Chapter Twenty-Two

                                    

                                          
I stepped from the bathroom in a great mood. 
                          

                          
All I could think about was breakfast with the boy I’m falling so deeply for. However, since the universe hates me, I knew that wouldn't happen when I saw his face. 
                          

                          
He was sitting in front of his laptop, staring in my direction with an expression I couldn't decipher. I immediately became alert and concerned. 
                          
The look on his face worried me. It was obvious that whatever he had on his laptop was serious. That’s saying a lot, considering that Fabian is barely serious. 
                          

                          
Oddly, my body began to shake as I sat beside him. He shot me an unsure look, and I saw that it was actually a video. The cursor was positioned over the play button, and as much as I wanted to see what was in the video, I was reluctant. 
                          

                          
Was this what he had to show me? Will this explain why he stayed away from me because of what Colton had over him? 
                          

                          
I lifted my gaze towards him again, watching his Adam’s apple bob up and down before meeting my eyes again. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came. He noticed this too and uncertainty flashed in his beautiful eyes for a quick second. 
                          
So, I held onto his hand for reassurance. What I needed him to know, was that whatever he had to show me, whatever Colton found so awful that it convinced him to stay away from me, it wont let me leave him. 
                          

                          
Fabian is a good guy. His past doesn’t define him. 
                          

                          
Isn’t that what we preach to people? Especially people who have a hard time letting go of something. Well, as cliché and corny as it is, I believe in it. 
                          
IF that person has definitely changed, then their past really doesn’t define them. It may leave a mark or a stain in their personality forever, but they shouldn’t be confined to an image of something that happened. Especially if it was a mistake. 
                          

                          
With a small smile of my own, I leant over to place a kiss on his cheek. His body visibly relaxed as I pulled away, and his eyes were glued to our intertwined fingers. Relief and confidence shone in those beautiful eyes of his, before he took a deep breath and pressed the triangle on the screen. 
                          

                          
His hold on my hand tightened as I watched what seemed like a footage from a  security camera. It wasn’t the best quality and it was black and white, but it showed a perfect image of a boy in Hamilton High uniform, standing in a corner as if he’s waiting for someone. 
                          

                          
I squinted my eyes, suddenly wishing I wore glasses as I tried to make out his image. However, it didn’t take me long to realize that it wasn’t Fabian. I felt a tad of relief. Because from what it seemed, this guy, whoever he is, was the main cause of trouble. 
                          

                          
We waited for about two minutes, and all he did was look over his shoulder and clench his fists. He was definitely angry. Even the small grains that made his eyes hard to see showed this perfectly. Anxiety ate away at me as I watched the clip like a movie. Fabian’s hands got sweaty in mine, and when I turned to look at him, his eyes were far off despite the fact that they were trained on the video. 
                          

                          
What the hell happened this day? 
                          

                          
Suddenly, a group of girls started walking towards him. They seemed like what high school clichés would label as the ‘popular group’ even though they seemed like sophomores at this time.