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"Yo, Cah-nay! 'Sup?"
I paused on my way up the stairs. "Oh, hello, Amethyst." I continued my ascent. "How are you?"
Amethyst kicked her feet up on the small table on the porch, eyes closed and arms folded behind her head. "I'm good. You?"
"I'm well. Is Steven home?"
"Nah, he just went down to get some pizza for you guys."
"Oh." I stopped in front of the front door, suddenly feeling awkward.
"But you can go on in. He'll be back soon."
"Okay..."
I pushed the creaky door open slowly. The sound seemned to thunder through the empty house. I stiffly walked to the couch and then sat down. I shifted uncomfortably. I always felt weird when I was at Steven's house without him. Like I was intruding or trespassing. I knew that Steven's home would always be open to me as long as we were friends, but sometimes I just felt...out of place.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out and flipped the top open.
'Hey, are you at the Temple yet?'
The the sound of tapping filtered through the air as I answered.
'Yes. Are you almost here?'
'Almost. I just ordered the pizza. Extra pineapple, just the way you like it. ;)'
I giggled. 'Thanks.'
'I'll be there in thirty minutes or less. ^_^ get the game started for me.'
'Okay. See you soon.'
I slid my phone back into my pocket while I climbed the stairs to his bedroom. I sat down in front of his bed and shifted through the various games next to his counsel. Before I could pick one I heard the creak of the door.
I turned my head, my greeting stalling once I saw who had entered.
It was Pearl.
I could only see her from the side but she looked...different. Her normal outfit was replaced with some type of long sleeved dull blue jumpsuit that was tucked into clunky black boots. She was covered from head to toe in dirt and grime and her short hair was slightly mussed. There was a large ring full of keys hanging from one of her belt loops. She looked...
She pulled out a severely stained rag that seemed to have once been red. She passed it over her cheek, only worsening that black smudge that was there. Then she took a few moments to scrub at her hands before sighing and giving up. Pearl raised her hands and arched her back, thrusting out her previously unnoticeable breasts. She allowed her body to relax as she rolled her head around, a few of her bones cracking.
I shifted on the floor, slightly uncomfortable. Well, not uncomfortable, just...confused. My mother always told me that I had to be "ladylike". That meant I had to be polite and quiet and soft. I had to smart, but not a know-it-all. My posture had to be ramrod straight and my dresses had to be pretty. I had to pretty. I had to be feminine. And Pearl...she was the epitome of femininity. She was delicate and graceful. She always greeted me with a soft smile and an offering of a snack. She took care of Steven like a mother would and she gave me the same treatment. She was feminine.
Except for now. Now she wasn't. She was...more.
Her stance was wider and her shoulders were slightly slumped. She was attractively dirty, the stains somehow highlighting her features. Her movements were no longer elegant and soft, but succinct and brusque. For some reason she had a different bearing, a self assured swagger that I had never seen her display outside of the few moments of battle that I've seen. She looked confident and strong. Not to say that she didn't ordinarily, it just...it showed more.
I barely suppressed a loud gasp when I finally saw her entire face. She was beautiful.
No...I mean...handsome. Or both.
Could that happen? Could beauty and handsomeness coexist in one person? Could femininity and masculinity? Could those two traits, those two personas be interchanged? Could they be fused?
Could I be as beautifully handsome as Pearl one day?
"I sure hope so."
Pearl jumped nearly a foot in the air. She whipped her head up. "C-Connie?!"
I felt my face heat up. Did I say that out loud? "Hi, Pearl," I whispered.
Pearl fiddled with the ends of her sleeves. "I-I didn't know that you were here! Oh, I'm so sorry!" She bustled into the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink? I have some lemonade."
I shook my head, marveled by her transformation. Somehow, she had managed to become the perfect housewife in the span of two seconds. She was dressed like some sort of hard working engineer, but the only thing I saw was a woman. "No, thank you. I'm...I'm fine."
"How about a snack?"
"Steven's bringing pizza."
"Oh, alright."
There was silence as we both shifted slightly. "So," I said, suddenly desperate to hold a conversation. "Why are you dressed like that?"
Pearl look down. "Oh my word!" A light blue blush appeared on her face. "I forgot that I was wearing this. I am so sorry. I was just fixing up Greg's van and Steven told me I should wear this to protect my clothes. I look like a mess! And I'm probably getting everything dirty." She hurried into the living room, her voice becoming wobbly. "You shouldn't see me like this. I'm wearing my normal clothes underneath here, I'll just take this off. I must look terrible, this is so embarrassi-."
