FIC: That's Me in the Spotlight
Title: That's Me in the Spotlight
Author: me (duh)
Category: Gen, outsider POV, teen!chesters
Characters: OFC and all the Winchester boys
Word Count: 1,580
Rating: PG
Summary: Oh god, not the dreaded talent show!
A/N: My muse went ADD while I was working on my we_take_five challenge, and this was one of many stories that popped into my head. Figured I'd knock out the non-angsty one first. :) Non-betaed, so all errors are my own fault and I ask you to put away those torches and pitchforks.
It's this yearly tradition thing. Some evil plot the teachers came up with to embarrass the hell out of the eighth graders. They say it's a "get to know your incoming freshmen" deal, but there's no other reason for a mandatory talent show, when you think about it. Parade us all up there, let all the upperclassmen laugh at the results of our seven years of piano lessons, yeah nothing evil about that.
My older sister came home crying three years ago after her eighth grade talent show, and it scared me shitless. Oh god, don't tell my mom I cursed. I'll be grounded for life, I swear. Anyway, Laura kept blubbering about how the seniors had thrown gum on the stage while she was singing, and it got lodged in her hair, and then that bitch Mary Louis cut it out but took a huge chunk of Laura's hair with it. It was a total disaster. Laura had really pretty hair too. Still hasn't all grown back yet.
But yeah, so I started freaking out then about when it would be my year, and I begged my mom and dad to let me switch to my friend Kathy's school because they don't have mandatory talent shows there. Mom was all, "Honey, that's not for years. I'm sure by the time you get to eighth grade, you’ll be so good at your talent that everyone will be amazed." And Dad started in with how he’s not shelling out the extra money for me to go to some private school just because I was scared of a little character-building exercise. I called Dad an idiot and told him he didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. He grounded me for a week.
Okay, fast forward to last Friday. There had been fliers up all over the school for this thing for the last month, and everyone was all excited about how we get the whole afternoon out of class and no one seemed to realize how terrible it was all going to be because they never saw the chunk missing from Laura’s hair. And our teachers started up with how they were all excited to see what our special skills were and how this was going to count as an extra exam grade and there was just no way out of it! Beth and Amanda decided to sing a duet, which of course left me all by my lonesome because piano really doesn’t work with Nirvana.
Mom made me wear this dorky looking dress to the show. Still pissed at her for that, because let me tell you, it didn’t make playing in front of 500 other kids any easier. I played the freaking Music Man, because it was short and simple and I wanted off that stage before I did my best impression of a tomato. No gum in my hair, thank God, and I only had to put up with a couple people giggling. Not like poor Elise. Man, she got up there and was so nervous that she was totally off key and everyone was laughing, including me, but I won’t tell her that because I feel really bad about it now.
After Elise, Mr. Harper got on stage and introduced Sam Winchester. I remember hearing a couple people groan because no one really knew this kid. I mean, he showed up in the middle of the year and just sat in the back, reading the textbooks like they were actually interesting. Ruined the curve on a lot of tests too, so no one liked him anyway. Total geek. Everyone just tolerated him because his older brother is a senior and a badass. I heard a story once that one of the guys on the football team tried to shove Sam into a locker after they collided in the hallway, and Sam’s brother was there in like two seconds and almost broke the guy’s wrist. But then Beth told me it was totally made up, and the jock had just gotten drunk after that last game and had fallen off the bleachers. I think that’s just what he was telling everyone to not look like a wimp. In fact, I’m sure of it.
So yeah, Mr. Harper’s up there, and Sam walked onto the stage, and I was really jealous because his parents didn’t make him wear anything special. Then I saw that his brother, god what’s his name? Dan? Dean! Anyway, Dean’s walking onto the stage with him, looking all cool in his old jeans and leather jacket, and everyone actually shut up a bit, which was a big deal for 500 people. And Sam started talking about how he’s been studying self-defense for years and his brother’s going to help him with a sparring demonstration, and now people started giggling again because Sam’s this dorky little thing and Dean…still a badass.
They stood on different sides of the stage for a second, and I guess one of them said “go” or something, because they went at each other at the same time, and I swear it was like the Bruce Lee movies Mom won’t let Dad watch. They were moving so fast, all punching and kicking and blocking, and everyone started cheering because this was SO much cooler than playing the piano. Half the juniors and seniors were standing up in their chairs, and I know a lot of the other eighth graders were too, because there was no way in Hell this was the same Sam that corrected Ms. Lorenz’s key for her Latin test.
So things were just violent up there, but neither of them actually got a hit on the other one, they were that good. Then Sam did this sweet leg-kick move that knocked Dean onto his back, and I guess Mr. Harper thought it was all over because he started moving back onto the stage. But Dean got up, reached into his jacket, and pulled out this knife. Seriously, a knife. Not like that Swiss army thing Warren Grant keeps in his backpack, but like Rambo-style. Mr. Harper actually screamed and almost fell over backwards, and now the people who weren’t standing in their seats all jumped up and there was yelling and cheering, and the teachers were totally freaking out but couldn’t do anything, because hello, knife. Dean started moving back at Sam just as fast as before and now there was slashing, but Sam blocked every single move Dean made. I could tell Dean was really going for it too, because he had this seriously concentrated look on his face, like he was actually trying to cut Sam.
