So Tired Chapter 2
Title: So Tired
Author: Crowley_Gal
Characters: Dean, Sam, John. Some names you may recognize but AU, for example Benny is Dean's math teacher.
Genre/pairing: Gen
Rating: Teen for swearing
Word-count: ?
Spoilers: none really
Warnings: Dean likes to swear.
Summary: The boys settle down for an extended period while John's away on hunt. It might be all fun and games for Sam but Dean's having a hell of a time trying to keep everything together.
Disclaimer : I don't own anything and I'm not making any money from this. I do it because Dean whumping is fun. I enjoy exploring the psychological make up of Dean's character.
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
The rumble of the Impala dragged Dean out of his thoughts. He hoped that Caleb was with his dad because it meant that Sam was less likely to start something if they had company. He was actually disappointed to find his dad alone and Dean wished he had swallowed more aspirin as he felt his headache skyrocket into migraine territory, which the concussion had left him prone too. He just wanted to find a cool dark room and lie down and try to turn off his mind for a bit. But that was impossible in a 1 room motel. If he went to the bathroom, he'd have Sam or his father pounding on the door and he did not need that, his head was pounding enough. He just hoped his eye didn't start watering because he sure as shit did not need his father to think he was crying.
"Hey, boys. School go okay," John said as he came through the door. Dean noted that he did not have any grocery bags in his hand.
"Fine," Dean mumbled and he was kind of glad when Sam launched into a long detailed explanation.
When he was done, John fished out a twenty out of his pocket. Dean dreaded what was coming, but he knew. "Dean, I need you to run to the store."
"Can I take the car?" He asked hopefully.
"I need it. It's not that far. Make sure to pick up enough for the week."
With 20 bucks. Dean thought about the 50 hidden in his duffle. It was a wonder his head didn't explode. The young hunter almost wished it would, it would probably hurt less. He hoped to get out before....
"Can I come?"
Damnit, That made stretching the dollar more difficult because Sam always wanted the fancy brand name stuff. He didn't like store brand mac and cheese. It had to be KD. The Kraft was a 1.00 a box. He could twice as much as the no-name at .50 cents per box.
"I don't..."
"Good idea, I have to do some research anyway. Oh, and Dean make sure you pick up an application at the grocery store. I saw a sign that they're hiring."
Wait! What? "An application, what for?" Dean asked in confusion. His father wanted him to get a job? How was he supposed to do that and look after Sam?
"That's something we need to discuss boys. Sit down." John waited for his boys take a seat at the small kitchenette table. They both looked a little wary, like they were waiting for the other shoe to drop. John hoped this news would make them both happy for awhile. "As you both know this hunt is going to be very complicated. It's going to take me out town quite often and for an extended period. So staying here at the motel isn't really the best option. I've rented a small apartment not far from here. I've paid for the month, but I don't have a lot left over for food. Dean working part time should give you enough. Plus, you may get some kind of discount or something."
Or something. Which meant his father had no idea if he did or not. Damnit, why couldn't they stay at the motel? At least they had cable and the electricity was included. Did his dad even think of that? Logically he could make enough to pay for food but Dean doubted that he was going to be able to use everything he earned for that purpose. All those field trips Sam was talking about sounded expensive and then there was his dad and he just knew that....
"We'll head down the bank tomorrow dude and open an account. You can deposit you're check in there, and withdraw half of it, for food. Leave the other half in the bank and it will be there if there are extra expenses that you or I encounter."
That money was a good as gone. His dads expenses, in addition to lodging and food, meant beer and ammo.
"How am I supposed to look after Sam?" Dean asked. It was his number one task whenever their father left.
"I don't need a babysitter," Sam pouted. "I can take care of myself."
"Sam, pick an activity. Someplace you can go when your brother is working."
"Seriously?" Sam asked excitedly. His friend Brady was thinking about trying out for the soccer team. The away trips for games sounded fun. "Can I try out for the soccer team?"
"Whatever," John said dismissively.
"How much does that cost?" Dean asked trying not to sound defeated. He was already feeling the strain and their father hadn't even left yet.
"You can just use the half of the money you make," Sam suggested. "It's only for one week. That would be okay, right dad?"
"Yeah, that should be fine."
Did his father and Sam know that minimum wage was like $4.75 an hour? If he worked about 20 hours per week that was only about 95 dollars. Having to sacrifice half would put the food budget about 45 per week. It would barely cover it. There was no extras for Sam's extracurriculars, all of which Dean knew were going to cost money.
