Eighteen year old Dean Winchester strode determinedly down the school corridor. He glanced anxiously at his watch. 4pm. Crap. He was supposed to have met his dad over half-an-hour ago. He was going to be pissed. Again.
Skidding towards the reception area he rolled his eyes, frustrated. The desk was empty.
"Hey!" He banged the desk and glanced around. "Hey, anyone around? Anyone?"
A young, yet tired looking teacher walked out of what looked like a staff room. Dean noted the worn make-up and unbrushed hair. She saw him looking and raised an eyebrow as if to say, It's Friday afternoon. What did you expect?
"Can I help you, sir?"
"Yeah..." Dean tapped his fingers impatiently on the desk. "Yeah, I'm looking for Sam Winchester. He's my brother. He hasn't turned up at home yet and our dad really needs to...well, we're getting away for the weekend and we really need to get off y'know?"
The teacher's eyebrows shot up again, "Sam Winchester?"
"That's right."
"You said you're his brother?"
"Right. Listen, I don't mean to be rude but, like I said, we're in a real rush, so..."
"Did your father not get our message? I believe our receptionist called him a couple of hours ago. At least...well, when I reported the incident she assured me that she would call the family home immediately."
Dean began to make excuses; after all, the emergency contact numbers that their dad would have given the school would have been either fake or at least two years out of date. Then he quickly shook himself.
"What...hold up. Incident?"
The woman nodded. Then she reached across the desk, offering a hand.
"Sarah Tanner, I teach Sam Theatre Studies."
Dean shook the offered hand quickly. "Dean Winchester. So, what incident? Is Sam okay?"
"Is there any chance that your father could join us for a chat?"
Dean thought of their dad impatiently packing the Impala and firmly shook his head. "No...he's... working...but I'll pass anything on. Where's Sam?"
Sarah hesitated and then nodded."Do you want to go somewhere more private?"
Dean looked worryingly back at her. Private meant serious. He nodded once and she indicated for him to follow her.
Her heels clicked as he followed her down the seemingly never ending corridor. She glanced into a classroom, assuring it was empty before entering and gesturing that Dean should take a seat.
Dean felt uneasy in sitting down in the purposely hard, uncomfortable chair. He always hated this environment. He remembered sitting in a classroom like this one [or was it this one? They all looked the friggin' same] trying to be interested in Pythagoras Theorem or some crap. He would glance around the class and feel incredibly...frustrated. Lonely. Not one person in this class could understand what he'd seen. What he had to face every day. He had seen more, knew more than some old hag teaching Pythagoras Theorem.
He had never lasted long in those classes.
"So, what's going on?" Dean's eyes shifted from side-to-side. "Where's Sam?"
Sarah moved in her seat. "Well, Mr. Winchester...I'm sorry to say that your brother has been expelled."
There was a pause and then Dean let out a disbelieving laugh.
"Expelled?"
"I'm afraid so."
Dean laughed again. "Right. Sam? Expelled? For what, refusing to put his reading book away?"
"Fighting during my class."
"Fighting?!"
"Yes."
Dean balanced back on his chair, the legs up in the air.
"Fighting with who?"
Sarah coughed, pointedly looking at the chair legs. Dean slowly went back down so that all four legs were on the floor.
"Well, Mr Winchester, it was a boy in his form. Kevin Harkens."
"That dick?"
Sarah's eyes shot up and Dean felt himself redden slightly under her gaze.
"Sorry."
Sarah ignored the apology and continued to talk.
"Sam was close to knocking Kevin out. Sam has received quite a black eye in the process but he's certainly looking a fine sight better then Kevin right now."
That's my boy Dean thought privately. In all honesty though, Dean was confused. Sam usually kept himself to himself at school, not wanting to reveal anything about his home life to his class mates. This was, undoubtedly, very out of character.
"I must tell you now, Mr Winchester, Sam has been expelled for the following week. Work will be sent home to you for him to complete. Your father will then have to attend a meeting next Friday to discuss tactics to ensure that this does not happen again."
Dean nodded, not really listening.
"You're not about to tell me that this incident was unprovoked?"
Sarah shook her head. "No. Kevin has admitted to talking about your...your family and that led to Sam lashing out. Kevin has been expelled himself for the first half of next week."
Dean stood up.
"Where's Sam? Can I take him?"
