~Charlotte~

I attempt to ignore Eli's severe infatuation with me and focus on the syllabus in front of me, but this proves fairly difficult. Eli gazes at me under heavy-lidded eyes and a sleepy smile. If this was a vintage cartoon he would have a halo of hearts whirling above his head.

"Have you ever been to a party before?" His question catches me off guard. I had in fact been to many parties but I'm not going to encourage his Saturday nights out with dirtbag demon, Vance. The thought of him instantly brings a surge of infuriating emotion I wasn't sure I was still capable of.

"Yeah, you're not missing out on anything, trust me," is all I say while looking down at my textbook to make it clear that study hall is supposed to be silent. Of course, Eli misses the social cue and continues talking.

"In high school, I never fit in enough to go to parties, it means a lot, what Vance is doing for me," he overshares. I roll my eyes and let out a laugh at the mention of Vance. "Yeah, right, what he's doing for you."

Eli's eyes light up for a moment and my heart sinks when I whip around in my seat. Speak of the devil himself.

 "What are you doing here, I thought you were seeing Veronica today," Eli mocks, raising his eyebrows in jest. I can feel my own eyebrows lift as if they have a mind of their own. "Yeah, what are you doing here exactly?" I ask, hearing the irritation in my own voice.

"Well, I finishedthings up early today and just thought I'd take Eli on a shopping trip where I finally show him how to use his five- finger discount," He replies with a smug expression on his face. It takes every ounce of love and light in me not to use a textbook to snap off bothof his ridiculous, hideous horns.

"Five finger discount, like you can use it anywhere in the mall?" Eli inquires curiously, completely innocent and oblivious to the act of theft.

 Vance's smirk transforms into a serrated grin. His face illuminates with pure delight, eager to teach Eli how to steal the same way a centipede is eager to worm its way into your ear canal on a camping trip.

"Fridays are study sessions, we've all agreed on that," I seethe, my voice now showing every ounce of my anger. Vance's grin only grows in size as I watch him feed on my irritation.

"Come on now, Charlotte, we both know I tell a white lie every now and then," He quips, his words laced with an insulting double meaning. Before I can stop myself, I'm digging my nails into his wrist and pulling him roughly towards the door.

"Do all angels draw blood with their claws like that or just you?" he sneers once we are out of ear shot of Eli.

 "Are you out of your mind? I knew you were a manipulative psycho but sabotaging my mission just because you want revenge on me? That's a new low, even for you." I lash out, finally able to let out all of my hostility.

He lets out a chuckle, devoid of all humor. I watch as his eyes turn from soft brown to pitch black. Clearly, I've hit a nerve.

"I'm not the one who Created a pathetic study group to keep him from getting laid, I may be a psychopath but you're right there with me."

Most angels don't feel much of anything at all anymore. We've learned after so many eons that our sole purpose in existing is to serve the will of the man upstairs, keeping everything in balance for the greater good. Without us, the balance would inevitably be thrown off and the world would descend into chaos.

Emotions such as anger, sadness, romantic interest and jealousy will only serve as a distraction. Luckily our hearts have evolved and hardened into marble, effectively tamping out any negative passion. Does that make me a psychopath as Vance had accused? Surely not.

Once again, I'm reminded that there's only one brute who can still elicit the emotion hatred from me and he's standing directly in front of me.

"You should just go back to hell, where you belong, I won't let you ruin Eli's life," I rant.

It's only now that I realize how up close and personal we are at the moment. So close I can feel the tension emanating from him in waves. So close I can see every minute detail of his neck tattoo. My breath catches in my throat for a second and I feel like I can't speak.

"Don't fight over me, you're both starting to sound like my divorced parents," Eli interrupts, for once saving the day.

I let out a frustrated sigh when I look up at the clock. Could the hour have passed so quick?

As if reading my mind, "Would you look at the time, how about that discount, Eli." Vance interjects before leading Eli out of the library.

Okay serpent, you want to play dirty? We'll play dirty.