A/NI know this chapter is boring, but I want to establish how Castiel's class works and hope that makes it better in the future.
Castiel can't be late on the first day. He has to get to class. This building is so big, where is he going? Ugh, he needs help. He spots a familiar boy walking past him-one of the only kids he'll know in this school.
"Gabe, help me," he mutters, pulling his younger brother aside. Gabriel is a senior at the high school Castiel is now teaching at, so he's sure he can count on his brother to help him find where he's going.
"Whatcha need?" Gabriel asks, not at all bothered by being seen talking to a teacher.
"Do you have any idea where I'm going?" Castiel asks hopefully.
"Depends. Room number?"
Castiel repeats the number he's had practically tattooed on his brain.
"Oh, that's right across from the gym, which is coincidentally exactly where I'm going!" Gabriel starts walking, and Castiel follows him.
"Gym first block?" Castiel repeats. "Wow, life must suck for you."
Gabriel shrugs. "I'll survive. Probably run into the basketball hoop because I'm so tired, but I'll survive."
Castiel laughs. "No brain injuries on the first day. I don't want to have to bring you home."
"Really, just the first day?"
Castiel shrugs, a playful grin on his face. "What can I say? I want to make a good first impression."
Gabriel shakes his head as if embarrassed by his brother, but he doesn't even try to hide the fact that he's laughing. He stops in front of a large set of doors with large windows on them. He points to the smaller door across the hall, also with a large window.
"Alright, that's your room. See ya later." He turns to go through the doors that Castiel realizes lead to the gym, but before he goes in, he turns around. "I hear the new gym teacher's a pretty hot guy," he says with a wink, disappearing before Castiel can reply.
Castiel is openly gay. In a world like today, it doesn't usually cause any problems. He won't go around telling everyone, but he doesn't hide it, either. Why try to hide who he is? Still, his brothers love to make fun of him for it. Castiel doesn't mind, though. He's used to the torment he gets from his large family. He finds it as entertaining as they do, most of the time.
Castiel steps into his new classroom and looks around. Not bad, not bad. When his eyes land on the chair by his new desk, he grins. Rolling swivel chair! Wow, this is going to be a great year. He sits down in it, but he doesn't play around. He needs to at least appear somewhat sane for the beginning of the year.
He looks around at the students in front of him. The bell has rung, but there are only a few kids here. Looking at his attendance sheet, he notices that there are only a few kids in his first class. It doesn't surprise him-this is an optional course. Not many people want to put up with an entire semester of writing. Castiel counts the people and then the names on the list, and sees there is an extra person in here. Knowing he won't know who is who, he doesn't bother to look to see who doesn't belong. Maybe when he starts class, they'll take the hint and leave.
"Alright, hi guys!" Castiel greets the students, who don't reply. They seem too tired for this. "Am I in The Walking Dead or something?" he jokes.
"Boo! Get off the stage!"
Castiel rolls his eyes at the interrupting student. "Lucifer, you aren't even in this class."
His brother shrugs. "Yeah, so? I wanted to see how your first day went."
"That's sweet of you. Bye!" He gently pushes Lucifer out of the classroom by his back. Lucifer walks willingly away, turning around before Castiel shuts the door on him.
"Have fun! Don't die!"
"Get to class!" Castiel returns in the same tone of voice. When Lucifer is gone he sighs and sits back down in his spinning chair.
"Sorry about that. I should have known better than to work at a school with my brothers," he laughs, hoping his class will respond to him and not fall asleep.
"Lucifer is your brother?" a boy in the front-and only-row repeats, amazed.
Castiel nods. "One of many," he replies. "My name is Castiel Novak. I don't care what you call me, really. Mr. Novak sounds too formal for my taste, but it's up to you. You can call me Castiel if you want."
"Teachers never let us call them by their first names!" a redheaded girl says.
"Well, I don't want to be your normal teacher," Castiel tells her. "I want you guys to be comfortable with me. I want to be your friend. If you guys ever have any problems, or just want someone to talk to, I want to be that person. Granted, I also want to win the lottery, so maybe this is too much to ask for. We'll see. Besides, this is a writing class. Writing is supposed to be something you do freely, without being afraid of being judged. I don't want you guys to be afraid I'll laugh at what you wrote or tell you it's horrible. This is the class I want you guys to get rid of the rules you're used to and just relax and be you. But enough about that. Let's take attendance. Maybe I'll know all your names by the end of class. Maybe I won't know them when the semester ends. There's really no in between with me."
