Disclaimer: Fews and Saunders do not own Dead Poets Society, we only own the McQuaid girls. And we have taken some creative liberties with the whole assigning of the extracurricular activities. So Tuff!

**Fews's first Author's note: Credit for this first scene and the funny Dick (Cameron) thing goes to me, Fews. :D ha ha! Creativeness! I am by no means the best writer ever, I actually have a hard time with words. Thank you Saunders for being the better writing half and correcting my grammar, overuse of commas, and for being awesome! And a special thanks to those who have R&R'ed we love you guys…girls? W/E. **end**

Chapter 7

Mr. Nolan frowned across his desk at Nate and Nick McQuaid, "I noticed you two did not sign up for any extracurricular activities."

"No, Sir," they said quietly. Extracurricular activities would only increase the chance of them getting found out. It was bad enough Natalie decided to audition for the Henley Hall play, now here they were getting their extracurriculars assigned to them. Natalie prayed she wouldn't be assigned the swim team. How would she explain her need for a full bodied swimsuit?

Mr. Nolan pushed his black framed glasses farther up his nose and glanced at a roster on his desk, "Nathaniel McQuaid, you've been assigned to the chemistry club and the soccer team."

Natalie stood a little more straight, "Thank you, Sir, but I've already found an activity to occupy my time outside of class."

"Really?" Mr. Nolan cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes, Sir. I've been given the part of Benvolio in this year's Henley Hall play."

Mr. Nolan's mouth turned so far down, Natalie thought it would bend right off his face. "Did you request permission to leave campus to audition for this play?"

Natalie started. That hadn't crossed her mind at all. "N-no, Sir. I thought that-"

"You thought you would break the school rules in a willy-nilly attempt to find cheap amusement?" Mr. Nolan's calm demeanor vanished. His cheeks flushed and beads of sweat dotted his balding head. "You disobeyed school rules by going off campus without permission. Every student who wishes to participate in an activity outside of the school's campus is required to have written permission from the parents as well as myself. Where is your letter of permission?"

Natalie rubbed the back of her head, adjusting the wig slightly as she did, "Letter of permission, right. Funny story, you see-."

"I don't want a funny story Mr. McQuaid, I want your letter of permission. If you do not have that, then I'm afraid I cannot allow you to continue with the play. You shall call your director and notify him or her that you will not be able to go on." Mr. Nolan removed his glasses before he retrieved a wooden ruler from the top drawer of his desk then stood and walked around to where the girls were standing. "And as for your direct disobedience to our rules, I'm afraid I have no choice. Hold out your hands."

Natalie swallowed and willed herself not to cry as she did as she was told. Nicole closed her eyes, but she still flinched whenever the smacking sound echoed off the bare office walls. When they had ceased, Nicole slowly opened her eyes and glanced at her sister. Her hands were by her side now, balled into fists. Natalie's boyish wig didn't obscure Nicole's view of her sister's green eyes that were red and shiny from tears that were being forced back.

When Mr. Nolan had finished, he stepped back behind his desk and put the ruler back into the top drawer of his desk. He straightened his official tie and cleared his throat, "Now, Nickolas McQuiad."

Nicole was afraid to speak incase her voice came out in her normal octave. Instead, she nodded.

"Your extracurricular activities are as follows: the school annual and newspaper as well as the rowing team," He placed his glasses back onto his old nose. "I trust you will do splendidly in these activities."

She could only manage a nod again and they left Mr. Nolan's office in silence. Natalie turned to go upstairs to their dorm when Nicole caught her arm and pulled her sister into a hug. They stood together for a few minutes sharing the minute feelings only sisters could understand.

Natalie was the first to pull away. She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve wincing when her wrist touched her nose.

Nicole looked worried as she asked, "What are you going to do about the play?"

Through her tears, Natalie smiled. "Just because Nate has to drop out, doesn't mean Natalie is going to."

"Nate, what happened to your hands?" Neil noticed the swelling first as Natalie sat across from him at the dinner table several hours later. The rest of the Dead Poets leaned together as they glanced at her hands with curiosity.

"Oh, I…er…sl-slammed it in the bathroom door," she tried to sound tough and manly as she gingerly rubbed the back of her right hand. "It's nothing; I can barely feel it now."

Knox could see Nate's green eyes were red from crying and while he wasn't sure he believed Charlie's tale, he couldn't help but feel sympathetic to the new guys. Especially since none of the guys really believed it was a door that caused the angered markings, "Your hand or the pain?"

Shaking his head, Cameron admired Natalie's swollen red hands, "That's nothing. My first year here, I accidentally slammed the toilet seat on my-"

"Dick," Charlie hissed from the other side of Nicole. "No one wants to hear that story!"

Cameron's ears turned pink as the Dead Poets all chuckled, "Don't call me, Dick."

"Nolan assigned us our extracurricular activities," Nicole piped up, changing the subject.

"What did you guys get?" Knox slurped his spaghetti and took a bite of his roll, his hunger now winning his attention. Beside him Todd looked rather discussed with his sloppy eating.

