Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Karma sat on her bed, staring at the calendar on her phone. The fall school dance was just five days away, and her group chat was blowing up with excited messages about dress shopping, hair appointments, and matching accessories. Normally, Karma would've been right there with them, planning every detail down to the color of her nails. But this time, things were different.
Her mom's car accident had turned everything upside down. With her mom bedridden and in need of constant care, Karma had to step up to take care of her siblings, managing the household, and juggling school. It was exhausting, and the last thing on her mind was a dance.
The phone rang, snapping her out of her thoughts. She saw it was a group FaceTime call from Jayla, Tati, and Eva. She hesitated before answering, forcing a smile as their faces popped up on the screen.
"What's good, y'all?" Karma greeted, trying to sound normal.
"Girl, what's good with you?" Jayla asked, narrowing her eyes through the screen. "You been mad quiet lately. We all wanna know what's goin' on."
Karma sighed, sitting back against her pillows. "It's just... a lot right now, you feel me? My mom, the accident... she's still recovering, and I gotta take care of my siblings. Ain't no way I can go to that dance."
The line went silent for a moment, the girls processing her words.
"I'm sorry, Karma," Tati finally said, her voice soft. "That's a lot to deal with."
"Yeah, that's OD," Eva agreed. "But you know we got you, right? We don't gotta go to no dance if you can't."
Karma shook her head, feeling a pang of guilt. "Nah, y'all should go. I don't want to ruin anything for you."
Jayla was quick to chime in, her voice firm. "Ruin what? Sis, you our friend. We ain't gonna leave you hanging like that."
"It's really okay," Karma insisted, forcing a smile. "I'll feel worse if y'all miss out just 'cause of me. Go, have fun. I'll be aight."
The girls exchanged glances, clearly not convinced but knowing better than to push her when she was already stressed out.
"Okay, but only if you sure," Eva said reluctantly. "And we gonna bring you back somethin', like mad pictures and some of that food they always got at these dances."
"Bet," Karma said, managing a genuine laugh. "Just make sure y'all slay, aight?"
They talked for a while longer, the girls updating Karma on all the gossip and drama she'd been missing out on. But even as they laughed and joked, there was a heaviness in Karma's heart, knowing she wouldn't be there with them.
After they hung up, Karma put her phone down and leaned back against her pillows. She rubbed her temples, trying to push back the headache that had been nagging at her all day.
