For the rest of that night, I tried to think of any type of reason for that sudden change in Lapis' mood. It's like the second she checked her phone, any happiness she was feeling dissipated. Did she receive bad news? Was someone mad at her? Who could've been mad at her? What bad news could it have been? I was admittedly worried about her, but when I woke up the next morning, I decided to put all that thinking aside - I had work to do. 

I was called in for a face-to-face appointment with a client I hadn't worked with before. This seemed pretty harmless, and they simply wanted me to display my tech in person. They wanted to make sure this stuff was the 'real deal' - and oh it is. I didn't waste a large chunk of my life working on this shit for nothing. I rarely go for face-to-face appointments, but when I do have to, I have to drive out to my mother's work building - which was a bit closer to Beach City than where I lived...okay a lot closer. 

I pulled into the large parking lot in front of my mother's work building, and exited my car. I went around back to the trunk, and pulled out the somewhat heavy duffel bag full of the robonoid tech. I slammed the trunk closed, and hurried to the entrance so I wouldn't drop any of this stuff. So apparently the appointment was scheduled for 9:30 AM, in room 310. I hastily pushed the button, and briefly checking my phone for the time - 9:28 AM. Fuck. I anxiously tapped my foot as I waited for the damned elevator to arrive already.

The second the doors began to open, I slipped through, and mashed the 'close doors' button several times. They eventually shut once again, and I pressed the 3 button before setting down my heavy ass bag. There were reflections everywhere in this elevator, so I took this opportunity to fix my hair a little bit as I ascended. There were little strands of hair sticking up, and it was one of my biggest pet peeves. After several attempts, I finally was able to keep them down with the gel that was already in my hair. The doors opened, and I quickly lifted my duffel bag before speed-walking out.

I was almost jogging down the halls just to be on time - I couldn't break this punctual streak I had. 308...309...310. I stopped at the door, and took a deep breath for a tiny moment. I then gently pushed open the door and formed the most confident and serious expression I could muster up. "Greetings, excuse me for being a minute late. Uhm, Susan Garrett, you said your name was?" I asked, glancing at the chair with the back facing me. I walked around the table and set my duffel bag. "Peridot Greene." I stated, and before I sat in my chair, I held my hand out for a handshake. My eyes had finally peered up at the person across from me, and my stomach violently lurched. 

The supposed "Susan Garrett" looked painfully familiar, and I was in extreme denial at this point. She had shoulder-length slicked back blonde hair, thick and furrowed eyebrows, and...fuck. I recognized her eyes anywhere. She always had one lime green eye like my eyes, and the other was a cloudy teal pupil, due to it being blind. It was my sister, Squaridot. I immediately retracted my hand, and groaned loudly. "9:31. Fantastic punctuality." she purred, grinning at me. A shiver shot down my spine, and I clenched my fists behind my back.

"WHAT THE FU-..." I halted, and decided to pause to maintain my composure. "Ahem...what are you doing here?" I asked in a stern voice, looking her up and down. "Aw, not even a little happy to see me?" she asked, slowly putting her feet on the table. "Get your filthy shoes off of that table, you brute." I grunted. However, she ignored my request and arched an eyebrow. "What did you do with Susan Garrett? You didn't kidnap and kill her, did you?" I asked, planting my hands onto the table. "Ugh, I'm not that insane, Jesus. I am Susan Garrett, you idiot." she replied, rolling her eyes.

"What do you mean?! Why did you use a fake name?" I asked. "Cause' I knew if I told you my real name, you wouldn't meet me here." she explained, shrugging her shoulders. "Well, looks like we're done here." I stated, bending over to pick the duffel bag back up. "Peridot, I want to talk to you. It's been ages." she said, but I ignored her. I picked up the bag, and began to walk towards the door. I then felt her hand grasp my wrist, and I jolted in exasperation. I whipped my head around to glare at her. "Don't touch me." I hissed through clenched teeth. 

