( A/N: again, I'm very sorry about the hiatus! Hope you enjoy this chapter! It took a really long time to type, due to how slow-going it was, but I picked it up and tried to add as much excitement as possible!
I would also like to mention that I'm going back to posting on Mondays only. I'd like to put more time and effort into these from now on.
Oh, and also, the fanart was done by Kowskie on tumblr! )
1I
"You WHAT?" Amethyst asked skeptically, eyes wide.
"I'm moving to another city," Vidalia said, her voice thick with sympathy. "I guess my parents are just looking out for me. They want to move to a place more quiet." She paused. "You know... Without a bunch of man-eating gem monsters."
Amethyst, who was only half Vidalia's height ("it's only because she's in high school!" Amethyst always protested ) spoke up again. "But you're, like, the only one that understands me! Do all those times mean nothing to you?" She couldn't help it. Her best friend in the entire world was leaving. Often, at times, she couldn't put up with school or her parents or Garnet and Pearl, so she'd go to Vidalia. Now, she'd have no one.
The taller girl sighed, a small smile on her face. "It's alright, Am, I'll keep in touch. It's not like it was my decision to leave Beach City." She stopped. Amethyst didn't look too convinced. "And have you forgotten why I invited you over?"
They were standing out front of Vidalia's house, early one Saturday morning. The sun was rising slowly over the water, embracing the city and lining the snow with a warm, winter glow. There was a hauling truck parked on the road, Vidalia's parents were nowhere in sight, and Amethyst had only just come over.
The purple gem chuckled awkwardly. "Oh, right," she muttered, her voice low. "Lemme guess, we're spending the whole day packing?" She asked unenthusiastically.
Vidalia laughed a bit. "Actually, that's all taken care of. I was thinking we could walk around beach city, revisit the boardwalk, bring back the memories. You up for it?"
Amethyst hesitated, then smiled. "You know I am."
Vidalia brushed a strand of blonde hair from her face and shoved her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. "So, where should we go first? Boardwalk Fries? Fish Stew Pizza? Salon?"
Amethyst Followed Vidalia's actions, putting her hands in her pockets. She shrugged coolly. "I dunno, I kinda feel like some donuts."
"Niiiice," Vidalia said, her voice cool as an ice cube.
They set off together, walking in the morning light. Amethyst had known Vidalia for years. It must've been her first day of middle school. Grade six. She didn't know anyone. All of her elementary school friends had either drifted away or moved to a different school.
After a few weeks of picking on people, sitting alone, and getting into all sorts of trouble, Vidalia had approached her. She was always the older, cooler one. Amethyst didn't remember exactly how it had gone and nor did she care. They had rarely fought, they'd always had each other's backs, and they were nearly inseparable.
They entered the donut shop, the smell of donuts and an assortment of ice cream treats welcoming them. Vidalia walked up to the counter and Sadie, the plump little cashier, looked up from her book. "Oh, hey, Vidalia," she sighed. Everything about her face just screamed "I'm so bored". "What brings you to The Big Donut so early in the morning?"
"Oh, Amethyst and I are spending my last day here doing all the fun things we used to do. How come you seem so-" before Vidalia could finish her question, Sadie bolted up, eyes wide.
"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.
Then, as Amethyst paused for a bite of her snack wrap, Vidalia spoke up. "Are you seriously okay, Am? It seems like you're taking this a lot more seriously than you're letting on..."
Amethyst stopped mid-chew and stared out the window, her expression blank. "What, you think I'm trying to make you stay or something?"
Vidalia glanced around awkwardly, tossing her sandwich between her hands. "Well... I... Yea, actually, I do."
Amethyst raised her eyebrows. "Well, I'm not..." She stopped and held her tongue. "But seriously, though, who would even want to leave?"
Vidalia sighed and glanced out the window, her head held in her hands. "Amethyst, I've told you already. I don't want to leave. It's not my choice whether or not I-"
She stopped suddenly, her eyes widening. She lifted her head from her hands, and Amethyst turned to see what it was she had seen. Out the window, crawling through the streets, was a corrupted gem. It resembled that of a spider, many legs protruding from its strange, human-like body. Its face looked like a mixture of a human's and a venomous insect's. It's eyes were a dull red colour and it had pincers around its mouth, which, from what Amethyst could tell, was full of teeth that resembled drills more than anything.
It was chasing after an older man, hissing and swinging its needle-like legs. A younger girl who seemed to be a wannabe goth ran up to the monster and threw a rock at it, only for it to stop abruptly, turn slowly, and chase after her.
Amethyst got to her feet, summoning her whip. Everyone else in the shop stared at her in shock, which was pretty dumb, considering there was a human/gem/spider abomination just outside the doors. She ran outside before anyone could stop her and cracked her whip, watching in triumph as it coiled around one of the monster's many legs. The beast reacted right away, turning and attempting to rip itself free, but Amethyst yanked on the whip and sent it flying backwards, smashing into the snowy ground.
Amethyst released the monster and watched as it weakly got to its feet, looking twice as angry now. Its burnt flesh glinted in the afternoon sun, making it look twice as menacing. Where it had just been was a small crater in the ground, clear of snow and full of bits and pieces of wood. And, unless it was just Amethyst, she could've sworn she saw smoke.
