*Edited a couple of spelling errors and after a few request to continue, I have decided to let to guys know I will be continuing with this story so look for updates in the near future!*

Breathless

Amy POV:

I can't breathe. Everything around me has gone dark and all I hear is a faint whisper. I recognize that voice from somewhere. Why can't I remember? Blinking rapidly I turn and realize I'm face to face with the entire student body. How'd I get here? A familiar tug on my hand draws me back to the voice I heard before, "Way to sell it!" I give my best fake smile before casually releasing Karma's hand. Right as I let go I feel my equilibrium falter and I begin to fall into a never ending vortex of cheers as those four little words dance through my head. Screaming, I reach out trying to take back the hand that was my balance, sanity, and safety only to realize it has dissipated.

"AMY!" Jumping at the sound of my name and the shaking of my shoulders I shoot up from my nightmarish sleep.

"Geez Amy, you look like crap." My best friend since the age of five comments casually.

"Gee thanks Karma, how'd you know I'd always wanted to wake up to those lovely words?" I ask, my voice dripping with sarcasm and sleep. Karma just shrugs with a bright smile on her face before moving on to a new topic.

"Anyway, since we've been faking dating for a whole week now I figured we should celebrate." Her voice is filled with something sneaky and I immediately know what she's talking about. Groaning, I face plant back into my pillow.

"Shane's throwing another party isn't he." My bed springs up at the absence of Karma's weight and I hear her rummaging through my closet.

"He surely is and we're totally going. Liam's gonna be there and I think he's really in to me." I lift my head as she comes out of my closet holding an assortment of my clothes in her arms. I snicker to myself at the irony and Karma's eyebrow shoots up questioningly as she makes her way over to my bed and throws the clothes heap on my feet.

"Whatever, now hurry up and get dressed Ams, or we're gonna be late to school. We can't keep our fans waiting now can we?" She adds as she slaps my butt through my comforter. The shocked look on my face draws out a rare giggle and genuine Karma smile and I swear my heart has leaped into my throat or is just dangling loosely around in my chest as she turns and walks out of my room. I sigh and sit up. It's just another day of faking it I mentally remind myself as I shove myself upright and begin to get ready.

Karma POV:

Today has been yet another great day in the life of a fake-lesbian. If I had known being a lesbian would create such a buzz I would have gotten Amy to agree to it a long time ago. Speaking of Amy, she had been acting out of sorts all week and if I was being honest it was really concerning. I've always been able to tell what she was thinking but lately it was as if she'd built a giant wall around her thoughts and it was impossible for me to break it. I sigh and lean against my locker waiting for Amy so we can go to my house and change before Shane's party which Liam had promised to meet me at later.

"Okay, I'll see you there then I guess?" I perk up at the sound of Amy's soft voice and look down the hallway. In a matter of seconds I find myself wishing I hadn't. Amy's eyes are filled with something I can't quite explain and she looks happier than I've seen her look since we started pretend dating. A knot has formed in my stomach and a lump is unceremoniously lodging itself in my throat as I watch her wave at a lengthy-legged brunette I think I recognize from Math, by the name of Lily.

"Hey." Amy smiles brightly and I note the light flush on her cheeks as she leans in to kiss my cheek as usual. I purse my lips and unknowingly shy away from her. She stops her attempt to carry on fake appearances and looks into my eyes in that way only Amy can that sends my heart to a warm place. Still leaning towards me she whispers,

"Is everything alright, Karma? You look a little... I don't know, out of sorts?" She raises a perfect eyebrow at me questioningly. I shrug in reply and begin walking outside to her car not bothering to check if she's following me or not. I have no right to be mad at her. She's done nothing really but that doesn't stop me from fuming over her seemingly friendly encounter with lengthy-legged-Lily. After a silent, tension-filled ride to my house I release a breath I didn't know I was holding and look at Amy who is pretending not to look at me with white knuckles gripping the steering wheel. Without thinking I swiftly but softly grab her face and turn it towards me as I lean in. Her eyes grow wide for a fraction of a second as she realizes my intent but when my lips touch hers I feel her relax against my mouth as she breathes out heavily from her nose. My heart rate accelerates slightly as she closes her eyes, accepting what my lips offer. I pull away after a couple of seconds and exit the car trying not to let the look of peace on her face when I kissed her affect me as much as I know it has.

