Nobody Knows This Little Rose - Dead Poets Society x Reader

12

"What is this club thing? Is it the same thing Charlie was talking about on my first day?" Y/n immediately began bombarding Meeks with questions as they set off towards Chemistry.

"Yes... it's a little... difficult to explain." He said hesitantly, not wanting to describe it in a way that would turn her off of the subject completely

"Well?" She prompted. "I don't know anyone better at explaining things than you."

He smiled his little grin and looked away. "So on our first day, we looked up Mr. Keating's annual in the library. There was something in there about how he was a founder of the 'Dead Poets Society'. Neil was super curious about it, so we asked him what it was." He paused here, looking sideways at Todd before continuing. "He and some of his friends used to sneak out, late at night, to this cave that is in the woods. It's only about a mile away. There, they would read poetry"

Something seemed to click in y/n's head. "Oh...I see what it is!" She said excitedly as they entered the classroom. "You let the poetry transform the evenings into...luxurious palpable youthfulness. The essence of Carpe Diem."

"Yes! Exactly!" Meeks said. "We call it "sucking the marrow out of life."

"The old Thoreau quote" y/n finished. "And you guys want me to join? Wow. I'm very flattered" She said, grinning from ear to ear. 

The room fell silent as the Professor entered and began the lesson. Y/n was so enthusiastic about being invited to join their club that she couldn't really pay attention at all to what the lesson was about. Her mind was in a completely different universe, thinking of what it would be like to immerse herself in the sea of poetry for the first time, with her friends.

She pulled out the sonnet she had read in Keating's class and looked it over. Maybe she should write another poem, to read at the meeting that night? Or maybe that would be too eager. Regardless, a solid twenty minutes of the lesson passed with her doodling idly on the paper, drawing flowers and stars and planets around her carefully worded poem.

Suddenly she felt a sharp nudge in her side. It was Meeks. She looked over at him, but he was staring at their professor. She followed his gaze and was startled to find him staring angrily over at her. In fact, most of the class seemed to be looking at her. It was unnerving. 

She looked at Meeks again, then back towards her teacher. "Back to Earth now, Miss y/l/n are you?" He said dangerously, starting to prowl towards their table.

"Y-yes, sir?" She said confusedly.

"I have now called on you three times, and you have completely ignored me. What is so important that you are neglecting the lesson. Surely it's something to do with Chemistry?" He was now standing directly above her, towering, and so red-faced he looked like a fire engine. He reached for the paper her poem was written on.

She pulled it hurriedly away. "Show me." He ordered.

Glowing scarlet with humiliation she turned the paper over. His beady eyes scanned the poetry written there for a painfully long minute. His jaw clenched and he seemed about to explode with anger. 

"What. Is. This" He said in a low voice. 

"It's an assignment for English sir. I'm so sorry..." She mumbled.

He stood still for another movement, but then startled, and moved swiftly to the front of the room. He bent down behind his desk, rummaged around for a moment before giving a proud "Ah-ha!" and storming back over to where y/n was sitting. He slammed the object onto the counter.

It was a bunsen burner. 

"Burn it." He ordered hands on his hips.

Y/n's face went white. "N-no sir, you don't understand. This is my only copy, I don't have it memorized! Mr. Keating wanted me to -"

"I gave you an instruction, now follow it Miss y/l/n or I will excuse you from class for the rest of term!" He squawked. 

Meeks had been squirming very strangely in his seat so that his head was positioned just above y/n's shoulder. Perhaps he was acting oddly out of discomfort.

"Please, sir. Please" She begged, tears swimming in her eyes as she clutched at the paper like a lifeline.

With a fast movement, he plucked it out of her grip and dropped the corner into the flame. 

"Hopefully this will teach you to keep your focus on Chemistry in my class from now on," He said coldly, holding the burning paper gloatingly in front of her as it charred and turned to ash.

With a short cry of pain as her hard work was lit up in flames, y/n shoved her seat back, abandoned the rest of her school books, and fled the classroom into the hall. Her soft sobs seemed to echo around the room even in her absence.

As the Professor swept up the ashes into a bin, Meeks didn't even hesitate. He packed up both his and y/n's belongings and started towards the hall. 

"You will also be receiving an absent, and an F for this class if you leave Mr. Meeks" The callous voice rang from the front of the room. 

"Fine." Meeks said curtly, and left the room immediately, and set out to look for y/n.