Strings Attached

Chapter 70

Castiel finally goes back to school two weeks later. He's in a wheelchair again, this time with a leg brace and a sling. Thankfully, Dean's car can carry the chair and all five boys. As always, Dean drives them, and this time, it's him and not Gabriel that gets the wheelchair out.

"You haven't been here all semester, have you?" Dean observes as Castiel slides into his wheelchair.

"Nope," Castiel replies. "I've missed the first ten classes. Is that a bad thing?"

"I guess you'll see," Dean replies with a shrug. Noticing Castiel having trouble getting his backpack, Dean grabs it for him. "I'll take it," he offers, and Castiel knows better than to decline. Dean would take it anyway.

"Thanks," Castiel replies.

Charlie runs up to them, sprinting all the way from the door. Donna follows, but she can't run as fast or as long as Charlie.

"Castiel, you're here!" Charlie squeals, giving him a giant hug. Castiel awkwardly hugs her back from the wheelchair.

"Hey, Castiel, you saved the newspaper!" Donna tells him with a grin.

"I did what now?"

"We sold more newspapers last week than ever!" Donna replies excitedly. "Everyone wanted to read your article story thing!"

"Why?" Castiel asks. "And how'd they even find out about it? No one reads the newspaper. No offense, of course."

"None taken," Donna assures him. "And we had a bit of help from Dean."

Castiel looks up at Dean expectantly. "What did you do?"

Dean shrugs. "Not much. I bought the paper. Crowley asked why I was reading the school newspaper, of all things, and I told him you wrote something for it and that if he wanted to read it, he had to buy his own. I'm pretty sure he just bought it to make fun of it, but I was there when the team read it, and there wasn't a single bad thing said about it. That just sorta started a chain reaction, and just about everyone read it."

"Wow," Castiel replies, unsure what else to say.

That's not at all what he was expecting to hear. Why did no one tell him this before he came to school? Maybe they knew there is no way he would have come if he had known. He hates being the center of attention. Had he known anyone read his story, he would have begged Chuck to let him stay home. Seeing as Chuck still feels guilty about everything, Castiel knows it would have worked.

"You don't seem very excited about that," Donna observes.

"No, I'm thrilled for you," Castiel tells her. "I'm glad I could help the paper out."

"You don't look thrilled," Charlie observes. "What's wrong? This was the whole reason we wanted you to write this."

"I know," Castiel replies. "I just didn't really think this through. Now I sound like a lovesick puppy or something."

"Why are you complaining? Puppies!" Charlie squeals, flailing her arms around. Apparently, she's in the puppy fandom now.

"As fun as this conversation is, I'm gonna take Castiel to class," Dean announces.

"I can do it," Castiel protests.

"Where's your room?" Dean asks, ignoring that.

Castiel pulls out his schedule and reads off the number.

"Calculus?" Dean guesses.

"Yeah," Castiel replies uncertainly. "How'd you know?"

Dean grins and says, "Looks like we're classmates. Come on."