"Um, Karma, you know no one from school can see us right? We don't have to pretend when we're alone." Amy mumbles as she follows me through my house and to my bedroom. My heart drops a little as I realize she's probably tired of having to kiss me for appearances all the time even though she initiated our first kiss in front of the entire school last week.

"It never hurts to practice." I answer nonchalantly as I slip off my shoes and release my hair from its pins.

"Do you mind, ya know..." I motion to the zipper of my dress as I pull my hair to the side trying to change the subject. Thankfully, it works and Amy hesitates for a second before walking slowly over to me and reaching up with shaky hands to unzip me. Her fingertips lightly brush my shoulder blade in the process and I hold my breath as goosebumps rise along my neck and back. She quickly steps away after she's done and turns away from me as I step out of my dress and walk toward my closet to get out my pre-planned party outfit. I sigh inwardly at the wall she has put back up in a matter of seconds and continue to get ready, pretending not to be bothered by Amy's insistence on changing clothes in my bathroom instead of my room as usual. If this was how it was going to be all night, I knew it was going to be rough.

Amy POV:

As we pull up to Shane's house I scan the front yard for any signs of my new friend, Lily. Karma glances my way before raising an accusatory eyebrow at me.

"Oh, um I said I'd meet a friend from school here. I was just curious to see if she might already be here is all..." I say as means of answering her unasked question. I think I see her tense for a moment before I notice she's nodding as she clambers out of my car, slamming the passenger door in the process. What's her problem? I wonder as I follow a seething Karma through the cluster of bodies filling our new friend's house.

"I'll see you later. Have fun with your friend." Karma spits venomously as she pushes further through the crowd and away from me. Whatever her deal was it was putting a damper on my excited mood. I lean against a clear space on the wall beside the staircase and rub the bridge of my nose with my first finger and thumb.

"Hey there cutie." A soft, almost sensual voice whispers into my ear so I have no choice but to hear it over the music. My eyes shoot open in alarm but I immediately relax as Lily laughs at my expression.

"Oh my gosh. Hey Lily, you almost gave me a heart attack!" I laugh as equally at ease while subconsciously running my fingers through my blonde curls. Lily smiles back at me and holds out one of the two red plastic cups in her perfectly manicured hands to me.

"For you my lady," she presents the cup to me as if she were my hired help.

"Why thank you Madame." I reply giggling at her little act and grateful for the distraction from all things Karma. Lily has been the only clear spot in my muddled mind this entire week. Her charming personality instantly drew me in and we soon became fast friends. She grabs my hand and pulls me along behind her before casually saying over her shoulder,

"Come on, let's go shake what our mamas gave us." I snort my laugh through my nose and allow her to drag me into a group of sweaty bodies. Just as we reach the center, my anxiety begins to kick in but I feel an increase of pressure on my hand and look up into friendly hazel eyes.

"Just focus on me okay?" Lilly half smiles at me while pulling me closer to her so our bodies are flush against one another. I nod and never break eye contact with her as she begins to really move. My bones don't feel so fragile anymore and my heart is only beating out of line due to her close proximity to me.

"Hey, it's working..." I whisper with a stupid grin on my face as I relax more and begin to move back against her.

