Anonymous

Chapter 10

Dean glances at Castiel's lunch table with a small smile. He's all alone, so his friend must not be at school today. He's so fucking cute, though, wearing that same little trench coat and his hair all fluffy. Who gives him the right to be this precious?

A couple of people go over to his table then. He must have made a few new friends after the incident with Lisa yesterday. That's good for him. He's surprised he didn't mention it yesterday, but maybe they're just too new, and he hasn't had the chance.

But then Castiel stands up, and it's clear that that's not what's happening. He dumps his uneaten lunch in the trash and heads for the door. Dean can just barely see a tear slip down his cheek before he's out of the room.

"What was that about?" Charlie asks, which means his exit wasn't as subtle as Dean's sure he had hoped.

"Probably the thing with Meg," Dean replies.

"I doubt it," Benny says.

"What do you mean?" Dean asks quickly. What else would people be saying that would upset him that much? And how can he get them all to shut the fuck up — preferably without murdering them, but he's not entirely past that.

"You haven't heard?" Benny asks. "People are saying he's gay."

"Well, yeah, but they're just stupid rumors," Dean says. "No one actually believes them."

"They do now," Benny says. "I heard this through the grapevine so I could be wrong, but apparently someone asked him and he freaked."

Dean instantly reaches into his back pocket, already prepared to message him, only to realize how many questions it would raise from his friends. He'll text him during class, just to make sure he's okay, and maybe to get the full story while he's at it.

Charlie looks between her friends and the door briefly, then says, "I'm going to go find him."

"I'll come —" Benny begins, but Charlie cuts him off.

"No, I don't want to make a scene. I just want to talk, one on one." She doesn't give any time for argument, just grabbing her bag and heading out of the cafeteria.

"Well," Dean says after a long pause. "That just happened."