Asking the Stars (Part 4)
Rated: PG 13 (no language in this one, but that may change in the next part)
Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural. This story is just for my amusement.
Summary: Wee!chesters (Sam is six, Dean is ten) The pressures of the hunting life affect Dean. The boys stay with a family friend and get a taste of normalcy.
The boys’ reactions couldn’t have been more different as they neared their new school on Monday morning; Sammy started to run, his little shoes flashing with the quick strides while Dean put on his hood and adjusted his backpack, steeling himself for yet another first day.
Marian had woken the boys at a quarter to seven, coaxing them to get dressed and eat their oatmeal before shepherding them out the door. She walked them down the little path, over the clumsy hills and past the fields of cows that seemed to go on forever, to the little brick school house in the middle of town.
After today they would walk with the other farm kids, but this morning they were going early to register the boys and fill out all of the necessary forms for enrolment.
It had been too early to call before they left, but Marian promised they could phone their dad as soon as they got home, and tell him about their first day.
She gave Dean’s hand a little squeeze before they entered the gates. Sammy was already clambering up the front steps, but his brother seemed hesitant to enter the building.
“You ready?”
Dean shook his head.
“No one ever is. I worked here for thirty five years, and I never met a new student that wasn’t a little nervous.”
Taking a deep breath, he followed his little brother inside, with Marian proudly bringing up the rear.
Chatting with the secretaries brought back fond memories of the job she had always loved, and the distraction she credited with helping her through Waylon’s death.
She filled in the paperwork with the boys’ full names and birthdates, entering the name of the last school they had attended from the list of information John had left behind.
Principal Fallon came out to greet them, shaking hands seriously with the boys before pulling Marian into a warm hug.
“Nice to see you Marian, the place hasn’t been the same since you left.”
“I’ve missed you all as well. I’m happy to know that Sam and Dean will be in good hands while they’re here. Sam is in first grade, and Dean is in fifth, they’ve missed a fair bit of school but they’re smart boys, and good at catching up.”
“Well, you’ll be in Miss Harrison’s class, Sam, and Dean will join Mr. Lambert and the fifth graders. I’ll just have a quick chat with Mrs. Breedlove and then I’ll take you to the rooms.”
Sam sat outside the secretaries’ office, humming the Star Wars theme while swinging his legs which were dangling off the edge of the bench.
“Quit it, Sammy,” Dean grunted in irritation; leave it to his little brother to actually be happy about to be at school.
…
“They sure have moved around,” the principal commented, as he eyed the boys’ transcripts.
Out of necessity Marian had given him a slightly altered version of how she knew John and why the boys were staying with her.
“The little one sure seems excited,” he said with a smile, putting down the file and motioning Marian to sit in the wing chair next to his desk.
“Oh, heavens yes. I couldn’t get a word in edgewise on the way here; Sammy was talking a mile a minute. He’s quite confident, and he’s already made a friend with one of the neighbourhood kids… it’s Dean I’m a little worried about.”
“Oh? Does he have any behavioural problems? A learning disability?”
“No, nothing like that… he’s just been going through a difficult time, all the moving around has been hard on him. I just wanted you to know that he might be a bit timid.”
“Keith is really good with the shy ones. He’s patient and has a good sense of humour- all the kids seem to really like him.”
Marian sighed with relief.
Keith Lambert had started teaching the year after she retired, so she didn’t know the man at all, but she trusted Richard’s opinion; she had worked with him for nearly three decades, and he had won her respect early on.
“He has a bit of a nervous stomach, I wrote it on the medical form. It’s nothing serious, but I thought the nurse should be aware.”
“Don’t worry, Marian. Dean will be just fine.”
…
But he wasn’t, and neither was Jason Healey.
Marian tried to sound calm when she answered the phone at a quarter to twelve, despite feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Waylon had always said that she was psychic, but she’d always explained it away as good instincts. It might have been a combination of the two, and her keen ability to read people didn’t hurt either.
“Mrs. Breedlove? This is Keith Lambert calling from Ridgeview elementary. There’s been an incident involving Dean and another boy in my class. I was wondering if you could come in.”
“Is he okay?” she asked, covering her mouth although there was no one but the cat around to see that it was slightly agape.
