Rejected

11: One Week Left

Gabriel tossed the crumpled sheet of paper across the room. Sam, who was sitting on the beanbag, caught it and put it in the trash can.

It was Friday, one week before Thanksgiving break. There was only one week left for pranking until a week of no school.

For Sam, at least. Gabriel would have the rest of ever to prank the girls. Sam only had one week.

John had just broke the news to Sam two days ago. He had gotten a job somewhere in Europe, and was making a long-distance move there. Sam was moving a day after Thanksgiving to their Uncle Bobby's house in South Dakota. Dean would be staying behind to attend the local technical college so he could be a mechanic.

Moving wasn't a new thing to Sam. They had just moved to Lawrence the summer before, and had been moving around all Sam's life.

Gabriel didn't know yet. Sam wasn't going to tell him until the last possible moment, if at all.

A piece of paper struck Sam in the head, snapping him out of his thoughts. Gabriel was coming up with pranks, and so far he hadn't had a lot of ideas.

Sam unfurled the paper. It read: Febreeze bomb. Zip tie + Febreeze can.

"This one sounds cool." Sam offered.

Gabriel sighed and dropped the paper he was working on. "I know, but it's not.... Good enough."

"Good enough? Why does 'good enough' matter?"

"Because... Just because."

Sam let it be at that. For the past week, Gabriel had been a little off. Sometimes he would take more caution during a prank, or sometimes be more sympathetic during the fallout. Sam guessed that he was seeing Gabriel's more sensitive side.

Sam got up and sat on Gabriel's bed. "Gabriel, what's gotten into you?"

Gabriel didn't answer.

The door opened. "Dinner's in five," Cas announced unceremoniously before shutting the door again.

Sam pulled one of the many lollipops Gabriel had given him out of his pocket. It was purple. Sam placed it in Gabriel's warm hand, curling his fingers around it.

"You need to get your spring back in your step, Gabriel."

Gabriel nodded, opening the sucker and putting it in his mouth.

"We should probably go to dinner." Gabriel said, standing up.

Sam followed him out of the room.

~~~~~~~

What Sam had experienced with the Novaks before was the complete opposite of their normal dinners. Hester had made up a pot of mac and cheese, and was ladling it out into 14 separate plates. Balthazar and Anna were fighting over the remote control, trying to wrestle it out of each other's hands while the TV scrolled through every channel. Cas, Michael, and Samandriel were patiently sitting on the couch, watching the fight and waiting for their mac and cheese. Lucifer was egging the fight on like the devil he was.

Gabriel and Sam went to the kitchen to grab plates, then sat down on a red love seat together. Anna had won the fight, and was turning the TV to the Food Network, which was playing Cutthroat Kitchen.

Cutthroat Kitchen, for any of the deprived readers who haven't heard of it, is a cooking show that has three rounds. Each round has its own dish. Each of the four chefs must cook the dish assigned to the round, and the worst dish and chef is eliminated at the end of each round. But before cooking starts, there's a auction where the chefs can buy sabotages for their competitors. It's quite exciting.