Chapter Text
The next day, Garnet and Steven drove down the Jersey Turnpike to Empire City to visit Pearl. Connie’s mother did not let her go. “She did her medical residency in Empire City,” Connie had told Steven over the phone, “after seeing the injuries in the ER there, she’d never let me go.”
Steven stared at the Jersey barrier and trees as they cruised down the highway.
“What do you think she’ll say?” Steven asked.
“We’re going to have to be careful in the way we approach this,” Garnet said. “One plus is that she’s going to be excited to see you.”
“Really?!” Steven asked.
“Of course,” Garnet said. “Amethyst on the other hand...Well, I’ve made a list of rules for Amethyst to follow. She’s going to meet us there since she lives just over the bridge in Lookland, the borough next door.”
As they approached the city, Steven marveled out the window at the tall, glass buildings. He mused about all the people that were living their lives there today.
Garnet parked the car in a garage. She had a sternly worded argument with the parking garage manager about the price of parking for the day.
When they left the underground garage, the light stung Steven’s eyes. He looked up at the buildings as people passed by.
‘We’re meeting Amethyst at a coffee shop down the street,” Garnet said.
Steven followed Garnet down the cobblestone streets. The closer they got to the coffee shop, the cleaner the streets got and the restaurants became more expensive.
Amethyst was leaning against a colorful bench outside of a coffee shop. The hood of her sweatshirt was up and she was drinking an iced coffee. “Yo,” she said.
“Just woke up?”Garnet asked with a smirk.
“You know it,” Amethyst said. “Hey, Steven. Twice in one weekend. We gotta keep this up. Once a year isn’t enough.”
“Definitely!” Steven said.
“My point exactly,” Garnet said. “Which is why I’ve come up with a series of rules for you to follow to make sure this visit goes as smoothly as possible.”
“Yeah. Not gonna do that,” Amethyst said.
“Oh, yes you are,” Garnet said. She crossed her arms and said, “To prevent conflict with Pearl, you need to avoid the following topics: what she’s wearing--”
“What if I like what she’s wearing?” Amethyst asked.
“Don’t care,” Garnet said. “Let me continue my list: her girlfriend, any ‘publications or catalogues,’ you may have seen her girlfriend in, the age difference between her and her girlfriend, the decor of the house, how you think it’s unnecessary waste of space for only two people to live in an entire brownstone--”
“It fucks with the housing and renting market!” Amethyst said.
“I am not done,” Garnet said. “Any songs you may have heard that’s she’s written, any songs she is currently writing, The Diamond Trio, either as a single entity or separate entities, which means no mentions of Whitney, Blaine, or Livie.”
“Fine,” Amethyst said. She kicked an empty plastic cup on the sidewalk.
“One last thing,” Garnet said. “Do not talk about the Porsche. Do not ask to drive the Porsche.”
“Garnet, please just give me the Porsche!” Amethyst said. She leaned her head back in frustration. “It’s like the perfect symbol of everything Pearl used to resent about capitalism! The ultimate Riot Grrl has become the millionaire. The very thing she used to write songs condemning.”
Garnet shook her head. “No.”
“What the hell am I supposed to talk about with her then?” Amethyst asked.
“Have you seen Hamilton?” Garnet asked.
“Of course I have,” Amethyst said. “I don’t live under a rock.”
“I’m sure Pearl has seen it at least twice,” Garnet said. “Talk about that.”
Amethyst loudly sighed in protest before walking down the street. She signaled with a hand gesture for Garnet and Steven to follow her.
As Steven walked, the stores and restaurant signs became fancier. The garbage on the street slowly began to disappear.
They stopped in front of a brownstone with a cherry blossom tree out front.
“Do you want to do the honors or shall I?” Amethyst asked.
Garnet remained silent and crossed her arms.
Amethyst leaned her head back and sighed. She walked up the steps. Garnet motioned for Steven to follow. While they all stood on the steps, Aamethyst rang the doorbell.
“If Lil Butler answers this door, I’m gonna lose my shit,” Amethyst said, trying to contain her laughter.
“Lil Butler references are banned,” Garnet said.
