The sun was high and hot as it poured through the windows of the guest bedroom at Bobby's.
"Come on Dean, you can't sleep all day" Bobby called from the bottom of the stairs.
"Yeah, yeah. I hear you Bobby" Dean thought with a groan, desperately wishing he didn't have to get up yet.
Summer in Sioux Falls was unbearably hot, humid and when you were living in the scrapyard, never without chores.
At thirteen Dean wanted no part of any of it.
John had dropped Dean and Sam off there a week ago, promising he wouldn't be gone long and reminding Dean to look after Sammy, and to listen to Bobby.
"Your breakfast is getting cold kid, eat it quickly" Bobby growled slightly, pushing a loaded plate towards him.
Dean sat down at the table with a thump before poking lightly at the food in front of him.
"Eat up, you have a busy morning ahead of you" Bobby commented between sips of coffee, flicking the wrinkle out of his newspaper.
"Fine" Dean groaned softly, hesitantly forcing a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth.
Although he hated to admit it, Bobby was a pretty good cook and breakfast was delicious.
"Where's Sam?" Dean asked, scooping another forkful of food into his mouth.
"In the living room, reading a history book or something" Bobby replied with a chuckle.
Dean nodded, unsurprised and cleaned up what was left on his plate.
"Ready to do some work?" Bobby asked, glancing down at the empty plate.
"Sure Bobby" Dean agreed, quickly downing a glass of orange juice.
Sam followed them outside and found a hollowed out car to continue reading in while Dean and Bobby hauled scrap around, sorting it by size and material.
"Enjoying that book Sammy?" Dean asked, taking a second to wipe the sweat off his head with the back of his gloved hand.
"Mhm" Sam murmured in response, never taking his eyes off the page.
Dean rolled his eyes and grabbed another large piece of rusty metal and passed it Bobby.
The morning went by quickly as Dean and Bobby worked on the piles of scrap and replaced a few parts in one of Bobby's old trucks.
"It's nice having help with all this for a change" Bobby commented appreciatively.
"Anytime" Dean grinned, rubbing a gloved hand across his sweat soaked face.
"I think we're done for the day, why don't go get cleaned up" Bobby suggested.
"Sounds like a plan, can you pry Sammy out of that car?" Dean asked, glancing over at Sam who was still intensely reading the book in his hands.
"Even if I have to use a crowbar to do it" Bobby chuckled reassuringly.
Dean stretched his stiff back as he walked towards the house to take a shower, listening to Bobby trying to get Sam to put the book down long enough to go back inside.
Reaching Bobby's small bathroom, Dean pulled back the grease-stained shower curtain and turned on the water, trying to get it the right temperature.
Dean caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror as he pulled the black cotton t-shirt over his head and couldn't help but chuckle at the grease and mud covered reflection.
The hot water was heavenly against his sticky skin, washing away the sweat and dirt as it cascaded over him, streaming through his dirty blonde hair.
"Dean, Dean, are you done yet?" Sam asked frantically through the door.
"No" Dean groaned.
"Hurry up! I need to talk to you" Sam demanded.
"I'll be out in a minute!" Dean growled, turning the shower off with frustrated force.
Dean dried off and slipped into a clean pair of jeans and pulled a fresh shirt over his head, the material brushing against his wet hair and soaking up some of the moisture.
Sam was waiting on the other side of the door when he pulled it open a moment later.
"What is it Sammy?" Dean asked, tired and annoyed.
"I finished my book but I called and the bookstore has the next one, can we go get it?" Sam chattered excitedly.
"What did Bobby say?" Dean asked, rubbing the towel through his hair.
"Bobby said I could bike there but only if you go with me" Sammy replied, almost bouncing in place.
"Please" Sammy pleaded.
"Fine, go find your helmet" Dean groaned.
"Thanks Dean!" Sammy gushed, racing down the stairs ahead of him.
Dean followed him down the stairs, stopping in the living room to talk to Bobby.
"You better get going Dean, Sammy is already outside" Bobby commented.
"I swear that kids insatiable, does he do anything but read?" Dean asked, still slightly annoyed about his shower being interrupted.
"I don't think he's put that book down since he got there" Bobby chuckled.
"Come on Dean!" Sammy hollered from outside.
"Just a second!" Dean shouted back.
"You should probably go before he leaves without you" Bobby laughed.
Dean really didn't want to go anywhere, not after working all morning but he couldn't bring himself to say no to Sammy.
The mall was a twenty minute bike ride from the scrap yard but with the sun pounding down on him it felt like much longer.
"Okay Sammy, go find your book" Dean instructed, settling down on the bench just outside the bookstore.
Dean watched Sam walk into the bookstore and head straight for the back wall, expertly knowing exactly where he needed to go.
