verucasalt123 | snapshots ficlet

Title: The Road
Author: verucasalt123
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Sam Winchester
Claim: Theme 15 – The Story Begins
Theme: http://verucasalt123.livejournal.com/230174.html
Prompt(s): #6
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I own no Winchesters, Singers, Murphys or any other member of the Supernatural cast.
Summary: Sixteen hours between Sam and his new life.

Walking away from Dean was the toughest thing Sam had ever had to do; being disconnected and out on his own in the world was the scariest. The fear of the unknown was more terrifying than any monster he’d ever come across with his father and brother. His emotions were so conflicted and he couldn’t sort them out, which led to him just kind of blankly staring out the window of the bus for hours. The realization had hit him about halfway through the trip, after he’d hopped off and into the station for a soda and a bag of Starburst; there was just as much good here in this situation as there was bad. He remembered one of the books he’d read from school - It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Dickens, he thought, almost sure. And fuck if where he was right this minute couldn’t be described by those opening phrases. The spring of hope and the winter of despair…it was exactly how he felt.

Losing his family like that, so unexpectedly, was like a kidney punch. At the same time, Sam knew those were connections that had to be severed if he was going to get the life he wanted, the life he’d worked so hard for, the life he deserved.

What was waiting for him in California, though? Sam knew he’d live in a dorm because of his scholarship. Maybe he’d have a roommate and it wouldn’t be weird to sleep in a room alone for just about the only time in his life. It could help, he thought, ease Sam into the transition, make him feel a little less isolated.

Stanford was a bright shining star on his horizon. He’d have to sacrifice a whole hell of a lot more than he’d expected, but Sam wasn’t afraid. It would be new and strange; he’d miss his brother sometimes, he was sure of that. He’d have to find his way around a huge college campus, try to make friends and act like a normal 18 year old who didn’t know the slightest thing about forming relationships with his peers. But Sam could figure out how do it, he knew he could. He’d found a way to collect his many high school transcripts, hide away money for application fees, send off forms and recommendation letters, all underneath the nose of his father and brother, too blinded by their obsession for revenge to notice Sam was planning an exit strategy for the past two years. If he’d come this far under his own power, there was nothing he couldn’t do if he wanted it badly enough; he didn’t even need much help (though he’d be sure to call Bobby once he got settled in at school and thank him for what he’d done).

With his head still tilted onto the window of the bus, Sam let himself smile for the first time since the whole family drama had gone down. He had a good reason to smile. He was walking into a whole new world, and he was damn well going to make it his.