You're a Real Gem, Peri

Humming to the Same Old Song

I was back at home after school. And like I always do, I go over the day. What I question is: "are Amethyst and I friends?" What is this? I'm by myself in the house so I do whatever I feel. This means talking to myself. A habit I picked up, because of how lonely I find myself on occasions. I fix my self a snack and take it to the kitchen table. The house is silent. I love it. But I hate to feel alone. I know it's weird, because I hate people. I like to know there is always someone there even if I don't want to be near them or see them. It's strange. So to comfort my solitude, I play some music through our house's speakers.

I walk around the house, thinking. Until I find myself in our living room. I lay on my back on the couch and swing one leg over the back of it. I start to hum along to the music that fills the house. And I remember that no one is home, so no one will judge my singing. So at the perfect moment, I join in to the music. "OH. MY. GOD. You look just like Shakira. No, no, you're Catherine Zeeta! Actually, my name's Marina!" I scream/sing jumping off the couch. But as I do, I'm caught in the act by my older sister who breaks out into giggles as she enters the house. "LAZULI!" I yell in a high pitched voice as I pause the music. My hands slap to my sides like magnets. "You frightened me" I said, embarrassed. "You're home from swim, early than scheduled..." "Hahahahah yea I a- hahahahaha" Lapis says as she falls to the floor. "Priceless." She says as she pushed her self up and towards a the kitchen. "Ughhhhh" I groaned as I relaxed my tensed up muscles and trudge up the steps to my room.

Amethyst and I hadn't talked much besides her taking me to my classes. I walked in my room, expecting to look through the window across and see her, but I remembered she was not on the bus. Perhaps she had an after school hours, extracurricular or athletic, program to attend to.

Why was I hoping to see her? Why do I feel like I would go out of my way to see her? I rub my forehead but quickly pull my hands away, remembering touching your face gets oil on it, which leads to acne, which is not desired. One of the many thoughts that goes through my head daily. My head is filled with talking to myself and imagining things that will never happen. I think it soothes me, to try and fool myself in to this utopia world. I sit at my desk and pull out the hair tie that tied up half of my hair. I shake my head and lean forward so the mess of blonde and brown roots flies around and over my head. I use my hands to make it into a ponytail as I fling my head back up right. The pony tail becomes a bun by not pulling the hair through all the way the last time. There, now it was all out of the way. Out of my backpack I pull my homework. I complete my math and am about to pull out my American Authors until I hear a light tapping sound. Like rain on glass. I turn to the window in the front of my house: nothing. So I look to the other. The sound of a purple acrylic nail taps lightly on the window. I push my self up and walk over. Amethyst smiles at my window, gesturing to open it. I struggle to open the window at first, because of my frail arms, but manage to. Amethyst giggles at this. "May I assist you with something?" I ask her, our faces close. "Uh yea.." She says with a cute smile and her hand rubbing the back of her neck. I tilt my head in question. "What was the biology homework?" She's asks with a slightly embarrassed face. I didn't realize such a cool person could become embarrassed. I reach over to my desk and snatch up my green agenda and flip through the pages as I make my way back to the open window. "You were required to read pages 211-232." I told her. "Oh, so no homework..?" Amethyst says happily. I stare at her confused. "Did you not hear me?" "Nah, I did." She said looking towards her window. I raised an eyebrow. She is a confusing one. "So you understand that we do have homework?" I ask again. "Ugh, yes, but I'm not doing it, is what I mean. Miss Alexandrite has no way of knowing that I've read it or not." She responded, slightly annoyed. "She could require you to explain what you have read, and you will not be able to tell her." I fire back. "Ugh but I don't understand any of this" she says holding her biology book by the cover and the rest of the pages swinging below. I snatch it from her, cringing at the way she treats such an object of knowledge. "I'll assist you then."

I say pushing Amethyst and crawling out of my window.

She walked over to her roof below her window and plopped down with her book in her lap. "What is it that you require assistance with?" I asked. "ALL of it!" She said frustrated throwing her hands in the air. "Hmm alright." I said unsure of what to do. I sat down, legs crossed. "Let's start on page 211." I stated. We flipped to the page and I looked up at her, awaiting "What?" She said. "Why don't you read, anytime you come across unknown information, stop, and I'll explain it further to you." "Uhh ok." Amethyst said before starting to read. As I explained some subjects to her she would mutter stuff about me being a nerd or something. And I could occasionally catch her humming Electra Heart songs as I explained a topic.

Amethyst and I completed reading, and I believe she understood most, if not all of the information given by the text book. We closed our books in sync. I started to get up, but Amethyst grabbed my hand and helped herself up. "Hey...Peridot......uh..Thanks. You're kinda chill." She said with a slight smile. "But you're still a nerd" she stated as she waved a hand and turned back to her room. I did the same. My cheeks a fire-y red. Apparently it was 9:00. Not too late. But my mothers would be home already. The two of them never converse with me, so it's reasonable that they didn't inform me they were home, or ask my how my day was. I trudged to the bathroom and filled the tub up with water for a relaxing bath. I liked the water hot, so I turned the heat on full blast. I got undressed and washed my face, and then sat my self in the tub, the water already 1/3 full. I laid down in the tub with all of me underneath except my face, chest, and toes. I closed my eyes and thought. Thought about whatever.