"No. No, no, no, that can't be, no," quickly whispered Peridot in the intimacy of the cubicle, frenetically searching her bag as she mechanically tapped the floor's humid tiles with her bare feet.

The young girl wasn't generally a big fan of physical activities. She was rather designed for web exploration and lab work, even if she hated to add fuel to the fire of stereotypes about Asians. She was quickly breathless and didn't run a lot, feared to be hit and avoided balls during games, though that wasn't hard, considering how short she was. Moreover, she had to wear glasses not to run into every wall because of how near-sighted she was. The problem was glasses aren't compatible with all physical activities, and of course the PE teacher HAD to choose swimming, this trimester.

Peridot had nothing against swimming – who doesn't love to paddle in a hardly warm stagnant liquid for two hours straight and to go back and forth running into their classmates every time all while trying not to drown, tell me? The only problem was she needed prescription goggles. And those goggles she had just gotten from the optician weren't in her bag.

"Where are they, I can't have forgotten them! I DON'T forget my stuff, no sir!" she grumbled, biting the end of her thumb – she always did that when there was no pen around.

"Hey, Peri, is that you?" Peridot jumped when she heard Amethyst's joyful voice outside the cubicle, among the excited chirping of the other girls walking to the pool. "Got locked inside something again?"

"No, no." the little blond mechanically answered before slapping her own face. Amethyst was joking, why did she think for a second her question was serious?

"You sure everything is okay?" There, now she knew something was wrong, good job, Nerdy Peri.

"Of course I'm sure, just a little issue with my swimming cap, hurry up and go."

"Okay, whatever. Hurry up." Peridot sighed. Now what? She could try to go and swim without her glasses. When she was in the water, it wasn't such a big deal, she'd run into her classmates anyway. If she could get to the swimming pool without making a fool of herself, everything would be alright. Yes, she'd just tell herself that. Trying not to shake, Peridot took the glasses away from her face and put them in their case.

Everything was blurry like a low-quality movie, how awful. Peridot had to bent down to see what she was putting in her bag. She grabbed the strap with one hand, her towel and shoes with the other and pushed the cubicle's door. She was immediately jostled by three girls with pixilated faces but through a miracle managed not to fall. Thank god, Amethyst must already be at the pool, the worse wouldn't happen. Peridot didn't like to look ridiculous, especially in front of someone she held in high regards.

She felt her way with her feet to the bench where she left her bag and shoes. Her towel fell. She grouched when her head hit something - probably the coat rail – as she tried to pick it up. She searched the ground, lowering herself the best she could, before she found the runaway object right under her nose. It had probably just fell on the bench. She took it, rolled it up and slipped it under her arm. Good, now she just had to walk to the pool.

Oh, havens.

Where was the pool?

Peridot bit her finger again. The few late girls, like her, were paying as little attention to her as usual, their unstopping babbling resonating against the slippery floor; maybe they wouldn't notice her as she searched. Sure, she could ask for directions. But she still had her dignity, thank you very much, she didn't want everyone to know she couldn't see two feet away.

She reached out to touch the smooth and a little bit sticky wall with her fingertips. Nothing was moving on her left, and there was some sort of dark opening a few feet away. Well, that was probably the end of the changing room, the pool would be on the other side. Her towel under her arm, she walked carefully, avoiding as much as possible the shoes and bags scattered around like a minefield. It was quite difficult, actually, and she reached her goal breathless and stressed. He prayed for the door she'd found not to be a closet and turned the handle.

The good news was the ground was still tiled, so she hadn't accidently returned to the building's front room. The bad news was it was much darker and that didn't help her vision. The showers, maybe? That meant she was on the right path. The room seemed empty. Peridot reached out again and decided to follow the wall to the next door.

She walked carefully, following the little creases dug by the tiles, rather proud of herself, to be honest! Her hand suddenly met an object, some sort of small metal sphere. A door handle? Gosh, she couldn't see a thing around here.

Ah, no, it wasn't a door handle. Peridot let out a shriek that sounded like a cat's yowling and jumped back when she was splashed by the shower's cold water. For some reason, she was far less proud right now. Ugh, apparently, the world hated her that day. She buried her face in her towel and waited for the sound of running water to stop.

When the way was clear, she felt her way to the wall again, trying not to slip on the wet tiles. This time, she made absolutely sure, with a resentful obsession, NOT to touch the buttons lining up along the wall. And when she finally found a door handle – a real one, this time – he prudently walked to the side, just in case, before she pulled. A ray of light blinded her for a second but from the sound of discussions, she thought it was indeed the pool. At least, until a cry made her jump and let go of the door. "No, Peri, stop!"

"Amethyst?" Peridot turned around. Well, she couldn't see her face, but there was no doubt on who this huge purple mane belonged to. The wrestler obviously didn't care about the rules concerning swimming caps at the public pool, but it seemed she had at least tied it into a ponytail.

She walked closer and Peridot could see her face a bit better as she felt her hand on her shoulder. She seemed almost worried, but at the same time her entire face was twisted in the expression of someone desperately trying to repress her laughter. "That's the boy's changing room. You don't wanna go in there, trust me. Come here."

"Huh, thanks?" Peridot said was she was pulled behind her classmate without knowing what to think. They walked through the showers and ended up in a large and bright space where Peridot easily made out the empty pool and the students making some noise on the benches. Amethyst guided Peridot by the shoulder and sat her down right before the teacher started calling the roll.

"You know it's okay to ask for help, sometimes, right?" Amethyst chuckled silently.

"I don't see what you are talking about," Peridot denied. "I was doing fine."

"Right, and you didn't get a cold shower…"

"Y-you…" Peridot felt her face go red from shame. "You were watching?"

"I saw you walk out the cubicle and you were so funny I followed you." Amethyst confirmed with a smiled that explained a lot about how difficult it had been for her not to burst out laughing, so Peridot chose not to insist. The small blond wanted to curl up on herself but that was counting without Amethyst who rubbed her swimming cap with a malicious grin. "But you're right, you were doing fine for someone who can't see her feet. You'll lend me your glasses, some day?"

Peridot chose not to answer.