Chapter 2:

3 weeks later:

Dean was livid. He was supposed to be researching for his Dad today, so they could move onto the next hunt when John got back from a salt and burn with Bobby. Instead he was on his way to Sam's school. The principal had called saying she needed to meet with Sam's guardian, and since that had been Dean for the past three years, off he went. Dean walked into the school, and into the main office where he was directed into the back. Sam was hunched over in an old leather chair staring at the blue carper, not even looking up at his brother when he walked in, and Dean sat down beside him.

"You didn't need to come." Sam said under his breath.

"Yeah well, your principal said they needed to see me."

Sam eyed Dean coldly, before looking back to the floor.

"I'm eighteen years old, I don't need a guardian anymore." Dean rolled his eyes at his brother's petulance.

"Yeah well, you are still in high school so deal with it." The brothers sat in awkward silence until a middle-aged woman opened the door.

"Dean I presume?" She asked reaching out her hand. Dean shook it gently and smiled.

"Yes Mam." She smiled and took a seat across from the brothers, placing a thick file folder on the desk in front of her.

"Call me Karen. I am glad you could make it. I understand that this may be a shock. You are not frequently called into schools to talk about Sam."

Dean laughed under his breath.

"That is an understatement. So what is this about?" Karen leaned forward and opened up the file on her desk.

"You know when Sam transferred here, we were amazed by his records. Over eighteen different schools in four years, yet always a straight A student, teacher references talk about what a pleasure he was to have in their classes. And then he came here." Dean looked at her with immense confusion, what had changed?

"I don't really know what you are talking about."

"I figured… Sam has only been to three of his classes in the last two weeks. It is the end of May, and we are starting end of term assignments, he has yet to turn any in. To put it simply Mr. Winchester, Sam is failing out school and I don't understand why. It seems that this behaviour is extremely out of character for him." Dean looked over to his brother in anger.

"Anything to say Sam?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders.

"Not really."

Karen sighed sadly.

"Sam you are eighteen, I can't force you to go to class or graduate, I just don't understand why after all these years of hard work, you would give up now. With your grades, you could go to any college in the country."

Sam scoffed and stood up.

"You are a good person Mrs. Miller, and it is nice that you care so much, but perhaps you shouldn't waste your time on someone who does not want your help. Am I free to go?"

"Yes Sam."

"Wait for me in the office Sammy, we are going home." Sam nodded his head, and walked out. Dean turned back and shook Karen's hand again. "Thanks for caring about him."

"Of course, it would be a shame if Sam walked away now, I hope you can get through to him."

Dean walked behind Sam as they headed back to the Impala trying to maintain some level of calmness. Sam had always been pigheaded, refusing to train or hunt when he had homework, throwing a fit when they had to move. Why would he all of the sudden decide he no longer cared about school? It wasn't like him.

The two brothers silently made their way back to the motel. Sam sat on the edge of his bed, taking off his shoes, and Dean sat across from him on the other bed, finally breaking the silence.

"Are you gonna tell me what's going on?" Dean asked, attempting to be as gentle as possible.

"Nothing is going on." Sam whispered.

"Really? So you just decided not to go to school anymore? What the hell do you do all day?"

"Walk around mostly." Sam sighed. "What's the point Dean? We are just gonna leave."

"You aren't acting like yourself Sammy. You have been off for weeks, and now this? I… I miss my brother man." Dean said.

Sam finally met Dean's eyes, and Dean winced at the anger he saw in them. Sam stood up and began pacing the room. He kicked the side of the bed and turned back towards Dean.

"You never even like Sammy!" Sam yelled. Dean stood and walked over to his angry brother.

"What does that even mean? You are Sammy."

Sam laughed manically, and forced back tears that were threatening to fall.

"No… I'm Sam. There was once this kid named Sammy right? And he always tried his best to make his family happy. Yet he couldn't, cause he wanted to go to school, and he didn't want to hunt. He researched for them, and that wasn't good enough. Nothing he ever did was good enough. So he stopped fucking doing it!"

"Sam… we were never disappointed in you. I didn't want this. Dad loves you." Sam snapped and threw Dean against the wall, and Dean just let him do it.

"You killed Sammy. You wanted my head in the game? You wanted me to be with the family? I'm here okay. So stop acting like you care about me being in school. I am done." Sam shoved Dean one more time and slipped his shoes back on his feet.

"Where are you going?"

"Library. We have a hunt to research remember?" Sam slammed the door behind him leaving Dean confused and angry.

Dean jumped as his phone went off in his back pocket; he pulled out and swore under his breath. Dad.

"Hey Dad." Dean said.

"Why is Sam's school calling me?" John asked.

"They called both of us, I've already been down there."

"Okay, so it is dealt with then?"

"Sam's failing out of school." There was a silence at the other end of the line for a second.

"Sam? How?"

"Apparently when you don't go to class anymore, it tends to drop your grades."

"What did Sam say about it?"

"Basically that he was done, and we couldn't make him go back."

"Well okay then." Dean blinked.

"Okay? You are just okay with this?"

"Dean… it does make our lives easier not having him in school. It's Sam's decision."

"It's Sam's decision? You have dictated everything Sam has ever done; yet this you are going to let him make the decision on? Are you nuts?"

"Mind your tone Dean. I am done talking about this. It's Sam's decision." John Winchester hung up the phone, and Dean sat there feeling completely powerless. Was John right? Was this better? Dean made his way out the door to go find Sam, trying to convince himself it was better to let Sam do this then fight him, while everything in his heart was telling him otherwise.