Hey guys! Sorry this took a little while. I got my laptop but then it stopped working so we had to get it fixed and then once I did fianlly have the chapter finished, the site wouldn't let me log on so sorry.
I want to thank everyone for their continued support of this story. It really means a lot. I know Sammy's been through hell but hang in there, he's got to go through the bad before he gets to the good right?
I also want to let you guys know that I'm starting college in a few days so I'm not sure how much time I will have to write but I promise I will try very hard to give you chapters ASAP. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you thought of it. Thanks! :)
"What… what are they doing here?" Sam asked as he sat stock still in the passenger's seat staring at his group of friends waiting for him in the driveway.
"I don't know but let's go see." Dean said starting to open his door.
"No." Sam said determination written across his face. "I don't want to see them." He knew what they were here for and if he could help it, he wasn't going to let anybody yell at him anymore. He didn't deserve that, especially not from people who didn't even know what had actually happened.
"Well, they obviously want to see you." Dean replied closing the door and sitting back in his seat.
"Dean, please make them go away… please." Sam pleaded.
"No Sammy, I know I've let you hide or whatever for the past few days but this has to stop. They're your friends Sam and they came over to see you. Obviously they wanna spend some time with you." Dean said trying to reassure his brother.
"More like they wanna tell me how pathetic I am." Sam muttered.
"You're not pathetic." Dean corrected. "And you don't know what they want but Sam, James stood up for you before all of this even happened right?" He asked.
Sam nodded.
"Well, why would he change his mind now, hunh? Come on kid, give them a chance alright." Dean said reopening his door.
Sam went to argue but was cut off by the sound of Dean's door slamming shut.
"Hey," Dean smiled at the group and walked into the house leaving his little brother looking for an escape.
Sam sat in the passenger seat with his arms folded across his chest, a stubborn and horrified expression on his face. How the hell did Dean expect him to be able to talk to James, Andy, Bobby and… Kate… no, no, no, there is no way I'm getting out of this car, no way! I can't, I mean, they're probably here to yell at me or something… Sam's thoughts were interrupted when James walked up to the car's window and motioned for him to roll the window down.
"Hey," James smiled. "You gonna get out of the car sometime today? We," He said turning and motioning to the rest of their group. "Wanted to hang out."
"Oh um, it's okay… I'm kind of tired." Sam lied.
"Sam, come on man, we haven't seen you all week. We just wanna hang out." James tried again.
Sam looked around and realized, rather begrudgingly, that Dean and his friends were right, he was going to have to get out of the car at some point. Sighing, he opened the door and stepped out.
"Glad you decided to join us." James said as they walked over to the group.
Sam nodded and tried to offer him a small smile which actually looked more like a grimace. If you're gonna yell at me, could please just do it already Sam silently pleaded wanting to get the shame over with sooner rather than later.
The group stood in the driveway for several minutes of awkward silence as no one really knew what to say. Sam looked up and saw Dean through the kitchen window. He held up a coke bottle and pointed to it. Sam got the message. "Um…" He started somewhat nervously. "You guys wanna come in I guess… get a drink?"
"Sure," They all replied in unison as they followed Sam up the steps.
Dean smiled when Sam walked in the front door followed by his friends as they made their way into the living room. "What… what do you want?" Sam asked after introducing each of his friends to Ace.
"What do you have?" James asked scratching the big dog behind one of his ears.
"I think we've got some sodas." He said walking into the kitchen. "And milk, juice and water." He glared at Dean who just looked at him and smirked.
"You'll be fine, relax." He replied quiet enough so that Sam was the only one who could hear him.
"Soda!" Everyone called.
After everybody had their drinks, Sam plopped down on the couch, sitting opposite of James. Andy and Bobby were on the floor and Kate was sitting in a large cushy chair across from Sam. "So, what have you been up to?" James asked.
Living the high life Sam thought sarcastically. "Nothin'." He muttered quietly.
James nodded and the silence continued.
"So… do you know when you're coming back?" Bobby asked a couple minutes later.
Never Sam told himself even though he knew it was a lie. Dean would make him go back eventually.
When Sam didn't respond, James spoke up. "We know you don't want to Sam but we… we miss you. I mean, come on dude, you're of us now." He said looking at the group for confirmation. They all nodded in agreement.
"And I need my lab partner back." Kate smiled. "You can't expect me to do all the work by myself, can you?"
Sam looked around, shock spreading across his face as he realized that they were sincere in what they were saying and had yet to yell at him. "You guys really want me to come back?" He asked, a small bit of hope mingling its way into his voice.
"Course we do. We can't have the gang missing a member." James smirked.
Dean stood in the kitchen under the pretense of doing dishes while silently ease dropping on his brother and his friends. As he listened to what was being said, he found himself smiling, glad Sam had found such a supportive and protective group to belong to. Of course, he could beat them any day in the protection department but he was glad Sam had other people looking out for him too.
