Breaking Karma

by Charity Ferrell

  “Just your luck,” I said, getting up. “I think I might have something that’s cooler than a cat, but you have to promise to be extra careful with it.”

  She nodded her head quickly in assurance, and I leaned down to grab my camera bag from underneath my bed. “This is my camera.” I pulled it out of the bag and held it up.

  “Whoa,” she drew out. “That is so awesome!” She jumped up in excitement, her ponytail bouncing in the air. “Everyone is going to be sooooo jealous! I need to go show Mommy and Daddy and come up with my speech!”

  The camera got pulled from my hand quickly, and she went flying out of my bedroom. I looked up to the ceiling, asking God to please let it return back in one piece. Sinking back onto my bed, I leaned back against the headboard, thankful for some alone time. My body felt like it’d been on constant overdrive the past few days with the move.

  My phone beeped, reminding me of the text message I hadn’t replied to yet. Grabbing my phone. I opened it, read it again, and grew nauseated.

  Dawson: You need to talk to Tessa. She’s going off the deep end. I can’t believe you left without telling her goodbye.

  My finger hit the reply button.

  Me: I know. Tell her I’m sorry.

  The phone chimed immediately after I hit send, like he’d been sitting with the phone in his hand waiting for me to answer.

  Dawson: YOU tell her you’re sorry.

  I wanted to call her, but my finger refused to hit the call button. Instead, I shut off my phone and tossed it down next to me. I closed my eyes and allowed my body to relax.

  ***

  “Good morning.” My head shot up at the sound of his voice. Keegan was standing in front of his car in our driveway wearing another black V-neck tee and holding a Starbucks cup. “I figured you might need another ride,” he said, smiling.

  I shuffled over to him and grabbed the warm cup he was holding out to me. “Thank you,” I replied.

  “Good morning, Keegster!” I turned around to find Sophia barreling out the front door towards the two of us, her hair flying in the wind, and her tennis shoes slamming against the pavement. “Looks what I got!” The black strap to my camera bag was in one hand and my camera was in my other, dangling from her fingers and almost smacking into the pavement. Great, I was certain it wasn’t going to be coming back in one piece. “Daisy is letting me bring her fancy, dancy camera with me today!”

  Keegan grabbed it from her when she made it to us and turned it around in his hands, inspecting it. “This is a nice camera,” he said, looking at me.

  My eyes stayed glued to his hand as his finger hit the power button. My throat tingled when I realized what he was doing. I wanted to snatch it from his hand, but I didn’t want to look rude in front of Sophia. I was grateful that I’d switched the memory card over before giving it to her earlier this morning. Long gone were the pictures from when I was happy, now replaced with scenery landscapes.

  Keegan flipped through the photos, pausing at each one, and eyeing it carefully before going to the next. “I think this one is my favorite,” he said, pointing to the screen. I stood on my tiptoes and took a look at the picture of the covered bridge surrounded by fall leaves. I took it during the Covered Bridge Festival. Tanner and I went to it every year. The picture showed the fading color of the falling leaves perfectly, but still didn’t do it justice.

  “Thanks,” I said, quietly, kicking at the ground. “We should probably get going. I don’t want to be late.”

  “You’re right,” Tommy agreed, coming out of nowhere. Keegan shut off my camera, grabbed the bag from Sophia, and carefully placed it inside before giving it back to her. “Have a good day,” he added, grabbing Sophia and strapping her seatbelt around her in his car.

  “So you ready for your big second day of school?” Keegan asked, opening up the passenger side door for me again.

  After hearing all about his womanizing ways, at least he opened up the door for girls before he tried to relieve them of their panties. I guess chivalry wasn’t dead until after you screwed the girl.

  “If it’s as great as the one I had yesterday, than no, not really,” I answered, climbing into the seat carefully, not wanting to spill my drink on myself, or in his car.

  He shut the door and circled around the car. “Not so marvelous, eh?”

  “Not so much,” I mumbled, removing the splash stick from my drink. I narrowed my eyes to peek in the tiny hole of the lid, trying to see what was in the cup, but had no luck. “What is this?”

