Crashing the Boardwalk (Human Lapidot)

17. To the Airport...?

     Peridot was near choking on her bed. She stared at her hands, and fought the warm tears that tried to drop from her face. She was so angry at herself and at Lapis, and didn't at all want the girl to leave.

     She had an idea. Peridot grabbed her phone and texted Jasper.

Me:  So, did you tell Lapis good-bye?

Jasper:  What?

     The two texted back and forth.

Me:  Yeah, she's leaving Beach City. Didn't she tell you?

Jasper:  No Are you lying?

Me:  Would I lie about something like this?

Jasper:  ...

Jasper:  Why would she leave us?

Me:  I don't know how behind you are, but your love interest is a fucking coward.

Jasper:   What the hell! Don't say that about her

Me:  Think about it Jasper. I would never talk trash about Lapis unless it was truth, and she's leaving Beach City because she doesn't want to face the Diamonds.

Jasper: I'll ask her because this is bullshit

     Peridot waited a few minutes, and Jasper hadn't yet replied. The girl got her bike, and rode into town. It was exhausted having to pedal with double strength, but the blonde made her way into town nonetheless. She thought about selling the bike, but didn't want to go to that extreme yet. While there, the blonde started to go to her work, which she had skipped the last few days due to the stress. She wished she had called in. Another employee was there.

     "Peridot? Where have you been? I've been doing your all the shifts since you left."

     "Sorry I-I wasn't feeling my best. I can take up your shift tomorrow if you'd like. Give you a break."

     "And take my paycheck? No! I just got a raise and I'm not wasting it for a couple days off. I dunno about you, but I don't have a girl to help me with the rent and can't afford to slack off!"

     The girl pushed her glasses up her face. "For your information, I've just been dropped like a rag-doll."

     "Boo hoo. Go work on your killer sharks or somethin'."

     "I-they're not-whatever." Peridot left the building. "Don't even know why I came here." The girl walked her bike to Steven's house, where Pearl and Steven were arguing.

     "You can't make her stay!" Shouted the boy.

     "Steven! Don't raise your voice." Pearl demanded. "We need all the help we can get, and that includes Lapis!"

     "But she's afraid!"

     "So? She can't bail out of the Gems."

     "Why not? You bailed out on your people!"

     Pearl gasped, and hiding outside the door, so did Peridot. "Steven, that was different."

     "No it wasn't. She's not gonna help us if we force her, it just doesn't work like that with people like us. Somebody needs to let her go."

     "She'll come crawling back though," said Amethyst, "without a visa or even a passport, there's no flight."

     "See Steven," added Pearl, "it would be a waste of time."

    The boy groaned. "This is a waste of time!" He screamed. "Everything we do is a waste of time! We've been wasting time for a month and maybe more, and now we're just arguing instead of figuring things out!"

     "That's why we need Lapis to help us!"

     "Lapis helping us? She's never helped us! She's just sat on her ass and made us do all her shit for her!"

     Peridot's heart stopped, and she truly couldn't move now.

     "Pearl..." Amethyst said.

     "Pearl! I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

     Smack! Steven grunted, and there was a loud thud at the floor. "I'm not taking her to the airport. I'm going to get her with us to help for the invasion. If you can't see what we're trying to do, you might as well turn yourself in." Peridot started running, leaving her bike to crash at the ground.

...

     Steven had curled on the floor, clenching his bloody jaw. Amethyst tried her best not to curse. She told Steven to sit up so she could push his jaw back into place, but he wouldn't move. "Come on Steven, get up." She urged. He couldn't; he was in a state of shock and was so deep in it that he became paralyzed, his arms being the only thing holding him near-upright.. He just trembled on the floor, coughing with widened eyes.

...

     "What do you mean you're leaving?" Jasper asked. Lapis was getting her hat from upstairs, and was standing at the top of them talking to Jasper.

     "I mean I can't stay here! I'm too weak to last, I'll just be in the way." Lapis reached the bottom of the stairs, but Jasper wouldn't let her go any further. "Move Jasper, please. If you care for me, you'd let me be safe."

     "You'll be safe here." Jasper slowly reached for her friend's arm, but she yanked it away from her.

     "Don't try to make me stay!" Lapis pushed past the girl and went to the door. She was grabbed in a hug, more restraining than caring, however.

     "You can't. You've worked too hard to get here. It'd be for nothing if you ditch us." Jasper locked Lapis in her arms, and she struggled to escape.

     "Why do you care? You only want me here to make Peridot jealous."

     "What?"

     "You heard me!"

     "Lapis!" Jasper began whispering in the girl's ear. "I'm here because I love you. I want you to stay and be safe. I don't know what'll happen to you if you go away."

     Lapis ripped herself away from the brute and walked outside. "Too bad." Jasper let her go. 

     "You're making a mistake Lapis! You're hella strong, and you're just throwing all that away!" The buff girl called.

     "Lies!" Lapis called back. With that, she left the house. She was going to the car wash, where the van and her belongings waited for her. She'd pack some things from every box into her rolling bag, and leave for the UK.

...

     Peridot sat on the Brooding Hill, looking at Steven's house. She wasn't even spying, she had just looked there and spaced out. She touched her head, her crash wound near-healed. She wanted to go back. Back to when everything wasn't going all that great, but when things were getting better. Now everything was crashing. Like her and Jasper did while arriving. Would the two be forced into departing? Peridot certainly didn't want to leave Beach City. Not for The Diamonds to destroy it all like they did to California. Not like they're doing to the entire U.S.