"What about the rent at the end of the month?" Dean asked.
"I'll be back before then. If not, I'll put rent money in the account."
Like all those times he promised to be back before the motel bill was due. If he didn't come through, it wasn't going to be 50 or 60 bucks for a couple of extra days. It was going to be hundreds of dollars. Dean was starting to feel sick. His instincts where telling him this had all the signs of being a disaster and one that he was going to be left to deal with.
"What the hell's wrong with you?" John suddenly snapped at him.
Instantly slamming the mask back into place, while simultaneously cursing himself for letting it slip, Dean plastered on a big fake smile. "Nothing. Just thinking about that girl in my math class."
"I'm telling you your responsibilities and your acting like it's a big joke!" John accused angrily.
"I thought you said you wouldn't mess up," Sam added. Figures he was finally allowed to do something cool, and with his dad's approval no less and Dean was going to screw it up before it started.
"Do I need to drop you off at Bobby's or Jims? I'm counting on you Dean."
"Figures. Thanks a lot," Sam huffed. "You screw up everything."
"Fine," Dean huffed trying to keep his anger under control. "How about actually letting me screw up before you blame me for failing." Okay, so maybe he was angrier than he thought.
Both Sam and John were kind of taken aback because they weren't used to Dean standing up for himself. John quickly recovered and Dean wished he had never spoken that thought out loud. "You just admitted you weren't paying attention. So you can consider yourself grounded, expect for work."
"That's not fair," Sam protested. "I can't go anywhere without him why am I being punished? I didn't do anything."
"THAT'S ENOUGH. BOTH OF YOU!!!" John growled. "Dean, I tell you that I am counting on you more than I have before and this is how you react? By upsetting your brother and mouthing off. I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I am."
Dean wished John would have just slapped him. It certainly would have hurt less. "I'm sorry Dad. I promise, you can count on me. I'll prove it. I'll make sure I get the job. You won't have to worry about anything but the hunt," Dean said hoping he sounded confident because he certainly wasn't feeling it and he was cursing himself over getting into this mess in the first place. "Come on, Sam," he mumbled as he tied his shoes. He wondered if he could palm a bottle of aspirin.
"Dean can we get some chips?"
"No!"
"Dad, did you know..."
"Fine, just let's go, Sammy." Maybe he'd just be better off taking his lumps and letting his dad find out about his stash. It would be better than Sam using it to get his own way.
"Freeze!" John demanded. "What were you going to say Sammy?" He knew his eldest like the back of his hand, and the kid looked guilty about something. So Sam knew that something that Dean did not want his father to know. If there was one thing John didn't tolerate it was his boys keeping secrets.
Two could play at that game. "Sam's got a class trip next Friday. He needs 50 bucks."
"You'll have to tell your teacher you can't go and do a make up assignment," John supplied. "I don't have the extra money."
Dean shot a big smirk at Sam. He had to keep his trap shut because if their dad knew about the money he'd ask for it. So if he opened his big mouth he'd lose out on the trip.
"But that's not fair," Sam protested.
"Lifes, not fair, suck it up and get a helmet," John told his youngest. "Now what is Dean hiding? You obviously know something?"
"He didn't bring home any books," Sam said lamely.
"Dean!"
"What?" Dean growled in frustration. "It's the first fucking day."
"You watch your language boy!" John snapped. "One more God-damned word out of you and you can sure as shit bet that you'll be getting reacquainted with the taste of dish soap. I told you to keep up with your work."
"I didn't fucking do anything!" Dean said losing his temper. He knew he was going to regret this later but he really didn't give one little crap right now. His head was pounding so bad he felt like he was going to puke and he had to figure how to buy a week's worth of groceries with $20 and Sam was going to be in a permanent bitch fit because he told their father about the field trip. "It's the first day, we didn't do any work. Except in math, and I got a 93." Dean threw the paper on the floor as he grabbed his jacket, turned around and walked out the door, slamming it behind him. He briefly thought about not coming back because he was so going to get it when he did, but he felt a small sense of satisfaction that he won this battle even if he knew it was a certainty he was going to lose the war.
Without Sam there, things at the grocery store went pretty smooth. He got an application and filled it out and took time to speak to the manager. Turned out she was a huge James Dean fan and after laying on the ole' Winchester charm he had an interview for tomorrow after school. He had a pretty good feeling he'd get the job.
