❛ Once on a high and windy hill in the morning mist, two lovers kissed and the world stood still. ❜

DEAD POETS SOCIETY
chapter twenty

"CHARLIE?" ELIZA ASKED knocking softly on his door mid-afternoon.

⠀⠀⠀Neil's performance was that night, and everyone was running around like their heads had been cut off. It was like the entire group was performing, and not just Neil. The boys and Eliza couldn't be more excited for Neil. Especially since his father had given him permission to act. Eliza's heart was just about to burst at the seams, but now she was calm and collected, and that's what worried Charlie.

⠀⠀⠀"What?" he asked, rushing from the side of his bed where he had two different outfits laid out for the night, trying to figure out which one would look just right. "What is it? Is it Neil? Has he fainted or forgotten all of his lines?" Charlie asked in a panic, standing in front of her and shaking her around out of nervousness. "No worries, I'll rehearse them with him again!"

⠀⠀⠀Eliza laughed as she stepped aside, but grabbed his forearm quickly before he could run off too fast to help Neil.

⠀⠀⠀"No! Neil's fine!" she assured him, dragging Charlie back to her. "Neil has to go early for dress rehearsal, and my uncle suggested we should go to lunch."

⠀⠀⠀Charlie nodded, distracted, as he looked over her head to watch Neil. Waiting to see if he needed anything.

⠀⠀⠀"That sounds good. I hope you have fun," Charlie told her, his voice dazed as he sweetly kissed her forehead.

⠀⠀⠀"No," Eliza said, straining the word to catch his attention. Eliza pulled Charlie's face down, so he was looking at her. "He wants us to go to lunch with him."

⠀⠀⠀"Us?"

⠀⠀⠀"Us," she nodded.

⠀⠀⠀"Um, no, I think I'm okay," Charlie said quickly, stepping out of her touch and nervously holding his hands behind his back.

⠀⠀⠀"What? What do you mean?" Eliza asked, a bit discouraged and shocked by his response.

⠀⠀⠀"No! Nothing about you or Keating but... I'm terrible with parents! I went to dinner like Knox, and I said the wrong thing to her parents the whole night. Like what kind of trouble I get into here and how terrible my grades are!" Charlie shouted, his eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights.

⠀⠀⠀"Well, first off, he's my Uncle, not my dad," Eliza assured him, stepping back to Charlie so that she could take his hand in hers. "And second, you already know him, so it's okay!"

⠀⠀⠀"No, I'm going to mess it up! I'll say the wrong thing, and then he won't let us date anymore, and I can't... So I'm not going!"

⠀⠀⠀"You're not going to mess it up, and Uncle John doesn't tell me who I can and can't date, so it's really not up to him," Eliza laughed, squeezing his hands again. "And don't worry, Neil will be with us, so you won't be alone."

⠀⠀⠀Eliza had slowly begun leading Charlie out of his room and towards Neil's so they could pick him up and head out to the car with Keating. They stopped as she spoke, Neil perking up and looking at the two.

⠀⠀⠀"He will?" Charlie asked, turning to Neil with a hopeful expression.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, um," Neil mused, turning to Eliza, pleading for him to agree. "No."

⠀⠀⠀"Neil!" Eliza shouted.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm sorry, but I have dress rehearsal!" Neil exclaimed, picking up his bag and rushing out of the room with Eliza dragging Charlie after him.

⠀⠀⠀"Why? Why God, why?" Charlie yelled loudly as he looked up to the ceiling while dragged down the hall.

⠀⠀⠀Mr. Keating stood at the end of the lobby with a nice oversized coat and smile on as he watched the three nervous nellies make their way to him.

⠀⠀⠀"Maybe it's because you faked a phone call from God, and he's punishing you," Neil teased, dodging a hit to his head by darting to the side and standing beside Mr. Keating. "Thank you for taking me, Mr. Keating."

⠀⠀⠀"Of course, son," Keating said with a wide smile, shaking the keys in his hands. "It's a big day for you, and there's no need to put up a sweat before your big performance!"

⠀⠀⠀The four walked outside into the cold air and quickly found Keating's car covered in snow. It took a while for the inside to warm. Eliza insisted Neil take the front seat because she didn't want to leave Charlie in the back. She knew it would be a little awkward, but he wasn't staying in the car for long. Plus, Neil had such a way with people that he wouldn't be uncomfortable for long.

⠀⠀⠀Soon, they made it to the theater, where Neil practically leaped from the car while it was still moving to scamper inside. But then he paused, turned back to the car, and smiled at the group.

⠀⠀⠀"I'll see you tonight," he said through the grin that was taking up his face. "Thank you for believing in me," he told Mr. Keating, already getting teary-eyed before he rushed into Henley Hall.

⠀⠀⠀Charlie's hands had turned clammy, especially as Eliza held his hand in her lap. Her thumb rubbed soothingly along the skin, but it did nothing to calm him down. All he could think was that somehow he was going to ruin everything, as he always did. With his parents, with his schoolwork, with the Dead Poets Society.

