Rock on

Chapter 6

Peridot's POV:

I nervously shook off the stress from my shoulders and tried to put on a bright smile. It was my first time being promoted as the lead singer in the Sharded Stones band. And it was my first time performing in front of thousands of people. Sure, we had practiced the songs multiple times before, but it's different when a whole crowd stares directly at you; you need to perfect every note, every word precisely.

"Amethyst?" I turned to my side quicker than an eye could blink. "I don't think I can do this," I said, biting my bottom lip and playing with my thumbs as I looked in her direction for reassurance. Amethyst stood right next to me, patting my back. "Dawe, don't worry P-dot, you'll do great, I know it!" She said with a confident smile. A few seconds later, Jasper ran out on stage with loud stomps and a proud figure. "Alright, my time to shine, make sure to get this on video P-dot!" Amethyst said before running as fast as her little legs could go. As she ran onto the stage, she performed a slide on her knees for extra drama. "Good luck," Garnet would say, patting me on the head and giving me a thumbs up. She slowly walked onto the stage with no enthusiasm, only waving. I looked anxiously as most of the band members walked onto the stage and took their places. "You can always back out if you want to, Peridot. I'll take over then," Pearl said with a delightful smirk, resting her hand on my shoulder. "No... no! It's okay, I can do this, just need to put a confident appearance on, that's all," I said, hyping myself up and trying to put on my best smile. Pearl scoffed, annoyed. "Fine, make sure not to mess this up for us," Pearl would say as she walked out, putting on an instant smile and waving to the crowd elegantly.

"Okay Peridot, this is your day, you can do this," I spoke aloud, taking one last glance at my shaky hands. Not even a second later, I ran onto the stage with confidence. I took my place by the front microphone. I glared at the crowd, scanning it thoroughly, but pushed my stage fright to one side. "Are you ready, Beach City!?" I shouted at the crowd, only to be replied to with loud yells and excitement. I instantly got an adrenaline shiver up my spine, now knowing I was ready to perform. "1-2-3-4!" I shouted, signaling the band behind me to start. We started playing "Circles" by Pierce The Veil. I sang the main lyrics, while Pearl followed behind. I couldn't see her face then, but everything in my gut told me she was glaring at me with so much hatred right now. I never meant to take her place; Amethyst offered me the gig, and I took it. It's not my fault.

As I started getting more comfortable with the crowd and my voice going all out with the song, I spotted a familiar face in the crowd, almost three rows away from the stage. Lapis? Lapis Lazuli! I couldn't believe it; the girl I met at "Brunch it up" came to my show! I never knew she was interested in this band. And she looked like she was really enjoying the show by the way she sang her heart out. Immediately, I started pulling out my best vocal cords to impress, not exactly knowing why. I suppose I just wanted her to think I was "cool."

As the whole night flew by, I felt like my voice would break any second if I sang another word, but luckily we were on our last song. I took a quick glance at the third row again, scanning for Lapis, but there was no sign of her. A little disappointment struck me as I felt as if she might have left early. She probably had better things to do anyway. As we ended the song, we said our goodbyes and headed off stage. "Whoo Hoo! That was fanta-tastic!" Amethyst would plunge her arms around my shoulders, ruffling my neatly combed hair. "Hey hey hey! Lay off the hair!" I said, pushing her off and fixing my neatly shaped hair. But Amethyst didn't mind; she laughed it off. "I'm buying drinks for us Sunday! We deserve it, guys!" She said, patting everyone on their backs. I gave a chuckle and lifted a loose hair strand out of my face. I quickly turned my gaze towards Pearl; she seemed unimpressed, with her arms folded and her head facing the other way.

"C'mon, let's go get dressed and head out. Maybe on the way out we can sign some autographs if there are any fans still waiting," I said, pointing towards the dressing rooms. Everyone, including me, nodded in agreement and walked off to our separate rooms. As I closed the door behind me, I leaned against it, sighing heavily. "That was amazing!" I whispered to myself, my eyes beaming with pride. I slowly shook the excitement off and decided to get dressed. I quickly changed my jeans and shoes. As I was about to put on a fresh shirt, I heard the door open and shut. I assumed it would be Amethyst because of her weird pranks or just her indecency of not knowing how to knock. "Amethyst, I told you to knock when coming in," I said with a sigh. After a few seconds of no answer, I started getting suspicious. "Amethyst?" I said one last time before deciding to check behind me.