• coffee ~ todd anderson •

chapter 7

"bri! i got the part!"

neil skipped through the dorm hallway joyfully banging on his friend's doors, letting them know his great news. "i'm gonna play puck!" everyone clapped, cheered and embraced neil for his accomplishment as briony stood in her doorway and watched neil's expressions of pure happiness. one side of her felt utter excitement for neil and proud that he could achieve something he seems to already enjoy. but another side of her is worried how he will keep it a secret from their father. he glided quickly past briony and into her and todd's dorm to their typewriter.

"neil, how are you gonna do this" todd giggled at neil twiddling his fingers at the typewriter, preparing himself at the desk. as he typed, he said "i need letter permission from my father and mr nolan" briony quickly scooted over to his side, "you're not gonna write it!" she said sternly as todd and neil went silent and looked up at her. "oh yes i am" neil smirked. "neil you're crazy! what would father say?" briony remarked as neil ignored her and carried on typing.

Dear Mr Nolan

I am writing to you on behalf of my son Neil...

neil snickered clapping his feet on the ground, "this is great!"

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the next morning, briony woke up to the sound of scrunching paper. she looked up to see a figure pacing around the room, then stop and throw the scrunched paper. it was todd. she closed her eyes pretending to sleep and heard the rustling of a jacket and the door opening and closing gently. she was so tired and comfy that she fell back asleep incapable of venturing to see where he was going.

'RING' screamed her alarm at 7 that morning. as usual, briony went for her morning coffee in the café near the school. once again, she walked up to the brittle, old and sunny barista to ask for her typical order. but before she could even ask, the lady smirked, pointing over to the cup of coffee and a muffin at the table she usually sits in. she turned back around to the barista in confusion, her shrugging her shoulders and winked, eyeing something from across the café.

as she sat down at the table slowly, staring intensely at the steaming cup of coffee, briony searched across the café where the woman eyed to see the figure, once again, hiding behind a leaflet on new additions to the menu. briony was too much of a curious girl to let this feeling of wonder slip from her fingers. she got up from her table and slowly walked over to the figure. the closer she got, the more the figure squeezed their self into a ball of flesh. she was only inches away from their table when she noticed a coat, similar to todd's on the figure.

suddenly, she heard the door bell's jingle. she turned around to see meeks and pitts bobbling into the café, cupping their hands to their mouth, breathing into their palms. "oh, uh hey guys!" briony exclaimed skipping away from the figure. "what brings you both here?" they looked at each other a moment, grinning from ear to ear and screamed like little children in a sweet shop, "they added hot chocolate to the menu!" everyone in the café went silent and glared at them. yes, it was inching much closer to december but you would never see two eighteen year old boys getting this excited about hot chocolate. "uhhh, what's so great about hot chocolate?" briony snorted. for a moment they stared in furious confusion before they shrugged and sprinted to the counter. confused and also traumatised, briony grabbed her coffee and muffin, walking out of the café.

as she was walking out the door, she looked back to the figure, noticing they were still hunched up in a ball, head inside the leaflet.

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after a few hours of the day wasted in latin and trigonometry class, the time had come for briony and her class to present their independent poetry aloud in front of the class to showcase one another's vulnerability. briony had no problem with the assignment. she adored poetry and frequently read stanzas in her spare time when she wasn't studying or drinking coffee.

knox was up first, and while everyone giggled at his attempt of a deep romance poem, briony thought it was beautiful. he hung his head low as he trudged back to his desk and in that moment, briony thought of speaking up about how much she loved it.

briony stood up to present her poem to the class. as she walked up the aisle of various tables accompanied by boys glaring at her as she walked past, briony suddenly felt butterflies squeezing inside of her stomach. she never felt like this when having to present to a class before. she was always top class at public speaking. as she stood at the top of the class, she took a deep inhale and proceeded;

'She was a Phantom of delight
When first she gleamed upon my sight;
A lovely Apparition, sent
To be a moment's ornament;
Her eyes as stars of Twilight fair;
Like Twilight's, too, her dusky hair;
But all things else about her drawn
From May-time and the cheerful Dawn;
A dancing Shape, an Image gay,
To haunt, to startle, and way-lay'

silence. briony looked up slowly to see all the boys gazing at her in awe from her glamorous words. suddenly, the classroom boomed in applause. she looked to todd, the only one who wasn't applauding but instead glaring at her in absolute adoration. she smiled at him shyly and walked back to her seat. charlie leaned over to her and teased "bet you got that from a book, huh?" briony snorted pushing him away. mr keating sat up from the window seat slowly applauding her performance. "now that's poetry!" he exclaimed pointing at her.

"now, who's next!" he 'tsked' rubbing his hands together in amusement. he then points to todd as he slowly looks up to mr keating with a guilty look across his face. mr keating hesitated no longer welcoming his arm out towards the front of the class, "come on todd let's put you out of your misery", he teased. todd stuttered for a moment before replying,

"i didn't do it. i didn't write a poem." briony whipped her head around in shock. from what she saw, it seemed as though he had seventeen poems lined up for the presentation of each one. briony found it quite humorous that her view of todd in that moment looked very similar to the mysterious man in the café, all hunched up in a ball, wishing to appear invisible.

briony snapped back to reality to see mr keating writing an unusual phrase on the chalkboard; 'i sound my barbaric YAWP over the rooftops of the world' everyone looked around sniggering at this strange word 'YAWP'. "now for those of you who don't know, a YAWP is a loud cry or yell!" mr keating explained now walking back to todd requesting for him to demonstrate a yawp. almost yanking the poor boy from his seat, todd reluctantly stood up in front of the classroom.

"yawp" he said quietly. "no! no not just a yawp. a barbaric yawp" mr keating urged in an unusual voice. "yawp" he answered again jokingly looking around at the boys. "oh good god boy, yell like a ma-" "YAWP" todd boomed. "there it is" mr keating pointed "you have man in you after all". the class giggled as briony hushed them angrily. mr keating then encouraged todd to look at the picture of walt whitman on the wall and describe him. all the class did was snigger and mock todd as he thought of various words to describe him. that was until he closed his eyes and unknowingly created a masterpiece;

"i close my eyes and his image floats beside me, a sweaty-toothed mad man
with a stare that pounds my brain
his hands reach out and choke me
and all the time he's mumbling;
mumbling truth,
truth like a blanket
that always leaves your feet cold;
you push it and stretch it
but it will never be enough,
you kick at it beat it
but it will never cover any of us,
from the moment we enter crying,
to the moment we leave dying,
it will just cover your face
as you wail and cry and scream"

as todd slowly opened his eyes he received the same reaction as briony but now, even mr keating was at a loss for words.

mr keating walked up to todd and grabbed his head gently, whispering to him; "don't you ever forget this"

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as the bell rang, briony jumped up from her seat and sprinted over to todd, engulfing him in a long hug. "todd, that was amazing! i knew you had it in you" she exclaimed before kissing him on the cheek and running to her next class.

todd gazed as she left the classroom, rubbing his cheek and smiling victoriously.

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hi! ok so obviously i didn't write briony's poem lmaoo. it was taken from a poem by william wordsworth named; 'perfect woman'. although i love poetry, there is no way i have the time OR even have the capability of writing such beautiful words. anyways hope you enjoyed this part and your day 🤍