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Chapter Text

It wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth the good grades. It wasn't worth the confidence boost. Pearl had actually slept with her teacher, and she was in trouble.

Her mother had been pressuring Pearl day after day about her grades. She had gotten mostly Bs and a few As, which was unusual for the pale teenager. Usually, she was a straight-A student. But, a few Bs weren't a problem. It wasn't until she saw a D in math when Pearl had started questioning why she wasn't doing as well as she once did. When she showed her mother her report card, disappointed was an understatement. She had to do something about this fall in her marks fast.

So, Pearl did something bad; really bad. She had come on to her math teacher, Mr. Dewey. To her surprise, he had obliged. It all felt disgusting, maybe because of the morning sickness; or maybe because of the memories of having sex with a man.

"Alright, have a good weekend. Please make your way out of my classroom!" Mr. Dewey exclaimed, making sure his voice was heard above the herd of chattering teenagers.

Pearl shot her hand up as the rest of her classmates scurried out of the room. "Mr. Dewey, may I talk to you after class?"

His head shot toward his fling. "Of course."

She wiped the non-existent dust and dirt off of her plaid skirt and looked down uncomfortably. Once the rest of the kids finished packing up their things and walking out of the class, the teacher danced over to his student.

He looked around the room once more, before wrapping his arms around her waist. "What's going on?" His musty cigarette and alcohol filled breath caressed Pearl's cold face, who was internally cringing.

Her body turned to look around the classroom once more. She fiddled with her fingers nervously. "Are you sure there's no one around?"

The teacher cocked an eyebrow, tilting his head, before a devilish smirk plastered across his face. "Oh, I know what you want.." He grabbed her hips again, playing with the seams of her skirt.

Pearl put her palm to his face, pushing him away. "Bill, no!" She said through gritted teeth.

He smacked his lips and rubbed his hand together. "So you're playing hard to get are you?" Pearl was mortified. What did I do?

"Bill, I'm pregnant." Pearl whispered, backing away from him. Bill stopped in his tracks, silence filled the room.

"Y-you're-you-"

"I'm pregnant, and it's yours." She murmured firmly, looking him in the eyes.

"That's not possible. It's not mine." Bill responded, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Yes, it is, Bill! You are the only person I've slept with."

"You weren't on birth control!?" He exclaimed. Pearl bit her bottom lip angrily.

"You weren't wearing a condom." She shrugged.

Bill paced around in a circle, refusing to look at his student. "What do you think I'm supposed to do about this, huh? What would my wife say if she found out?! I can't believe I let you seduce me."

Pearl snapped her head upwards. That was the last straw. "You shouldn't have slept with a student!"

The man sighed in defeat. "Well, how much do you need from me?" Pearl saw him pull out a checkbook.

She pushed her neck back. "Excuse me?" She hissed.

"You are aborting it, aren't you?" He asked, sounding more like a threat than a question.

She looked down at her stomach, could she really do that? It was legal in Delmarva... Pearl was lost in her thoughts until Bill snapped his fingers in her face. "Pearl! Please tell me you're getting rid of that." He flicked his finger to her stomach.

Pearl scowled at his words. She couldn't do that, she wouldn't do that; even if it does has Bill Dewey in its bloodline. "N-no, Bill. I'm keeping it."

Bill looked mortified, turning his head disapprovingly at Pearl. "How do you think you're supposed to raise a child? How do you think I'm supposed to raise a child, I already have one at home." He rubbed his fingers through his hair, sweat dripping off onto them.

Pearl locked eyes with him. "Then don't." She said simply.

Bill broke into a fit of laughter. "Listen here, do you actually think a seventeen-year-old will be able to raise a child on their own?"

Her fists clenched, body tensing. "I am keeping it." She scoffed.

"Fine. Please don't bring this up again." He said, sitting down in his rolling chair and crossing his legs.

Pearl collected her items and homework before walking to the door. She looked back at him. "Goodbye, Bill. I'll see you on Monday..."

Bill looked at her with pure disdain, even with brown eyes his stare was still cold as eyes. "That's Mr. Dewey to you."

Pearl walked out of the classroom, shutting the door. She squeezed the straps of her backpack for comfort and continued walking. The blue-eyed girl felt scared, but not because of her teacher. Yes, she was scared about raising a child by herself, what her mother would say; but she felt almost.. relieved at the fact she wouldn't have to raise it with Bill Dewey. Boys from school would hit on her all the time (which she already found extremely repulsive), but having sex with Bill was one hundred percent the most uncomfortable experience.

She continued padding down the hallway, taking small glances down at her stomach. Sometimes Pearl would wonder if she even liked boys at all. She had a giant crush on a girl in her class, Rose, even if she hated to admit it. Maybe she was bi? At this point, Pearl was looking for any excuse to not call herself a lesbian. A homosexual.

No! That's not what it is! I... just haven't found a good guy yet! She tells herself, but the ringing thought of herself being a homosexual still ran in her mind. Her mother would already be disapproving enough if she told her that she was bisexual, never mind a lesbian. Pearl needed someone to talk to, and she knew just the girls for the job.

-

Pearl whipped her head around to see her best friends; Garnet and Amethyst. She knew they could help her with her pregnancy, and her sexuality crisis. Garnet has two moms who are very open about being homosexual, and Amethyst is pansexual. She had always admired their family's acceptance, and wished her mother had the same mindset.

Amethyst quickly glanced at her and quickly blew out a cloud of smoke and hid a small cigarette. Pearl's eyebrows furled, and she snatched the cigarette out of her hand. Amethyst rolled her eyes and groaned. "What the hell P!?"

"You told me you quit!" Pearl's angry tone turned softer, more concerned, and less hot-headed.

Amethyst rolled her eyes and brought the stick up to her mouth again to puff out another mouthful of smoke. "Why do you care anyway?"

The pale girl widened her eyes and gripped her stomach through her school uniform. Garnet and Amethyst both looked at her, then at each other. The tallest member of the friend group slid her sunglasses down her nose and made a humming noise. Pearl sighed. "I'm.. I got.."