The creature sprang, using its many legs to propel itself forwards. As it neared the purple gem, it reared up, ready to strike down on her. Amethyst threw aside her whip and clenched her hand into a fist, jumping up and landing a punch on its chin. As she made her mark, the impact sent the beast flying backwards. It hit the ground again, but seemed to have had enough already. It exploded in a cloud of black smoke, leaving behind a small chunk of Pyrite.
Amethyst dismissed her weapon, wishing it could've been a longer fight. As she picked up the gem, bubbled it, and sent it off, she heard the click of a camera and saw a bright flash. She had been too enveloped in the fight to realize how many people were gathering to take photos. She posed for the cameras, sticking out her tongue and making faces. She didn't think much of it.
After about sixty pictures, the purple gem decided she'd had enough. She walked back inside the smoothie place, where Vidalia sat alone, looking concerned. Amethyst took her seat and chomped down on her snack wrap. Through a mouthful of food, she asked, "So, how was it?" Bits of food flew everywhere.
Vidalia smiled. "It was pretty cool. You never fail to amaze me with all those monster fights." She didn't wipe the smile from her face as Amethyst grinned with pride.
Vidalia took a few sips from her smoothie, then spoke up again. "I have one question for you, though."
Amethyst raised her eyebrows and kept her gaze on her food. "What's up?"
The taller girl sitting across from her took in a breath before speaking. "Don't you find it a little strange that you fight monsters and everyone sees you do it, but they never appear in the news? All these monster attacks are considerable, but not once have they mentioned you. Or any of the gems, for any matter."
Amethyst shrugged, her eyes still fixated on her wrap. "Ehh, not really. All that matters is that I saved you from the corrupted gem and Beach City is wacko-free."
Vidalia's face hardened. She looked like she was sick of playing games. "Amethyst... You don't have to keep this up. You can't change my parents' decision. Can't you just understand what I'm saying?"
Amethyst froze. Her grip on the snack wrap hardened, and it soon resembled more of a dead animal than a meal.
Vidalia continued, "I know it's hard, and I really, really wish we weren't moving away..." She stopped. Amethyst had gottenup from the table, hands shaking and eyes dark. She couldn't take it anymore. Without a second thought, she threw the snack wrap onto the table and stormed out of the store without Vidalia.
~~•~~
Amethyst sat on her bed, hugging her pillow tightly and refusing to cry. A strange feeling of loneliness had settled over her after leaving the smoothie shop. It was loneliness unlike ever before, but then again, her best friend was moving away. She'd have no one to turn to. She'd have no one to laugh with. Pearl and Garnet could be the fun police sometimes, but Vidalia was always up for hanging out and making bad decisions.
She sighed, blinking repeatedly so as to prevent a downpour of tears. She hated crying. She felt it showed a sign of weakness or lack of strength. She felt drained of all happiness, as though she'd never be happy again.
While Amethyst was preoccupied, she barely heard the front door open. Someone was walking down the hall and towards her room. Perhaps it was her mom or her dad, coming along to tell her to toughen up or get over it. When the door opened and she looked away, she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was warm and soft.
Looking up, she saw Vidalia. She had what looked like a very brave smile on her face. She always seemed so chill when it came to situations like these. It was one thing Amethyst envied about this girl.
Vidalia sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the floor, looking lost for words. Amethyst wiped her eyes and sat up, opening her mouth to speak, but Vidalia spoke first. "I'm sorry, Am. I shouldn't have expected you to understand right away. I should've told you further in advance, but now I'm springing it up the day before we leave." She sounded so reassuring and understanding. How did she do it?
Amethyst didn't speak.
The other girl went on. "You're a strong person, Amethyst. I know you've been relying on me for a bit, as a person to talk to and someone to go to whenever you couldn't put up with Pearl or Garnet. But I need you to stay strong. I need you to stand up to Pearl and Garnet, everyone who picks on you, and even your parents."
Amethyst still didn't speak. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, blurring her vision. A heavy lump formed in her throat. Even if she wanted to speak, she wouldn't be able to.
Vidalia spoke after a pause, standing up and walking to the door. "Well, I have to go now. It was nice spending my last day with you. I'm going to miss you... A lot... But I promise I'll keep in touch and visit whenever I can."
Before Vidalia could leave the room, Amethyst bolted upright and over to Vidalia, wrapping the high schooler in a gigantic bear hug. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and for a moment she thought her friend would pull away. But she was mistaken, and as the other girl wrapped her arms around her, she felt a shiver run down her arms. She didn't cry. As much as she wanted to, she didn't.
They stayed like that for the longest time, wrapped in each other's warmth like a sweater fresh out of the dryer. When they both decided they'd had enough, they pulled away. Amethyst followed Vidalia to the door. The taller girl's parents were waiting outside in their car.
Vidalia turned to Amethyst one last time. This time, Amethyst spoke up, "Thanks. For everything."
Vidalia smiled, her eyes watery. She wiped at them and shrugged. "I'll mail you some paintings when I get the chance." Then, turning to leave, she got in the car and waved before they sped out of the driveway.
Amethyst stood in the doorframe for a while. The sun was setting over the beach, bathing everything in a warm, orange glow, despite the cold snow. "Thanks," Amethyst whispered, as though Vidalia were next to her, "for everything."