Disclaimer: I do not own Dead Poets Society. Otherwise I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.
INT. STUDY HALL-AFTERNOON
All of the boys sit silently at the tables, textbooks and pages of notes in front of them. Todd, Neil, Charlie, Knox, Meeks, Pitts, and Cameron all sit at a table together. Quite a few boys around the room are having whispered conversations.
MCALLISTER
Quiet down, all of you. You have studying to do.
Silence falls. Boys read from their textbooks, or look over their notes in silence. The bell rings. Textbooks and notebooks are slammed shut, and all of the boys hurry to get out of the room.
INT. TODD AND NEIL'S ROOM-LATE AFTERNOON
Todd and Neil walk into the room, books in their arms. Neil sets his books down on his desk. Todd leans against the door to close it, sighing, his eyes closing in what appears to be defeat. Todd slides down the door until he is sitting on the ground. Neil stands in the middle of the room, watching and looking concerned.
NEIL
Todd?
TODD
[softly]
I'm going to fail everything.
Neil kneels down in front of Todd and takes his hands.
NEIL
No, you're not.
TODD
How do you know?
NEIL
[smiling]
I just do.
TODD
No, you don't. You have no way of knowing if I'll fail or not.
NEIL
Perhaps. But neither do you.
Todd smiles briefly, but then his face falls again.
TODD
But what if I do fail?
NEIL
Todd...don't think like that. You're not going to fail.
TODD
Yeah?
NEIL
Yeah, because I'm going to help you study.
TODD
Neil, you don't need to do that.
NEIL
I know I don't need to, I want to. Besides, helping you study will help me study, so everybody wins.
TODD
[smiling]
What would I ever do without you?
NEIL
Fail, probably.
Todd's smile quickly disappears.
NEIL
I'm kidding, Todd, I'm kidding!
MONTAGE INT. VARIOUS PARTS OF WELTON (CLASSROOMS, STUDENT LOUNGE, ETC)-CHANGES IN LIGHTING
We see the Dead Poets, as well as the other students, studying and in various stages of stress in a bunch of different places on the campus of Welton. We move through classrooms where teachers are doing review. We see boys in the student lounge and in the library, hunched over books. We see boys shuffling down the dorm hallway to their rooms. We see Todd and Neil in their room, lit only by their desk lamps due to the midnight darkness seen through the window. All of this is done to show the progression of about a week.
EXT. THE CAVE-AFTERNOON
The Dead Poets are all sitting around the cave, bundled up against the cold.
CAMERON
Is it really wise to be out here having a meeting? Finals are soon, we should be studying.
CHARLIE
Oh, shut up, Cameron, live a little.
KNOX
Yeah, Cameron, you gotta admit, this is better than studying any day.
CAMERON
But exams start tomorrow!
NEIL
Lighten up, Cameron, study breaks are a good thing!
CAMERON
We shouldn't even be here in the first place...
CHARLIE
Oh, for God's sake, just go back and study. If you're going to keep complaining, then we don't want you here.
Cameron shakes his head as he stands, then leaves the cave.
CHARLIE
Well, now that he's gone, should we finally start this meeting?
There is a short montage of the poetry book being passed around in which we hear only one or two lines from each poem. The boys look progressively cold and miserable.
NEIL
I say we call that a day, gents. Any longer out here and my nose will freeze.
Todd mumbles as the Dead Poets get up and move out of the cave.
TODD
Mine's already frozen.
INT. TODD AND NEIL'S ROOM-LATE AFTERNOON
Todd and Neil walk in, both of them shivering.
TODD
[giggling]
Neil, you have snow in your hair.
Todd steps close enough to Neil to brush the snow from Neil's hair. Neil smiles as Todd's hand runs through his hair. Neil gives Todd a quick kiss.
NEIL
Your nose still frozen?
TODD
Yeah...
Neil kisses Todd's nose.
NEIL
That better?
TODD
Mm-hm.
NEIL
So, a bit of last minute studying?
TODD
That'd be good...but I need to warm up first, I don't think I'm going to be able to study productively when I'm this cold.
NEIL
That sounds wonderful.
Both boys take off their coats and shoes.
NEIL
My bed or yours?
TODD
[shyly]
Yours.
Todd and Neil climb into Neil's bed. Todd sits between Neil's legs, his back resting against Neil's chest. Neil wraps his arms around Todd.
NEIL
Relax, Todd, you're much too tense.
TODD
I am relaxed.
NEIL
You're body's so tense, though...
TODD
I know...
Neil unwinds his arms from around Todd. Todd whimpers.
TODD
Hey...put those back. They were warming me up.
Neil starts massaging Todd's shoulders.
TODD
Neil, what're you...oh. Oh.
Neil silently messages Todd's shoulders for a bit.
NEIL
That better?
TODD
Yes. Thank you.
Neil wraps his arms around Todd again, and the two sit in silence.
MONTAGE INT. WELTON CLASSROOMS-DAY
We see a montage of the boys taking finals in all of their classes, except English.
INT. ENGLISH CLASSROOM-AFTERNOON
The boys all sit at their desk. Mr. Keating stands at the front of the room where his desk has been pushes off the side of the room.
KEATING
So, dramatic poetry readings. Who wants to go first?
Neil's hand shoots into the air. Todd notices, and gives Neil a look that seems to say "I hate you. Why are you doing this to me?" Keating looks around the room, no one else has raised their hand.
KEATING
Mr. Perry and Mr. Anderson it is then. Come on up, lads, get us started.
Mr. Keating moves to the side of the room while Todd and Neil move to the front of the room. Todd and Neil look at each other for a few moments before starting to recite a poem in unison. While they recite Neil makes quite a few dramatic gestures and moves around. Todd stays more stationary, and doesn't really move his hands much. You can tell by looking at Todd's face though, that he is really getting into the poem, he just has a different way of showing it than Neil.
TODD AND NEIL
Poets to come! orators, singers, musicians to come!
Not to-day is to justify me and answer what I am for,
But you, a new brood, native, athletic, continental, greater than
before known,
Arouse! for you must justify me.
I myself but write one or two indicative words for the future,
I but advance a moment only to wheel and hurry back in the darkness.
I am a man who, sauntering along without fully stopping, turns a
casual look upon you and then averts his face,
Leaving it to you to prove and define it,
Expecting the main things from you.
When Todd and Neil finish reciting the class applauds-the Dead Poets applauding the loudest. Mr. Keating beams proudly. Todd and Neil smile at each other and move back to their seats.
KEATING
Wonderful, boys. Who's next?
INT. TODD AND NEIL'S ROOM-AFTERNOON
Todd and Neil walk into their room after the end of Keating's class.
NEIL
We were awesome!
TODD
We were, weren't we?