Dean pulled his walkman out of his pocket, flipping his AC/DC cassette over, putting his orange spongy headphones over his ears and pressing play. Once Sam is surrounded by books there's no telling how long he'll be gone.
"Thunderstruck?" A voice asked, barely audible over the music.
Looking up, Dean realized there was a girl standing in front of him.
"She is really cute" Dean thought, stunned.
"The song you're listening to, its Thunderstruck right?" She asked again, a smile stretching across her face.
"Uh.. Yeah" He stammered.
"That is a great song" She gushed, sitting down beside him.
"It really is" He replied, regaining his composure.
"I have the same tape, see?" She told him, popping it out of her walkman and holding it up for him to see.
"Awesome" He breathed, excited.
"Want to listen to it together?" She suggested, putting the tape back into her player.
"Sure" Dean grinned, sliding his headphones back on.
Dean watched through his eyelashes as this girl whose name he didn't yet know, mouthed every word to his favourite song while her long chocolate curls bounced and swayed with her every movement.
"I'm Beth by the way" She introduced herself.
"Dean" He smiled.
"So.. Do you have any other tapes?" She asked curiously.
"Um.. yeah back at Bobby's I have a whole bunch" He replied, grinning ear to ear.
"Cool! I have lots too! but this one is my favourite" Beth chattered excitedly.
The two of them talked for over an hour before she had to head home.
"What time is it?" Beth asked suddenly.
"4:30" Dean replied, looking at his watch and realizing how long Sam had been sitting cross legged on the floor of the store reading.
"Damn, I have to go" She sighed, putting walkman back into her bag.
"Oh" Dean replied, feeling deflated.
Without saying a word, Beth grabbed Dean's hand and wrote a phone number across his palm with a small lightning bolt just below it.
"Call me, we can compare music!" She grinned before turning on her heel and walking away.
Dean watch as she left, for the first time noticing what she was wearing; Daisy duke shorts, a sleeveless white shirt and tall, black leather army boots. How she could wear them in this heat, he would never know.
"I'm ready to go" Sam announced happily as he walked out of the store with a bag full of new books.
"It's about time" Dean replied, glancing nervously at his own palm.
Dean followed Sam out of the mall, waiting patiently while he hooked the bag securely around the handlebars of his bike before making their way back to the big, old scrapyard they were currently calling home.
"Good timing, supper will be ready in a minute" Bobby called as Sam raced passed him and straight up the stairs.
Dean sat down quietly at the table, hovering his hand over the old white phone several times and pulling it away without touching it.
"Need to make a call son?" Bobby asked curiously, peeking over at him from the stove.
"Um.. No" Dean stammered, feeling like he had a stomach full of butterflies.
"Who is she?" Bobby asked with a grin, recognizing Dean's expression.
"H-How?" Dean gasped.
"I've seen that face before, hell I've made it myself a few times" He laughed, poking at meat in the frying pan.
"Oh" Dean blinked, trying collect his thoughts.
"Go ahead and call her, supper will hold for a few minutes" Bobby encouraged, pointing towards the phone with the spatula.
"You can do this, you've killed a werewolf! You can handle calling a girl" He thought, trying to work up the courage to dial her number.
"Okay, so you didn't kill it.. But dad wouldn't have been able to find it without your help so.. It's basically the same thing" He noted metally.
After taking a few deep breaths Dean picked up the phone and very carefully dialed the number written across his hand.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
"Hello?" An unfamiliar voice answered.
"H-Hi is Beth there?" Dean asked, his voice cracking.
"Hang on" The voice murmured.
Dean waited anxiously, listening to footsteps and someone calling her name on the other end of the line.
"Hi" Beth chirped, making Dean jump in his chair.
"Hi Beth" Dean replied the butterflies flapping even harder in his stomach, as if they were trying to escape.
"Long time, no talk Dean" She teased, her voice bubbly.
"Yeah" Dean agreed, trying to find his words again.
"So.. Did you want to talk to me?" Beth asked, probing him for a full sentence.
"Um.. Yeah, do you want to listen to music again tomorrow?" Dean asked finally finding his voice, and confidence again.
"Sure! When and where?" She giggled with excitement.
"Do you know where the scrap yard is?" He asked hopefully.
"Of course!" Beth giggled again.
"Cool, meet me there tomorrow around 2:00?" Dean suggested, excitement clear in his voice.
"Sounds like a plan! see you tomorrow Dean, bye" Beth gushed before hanging up the phone.
Dean grinned excitedly at the phone for a long moment before placing it back on it's cradle.
"Sounds like that went well" Bobby observed, grinning ear to ear.
"Yeah.. It did" He beamed.
"When is she coming over?" Bobby asked knowingly.
"Tomorrow around 2:00" He grinned happily.
"You know.. There's a 1957 Nomad tucked away in the far corner of the scrap yard, right up on the ridge there" Bobby mentioned.
