When Caden returned to his room he found Tyler laying on his cot reading To Kill A Mockingbird, one of Caden's favorites.
"First time reading it?" Caden enquired, sitting on his bed across the room.
Tyler looked up, and for the first time Caden saw a slight smile on his lips. "Nah. I've read this so many times I could probably recite it by memory forwards, backwards, and in Latin."
Caden chuckled. "Me too." For a minute he just sat there as Tyler went back to his reading. Maybe the kid wasn't so bad. Caden decided he could at least give him a chance.
"Hey, have you ever ridden an ATV?"
Tyler set his book down. "A what?"
Cadens eyes grew wide. "Dude. You're going to love this. Come on!" He headed out the door, signaling for his cousin to follow him.
In the garage at the far back end of the property Tyler was introduced to the many vehicles the Winchester's possessed. He saw tractors, plows, a golf cart, a digger, a cherry picker, a motorcycle, and, as he followed his cousin to the back, a line of ATV's. Tyler didn't really know what an ATV was, or what they were for, but he could tell just by looking at them that riding one was going to be fun. He didn't get a lot of spontaneous fun in his life. The city is busy, but it's rigid. In the city, every square inch of land is accounted for. There is no open space to ride, to explore.
Caden pushed up the large garage door and grabbed two sets of keys off the hook on the wall. "You can use dads." He told Tyler, pointing to the red ATV. Both boys put on their helmets and Caden showed Tyler how to start her up, the gas, break and how to steer. When Caden felt his cousin had it down well enough they slowly inched the vehicles out of the garage.
"Going somewhere?" A voice rose over the sound of the machines.
Caden squinted in the sun and saw Johnny standing next to the garage, shovel and hoe in hand. "Yeah, figured the city boy would want to experience the country life a little."
"You know those aren't streets legal?"
Caden rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, dad. I'm just taking him up the path around the bluff. No street involved."
Johnny gave him a questioning look. "You sure he should be on his own ride? There's a lot of twists and turns up there and the terrain can get pretty rocky."
Snapping the eye shield down on his helmet, Caden nodded. "He'll be fine, I taught him the basics and they best way to learn is by doing. See ya later."
With that Caden and Tyler took off up the path towards the clearing. Johnny noted that Tyler's take off was a bit shaky.
As they rode Tyler got more and more confident. It didn't take him long to master the steering and only took him one skid off the path to realize he had to slow down around the sharp curves. Caden had to stop and wait for his cousin to catch up a few times, but that was to be expected. When they got to the peak of the bluff they pulled off to the shoulder and took a break, propping themselves on a couple of rocks just off the path.
"I don't think your cousin likes me very much." Tyler noted, taking off his helmet.
Caden removed his own helmet, wiping a line of sweat from his forehead. "I don't think that's it, just hasn't gotten to know you yet. Besides, I think he's a little jealous."
"Why?"
Looking out at the view, Caden replied, "He gets a little touchy about family. Every family member he has lives in our house. You coming around probably just reminds him that he doesn't have anyone that can come visit. No mysterious, far away uncles or cousins to get to know. Not even a mother to be comforted by. It's just hard for him."
Tyler blew out a long breath of air. "Man, that sucks."
"Yeah," Caden nodded. "But he'll be fine, he always is." He stood up and started to put his helmet back on. "He likes to put up a tough front so don't take it personally if he acts like an asshole."
"Noted."
"Come on," Caden got back on the ATV. "Let's get back, it's almost dinner and I'm pretty sure my dad's making burgers and cherry pie."
Caden took off down the steep path with Tyler right behind him. Tyler's control had gotten better but the steep slope caused him to veer off, bumping into a tree. Caden pulled off his helmet and called to his cousin, "You good?"
Tyler nodded and they took it a bit slower making it back home without further incident. As they pulled back into the garage, Sam was there waiting for them.
"Have a good ride?" He asked as the boys hung the keys back on the hook.
"Yeah," Caden said. "Tyler picked it up quick. Not what I expected from a city slicker."
Sam nodded. "Funny though, I don't remember saying you could use my quad."
Caden gave a half-hearted smile. "Sorry, dad but you said I should take him riding."
"I did. But I meant with you, not on his own." Sam walked around the ATV's, giving them a scan.
"I didn't know that."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "You didn't know you need to ask before using something of someone else's?"
"Well…"
"And damaging it?"
Caden looked shocked. "What?" He walked to where his dad stood and saw a large scratch on the side of the side near the break.
"Care to explain?"
"Well, Tyler slid off the path into a tree but I didn't know that happened!"
Sam nodded toward the house and the boys followed him. "But it did happen, and now you're going to fix it."
"What? That's not fair. Tyler's the one who did it."
Sam turned on his son. "Tyler did it because you told him he could ride. He's a guest here, he doesn't know the rules but you do. You're going to fix it first thing in the morning."
"That's crap." Caden mumbled.
"What's that, son? Couldn't hear you." Sam warned.
"Yes, sir." Caden replied grumpily.
When they got to the kitchen everyone was already seated for dinner.
"It's about time," Johnny complained. "Our dinner went cold waiting for you."
"Simmer down, Johnny." Dean piped in. "Dinner is fine. Tyler, how was your first ride?"
"Pretty cool," Tyler said, taking a burger from the tray and putting it on his plate. "Who knew there was so much open space out in the country?"
"Literally everyone." Johnny said flatly.
John eyed his eldest grandson. "Problem Johnny?"
"Nope." He replied, stirring his ketchup with a french fry.
John kept his eyes trained on Johnny for a minute but decided to let the matter go. After the burgers and fries were demolished, Sam brought out his famous homemade cherry pie.
"You must be special kid, Sam doesn't make this pie for just anyone. Dean winked at Tyler. "What do you boys think you'll do tomorrow.
"Well after I fix dad's ATV," Caden rolled his eyes. "I was thinking we'd go down to the river, teach Ty how to fish."
"You sure preppy can handle touching live worms and dirt?" Johnny replied.
Everyone looked up from their pie to eye Johnny, but it was Dean whose gaze caught his son's attention. "That's enough Johnny. If you can't be respectful you'll leave the table."
Johnny sat back and crossed his arms. He watched as everyone resumed their pie eating and conversation. Caden and Tyler were talking and laughing and making jokes. Not just jokes but inside jokes (how do they already have inside jokes? They've only hung out for 6 hours). This kid is in town one day and already Caden has forgotten all about Johnny, the cousin who's been here his whole life.
All of a sudden Caden felt a wet glob hit him on the side of the head. He grabbed it off and saw his hand full of cherry pie. "What the hell?" He looked at Johnny.
Johnny sat emotionless with a fork in his hand. "It slipped." He shrugged.
Johnny felt himself being yanked up by his arm and dragged into the living room. He was spun around and came face-to-face with his father. Dean looked plenty pissed but Johnny just started at him with dark, angry eyes.
"What the hell is going on, Johnny?" Dean growled.
Johnny shrugged. "It slipped, dad."
"Johnathon Samuel, I am not playing around with you."
Dean didn't pull out his son's middle name often, and normally Johnny would see it for the warning that it was but sometimes his anger got the best of him and took all critical thinking from his brain. He took a step closer to his dad and looked him square in the eye. "It. Slipped."
Dean wasted no time in proving his foot up on the hall table, flipping the boy over his knee and laying a flurry of swats down on his son's behind. Johnny didn't make a sound through the assault and after about two minutes Dean flipped Johnny back up and shook out his hand. "Dammit boy, your ass is hard as a rock, and this is cutting into my pie eating time. Get in your room, we'll finish this later."
Johnny scowled but turned on his heal and headed into his room, slamming his door for effect.