"I can touch you as much as I want." Squari sassily replied, gripping me harder. "It's not like you're gonna do anything about it." she said, furrowing her eyebrows. "You're right. I'm a professional. I won't do anything about it. But security will definitely do something about it." I said. "W-wait wait, Peridot. I just wanna talk." she argued. "I told you to never talk to me again, did I not make myself clear? I want nothing to do with you, period." I stated, ripping my wrist away from her grip. "I blocked your number too. How did you get ahold of me again?" I questioned. "Textfree. Duh. It's like, the easiest way to cover up your tracks." she replied.

I groaned again, and didn't respond."Why are you really here, Peridot?" she then asked, and I rolled my eyes. "I'm asking myself the same question. That's why I'm leaving." I explained, placing my hand on the doorknob. "That's not what I meant. I meant why are you here here? In Beach City?" she further asked, and I froze for a moment. "What the hell do you mean?" I asked, not turning around to look at her just yet. "Well, with how successful you've become, it seems like you've had no problem working where you were previously living." she elaborated. 

"What exactly is your reason for coming back here? Out of all places?" I huffed in frustration. "I came here so I had easier access to my mother, and as you can see, this building is significantly closer to Beach City than it is where I was staying before." I explained, irritated. "Ahh, so you are living here." she said, and I finally turned around to look at her. "I'm not living here. I'm just...staying here temporarily. Why are you so nosy?" I asked. "I'm not nosy. I am just curious is all. How often do you have appointments like these?" her question-asking was getting on my nerves. 

I stormed back to the desk, and slammed my hands on it violently. This caused her to lower her feet from the table, and lean forward a bit to look at me more intently. "Just looking at you makes me sick to my stomach. I am finally thriving and being successful, and I am not about to let you be another obstacle in my way. You are merely a speed bump. I will run over that speed bump, leaving it behind and out of my way once again. Get the message?" I hissed in a low voice. Squaridot only stared back at me with a smirk, and seemed unfazed. 

"I take it you don't have many of these meetings, do you?" she replied in a soft tone. I stared at her intensely, not responding. "Well, if you don't, then what's the harm in simply driving all the way out here just a couple times a, what, month perhaps? Was it really necessary to move here?" she asked, resting her chin in her hand. "I am a busy woman. I do not have time for long drives like that." I grunted. "Uh huh. I think I know why you're doing this, Peri." she said in a cocky voice, and I felt she couldn't possibly know any more. This was just business. She was trying to get in my head.

"So...Jasper was the one who told me you were back in town. And you know who told him?" she asked me rhetorically, and my angry expression began to soften. "That's right. That beautiful blue. You know the one I'm talking about." she stated, folding her hands together now. "Does this mean...she was the first to know you were here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "My mother was, you imbecile." I argued. "That's not saying a lot, Peridot." she protested, shaking her head. "Jasper said Lapis was sooo thrilled to see you back, and that means you two hang out, right?" I didn't answer her question this time. I clenched my teeth, and just continued to look at her with a blank expression. 

"Therefore, I think I know exactly why you decided to stay here, Peridot." she concluded. "You don't know shit, Squaridot. Stay out of other people's business. Lapis and I are barely acquaintances, and our romantic tendencies are long gone." I said, gripping the table now. "Oh? So I didn't even have to say anything for you to mention romantic tendencies. It was on the table already, wasn't it?" she said, and this had me fuming. "You implied it, Squaridot. Any lunatic could have picked up what you were putting down." I explained, feeling my face heat up. 

"Well, since you wanna be a stubborn rat, I'll leave you be, I guess. I can't believe I drove all the way out here just to get your nasty spit in my face. I just wanted to catch up with my little sister is all. But I'll tell you one thing..." she said, leaning forward more. I leaned back a little, feeling unsettled at this point. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Peridot." and with that, she got up, and left the room. I stood there in silence, staring off into space in deep thought. I hope she didn't see that she had gotten to me a little bit. I couldn't let anything get to me, but of course she was one of those people who really just love to push your buttons. 

My phone buzzed, snapping me out of my trance. I took my phone out, and pursed my lips tightly as I saw who messaged me - it was from Lapis. I scrunched up my eyebrows, closed my eyes, and sighed softly. I swiped it away, and ignored it.