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Karma had been listening to Shane when it happened.
Everything was normal. The cafeteria was noisy but it was its usual normal of noisy. Shane was sitting with them, telling tales about the time he kissed this guy who turned out to be straight. Amy was the quiet one so of course, she didn’t say anything but Karma couldn’t help but snort at everything he said. Shane was one of the most popular guys in school so it was nice to sit next to him and listen. Amy didn’t care. Well, she was Amy; she never cared about popularity, a fact Karma usually found scandalous.
Maybe Amy was still pissed off when Shane declared that they were lesbians. But to Karma, it was the most brilliant plot to gain fame. Better than the pretending-to-be-blind plot. She couldn’t understand why she hadn’t thought of it before. Sure, she had to kiss Amy but she was her best friend anyway. They were practically one soul in two bodies. Plus, Amy was a good kisser.
Anyway, it happened when this emo guy passed by with his brown duster and shaved head. He gave the two girls muffins—which he said his mother told him to give. Karma grinned; she liked receiving goodies from strangers. She met Amy’s eyes across from the table. It was tradition that they eat at the same time. Amy had to smile and when Karma bit into her muffin and chewed it, the smile faded.
Karma spat on the ground. Sure, she hadn’t tasted it for nearly a decade but she could tell when she was eating something Amy was never supposed to eat. And she was eating peanut.
Amy must’ve been so shocked at Karma’s gesture that she swallowed.
“Crap,” she said.
“What is it? Is it poison?” Shane asked, sounding disgusted.
“No,” Karma said, already sliding from her seat. The canteen was buzzing with mumbles. Everybody could see that Amy was turning red and clutching at her throat like somebody was choking her. “Damn it! Shane, call 911 will you?” Karma sounded hysteric, which she was. She had seen Amy react to peanut before and it was a traumatizing incident.
“Why? What’s happening?” Shane demanded, already pulling out his phone.
“Peanut,” Karma snarled, grabbing the muffin Amy had eaten and flinging it at the nearest wall. “She’s allergic to peanut butter, damn you!”
She grabbed her bag from the table, knowing that something like this might happen. Back when they had just met, Amy had accidentally eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and after being rushed to the ER, Karma had begged her parents to get allergy shots just in case another incident like this might happen. Karma hadn’t left home without one.
A crowd was forming around their table. Amy was gasping, trying to catch her breath as Karma fumbled around her bag, throwing books out of the way and hitting students. Where the hell was the allergy shot? Her fingers were starting to shake as she heard Shane yelling into the phone that an ambulance needed to get here ASAP because Hester High’s cutest couple was literally choking. Somebody was screaming to get the nurse and all Karma could think about was WHERE.THE.HELL.WAS.HER.ALLERGY.SHOT?
Just as she threw her Algebra book, something metal fell into the air with it.The shot! Like Harry Potter when it came to Quidditch, Karma grabbed it from falling into the ground and hurried to Amy’s side. A hushed silence had fallen across the canteen as Karma stumbled with the syringe. Amy was basically beet red, almost like the villain in Captain America.
“Hang on, Amy,” Karma said as she inserted the point into her vein. She pressed it slowly and there was a moment where everything was still, where the only thing mattered was Amy’s haggard breathing, not even the way the entire student body’s eyes were on them both. She watched as her best friend’s face returned to its normal shade of color. Her heart was pounding twice as fast than normal and it hurt to see Amy struggle to breathe.
Karma put the syringe away. Amy looked exhausted; she always did after an allergy shot.
“Thank God,” Karma said as Amy’s head fell into her shoulder. The girl had collapsed. Karma wrapped her arms around her best friend’s neck and held her as the students all gave a sigh of relief.
Shane came bouncing towards them both, looking giddy. Karma could hear Amy snoring.
“THAT was adorable!” Shane declared.
The students all clapped and cheered. Karma smiled, tightening her embrace on her best friend.
“Damn you, Amy,” she murmured, kissing her on the forehead. “Don’t ever do that again.”
She knew that the emo guy didn’t mean to poison her pretend girlfriend but she swore that the next time she saw him, she was going to give him a kick in the balls.