A/N: Hello, everyone, here we are again! Another chapter of the story is here and is dedicated with much love to my friend Nushka, who's been waiting for it for quite a while ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own the Dead Poets Society, only the plot and the characters I create
"That's how stories happen—with a turning point, an unexpected twist."
(Haruki Murakami, "Kafka on the Shore")
Pitts's POV
I remembered the day of our graduation from Hellton like it was yesterday. Truth be told, it wasn't much different from the welcoming ceremony Nolan held at the beginning of every school year. He had given us a speech telling us how proud of ourselves we should be on this very special day, then mentioning statistics about the success of Welton students and how a large percentage was accepted in prominent universities and, in the end, asking us for the zillionth time what the four pillars of the Academy were. In the end, he had said that we should always follow said pillars in our lives in order to succeed, wished us the best for our future and that was it—we were officially graduates.
Afterwards, before leaving, Meeks, Knox, Todd and I had the chance to spend some time away from our parents, who were talking among themselves too—and throwing angry or concerned glances towards us from time to time as if Mr. Keating's lessons had caused us some permanent mental damage or something—and had decided that we would continue living according to everything we had learned…trying to move on and follow our dreams. Of course the distance between our colleges was an obstacle, but we would write to each other, send the book of verses to each other and be in each other's life in general. To be honest, I would never guess back then that I would feel so well here in Yale—still in pain, but much better this period of time, with my best friend and partner-in-crime as a fellow-student and two combative and encouraging new friends.
But, of course, life in college isn't only about being more independent and meeting new friends and gain closure for everything that hurt you in the past. There are also practical matters, courses to attend, notes to write down, theories to be revised and, naturally…
Semester exams and learning until the early hours of morning.
And so, instead of having fun with the girls or simply relaxing in the courtyard and enjoying the chill weather, Meeks and I stayed in our dormitory with Physics books and notebooks scattered all over the room and creating a huge mess, reading and exchanging information and help where the other needed it. But no matter our determination to study as hard as possible and answer any questions we had on the various subjects, our endurances started to fade away after a couple of hours, making me slam my book shut and bury my head in my pillow with a loud groan of frustration.
"Can someone come and explain why on earth I chose Physics instead of Engineering?" I asked rhetorically, my voice coming out muffled because of the pillow. "Why? I was absent-minded? I had hit my head on a wall? Why?"
"Um….Are you absolutely sure you want me to answer that question, Pitts? I don't want to make your mood even worse."
I left out another groan because Meeks was right; I remembered that 'heart-warming' family conversation only too well. Already disappointed in me because of my 'mindless and immature teenager actions', my father didn't even want to hear that I would major in Engineering, making it clear to me that he would never pay the fees for such a college. And so, after several days of us arguing, my mother trying to balance the spirits and Meeks giving me advice, I had compromised and decided for Physics School instead—it always was one of my favorite school subjects and my best friend would study it as well.
And now I had to pay the consequences for this compromise, since I had the impression that my brain would explode any minute now–after all, we had been learning for more than six hours already. Apparently, though, luck was on my side this evening, as I was saved by a knock on the door and Mr. Harris, the one guarding the door to the guys' dormitories and the one giving us any letters or phone calls.
"Mr. Pitts! There's a phone call for you!" he announced from the other side of the door.
"Thank you, Mr. Harris, I am coming!" I replied and shared a questioning look with Meeks before exiting our room. It was the first time someone called me in college—I communicated with my family and the Dead Poets through letters, so this change made me both curious and concerned. I didn't know if I had become paranoid after the tragic events in Hellton, but I feared I would hear bad news and so grabbed the phone with insecurity.
"Hello?"
"Pittsie, my lifesaver, thank God I found you, the world's ending, man!"
"Nuwanda?!" I gasped, Charlie being the last person I expected to hear. I relaxed immediately, since he never used that voice when things were really serious; judging from his hasty speaking and his over-dramatic tone, something else had happened: something really funny probably which he considered the end of the world. "What's going on, why do you sound like that?"
"Because my family hates me and wants to punish me for some reason that's beyond me, that's why." Charlie responded and I chuckled involuntarily; this guy would never grow up, that much was clear. "I mean, seriously, what sins am I paying to suffer such a fate?"
"Well, I don't know about your sins, Charlie, but I can't help you if I don't know what's happening. What did your family do, plan a marriage for you or something?"
"Not for me, thank goodness, my cousin's getting married at Easter, doesn't talk about anything else…and he appointed me to be his best man!"
Wow, what was it with people marrying at Easter? First Nellie's childhood friend and now Charlie's cousin…perhaps it was due to the warm weather at this period of time; or they had thought that it was more convenient, since both Nellie and Charlie would be home for vacation. In any case, I started to understand what Charlie's problem was; he was allergic to anything combined with the concept of marriage, especially as a best man, a position with a cardinal role in the whole ceremony. "Well, congratulations," I said nonetheless; to be assigned this role it meant that his cousin considered him close…something really positive for Nuwanda, whose parents held a huge grudge against him after his expulsion from Welton.
