Highschool Relations (Human Au & highschool Au for Steven universe)

Chapter 30

An: Holy shit 30 chapters already folks! Dayum! Seems like just yesterday I was typing up Chapter 1... Times just flying by! Well enjoy whatever happens this chapter!

Peridot creaked open the door and caught glimpse of something She hadn't expected to see in a thousand years. Garnet, who sat on her bed, had taken a puff of a cigarette and thrown it out the window once she realized the door was opening. She then leaned back against her wall, arms crossed, acting natural, pretending she had literally been in here doing absolutely nothing. She looked towards the door and gave a small wave. "Peridot" she acknowledged.
"Garnet were you just...?" Peridot asked gesturing towards the window with her head.
Garnet rose a brow "Was i just what? Outside? No."
Peridot shook her head "N-no garnet! I-I saw you..." She lowered her voice to a whisper "You.... You smoke?... Since when?"
The afro'd sighed, admitting defeat, she'd been caught "Don't tell Pearl..."

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Yelona stood in the rain, halfway inside her car but not sitting like she should. The one part of the earlier phone conversation with Peridot replayed itself over and over in her head.

"Unless you plan to apologize to me don't bother trying to keep in touch!" Her daughter had told her.
"Peridot, you're being ridiculous! I want you home where it's safe tonight! If you're not there, when you finally do come crawling back you'll be in big trouble!"
"NO! I'm not coming home! Why would I ever want to associate with a homophobic prick of a woman like you again?! I hate you!"
"Peridot! This is your mother you're speaking to! How dare you use such language- such words towards me?!" She honestly had felt a little hurt by the words.
"Because they're the truest words I've ever spoken in my entire life.... I'm not coming home, and unless you have an apology for me, don't bother looking for me." The phone had been hung up.

She looked around, hoping to spot her daughter amongst the crowd of hustling people on the city's sidewalks. She had no luck. She got into her car and started to drive.
Her daughter hadn't been home in 3 days, and although the reasoning was her own fault, because she was unable to keep her dang mouth shut because her own opinion on a matter she in no way understood was apparently more important than the interests of her child and her child's friend, she would never bring herself to apologize. Did she feel bad about what happened? Yes. Did she regret saying certain things?Who doesn't? Was she worried about her daughter's health and safety? Of course she was! But would she admit to that? Would she apologize? No. To her apologizing was weak. It showed weakness. And Yelona Diamond was not weak. She could never stoop so low to apologize, to show weakness, to her bratty 16 year old child.
But she would still worry for her. She would still drive around town in the rain searching for her. Hoping with all of her heart to find her daughter and convince her into returning home again, and that if she couldn't do that, she hoped that Peridot had a warm place to stay and enough to eat until she came to her senses and came knocking on the door of the house she'd been raised in since birth.
Why was she searching the streets and not the houses of her daughter's friends  you ask? She had. Earlier in the afternoon she appeared at Jasper and Amethyst's door. She'd asked Jasper if she had any idea where Peridot might be, and only receive a shrug and shake of the head. She'd called Lapis's mother and asked if she had seen Peridot lately and received a negative response, those were the only friends of Peridot's where she knew their address, or phone number. Her only option now was to spy out the streets. And that's exactly what she did.

