Rock on

Chapter 17

Lapis POV:

I woke up on the couch with my feet placed on top of the table in front of us. My eyes were only starting to open slightly, and my hair looked like it had just come back from war. As I tried to stretch, a heavy pressure on the side of my body wiggled. It was Peridot. Peridot was still here, sound asleep on top of my lap, clawing my leg comfortably. My face grew redder every second. I wasn't sure what to do at that moment, so I stayed stiff, trying to think of a plan to get up without waking Peridot. I tried lifting myself only slightly so that my hand could search the bottom of the couch cushions, hoping to find a phone resting underneath. I sighed happily when I felt my phone come in contact with my fingers. I pulled it out from the abyss which was the couch and checked the time. 7:15 am. "Shit!" I whispered, shouted in a panicked tone. I was going to be late for work. If I miss another day, they might just deduct my salary income.

I tried to wiggle myself out of Peridot's grasp, which was not easy to do. Every time I tried to move, her face would burrow in my lap and groan. So I had no choice. I had to wake her up. The sight of her sleeping was adorable; I really didn't want to ruin the moment. As I shook her gently on the shoulder, a moan was heard from under Peridot's breath as she slowly woke up. I shook the thought of her moan out of my head as she gathered her strength to lift her body off of mine. She rubbed her eyes and sighed. "Is it morning already?" Peridot would say with half-lidded eyes as she held the blanket around her body. She was just too cute. "Its already 7:15 am." I said as I got off the couch and stretched. 'Well, judging by the time 'Brunch it up' opens at 8:00 am and the time it takes for you to get there with a bicycle, you might just be a few minutes late,' Peridot said as she yawned and stretched as well. 'What's new?' I stated with a smirk. 'But yeah, if I would get paid, I better go now,' I said, turning my head towards the stairs. 'Just have to get a few things,' I said as I darted upstairs to brush my hair and teeth. The clothes are still acceptable for today.

As I walked back, I saw Peridot holding her phone, the blanket now wrapped around her waist. Her bruises that were visible seemed to be healing slowly but surely. One could see her black eye was also slowly fading. She looked up at me when she heard footsteps entering the living room. I gave her a confident smile before speaking. "You can stay here as long as you want. I'll be back by 5 pm," I said as I grabbed the door keys. Looking in her direction, I noticed she shook her head slightly. "Thanks, but Amethyst will be coming to pick me up in about 2 hours and 3 minutes," she said as she showed me her phone screen, which looked like she was texting Amethyst. "Alright then. Just, uh, be safe while you wait for her, okay?" I said as I held the door handle, ready to leave. Peridot nodded in response, a smile lingering on her lips. "Good luck," she said softly after I had given Pumpkin my last goodbye pets and closed the door behind me. I hurried over to my bike and started racing towards "Brunch it up."

As I stopped behind the restaurant, I got off to check my phone. It was 7:30 am, and I actually made it on time. I used my extra keys and unlocked the door, heading into the back room. I was greeted with employees eyeing me from afar and an angry-looking Aquamarine staring into my soul. "Where the hell were you?" she said, pressing a finger against my chest. "What?" I said in confusion. "Yesterday? At the Mall? You left me with no word!" she said, almost yelling at this point. I then clicked. She was right, I left her all alone at the mall with no words being said. "Oh god, I'm so sorry, Aquamarine," I said with a cringed lip and my hands in front of me in a position of sorrow. "You better be, that was officially THE worst birthday I have ever had," she said, her arms crossed and her nose perched upwards. This was a very awkward moment. I wasn't sure how to tell Aquamarine what happened, but luckily, she didn't ask. Instead, she just bent down and pulled a bag out of the corner." The stuff you left me with when you wanted to "take a look" at the fight," she said, dropping the bag of dog goods in front of me. "Oh, I forgot about that. Thanks, Aquamarine," I said with a nervous chuckle.

I picked up the bag and added it into my backroom locker; usually, we just put our keys and water bottles in there. I grabbed my uniform and threw it over my head. "If you hadn't come today, the manager would have fired you right away, you're lucky Lazuli," Aquamarine would say as she trotted past me towards the front desk. I rolled my eyes and followed her to the counter. The doors would open in a few minutes, so I had to put on my best face and best impressions for the incoming customers.

(950 Words)