Finally a happy end/ Dead Poets Society (FINISHED)

Chapter 9

I sat on the bleachers as my dad coached the boys soccer game. After they score the winning goal they hoist my dad onto their shoulders and carry him away. I watch this and laugh as they do so. 

That noon I shared some tea with my dad, so I couldn't make the Dead Poets meeting. During which my dad tried to talk about Neil and relationships with me, but my cheeks quickly heated up, so I didn't want to talk.

After this I walk down the stairs to see the boys stand around the phones and Knox calling someone. As I make my way down, Neil sees me. He wraps his arm around me and kisses my temple as I see Knox put a coin into the phone and call.

'Hello?' I hear a girls voice.

'Hello, Chris?' Knox stammers nervously.

Ow! It's that girl Knox is crazy about... that one in a relationship...

'Yes', Chris answers on the other end.

'Hi. This is Knox Overstreet.'

Though I can't hear clearly what is said on the other end, Knox seems happy about something.

'She's glad I called', he tells us before listening again, 'Would I like to come to a party?'

'Yes. Say, yes', Charlie urges him on.

'Well, sure.' Knox answers, 'Okay, great. I-I'll be there, Chris. Friday night at the Danburrys'. O-Okay. Thank you', he continues to stammer, 'Thank you. I'll see you. Bye.' Then he hung the horn back on the hook before, 'Yawp! Can you believe it? She was gonna call me. She invited me to a party with her.'

'At Chet Danburry's house', Charlie stated.

'Yeah', Knox stated, still in a daze.

'Well?' Charlie continued trying to get through to him.

'So?'

'So', Charlie clarifies, 'you don't really think she means you're going with her?'

'Well, of course not, Charlie. But that's not the point', Knox tells his friend, 'That's not the point at all.'

'What is the point?' Charlie questions.

'The point, Charlie, is, uh--'

'Yeah?'

'That she was thinking about me. I've only met her once, and already she's thinking about me. Damn it. It's gonna happen, guys. I feel it', Knox pushes his way through this friends, 'She is going to be mine. Carpe. Carpe!' Knox flips his scarf dramatically around his neck as he walks away and climbs the stairs. All of us laugh at the spectacle.

That evening Neil and I are able to sneak out for coffee together. In a cafe, we sit down on one of the comfortable couches and talked about Neil's theater practices and everything. We also stole some kisses every now and again.

In my dads next class, all of us are standing in a line while Cameron, Pitts, and Knox are walking in a circle as my dad looks on: 'No grades at stake, gentlemen. Just take a stroll.' After a few moments I notice that the three boys begin to march to the same beat.

'There it is.' my dad points out. The other boys start clapping to the rhythm of their steps.

'I don't know, but I've been told—' my dad began to sing. 'I don't know, but I've been told', the boys repeated. 'Doing poetry is old' he continued and the boys repeated again.

'left, left, left-right-left, left, left, left-right-left, halt!' my dad sang as the boys stopped their march. 'Thank you, gentlemen', now he turned to the class, 'If you noticed, everyone started off with their own stride, their own pace', he began walking very slowly. 'Mr Pitts, taking his time. He knew he'll get there one day. Mr Cameron, you could see him thinking, Is this right? It might be right. It might be right. I know that. Maybe not. I don't know', then my dad began walking with his groin pushed forward. 'Mr Overstreet, driven by a deeper force. Yes. We know that. All right. Now, I didn't bring them up here to ridicule them. I brought them up here to illustrate the point of conformity: the difficulty in maintaining you own beliefs in the face of others. Now, those of you – I see the look in your eyes like 'I would've walked differently' well ask yourselves why you were clapping. Now, we all have a great need for acceptance. But you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or unpopular, even though the herd may go 'that's baaadd' Robert Frost said 'two roads diverged in the wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.' now, I want you to find your own walk right now. Your own way of striding, pacing. Any direction. Anything you want. Whether it's proud, whether its silly, anything. Gentlemen, and lady, the courtyard is yours.'

And so, all of us began to walk around, some walking casually, others making up silly walks. 'You don't have to perform. Just make it for yourself', I heard my dad call out, 'Mr. Dalton? You be joining us?'

'Exercising the right not to walk.' I heard him say.

'Thank you, Mr. Dalton. You just illustrated the point. Swim against the stream.'

I saw Neil across the courtyard making his way over to me. But then suddenly I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder. I turn my gaze to see Knox, grinning before winking in Neil's direction as he skips along aside me. I can see Neil's eyes narrow though I can still notice the mischievous glint in them. He walks to catch up with us, takes Knox' arm and throws it off me, causing Knox to make an involuntary pirouette. After, he wraps his arms tightly around me as we continue walking, and I can hear him mumble: 'Mine', under his breath, causing my cheeks to turn a violent shade of pink.

That evening, I walk with Neil after he comes back from soccer practice. His arm is around my waist as we walk. We are just about to go back into the building, me and Neil notice Todd sitting off by himself on one of the walkways.

'Todd?' I ask, 'Hey.'

'Hey.' Todd mumbles.

'What's going on?' Neil asks.

'Nothing', Todd says quietly, 'Today's my birthday.'

'Is today your birthday?' Neil asks. 'Happy birthday,' Both of us say.

'Thanks', he sighs.

'What'd you get?' Neil asks his friend.

'My parents gave me this', Todd pointed, both of us look down at a deskset sitting next to Todd, still in its wrappings.

'Isn't this the same desk set-'

'Yeah, yeah. They gave me the same thing as last year.'

'Oh', Neil and I say in unison.

'Oh', Todd mimicks

'Maybe they thought you needed another one', Neil says chuckling, trying to relieve the tension.

'Maybe they weren't thinking about anything at all. Uh, the funny thing is about this is I, I didn't even like it the first time.'

'Todd, I think you're underestimating the value of this desk set', Neil says as he lets go of me and picks up the desk set, beginning to examine it more closely, 'I mean, who would want a football or a baseball, or-'

'Or a car', Todd opts.

'Or a car if they could have a desk set as wonderful as this one? I mean, if, if I were ever going to buy a, a desk set twice, I would probably buy this one both times. In fact, its, its shape is, it's rather aerodynamic, isn't it? I can feel it. This desk set wants to fly', Neil tosses the desk set lightly in the air. Todd stands up and Neil hands him the desk set, 'Todd? The world's first unmanned flying desk set.'

Todd flings the desk set over the side of the walkway and it falls to pieces down below.

'Oh, my!' he calls out.

'Well, I wouldn't worry', Neil says as a matter of fact, 'You'll get another one next year.'

all of us laugh at this as I stand back next to Neil. He wraps his arms around me again and pecks my lips before saying: 'Come on guys, let's go warm up before the meeting.' As all of us walk into Neil and Todds room, Todd sits down on his bed and Neil also sits down but pulls me along to sit on his lap. There he starts kissing my neck, before whispering close to my ear: 'I can't get enough of you.'

I turn my head to him slightly: 'I love you I tell him.'

'I love you too', Neil replies, snuggling his nose in the crook of my neck. I giggle at this: 'You're such a weirdo.' I can feel him smile against my neck.

'Gee, thanks for reminding me how single I am...' Todd states suddenly, causing both me and Neil to start laughing.