“No! Come on!” Amethyst said.
“What’s Lil Butler?” Steven asked.
“It’s the greatest sitcom of all time,” Amethyst said. She tightened the drawstring on her hood. “Jeeze. Where the hell is Pearl?”
Suddenly Pearl opened the door. For a quick moment, Steven was afraid of who, exactly, would answer the door; would it be the Pearl he’s always known or the pink-haired guitarist?
But she looked ‘normal.’ Her strawberry blonde hair was cut right above her chin in a bob. She wore a light blue silk shirt with pink and yellow designs, skinny jeans, and navy ballet flats. She smiled widely and gave Steven one of her famous hugs that were so tight they nearly suffocated Steven. “Steven!” she said. “I’m so happy Garnet took you all the way here to visit me! I never get to see you!” She stood up and giddily said, “We are going to have the best day! I promise.”
“I thought you’d be excited,” Garnet said.
Pearl embraced Garnet before she crossed her arms and nodded to Amethyst. She merely acknowledged the shorter woman and said, “Amethyst.”
“Pearl,” Amethyst said with a wide grin.
“Looks like you had a fun night,” Pearl said.
“Oh I did,” Amethyst said. Amethyst’s eyes focused on Pearl’s hands, which made Steven’s gaze examine them. Her left hand was covered with dark, faded scars, which made her perfectly manicured pink nails stand out. Steven never paid much attention to this until now. He wondered if she punched the mirror back in 2002 and then he suddenly felt sad.
“Nice manicure, P,” Amethyst said with a knowing smirk. “Short, round, smooth, perfect for--”
“Get in the house!” Pearl cut her off and pointed to the door. Pearl’s face was noticeably red with embarrassment.
“I was going to say playing the guitar,” Amethyst said with false innocence as she winked at Pearl and walked through the doorway.
“I forgot to put that on the list,” Garnet mumbled to herself as she followed Amethyst inside.
Houses like this were made for architecture magazines. Rooms looked as if no one lived in them. Steven followed Amethyst and Garnet through Pearl’s living room. He saw pictures of pretty brunette woman embracing Pearl from behind. He then realized it was that woman, Felicia, that he and Connie saw with Pearl on the internet.
“Steven there is so much to do here,” Pearl said. “We could go sightseeing. There are two zoos. There’s the old theme park in Lookland. It’s not safe there though. Rickety roller coasters. Maybe we should avoid that. Oh! We could see a Broadway show. I could try to make some calls and get some Hamilton tickets. I know the agent of the guy who plays Aaron Burr. And there’s improv comedy if you’re into that sort of thing. And--”
“Let the kid breathe, would yah?” Amethyst said.
“I just want Steven to have fun,” Pearl said.
Amethyst walked up to Pearl, leaning in a bit too close and opened her mouth. Before she could say anything, Garnet gently pulled at Amethyst's hood and directed her toward the hallway and away from Pearl.
“I’m just happy I get to see you,” Steven said with a smile.
Pearl’s eyes welled up a bit. “Aww Steven!” She then hugged him again. “I need to see you more.” She released him from the hug and asked, “Are you hungry? I went out and got some food you like, like juice and sandwich stuff. Felicia’s been on a cleanse for this photo shoot so I haven’t been eating much lately. I’ve been so busy in the studio, so I don’t really do the shopping.”
Steven nodded.
“I’ll be right back,” Pearl said before disappearing into the kitchen.
He followed the others out of the living room. Steven walked down the hall. He stopped short when he saw a framed photo of The Crystal Gems he’d never seen before. It looked more professional than any of the others he had seen before, which were mostly candids. They were all on a rooftop. The skyline of Empire City was behind them. His mother was standing in the middle, holding a pink Gibson guitar. Her hair was tamed, curled perfectly in loose coils. She wore pink pants and a white blouse. Pearl was next to his mother on her right. She wore a light blue collared shirt and black pants. Her guitar was at her side. Amethyst stood next to Pearl. Her hair was long and styled. She wore a black t-shirt with skulls on it. Garnet was next to his mother, on her left, sitting in a chair. Garnet, as always, looked similar to now, besides looking noticeably younger. They all had serious expressions.
