i need you [pearlrose]

boardwalk kisses

It really was too much for her. After all, she knew from the start that she'd snap sooner or later.

To Garnet and Amethyst it wasn't a surprise, because that was part of who she was. The one part she hid from Rose, and only shared with the two of them; jealousy.

Naturally, to Rose, it was shocking. She wasn't disappointed or angry, far from it, merely surprised. She wasn't even sure it was possible for Pearl to do that. Then again, that was one of the many perks that came with Pearl's habit of bottling up feelings; explosions of emotion.

Greg and Rose had dragged the rest of the Crystal Gems along on yet another date with them. Greg wasn't too keen on the idea (considering the date without the other three was yet to come), but Rose insisted. And since Rose begged Greg to let her friends come, declining the invitation merely because she strongly disliked Greg would wreak further havoc on Pearl's already crippled relationships with Rose.

Every second that Rose and Greg spent kissing, pulling goofy faces together at the photo booth, holding hands; looking at each other, even, took a toll on Pearl's patience. Why couldn't the night just end, why wouldn't Greg just say bye and drive away in his van, why wouldn't Rose just take the gems to the temple to have a good time without Greg? Countless questions flooded her otherwise busy mind.

It was a chilly night, and Pearl couldn't understand what her fellow gems found in walking on the boardwalk, now slippery thanks to last night's rain. Sure, there was the sea, a symbol of romance from some reason. How can large amounts of salt water possibly be romantic?

Rose and Greg walked a few feet in front of the gems, primarily because Pearl still didn't want to be rude and walk in front of the two, and Garnet and Amethyst merely went with it.
She could see everything, and it made her sick to her stomach. Still, she thought, it's pretty pointless to be mad. Pearl had still been ahead of Greg.

Had Rose showed Greg all of the amazing places and sights that Pearl still felt blessed to see with her own eyes at that very moment? No. Had Greg ever saved Rose from serious pain and damage, risking his own life? Nuh-uh. Could Rose tell Greg her deepest thoughts, her darkest secrets, and know he wouldn't judge her because she's just that perfect and he loved her so much. Well, nop-

"Yo, P, you there?"

Amethyst elbowed Pearl's thigh, which effectively snapped her out of her lecture to, well, herself.

"You seemed kinda out of it. You okay?"

Amethyst pondered a little too loudly, yet not loud enough to snap Rose and Greg out of their love-ridden trance.

"Mhm, I'm fine.", Pearl scoffed, trying to remember what she was thinking about. She could be incredibly forgetful at times, which bothered her quite a bit.

"Sheesh, it was only a question. No need to get so flustered over it, yannow." Amethyst fastened her pace to get back to Garnet. Pearl realized she was falling behind, so she skipped over to Amethyst and Garnet.
How she wished she hadn't. She could now hear every word Greg said to Rose, and vice versa.

With every word, Pearl felt sicker. Rose said that to her, once. She hugged her like that, too. Pearl bit her lip nervously, hoping that Rose would just stop and take them back to the temple. The stress she was feeling since this date had started transferred to every part of her body. Her hands were sweaty, her knees shaking (arms spaghetti), and worst of all, that stupid, obvious, blue blush simply wouldn't get off her face.