Summary: Sometimes Sam is too smart for his own good which is evident when he becomes the target of some bullies at school. Dean is 12, Sam is 8.
Author's note: Alright, so I know a story about Sam being bullied isn't very original but once an idea gets stuck in my head, I just have to write it down. I hope you'll enjoy reading.
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It wasn't easy being the new kid in school. Sam knew that, probably more than most people, because he'd tried being the new kid more times than any normal eight-year-old would even experience in a lifetime. It didn't help matters that Sam was small of his age and quite brilliant as well, because it meant that he was an obvious target for the bullies – that was school rules apparently. To make it even worse, Sam had just started in third grade while his big brother had started in Junior High school which was located in an entirely different place than the one Sam tended every day. If Dean asked, Sam would never admit it, but he missed the safety of knowing that Dean wasn't far away from him in case anything happened that he couldn't handle on his own. He didn't need Dean to fight the battles for him but it was a comforting thought to know that Sam had a big brother who would always have his back.
There was no one at this school to have his back though. Sam had tended Oak Crest Elementary School for five days and had managed to gain a friend or two and had so far managed to stay out of trouble. On this particular day, however, Sam seemed to have run out of luck.
"Hey shithead!" A voice exclaimed from behind him.
Sam's shoulders tensed for a moment and he then slowly turned away from his locker to look at the person who'd spoken to him. He came face to face – or face to chest rather – with a large boy with black short-spiked hair that he recognized as the forth-grader Billy Mabel.
"It's Sam." The young Winchester said.
Billy narrowed his eyes at Sam's boldness and cracked his knuckles in a threatening way.
"I want you to do my homework." Billy said and there were no room for questions in the demand.
Behind Billy, Sam spotted two more boys from Billy's class; Gary and Simon. Sam groaned inwardly. Why did bullies always have to team up in groups?
"No thanks." Sam said and was rewarded for his words as Billy harshly pushed him up against the locker.
"I don't think you understand what I was saying." Billy spat in the young Winchester's face and clenched the fabric of Sam's collar with his fists. "It wasn't a question. You do my homework or I'll crumble you like a piece of paper and then it'll be time to take out the trash!"
Sam raised his eyebrows at the cliché-ish threat but swallowed hard none-the-less. His dad and Dean had taught him a few moves to defend himself that might have worked if he'd only had to face Billy in a fight. But one third-grader against three fourth-graders? Sam wasn't even sure if Dean could take out three guys at once – and Dean was, in Sam's opinion, pretty tough after all!
"Everything alright over there?" A voice spoke up and Billy immediately let go of Sam.
Sam looked past Billy to see a teacher eyeing the four boys.
"Everything is fine." Billy said and sent the teacher an innocent smile. "We were helping Sam here find the right locker. He's new."
"Yeah, we were just helping." Gary agreed while Simon nodded in confirmation.
"Is that true, Sam?" The teacher asked and studied the youngest Winchester's face.
Billy turned his face back to Sam and sent him a threatening look before whispering "You tell on me and it'll be the last thing you ever do." Sam looked between the teacher and Billy, Gary and Simon a couple of times.
"Well?" The teacher asked.
"Yeah." Sam finally said but avoided eye contact with the suspicious teacher.
"Alright. Move along, boys." The teacher said and shooed the three fourth-graders away.
Whether the teacher had believed him or not, Sam didn't know for sure, but he did let out a sigh of relief when the bullies were out of sight. Man, this was going to be a long day.
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When school was out for the day, Sam swung his backpack over his shoulder and left the classroom to walk to the entrance of the schoolyard where he was going to meet up with his older brother. Sam was usually off school before Dean was and it always took a little while for Dean to walk from his school to Sam's, but the younger brother always waited patiently for Dean to arrive. This day was no exception. Sam sat down on a large rock by the entrance between the sidewalk and the schoolyard and scouted the sidewalk for any signs of his big brother, while school kids kept gushing by until only a few kids passed by every now and then.
He'd been waiting for five to ten minutes when he was suddenly given a hard shove that sent him tumbling to the ground. Sam hissed a little as his left palm got sliced open on some gravel on the pavement of the sidewalk, and he then looked up to see Billy, Simon and Gary laughing at him. Sam mentally cursed for having been caught off guard like that. He should know better than to let anyone sneak up on him – and especially three big boys that weren't exactly light-footed.
"Here." Billy said when he was done laughing and dumped a booklet into Sam's lap. "I have a poem to write. Have it finished by tomorrow."
"But.." Sam bravely began when Billy cut him off.
"You better have it finished by tomorrow or I'll break your bones." Billy threatened before he walked off with Gavin and Simon at his heels.
Sam watched them go with a sense of defeat inside while wondering if he would ever be as tough as Dean or his dad. They wouldn't have let a few bullies tell them what to do. If his dad knew about it, he would be so disappointed in his youngest son.
"Hey!" A familiar voice called and Sam turned his head to see Dean approaching him with fast steps.
"Hi Dean." Sam said as he picked up his backpack and got ready to get back on his feet.
