Chapter Text
The Court
When they return from winter break, none of the remaining poets seem to know what to do.
Cameron refuses to speak to them, Knox spends every moment he can with Chris, Pitts and Meeks are just trying to not get caught.
In some crude twist of fate, their crises all hit at the same time, a week into the new semester.
“We need to get out.” Meeks says, the words spewing out as he runs into the study hall.
Cameron, having been sitting alone in a corner, looks at him confused.
“What?”
“We need out. You need to see Charlie. Knox needs to forget Chris, I can’t stand any of these teachers. It’s only junior year. We need to get out.”
Cameron keeps staring up at him, Pitts coming up behind him.
“Way to warn me, Meeks. Jesus, where’d you learn to run like that.”
“Two sisters. Had to escape fast. You know this. Anyways, Cameron. What do you say?”
Cameron’s jaw has dropped along with the silent staring at the two boys in front of him.
“I don’t need to see Charlie.”
“Bullshit, Yes you do.” Pitts says.
“So what, it doesn’t matter to you guys?”
“You think we’d be asking you to leave Welton with us if it did? Cameron, you're our friend. We just want what’s best for you. And right now, I think that will be Charlie.”
“We, Meeks.”
”We, yes fine. Anyways. We think you need to come with us.”
“What are we doing?”
“Something only Charlie could ever approve of.” Meeks says, grinning wide. “We’re gonna get Nolan.”
Cameron looks around, though no one is paying their corner any attention. Better than before break, when all the attention was on them.
“Well sit down and start talking, before I change my mind.”
~*~*~*~*~
Cameron was the easy part. Convincing Knox that he and Chris were both a little bit crazy for each other in a not good way was harder.
Getting Nolan was an entirely different task.
Mostly because they didn’t actually know how to “get” Nolan.
Cameron only found this out the weekend before their plan was supposed to go into place.
“You don’t know what we’re actually going to do?!”
Meeks smacks his arm.
“Well everyone will know we’re doing something if you don’t quiet it down.”
Cameron scoffs and rubs his arm.
“It’s the middle of the woods at least a mile away from the school.”
Pitts rolled his eyes at the front of the group, Knox next to him still pouting.
They reach the cave, not having been there since before the play.
The god of the cave is still there.
Meeks rushes over, turning it around so it faces away.
“It’s not a meeting. He shouldn’t attend.” He shrugs.
The rest nod but settle into spots, shivering slightly from the cold but pulling blankets from bags.
“To catch you up, Cameron, no. We don’t know exactly what we are going to do.” Meeks starts but never finishes.
“So I’m risking a permanent record marked over nothing right now.” Cameron remarks.
“We all are.” Pitts says.
“This isn’t a power in numbers thing. It never has been.” Cameron responds.
“Yeah you made sure of that, didn’t you.” Knox finally inputs, making him a part of the conversation.
They fall silent, Cameron’s mouth closing.
“Cameron, we want to get back to okay. Not normal. Not happy, but okay.” Meeks says, the undecided middle man of the argument.
“What if right now is fine?”
Pitts seems to be seething, but he doesn’t speak.
“Is it?” Knox questions. “Is it fine, Cameron?”
The silence stretches, making the air heavy in their lungs.
After a moment Meeks breaks it again.
“So we need to do something. We followed Keating, he was blamed. We followed Todd, he was blamed. Obviously they just blame the starter, we can’t have a leader. Nolan won’t get all of us.”
“He might, we’re already on some pretty thin ice.” Pitts interjects, shrugging.
“Except me.” Cameron says. “I didn’t stand. I didn’t follow Todd. I would have a much bigger impact, don’t you think?”
They all look at each other, shrugging.
“Wow we’re really making a lot of progress on this guys.” Pitts says.
“It’s not my fault we’re left with some of the quietest people in the group. We aren’t the leaders.” Meeks says. “It was always Neil or Charlie.”
“Or Todd apparently.” Knox mutters.
“Look, I'll do it. We do it together but say it crashes and burns, I’ll take it.” Cameron says. “Let’s figure out the plan.”
The other three nod and gather closer.
~*~*~*~*~
Todd had grown… closer Charlie in the past couple weeks.
They both knew the chance of escaping each other, wanting to or not, was impossible. The only two new kids at a private school was the literal recipe for ensuring close parameters.
Todd was okay with being roomed with Charlie. They got along even if Charlie was hardly alive most days. He wasn’t a bad roommate, tidy enough though very likely not neat enough or Cameron, a subject he would never breach with Charlie.
