Spinel the Great Umbrella Thief

Chapter 10

White Diamond came and went as she pleased and she never left for the same amount of time. Pink Pearl didn't get outside a lot, but because she didn't fight back and because she was a "good" gem, White Diamond occasionally let her outside to run errands. If she didn't come back in time she would face punishment however.

But one day...a day White Diamond was planning for a while, Pink Pearl knew she would be gone for the rest of the day. And White had entrusted the pearl to run her errands while she was gone. Pink Pearl hadn't really thought of escaping before. She'd never really had the chance. But today...White Diamond had trusted Pink Pearl with one of her credit cards. White was rich and occasionally bought Pink Pearl extravagant gifts when she behaved. And for the first time in a long time, Pink Pearl had a wild idea. There was always a chance that she'd lose but it wasn't like she had anything left to lose anyway.

As soon as White left, Pink Pearl went into Pink Diamond's bedroom which was now treated as her bedroom, and found Pink's cellphone. She hadn't used it much but White did sometimes call to check up on her and make sure she wasn't misbehaving. Pink Pearl grabbed the phone, the card, and a few pairs of clothes and stuffed them into a sack. Now was her chance...maybe the only chance she would get. And that was a chance she was more than willing to take.

Pink Pearl wasn't sure where to go, but that didn't really matter. As long as it was far far away from there. She had come up with the decision on a whim and hadn't really thought it through much but whatever destination she ended up at would surely be better than the hellhole she had previously inhabited. And so she got on a bus and travelled as far as it would take her.

As soon as she got off the bus though she wondered what the hell had been running through her head. What was she going to do? Where was she going to go? She couldn't just ask some random stranger to let her bunk at their house in the middle of the night...Unsure of what to do, she did the one thing she hadn't been able to do for a long, long time. She cried. She cried and cried. Shortly after the sky darkened and rain started pouring.

A brief encounter with a sullen stranger was all it took to lift her back up. After Spinel left with the umbrella, Pink Pearl picked herself up and decided she needed to come up with a solution. She wasn't sure of where to go and she was afraid to use her phone gps for fear that she'd use up the battery. So she walked. As the night grew darker she continued to walk until she came to a hotel. It didn't matter how expensive it was. She could stay there for at least a few nights with White's credit card...

Pink Pearl sighed to herself. How could she have been so reckless...? White would find her out eventually. She still had the phone tracking installed and she'd also get the bills for anything Pink Pearl tried to purchase. Pink Pearl decided to rest easy for the night and have the first peaceful sleep she'd had in a long time. She could worry about everything else in the morning.

The next day Pink Pearl spotted Spinel while she was picking up a few groceries to stock up in her hotel room. Seeing Spinel again ignited a spark of hope in her. She didn't know why but she felt like this was a chance encounter that she needed to act upon. She knew she couldn't stay in town forever...but as long as she was here...if she could reach out for help in any way possible she was willing to do what needed to be done. Even if it meant using up the last bit of her expenses.

Pink Pearl decided to take her chances and buy Spinel a phone just so they could keep in touch. She knew that their contact likely wouldn't last long and when White found out and came to take her back she'd likely cut off the service on both phones. But Pink Pearl bet everything she had on that phone. Even if Spinel didn't contact her it was fine. At least she could say she tried.

After the first couple of days Pink Pearl decided to leave Spinel alone for a bit to test the waters and see if she'd contact her on her own. She did try texting her but got no response. And she didn't want to pressure her to keep in touch. She had also started receiving texts and calls from White. She was scared to read them. So she blocked White's number. She stared at the phone screen in terror. She had just done that. Even though she knew it wouldn't last...she'd have to leave as soon as White decided to go looking for her, she felt a bit empowered and relieved. She refused to go outside as she awaited Spinel's response. For she feared that White would send out a missing person's report and she would be recognized if she was seen outside. When a week passed by and Spinel still didn't respond, Pink Pearl was about to give up..

When she was about to give up on freedom and go "home" Spinel texted her back and then called her. Pink Pearl felt ecstatic. This was her chance...her one last remaining chance to make things better. But she didn't even have to say a word. Spinel struck up the courage to ask her on a date. Pink couldn't contain her happiness. But she also needed to remember not to get too excited. She was in hiding after all.

Pink Pearl dressed herself up real nice and made her way to Spinel's apartment as quick as she could, while trying not to draw too much attention to herself. When Spinel asked if she wanted to go anywhere she purposely refused, for fear of being recognized as the missing "Pink Diamond." She didn't know if White had sent out a search party yet, but she wasn't taking any chances. Even though she hadn't been outside in so long, it was a bit comforting to spend a day inside relaxing, without a worry in the world.

But after she met Spinel she started to feel guilty. Spinel didn't deserve to be dragged into all of this. She had her own problems to worry about without Pink Pearl adding her own on top of them. If White Diamond found out about her they'd never be able to see each other again...or worse. She didn't want her to come after Spinel too. So she ran away from her one chance at happiness. Their contact would be cut off any day now once the phones were deactivated. She might as well get it over with.

It absolutely broke Pink Pearl's heart when she heard Spinel cry. She couldn't stand the thought that she had hurt the one person she had wanted to protect more than anything else. But she couldn't turn around now. If she stayed she'd only hurt Spinel more. As much as she wanted to turn around, as much as she wanted to crawl into Spinel's arms and say she was sorry and tell her she'd never leave her side...it would all turn into a lie sooner or later. And she couldn't lie to the person she loved.

So she left. She gathered up her things at the hotel and headed for the bus stop. But she had forgotten to check how late it was. And it was already past the time the last bus came. So there she was stranded alone in the rain once again, but not for long. When Spinel showed up with Pink Pearl's umbrella, Pink Pearl couldn't bring herself to look at her. She was scared. She was so scared to lose her. But she was also scared of White Diamond. Even so, she couldn't help but cry when Spinel offered to stay by her side in the rain. Spinel may have been tough and hard-shelled, but she was also kind and genuine and much sweeter than she'd like to admit.

Pink Pearl woke up in Spinel's apartment the next day. She was a bit worried when she didn't recognize her surroundings, but when she realized where she was she managed to calm down. When Spinel asked Pink Pearl what was wrong she hesitated. She didn't want to hurt Spinel's feelings. And she didn't want to leave either...but she had to do what she had to. When trying to convince Spinel that she was a bad person wasn't enough, and Spinel opened up to her, Pink Pearl decided it was finally time to talk. It wasn't going to be easy. But she started from the beginning and told her story til the end.

"And...that's what happened," Pink Pearl finished.

All Spinel could do was hug her. "You've been through so much...I can't even imagine..." Spinel wanted to cry.

"It's okay, Spinel. Really dear, I'm fine..."

"No...It's not okay. You're not fine. I'm never letting you go, you hear me?"