Since he was not in a hurry to get home (yeah, that was a big joke) he took his time walking up and down the aisles. A couple loafs of bread and a large jar of peanut butter, two essential staples, took almost half of his budget. He grabbed a couple of boxes of store mac and cheese, a few cans of soup, and a bag a pre-mixed salad for his brother, some spaghetti-o's and a litre of milk. He wished he had enough for powdered milk . It was gross but it lasted longer. He had about two dollars left so he grabbed a small bag of M&M's that he planned to eat on the way home. He figured he deserved it. He decided not to risk taking the aspirin since he was trying to get a job there. How he was going to make this last a week, he had no idea.
As he walked home, he looked around for lawns to be mowed. The problem was that they were in desert country. Most of the yards consisted of landscaped rocks and gravel. Those that had green space looked like they must have paid a fortune to get it looking like that, and a kid with a push mower wasn't going to go over well. In the desert, it got chilly but he doubted they got much snow. So it looked like shoveling driveways was going to be out of the question. So much for the bit of extra income he'd make doing odd jobs. He'd have to hope he got enough hours at store to make ends meet.
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Dean was almost wishing he had homework because right now he was bored to tears. He was right about believing that there would be hell to pay when he got home. Having been reacquainted with the taste of Ivory soap, he had been sentenced to the corner for the evening, so he could think about what he did wrong. It was his father's latest way of punishing him. It used to be cleaning the guns, sharpening and polishing the knifes, but he had his charming little brother to thank for where he was now. Dean actually liked handling the weapons. Something his brother told their dad, so John decided that it wasn't a good punishment if he liked it. Surprisingly, John did not agree with spanking so staring at peeling paint and contemplating life it was. Not to mention being completely humiliated in front of Caleb. He wondered if he could convince his dad he was tired enough for bed. He certainly wished he could just pass out and forget about things for awhile.
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Because Dean had just wanted to forget about everything that pretty much guaranteed the opposite was going to happen. That proved to be true when he barely slept a wink last night. Since it was a small one room motel, that meant that Dean could hear everything his father and Caleb were discussing. The rent on the apartment they were moving too was 685 plus utilities. If his father was late back, and he was more often than not, how the hell was he going to scramble to come up with $700 bucks? He was barely going to be making a hundred a week before his father took a chuck of it and that was if he got the job in the first place. For that matter where the hell was his father getting that much money. He suspected that Caleb was trying to help and was paying, but he didn't realize that their dad was not reliable when it came anything he said regarding money. Plus they still had to eat, and pay the heat and power. Immediately after school Dean decided he better go seek out the location of the nearest homeless shelters. They might need them. There dad was taking the car. If they got kicked out, they wouldn't even have the Impala to keep them warm.
Then all Sam and John did was complain about the food he had bought. John was pissed because there was no coffee and Sam whined that he wanted bacon and eggs, or pancakes. He complained mightily that he not only had to have toast and peanut butter for breakfast since Dean didn't' get cereal. He was also a real little bitch about taking a peanut butter sandwich for lunch.
Dean had given Sam his $50 bucks, $45 for his field trip and told him to buy a hot lunch with the remaining five just to get him to shut up. As soon as their father left Dean decided that he didn't care how much trouble he got in. He was giving Sam $20 bucks and telling him to go buy groceries for a week. Let him learn exactly how hard that is.
He couldn't believe how tired he was and his father hadn't even left yet. He tried to stifle a yawn as he walked down the hall to home room, wishing with everything he had that he could just find a place to lie down for awhile.
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Dean wished he had math first because it pretty much came naturally to him, he didn't really have to pay that much attention. US History was about as boring as it gets. There was only 200 years worth of stuff and it was mostly just memorization and regurgitation. That was the problem with them registering late. They pretty much had to take what was left over. At least European History or Medieval History had battles to study. His Dad's friend Joshua was an expert and he and Dean had some good debates over strategies and tactics. This was pretty much just all about the formation of the government. Politics was not exciting in any way, shape or form. If that wasn't bad enough, he had English next. He was good at finding hidden meanings in poems and picking out symbolism because he had done it enough while researching for hunts. He was stuck with creative writing and all that went along with it, including grammar. Just much more complicated than the stuff they learned in elementary school. Give him a calculus problem any day. He's rather solve for x than figure out what subject went with what verb. At least physics was interesting. It really was just calculus problems.