He’d never really had friends in the first place, a few people from soccer who thought he had talent and other people who ask for notes. This left Charlie, in his brooding mood, to be his main interaction of the day.
“How was chem?”
“Horrid.” Charlie would mutter, staring into his math work as if it was an endless abyss.
“And that Latin teacher. I thought McCallister was bad.”
“Oh yeah, I’m so glad we’re here.” He would continue monotonously.
”Did you get a letter-“
“I think I’m going to shower before dinner.” Charlie would cut him off before he could reach the main issue.
He couldn’t let it go on.
He started plotting, writing letters and waiting, needing to surprise Charlie at the right time to get him out of his blank state. He had it planned and ready, just needing the time factor to hit right.
Someone beat him to it.
He is eating with Charlie one morning, nibbling on the oatmeal somehow better than Welton’s.
“Excuse me, Mr. Anderson?”
He turns to the head master, who is right behind him.
His jaw drops.
“Could you be of assistance to these young men? They are late starts as you have recent experience to this it would be useful. They have their schedules and room assignments. In fact, Mr. Dalton?”
Charlie looks up, having ignored then entire conversations for his plate of eggs, and eyes widening at the scene in front of him.
“Yes, Mr. Grubbler?”
“Could you help Mr. Anderson. Four is an awful lot for one man.”
“I- yes. I will help.”
“Good man. You too Mr. Anderson. Good to see your dedication to decency even with your differing entrance. You will have a five minute excuse period at the start of every period as will they. Anymore and there will be tardies.”
They both nod.
Grubbler gestures to the four in front of them and walks off, leaving them in a stunned silence.
“Surprise.” Meeks says.
Todd swallows harshly. Charlie looks as if he’s seen a ghost.
“Yeah, uh, really big surprise.” Charlie mutters. He cleans up his stuff and grabs his bag. “Who’s coming with me.”
Cameron gets practically shoved forward by Pitts and Meeks, Knox following him.
“Todd, let’s go with you!” Pitts says, grabbing Todd’s sleeve and dragging him along.
Charlie looks at the two in front of him. Knox looks bored, Cameron stands with a tense jaw.
“Well let’s go then.”
He leads them to the dorms, a floor up and a hallway away.
“What are your room assignments?”
“223”
“Same.”
“Oh goody. Roommates. Have fun.” Charlie says. “Cameron’s a tight ass, just a warning.”
Cameron scoffs.
“Oh Cammy, I’m just messing with you.” Turning to him as he gestured to the door. “Welcome to your new home.”
Knox uses his key to get it, but Cameron stays behind.
“Which one is yours?”
“221.”
“May I see. Gage the distance.”
Charlie nods, walking over and opening the door.
“My humble abode. Well, mine and Todd’s.”
“As expected.” Cameron says
“Yeah.” Charlie shrugs. “So how’d you swing getting here.”
“It’s neither here nor there. Not important.” Cameron says.
“And what would be important.” Charlie questions.
Cameron pulls Charlie into a kiss, fleeting and barely there.
“Oh, I’m not really sure. How long do you think we got?”
Charlie smiles, grabbing Cameron’s arm and pulling him into the room.
“At least five minutes, will that do?”
“I think we can make that work.” Cameron says, cupping Charlie’s cheeks and the brunette closes the door behind him.
~*~*~*~*~
“So how are we supposed have meetings up here?” Meeks says through chattering teeth, examining the rooftop.
“I don’t know. But this is the best spot. I went here as long as most of you were at Welton, I know almost all the spots, especially where people won’t be going.” Todd replies, rubbing his hands together. “It’s great when it’s warmer.”
“It better be before I murder Cameron to use his skin as a blanket.” Charlie says, already wrapped tightly around the ginger in question.
“Oh shut up.” Cameron says.
“We’ll make it work.” Pitts says. “It’s got more space and less spiders.”
“Who was worried about spiders?” Charlie says.
“Me, asshat.” Pitts says, picking up some snow and throwing it.
Charlie grabs some of his own, launching it towards Pitts and hitting Meeks and Knox on either side.
“Not my glasses.” Meeks says in a whisper, eyes gleaming but mouth spread in a grin. He picks up snow, packing it in his gloved hands. “You’re in for it Dalton.”
Todd steps back as the fight breaks out, the group tossing snow around on the wide roof, the moon overhead. He could probably find something poetic about it all, even if it wasn’t much than more life.
When the inevitable snow to the face happens, he finds himself caught in the fight. Slinging snow at his friends, soaking themselves in the freezing powder.
Poetry doesn’t need to be written today anyways. It can wait. Life can’t.
~*~*~*~*~
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was was returned