Amethyst pushed her neck forwards. "Spill the beans!"

"I'm pre..gon-na...ti-te" Her voice slowly turned into a whisper as her chest started pumping up and down in large breaths.

"Dude, I can't hear you." Amethyst laughed, and Garnet punched her shoulder. "What?"

"Amethyst, be more sensitive. She's our friend." Garnet lectured Amethyst and walked closer to Pearl.

Amethyst whispered something to herself over her shoulder before looking back at Pearl with a nicer expression.

"Pearl, what's wrong?" Garnet attempted to calm her down, lightly squeezing both of her shoulders.

The thin teenager flinched, her breathing becoming more relaxed. She took a deep breath. "I am pregnant..."

Garnet's chest lowered, and Amethyst's jaw dropped. Pearl glanced nervously at her friends, running her fingers through her short blonde hair.

"H-how?" Amethyst's voice cracked when she spoke. She threw her cigarette to the ground and stomped on it.

"Do you remember when I told you about Mr. Dewey?" Pearl whispered, looking down in shame. She would never look at her teacher the same. Every time she looked at him since that day she felt disdain, fear.

"Wait, that actually happened!? I thought that was a joke!" Amethyst exclaimed.

"What!?" Pearl scowled, crossing her arms.

"I thought you were gay!" Amethyst admitted, a small smirk falling across her lips.

Garnet had to stop herself from laughing. "Yeah.. I thought that as well."

Pearl pulled backward. "Me!? A homosexual!? Pfft!" She lied, her facial expression especially dramatized. She looked and sounded a really bad actor from a nineties sitcom.

Her friends looked at each other, and back at Pearl. "Okay, you're definitely gay." Amethyst chuckled with her raspy voice.

She raised lifted her eyebrows in fear. "I'm not!"

"Dude, it's not like we're gonna' disown you. I mean, I don't know about Garnet but I'm pan as fuck." The purple-haired teenager looked up at her tall friend who as beside her.

"I'm Aro." Garnet mumbled in response, putting her sunglasses back on.

Amethyst smiled at her and looked back at Pearl. "Anyways, about this whole 'Dewey raping you' situation." When she spoke Pearl felt her muscles tense.

"H-he didn't rape me he just-"

"Pearl, he had sex with you, a seventeen-year-old. You can't legally consent." Garnet told her, noticing how she tried to hide her face in shame. "And you shouldn't have to feel bad about it."

"So... what're you planning on doing with the baby?" Amethyst questioned, looking at her stomach.

"I don't really know. I want to keep it." Pearl sighed. She didn't want an abortion, but what would her mother do to her if she ever found out?

"If I was you I would probably dele-" Amethyst was stopped by Pearl cupping her hand over her mouth.

"I swear to god if you say deletus the fetus."

Garnet and Amethyst laughed, and Pearl joined in, her grimace turning into a half-hearted smile. Before they knew it, a purple Honda Civic was honking at the group. It was Ruby and Sapphire, Garnet's moms. Amethyst took a small leap down to the parking lot.

"Gotta bounce Pierogi! See ya!" Amethyst's parents are never around, so she usually relies on the two for a ride home since both her and Garnet didn't have a driver's license yet.

Before Garnet got in the car, she put a blister filled hand on Pearl's boney shoulder. "If you ever need anything, we're here."

Pearl hugged her. "Thank you."

-

Pick up, pick up! Pearl's mother was late to pick her up once again. She wished her mother just cared. Her mother would verbally (and sometimes physically) abuse her for things completely out of control, what would she do with Pearl now? She was a slut, a whore, a teen mom for christ sakes!

Tears formed at her eyes and she began sobbing into her skirt. Pearl couldn't let anyone know how she's feeling. Then that would make her just another problem.

After a few minutes of self-reflection, she wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. Before Pearl got up she heard loud footsteps coming from the school. She shakily lifted her butt off of the ground, grimacing at the mixture of dirt and tears she had gotten all over her skirt. Her head shifted around the corner, trying to locate where the sound came from.

Mr. Dewey popped out from the back door. He slammed it shut, not noticing his student from afar. He looked stressed, angry, scared. Good.

Pearl attempted to quickly turn her body away from his eyes reach, but he immediately recognized her intense blue eyes. He looked at her and lowered his eyelids. "Pearl, you should be going home."

"I know, my mother hasn't come yet." She responded awkwardly, shifting her legs across each other.

"You don't have your driver's license?" The older man gave her a judgemental glance, looking away as soon as their eyes locked.

Pearl crossed her arms. "I do! I just don't have a car..." She hissed.

"Well, I have to get going. I recommend going to the principal's off-" Bill was cut off by the sound of a group of yelling teenagers. A large red convertible was driving past. Inside of the car was three girls, all of them from her school's sports teams. The one in the passenger's seat; Lapis. She was on the swim team. She had a small stature, but with a small amount of muscle packed on. Lapis was about 5'9, only an inch shorter than Pearl, and had dark blue hair. Then, there is the girl in the backseat; Jasper. She was popular, the first girl on the football team. Her amber eyes and vitiligo making her more intense, not to mention her rippling muscles and long blonde hair. Speaking of rippling muscles; Bismuth. She was about two inches shorter than Jasper, who's 6'5. After looking at the tattoo on her arm, Pearl's eyes drifted to her thick dreadlocks. The women's hockey team was lucky to have her.

"Hey! Biz! Is that that girl you've been talking about? The one with the big nose!" Jasper asked, punching Bismuth's shoulder. Lapis mouthed something to her and Jasper rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. Hey Renegade! what'cha up to?" Bismuth yelled to her. Although Bismuth was more of the stereotypical jock type, she was also into weaponry and armor. She and Pearl are in the same class.

Mr. Dewey tapped his foot and checked his imaginary clock. So impatient. Men. Pearl thought to herself before looking back at her close friend. "Oh! My mother is just late again!"

"Do you want me to drive you home?" Bismuth offered.

