By the time classes started, Dean knew he'd screwed up big time. Challenging Lucifer, getting Cas involved, it was all no good.

The moment his eyes had met Lucifer's he'd known. This was all just a game for the bastard. He didn't care that he'd hurt Sammy and he didn't care if Dean would come after him. That little smile on Lucifer's face as he looked at Dean made him think that the guy would actually quite enjoy it. He'd had those two girls next to him and ready within a second. Dean didn't think he wanted to know what that meant...

He did know that he was really fricking angry though. To think that he'd been willing to give Lucifer a chance, all for Sam, while Michael was right all along. Well, "right" was maybe a bit of an overstatement. Dean hadn't forgotten the way Michael had treated him just because he thought his dad was some sort of saint.

Michael and Lucifer, the Shurley vendetta... And they were both traitorous assholes.

And Cas... Cas never should have gotten involved. Dean hadn't failed to notice the way the other Shurleys were watching him. Cas was going to get in a shit ton of trouble and it was all Dean's fault. He almost wished his friend had let him get his ass kicked by Lucifer. Yes, it would have been incredibly stupid but at least Dean would have gotten his point across and Michael wouldn't have been onto Cas.

"Would you stop sulking?" Jo asked from the seat next to his.

"What?"

She rolled her eyes. "Look, I know you wanna make Lucifer pay for whatever it is that he did to Sam. And I also know that right about now you're probably wishing you'd never gotten involved with the Shurleys in the first place, but that guy... Dean, he seemed way too eager to take you on, and you're no use to Sam if you get hurt, keep that in mind."

"Yeah I know, alright?" Dean waved her words away. "No good fighting with someone like Lucifer, I get it."

"Just saying. It might be me but this school is starting to feel like a war zone lately. Ever since the Shurleys got here... We've got enough trouble as it is, without you looking for more fights with Lucifer," she said.

"I just don't want to let him get away with it, you know?"

Jo smiled. "He won't, eventually. Karma's a pain in the ass."