Lunch was another thing Dean wanted to skip. He didn't bring a lunch with him because it made the bread stretch that much further and sitting in the cafeteria without eating anything made him feel like a charity case. He decided to detour to the library, not because he was a dedicated student but because between lunch and Inclusion he would pretty much get his homework done at school and that might allow him to work an extra hour at the store.
"Excuse me," a voice pulled him from his thoughts.
Dean looked up and saw a guy about his age and height standing there. "Do you mind if I sit here?"
Wanting anything but, Dean just shrugged his shoulders. "It's a free country."
"Thanks." The kid said as he dug out his Math text book.
At least he didn't see intent on making small talk. Dean could see he was taking Algebra. He's mastered that in junior high, he couldn't help thinking. He watched at the boy next to him tried to solve for x. He wasn't having much luck. He erased and rewrote the problem, then erased it again, and wrote and erased until he tore a hole in his paper. The kid looked beyond frustrated. It was pretty easy to see where he was going wrong. Dean debated the pros and cons of saying anything.
"You're forgetting the negative," Dean said before he could stop himself.
The kid just glared at him.
"Forget I said anything," Dean mumbled.
"Sorry. It's just that math is determined to ruin my life."
"I can relate. Creative writing is determined to ruin mine. Now let me show you where you're going wrong."
"Thanks, man. You don't know how much I appreciate this. I'm Cas by the way."
"Dean."
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Castiel Novak-Lafitte both loved and hated school. He loved learning part and wanted to go onto college and become a teacher, like his dads, but he didn't like this school much. Junior High wasn't too bad, but his parents didn't teach there. It's was bad enough that both his parents taught here. Whenever he got a good grade there was always someone to accuse him of only getting it because his parents called in a favor. At least his Papa Jimmy was a popular teacher and well liked. His Papa Ben, was known as a very tough teacher and one most students hoped they didn't get.
He loved his dads more than anything and it didn't bother him that he had two but it was a problem for some others. Alistair and Zacheriah, two members of the soccer team, like to make his life a living hell and tease him because of it. His Papa Jimmy told him to just avoid the them and stay out of trouble, while his Papa Ben thought he should confront them head on. Cas was smaller than they were so he was going with Papa Jimmy's advice.
He spent his lunch periods in the library because he knew that Al and Zach wouldn't be caught dead in here, but today he saw Craig Crowley, one of Zach's cronies in there. He wussed out and saw the new guy sitting there. He looked like he could take care of himself so he took a chance. It worked out well because Dean helped him with his math and Crowley kept his distance.
He was tempted to see if Dean wanted to hang out but he never got a chance to ask him because he took off as soon as the bell rang. Cas decided to keep an eye out to see if he was in any of his other classes.
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Dean picked up Sam at the junior high and dropped him off at the hotel and got the address to the apartment where he was supposed to go after his interview. He really hoped that he was not going to yawn in the middle of it. His plans to completely do homework at school took was no longer an option because his day had gone from bad to worse. His Social Studies teacher assigned a massive project that was going to be semester long. It was a 20 page research paper on an original topic.
He hated Inclusion with a passion and he wished they would just stick him in the "You're a dummy" classes other schools like to dump him in. It was far less work. Inclusion was apparently more than just one on one time and having your homework checked. It was a class by itself. They had to take lessons in study skills and time management and reading comprehension. Just like in elementary school. So he sometimes got additional homework from them. Like tonight he had to start working on a time schedule. He had to list all his homework and assignments and come up with a time line to get it all done.
How the fuck was he going to adhere to a schedule? Sure he wasn't the only one with a part time job, but how otherswere responsible for making ends meet and parenting little brothers.
The one thing that worked out for him was that he managed to score the job. He had to go in for orientation on Monday.
He found the apartment with little trouble but it took about 45 minutes to walk there which meant an hour less that Dean would have for school work. When he got home, Sam gave him the sign up sheet for soccer. Dean forged his dad's signature but the cost was $100. Where the hell was he going to get that money? His dad gave him $200 to get him through the two weeks until he got his paycheck. Then he told Dean that he'd be gone for 5 weeks, but that he would make sure that Dean had the money for the rent (yeah right!). Caleb had slipped him an extra hundred but Dean knew that wasn't going to go far.
Then they said good bye to their dad and Caleb were out the door. This was the longest that Dean was going to be on his own and responsible for his brother and making ends meet. He just hoped he was up to the challenge and for once he could make his father proud.
To Be Continues. Make sure to leave me a comment and let me know if you liked or hated it.
