Chapter Text
He has awoke to a new day of Hellton. Those teachers, the mass of homework, the constant control of the higher up on the school board. At least there was the Dead Poets. Having them there was a relief from a lot of the school stress. A way to get away from it all. Getting lost in the moment.
He quietly snuck across the room to his closet, not wanting to awaken his roommate. He’d been rooming with him for a long while and they’d even become close friends now. He was the one who convinced him to join the Dead Poets Society. Neil was always a very persuasive person. A kind one at that. He wouldn’t push boundaries but he had his own way with words.
The sun was beginning to reach through the bottom of the curtains and the little cracks throughout the middle. The sun had come up quite a while ago but it was starting to slow down as winter approached ever so slowly. The beginning of winter was around a month away and the cold had began creeping in Vermont for a while now.
He probably should’ve woken him up soon but knew that Charlie might in a few minutes anyhow and he didn’t want to have to interrupt his sleep. He left his uniform he was holding on the bed for a minute and slowly opened the curtains for some light in the room.
His books had been lying in a pile, ready for his lessons for today. His homework had been finished in a study session yesterday with much more left to complete for later days.
A knock came from the door.
“Good morning my good fellows. Up and at ‘em!” Charlie declared from the doorframe he was leaning against.
Neil sat up in his bed from next to him. Todd looked back towards Charlie. He never knew how Charlie was this awake at this time of morning. Maybe Cameron woke him up much earlier. He was already dressed too, completely ready for breakfast. It wasn’t even that late in the morning, it was still quite early.
“Some of the bathroom is free so it’s best to get there while you can. Breakfast’s in 30.” He shut the door behind him as he left.
“Good morning Todd.” Neil spoke as he got out of bed, rubbing his eyes on the way to his closet. He was smiling at him before he turned back towards what he was doing.
“Morning.” He smiled back before heading to the bathrooms.
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“McAllistor for Latin right before lunch? Somebody take me now!”
“It won’t be that bad Charlie.”
“Bad? It’s agony! You only say that because you’re good at Latin, Meeks!”
“We’ve got Keating at the end of the day though.” Pitts spoke up from next to Meeks.
“You give me hope Pittsie.” Charlie expressed dramatically, in his joking appreciative way that yet wasn’t demeaning.
“Talking about Keating and that all, when’s the next meeting?” Meeks continued while trying to pick up a bit of egg with his fork.
“Friday, then we won’t have to wake up as early the next day.” Neil answered, seemingly passionate about it all. He planned the every last of it to be foolproof with help from the others. “I’ve got the Five Centuries of Verse on my desk but bring anything with to read if you want to.”
“What if we get caught? The dogs nearly got us last time? What says a teacher won’t?”
“Lighten up Cameron. The dogs nearly got us but they didn’t. We have it all sorted. And if you’re so hung up about it, don’t come.”
Cameron rolled his eyes at Charlie’s remark. How they could even last in a dorm with each other no one knows how. Had he ever seen a day where they’d not bickered. Would he ever?
Principal Nolan passed by as if he was some sort of sergeant overlooking everyone. “Finish up your food, boys. Got a day of learning valuable lessons ahead of you all.”
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Lessons passed by ever so slowly that day. However, it was afternoon now, time to relax just for now. None of his homework was due for tomorrow and he promised he’d run lines with Neil soon. They were all hanging around in the common room for now. Close to calm beside from Charlie and his maths homework with Cameron at the chairs near the back. Meeks and Pitts looked to be continuing their work on the radio at the desk. Neil and Knox were looking over a piece of paper that Knox was writing on, he wasn’t sure what though. Todd, in the meanwhile, began his Latin homework which was considerably easier with Meek’s help.
“Hey, you still alright for rehearsing lines?” Neil had somehow snuck up in front of him while he wasn’t paying attention, giving him a slight fright.
“Oh yeah, yeah! Good with me.” Todd tried to act as casual as he could as if someone hadn’t have just snuck up on him.
“Thanks,” his smile lit up the room in his eyes, so warm and bright. “The bridge again?”
“Yeah.” Todd smiled back at him. Yet nothing could beat the warmth of Neil’s gleaming smile in his eyes.
He collected his books that were sprawled across the couch. A quick stop was made at the dorm room to drop all the books off and to acquire the play script. It was to the dock from there. It had always been the place they had rehearsed. It was their spot to hang out alone, in the peace and quiet with a play script. Act out a whole different life; it didn’t matter which, as long as they were in it together.
Only a few people seemed to be out in the breeze today and it seemed as if they were all heading inside over time. They were warm enough in their coats anyways. Maybe it was just the adrenaline ignoring the cold but he was perfectly fine with that too.
They began the practice, enlivening each other progressively throughout it. When push came to shove, Todd was thrilled about reading and acting. That push being no one there but Neil. Not a single person there would ever judge him and Neil’s careful encouragement that would never step over the line of boundaries. He was ecstatic over it all, spinning around the bridge, passionately hollering the speeches of text within the script for Neil to follow along. When all was done, they perched on the edge of the bridge with their legs dangling over the wavering water.
“So, what were you and Knox looking over earlier? Is this about the Chris girl he’s on about?” Todd looked over to meet his eyes.
“Oh, yeah! He asked me to look over a letter he wrote for Chris to make sure everything was well and that she wouldn’t take anything wrong. He needed a second opinion on it with fresh eyes. It’s really good!” Neil looked very thrilled about it all. He always was about anything with his friends. “He said about how the other girls at Ridgeway High are pretty but that none could compare to the ‘glimmer in Chris’ eyes and her benevolent personality’. He said that he would introduce me to some of them once he gets Chris if I help him. I mean what a wonderful offer after demeaning them in comparison to others.” He’s laugh, making a light-hearted joke out of the offer but not in a rude sense.
Todd felt almost a ticklish prickle in his throat as he laughed. However the laugh started to transform in a partial cough.
“Hey, you alright?” Neil had looked over to him with concern.
“Yeah -cough- thanks. Just going to g-cough-et a drink.” Todd picked himself up as his speed-walked to the nearest water fountain.
He reached it just as another coughing fit began. Yet this one was different. A gold-yellow petal just fell out of his mouth. He must’ve accidentally breathed it in and that was what had caused the coughing fits.
He took a few sips from the water fountain, the petal sinking down the drain with the first splash of water to fall down there. He tread back to the dock afterwards to finish off their practice before dinner.