Camp Pining Hearts

Chapter 6

Only the harsh screeching of Pearl's voice over the intercom could force Peridot to pry her eyes open the next morning. She'd been deep asleep—maybe deeper asleep than she'd been since camp started, which was a little surprising considering how long it had taken her to fall asleep at all. She had definitely had a dream and although she couldn't remember it exactly, Peridot was certain that Lapis Lazuli had been featured in it. Whatever other content the dream might have held, Lapis's appearance was definitely a most unwelcome facet.

Peridot sat up in bed and reached forward to grab her glasses, as the hubbub of campers getting ready for the day around her hummed louder and louder. She left her gloves on the window ledge. Peridot hadn't felt the need to wear them since Lapis had picked them up at Beach Day.

And then Peridot realized that Lapis had already crossed her mind twice in the few moments she'd been awake. She braced herself for the now-familiar feeling of bricks slamming into her chest.

The sensation didn't come. That was curious, to say the least. It had been so real last night, that pounding ache in her chest.

Half as an experiment and half as a dare, Peridot conjured the image of Lapis to her mind's eye. She pictured the way Lapis had looked the night before, illuminated by a combination of the campfire and the moon and head tipped back as she laughed. From an objective standpoint, Lapis was extraordinarily pretty.

But still, the heart attack that Peridot expected didn't occur. Instead, she experienced an eclectic mixture of feelings. The first was embarrassment, because Peridot felt rather stupid that she was so antisocial and inexperienced that she could so easily confuse platonic affection for romantic attraction. The second was immense relief, which was quickly overshadowed by the third—jubilation.

Peridot strapped on her prosthetics, jumped out of bed, and got ready with enthusiasm, acting the part of the perky camp counselor better than she thought was possible. Once she'd ushered the Pink campers out the door and down the steps of the cabin, she spotted a clump of yellow bandanas and—at their head—Jasper, who was faced towards the Temple door. So Peridot increased the length of her stride to catch up with her, eager to ask how her night with Lapis had gone and to put whatever confusing feelings she'd experienced behind her. When she got close enough, Peridot raised her hand in a wave and called out Jasper's name. Jasper turned and gave Peridot her usual cocky grin.

What Peridot hadn't originally noticed, however, was that Lapis had been hidden behind Jasper's bulk. When Jasper turned and revealed Lapis, the latter smiled too. It was radiant. At the same time, the smallest breeze picked up a strand of blue hair and whipped it across Lapis's face, which she tucked back behind her ear.

That's when the bricks finally hit her—only this time, it was more like Peridot had crashed chest-first into a building made of bricks. The wind was nearly knocked out of her. It was all she could do to not stop in her tracks. She stumbled forward, quietly greeted the two other girls (who she now realized were holding hands), and followed them inside the Temple for breakfast.

Nothing in her memory could have prepared Peridot for the reality of Lapis Lazuli's allure—and, despite the deflation of her previous relief, she couldn't help but be a little grateful to be in her presence, whatever the cost.

Peridot was in trouble. Really big trouble.

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It was easy to avoid talking to Lapis at breakfast. Now that she was in better spirits, Lapis was occupied by conversation with Jenny, Buck, and Sour Cream and by throwing flirtatious glances down the table at Jasper. All was back to normal—with the exception of the war currently raging inside of Peridot's head.