Camp Pining Hearts

Chapter 11

The earth's rotation seemed to grind to a halt as soon as Jasper's lips touched Lapis's. But what was even more jarring to Peridot was the fact that no one else seemed to realize this phenomenon. The campers, pumping with leftover energy from Beach Day, bustled around and chatted animatedly. Some of them roughly brushed past her, but Peridot remained where she stood, dumbstruck.

Until that moment, in the back of her mind, Peridot had expected that the sight of Jasper and Lapis kissing would cause a new surge of guilt to hit her. The most extreme kind of guilt. The kind of guilt that would have squeezed her heart like a tube of toothpaste until it popped, for example. Jasper was her best friend, after all, and Lapis remained her best friend's girlfriend. But what ended up hitting Peridot wasn't anything akin to guilt. Instead, it was a most painful mixture of fury and devastation.

Fury, for one, because how dare Jasper believe that she had the right to put her hands on Lapis's waist, where Peridot's hands had only just been an hour ago. And how dare Jasper have the audacity to kiss Lapis like that, to smile into it, to allow herself to get lost in it. A searing burn spiked up Peridot's neck and face, and she could feel her hand clench into a fist as if she was preparing to strike Jasper.

But then there was the devastation of watching Lapis return the kiss. While Lapis's feet raised onto their tiptoes to allow better access, her hands tangled in Jasper's wild hair. Watching it made Peridot feel like she'd just received an icy punch to the gut.

The mixing burn and chill somehow neutralized inside of Peridot, causing her fist to slacken. She now felt kind of numb, but mostly—over everything else—she was tired.

Thankfully, sneaking away was simple. Peridot spun on her foot, weaved her way through the wriggling crowd, and climbed up the steps to Pink Cabin. Once inside, she released a quavering breath. Her bed was calling to her. As she slouched towards it, the only thought that occupied Peridot's mind was that she was grateful to be away from everyone, alone.

Being alone, however, didn't last long. Just as soon as she'd collapsed onto her bed and moved to take off her prostheses, Peridot heard the door creak open. It was quickly closed once more with a soft click. When Peridot didn't hear the newcomer move forward, she reluctantly looked up.

It was Amethyst. She was standing with her hip cocked and her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes were narrowed at Peridot, but they didn't look mean. Merely suspicious, or maybe concerned.

After a second of tense silence had passed, Peridot sighed and looked back down at the knobs on her leg. "What?" she snapped.

"You tell me," Amethyst responded. Peridot was no longer watching her, but she heard Amethyst step toward her. Another moment, and then Amethyst settled herself across from Peridot at the end of her mattress. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing," Peridot snapped again, keeping her eyes trained on unfastening her legs and propping them ever-so-precisely against the frame of her bunk.

Amethyst scoffed. "Yeah, Peri, I totally believe that. Especially considering how you just zoned out in the middle of talking to me and then stormed off."

Peridot didn't say anything back. She focused instead on picking up her legs and resetting them again. She didn't want them to fall in the middle of the night, but she also wanted easy access in case of emergency—there was an exact science to it that required her full attention. At least, that's what she was insisting to herself.

But then Amethyst leaned forward. The action worked to get Peridot's attention. Amethyst's eyes, which were peeking out at her from under her bangs, were no longer narrowed. Now they just held open concern. Amethyst dropped her voice to whisper, "Come on, Peri. You can tell me." A beat of silence, and then, "Did something happen between you and L today?"