Author: Crowley_Gal
Characters: Dean, Sam, John. Some names you may recognize but AU, for example Benny is Dean's math teacher.
Genre/pairing: Gen
Rating: Teen for swearing
Word-count: ?
Spoilers: none really
Warnings: Dean likes to swear.
Summary: The boys settle down for an extended period while John's away on hunt. It might be all fun and games for Sam but Dean's having a hell of a time trying to keep everything together.
Disclaimer : I don't own anything and I'm not making any money from this. I do it because Dean whumping is fun. I enjoy exploring the psychological make up of Dean's character.
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
The rumble of the Impala dragged Dean out of his thoughts. He hoped that Caleb was with his dad because it meant that Sam was less likely to start something if they had company. He was actually disappointed to find his dad alone and Dean wished he had swallowed more aspirin as he felt his headache skyrocket into migraine territory, which the concussion had left him prone too. He just wanted to find a cool dark room and lie down and try to turn off his mind for a bit. But that was impossible in a 1 room motel. If he went to the bathroom, he'd have Sam or his father pounding on the door and he did not need that, his head was pounding enough. He just hoped his eye didn't start watering because he sure as shit did not need his father to think he was crying.
"Hey, boys. School go okay," John said as he came through the door. Dean noted that he did not have any grocery bags in his hand.
"Fine," Dean mumbled and he was kind of glad when Sam launched into a long detailed explanation.
When he was done, John fished out a twenty out of his pocket. Dean dreaded what was coming, but he knew. "Dean, I need you to run to the store."
"Can I take the car?" He asked hopefully.
"I need it. It's not that far. Make sure to pick up enough for the week."
With 20 bucks. Dean thought about the 50 hidden in his duffle. It was a wonder his head didn't explode. The young hunter almost wished it would, it would probably hurt less. He hoped to get out before....
"Can I come?"
Damnit, That made stretching the dollar more difficult because Sam always wanted the fancy brand name stuff. He didn't like store brand mac and cheese. It had to be KD. The Kraft was a 1.00 a box. He could twice as much as the no-name at .50 cents per box.
"I don't..."
"Good idea, I have to do some research anyway. Oh, and Dean make sure you pick up an application at the grocery store. I saw a sign that they're hiring."
Wait! What? "An application, what for?" Dean asked in confusion. His father wanted him to get a job? How was he supposed to do that and look after Sam?
"That's something we need to discuss boys. Sit down." John waited for his boys take a seat at the small kitchenette table. They both looked a little wary, like they were waiting for the other shoe to drop. John hoped this news would make them both happy for awhile. "As you both know this hunt is going to be very complicated. It's going to take me out town quite often and for an extended period. So staying here at the motel isn't really the best option. I've rented a small apartment not far from here. I've paid for the month, but I don't have a lot left over for food. Dean working part time should give you enough. Plus, you may get some kind of discount or something."
Or something. Which meant his father had no idea if he did or not. Damnit, why couldn't they stay at the motel? At least they had cable and the electricity was included. Did his dad even think of that? Logically he could make enough to pay for food but Dean doubted that he was going to be able to use everything he earned for that purpose. All those field trips Sam was talking about sounded expensive and then there was his dad and he just knew that....
"We'll head down the bank tomorrow dude and open an account. You can deposit you're check in there, and withdraw half of it, for food. Leave the other half in the bank and it will be there if there are extra expenses that you or I encounter."
That money was a good as gone. His dads expenses, in addition to lodging and food, meant beer and ammo.
"How am I supposed to look after Sam?" Dean asked. It was his number one task whenever their father left.
"I don't need a babysitter," Sam pouted. "I can take care of myself."
"Sam, pick an activity. Someplace you can go when your brother is working."
"Seriously?" Sam asked excitedly. His friend Brady was thinking about trying out for the soccer team. The away trips for games sounded fun. "Can I try out for the soccer team?"
"Whatever," John said dismissively.
"How much does that cost?" Dean asked trying not to sound defeated. He was already feeling the strain and their father hadn't even left yet.
"You can just use the half of the money you make," Sam suggested. "It's only for one week. That would be okay, right dad?"
"Yeah, that should be fine."
Did his father and Sam know that minimum wage was like $4.75 an hour? If he worked about 20 hours per week that was only about 95 dollars. Having to sacrifice half would put the food budget about 45 per week. It would barely cover it. There was no extras for Sam's extracurriculars, all of which Dean knew were going to cost money.