Pearl's cool-toned cheeks turned pink. "Maybe I should get permission first." her teacher who was behind her blew out an exasperated gasp, showing his growing eagerness to get back to his family.

Lapis and Jasper looked at each other and giggled, most likely teasing her goodie-two-shoes nature.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Come on! Sit beside Jasper!" Bismuth told her. Pearl's face lightened up. After a long day of fretting, Bismuth was always there. Today was no exception.

She didn't hesitate to get as far away from her math teacher as possible, and waddled over to the vehicle.

-

Bismuth drove further into the street, probably going faster than she should. The girls hair blew in the wind, whereas Pearl tried to keep hers under control. She admired how care-free the trio seemed to be, and wished she could have a fun time without worrying about her skirt riding up in the wind.

Although Lapis didn't seem too fond of her, and Jasper was a bit perverted.. they were pretty good at making you feel nice about yourself! She almost forgot about her pregnancy in the process of making friends. Pearl glanced fondly at the woman in the driver's seat. Bismuth looked so happy... why couldn't Pearl have that? Why did she always have to worry? From all the movies she watched with Amethyst, the kids in the shows always blamed themselves for their mental issues. Pearl never understood that, but now she does. Every time she looked in the mirror, she saw someone she didn't like. Always worrying, sad, obsessive, clingy... Bismuth always made her feel like something more.

Well.. there's also Rose. Her first friend. They met in kindergarten. They are inseparable, or were inseparable. Last year, juniors in high school, Pearl had four friends. Rose, Garnet, Amethyst, and Bismuth. But, Bismuth and Rose got into an argument; a BIG one. It got physical at one point. Then that was when everything went downhill.

At the time, Pearl was still in the closet, and (for the most part) she still is. But, she did come out to one person. Rose. Rose Quartz, her crush, her best friend. She was very accepting, and that made Pearl fall for her even more. It wasn't until Greg Universe came. He looked like he came straight out of the retirement home. He's an alright singer, and he's okay looking.. but seriously, Greg!? Rose had been flirting with her so much, and all of a sudden she's dating this other guy!? Since when was she straight? Everything changed in a blink of an eye.. and the worst part is that she couldn't even get over Rose, no matter how much she tried. "Pearl??"

She snapped up at the sound of Bismuth's shout. "O-oh, I'm sorry!"

BIsmuth smirked. "Are you okay?"

"No.. not exactly..." Pearl mumbled, looking out the opened window. She let her blonde hair feel the breeze.

Lapis look towards the back seat at Pearl, with a somber look on her face. "What's wrong? I'm kind of the queen of being upset."

"I'm just-" Pearl's stomach dropped. She gagged, cheeks puffing up. Jasper and Lapis looked at each other in confusion. Oh god... not right now! Pearl thought to herself as she hurled out the window, making sure not to get vomit all over the red glossy front of the convertible.

Bismuth noticed and stopped the car. "Woah! Are you okay!?" She asked.

Pearl drowsily looked back at her and cringed as she wiped her mouth. "Does it look like it?" Lapis commented.

Pearl shut her eyes. "I'm pregnant." Normally she would have tried to hide it more, but knowing Bismuth she wouldn't have let her go until she told her the problem.

The three pulled back, Bismuth looking especially disappointed. "W-what...?"

"It's a long story. Can I just text you it? I just want to go home. It's been a long day." Pearl sighed, looking at her house.

"Yeah, of course." Bismuth responded. She ran around to the back of the car to help her out.

"I can get out of the car myself you know." Pearl spoke sarcastically, fitting her small hand inside of Bismuth's larger one.

"I know, I just want to make sure." Bismuth spoke softly, all of that former cockiness and confidence reserved.

"Thanks for the ride guys." Pearl shouted to the three of them as she walked to the door.

"Anytime."

Chapter Text

"Start in third! I'll be watching you this time, so be prepared!"

Pearl took a deep breath before getting in position, taking in her surroundings. DanceNet's performance ballet team was huge this year. Her sisters: Yepa; otherwise known as Yellow, and Baptista; otherwise known as Blue. Plus, herself, Rosanne, Quella, Aubrey, Sally, Lynn, Mera, Spinel, and Poppy (Her sister's best friend. They call her Pink to fit the theme of their own nicknames. They consider her more of a sister than they have ever considered Pearl as one).

Once all of the dancers collectively got in position, her coach, Ms. Holly, started the music. The Sleeping Beauty Opening Theme composed by Tchaikovsky, a beautiful piece that they based their routine on this year.

As they danced, Pearl admires how Quella, Aubrey, Sally, and Lynn all danced with perfect technique, even though they were placed in the back and could easily slack off if they wanted to. She admires Mera, the veteran of the team, for being a leader figure for the rookies like herself, and never giving up on her dreams. She admires how unique and energetic Spinel, and not to mention the extreme kindness she shows everyone. She admires Poppy because you really don't see many ballerinas that lost an eye-ball halfway through the season, yet still keep up just as well as the rest of the group.

Halfway through the routine, Pearl felt a random twitch in her stomach. She chose to ignore it. Even the simplest of movements in the routine became hard, and eventually, Pearl knew she had to throw up. She couldn't understand why. Yes, she had thrown up because of exhausting practices before, but this was nothing compared to those practices. Today, all they had done was practice a few jetés and stretching. And she hasn't eaten a full meal since she was 13. But then, she remembered. Bill, MÈRE FOUINER (as Ms. Holly would say), Dewey.

The group hastily danced as they watched Pearl bend over and gag. Ms. Holly took notice out of this. and scooted Pearl out of the room. "No, no, no. Not on my floor."

She pushed Pearl roughly out of the room next to the garbage can. Pearl thought of a snappy comeback, though she knew she could never have the guts to say it out loud. Back in the room, Pearl heard her coach wrap up the class. Yepa wouldn't forgive her for that. She's such an overachiever.. oh wait that's probably hypocritica- "Hey, what the hell?"