"No!" I felt my face heat again. That was too loud. That was way too loud. "Uh, I mean," I looked down at my hands, my voice much softer. "I think...you look nice."
Pearl chuckled. "In this? That's impossible, Connie. But thank you for the compliment."
"I mean it!" Too loud. "You look good all of the time, but..." I forced myself to make eye contact. "You look...beautifully handsome today."
Pearl placed a dainty hand on her chest. "Why...thank you, Connie."
I stared, unable to force myself to break her icy blue gaze. I wasn't ever sure that I wanted to. I felt...weird. I felt... I wanted... Ugh, I didn't know. All I did know was I didn't want Pearl to leave yet.
I held a controller up. "Do you...do you wanna play games until Steven gets here?"
Pearl cringed. "Thank you, Connie, but I'm not one for video games."
"Are you sure? I brought one that I think you might like. It's one of my favorites." I put on my best pout. "Please?"
Pearl wrung her hands and glanced away. "I don't know..."
"If you don't like it then you don't have to play it. Just give t a try."
Pearl sighed softly. "Oh, alright. But only until Steven gets here."
I punched the air. "Yes!"
She removed her jumpsuit and boots (to my disappointment), then placed them on a chair. She smoothed her hands over her regular outfit a few times. She walked up the stairs and then sat next to me in front of bed.
I handed her a controller. "Okay, so this game is called Tetris. The object of the game is to arrange these different shaped blocks to make straight lines and clear the field." I put the game inside of the console. "Watch me do it a couple times and then you can give it a try."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I heard the door open. "Alright, Connie! I'm he-!"
"UGH, NO I PRESSED THE WRONG BUTTON! Steven distracted me!"
"Ha! No excuses, Connie. Keep doing that and I'll get a perfect clear long before y- A Z BLOCK?! I HAVE NOWHERE TO PUT THAT!"
I heard Steven's voice right behind me. "Uh..."
Pearl and I were huddled in front of his television, our eyes flitting across the screen and our fingers flying across the controllers. The screen was split, my board on the left and Pearl's on the right. Our ridiculously high scores were constantly fluctuating, Pearl in the lead for one moment, then me the next. Every few blocks one of us would take a moment to consider the best move, or perhaps stretch or shift positions, then we would place the block and keep going. Our faces were determined and we were both sticking their tongues out slightly through tiny smiles.
Steven gave a bemused chuckle. "Uh, hey, guys."
"Hi, Steven."
"Hello."
There was a silence filled with tapping.
"You guys having fun?"
Pearl smirked. "Well, I do enjoy winning."
The words PERFECT CLEAR flashed on my screen.
I whooped. "Then you must not be enjoying this!"
The same words flashed across Pearl's screen, putting her ahead of me by forty points.
She arched an eyebrow, sparing a haughty glance at me.
I growled playfully. "The game isn't over yet."
Steven sat on the bed. "How long have you been playing?"
"Well," Pearl responded. "Connie familiarized me with the game about twenty minutes ago, but this particular game has been going on for about ten."
Steven gasped loudly. "Your scores are that high from ten minutes?! Wow!"
"Yes, well," Pearl frowned as she misplaced a block. "Connie is quite smart."
I looked at Pearl, a blush settling on my face. She thought I was smart?
"Connie," Steven shouted. "Your blocks!"
I looked back at the screen just in time to see my board turn grey. "Aw, man."
"Ha! I won!" Pearl thrusted her controller into the air, the purest smile on her face.
I folded my arms, a smirk on my face. "You only won because I got distracted."
"Oh? What distracted you?"
"Uh...well..."
Pearl chuckled. "No excuses. I won." She let out a soft grunt as she unfolded and started down the stairs. She paused halfway down. "However, I will allow a rematch." She winked at me. "That is, if you're up for another beating."
I smiled, ignoring the blush only growing stronger on my face. "You're on!"
Pearl laughed. A full bellied, no holds barred, actual laugh. It was beautiful. "Alright. You kids have fun." She walked over to the Temple door, then stepped inside once it opened.
I stared after her, trying to make sense of the strange feelings I was having. What was it?
"Pearl's really cool."
I looked over at Steven. He was opening the pizza box on his bed.
"Yeah," I replied. "Cool."