"What about the rent at the end of the month?" Dean asked.
"I'll be back before then. If not, I'll put rent money in the account."
Like all those times he promised to be back before the motel bill was due. If he didn't come through, it wasn't going to be 50 or 60 bucks for a couple of extra days. It was going to be hundreds of dollars. Dean was starting to feel sick. His instincts where telling him this had all the signs of being a disaster and one that he was going to be left to deal with.
"What the hell's wrong with you?" John suddenly snapped at him.
Instantly slamming the mask back into place, while simultaneously cursing himself for letting it slip, Dean plastered on a big fake smile. "Nothing. Just thinking about that girl in my math class."
"I'm telling you your responsibilities and your acting like it's a big joke!" John accused angrily.
"I thought you said you wouldn't mess up," Sam added. Figures he was finally allowed to do something cool, and with his dad's approval no less and Dean was going to screw it up before it started.
"Do I need to drop you off at Bobby's or Jims? I'm counting on you Dean."
"Figures. Thanks a lot," Sam huffed. "You screw up everything."
"Fine," Dean huffed trying to keep his anger under control. "How about actually letting me screw up before you blame me for failing." Okay, so maybe he was angrier than he thought.
Both Sam and John were kind of taken aback because they weren't used to Dean standing up for himself. John quickly recovered and Dean wished he had never spoken that thought out loud. "You just admitted you weren't paying attention. So you can consider yourself grounded, expect for work."
"That's not fair," Sam protested. "I can't go anywhere without him why am I being punished? I didn't do anything."
"THAT'S ENOUGH. BOTH OF YOU!!!" John growled. "Dean, I tell you that I am counting on you more than I have before and this is how you react? By upsetting your brother and mouthing off. I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I am."
Dean wished John would have just slapped him. It certainly would have hurt less. "I'm sorry Dad. I promise, you can count on me. I'll prove it. I'll make sure I get the job. You won't have to worry about anything but the hunt," Dean said hoping he sounded confident because he certainly wasn't feeling it and he was cursing himself over getting into this mess in the first place. "Come on, Sam," he mumbled as he tied his shoes. He wondered if he could palm a bottle of aspirin.
"Dean can we get some chips?"
"No!"
"Dad, did you know..."
"Fine, just let's go, Sammy." Maybe he'd just be better off taking his lumps and letting his dad find out about his stash. It would be better than Sam using it to get his own way.
"Freeze!" John demanded. "What were you going to say Sammy?" He knew his eldest like the back of his hand, and the kid looked guilty about something. So Sam knew that something that Dean did not want his father to know. If there was one thing John didn't tolerate it was his boys keeping secrets.
Two could play at that game. "Sam's got a class trip next Friday. He needs 50 bucks."
"You'll have to tell your teacher you can't go and do a make up assignment," John supplied. "I don't have the extra money."
Dean shot a big smirk at Sam. He had to keep his trap shut because if their dad knew about the money he'd ask for it. So if he opened his big mouth he'd lose out on the trip.
"But that's not fair," Sam protested.
"Lifes, not fair, suck it up and get a helmet," John told his youngest. "Now what is Dean hiding? You obviously know something?"
"He didn't bring home any books," Sam said lamely.
"Dean!"
"What?" Dean growled in frustration. "It's the first fucking day."
"You watch your language boy!" John snapped. "One more God-damned word out of you and you can sure as shit bet that you'll be getting reacquainted with the taste of dish soap. I told you to keep up with your work."
"I didn't fucking do anything!" Dean said losing his temper. He knew he was going to regret this later but he really didn't give one little crap right now. His head was pounding so bad he felt like he was going to puke and he had to figure how to buy a week's worth of groceries with $20 and Sam was going to be in a permanent bitch fit because he told their father about the field trip. "It's the first day, we didn't do any work. Except in math, and I got a 93." Dean threw the paper on the floor as he grabbed his jacket, turned around and walked out the door, slamming it behind him. He briefly thought about not coming back because he was so going to get it when he did, but he felt a small sense of satisfaction that he won this battle even if he knew it was a certainty he was going to lose the war.
Without Sam there, things at the grocery store went pretty smooth. He got an application and filled it out and took time to speak to the manager. Turned out she was a huge James Dean fan and after laying on the ole' Winchester charm he had an interview for tomorrow after school. He had a pretty good feeling he'd get the job.
