Beach City's Lost Files

Chapter 9: Parting Ways

"Wait wait wait! Last... Last day here?" She asked, looking bewildered.

Amethyst piped up, cracking her knuckles. "Uhh, no. She's going on vacation for awhile or something."

This earned a laugh from Vidalia. "Yea, I wish," she said. "Nah, I'm moving away from Beach City. My parents want me to live in a safer environment."

Sadie placed a hand on her forehead, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't know... Hard to believe you're moving away."

Amethyst furrowed her brow and chuckled awkwardly. "She... Isn't."

The two of them glanced at Amethyst awkwardly. "What? I'm only telling the truth! Vidalia is staying right here. Pfffft, moving? Not on my watch!"

Sadie's gaze lingered on Amethyst for a moment before going back to Vidalia. "Alrighty then... What kind of donut would you like?"

"Vanilla glazed."

"And you?" Sadie turned to Amethyst.

Amethyst crossed her arms and glanced at the display case. "Hmm... Double chocolate cinnamon twist with extra sprinkles." She paused. "I'll have to tell Steven about that one."

They took their donuts, paid, bid their farewells, and left. Now, they were headed for the salon. As they walked and ate at the same time, Vidalia spoke through a mouthful of dough and icing. "What was up back there?"

Amethyst swallowed before replying. "What do you mean?"

"You were joking when you denied me leaving, right?" Vidalia asked, an eyebrow raised.

Amethyst held a finger to her friend's lips. "Don't say it!" She exclaimed.

Vidalia looked surprised. She lightly pushed Amethyst's hand away, forcing a convincing laugh. "Amethyst, you can stop pretending. I can't change the past."

Amethyst screwed her face up in resentment and averted her friend's gaze. "Look, nothing's wrong. Let's just go to the salon..." She muttered, feeling a bit of a sinking feeling inside her.

There was a pause. Amethyst didn't speak, and neither did Vidalia. Amethyst kicked a rock and it skittered across the snow-strewn ground, creating a scattered tempo. She didn't think of it at all, until Vidalia did the same, creating a similar beat. Amethyst raised an eyebrow and kicked another rock. It sounded a bit like a baseline. The silence was broken.

The two exchanged a glance. Amethyst clapped her hands, and so did Vidalia. They had a bit of a rhythm going. They kept kicking rocks, clapping their hands, and Amethyst even threw in a bit of beat boxing. Before she knew it, they were both beat boxing, creating a song as they went along. They were both smiling coolly, their faces smug, ignoring the staring faces of onlookers.

Their little song ended once they arrived at the salon, both of them laughing and joking. Amethyst could still hardly believe that things like this would be non-existent in the near future.

~~•~~

Vidalia and Amethyst couldn't have had a better time at the salon. They both got their hair done all curly, their nails done all fancy, and their makeup done all... Plasticky. Throughout the whole time, they were both jokingly making fun of each other, messing around, and even as they left, they smudged each other's makeup before removing it completely.

Their next destination was the smoothie shop. (What a creative name.) Amethyst paid for both their lunches and drinks, and they chatted for a bit. The purple gem tried staying on the topic of how great Beach City was with Vidalia, all the memories they'd had together, and how much she'd miss her best friend. Whenever Vidalia tried cutting in, Amethyst wouldn't let her.