❛ I'm free and ready, so we can go steady. How's about savin' all your time for me? ❜

DEAD POETS SOCIETY
chapter three

FOR ALL THEY were worth, the Dead Poets had begun just like any other group of teenage boys. Hormonal, immature, and without a care for the written word or romanticizing life.

⠀⠀⠀Most of the Dead Poets had already known each other years before the group was created, but Todd Anderson had been the newcomer. He was meek, kind, and relatively quiet. Neil Perry was his roommate and, as the most well-liked and sociable, had already come to accept Todd with open arms.

⠀⠀⠀Neil had made it through the swarm of classmates and parents with relative ease as he knew where he was going and made himself known so that people moved out of his way. Finally, he made it to his shared room with Todd behind, lost in the crowd.

⠀⠀⠀Richard Cameron had come up to his door, a shit-eating grin on his face as he nodded his head at Neil.

⠀⠀⠀"Business as usual, huh?" he asked as Neil set his suitcase on the bed. "Hey, I hear you got the new kid. Looks like a stiff!" Cameron laughed just as Todd pushed his way into the room, hearing every word. "Oops!" he exclaimed unapologetically and raced out of the room.

⠀⠀⠀Neil stood by his bed, trying to keep himself from laughing, but Todd had yet to say anything.

⠀⠀⠀"Listen, don't mind, Cameron. He was born with his foot in his mouth. You know what I mean?" he asked, hitting Todd's arm playfully with the Welcoming Ceremony pamphlet.

⠀⠀⠀Three other Welton boys made their way to Neil's door, smiling with immaturity and genuine happiness, getting to see each other again after the summer break.

⠀⠀⠀"Rumor has it, you did summer school," Charlie Dalton said at the head of the pack as he leaned onto the frame of the door. Behind him, Knox Overstreet and Steven Meeks smirked, although over something of a different nature.

⠀⠀⠀"Yep. Chemistry. My father thought I should get ahead," Neil explained, walking over to the three. "How was your summer, Slick?"

⠀⠀⠀"Keen," Charlie replied, entering the room now that the formalities had passed. He turned to Meeks with a pointed finger, "Meeks. Door. Closed."

⠀⠀⠀"Yes, sir," Meeks nodded, closing the door behind him.

⠀⠀⠀"Gentlemen, what are the four pillars?" Neil began as the rest made themselves comfortable around the room.

⠀⠀⠀"Travesty. Horror. Decadence. Excrement," they all chanted together, besides Todd, who continued to unpack his things as if he couldn't see or hear them.

⠀⠀⠀Charlie made himself comfortable on Neil's bed, lighting a cigarette while Knox and Meeks sat in the two chairs given to the boys' desks.

⠀⠀⠀"Okay, first the boring stuff," Charlie stated, taking a drag of his smoke. "Study group. Meeks aced Latin. I didn't quite flunk English. So, if you want, we've got our study group."

⠀⠀⠀"Sure," Neil agreed. "Cameron asked me too. Anyone mind including him?"

⠀⠀⠀"Hm, what's his specialty, bootlicking?" Charlie asked rhetorically as he took a drag of his smoke.

⠀⠀⠀"Come on, he's your roommate," Neil jested.

⠀⠀⠀"That's not my fault," Charlie shrugged, laughing through his words. "Oh, guess who Knoxious over there became best buds with during the ceremony."

⠀⠀⠀Neil looked at Knox, who had a giant smile on his face and a red blush etched across his cheeks, before turning back to Charlie.

⠀⠀⠀"A girl? Who?" Neil asked.

⠀⠀⠀"Knox wouldn't say anything, but she's gorgeous. Black hair and emerald eyes, a real fox. And she even waved to Knox when she was walking around, so we know he's not lying," Charlie told the boys, who had all seemed to fall into a daydream.

⠀⠀⠀"Her name's Eliza," Knox told them, not sure how much he should say, but his words got the best of him one way or the other.

⠀⠀⠀"Did you get her number?" Neil asked excitedly. "Before Charlie goes and breaks her heart," he laughed.

⠀⠀⠀"Or her last name?" Meeks asked, leaning across his knees. "We could try to look her up in the phone book."

⠀⠀⠀"Her last name's Keating," Knox said under his breath.

⠀⠀⠀"Like the new teacher?" Todd asked, presenting himself to the rest of the room as curiosity got the better of him.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm sorry," Meeks said sincerely. "My name is Steven Meeks," he greeted, stretching across the room to shake Todd's hand.

⠀⠀⠀Todd had clammed up again, taking Meeks' hand to shake.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, this is Todd Anderson!" Neil exclaimed, patting the shy boy on the shoulder.

