Chapter 10: Everything Happens So Fast

Ellen drives me back to the house in silence. It's past 3am and she's exhausted but she's really relieved that the jocks aren't pressing charges. They wouldn't even talk about it. Ellen is furious at Jo for letting me go with them.

"And without a cellphone! You see what happened?" Ellen shouts at her when we get inside.

"How was I supposed to know this was going to happen? You're the one who wanted to get him out of the house!" She shouts back and looks at me, "Are you okay?"

"A little tired" I admit

"And you" Ellen says rounding on me, "You sent two of those boys to the hospital tonight"

"They started it" I shrug

"It doesn't matter if they start it, Evan. Walk away. These kids aren't trained in combat like you are. You could really hurt someone"

"So, am I supposed to just stand there and take it when people swing at me?"

"No, but I know John taught you ways to avoid breaking limbs while defending yourself"

"My Dad would be proud of the way I handled things tonight." I assert and I know that it's true. I don't know what Ellen remembers but Dad was never the 'turn the other cheek' kind of guy. She considers what I said for a moment and nods.

"Well, Sam left me in charge of you and I'm not going to have you getting yourself arrested while you're living under my roof. Now go to your room and get some sleep. You look exhausted"

I obey without complaints and I'm asleep the moment my head hits the pillow. I lay low for the next couple of days. Sometimes I hear Ellen on the phone.

"Well now from what I hear, it was one of your boys who threw the first punch. Well I'm very sorry to hear that but I'm sure that they'll be more careful when picking fights so they can play next season."

Jo's really friendly to me. I don't know her too well so I can't tell if it's just out of guilt but I'm assuming it's mostly guilt. She comes into my room one night with ice cream and a brownie.

"You can't go wrong with vanilla" She smiles

"Thanks" I laugh

"I'm heading out tomorrow morning"

"Got a case?"

"Yup. Over in Kentucky"

"Your mom misses you when you're gone" I say in between spoonfuls

"She has you to keep her company" Jo winks

"Until Sam comes" I nod and suddenly the doorbell rings. Jo and I exchange a surprised look. Sam? But as we get to the hallway and hear Ellen talking we know it isn't Sam at the door.

I hear a familiar voice, "I'm just really sorry about what happened the other day"

"It's fine" Ellen says to her, "I just think it's probably for the best that you two keep a distance. He doesn't need any trouble, you understand darling."

"No ma'am, I'm no trouble"

"Honey, the last time you two hung out he got arrested"

"Well-"

"Look Haydn, I know you mean well but I think the both of you together right now-"

"Hi" I say coming down the stairs

Ellen takes a step back from the door to allow Haydn inside.

"Hi, Evan" Haydn says softly. The dark lines outlining her eyes intrigue me despite myself

"Go on" Ellen sighs and Haydn starts up the stairs towards me, I turn and walk ahead of her

"And keep that door open" Ellen shouts up at us

"What do you want?" I ask as I crush my brownie into my ice cream

"I owe you an apology for the other night. I should've warned you about those guys. I just never thought it would get so out of hand"

"Your friends are douchebags"

"Not my friends" She corrects, "but you sure can kick a little ass, can't you?"

I swell with pride but shrug casually.

"So this is your bedroom?"

"For now. I've been living out of my bag for a while" I pick up my bag and toss it on the bed

"Why don't you unpack?" Haydn asks and takes a seat next to it

I didn't think it would be worth the effort, that's why. I just shrug again and unzip my bag. Immediately she reaches inside and pulls out my phone.

"Oh my God, what happened to this?" She frowns and inspects the broken screen

"I uh, kind of threw it" I chortle

"What is with you and throwing phones?"

I snatch the phone from her and turn it on. Within seconds it starts to ring.

"Hello? Sam?" I put my hand over the receiver and ask Haydn to excuse me before going into the hallway.

"Hello?"

"Evan. I've been trying to call you all morning. Why is your phone off?"

"You should talk. Why didn't you just call Ellen?"

"She's the one who called me to talk to you. You got arrested? Evan, what have we told you about laying low?"

"So you can answer her calls but not mine?"

"What? I answer your calls"

"Who's the girl, Sam?"

"W-what girl?"

"The girl who answered your phone when I called you the night those punks jumped me"

"Oh. She didn't say you called"

"Do you have a girlfriend now or something?"