Pearl wiped her mouth and turned to see Yepa and Baptista, with Poppy behind them. "Are you alright?" Poppy asked gently, leaning over to see Pearl. Yepa rolled her eyes. "She's fine, Pink. Being a little diva per usual."

Hmm, maybe I'm not such a hypocrite after a- Yepa snapped her fingers in Pearl's face. "Hey! Are you even there? Gosh, get out of your head already!"

"I'm sorry, alright? I can't help it." It internally pained Pearl to apologize to her sister. But, knowing Yepa's 'special connection' with their mother, it wouldn't be a good idea to cross her.

"If you're sick, then why come to practice?" Baptista inquired in a much nicer tone than Yepa, though that could just be because of her quiet, shy voice. Oh, if only they knew.

As the three removed their pointe shoes carefully and stretched their rather disfigured toes, Pearl noticed Aubrey and her girlfriend, Ruth. Ruth had short, curly, black hair styled in an afro. She was short, shorter than Aubrey, and had full lips and a cute button-shaped nose. She resembled Garnet's mother, Ruby, quite a bit.

She looked to her side, where Yepa and Baptista were cackling and making rude remarks at Aubrey and Ruth. Pearl couldn't understand why anyone would have a problem with two women being in love. I mean, women are smart, kind, beautiful, great listeners, great friends, beautiful, always there for you, beautiful, confident and empowering, beautiful... Her mind trailed off to think about Rose. "No! Pearl, stop! That is dreadful behavior!" She heard her mother say to her through her mind. But, it's normal for mothers to act that way, wasn't it? Being a homosexual is a sin, why should they support it!? Then again, why shouldn't they? The only real reason she could think of was the same awful things her mother had shpeeled to them about time and time again.

Apparently, Yepa got tired of watching Aubrey and Ruth simply minding their own businesses, because the next moment she stood up and said, "come on, let's go."

They walked out of the locker room and passed through the main area where parents would watch their kids. Yepa and Baptista hugged Poppy and said goodbye, while Pearl gave a small wave. They went to grab their shoes; Pearl with her teal flats, Baptista with her blue checkered Vans, and Yellow with her brown Birkenstocks. Their mother, White Diamond, honked the horn of her white SUV to catch the girls' attention.

"We're coming!" Yepa yelled, pushing herself in front of Baptista and Pearl. The two sisters left behind her exchanged humored glances... or at least Baptista did. Pearl just looked plain pissed off.

They popped in the car. All three of them got in the backseat since their father fell asleep in the passenger seat while reading a pamphlet.

"So, girls, how was dance?" White asked.

Pearl gave a desperate glance at Yepa. She sighed, whipping her blonde hair out of her face. "It was good." She relaxed, her bare shoulders slugging downward. There was no way that Pearl would have gotten away from her mother with just a shrug.

There was an awkward moment of silence hanging in the air, which was all too often in this household. She just couldn't wait until she could bury herself in blankets and homework and relax for the first time in... oh stars.

-

Pearl sat in a straddle position, planting her nose on her left knee while grabbing the ball of her foot. An instructional stretching video played on her iPhone 7. When she leaned towards the middle, with her stomach splayed flat on the ground, her phone rang.

The dancer pulled herself up and looked at her cellphone. Bismuth was calling. Of course, she answered. "Hello..?"

"Hey, Pearl!" Bismuth shouted into her speaker. Pearl squeaked and turned down the volume. "Bismuth, you know you don't have to scream right?"

Bismuth snickered. "That's just how I am."

Pearl giggled in response and cleared her throat. "So, what do you need me for?"

"I just wanted to check on you. I didn't see you at Weaponry." Bismuth explained.

Pearl slapped her face. "Shoot! I must have forgotten. Dance has been really intense lately. I already had to quit cheerleading because of it."

"You're still dancing? Are you sure you should still be doing that? Y'know.. because you're-" Pearl put her index finger against her phone as if she were 'shushing' Bismuth. "Shh! Bismuth!"

Pearl's mother dropped her wooden spoon onto the granite countertop. "Pearl, who are you talking to?"

Her heart fluttered, but not in the, 'oh my goodness, my heart aches for this person that I love oh, so much'  way, but in the 'oh my goodness I'm going to get beat'  way. If Pearl was with Amethyst, her short friend would probably make a joke about how being beat could be romantic, and Pearl would have told her to shut up.

"Um... Just a friend from dance!" She made up on the spot.

"Which friend from dance?" Her mother interrogated her, still yelling from the kitchen.

"Uh.." Pearl looked around frantically at her room, hoping to spark some inspiration. She recognized a framed picture of her team in their costumes sitting on her white dresser. "Aubrey!"

"Urgh! Pearl! I've told you so many times that you shouldn't be hanging out with that flata!" When Pearl heard her mother walking toward her room, she immediately hung up on Bismuth. White stuck her head into her room. "Give me your phone."

Her breathing became heavier and heavier. She tried to anxiously bite her short fingernails to the nub without her mother seeing. Pearl didn't get the chance to delete numbers, conversations, pictures, history. That's her private information that her mother has no right to look through. There was no way she was going to keep her pregnancy a secret now.

"I- uhm- I-" She fumbled over her words, almsot beginning to shake. Pearl was scared. No, she was fucking horrified.

"Pearl, now. Or else."

She gulped and scurried to hand her mother her phone. White walked out of her bedroom calmly. Welp, there goes her bucket list. All her dreams down the drain. Dancing, singing, college, fame, love. Admittedly, she knew that those dreams would be hard to achieve the second she heard about her pregnancy.

Yes, the inevitable was going to happen, but there was no reason for standing around. Pearl put on her white, puffy jacket and shut the door. She heard, "where are you goi-", from her mother, but chose not to answer.

Pearl started along the narrow sidewalk, looking down at the ground. She walked carefully, so she didn't slip onto the frosted stone. Her plan was to walk to the corner store a few blocks away and hang out with the random men smoking (usually marijuana) until she felt like she was high enough to deal with her parents and sisters.

