It took Reagan a lot longer to realize how wrong she was for Amy than it should have. She should have known it right from the start. It was obvious to everyone, especially Karma, but Reagan just refused to see it.

She tried to convince herself that it was because she loved Amy so much. But really, was what they had truly love? Reagan knew what real love was. She saw it every single time Amy looked at Karma. And every time she saw it, it just broke her heart a little more.

The problem was, no matter how much Amy loved Karma, the redheaded girl just wouldn't admit she felt the same way, even if it was soooo freaking obvious to everyone else. No one paid that much attention to someone they weren't in love with, best friends or not. Reagan hadn't even been around for the threesome kiss or the way Karma spied on Amy and the Brazilian girl, but she'd been there for the group hang. It had been clear to her that night that there was more than friendship between Amy and Karma. But she wanted Amy so badly that she ignored it. She pretended it wasn't there and accepted Amy's offer to be her girlfriend.

And every day since that night, Reagan's regretted it a little more. She's known more every day that Amy will never be hers, not like she's Karma's. There could be a thousand Reagans and a thousand Liams and none of them would ever measure up to Karmy. It just couldn't be done. Reagan knew it a little more every day and it kept weighing on her and weighing on her and breaking her down, a little bit at a time.

She finally just couldn't take it anymore. It was too much. Her heart couldn't stand the pain and Reagan knew what she had to do. There was only one choice.

She had to break up with Amy.

But it couldn't just be any break up. Amy would never believe Reagan if she just suddenly said she wanted to break up. Everyone knew how much Reagan loved Amy, even Karma couldn't deny that. No, if Reagan wanted to end things with Amy and have her believe it, she'd have to go all out. She'd have to do more than just break up with her. She would have to get Karma to admit her feelings to. The only way Amy would accept a break up was if she could get what she really wanted.

And Reagan had just the way to do it.

Reagan knew Amy would stand for just about anything. She didn't mind that Reagan was older, she didn't mind that Reagan had never gone to college, she didn't even mind not knowing Reagan's last name for the first three months they were dating. There was only one thing that she knew Amy would never be OK with. She would have to cheat.

There was a girl that worked at one of the clubs Reagan spun at. She was cute, in a butch sort of way, and Reagan knew she was totally into her. It wouldn't take much effort for the DJ to get the club girl to hook up with her. That was going to be the easy part. What would be hard would be getting Karma to live up to her end of the bargain.

After she thought about it for a while, Reagan realized the only thing she could do was actually go to Karma and tell her what she was planning. If she didn't, then she was risking letting Amy think she wa cheating on her and Karmy still wouldn't get together. It was really the only way. Reagan just hoped she could be convincing enough to make Karma see.

Reagan waited for just the right time. She was supposed to be meeting Amy for lunch, so she knew her girlfriend would be busy somewhere else. That's when she went to Karma's house.

"Reagan?" Karma asked, surprised to see the older girl there. "What are you doing here? I thought you were having lunch with Amy?"

Reagan stood on the Ashcroft's front step, tears welling in her eyes. This was the hardest thing she'd ever done, but she knew it was for the best.

"Karma, I need to talk to you," she said. "I need to talk to you about your feelings for Amy."

"My feelings?" Karma seemed confused, but also nervous. Most people wouldn't have picked up on it, but Reagan was well practiced in the art of spotting Karmy love. "Amy's my best friend. That's it."

Reagan shook her head. "That's not it and you know it, Karma," she said. "You're in love with Amy and you always have been. You're just too afraid."

Karma seemed a little pissed at the idea that she was afraid. "Afraid of what?" she asked.

"Afraid of your feelings," Reagan replied. "You're afraid of being different. That's why you keep going after Liam even when he's clearly just a fuckboy."

Karma frowned at Reagan's description of her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But she didn't say anything to defend him.

"You've got this idea, Karma," Reagan said. "You're supposed to love the perfect boy and have the perfect relationship and the perfect marriage and perfect kids."

Karma couldn't disagree with any of that.

Reagan kept right on going. "But it isn't perfect Karma, and you know it. Because Liam isn't perfect, not for you. There's only one perfect person for you and that's Amy."

It was one thing for Karma to think all those things, and she had thought them for so very long. But it was another thing completely for her to hear them from someone else, especially when that someone else was Amy's girlfriend!

It took everything Karma had to not break down right there on her parent's front steps. Hearing the truth like that was freeing, it took such a huge weight off her soul. But it couldn't be.