"Yeah, congratulate me for the upcoming boredom that awaits me," my friend kept complaining like a toddler. "It's bad enough I have to attend and watch this warm and fuzzy nonsense, but participating too? I won't survive it on my own, that's for sure…which is why I called you! In order to deal with all this, I will need the good old Dead Poets as guests…so what do you say?"
"Sure, why not? It won't be a problem for Meeksie and me," I accepted immediately. I hadn't forgotten Nellie's invitation, but there was no way the two weddings were on the same day, such a coincidence didn't exist, making it possible for us to go to both.
"Great, thanks, man, you're saving me here! You can all come and stay with me and we can travel together the day before the wedding or something like that."
"Travel? Won't the wedding occur in your hometown?"
"Nope, did you think it would be that easy? No, of course not, nothing is easy for poor Nuwanda," he explained with a sigh. "My cousin has moved to the bride's hometown and insists that everything happens there, so we have to go to freaking Medford too—"
Wait a minute…What?!
Did he just say Medford? But…Medford is where Nellie lives…so if it's the bride's hometown too…
Is it even possible?
Could the world really be that small? Could it be that Charlie had just invited me to a wedding…I was already invited to? My eyes widened at the mere possibility of it, but I decided to check it immediately because these things didn't happen every day.
"One question, Charlie…Has your cousin mentioned his fiancée's name?"
"Ah, of course he has, I told you, he doesn't talk about anything else…Olivia Something!"
And the puzzle was completed; there was no way we were talking about two different weddings here. The bride being called Olivia and living in Medford, just like Nellie's friend; plus, the mention of a best man with a misunderstood sense of humor was another fact that confirmed what had crossed my mind. It couldn't be, it was beyond any imagination, such coincidences occurred only in novels; and did even coincidences exist?!
"Pittsie?! Pittsie, what's wrong?"
"Well, Nuwanda," I started and mustered all my self-restraint to not burst out laughing or sound like a complete idiot, "it seems that I have more than one reason to come to this wedding…considering I've already been invited."
"What? Pitts, did you slam your head and talk nonsense?" Charlie sounded completely dumbfounded and now I couldn't hold my laughter back.
"No nonsense, my friend…do you remember these girls Meeks told you about, the ones we're friends with here in Yale?"
"Of course I remember, such glorious details can't be forgotten, but what on earth—"
"Well, Nellie's the maid of honor in that same wedding, Charlie! The bride, Olivia, is her childhood friend and she invited Meeks and me. It sounds crazy, but you two will attend the exact same occasion!"
Silence.
Complete silence followed my words for several moments that seemed like hours.
And believe me, Charlie and silence didn't belong together, not even under the weirdest circumstances.
"Pittsie, last time I checked, today's the first of February, not April Fool's Day!" he exclaimed in the end, his voice being a mixture of amusement and surprise. "We're not in a movie and something like that—"
"…belongs to the sphere of imagination, believe me, I know," I agreed, a part of me still processing what I had just discovered. "In any case, as you've figured out, Meeks and I will come to this infamous wedding to save both poor you and the maid of honor from utter boredom or frustration."
"Wow! Simply wow! Who's playing with us, eh?" Charlie laughed loudly. "Suddenly this wedding seems to be much more interesting than it did a couple of days ago…and I will finally meet the lady who's been such an inspiration on you!"
"Charlie! I'm warning you, man, don't you dare say anything that will embarrass her." I spoke in a stricter tone; Charlie was a great friend, but tact wasn't very high on his list; and, no matter how independent Nellie was, I knew she was still affected by specific kind of comments. "Besides, her dorm mate will be there too…and trust me, you do not want to get on her bad side!"
"Really? Intriguing, very intriguing…my, my, thank you, Pitts, you just made my day, now I'm really looking forward to meeting both of them."
I hit my forehead with my palm as Charlie burst out in another fit of laughter. Nuwanda would always stay Nuwanda….and what would the Dead Poets Society be without him! Not to mention that he did all of us a huge favor when he punched Cameron back in Hellton…it had given us a reason to smile back then, when everything seemed hopeless.
But right now was not the time to travel to the memories of the past, pleasant or not. Right now I needed to summon Meeks and the girls and talk to them about the new facts that had been added to Nellie's invitation.
Nellie's POV
"What?! What?! What?!"
"Are you joking? You are joking, aren't you?"
"You mean that…the mysterious best man Olivia and Thomas mentioned…is your…Oh my God!"
The four of us were sitting in our favorite spot, next to a tree in the yard behind Law School, enjoying the fresh air after all these days of endless studying and the sky that had started to turn dark blue as a sign that night would soon fall over us. None of us was paying attention to the change of scenery, though, as we were too busy trying to comprehend what Gerard had just told us. It wasn't easy; I myself still had trouble believing that Olivia's fiancé was related to one of Gerard and Meeks's friends from high school.