Before he could do so though, Dean had already reached him, had placed his hands underneath Sam's armpits and hauled the younger boy to his feet.
"What were you doing on the ground?" Dean asked and brushed some dirt off Sam's clothes while quickly scanning the area. "Those boys did anything to you?"
Dean nodded towards Billy, Gavin and Simon who were disappearing in the distance, and Sam figured Dean must have seen them walk away from him a few minutes ago.
"I just fell down the rock, Dean." Sam lied and stuffed Billy's booklet into his bag.
"Uh-huh." Dean said and narrowed his eyes a bit as he studied Sam's face.
Sam just looked back at him with the most innocent expression he could pull off, and Dean sighed before giving Sam a quick once-over.
"You hurt yourself?" Dean asked.
"Just my hand." Sam admitted and Dean turned his little brother's hand over to inspect the damage.
"Well, nothing a few drops of peroxide and some bandages can't cure." Dean said and Sam groaned. "I know you hate it Sammy but you know the drill."
Sam sighed and pouted a little which made the older brother smile wryly.
"Come on Humpty Dumpty." Dean said and gently bundled Sam forward by a hand on the kid's back.
"I'm not Humpty Dumpty!" Sam scowled as they walked side by side towards their motel room.
"Well you have as big a head as he does." Dean said and ruffled Sam's curly brown locks.
"Do not!" Sam whined.
"Whatever you say, princess." Dean grinned. "By the way, dad told me we're leaving this dump tomorrow after he's done working."
"We're leaving tomorrow?" Sam asked and thought about Billy's assignment.
A plan started forming in the youngest Winchester's head. Oh, Billy was going to get that assignment…. and Sam knew exactly what to write!
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"Once upon a time there was a boy named Billy,
who bullied at school and was quite a bit silly,
He threatened young kids and acted real tough,
but he was too dumb to make his own stuff."
Sam looked at the poem, he'd just written, with a satisfied smile. He'd spent almost forty-five minutesworking on the poem since he'd wanted it to be perfect, and he was now quite happy with the result. Sam would give Billy his booklet back the following day in school and he would then be long gone with Dean and his dad by the time Billy got his booklet back from the teacher. Sam's smile widened as he pictured the look on Billy's face when he found out what Sam had written.
"No one should be that happy about homework." Dean commented with a shake of his head as he placed a sandwich in front of his younger brother. "You done with the damn thing yet?"
"Just finished it." Sam happily announced and closed the booklet before putting it into his backpack.
"Thank God." Dean sighed. "If I'd had to listen to one more 'Dean, what rhymes with…' sentence from you, I would have started banging my head against the wall."
"Dean, what rhymes with…" Sam started with a mischievous smile on his face.
"Shut it!" Dean exclaimed and Sam snickered.
The next day, Dean followed Sam to school as usually and, after saying goodbye to his big brother, Sam followed behind the other kids into the school. Billy, Simon and Gary were already waiting for him by his locker, and Sam's heart pounded a little faster as he handed over Billy's booklet to the larger boy.
"I better get an A for this, shit-face!" Billy said and Sam felt relieved when Billy simply stuffed the booklet into his bag without looking at what Sam had written.
"While you're at it, I have an assignment too." Gary said and shoved his booklet into Sam's hands and the eight-year-old only just managed to suppress a sigh.
He didn't want to provoke the three bullies by saying that he wasn't gonna be there the following day so instead Sam said nothing.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Billy asked in a mocking way and shoved Sam a little.
"No." Sam muttered.
"No, I'm just a stupid little kid." Billy mocked which made Simon and Gary laugh. "Now beat it."
Sam clenched his jaw in silent anger but walked away nonetheless while the laughter of the three bullies followed him down the hallway.
The school day went by, as school days tend to do, and Sam walked back to the motel with Dean by his side as he always did. The younger boy was in a lot lighter mood now that he knew he didn't have to face the bullies ever again, and Dean's rambling about how he'd switched a dead frog at school with a living one - causing his teacher to scream in surprise when she'd been about to dissect it - made Sam laugh heartily.
"You should have seen her face, Sammy." Dean grinned while they walked through the winding streets. "It was priceless."
"You didn't get in trouble, did you?" Sam asked.
"Please." Dean snorted with a playful smile on his face. "Do I ever get in trouble?"
"Well.. yeah!" Sam said and Dean chuckled.
When the two Winchester brothers had returned to their motel room, Dean told Sam to start packing his bags so that they could be ready when their dad came home. But as Sam was in the middle of packing down his few belongings, Dean came into the room with a regretful look on his face.
"Sorry dude, we're not leaving tonight after all. Dad called." Dean said and Sam froze on the spot before looking at his brother with wide eyes.
"What?" He asked and swallowed hard.
"He had somekinda.. emergency at work." Dean said while rubbing the back of his neck a little bit.
"But when are we leaving then?" Sam wanted to know.
"As soon as dad comes home." Dean said. "Maybe in a day or two."
"Oh." Sam said and turned away from Dean.