⠀⠀⠀"Nice to meet you," Meeks said, removing his hand from Todd's. Todd repeated the sentiment back.

⠀⠀⠀Charlie laid stretched out on Neil's bed as he greeted himself to the timid boy and smiled winningly at him rather than holding his hand out for a shake.

⠀⠀⠀"Knox Overstreet," Knox finished, stretching his hand out to Todd like Meeks.

⠀⠀⠀"Todd's brother was Jeffrey Anderson," Neil explained.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh yeah, sure. Valedictorian. National merit scholar," Charlie recited, nodding his head in recognition.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, well, welcome to Hell-ton," Meeks teased.

⠀⠀⠀"It's every bit as tough as they say unless you're a genius like Meeks," Charlie concluded.

⠀⠀⠀"He flatters me. That's why I help him with Latin," Meeks told Todd with a small laugh.

⠀⠀⠀Charlie coughed on his smoke as he said, "And English, and Trig," he concluded, turning back to Knox. "Knoxious, you gotta tell us more!"

⠀⠀⠀Before Knox could continue, there was a soft rap at the door. The room sprung into action as all the boys stood to their feet and watched as Charlie stomped his cigarette out. Neil followed by trying to wave the smoke out of the air.

⠀⠀⠀"Father," Neil greeted. "I thought you'd gone."

⠀⠀⠀"Mr. Perry," the boys followed.

⠀⠀⠀"Keep your seats, fellows. Keep your seats," Mr. Perry dismissed them, the boys sitting as the two Perrys stood in the middle of the room. "Neil, I've spoken to Mr. Nolan. I think that you're taking too many extracurricular activities this semester, and I've decided that you should drop the school annual."

⠀⠀⠀"But I'm the assistant editor this year," Neil told him, finding what his father was saying unfair.

⠀⠀⠀"Well, I'm sorry, Neil," Mr. Perry stated sincerely.

⠀⠀⠀"But, Father, I can't! It wouldn't be fair—"

⠀⠀⠀"Fellas," Mr. Perry quickly cut his son off. "Would you excuse us for a moment?"

⠀⠀⠀Mr. Perry stepped to the door, Neil following, and the two walked out to speak in private, although the room could hear every degrading word Mr. Perry said to his son. The boys heard Mr. Perry walk away, and soon Neil's friends were standing back at the door for him.

⠀⠀⠀"Why doesn't he let you do what you want?" Charlie asked.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, Neil, tell him off," Knox agreed. "It couldn't get any worse."

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, that's rich," Neil laughed, turning to the two boys obviously hurt by his father's strict rules dictating his life. "Like you guys tell your parents off Mr. Future Lawyer and Mr. Future Banker."

⠀⠀⠀"Okay, so I don't like it any more than you do," Charlie agreed, shrugging his shoulders.

⠀⠀⠀"Well, just don't tell me how to talk to my father. You guys are the same way," Neil heatedly stated.

⠀⠀⠀"Alright, alright, Jesus. So, what are you gonna do?" Knox asked.

⠀⠀⠀"What I have to do. Drop the annual."

⠀⠀⠀"Well, I wouldn't lose much sleep over it. It's just a bunch of jerks trying to impress Nolan," Charlie tried to help ease Neil's mind.

⠀⠀⠀Neil took in a deep breath.

⠀⠀⠀"I don't care. I don't give a damn about any of it."

⠀⠀⠀"Well, uh, Latin, eight o'clock in my room?" Meeks asked the boys.

⠀⠀⠀"Yes," Neil agreed, walking through the three and back into his room.

⠀⠀⠀"Todd, you're welcome to join us," Meeks called to the boy as he left.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, come along, pal," Knox joined.

⠀⠀⠀"Thanks," Todd nodded his head with a smile.

⠀⠀⠀The boys were just about to disperse when Knox paused and said, "Oh, and Eliza, she's going to be at Welton for the term."

⠀⠀⠀The boys whipped their heads in Knox's direction, who sent them a shit-eating grin before darting out. Meeks, Neil, and Charlie all scrambled to the door as they watched Knox run to his room.

⠀⠀⠀"You can't just leave us hanging like that, Overstreet!" Charlie shouted at him.

AUTHOR'S NOTE —

There's a little peek into the boys and how they are reacting to Eliza "attending" Welton.

SONG: Hey, Good Lookin' by Hank Williams

Thank you for reading! Leave comments telling me your thoughts on this chapter, but however you interact, know that I really appreciate you reading. I hope you enjoy, and until the next one.