Chapter 28
Amy:
A week later
After that homecoming, Karma and I are both on good terms now. We hang out like we used to and talk like we used to. It is like we're back to being the best of friends that we were before we dated. I love her. Of course I love her and it burns me to know that I can no longer touch her that way – yet; but, anything to have my Lady Belle back into my life. I'll be happy either way. Although everything is over, something about the fact that I saw Sam at the apartment has been bothering me. What was she doing there? Is it just coincidence or is there more to it?
"Shane, we need to talk." I drop my bag on the floor and I take a seat right next to him at our usual table during lunch.
Shane lifts his head from his phone, "Sure babe, what's up?"
"Where are you and Lauren on the investigation?" I ask.
"Well, so far we know that Reagan is lying for sure because her stories just don't add up together. And that Karma received an anonymous text from someone but we don't know who the potential sender may be. We think it might either be Liam or Reagan trying to play some jealousy skit to get you guy's back. But, I don't know, something is just not right."
I study his face and when Shane has that look it means that there is actually more to this than what meets the eyes, "Shane, guess who I saw walking to the building where Reagan lives?"
He shrugs, "Who?"
"I saw Sam, Karma's new friend; the girl that we met after the Karaoke night. Do you remember her?"
"Does she live in Houston?" Shane asks, "I thought she was living here with her brother."
I grab my phone from my backpack, "I thought so too but then again, I don't know. It might have been just pure coincidence."
"Who are you texting?"
"Karma, I'm asking her if she can come meet us here so that I can ask her a few questions."
"Regarding?" he inquires.
"About Sam…I don't like her or his brother and the fact that I saw her in Houston gives me a bad feeling." I send her the text quickly.
"So you guys are OK now?"
"Yes, we're fine." I shrug.
"Just fine? You went through all of this trouble to set up all of this at Homecoming and you guys are just fine?" he shakes his head, "I think you are lying."
I shrug, "What? Did you expect something more?"
"Well, duh! Need I remind you that those lanterns were pretty hard to find and pretty danm difficult to put on the tree?"
"Come on, so? At least it was worth it. I got my friend back." I say.
He snaps his neck, "Friend? Not girlfriend?" he asks.
I shrug then I look away, "Yes…"
"I can't believe you two." He shakes his head, "You two obviously love each other, so why stay away from each other?"
"Because, Shane we were friends first and we try dating and it nearly destroyed us both. I mean, we haven't even talked about…you know..."
"Hey guys!"
We both look up to smile at Karma, "Hey Karms!"
"Amy, you said you wanted to ask me something? What was it?" she takes a seat across from us.
"It's about your friend Sam. Who is she really?"
She shakes her head, "Why do you want to know?"
"Well, because since we are back being best friends again, I wonder about your new friends." I smile at her. I hate the fact that I am back in the friend zone again. She hasn't really told me anything about possibly, taking me back. I went through hell waiting for her and I can't go through that again.
"She is from here but they moved a long time ago in Dallas because of their father's Hotel." She says, "She is in college right now and she currently lives in Dallas with her parents. Sometimes she comes back to town to see her brother."
"So, how did you guys become friend?" I ask.
She turns her eyes away from me, "It's complicated."
"Oh…" I realize that maybe, I don't really want to know about that either. I clutch my fingers tighter in order to calm down the anxiety that was building up inside of me. "Look, Karms, its fine." I lie, "Eventually, as friends, we are going to come across this topic. So we might as well discuss it now."
She looks into my eyes before closing them. She lets out a long sigh, "Fine, the night that I left with my parents. Once my dad made it to the Hotel and we checked in; I left soon afterwards and went to a bar. I met her there. She was the Barista and I got drunk and the next morning, I woke up with her by my side."
I feel my heart churning, "I guess the friendship kind of got from there right?" I smile but I doubt it reached my eyes.
She looks down at her hands on the table, "Yes, like I said; it's complicated."
We say nothing for a while because the big lump forming in my throat refused to let the questions that I wanted to ask her through.