She walked along the same sidewalk until she saw the familiar illuminated sign that just read, 'STORE'. Immediately she recognized a large, red convertible sitting in the parking lot. Three out of the four girls she identified as Jasper, Lapis, and Bismuth. The fourth girl was short, about Amethyst's height. She had glasses and short platinum blonde hair pulled into a messy, small ponytail. Jasper noticed Pearl and struck Bismuth, who was enthralled by her phone, in the arm right where her tattoo was. Bismuth looked up, clearly annoyed. Jasper pointed toward Pearl, and Bismuth perked up.

Pearl stepped quickly toward them, looking at her surroundings as if her mother was watching her every move. "Hey..." She said with her head down.

"Hey! ..Are you alright? You hung up on me..." Bismuth sounded disappointed, maybe even a little bit sad.

"No, I'm not 'alright'." Pearl told her, finally looking up at her taller friend. Pearl had always avoided eye contact at all costs, even when she was little, but she trusted Bismuth. She trusted her enough to share emotions with her, which is a big step in any of Pearl's relationships, romantic or platonic.

I trust her, Pearl thought. Lapis took a sip of her blue slushie and sarcastically whispered, "welcome to the club," to Jasper. I don't know about them, though.

"What's going on?" Bismuth asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, I got on the call with you, and then my mom asked who I was talking to soitoldherthatIwastalkingtoafriendfromdancesosheaskedwhichonesoisaid-"

"Ahem?" The unfamiliar girl with odd-looking glasses stopped her mid-sentence; if you would even consider that jumble of words she just spewed a sentence. "Could I get an introduction?" She sneered to Bismuth.

"Bismuth's girlfriend." Lapis said, hopping on top of a trash can. Bismuth kicked Lapis just light enough so it wouldn't hurt. Lapis just laughed with Jasper. Bismuth turned back to Pearl, who had a light dust of pink blush on her face, which almost looked blue from the cold undertones of her face. "S-sorry about her. I don't know what she's going on about.. Anyway! This is Peridot. We call her Peri."

"She's a lot like you. I think you would get along." Lapis added.

"You mean they're both fucking nerds?" Jasper asked rhetorically. Bismuth whispered something inaudible at Jasper through her teeth. As bad as she felt for thinking this, she doesn't care. She doesn't care about Jasper's digs, or Bismuth's new friend, or any other thing around her. How is she supposed to think about anything else?

"Okay, doll. You just got to breathe." Bismuth guided her through a few deep breaths.

"My mother took my phone. She's going to look through it, she's going to find out, she's going to scream at me, then she's going to beat me to death." Pearl panicked, tears running down her face and her fingers curling into tight balls.

"Woah, woah, woah! You don't know that!"

"You don't know my mom! She's extremely strict, plus she already hates me as it is and-"

Lapis sighed and walked up to both of them. "Look, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that life is going to be perfect and normal after this, but you never know. This situation won't ever escape you. You have to face it, even if it doesn't turn out the way you want it to. But, hell, maybe it will." She paused. "Wow, that's the most optimistic thing I've ever said."

"Yes... You're probably right." Pearl said, as much as she hated saying it. She didn't want to go back, but she knew she had to. Pearl closed her eyes, the bright blue leaving her face. Maybe everything will be okay. Maybe Bismuth is right...

-

The world felt like it was falling on top of her. Her head felt trampled and the tears rolling down her cheeks burnt like fire. She anxiously rolled her fingers through frizzy, hairspray-filled tufts of her short hair. Life would never be the same, she knew it.

She neared Rose's house. Rose would never betray me, she told herself. But, at the back of her head, all she could hear was, 'she already did'. Even though Rose never technically cheated on her, Pearl sure as hell felt like she did.

Going back to beg to live with her ex wasn't even the worst part. Her family most likely won't talk to Pearl ever again after that fight. Pearl stops, and looks up at the sky, the blue color of her eyes really shining through. The more Pearl thinks about it, the more she wonders if that's really a bad thing. No more screaming fits, no more slapping, no more insults, no more manipulation, no more abuse. But, is moving in with Rose really much better? She stops herself. Of course it is! She's wonderful. She's my best friend, always has been! Nothing bad is going to happen!

She had already texted all her friends what happened, or at least the ones she trusted. Pearl had managed to grab her cellphone before she got kicked out. Amethyst's mother isn't stable enough to have a new person move in. Garnet welcomed her, but her family already have so many people living that it didn't feel right to move into her already tight-spaced house. She called Bismuth, but she never picked up. So, Pearl finally resorted to calling Rose. Her ex-lover told her that she could stay as long as she needed to Pearl's delight.. or disdain? She hadn't figured out which one yet.

Pearl stepped forth once more, despite a minoritized, yet loud and proud voice in the back of her mind telling her to bail. Such an overthinker, almost as if there were multiple alternate versions of herself telling her different things. Despite so many of the voices telling her no, she chose one of the few saying yes.

She looked down when she rang the doorbell, not wanting to face Rose when she answered the door. When Rose opened the door, her eyes shone expectantly. "Pearl!" She squealed, bouncing when clapping her hands together causing the curls of her long, dyed, pink hair. Rose moved straight in for a hug. "I was so happy when you called! I feel like we haven't talked in forever! I missed you!"

"I've missed you too." Pearl chuckled, with a clear glaze of amorosity behind her tone.

Pearl felt Rose tense a bit at the sound of her voice. Did I go too far? I didn't even say anything. Did I sound wrong?  Thoughts filled her head until Rose giggled and opened the door for her friend. "Come in! Come in!"

She walked into her house. Like Pearl's, her house was extremely beautiful. Granite.. well everything, marble, pillars, and a lot of white. Rose turned around to look at her. "Do you want anything to eat?" She asked, walking to the fridge.

Pearl shook her head. "I'm okay."

"Well-uh... Do you want to put your things away? I have two beds in my room.. Don't ask why. It's a long story." Rose said, trying to hold back her laughter. Pearl wanted to ask questions, but decided against it.