"What? No. Don't be ridiculous. She was just a girl I met while I was on a job. She's not important"

"She answered your phone!"

"I didn't know that! She's not important. Trust me"

"Are you coming to get me?"

"Aren't you getting along with Ellen?"

"This isn't about Ellen. This is about me and you, Sam! Are you coming?"

"Not yet"

"Not?" I shout, "Not yet? Do me a favor, Sam. Don't call me until you're ready to pick me up, okay? Just do me that favor. When you're ready to do what you promised Dean you'd do and pick me up, then call" I hang up on him and wait a few seconds to see if he'll call back. He does.

"Evan"

"Are you coming to get me?"

"I can't ye-"

"Wrong answer!" I scream at him and hang up again. This time he doesn't call back. Haydn stays over for a while and we talk about things we like to do for fun. She tells me about an arcade she likes where she can laser tag. I've never heard of it before, she says she'll take me and I agree to go. Anything is better than waiting for Sam to show up.

Laser tag is amazing and I'm great at it. We were the first two at the arcade and got to play alone with each other for the first game. Haydn is a good shot but I'm better. I hit vital spots on her vest and rack up a lot of points. She's stealthier than I am and hides very well. She moves silently around the arena and hits me from places I can't see. Her hits don't bring in as many points as mine do but she wins because she's gotten me so many times. By the time the first game is over other smaller kids have gathered around for a chance to play too. Haydn and I re-enter with an every man for himself mentality but the kids are so good that we're getting slaughtered. Halfway through the massacre Haydn and I run into each other in a corner.

"I'm sucking out there." Haydn pants

"I know, they're too good"

"What do you say we join forces for a while and take these little suckers out?" She grins

I smirk and raise my gun, "let's send' em crying to mama"

We made quite a team. Haydn moved us around the dark arena so quietly that we were almost invisible to the tiny monsters and when I was in position, I aimed for their hearts. Within the last five minutes of the game we turned the game around and won. Three of the kids actually did cry for their mother's and one for his dad. I wonder what my dad would've said if I came to him crying over a lost game of laser tag. He'd probably just stare at me until I shrank away.

"What a team!" Haydn laughs as they hand us our scores. On paper it says that I've won but I couldn't have done it without Haydn. I raise my hand up for a high five and she obliges.

The next week is crammed with activity. Haydn comes by every day with some new adventure in mind. We go hiking, bike riding, paintballing, rock climbing, and of course laser tagging all week. Ellen warms up to her a lot. I think she's grateful for Haydn taking me out of the house for a change. Ellen asks me how I like Haydn and I say she's nice. I don't tell her that sometimes instead of nightmares about hellhounds and Dean and blood, I dream about touching Haydn's soft skin and kissing her pink lips. Sometimes when I'm alone, instead of being angry at Sam, I get excited at the thought of seeing her again. Of hearing her laugh and watching her hair swing, counting how many times dimples pepper her cheeks. I want to hold her and feel her warmth and that feels better than being sad. The carnival is in town today so we go together. I don't have a lot of money but Ellen gave me fifty bucks so I can buy lunch. I buy Haydn lunch too.

"My dad loved these." She says after a bite of a corndog, "I swear, he could eat a dozen of these a day"

"That's kind of how Dean is with cheeseburgers or anything greasy. He loves pie too. He could probably eat pie three times a day his whole life and be happy"

"Jeez, he sounds like he could eat his own weight"

"He's lucky he's a hunter so he can exercise" I laugh

She's giving me a troubled look but I ignore it. I don't want to know what's wrong. I just want to enjoy the day. "So, what do you want to do next? Ride the Ferris wheel?"

"Sure!" She stuffs the rest of the corndog in her mouth and grabs my hand. I'm reeling inside as we race through the crowds of people. I feel like yanking her back towards me for a kiss but I control myself. I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable and mess everything up.

The ride isn't fast but she puts her hands in the air and screams and giggles anyway. I've been on a rollercoaster once. It was earlier this year in between cases at a theme park in Pennsylvania called Hershey Park. There's a ride there that makes you feel like you're in an oven and they give you chocolate when it's over. Dean was so happy that for most of the day, I forgot that he was going to leave me. I wonder if Haydn likes chocolate. When she brings her arms back down she loops them around one of mine. Her hair flies around on the air and brushes my face. It smells like cinnamon.