“Well… his fist might be a little sore, but I’m confident he will make a full recovery,” the man spoke calmly, and had a smile in his voice that put her at ease.
“Dean hit another boy?” she couldn’t believe it. She knew John’s children were trained in combat, but she couldn’t imagine the boy she’d found in the closet the night before throwing punches.
“Why don’t we talk about it when you get here? That way Dean can share his side, and we can go from there.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Marian hung up the phone and grabbed her keys, wrapping herself in her warmest shawl as she headed out the door. She didn’t drive often, usually preferring to walk, but she wanted to get there quickly, so she fired up the old truck’s engine and drove down the road, pressing a little harder on the pedal than was entirely necessary.
The scene outside the principal’s office was pretty typical given the situation. Dean sat on the bench with his hands in his lap looking ashamed, while another boy, presumably the injured party, wailed from inside the infirmary.
Mr. Lambert came out to meet her, and led her into Fallon’s office.
“Richard’s gone to grab a bite to eat, but he said we can use the room. Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll explain what happened, and then Dean can come in and give us his side of the story.”
Marian nodded, glad that the teacher seemed so confident that the matter could be resolved.
“Dean had an altercation on the playground with a classmate, Jason Healey,” Mr. Lambert explained.
An ‘altercation’-not a fight, not ‘Dean punched Jason’- an altercation.
“The noon hour supervisor separated the boys, but unfortunately Jason has a bit of a bloody nose. It doesn’t seem too serious, although he’s carrying on like he was mortally wounded.”
Marian bit her lip and nodded again.
“Dean has been having a bit of a rough time lately. His father is a single parent and Dean and his brother move around a lot, this is his third school this year.”
“I understand. Jason can be a bit of a bully, so off the record I feel he got what he deserved,” the teacher said with a little smirk, and Marian couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Anyway, why don’t we bring in the accused? He’s sweated it out long enough.”
…
There was silence on the drive home. Marian kept her eyes on the road, and Dean leaned his head against the window, watching the houses and fields of cows pass by on fast forward. When they turned into the driveway, she finally spoke.
“I feel like a cup of tea. Why don’t you go upstairs and get tidied up while I put the kettle on? Then we can have a talk.”
Dean nodded grimly, wiping self consciously at the dirt on his face, and trying to hide the large hole his shirt with his jacket.
This was it, now he was in for it.
His dad would be furious to have to come back to Kansas and pick them up, all because he couldn’t control his temper.
Slinking back down the stairs a few minutes later, he was surprised to see a little plate of cookies on the table; surely he wouldn’t be getting a treat after he’d started a fight and gotten himself suspended on his first day?
“Why did you do it, Dean? Did Jason try and hit you first?”
“No,” he fiddled with the sleeve of his clean shirt, unwilling to meet her eye.
“What happened then?”
“Nothing.”
“So you just went up to this boy and hit him for no reason?”
“Yeah,” Dean’s voice sounded tired, like it had taken a lot of effort just to get that one little word out.
“I don’t believe that. You’re a nice kid, Dean. I don’t believe you would hit someone else for no reason. You didn’t tell your teacher, and that’s okay, but you can tell me- I won’t tell anyone. Not even your dad,” she added.
Dean paused and studied Marian for a moment, considering her words.
“I had to read in class. Mr. Lambert calls on people that don’t raise their hands… and I kept messing up. Jason laughed at me during lunch, he called me a retard.”
Marian nodded understandingly.
“That wasn’t nice. It’s hard to be put on the spot like that, and have to read aloud.”
Dean nodded in agreement.
“Am I in trouble?” he asked, puzzled at how calmly she was speaking. His dad would be yelling by now, and taking off his belt.
“Not exactly... You punched Jason, so I want you to write the boy a letter saying you’re sorry. And the henhouse hasn’t been cleaned for a while; I thought maybe you could give the chickens an early Christmas present.”
Dean nodded; it seemed reasonable.
“You’ve got two days of suspension and you’re already pretty far behind. Mr. Lambert gave me copies of the class assignments for the week, so you can work on those while your brother’s at school. I think that’s all, Dean.”
“I’m sorry,” he blurted. “I just got mad- it won’t happen again, I promise.”
“I believe you Dean. Now why don’t we have some cookies and then you can start on the henhouse?”
TBC