***Chapter Sixty***
It's been quite a few days and I still was not okay. My head kept replaying his words. I'll never love you. It rang through my brain every day, every night. My eyes couldn't close without thinking about them. The worst part was that even with all that I missed him. So much so that for the rest of the week all I did was go to my classes and back to my dorm. It was painful even being around the others. Hell, I couldn't see Julie because she'd only pester me about what was going on. We didn't need that.
Now it was the night of the Halloween party and I was dreading to go. It's Halloween, I should be out having fun celebrating, and watching the guys perform. The problem with that is Drew was going to be there as well. Someone I've had strict instructions to stay away from. How is that supposed to work when we'll be in the same building? It's easy to avoid him on campus since it is so big. This was a small bar where he was the highlight of the night. Maybe I'll stay here in my bed.
It looks like that'll be the plan, the door opens again to see Keegan and Cameron walkthrough. They were both dressed in this very vampiric get-up with very white makeup on their face. Keegan had red paint-like blood dripping from the side of his mouth while Cam darkened his eyes with fangs. Their hair was spiked and dusted with some kind of hair spray. They looked awesome and only made me want to see them perform even more. If this was their plan it was working.
I sit up and cross my arms. "Okay, you guys look great," I complimented. I was happy to see them both. It's been a while.
Cameron sat at the end of my bed while Keegan stood over me. "And you look like crap," Cameron joked. "Seriously, get up. It's been days since anyone has seen you."
I pout. "I don't wanna," I say laying back down. "Let me just crawl in a hole and never come out."
Keegan lifted me back up not willing to let me lay here like this. "Come on Anna, it's Halloween," he smiled. "Forget all that bullshit at least for one night."
"And we need you there," Cameron added.
It would be nice to go see them perform in a much bigger crowd. That and I didn't want my costume that I spent hours adding rhinestones to go to waste. If not for anything, I'll go and support at least 3 out of 4 boys. They were also my friends and one person shouldn't dictate how I spent one of the most fun nights known to man. It'll be hard to see his face up there, but it'll all be worth it.
My eyes rolled in annoyance, but I was happy they came to get me. "Fine, I'll get ready. Wait for me?" I ask.
They both smile, excited that I'll still come. "Of course, meet us by Keegan's car."
They exited while I got myself dressed. The jumpsuit ended up fitting just fine and snugged my body rather tight. It's not something I'd usually wear, but Julie wanted it. It didn't look too bad though as I tried my best to get my hair into a decent style. With the way it was cut, I managed to do something cute to it. At least by Julie's standards. My makeup even came out more akin to Julie's style as I added a cute little heart under my eye.
I do one more glance over before rushing out to meet them. Once I did, they both whistled at me to compliment my appearance. As I've said, this is my first time doing something so girly. It was a change of pace and they seemed to like it. As if it fit me. I felt out of place but it was only one night. I'll survive.
"Woo, Anna you look phenomenal," Keegan shot me a wink.
I laugh with a playful eye roll. "Where is everyone?" I ask as no one else was there.
"We told them to go ahead. You're riding with us." Cameron said opening the door for me.
Shrugging, I got in the car to enjoy the ride to the bar. We talked a bit on the way there. I was hyping them up for their show mostly. Anything to calm my nerves about seeing Drew's face. They both seemed excited like this was the start of things to come. Hopefully, they both benefited from this down the line. I for one believe that they will and they'll have bright futures from it. Getting the little performances out of the way was going to skyrocket them into stardom.
After minutes of talking and driving, we finally arrived at the bar. It seemed like quite a bit of people were there. Parking was a nightmare but once we finally found a spot my heart raced in my chest. This will be the first time in days that I've seen Drew. He kept to his word and so have I as far as seeing each other. He wanted me to stay away and it felt like I'd be breaking that rule. Being in such proximity would kill me, but I had my friends for backup.
We all got out of the car making our way inside the establishment. It was packed. It was so packed that there were 3 bartenders attending the station. Everyone was dressed in their costumes enjoying the music playing in the background. As we walked further, I saw the spot where they would be performing and it made me smile. They went from the school auditorium to a fully packed bar. It was a small change, but it'll help reach a wider audience. I'm so proud.
What I'm not proud of is how my body instantly froze once I saw his face. He didn't want me near him and I was doing good keeping that promise. This felt weird on so many levels. Especially after the afternoon, we had right before he told me to leave him alone. I was trying to forget everything but it was so hard. You can't just forget every incredible thing we did. It's impossible.
Even though staying invisible would have been great, it didn't take long for Julie to spot me and immediately announce it. While she's right next to Drew of all things.
"Anna!" She yells across the room.
I wave as she makes her way over to me trying to smile as best as I can. Our relationship was rocky as well, but we did like each other as she pointed out. The common denominator is Drew. That's where our issues came from, but she no longer had to worry about it.
