The Heartless Persona

21

It was the last night of the vacation and Keri had convinced Cam to go out to a bar with her.

Their parents thought that they were going to a teenage club (they even gave them a load of money too), when in reality Keri had plans on getting wasted.

She wanted to go out with a bang.

Keri applied makeup over her face; brushing on blush and eyeshadow, gliding lipstick over her lips, and coating her eyelashes with mascara.

Her goal was to look over eighteen so no one would ask for her ID.

Her hair was freshly curled, a body con dress was hugging her body, and she had a small purse hanging from her shoulder.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Two weeks ago, she would have loved her reflection; she would have smiled once she saw herself; she would have enjoyed what she was staring at. But when she stared at her reflection, she didn't feel that.

She felt like she was in someone else's body. She felt like she was looking at a stranger.

For once, she didn't feel like Keri Hastings.

"I can't believe we're going home tomorrow," Keri sighed. Her and Cam were walking to the bar.

The moon was hidden behind passing clouds and they heard music blasting from a nearby restaraunt.

"I know...it's crazy."

Keri knew that whatever happened tonight was going to change her life forever.

She'd either keep Cam as a friend or she'd dump him again.

Unless something completely different happened.

They finally made their way to the bar. Cam opened the door, letting Keri in first.

"Here goes nothing," Keri shot Cam a wide smile as they headed towards the counter.

The bar was small with dim lights and low music. The wood floors were dilapidated, just like the counter, and there was a coating of dust on all of the lights.

There were a few seats open, allowing Keri and Cam to sit down and order their drinks.

"A shot of Bacardi rum and a piña colada," Keri said confidently. The bartender eyed her suspiciously, trying to decipher if she was over eighteen, the legal drinking age. Although he had his suspicions, he didn't ask for her ID.

"I'll have a beer, please," Cam said.

Keri bit down on her lip, smoothened her expensive dress, and pushed her hair out of her face. She tapped her manicured fingernails against the counter while her eyes trailed to Cam.

His hair was mussed on his head (in a completely hot way), a white v-neck hugged his torso, and dark jeans clung to his legs. Cam's light sapphire colored eyes glanced around the room, looking at different bottles of alcohol, not even noticing Keri.

She tilted her head a little, smirked, and gently placed her delicate hand on his forearm.

Cam's eyes shifted to Keri's hand before looking up to her brown eyes. She couldn't help but to notice his high cheekbones which made him look even sexier.

"What are you thinking about?" Keri asked. The bartender slid their drinks over to them. Cam took a sip of his beer and sighed before answering.

"Just what's going to happen after this trip is over," he looked away from her. Her eyes dropped to the floor and her thin lips parted.

"Oh."

She grabbed her shot glass, tilted her head back, and let the rum burn her throat. She then moved her piña colada closer to her and began sipping on it.

Whatever happens, happens, she thought to herself.

About an hour later, some girl was chatting with Cam while Keri drank her feelings away.

"Just keep them coming," Keri said to the bartender. Her eyes were partially open and she could barely hold her head up.

"You're so sweet!" The girl who sat next to Cam giggled. She had an accent, hair that was dyed a light brown, a great body, and a beautiful face; full lips, wide hazel eyes, a heart shaped face, and a button nose.

She had been talking to Cam for what felt like forever. It should have been Keri and Cam that should have been talking.

They should have been remembering the old times; they should have been flirting; and most importantly, they should have been talkig about their future.

Like, what would happen after tomorrow. Would they remain friends? Would they go back to their normal lives?

Keri got a text from Rebecca saying that she missed her and that she was glad Keri was going to be home tomorrow. Keri was way too drunk to reply and care. To be honest, she wasn't even focused on Rebecca, even though it was her best friend.

A lot of things had changed on this trip. For one, Keri wasn't pretending to be someone else like she did back home. She was being herself, which hadn't happened in about three years.

Another change was how Keri felt about Cam. Sure they had been friends at one point, but after this trip, Keri was starting to have feelings for him.

And she never liked a boy like that.

The only thing that was still uncertain to her was how Cam felt about her. And if she was going to act on her emotions.

And she had to figure all of this out in one night.