"I'm having the best time" She laughs, "this is so much fun!"

I push her hair behind us and smile; she rests her head in my hand and looks directly in my eyes. I have my first kiss on the Ferris wheel. Her lips are soft and sticky with gloss. I was wrong, it doesn't taste like strawberries but it's just as sweet. I win her a giant giraffe at a small booth where you have to pitch a baseball at stacked glasses. She says I should be a baseball player and I hold her hand. We share cotton candy. She tries to feed it to me but it gets stuck to her fingers and I accidentally lick her fingers. She doesn't seem to notice or care, she just rips a piece off and feeds herself. I don't sleep that night. I don't even change my clothes because they smell like her. She wants to go camping tomorrow in her backyard. She's going to introduce me to her aunt and uncle. I hope they like me.

I don't know what to wear; I've run out of clean clothes from my bag. Ellen says not to panic because she'll do my laundry for me if I run out and get some groceries. I pull on a pair of flannels and a sweater and bike to the store. I forgot the list at home so I grab some things I think we need. Bread, eggs, milk, cereal, orange juice, and some frozen waffles for good measure. I buy some paper towels too because I see Ellen using them a lot. A lot of people are staring at me while I wait online, it's as though they've never seen someone wearing pajamas before. The checkout girl giggles at me and bites her lip; I smile politely at her and she blushes. She picks up the bread and drops it from her hands.

"Oops" She gasps and reaches down to get it slowly so I can see her cleavage. Thanks a lot for dropping my bread. She makes a second attempt to bag it but I insist I can do it this time. I can't help but roll my eyes at her clumsy flirtation. I pay her and leave while she's still blushing.

"Why'd you only get breakfast food?" Ellen asks when she goes through the bag

Damn. She's right.

"I forgot the list" I frown. I think she's mad for a moment but then she starts to laugh

"Come here" She laughs and pulls me into a hug, "you are too cute. Most of your stuff is in the drier but it's still wet"

I try on a pair of jeans that are still damp because I don't want to wait any longer. Ellen makes me give them back to her so she could at least iron them before I go since I want to make a good impression with Haydn's family. I try to fix my hair in the mirror but it just flops around like always. I've learned a long time ago that my hair will never have that perfectly tasseled look like Dean's or flowing like Sam's. My hair is too curly to be straight and too straight to be curly, longer than Dean's and shorter than Sam's. I comb it with my fingers and look away from the mirror. Haydn likes my hair; she runs her long fingers through it and scratches my scalp.

The iron evaporates some of the water out of my jeans. Ellen also irons a shirt that I forgot that I have. It's light blue.

"It looks girly." I moan

"Hush. It brings out your eyes" Ellen clucks

"I'm sorry, I meant to say that you are so girly" I smirk. She slaps the back of my head and I wince.

"Smart ass"

"I'm joking. You're the least girly person I know." I laugh and her eyes narrow at me

"Because you're so womanly" I amend

"Nice save. Well you better get a move on. Do you have your phone?"

"In my pocket"

"Be good"

"Yup" I say and rush out of the door to my bike

"Call me if there's any trouble" She shouts after me

"Bye" I shout back and take off to Haydn's place.

It's bigger than I remember but maybe it's because the last time I've seen it, it was packed with cars and crying people. I drop my bike on the front lawn, climb the steps and ring the bell. I can hear yelling through the door.

"He's here, sweetheart." A woman says

"Get the door!"

"Don't you want to say hello?" A man asks

"I can't! I have to make him wait!"

"Okay, okay" The woman says and opens the door. I didn't realize how short she was at the funeral but I do now. I'm towering over her. Her hair is really yellow, like yellow paint all the way down to the roots.

"Hello" I smile nervously

"Hi, come in. You must be Evan" The woman smiles widely, "I'm Joan, Haydn's aunt"

"Yes ma'am. I've heard a lot about you" I lie

"All good things I hope" She titters and claps her hands together, "Victor! Evan is here!"

A tall man in a button down shirt and khaki pants strides into the room; he reaches a hand out for me and I shake it.

"Victor Pruitt"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Evan"

"I know. We've heard a lot about you too" He says and takes a step back. Looking at Joan's blouse and skirt and Victor's outfit I suddenly feel underdressed.

