I love you/I hate you

For the First time in forever

"Good job girls!" Coach Diamond yowled, "Take a shower and go to lunch!"

Lapis, who was panting, nodded and turned, slapping Sapphire on the back, "Good practice." She muttered, Sapphire returned the friendly saying. 

She looked up, feeling eyes on her and saw Peridot standing, with her shirt halfway on, eyeing her warily. She snapped her gaze up, noticing that she's been caught and casually looked forward, closing her eyes, and slipped her black shirt on before gathering her bag and stepping out of the bathroom, leaving a dumbfounded Lapis behind.

"Oooh, does Lapis have a crush?" Amethyst teased, nudging her with a perverted grin. 

Lapis didn't really like the 'Crystal Gems' she thought that Amethyst was to irresponsible, Garnet was too mysterious, Ruby was too quick to fight, and.. Lapis didn't know Rose. The only two people of the gang Lapis liked was Sapphire and Steven. 

"Shut up." She growled, looking away blushing. She had to admit though, with her classes including Amethyst and Ruby, they were starting to grow on her. Garnet, well she didn't exactly mind Garnet, she just wished she talked more.  

Amethyst grinned, "Lapis has Peri-Fever! Call the ambulance, call the doctors cuz she gots it baaaad!" She laughed obnoxiously but the laughter was contagious and soon Lapis found herself laughing with the shorter girl. "Yo! Shut. Up!" she punched the girls shoulder gently, "Hold on, I'm going to wash the chlorine off." She stepped into the shower and stripped off her swim suit, she punched the button on the wall and hit with the warm spray of water. Letting out a soft groan of relief, she heard Amethyst talking from outside. 

"Soo, when you plannin' on telling little P?" The Latina asked, leaning against the wall next to the shower (There was a wooden door providing privacy). 

"I don't know.. She hates me." Lapis said, grabbing her small tube of shampoo, squirting the white solution in her hand before she rubbed it through her hair. 

Amethyst snorted, "Peridot hates everybody," She looked up, gazing across into another unused stall. "you just haven't broken through her shell yet. Besides, what you said was true, Jasper overheard you two talking and she told me everything you said. Well, actually most of what you said is true." 

That caught Lapis's attention as she put conditioner in her hair after washing the shampoo out, "Most?"

Amethyst let out a soft sigh, "How should I say this? Before.." She started awkwardly, "a year ago Peridot was dating a real catch and their relationship was great! But back then Peridot was dragged into the wrong crowd. She became addicted to smoking and she was an alcoholic. I think she fought with her."

"Who? Peridot?" Lapis asked as she just stood, watching the body wash go down the drain.

"No, the girl she was dating." Amethyst seemed adamant about not saying the name of this mystery women. "I don't know what happened, I just remember going to Peridots apartment and seeing her sobbing in vomit, she was crying so hard she was gagging but had nothing to puke up. Peridot refused to talk, the only words she said was that it was her fault and that she deserved to die. I took her to the hospital so they can get fluids back in her. She stayed their for a few days, passed out but when she woke up she was different. She turned colder and pushed us away until eventually she.. well you know."

The rhythmic sound of the spray of water was now replaced with deadly silence and when Lapis stepped out, wearing her blue flannel, ripped jeans, and blue converse, she had a look of determination on her face. 

"Are you seriously telling me that you believe she wants to be this way? There's no most about this- this is clearly a defense mechanism!" She cried, clenching her fist. "She doesn't want to be hurt, I can relate." She gazed down, her eyes stone cold.