  “Caramel Apple Spice,” he replied, grabbing his own drink from the cup holder. “It’s practically the best thing on the planet.” He lifted the cup to his lips and took a long drawl. “You’ve never had one of these before?”

  I shook my head, putting my nose at the opening and inhaling the sweet scent of cinnamon. He raised his brows, eyeing my curiously. I had somewhat of a strange habit. I had to smell anything new before I actually tasted it.

  The warm scent drifted up my nostrils, making my mouth water. Lifting the cup to my lips, I took the first sip and immediately brought the cup back to my mouth for another, letting the hot liquid run down my throat.

  “Holy yum,” I said, swiping my tongue across my bottom lip. “This is amazing.”

  “I told you.”

  “Definitely the best thing that’s ever been in my mouth,” I blurted out, without thinking. I stopped, replayed the words in my head, and instantly realized my terrible word choice. My face dropped as he cocked his head to the side and smirked. I smacked the palm of my hand against my forehead. “Shoot, that wasn’t supposed to come out like that.”

  “I know what you meant.” His attention went back to the road. “But I can’t agree about it being the best thing my tongue has tasted.” I choked on my drink at his words, and he chuckled. The car stopped at a red light, and he grabbed his drink again. He lifted it up in a cheers motion and took a swig. “You should be fine with Cora and Gabby by your side. They’ll make sure no one fucks with you.”

  “Why? Because you haven’t hooked up with one of them? Or because they aren’t afraid of your girlfriend?”

  “I see you’ve heard the rumors about me. Didn’t your mom ever tell you not to believe everything you hear?” His fingers strummed along the steering wheel. “And to answer your question, no. I haven’t hooked up with either Cora or Gabby, nor will I ever.”

  Poor Gabby, she’d have to unwrap that v-card and re-gift it to someone else.

  “Why’s that?”

  “Cora is like breaking the biggest fucking bro code. I’d never do that to Lane, whether they broke up or not. He’s my best friend and my family. Plus, she annoys the living fuck out of me. As for Gabby, she’s Cora’s best friend. I piss her off, I piss Cora off, and she gets pissed off at Lane because we’re related like she did when I never called her slutty cousin.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course, she’s the slutty one, not you.”

  “Hey now, I never said I was a perfect angel. Hopefully, she learned her lesson to not assume guys want a relationship. But don’t worry, I got mine. Cora ratted my ass out to my aunt, who then made me come over so she could give me some moralizing speech. So now, I try to steer clear of pissing off Cora. That little shit is vicious when she’s mad. As for your second question, Piper isn’t my girlfriend, like I told you yesterday during Health.”

  “Fine. Friends with benefits, fuck buddies, or whatever you guys call yourselves.” I lifted my hand up and waved it in a “who cares” gesture.

  “Sorry, babe, but Piper is no friend of mine,” he said, pulling into the school parking lot. “Her and I, let’s just say we have an agreement.”

  “An agreement? So what, you give her a ride to school and then she rides you later type of agreement?” I asked, unbuckling my seatbelt.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Not necessarily in that order, but it works. Would you like to try it?”

  I scoffed. The nerve of this jackass. “Hell no. I’ll pass on th
at, and I think you forgot to pick up your little sex arrangement this morning.”

  “I told her to drive herself. If I take you to school, I won’t take Piper. She was being a bitch to you for no reason yesterday, and I didn’t like it.”

  I looked away from his gaze, opened the door, and got out without looking back at him in the car. Curiosity itched at my brain. Why did he even care if Piper was a bitch to me?

  Chapter Eight

  So far, I’d survived Atlanta for two full weeks. I could already feel the small change shifting in me. Sure, I still noticed the eyes watching me as I walked down the halls, but it was for a different reason. In Indiana, I was the girl whose boyfriend had been murdered. In Atlanta, I was only the new girl. Nothing more.

  Keegan had become my daily ride back and forth to school. Every morning, he greeted me with my new favorite drink, sans Piper. Our conversations were usually limited to school or upcoming plans for the weekend. Well, his upcoming plans since I never did anything. Ever. I’d steered clear from participating in any social events since I’d gotten here, opting to spend my time hanging out in my bedroom.

