Chapter 9

The bell signalling the end of the day had Dean up and sliding the books from his desk into the crook of his arm. Dodging between the desks, he startled when a hand slipped into his, and glanced over, smirking as the girl blushed and ducked her head, her eyes travelling up to catch his as she smiled back.

"So Dean," her voice little more that a seductive purr, and Dean raised an eyebrow at her, smirk increasing, as she stared back unabashed, "A bunch of us hang out at the diner just outside of town, you could come out with us, meet some of the others." Dean nodded at her words, when they'd arrived at the town they had driven by the small food place where the local kids hang out, had marked it as a place to possibly get some information, but had yet to find real reason to enter the crowded, rowdy hang out, distracted, he turn his eyes from Marcy, his gaze cutting through the crowd, searching.

"Some other time Marcy," he said, carefully pulling his hand from hers, eyes scanning the students pushing towards the front doors "I've got to find Sam and get home. ." She pouted, looking at him from under her eyelashes, but then reached up and placed a kiss on his chin before pulling away disappearing into the crowd. Dean watched her go for a moment, and then he was searching the crowd again, trying to find Sam from within the press of bodies. Finding himself hard pressed to find such a small kid within the press of taller kids, he was worried that he could lose Sam so easily due to his height, especially worried because of the trouble he'd been having, from how ill his brother had been so recently. He'd told Dad that letting Sam come back to school this soon after being sick had been a bad idea, what if Sam had gotten sick and was in the toilets throwing up, or passed out somewhere?

"Dean?" the familiar voice made him spin around, and Sam smiled up at him. Dean's eyes searched him, worry in his expression, trying to be sure Sam was alright, and then a smile broke across his face when he found nothing outwardly wrong.

"Alright?" he asked, the smile growing as Sam nodded, hitched his bag further up his shoulder, amused eyes landing on the books in Deans arm.

"You'll lose them if you don't get a bag," he stated, and Dean snorted, rolling his eyes as he pushed Sam forward and around, letting the kid lead the way.

"I won't," his voice held the tones of promise, and Sam felt the weight on his back increase "Because, Sammy-Boy, I've got you to carry them." Sam rolled his eyes, hitching the bag higher again, and Dean ruffled his hair.

"Atta boy Sammy," he laughed, stepping up beside his brother now, moving slightly ahead so he could shoulder the other kids out of the way, glancing back towards his brother, trailing behind him, and when they pushed out into the open, Dean stepped back, grabbing Sam's arm and pulling him to one side, letting the stream of kids continue by them, backed into the low wall that edged the steps from the school doors.

"You alright Sam?" he asked, searching his brother's face, looking for signs of a fever, his eyes skewing to the side occasionally, hunting out the Impala on the road.

"'m fine, Dean," Sam responded, tugging unaffectedly against his brother's grip, eyes searching his brother's, trying to work out what Dean was going to find within his own eyes, and then Dean's hand released him, allowed Sam to step back slightly, only to be jostled by the press of students. A pair of hands pressed into his back, slamming him forwards, and Dean's hand grabbed at his shoulders, steadying him as he turned his head and watched Jordan's back disappear rapidly.

Dean's hands left him, and he heard his brother growl out of a curse, and Sam had barely enough time to turn and grab Dean's arm to stop the elder boy from running after the other kid.

"Dean, just leave it," he urged "Just... leave it."

"I'm gonna rip his lungs out, Sam," Dean growled back

"I can handle it, Dean," Sam said again, felt the muscles in Dean's arm relax, the tug on his own muscles cease as Dean stopped trying to fight against him.

"I know you can, Sam," he said, pulling Sam back in beside him, making sure the smaller boy was out of the rush of kids, though it was fast becoming a trickle, most of the students already moving down the street or in cars pulling away from the curb. "Just wish you'd hurry up about it." Sam grinned up at him, Dean was not the most patient of people at the best of times, and Sam had come to realise that impatience increased when something came up with his safety.

"Dad's late," Sam commented, sitting down on the low wall, swinging his bag down to his feet and searching through it.

"He probably got caught up," Dean replied, looking at the road again, searching for the familiar car in the few cars that were left, his hand delving into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone, checking it to see if there were any messages.

"I suppose," Sam responded quietly, he'd straightened up now, a thick book in his hands, and shifted around until his back was resting again the school wall, legs bent up in front of him so that he could rest the book against them. Dean glanced at him, rolled his eyes at the size of the book his brother was reading, wondering how Sam could cart something like that around school all day along with all his other books, and then he sat down on the wall beside him, nudging his legs with his arm until Sam's legs were drawn up closer to his body, and Dean had more room beside him. He fidgeted at the cell in his hands, willing it to ring there and then, for John to say he was running late, held up at the library or something, and he was on his way. Beside him Sam sighed, turning the page of his book, brushing long bangs from his eyes.

Dean watched him for a moment, eyes flickering to the side when two final students came through the door and moved down the steps, he glanced at his watch, and then again towards the road, though he knew the car wasn't there, he hadn't heard the roar of the engine yet, but he still felt the urge to check, as if to see if the car had appeared magically somehow.

"You two shouldn't be loitering," the voice made Dean start, and Sam's foot kicked out against him as the younger boy jumped as well. Cursing himself inwardly for not having paid attention, and reaching out to steady his brother, Dean turned his gaze to the stern looking woman who was watching them from the open doors.

"Our dad's running late," Dean mumbled "He'll be here to pick us up in a minute." The woman nodded, though her lips were still pursed

"You can wait in the library next time," she informed them "Loitering outside of the building isn't allowed." Her focus turned on Sam, making Dean shift closer to his brother, his body tensing, ready for a fight.

"What are you reading Sam?" the teacher asked, and the younger Winchester looked at her, face reddening for a moment, and then he shrugged.

"Just a book," the teacher stared at him, nodded slowly, and then offered a small smile

"Don't forget you've got a report in on Friday," she told him, waiting until he nodded before she moved back into the school building.

Dean watched silently, his body still tense as the woman's footsteps faded into the depths of the building, and then he turned his head towards Sam, the younger boy already engrossed in his book again.

"Who's she?" he asked, eyes flickering to the empty doorway

"English teacher," Sam said quietly, eyes flicking up for a moment and a smile flickering across his face as his brother visibly relaxed. Dean watched his brother for a moment, foot jiggling, and then he snapped up his phone again, hitting the buttons and holding it against his ear.

"What're you doing?" Sam asked, watching Dean as he shifted, moving away from the wall and moving across the step, eyes darting to the doors and the road, searching, vigilant.

"Phoning dad," Dean replied, listening intently to the phone and then sighing, bringing his hand from his ear and stowing the phone in his pocket, biting back a curse.

"Come on Sam," he said, jerking his head away from the school

"What about dad?" Sam questioned, swinging his feet off the wall and grabbing at his bag.

"We'll pass by him if he drives by," Dean told him, lunging forward and catching at Sam's wrist, stopping him from putting the book into the bag "What are you reading anyway?" Sam's face reddened slightly, and Dean examined the spine of the book, and then pulled it from Sam's hands to flick through the pages a little.

"Dude," he started, grin spreading across his face, allowing Sam to grab the Latin book back and stuff it into his bag before he pulled the bag onto his shoulders, "You are such a geek."