The school hallway was too quiet for his liking. Castiel walked along, dragging his feet a little, his hands in his pockets and his jacket open despite the cold. The detention notice still echoed in his head like a bad joke.

“Great... just what I needed,” he muttered irritably, pushing open the door to the empty classroom assigned for detention.

The squeak of the hinges broke the silence and drew a twisted grimace from him, almost a humorless smile.

The classroom smelled of dust and old chalk. There was no one else there. Of course. Castiel dropped his backpack on one of the tables and sat sideways on the chair, leaning his back against the wall. He crossed his arms, his gaze lost in the window, watching the gray midday sky. Punished for being late, for talking back, for not pretending to care about everything. It was always the same. It wasn't that he was looking for trouble... he just wasn't going to change to make others happy.

He tapped the edge of the desk gently with his fingers, marking a slow, almost unconscious rhythm. He thought about music, about how much he would rather be playing the guitar than wasting his time there. He thought, even though he didn't want to admit it, about how certain looks seemed to judge him without understanding anything. It bothered him. It mattered more to him than he was willing to admit.

He sighed, tilting his head back and closing his eyes for a second.

“What a waste of time...” he said quietly, but without as much force.

He wasn't going to apologize. He wasn't going to promise to behave better. But it wasn't as simple as pretending he didn't feel anything either. He opened his eyes again, his expression serious, hardened by habit. The punishment would end. He would remain the same. And that, whether others liked it or not, was not up for discussion.