I met Dean Winchester when I was 17. At that age I was just a confused, slightly angry child. My mom died and two years later dad had moved on. I couldn't really blame the guy. Who would want to raise 15 year old twins and a gangly 11 year old on his own? Yeah we were a house full of men but there was only so much dad could do. Three years of dating, dad finally popped the question. After the wedding, dad moved all eight of us to Lawrence Kansas for a job. The house was small but we managed. A week after the move, school started. The twins, Michael and Lucifer, as well as Naomi's oldest, Raphael, all made their way off to their respective colleges. Two days later, Anna, Gabe and I found ourselves standing in front of Lawrence High School.
Anna was excited to start high school while Gabe and I were just ready for it to end. Thankfully this was my last year.
"Alright guys, time to get this shit over with!" Gabriel said, heading off in the direction of the front office.
"Come on Anna." The poor thing was too nervous to move.
After receiving our class schedules and locker assignments, I bid farewell to my siblings. My locker was on the far side of the compound tucked between two pillars. I had just gotten the door open when I heard movement to my left.
"New here?"
"Yeah. Castiel Novak, nice to meet you."
"Chuck Shirley. What classes are you taking?" he asked, leaning against his locker.
"English 4, AP Chem, ASL 1, Art 3, Calc 2 and History ." I handed my schedule over to Chuck. He compared his schedule to mine.
"Sweet! Looks like we're in English, Chem and Calc together! ASL is full of chicks. Looking to pick up on some hot girls on day one?" he chuckled handing the piece of paper back.
"No I just needed a second language. Lawrence doesn't have Latin so I'm taking ASL."
"Latin huh? Any good?"
I laughed at the shocked look on his face. "I'm pretty good."
"So if you're any good why not just take Spanish?"
"I wanted a challenge. Spanish would have been too easy."
This seemed to placate Chuck as we walked towards our homeroom class. The room was like any other classroom I'd been in. Desks lined up neatly, sparkling clean whiteboard, and one seemingly out of date computer. I decided that sitting up front would only make my situation as the new kid even worse so I followed Chuck to the back of the classroom. I was just about to take my seat when I saw him. The door opened and it was like the angels in heaven were lighting his way. He was taller than me but not by much and his hair shined golden brown from the sun light shining around him. He wore dark jeans, a black t shirt and dark brown work boots. He was one of the most beautiful men I had ever seen.
I watched as he walked to the front of the room and greeted the teacher with a smile. He was handed a small stack of papers then made his way back to our corner of the room. I watched him as he took the seat next to mine. Once seated he turned to face Chuck and I. His eyes were the greenest eyes I had ever seen. Before I could say anything to him the teacher called the class to order.
I didn't see Dean again until I walked into the ASL classroom for 3rd period. I took the seat next to him hoping to introduce myself. Unfortunately for me the teacher had already put a note up on the whiteboard that read NO TALKING. Instead of introducing myself I just nodded my head in his direction. Class started and it seemed pretty normal for the most part. The syllabus was passed out along with a list of expectations and an even longer list of vocabulary words we would be learning for the year. The only thing that was different was that we were expected to stand and introduce ourselves. Introductions started on the far side of the room, giving me enough time to compose myself.
"Hi. My name is Castiel. I'm taking this class because unfortunately this school doesn't offer much in the way of second languages." I stated awkwardly.
"Nice to meet you Castiel and welcome to Lawrence! If you don't mind my asking, what language were you hoping for?" asked Mrs. Winchester.
"Latin. I've been taking it since freshman year."
"Wow! Well let's see if we can keep you entertained enough in here. I'm sure you'll pick it up just fine." She smiled sweetly at me before turning to Dean. "Now I know most of you already know who Dean is but I thought that he should be the one to tell you his story. This year I got lucky enough to have him as my Teacher's Aid. If you'll all listen closely and watch what he signs you'll get a better understanding for why we use ASL."
Dean made his way to the front of the room. He took a deep breath before starting. "My name is Dean Winchester. I was born hearing. When I was eight I got the chicken pox. My fever was so high that it destroyed my hearing. My entire family started learning ASL to help out. I miss my hearing sometimes but I'm grateful that my parents took the time to learn a new way to communicate with me."
Dean was deaf. At the time it was the only thing I could focus on. How could such a handsome young man go deaf from a common childhood disease like the chicken pox? That night I spent a good amount of time doing research on it. I even shed a few tears for Dean Winchester and his family. I couldn't imagine loosing my hearing after having it for eight years.