Seven Days

Series

Day Two

Disclaimer: I do not own the Dead Poets Society. If I did, would I be writing this? No, I'd be cuddled up in bed with Neil and Knox.

A/N: I just finished up my college classes for the summer. I now have a little under a month off before I start for fall. I'm going to try and use that to my advantage by filling it with writing. I realize I should've updated this sooner but I have to be in a certain mood to make angst work. Anyhow, please review and I hope you enjoy it!

And with those two exclamations, Todd shattered the rest of the way down and was a few hours closer to his demise.

The next morning, Todd woke to find himself lying on the freezing cave floor. He stayed there, just staring up at the opening where some of the snow was dripping through. Any other time the cold would've gotten him to his feet but this kind just went along with what he was feeling. The numbness was a comfort that matched the own numbness in every ache of his body. Breathing out a sigh, his warm breath mixed with the cold air and created that fog from the temperature differences. Todd watched in awe. One moment it was there, the other it wasn't. Just like Neil.

Knowing he couldn't stay there forever, he rolled over onto his stomach and got to his feet. Todd brushed dirt and snow from his clothes before shakily making his way out of the cave. He glanced over his shoulder one last time to take everything in. In his heart, he knew it would be the last time he would most likely ever be able to come here. He took in the pile of burnt twigs in the center of the cave, the walls, the rocks, the God of the cave. Most of all, he took in images of past nights spent here, ghosts that would now only exist in his memory. Those ghosts would haunt him forever.

Todd figured he was in deep trouble so he took his time getting back to the school. His palms and knees throbbed from the fall he had taken the afternoon before. He used the pain to urge himself on. To take it and make himself stronger. Anything at this point was worth a shot. As he edged out of the woods, an eerie silence greeted him. No boys were in sight and the school was absolutely still. It was early morning so he was hoping to get in unnoticed. Todd found his way to his dorm and grabbed his toiletry bag, not daring to look at the empty bed that once belonged to Neil. Hoping to get cleaned up before punished, he disappeared into the bathroom for a shower and a fresh change of clothes.

DPSDPSDPSDPSDPSDPSDPSDPSDPS

Hours later, he found himself in another dorm room. Richard Cameron was nowhere insight as Charlie angrily hurled his belongings into a suitcase. The only Dalton heir had been expelled for punching the fink right in the face. Todd had wanted to hit Cameron himself but he had been too afraid to. Friends weren't supposed to stab each other in the back. Keating was innocent, yet Cameron had just ruined his life. In the end, Charlie had spoken for all of them and took it as a way to get expelled. At least one of the poets had escaped this place. This prison of memories. As Todd watched Charlie move on from his empty desk, he tried to figure out just what to say. He was the only one currently there since the others had feared for their lives at Charlie's wrath. They were all giving him some time to calm down but Todd figured he had nothing to lose. When what you love is taken away from you, you can do some pretty stupid things.

At the violent sound of the belt buckle hitting the edge of the suitcase, Todd flinched and remembered he needed to talk to Charlie about all of this. He swallowed thickly as he tried to gather all of his words and emotions together. Nothing lately was easy. He needed to acclimate himself to it. "Charlie?" he asked calmly.

"Hm?" Charlie hummed in a reply as he continued to empty his closet full of clothes.

Todd shifted his weight on the bed. He hadn't even gone near Cameron's bed so he was sitting on Charlie's. "What are you going to do?" he questioned.

Charlie shrugged. "My parents will be here in just a few hours to pick me up. From there, I'm going home and going to plot how to get back here to murder Cameron in his sleep. After that, probably some other prep school with a continuous hell that's worse."

Leave it to Charlie to make it dramatic. Todd sighed. "What are…we supposed to do?"

It was obvious whom Todd was speaking of. All of the poets, minus Neil, were still stuck there and dealing with the aftermath. "You guys, Todd…you guys need to finish up the year and get the grades your parents want." At least it seemed like the best thing to do since they were already under such intense scrutiny at the moment. "Keep the poet spirit alive."

Todd furrowed his brow in thought. "How can we do that? They'll be making sure we don't wander out to the cave anymore. You won't be there…Cameron surely won't be around us anymore…Neil won't be there." He swallowed thickly as tears pricked at his eyes.

Charlie finished packing up all of his things and zipped up the few suitcases he had before sighing. "Nothing stays the same forever, Todd." He sat down beside his friend and stared down at his dress shoes. "You're smart, Todd. You'll figure something out. Just make sure you take good care of Pitts and Meeks, all right? And you know Knox needs to be looked after." That boy was a danger to himself and now Charlie wouldn't be there to protect him.

Breathing in deeply, Todd nodded. "We'll stick together." They weren't anything at all like Cameron. They were going to be a support system for each other. To get through the rest of the year and anything else that came their way. All Todd knew was that it was going to take him forever to get over these events. "I don't know though, Charlie. We're all going to miss you, obviously."

Charlie smirked and draped an arm over Todd's shoulders in a friendly way. "Oh, we'll stay in contact through letters and phone calls. Hell, there's the summer. I'll bug you so much you'll wish I was gone." His eyes ended up softening and his smirk disappeared. It was obvious just how much this was weighing on both of them.

Todd smile just a tiny bit. The first time he had in days. "Yeah, but you got me out of the fire this morning. You lied so easily about how you'd found me and I had fallen asleep in your dorm. Thanks for that, by the way." It was thanks to Charlie that he wasn't in detention for months.

Charlie shrugged. "No problem. As long as Cameron doesn't open his fat mouth again, you should be fine."

"I don't think he'll be doing much talking. That was one hell of a punch."

Both the boys ended up smirking at that. Cameron deserved so much more than that but it was better not to go to prison for assault. As the minutes ticked by, they realized just how little time they had left together. In a few minutes, they'd go spend the rest of Charlie's time with some friends before he had to leave. They'd sneak up to a different attic to avoid Cameron or faculty. At least then it'd feel like they were protected. They would be tucked away secretly from the eyes of the others. That's what they needed the most in their weakened state. Anything Todd wanted to say to Charlie alone had to be now or never.

"Charlie?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

Charlie looked over at Todd in confusion. "For what?"

"For everything. For being my friend. For punching Cameron. For being yourself. For just being there."

Charlie was silent as he thought over what Todd had said. "Todd?"

"Yeah?"

For the very first and most likely last time, Charlie tugged Todd over into a hug. The two friends tightened their grip on each other for all of the moral and emotional support they needed. And before Todd could even say something, he could feel warm tears leaking through the shoulder of his shirt. It was then that it hit him harder than ever. Charlie Dalton was just as hurt as him but he covered them up better. And in that moment, Todd had never felt so intimate with something. Charlie was letting down his walls and letting Todd in. The pieces of Todd's heart shattered again into even smaller pieces, adding Charlie's burden to his own.

And at the end of the next hour, as the Dalton car drove away, Todd could feel the wedge be jammed further between his heart and head. Reality was becoming too much to bear and his last few days were tumbling by with no stop in sight.

A/N: I realize this was a little less angsty than normal but I figured that we needed a goodbye chapter for Charlie.