got up from bed and put on his glasses. "Don't worry planet earth, soon you will no longer have to live in fear of those false gods "the crystal gems"." Ronaldo whispered to himself as he struck a heroic pose. Seeing this, Peridot wanted to comment on how over dramatic he was being, but before she could they both heard a knock on Ronaldo's bedroom door.
"Morning son, you and your girlfriend better be decent because I'm coming in right now." Mr. Fryman said as he opened his son's bedroom, door fully dressed in his normal work clothes. Before he could hear the whole "she's not my girlfriend" banter from his son Mr. Fryman spoke. "Come on son put some fresh clothes on, the glass guys are gonna be at the shop soon and I'm gonna need your help cleaning before they get there."
"But dad, Perry and I need to start on something right now it's really important, can't you do it yourself." Ronaldo told his father, trying to convince him to just do it alone.
"You know what else is really important? The family business, now put on some fresh clothes and come with me." Mr. Fryman told his son, his words now sounding more like a command rather then a request.
"But dad, what...what is Perry going to do all day, it's a two person project, she can't do it alone." Ronaldo pleaded with his father in a desperate attempt to get out of work.
"Son, it will only be a few hours, I'm sure you two little love birds can last that long without each other." Mr. Fryman teased his son. "Maybe if you had helped clean the shop when we came home yesterday instead of going out and picking up green trash off the street I wouldn't need your help." He explained. "But you left me and your poor brother Peedee to do most of the work so it's your turn to help out son, so no complaining. Mr. Fryman told his son, putting his foot down on the subject.
"Ugh...find dad. Ronaldo said in a defeated tone as he made his way to his closet, grabbing a fresh shirt and pair of pants.
"And as for you young lady, you won't have to wait to long, my son and I will probably get done in an hour or two." Mr. Fryman told Peridot, sounding strangely much more charismatic then when he was talking to Ronaldo.
Oh, um...that's fine. Peridot said, trying to hide the frustration of having to wait even longer to work on her ship.
"Oh by the way, are you feeling alright Miss?" Mr. Fryman asked, with concern in his voice. "You look a little green." Mr. Fryman said, taking notice of Peridot's complexion.
"Oh...I...uh." Peridot muttered trying to find a believable explanation.
"Oh! She's just not used to all this water, it's making her a little sea sick, that's all." Ronaldo blurted out.
"Oh ok, no need to worry young lady, while we're out, we'll get you some medicine for that." Mr. Fryman kindly told Peridot with a smile.
"Oh, well thank you." Peridot said, not completely sure why she would need the medicine.
"Alright son, let's get a move on, I want the shop to look at least decent for when the glass guys come." Mr. Fryman said as he walked out of Ronaldo's room and into the hallway. "Also there's some 7up in the fridge in case your stomach starts acting up." He added, referring to Peridot, whom he thought was just some teenager with a mild case of sea sickness.
"So sorry about this Peridot." Ronaldo said with a heavy sigh. "I promise when we get back we will start on your ship, you have my word." He said reassuringly with a smile on his face. All Peridot did in return was smile back.
"Hurry up Ronaldo!" Mr. Fryman yelled from the living room.
"Coming dad!" Ronaldo yelled back as he ran to the living room, fresh clothes in hand.
"I thought I told you to change clothes?" Mr. Fryman told his son, a hint of annoyance visible in his voice.
"Don't worry I'll change at the shop." Ronaldo replied. Now shouldn't we get going, the sooner we get this done, the sooner I can help save the world." Ronaldo said as he made his way out the front door, that last part he tried to keep to himself but to little avail. As Mr. Fryman also began walking outside he calmly and quietly said out loud to himself.
"Son, sometimes I really worry about you, but as long as you're happy, I'm happy." And with that Mr. Fryman closed the door behind him, leaving Peridot to entertainer self for an hour or two until they returned. After a few minutes went by Peridot decided too look around Ronaldo house, no need to stay put in one room.
