Not Ashamed

'Chapter Seventeen ✓×

"Hey, Finn!" Johnathan greets, a smile on his face. He steps aside and let's me in, closing the door behind me. "How was your thanksgiving?"

"Good. Axel's family is incredibly nice."

"That's to be expected. Anyone who even knows Axel can't help but be positive and bubbly."

"Ugh, when is that going to rub off on me?"

Johnathan chuckles. We sit down on his bed, turning to face each other.

"Are you okay?" I ask him seriously. He raises an eyebrow at me.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Do you remember anything that happened on Halloween?"

Johnathans smile doesn't waver. He nods, running a hand through his hair.

"Peter was terrible to me. Ending things with him was the best decision I've ever made. I feel a lot better being away from him. He was holding me back from being who I want to be, and now I can do what I want."

"Well, I'm proud of you. What have you been up to lately?"

"A lot of school work. I must've been really distracted when I was with Peter, because I realized that most classes aren't as hard as I thought."

I smile at that. He's actually doing well, and I'm very happy for him. There's a knock at the door, and when Johnathan answers it, there's Axel. He smiles quickly at Johnathan before turning to me.

"Finn, can I talk to you for a second?" He asks. Me and Johnathan exchange a look before I nod and follow Axel outside the room, telling Johnathan I'll be right back.

"What's wrong?" I ask once we're in the hallway.

"I just talked to Blake. He said he hasn't seen Peter in days. His roommate said he was staying at Blake's, but obviously he isn't. No one knows where he is or has seen him."

"No one? Not one person has seen him? He hasn't even gone to classes?"

"No. After Peter stopped coming to the theatre room, I assumed he just didn't want to see Johnathan, but he actually just... disappeared."

"How didn't we notice before?"

"We got Johnathan in the breakup, not Peter."

I sigh. "Don't tell Johnathan. He'll just blame himself, and besides we don't need him getting mixed up with Peter again. Maybe he just went back to his parents house. We'll find him, don't worry."

Axel let's out a shaky breath.

"I've known him since kindergarten. He may not be the best guy, but him and Margo have been my best friends since I was little. I just really want him to be okay."

I smile sympathetically and pull him into a hug, kissing his forehead softly.

"He will be fine. We'll find him."

He wraps his arms around me, squeezing me tightly. I swear right here and now that I will always protect him, hold him when he's hurt, fix things that are broken around him. I never want him to feel bad.

He should always feel safe with me, as cliche as that must sound.