The Stars And All The Rest

Thirteen- Not a date

Peridot's pov

"Peridork!" Yellen called from the doorway to my room, smirking.

"Yes?" I sighed, picking up my Doritos and walking to the door.

"Your study date is here." I turned to glare at this clod who had foolishly entered my room.

"Leave this instant you clod!" I shouted, throwing a sneaker at her. Much to my dismay, she stepped aside before the shoe hit her, causing the shoe to hit Pearl instead.

"Oh, Crap! That wasn't supposed to hit you!" My sister smirked again, and I held up the other shoe. She flinched, running to her room.

"Oh, I'm okay, but... thanks?" Pearl said, standing up and rubbing her eye. I groaned, wishing I didn't have to deal with this clod.

The previous day

"Peridot?"  Mr. Topaz called, shuffling papers on his desk.

"Yes?" I sighed, walking over to his desk.

"I was wondering if you could do some tutoring? Pearl doesn't seem to understand the lesson. She's already agreed to this." How dare this clod make plans without my knowledge?

"Absolutely no-"

"Great, she'll be over tomorrow afternoon." He said, starting to grade our previous test.

"Thank you for tutoring me, Peridot." Pearl said politely, stepping through piles of crumpled sketches.

"I didn't want to." I trudged straight through the pile, sitting in my gaming chair, still munching on the cheesy goodness.

"Your room is so... unique. Everything's perfectly neat except for all these drawings..." Pearl observed, looking around.

"I prefer things to be constantly accessible. As for the drawings, I've been," I glanced over my shoulder to where she sat, admiring a sketch. "Preoccupied." 

"Lapis." She said quietly, causing me to drop the Doritos.

"What did you say?" I asked, turning to face her.

"You draw Lapis." Pearl looked up at me, leafing through sketches. "You draw Lapis again and again, and it's beautiful!"

I found myself- quite embarrassingly- blushing. I sighed, hanging my head and holding up a cheese covered hand.

"What's this?"

"You've won. You have defeated the great and loveable Peridot." Pearl awkwardly shook my hand, then wiped it on my sweatshirt. She looked back at the drawings.

"So, did you really draw all of these?" She asked. I lifted my head.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You must really like her then." I fell out of my chair, quickly grabbing the drawings away from her.

"NowhatofcourseIdontyouclod!" I panicked, ripping them in half.

"It's okay, I like someone too." Pearl said, helping me up.

"Mmffff Okay fine! I do like Lapis Lazuli! But she only sees me as the clod who does her sister's homework, so tomorrow night she won't even care about me!" Mentally, I slapped myself in the face. I was spilling my secrets to this clod!

"Tomorrow night? Are you hosting a dinner party too?" I nodded.

"My mother has always been friends with Lapis's mother. Who are you dining with?" Pearl sighed.

"My father and his family. He cheated on my mom. Twice."

"Ooh. That sounds... difficult." I said, getting back into the chair.

"Yes, dinner will be rather pretentious. However, Sardonyx and I have met, which will make the entire affair much easier." She shrugged and glanced at the clock. "I have to go. If I walk fast enough, I can catch the bus and get off a couple blocks from my house." The bus station was pretty far from my house. My house, ironically, was far from the school.

"Why don't you stay and play a level of a game with me, and then Mother can drive you home?" I suggested. Pearl agreed, staying to play quite a few levels of Mario actually.

"Wow, that was fun! What's that game called?" She asked, grabbing her backpack.

"It's Super Mario Bros 3. But don't go looking for it, it's about as old as the two of us combined." She nodded, and we went downstairs to see mother.

"Mother?" I asked.

"Yes, Peridot?" Thankfully, she seemed to be in a good mood.

"Um, I was wondering if you could give Pearl a ride? I've been tutoring her in Science." I crossed my fingers and prayed to  Moon Goddess she'd say yes.

"Of course. Pearl Baroque? She lives far away indeed." Mother stood up, leading the way to her car.

"This is it." Pearl said after about fifteen minutes. It was extremely late, almost ten o'clock at night. Pearl stepped out, thanking my mother for the ride. She walked up the path, trying the doorknob only to find it locked. She knocked, and a girl who looked similar to her opened the door. Perhaps a few years older, I assumed it to be the sister she mentioned.

Her sister sighed in relief, stroking Pearl's hair. She called inside, and a woman who looked like Pearl but older rushed out and pulled Pearl into an embrace.

I wish my mother and sister cared that much.