Rock on

Chapter 3

Lapis' POV:

"Don't I get a discount too?" Kevin would say with a mischievous smirk as he leaned on the counter in front of me with his elbows planted and his face in his palms. Kevin is an egotistical idiot who thinks the world revolves around him and him only. All he tries to do is impress, with his slicked-up hair and his fancy car. "Unless you're here to order something, I don't want anything to do with you, moron," I would say, turning away from his gaze, trying my very best to ignore everything about him. "Aw, c'mon, pretty lady? How about I take you out for one drink, hmm? I bet you won't be able to get enough of me afterwards," Kevin would say, biting his lip, walking with his two fingers across the counter slowly, giving me a seductive look. "I'm going to repeat myself one more time, buy something, or leave!" I said with a stern and almost loud voice, making half of the people in the restaurant look towards me in a questioning manner. I slowly sank my head into my neck as I realized I might have been causing a disturbance to the customers.

Kevin also realized this and decided not to take it any further today. "Alright then, one lemon loaf," Kevin would say with an unimpressed facial expression and grumpiness in his tone. "$8.34," I said, not sounding enthusiastic like I was to the customers before him. "Seriously? No discount for the great Kevin himself?" he said in an almost unbelieving voice, holding his one hand on his chest dramatically. "Oh, buzz off," I said, grabbing the cash he was lifting towards me, not even feeling apologetic about it. "Greedy witch," he said, displeased.

I grabbed the lemon loaf and shoved it into a paper bag, pushing it against his chest. "I don't need you ruining this day, asshole," I said, looking him dead in the eyes before breaking contact to add the cash to the register.

Kevin scoffed and flipped me off on the way out of the restaurant, slamming the glass door behind him. A low growl left my mouth as I heard the door being slammed. Even a few employees checked in from behind the corner to see what the loud noises were coming from, but returned to their original jobs after realizing it's Kevin's natural temper tantrums.

I sighed softly, resting my elbows on the counter, ruffling my hair in exhaustion. Just a few more hours, just a few more hours. I kept repeating to reassure myself. A few seconds of silence had passed before hearing a gentle voice speaking. "What a clod, am I right?" I immediately looked up to see a young blonde woman standing in front of me. Her hair was brushed in a certain way that looked like a part of it was spiked up and the rest spiked sideways. One would think it would look ridiculous, but no, it actually looked quite decent style-wise. She had round, green-tinted glasses with lightly shaded freckles underneath. A green shirt with an alien printed on top, long, shredded jeans, and black Converse shoes barely sticking out. "Clod?" I questioned as I held my nose bridge, trying to get into a better mood before speaking to the new customer. "Better than a swear word in my opinion," the lady said with a chuckle as she searched her pocket for money. She placed $10 on the counter as she made her order. "Four espressos, please, and keep the change," she said with a smile. "Uh, sure. That would be $8.56, but I guess you already got that covered," I said as I got a cup from the drawer. "Also, how did you know it would be that much? You're not a usual customer to automatically know, are you?" I questioned as I took the marker's lid off, placing it to the side. "You're correct, but my assistant is. She comes every now and then to take the order for my friends and me," she said, slightly dusting herself off. Who knows what she was dusting off, but oh well.

"Oh, and I didn't catch your name?" I said, ready to write her name down before she quickly spoke again. "You're just dying to know, huh? It's Peridot, Peridot Greene. And may I ask what your name is?" She said quickly before realizing I was holding the cup to write her name, not out of actual interest. "Oh, you were just asking to write it on the cup... Well," she said, her voice croaking as she slid her hands into her pockets and tried everything to avoid eye contact. All I could do was snort and giggle as I shakily tried to write her name on the cup. Once it was done, I started to calm down my laughter and looked up at her once again, her eyes still avoiding mine. "It's Lapis Lazuli," I said with a teasing smirk before putting the cup down. "Huh?" she said, her head darting towards me as she now made full contact. "M-my..." I stumbled on my words after her eyes met mine; her eyes were emerald green, so bright they could blind you. "Your?" Peridot said, now smiling slightly in confusion. I quickly blinked, returning to my original self. "My name, my name is Lapis Lazuli," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "Wow, that's a gorgeous name, Lazuli," Peridot said with a nervous chuckle as she fiddled with her thumbs. "Thanks, your name isn't that bad either," I said with a nervous giggle before questioning the words leaving my mouth. Your name isn't that bad either?! What type of remark is that, you idiot?! I told myself in my head as I looked back up at her again.

"So, uhm, my order?" Peridot would say, now gripping her hands tightly together. "Oh, right! Sorry." I quickly made a 180° turn and trotted towards the back. "Four Espressos needed!" I shouted. A response came flying back. "On it!" One of the employees shouted back before I turned to walk to the counter, where Peridot was waiting. "They should be done in a few minutes," I said with a nervous chuckle, now twiddling with my thumbs. "No problem, I'll go wait at one of the tables," Peridot said, not waiting for a response. She turned her back and swiftly walked her way towards one of the open seats. I eyed her every move before noticing that Aquamarine was serving Nanefua her drink that I was supposed to give. Aquamarine gave me an annoyed glance before turning away to go back once again. I curled up my lip in shame, but I couldn't help it; my eyes swung back to Peridot, who was now on her phone, scrolling through something that I was unable to take a peek at. "Four espressos ready!" I heard a yell from the back, quickly rushing to receive it to serve. "Ahem, Peridot Green?" I called, trying to act like I forgot who it was, but knowing very well who would stand up.

"Here!" Peridot would say with a chuckle, knowing that I would not have forgotten her name. "Well, here you go," I would say, handing the four espressos over to her reach. She gently grabbed them from me, holding one espresso in each hand and the other two in each arm fold. "Thanks, maybe I'll see you around?" She would say with a curious smile while trying to focus on not spilling anything. "Mhm... I'll think about it," I said, trying not to sound desperate in front of a stranger I just met. But the fact is, this girl seemed cool; I wouldn't mind spending a few more minutes with her. "Well, I suppose that's not a no," Peridot said with a satisfied grin. "Cya!" She continued before pushing the glass door open, making the bell ring. "Bye..." I would say, knowing very well she was way out of hearing range to have heard my goodbye.

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