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Rose didn’t know what to think of the new kid in her class. He was strange and mysterious and she knew most of her friends would drop their panties for him without question. She could see why, but she wasn’t so sure he was a safe person. He had scars and almost always bruises covering some part of him, he obviously got into a lot of fights or something else was going on. She shivered at the thought and pushed it back. That wasn’t any of her business.
She looked over again and saw him wink to Chelsea on the other side of the class, the girl blushed heavily and Rose rolled her eyes at the cocky smirk that Dean had plastered on his face. He was now supporting a bruise on his temple and she noticed that the teacher had observed this as well. Mrs. Harrison had been eying him the whole class and when the class was filing out she got Deans attention and asked him to stay back for a second. Rose desperately wanted to know what was going to be said, but she didn’t want to be nosy so she left with the rest of her class.
Later she saw him get out of the school and walk to his big black car that the ladies swooned over and turned the guys green with jealousy. She once heard him say that he had gotten it from his dad. She kept looking and it wasn’t long before a smaller boy with brown floppy hair walked up to the car as well. His little brother, she thought, his name was Stan or something.
Dean ruffled the boys hair which made him squawk and slap Deans hand away. Dean laughed at the action and pushed Stan (or was it Sam?) to the car. As they duo drove off she could see them talking to each other, both seemed happy and content. Rose furrowed her brow a bit, she didn’t have that sort of connection with her little sister and she knew for a fact that if her mom asked her to pick up the tiny brat from school each day she would flip. But Dean seemed perfectly happy to pick up his little brother every day. She shook her head and forgot about it.
~
Two days later and she was assigned to work on a History paper with Dean. She could see some of the girls staring at her with jealousy, but she ignored them as she slid into the seat next to him. “So,” Rose began, “Can you do this with me after school today? I want this to be done and I need the grade.”
Dean thought about it and said: “Sure, I can do today. It has to be at my place though. I’m watching Sammy.”
She nodded and thought to herself, so it was Sam. Then she said: “You have a deal. Can you give me a lift? I don’t have a car.”
He shrugged and said: “Sure, see after classes.” and then he walked off.
That afternoon he was standing next to his car waiting, not only for his brother but also for her. She felt very awkward as she walked to the car and stood next to him. She said hi and only got a grunt in response. A few seconds later and Dean perked up, she looked and saw a mop of brown hair coming toward them. Sam was smiling, but it faltered when he saw her. He turned to his brother and asked: “Really, Dean? Do I have to wait outside or something because you can’t keep it in your pants, because if that’s so drop me at the library. I ain’t doing that.”
Dean rolled his eyes and said: “It’s not that, idiot. We have a History paper, don’t always think that, besides it was one time, just one. And you ran off when I did that, so there won’t be a repeat of that.”
The child was still a bit skeptic, but let it slide as he shrugged and got into the front seat. “Bitch” Dean called after him.
Rose wanted to tell him off for swearing at a kid for nothing when Sam smiled and said: “Jerk.”
Dean smiled as well and opened the back door and motioned for her to get in. Normally she would have complained about being in the backseat instead of the kid, but this time she let it go and got in. Dean got behind the wheel and drove off. It was quiet for three seconds before Dean glanced at Sam and sighed: “Spit it out, man. I know that look, you learned something you just need to tell me, so again spit it out.”
That was all it took for Sam to tell Dean about Science class and what they had learned. Dean nodded along as Sam went on about some reaction with different chemicals. After that story it was quiet again until Sam asked: “So, what’s your History paper about?”
Dean glanced at her in the rear view mirror like he had forgotten she was there and told his brother that it was something boring. She rolled her eyes, the softness she had witnessed when Dean was around her brother melted away when he saw she was there. He was just like he others, pretending to be something he was not, his gangster look was probably fake and there was a fat chance he studied for his tests in secret.
The rest of the car ride was quiet and soon they pulled up into the parking lot of a dingy motel on the edge of town. She frowned, Dean had made it seem that he had a house and lived here, not, well, not this. Sam didn’t seem fazed as he got out of the car and sarcastically said: “Home, sweet home.”
Dean slapped the back of his head: “Shut up, asshole. I know it ain’t paradise.”
“Whatever, have fun with your History paper.” Sam said and disappeared inside.
Dean rolled his eyes and turned to her with an apologetic look. “Sorry,” he said, “we move a lot. Sam doesn’t like it, but he always seems to turn up the dick-vibe when someone is around. Just ignore him, he’s a little nerd and a bit of a bitch, but he’s a good kid.”
Rose didn’t expect that so she just nodded and followed Dean inside. It wasn’t a big motel room, it had three beds, a couch and TV, a table, a bathroom and a kitchen. Dean dropped his bag and asked her if she wanted anything to drink, she asked for water. He filled three glasses and dropped one of them by his brother who was making his homework on one of the beds. Rose stared out of the window and noticed a salt line on the windowsill. She asked Dean about it and he explained: “Oh, my dad’s a firm believer in weird crap, says it for protection. We don’t question him anymore.”
Sam snorted at that but after a look from his brother he stayed quiet. Dean turned back to her and they began working on why D-Day had been a success.
It was around 17:30 when Sam asked: “What are we having for diner?”
Dean looked up and around before answering: “Uh, I don’t know. How much money do we have left from dad?”
Sam ruffled through some bags and said: “Ten dollars.”
Dean swore and said: “Well, I guess we’re eating something in a bar.”
Sam sighed and said: “I don’t like it when we have to hustle. Dad should be back by now. He always does this, normal kids don’t have to wait for their dad while they’re running out of money to eat, because he’s never home when he says he is.”
Dean rolled his eyes and Rose could feel that this wasn’t the first time they’d had this argument. “Sam, stop it. We have company, besides you know that what dad does is important. We don’t have to be normal and you don’t have to like it, but we’re eating in a bar tonight and that’s final. Now, have you done your homework?”
Sam nodded dejectedly and flopped back onto the bed. Rose tried to comprehend what she had just heard. Tuns out Sam and Dean don’t have that fun of a life. She tried to order it in her brain and got to this list of facts: 1) they live in a shitty motel, 2) their dad is away and he’s away often, 3) they don’t always have enough money for food, 4) they hustle at bars even though they’re both teens, 5) they move around a lot and 6) Dean is like a parent to Sam with the way he acts.
This was all very confusing and she felt the image she had of Dean drip away, when the guy said he knew his way into a bar, he wasn’t just bragging. She turned back to the almost finished paper and said: “It’s pretty late and I think we’ve done enough. I’ll do the final touches at home tonight and I’ll hand it in, sound good?”
Dean nodded and said: “Sure, I’ll bring you home.” then he yelled at Sam in the bathroom, “Hey, get your tiny ass moving. We’re bringing Rose home and going out for food. Be decent.”
The muffled voice yelled back: “You have a tiny ass yourself, dickwad. Don’t get your panties all bunched up, I’m coming.”
Dean shook his head while smiling softly.
~
When she wanted to ask him something the next day she found out both Winchesters had disappeared. It was like they had never been there, but Rose kept on remembering the weird brothers who weren’t what people thought they were.
Much later she would see their faces again, but this time on a TV as two of Americas most wanted and she would tell her friend that she had known them and how weird they were. Her friends would shiver and tell her how lucky she was that she got out alive and how weirdness never goes away. But she didn’t know, there had been something there that she couldn’t place her finger on, but it didn’t matter anyway.