Castiel reads off the names and people raise their hands as he does. Charlie Bradbury, Sam Campbell, (A/N: I'll explain later, but just know this is who you know as Sam Winchester) Jessica (Jess) Moore, Kevin Tran, and Sully Zana. They seem like nice kids, but they're too quiet. Castiel tries to hide his disappointment. He had hoped he'd be able to chat with his classes like friends. Being the socially awkward person he is, he finds it hard to talk to people his own age. People younger than him are a lot easier to talk to, for some reason.
"Alright, so, basically, this class is going to be really fun. I hope. I want it to be really, like, open and let you guys have some fun, so you guys can talk, listen to music, whatever, when I'm not talking to you. No need to raise your hand to speak, because that's annoying. Just call out whatever you want to say. You get to write stories and poetry and basically everything you can think of in this class. I'll also be giving out extra credit to students who really like writing. If you hand in stories or poems or essays, whatever, that you wrote that weren't assigned in this or another class, I'll give you extra credit. It's not much-five points to any assignment for every five thousand words. I could do one point for every thousand words, but then I have to do math when I add it, and I don't feel like doing that. If you write enough in your free time, you could pass this class without doing any assigned work. I don't advise trying it, though."
The redhead-Charlie-calls out, "What can we write for extra credit?"
"Anything you want," Castiel replies.
"Can we write fanfictions?"
Castiel shrugs. "Sure, why not? I'll just have to hope I'm a fan of the same things as you are."
"You're going to regret saying that," she tells him, an evil smirk on her face.
"Oh dear god, what have I done?" he replies jokingly.
"Are we going to do any actual work in this class?" Kevin asks.
"It's the first day, so not now," Castiel replies, but he's confused. Why would someone want to do work? Even Castiel, the biggest overachiever of his high school, hated doing work.
"Do we have any long term projects we can start now?" Kevin asks.
"Well, by the end of the semester, everyone needs to turn in fifty thousand words of something. You can turn in a thousand sonnets if you want to, as long as the total is at least fifty thousand words. I'll hold extra words to the same standards as the extra credit, so if you give me the next Harry Potter book, you'll get more credit than someone who barely hits the fifty thousand. I know it sounds like a lot, but it won't be once you get going. You've got time, too, so you don't have to get started right away."
"If you write every school day, that's five hundred sixty-two words every day, not including the day it's due," Kevin informs him. "That's a lot to write."
"How did you... Never mind." He's already decided Kevin will be the biggest overachiever he will ever meet. It shouldn't surprise him that he could do that math so quickly. "I find that writing is a lot easier if you do it all at once, because you kind of get in a zone. You'll figure out soon when you write best. I know I write best at night before I go to bed. Maybe you write best in the morning, or in the afternoon when you're more awake. Everyone is different."
"Have you ever published a book?" Jess asks.
Castiel shakes his head. "No, but I might eventually."
"You should!" Sully encourages him. "I'm sure everyone would be fighting over who gets to publish it!"
Castiel chuckles. "That's sweet of you, but I doubt it," he admits.
The bell rings, signaling the end of class. Because it's the first day, the classes are shorter to make room for the assembly they have at the end of the day.
"Bye, guys!" Castiel says as they gather their things to leave. "Try to have some fun today!"
"We're at school," Charlie reminds him. "That ain't gonna happen."
"That's why I said 'try.'"
"Still not gonna happen, Cas!" Charlie calls as she leaves the room. Cas? Nicknames already. That's not a bad first day.
The last people in the room are Castiel and Sully. Sully walks up to Castiel, a friendly smile on his face.
"If you ever need help with anything, feel free to ask," Sully says. "It's my fourth year here, so I've kinda figured most of the school out already."
Castiel smiles gratefully. "Thanks, Sully."
Castiel watches him leave, and through the window he sees the gym teacher next door, and only one thing goes through Castiel's mind.
Damn, he's hot.