Sam gently folded one of his shirts while he tried to ease the panic that had started to consume him. If they weren't leaving tonight then Sam had to go back to school in the morning, and that meant facing the three bullies he'd been so relieved to have escaped in the first place. What were Billy, Gary and Simon going to do to him if they'd found out what he'd written in Billy's booklet?
"You okay?" Dean asked with a hint of worry in his voice.
Sam sighed. Dean could always sense when Sam was troubled about something. The youngest Winchester wondered for a brief moment if he should confess the whole thing to his older brother and beg Dean to let him stay home from school, but Sam dismissed the option again. He would have to fight his own battles sometimes and he was also a bit afraid that Dean would be embarrassed to have a little brother who couldn't stand up for himself.
"I'm just tired." Sam lied. "It's been a long day."
"Okay.. Well, let's get some dinner then so you can go to bed early." Dean said and turned around to walk out of the room but paused for a moment when he'd reach the door. "You would tell me if something or someone bothered you, right Sammy?"
"Right." Sam answered and tried to swallow down the lump that had formed in his throat.
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Sam felt sick to his stomach when Dean woke him up the following morning for school. Usually Sam looked forward to tend school because he liked learning new stuff and he enjoyed pushing his brain to the extreme. But this particular morning, he felt no joy in his heart when he thought about going to school. Not when he knew that three fourth-graders were quite likely out to get him as soon as he stuck his head inside the building.
"See you after school!" Dean said and waved at his brother when they parted ways in front on Sam's school.
"Bye Dean." Sam said in a small voice as he watched his big brother disappear down the sidewalk.
He let out a heavy sigh and turned his body towards the school. The building looked additionally big this morning, and Sam shuddered a bit when a small breeze swept some fallen leaves across his path. The schoolyard turned more and more deserted and Sam knew he had to start moving soon if he didn't want to be late for his first class. After a few moments he finally gathered enough courage to walk towards the entrance doors of the school and was soon engulfed in the crowd of kids moving to their classes. Fortunately, Sam saw no signs of the three bullies and he was able to let out a sigh of relief when he was safely situated in a chair.
Sam made it through the whole school day without running into Billy, Gary and Simon, and when the bell rang the school out Sam happily picked up his backpack and hurried towards the exit. However, when he passed by the door to the boys' bathroom, a hand shot out and grasped the strap of Sam's bag before harshly pulling him inside.
"Well well well, look who we've got here." Billy said and Sam paled a little when he found himself face to face with the much larger boy.
Sam spun around to head for the exit but was stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Gary and Simon blocking the way to the door.
"Not so fast." Gary said with a devilish grin that made Sam's heart beat faster.
"Leave me alone." Sam said and tried to get passed the two bullies but was pushed back and that's when Billy locked his arms around Sam's chest from behind.
"I read the poem, you little prick!" Billy spat and tightened his hold of the smaller boy. "You think you're real cleaver, huh? Making a fool of me like that? Huh?"
Billy tightened his hold even more and Sam was afraid his ribs would give in to the pressure shortly. He also started to find it harder to breathe and his survival instincts soon kicked in. With all the force he could manage, Sam stamped on Billy's foot which caused the fourth-grader to yelp and release his hold of the young Winchester. Sam made a run for it but was stopped cold when a fist connected with his nose – sending the boy sprawling on the floor. Thick warm liquid started running from his nose but Sam had no time to recover before he received another punch to his face, and he then let out a cry as his head was harshly yanked back by a grip on his hair.
"I'm gonna make you regret that!" Billy shouted and pulled Sam to his feet without loosening the hold of his hair.
Sam's backpack was ripped away from him and the contents of it were dumped to the floor.
"No!" Sam gasped as Simon started tearing Sam's school books apart, but Sam soon bent over in a coughing fit as Gary placed a hard punch to his gut.
Gary then took a hold of the youngest Winchester brother while Billy let go of Sam's hair to grab one of Sam's arms, and Sam let out a loud scream of pain as Billy closed a door to one of the toilet stalls on Sam's fingers. Tears sprung to his eyes and Sam bit his lip hard to force them away but a few tears still managed to escape the eight-year-old's eyes.
"Aww, look at the baby! We made him cry!" Billy mocked and all three bullies laughed.
"Crying like a little girl." Gary grinned and pulled at Sam's hair. "Looks like one too."
"Stop. Please stop." Sam begged with a sob but the bullies didn't listen.
"How about we make it look even prettier?" Billy said and spit out his piece of gum before squeezing it into Sam's hair.
"Could use a little of this too!" Simon said and smeared Sam's uneaten half peanut-butter and jelly sandwich into the third-grader's hair.
The bullies then let go of Sam who collapsed to the floor in a heap while holding his hurt fingers to his chest and softly cried.
"You're nothing but a loser!" Billy said and hit Sam with a gob of spit before the three bullies left the bathroom with laughter.
Sam whimpered and curled into a small ball on the dirty floor while trails of tears were still covering his cheeks.
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TBC…
Reviews are as always appreciated, dear people ;)
-Elisa.