And Sam…badass. He ended up roundhouse kicking Dean in the hand, which sent the knife flying and it actually got stuck in the side of the piano. Then they just stopped and grinned like they hadn’t been trying to beat the crap out of each other a second ago. We were all clapping and whistling, and then Coach Burkley grabbed both of their arms and started dragging them out of the auditorium, and Mr. Harper tried to take the knife out of the piano but it was stuck. Before they were pulled out the door, Dean waved at everyone and Sam gave this huge smile that actually made him look kinda cute. Shut up, I’m not crushing on a geek.
No one was going to calm down after that, so they ended up sending us all back to our classrooms with the promise that the other talent acts would be able to perform the next day. Because seriously, who would want to follow that?
I had gotten a hall pass and was getting a drink from the water fountain when Sam and Dean came out of Mr. Harper’s office, followed by this guy that could only be Mr. Winchester. Their dad did not look happy, and he was talking about how they were lucky no one called the cops on them and didn’t they have more sense than to bring the knives out at school and what the hell were they thinking.
Just as they were getting near me, I heard Sam speak up to his dad. “It’s the only talent I have.” And he actually sounded sad, like he didn’t think it was the coolest thing ever.
I think Dean saw me looking, because he put his arm around Sam’s shoulders. “Yeah, but you kick ass at it. And you’re going to be the talk of this school for years. You should have seen it, Dad. He actually disarmed me.”
Their dad kinda stopped in his tracks when Dean said that, and I thought he was going to start yelling. Instead, he got his huge grin on his face and tousled Sam’s hair. “Way to go, son.” And Sam finally smiled too, and yeah, maybe I have a small crush on the nerd.
They weren’t at school today, and there’s all these rumors about how they had been expelled or they were killed in a knife fight with rival gang members or they were actually undercover operatives for the CIA and were sent on an important mission in Amsterdam or something. I asked Ms. Lorenz about it in Latin class though, and she said that their father was in sales and he was transferred a lot, and Friday was actually their last day before they moved. I like the CIA story better. She also said they’re screening the talents for next year’s show, maybe even making it voluntary. That just figures, doesn’t it?
Author: me (duh)
Category: Gen, outsider POV, teen!chesters
Characters: OFC and all the Winchester boys
Word Count: 1,580
Rating: PG
Summary: Oh god, not the dreaded talent show!
A/N: My muse went ADD while I was working on my we_take_five challenge, and this was one of many stories that popped into my head. Figured I'd knock out the non-angsty one first. :) Non-betaed, so all errors are my own fault and I ask you to put away those torches and pitchforks.
It's this yearly tradition thing. Some evil plot the teachers came up with to embarrass the hell out of the eighth graders. They say it's a "get to know your incoming freshmen" deal, but there's no other reason for a mandatory talent show, when you think about it. Parade us all up there, let all the upperclassmen laugh at the results of our seven years of piano lessons, yeah nothing evil about that.
My older sister came home crying three years ago after her eighth grade talent show, and it scared me shitless. Oh god, don't tell my mom I cursed. I'll be grounded for life, I swear. Anyway, Laura kept blubbering about how the seniors had thrown gum on the stage while she was singing, and it got lodged in her hair, and then that bitch Mary Louis cut it out but took a huge chunk of Laura's hair with it. It was a total disaster. Laura had really pretty hair too. Still hasn't all grown back yet.
But yeah, so I started freaking out then about when it would be my year, and I begged my mom and dad to let me switch to my friend Kathy's school because they don't have mandatory talent shows there. Mom was all, "Honey, that's not for years. I'm sure by the time you get to eighth grade, you’ll be so good at your talent that everyone will be amazed." And Dad started in with how he’s not shelling out the extra money for me to go to some private school just because I was scared of a little character-building exercise. I called Dad an idiot and told him he didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. He grounded me for a week.
Okay, fast forward to last Friday. There had been fliers up all over the school for this thing for the last month, and everyone was all excited about how we get the whole afternoon out of class and no one seemed to realize how terrible it was all going to be because they never saw the chunk missing from Laura’s hair. And our teachers started up with how they were all excited to see what our special skills were and how this was going to count as an extra exam grade and there was just no way out of it! Beth and Amanda decided to sing a duet, which of course left me all by my lonesome because piano really doesn’t work with Nirvana.
Mom made me wear this dorky looking dress to the show. Still pissed at her for that, because let me tell you, it didn’t make playing in front of 500 other kids any easier. I played the freaking Music Man, because it was short and simple and I wanted off that stage before I did my best impression of a tomato. No gum in my hair, thank God, and I only had to put up with a couple people giggling. Not like poor Elise. Man, she got up there and was so nervous that she was totally off key and everyone was laughing, including me, but I won’t tell her that because I feel really bad about it now.
