Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Dead Poets Society... I am just inspired by it.

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I look up from my letter with a smile to see Todd beaming at me over his letter. "He's still teaching!" Todd exclaims gleefully.

I reach across to give Todd a hug. "And he doesn't blame me," I say. "He says Mr. Perry went to the administration, and that I'm not to blame myself any longer."

Todd returns the hug and adds a kiss. "He says he's glad for both our sakes that we've made up and become friends. Do you... do you mind if I tell him about us?"

"Go right ahead. I'll also be saying something to him, because he asked about my dream, and why I think I'll be breaking with my family to follow it," I tell him.

"What is your dream, anyway?" Todd asks as he sets his letter on his desk and takes another slice of pizza.

I laugh. "I'm not sure exactly," I say. "But I think I'd like to be a doctor. I'm supposed to go into the FBI, you know, according to my father. But the FBI doesn't want queers any more than the army does. What about you? I know you've mentioned your father expecting you to become a doctor, but you didn't sound too happy about it."

Todd nods around a mouthful of pizza. "Mmm. Promise not to laugh?"

I take a drink of my Coke, then grab another slice of my own. "I promise."

"I want to be a writer," Todd tells me. "Maybe work for a newspaper or a magazine, but also I want to be a published author."

"That's going to take a lot of effort, but if anyone can do it, you can, Todd," I tell him, meaning every word of it. He's let me see some of the poems he's written since the start of the school year, and as far as I'm concerned, they're as good as at least half of what we've read in English class. Of course, I'm not exactly a professional, not to mention that I have a definite bias. But still, they're good.

He flushes. "You really mean that, Richard?"

"Of course I mean it," I say. "The Captain was right, I think, when he predicted great things of you that night."

Todd's cheeks redden further and he hastily gulps his Coke in an effort to hide it. "Thanks," he mumbles.

I decide a change of subject would be kind. "What will you be doing come summer?" I ask.

"I don't know," he answers. "Probably not much. Aside from golf lessons and the occasional round of it with my father and brother. I hate that game... mostly because they like it so much," he adds ruefully. "But doctors are supposed to play golf. My father is chief of staff at his hospital, so he doesn't bother with real vacations. My mother goes visiting her relatives sometimes, but she doesn't take me."

I manage to hide my disgust at his family's treatment of him. "Do you think your folks would let you stay with me for a while?" I give him a hopeful look. "My family goes to Martha's Vineyard every July... and my father is always telling me I ought to invite a friend out sometime. Besides, I hate the thought of going the whole summer without seeing you."

He smiles slowly. "I can't think of anything I'd rather do this summer," he says. "Are you sure your folks won't mind me along?"

"As I said, my father's been telling me for years that I ought to bring a friend. My brother AJ... Andrew Junior... has a friend or two out every year," I say. "Of course, he's graduating from Dartmouth this year... pre-law... and I think he might be going elsewhere for at least part of the summer. One last hurrah with his friends before buckling down to law school and all that."

Todd blinks at me and starts to laugh. "Dartmouth? Your brother is graduating from Dartmouth this year? I don't believe it! Jeffrey... my brother... is graduating from Dartmouth this year. Only he's pre-med instead of pre-law. How crazy can you get? I wonder if they know each other?"

I laugh as well. "That is crazy! But you know, it might be a good thing for you if they do know each other. Assuming they don't hate each other, of course. Because you've said it a lot, that your parents pay attention to your brother... so if he tells them that the Camerons are good people and you'd benefit from getting to know them, that might improve your chances of coming to Martha's Vineyard."

He nods and finishes his first Coke. "True. But I doubt I can find out from Jeffrey if he knows your brother. He never answers my letters. I only write him anymore because I'll be in trouble if my father finds out that I don't write to him." He glances away uncomfortably.

There it is again, I think to myself, another demonstration of how Todd doesn't seem to matter to his family. Another demonstration of how it's all about his brother. I set my half-eaten pizza on the box and wrap my arms around him.

He turns slightly, holding me tightly for a long moment. "Thank you, Richard," he whispers.

I brush my lips against his forehead, wishing I could stand between him and the cruelty... however unthinking... that his family inflicts on him. Without stopping to consider my words, I answer him. "I love you, Todd."