Since he was not in a hurry to get home (yeah, that was a big joke) he took his time walking up and down the aisles. A couple loafs of bread and a large jar of peanut butter, two essential staples, took almost half of his budget. He grabbed a couple of boxes of store mac and cheese, a few cans of soup, and a bag a pre-mixed salad for his brother, some spaghetti-o's and a litre of milk. He wished he had enough for powdered milk . It was gross but it lasted longer. He had about two dollars left so he grabbed a small bag of M&M's that he planned to eat on the way home. He figured he deserved it. He decided not to risk taking the aspirin since he was trying to get a job there. How he was going to make this last a week, he had no idea.
As he walked home, he looked around for lawns to be mowed. The problem was that they were in desert country. Most of the yards consisted of landscaped rocks and gravel. Those that had green space looked like they must have paid a fortune to get it looking like that, and a kid with a push mower wasn't going to go over well. In the desert, it got chilly but he doubted they got much snow. So it looked like shoveling driveways was going to be out of the question. So much for the bit of extra income he'd make doing odd jobs. He'd have to hope he got enough hours at store to make ends meet.
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Dean was almost wishing he had homework because right now he was bored to tears. He was right about believing that there would be hell to pay when he got home. Having been reacquainted with the taste of Ivory soap, he had been sentenced to the corner for the evening, so he could think about what he did wrong. It was his father's latest way of punishing him. It used to be cleaning the guns, sharpening and polishing the knifes, but he had his charming little brother to thank for where he was now. Dean actually liked handling the weapons. Something his brother told their dad, so John decided that it wasn't a good punishment if he liked it. Surprisingly, John did not agree with spanking so staring at peeling paint and contemplating life it was. Not to mention being completely humiliated in front of Caleb. He wondered if he could convince his dad he was tired enough for bed. He certainly wished he could just pass out and forget about things for awhile.
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Because Dean had just wanted to forget about everything that pretty much guaranteed the opposite was going to happen. That proved to be true when he barely slept a wink last night. Since it was a small one room motel, that meant that Dean could hear everything his father and Caleb were discussing. The rent on the apartment they were moving too was 685 plus utilities. If his father was late back, and he was more often than not, how the hell was he going to scramble to come up with $700 bucks? He was barely going to be making a hundred a week before his father took a chuck of it and that was if he got the job in the first place. For that matter where the hell was his father getting that much money. He suspected that Caleb was trying to help and was paying, but he didn't realize that their dad was not reliable when it came anything he said regarding money. Plus they still had to eat, and pay the heat and power. Immediately after school Dean decided he better go seek out the location of the nearest homeless shelters. They might need them. There dad was taking the car. If they got kicked out, they wouldn't even have the Impala to keep them warm.
Then all Sam and John did was complain about the food he had bought. John was pissed because there was no coffee and Sam whined that he wanted bacon and eggs, or pancakes. He complained mightily that he not only had to have toast and peanut butter for breakfast since Dean didn't' get cereal. He was also a real little bitch about taking a peanut butter sandwich for lunch.
Dean had given Sam his $50 bucks, $45 for his field trip and told him to buy a hot lunch with the remaining five just to get him to shut up. As soon as their father left Dean decided that he didn't care how much trouble he got in. He was giving Sam $20 bucks and telling him to go buy groceries for a week. Let him learn exactly how hard that is.
He couldn't believe how tired he was and his father hadn't even left yet. He tried to stifle a yawn as he walked down the hall to home room, wishing with everything he had that he could just find a place to lie down for awhile.
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Dean wished he had math first because it pretty much came naturally to him, he didn't really have to pay that much attention. US History was about as boring as it gets. There was only 200 years worth of stuff and it was mostly just memorization and regurgitation. That was the problem with them registering late. They pretty much had to take what was left over. At least European History or Medieval History had battles to study. His Dad's friend Joshua was an expert and he and Dean had some good debates over strategies and tactics. This was pretty much just all about the formation of the government. Politics was not exciting in any way, shape or form. If that wasn't bad enough, he had English next. He was good at finding hidden meanings in poems and picking out symbolism because he had done it enough while researching for hunts. He was stuck with creative writing and all that went along with it, including grammar. Just much more complicated than the stuff they learned in elementary school. Give him a calculus problem any day. He's rather solve for x than figure out what subject went with what verb. At least physics was interesting. It really was just calculus problems.
