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The boys frowned as they watched Anael lock herself in her room for the night. It was the day after the meeting with Celeste, and Anael was acting strangely. Her attitude had shifted dramatically. She no longer smiled, but moped about the hotel. Her heart seemed heavy with guilt and plague. Brian became frustrated as AJ sauntered into the large living room area that connected their suites of rooms. AJ looked delightfully pleased with himself. Brian knew that AJ was so deliriously happy because Anael was so miserable. Somehow, Brian decided that AJ mine as well be to blame for her depression.

“You’re such a prick,” Brian growled as Nick flipped through the channels of the TV. Nick ignored the voice of menace, concentrating heavily at watching the TV. Nick avoided confrontation when at all possible.

However, Brian had done what he had set out to do. AJ looked in surprise at Brian’s sudden odious comment. Kevin and Howie did not attempt to dissuade themselves from the novel and newspaper they were reading. Someone would always disapprove of AJ’s actions every day “ it was a daily routine. No one thought it abnormal that Brian finally spoke up. Brian had been holding a lot in for the past months. AJ moved toward Brian, staring at him. Brian averted his attention away from the TV to look at AJ. He would not back down because of AJ’s sour attitude.

“Yes, I was talking to you,” Brian told him haughtily.

“What did I do now?” AJ asked incredulously. He could see Kevin and Howie chewing him out for something today, but not Brian. AJ thought that he had been behaving himself rather well these past weeks. Of course, he hadn’t been in the hotels that often to really cause trouble. He was out late every single night, and was gone early during the afternoons. He barely stayed around for practices and only dedicated himself to appearing at the concerts. He watched Brian offer him a hardened glare.

“You know exactly what you did.”

“No, actually, Mr. Moral, I don’t.”

“What did you do to Grace-Anne?” Brian asked flatly, not wanting to play AJ’s games.

“Excuse me?”

“She’s depressed, and she only gets like that after you talk with her. So, what did you do to her this time? Do I need to access her for physical trauma? Did you break a glass over her head? Did you torment her? Did you make advances on her in your drunken stupor? What excuse is it this time, AJ?” Brian demanded with a frustrated growl. Nick shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

Nick pulled himself away from the two men’s stare-down. He quickly ran to grab a drink. Howie and Kevin tore their eyes away from their reading, watching to see if they needed to stop the argument. Neither knew what Brian was actually capable of when his emotions steered toward protecting Anael.

“For once, I think you’re completely insane,” AJ snorted, rolling his eyes. He would not be blamed for Anael’s sour attitude. He had barely talked to the woman since yesterday. “I haven’t done a thing to her. She doesn’t even stay in the same room as me anymore!”

“And you honestly wonder why she refuses to be around you?” Brian growled.

“Shut up,” AJ hissed, genuinely hurt by Brian’s meager put-down.

“Boys,” Kevin reminded them as he cleared his throat, glancing up from his novel briefly. Brian and AJ exchanged quick looks, knowing what Kevin’s actions implied. Kevin was telling them to calm down, because he would not be happy to break up a fight. Kevin raised his dark eyebrows in question, knowing the boys understood what he had done. He waited for them to make the next move.

Brian immediately rolled his eyes, shooting AJ a disgusted glare. AJ bawled his fists into anger. He couldn’t believe Brian’s bold tactics to accuse him of such behaviors. AJ hadn’t paid attention to Anael in the least bit. The woman was undoubtedly against him, no matter what he did. Every time she looked at him, she held a certain amount of pity. Her compassion for AJ drove him to the brink of insanity. He found himself rebelling more even when she offered her smallest smiles. Something about her made him uneasy. “For your own information, Brian, Grace-Anne has been acting like this ever since that chick last night,” AJ retorted, refusing to have Brian say the last word.

“The chick?” Howie asked.

“Celeste something or other,” AJ answered, waving his hand absentmindedly. It didn’t really matter the girl’s name. She had a pretty face, and that’s all AJ really cared about. He was about to continue, but a door had opened. Everyone looked towards the sound. Anael stood there in a pair of white sweat pants, blue t-shirt, and a white bandana covering her golden tresses. Her face was darkened with depression and sleepiness. She looked utterly shocked as she stared at AJ. Suddenly, she frowned with hatred. AJ knew that his presence reminded her of something dark. Anael turned toward the kitchen, refusing to say any words to the boys.

“I told you that you did something,” Brian muttered.

“Oh, Fuck off, Bible-Boy,” AJ grunted, striding into the kitchen. He immediately saw Anael leaning into the refrigerator, looking for something to nibble on. She made no move to acknowledge his presence. She didn’t even mutter a simple greeting. He became irritated by the fact that she was ignoring him. On an impulse, he crossed the kitchen and threw his back against the refrigerator. Anael backed up as the door almost slammed in her face. She looked frightened as AJ passed her a glorified smile. “Why aren’t you joining us for a lovely evening, Grace-Anne?”

“Other things have been on my mind, but please, it is Miss Lupe to you, Mr. McLean,” Anael retorted with no passion whatsoever.

“Why is that, Darling?” he cooed, working her very last nerves.

“Because you need to treat me with more respect before I would actually think of accepting you using my first name.”

“Do you have PMS or something?” AJ asked flatly. He raised his eyebrows in curiosity at the woman. Something about her attitude was a dramatic shift. When he had talked with her before, at least she had tried to be pleasant and kind. Something in her eyes had changed. The darkness of her sapphire eyes were extremely forbidding.

