milliways_bar | Entrance post

Entry tags:

Entrance post

OOM: Pre-Milliways

Todd stumbled in, and nearly dropped his books in shock. Since when was his dorm room a bar? This made no sense, they didn't allow liquor at Welton. He turned around, wondering where he was.

A place to truly live deep and suck all the marrow out of life.

Milliways.

He then spied a familiar face, also looking confused.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Bowing, hamming it up for the couple of people who applauded along with Todd, Neil once again folded himself down so he was sitting on the table, legs swinging. His pale cheeks held hints of excited color, he never looked more alive than when he was performing, Neil loved it.

"There is nothing to forgive, Todd...you were probably being much wiser than I was." Neil admited with a rueful twist of his lips.

He frowned slightly and cocked his head at his friend.

"Todd...setting aside all things to do with my father for the moment...what happened? Back at Welton."

He was getting an extremely uneasy feeling because there was just something about the way Todd spoke of Keating and now Cameron.

Todd sighed, "They wanted to blame somebody, for what happened to you. Cameron told them about Dead Poets, and they used that to blame Mr. Keating and fire him." He didn't want to say anything about Charlie getting kicked out since that was his news to tell if he wanted to.
"They forced us to sign papers saying it was Mr. Keating's fault, that he was a bad influence."

He gazed back at Neil, and frantically added, "We had no choice, they-they brought our parents in, and we would have, would have been kicked out if we didn't sign them."

He shook his head, "Cameron was a liar. Going on about how you would have been dreaming of being a doctor if it wasn't for Mr. Keating, but I know that's not true. Especially now. You couldn't be anything but an actor, and a great one."

When Todd started to stammer a little in that manner that indicated he was getting stressed Neil leaned forward to touch his arm listening to the events as told by his friend and frowning darkly with each passing word.

"Sonof..." Neil would never finish that word, he was mindful of his language but he jumped up off the table and paced fretfully.

Suddenly whirling back towards Todd, Neil cried out. "He didn't have to say I was dead!"

Wrapping his arms up around himself, the way he did when he was insecure about something, usually his father, Neil frowned down at the floor.

"I can't believe he did that. I can't believe he'd be so...vindictive that he'd go after Keating...that Nolan would be so damn petty..." Neil paused and sucked in a shakey breath. "Well...okay I can believe Nolan would be that petty about Keating."

Kicking the toe of his shoe into the floor, Neil let his arms fall to his sides.

"Cameron's just weak. He never wanted to stand up to anyone, including us when we made him do stuff he didn't agree with. He goes with whichever way the wind blows...pity him, Todd...don't be angry with him."

Todd calmed a little again, but then flinched at Neil's yell. But then he recognized the stance. Only Mr. Perry could upset him that much. That was always the case.

He added, "I was upset, but I wasn't angry with him. Not me." He still wasn't going to say who was angry especially with Cameron, and he could understand why Charlie would be. He was weak, but he shouldn't have said anything to Mr. Nolan.

He then added quietly, "I stood up. On my desk in fact."

It was the last words that caught Neil's attention and he looked up quickly, his own insecurity and disquiet forgotten as he beamed at Todd.

"You did? Todd!!"

In the other boy's name was a wealth of commentary. I'm so proud of you, go you, I knew you had it in you!

Darting forward, Neil took both of Todd's shoulders in his hands and his brown eyes danced as he plopped down in front of his roommate.

"Tell me!"

Todd was a little taken aback by his friend's excitement. He wasn't used to getting praise or compliments after all.

His gaze looked down for a moment, shaking his head a little, before his eyes flickered back at Neil's again.

"I just did it. Mr. Keating was getting the last of his things, and I just didn't want him to go without knowing we're forced into signing. That we wanted him to stay."

"So I told him, and-and Mr. Nolan was yelling at me and at Mr. Keating, so I just stood up onto my desk, and called out, 'O Captain, My Captain.'"

A smile creeped up on his face, as he added, "Then Knox, then Pitts and Meeks, and I think half of the class was standing up on their desks. Just to show he made a difference and we believed him."

Neil listened intently smiling slowly as Todd described the scene. He could picture it in his mind, could see Todd rocking slightly debating with himself and finally moving with purpose, steppingup deliberately and balancing on his desk calling out with a slight waver in his voice.

Oh Captain, My Captain!

The others following Todd's lead...

"Nolan must have damn near had an apocalyptic fit! I can just picture him, red as a beet, jawls shaking as he yelled."

Neil did seem quite gleeful at the thought.

Todd nodded, and smiled a little more, "He was. Threatened to expel me, but it was like he was in the background. Like he just faded away for a moment."

He added, a trace of impishness perhaps, "He was already upset that Pritchard's intro had been ripped out. Cameron had to read it from Mr. Nolan's copy."

Todd's impishness was infecteous and Neil couldn't help smiling but inwardly...inwardly it was all starting to hit him.

Keating getting sacked.

His father's apparent deception.

What it had done to his friends.

The whole sordid situation that seemed to make it impossible for Neil to ever consider going home. It all started to press in on him and he knew he was going to need a little bit of time to process it all.

Powering up to his feet he smiled at Todd, reaching to pluck at the other boy's sleeve as if reassuring himself that Todd was real.

"Listen, I need to step upstairs to my room for a couple of minutes...you'll...be here when I get back?"

A small hint of insecurity of...hopefulness touched Neil's voice.

Todd's eyes flicked to the vacant wall, and he looked back, a bit surprised at the tone, "I'll be here. There's nowhere else to go." Not anymore, not that there's a need to ever again.

"You're going to be ok, right, Neil?" He couldn't help asking, his voice full of concern.

Neil smiled and nodded.

"Sure...just...you know...just when I thought I had this place figured out..." He gave a light shrug and started to move away.

"I'll see you in a little bit, Todd...promise."

One more warm smile and then Neil walked off towards the side of the room.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Entrance post

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject