Castiel went straight for the bathroom, wiping tears from his cheeks as he ran. When he'd locked himself in a stall, he sank to the floor, completely breaking down. This wasn't how his first day was supposed to go. He supposed it wasn't really Dean's fault, but it still stung how ignorant he was. Castiel clenched his fists, remembering what Dean had said. Can't people just say what they want to say? The words echoed around Castiel's head and he clenched his hands in his hair. He wanted nothing more than to say what he thought.

Castiel jumped as he heard the door of the bathroom open. It was quiet for a second, then someone spoke.

"Castiel? Are you in here?" It was Dean. For once, Castiel was glad he couldn't answer, but Dean didn't seem to give up that easily. "I'm really sorry if what I said upset you." Castiel just sat there, hoping he would go away. "I'm not leaving here until you talk to me," Dean told him. Castiel almost laughed out loud. He waited a few more minutes, but Dean didn't budge, so Castiel decided he would have to. He stood up and came out of the stall. Dean stood up straight from where he was leaning against the wall, but Castiel ignored him, going to wash his hands. Castiel was rather proud of himself, because Dean Winchester was a very hard man to ignore, with his emerald green eyes and short blond hair. Castiel turned around to see Dean standing right there.

"Why won't you talk to me, Cas?" He asked. Castiel tilted his head when he heard the nickname. No one had ever given him a nickname before. "Just talk to me. We're partners, after all." Castiel pushed past Dean and walked out of the bathroom. Dean didn't follow him, thank god.

At lunch, Castiel sat alone, like he was used to, until Dean walked over with a red-headed girl and sat down across from him.

"Hey, Cas! This is my best friend, Charlie. Charlie, this is Cas," Dean introduced. Charlie smiled, but Cas just looked at his hands. After a few moments of silence, Dean and Charlie started talking about something or other. Cas didn't really listen. He continued eating his lunch, watching Dean and Charlie, until suddenly he found himself trying to count Dean's freckles. There were so many of them, he kept losing count. At some point, Dean turned to look at Castiel, startling him out of his counting.

"So Cas, why don't you tell us about yourself?" He asked. Castiel looked back down at his food, turning red. Dean waited for a moment.

"Look, Cas, I'm really sorry about the whole Art thing. Please just talk to me. I want to be friends," Dean said. Castiel reached into his backpack and pulled out his sketchbook, debating whether or not to show it to Dean. He sighed and opened it. Once he found the page he wanted, he turned it around to show Dean and Charlie.

"Is that... Ursula?" Charlie asked. Castiel nodded and pointed to the little boy in the drawing.

"That's you?" Dean asked. Castiel nodded again.

"So... Ursula stole your voice?" Charlie asked. Castiel nodded and quickly shut the sketchbook.

"You're mute..." Dean realized. Castiel stared at his food again.

"I'm really sorry, Cas. I didn't know," Dean said. Castiel shook his head. Word was going to get around, now. He hadn't expected to go his entire senior year without anyone finding out, but he'd hoped to last longer than this. He stood up and started walking away. He heard Dean stand up, but he just walked faster. He avoided Dean for the rest of the day, mostly by hiding in the janitor's closet. When the school day ended, he began his walk home. He could take the bus, but he didn't want to be in a bus with a lot of other students. Besides, he enjoyed walking. He took a deep breath, starting to calm down after his day. He heard the sound of a car engine and looked back to see a black car coming up the road. When it was next to him, it slowed down and the window rolled down.

"Hey, Cas! Need a ride?" Dean asked from the driver's seat. Castiel shook his head, noticing the younger boy in the passenger seat.

"You're sure? I don't mind," Dean persisted. Castiel shook his head again.

"Okay. But if you ever change your mind, just let me know," Dean said. He waved and started back up the road again. Castiel went back to staring at his feet as he walked along the sidewalk. When he reached the outside of his house, he stared at it for a long time before opening the front gate. As he walked towards the house, he heard shouting and stopped in his tracks.

"How can you have been thrown out already?! It's only been a week!" Castiel recognized his father's voice and quickly turned, heading for the backyard instead of the house. He climbed into the treehouse a couple yards from his back porch and pulled out his sketchbook and a pack of colored pencils. He took a moment to look at the walls around him before starting to draw. He drew Dean to the best of his memory, which wasn't very good, but it was better than nothing.

Just as he was putting the finishing touches on his drawing, he heard someone coming up the ladder and his brother Gabriel poked his head into the tree house. The first thing Castiel noticed was Gabriel's slowly purpling eye. As Gabriel climbed in and sat on the floor of the treehouse, Castiel rushed over to him, concerned.

"Relax, Castiel. I'm fine. Dad's just a little pissed because I got kicked out of college already," Gabriel said. Castiel patted his brother's arm.

"Yeah, I know. But let's not talk about me. How was your day?" Gabriel asked. Castiel shrugged.

"You know, it really would help if you told me out loud," Gabriel said. Castiel shook his head. Gabriel sighed.

"Then at least write it," he said. Castiel grabbed his sketchbook again and started drawing much simpler pictures. The first one was Dean and him in art class, with the words why can't people just say what they mean? Coming from his mouth. The next one was Dean and Castiel in the bathrooms, with Dean saying sorry. Then one where Dean said he wanted to be friends. Then, finally, a picture of when Castiel told Dean and Charlie he was mute.

"Aw, I'm sorry. That sucks. At least Dean wants to be friends, though," Gabriel said. Castiel shook his head and leaned into his brother. Gabriel sighed again, but he wrapped his arms around Castiel.

"It's okay, baby brother. It's going to be okay."