Thorne likes to think he’s patient, but lately, Virgil has been testing that patience and Thorne isn’t sure what he’s meant to do.

It’s become plainly obvious to the rest of his classmates that Thorne absolutely despises Virgil and is the one person that can rile up a stoic, yet relaxed Thorne without even trying. They don’t know how this disdain came to be, but they were aware that Virgil fed off of Thorne’s bubbling rage, waiting for it to inevitably burst.

Somehow, it hadn’t.

Thorne has Jordan to thank for preventing him from losing all his sanity, but Thorne can’t deny that seeing Jordan and Virgil talk to one another makes him terribly uneasy. He still doesn’t know what Virgil wants, because Thorne would be a fool to believe that his own mother sent Virgil to keep an eye on him. Surely, she would’ve realized that this was only a disaster waiting to happen. The two of them are like ticking time bombs that set each other off. Virgil must’ve decided to do this on his own. Thorne isn’t accepting any other explanation.

“Thorne, can I talk to you about something?” Jordan asks, grabbing Thorne by the shirt before he can walk too far ahead.

The hall was mostly empty, save for the few teachers still wandering the halls. Coach Emile had sent them on an errand inside the building, specifically to the nurse’s office to pick up a box of first aid supplies. Well, he actually sent Thorne on an errand to get rid of him for a while, but Jordan decided to tag along just in case Thorne “needs any help”.

Which they all knew was a lie. Thorne is easily capable of any errand Emile sends him on, even if it requires Thorne to grab boxes of new equipment from the office. Yet, he let Jordan come with him anyway.

“What do you want to talk about?” Thorne wonders, rather curious.

“What is it about Virgil that you don’t like so much?”

Of course. After the past few days, Thorne should’ve expected Jordan to ask him something like this. Not only is Virgil good at bringing out Thorne’s more volatile side, but he was also great at convincing Jordan that Thorne’s rage towards him was nothing more than pure jealousy and Thorne’s own insecurity.

“Look, if you knew Virgil the way I do, you wouldn’t be defending him like this,” Thorne says bitterly.

“I’m not defending him!” Jordan insists. “I just find the whole thing...strange.”

“Strange? What’s so strange about it? We don’t like each other. That’s all there is to it.”

“I get that, but--”

“Jordan, can we please drop this? Just talking about him makes my skin crawl.”

Jordan falls silent after that, glancing down at his feet. He follows Thorne timidly once the two of them start walking again, and Thorne tries not to acknowledge the change in the air between them. Besides, Jordan would be back to his usual self within the next few minutes.

He should anyway.

Still, Thorne can’t place his friend’s fascination with Virgil. Thorne found it creepy because not once has Thorne considered Virgil “attractive”. Repulsive felt more appropriate.

Though, Thorne might be a little biased. What else is he supposed to think about the guy that thought it was fun so show Thorne a collection of human parts that he (and their grandmother) had ripped off of their human victims during night hunts? Is he supposed to gush over something like that? Not to mention Virgil’s severe bloodlust that made his grandmother look sane? Yeah, that was definitely enticing.

So, no. Thorne isn’t biased. Virgil is nothing more than a vile bastard that was probably up to something that Thorne hasn’t caught onto yet.

Something that involves Jordan as well.

“Shit! That hurts, dammit!”

“Maybe if you stop squirming it wouldn’t hurt so much! Did you think about that, Apollo? Huh?”

Thorne stops in his tracks, and Jordan, still visibly sulking, bumps into him. He mutters a soft apology but Thorne doesn’t pay him any mind.

They were already in front of the nurse’s office.

He didn’t even realize it. They had wandered up here without even trying.

Apparently, he brings Jordan here more than he thinks.

With a shrug, Thorne kicks open the pristine white door, not caring when it slams into the wall. Leanne, like always, looks unfazed. However, across the room, Thorne sees Apollo visibly flinch. Luca’s beside him, Thorne notices, holding a bottle of rubbing alcohol.

“What is it today?” Leanne groans, giving Thorne a dirty look. “Did something else on your little friend break?”