“We took that before the world tour in 2002,” Garnet said.
“Oh,” Steven said. “I haven’t seen it before.”
“I haven’t seen it in a while,” Garnet said.
“I hate that picture,” Amethyst said. “We look like jerks. Pearl knows how much I hate that picture.”
“Are you saying that Pearl putting this up is a personal attack on you?” Garnet said with a laugh of disbelief.
“No,” Amethyst said. “Just wanted to acknowledge that she knows I hate it.”
“Steven!” Pearl’s sing song voice said from the kitchen, “I got you some of those ice cream snacks you like so much!”
“Cookie Cats?!” Steven said before disappearing down the hallway.
“Crap,” Amethyst said.
“Crap what?” Garnet asked.
“She’s bribing him over to her side with ice cream,” Amethyst said.
“There are no sides, Amethyst,” Garnet said. “We’re all on the same side.”
“You’re only saying that because you didn’t--”
“Forbidden topic,” Garnet said. She paused for a moment and added, “Fingernails are now also a forbidden topic.”
“Come on! It was all I had,” Amethyst said.
“You can’t bother her. We set her off and no Crystal Gems reunion,” Garnet said. “I know getting her all riled up makes you...I’m looking for the appropriate word. Excited?”
“Ew,” Amethyst said.
“Just leave her alone,” Garnet said. Then she walked down the hallway into the kitchen.
Amethyst looked to her left. There was a large, black and white framed photo of a gorgeous brunette woman walking in the park. Upon closer look, Amethyst realized the woman was Pearl's girlfriend Felicia. Amethyst tilted the photo so it was crooked. “Whoops,” Amethyst said before she followed Garnet into the kitchen.
Steven sat on a stool at a kitchen island eating an ice cream bar. Pearl was leaning against the island.
“How’s school,” Pearl asked.
“It’s okay, I guess,” Steven said with his mouth half-full. “We’re reading A Separate Piece in English.”
“What are you reading on your own?” Pearl asked.
“I’ve just started The Hobbit,” Steven said. “Connie really likes it.”
“Connie?” Pearl’s eyebrows rose. She smiled, “Who’s Connie?”
“My best friend,” Steven said, nodding.
“Have you been playing music?” Pearl asked.
“Is she questioning you like you just stole the Hope Diamond?” Amethyst said. She grabbed a Cookie Cat bar and opened the wrapper.
Pearl rolled her eyes at Amethyst.
“What? He’s a kid, Pearl. Let him be a kid,” Amethyst said wit her mouth full.
“I’m just asking him about his life, Amethyst,” Pearl said with slight frustration.
“Let’s talk about something else,” Garnet said.
“Shoot!” Pearl said. She looked at her watch. “I need to finish recording a rough demo for one of my clients. It will take five minutes max. I’m just going to go downstairs into the recording studio and--”
“You have a recording studio!?” Steven asked with wide eyes.
“Of course,” Pearl said as if this was a normal thing a person has in their house.
“Can--can I go too?” Steven asked.
“You want to watch me record a rough demo?” Pearl asked.
“Uh, yeah!” Steven said.
“That’s so great!” Pearl said. She went to a door in the kitchen and opened it. “It’s right downstairs in the basement!” Pearl’s voice carried down the stairs.
Just as he was about to follow, Amethyst grabbed Steven by the shoulder.
“You don’t know what you just got yourself into, dude,” Amethyst said with worried eyes.
“What?” Steven asked. He crinkled his forehead.
“I would normally call Amethyst out,” Garnet said, “but she’s right about this.”
“Pearl is nuts when it comes to recording stuff,” Amethyst said. “When we recorded our second album, the record company gave Pearl complete creative control even though she was like nineteen. They thought she was some kind of prodigy and she kinda was, but that's not the point. ”
“She kept us in the recording studio for twelve hours a day,” Garnet said. “Or until we got the song right.”
“But usually twelve hours a day,” Amethyst said. “Your mother’s hands felt like leather from fingering the guitar fretts so much. It was nasty” Amethyst cringed as she shook her head.