"Well, come in and sit down." Victor says beckoning me to the kitchen. I follow them in awkward silence and take a seat at a large preset table.

"So, Evan, Haydn tells us that you're a year younger than her"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess"

"So are you in town for just the summer or…" Joan asks

"I'm staying with Ellen for a while" My voice cracks when I speak and I clear my throat

"Would you like a glass of water?" Victor asks. I smile and reach for my glass. The liquid is cool and refreshing in my incredibly dry throat. I wish Haydn would hurry.

"You two have been spending a good deal of time together. You must get along quite well" he smiles thinly

"Yes sir" I nod and place the glass back down

"Hi Evan" Haydn breaths swooping into the kitchen and taking a seat next to me. I see that she's wearing ripped jeans and a Guns 'n Roses t-shirt. I feel instantly better.

"I hope they didn't grill you too much" She says shooting them a look, "they're both psychiatrists and have a bad habit of prying"

"I just like to see what my niece is up to" Victor says innocently.

"We're just a little concerned" Joan frowns, "we heard about the little mishap a while back over at the playground"

Haydn glares at them "You promised you wouldn't"

"It's okay" I say softly to her and then turn to them, "Yeah, some of the guys and I had a misunderstanding. They told me to stay away from Haydn because she was their property and then tried to jump me so we had a little scuffle."

"Oh my" Joan's brow furrows deeply

"I didn't know that" Victor says quietly. I smile to myself. I know I've won his approval at least for now. Haydn smiles at me and passes the salad. Dean was right about confidence. If you fake it long enough, it'll start coming naturally. I charm Victor over with my knowledge of baseball and I work over Joan with a few bright smiles I picked up from Sam over the years. After dinner they tell me that I'm welcome back at anytime. Haydn and I take a walk together and kiss under a streetlight. I could stay out here like this with her forever and I tell her so. She says that she wants to camp under the stars with me.

"Where?"

"In my backyard" She shrugs, "It'll be fun. We'll have a little tent and sleeping bags and popcorn"

"Popcorn?"

"It's not a campout without popcorn." A dimple flashes in her cheek and I kiss her. I want to touch her and feel how warm and soft she is underneath her shirt but she breaks the kiss and I jam my hands into my pockets.

"I'll ask my aunt and uncle if we can do it tomorrow. I can't wait!"

"Me neither" I smile. I don't sleep that whole night, all I can think of is a night beneath the stars with Haydn. I picture what she would look like sleeping peacefully next to me. I take out my cellphone to put it back into my duffle bag when I realize that my bag is empty. Did Ellen forget to take my stuff out of the drier? I swing off the bed and put my phone on top of the dresser instead. One of the drawers is open a crack so I pull it. All of my clothes are neatly folded inside. I smile and throw myself back on the bed. Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up early enough to make Ellen breakfast.

Victor isn't as excited about me spending the night as Joan and Haydn are. He takes me aside and makes me promise that there will be 'no monkey business'.

"Yes sir"

"I was your age once" he reminds me

I assumed so but I'm not going to point out what a stupid statement that is. I just promise that I'll obey his rules and keep the tent unzipped at all times.

Haydn is in purple flannel pajama pants and a tank top. I've never seen anything so beautiful. Joan doesn't want us starting a fire in her backyard so we pop the popcorn inside and make s'mores in the microwave. Joan brought us Oreos and milk. Haydn blushes in embarrassment but I'm grateful for them. I love cookies and milk. I'm so excited that the whole box of cookies falls out of my hands and break into hundreds of pieces in the wrapper.

"Crap. Sorry" I frown

Haydn picks up the cookies and opens up the package. I was right. They're broken beyond repair

"It's okay" She smiles, "my mom used to say 'sometimes crumbled cookies make the best desserts'. Have you ever made Dirt Dessert before?"

I shake my head no. She makes a layer of crushed cookies on the bottom of a bowl, tops it with vanilla pudding and then layers another sheet of cookies on top.

"It's my favorite. Dig in"

Dirt dessert is delicious. It's my favorite too.

After the lights go off in the house, Haydn and I lie in the grass outside of the tent and look up at the stars.

"My brothers used to do this" I say, "They would stay up all night and watch the stars together and never say one thing"

"What would you do?"