  I did bring up the idea of getting a job to my aunt and uncle, but they shook their heads in response, telling me it wasn’t needed. After insisting I wanted to do something to reciprocate for all they were doing, we decided I’d watch Sophia a few nights a week for them.

  “Daisy,” Cora said, peering at me from across the lunch table. “Lane is having his legendary Halloween party this weekend and your attendance is mandatory.” She clasped her hands together as I unwrapped my sandwich. “I won’t take no for an answer … or any other excuse I know you’re trying to conjure up in that pretty little head of yours.”

  I took a bite of my sandwich, chewing slowly, to bide me some extra time before mumbling some bullshit excuse.

  I hadn’t been to a party since the weekend before Tanner died. The memory of that day would forever be burned into my brain. Tessa and him were having their annual pool party at their house while their parents were away visiting their aunt in Texas. Tessa and I had “borrowed” her parent’s rum, mixing it with pineapple juice. We’d declared that our favorite drink freshman year. I remembered how Tanner’s eyes never left me, watching me dance around the pool to old school Britney in my bikini.

  After finishing off the bottle, I’d made it my mission to give him an awesome lap dance, but drunkenly failed. He was appreciative of my efforts, though, because he flipped me over his shoulder, smacked my ass, and yelled that he was going to marry me to the entire party. He carried my drunken ass away from the party to his room where we spent the rest of the night together.

  “Yeah … um,” I said, struggling for the right words. “I’m just not that into parties.”

  “Daisy, girl, you’re coming,” Lane said. “You’ve been here for two weeks and have opted out of everything we’ve invited you to. I’m beginning to think you really don’t like us.” He folded his hand across his heart, feigning a frown. He was right. The three had been constantly inviting me to Cora’s tennis matches, Lane’s football games, and different parties, but I always declined. “Plus, it’ll make Cora happy if you go. When Cora is happy, I’m happy.”

  “Why do you two have to be so sickening sweet?” Gabby asked, teasingly. “Be nice to us people who don’t have a boyfriend who worships the ground we walk on.”

  Guilt swept over me. I was grateful for the three people sitting around me. They’d made my move easier than I could’ve ever imagined. That guilt morphed into fear. I was scared of losing them and their friendship. I’d already started to bond with everyone, especially Gabby.

  “You need to have some fun,” Gabby whispered, pulling me in for a side-hug. “You deserve to get out a little.”

  My mom’s voice filled my thoughts. You’ve got to move on. They were all right. “I’ll go,” I said, slowly. “But I’m not dressing up.”

  “Oh yes, you are,” Gabby squealed, displaying a wide grin. “I have the best idea ever.” She gestured to the three of us. “We are going as the Power Puff Girls. It’s going to be perfect.”

  Shit. Where was the remote of retraction so I could rewind my agreement to go?

  Lane snapped his fingers and pointed to Gabby. “That’s a great idea.” He looked over at Cora and grinned. “You’d look sexy as shit as a little power girl, baby.”

  Cora, clearly not amused, glanced over at him with irritation. “It’s Power Puff Girl, genius. How can you say I’d look sexy as something when you don’t even know what it is? You only think it’s a good idea because you don’t want to match me this year.”

  “Man,” he groaned out. “I really don’t want to go as Bam Bam.” Bam Bam? I could’ve only guessed Cora wanted to be Pebbles. “You know I will do it if you really want me to, but I think you’d enjoy dressing up with your girls more.”

  I slammed my eyes shut as I listened to their exchange. I hated myself for being jealous of Cora and Lane. I was a selfish person to be resentful of my friends’ happiness. I knew that. I just wanted it back. I wanted a connection like that with someone again.

  “Okay, then it’s settled,” Gabby confirmed, not giving Cora time to argue. “We’re going costume shopping after school. This is going to be awesome.”

  ***

  We searched high and low for costumes, but couldn’t find anything.

