❛ Why did she leave me so all alone? I was gonna tell her that I loved her and that I need her beside my side. ❜

DEAD POETS SOCIETY
chapter twenty-five

AFTER CAMERON'S REVEAL of Mr. Keating's inevitable downfall because of Neil's suicide, the boys were all taken into questioning over the events of their current fall semester. However, Meeks, Pitts, Todd, Cameron, and Knox were all safe from expulsion because they followed Cameron's words to save their own asses.

⠀⠀⠀There was hesitation to be fair. The boys had been pushed into a corner until they signed a form destroying what was left of Mr. Keating's reputation. The letter claimed Mr. Keating had encouraged the boys to organize a secret society in the woods with his niece, Eliza. She would continue to manipulate their decisions as their friend. They would be seen as an inspiration for their reckless and self-indulgent behavior that led to the death of Neil Perry.

⠀⠀⠀If they were older with their own minds and freedom, they would have never confessed.

⠀⠀⠀Charlie Dalton did not sign the paper, nor did he agree with what it stated. When called into the Headmaster's office with his mother and father staring, disappointed, he didn't speak. Instead, Charlie sat in a volcanic rage as Nolan explained he would be expelled for his reckless and rude behavior. He had published an article on having girls attend Welton. Still, he was currently dating Eliza Keating (as Cameron had informed him) and punched Richard Cameron in the face.

⠀⠀⠀Charlie said nothing still as his parents led him outside and into their nice car to return home to their lovely, stale home as he waited for his punishment.

⠀⠀⠀Charlie sat in his room alone, grounded for the time being. The beige phone lay on the floor beside his bed. His parents had forgotten he had snuck one in there in the first place. The phone rang for a second before he picked it up to answer. He paused a moment, his hand on the receiver as he waited for the telltale squeaks of the stairs for his father to come in and yanked the phone out by the cords. When he heard nothing, he returned to the phone and whispered a soft hello.

⠀⠀⠀"Hello, Charlie," Eliza whispered back, and he could almost hear the stupid smile on her face.

⠀⠀⠀Eliza and John Keating had returned to the small hotel they had been in before the school year started. Soon, they would return to London. Too soon, in Charlie's opinion. The following night, she would be gone, slipping through his fingers.

⠀⠀⠀"Birdie," Charlie smirked, leaning back into the pillows of his bed. "What do I owe this pleasure?" he asked, crossing his legs and twirling the cord of the phone through his fingers as worry crept to the forefront of his mind that this call might just break his heart.

⠀⠀⠀"Nothing is owed, but I would like to see you," she whispered, her words causing cracks to rupture along with his heart.

⠀⠀⠀"See me?" he asked, trying to be nonchalant. "Right now?"

⠀⠀⠀"Yes, I'm standing out your window," she teased sarcastically. "No, you idiot. Can you sneak out tomorrow?"

⠀⠀⠀"Who do you take me for?" Charlie teased with a dry laugh rustling in his throat. "My father works all day, and my mother is going to her book club in the afternoon. Is two alright?"

⠀⠀⠀"Two is good for me," she sighed, a frown twitching in her words. "I can pick you up if you'd like. Just have to tell me where you live."

⠀⠀⠀"Alright," he sighed, wanting to joke but unable to find the words to do so.

⠀⠀⠀"Alright," she agreed, and the numbing feeling gradually pulled them further into their despair.

THE NEXT DAY, Charlie was climbing into Keating's car with Eliza at the wheel. Both of them sitting in the car like this held a sinking feeling in both of them that would never leave, that would always take them back to one dreadful night.

⠀⠀⠀Eliza sat still, staring at the house she had pulled up into. It was red-brick and two stories. The windows had bright white accents, and the garden looked cut to the exact measurements his mother would want it. The snow made the house look even more charming as it accented the roof and the grass to a winter wonderland.

⠀⠀⠀Eliza turned to Charlie with a raised eyebrow.

⠀⠀⠀"So, you really are rich," she laughed, recalling Neil talking about how his family wasn't wealthy like Charlie's.