"My brother has anxiety issues, so I've learned a few things and I kinda just like having you close to me..." She says this last part so quietly I almost don't catch it but the pinkness of her cheeks as she looks at the ground solidifies that I heard her correctly. I blush in reply and whisper back,

"I like being this close." Her eyes lock back on mine and we continue to dance with each other as though we were the only two people in the room for what seems like ages. Only when I glance up to see Karma's hurt filled eyes do I register the rest of the people at the party. I watch her fleeting figure as she pushes her way through a group of teens and out of sight. Why did I suddenly feel like the biggest jerk in the world? She had left me in the first place. Looking back at Lily I blinked as I realized the similarities between her and my best friend. They were vague but still there if I looked hard enough. A lump formed in my throat as realization dawned on me. I knew I was just attempting to hide my real feelings towards Karma by being around Lily, but how was I supposed to know it would hurt her feelings? Or had I hurt her feelings at all? Maybe she was just thinking of the perfectly-gay-and-perfectly-happy image we had been putting on and my compromising our popularity was an embarrassment to her. My guilt only lasted a moment as memories of Karma's constant talk of Liam fueled my anger at her. She had no right to be mad at me! I turn back to Lily and pull her body against mine as I use what I can only hope is a seductive voice to whisper,

"Do you wanna go somewhere quieter?" Her bright eyes perk up and she nods in agreement as I take her hand and chug half of the beer from my plastic cup. After leading her upstairs, through a door, and into the darkness, I close the door behind her before pressing her into the wall and fumbling to set our cups down as our lips mold to each other's. Her kiss is nothing like Karma's but it takes my mind off the screwed up mess that has become my life nonetheless. I let my tongue slide across her bottom lip and hear a soft moan escape her lips. Smiling triumphantly, I blindly lead her towards the bed in the center of the room. We are all arms, legs, lips, and lust as we explore each other's mouths, our lips never quiet being satisfied by the other's kiss. My mind focuses on only this simple task and I relax into Lily and release my stress through touch.

Karma POV:

I clutch my stomach as I dry heave into the toilet for what seems like the thousandth time. This night was supposed to be about me and Amy and celebrating our newfound fame, but watching her dance with Lily has made my heart feel as though it has passed through a meat grinder. Amy never danced like that with me. We have been friends since we were five years old and had a no-secrets policy that we made sure to keep strictly enforced but I had no idea my best friend/fake girlfriend could be so...so...sexy. Wait what? Did I just call my best friend sexy? I thought back to her movements and how her mouth turned up at the corners, how she bit her full bottom lip when she thrusted her hips forward into Lily's, how I could pinpoint the exact moment when my Amy had disappeared and this new, almost addictive Amy had taken her place. The Amy I had just seen had never once appeared during one of our many sleepover dance parties. I didn't like not knowing everything about her, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. It was the who she was dancing with that caused my stomach to churn once again. I'd never felt like this before. My protective instincts were working in overdrive and I was both angry and confused. All my life I've been a lover not a fighter. I've never wanted to hit another person or even thought about it, until tonight. Then again, I'd also never wanted to grab Amy and push my tongue down her throat to stake my claim on her but that didn't make any sense to me either. We'd been best friends forever and she had kissed guys in front of me before but that had never even phased me. Why is it so different now? Is it because I'm taking my role as her pretend girlfriend too far, or something else? I don't have time to think up an answer because a pair of strong hands are grabbing my waist and turning me around. I almost slap the owner until I see that it's only Liam, and not a moment too soon. I push away all of my mixed feelings and focus on his thumbs gently tracing circles on my back.

"Hey there." He grins and nuzzles my neck in a way that sends tingles down my spine.

"I've been looking for you everywhere. I'm glad I found you, I've been thinking about those lips all day. Let's go find somewhere quiet." He smiles seductively and I allow him to pull me out of the bathroom and into a dark room. He pushes his hips against me while his fingers lock into my hair. I open my mouth to allow him access but open my eyes when I hear the sound of moaning and see the faint outlines of movement.

"Wait, I don't think we're alone." I push against Liam's chest to stop him as my hand racks over the wall in search of the light switch. The brightness temporarily blinds me for a moment but peering over Liam's shoulder the sight of Amy straddling Lily on the bed sends me into a state of shock as a single word escapes my lips,

"Oh."

Amy finishes with a word of her own,

"Shit."