He laughed but there was little humor in it. He hoped she was right because Dean didn't think he'd be able to give it a rest anytime soon. She made a good point though, it did feel like a war zone. The thing was, Dean honestly felt about ready to kick some ass.

~~~

During his break, Sam went outside. He just wanted some time for himself. Not that his friends had been anything but amazing and he definitely wasn't going to let it get as far as it had with Jess, but it was a tiring day and he needed a moment alone with his thoughts. So since his usual spot in the hallway was now tainted with its own painful memories and the weather was starting to clear up, he went to find himself a place in the schoolyard.

He soon sat down against one of the back walls, where it was most quiet, and let his mind wander. Why did everything have to be so complicated for him? Sometimes he wished he was more like Dean, he- Okay, admittedly Dean had had plenty of his own problems lately but they still didn't seem as bad as Sam's. But maybe that wasn't a fair comparison.

He dropped his head onto his knees and closed his eyes. Why, Lucifer, why? Why couldn't we just be happy? Technically he knew the answer but he didn't understand it.

Then he heard a small tick, as if something had been dropped at his feet, and he looked up. It was a lollipop. Apple flavor. He recognized the wrapper immediately, and he was almost shocked to find himself feeling... slightly comforted because of it. It was familiar and in the emotional roller coaster of his life, familiar was a relief. One thing was different though; this time there was a small piece of paper folded around the stick.

Sam didn't even have to look around to know who it was from but he picked the candy up anyway, and unfolded the note. To his surprise, there was only a phone number on it, which did make him look up. Gabriel Shurley was casually leaning against one of the few trees, eyes fixed on Sam, lips curled around a lollipop of his own.

The candy Sam thought he understood. That was just Gabriel's way of showing sympathy he guessed. But the Trickster had given Sam his phone number and he had no idea why. Or why he was already getting his phone out for that matter.

'Go ahead and say "I told you so" if you want. You were right,' he sent.

He watched Gabriel read the text and frown. 'I'm not exactly here to gloat, Sam. What even makes you think I wanted this to happen?'

'Well, you were pretty pushy'

Sam could almost hear Gabriel sigh as he shook his head. 'Told ya kiddo, I just didn't wanna see you get hurt'

'Why not?' Sam typed back.

'Because'

Sam rolled his eyes. 'You know, I hope you realize you're a quite annoying person to talk to over text as well'

'That is my specialty, yes,' was the reply, and Sam smiled despite himself.

For a second he didn't know what to say. Then he decided he might as well try to take advantage of Gabriel talking to him like a decent person. 'Why the phone number?'

'Tell me if I'm wrong but you didn't seem that big a fan of the pranks'

Sam sighed. 'Yeah no kidding. I mean, why can't you ever just come up to a person and talk to them?'

The answer took a bit longer this time and he took advantage of the moment to unwrap the lollipop and put it into his mouth.

'And risk my siblings seeing me? Sorry, I think I'll pass'

'Cas is doing it'

'My little brother means well but he's an innocent fool'

Sam huffed at that. 'At least he's nice'

He thought he could see an offended look pass Gabriel's features. 'I'm nice'

'You're really not tho xD,' Sam replied, hoping that the emoji would make it sound a little less harsh. Admittedly, he was only half joking.

'News flash, Sam: the world's too cruel to be nice,' was Gabriel's answer.

With everything that had happened, there was hardly any way Sam could deny that but he wasn't going to talk about it to the Trickster of all people.

'So again: why the phone number? Why *are* you talking to me?'

He looked at Gabriel and saw the other boy's fingers hovering over the keys for a couple of seconds. He started to type, stopped, started again. Then he glanced up and met Sam's eyes. Sam gave a little smile in response.

Gabriel started typing once more, and then Sam got the text. 'I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what happened with you and Lucifer'

Well, that wasn't what he had been expecting. Not knowing what else to say, Sam simply sent him, 'Thank you'

'My brother's a dick, you can do better than him'

He stared at the words. Oh screw it, who cared if he poured out his heart to the Trickster. 'Can I tho? Haven't had too many highlights the last couple of months, you'd start to think I'm just doomed to be unhappy'

It took a while before Gabriel's reply came in but once it did, Sam understood why. 'Okaaayyyyyy easy there, Goethe. Look, I know you've gone through a lot lately but that's not on you, Sam. What happened to Jess was nobody's fault and what happened with Lucifer was Lucifer's fault. Yeah it sucks that you got dragged into it but that's just the way it goes. You didn't do anything wrong and if there's anyone who's gonna be miserable for the rest of his life, it'll be probably be Lucifer. And Dad knows he's earned it big time'

Sam smiled a little bit at that. 'You know, if it hadn't been for the Tuesday from hell, I think you and Dean might actually get along pretty well'

'Hah! He wishes,' Gabriel's reply read.

'I really doubt that to be honest'

'Hey, you're still talking to me, that's gotta count for something'

He guessed Gabriel was right about that much, and Sam honestly didn't know how he felt about it. For a moment he had to remind himself that this was the same guy that had played pranks on him for an entire week when he got here, that had bullied his brother, and that had sabotaged his relationship, even if it didn't need much sabotaging in the first place. No matter how nice he was acting now, Sam didn't really know Gabriel. Hell, maybe the guy was just as bad as the rest of his brothers. It didn't matter what Castiel had said about seeing the best in people, Sam wasn't about to let himself be fooled again. This time he would be more careful. He had to be.

So, trying to return to a more casual conversation, Sam answered, 'Yeah, probably for me being an "innocent fool", right?'

When he didn't immediately get a response, Sam looked up at Gabriel again. The older Shurley was staring at his phone and Sam wondered if something else had come up on it.

'You okay?' he sent, his thoughts from mere seconds ago already forgotten.

That seemed to break through Gabriel's trance. 'Course I am, why wouldn't I be? Anyway, class is about to start, gotta get going'

Sam frowned at his phone. That was... weird. Had he just really scared off Gabriel? Gabriel, the one person who never backed off? He read back their conversation to see if anything he'd sent could have come across differently than he'd meant it to. Was it because he'd said he was a fool for talking to Gabriel? It didn't seem very likely since the guy had hardly seemed fazed by Sam saying he wasn't nice either. If he were crazy, Sam might have thought the other boy had somehow read his mind and was insulted by that.

He bit down on the piece of candy in his mouth and got up. Despite his weird behavior, Gabriel was right and he should be heading back in.

~~~

Happy holidays, everyone! I suddenly remembered that last year I felt like I should have done a holiday chapter and thought I could do one this year butttt yeah that ain't happening xD Maybe one day in a different fic...

PS, I only came up with the idea for the title afterwards but it seemed fitting and then I listened to the Linkin Park song that inspired it and now it just fits so goddamn perfectly I had to mention it.