Months pass. In February of the following year, the boys are home for a few days. Limited progress had been made between Dean and Mai. Sam forces them to sit next to each other at meals, other than that he doesn't get too involved anymore. Living together is becoming easier though. When the boys are home, the silence is less awkward. Conversations do occur, although short and to the point.
"Heat of the moment!" Mai's alarm clock blares this Wednesday morning. She groans, wishing she could throw this alarm clock off Bobby's garage roof. The time reads 6:48.
Damn it!
Somehow she overslept. She runs out of her bedroom and throws herself into the shower, stripping on the way down the hall. It's the fastest shower she's ever taken, and one of the coldest. Hair in towel and herself in her robe, she rushes back to her room to get dressed. The outfit she has picked out the night before sits on her desk. The praxis of laying out the next day's clothes is one she started back in third grade. Today's choice is a pair of distressed bootcut jeans and a grey oversized sweater. Her hair is still partially wet as she braids it and pins the braids up into two buns on either side of her head. She pulls her long fringy bangs down in her face. Throwing her makeup bag in her backpack, she grabs some thick socks and leaves.
Dean stands in the hallway, cup of coffee in hand. He stares down at the pink, lace-trimmed underwear that lay on the floor in front of the bathroom. Mai steps out into the hall and freezes as she sees him. Dean looks up at her awkwardly, not quite sure what to say. He clears his throat.
"Good morning"
"Morning" Mai says as she rushes over and grabs her underwear off the floor, still blushing.
Bad morning.
"Aren't you going to be late for the bus?" He asks, taking a sip of coffee and avoiding eye contact.
"Yes, I am." Mai shoves her underwear in her back pocket and heads for the steps.
Halfway down the driveway she looks at her watch, 7:04. She has about sixty seconds to get to her bus stop in time. She runs down past the dead pine, as fast as she can to the bus stop. When she gets there it's 7:07. The bus is gone, left without her. The driver probably didn't even stop after he saw she wasn't there. She tries to catch her breath, running is not her forte. She loathes it actually. Time is of the essence now. She realizes that one of her uncles is going to need to give her a ride.
Bursting through her front door she almost runs smack into Dean.
"Hey." He says.
Mai heaves for oxygen, spinning her hands in the air trying to communicate. Her brain has decided to stop using words, or at least hide them from her mouth. Dean takes a guess.
"Did you miss the bus?"
She nods violently.
"Okay." Dean grabs his coat heads out the front door. The Impala is housed in the old barn turned makeshift garage. They both pull open the large barn doors to find Dean's baby safe, protected against the elements.
The inside of the car is freezing on a day like today. Snow already eight inches deep with the sky producing more, ice covering everything, wind that cuts through to the bone. February is a dreaded month for Mai. The weather is perpetually grey and dreary. Everything is coated in dirty road salt residue. Every tree is barren. Over all, the world looks dead. It isn't like in December or January, where the snow is pretty and winter is accepted. No, by the time February rolls around everyone is sick of cold and grey and dirty. Cabin fever starts to set in and everyone longs for the warmth of rain and the growth of spring. Especially Mai Winchester. She longs for spring the most.
As the car starts, a Metallica tapes blasts through the speakers. Mai doesn't say anything, but Dean leans over and turns the volume down. It plays at a softer decibel. He doesn't even look at her as they drive down to the highway. She wonders if he's upset that she missed the bus and he has to bother taking her to school.
Mai can't really believe that he's still mad at her, but nothing has been said to clear up where they stand. Even after months, they still haven't talked about it. She herself doesn't know how she feels. Some days she's over it all, some days she's red hot and filled with hatred. It all depends on the day and the extent of her worthless rage.
We should be fine. He's here isn't he? Giving me a ride to school? That means we're fine… she doesn't really believe that either.
She looks over at the uncle who things are "fine" with. He's still in flannel pajama bottoms and a tee shirt, his hair messy, she wonders if he has even brushed his teeth yet this morning. Some sun shines through the window as they cruise down the wood-lined highway. The rays of light flicker in and out through the trees, flashing light upon Dean's face. He's focused on the road. Mai watches and it reminds her of being in the front seat for the first time; the moment that she snapped the Polaroid that now sits in the living room. They were both happy then.
"So how's school going?" He asks her seeming cautious of his words but sincere. Dean instigating conversation is a pleasant surprise to Mai.