⠀⠀⠀At the thought of Neil, her smile turned bittersweet. Charlie had turned sheepish under her gaze, looking away as if embarrassed to have a good roof over his head.

⠀⠀⠀"I suppose," Charlie muttered, scratching his neck.

⠀⠀⠀Eliza wanted to continue joking with Charlie. Something along the lines of sarcastically mentioning her being a gold digger. Thank god Charlie was, or else she'd have to dump him. Then the thought felt like salt on her tongue, her mouth screwing shut, and quickly she pulled out of his driveway to get away from the feeling.

⠀⠀⠀They made it to the small diner they had visited once before with Charlie and John in silence. The two walked in and took their seats across from each other. They sat in a booth at the back of the diner; the vinyl seating was cool against their clothes, a distraction as they sat silent.

⠀⠀⠀Their waitress was the same as the time before, kind and quick to get out of their conversation. Not that they had any. She gradually stopped by more often than not to fill the empty void the teenagers had sucked themselves into.

⠀⠀⠀"Going anywhere for the holiday?" the waitress asked the two as she laid the check down.

⠀⠀⠀Charlie was quick to take the slip of paper before Eliza had any ideas of paying. She rolled her eyes but caught the waitress' eye to answer her question.

⠀⠀⠀"London, to visit my aunt," Eliza explained, her smile turning watery, one the waitress noticed immediately. "And I'm not coming back," she whispered, tears running down her cheeks as she tried to keep on smiling, for both her and Charlie.

⠀⠀⠀Charlie looked up from the check, knowing this would soon come. He set the money on top of the paper as the waitress put her hand on the girl's shoulder nervously.

⠀⠀⠀"We have to break up, Charlie," Eliza whispered, heartbroken, as her hands went to her face so that she could bury herself deep within her red cheeks and bloodshot eyes.

⠀⠀⠀"No, we don't," Charlie tried to say, but Eliza shook her head violently.

⠀⠀⠀The waitress still stood awkwardly at the end of the table, her hand shaking on Eliza's shoulder, unsure of what to do. Charlie nodded slightly at the woman, assuring her that everything was okay. The waitress stalled a moment; she didn't want to part with the young woman if there was something more to this story. Finally, Eliza looked up, nodding her head the same as Charlie. The woman smiled warmly and stepped away.

⠀⠀⠀"What are we going to do, Charlie?" Eliza whispered scathingly. "Write letters?"

⠀⠀⠀"Yes, I'll write to you forever until I can move to London and be with you," he said, standing up and sliding into the booth next to her, holding her close to his side.

⠀⠀⠀"Letters won't last. We'll write for a month before realizing it takes weeks just to get one back. We'll be moving on to college soon, you'll be here in your fancy college, and I'll be stuck in England to attend a lesser school than yourself. We'll find new friends, new experiences. Slowly our lives will become so much more than each other that we'll end up forgetting to write or check the mail or even find the time to keep this working," Eliza said quickly, as if she had memorized everything she was going to say.

⠀⠀⠀"We can call, too," Charlie assured her, his hand running up and down her arm.

⠀⠀⠀"Charlie, it costs a fortune to call internationally. We'll make one call and be out of money by the end of it," she told him. "We have to break up," she whispered.

⠀⠀⠀Eliza turned in her seat and out of Charlie's arms. Her hand reached out to rest on his cheek as she smiled sadly at him. Her thumb stroked over the skin of his youthful features and kept them close to her heart before she could never see him again.

⠀⠀⠀"Or else we'll be killing ourselves."

⠀⠀⠀"Too soon," Charlie whispered, but laughed despite himself. He sighed, taking in her green eyes and her pink lips.

⠀⠀⠀Charlie held tight to everything about her, the way she smiled, the way she blushed every time he called her Birdie, her spirit and sweetness. Then, slowly, he nodded, his head falling down as tears streaked against his cheeks.

⠀⠀⠀"We need to break up."