“This will not take five minutes,” Garnet said.
"I already said I would go though," Steven said with wide eyes.
They went down into the basement and into a recoding studio.
“Shit, this is amazing,” Amethyst said as she observed the large control desk and a glass, soundproof booth for recording. There were some instruments set up, like an electric guitar and a drum set.
Pearl stood in front of a mic. She turned on a recoding of an acoustic guitar. Then she began to sing.
Without you I don’t see the point
The void haunts me. Feeling nothing.
I’m gonna get drunk on Captain Morgan.
See where I am. Tag your location on Instagram.
I don’t see the point anymore.
Where do you go? Without me.
Someday it wont hurt. I'm sore.
You’ll be gone. Forever. No more.
I want this feeling to end.
I want to stop almost hitting send.
How can I cope when you’re gone.
When you’re gone. When you’re gone.
Pearl looked bored. Her eyes were glazed over. Her voice had little emotion.
When the song ended, she ran over to her laptop and listened to the song through the recording software via her headphones. “Eh,” she said. “It’ll do.”
Pearl hummed to herself as she typed on the keyboard. Behind Steven, Amethyst was slowly seething from rage, pulling on the drawstrings of her hoodie, tighter and tighter.
“And, done,” Pearl said as she typed up an email. The recipient was [email protected].
“Are you kidding me?!” Amethyst said loudly. Her eyes were filled with anger.
“What is wrong now?” Pearl asked with frustration. “You’ve been in a horrible mood all day and I know it’s not just the hangover.”
“You did one take? One. Take.” Amethyst said. “Are you kidding me?”
Pearl rolled her eyes. “It’s a rough recording. It’s not like my version is going to see the light of day anyway. My client--”
“You mean Whitney Hammond,” Amethyst said.
“My CLIENT,” Pearl said, “will do whatever she pleases with her version of the song. It probably wont even sound the same.”
“1999,” Amethyst said.
“Not this again,” Pearl said, crossing her arms.
“Drop it!” Garnet said.
Amethyst looked over at Steven and said, “We’ve been recording the SAME SONG ALL WEEK FOR TWELVE HOURS A DAY. Because Pearl doesn’t think it’s perfect. It’s the night of my prom. And what does Brian Wilson Jr. over here do?” She gestured to Pearl. “She wont let me leave to go to MY PROM!”
“The Brian Wilson comparison is a bit extreme,” Pearl said.
“No, P. You went all Pet Sounds on us!” Amethyst said. “We almost lost our minds! And here you are, doing ONE TAKE?!”
“Amethyst, please calm down,” Garnet said.
“I will not calm down!” Amethyst said.
“You didn’t even want to go to your prom,” Pearl said. "You technically weren't even a student. We were on tour so much, so I helped you get your GED the year before."
“I wanted to go and complain about how I was too cool to go!” Amethyst said. "Everyone else in my class, that I grew up with, got to go! I ws only sixteen years old!"
“This is a bit immature to react about right now,” Pearl said.
“I gave up so much for this! I gave up my high school years for The Crystal Gems,” Amethyst said with tears in her eyes. “I missed so many things to the point where music is the only thing I know how to do! And here you are doing one freaking take for a shitty Diamond Trio song!”
Everyone was silent. Steven and Garnet stared down at the floor.
“They’re only worth one take,” Pearl said with a slight whisper in her voice. Her eyes were red and puffy.
“Then what’s worth more than one take?” Amethyst asked. She walked into the recording booth and picked up a guitar. “Show me!” Her voice was muffled by the glass.
“Get on the drums,” Pearl said through the mic. “Garnet get on bass. I’ll get the looper pedal for...for-for Rose’s guitar parts. I’m not stupid. I know why you came here.” Pearl stood up and flashed Steven a weak smile before she rummaged through a closet. She emerged with a looper pedal.
“We can still go to the zoo,” Steven said.
“I would like that,” Pearl said, nodding. Her voice wavered. She then went into the booth with Amethyst and Garnet.
Steven felt like this was a mistake.