As she made her way down the hall way Peridot took notice of all the pictures of Ronaldo's family hung up on the wall. One thing that Peridot found that was slightly bugging her is that when she looked at one of the pictures that was titled "The whole family" and saw only three people, Peridot saw Ronaldo, his father, and a small human child who was must likely the younger brother she heard Mr. Fryman mention. The thing that was bugging her is that Peridot remembered that Ronaldo mentioned he had a mother, and it made her wonder why she wouldn't be in the picture, but then Peridot remembered that Ronaldo said something about his mother leaving due to something called a divorce, so she figure that a divorce meant not being in the family anymore.
As she made her way into the living room Peridot noticed that the tv was on and broadcasting some sort of program featuring a number of strange icons, one of which she was all too familiar with.
"I'm so, so, so, sorry!" Said the crying talking apple.
"It's fine!" Said a carton of spilled milk as it began to also cry. As one by one each character began to sob uncontrollably, Peridot noticed that one of the characters completely resembled the icon she had found on the home warp pad months ago.
"What in the world?" Peridot said to herself, completely baffled at what she saw. "Is this what the icon stands for? Why would the crystal gems use something that's just affiliated with needless crying over petty things?" Peridot thought to herself. As she tried to think of a logical reason on how the crystal gems could be connected with something so odd, her train of thought was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps right behind her. Quickly, Peridot turned around to see who was sneaking up behind her, only to see the same small human boy from the picture holding a bowl of cereal.
"Uh...hello?" The boy awkwardly said.
"Um...hi." Peridot awkwardly replied back.
"So your that girl that's going to be staying with us for a while, is that right?" The boy asked, sounding somewhat suspicious.
"Uh...yes?" Peridot said, a little unsure on what to say.
"Ok then." The boy calmly said as he made his way past Peridot and sat down on one of the two couches in the living room, eating his cereal as he watched the characters on the TV cry. Not knowing what to do, Peridot decided to sit down on the second couch and tried to make sense of what was being broadcasted in front of her. After seeing an apple fall over and again begin crying, Peridot took notice on how the young boy would laugh and chuckle at the all antics of the talking food, no matter how unethical it seemed.
"Excuse me but, what is going on here exactly?" Peridot asked the young boy.
"Hmm? It's a new episode of "Crying breakfast friends", have you never heard of this show?" The young boy asked as he finished eating a spoon full of cereal.
"Um, no. What is it about?" Peridot asked, wanting to know just exactly was going on in front of her.
"Well you see, the whole show revolves around a group of friends who happen to be a bunch of common breakfast foods and their random adventures. It usually starts off with one of the breakfast friends getting hurt or breaking their brand new toy and they begin to cry." The boy explained. "Most of the time it ends with them all crying together, or just a select few of them crying."
"What's the point of that?" Said a confused Peridot.
"Well, the shows underlying theme is what makes it good." The young boy said, defending the show's weird premise.
"And what underlying theme would that be?" Peridot asked, curious to know how something with such a basic premise could possibly have any underlying themes to notice.
"Well, there are two main messages the show kind of gives off." The young boy said. "The first one is that it's always a good idea to turn to your friends when you're feeling down and need emotional support. The second one is basically saying that it's ok to just let it out and just cry sometimes and that it's not a sign of weakness if you do." Said the young boy as he continue to eat his cereal.
Hearing this, Peridot was slightly taken aback on how the young boy was able to find actual depth and meaning in a cartoon about crying food. As she pondered the over analyzation the young boy spoke up.
"So what's your name again?" The boy asked. Peridot, being caught off guard by the question, stammered to find the answer she had rehearsed.
"Oh...uh...it's...uh Perry." Peridot said with an awkward smile, trying to make her act as believable as she could.
"Oh, ok. Nice too meet you Perry, my names Peedee." He said with a smile.
"The feelings mutual." Peridot responded.
"So, are you like my brother's girlfriend or something?" Peedee asked, wanting to know more on who "Perry" really was.
"WAIT, WHAT!" Peridot asked, going wide eyed when hearing the question. "Oh no no, I'm just a friend from out of town!" Peridot said with an awkward chuckle and smile, the kind of chuckle and smile you'd see on someone who was hiding something. Somehow knowing Peridot wasn't telling the full truth, Peedee pressed on, much to Peridot's dismay.
"Really, are you sure?" Peedee asked Peridot.