Sam nodded contemplating what had just happened. How could they know and still want to be around me? He wondered. Dean's seen them, he knows what happened and he loves me. A smile graced his face as he looked at his friends, not just people who put up with him but his friends. "I don't know when but um… I'll… I'll be back."
"You better be." James answered.
DW/SW
"You guys wanna go grab something to eat?" Andy asked. They'd spent the past hour hanging out in Sam's living room and each one of them could see that Sam was finally starting to think that they actually did like him.
"Sure, like what?" Bobby asked sitting up.
"I don't know… anything." Andy replied just as his stomach growled causing the group to laugh. "What? A man's gotta eat." He said patting his stomach.
Sam smiled but wasn't sure if he wanted to go with them or not. He'd had fun hanging out with them and he thought they had too but would that change when they got out in public? Besides, he didn't have any money and didn't want to ask anyone to have to pay for him. "I'll be right back." He said walking down the hall and into Dean's room.
"Hey," Dean smiled when Sam walked into his room.
Sam returned the smile. "I think you were right." He said sitting on the bed.
Dean grinned. "I'm older, course I was right."
Sam shook his head laughing.
"So, if I was right then why are you in here and not out there with your friends?" Dean asked.
"They want to go grab something to eat and want me to come but I don't have any money." Sam explained.
"No problem." Dean pulled his wallet out of his pocket and handed Sam a twenty.
"Thanks." Sam replied folding the bill and sticking it in his pocket.
"Sammy, have fun okay." Dean said encouragingly. Dean knew the kid was probably a little apprehensive about this. After all, it was the first time since they'd met that Sam had hung out with someone without Dean there.
"You sure you won't miss me?" Sam asked confirming Dean's suspicions.
"Sam, it's only for a few hours, if that. Don't worry, we'll hang out tonight." He smiled.
"Okay, bye Dean." Sam got off the bed and walked back out to the living room.
"Bye kid." Dean replied.
DW/SW
"So, what kind are we getting or do you guys wanna get it by the slice?" Bobby asked after the five of them had slid into a booth.
"I don't know man, whichever one's quicker!" Andy growled hungrily.
"Doesn't matter to me." James replied.
"Fine, let's just get one big one then." Bobby decided. "That okay with you two?" He asked turning to Kate and Sam.
They both nodded.
They ended up ordering a large half cheese, half pepperoni pizza which Andy almost attacked as soon as it was set down on the table. After everyone's appetites had been satisfied, they paid the bill and headed to the local park down the street.
"What are we doing here?" Andy asked. "It's not even dark enough to play Man-hunt."
"Would you quit your bitching?" James asked annoyed.
"I'm just saying." Andy shrugged.
"Well then, what do you suggest we do?" Bobby asked.
"Man, I don't know but let's just do something to kill time." He groaned and then Bobby and Andy began to wrestle.
James ignored them and walked over to where Sam and Kate were sitting on the swings. He laughed silently while he watched Sam and Kate exchange nervous glances and smiles. Oh yeah, his friend was definitely crushing on the girl and it looked as if she had one on Sam as well.
A little while later, Bobby and Andy joined them looking tired and sweaty. "Who won?" James asked smirking.
Andy gave him the finger as he plopped down on the lawn. It was a known fact that Bobby always, always beat Andy when the two of them wrestled.
"What can I say, he's lean with no muscle where as me, look at these babies!" Bobby exclaimed flexing his arms for the group.
James snorted and laughed while Sam rolled his eyes. He had been surprised to find that he was actually having a good time and wasn't worried about what they thought of him as everyone treated him like they did before the rally. He was still nervous though as he was sitting beside a certain little someone.
A while later, the group decided to call it a night and James started making the rounds of drop-off.
"Bye Sam, see you soon!" His friends called.
"Bye!" He called back smiling as he walked up the steps and rang the doorbell. "It's me!" He shouted.
"Hey, you were gone longer than I thought you'd be." Dean said as he let Sam in.
Sam shrugged. "I had fun." He said almost sounding surprised as it still wasn't quite sinking in that he had friends to call his own.
"Good, where'd you guys go?" Dean asked.
"Just around town, oh, here's the change." He said pulling out a wad of crumpled up bills from his pocket.
"Nah, keep it." Dean said refusing to take it. "Come on." He said sitting down on the couch, Ace next to him.
"What are we watching?" Sam asked as he sat down next to his big brother. Ace moved and put his head in Sam's lap.
"Fear Factor." He answered. "Okay, that's just gross." Dean muttered a couple minutes later after they'd watched some girl be locked in a small cage with a ton of rats while having to dig out the key for the lock that was buried in their shit.