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"Don't tell Pearl?!" Peridot questioned "you're only worried about Pearl finding out?! What about your parents?! Do they know about this?! What about everyone else we know?!"
Garnet bit her lip. She wouldn't look Her friend in the eye. "Well Sapphire already knows. She doesn't approve but says it's my body and I can do what I want to it. She hasn't told Ruby yet, because we all know she'd overreact.. Jasper also knows... She's the one who supplied me today after class. Amethyst has her suspicions, but nobody's told her, and I don't really think she'd care, and we both know Lapis is in no place to judge after the marijuana incident. Pearl would most likely skin me alive if she found out. And since I very much like living, I'd rather if she didn't find out." Garnet summed up for the other
"How long have you been.... When'd you start?" The blonde asked, her voice still quiet.
"Since just before finals of last year." Was the reply. It made sense to Peridot that someone would start smoking at that time of year. Finals were very stressful and if someone was unable to handle that stress it was common to resort to tobacco. But Garnet always seemed so calm, so in control. It seemed as if nothing bothered her at all, it seemed so unlikely that she'd be one of those stressed out kids in need of the sweet release of nicotine. Then again, Peridot liked to believe that everyone had their extreme low moments in life. Maybe Garnet was just better at hiding them from everyone else. Her calm and cool exterior must simply be a mask she hid behind.
Peridot had loads of questions, but many were deep, and may upset her companion if asked abruptly. She had to slide into them slowly. "So is that why you were late to lunch?"
A small nod "I was trying to buy, but nobody would sell." Garnet had little money this time of the month. Today she only had enough to buy lunch, she couldn't afford to buy cigarettes, so she tried to bum one off someone. Nobody would give away free cigs though. They wanted cash.
Peridot had another question "So today, you were all grumpy because of..."
Garnet sighed and gave another nod "Withdrawal." After asking around for a while she had decided to just give up and go grab lunch. But since nicotine is addictive, she craved to have a smoke. This craving is called 'withdrawal' and tends to but people in a negative mood. Ironically it was Garnet's bad mood that caused Jasper to realize Garnet was a smoker, so after class, before Garnet went to find Peridot and head home, Jasper had leant the other teen a few smokes, telling Garnet she could pay her back later.
Peridot frowned and sat on her friends bed "You know how bad it is for your health right?"
"Yeah, trust me, I've heard all about it." Garnet rolled her eyes. "But there's nothing I can do about it." She said with a shrug.
Peridot cocked a brow in confusion. "You could always quit...."
Garnet shook her head with a frown "I can't. I'm in too deep...."
"You know..." Peridot started after s moment of silence "Pearls going to find out one day..."
"I know." The British accept replied with another frown "I know she'll be pissed with me and hell she may even break up with me for it, but for now, I'm just going to appreciate her not knowing."
"Do you hide a lot of things from Pearl?" The green-eyed questioned.
"Only thinks I know she wouldn't like." Came the reply. "I think everyone hides something from their partners at least once in their relationship."
Peridot frowned "I never hid anything from Amethyst..."
Garnet looked Peri in the eye "You did. Weather you realized it or not. Everyone has something to hide."
Peridot sighed "whatever. What other things to you hide from Pearl?"
Garnet sent the other a glare "It's none of your concern."
"Okay, okay... I'm sorry for asking....Geez." That answer made Peridot worry. What else did Garnet have to hide? Was she a drinker? Did she do other drugs aside from just cigarettes? Could she have cheated?!... No! That didn't sound like Garnet at all! Then again smoking didn't sound like her either.... Peridot sighed. "Why did you start?"
Garnet looked Peridot in the eye again "Because..." She began. "I'm not as perfect as everyone thinks I am. I have problems too..."

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"Excuse me? Have you seen my daughter?" Yelona asked a larger woman she saw on the streets. The woman was thicker, chubby, but also fairly tall. Her big curly pink locked fell down her back  and over her shoulders, covering her pretty white sun dress with little pink stars. The woman peeked out from under her umbrella to look at the strangers phone.
Yelona showed a photo of her daughter she'd found on the 'Beach City High' website. Peridot wasn't the only one in the photo. Amethyst, Garnet, and Pearl were too. "Her name is Peridot, she's the blonde one in the centre... She's been gone for 3 days, I'm begging to worry..."
The pink haired woman's eyes widened. She knew those teenage girls, definitely, heck one lived in her household and was currently back home making room for the child this other lady was searching for. What would she say?! "She seems familiar..." A motherly voice came from the thick woman's lips. "I believe my..." She searched for a right sounding word. Pearl wasn't her daughter, she never would be. She was more of a close family friend in need. One who just so happened to be less than half her age... And lived as a member of their household.One that was a teenager... That's it! "My teenager may know who she is." That hadn't sounded as right as she wanted it to but it would have to do. "I'm afraid I haven't a clue on her location currently though. I'm sorry ma'am."
Yelona appeared disappointed, yet also slightly happy. She pulled out a business card with her work and cell numbers on it from one of her pockets. "Well, if you see her, give me a call, please." She handed the card over "if it's between the hours of 8:30am, and 6pm Monday through Friday, call the first number and ask for 'Yelona'..."
The pink haired lady nodded with a sympathetic smile. She felt bad for the woman, but according to Pearl Peridot just needed some space at the moment. She couldn't tell this 'Yelona' about the arrangements she'd made. Not yet. She took the card from the other woman. "I'll be sure to do just that if I see her." She lied. "My name is Rose, so if you see the name in your Caller ID, be sure to answer." She said half-jokingly.
"I will. Thank you." Yelona got into her car again and drove off.
Rose sighed and picked up a grocery bag she hadn't realized she'd set down "It's for the better." She reminded herself "Not everyone can be helped today." She headed home to make dinner for her family.

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"What's smoking like?" Peridot asked. She'd asked a few other questions before, but none of them were really that important.
Garnet eyed her companion quizzically. "Why do you want to know?"
Peridot shrugged "Just curious."
The taller teen read right through Peridot's reply.
"You don't want to try it." Garnet shook her head
"How do you know that? I mean if you like it I might like it, and that makes me curious to know what it's like." Peridot replied.
"You'll get addicted. And trust me, addiction in no fun" Garnet explained
Peridot frowned "Alright, I'll believe you."
"Good." Garnet nodded.
But Peridot was still very curious. She was tempted to try it, tempted to figure out what the appeal was.... It couldn't just be addiction... Could it?