Chapter 2

It Proves A Lot

Part I

The next day Karma forced herself to go to school. Shane's words had been a tremendous help and everything about that was almost shocking. It didn't take Amy seeing her or talking to her, all it took was for Shane to explain his side of things and what he had seen over the summer. Karma knew that Shane had spent a lot of time with Amy. In fact, the only time Amy seemed to crack a bit of a smile on those facebook photos was when Shane was with her or Shane was taking them. Karma had seen a few on Lauren's facebook page as well as Shane's. She was starting to feel like a stalker. But it was Amy, so…

In science Amy was gone. She had skipped. Or been late?

At lunch she was gone too.

"See?" Shane asked.

"It doesn't prove anything."

"It proves a lot," Shane said.

"She didn't have to deal with me yesterday. She didn't even look at me."

"I'm sure she looked," he said sweetly.

"Did you talk to her?" Karma asked.

"Not much."

"Do you think she's sick?"

"I think she's hiding."

When she didn't come to school on Wednesday Karma knew it was probably true. But then Thursday rolled around and she still hadn't come. The thought that Amy was ill crept up on Karma once again. It was that little voice inside her, the nagging one. The one that kept saying, she couldn't possibly, Karma. She couldn't possibly care about you. Not anymore.

Karma wondered if she should just try and go see her. She quelled the urge, choosing instead to learn a new song on her guitar.

At school the next day Karma was shocked to find that Amy was actually there. In the morning she was there. In science she was there. At lunch she was there.

Liam and Amy spent that free half hour just as they had on Monday and Karma watched. There was less kissing though, more holding. And Karma couldn't help but notice that Amy looked at her now, she saw her and stared almost sorrowfully. But she might've been seeing through her because there was no reaction in that stare. It was like she was under a spell.

Before 5th period Karma stalked her. She watched Liam leave her. She watched Amy struggle with her locker. Amy looked almost weak. She had lost weight. Karma noticed it now and it frightened her as Amy's hands shook for no apparent reason.

Fed up and not knowing that Karma was watching, Amy fled to the nearest bathroom and proceeded to cry.

Karma followed though, slowly, giving her time and not caring at all about the class she was supposed to have now.

The sounds of sobs hit her first as she entered the room and found Amy nowhere. The third stall was occupied and only the third stall. Karma made herself invisible, standing still in the bathroom by the door where Amy couldn't see or hear her because she was trying for that, simply trying.

Silence was everywhere except for the third stall. Amy's crying intensified and her sobs rang out. She probably thought she was all alone.

Karma turned to the door and her shoes made a noise.

"Who's there?" Amy stopped. She held her breath. Someone else was inside. "Answer me."

Karma turned the lock on the bathroom door so that it would just be them now and no one else.

"It's me," Karma said shakily, taking a step close to her stall and then another.

Inside the stall Amy felt herself NEEDING to cry more. It was worse because it was her. She wouldn't have cared if it had been a stranger. But it was Karma, the one person who shouldn't know.

"W-why are you crying?" Karma asked sadly.

"Just go away," Amy sobbed. She pulled a ball of toilet paper out and wiped at her face.

"I don't want to," Karma said.

"I don't care what you want," Amy spat.

"Obviously," Karma scoffed under her breath. Amy must've heard her because her crying let up for a second. "I care about you," Karma said, trying to be bold. "All summer I missed you. I even went to New York and-"

"STOP. TALKING." Amy ordered loudly. She covered her ears with her hands and felt like screaming.

"I missed you. That's all I did," Karma said. If Amy heard anything at all Karma wanted it to be this.

Amy heard her even though she was trying not to. She heard everything, including what wasn't said.

"Look, I … I don't know what this is about. It's probably not about me. At least I hope it's not because you can talk ta me, ya know? I just… Amy, I just want my best friend back…"

She stood for a second outside of the stall. When Amy didn't move or speak she decided to leave.

Inside the stall, once Amy had heard Karma's footsteps leave and the door swing shut, she cried harder.

Part II

She had been so good all summer. Amy couldn't help but think of it. She had been so fucking good.

Things could be simple if she could just forget Karma. Was she a lesbian? Who knows. All Amy knew was that she loved Karma and no one else. She wanted Karma and no one else.

Karma chose Liam on that first day last year so Amy just copied that after the fall. After the confession and the fuck-up she just decided to be someone else.

But now…

Amy hadn't planned on it lasting so long. Just as Amy hadn't planned on still caring. Liam was convinced that Karma had hurt them both on purpose and for a while Amy pretended to believe that too but she knew it was a lie. Karma didn't hurt Amy on purpose. Karma would never do that.

It took school to fuck things up.

Just knowing that Karma was there. Just knowing that Karma was breathing the same air and watching her without stop no matter where she went or who she was with.

Amy had thought Karma would be mad. Karma wasn't mad.

"Hey," Liam said. She got into his car to go home.

"What's up?" He asked, knowing her moods.

"She talked to me."

"She what? When?" Liam was stunned. Karma hadn't tried once to talk to him, not even once after all that happened. No apology. No nothin'.

"She must've been following me after lunch… I was crying…"

"Amy, shit," Liam groaned.

"I'm an idiot."

"No you're not," he said, taking her hand softly and holding it to try and help.

"She said she just wanted her best friend back…" Amy looked up at him with tears in her eyes and he pulled her close as she cried.

"Look Amy.. I know… I know things with us are sort of…"

"Fake?" She choked out.

"Yeah… We both know," he was glad they were talking about it. They'd been faking so long it was beginning to feel real.

"I know," she said, confirming it.

"If you want to talk to her you should, okay? I mean, I'm not going to, not if I can help it. But Karma and I, we were never as close." There wasn't a correct way to explain what Karma and Liam had been. They had both used each other and lied to each other. It was very different than his relationship with Amy. He was actually really starting to care for her and that scared him because he knew she was honest and he knew she didn't love him that way despite all that they did and how they lost themselves in each other just to feel something else.

"I dunno," Amy said.

"Do you…" He paused, stroking her hand and feeling its soft warmth and how good it actually felt. "Are you still in love with her?" He asked, swallowing hard.

It had been this unspoken thing. A question they both knew the answer too.

Amy wiped a tear from her face and cried harder, holding his side and burying her head in his chest.

"It's okay," he said, kissing the top of her head and breathing her in.

Her pain was so real and he found himself swimming in it.