  “We can make them ourselves,” Gabby said, while we waited in line for smoothies, deciding whether or not to go with a different idea. “I mean, it can’t be that hard. We just need to find some cute, matching dresses in pink, green, and blue. Plus, a bow for me.” She pointed to her auburn hair and then gave the guy at the register our order.

  “God,” Cora moaned, grabbing three straws from the bin beside her. “Why can’t I be the one with the bow?”

  “You’re blonde,” Gabby answered, picking up a few napkins. “That makes you Bubbles. Bubbles doesn’t have a bow, she has …”

  Cora’s hand flew up to cut off Gabby. “I know,” she groaned. “Bubbles has damn pigtails. I’m going to have to wear blow job handles in my hair.” The acne-ridden kid making our smoothies stopped the blender to give us a creepy smile.

  “She doesn’t mean that kind of blow job,” Gabby said, laughing, as he handed us our drinks. He nodded, obviously knowing she was lying. She looped our arms together, and we made our way through the crowded mall.

  ***

  “I just want to say this real quick,” Cora said, squealing, and pausing the music that had been playing in her bedroom for the past two hours. “We’re some sexy crime fighters.”

  I forced out a smile while buckling the belt that wrapped around my stomach. We had finally found matching outfits at a small boutique. I pulled down the hem of my green dress in an attempt to calm down my nerves. I was certain I’d be having a major freak out before the night ended.

  My heart thudded against my chest as I stared into the mirror in front of me. When I got here, I sat down and let the two of them have their way with me. They left my hair down and straightened it. I was just happy I didn’t have to sport pigtails or a bow. Cora did my makeup, giving me dark, smoky eyes and pink lips.

  “Screw you, Blossom, and your ridiculous pigtails,” Cora whined, glaring at them in the mirror. “I’m going to get so much shit for these stupid things.” She pulled on one, making a disgusted face. “Lane is going to be begging me for a blowjob all damn night.”

  “I thought you weren’t a fan of that?” Gabby asked, walking by her and flicking a ponytail.

  “I’m not. Hence the part where he’s going to annoy me because he loves it.” She smeared some gloss on her lips and smacked them together. “We should probably get going. We’re already running late.”

  “Better to arrive late than ugly,” Gabby said, dousing her strands with hairspray. “Let’s go.”

  I gulped, following them out of Cora’s room and down the stairs, stumbling a bit in Cora’s heels they’d insisted I wear.


  We loaded into Cora’s white Mercedes, and Gabby cranked the radio up. While they sang along up front, I tried to talk my nerves down. Wiping my sweaty hands down my dress, I pressed my forehead against the cold window and tried to rid my mind of all of the worst-case scenarios running through it.

  Gasping, my eyes bulged out when we pulled into a giant, circular driveway packed with cars. Cora didn’t lie when she said this party was going to be huge, but that’s not all that shocked me. Lane’s house was huge. I swear, the longer I was here, the bigger the houses got. The mansion perched in front of me was twice the size of my aunt’s house. It screamed money from every angle, and of course, there was a giant fountain in the middle of the driveway that was so large it could’ve been used as a pool.

  “Holy house,” I muttered. Cora pushed a button on her visor, and one of the six garage doors opened. Pulling in, she parked next to a black Escalade like it was her own personal spot and turned off the ignition.

  “Lane’s dad is filthy rich. He owns one of the top music labels in Atlanta,” Gabby explained, turning around to look at me. “And Cora’s lucky ass gets to meet famous people all of the time.” She nudged Cora with her elbow, but Cora ignored her while she focused on her phone.

  Speaking of phone. “Hey Cora, is it alright if I leave my phone in here?” I asked. I ran my hands through my hair and pulled down on my pocket-less dress.

  “Yeah,” she replied. “No one else is allowed in here, so it’ll be fine.” She pulled down her visor to check her reflection one last time before opening up her door. “Alright, let’s do this.”

  I counted to ten, ignoring all of the building tension in the pit of my belly, and opened up my door. I already had a bad feeling about tonight. It was too soon.

  Gabby stopped at my door and squatted down to look at me. “Hey, everything is going to be fine. I’ll be with you the entire time. If you want to leave early, we can. I got your back.”