Anael’s body fumed at the blunt question. She couldn’t believe how cruelly he managed to treat her within the course of a day. She balled her fists in anger as she shoved them deep into her sweat pants pockets. She bit down on her bottom lip to keep from crying out. She couldn’t believe how much she had lost control of her emotions since being delivered on Earth. In Heaven, she never worried about the feelings of anger or sadness. Now, she was overcome with these feelings constantly. She had to learn to deal with them before she broke down mentally. “No, I don’t have my menstrual cycle at the moment, Mr. McLean.”

“Good, because I don’t like weepy women.”

“Excuse me?”

“Women with periods are pissy, weepy, and generally a displeasure in company. I don’t like those types of women.”

‘No, of course you don’t, AJ. You just like trashy ones,’ she thought sadly.

“Why are you so bitchy today?” AJ decided to ask next. He held no tact for asking her these intimate questions. He watched the look of horror pass across her angelic face. He found himself quite amused by the color draining quickly from her cheeks. He couldn’t explain why he felt so good to hurt this woman. She just seemed too perfect for his tastes. Inside, he was jealous, but outside he was bitter. AJ suddenly smirked. “Is it about that Celeste-chick last night? Were you jealous that I gave her all the attention, Grace-Anne?”

“Her name isn't the Celeste-Chick, okay?” Anael growled with ferocity. She would never allow AJ to use such bitter words to refer to her little sister. Her dark sapphire eyes burst with flames of fury. She had enough of AJ’s torment. He had no right to deface her sister’s name. Nor did he have the right to attack her outright. “Her name is Celeste Alexandrine Lourdes “ not chick.”

AJ took a step back in surprise. “How do you know her full name?”

Anael blushed for a moment. She scolded herself mentally. More outbursts of fury would result in hard questions. She couldn’t loose her grounding yet. She had come so far. She would have to control her emotions better. “It was written on the back of that photograph,” she answered quickly.

“Oh really?”

“Yes, it was,” Anael snapped. “You might have noticed it if you weren’t too busy ogling the poor child like some kind of Grade-A meat!”

“You really are jealous!” he laughed with amusement.

“I am not jealous! I’m just sick and tired of you sending women up to your room to take advantage of them. It’s so degrading to our species. We’re supposed to be intelligent. Women are not your play-things! To think that you actually believe you are God’s gift to women! Trust me, I have seen plenty of men that qualify to God’s expectations more than you EVER will dream! You tried to put moves upon a fifteen-year-old girl! My goodness, think about it, Mr. McLean! You are a full-grown man! Fifteen! A CHILD! How dare you even think of prying upon God’s children for sexual pleasures?” Anael snapped, unable to bury her fury beneath her firm exterior.

“Are you done yet?” AJ growled “ a scowl permanently set on his face.

“Yes, because I finally have realized why I despise talking with you,” Anael retorted, turning on her heel. She felt guilty, knowing that she had crossed her Christian teachings. For once, she thought God might actually strike her dead there. She had tried the reverse-psychology theory upon AJ this time and she hoped He would understand her tactics. She hadn’t connected with AJ through being nice. AJ didn’t respond to it, because he needed tough love.

“You despise talking to me?” he repeated with astonishment.

“Exactly. You are Lucifer without the horns and tail!”

“A Christian woman calling me the Devil? God, you are something else, Grace-Anne! Get the fuck off my case. Sometimes I swear I just want to knock the Hell out of you!”

Anael could think nothing of a retort. Fury made her body tremble as she pushed her drink into the sink. She felt the color drain from her face, and she no longer felt hungry. She shot AJ a look full of hurt and pity. AJ growled in contempt, he hated the way she looked at him like that. For once, he wanted to see her look at him with hatred instead of compassion. She said nothing more as she pushed past Brian and Howie, retreating to her suite of rooms. AJ muttered a dark curse as he slammed his fist against the refrigerator. Pain shot down his arm. He muttered another curse, holding his aching hand. She had such a power to control him, and she hadn’t a clue about it.

“Smooth move,” Brian muttered with antipathy.

“She fucking started it!” AJ growled.

“She started it? Oh, please, AJ. Would you listen to yourself? For once, would you take responsibility for your own faults? She cares a lot about you and everyone else in this group can see that. She’s always asking us for ways to help you. She’s genuinely concerned about your behavior, even if you aren’t,” Howie chided, watching AJ’s eyes turn dark with confusion. Howie understood that this might be the only time to reach AJ. He obviously held feelings for Anael, even if he refused to show them. “She really does want to help you. Why can’t you be a man and accept that? We all want to help you, but she’s trying the hardest. Why can’t you be a man and treat her like the lady she really is? That woman is something you should aspire to want to have. She would do a world of good for you, if you’d only let her. She is a real woman with real emotions “ why won’t you treat her like she deserves?”

“Get off my case, old man,” AJ grunted, pushing past the two men.

“You can’t run away forever!” Brian called.

AJ growled with displeasure as a form of an incoherent reply. He held his hand, feeling the pain turn to a dull ache. Something about Howie’s conversation got to him, and rattled his core. He really did want to treat Anael like she deserved. She deserved to have the world at her feet. He wanted to lavish her with attention, but his heart prevented such frivolous ideals. The woman loathed him with a passion. She couldn’t stand being in the same room with him. Their heated arguments provided the largest anguish in AJ’s black soul.

“God, I would treat her like a lady she is, but I’m faced with a dilemma. If I tried to worship the ground she walked on - would she allow me it? Would she ever allow me to treat her like the lady she is?’ he asked himself before retiring into the darkness of his rooms.