Castiel Novak was nervous, his palms were slick with sweat and he picked at his bitten fingernails anxiously. He was also excited, his heart was racing and he had to make a concerted effort to keep his face from lighting up too much. He didn't want to look like a grinning idiot on the first day of school, he wanted to look cool, calm, and collected. It was his first day of school ever and he was sixteen years old. How was that possible, you ask? Castiel had been homeschooled for the first sixteen years of his life, his mother had been his teacher, his siblings were his classmates. His parents had homeschooled him to keep him away from the dangers of public lest he be taught about such things as witchcraft, sodomy, or evolution. To say that Castiel's family loved Jesus was an understatement, they were devout Christians. Castiel's father was a preacher.
His father was a strict man with a tight lipped smile that somehow managed to give off the aura of someone who was both warm yet also intimidating. He ruled his family with an iron fist and expected obedience but he was not unkind. He loved his family with his whole heart and when in a pleasant mood always had a new joke to tell. Castiel's father really shined when he was preaching though. All eyes raptly on him, he spoke with a confidence that was unknown to Castiel. Castiel had idolized his father since childhood, wanting nothing more than to be just like him someday.
It had taken Castiel just over a year of begging his parents to let him go to public school before they finally acquiesced. From the small amount of TV that he'd seen in his life high school looked like so much fun. There were people there, actual people that weren't related to him or didn't just want to be friends with him because his dad was the preacher at their church. There were people, and clubs, and sports, and teachers. It was a whole world that was strange to him but so alluring. With the promise that he'd use this as an opportunity to bring the word of Christ to more students he was finally allowed to go. But now that he sat on the school bus (another new experience for him) he was slightly more nervous about the experience. He hoped people would like him, he wanted to make friends so badly. He was dressed up in his best clothes, a nice crisp white shirt, and blue tie and his Sunday dress pants. Over that he wore a khaki trench coat just like the one his father wore. It made him feel much older than he was and more confident.
He had a brand new backpack on his back stuffed full of blank notebooks and fresh pens and pencils, he was ready to learn. His blue eyes peered out the window as the bus drove along, watching as each student got on the bus and took a seat with their friends. Castiel sat alone but he was sure that by tomorrow he'd have a friend to sit with as well. Finally they neared the school, a large brick building that stood forebodingly under the grey overcast of the day. Castiel had memorized where all of his classes were when he came to orientation that summer. He'd been fascinated by the other students at orientation, so much so that he forgot to actually try and interact with them. He found their interactions to be strange and awkward, he didn't quite understand why they all had to be so loud. He hypothesized that perhaps some of the students may have had hearing difficulties and that the other's spoke at an above average volume to be accommodating.
The bus stopped in front of the school and he rose to depart from the bus. He so eager to be off the bus and get into the school. He stepped down from the bus and walked briskly past all the other students who were straggling along, to the main entrance. The lobby was packed with students lounging around in various groups, talking, laughing, and being so loud. He stood amongst all this chaos and wondered what he was going there. He decided to head to his homeroom first, he didn't want to be late that was a big fear of his. He made his way through the winding maze of hallways until he found room 203, Mr. Neil's room, he taught trigonometry but he wasn't there yet. Almost all of the seats were already taken so he searched around until he found a free spot in the middle towards the front. He had just taken his seat when he heard a voice call out to him. He turned to the voice and saw that it belonged to some short kid with a beard and a snarky grin. "Nice jacket," the boy called out.
Castiel smiled thinking he'd received a compliment, not understanding the malicious intent behind the words. He smiled, "thank you."
The kid burst out laughing and so did all his friends who sat around him. "What's up with you kid? Are you retarded or something."
Castiel frowned. That wasn't a very nice word to use but he didn't understand why the boy would be mean to him. He didn't even know him. "I.. I don't understand."
"Oh fucking Christ he is retarded," the kid said chuckling.
Castiel's breath was taken from him. That boy had just taken Jesus' name in vain and he'd swore. He had been warned by his father of things like this occurring but he didn't know it would happen so soon.
"Aw go easy on him Crowley," another kid said. "He's obviously a little slow in the head."
"Yeah even I won't stoop so low."
The boy who Castiel now knew to be called Crowley turned away from him and back to his friends. Castiel stared down at his desk and took noticed of a phallus and a swastika drawn on the desk. He drew in a deep breath to try and calm himself and clasped his hand under the desk to pray. He wondered what kind of place he'd gotten into. Had he made a mistake wanting to come to school?