The Irangel | Prequel Story |

Chapter 24 ~ Seething

Nate's presence livened up the mood quite significantly. Having a new irangel in the glass building piqued everyone's interest as they all crowded around him.

Most of the irangels enjoyed having Nate with them. Just seeing a new face uplifted their disposition. Nate was exciting, fun, easy-going, and relaxed. He was the new sensation, made instantly popular by his fresh youthful appearance. He had lunch with Tori and the irangels, surprising them with homemade chili. They talked and had a good time.

The only ones who didn't like Nate's company were Justin and Cole. They sat side by side, mutely eating their chili as they watched Tori practically dance around Nate. Justin resented Nate for the fact that Tori loved Nate instead of Justin. Cole was mad that Nate was clearly enjoying his new irangel life while Cole suffered in his.

"I hate him," Justin said to Cole.

"I hate her," Cole said to Justin.

When dinner rolled by, the irangels settled down for a movie night and board games. Cole went to sulk in the bed room while Justin kept glancing enviously at Tori and Nate. Tori laughed merrily when Nate said either funny or flirty things to her, sometimes hugging her or giving her a kiss. It was clear the two had much affection for each other.

"Dude, just let it go," Camdren told Justin as he watched them from a distance with a sullen expression on his face. "She's obviously in love with him."

"Easy for you to say when you're banging it with Elisa," Justin said back. "It's not like we have many options to choose from."

"True," Camdren admitted. "Though honestly, I think you and Tori make a better couple. When she's with you, she actually cares about us and it makes her more thoughtful and considerate towards us. With Nate, she just acts like a lovesick high school girl."

"He's definitely the popular high school prom king every girl would be gushing over," Justin murmured unhappily. "I'm just a criminal."

"He was a criminal too," Camdren told him. "He robbed gas stations and – "

" – and I killed people," Justin interrupted, giving him a cold look. "There's a major difference between petty crime like robbery and serious crime like murder."

Camdren held up his hands in surrender. "True. Maybe she just likes innocent-looking guys more than the bad boy types? I mean, Nate's youthful and boyish, like a cherub almost, while you're big and tough, sorta mean-looking – "

Camdren's face met the wall within an instant, an oof barely escaping him before he started feeling dizzy from impact. He felt Justin shove him back from the wall and towards him, his face the very picture of fury. Somehow, it made the oncoming headache suddenly go away.

"I am not big and mean-looking!" Justin growled, glaring angrily at him.

From the other side of the room, Eamon looked up and said, "Hey, no fighting!"

Nate looked up as well, infuriating Justin even more. He let go of Camdren and headed for the bed room, slamming the door after him.

Cole was sitting near the window, his hoodie pulled up, hiding part of his face. He turned slightly as Justin stormed in, the very image of irritation. Cole ignored him and continued listening to music on his iPod, tuning out the chaos and misery. Justin sat on a random bed, his hands contained into barely controlled fists that rested hard on his thighs. It would leave a small indentation on his jeans, but he didn't care, too angry to think rationally at the moment.

Cole pulled an earbud out. "Hey, wanna listen?" he asked, trying to distract Justin. He assumed he knew why he was so angry; it all boiled down to Tori being the one to blame for all that was wrong and irritating in their lives.

Justin was about to say a snarky remark, then considered it for a moment and said, "Sure." He got up and went over to Cole, sitting beside him. Cole handed an earbud to him, sharing his earbud while allowing Justin to scoot closer. Indie electronic rock music played until a German electropop song came up, followed by alternative rock. Though Justin preferred some mild rap music, not the street thug kind of rap but more like alternative melodic rap, he did like Cole's choice in music.

They listened to music for a while, each trying to shut away from the world around them, until the others came in and started getting ready for bed. Cole put the earbuds and iPod away in his dresser as Justin went towards his own bed, picking out some clothes to change into.

Nate didn't join the irangels in the bed room. It wasn't hard to guess where he was spending the night, or rather, with whom. Justin's burning anger and jealousy resurfaced once again, while Cole's disdain and contempt for Tori grew even more.