Thank you to pharocomics for being my lovely beta!

After recovering from his hangover, Castiel spends the whole weekend texting with Balthazar, and while Cas may not be able to remember Friday night, Balthazar at least seems to. After he initially assuages Cas's fears that he made an absolute ass of himself (or was an absolute slut), the two of them wind up endlessly discussing a wide variety of topics, staying up late into the evening both nights, even Sunday night before school starts.

Balthazar's family moved to Lawrence at the start of the summer, so he'll be starting his senior year at Lawrence High School. His family moved in next door to Anna's, which explains how he knows her. He isn't quite so sure how he got Anna to open up about her recreational activities though.

("oh she didnt. Met april & she invited me" is the response Castiel gets when he asks, followed shortly by "but dont worry. I know it's a secret i'm supposed 2 take to the grave.")

In all the excitement of talking to Balthazar, Castiel completely forgets to call Dean.

"Hey, sleepy head, wake up. It's class time, not sleep time," Anna scolds as she pokes Cas in the side with the eraser of her pencil.

"Bell hasn't rang yet," he grumbles, burying his face further into the cushion of his arms.

"Why are you so tired, anyway?"

Cas groans, covering his head with his arms in a last ditch effort to block Anna out.

"Does it have anything to do with a sexy Brit?" she sing-songs.

Cas raises his arm enough to peek out at Anna. "A sexy Brit?"

"Balthazar?"

"He's British?... Huh." And then he's hiding back in the arm cocoon.

"What do you mean 'huh'!?" She leans closer to whisper, "You guys were certainly all buddy-buddy Friday night."

Castiel finally sits up enough to talk to Anna, giving up on ignoring her and getting a few more moments of rest. "Anna, while this may come as a shock to you, I don't remember anything from Friday after your shitty flask of tequila."

She has the good graces to wince. "Yeah. That makes sense."

"The only reason I know who he is at all is because he texted me the next morning. We've been talking all weekend."

Anna's perfect eyebrows knit together shrewdly. "All weekend?"

"Yes."

She purses her lips. "You know you forgot to call Dean, right?"

Castiel can't respond to that, far too busy slamming his head against the desk to deign a response.

"So that must have been some bug, huh?" Charlie asks, sliding into her seat next to Cas. AP Physics is one of the only classes the two share together (the other being AP Calculus, last class of the day).

"You have no idea," Castiel groans.

After Anna's reminder that he had, in fact, neglected Dean all weekend, and his resultant head injury (he wouldn't be surprised if he is concussed), Castiel has been oscillating between awful guilt and righteous validation. Plus a killer headache that refuses to go away. Seriously, he's sure he's concussed.

"Still not feeling well?"

Cas glances out of the corner of his eye at Charlie, and her expression is all concern and sympathy. He feels guilty immediately. Even if Dean is possibly deserving of his lies, Charlie most certainly isn't.

"If guilt is an illness, then yes."

She quirks an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Heaving a sigh, he formulates the least incriminating version of the story possible. "I met someone Friday night."

"No way!" Charlie is staring at him, eyes wide and mouth agape. When he doesn't immediately offer up any more information, she starts whacking him in the arm. "Well go on! Out with it! Tell me about her!"

Cas tries not to grimace, but figures if he does he can just pull it off as a reaction to his headache and Charlie's rather violent display. "Why are you hitting me?"

"Because! This is huge! You never meet people!"

He settles an unamused look on her.

She immediately turns sheepish. "Sorry." Settling back into her seat, she continues a little more calmly, "I'm just saying I'm excited. Come on, I'm one of your best friends. Don't you want to talk about it?"

"The suggestive eye waggle is highly unnecessary." He glances shyly at her. "But yes... I guess I do."

Anna is great and all, but nothing beats talking to his best friends about the exciting things in life, and Balthazar definitely counts among those. Besides, Charlie is gay, so he figures maybe she can relate a little more.

Unfortunately, the teacher walks in and the bell rings before he actually gets the chance to tell her anything.

"After class, Shurley," she hisses, all conspiratorial smiles.

He smiles back and nods.

