Castiel sat silently on the swings, looking down on the dirt. He sighed heavily, feeling a sense of loneliness. His parents continued to work on hours, but they would contact Castiel every other day. They had hired him a new babysitter, but she couldn't seem to care less about Castiel. She would always sit around his living room and text her friends, not even keeping an eye on him for two seconds.

His mom had recently called to tell Castiel to check in on his Aunt Fern. When Castiel called Aunt Fern, he told her his mom was asking about her. Her aunt said that she was okay, in a slightly weak voice, then told Castiel she had to leave. It came across Castiel that the reason why his mom got a new job in the first place was because of his aunt. But Castiel questioned what was possibly wrong with her, where she was, and why no one had told him anything.

Then there was Nathaniel. He hadn't been at school for almost a week since the night they sold lemonade, nor had he visited the park.

Castiel looked up at the orange sky. Things used to be perfectly okay; his mother was at home to take care of Castiel, and he had Nathaniel as his best friend, almost as a brother. Not having any siblings, the closest person who he could call a brother was Nathaniel. Now, things have started to gradually change.

"Hey, you!" a boy with light brown hair hollered. He approached Castiel, along with three other boys. They looked about two or three years older than Castiel. "Where's your boyfriend? Or did he wuss out and leave?" The four boys laughed raspily.

Eyeing the boy, Castiel stood up from the swing. He gritted his teeth. "How about you pick someone your own size, you pathetic son of a bitch."

The boy fumed, "What did you say?"

"Did I stutter?"

The other boys murmur to the boy, "Dude, beat the shit out of this punk!" But the boy already held out his fist.

Castiel flinched, preparing himself for a hard punch, but then a familiar voice interrupted.

"Leave him alone."

The boy smirked. "Oh, it's you."

Castiel turned to see Nathaniel. The first thing he noticed was the bruises he had, although they were healing. Did he get these bruises from the bullies? No, if they hadn't seen Nathaniel in a while, that must mean that these bruises came from something else. Or someone else.

The bullies cackled. "How pathetic!" one of the boys with gray hair said. He looked at Castiel. "Why do you associate yourself with someone like him? You're such a faggot!"

"I said leave him alone!" Nathaniel yelled.

The boy with light brown hair was about to throw a punch at Nathaniel, but before he could, Castiel grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. The boy screeched, falling to the ground, but Castiel wasn't done with him yet. He kicked the boy between the legs, and the boy cried in pain.

The rest of his friends help him up. "Dude, let's get out of here!" one of the boys said. They left the park, and Castiel smiled with pride, putting his hands to his hips.

"Do you want to fight like that?" Castiel beamed. He eyed Nathaniel, and his eyes were not clouded with awe or amusement, but fear.

"Um, you alright?" Castiel asked.

Nathaniel sat down on the dirt ground, hugging his knees. "I would have fought too. But for some reason, I just froze." He rested his chin on his knees.

He sat beside his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. "You didn't have to fight, Nathaniel. Not fighting doesn't make you a wuss or anything. But if it helps, I still haven't forgotten about that promise-"

Nathaniel scrunched his eyebrows. His eyes glowed. "And what? Whether you help me or not, it's not going to change anything!" He hid his face in his hands. "I can't defend myself."

Castiel hesitated, "But… you've won a few fights from those bullies, along with a few other kids."

"It's not about that," Nathaniel said, voice muffled as he was still covering his face.

"Then what is it?"

He didn't hear a reply. Instead, he heard sniffling. Nathaniel's shoulders were trembling.

"Nathaniel," Castiel said softly, "I don't know if you're comfortable with me asking, but where did you get those bruises?"

"I fell down the stairs," Nathaniel responded with a cracked voice.

"That's such a bad lie," Castiel said.

Nathaniel rose his head, looking at Castiel with his golden watery eyes. "And if you learned the truth, what could you possibly do?"

"I'll be here for moral support," Castiel consoled. "Nathaniel, that's what friends are for-"

"Well, I can't be friends with you. Not anymore." Nathaniel stood and wiped his tears with the back of his hand.

Castiel was silently for a few seconds, confused. It was taking a while for Nathaniel's statement to sink in. Then he stood as well. "Nathaniel. What's your reason behind this?"

"Nothing," Nathaniel muttered. "I'm going now."

He turned to leave, but Castiel gripped his arm before he could.

"No, there's a reason! Tell me what it is!" Castiel demanded.

Nathaniel forcefully pulled away from his grip. "I can't, Castiel! I can't!" He began to sob quietly. He spoke softly. "I'm afraid."

"You don't have to tell me what happened, but no matter what, I'll help you," Castiel said, "whether if you need me to teach you how to fight or any other problems you have. And that's a promise." He held out his pinky finger.

Nathaniel stared blankly at his pinky. "Don't make promises you can't keep. You can't help me, Castiel. In this situation, you can't." He choked back his tears. "And I don't need your help or your comfort. All this time, I've always relied on you, and I'm sick of it! I want to be independent for once! I want to be on my own! I want to be left alone."

Castiel's mind was everywhere. He tried his best to search for words. "But…"

"I don't want to talk to you anymore. Just leave me alone," And with that, Nathaniel left the park. Castiel realized that as he made his way home, he was limping slightly.

He wanted to scream, yell at the top of his lungs. He wanted to move, to stop Nathaniel from leaving. But he didn't. Instead he just stood there, stiff and silent.

The only thing that kept him company was the stinging feeling of betrayal.