Nobody Knows This Little Rose - Dead Poets Society x Reader

14

The day creeps by from that point forward. Y/n can't get it out of her head, Meeks's relentless showering of kindness. She always had a tendency to surround herself with kind people but this... this was above and beyond. What was even more aggravating was that she always prized herself as a level-headed, clear, and logical thinker. She knew, that even in moments where it felt like she had no one else in the world, she could at least trust her own brain and her own actions. She hadn't fully realized how important this notion was for her until it was taken away.

She wasn't sure if she could trust herself to act appropriately now. The mere fact of admitting that she might have feelings for him threw a wrench in the way she saw the world.

What was more, she did not want her life to revolve around a boy, no matter how perfect or incredible he may seem. She had potential, that she knew for a fact, and didn't want to waste it on temporary pleasure. 

But oh how pleasure tends to tempt the cautious. 

"Hey y/n what's up? You look like your trying to do trig in your head right now" Charlie's voice rang across the table to her, and her head snapped up, startled from her reverie. She almost looked surprised to find herself in the lunchroom, surrounded by her group of friends.

"Oh, nothing... just tired" She replied with a false smile. Charlie didn't look convinced but dropped the subject. He started talking loudly about how he was implementing Mr. Keating's methods of non-conformity in his everyday life, mostly to piss off Hager, who was within earshot and scowling. 

Neil, who always sat in between y/n and Todd shifted in his seat. "Y/n," he said, speaking low so only she could hear. "Meeks told me about... well... what happened in Chem today"

"Oh... oh yeah?" She said, already panicked that he was about to say something she didn't want to hear.

"I just want you to know that what he did is utter bullshit and you didn't deserve it. He's just picking on you because you're..."

"Easy to pick on?" She finished for him, looking at her untouched plate glumly.

"Well... yeah." He said. Seemingly, he realized what he said hadn't made her feel any better, so he tried again. "You fit in so well here you know. Everyone who is not a stuck-up prick says it. You should hear Meeks go on about how it's like we've known you since we were younger. It's true he's right. We all love having you around"

Her face went pink, especially at the mention of that name. "Neil... Neil you're so nice" She gave him a warm smile, beaming with pride. "You know just what to say"

He nodded. "Of course, it's my job"

Y/n chuckles. "Yes well... I hope you know that you deserve the same treatment you give other people Golden Boy" She told him, using an affectionate nickname that she had come up for him previously.

The bell rang and Charlie stood. clearing his throat and addressing the group as they cleaned up their table. "Gentleman and Lady. For the you-know-what in the you-know-where tonight, we will proceed as usual. Y/n, someone will come to get you around 1 am from your room, so don't fall asleep. Whoever it is, they'll knock three times on the door. If it isn't three times, it's not one of us, so don't answer it, pretend to be asleep."

"Yup, and don't forget a coat, and some snacks if you can sneak them. It gets cold out there so maybe some mittens too" Neil added on wisely. 

"Ay ay, cap," She said, grinning broadly and saluting them. "I'll see you, weirdos, after gym," She told the others as she and Neil set off to gym class. 

They were instructed to take a run through the grounds as their excersise today, which gave y/n and Neil plenty of time to chat as they jogged around Welton's beautiful lake. It made her glad to have a person like him in her life. He felt like a brother, she could tell him anything without fear of judgment. 

She had in the back of her mind an image of Todd, staring awestruck, hopelessly in love with the boy jogging next to her. It was easy to see why anyone would fall for him. He was very handsome, so kind and thoughtful. Y/n was sure if there were girls other than her attending Welton, Charlie wouldn't be the only sought-after boy. She wanted to be a sort of wingman for Todd, and would often bring him up, and brag about him to Neil, causing him to turn into a giggling and rosy-cheeked mess.

She was sure the couple had potential, she just had to get them together. A sort of, pet project to work on.

They finished their run, and she left to shower. She had a lot of homework to get done before her first meeting that night.