"Yeah, that is pretty disgusting." Sam smiled. He was quiet for a few minutes. "I was so scared when I saw them in the driveway." Sam started and Dean shut the TV off. "I thought, I thought that they'd all come to yell at me and tell me I was disgusting so when James said that they wanted to hang out, I thought he was lying."
"Aren't you glad you gave them a chance?" Dean asked.
Sam nodded. "They want me to come back."
Dean was quiet now. "You know you have to kiddo."
"I know." Sam answered. "And… and it might not be so bad now." He said.
"What do you mean?" He asked surprised. He thought that Sam would fight tooth and nail not to have to return to school.
Sam shrugged. "I don't know, I thought I'd be all alone… kind of like in the beginning but this time, it wouldn't be a fresh start and I'd just be a loner and a reject for the next four years. Thanks, by the way."
"For what?" Dean asked.
"For making me go hang out with them. I had fun and I think if you had let me stay home and sulk, I wouldn't have realized…" He drifted off and Dean heard the catch in his voice.
"Wouldn't have realized what Sammy?" Dean asked softly.
"That people like me. That… that they're not just putting up with me out of pity or something but that they want to be around me." He smiled and Dean felt like pumping his fist into the air.
Take that Martin! He thought. He gave Sam's shoulder a squeeze. "People don't just like you Sam, they love you, especially me."
Sam wiped his eyes and nodded. "I know you do."
"Alright, I think that's enough chick-flick action for one night, don't you?" Dean asked turning the TV back on.
DW/SW
"Hey Sean," James said walking over to his brother-in-law. Today was their annual family get together.
"Hey," Sean replied. "What's up?"
"I saw Sam last night." He started.
Sean nodded. "How's he doing?" He asked. Dean had taken a couple days off from work to try and get Sam out of his latest funk.
"He didn't really want to hang out at first but we kind of forced him to."
"How'd that go?" He asked.
"Okay, I think." James was quiet for the next couple minutes. "Can I ask you something?"
"What?" Sean asked hesitantly. He had a feeling of what James was going to ask, he just didn't know how he was going to answer it.
"I didn't see the tape cause of you know but um, everybody told me about it. But, what happened to him?" James asked and Sean could see that the kid was genuinely concerned about his friend.
Sean thought about it for minute. He knew that he couldn't tell James everything, that it was Sam's choice and Sam's choice only. "Just know he's been through a lot. I mean, more than anybody should ever have to go through, let alone a seventeen year old kid."
"Like what?" James asked, saddened but also curious.
Sean sighed. He really wasn't sure how much he should or could give away. "Dean's the first person Sam's ever known who doesn't beat the shit out of him on a daily basis."
"He was abused?" James asked shocked but also having more pieces fall into place.
"Yeah but don't you dare go asking him about it. He'll tell you if, if he wants to but I doubt it." Sean answered.
"I won't." He promised. "And that's why he's so shy." He said more to himself than Sean.
"You think he's shy now, you should have seen him a year ago. He didn't talk. He could but Dean thinks he was afraid he'd say the wrong thing whatever that could be and get hit for it." He replied.
James nodded. His friend obviously had a past and was trying to overcome it but he knew that their classmates weren't making it easy on him.
DW/SW
It was another week before Sam finally felt okay enough to return to school. Dean had wanted him to go back sooner as he knew Sam would be missing a bit when it came time to have his surgeries done but Sam hadn't felt ready yet. During the past week, his friends had come over a couple of times either to work on homework or just hang out and he was becoming more comfortable around them as more time passed even with the knowledge that they'd seen his scars. He had been worried that they would either automatically assume or know what had happened and think he was disgusting for it or he'd be pressured into telling them the truth. Sam had been surprised when neither one happened. His friends acted as if they'd never seen the tape and they never questioned Sam about it, much to his relief.
After Dean had finally convinced him that he had to get out of the car sometime that day, Sam was now begrudgingly walking up the steps to the front of the school. He tried to walk confidently but wasn't being very successful and wondered if it would just be better to fake sick again.
He walked to his locker and was surprised to find his group waiting for him. "Hey guys."
"We hoped you'd show up today." James smiled. After talking to Sean, James was even more determined to not let anyone give Sam a hard time anymore.
Sam managed a small smile back and proceeded to open his locker.
"Got what you need?" Bobby asked as Kate flashed Sam a smile which caused his heart to start to beat faster.
"Ah yeah, I think so." He said zipping up his back pack.
"Great, let's go." Andy said as James led the way down the hall with Kate, Bobby and himself flanking Sam protectively on each side.
Walking with his friends and his crush down the hall, Sam suddenly didn't feel so alone and maybe, just maybe he'd be able to make it through the day for once.
Hey! So thanks for reading and I hope you'll leave me a review telling me what you thought of this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Once again THANKS for all your support. :)