As they're packing up their things after class, Charlie is quick to bump Cas's shoulder. "Soooo...?"

Castiel smiles coyly at her. "So what?"

She rolls her eyes. "Don't play smart with me, Shurley, you know what. Tell me about this mystery person! Like now! You know, before we get to lunch and all the party poopers rain on our parade?"

"You know one of those 'party poopers' is your girlfriend, right?"

She shrugs noncommittally. "Yeah, so? Just cuz I love her doesn't mean she can't be a party pooper. After all, that's why she has me around!"

With a laugh he says, "Yes, the party don't start until you walk in."

She winks. "Damn straight. I'm Kesha, baby!" The two of them laugh loudly, attracting more than a few curious stares before they finally calm down again. "So anyway! Enough stalling! Tell me about this mystery person."

"His name is Balthazar."

"Whoa whoa whoa! He!? I knew you batted for our team!"

He winces at her volume, face flushing red as people start staring again. "Charlie, please."

Charlie, for her part, seems completely unashamed. "So what's he like!?"

Blush still burning hotly, he says, "Nice, funny, debonair. He's new to town. Well, sort of. His family moved here at the beginning of the summer."

"Sounds dashing! When do I get to meet him? You know Queen Charlie has to approve of all potential love interests!"

Cas smiles at her. "Um... I'm not sure? We haven't even been on one date yet. We just spent the whole weekend talking."

Charlie's eyes about bug out of her head. "Wait! Is this why you blew off Dean!?"

"Does everyone know about that?" he groans, wanting badly to bury his face in his hands but unable to due to the books already taking up residence there.

Charlie gives him a look that's settled somewhere halfway between an apologetic smile and a grimace. "He was pretty bothered about it, yeah. Said you told him you weren't feeling well, promised to call him, and then never did. He thought you were really sick, Cas."

Guilt and anger wage a war in his chest, but neither seems willing to relent, so instead he says, "In my defense, I was pretty sick."

"I'm not sure hangovers count, especially when they're well deserved cuz you lied to your friends."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, Charlie. I really do feel bad for that."

"Well, I forgive you, at least. How can I hold you finding a hot piece of tail against you?"

"Thanks."

"He better be hot enough to warrant it, though," she mock threatens.

Cas just laughs because he's actually kind of hoping the same.

"What up, losers?"

Castiel and Charlie both stumble as Dorothy comes up behind them and throws her arms over their shoulders.

"Cas here bats for our team," is Charlie's way of greeting.

"You don't say." Dorothy is giving him an assessing look, as though she's analyzing him for quality control of the gay population of Lawrence High.

"Found himself a hot, new kid in town."

Dorothy grins proudly at him. "Well good for you!"

The rest of the walk to the cafeteria is spent discussing how the first day is going so far, as well as Dorothy and Charlie regaling Castiel with tales of what happened and who did who at the party Friday night.

When they finally get their food and sit at their normal table, Dean and Anna are already sitting there. The couple stops talking as soon as the trio sits down, Anna smiling in greeting and Dean shooting Cas a worried look.

"So you're feeling better then?" he asks.

Castiel swallows around the sudden lump in his throat as he feels all eyes boring into him. "Yeah. I am. Sorry I never called you. It kind of slipped away from me."

Guilt finally wins the war as a look of hurt flashes across Dean's face even as he says, "Hey, it's cool, man. I understand."

Castiel is starting to think 'I understand' is some new code word for 'you're a sucky friend and I'm really upset with you.' Honestly, when did it get this hard to talk to his best friend?

Charlie clears her throat. "So! How was your weekend, Anna?"

The other redhead smiles prettily. "It was nice. Relaxing. Felt a little under the weather myself on Saturday, but pepped back up quick enough."

Even as Dean is saying, "Maybe something is going around?" Charlie is shooting a skeptical look at Cas and Anna, but perfect Anna Milton's act is unshakeable.

"Maybe. Could just be the weather changing," is her completely natural sounding response. "But hey, can never be too careful, right?"

"Dean, how was your weekend?" Castiel asks, not letting the awkward lull that wants to fall into the conversation happen. He's not sure why he's so desperate to cover for Anna, except that he guesses he's also covering for himself. He doesn't think he can feel more like the scum of the Earth.

