Soon the final monologue was upon them. Neil went out onstage and a spotlight singled him out as he turned to face the audience.

Because Amy was so close with him, she could see how nervous he was about his father watching him. It was barely noticeable, but it was there.

"If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended. That you have but slumber'd here while these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, no more yielding but a dream, gentles, do not reprehend. If you pardon, we will mend. And, as I am an honest Puck, if we have unearned luck, now to 'scape the serpent's tongue, we will make amends ere long. Else the Puck a liar call. So, good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends."

Neil put his hands in front of his face and backed upstage as the curtain closed and the audience burst into applause. Amy quickly approached him, noticing just how much more nervous he had become as he realized he would now have face his father.

"Hey," she said gently. "You did great. It's gonna be okay."

The other cast members frantically got into place for bows. Once the curtain opened again, everyone grabbed hands and took a bow as the applause got louder.

Two of the actors pushed Neil forward and he took another bow himself. Amy smiled and clapped for him.

Then to her surprise, he turned around and smiled at her as he extended his hand towards her. Her eyes widened for a moment before she smiled broadly and took his awaiting hand. He pulled her next to him, and the two of them took a bow of their own.

Only a couple of the cast members had problems with it. Everyone else was too excited because like Deanna, they had seen this coming since the first week of rehearsal.

Amy heard a loud cry of 'YAWP!' from the audience and laughed at the reaction from the boys she had become so close to in the last several months.

The curtains closed once more to separate the cast from the audience. Amy looked at Neil and smiled as she threw her arms around his neck excitedly. The rest of the cast hugged one another, congratulating themselves on a very successful opening night.

"We did it!" she laughed.

"Yes, we did! WHOO!"

"Amy, you were amazing!" Deanna told her.

"Thank you!" Amy replied. "You were too! I'm sorry if I scratched you during the catfight."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Makes it more authentic, don't you think?"

Amy laughed again. "Very true."

"I take it you and Neil aren't keeping your relationship a secret anymore?"

"I guess not."

"You didn't know he was going to do that?"

"No! But I'm glad he did. Maybe now we can stop hiding at least a little."

"I'm happy for you, Amy. Neil's a sweet guy. You deserve each other."

"Thank you."

As Neil and Amy happily accepted congratulations from various cast members, the director quickly approached Neil.

"Neil," she said almost sympathetically. "Your father…"

Neil's smile quickly faded.

"I'll come with you," Amy told him.

"That's probably not a good idea."

"He knows about us now. I don't want you to face him by yourself."

Neil sighed. "I could use the support."

"Let me get changed, and I'll be right out."

"Thanks."

Neil and Amy quickly changed out of their costumes and gathered up all of their belongings.

Right before they stepped out from behind the curtain, Amy stopped him. "No matter what happens…just promise me that you'll talk to me tonight. Whether that means you come to my room, or you call the school phone, or you send a paper airplane through the window…promise me that I'll hear from you tonight."

"I will."

"…I love you."

"I love you too."

"Okay. Then let's go."

Taking his hand in hers, the two of them came out from behind the curtain and immediately saw Neil's father still in the back of the auditorium looking extremely unhappy.

Neil gave him a small smile, but the smile quickly disappeared from his face.

"Take a deep breath," Amy said quietly.

The two of them walked to the back of the auditorium, hands intertwined.

Amy looked up at Neil's father nervously, but she could not maintain eye contact for very long under his very penetrating and judgmental stare.

"Sir, I—" Amy started.

"Save it," he snapped, cutting her off. "Were you the one who talked him into this whole ridiculous acting nonsense?"

"Actually, sir, he—"

"We're leaving."

Neil's father took his son's arm, forcing him to let go of Amy's hand. Neil looked back at her apologetically before following his father out the door.

Amy stared after them sadly. Then she quickly followed after them.

Neil's father quickly shoved people out of his way, hastily trying to get to the exit. "Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me."

"Neil, Neil, you were great," Charlie praised when the boys saw him coming out.

"I can't, guys," Neil told them quietly.

They finally made it outside and Mr. Perry angrily began ushering his son to the car.