We hugged as she admired the costume. Soon after, she dragged me over to greet Dillon, Dre, and Kayla who also managed to get a jumpsuit. Hers was in red completing our look. Dre and Drew also had this vampiric look going on so I assume it was the theme they chose for their performance tonight. They all pulled it off well and I couldn't wait to see the performance.
Dillon gave me a warm smile before locking me in her arms. "I'm happy you came. I didn't think Cameron could get you to come out but he proved me wrong." She admits.
Cameron sticks his tongue out at her. "I told you so!"
I laugh appreciating them both. "You're both crazy and I couldn't miss this performance."
"And we needed to show off our very enticing costumes," Julie butted in.
They were pretty enticing. "I didn't forget about the costume, Julie," I say.
She smirks feeling great about the idea and how cohesive we looked. So much so that she bribed Cameron to take our picture. It was a little hard with how packed it was but we managed to pull it off. Dill and Julie stood tall back to back while Kayla and I crouched down in the same pose. The pictures came out pretty cute and I had her send it to me to make my new Lock Screen.
After that, it was time for them to put on a show as they took center stage. Everyone was excited watching and I couldn't help but look at them in awe. They already had this great chemistry coupled with all of their stage presence. It worked out so well making it impossible to not cheer for them.
They started with the song they performed at the talent show since it was a known song. Then suddenly things got darker than they were. They all bowed their heads as the new song Halloween-themed kicked into gear. It was so much more raw and thrilling. It was still upbeat but a lot grittier and they all performed so well. Drew was just mesmerized by having the crowd feeding right out of his hands. Every time he performed he just came to life. He was so charismatic and animated. People loved it. I loved it! They did great!
As expected, after they were done everyone wanted to talk to them or take pictures with them. It was pretty wild given how big the crowd was this time. It made it easier to get a drink at the bar though. I needed something to get me through the rest of the night. My emotions were all over the place dealing with Drew. Seeing him tonight only reminded me of the great times we had.
Slurping down my beverage, Keegan ended up breaking free from the swarm of girls surrounding him. He found his way over to me checking to see if I were okay. Honestly, I'm doing better than expected but still don't want to be here. It was torture in every sense of the word.
Standing in front of me, Keegan smiled. "Did you enjoy the show?" He yelled over the music.
"You guys were great!" I yelled back. "You'll be superstars in no time."
He laughs before ordering a drink and dragging me away from the crowd. We head up down the dark stairwell onto the roof again. It was chilly out but nothing I couldn't handle. Keegan wanted to talk without all the noise around us. Yelling over the music wasn't an ideal way to have a conversation.
Sitting on the ground, I sit next to him looking up at the moon. It reflects a nice light as we enjoy each other's company away from everyone else. The topic of the hour had to do with Drew and what happened. Honestly, I couldn't tell him as I was just confused.
"So he just said that without much of a reason?" He was trying to understand the situation.
I nod my head. "Yep, I'm not sure why either," I think back on it. "It felt...out of place you know?"
Keegan looks at me confused. "What do you mean?" His eyebrows scrunched together.
Sighing, I shrug. "It's hard to say but whatever the case, I knew he didn't mean it," my heart wouldn't let go. "He was crying. Drew never cries."
That's something he didn't do. At least I haven't seen him do it. He'd get upset or maybe even angry but crying was not in Drew's emotional category. It had to take a lot for him to say those words to me. I just know it did by the way he didn't want to leave. Was it worth doing all of that instead of telling me the truth though? That's all they were asking him to do and he refused. Why?
"There's something more going on," he says. "I'm trying to get information but no one would say anything."
I looked at him shocked. "You were trying to get info too!" I'm happy I'm not the only one left in the dark.
Keegan nodded. "Nothing makes sense. I'm trying to put the pieces together." He looks at me. "Mainly for you. To get you some sort of closure."
Smiling at him, I rest my head on his shoulder, appreciating him. "Thank you Keegan but I doubt we'll find out anything."
He lays his head on top of mine with a chuckle. "Not with that attitude we won't."
"Hey I'm just being realistic," I argue. No one would say anything now. Nothing will change their stance on the matter.
Still, Keegan kept hope and didn't let me give up on Drew. It's interesting since our relationship wilted because of my love for Drew. Yet here he was supporting me rooting for me even. Keegan was such a good guy and I'm lucky to have him as my friend. This night would have been a disaster had it not been for him.
Enjoying the nighttime air a little more, we finally decided to head back down to the party. It was still going strong as we mingled ourselves back with our friends. I tried my best to not look in Drew's direction the whole time. It was going to be hard avoiding one another when we had the same friend group, but it'll have to do for now. I'm tired of being stuck in my room. It's time to suck it up and move on with my life.