"Do you know enough about her?" Shane saves me.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know her well enough to trust her?"
She thinks for a moment before answering, "Well, I know her well enough that she's not a stranger to me."
"Karma, have you noticed anything about her that might come to you as strange?"
She shakes her head, "She's pretty cool to me."
I scoff, "Yeah…"
"What was that?" she asks me.
"What was what?"
"That scoff, that mocking sarcastic noise…" she says.
I look at Shane then back to her, "I don't know what you are talking about."
She rolls her eyes, "Sure, whatever."
I reach for her hand on the table, "I'm sorry OK, I mean we're friends right? I taunt you. That's what friends do." I feel something rising up and I don't think I want it to. I want to let go of her hand but she feels so soft and so right to touch. I longingly look at her hand entwines within my own and I caught her staring at me and I stare right back. I pull away, my face reddening at the intensity of the anxiety forming within me. Shit! I don't think I'll be able to be just friend with her. I want her too much.
"Amy? We're still meeting afterschool right?" she asks.
I stammer, "Yes…Yes, of course."
"Mine or yours…?"
"Yours…"
She smiles, "OK, later Sane." Then she leaves.
"Yeah, see you later." Shane waves, after that, he turns his attention towards me, "What the fuck was that?"
"What?"
"You kept pressing on the word friend all throughout." He says.
"No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did."
"No I didn't."
"Yes you did."
I sigh, "Fine, being her best friend again is good because, I missed her as a friend and I don't want to lose that side of our relationship. But the problem is I have to bite my tongue from ripping her clothes off every ten seconds."
He grins, "Why don't you?"
"I don't know if she even wants me to."
"What? Didn't you see how she was looking at you? She wants you so bad that she'd have offered herself to you on top of this table right then and there."
"You think so?"
He nods, "So what are you guys going to do afterschool?"
I grab my bag, "Homework…"
"Is that what you young people call it nowadays?" he laughs.
"Shut up!" I playfully push him, "I need help with my science class."
"You are a genius when it comes to science. What do you need help with?"
I get off my seat then turn to flash a smile filled with mischievous secrets, "Anatomy and Physiology. I'm having trouble remembering the body parts."
He grins, "Now, you know that's bullshit…"
"I know…" I wave at him then I head for class.
Shane:
The trouble we went through setting up that tree at homecoming was a pain. I mean ever try to climb a tree and stay perch up there for hours and hours and hours. I got back pain just from that, and Amy, I think, fell on her back and broke something. I told her to go check it but she says it's fine and that it has not bothered her ever since. I don't believe her though because I catch her reaching for the middle of her back every now and then; or moving in an intrusive way as if trying to strengthen up. I know she won't listen to me though. I walk over to Lauren's table where she was having a full-blown conversation with Lisbeth and that other girl whose name always escapes me. I place my books on the table and then I take a seat.
"Hi guys!" I wave, "What are you guys up to?"
"Are you lost?" Lisbeth looks at me perplex.
"No, why?"
"I mean, this is Lauren's table – the girl that you hate more than homophobic politicians in the White House?"
I look at Lauren who just shrugs, "Shorty-by-nature is cool now, most of the times so I don't really feel like breaking her neck anymore on the regular."
"What do you want Gaypetto?" Lauren rolls her eyes.
"Need I remind you that we have an ongoing investigation? Amy just told me something that I think we should look more into."
Lauren dismisses her friends who picks up their stuff and walk away from us without asking questions. Don't they have a say in anything? And I'm Gaypetto? "What did she say?"
"She said that she saw Sam going to Reagan's building the day that we went to interrogate Reagan." I say.
She shrugs, "It might have just been pure coincidence."
"Too big of a coincidence. I mean, what do we know about this girl really or her brother?"
"Shane, she is in no way related to this case. She's a dead-end."
"My gut is telling me to look into this."
"Well my gut is telling me to tell you to shut up."
"Are we still on this or not? Because I can go on without you."
She sighs, "Of course I want to help you and save Amy but I don't think Sam can lead us to anything."
