She Was A Fast Machine ~ Dean Winchester

« Skin » - Part 1/2

(S1EP6 - Skin)

The Impala pulled into a gas station after driving for hours. Alina, was asleep in the backseat, almost snoring from all the alcohol she'd drank the previous night, but once she couldn't feel the vibrations of the car under her sleeping body anymore, she woke up in a jump that scared the other two in the front seats. Dean turned to get a better look at her messy hair and her panda eyes from the mascara she hadn't taken off before falling asleep. "Morning Sunshine!" He joked, smiling at her frowning face.

"What year is it?" She asked in a raspy voice.

Dean laughed at her and went back to their itinerary. "Alright, I figure we'd hit Tucumcari by lunch, then head south, hit Bisbee by midnight." He wasn't surprised to not get any response from the sleepy girl behind, but his brother next to him didn't seem to listen to him either, too focused on the small device in his hands. "Sam wears women's underwear."

"I've been listening, I'm just busy."

"Busy doing what?"

"Reading E-mails."

Dean got out of the car to start filling the tank with gas, while Alina was leaning over the front seats, putting her head on the back of it to spy on Sam.

"Who's sending you E-mails? I thought I was your only friend!" She pretended to be offended, getting a soft smile from him.

"These friends are from Stanford."

"You're kidding." Dean joined the conversation from outside the car. "You still keep in touch with your college buddies?"

"Why not?"

"Well, what exactly do you tell them? You know, about where you've been, what you've been doing?"

"I tell them I'm on a road trip with my big brother and my best friend. I tell them I needed some time off after Jess."

Alina was always touched to hear him say the words 'best friend' about her, even though he'd always been hers.

"Oh, so you lie to them."

Alina rolled her eyes at the incoming new argument.

"No. I just don't tell them....everything."

"Yeah, that's called lying. I mean, hey, man, I get it, telling the truth is far worse."

"So, what am I supposed to do, just cut everybody out of my life?"

Dean simply shrugging at that, actually hurt Alina's feelings.

"You're serious?" Even Sam couldn't believe it.

"Look, it sucks, but in a job like this, you can't get close to people, period."

Alina opened the car door angrily and got out, stopping right in front Dean to give him an irritated look. "I'm not surprised of how much you don't approve of your brother reading his E-mails. After all, he was the one staying in touch with me for five years while you were...how did you say it Sammy? Oh right, 'cutting everybody out of your life'. Including good old Alina." She sadly smiled at him, gently slapped his cheek twice, and went to grab her stuff in the trunk.

Dean regretfully bit his lower lip and turned to his brother for help. But Sam was already back to reading his E-mails. So he sighed and joined Alina in front of the open trunk. "Come on Frenchy. You know I wasn't talking about you."

Alina ignored the way he was moving closer to her, pulling up her hair to tie them into a quick bun. "It's okay Dean. We've already talked about it and I told you I wasn't mad anymore."

Dean cringed at his name coming out of her mouth. It was something she couldn't control whenever she was disappointed or furious at him. Sometimes, it came out without her noticing it as she was lying to herself, convinced that everything was perfect when it wasn't.