"Even if that was true," Karma said. "It wouldn't matter. Amy's with you. She'll never break your heart, not even to be with me. That's just not the kind of person she is. And that's why… I love her."

Karma and Reagan both grew silent. The weight of Karma's admission, of her finally saying the words was almost more than either of them could bear.

"I know," Reagan said. "And that's why I have a plan. Amy and I are supposed to go out tomorrow night. But I'll cancel on her at the last minute. That will be your cue."

"My cue?" Karma asked. She wasn't able to hide the hope in her voice. She couldn't believe it was true. She couldn't believe that maybe, just maybe, by this time tomorrow Amy could be hers.

Reagan nodded. "You call Amy. Ask her to go to a movie. I'll tell you which one. I'll be there, with another girl. When you and Amy catch me cheating that will give you the chance to be Ms. Charming and swoop in to defend Amy. You can 'accidentally' blurt out your feelings and she'll be so moved, she'll probably leap into your arms right there."

Karma wanted to smile so badly it hurt. This was perfect. She couldn't have thought of a better plan herself. But one thing still bothered her. "But why?" she asked. "Why are you doing this? I know how much you love Amy."

"That's why I'm doing this," Reagan said. "I want Amy to be happy. And she'll never be as happy with me as she is with you. It's taken me a long time, Karma, but I've finally realized that I'm just a stepping stone for Amy. I'm a temporary fix for what she really needs."

It was all too much and Karma ran down the steps and hugged Reagan tightly. The two of them had never been the best of friends, but she was so touched by what Reagan was doing for her. Karma only hoped that someday Reagan would find someone to love like she loved Amy.

The next day came quickly enough and everything was set. Reagan cancelled plans with Amy just like she said she would and Karma made the save. She and Amy arrived at the movie theater right on time. Karma led her best friend into the theater and her heart was racing. She quickly spotted Reagan in one of the first few rows, making out heavily with a tattooed brunette.

"Um.. I think we're in the wrong theater," Karma said as she tried to turn Amy around, just like she and Reagan had rehearsed. It would seem more natural, they thought, if Karma tried to keep Amy from seeing anything first.

"Knock it off, Karms," Amy said. "This is definitely the right theater. I don't know what's gotten into you..."

Karma could tell from the way Amy's voice slowly dropped off that she'd spotted Reagan and the other girl. She could see the pain on Amy's face and it almost broke her heart. Karma thought about backing out, but she was too far gone now.

Amy stalked down the aisle until she was right next to Reagan and the tattooed girl. And then she dumped her soda, the BIG one, all over the girl's head.

Reagan jumped up, pretending to be shocked. "Shrimp Girl, I… um… this isn't what it looks like."

That was supposed to be Karma's cue, the moment when she jumped in and told Reagan that of course it was what it looked like and how could she do this and if she couldn't love Amy the way she deserved to be loved then she should let someone else who does love her be with her.

That was the plan, at least. But it seemed that Amy had other ideas. She dropped her popcorn and took Reagan's face in her hand, planting a long and deep open mouth kiss on her supposedly cheating girlfriend!

When Amy finally broke the kiss, Reagan stumbled back and almost knocked the tattooed girl over. "What was that?" she asked in a daze.

"That was me telling you I love you," Amy said. "You. Not anyone else." Amy didn't say her name, but she clearly meant Karma. "I know what you're trying to do Reagan," she said. "I know you think there's someone better for me and that I love someone else more than you."

Reagan started to speak, obviously trying to deny it, but Amy put a finger to her lips.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry that I've been confused and unsure. And I admit, I've felt a bit smothered and rushed in our relationship."

Karma had a moment of hope when she heard that.

"But when I realized I might lose you," Amy said. "When I saw you kissing that little bitch, I just couldn't take it. It was all so clear to me. It's you, Reagan. It's always been you and it always will be. And no matter what I have to do, I'll prove it to you."

And with that, she kissed Reagan again, even harder than the first time. Amy took her girlfriend by the hand and led her out of the theater, her promises to prove her love echoing even after the doors shut behind them.

Karma slumped down into a seat. Her heart was broken and she didn't know what to do. She couldn't be mad at Amy. All she had done was choose the girl she loved. And she couldn't be mad at Reagan. She had tried to put her and Amy together.

In the end, Karma realized the only person she had to be mad at was herself. She had waited too long and she had trusted that all those little hints and signs would, eventually, add up to a Karmy ending. But they hadn't. And all Karma was left with was the taste of her own salty tears in her popcorn.