Through the Grapevine [ABANDONED]

The Pen is Mightier

Castiel walked into school, his head still pounding from last night's rager. Or, at least, that's what he was pretty sure it was pounding from. It also might have been pounding because Hannah was so goddamn loud. Castiel rubbed his forehead as they walked, Hannah rambling on and on and on about...what was she even rambling about? Something about how her dad was so unfair for not letting her wear her one cute outfit on the one day they didn't have to wear uniforms. Castiel was actually okay with the whole, Catholic school uniform thing. He didn't mind having to wear a suit every day. If he was being honest, he preferred it. He yawned and walked to his locker. 

"Tye. Tye. TYE!" Hannah yelled, pulling Castiel out of his thoughts. He turned to look at her. 

"What?" he said, his voice coming out a bit harsher than he had intended, while also betraying his irritation with her. She frowned at him and then slammed her hand on his locker, closing the door he had just opened. 

"This isn't still about Michael, is it?" she asked. 

"No, it's about the fact that you never shut up," he huffed, opening the door to his locker again. She opened her mouth, clearly about to start an argument or something. Apparently, she changed tactics last minute and instead burst into tears. He rolled his eyes as she ran down the hallway in the direction of the bathroom. It was three days after the incident with Michael and Hannah, and Castiel, in all honesty, was still pissed about it. But he was more irritated by Hannah's big mouth that she seemed incapable of closing. Castiel huffed and walked toward his first class, already chiding himself for snapping at Hannah and losing his cool. Castiel did not lose his cool. 

And when he did, it usually wasn't just once. 

Castiel didn't make it all the way to class. Instead, he ran into Principal Ketch and a couple of men in suits that he didn't recognize. The principal glared at him, which Castiel interpreted as a clear stay-away-or-I-will-kill-you look. Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance to avoid the man because one of the men in suits turned to look at him. 

"Hello, what's your name?" the woman said with a kind smile. Castiel stared at her. 

"Castiel Novak," he said, offering a hand. She shook it with a smile. 

"My name is Missouri, and I'm a representative of the University of California. We're here doing interviews for a scholarship, looking for kids who face adversity and still manage to excel in school," she said, looking at Castiel. 

"Oh, neat," Castiel said lamely. "I'm a sophomore." 

"Well, in two years, maybe I'll see you again," she said with another smile and a wink. 

"Hey, but if you're looking for..." Castiel started. He knew that Michael wanted to go to school in California, and if they were looking for a senior who excelled despite their challenges, Michael was literally a poster child for that. 

"Well, if we don't move on now, we're going to be late for our first interview. This young man named Azazel, his father is in the military so he's never really had a steady home..." Principal Ketch explained as he basically dragged the people away, giving Castiel a harsh look. Castiel scowled but then left without too much of a fight. 

He was surprised to see that Michael was still at his locker, in the hallway right past Castiel's locker. He was not surprised to see that Michael looked pissed. 

"What happened?" Castiel said, looking into Michael's locker, which was decorated, unsurprisingly, with pictures of all the places the senior wanted to travel. 

"I'm going to f-f-f-f-f-f-f-" Michael stopped stuttering when Castiel placed a calming hand on his best friend's shoulder. 

"Breathe, and explain," Castiel said calmly. Instead of doing that, Michael slammed his locker door shut. Castiel's breath caught in his throat at the words FAG spraypainted on the locker door.