Fame Crazy (Sequel to Strings Attached)

Chapter 57

"I don't think I'm physically capable of eating any more of this, but it's so god to stop," Castiel tells Michael.

"It'll still be here tomorrow," Michael reminds him.

"Touché. I'm gonna savor it."

Castiel picks up Lucifer's phone so the live stream people still feel included an makes a move to get up, but Charlie runs over to him and pushes him back down.

"Not yet. Still got one piece of business to take care of." She sprints out of the room and over near the front door, returning shortly after with a large, thin, rectangular wrapped item. She hands it to him with a grin. "Happy birthday from all of us high school friends!"

"Guys, I told you not to —"

"Too late now!" Charlie interrupts. "Open it!"

Castiel shakes his head at the girl in amusement. He attempts to get it with one hand, but holding the phone proves too much work, so he passes it off to Lucifer across the table.

He removes the wrapping paper delicately because he's just that kind of person, then crumples it up in a ball and tosses it on the counter. He runs a hand over the front gently before looking up at Charlie. "You are such an overachiever."

"I know," she replies, popping her foot. "But it was a group effort. Me, Kevin, Gabriel, Sam, Garth, Harry, and Ed. Oh, and Donna, who felt bad she couldn't be here."

"Well, thank you guys."

"Hold on," Lucifer says, swiftly getting up and standing behind him. "The people of the interwebs gotta see this, too."

Castiel chuckles and looks down at the scrapbook, admiring the cover first. It's a simple red cover with a picture of his high school friend group from the day before he left for his first concert all those years ago. Above it in light pink sparkling letters reads, "Five years of friendship."

He opens to the first page to see a selfie he and Charlie took back in high school. He can't be sure, but he thinks he sees a wheelchair there, giving him a general time frame. On the same page is a picture she took of Kevin kneeling next to him, this time with the wheelchair impossible to miss.

"Our first pictures together ever," she tells him.

"I can't believe you still have those."

"'Course I do!" she replies as if it's obvious. "You think I delete pictures of me and my besties?"

He chuckles. "Yeah, guess not."

On the next page is Sam, Gabriel, Charlie, and Garth sitting on the very crowded high school gym bleachers, each wearing exaggerated frowns, as well as a picture with all of them laughing because Gabriel had apparently attempted to shove an entire bag of cotton candy in his mouth at once. There's a small piece of paper under them reading, "We missed you at the game, but not as much as you must have missed us!"

"I'm low key offended you went without me," he tells her.

"Hey, we tried to get you to come," Charlie tells him. "It was your idea to ditch."

"I don't remember that far back but I would be surprised if it was anything but."

The next page has a picture of him and Gabriel laughing about something or other in their room, which means it must be post-wheelchair time. There's also a picture of Castiel in an oversized hoodie snuggling up with Lucifer on the couch. He's fast asleep, but Lucifer is still awake, looking down at him with a loving expression on his face. The third picture is the two older brothers holding his first song notebook and smirking, the copy machine right behind them. This page is fittingly labeled, "Family Time!" at the top.