landslide, neil perry

thirteen.

none of them could even think about sleeping. the pledge of the dead poets society had walked straight to their cave without their leader, all solemnly sitting around the fire. the 'cave god' of a lamp only reminded them of neil, who had brought it to the cave in the first place. 

"where's cameron?" meeks asked, looking around the silent group. 

"who knows?" charlie replied, taking a sip of the wine that he'd stolen and stored in the cave. "who cares?"

celia, meanwhile, was pacing around the cave with her hands anxiously running through her hair. she had messed up any of the curls in it, but she didn't care. "i'm so worried about him." she admitted, feeling her voice begin to tremble. "he just.. he spends so much time being so happy, if not for himself then for us." she wasn't yet willing to make eye contact with anyone. "and i.. i'm scared that if one thing goes really wrong, one thing like this, it'll.. it'll tip him over an edge."

"what do you mean?" todd asked, looking near tears.

the girl shook her head. "i don't know. i'm just really worried."

charlie frowned. "he's gonna be okay, guys. so his dad's an asshole, so what? he'll be gone and out of his house sooner than he knows it. and when he gets back here, we'll be right there with him. okay? don't worry about it."

celia bit at the inside of her cheek, nodding at his words. "yeah, thanks, charlie." she let out a weak smile, trying to do what she could to believe him.

even if everything ended up okay for neil, she knew she wouldn't be allowed to talk to him again. not if his father had any sort of inkling about their relationship, and not of neil's description of the man's punishments were accurate.

nonetheless, celia stood wordlessly, walking out of the cave. she looked up at the stars above her, finding solace in the hope that neil was looking at the same ones as her. 

"should we check on her?" meeks asked as celia left, his brows furrowed with concern.

charlie shook his head, frowning. "no, let her have some space." he told his friend.

·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

neil's father stood in front of him, angrily pacing. "we're trying very hard to understand why it is that you insist on defying us." he said to his son. "whatever the reason, we're not gonna let you ruin your life. tomorrow, i'm withdrawing you from welton and enrolling you in braden military school. you're going to harvard and you're gonna be a doctor."

"but that's ten more years." neil shook his head. "father, that's a lifetime!"

the man scoffed. "oh, stop it. don't be so dramatic. you make it sound like a prison term. you don't understand, neil. you have opportunities that i never even dreamt of and i am not going to let you waste them."

neil stood, thinking about the advice celia and her father had given him. "i've got to tell you what i feel."

"we've been so worried about-" his mother began, only to get instantly cut off by her husband.

"what?" he countered. "what? tell me what you feel. what is it?" neil, too frightened now to speak, said nothing. "is it more of this, this acting business? because you can forget that. what? is it about that girl? and don't think i didn't see you. has she been perverting you, boy? is that what this is? because you can forget about her, too."

neil's heart cracked as he sat back down. "nothing."

"nothing? well, then, let's go to bed." his father left.

mrs. perry paused on her way out, turning to kneel behind her son.

"i was good." neil muttered, all of his thoughts coming out an incohesive jumble. "i was really good."