"Yes, but Mr Winchester..." Sarah stood up so that she could look Dean in the eye. "Maybe I shouldn't be saying this but... I am very surprised at Sam. He is...well, one of my favourite students. He's usually an absolute delight to teach, if maybe a bit too quiet. I have to ask...if it's not too personal...is everything is okay at home?"
Dean stiffened. "Yeah. Everything's fine."
Sarah looked unconvinced as she waited for Dean to elaborate. When he didn't she gave an awkward smile. "So...this incident. We'll put it down to fourteen-year-old hormones shall we?"
Dean stared back.
"Where is he?"
Sarah walked towards the door, "The Seclusion Unit. He's been waiting for a while. You can take him home."
Dean followed her out of the door and to a small room located away from the main building. It looked depressingly small and old. Sarah removed a key from her belt and opened the door.
"Is that really necessary?" Dean asked, nodding towards the locked door.
"Regulations" Sarah shrugged apologetically. "I'll wait outside."
"Thanks." Dean gave her a quick smile to show that there were no hard feelings and entered the room.
Whatever frustrations and anger that he had felt disappeared as he looked at his younger brother.
Sam sat on the floor facing the door. His too long hair had been brushed across his face in a desperate, yet failed attempt,to cover his red-rimmed eyes, one in which was looking swollen and sore. He was hugging his knees into his chest and rocked slightly back and forth.
Dean took his hands out of his pocket and cleared his throat. Sam looked up and then quickly stared at the floor again. Dean sighed and then sat down, cross-legged opposite his brother. He waited for Sam to say something but a silence fell across the room.
"I hear the other guy looks a hell of a lot worse."
A tiny smile flashed across Sam's face but it disappeared so quickly that Dean wondered if he had imagined it.
"What happened, Sammy?" Dean asked quietly.
Sam shrugged.
"Come on, Sam. I can't deal with the teenage, sulky act today. Dad's waiting."
Sam let out a sigh.
"Sam, why did you hit that guy? I mean, I know he's a dick, you've told me that much before...but why?"
Sam turned away but mumbled something.
"What?" Dean leant in. "What did you say?"
"I said I'm tired."
"That doesn't answer my question, dude."
"I mean it." Sam turned back towards him. "I'm tired. I know Dad wants to move again, right?"
Dean nodded reluctantly. "He has no choice, Sam. It's a new lead. Out near southern Texas. So...let's go, okay? Who cares if you've been expelled? New school on Monday. They don't need to know you had a freak out today"
"But that's what I mean, Dean!" Sam was facing him properly now and he was close to shouting. "Kevin was talking crap again. The usual crap. About us, about Dad, about...Mum. So I thought...why the hell not? I'll punch him. Who cares what Miss Tanner or anyone thinks? We're leaving anyway, right?"
Dean felt uncomfortable. Sure, he could more than see his brothers point of view. Hell, he would have done the same thing but...it wasn't Sammy. It was miles away from how Sammy usually spoke...how he usually would have acted. His little brother sounded tired. He sounded older than he should. Most alarmingly of all, his little brother sounded defeated. Why hadn't he noticed sooner? When had the black rings appeared under Sam's eyes?
"I'm tired" Sam repeated, his eyes downcast.
Sammy...what are we doing to you?
"So, Dad's waiting for us now?" Sam spoke, his voice small again.
"Right."
"We're late?"
"Yep."
Sam sighed. "Then we'd better get going."
Dean stood up, balancing his weight from one foot to the next. He looked at his watch and then watched as Sam lent down for his bag. His smart, worn out looking, geek of a little brother. His stomach gave a unpleasent lurch.
"Sam?"
Sam looked up.
"How about we...you know...go and catch a film or something?"
Sam looked at him questioningly.
"Dad will flip out."
Dean shrugged. "We're already late. Another couple of hours won't hurt." Dean knew this wasn't true but a new priority had entered the forefront of his mind.
Sam gave a small smile.
"You mean it?"
"I mean it. Let's go and hang out for a couple of hours...you know be...normal. For a bit."
Sam's smile widened and he ran into his brothers arms. Dean returned the hug, a rush of brotherly affection and protection overtaking him.
"Hey...and you leave the punching to me next time, okay Squirt?"
He felt Sam nod and he gently pulled his away. He ruffled Sam's hair, placed a firm arm across his brothers shoulders and led him out of the room.
A temporary solution to his brothers problems would have to do for now.