It was a quarter past midnight. Amy Raudenfeld was spread out on her bed lazily, decked out in a Mickey Mouse onesie and staring blankly at the chemistry exercises in her textbook. Her mind continually drifted to Karma and their lustful episode in the car hours earlier. She stared at her phone, which rested by her feet. Karma had called her a dozen times in the past two hours, yet Amy had hit ignore every single time. She would not tolerate any conversation proceeding their messy evening until she could rationalize her thoughts.
Suddenly, Amy's bedroom door flung open.
"Lauren," Amy started, "what the fuck?"
Her step-sister-to-be smiled in an amused manner and tossed her blonde hair to one side. And then she frowned.
"Your girlfriend needs to quit calling me. And stalking me," Lauren hissed coolly.
"Don't flatter yourself, I needed someone to let me in," Karma snapped, appearing at the doorframe. Her eyes softened when she noticed her best friend blinking tiredly at the situation.
"Are you both menstruating?" Lauren puffed.
"I'd ask the same but you're a bitch twenty-four-seven," Amy shot back with her signature smirk.
"I cannot deal," Lauren articulated, "and I need my beauty sleep. See ya." She left the bedroom door open, which Karma quietly shut.
Amy lowered her gaze and cleared her throat uncomfortably. At that moment, her phone vibrated and the screen lit up. It was a text from Shane Harvey.
"So I see your phone isn't dead," Karma stated, with a tone full of implications.
"Why did you kiss me?" Amy countered.
There was a long pause.
"I don't know," she admitted carefully.
"Wrong answer."
"It's the truth. I thought this pseudo-relationship was a wonderful idea, but all it did was complicate things."
"I love you Karma. That's not complicated."
"And I love you too… maybe not how you want me to, but it is there."
"Then what the hell were you doing with me?"
"I wanted you in that moment."
"I don't understand."
"I realized after you left that I'd confused my feelings and … and I had sex with Liam Booker the other day!" Karma blurted the last phrase out quickly.
"You're shitting me."
"I'm sorry, I felt guilty for not telling you sooner but I couldn't."
"Couldn't?"
"I know how you feel about my attraction towards him, and –"
"What am I to you, Karma? Because you have a funny way of showing that you care for me."
"Of course I care for you, it's just that –"
"It's Liam Booker?"
Karma swallowed. Hard.
"Listen," Amy sighed. "I think we have to be honest – this was a long time coming."
"This as in…"
"As in I'm through," Amy declared. "I know you have this pretty little picture of our friendship inside your head, but let's face it. That world disappeared the second we were outed to Hester High as a lesbian couple. You have these simple high school dreams of popularity and dashing boys, which I don't share. I fell in love with you because you were beautiful and endearing… and now I understand that Liam will always come first, despite what you say."
"Amy…" Visible tears were welling up in Karma's eyes.
"You chose him, Karma. And I'm saving my heart."