Crashing the Boardwalk (Human Lapidot)

13. Room to Breathe

     "Yo, Stevo, can you see if there's a nurse somewhere?" Amethyst asked.

     "Uh, sure..." Steven hesitantly left the room in search for a nurse.

     "Peri?" Amethyst began.

     "Yeah?"

     "Was that affection you gave me real?"

     Peridot coughed. "What?"

     "Did those kisses we shared mean anything to you, or did they not?"

     "I-"

     "Cuz I feel like you used me for something. You knew I wanted affection, a you used me by giving me what I wanted for your own gain. What the hell did you need to put me through this?"

     "I.." Peridot backed up from Amethyst two steps. "I wasn't using you." Yes, bish, you were. Thought the blonde. "I wanted you to feel affection. I-I thought you wanted it-"

     "I do!" Amethyst exclaimed. "But I seen the look of betrayal in your eyes when you caught Lapis with Jasper the other day, and dammit, I know you're lying... You still love her."

     "But-"

     "Whatever." Amethyst put a hand up to silence the blonde. "I just don't know why you'd do that. Why you'd kiss me and get upset about people sitting together. I didn't think you'd have the nerve."

     "I-I'm sorry. I really am, I-"

     "I don't care. You're digging yourself deeper into a hole. I won't dwell on it, but you'd better get your sit together."

     Peridot hung her head. "Ok." You're such a clod, Peridot. Such a clod. When Steven returned with a nurse, she talked a bit with Amethyst about being safe with her cast and whatnot, and the threesome left the hospital.

"Oh no." Peridot said. She was catching up on the news on her tablet again, and her hands froze.

     "What? What's going on?"

     "Um, hold on, this is kinda hard to read. Peridot squinted, trying to fake read. She needed to stall for time. How to you tell a life-long rebel that their enemy's more than half-way through Michigan, at the start of Ohio and Georgia, and all-the-way through Kentucky and Tennessee, which-in short-are up in flames? How to you tell someone that the very people they thought they've escaped are tearing apart their country and everyone in the area but you was unaware?

     Peridot shook. The secrecy has gone too far. She needed to tell the gems, thus needing to get safe with Lapis first. The girl took shorter and shakier breaths. The Diamonds would be coming with their Clusters and most definitely their Corruption. The entire East coast has been a hot-spot for rebel Gems in the last year, and when Yellow and Blue determine their wishes for all of them..

     "This has gone too far. Jasper didn't need to beat the meat outta you."

     Amethyst rolled her eyes. "I thought we were done talking about this?"

     "Yes, we were, but I certainly haven't stopped thinking about it? I mean, look at it this way. Jaspers a flat out brute, no question, and Lapis is too, in her own way. She has extreme endurance, and taking even a second to breathe in combat is a terrible mistake. She's quick minded, and now that she's with her strong match, she's become cold and is using her salty ways to flip people over."

     "What does combat have to do with this?"

     "Your fucking arm, Amethyst! Lapis demanded that you'd be hurt after whatever you two said to each-other, and now that her whims have been fulfilled, it's not gonna stop. We have to separate them so nobody gets hurt, and so I can call this damn meeting I've been meaning to call without thick air between the four of us!"

     Amethyst groaned. "Shouldn't we get time to breathe first?"

     "Well-I guess-but-" stuttered the blonde.

     Amethyst rose her good hand and walked over to the door to her room. "Air. Now. Goodbye." She said. Peridot sighed and looked to Steven, who has reading a book about 'familiars' or something.

     "I don't feel like having a meeting today." Steven said, "Jasper just broke her arm. As much as I don't want to sweep this under a rug-or however that saying goes-let's just wait 'till tomorrow."

     Peridot hummed and read the new article over and over. She had more nightmarish sleep sequences.

The blonde lurched forward, out of breath with sweat trickling down her neck and back. Her throat hurt, and so did her wrists. In short, Jasper tried to murder her last night. She squirmed and called for Lapis' help, but the bluenette just watched her die. It made Peridot's body freeze up. The girl shivered.

     "Peridot?" It was Steven.

     "Wha..?"

     "Peridot, are you ok?"

     "Sure." Steven groaned.

     "Be serious."

     "I was killed in my sleep, do I look ok?"

     The boy sighed. "Is this about Lapis?"

     "Why do you assume everything's about her?"

     "Because it is."

     Peridot crossed her arms, and Steven walked down the stairs and sat beside her on the couch. "Well, so what if it's about her. I don't care." Steven raised an eyebrow, catching her lie. Dammit. "W-well, she clearly doesn't care about this, so why should I even address this?"

     "Because this problem's hurting you. And besides, I know she's not with Jasper because she consciously wants to be. She's afraid. Afraid about the chaos she's lived with returning to her. Whatever made her leave, it's just a retreat. She wants to feel secure or protected because she doesn't want to be caught off-guard like she has been in the past."

     Peridot's eyes widened a bit. "How'd you know that?"

     "I talk to her." There was silence between them. "I bet I know why you came to Amethyst, too."

     "Yeah? Why?"

     "Because you needed to feel needed. Amethyst said something about wanting to be with you, but you seem already taken. When you hung out with Amethyst, she felt happy because she was with you without interference. You yourself wanted to feel valuable, and Amethyst definitely valued you."

     What the hell..? The blonde tried to figure out if the boy was right or not. She just thought about it as giving Amethyst what she wanted, and getting pain in return. She did feel unneeded with Lapis. She has two jobs, spending money after paying rent, and so on. She's strong, and knows how to get things done-for the most part. "Valued? Like past tense?"

     "Maybe, maybe not."

...

Jasper yawned, awakening herself. Her couch was comfortable, but it wasn't as good as her bed. Though, she was willing to sacrifice her own comforts for Lapis. After about ten minutes of making and sipping coffee, the buff girl heard shifting upstairs, and Lapis eventually made her way into the living room.

     "Hey girl." Said Jasper. "I got coffee in the pot and some tea in the fridge."

     "Ok." Despite the offers to have a drink, Lapis sat next to Jasper on the couch. She leaned against the girl's arm and sighed. The two sat with one another watching cooking shows.

     "Want me to make some waffles or something?" Jasper asked.

     "No. I'm not all that hungry."

     "Sure?"

     "Yeah."

     Three hours passed, and neither of them became hungry, or got up for anything at all. Eventually, the doorbell rang, and Jasper got up to see who was visiting. I swear, if it's Amethyst- Jasper opened the door to see Peridot. And Amethyst.