⠀⠀⠀Although, Eliza thought the opposite. John loved Charlie and all the boys as they came to break out of their shells and speak freely with him. John wasn't an overprotective guardian. He didn't restrict her dating or come to hate anyone who might be a potential suitor. He was kind as always and welcoming with that big warm heart of his and protective (in a non-overbearing way).

⠀⠀⠀John took the two to a local diner that he and Eliza had come across early in their time at Welton. The weekends were often for them to finish schoolwork and explore the small town nearby. During the week, there wasn't much time to see each other with the long teaching days and studying and going out to the Old Indian Cave. So they took the time they could together on the weekends.

⠀⠀⠀The three stepped inside the diner, and a kind woman named Madeline seated them before leaving with their drink orders.

⠀⠀⠀"Get whatever you'd like, Mr. Dalton. I'm paying," John assured the boy, who was sweating more than a pig as he looked at the back of the menu for the cheapest thing to eat. Charlie smiled sheepishly after being caught and opened his menu.

⠀⠀⠀"Thank you, Mr. Keating."

⠀⠀⠀"Please," John laughed, waving a hand at the nervous boy. "Call me John. You are, after all, dating my niece. It's only appropriate."

⠀⠀⠀The term dating caused a new sheen of sweat to plaster against Charlie's forehead as he laughed nervously, turning to Eliza as he did. He furrowed his eyebrows and mentally questioned everything he had done so far.

⠀⠀⠀Eliza smiled sweetly, taking Charlie's hand back into hers. Charlie opened his mouth to stutter something aloud but was saved by Madeline returning. She asked for their order, and once they had all finished, Charlie was dropped back into the deep end.

⠀⠀⠀John smiled reassuringly, trying to ease Charlie from his uneasiness. He remembered meeting Alyssa's parents for the first time when they were dating. It went similarly to how it was going with Charlie. Just him becoming nervous showed Keating that he cared what Keating thought of him. If Charlie had acted as cool as a cucumber, Keating would've known his intentions were not what they appeared.

⠀⠀⠀"So, Mr. Dalton," Keating began, but was cut off by Charlie.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, uh, you can call me Charlie. Just like you said, it's... it's only appropriate."

⠀⠀⠀"Okay, then, Charlie," John smiled, taking a sip of his coffee. "What do you plan on doing when you're older?"

⠀⠀⠀"Um," Charlie began, sucking his lips in and furrowing his brow as he stared down at his own water. The precipitation on the side of the glass reminded him of how he felt. "Well, my parents have on a plan to become a banker."

⠀⠀⠀John made a sour expression, as if the fact of becoming a banker disgusted him.

⠀⠀⠀"Uncle!" Eliza laughed, squeezing Charlie's hand to reassure him he had done nothing wrong, although it felt like he had just been thrown off a cliff and hadn't stopped falling. "There's nothing wrong with being a banker."

⠀⠀⠀John rolled his eyes at his niece, which made Charlie laugh slightly. Eliza grinned, finally seeing him warm up.

⠀⠀⠀"Yes, I know, darling," John assured the two of them. "But what do you want to do, Charlie?"

⠀⠀⠀"Well, I'm an editor for the school paper," Charlie began.

⠀⠀⠀"Yes, I know," John said cheekily, his eyes lighting up.

⠀⠀⠀"Right," Charlie sighed, reminded that this man had seen many of his downfalls. "Well, I think that, uh, being a reporter would be interesting. Telling the truth about the world and allowing people to see what's really going on out there."

⠀⠀⠀"Your food, lovelies!" Madeline exclaimed, the carrier on top of her shoulders as she handed out the food to the three.

⠀⠀⠀"Charlie," John said as soon as the waitress left. "I believe that's a wonderful idea. If you have the chance to achieve that goal sooner rather than later, I say take it. Carpe diem, isn't that right?" he cheered, digging into his food.

⠀⠀⠀"What about you, Birdie?" Charlie asked, flushing at his nickname for Eliza once he realized he had said it in front of John, but the man said nothing about it. Just smiled knowingly.

⠀⠀⠀"What I'm going to do after school?" she asked, looking up to see Charlie nodding. "Well, I hope to be an English teacher just like my Uncle. Maybe even write a book or two."

⠀⠀⠀"Really?" Charlie laughed with a broad smile. "That's pretty far-fetched. Are you sure you can do it?" he teased, knowing full well she would be one of the best teachers anyone could ever get.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm not sure. I might need to study hard for it, but I'll get it done," Eliza grinned.

⠀⠀⠀John cleared his throat to remind the two that he was still with them. They both grew flushed and continued their course with red cheeks and straightforward answers to his questions. And at times, even redder cheeks at the blatant teasing they received from one John Keating.

AUTHOR'S NOTE —

Oh, no! Twenty chapters down and only a few left to go! I can't believe we're so close to the end! 

SONG: Love Is A-Many Splendored Thing by Andy 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.