"Yeah sure."

-

Pearl had been staying with Rose Quartz for a week, and it was already driving her crazy. She would go on and on about Greg, Greg, Greg, and Greg. Or, she would ask extra-personal about Pearl's pregnancy and gush about her dreams of growing up and having her own kids. Pearl couldn't think more oppositely.

The only places the teenager had been the past week were her classes. But, finally, she got the chance to leave Rose's place. She was beyond excited that Bismuth had asked her on a date. Erm- well... it wasn't really a date. As Bismuth said they were simply "hanging out.". However, based on the way the athlete spoke, she knew it couldn't be just that. This would keep her mind off of Rose for sure.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Pearl was wearing a steel blue-colored overall dress, with a white turtleneck under it, showing off the small bulge of her stomach growing slowly. She had a large, pastel yellow barret clipping the left side of curled bangs. Without thinking, she turned around and asked, "What do you think?", to Rose.

The blonde-haired girl didn't realize what she said until she said it. There's nothing wrong with asking that! She's not just your ex, she's also your friend! A really.. really close friend. Still! It's fine to ask a friend what she thinks of your out- "You look great, Pearl!" She responded, sounding surprisingly happy for her.

Pearl turned back around to the mirror, with a small frown on her face. What was I expecting her to say? Was I expecting her to be jealous? Was I expecting her to be mean? Why would I want that?  The thoughts rang in her head as she walked to the door. "Are you ready?"

Rose suddenly looked up from her phone. "Yeah! Almost forgot I offered you a ride heh." She jumped out of the sheets wearing the white t-shirt, magenta plaid mini-skirt, and pink denim jacket. "Let's go!"

Chapter Text

"Some say I have no direction. That I'm a lightspeed distraction, but that's a knee-jerk reaction. Still, this is the final frontier..." Rose took her eyes off of the road for a second to swing a look at Pearl who had her eyes glued to the phone in her hand. "Come on, Pearl! Sing it with me!"

Pearl looked up, almost alarmed. "Oh! Sorry heh.. I don't really know this song."

Rose stared at her, almost in awe. "'Comet'? Tom Scharpling?? How can you not know this song?"

"Well, maybe I know a little bit of it, but-"

"Then sing along!" Rose laughed. "Aw, Pearl! Am I not your best friend anymore?" She asked. "We used to sing in the car together all the time!"

"Rose, when we did that we were dating." Pearl mumbled, shaking her head.

"And you said you were over it. Gosh, sometimes you're so emotional. I think it would be easier for you to keep a partner if you smiled more." Rose said. Pearl looked up at her, emotion embedded deep within her eyes. Yet, Rose looked the same. She stared at the road, giggling.

Eventually, Rose took notice of Pearl's mood. She stopped the car, and grabbed her chin gently. "My Pearl, I'm just trying to help you." She spoke melodically, hypnotically.

Pearl smiled, though she didn't want to. Despite swearing that she absolutely hated Rose's guts, she blushed and listened to her. "I know." Rose immediately let go of her and left her head hanging. "Good." She said, starting the car up once again.

-

They pulled up to the parking lot with Pearl peeking out of the windows, looking for her date. "We're here!" Rose exclaimed, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Oh, you're coming in with me?" Pearl asked.

"Of course! I've gotta' see who you're going out with." Rose explained.

Shit. Time to make excuses, fast. "You're my ex. It's probably not the most brilliant idea to bring an ex into the restaurant for your first date."

Rose snorted. "They won't know that, besides, we're fine now. Pearl, you might want to remember that you're living at my house. Don't want to get on my bad side." Pearl knew that she was kidding, but there was something about her voice that told her that she might not be.

"Fine." She sighed. They got out of Rose's car and headed toward the restaurant.

Leaning on the front doors in her jacket, stood Bismuth. Pearl couldn't help but keep looking at Rose- then Bismuth- then Rose. "Hey, Bismuth!"

"Hey..." Bismuth took a step forward, more for Rose than for Pearl. "Long time no see." She sneered, looking at the taller, pink-haired teenager behind her.

Rose dipped her head. "Hello," her voice crackled. "Bismuth."

"Wow.. I think the last time I saw you was when you ruined my life by forcing Garnet and Amethyst away from me and telling the whole school about how terrible I was even though I didn't do anything." 

"Please. You were in the wrong, and you know it."

Pearl wanted to add something, anything. But when she opened her mouth, not a word came out. Suddenly, she realized just how little she knew about Bismuth and Rose's fallout. All she remembered was Rose telling her the vague outline of the story, but never exactly what happened. "Maybe I could um- get a little refresher of... everything..?"

"It was Summer, we were getting along great. You, me, Rose, Garnet, and Amethyst hung out almost every day. But, one day, it was just me and Rose." She pointed an accusatory finger at Rose. "I was at her house, and I brought one of my inventions I made during class. Nothin' too special. I showed Rose, she thought it was awesome! After a bit, we went downstairs. Her mom noticed, and asked me what it was. I told her, and talked about my future as an inventor." Rose bit her lip before she continued. "Her mother went on about how a woman could never work such a high caliber job. Obviously, I told her she was wrong, since Rose was just sitting there kicking her feet. At the sole idea that she might be wrong, she flipped. She started screaming slurs at me, made fun of the way I looked, made fun of my family, made fun of personality; and y'know what Rose did?" Pearl tilted her head. "What?"

Bismuth took three slow steps, so she was almost nose-to-nose with Rose, and had Pearl crammed in the middle. "She didn't stick up for me. No, no, no! She told me to calm down. She told me I was being too emotional. She told me that I needed to apologize!"

"Rose..." Pearl whispered.

Bismuth bellowed. "Oh, no! That's not all! I told her that I didn't want anything to do with her, so instead of telling Garnet and Amethyst that; she told them that I fought her! I fought Rose in the middle of the night and she won! And they believed it!"

"I never heard any of that. Rose just told me you two had an argument." Pearl growled at Rose. All Bismuth said, about Rose telling her to "calm down," and "stop being so emotional," just hit way too close to home.