"Sleep" I frown. I wish I stayed up with them now.

"Your brothers sound like they were really close"

"Yeah"

"I wish I got to know my sister" She sighs. I look over at her. She never mentioned a sister before.

"She died before I was even born. She's the reason my parents started hunting in the first place. Heather. She died when she was two years old. Ghoul"

"Wow. Bummer" I say up at the stars

"I miss my mom and dad. I don't know how I would have gotten through this summer if it wasn't for you" Her voice is cracking and she sounds like she's on the verge of tears. I move closer and wrap my arms around her while she cries silently.

"I'm glad you're here too. I was all alone before I met you" The honesty of my own words as they escaped my mouth cut like a knife and suddenly I felt like crying too.

"Haydn?" I whisper lightly into her hair

"Yes?"

"Can you just… Can you stay with me? Can I have you and can you stay?"

"I'm right here, Evan" She sniffles and hugs me tighter

"Please don't leave me." I beg her without a thought, "please don't leave me alone"

Haydn raises her lips to mine and kisses me "I won't ever leave you. I'll stay here with you forever. I love you so much. My aunt and uncle can move their practice here and I can stay with you. I'll never leave you"

"I love you." I confess for the first time out loud and I'm half sobbing

"I'll stay" She wipes my face with the palm of her hand, "I'll never leave you"

Haydn and I don't ride together on the first day of school because we're on different bus routes but we catch up soon after the buses arrive. People give us funny looks because I'm and underclassmen and she's the prettiest girl in school. I carry her books for her to her first class and then try to find mine. A pimple-ridden boy my age stands in my way.

"Can I help you?" I ask

"Evan Winchester?"

"Yeah?"

"Tyler Morgan. I'm your buddy. You're new here so I'm supposed to show you around"

"Oh. Okay"

He leads me down the main corridor and points at the offices, "That's Principal Rose's office, you'll probably never see her face since she never leaves that room. If she wants something from you, she'll send a letter. That's the Dean…"

I wince at the name.

"You'll want to avoid seeing him, he's pretty much a dick"

"I'll keep that in mind" I nod. There's a banging at the end of the corridor and we turn around to see what's making the noise. Bear and his gang are horsing around the locker area and pushing each other.

"Speaking of things you'll want to avoid…" Taylor huffs, "I'd watch out for them if I were you. Word is that they've been gunning for you"

"What?"

"Dude, everyone knows that you kicked the crap out of them this summer and now two of them can't even play varsity football this year. Everyone is pretty pissed. I'd lay low if I were you. Then again, it doesn't help that you stole the Quarterback's girlfriend"

"She wasn't his girlfriend"

"Good luck convincing anyone else of that" He clucks

"Right… Can you show me to my class now?"

Haydn and I don't share the same lunchtime so I sit at my table alone. Taylor walks over with his tray.

"Hey, I'm sorry Evan, I know I'm supposed to be your buddy but you're pretty much blacklisted right now and I just stopped being picked on like, last year-"

"It's okay, Taylor" I roll my eyes

"Thanks!" He says and scurries off, the poor pathetic guy.

A tray slams down on my table and I look up and see Bear hovering over it with the goon squad behind him. The whole cafeteria is silent and staring.

"Well, look who it is" He growls

"How's the arm?" I ask and take a bite of my sandwich

"You cost me varsity, you little punk" His voice is low and angry but I can tell by the way he won't make eye contact with me that he's afraid. This is just a show to save face.

"Oops" I smirk, "I guess I don't know my own strength"

"You think this is funny? I'm going to kick your ass!"

"Just you this time? Or are your friends coming along for the ride again?" I'm goading him but I can't help but poke the bear. Not while he's so obviously grabbing for his dignity and self-respect.

Tall jock takes a step forward but stops himself after one step. I throw a wink his way and grin.

"You've got a smart ass, kid"

"Thanks. It's firm too"

"Afterschool today in the field. This time I'm ready for you. I'm going to kick your ass"

"I am going to smash your face" I grin in anticipation

"Evan, don't fight him." Haydn snaps at me when we meet up at my locker

"Why are you getting all pissy at me? He's the one who came up to me about it"

"I don't care. Don't fight him"

"Why not?" I shrug

"Why not?" She stares at me incredulously, "how about why? You have nothing to gain from it. You've already won. Plus I want you to save your energy for something more important" She says and hands me a flyer

"What's this?" I ask and take it from her

"Baseball try-outs today after school. What do you say?"

