The Heartless Persona

22

Tears welled up in Keri's eyes. Why was this girl stealing Cam away from her? Why did Keri even care?

Who was she kidding? She knew exactly why she cared.

This was why Keri didn't like getting feelings for guys. It was so much work and so much drama that she didn't need.

But she couldn't stop those stupid and pesky emotions.

A tear slipped down her cheek while she sucked her fourth piña colada from her straw.

Cheers to her.

Cam noticed how Keri was acting. She kept her eyes low, avoiding everyone in that place. The torn up cushion underneath her prickled her skin, but that was the least of her worries.

"Hey," he murmured, lightly touching her arm. "You okay?"

She glanced up to him, gave a sad smile, and nodded her head. "Yeah."

"Let's go home, all right?" he suggested.

Keri didn't want to argue because she was miserable there. That night was not how she planned it.

Cam said good-bye to the girl next to him, paid for the drinks, and helped Keri to her feet.

At least she wasn't going to be stuck watching some girl flirt with Cam for the rest of the night.

Keri could barely walk, which made the trip ten times harder than it should have been. Cam's arm was wrapped around Keri's waist as she leaned on him for support. Her vision was blurred from alcohol and tears and they were mostly shut.

She desperately needed to sleep.

She had almost tripped, but Cam had caught her, thankfully. He let out a sigh as she tried to stand up correctly.

"Thanks," she said, turning her head towards him.

"Yep," he pressed his lips together. She frowned and looked away from him.

It was like no matter what, he was always going to hate her. She wished for nothing else, but for him to have no feelings of hate towards her.

She just wanted a clean slate.

But would that ever happen? She was sure that after tonight, Cam would still think of her the same way he did before the trip. The only thing that would be different was he would think she was an emotional clumsy drunk.

She tried holding herself up so that Cam didn't have to, but it didn't end successfully. He had to catch her again.

Their bodies were pressed against one another and they stopped walking. Keri could feel the warmth in her cheeks as her eyes met Cam's.

He smiled a little and stood up straighter. "Are you always this clumsy when you drink?"

"Not usually," a shy smile appeared on her face.

They both stood there for a moment. Cam's hands held onto her waist while Keri's were placed on his chest.

"Um, maybe you should just get on my back," he let go of her. "It'll be easier and we're not that far away."

Keri's eyes still focused on his face. She had never felt so love-struck in her life.

Just everything about Cam was perfect. There was no other way to describe it.

"Yeah, sure," she finally spoke.

When she got on his back, her head rested on his shoulder and her arms were wrapped around his neck.

Although Keri swore off having feelings for a boy for the rest of her life, there was something about Cam. She had been denying it throughout the entire trip, but tonight was going to be different.