"School's going well." Talking to him is slightly unnerving for some reason. Her reply doesn't feel like enough, so she takes a chance and adds more detail.
"There's a test this morning. Somehow I overslept or my clock got reset…"
Dean nods and the conversation ends.
It takes them less than ten minutes to reach their destination. Barkville, Pennsylvania is a small farm town. The high school sits at one end of Main St. which is practically the only road in town. All local shops and restaurants are situated along this thoroughfare. Dean pulls the car up in front of the brick building. Mai grabs her backpack off the floor and is about to go inside when she stops. She turns to her uncle and looks him dead in the eyes.
Confusion branches out over his face, anticipating her to announce something. Mai just looks at him biting the inside of her mouth, knowing something has to happen, but at a loss. For a chick, she sucks at chick flick moments. Dean nods his head forward and raises his eyebrow, silently asking, "What?" Mai opens her mouth partially to speak but nothing comes out, her brow furrows at her inability to find words. Dean's at a loss as well on what she's attempting to do, although in the back of his mind he already knows. This moment has gone on for too long, so he labels it as "teenage girl stuff" in his head, and breaks the heavy quietness.
"You're going to be late." He says plainly.
Warmth rushes to Mai's face. She is going to be late. This is stupid; she needs to get out of the car. Burying the disappointment in herself with a mental lie of 'things are fine'; she pulls up her backpack again. Words finally fall out of her mouth.
"Thanks Dean." She exits the car and rushes up the school steps.
No chick flick moments. We're fine.
Today's lunch consists of a slice of BBQ chicken pizza, a cup of applesauce, some wilted salad, and an unsweetened iced tea. It was okay. She's had better meals, definitely less salty ones. The pizza tastes like her uncles fought it off with salt rounds. After two bites she moves on to the apple sauce to refresh her pallet.
"Are you going to eat that?" Walt asks from across the table. Mai pushes the plate of pizza towards him.
"All yours my friend" she states with a hint of disgust. She personally prefers Thursdays. Thursdays are burger days. She gets one almost every week.
"One more day…" she says poking at her salad with a spork.
"You're such a burger whore." Walter scoffs, in tune with her lunch desires. Mai rolls her eyes.
"Proudly!" She raises her spork in the air like a sword to the sky. Walter laughs.
"Hey, why were you late to homeroom this morning?" He nibbles on the pizza crust. Mai shrugs.
"My alarm went off late or something, I didn't wake up until almost ten till seven. My uncle had to drive me to school." She sips some iced tea.
"How are your uncles?" Walt asks tentatively.
"Good. They are good." Her quick reply is coated in distain for the topic.
Walt sees this. He wishes she would open up more, but he doesn't push. He never pushes; when she's ready she'll talk to him about it. He knows that she'll be as comfortable with him as he is with her one day. Walt's faces gets serious for a moment.
"So… are you going to the winter formal this weekend?" He highly suspects she isn't. She rarely attends class functions outside of school, "Because, I was thinking that maybe we could go…together."
Mai stops jabbing at her withered lettuce. She's never been asked to go to anything before, not a dance, not a party, not a date. She looks Walt up and down in his seat across the table from her. He held her gaze, his eyes full of serious assurance and nerves. She thinks of a thousand ways to say "no", a thousand excuses not to go. A small pit of unnecessary worry grows in her stomach, but she makes a quick decision.
"Sure."
"Wait… really?" Walter's unsteady smile crosses from ear to ear.
"Yeah, I think that would be a lot of fun." Which is the truth, she hasn't been to a social function in years.
"Um yeah, yes!" The boy's grey eyes are glowing.
"How about you pick me up at my house around 5:30?" Mai says innocently.
"Sure!" The bell rings ending lunch.
"Sweet, I'll call you later tonight and we can figure out details I guess?" Mai picks up her tray and walks to the trash bin, Walt follows like a lost puppy.
"Yes, that sounds good. Good plan." He's tongue-tied.
Mai smiles to herself as she walks to her next class.
Bad morning, good afternoon
A/N: I hope you are enjoying the story so far. I'd love to know how I'm doing. Write me a review if you have a minute.
Stay tuned this week, I might drop another chapter in early. It's sitting in my file folder itching to be read... (No promises, but there's a good chance.)