"I say, I love you" I grin and kiss her

"You'll do it?"

"Hell yeah. Are you going to watch the try-outs?"

"Are you kidding me? Me, miss an opportunity to see my boyfriend massacre the rest of these meathead douchebags? Of course I'm going to be there"

"Good" I close my locker and spin the lock

"And Evan?"

"Hm?"

"Don't fight"

I wasn't going to fight him. I was heading home from try-outs and I was in a great mood because I hit almost every pitch right out of the park. I was walking to the gym to put away my equipment and then to the afterschool bus with Haydn so I could go back home. Bear is the one who decided to head us off and ambush us with the entire football team. He's the one who shoved me and his teammate was the one who reached for Haydn. Unfortunately for his teammate, I was the one still holding a bat. There was a loud smacking sound as the bat connected with his ribs. Someone reached in and tried to grab my bat and was met instantly by my fist against the bridge of his nose. Everyone else dispersed after that and ran for the school. Haydn looks at me in horror and then grabs my hand. We start to run away from the field together.

"We have to hide you!" She's screaming.

"Where?"

"In the woods behind my house! They'll never find you! We can hide together!" But I know we won't make it to her house and there's nowhere to hide. The cops will be on my tail in less than a minute and… That's when I see it; a four door hard top black 67' Chevy Impala pulling up to the side of the road. I stop running dead in my tracks.

"Sam?" I gasp

"What are you doing? Come on!" Haydn shrieks at me and tugs my arm but I'm frozen as the driver's side door and passenger's side door open simultaneously. Dean walks around the front of the car and waves at me to come over to him.

"Dean" I breathe and I'm vaguely aware that Haydn has stopped yanking at me

"Evan! Come on! The cops are coming!" Dean shouts at me in his real voice; his real alive voice.

"D-Dean?"

Sam grabs my other arm and yanks me towards the car and back into reality.

"Haydn" I stammer looking back at her. She's staring at me in shock. The car door shuts behind me and Sam and Dean climb back into the front seat. Dean starts the engine.

"Evan!" Haydn screams snapping out of her daze. She's screaming and banging on the window as Dean peels away. "Evan! Don't leave me! Please don't go!"

I press my hand against the glass of the Impala but my throat is too tight and stings too much to speak.

"Dean?" I whisper

"Hey kiddo, not exactly the reunion I'd planned but we'll do it right once we lose the cops, okay?"

"Dean?" I shudder and sob, "Dean?"

He reaches a hand back for me and I take it. He squeezes my hand in his.

"I missed you too"

"I was going to call you" Sam says, "but I wanted it to be a surprise"

"You got Dean?" I squeak past the lump in my throat

"No, I wish. It's a little more complicated than that"

"We'll get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, was that you're girlfriend back there?"

Haydn! I slap my hands on my head and curl into a ball.

"She's a peach!" Dean laughs, "you made me proud little brother"

"We have to go back! I left her out there alone!"

"We can't. The cops are on our tail right now, no doubt about it. We have to stay away for a while"

"We can't leave her!"

"They're after you, Evan. Not her. She'll be fine"

Dean says from the front seat. My dead brother Dean Winchester, who has come back to life after four months of being gone from this Earth after being ripped to shreds by demonic mutts and then burned in a pyre, is driving and talking to me. Sam, the brother who abandoned me three months ago is next to him pretending that everything is normal and okay. And the love of my life and best friend in the whole world is crying at the side of the street because I left her without even saying goodbye. The tears that come are thick and sloppy. My body shakes in confusion over the rush of emotions I'm being attacked with. I start to hyperventilate.

"Evan. Evan, breathe!" Dean calls back to me in panic

I can't steady my breaths.

Sam grabs a bag and hands it to me. I breathe into it rapidly and my head gets light.

"Evan, buddy, you've got to relax" Dean says

"Evan, listen to me" Sam says calmly to me, "you have to slow your breathing. You're going to pass out"

A flash of anger rips through me like lightning when Sam's eyes touch mine. As I slip into unconsciousness, I feel my first clear emotion since the car pulled up next to me, repulsion.