Strings Attached

Chapter 21

Ring ring ring!

Castiel groans at the sound of his phone. Where is he? He opens his eyes slowly, the light blinding him. Where's his phone? He feels around for it, finding it in his pocket. It's so... loud.

He takes it out of his pocket and looks at the caller ID. What are those red smudges? And those little lines... Does that say Gabriel? Who's that? Oh, right. His brother. He should probably answer it.

"Hello?" Castiel croaks.

"Castiel? Oh my god, Castiel!" Gabriel's relieved voice comes from the phone. "I've been calling you for hours! Where are you?"

"Uh..." Castiel looks around, but he can't lift his head up. Why does his head feel wet? Did he just take a shower? "I think I'm at school?"

"What? Dude, it's, like, five o'clock!"

"Oh, that's nice."

"Alright, I'm coming to pick you up," Gabriel announces.

"Do you even have a license?" Castiel asks.

"No, Luce's gonna drive me but whatever," Gabriel replies. "Meet me at the door, okay?"

"The door?"

"The front door!" Gabriel practically yells. "What door do you think I'm taking about?"

Castiel pulls the phone away from his ear. "You're loud."

"Alright, whatever. Meet me at the front door. We'll be there in a few minutes."

What was that click? Oh, it was his phone. Why did his phone click? Castiel looks at his phone curiously.

"'Call ended,'" he reads aloud. Why did his call end? Did Gabriel end his call? Why did Gabriel end his call?

Shouldn't he be doing something right now? What should he be doing? Should he be doing something? Maybe he doesn't have to be doing something.

But he feels like he should be doing something. He's probably just imagining things. He doesn't have to do anything. He's just going to go to sleep.

Ring ring ring!

What's that? Castiel looks around. Oh, that's his phone. Haha, he should know that. He's used his phone before. Why's it ringing? Maybe Castiel should ask it. He holds him phone out in front of him. Oh, look! Gabriel's calling! Why's Gabriel calling?

"Hello!"

Oh, he should answer the phone first. He hits the little green button.

"Hello!"

"Dammit, Castiel, where are you?" Gabriel asks, exasperated.

"I don't know," Castiel replies. "Why?"

"I told you to meet me at the front door!" Gabriel yells.

"The — the front door?"

"Yes, idiot, the front door!" Gabriel yells again. "You know, the door you walk through to get to school?"

"What door?"

Gabriel groans. "Fine. Be difficult. Where are you? I'll come find you."

"Um... I think I'm at school?"

"No shit, Sherlock!" Gabriel yells. "I mean where at school?"

Castiel chuckles. "Sherlock. You called me Sherlock. I'm not Sherlock. I'm... I'm... Who am I? Oh, I'm Castiel." He is Castiel, right?

"Dammit, Castiel! Where are you? And don't just say you're at school because I know you're in school!"

"Don't yell at me," Castiel whimpers.