I don't know what to do with this. The cable got yanked out when the front wheel was off and the handlebars were twisted the wrong way, so it's the front brake cable. I'm really really really reluctant to mess with anything beyond the wheels and chain on my bike, but I also really don't want to have to bring this to a bike shop. What do I do?
Don't beat yourself up over it. I spent all of college fixing up shitty bike shaped objects for fun(and one time profit!). I never spent more than 250 dollars on my own bikes so I know how to keep them going. Keep at it and all the parts will start to make sense.