Dean shrugs. "Eh, boring as hell. Watched Sammy run himself ragged to get ready for the start of school. Thought the kid was gonna have a cow about his binders not being properly color coordinated."

Charlie shakes her head. "Man, sometimes he's too smart for his own good."

Dean beams proudly. "Yep. He got the brains in the outfit, that's for sure. Least I got the looks though?"

Dorothy quirks an eyebrow and smirks. "You so sure about that?"

"Hey!"

And just like that they're all laughing, all traces of awkwardness completely forgotten. They all fall into easy conversation until a tall, blond boy walks up to their table. Cas can't help but think 'swaggers' might be the more appropriate term.

The newcomer's blue eyes fall first on perfect Anna Milton. "Anna, dear, I was wondering if I could sit with you and your friends, seeing as how I don't know anyone else here."

Anna smiles up at him. "Sure."

Castiel suddenly has a terrible case of cottonmouth.

As soon as the boy sits, Anna turns her smile to the rest of the table. "Guys, this is Balthazar. His family moved in next door to mine at the start of the summer."

"Oh, we've heard aaalllll about you," Charlie titters.

Balthazar looks pleasantly surprised, intoning, "Oh, have you now?" in the exact same moment Dean deadpans, "We have?"

Anna, for her part, plays the clueless role perfectly. While Castiel, for his part, is sure he's about to spontaneously combust. The thought definitely hot enough runs across his mind before he can stop it.

Balthazar turns that sly smile onto Cas. "You've been talking about me, then? I'm flattered."

Anna looks between them. "You two know each other?"

Castiel kind of wants to throttle Anna in that moment, especially when he glances the ill-concealed amusement in her eyes. Everyone else is too focused on him to notice though.

"Ah, yes. Cassie, here, and I met at that party on Friday night."

Everyone's enjoyment of the conversation is cut short when Dean's voice cuts through the giggles and oo's and ah's. "Wait. What? I thought you went home sick Friday night."

It's like a rock has made it's home in Castiel's stomach as a hush falls over the table, a very large rock named Guilt Supreme. Guilt Supreme also seems to have impeded the functioning of Castiel's vocal cords, as all he can do it stare, wide-eyed, back at Dean.

"You're fucking kidding me." When Cas doesn't respond, not because he doesn't want to, but because, for some reason, he can't, Dean continues. "Seriously!? I was worried about you, and you weren't actually sick at all!? You blew us off, your fucking friends, to go hang out with some random dude!? And you were just fucking hungover the next day, I bet! Real classy, Cas!" By the time he's done, Dean is standing up, towering over the whole table.

Everyone is staring at Dean, barely breathing, until Balthazar breaks the silence. "Look, I think you're over-reacting."

Dean turns on him, eyes flashing dangerously. "Don't talk to me! Just don't even start! You don't have a right."

"Dean!" Anna hisses in warning, obviously scandalized at her boyfriend's reaction.

Dean seems completely unaware that she's even spoken, instead throwing accusing looks all around the table. "And you guys all knew!? Right, really funny joke! Let's see how long it takes for neanderthal Dean to figure out we're pulling the wool over his eyes!"

"Dean, it wasn't like that!" Charlie interjects.

"No, you know what, Charlie! Screw you!"

This time it's Dorothy who bites out, "Dean!" arms immediately going around her taken-aback girlfriend.

"Screw all you guys!" And just like that, Dean Winchester is storming out of the cafeteria.

For a beat, no one says anything. Then Balthazar says, "Well, he's certainly pleasant, isn't he?"

"I'm sorry, he's not usually like this. I'll go talk to him." And then Anna is up and leaving, as well.

Cas jumps when he feels a hand on his shoulder, turning to find Charlie looking at him sympathetically. "You okay, Cas?"

It doesn't escape his notice that Dorothy and Balthazar are also wearing the same expression. He bites the inside of his lip, unable to look any of them straight in the eye. It's the only way he can answer, "Yeah, what about you?" without crying like he wants to.