After Elise, Mr. Harper got on stage and introduced Sam Winchester. I remember hearing a couple people groan because no one really knew this kid. I mean, he showed up in the middle of the year and just sat in the back, reading the textbooks like they were actually interesting. Ruined the curve on a lot of tests too, so no one liked him anyway. Total geek. Everyone just tolerated him because his older brother is a senior and a badass. I heard a story once that one of the guys on the football team tried to shove Sam into a locker after they collided in the hallway, and Sam’s brother was there in like two seconds and almost broke the guy’s wrist. But then Beth told me it was totally made up, and the jock had just gotten drunk after that last game and had fallen off the bleachers. I think that’s just what he was telling everyone to not look like a wimp. In fact, I’m sure of it.
So yeah, Mr. Harper’s up there, and Sam walked onto the stage, and I was really jealous because his parents didn’t make him wear anything special. Then I saw that his brother, god what’s his name? Dan? Dean! Anyway, Dean’s walking onto the stage with him, looking all cool in his old jeans and leather jacket, and everyone actually shut up a bit, which was a big deal for 500 people. And Sam started talking about how he’s been studying self-defense for years and his brother’s going to help him with a sparring demonstration, and now people started giggling again because Sam’s this dorky little thing and Dean…still a badass.
They stood on different sides of the stage for a second, and I guess one of them said “go” or something, because they went at each other at the same time, and I swear it was like the Bruce Lee movies Mom won’t let Dad watch. They were moving so fast, all punching and kicking and blocking, and everyone started cheering because this was SO much cooler than playing the piano. Half the juniors and seniors were standing up in their chairs, and I know a lot of the other eighth graders were too, because there was no way in Hell this was the same Sam that corrected Ms. Lorenz’s key for her Latin test.
So things were just violent up there, but neither of them actually got a hit on the other one, they were that good. Then Sam did this sweet leg-kick move that knocked Dean onto his back, and I guess Mr. Harper thought it was all over because he started moving back onto the stage. But Dean got up, reached into his jacket, and pulled out this knife. Seriously, a knife. Not like that Swiss army thing Warren Grant keeps in his backpack, but like Rambo-style. Mr. Harper actually screamed and almost fell over backwards, and now the people who weren’t standing in their seats all jumped up and there was yelling and cheering, and the teachers were totally freaking out but couldn’t do anything, because hello, knife. Dean started moving back at Sam just as fast as before and now there was slashing, but Sam blocked every single move Dean made. I could tell Dean was really going for it too, because he had this seriously concentrated look on his face, like he was actually trying to cut Sam.
And Sam…badass. He ended up roundhouse kicking Dean in the hand, which sent the knife flying and it actually got stuck in the side of the piano. Then they just stopped and grinned like they hadn’t been trying to beat the crap out of each other a second ago. We were all clapping and whistling, and then Coach Burkley grabbed both of their arms and started dragging them out of the auditorium, and Mr. Harper tried to take the knife out of the piano but it was stuck. Before they were pulled out the door, Dean waved at everyone and Sam gave this huge smile that actually made him look kinda cute. Shut up, I’m not crushing on a geek.
No one was going to calm down after that, so they ended up sending us all back to our classrooms with the promise that the other talent acts would be able to perform the next day. Because seriously, who would want to follow that?
I had gotten a hall pass and was getting a drink from the water fountain when Sam and Dean came out of Mr. Harper’s office, followed by this guy that could only be Mr. Winchester. Their dad did not look happy, and he was talking about how they were lucky no one called the cops on them and didn’t they have more sense than to bring the knives out at school and what the hell were they thinking.
Just as they were getting near me, I heard Sam speak up to his dad. “It’s the only talent I have.” And he actually sounded sad, like he didn’t think it was the coolest thing ever.
I think Dean saw me looking, because he put his arm around Sam’s shoulders. “Yeah, but you kick ass at it. And you’re going to be the talk of this school for years. You should have seen it, Dad. He actually disarmed me.”
Their dad kinda stopped in his tracks when Dean said that, and I thought he was going to start yelling. Instead, he got his huge grin on his face and tousled Sam’s hair. “Way to go, son.” And Sam finally smiled too, and yeah, maybe I have a small crush on the nerd.
They weren’t at school today, and there’s all these rumors about how they had been expelled or they were killed in a knife fight with rival gang members or they were actually undercover operatives for the CIA and were sent on an important mission in Amsterdam or something. I asked Ms. Lorenz about it in Latin class though, and she said that their father was in sales and he was transferred a lot, and Friday was actually their last day before they moved. I like the CIA story better. She also said they’re screening the talents for next year’s show, maybe even making it voluntary. That just figures, doesn’t it?