Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Dead Poets Society... I am just inspired by it.
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Todd is crying. I can't see him, but I can hear by the harshness in his breathing that he's trying to hold back sobs. Dr. Anderson is berating him. "Five ninety-eight? You're not even worth that much, you stupid little runt! I should have taken care of things like Paige wanted me to, then we wouldn't have had to put up with you. But with the war, she couldn't go abroad to have it taken care of, and the one fellow I knew who would have done it was in the navy and off at Pearl Harbor, so he couldn't help either."
I choke back a whimper of my own. I have to find Todd. I have to, before his father drives him to do something awful. I can't bear it if that happens. "Todd?" I call tentatively. "Todd, where are you?" His sobs are growing quieter now, I can barely hear him anymore. "Todd... don't leave me, Todd... please don't leave me! Where are you?"
I sit up with a gasp, sweat pouring down my torso. I blink a couple of times, then realize I'm in my own room. It was just another nightmare, just like the others that have plagued me since school let out. I can hear a few birds chirping, although the the sky is just barely starting to lighten with the dawn. I start to lie down again, then smile as I remember what day it is. It's June 30th. The day we set sail for Martha's Vineyard by way of Portsmouth. The day I get to see Todd again.
I squint at my alarm clock, then give up and turn on the bedside light so I can read it properly. 5:18. The alarm is actually set for 6:00, but I know there's no way I'll get back to sleep now. I shut it off and quietly head for the bathroom. Fortunately, my parents' room is at the other end of the house, so I won't wake them, and AJ can practically sleep through anti-aircraft fire. I set the shower to a comfortable temperature and step into it. My thoughts drift to Todd again as I wash, and within moments, my body reacts. I start to change the water to cold, then hesitate and wrap my hand around myself instead. It's been a couple of weeks after all, and maybe a little relief now will keep me from doing anything stupid later. My hand moves faster as I picture Todd's mouth on me, his body pressed against mine. I stifle a moan as I erupt, then sag a bit against the wall as the warm water rinses away any evidence of my activity.
Once I'm done in the bathroom, I head back to my room to dress. I can hear my parents starting to move around, so I finish my last-minute packing and head downstairs with the overnight bag. Mother passes me in the hall, smiling to see me up and ready so early. "Will you start the coffee, Richard, since you're up?" she requests. "That usually gets AJ up faster than anything else." She slips back to her room as I nod.
Downstairs, I drop my bag with the others, then start the coffee brewing. On impulse, I toss bread into the toaster and start scrambling eggs for the four of us. No one at school knows I can cook, of course, but Mother insisted that AJ and I both learn the basics of food preparation. As she put it to Father, when he questioned it, "What if they marry late, Andrew? Do you want them to starve to death, or waste all their income at restaurants?"
Mother gives me a hug when she gets downstairs and sees breakfast nearly finished. Father loads the car with the bags, then comes inside just in time for the food to be ready. AJ stumbles downstairs a minute later, looking as though he's sleepwalking, but perking up a bit when Mother passes him a cup of coffee. He looks much more awake by the end of the meal, heading out to the car with a grin. "See you all at Oak Bluff Harbor late today," he calls as he backs out of the driveway. Ten minutes after he leaves, Grandfather pulls up to drive the rest of us to Salem Harbor, where we keep the Evelyn Rose moored.
It's perhaps 9:45 when we nose into Portsmouth Harbor. I'm at the rail with my binoculars, peering along the docks for Todd while Father looks for an open slip at the public moorings. I spot him, alone and sitting on his suitcase, leaning against the bait and tackle shop. I restrain myself long enough to help Father tie up the Evelyn Rose safely, then I take off running to greet Todd.
"Avast, me hearty!" I yell in a silly pirate accent. His eyes fly open and he laughs. We grab each other in a back-thumping hug somewhat reminiscent of football players celebrating a touchdown... about the only way two young men can get away with something like that in public. I really wish I could kiss him, but that would be Bad with a capital B.
"Ahoy yerself, ye scurvy dog," he grins as we pull apart. "God, this has been the longest two weeks of my life. It's great to see you, Richard. Where are your parents?"
"They're still aboard the Evelyn Rose," I tell him. "When I said you were alone, Father said that you didn't need the full committee to escort you to the proper dock, and that since my back is younger than his, I could just help you with your bags while he relaxed with Mother."
Todd grimaces. "Yes, well. Father dropped me off down here a couple hours ago, on his way to work. No point disrupting everyone's schedule, he said, since it isn't raining and I could wait out here without any problems."
I shake my head, once again left with no words by the casual disregard Todd's parents have for him. I pick up his big suitcase before he can protest, leaving him with the two small overnighters. He follows me back to the Evelyn Rose, where my parents welcome Todd aboard. Mother directs him to the cabin to stow his bags while I cast off the mooring lines, jumping lightly aboard as Father begins pulling away from the dock.
Todd emerges from the cabin, gazing around the boat in some wonder, his eyes alight with happiness. I'm trying to keep from showing how much his smile is making me melt. Luckily, Father decides to launch into a lecture about sailing. I've heard it before, but Todd obviously hasn't. He's soaking it all up, even asking a few hesitant questions when he doesn't understand something.
The day passes fairly easily. Mother has, as usual, packed enough food for an army. Todd and I eat lunch first, then Father has me take the wheel so he can eat with Mother. A few minutes after the cabin door closes behind them, I feel Todd's arms slipping around my waist. "God, I've missed you," I tell him, leaning back into his embrace.
"And I've missed you," he says, his breath warm against my ear. He stays there for a long moment, then reluctantly pulls away. "I won't risk your parents catching us," he says with a sigh.
"But I'll give you a proper greeting tonight," I promise with a smile.
He grins at that, then blinks as it occurs to him that I'm actually controlling the boat at the moment. "Is it hard to sail a boat like this?" he asks.
"Not very," I say. "I don't have a pilot's license yet... I have to be eighteen for that... but since this is a private vessel I don't actually need to have one. Would you like to take the helm for a bit? It's nice open water here, so there's no need to worry about hitting anything."
"Um... okay," he agrees a little nervously. I hand him the wheel and show him the controls for the throttle and explain the various dials and gauges to him. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Father emerge from the cabin and grin, then go back inside. He spends at least a couple of hours inside, not coming back out until we're approaching the high-traffic zone near the Cape Cod Canal.
"Okay, boys, good work," he tells us cheerfully. "But neither of you have the experience to navigate the canal, so I take over from here."
"Of course, Mr. Cameron," Todd says politely, stepping aside to let Father take the wheel.
"It'll be a couple more hours yet, Todd," I tell him. "Do you want to sit inside or stay up on deck?"
"On deck, definitely," he smiles.
I lead him towards the benches at the stern. "This is always my favorite relaxation spot at sea," I tell him.
"I need to relax," he says with a sigh. "I was right, thinking things were going to be worse than usual this summer. Thinking of this is the only thing that kept me going."
"What can I do to help?" I ask quietly.
"You already have," he tells me, giving my hand a quick squeeze since no one is looking in our direction.