Sorry, still bad at this. (SEQUEL) (LAPIDOT HUMAN AU)

Chapter 21

-The next day-

I was startled awake by the obnoxious noise of my phone alarm going off. My back ached as I slowly sat up, looking around for a brief moment. I lowly grunted as I realized I was lying on my lousy sofa with a small blanket draped over my legs. I swung my feet over the edge of the raised sofa, and I huffed as I hopped off. I attempted to not be so noisy with my footsteps, as I knew Lapis was most likely still asleep...in my bed. Ugh. I tip toed over to the doorway to my bedroom, and sneakily peeked in just to check on her. Sure enough, she was still fast asleep with a light snore, and I rolled my eyes.

Well I have to wake her up at SOME point, I have work, I thought. I just decided to start getting ready and I use this time to think about what my next move would be. I was looking around for my tie, and little by little I began to slip into panic mode. First my blazer...now my tie?! Where the fuck-my train of thought was interrupted as I passed by my bedroom doorway once again. I halted, and looked a little closer in Lapis's direction, and I spotted my tie gripped in her hand. This could be an excuse to wake her up.

I quietly approached my bed, and stared down at Lapis for a few moments as she laid there peacefully asleep. Her blue hair was slightly ruffled, and her chin was turned to the side facing me. Her long eyelashes prettily draped down from her closed eyelids. Her chest rose and fell slowly, and here and there her grip on my tie would tighten, and then loosen again. Come on, Peridot. Just do it. Wake her up. DO it. I took a deep breath, and furrowed my eyebrows sternly. "Lapis." I whispered, reaching my hand out towards her. However, she only shifted slightly, and continued to sleep.

I waited a few heartbeats before trying again; I placed my hand on her shoulder, and gently began to shake her. "Lapis...you have my tie." I whispered a bit louder, and she slightly snorted. Her eyes quickly blinked open, and her gaze panned back and forth as though she were confused. She raised her head, and scrunched up her eyebrows in now apparent confusion. "This isn't my room." she murmured in a raspy voice, scratching her cheek. I held back a chuckle as I exhaled sharply. "You're correct. It's mine. And you are in my bed." I replied in a louder tone. She looked startled by my statement, and quickly looked around, now clearly noticing she was on my bed.

"O-oh! My gosh! I-I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean to fall aslee-" "Don't worry about it. You seemed tired. So I let you sleep. No worries." I simply cut her off, reaching my hand out once again. "You have my tie." I repeated, and she quickly looked down at her own hand, which was holding said tie. "O-oh! S-sorry, here!" she nervously chuckled, handing it to me. "Now, I have to head to work. I dunno if you plan on staying here, but if you're here for me, I'm not gonna be here anymore." I explained in a matter-of-fact tone as I was now putting on my tie. "Y-yeah, I-I'll go. Uhm, good luck at work." she said, clearing her throat. She climbed off my bed, and seemed to lose her balance for a few seconds.

"Thank you. Take your time to get up, but if I come back to my apartment..." I shoved my phone into my pocket, and opened the front door. "...and the door isn't locked, I'll be looking for you." I stated in a firm tone, eyeing Lapis intently through my glasses. Lapis only nodded in response, and I quickly nodded back. "Goodbye, Lapis." with that, I quickly rushed out, speed walking down the hall - I couldn't be late again.

. . . .

I sat in the conference room as I straightened my posture, attentively listening to the woman unraveling her presentation to me and a few other coworkers. My mother's personal assistant was moderating, and I adjusted my glasses to see better. The woman was presenting a new way to deliver our products to our clients, and I slightly jolted as I heard one of my coworkers snicker. This disruptive noise however did not stop the woman from continuing, and I raised an eyebrow. I looked over to the other workers, and two other ones seemed to be amused as well. I rolled my eyes and bit the inside of my cheek, resisting the urge to tell them to shut the fuck up.

There was a rumor that the intern who was presenting to us has a second job as a birthday party clown, but that somehow didn't exactly amuse me as much as it amused the others. It just seemed like such childish humor for a high standard workplace like this. I could see she began to get more nervous, and her gaze was switching back and forth. Her voice became more and more shaky, and the coworkers only expressed their amusement stronger. My mother's assistant didn't even seem to be doing anything, and it began to irritate me. "What's so funny?" I finally asked, and the room went dead silent.

"I want to know the joke. Let's hear it, shall we?" I asked, resting my chin in my hand. The coworkers looked at me with anxious expressions, and they said nothing in response. "I apologize for the disruptive environment here, it may be reported to Ms. Diamond if things continue to escalate." I turned to the presenter, and a small blush tinted her cheeks most likely in embarrassment. Out of the corner of my eye, I could still see the workers staring at me intensely - they are aware that I am the founder's daughter. "Take a picture. It will last longer. Now since you cannot control yourselves like normal human beings, why don't we take our charades elsewhere?" I asked, folding my hands together. They didn't move for several seconds.

"Now." I sternly said, and they immediately stood up and quickly exited the room without a word. My mother's moderator glanced over at me with a neutral expression on her face, before pursing her lips and looking away once again. "Please continue." I said, folding my hands together and regaining my attention towards the intern.

. . . .

"Thank you, that shall conclude today's conference, you may all leave." the moderator said in a loud nasally voice as the remaining amount of workers in the room began to exit. I smoothed out my shirt and fixed my tie as I walked out the door of the conference room, when I was suddenly stopped. "U-uh, 'scuse me, ma'am. You have a minute?" the presenter herself asked in a seemingly nervous tone. I only nodded, and stood still in my position. "Make it quick." I stated, pushing up my glasses. "Y-yes of course! I-I just...wanted to thank you. For...earlier." she then said, avoiding eye contact with me altogether.

"You mean taking care of the hooligans?" I arched an eyebrow. She nodded, and a tint of pink was painted across her cheeks. "Believe me, I was doing it for everyone in this room." I said, huffing. As I thought we were finished, she stopped me from walking away once again. "Um-! I'm...Spinel." she murmured, putting her hands behind her back now. "Peridot." I said in response, tilting my chin up slightly. "You're um...I heard you're kind of a...big deal around here. It means a lot to me that you were present for the conference. I don't exactly...get taken seriously around here much." she chuckled emptily, looking down at the floor.

"I'll be sure to make changes around here. You have my word." I replied quickly. She did sort of look like someone who could take a part time job as a birthday clown...if that made sense. Her mascara was a bit messy, as though she had been crying before this presentation even started. Her eyes were a vibrant shade of pink, and I wanted to look closer to see if they were even real, or just contacts. Her pinkish dyed hair was tied up in two ponytails, and her anxious grin was as wide as the Cheshire Cat's. Was hair dye even allowed within the appearance rules for this establishment...I mean...she is only an intern I suppose. She looked...quite tired.

Otherwise, she was dressed pretty nicely, something nearly similar to my outfit. "Th-thank you. I really appreciate it. Ill perhaps...see you around?" she asked, raising hopeful eyebrows. I only nodded in silence once again, and I was now on my way out of the workplace once again. Peculiar girl. I wonder if she'll be sticking around here, with all of the nasty workers treating her like that. My train of thought was interrupted once I felt my phone begin to vibrate within my pocket. Pulling it out quickly, I looked down to see who was calling me - it was Lapis. My heart nearly skipped a beat, and I swallowed dryly. I placed my hand over my face as though I were just rubbing it, but my cheeks were just very flushed. What could she possibly want?

Happy 2020 guys :) -Baggy