First to Fall

“Help yourself to as much as you want, I don’t have room in the fridge for too many leftovers.”

Peridot liked hearing those words very much.

Rose Quartz, with Steven and Amethyst’s help, cooked up a delicious looking barbeque dinner. To go with the wings which were seared in a mouth-watering homemade sauce, there were mash potatoes, roles, and even a fruit salad as well. Scanning all her childhood memories, she could not recall the last time she ate a home-cooked meal like this. Her mother never cooked, leaving the designer fridge consistently empty aside from the few vegetables and wine bottles. She always brought home these expensive kale salads to go, and gave the leftovers to Peridot. That was about the extent of the CEO’s cooking ability. More than often, the blonde would just go out and buy groceries for herself, with her own money. That was during the time she still bought those instant noodle cups. Peridot shuddered from just the thought of eating one. Never again would she stoop down that low, no matter how dirt cheap they were.

Wings everywhere. Peridot scooped up five and plopped them on her plate, with a healthy serving of fruit salad. Thinking over it, the blonde only added a bit of mash potatoes. The less carbs in her life the better. Not that she necessarily needed to watch her carb intake. Most of the time she ate relatively healthy, thanks to all the kale in her past. In fact, her figure was quite slim. It was simply a matter of preference.

Grabbing a plastic red cup normally used during parties and picnics, she poured herself lemonade from the pitcher roughly the size of her head. It was homemade, made with freshly squeezed lemons from Mrs. Universe’s trees out back. There was also a cooler with alcoholic beverages, which Rose offered to them all. But Peridot was not in the mood for a beer or a hard cider.

Now she was salivating.

“Thanks Rose,” Peridot heard Garnet say in her warm alto voice, reminding Peridot to do the same.

“Yeah, wow thanks!” The blonde said in agreement. Her girlfriend, Jasper, Amethyst, and Steven all followed in suit.

“Of course, having all of you over gives me an excuse to cook something this extravagant.”

The blonde heard Steven whispering to Lapis, “You guys need to come over more. I’m so tired of sandwiches every day. They say you are what you eat, which means I’m probably going to turn into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich by tomorrow or so.”

Lapis chuckled over a small snort, which Peridot found adorable. “We can’t let that happen now, can we?” the blue haired girl ran with Steven’s exaggeration.

After everyone had served themselves, they followed Rose Quartz through the kitchen, across the living room, and through the sliding glass door to the back yard. Their home was tastefully decorated and had a breathable atmosphere. Based on the art work hung on the walls, bottles with sand and shells inside, and aquatic printed couch pillow cases, Peridot guessed they were a fan of the beach. Their décor was very appropriate, considering they lived only a few blocks away from the shore.

The backyard lawn was completely dried up and turned brown, which Rose explained she was replacing it soon with something more practical. There was a blue, inflatable pool probably three feet deep, with a giant blowup pool dolphin inside. Going down the deck, there was a long expandable table set up, with several table umbrellas covering the area for shade. With the tablecloth, napkins, and eating utensils, it was actually put together nicely.

After Peridot sat down, Lapis took a seat right next to her with Steven on the other side. They were talking to each other, while Garnet was talking to the hosts. Her natural tendency when left out of conversations like this was to butt her way in. But the blonde did not feel like doing so this time, not having the energy. So she simply listened into her housemate’s conversation about the current project Garnet was undertaking at work.

“We plan on repaving the road next to Shoemaker and Gull. Because it’s one of the busiest intersections in the city, we have a very specific schedule when we’re going to work. Consulting the city, we are only allotted the time slot from one to four in the morning,” she sighed tiredly. “Meaning we have to work fast.”

“At least you’re not dying of heat stroke,” Jasper reassured her.

“How do you not melt while working during the day in that suit of yours?” Amethyst added. She was referring to the construction suit Garnet was required to wear, for safety purposes.

“I have… no clue. But for this particular repaving, I would almost rather work during the day. Most accidents in downtown Beach City happen at night,” the older girl reminded them. “On that note, I have some news. Right before coming over here, I received a call from the construction company I’m currently contracting for. They want to hire me full time to work for them as a construction manager.”

“That’s wonderful Garnet!” Rose exclaimed happily, twisting the cab of the hard cider off. “It’s definitely an accomplishment. I think I was still living at home and job searching when I was your age, until I found a waitressing job.”

“At the diner,” Amethyst added in a bored tone, supporting her head with an arm propped on the table.

Rose ignored it, continuing to tell the story of how it was a fifties and sixties themed restaurant, and all employees had to wear diner outfits and roller skates. She included all the conflicts she got in with her eccentric manager, the time she spilled a strawberry shake all over a girl’s white dress, and the night she made two hundred dollars in tips. “Of course, the place closed several years ago, which left us all back to job hunting. Now it’s even harder to find something decent paying. That’s why I’m so impressed of you Garnet. And we can all celebrate here too,” she added.

“Time to raise the roof here,” Amethyst fist pumped the air and looked at her friends and family for confirmation. “Am I right guys, or am I right?”

Jasper groaned, “Oh that was bad.”

“No it wasn’t, see? Garnet got a kick out of it!” Amethyst pointed to her older housemate.

Garnet in mid bite eating her mashed potatoes froze with a funny smile on her face, as if she was about to laugh. Instead she gave a thumbs up. “A-plus.”