I groan. We're getting nowhere with this case and I don't even know where else we could look through or into. "Let's look at what we have so far."
She reaches for her bag and grabs her notepad, "Well, we questioned Amy…"
"Victim #1…"
"Yes, eighteen year old female, high school senior, in love with best friend, was drugged and have no recollection of the event that happened that night."
I scrub my chin, "She's the one that is blonde and green eyes, right?"
"Yes…"
"Who else?"
"We have Karma, brunette, green eyes as well, Amy's best friend and love interest, we don't know for sure if she's straight, bi, or just amysexual. On the night of the event, she received an anonymous text prompting her to arrive at the party and find Amy (maybe or maybe not) doing dirty doo to someone else."
I sigh, "I'm more interested in that anonymous text though. Who could have given it to her?"
"That's what we have been trying to guess but the two main suspects that come up are none other than Liam and Reagan." She says.
"Liam, what do we have on Liam?"
"He is eighteen year old male, incredibly handsome; Karma's ex. He found Amy at the party and brought her home. He has been or is still in love with Karma, we can't say. And if it is the latter, then it is strongly suggestive that he did it all out of jealousy."
I place my hand the table, "How did he even find Amy at the party? Did he know to look there or is it by coincidence?"
She shakes her head, "That's one thing that we forgot to ask him."
"Make sure that we talk to him before today ends."
She nods.
"Hmm! What about Reagan?"
She flips through the page of her notepad, "Well, she's a nineteen years old female, in College, works as a DJ but do part-time catering. She used to be Amy's girlfriend but it did not work out. She is the main suspect of this case and our liar. She refused to answer the questions that we asked her the other day. I think she's guilty and we need to keep looking more into her." She puts the notepad down, "I say we kidnap her and hide her in a basement, starve her until she breaks and spill out everything."
"That's illegal."
"Well, do you have any other ways to make her talk?" she throws her hand up in exasperation.
"We can always stalk her."
"The first way was more fun."
"You have some serious issues."
"So, do we go after-school or tomorrow? Because it is Saturday and we'd have more time."
"Let's do this tomorrow. I have class with Liam next so I'll talk to him then alright. I'll let you in on what he tells me later OK."
She nods, "OK…"
The bell rings then and we walk back to class. On the way, I ended up meeting with Sam's brother. It turns out we have the same period next, so we talked for a bit and he's pretty cool. I can't help but feel like he will be very useful to me in the future.
Karma:
Amy is about to arrive any minute now. Do I look presentable? What the hell? We've been best friends so she saw me at my worst lots of times before. So what's the need to put on blush, lip gloss, a little bit of perfume here and there…you know…change my entire outfit into something like a very low boy short and loose sleeveless t-shirt? She's seen in less (I grin) so, I have no reason to feel like I am putting on this clothes as if I am asking for her to jump on me and do me extremely hard. So, there's nothing weird about what I am wearing, right? I hear a soft knock on the door and I jump off the bed only to fall back down because of nervousness. I'm glad she's not seeing me like this because I look pitiful. I mean, shit! It is just Amy. What is wrong with me?
I walk over to open the door and she smiles at me, "Hey!"
"Hey…!" she says then she walks in and drops her bag on the floor, "You have no idea how I missed being in your room." She falls down on my bed.
"I know, it's been a while since you came by." I say.
She looks at me, her eyes intently moving across my face, "Did you put on make-up?"
'No, why?" I throw my hands up to my face, "I just took them off."
"Well, it sure looks like you have make-up on Karms." She says.
I miss it. She doesn't really call me Lady Belle anymore. Why won't she make a move on me? I am waiting. Maybe I should throw myself at her more obviously and rip her clothes off myself. "So, do you want to start now?"
She groans, "Alright, let's get this homework over with." She walks over to her bag and starts searching through for her Anatomy book and notebook.