"School annual and newspaper and the rowing team," Nicole twirled her fork into her food, careful not to take too much and have it spill everywhere until she realized guys were not so cautious with their pasta.

Knox was bent so far forward over his plate as he shoved another mouthful of noodles into his mouth that the top of his head was visible to everyone sitting on the opposite side, "Immm ufff thfff mmmff thooo,"

Charlie tapped the top of his head, "Don't talk with your mouth full, Knoxious. It makes us nauseous." He smiled, "Heh, well whaddya know, I made a rhyme. Wouldn't it be funny if I did this all the time?"

Meeks and Pitts groaned, "Great now he'll never stop."

"Only if you call a cop," Charlie laughed and clapped his hands.

Nicole rolled her eyes at Charlie before turning to Knox, "What was it that you said?"

Knox swallowed his mouthful, "I said that I'm on the school annual too."

"Cameron should be locked up in the zoo," Charlie swallowed a spoonful of corn, shooting a disgusted look toward the red head.

Cameron's eyes narrowed, "That's enough, Charlie. Nick, I'll be on the rowing team with you."

"Now Dick's rhyming too!" Charlie cried out.

Meeks interrupted, "What did you get, Nate?"

"Chemistry and soccer team," Natalie said.

Knox paused with his fork halfway to his mouth, "I'm in soccer too, that's great!"

Cameron groaned, "I really must be dreaming."

"Can't you all just stop your rhyming?" Todd muttered.

"Shut up Todd, you'll ruin our timing!" Charlie said.

Mr. Nolan shouted, "Silence, or you all will be in detention!"

Charlie whispered to Nicole, "He just doesn't understand this complicated situation."

After dinner, Neil headed upstairs to gather his jacket and script. Then he stopped at Nate and Nick's room. The door was closed but he could hear shuffling and voices through the door. He knocked, "Hello, Nate? You ready to go to rehearsals?"

There was more frantic shuffling before the door opened. Nate stood behind the door, "Sorry, Neil I can't go."

Neil's brown eyes filled with concern, "Why not? You have a part to play."

"Because," Nate's voice dropped to a whisper. "Mr. Nolan won't let me. I don't have a signed letter of permission."

"So? Come anyway."

"Neil, I can't just-"

"What?" Smiling Neil dropped his head down to whisper, "This is what being a Dead Poet is, taking risks, doing what you love even when others stand in your way. You are a Dead Poet aren't you, Nate? Carpe Diem."

Natalie considered it for a moment. Either way she was going to the rehearsal. The question was, how were Nate and Natalie going to be there at the same time? Before she knew it, she and Neil were running down the hill to Welton's open gates. Her shoulder bag full of girl clothes slammed against her legs. But that didn't slow her down. The throb in her wounded hands did not deter her from throwing her fists into the air once they crossed the boundaries separating Welton from the rest of the world and letting out a triumphant YAWP!

As they entered Henley Hall, Natalie had to think quick; she needed to be Juliet rather than Benvolio but Neil was practically glued to her side. Suddenly, she grabbed her abdomen and announced she had to go to the bathroom. Neil gave her a weird look and waved her off, "Maybe the excitement is a little too much for him."

As Natalie entered the woman's restroom, she ripped off her wig and shook out her hair, taking stalk of the occupants. To her dismay all the stalls were taken and there were even some girls fussing over their hair and make-up at the large mirror over the sinks. They all turned and gave Natalie the once over, a weird look crossing all their faces when they noticed her boy's uniform. "Uh, I'm doing another play down in Frankfort," she didn't know why she felt like she had to explain. Surely these girls knew that sometimes the demands of a certain play called for cross-dressing?

"Isn't that a Welton Academy uniform?" A girl with strawberry blonde hair asked, a mascara wand in her hand, her eyes grotesquely wide.

"Er, yeah it belongs to my brother," Natalie knocked the stall door nearest to her. "Hurry, please it's an emergency."

"Just a minute," a voice responded sounding annoyed at the interruption.

"Who is your brother?" Another blonde girl asked, this one with a thick tube of lipstick poised between her fingers.

"Um…you probably don't know him," Natalie waved her question off, silently pleading with the occupied stalls to hurry and open.

"Try us," The girls crossed their arms simultaneously. "We've only been with half those guys. They're the cream of the crop, you know. Loads better than all the hicks at Ridgeway."

"Um..er…" Natalie pulled out the first name that came to her mind, "Charlie Dalton." She mentally face-palmed herself, of all the names, she had to throw out that one.

The girl's attitudes changed immediately, "Charlie Dalton! AAAHH! He's so dreamy!" They squealed and giggled together. The one with the mascara wand babbled on, "I've tried to get with him so many times but he's surprisingly hard to get. Sure, he'll flirt with everyone but he's definitely not a monogamous and doesn't get tied down to anyone."

The girls giggled even more. Even though Natalie wasn't really related to Charlie, she didn't want to be hearing all their bathroom gossip. To her relief, a stall door finally opened, the occupant giving Natalie a rude gesture before she moved and allowed her to have some privacy to change.