Bismuth and Pearl stood there, expecting Rose to make some sort of comment, but all she did was stand there, staring at the dirt. "Ugh, what are you doing here anyway?"

Pearl decided to answer for her. "She's my ride."

"Oh.." Pearl could tell by Bismuth's face that she wasn't too fond of that.

Suddenly, when the two turned back around to look at Rose, they saw her walking to the car. "I'll... see you later?"

"What?- No. Pearl, we're leaving." Rose insisted.

"R-Rose, I'm staying."

"Pearl, you're staying at my house, you're riding in my car, and I am deciding that we are going home." At this point, everyone outside of the restaurant was staring at them.

"I have a date, Rose. I can't just leave."

"I'll say it again; you're staying at my house, you're riding in my car, and I am deciding that we are going home. If you don't follow me right now, you aren't staying with me."

"Excuse me!? Where do you expect me to go!?" Pearl exclaimed.

Rose looked down. Pearl knew that this wasn't entirely easy for her either. "I don't know. Please." She walked over to her and held her face in her hand as she had done in the car. "My Pearl."

Bismuth looked at Rose, disgusted. "What the fuck? That's not an okay thing to call someone. She doesn't belong to you, Rose."

"Hm? Of course she does."

Bismuth was speechless. "Who are you!? What is wrong with you!? Do you actually think that!?" For the first time, Pearl took a second thought about the nickname she had thought of as 'harmless'. It did objectify her. It was strange to think that another girl could even think of her like that. The only person who had ever treated her like that before was Bill. Bill, mère fouiner, Dewey. Rose Quartz, for a split second, reminded her of Bill Dewey.

"Bismuth is right. I don't like that." They were both surprised when she spoke.

"Well I, um, I- I'm leaving. This is your last chance, Pearl."

Pearl and Bismuth looked at each other. For once, she wasn't torn. Pearl knew what she wanted to do. "No, I'm sorry."

"Okay. You can pick up your stuff whenever, someday.. I don't care." She got back in the car and took one look back at Pearl. "Bye."

"Goodbye." As Rose drove out of the parking lot, Pearl couldn't help but cry. She didn't know why. She should be happy that her ex was finally out of her life, but the cons outweighed the pros. But, as the crowd around them faded away, Bismuth put her arm on Pearl's shoulder reassuringly.

"Are you okay?" This just made Pearl break down harder.

"No, I'm not. I'm sorry I," she looked back at the restaurant, "can't be here. Maybe we could go somewhere else?"

"Definitely. Wanna' go back to my place?"

"Yes, please."

-

Pearl layed in Bismuth's arms crying on her bed, with her friend stroking her blonde hair. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I have nowhere to stay."

"Awe, Pearl, I've told you that you can stay with me. We have an extra room and my parents love you!" Bismuth whispered, wiping away a tear on Pearl's cheek.

"I just don't want to be a burden."

Bismuth sat up. "Pearl! You aren't a burden to anyone. Stop thinking like that. I'm lucky to be your friend." She grabbed her hand.

She sighed. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay." Pearl giggled. Bismuth reached over and gave her a bone-crushingly, tight hug. "Woo! I can't wait!"

As she left the embrace, Pearl realized Bismuth was directly on top of her, mear centimeters away from her face. Pearl lightly pulled Bismuth closer to her face. "Is this okay?" She asked.

"Mhm. Are you okay?" Bismuth added.

"Yes. I think this will make up for our date."

Bismuth put her finger in Pearl's face. "Ah, ah, ah; our hangout."

Pearl rolled her eyes and pushed Bismuth's lips to her. KIssing Bismuth felt.. different than kissing Rose or Bill for her. Kissing Bill felt wrong, maybe because it was, it felt musty and creepy. Kissing Rose felt like she was putting more than she was getting. Rose lacked energy, it almost felt like she was being lazy. But, kissing Bismuth was like finally finding the perfect key for the lock. Despite their differences, they were so similar in ways Pearl couldn't muster. Maybe the reason it felt that way was because Bismuth actually respected her.

When they released, Pearl relished the time spent in Bismuth's arms. "I still have to go back and collect my things from Rose's house."

"Yeah.. Are you going to do that tomorrow morning?"

"Mhm."

Bismuth huffed. "Good luck."

-

Pearl looked at herself in Bismuth's mirror. She wore one of her new girlfriend's blue and white Polo shirts as a dress, with a dark blue belt pulled tightly around her waist. It worked surprisingly well. Bismuth walked into the bathroom with Pearl and stood behind her. "That's a pretty good DIY."

"Thank you." Pearl laughed, reaching over to put Bismuth's hands on her hips. As Bismuth's grey tank top shifted upward, Pearl could see a black star on her muscular arm. "Is that a tattoo!?"

Bismuth looked at it. "Oh yeah. I forget I have it sometimes heh."

Pearl trailed her fingers across the lines of the star. "Wow.. I didn't know you had that..."

"Keep it in your pants, Renegade." Bismuth teased, running a hand through Pearl's hair, messing it up. Pearl blushed and gave Bismuth a light hit on the arm. "I'm surprised your parents didn't immediately come looking for you after that one."

Pearl laughed. "They wouldn't do that." She paused. "I'm not surprised they haven't sent the police to look for me. I'd probably be easy to find."

"Well, I'm glad they haven't. I can't wait for you to move in." Bismuth said.

Pearl sighed. "I am too. But first," Pearl walked out of the bathroom, "you know what I have to do now."

Bismuth followed. "Yeah. Don't let her say or do anything to you, okay?"

"Okay." Pearl responded, and headed downstairs to walk out the front door.

-

She stood in the driveway of Rose's gigantic home. She passed the pillars, the pure white shingles, and a silly amount of windows to get to the door. She pressed the doorbell, with more confidence than she had the last time. The main difference was that she wasn't scared. Pearl knew that whatever happened, Rose couldn't control her. And, Bismuth would remind her of that.

