We saw the dream
I, Karma, stood just off the platform, my face beset with worry and hope. Students and chaperons, adults of all stripe were dancing around. Tugging my sparkly, v cut forest green dress back over my left breast, I looked at Sabrina with a mixture of disgust and neediness. "Stand here." Why am I doing this? Because Amy isn't over her and she needs to someone to love her. I can't do that, can I? No. Or Skank of the year wouldn't be here.
Rushing across the stage, I thumped the mic hastily. "'Scuse me. Hi!" Shrill feedback jarred everyone toward me, holding the microphone stand with both hands. Amy's gaze jerked toward me, the frustration and hurt from earlier washing over her face again. It wasn't enough to present her; she blew that off. Of course she did. Two weeks of non-stop shit talking, calling her a sociopath was really just her broken heart talking.
The crew grew quiet and still as I continued to speak. "Uh, I need everyone's attention. Well, actually, I just need one person's attention." Undercurrent of chatter began again as Amy turned and began to walk away.
"Amy! Listen." She stopped and turned back, curious with that undercurrent of hurt still evident.
"I know you're hurt. But I can't stand seeing my best friend give up on hope."
Amy folded her arms under her bust, hangdog starting at me. Guilt creeped in but I pushed it away. This needed to work.
"I don't even like Sabrina, but I want you to be happy." I sighed, glanced over at Sabrina in her long black spangle gown, as she slowly stepped towards the mic. "Please hear her out."
One last look of disgust followed by a fake smile as I raised the mic vertical so she could speak before stomping off to the side to let her speak. Amy held that same look.
Sabrina spoke softly, "Okay. First of all, Amy, I am so sorry. I was pretending to be questioning to get closer to you, to beat Karma, really."
I raised my arms to signal I was right all along and why didn't anyone believe me. Tom did but that a whole other thing. Amy shook her head sadly, looking away.
"But then I realized why I really did it."
Amy looked up at me, then back unsure.
"Amy Raudenfeld, I'm in love with you, and I think I have been since camp." Hope blossomed as Sabrina spoke. The hurt melting away.
"And all the lying, the possessiveness has been about that. And I know it sounds weird, but lying about my sexuality made me see the truth." Huh? The truth that I was confronted with and denied. I denied it to everyone. Maybe I am actually in more than just buddy love with Amy. If that's true, then I just gave her away to Sabrina. My face dropped. I held a smile to show to Amy that I was happy for her as she was realizing that Sabrina wasn't the bitch she thought she was. She did love her. I lost what I wanted. I gave it away without even seeing it.
"But I know what I want now. I want you. Is there any way you could find it in your heart to give me a second chance?"
Everyone on the floor turned to Amy to await her answer. It had always been me and her together, the lesbian couple. I gave all of that up. Even the fun nights at Amy's house while we wait for our own to be rebuilt. I gave it up because me and Sabrina are the same.
Amy in her beautiful black sleeveless dress that sparkled in the lights, flashed a subtle sign she forgave her. "Yes."
I gasped and hid it, not happy at all but having to fake it suddenly. Everyone cheered except Felix who had stood beside her the whole his attention on both me and Sabrina. Honest Felix, who suddenly realized he wasn't getting a new year's kiss from Amy either.
Sabrina ran down the stairs, as Amy approached her. A deep passionate kiss consumed them both. Looking on, I found butterflies in my own stomach. I felt like I was going to barf. Yet I didn't want them to go away. I wanted to be Sabrina. Not for the attention like the first time. Not because I was drunk and desperately trying to be popular like the second time but because I honestly loved Amy. Like what Amy's mom said, 'Are you sure you can do this?' She knew Amy loved me that way. I just didn't. I gave her up because I can't ever have a functional relationship. I ruin them all.
From the stage, I watched as Liam and Lauren ran to each other talked and then hugged. Then as the countdown finished, kissed. Never thought I'd see that. As I sang, 'Auld lang syne', Sabina stood brightly next to Amy, suddenly all smiles. Amy was blissful as well.
Just over the crowd, I could hear Sabrina say, "Thank you for giving me a second chance."
"New Year's is all about fresh starts, right?" Amy responded.
As I sang, 'Should auld acquaintance be forgot,' she mouthed, "Thank you."
I mouthed back, "Happy new year." It all my heart could take. So after the set was done, I walk out back and found Felix standing there, thinking.
"So, uh that was a weird night, huh?" He said in his usual polite manner.
"I'm so sorry." I stepped forward, staring into his thoughtful brown eyes.
"Karma?" He asked, concerned.
"I wanted to make things right with Amy, but I never, ever wanted you to get hurt." I smiled sadly, hoping he wouldn't be mad. He wasn't. His face brightened.
"It's okay. I'm not hurt."
"You're not?" I tried to mask my surprise, just not very well.
He grinned. "No, I mean I like Amy. We have a lot in common. But she wanted to kiss someone else at midnight, and that's okay." He looked deeply into my eyes, leaning forward. "Because, uh, I did too."
"You did?" I asked and then he kissed me. My lust and frustration caught up with me as well as a certain wetness, so I kissed him back way too deeply.
He broke, and stepped away, shocked yet serious. "This is a dream Karma. Do you know why?"
I snapped out of the lust, hearing a rumble of thunder in the distance over the joy of dancing and music. "How can this be a dream?"
"Because you are still asleep. It's just now New Year's Eve." Felix pulled out a Ipad from his suit jacket. On its screen, the inception poster rested. "One of the reasons, I drank so much, is I'm like Dom Cobb. I can enter people's dreams and see truth. I'm here because like I said I like Amy. I like you too. I don't like Sabrina. She thinks she's in love with Amy, really she's an energy vampire. She wasn't to steal Amy's joy and the hope she has. The hope that Tom told you about?"
I looked at him surprised and put back. He couldn't possibly know about Tom. He saw my horror. "Relax, I won't take anything. This is all for you. I figured if I could do an inception on you, you would finally realize the truth."
"What truth?" I asked as the wind picked up and the thunder grew louder. Golden balloons shot past me.
"That those words that came out of Sabrina's mouth should have come out of yours." He nodded his head and glanced around. People were now starting to walk past us towards their vehicles. Lauren shook her head as she and Liam strolled past, arm in arm.
Ignoring them, I focused on Felix. "What's an inception?"
He chuckled. "The implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious. You are the target. So I guess we are standing in it."
A crack of lightning led to screams and running. Lisbeth and her bodyguard sprinting. Shane and Noah running with audio equipment. He kept leering at me, wanting me to help. Yet I knew If I did, I would understand what I needed to do."
"So what do I do?" I asked, looking around as the storm got more violent. More wind, more thunder, more lightning. No rain. No Amy or Sabrina either.
"Kill her?" He quipped. "That's what you really have been wanting to do. Have her break her neck or back or something so you wouldn't have to see her smug face again?"
I shook my head just as another bolt of lightning cracked on top the thunder. A horrifying scream rippled through. It was Amy. Running around the corner, I saw her kneeling down over Sabrina's fallen form. The bolt charred her back, melting the dressing into a puddle of black plastic goo that crept into her crevasses. Tears fell from her as she screamed, "Why?! Why, God? Why can't I have anyone love me?"
As I stepped over to console her, I heard Felix say. "Why can't she?"
I looked back at him, and said, "Who says she can't?"
"You do. You are her soul mate and she is yours. Neither of you will ever be happy without the other."
I reached down and hugged her so tightly, whispering, "I love you too. I'm so sorry."
Then I awoke. It was my second morning in the Raudenfeld house. I knew what I had to do. Sabrina wouldn't be at New Year's tonight. I would be me giving that speech.