Worth Protecting | Lapidot Human AU

5: Stereotypes

     I wake up the next morning to Pumpkin licking my face. "Pumpkin!" I yell as I sit up. I drag my body out of bed and walk to the mirror and start fixing my hair. I couldn't help but keep glancing down at my body. I couldn't get over what happened with Lapis yesterday. I know she was just trying to be nice but, she actually has a nice feminine body and I-
     I just look like a fourteen year old boy. I sigh and throw a shirt on before walking out to the kitchen to feed Pumpkin. I look around but I don't see Lapis anywhere. I just shrug it off, maybe she is with Amethyst cause they're just so close! I sigh, why am I so jealous anyway? Sure Lapis is nice but she is still a violent gang member, she isn't my girlfriend. I don't know what she is capable of or what her intentions are. I'm practically her hostage until she recovers. She isn't my princess to protect or anything. I hear a groan and look around. "Lazuli?" I call out, looking for her. I open the door to the bathroom and see her looking at her hair in the mirror. "What's wrong?" I ask avoiding eye contact. "My hair is fading again, I didn't steal any hair dye and I-" She stops and looks at me, noticing my gaze locked on the tile floor beneath her. "Peridot, did I do something wrong?" She asks. I try to lie my way out of further questioning. "No, I'm fine. Just forget it." I say still avoiding meeting her gaze, so much for lying. I suck at hiding things. "Then why are you being so distant all the sudden?" Dammit. She crosses her arms and shoots me a look. "What? We barely know each other I didn't realize I'm supposed to open up about my feelings and throw myself at the gang member." I say sarcastically, regretting it the second I see Lapis look at me with a look of anger and slight pain.
     She looks down twisting the strands of faded blue hair in her face. I sigh and try to change the subject. "I can buy you the hair dye, it's not that much money going to waste." I say sitting on the sink in front of her. "And I already told you. As long as you stay in this house no more stealing. And no guns unless it's an emergency, and no gang friends coming over. I don't need the violence and drugs and-" She growls cutting me off, what did I say? "No one in that stupid gang is my friend." She snaps. "Well I just assumed since you joined in the first place to steal and-" she cuts me off again. "Will you stop labeling me as some dangerous gang member and killer?! I'm only in that gang because Jasper forced me!" She shouts looking up at me with anger and tears in her eyes. "You don't know what she is capable of! You don't know what she's done to me! But you act like I'm the dangerous one! Newsflash Peridot! You know nothing about me! You don't know where I came from or why I'm even in that gang! You label me as some sort of thug when all I am is a victim!" She rubs the bridge of her nose in frustration and sighs. "I know it's wrong to say that my situation isn't my fault. But where do you get off acting like I'm some sort of worthless human being because I'm in a gang? I got mugged and stabbed by that gang!" Lapis looks at me and continues to yell, it makes my chest ache. "You're the dumbass that punched her in the face! Not me! So quit acting like such an innocent bitch!" She covers her mouth after saying that, I just sat speechless staring at her. Jasper forced her into that gang? What would Jasper want with Lapis? I soften my expression, giving her a look of both confusion and guilt. I stereotyped her, I don't know why I got so angry at her for talking with Amethyst. I don't know why I was so judgmental of her when all she had been to me was kind. I sigh and turn my thoughts back to Jasper. "What do you mean, Jasper forced you?" I prod softly. She stays quiet for a moment, then slowly removes her hand and sighs. "Jasper and I used to date, she forced me to join her gang."

~Lapis' Flashback~

     "No, please don't make me." I say as tears roll down my face. Gun in my lap as well as a mask with a blue diamond sewn into it. "Come on babe it's not hard. Just go in and take the money from the register." Jasper says putting an arm around my shoulder. "I don't want to. I can't Jasper I can't, I'm not a bad person. This stuff isn't for me!" I keep begging but she keeps trying to convince me. She threatens me with dumping me again and sending me back to my abusive mother, it makes my heart drop. I put the mask on over my mouth and nose as she pushes me out the car. "I'll be right here waiting for you." She says. Panicking I walk inside, I walk to the register knowing now I can't back out. "Give me the fucking money." I say trying to sound menacing. The cashier stares in fear, I shout again. "I said give me the money!" The gun starts to shake in my hand. I'm blowing it, I think to myself as he fills the bag with money. I hear cop sirens, he must've pushed a button or something under the counter. I start to panic and go to run without the money when- BANG!
     I look to see the cashier on the ground, blood pouring from the back of his head. I drop my gun frozen in fear. I felt like I was gonna vomit, I took the mask off and covered my mouth. "Lapis lets go!" Jasper yells, it sounds faint, like she is a mile away. I stare down at the corpse, consumed by my panic attack. "Get down on the ground!" I hear. I turn around but instead of seeing Jasper, I see the barrel of a gun in my face. I fall to my knees, the world starts to turn black.

     "They were gonna put me in jail for life for murder, but the security footage showed that Jasper shot her not me. So they only sentenced me to a year for robbery. With enough torment from Jasper, I learned how to shoot. But I get so nervous when I have to. My hands just shake and I, just freeze." Lapis whispers. Poor Lapis, how could she even function after that? "Lapis, I'm so sorry." I pause, speaking softly afraid to her hurt her. "So if Jasper forced you to join, why are you in Blue's court? Shouldn't you be in Yellow's?" I ask looking at her play with her hands. "They put me in Blue's court cause I didn't know how to shoot, Jasper figured if I pulled the robbery off they'd move me to her court." She pauses to look up and meet my gaze. "So um, are you and Jasper still together?" I ask. "What? No! I hate Jasper. She ruined my life. She hit me and screamed at me and exposed me being gay to my religious and abusive mother! I wasn't her girlfriend, I was her slave." Tears form in her eyes, seeing her cry broke my heart, I don't know why but it hurt so bad. "I didn't know how to cope with the pain so, I hurt Jasper back. Not physically but mentally, I was terrible to her." She whispers looking down. "I'm just as much of a monster as she is." She mumbles.
     "Lapis.." I say putting my hands on her shoulders. "You are not a monster. You're amazing! I don't know anyone who could've gone what you've gone through and still be okay. And I'm sorry for stereotyping you, and being rude to you. I was just being dense and uncooperative. I was working myself up over a stupid status symbol, when I know you're not a bad person." I say softly, looking down at the floor. Lapis just looks at me with a faint smile. I hold my arms out with a slight head tilt, I expected her to just pull away but she tackled me into a hug almost knocking me off the sink. "Thanks Peridot." She whispers, I smile and hug her softly, to not hurt her cause of the stab wound. I pull away and notice she has tears on her face, my smile disappears. "I'm fine don't worry." She mumbles to her defense, wiping them away. "So I guess we're friends now?" Lapis asks with a hopeful smile. "Yeah, we're friends." I respond returning her smile and grabbing my wallet and shoes. "Can I come with you? I wanna get out of the house." She says. "Sure, I need help anyway I have no idea what color I'm supposed to get."