Aiden sat on the metal bench in the school yard. She swung her legs back and forth watching the toes of her too small sneakers scrape the pavement. If Dean were there he'd yell at her, ruining her shoes like money grows on trees. But, the shoes were already ruined if you asked Aiden, her toes were nearly worn through and the soles were more glue than rubber.
She watched as a group of girls her age played tetherball, badly. Its hard to always be new at school, never have friends.
Aiden stood up, who knew how long she would be at this school anyway. She walked over towards the bushes where a girl who might have been in her class sat.
"Can I play with you?" Aiden asked softly, digging her toe in the dirt.
"Sure. I'm playing house." The red haired girl smiled as she showed Aiden a house she had drawn in the dirt with a stick. She handed Aiden some acorns."Here are the people. Mommy and Daddy, and three sisters."
"Who can I be?" Aiden grinned.
"Well...You can be Marie and Daddy or, oryou can make your own house and we can be neighbors! I'm Emma by the way."
"I'm Aiden." Aiden set to work gathering acorns and drawing a house. "Heres the Mommy and the Daddy and the uncles and the brothers and the sister."
The girls played with their people until recess was over.
"What class are you in Aiden?" Asked Emma as they walked to line up.
"Ms. Winslow I think." Aiden shrugged, she pulled a folded up piece of paper out of her pocket and read her brother's handwriting "Yeah."
"I'm in Mr. Fisher's room. That's next to Ms. Winslow. Can we play again tomorrow?"
"Sure!"
As she sat at her desk Aiden smiled. She had someone to play with at recess.
Aiden pulled at the frayed sleeve of her shirt as the teacher talked, she hadn't learned this math at her old schools. She was totally lost. New and stupid, that's what they would say.
"Does anyone know what 2 times 5 will be? Aiden?" Ms. Winslow asked.
"No ma'am" Aiden continued to pull at the threads on her sleeve.
"Break it down boys and girls. It's two, five times. Two plus two is?"
"Four ma'am" Aiden blushed as the girl next to her snickered.
"Thats that's one and two.Plus two is?"
"Six."
"That's three. Plus two?"
"Eight."
"That was four. And plus two?"
"Ten ma'am"
"And that's five. So two five times is ten. 2 times 5 is 10."
"Yes ma'am." Aiden sunk in her seat. Her teacher was mean and terrible.
"Stupid" The girl next to her whispered.
"You're stupid." Aiden mumbled.
"Well you're poor" the girl hissed back.
Aiden looked at the girl who wore a clean dress,white socks that were really white, and shiny black shoes that fit. Then she looked down at her own clothes, a long sleeved shirt that was fraying (and she wasn't helping), hand me down blue jeans that used to be Sam's but they cuffed, and sneakers once pink but now brown that you could nearly see her socks through.There was no arguing. The girl was right.
When Sam and Dean met Aiden on the playground after school she was sulking.
"What's wrong squirt? Dean asked tugging one of her pigtails.
"My teacher is horrible." Aiden said shrugging.
"Oh?" Sam smirked.
"She asked me to do baby stuff in front of everyone."
"The devil incarnate." Sam said to himself sarcastically as Dean chuckled at Aiden's serious nod.
"You don't even know what he said kiddo." Dean laughed.
"That shes horrible and I'm right."
"Ok. Why'd she make you do baby stuff?" Sam asked rolling his eyes.
"I didn't know my timeses"
"Your what?"
"My timeses. Like a number times a number."
"Your times tables? I can teach you those." Sam said taking his sister's had to cross the multi lane road to the motel.
"Can I have new shoes too?" Aiden asked.
"When Dad gets home." Dean sighed glancing at Aiden's feet.
At school the next day Aiden had come prepared. She and Sam had learned all the times tables thenight before so she was ready to show off. Her desire to prove herself distracted her from her aching toes.
