Chapter 1

Amy sat alone in her room staring at one of many photographs, of her and her best friend Karma, which lay scattered around her bed. Three days had passed since the fiasco in that cheesy motel room. Three days since Karma had fallen off the face of the earth. Amy had tried everything, text, phone, email, showing up on her doorstep. Short of getting a sky writer to put a giant "Karma, call me!" up in the sky above Austin, Amy was running out of ideas. Even Karma's parents had turned her away. Which was, until this point, unheard of. Granted they seemed genuinely pained to do it, but still they closed the door on her.

Amy felt as though her world was imploding. The moment she had realized her feelings towards her best friend pushed far beyond the boundaries of friendly affection, her life had shifted into an unstable orbit of the shining sun that Karma had become. Now she was in the dark and the chill was reaching deep into her bones.

Another tear rolled down her cheek onto the glass covering the image of two smiling faces, caught up in the euphoria of a carefree summer. She traced a finger across Karma's face and swallowed hard as another wave of sobbing threatened to burst from her chest. It had always been hard to be away from her friend, almost impossible. They had been inseparable since Kindergarten. Now that she understood the depth of her true feelings for Karma it had moved from impossible, to brutal torture.

If only things had stayed the way they had always been. None of this would have happened. They would be hanging out after school, complaining about the various cliques and planning the summer ahead. But now she sat alone, lost and afraid that everything she knew and loved was gone forever. All over a boy. A fresh sensation welled up in her heart, one of hate and loathing. Liam. Just the name made bile burn the back of her throat. A guy who had wedged himself in between her and the best thing in her life. Like guys do.

She gritted her teeth and felt her nails dig into the palm of her hand as she clenched her fist. She had seen him at school today and felt the need to bring her knee in contact with his groin. But after an awkward glance in her direction, he had scuttled off to parts unknown and she had not seen him since. That was just fine for her. If she never saw or heard from him again she would be ecstatic.

She felt rage force her body into uncontrollable shakes. But within seconds, the shaking had turned, once again, into sobbing. She couldn't hate him, as much as she wanted to. He was doing what Karma wanted him to do, fall for her. Amy was the one in the way of Karma's happiness. That's all she had ever wanted for her best friend, unbridled happiness. Even if it meant her own misery.

Grief shook her entire body to the core, loud, gasping sobs ringing out across her empty room. Unbeknownst to her, two silent guardians stood watch outside her door, giving one another pained glances as the fresh sounds of anguish echoed from the room beyond.