"So when Olivia told me that the best man said he would invite about four friends…he had included…the two of you? I spoke in a high-pitched noise and my eyes travelled to the two boys of the group. "And when I asked her if it was okay for you three to sit with the best man's guests at the reception…"
"It would happen anyway, it seems." Gerard nodded, a gentle smile of acceptance marking his face. "Don't search it, guys, it's impossible to explain or—"
The rest of his sentence was interrupted by Meeks and Virginia, who erupted in hysterical laughter as a reaction to the huge coincidence we were facing; Meeks patted Gerard's shoulder and Ginny hit her knee with her fist, unable to control her breathing. Gerard and I followed suit; their laughter was contagious and it was quite funny if we thought about it: it seemed that, even if we hadn't become friends here, we would meet through Olivia and Thomas's wedding. We couldn't stop laughing for minutes, laughing because we were laughing, that sound triggering it further until we couldn't even breathe. It was spontaneous and I loved it, although to someone else we would surely appear as totally crazy. But some things can't be controlled and the paradox of a moment can lead to such reactions numerous times—and right now we were facing a paradox that was impossible and perfect at the same time.
"Okay, don't tell me again that coincidences exist; after this, the word's scratched from my vocabulary forever!" Meeks commented when he was able to speak slightly calmer. "And I don't care what scientists say about the world; it's a very small world and the universe is way too lazy for coincidences."
"Hear, hear!" Virginia agreed immediately, winking discretely towards me and I understood what she wanted to say non-verbally; after all, a connection had been built between us, as if our life stories were further combined through my friend from my childhood and the boys' high school days.
"But what are coincidences, anyway?" I brought up another point and now it was Gerard's turn to send me a wink. I couldn't help it; I loved when stories were combined with each other and this news had given me another aspect for philosophical conversations and explanations. "I mean, they could even be a human invention for all we know…something people use to explain things that seem complicated to them…or things that can't be explained by law or by scientific rules," I concluded and my friends chuckled at the mention of our two majors.
"Isn't that the charm of it, though? The fact that some things simply can't be explained and we make connections in an attempt to reach a logical conclusion?" Gerard stated, suddenly more serious and I could almost say sad, as if these words had brought him memories he didn't want to remember. "The unknown is what scares people, that's why they have science, law, philosophy, art, conversations about the universe and its mysteries…because they can't bear the fact that they don't know everything!"
"That's true, but sometimes they exaggerate to an irrational level; who said that only scientists or investigators have the greatest ideas? It's as if they think that normal people's opinions are worthless or something…and yet most of the times, the greatest ideas are the simplest ones." Meeks mumbled and we all nodded in agreement. I opened my mouth, about to reply something to that, but I was interrupted by Virginia yawning loudly and only then did I realize that night had arrived and it had started to become cold.
"Sorry, everyone, it's just that all this stupid studying and the revelations took my energy…I can't wait for the end of the exams, I think I will sleep for two days after that."
And not even the genius of the group could disagree with that.
Pitts's POV
A very interesting question for surveys would be 'What do first-year college students do the day before their very first semester exam?". And surely most answers would sound 'revising' or 'getting on their friends' nerves because they remembered a million questions they've left unanswered' or 'sleeping to be rested tomorrow' or 'doing anything else, just not studying'.
Surely none of them would answer 'running like crazy in town for their best friend's birthday gift'.
Yes, you guessed right, that would be my answer.
Wanting desperately to forget my anxiety due to tomorrow's exam and to finish the gift I had planned as soon as possible, I left poor Meeksie alone all day and ran from the library to my dorm, from my dorm to the library's photocopying machine, from the photocopying machine back to my dorm and from my dorm to three bookstores I had discovered in town that would aid me in my purpose, since the one responsible for the photocopier back in Yale kept making my life difficult. Most likely I looked like a maniac and even Meeks was both trying to calm me down and was laughing like crazy at my urge, but it was the middle of February already and time was slowly running short.
But when you have a specific plan in mind and if said plan concerns a special occasion for one of the best friends you could ever have, then you want everything to be ready on time…otherwise you'll get consumed by nervousness that you'll disappoint them although you initially hoped they'll be happy with what you planned. So better a maniac who ran for hours today than someone who would wait until the last minute to make hasty work…after all, working hastily rarely had a positive outcome.
In the end, though, when I made the last route for the day and finally entered my dormitory to rest and be fully ready for my exam, a wide smile was spread across my face, despite my panting because of all the running. I had quite enjoyed it, to be honest, being outside and thinking about something else than Physics for a day, breathing in the fresh air and the still-existing cold making the atmosphere clearer.
"So? Everything okay?" Meeks wanted to know with a sly smirk, glancing up from his notebook to meet my gaze.
"It's ready!"