Rock on

Chapter 18

Peridot's POV:

As Lapis closed the door behind her, I couldn't help but feel... alone. Pumpkin came running towards my feet when the door closed in front of her snout. She gave a chirpy bark, her tongue hanging out of her jaw, and her tiny tail wagging. I giggled, bending down to pet her head softly. It would be another few hours until Amethyst would come to pick me up. So what could I do? It felt wrong to go and explore Lapis' whole house, so I just sat there quietly, twiddling my thumbs and gazing around the room. I groaned in boredom but finally decided to turn on the TV and pick out one of my favorite songs from YouTube. I stuck out my tongue and squinted my eyes, trying to see what was being said on the screen. I hadn't gotten a chance to contact an optometrist about a new pair of glasses since Jasper had shattered my old ones.

Finally choosing the song, I decided to stand up and stretch, my back cracking slightly and ruffling my hair. "Black Sheep" by Metric was playing on the TV speakers. I decided to head into the kitchen and throw in some cereal to eat while humming to the tune in the background. I looked into the cupboards, scanning for any cereal to be spotted. I was tip-toeing, trying to get to the furthest shelf, but it was not a success. I huffed, frowning slightly as I eyed the shelf. "Alright, looks like we have to do this the hard way," I said as I tried climbing on the kitchen counter. It was pretty high up, but heights never scared me. Luckily, I was able to reach the shelf, and would you know it, there lay a box of frosted flakes. I giggled evilly as I grabbed the box, almost falling on the way down. As I reached solid ground again, I took a bowl and poured the cereal in. Grabbing the milk in the fridge to pour in after.

The song in the background was getting to the best part. Noticing this, I started bobbing my head and tapping my foot to the rhythm.

"Send you my love on a wire."

"Lift you up, every time, everyone, ooo, pulls away, ooo."

I sang out loudly, pretending to hold my stage microphone in front of my mouth. As I swung my body around to the music, I almost swung the bowl of cereal out of my grip. I yelped as I caught the bowl just in time before it dropped on the floor, instead, dropping my imaginary microphone on the ground. I sighed in relief as I held the bowl in both of my palms. I gently placed the bowl on the table and started munching up the cereal with a spoon that was found in the cutlery cupboard.

After I was done eating, I rinsed out my bowl and placed it next to the sink. It would be rude to leave dirty dishes in the sink for others to do later. I had to run to the bathroom, maybe take a shower, I'm sure Lapis won't mind. I walked up the stairs and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind me, just in case. I took a look in the mirror, quickly shaping my hair into its correct form, even though I was going to get into the shower in just a minute. As I undressed, I opened the shower door and turned on the hot water. While I showered, I didn't notice that one of the shower tiles against the walls was chipped and had sharp edges. When I stepped back and turned off the water, I opened the shower door and placed my hand on the tiles, using them for support.

"Agh!" I shouted as I swung my arm into my palm, squeezing my eyes shut. A sharp and painful sensation shot through me. I had accidentally slipped and placed my hand on the sharp tile. When I slipped, my palm did as well, cutting a long streak on the bottom half of my arm. Blood had started running down my arm. I had to act quickly so I wouldn't have to clean up the blood that would land on the floor. I looked under the sink in the cupboards for a med kit, as that's where they keep that kind of stuff. I shuffled stuff around at the back, only to see a shiny object at the back. A blade...

My eyes shot open. I really hoped that was not what I thought it was. I grabbed the blade carefully, still holding my sliced arm in my other palm. I frowned and placed the blade beside me to pay attention to later. I dug deeper into the cupboard, finally finding a bandage roll at the back. I hurriedly took it and wrapped it around my arm. It had stopped the bleeding but left a red stain seeping through. I sighed, but my attention immediately turned back to the blade. "Why does Lapis have a blade?" I said gently, picking up the blade and studying it. It had small rust forming around its edges, meaning that it might not have been used in quite some time, but the thought of Lapis maybe hurting herself scared me. I knew this was a cutting blade because I had one myself. It was a dark time in my life that I never liked talking about, and I wasn't planning on thinking back either.

I decided to place the blade on the rim of the sink as I took an extra towel hanging beside the shower to dry myself. My hair was now fuzzy and everywhere. I sighed as I decided to get dressed and tidy my hair into a more comfortable style. I eyed the blade once again, took it into my hand, and shoved it into my pocket. I don't want the blade near Lapis. Sure, she could use more things, but if I can just take this away from her, it might help just a bit. Suddenly, I heard a hooter being pressed outside. It must be Amethyst.

I looked outside the window to see a black hatchback car waiting outside. Yep, that's Amethyst. I hurried down the stairs and quickly turned off the TV with the remote. I petted Pumpkin one last time before closing the door behind me. I rushed over to my side of the car and placed myself next to Amethyst. "Hey, Pterodactyl! Had fun at Lapis' house?" Amethyst would say with a smirk as she started the car. "Shut up, Amethyst," I said as I looked away, a little blush creeping up. "So, why are you at Lapis' house, P-dot?" Amethyst would say as she drove off the curb and onto the road. Oh yeah, Amethyst doesn't know about the fight. "Well, uh, Lapis helped me when I was at 'Red Temple Mall.' I sort of got into a fight," I said, twiddling my thumbs together nervously. "With who?" Amethyst asked, almost shouting as she looked directly at me. "Did they give you that damn black eye?" Amethyst asked with a concerned yet angry tone. "The fight was with Jasper. And yes, she did give me this black eye," I said, my arms folded as I looked away with a frown.

"Jasper?!" Amethyst said, taken aback, driving over a red light for not focusing. "Amethyst! Watch out! You're not supposed to drive over the red light, you clod!" I said in shock and anger as I confronted Amethyst. "Why did Jasper attack you?" Amethyst asked, immediately changing the subject but keeping her eyes on the road. "I er-." I hesitated before speaking. "She, let's just say she wasn't the better person at the bar.." I said, ashamed as I looked out of the window. Amethyst gave me a concerned look but decided not to question further.

"If Jasper is in your way further on, just lemme know, alright, Peridot?" Amethyst said with a reassuring smile. I looked over her way, returning a sincere smile back. It was sweet how much Amethyst cared for me. And I know she would do anything to make me feel comforted, even if she teases and makes fun of me from time to time.

(1389 Words)