⠀⠀⠀Eliza patted his cheek lightly, lifting his chin and kissing him for a moment. An ending neither wanted.

⠀⠀⠀"I leave tonight," she told him. "But if you'd like, we could spend the afternoon together.

⠀⠀⠀"I'll break my heart even more if we spend any more time together," Charlie whispered.

⠀⠀⠀"I know. I'm sorry for suggesting it."

⠀⠀⠀"Meaning," Charlie continued, taking her hand in his. "You're worth it," he chuckled and pulled her out of the restaurant and back towards the car.

⠀⠀⠀Eliza had taken Charlie to the shopping center she had gone to when he had gotten in trouble for his article. She showed him the way to the antique store. The same one she had found the music box at. Now, it sat on his nightstand, and often he would lie in bed and stare at it for hours just thinking of how much he loved her.

⠀⠀⠀They stepped inside the small antique store, greeting the older woman, who smiled kindly to them at the cash register. They walked through the tight aisles, looking at the hundreds of trinkets lining the shelves. Most items looked cheap and boring, but every so often, they'd find something that reminded them of one of the boys and would laugh.

⠀⠀⠀Charlie had at one point demanded she stay right where she was looking at a small figurine of a boy and a girl that reminded her of Knox and Chris as he ran to the front counter. He wasn't slick in his endeavors, but he didn't give away what he was buying either.

⠀⠀⠀Charlie had returned moments later to resume their scouring of the store, and soon after, they left. They were walking down the streets, close to one another, with Keating's car in their sights.

⠀⠀⠀Eliza's eyes flickered down to the bag in Charlie's hand and stated, "You shouldn't have bought me anything."

⠀⠀⠀"Who said it was for you?" Charlie asked, giving her a cheeky smile. "I've really been missing Knoxious, so I bought him something to remember me by."

⠀⠀⠀"A playboy?" Eliza asked with a stupid laugh as she stepped into the car, Charlie following suit. She turned the ignition on and pulled off the street to head back to Charlie's house before his parents returned home and found their son missing. "That's a little strange considering you want him to remember you by those standards."

⠀⠀⠀"No, you idiot," he laughed, but as they turned onto his street, the feelings turned cold, and the laughter died around them. "Do I have to go home? Can't we just stay here, forever?" he whispered as the car pulled up to the curb beside his house.

⠀⠀⠀"Sorry, Charlie," Eliza soothed sadly, turning to Charlie once the car parked.

⠀⠀⠀Eliza stared into the dark recesses of Charlie's eyes, once warm, were dark with sadness. So many things were changing again, and neither knew what was ahead of them. They knew one thing, though, and that was in this moment was the end for them.

⠀⠀⠀Charlie's hand slowly, shakily rose to rest on Eliza's neck, a frown taking his lips as he stared at her. His eyes darting around her face to take in every facet, every blemish, every instance of her features. She could only stare into his big brown stupid eyes she wished could stay with her forever. His hand was cold from the air outside, the warmth of the car not yet settling on his skin.

⠀⠀⠀At one moment, Charlie's eyes were flickering across her face until he mapped it out her features precisely. Then, his heart raced faster than the thoughts in his head and forced him forward, taking Eliza's mouth with his and smoothed her lips down. For a moment, she sat there in a daze, eyes closed but unmoving. Then she caught on with quick, desperate movements as she pulled Charlie closer to her.

⠀⠀⠀The seat between them was like a canyon as they tried to get as close as they could, but everything seemed to be in the way. The steering wheel, the dashboard, the cup holder, the ceiling. It was all too close, and she could do nothing about it.

⠀⠀⠀Well, she figured, she could do something about that.

⠀⠀⠀Eliza leaned closer to Charlie as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, and for the first time, she didn't start laughing like a schoolgirl. and claimed it felt like there was a tongue in her mouth. Instead, she let the odd feeling settle as the sensation of slugs dissolved and turned to butterflies in her stomach.