"Okay.." Dean replied, confused.
"It's way at the back.. away from the house.. perfect for sitting around, listening to music" Bobby suggested, a grin playing on his lips as he innocently poked at the contents of the frying pan.
"Oh..Thanks" Dean replied, suddenly realizing what Bobby was getting at, his cheeks flushing dark.
"Sammy" Dean muttered, panic spreading across his face.
"What?" Bobby asked, concerned by his new expression.
"I can't watch Sammy and hang out with Beth at the same time" Dean replied frantically.
"Dean.. spend the afternoon with Beth, I'll keep Sammy busy" Bobby assured him.
"And safe" Bobby added in a whisper, hoping to put his mind at ease.
"Are you sure? Dad told me to take care of him.." He tapered off, his voice full of stress.
"Damn it John, are you happy now?" Bobby thought, heartbroken by what he was hearing.
"Dean, it's okay. Sammy will be fine with me tomorrow" Bobby reassured him again, trying desperately to get through to him.
"Thanks Bobby" Dean replied, visibly relieved.
"Anytime kid" Bobby smiled, mussing his hair before calling Sam for supper.
Dean's hands shook slightly as he pressed a wobbling forkful of supper to his lips, too excited to have much of an appetite.
After what felt like a lifetime, the table was cleared, dishes washed and the boys were dismissed for the night while Bobby disappeared into his study, chasing after the sound of a ringing phone.
Dean went up to his room and poured through the box of cassettes his dad gave him, picking out all his favourite ones and hoping Beth had actually heard some of the songs before.
"She's going to love this one" He thought with a grin as his turned an Eagles cassette over in his hand and then placing it on the floor beside him.
After a lot of consideration Dean decided on a dozen or so tapes and packed them carefully into the bottom of his black backpack, next to his walkman and a handful of fresh batteries before glancing at the clock.
"Midnight? how did that happen" He thought, shocked that he had really just spent five or so hours picking out music.
Getting to his feet, Dean quickly slipped out of his room and cracked open Sammy's door to check on him.
"Hey, why are you still awake?" Dean asked, irritated at himself for not checking on him earlier.
"I'm reading. Why are you still awake?" Sammy retorted, his eyes never leaving the page.
"Because I'm older, lights out Sammy" Dean barked back softly, unsure if Bobby was sleeping yet.
"B-but Dean" Sammy groaned.
"No buts. Sleep. Now." Dean ordered, walking across the room and carefully removing the book from his hands before turning off the lamp.
"I don't want to go bed, give it back" Sammy protested, sleep heavy on his face.
"I don't care if you want to or not. You should've been sleeping hours ago, what would dad say?" Dean replied sternly, using the "Just do it, Sammy" voice he had perfected over the years.
"No" Sam growled, crossing his arms in defiance.
"Sammy! I am not arguing here. You're lying down and going to bed, end of of story" Dean growled, quickly moving across the small room and pulling the book from his hands, officially done with Sam's attitude.
Sammy glared daggers at him for a long moment before finally giving up and slouching down under his blankets.
"Good night Sammy" Dean whispered before putting the book down on Sams dresser and walking down the hall to the bathroom.
"Bobby's still awake" he mused, hearing him growling at some unfortunate soul through the vent by the sink.
Dean brushed his teeth and washed his face before making his way back down the hallway to Sam's room, peeking through the crack of the slightly opened door he couldn't help but smile.
"Good night Sammy" he whispered, grinning through the darkness at his sleeping brother.
After quietly closing Sammy's door, Dean tip toed towards his room at the very end of the hall. A voice caught his attention before he could get get inside.
"You're up late" Bobby commented, climbing the old wooden stairs as they whined in protest under his feet.
"Yeah, I kinda lost track of time" Dean replied, blushing slightly.
"Women will do that to you" Bobby laughed.
Dean's cheeks burned with embarrassment as he thumbed the amulet on his necklace.
"Don't worry kid, happens to the best of us" Bobby mused.
"What about you Bobby?" Dean asked suddenly.
"What?" Bobby replied, tired and a little miffed by the question.
"Have you ever lost track of time, thinking about a woman?" Dean asked, his cheeks still pink.
"Karen.. I lose a lot of time thinking about her" Bobby answered softly, his eyes glistening in the dim light.
"I'm sorry.. I shouldn't have asked" Dean apologized, seeing the pain all over his face and quickly regretting his question.
"It's okay, son" Bobby replied gently, pulling him into a bear hug and squeezing.
"B-Bobby. Can't breath" Dean gasped against his massive chest.
"Sorry kid, go get some sleep would you" Bobby laughed and dismissed him.
"Good night Bobby" Dean called as Bobby disappeared down the hall.
"Good night Dean" He called back from the darkness.
Dean fell asleep quickly after that, suddenly too exhausted to keep his eyes open.