“No,” Thorne says. “I came for that box of supplies.”

“Oh, that. Sure. Grab it and get out.”

Thorne sneers at her but walks past her nonetheless. Jordan wanders in after him, sitting on his usual bed which Apollo was currently occupying.

“Luca, you have to get out too. I can’t let you keep skipping in here.”

“I-I’m not skipping! Apollo needed medical attention!”

“That I could’ve taken care of. God, if you weren’t my nephew…”

“Your what?” Thorne blurts, clapping a hand over his mouth. Leanne chuckles.

Luca only offers him a small wave before focusing back on Apollo’s arm. Thorne didn’t even think Leanne had family.

She seemed too bitter.

Too bitter to be related to Luca of all people.

His gaze lands on Apollo, who wrinkles his nose at the sight of him. Thorne can’t really be offended by it. He’s aware that, to Apollo, he must smell like crap. Thorne also thinks he smells like crap, but that was just the thing about vampires and wolves. They could sniff one another out in a second and it really was for the best. Thorne can’t think of many wolves that got along with vamps.

Tolerate is a better word.

“Apollo, what’s that face about?” Luca says smiling. “Is the alcohol starting to get to you?”

Realizing that he had been staring at Thorne, Apollo looks away in shame.

“N-No, I’m fine. Just lost in thought.”

“Sure you were. Well, that’s fine. I’ll get the bandages and then we’ll head back to class. Still, I can’t imagine how you got hurt like this. You said you got attacked by a dog?”

“It was a big dog.”

If he’s referring to what Thorne thinks he is, then yes. He really did get attacked by a dog.

Thorne doesn’t know everything about the wolf hierarchy, but he knows enough. He knows enough that he can’t decide if the vampire clans are worse or better than the wolves.

If he remembers correctly, wolves lived in either small or large packs, and those packs all came together to form a faction. There was a prominent one in St. Forrester, but Thorne doesn’t know the name of it. He just knows that Apollo belongs to it and the way he gets injured leads Thorne to believe that Apollo’s more important than he actually looks.

Apollo might look like a bland, walking couch, but if that were really the case, then no one would really pay Apollo any mind. No, Thorne’s pretty sure he’s one of them. The biggest and baddest of the entire pack...an Alpha.

Though, he certainly didn’t look like one. Or embody one for that matter. Weren't Alphas supposed to be extremely arrogant and aggressive, wearing the most expensive clothes on the market just to find a mate? Apollo dressed like he didn't want a lick of attention. His clothes were baggy, came in neutral colors, and his hair was so unkempt that Thorne has briefly considered giving him a hair cut. It was almost impossible to see Apollo's eyes.

Of course, Thorne's not going to go out of his way to do that. He already has a human friend. No need to add a wolf.

As for his injuries, Apollo probably got in a fight with another wolf, but Thorne can’t really figure out why.

Wolves only fought for status or rank in the faction. Some even sought out the title of Chieftain, the leader of the entire faction.

Apollo couldn’t possibly be important enough to be getting in continual fights.

“Hey, Thorne?” Jordan calls, snapping Thorne out of his thoughts. He’s holding the entire box of supplies. “This box is a little heavier than I can manage…”

“Oh! Um...I’ll carry it then!”

“Huh? But I just need you to carry the other side…”

“Just give me the box.”

With a huff, Jordan slides the box into Thorne’s arms, surprised when Thorne shifts it to one arm without any issues.

“It’s not heavy at all…” Thorne mumbles.

“Well, I’m sorry I don’t have your insane amount of strength. Seriously, I have to work out for track and you still manage to lift more than I can!”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Don’t act like you don’t like that about me,” Thorne teases in a deadpan voice. “Not when I carry you around all the time. You do like that...don’t you?”

“W-Whatever!” Jordan exclaims, slightly pink. “Let’s go already!”

“Yes, honey.”

Now, Thorne likes to think he’s prepared for most things, but he wasn’t prepared for Jordan to almost shove him out of the nurse’s office in embarrassment.

Somehow, he doesn’t drop the entire box.