"Yes I'm sure, why is everybody just assuming that Ronaldo and I are in a relationship?!" Peridot said crossing her arms all embarrassed.
"I don't know, maybe it's because you two seem like you'd fit the bill." Peedee said shrugging his shoulders.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Peridot asked.
"Well, what do you like to do where you come from?" Peedee asked.
"I'm a technician." Peridot said, making sure that she wouldn't spill any information she shouldn't. "Computers and things of that matter."
"That's kind of what my brother does." Peedee told Peridot.
"Well...uh...That doesn't mean much." Peridot said, a little bit flustered. "I'm not even in a relationship.
"Oh, is it because you're not interested in anyone where you're from?" Peedee asked, really not caring if his questions were making Peridot uncomfortable.
"Well...yes." Peridot replied. "And it's not like anybody from where I'm from would show any interest in a tech geek like me." She said under her breath.
"Well, have you ever the first move?" Peedee asked.
"First move? What does that mean?" Peridot asked, wanting to know exactly what the expression could possibly mean.
"You know, instead of waiting for someone you might like to ask you out, you ask them out." Peedee explained, as he ate another spoon full of cereal.
Peridot, never taking into consideration that all she needed to do to start a relationship with another gem on the home world was just to ask one, found herself taken back a little by the realization. She never really thought she needed a love life, but she'd be lying if she said that she wouldn't think it would be nice. "That could work, but..." Peridot Stammered.
"But what?" Peedee asked, a little unsure on why "Perry" seemed so indifferent.
"What if I don't like being in a relationship." Peridot blurted out. "What if I like being alone with my work more then I do then with being with someone?" She said under her breath, questioning herself for a second time.
"Then don't be in a relationship." Peedee said sternly. "Some people live their whole lives single, there's no shame in it. It's your life, you live it the way you want to." He added, his words sounding as if they were to wise to be said out the mouth of a child. "But if you ask me, I think it's a good idea to always at least try it. You'll never know for sure if you don't try."
"Uh...I'm not so sure, I mean I don't have any experience in that sort of thing." Peridot said with a sigh, slightly convinced that maybe getting a love life isn't a waste of time now that there my be a chance at getting one. Suddenly, an idea popped into Peedee's head.
"Hey I have an idea, you could always ask my brother to pretend to be in a relationship with you, that way you can see if it's right for you or not." Peedee told Peridot.
Wait, what me and Ronaldo? But we're just friends, just good friends, just good strictly platonic friends." Peridot said completely flustered.
"That's great, since you two are such great friends then it shouldn't be a problem for the both of you to just pretend to be dating." Peedee told Peridot, as he finally finished his bowl of cereal.
After a bit of thinking, Peridot came to the conclusion that it couldn't be that bad. What's the worst that could happen, she goes back to the home world with just as much dating experience and an awkward story to tell. And on the plus side she did somewhat have some respect for Ronaldo, even if he was just a human. But that bothered Peridot, Ronaldo was just a human and yet...she respected him. That concept all on its own caused her to ponder why exactly she did.
Was it because he offered to help her make a new ship, maybe it was because he didn't just sell her out to the crystal gems the second they met, or maybe it was even because he had been the first to show her some real respect in along time. Either way, Peridot came to the conclusion that she'd just kill two birds with one stone, she would get Ronaldo to help with the new ship, and she would use him to practice her dating skills.
"Well, I imagine everyone has to start somewhere, I'll ask Ronaldo if he will be willing to participate in being in a practice relationship with me." Peridot told Peedee, apart of her not completely sure if this was even necessary, and another part a little excited to see what would happen.
"Cool, I'm sure my brother would be willing to help out a friend." Peedee replied as he got up to put away his empty bowl with a devious smile on his face. "Ok Peedee, if those dumb romantic comedies taught you anything, it's that I may have just got those two to be in a relationship." He said internally as he reached the kitchen sink. "If this turns out the way it should, Ronaldo's totally going to owe you." He told himself as he rinsed his bowl.
AN: Hey everybody, sorry this took so long, I would have uploaded this yesterday but I slept through the whole day and forgot. Anyways we're at the halfway mark, at least 5 more chapters hope to see all of you there.
PS: leaving a review really helps, it's always nice too see what you guys have to say.