Crashing the Boardwalk (Human Lapidot)

2. Games

     "Lapis!" called the blonde. The girl she called and Garnet had made it to the shore with the robotic shark in tow. "I-uh-wow-are-are you guys ok?" she stuttered.

     "Yeah, we're good." Lapis replied. Garnet nodded.

     "Yo, what was that thing?" A boy asked. He might have been Sour Cream, but Peridot hadn't had the prior time to put face-to-name. Pearl, who stood next to Peridot, exchanged a glance with her. They both are terrible at lying, and Pearl's face slowly shifted into a pale pink, while Peridot quickly blushed green.

     "I don't know." Pearl slowly said. She turned and snuck over to pie to put it away in the fridge as the blonde walked up to the shark. Garnet tossed the front of it to the ground and Lapis let go of the rear fin.

     Lapis sighed in exhaustion. "How long did it take to make that thing again?" She asked Peridot, strolling over to her and motioning to the robotic shark.

     "Nearly two months." Replied the blonde.

     "Well, you're gonna have to burn two months of work."

     Peridot sighed. "Yeah, whatever." Peridot waved it off. "I'll do it later."

     "No, you'll do it now." Lapis argued.

     "Why? I'm not burning anything in the middle of your celebration."

     "The celebration's over!" The taller girl motioned to the few people left on the beach, who consisted of three teens who seemed to be having a heated conversation with Steven. "Everyone left because of this thing. It's gotta go."

     "Wh-why don't we just rip the batteries out and throw them in the ocean?"

     Lapis put her hands on her hips, looking to the sea water and back to Peridot. "Because that would be pollution, and being a part-time lifeguard, I'd have to sue you for that."

     "Part time!" exclaimed the blonde as her friend walked away. She was going into Steven's house.

     "Just get rid of it, ok?" The blonde groaned after hearing this.

It was a dangerous thing, and a strong machine, a waterproof machine at that. But it was the intense strength and long-lasting battery that made it so hard to dispose of. Not that it was hard to burn or take apart, but Peridot didn't want to do anything to it. Unlike her, it was swift and graceful in the water. It barred it's teeth, and though they aren't razor sharp, they were still intimidating. Unlike her, it could... No. Don't think like that. Peridot demanded of herself. You don't need protection like you used to. There aren't as intense dangers here in Beach City. You don't need it! Peridot tossed and turned trying to sleep on Steven's couch, but fought with herself to do so gently as to not wake Lapis, who lay at the other end of the furniture. Unlike Peridot, who barley had an even match with Jasper, the shark had the power to kill. She didn't want to take anyone's life, but when the thought of being weak surfaced in her mind, murder eventually made it through to her. Her old home demanded the skills to take a life, it was part of keeping your family safe. It was to be the first thing taught to you if there were classes on the topic of terrible-city survival.

     "You don't need to kill anyone. You can make it by without blood here." The girl whispered. Lapis stirred, making the blonde freeze when their feet brushed against each other's.

     "Peridot, are you up?" Lapis asked, slurring her words.

     No... "Sort of."

     "Don't lose too much sleep, ok?"

     "Ok."

Amethyst was planning to head to the arcade with Steven, and was ready around ten o' clock before noon. Steven was playing a game on his console waiting for her to get some money from her room. When she stepped into the living room, she noticed Peridot and Lapis laying asleep on opposite ends of the couch. She hummed and called Steven from his 'room'.

     "Aww." He said. "Don't they look cute together?"

     "They've been cute together." Once outside, the two began to talk about the girls, who still haven't officially claimed to be a couple. "Don't you wish they'd just get together. The two of them are fighting against it!" Amethyst raised her arms to emphasize her point.

     "Well, it's not fighting," Steven said, "but I get what you mean. They'd get all close and stuff, and then they'd start getting embarrassed or sidetracked and become just friends again."

     "I know. I'm not even that bad." The boy just nodded as his darker friend led the way to the arcade.

     "So, what games are you and Peridot working on?" asked the boy.

     "I wanted her to make 'Fantasy Zone', but Peridot's just doing some other game. Like a racing game but it's in space. I dunno."

     "I thought 'Fantasy Zone' was copyrighted."

     "It is, but Mr. Smiley said he could get some ties with 'SEGA' to let us build the arcade machine. Peridot didn't want to step into 'SEGA' territory yet, 'cuz she's 'just beginning'." Amethyst used air quotes for the words.

     Steven scoffed. "No she isn't."

     "See? That's what I said!"

...

     Lapis woke up, yawning, stretching, and eventually rolling off the couch. The thud nearly shook the room, but it also woke Peridot, who sat up quickly and in a panic. "Cluster?" she exclaimed, looking around. When she saw Lapis on the floor, she rushed to help her up.

     "Peri," Lapis said once she sat up, "the heck is a 'Cluster'?"

     "It's-uh-I dunno."

     Lapis hummed and stood, walking over to the fridge to get some pie. Peridot didn't want any, claiming to be fine, yet looking otherwise. She looked stressed. "Anything wrong?"

     "No."

     "Peri, you're lying."

     Peridot sat on the couch and looked into her lap, while her friend ate her pie standing in front of her from across the table. Nobody said anything for a while, and before Lapis could press on, Peridot began to speak. "I wanna keep the shark."

     "Why?" Lapis exclaimed after nearly choking on her pie.

     "Because! I-I'm weak and I feel like I need it!"

     The bluenette felt her expression soften. "You're not weak." She knew what this was. Peridot, deep within her, was still fighting to let go of her match with Jasper. Beneath the impression of having let it go, she still held onto her feelings of uselessness. They've discussed this before, but Lapis guessed the feelings had resurfaced. "You just don't enjoy conflict."

     "That's weak!"

     "No it isn't. Not in Beach City."

     "Well I'm still not used to this! I thought I was easing into the peace of this town, but the I made that shark. My confidence came back stronger, I guess, and now I gotta get rid of it."

     Lapis opened and shut her mouth. She, which surprised her, didn't know how to respond to that. She ran phrases in her head to say to the girl because she didn't want to fumble over her words and worsen things. "Peridot, I... Peri." She didn't know what else to do, so Lapis set her plate down and plopped right next to Peridot. Her blonde hair smelt of a sweet ocean breeze, which never occurred before. Resting her head on Peridot's shoulder, Lapis said, "You're not weak, ok? You're all one can possibly need. And besides, strength isn't just physical. You've got strong morals, right?"

     "Well I-y-yeah I suppose." The two girls sat with one another in silence, Lapis taking in the feeling of her friend's soft pale skin on her cheek. "You're getting too sweet for me." Peridot said suddenly.

     "Oh really?"

     "Really."

     "Well, good, being sweet is amazing."

     "Yeah."