We really are doing homework. I was expecting to be doing something else but I am finding myself explaining the antagonistic hormones and their functions. There's nothing that screams sex about it. The topic is so dull that the only thing I get close to any action is the chapter being on page 369. She asked me questions here and there and I answer her while hiding my impatience and frustration under the surface. I want to explode. Amy gives me the fever and I am over what is usually the normal body temperature. Shit! Is the AC even on? I check the thermostat – yes it fucking is. I should jump on her now, right reader? Because I am very horny and frustrated.
"Karms…" she starts to move from the floor and immediately grabs her back, "Ow ow ow ow…"
I quickly run over to her, "What's up? Are you OK?"
"It's my back; it's been hurting for a while now." She winces, "But I think it'll pass."
"Hold on to me so that I can walk you over to the bed." I take her arms and I place it around my neck while I place my arm around her waist. We walk over to the bed and I take off her shirt before lying her down on her stomach. I froze. The scar – I didn't see the scar back then.
"What are you doing?" she asks.
I say nothing, I just trace the middle of her back with my fingers and I feel a tight knot bulging beneath her flesh. "Did you fall somewhere?"
"Yes, from a tree." She says.
"You were climbing a tree? Aren't you a bit old?" I giggle.
"I embrace my inner child whenever I can." She smiles.
I examine her back further by running my hands over her shoulder blades and presses on them delicately before lowering down her spine where I apply pressure as I reach down above her loin. I move up on her backside where my mid-thigh is in contact with her rear. I bring my both hands together and I press on her back with as much pressure as I can so that I can relieve the pain and apply the sensitivity that the back needs to loosen the tight knot in the middle of her back. She moans lightly, enjoying the massage that I am giving her.
"This feels so good. You've always been good with your hands." She says.
I smile, "I have parents who are experts on stuff like this." I press my thumbs under her shoulder blades feeling a little bit of knot there as well. I then slide my hands down her side with a little bit of force then I move them up. Then I do it again.
She sighs, "I miss you touching me."
"I miss touching you too," I am surprised at how quick my voice broke. I move her hair away from her neck and I lean in to softly circle my nose on her nape before resting my lips on her neck. I kiss her, and then I leave another kiss on the side before moving back down the middle of her shoulder blades. I rise up to slowly move my hands around her side, then down her hips and up again, until I reach the side of her breasts. She softly whimpers and I move my hands to underneath her front and grab them. Then I lean down where I breathe against the flesh that suddenly grew warm. "Babe, that's not what I saw."
"What?" she moans.
"Your back," I breathe before kissing her bare neck, "at the party, I didn't see the scar on the back that I saw." I let my tongue taste the flavor of her shoulder.
"What do you mean?" she probes.
"You have a scar. I don't remember seeing it on that other back at the party." I rise off her.
"Karma, are you sure?" she breathes.
I nod, "Yes…"
She turns around and looks at me, "How do you know?"
"All I saw was someone's back and the blond hair that was the same color as yours but I did not see a scar, now that I am remembering." I say, "I gave it to you – the scar." I flush bright red as I am remembering how I gave it to her.
She gets off the bed and runs over to her phone.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm calling Shane…" She puts the phone to her ear but seconds later she brings it back down.
"You can't reach him?" I ask.
She shakes her head, "No, I think I'll call Lauren and then give him a text." She dials Lauren's number and was able to find her, "Hey Shorty, I think we might have a new lead…Yes…Karma says that she didn't see the scar that is on my back…yes, that's the one…you don't need to know that," she turns red, "…I tried calling Shane but I can't reach him…OK…see you later." She hangs up.
"What did she say?"
She lifts her head up from the phone and then smiles, "She says she'll try to contact Shane. Shane might be with Liam."
"Oh…" my eyes then fell on the bulging front then I jump. "I think I'm going to…" I walk over to my dresser, pretending to look for something. Shit! Take my mind off that now please! Find something that won't make my palms sweaty and my heart palpitates and that little pain rise in my stomach! Karma, think of something! Then…I stop. I feel something… I feel something pressing against my rear, like a round pointy thing. Amy's hands then roam underneath my shirt to grab both of my breasts.
She brings her head down to my clavicle, "Might as well finish what you started…"