Lunch was another thing Dean wanted to skip. He didn't bring a lunch with him because it made the bread stretch that much further and sitting in the cafeteria without eating anything made him feel like a charity case. He decided to detour to the library, not because he was a dedicated student but because between lunch and Inclusion he would pretty much get his homework done at school and that might allow him to work an extra hour at the store.
"Excuse me," a voice pulled him from his thoughts.
Dean looked up and saw a guy about his age and height standing there. "Do you mind if I sit here?"
Wanting anything but, Dean just shrugged his shoulders. "It's a free country."
"Thanks." The kid said as he dug out his Math text book.
At least he didn't see intent on making small talk. Dean could see he was taking Algebra. He's mastered that in junior high, he couldn't help thinking. He watched at the boy next to him tried to solve for x. He wasn't having much luck. He erased and rewrote the problem, then erased it again, and wrote and erased until he tore a hole in his paper. The kid looked beyond frustrated. It was pretty easy to see where he was going wrong. Dean debated the pros and cons of saying anything.
"You're forgetting the negative," Dean said before he could stop himself.
The kid just glared at him.
"Forget I said anything," Dean mumbled.
"Sorry. It's just that math is determined to ruin my life."
"I can relate. Creative writing is determined to ruin mine. Now let me show you where you're going wrong."
"Thanks, man. You don't know how much I appreciate this. I'm Cas by the way."
"Dean."
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Castiel Novak-Lafitte both loved and hated school. He loved learning part and wanted to go onto college and become a teacher, like his dads, but he didn't like this school much. Junior High wasn't too bad, but his parents didn't teach there. It's was bad enough that both his parents taught here. Whenever he got a good grade there was always someone to accuse him of only getting it because his parents called in a favor. At least his Papa Jimmy was a popular teacher and well liked. His Papa Ben, was known as a very tough teacher and one most students hoped they didn't get.
He loved his dads more than anything and it didn't bother him that he had two but it was a problem for some others. Alistair and Zacheriah, two members of the soccer team, like to make his life a living hell and tease him because of it. His Papa Jimmy told him to just avoid the them and stay out of trouble, while his Papa Ben thought he should confront them head on. Cas was smaller than they were so he was going with Papa Jimmy's advice.
He spent his lunch periods in the library because he knew that Al and Zach wouldn't be caught dead in here, but today he saw Craig Crowley, one of Zach's cronies in there. He wussed out and saw the new guy sitting there. He looked like he could take care of himself so he took a chance. It worked out well because Dean helped him with his math and Crowley kept his distance.
He was tempted to see if Dean wanted to hang out but he never got a chance to ask him because he took off as soon as the bell rang. Cas decided to keep an eye out to see if he was in any of his other classes.
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Dean picked up Sam at the junior high and dropped him off at the hotel and got the address to the apartment where he was supposed to go after his interview. He really hoped that he was not going to yawn in the middle of it. His plans to completely do homework at school took was no longer an option because his day had gone from bad to worse. His Social Studies teacher assigned a massive project that was going to be semester long. It was a 20 page research paper on an original topic.
He hated Inclusion with a passion and he wished they would just stick him in the "You're a dummy" classes other schools like to dump him in. It was far less work. Inclusion was apparently more than just one on one time and having your homework checked. It was a class by itself. They had to take lessons in study skills and time management and reading comprehension. Just like in elementary school. So he sometimes got additional homework from them. Like tonight he had to start working on a time schedule. He had to list all his homework and assignments and come up with a time line to get it all done.
How the fuck was he going to adhere to a schedule? Sure he wasn't the only one with a part time job, but how otherswere responsible for making ends meet and parenting little brothers.
The one thing that worked out for him was that he managed to score the job. He had to go in for orientation on Monday.
He found the apartment with little trouble but it took about 45 minutes to walk there which meant an hour less that Dean would have for school work. When he got home, Sam gave him the sign up sheet for soccer. Dean forged his dad's signature but the cost was $100. Where the hell was he going to get that money? His dad gave him $200 to get him through the two weeks until he got his paycheck. Then he told Dean that he'd be gone for 5 weeks, but that he would make sure that Dean had the money for the rent (yeah right!). Caleb had slipped him an extra hundred but Dean knew that wasn't going to go far.
Then they said good bye to their dad and Caleb were out the door. This was the longest that Dean was going to be on his own and responsible for his brother and making ends meet. He just hoped he was up to the challenge and for once he could make his father proud.
To Be Continues. Make sure to leave me a comment and let me know if you liked or hated it.