CHAPTER 8

Gabriella paced about the library, anxiously wondering where she had dropped her journal. She knew It wasn't at home because she remembered taking it with her before heading to Keith's house and also because when she noticed it was missing, she searched the whole house and found nothing.

She prayed it was still at Keith's house and no one had seen it, so, since she was going over after school for the semi-final touch on their project.

While in thoughts, Cleopatra walked into the library. Although she didn't see Gabriella, Gabriella sighted her. She looked like she was hiding or something. She took out her phone and called someone. Whoever it was, she obviously didn't want anyone to hear their conversation.

Gabriella, who had problems of her own, didn't move forward to hear what her friend was saying like she always did. Instead, she stood in the same spot. A mature part of her which rarely came out because Gabriella had refused to let it out told her not to eavesdrop, so she resisted the urge to do so.

She heard Cleopatra say something about her friends meeting someone, and that was Gabriella's cue to leave the library. She went to the bleachers, which were empty because there were no extracurriculars that day.

When she went there, she was surprised to see Damian, who looked around with a grin on his face. She wondered why she was there because he definitely wasn't there to see his brother given their strained relationship.

He sighted her and walked over, seriousness written all over it.

'Who was the stalker now?' she thought as she watched him walk towards her. She turned to leave, but Damian stopped her by calling her.

"Hey kiddo," He said, and this annoyed Gabriella. She wasn't a kid, and she hated being called one.

She turned to face him, and then she saw it, her journal in his hands.

"Is this yours?" He asked

"Why do you have that?" She inquired, "You haven't answered my question, is this yours?" She nodded as her response. Gabriella was sure he had seen the book's content.

"Hmm, I found it in your boyfriend's room,"

"Keith is not my boyfriend," she defended.

"But you like him," She couldn't respond to that and Damian just shook his head. He had known from the start, and he sensed that Gabriella was bad at hiding those kinds of emotions. "Now, the main question. How did you get this information?" He asked. He looked at Gabriella like he'd kill her if she didn't answer, so she did.

"I went over to Nancy's house,"

"Nancy, you mean the victim's friend?"

"Yes," she confirmed. Damian was shocked Gabriella was able to gather that much information by herself. A few of his colleagues tried interrogating Nancy, but she refused to speak, traumatized by the event, so they barely progressed in that case. A therapist was also brought in, but It was the same result.

How Gabriella was capable of getting all that information and also knowing the case was a homicide was surprising. She also wrote about checking the CCTV footage from that night, even though there was no way she could pull that off without someone like him.

"I told you not to get involved," He said coldly and Gabriella tried to get her book but failed since Damian was taller than her and that was when she had had enough.

"All that information has nothing to do with you, I didn't bother you at all, and I'm doing this on my own. If you don't want me to get in your way, I won't so just let me do my thing." She said, with Damian giving her the 'what will do with you' look. He sighed and finally spoke.

"A detective should never be this careless," he said, throwing the book to her and using her finger to flick her forehead, like a kid. She had potential, and she could definitely help.

"Wait, is that advice or…"

"Try as much as possible to not do anything stupid because if you get hurt, that's on you," Gabriella couldn't contain her excitement after hearing this. She was going to be working with a professional detective. Damian was amused to see her squealing like a monkey, it seemed like she was really exciting, and she was unable to contain her excitement, he could only imagine how she was feeling.

He soon left and Gabriella went back to school, Recess was over and she had basketball practice. She got reprimanded for being late as she went to the locker room to change. Soon, Cleopatra came to join her alongside her other friends in the locker room.

"That man you were talking to at the bleacher, is he like a rebound or something?" Avery bluntly asked, startling Gabriella.

"Jeez, why would you say or think of such a thing?" Gabriella rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Forgive us for getting the wrong idea after we saw you squealing outside when you were with him,"

Gabriella wanted to tell them he was Keith's brother, but since he hadn't even told his friends he had a brother, she had no right to say anything.

"For real, Gabby, who's that person? He's really hot you know," Iris said, shocking everyone including herself, but she didn't take it back instead, she added.

"What? I'm just stating the truth," she defended. And the remaining three looked at each other in astonishment.

"Anyway, Gabby, answer the question," The girls demanded. She had no idea what she was going to tell them, and knowing her friends, they wouldn't take one word without anything to back it up for an answer.

"He's a friend," She said

"A friend? You really expect us to believe that?" Cleopatra asked.

"I'm really honest, I met him during Nicole's burial," she said and her friends gasped.

"So while Nicole's cold body was being put six feet below the ground, you were busy looking for a rebound? I love this new Gabby," Avery said, giving her a thumbs up. Gabriella could only smile and said nothing before leaving.

Although, Damian had agreed to work with her, she still needed to get to work. She had wasted far too much time on irrelevant things.