Challenge Accepted: College

Chapter 6: Three More Months

"Gabriel this isn't healthy." Dean said watching Gabriel pull out another cake from the oven; his friend had been baking non stop for the past two days and while Dean appreciated fantastic baking he couldn't sign up for boot camp in terrible shape, Gabriel's baking was too hard to resist.

"Baking distracts me." He said not looking up as he stacked the last cake on top and shed the sides before he started to crumb coating his layers.

"Gabriel, as much as Meg, Lisa and I love your baking this is getting a little out of hand."

"Gabriel you have to talk to Sam, he keeps asking if you're okay and I can't tell him the truth."

Gabriel paused for a moment "..I don't know what to say to him.." He said still crumb coating though he wasn't really focused on the cake anymore "He's gonna ask me what's wrong and I don't want to lie." He sighed "Sam is so caring and involved and I don't want to tell him that I was raped over the phone."

"Okay but just do something, you can't avoid him forever."

"Actually I can-"

"You know what I mean!"

Gabriel chuckled shortly at Dean "Fine but if it backfires then I'm blaming you" He kept crumb coating and Dean focused his attention back on his homework until he heard almost inaudible sobs "Gabe?"

Dean looked up and saw Gabriel quietly weeping and he stood up immediately to go the counter and embrace Gabriel in a hug letting his friend cry into his shoulder "It's okay, Gabe- it's gonna be okay."

He got Gabriel upstairs and into bed with a slice of his delicious cake immediately, joining him just to keep an eye on Gabriel "Not my best work but this is good." Gabriel mumbled around a mouth full "Good?- Gabe this is awesome."

Gabriel's reply was cut short by his phone ringing, Dean looked at the caller ID and paused "It's Sam isn't it?" Gabriel asked with a sigh and Dean nodded "Want me to turn it off?"

Gabriel took a deep breath, setting the cake aside "No..I'll talk to him." Dean hesitated handing him the phone "You don't have to if you aren't ready."

Gabriel shrugged sighing "It's okay." Dean handed him the phone "I'll stay outside."

Gabriel took a deep breath and answered, "Hi."

"Gabe!- finally, what is going on I've been calling for days- are you okay?"

Sam was talking a mile a minute and Gabriel would've laughed if he didn't feel like he wanted to cry "I..had a depressive episode, I didn't want to tell you it was nothing really."

"Are you okay now?"

Gabriel tried to answer but he just started to tear up again "Gabe?"

"No- no I'm not- and I want you to be here to make it better-"

"...I know Gabe- I wish that I was."

"It doesn't matter, just hearing your voice is good enough."

"You want to tell me about it?"

"..just..talk to me, tell me anything, I need this."

~

Castiel knocked on Sam's door "Sam?- Michael said that you've been in your room all day, I got worried."

Sam tossed his phone having just gotten off a call with Gabriel "It's Gabe..he's hurting more than he's letting on and he won't talk to me." Castiel sighed "Gabriel's always been like that, you know him, he doesn't know how to let people in, I think he just needs time."