“Don’t encourage her Garnet,” grumbled Jasper. “It’s already bad enough as it is.”

Peridot nodded in agreement, her mouth stuffed larger than a Thanksgiving turkey with food. The longest time had passed since she last had a full stomach.

“You all are two much,” Rose said with enthusiasm, entertained with her younger company. “It’s too bad your other roommate couldn’t be here. Remind me what their name was again?”

Wait, did Rose never figure out Pearl was her daughter’s roommate? Peridot became nervous at the sudden conversation change, since she knew the truth.

“Oh Pearl? Yeah she had too much homework, that party pooper.”

At the sound of her name, Rose hesitated before asking, “What is she studying?”

“Astrophysics. It’s really no wonder she’s swamped right now. That major just sounds cruel.”

The crashing look on Rose Quartz’s face that passed for a split second told Peridot only one thing. Now she knew.

Stricken with anxiety over Rose’s realization, Peridot began to choke out of nowhere, after swallowing a piece of chicken. Everyone at the table turned to her.

“Are you alright?” Lapis was the first to react.

Normally, when someone realizes they are choking, they see if they can get the piece of food back up. Most of the time it worked. This time was the exception. Peridot could not even speak.

Garnet was the first to take action. She jumped out of her seat, and ran around the table to the other side where Peridot was. From there she proceeded to perform the Heimlich maneuver on her housemate. Out came the piece of chicken, soaring through the air, and into the flower garden.

Giving a groan of disgust, Peridot wiped her mouth. “Oh my gosh,” she began, “I… I’m so sorry!” The blonde covered her mouth with both hands, trying to hide her flushed face.

“Forget about that, are you okay?” Rose got up out of her seat, but not before Lapis, who was already holding her hands.

I almost died from suffocation. What does it look like? She nodded, “Thanks to Garnet, I am now.” She looked towards the taller girl who acted so quickly, and gave an ashamed nod.

“Lion, get out of there!” Steven cried at the white-ish figure disappeared into the flowers. He raced over and picked up a large, long-haired, white cat into a cradle position. “You don’t want to eat that.”

Jasper and Amethyst just stared, a bit shocked at what they witnessed.

“Why don’t you sit or lay down on the couch inside for a bit, to catch your breath. Make yourself at home.”

Anything to excuse herself from this mortifying situation. In the past she embarrassed herself many times, but this had to top every experience. She nodded, struggling to make eye contact with her host. “If you don’t mind,” she said as she went over to the flower garden, and reached for the chicken piece with a napkin in hand. She would toss it in the garbage inside. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

She was so distressed in her own mind, she did not hear Lapis excuse herself as well.

Peridot made a beeline for the kitchen, to dispose of the wretched bit that caused this humiliation. Instead of sitting or lying down per Rose’s advice, the short haired girl went to the bathroom. Washing her mouth a bit from the acidic taste still in her mouth, she looked at her reflection and covered her face in shame. Why did this have to happen now? If there was any giveaway that she knew of Rose and Pearl’s “relationship,” that was it. Why did Amethyst have to persuade her to talk to Pearl in the first place?

“Peridot?” Lapis stood at the open bathroom door, hand on the frame.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Talk about, what? That you were choking?”

The blonde did not respond.

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, if that’s it. We were worried, that’s why we reacted. It really scared me. I never thought I’d say this, but I fully respect Garnet for saving you.”

She replied a bit too slowly, “If you say so,” she looked into Lapis’ violet blue eyes. The blue haired girl caught on.

“If there’s anything bothering you, you can tell me. You know that.”

The green eyed girl already knew she was not the best liar when she was face to face with a person. She hated withholding anything from Lapis, but she could not break her promise to Pearl and Amethyst.

“I know. Who are you going to tell anyway, my roommates?” Peridot said rather sarcastically.

This made Lapis giggle, letting out a snort. “Without doubt the contrary.”

Seeing Lapis laugh made her chuckle as well. “How’s my face? Completely crimson?”

“One word, cute,” she kissed the shorter girl’s forehead, taking her hand again. “We should probably grab something more to drink and go out there again, to be polite and everything.” The blue haired girl was not totally enthused.

“Probably,” Peridot mimicked.

She had no idea what she was going to tell Amethyst for when her roommate would approach her back at home. The truth? No way. She could find that out from Pearl herself. On the way to the backyard, Peridot sent a fast text to Pearl.

You never told Rose you were roommates with her daughter or go to Beach City U, right?

Almost in syncopation to Peridot sitting down again with friends giving reassuring comments, her phone let out a long buzz.

She only knows I went to Beach City U, and that I lived with other housemates. Like I told you before, I left her house before she figured out any other details of my life. Why?

Peridot swallowed, hard. Something she should have imitated when she was actually choking.

Because it seems like, per conversation, she connected the dots. I don’t know how much you shared with her, but it seems likely to be the case.

Minutes passed, a pause on Pearl’s line. Peridot tried to mask her worry, by making some mundane chit chat with the very woman Pearl slept with. How messed was that?

Another buzz from her Diamond phone. One new message from Pearl. Slyly she opened it up, while Jasper was talking.

I just got a text. You and I need to talk.

Peridot disliked hearing those words very much.