"Neil! Neil!" Mr. Keating called as caught up with him. "You have the gift. What a performance. You left even me speechless. You have to stay with—"

Mr. Perry came up to them and shoved Neil away as Amy ran up to stand next to her father.

"Get in the car," Mr. Perry ordered. "Keating, you stay away from my son." He glared harshly at Amy. "Both of you."

"Neil!" Charlie called. "Neil! Mr. Perry, come on!"

Mr. Keating quickly pulled him back. "Don't make it any worse than it is."

Amy watched Neil's hopeless face as the car drove away from the theater. John wrapped his arm around his daughter, knowing she was probably feeling even worse than he was. He couldn't imagine being told to never again see the person one loved.

They were both really nervous about what was going to happen to Neil in the next few hours.

"Hey, Amy!" Charlie called to her.

Amy turned around, hoping she could mask her nervousness. "Yeah?"

"All of us chipped in and bought these for you." He handed her a bouquet of flowers.

Amy gasped as she took them. "Thank you so much, you guys."

"You were incredible!" Knox told her.

Chris tightly hugged her. "I had no idea you were such a great actress!"

"I'm glad you could make it," Amy smiled. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get out of the cold."

The boys and Chris laughed and began to walk back to the school.

Amy remained rather quiet, unable to get the look on Neil's face out of her head.

Neil shamefully followed his father up the stairs to his house and into the study. His mother was already sitting down, looking just as nervous as he felt.

Neil took a seat in the other chair as his father stood next to his desk and faced him.

"We're trying very hard to understand why it is that you insist on defying us," he said sternly. "Whatever the reason, we're not going let you ruin your life. Tomorrow I'm withdrawing you from Welton and enrolling you in Braden Military School. You're going to Harvard, and you're going to be a doctor."

"But that's ten more years," Neil said in horror. "Father, that's a lifetime!"

"Oh, stop it! Don't be so dramatic. You make it sound like a prison term. You don't understand, Neil. You have opportunities that I never even dreamt of, and I am not going to let you waste them!"

Neil furiously stood up. "I've got to tell you what I feel!"

His mother stood up as well to try to somehow ease the situation. "We've been so worried about—"

"What?" his father shouted over her. "What?! Tell me what you feel!"

Neil stared at his angry father, trying to come up with words.

"What is it?"

He paused and looked to his mother, noticing her eyes were tearing up.

"Is it more of this—this acting business? Because you can forget that. And the same goes for that girl! You are never to see her again!"

Neil sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing." He dejectedly sat back down on the chair.

His father scoffed lightly in front of him. "Nothing? Well, then, let's go to bed." He quickly left the study and headed up to his bedroom.

His mother started to leave as well but paused behind his chair and slowly knelt down behind it.

"I was good," Neil whispered without looking at her. "I was really good."

His mother looked at him sadly. "Go on, get some sleep."

After a few minutes, Neil slowly went up to his bedroom. His pajamas, bathrobe, towel, and shaving kit had all been laid out for him on the bed.

He took off his coat and set it on the bedpost before removing his shirt.

Then he went over to the windows and opened them, letting the cold winter air rush across his bare chest. It provided him with little relief from the war going on in his head.

He took the crown used in the show and put it onto his head then slowly let his head fall onto his chest. It was an exercise they had used in rehearsal that was supposed to help one relax before the intensity that came with rehearsing a show. It helped him calm his nerves about what he was going to do.

He took the crown off and then slowly opened the door to his room. Being careful to not make a sound and wake up his parents, he traveled down the stairs back to his father's study.

Taking out the key from the secret hiding place he had discovered when he was young, he opened one of the drawers on his father's desk. He reached in and took out a bundle of cloth.

Neil could not live like this any longer.

A life without Welton? A life without Mr. Keating and the other boys? A life without the Dead Poets? A life without acting? A life where he studied for hours to be something he didn't want to be?

…A life without Amy?

He couldn't do it.

He opened the bundle of cloth and picked up the small pistol wrapped inside.

Forgive me, Amy.

He raised the weapon to his temple.