Chapter Thirty-five
August
It wasn't really true what they said about time healing a wound or making the grief easier. In fact, Dean would say that sometimes the grief could be even worse after a long period of time. It wasn't that a person stopped feeling the pain of losing a loved one; it was more so that the person learned how to live despite the pain. And sometimes, while they grieved, people would do stupid things.
And that's exactly what happened with Bobby after he lost his wife, Karen. Well, maybe it was only Dean who considered it stupid. See, after Karen died, Bobby needed extra help with clerical work at the mechanic shop, as it was Karen who had always taken care of that part of the business and though Dean quite disagreed with him, Bobby apparently thought that Dean would be a great fit for it. Plus his dad kept throwing in how it could be a great experience and how he could write about it in his college applications.
And though he was just a seventeen year old and knew he definitely did not qualify for the job, Bobby and John kept insisting that he help out so eventually Dean caved and agreed to help Bobby out at the mechanic shop.
After Dean started working there, he had to admit that it wasn't that bad. It also helped that he was being paid. Plus when it was a slow day and there weren't many customers around, Bobby or John (whoever wasn't busy at the time) allowed him to get under a car and would show him the ins and outs of fixing a car. Overall, Dean thought that it had turned out to be a pretty great first job.
End of August
Summer was coming to an end and though Dean felt like it was ending too quickly, he knew that that was not quite true. In actuality, it had been a very eventful summer. While some events were tragic (such as the death of aunt Karen whom Dean still missed to this day), others were pretty sweet. Dean had gotten his first job and so did Castiel. Castiel had gotten a job as a lifeguard and Dean sure did love visiting his boyfriend at the pool whenever he could since he enjoyed watching Castiel working in his uniform.
Dean and Castiel spent their summer nights either hanging out with their friends or going on dates by themselves. And though Dean, Cas and their friends dreaded it, all of them spent weekends together studying for the upcoming SATs.
Sam also had a pretty eventful summer. He had gotten a girlfriend but eventually had broken up with that girl. When Dean noticed how his brother had been moping around the house for a few days and asked him what had happened, Sam explained that he had broken up with Madison and when Dean asked why he had done that, Sam just shook his head and said, "She was way too into werewolves, Dean. It was kinda weird."
Dean then put a hand around Sam's shoulder, pulling his little brother in for a hug and as he ruffled Sam's hair, he gave him a wide smile, "Don't you worry Sammy, there's going to be plenty of fishes out there."
"Oh shut up." Sam said in retort and shoved Dean away causing Dean to trip over his shoes, which in turn made Sam laugh. And Dean was glad that Sam was laughing, even if it was at his expense.
As he got up from the living room floor and got ready to chase Sam (who was already out in the backyard) and give him the biggest wedgie that dork deserved, Dean thought about how the summer had had its ups and downs but how overall it had been a pretty good one and how he couldn't wait for the school year. He was sure it was going to be a great one.