That day in gym class on her way to the bathroomAiden noticed something interesting in the hallway by the gym. A large cardboard box labeled "lost and found" sat full of clothes and school supplies. Peeking out from under a folder was a pair of sneakers, Aiden looked around and seeing no one stuffed them under her hoodie.
In the bathroom she tried the sneakers on and while a little bit too big, they didn't have any holes and they didn't pinch. She left the new shoes on and stuck the old ones in her hoodie pocket.
At recess Aiden played with Emma, their acorn families were becoming best friends.And in math Aiden shone. Her teacher was impressed with her quick improvement sso much so that Aiden got a gold star sticker.
Adien was grinning ear to ear when Sam and Dean met her after school.
"Better day?" Dean asked.
"I got a sticker in math and I ran the fastest in gym and I- and Emma and I had a birthday party and it was pizza for lunch!" Aiden's words came out quickly as she hopped from toe to toe.
"Sound fun" Sam smiled.
"Who's Emma?"
"My new best friend. We play family at recess."
"Duh Dean." Sam chuckled.
"That's great." Dean said.
As the three walked into the motel room Aiden flopped onto the bed.
Dean opened Aiden's backpack to grab her homework as Sam started his own.
"Hey Aide?" Dean asked.
"Yeah?"
"Why are your shoes in your bag?"
"I got new ones."
"How?" Dean asked as Sam looked up from his copy of Canterbury Tales.
"Found them in a box at school." Aiden lifted her legs up to show her brother "See they fit!"
"Aiden." Dean sighed as he sat down next to her. "You cant take stuff that doesn't belong to you. That's stealing."
"Theydidn't belong to anyone Dean. The box said lost. So now they're mine." Aiden said.
"Lost and found doesn't mean free to take. It means take if it belongs to you."
"Pot calling the kettle black there Dean." Sam mumbled.
"Well nobody took them so now they're mine."
"Aiden." Dean sighed. "You need to give them back. We will get you new shoes as soon as Dad gets back."
"Dean. I don't want to wait that long. My feet hurt and these are mine!"
"We're going to school tomorrow and returning them." Dean said curtly.
"But!"
"But nothing Aiden. They weren't yours to take. I'll call Dad and see how long he'll be. See if we can get you some shoes soon."
"You're stupid and I hate you! You're not listening!" Aiden yelled kicking her feet at Dean before attempting to jump off the bed before Dean snagged her arm.
"You need to take a breath girly." Dean said steering her into a corner. "When you calm down you and I will have a chat."
Sam looked at Dean and raised his eyebrow, but at Dean's shake of the head Sam returned to his book.
"Come here" Dean said after a few minutes had gone by.
Aiden slowly turned around and walked over to the bed where Dean sat. She stood in front of him looking at the carpet.
"Look at me." Dean said lifting her chin. "I don't know who the hell you think you were talking to back there but that's not ok. Not now not ever. You hear me?"
"Yes Dean."
"We're returning the shoes tomorrow. You took something that didn't belong to you. Do you know what that's called?"
"Stealing." Aiden mumbled.
"Hm?"
"Stealing." Aiden repeated.
"You don't steal unless you have no other choice. I told you we would solve the sneakers. I'm gonna talk to Dad. This was not the solution." Dean said.
"Yes Dean."
"Let's go then." Dean sighed as he pulled the child over his lap taking down her jeans.
Aiden yelped as Dean began to swat. Back a forth the spanks rained down. Dean's hard handpeppered her bum and sit spots. Aiden kicked her legs only to have them restrained by her brother's.
"Dean!" She cried "Stop!"
He continued spanking with that same staccato motionuntil red splotches showed around her underwear and thighs and the girl lay limp over his lap crying.
"Shh. It's ok, I love you squirt." He rubbed her back as he whispered.Dean pulled her up into a hug, kissing her forehead."You're a good girl, Aide, smart as all hell. Quit making me do that."
Aiden kicked her jeans off and snuggled into Dean's chest. Her eyes fluttered as she drifted into sleep.