Rose opened the door, and looked at Pearl up and down. "Ah, hello Pearl."

"Hello, Rose."

"Come with me, all your boxes are in my room." Rose said, walking upstairs without taking a look back at Pearl. So, Pearl followed.

When they got upstairs, Pearl saw a small box, with all the remaining clothes she had somehow managed to grab before escaping from her mother's house. She peeked inside, making sure everything was there. It all looked good. About 3 tops, a dress, 2 pairs of pants, and a skirt; just what she took. Pearl picked up the box. "Well, uhm... Bye."

Before Pearl could even take a step, Rose shouted, "wait!"

"Hmm?" Pearl said, clearly annoyed. She couldn't be bothered to act gently, she just didn't care.

"Pearl, please...."

Pearl rolled her eyes. "I don't understand."

"You don't have to leave! You can stay here with me! If you want, we can be together again. Just, please don't go." Rose pleaded, leaning over to grab Pearl's hand.

Pearl let one of her hands go to pinch her glabella. "And then what? You can act like you own me again?" She stopped to think again. "A-and what about Greg?"

"I've been thinking about opening our relationship a bit."

"And what did Greg think about that?"

"I haven't told him that I want to be polyamorous, yet. But, I'm sure he'd be fine with it. Please! I can be with you and Greg!" Rose squeezed Pearl's hand tighter.

Pearl threw Rose's hand aside aggressively. "See, Rose?? This is your problem!" Her eyes filled with tears. "You never tell anyone anything! Well- you used to tell me everything.. but once we started high school you just.. forgot about me. No- not me. You forgot about my feelings. You forgot that I'm also a human being."

They both stopped in silence.

"What are we going to do now?" Rose asked to break the silence.

"We're not doing anything. We can't talk anymore. I can't be your girlfriend. Scratch that, I can't be your friend. I can't deal with you. I'm sorry."

Rose's eyes filled with tears. "There has to be another way."

"No, you'll never truly care about me. Or, at least not like you care about those random people you decide to pursue instead of me. My heart belongs to someone else. I'm done. Goodbye." Pearl walked out of the room, slamming the door, leaving Rose slumped over on her bed.

Rose couldn't believe what she just heard. Her whole body shivered with anger. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. She glared at herself in the mirror, not sure whether to be mad at Pearl, or at herself. She walked toward the mirror, each step making the wooden floor creak. Her fist rose in front of her face, fingers quivering. A sharp howl came from her throat as her fist hit the glass. Her breath slowed when she saw the glass splayed on the floor. She hid her face in her hands, letting the tears fall onto her fingers. They were officially done, romantically and platonically.

-

Pearl snuggled closer to Bismuth, nuzzling into her thick dreadlocks. Bismuth didn't notice this though, she was too enthralled by the television. They were watching a movie Amethyst recommended entitled, 'Lonely Blade', an action thriller.

The main villain in the movie pulled out a long, silver katana and held it up in the sky. The protagonist looked horrified. "No, Lonely Blade, don't use it!" He whispered dramatically.

She settled in further until Bismuth's arms flew up along with a few popcorn kernels. "What!? If that thing's got infinite power then of course Lonely Blade should use it. It just makes sense!"

"It doesn't have to make sense, it's entertainment." Pearl grumbled, upset that she had to move from her spot.

Bismuth snorted. "Did I move you from your spot?"

"Yes." Pearl huffed, getting comfortable again.

"Oh... Well, it's happening again." Bismuth launched herself out of the pile of blankets. "I gotta' go to the bathroom. Pause the movie!" Pearl gave a small, muffled, "Bismuth!" And paused 'Lonely Blade'. Out of boredom, she pulled out her iPhone.

Her wallpaper showed Garnet, Amethyst, and her under white faerie lights. In the notification bar, she saw two voicemails from someone with no caller ID. Pearl entered her password to unlock her phone and listen to the voicemails. She clicked on the first one.

The audio began staticky, with small sniffles and deep breaths in the background. "P-Pearl, it's Rose," the audio ran. But, she didn't need an introduction, Pearl could recognize Rose's voice from anywhere. "I know that you don't really want to hear from me right now, but um-" she gulped, "I'm pregnant and I don't know what to do. I'm not trying to guilt you or anything, and I'm not trying to force you to help me, but.. for some reason, I feel like I needed to tell you. So, um here we are. At first, I was excited, but now I'm not sure. I thought about how well you were handling it, and I realized that I'll never be able to do this. My parents are kicking me out, Greg's music career isn't going well, his parents aren't happy with him either. A-and I read about things that can happen to young people giving birth. Ripping, loss of blood.. a lot of people have died. I just don't know how I'm going to do this, and I would appreciate it if you could give me some advice." She sighed, "thanks. Bye, m-.. bye, Pearl."

Pearl didn't know what to think or say. Rose was pregnant and wanted her guidance. Thinking of this made Pearl realize just how little she knew about having a child. All she had thought about were her parents. Rose's voice played over and over in her mind, "ripping, loss of blood.. a lot of people have died." She didn't want that! She had a future, school, friends, hobbies. And she especially didn't know how to take care of a child.

Her mind trailed back to the conversation she had with Bill Dewey.

"Listen here, do you actually think a seventeen-year-old will be able to raise a child on their own?"

"I am keeping it."

Pearl hadn't decided to keep her baby because she wanted it and loved it, she kept it because she wanted to spite her math teacher. She looked down at the tiny bulge slowly growing from her stomach. This was an accident. I don't want this, do I?

"I'm only about 2 months..." her words came out as a whisper, while she bit her nails. Pearl pressed the home button and clicked on 'Safari'. She typed into the search bar, "nearest abortion clinics." She scrolled through. There was a surprising amount of Planned Parenthoods in Pennsylvania.

Bismuth walked out of the bathroom looking bubbly and elated, a big contrast to Pearl. "Alright, you can put the movie back on."

Pearl looked up at her, eyes staring blankly. She plastered a fake smile onto her face. "Okay."