⠀⠀⠀Her hand rested on the chair of Charlie's seat before she pulled herself up and over to straddle Charlie's lap. Neither cared if the neighbors were watching. Or if his parents were pulling onto the street any minute.

⠀⠀⠀Eliza's hand moved down to the side of the Charlie, flopping Charlie back so she could lean over and kiss better in the small car. Charlie's hand had found its way to her waist, his thumb swirling circles into the cotton blouse she wore. Eliza, frustrated, took his burning hand and led it up her shirt, where he continued to burn the skin even hotter.

⠀⠀⠀His hands shook as he wanted to keep going, forcing his way to her back and the hinges of her bra, but he halted and pulled himself back, away from her scorching touches and ripe kisses.

⠀⠀⠀"Eliza, I-I love you, but this..." he whispered, his eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights. "We can't do this."

⠀⠀⠀Eliza's green eyes had turned watery again as she knew the truth he spoke, nodding her head. This wouldn't just be breaking hearts. It would obliterate them.

⠀⠀⠀"I know," she choked out, pulling herself back to her seat.

⠀⠀⠀Charlie raised his chair back up, the two sitting together in silence for ten minutes. Eliza's hands rested on the wheel of her car, her knuckles turning white under her tight grip. Charlie slowly moved his hand, resting it on the handle before opening the door, and stepped out. He ran a hand over his face, taking in the frosty night air, and shut the door. He sunk down to the window and waved goodbye before turning on his heel to make it to the front door.

⠀⠀⠀Eliza waited to see him inside, waving slightly as he looked back before shutting the door.

ON THE PLANE later that night, Eliza sat next to her Uncle and the window. She had taken off her coat and noticed something stiff in her pocket. Eliza pulled an envelope out of her pocket to find Charlie's handwriting. She frowned, opening the letter to find a card and a necklace inside.

⠀⠀⠀She poured it into her hand, gripping it tightly into her fist and reading the note first before she took in the necklace for herself.

Eliza,

⠀⠀⠀Welton has never been a home for me or the other boys, even if we've spent three-fourths of the year there. It always pushed these ideas of tradition and conformity that I never saw myself as. Then you and Mr. Keating along and taught us how to think for ourselves and be better people.

⠀⠀⠀I wish there was a way to keep you and Mr. Keating from leaving. Mr. Nolan and the other bastards of Welton should have realized that they're to blame, not you or Keating. Maybe if I ever get into journalism, I could write an article on how Welton tricked society into thinking they were never at fault.

⠀⠀⠀Anyways, I just wanted to thank you for all that you've done for us. For showing us to live our lives to the fullest. For being there for us. For believing that our paths will meet again because this story, us, is not finished yet. So, yes. Move to London, live your life. But remember that the red string of fate has us moving in a direction that will have our paths overlapping again and again until we can stay together.

I love you,
Charlie

⠀⠀⠀P.S. the guys said to say they all love you too, and they're going to kick Cameron's ass for you and Keating over the next semester

⠀⠀⠀Eliza smiled, tears falling down her face for what felt like the thousandth time in the last week as she opened the small box. Inside was a small, golden locket with carved leaves on the outside. When she opened it, she laughed, finding the smallest picture she could imagine of her and the boys before Neil's performance. (Sadly, Neil had been at the theater and wasn't in the picture.)

⠀⠀⠀On the other half of the locket were her and Charlie that same, the boys forcing them to take a picture together. They looked stupid, red in the face as they laughed at the camera as the boys had been making faces at them as Keating took the photo. She smiled one last time, noticing that Charlie had drawn devil horns and a mustache over Cameron's face before closing the locket and putting it on.

⠀⠀⠀Eliza looked out of the window, her hand resting over the locket as she stared out at the ocean she flew over. One day, she truly believed she would see Charlie again.

AUTHOR'S NOTE —

This is it for the movie. We don't get to see the iconic scene with the boys standing on their desks because for Eliza she is with Charlie. Since he's been expelled there's not really a reason to have her go there with her Uncle. 

SONG: There Goes My Baby by The Drifters

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.