Pearl was very devoted to keeping up her "image" at Diamond High.
After all, it was the most prestigious high school in the county, and Pearl had gotten in on a full ride, an arts scholarship earned all thanks to her moving ballet performances and solid fourteen years of classical piano training. Pearl was not about to risk her attendance to the wonderfully challenging and creative place that was Diamond High. The only problem was, the very thing that would get Pearl kicked out of her dream school was being herself.
It's not like she was lying about everything! No, Pearl's determination and work ethic were not at all fabrication, however there was a big part of herself missing in the version of herself that showed up to school everyday, a part that no one at her school could know existed.
That is, two parts.
The two most important people in Pearl's entire universe. Amethyst and Garnet. The trio couldn't be more different from each other, honestly. Amethyst was brash and outgoing, loved making mistakes and dragging Pearl along to fix them. She had recently cut the long mane of hair she had been cultivating since childhood into a fluffy mohawk, completely on a whim. Not that Pearl was complaining-it was very cute.
Amethyst was a bit of a loudmouth, with a lot to say and no qualms against saying it, however hidden under the robust demeanor the girl was an absolute sweetheart who cried literally during the entirety of Up. Amethyst was amazing, beautiful and kind….even if she did get on Pearl's nerves sometimes. Well, a lot of the time. But their relationship just...worked. Amethyst's "go with the flow" attitude calmed Pearl's nervous thoughts, and Pearl's insistence on thinking things through got Amethyst out of a lot of sticky situations. Pearl couldn't help it when her thin lips curved into a smile as her mind wandered to the adorable girl.
And then there was Garnet. The mysterious girl had at first acted aloof around Pearl, but the two had bonded over long talks on the beach and a mutual love of all things music. Pearl soon came to realize how much of a truly remarkable person Garnet was. Garnet was almost freakishly knowledgeable for a sixteen year old-same age as Pearl and Amethyst-she knew at least a little about practically everything. And along with this intelligence, Garnet was so undeniably wise, she seemed to just understand the universe in ways Pearl would never quite grasp.
Garnet was soft-spoken, and yet she had this intense, quiet strength about her that Pearl admired immensely. Pearl and Garnet could indulge in their peaceful musings about the world for hours on end, simply enjoying each other's company. Pearl loved to watch Garnet in a crowd of people, amongst the sea of faces the tall girl would walk, head held high, her tall natural hair the perfect crown for such a queen. The ocean of people seemed to unconsciously part, and Garnet would walk up to Pearl with such a calm, kind smile and gently take the shorter girl's hand. On Pearl's other side, Amethyst would grab her free hand. Pearl would stand on her tiptoes to peck Garnet on the cheek and then kneel slightly to kiss the top of Amethyst's fluffy, purple-dyed hair.
Ah, yes, that was Pearl's secret. Garnet and Amethyst were her best friends, the best in the world...as well as the best girlfriends in the universe.
Pearl's parents were supportive, as she had known they would be. She didn't even need to officially come out to them as gay, she simply introduced Garnet and Ame as her girlfriends and they welcomed the two girls warmly. Pearl hadn't bothered worrying about them not being accepting, because, well, they had been nothing but supportive two years ago when Pearl came out as a trans girl to them. At the time they had been somewhat clueless about anything to do with not conforming to the gender one was assigned at birth, but after Pearl had spent a few months explaining and informing them, her parents set up an appointment with a therapist who specialized in gender dysphoria. Now, two years later, everyone used Pearl's correct name and pronouns, and she had transitioned medically with hormones, taking pills daily that would supply her body with estrogen. Both Amethyst and Garnet knew that Pearl was trans and were totally accepting of it of course. They had both met her pre medical transition and told her she was beautiful then and now.
However, Pearl was out as trans and gay to only three people at her school, all good friends and none of them were cis so she knew they'd all understand. Pearl literally had no straight friends and it was kind of amazing. She thought back to a few years ago when she was miserable, closeted and constantly riddled with anxiety and it was incredible how much better her life was now.