"Corruption?! So...it wasn't just her nasty-ass temper that made her lose it like that? It was that stuff?" Lapis asked, pointing to the green substance. "Most likely...." the Peridot replied, putting the beaker back into its holder on a counter. "But....who would just inject this goop into Jasper for no reason?" I asked. "Well actually....maybe it wasn't for no reason..." "What do you mean?" Lapis asked in a ...fearful tone?

"I mean that there could be someone out there who's hunting random people with corruption.....but it seems more likely that someone hunted Jasper for reasons unknown right now..." the Peridot explained. Lapis looked at the floor, and I could tell that she knew Peridot was right. There was dead silence, and the Peridot walked off to the machines, still studying the results. I looked back at Lapis, and she looked uneasy.

I put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked into my eyes. "Hey...we'll figure this out...but for now - why don't we get our minds off of this for a while and do something fun." I say, trying to reassure her. She looked hesitant for a moment, but she finally nodded, smiling. "Yeah...o-okay..." she says, before pulling her phone out. 

"What's the plan?" I asked curiously, as she was adding all of her contacts into a group message. "We're gonna have fun!" Lapis says and smirks. I watched as she texted in the group message.

Lapis: Since u guys been workin hard, we're hanging at the bar downtown tonight, drinks on me :)

"Whoa, Lapis! Do you realize how many people you're paying drinks for?" I asked, surprised at how generous this was. "Don't worry, Peri. I'm loaded, and besides - they're gonna have to earn it back tomorrow anyway..." Lapis said, winking. "There's always a catch with you..." I joke, taking Lapis's hand as we walk out of the dark room.

-Timeskip-

"I-I dunno, Lapis. A-are you sure that thing is safe?" I asked, genuinely scared of the deadly possibilities. In front of me, Lapis was sitting on a dark blue and black motorcycle, smirking. "C'mon, babe! It's totally fine! I'll give you my helmet if that makes you feel better..." Lapis says, holding up a black helmet with a Blue Diamond insignia on it.

"Nyeeeehhhh..." I reluctantly walked over to the bike, and she handed me the helmet. "I'm not a weenie...I-I could go without some cloddy helmet!" I whined, crossing my arms and turning away. Lapis giggled, and threw the helmet to the side. "Pfff, if you say so.." I then hopped onto the bike, almost falling off, but Lapis luckily caught me in time. 

"Alright, you ready?" 

"Uhm...y-yeah I guess so.." I mumbled, and I wrapped my arms around Lapis's waist tightly. She then started to play some music. "Okay...hold on..." the bluenette said as she revved the engine. "Um, Lapis, I-I'm starting to have second thoughts about thi--" VROOOOOMM!!! "WUUUAAAAAGHHHH!!!!" I screeched as we sped down the road at like 100 miles per hour.

I shut my eyes tightly, and pressed my face into Lapis's back, not wanting to think about all of the dangerous risks included in this single ride. "WOOOOHOOOOO!!!" Lapis's scream echoed through the cold night air. Neither of us spoke for a moment, and my eyes remained shut tight. "Peri! Check this out!" Lapis shouted over the loud rev of the engine and music. I hesitantly opened one eye. I then opened the other one when I noticed the sight before me. 

I looked to the right and noticed the amazing view of the glowing buildings from Beach City, and the moonlight shining off of each and every one of them. I gaped at the sight, and my previously tense mood turned into a relaxed one. I smiled, and felt the nice breeze hit my face as Lapis slightly sped up. "Pretty, isn't it?" Lapis commented. "Yeah....it is..." I say, loosening my death grip on Lapis. 

I closed my eyes and rested my head on Lapis, listening to the sweet sound of Adventure of a Lifetime by Coldplay.

https://youtu.be/nJtK14ffgEM

Before I knew it, we arrived at the Tipsy Gem, and the vibration of the motorcycle came to a halt as we parked. There were already at least 20 motorcycles parked at the bar. Lapis let me hop off first, then she followed, putting the keys in her pocket. The door jingled as I opened the door for Lapis. A bunch of Amethysts, Jaspers, Rubies, Bismuths, Peridots, Pearls, and many more types of gang members were spread out around the building, and they all turned to look at us as we entered. 

A moment passed, then all of the gang members greeted us with pats on the backs, shouts, and other obnoxious actions - yeah they're all probably drunk already. They all made way for us and we walked up to the counter and sat in these wobbly stools. A short, stocky blonde girl with pale skin walked up to us, and 'SADIE' was printed on her name tag. "What can I get you two?" she asks as she dries a glass.

"Gimme two fireballs please." Lapis said, as she put an arm around me. Fireballs? I can't have Fireball Whiskey! I'm not even 21 yet! She isn't either! We're 17! I knew that I was already breaking the law by being apart of a gang in the first place, but I still didn't think drinking was an exception. What if I got too drunk?! What if I puked?! My panicking intensified as Sadie came back with the two shots in each hand. 

She placed them on the counter, and told us to let her know if we needed anything else. I stared at the drink for a moment, and Lapis took her shot right away. As soon as she downed the drink, she slammed it and scrunched her face up for a moment. "Whew! That's strong. C'mon P, your turn!" Lapis said, nodding at my drink. My fingers tapped on the counter nervously, and I felt sweat forming on the back of my neck.

I took a deep breath, lifted the small glass up, and sloshed the orangish-reddish drink around for a minute. Others began to chant my name, and I decided it was now or never. I raised it up to my mouth, and prepared for the worst...