𝐉𝐎𝐈𝐄 𝐃𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐕𝐑𝐄, c.d.

𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN | LISTEN TO ME
"We gonna have a meeting or what?"

"Yeah. If you guys don't have a meeting, how do we know if we wanna join?" Cove looked around at the group, confused as to what she was talking about. Ashe watches as Charlie leaned towards one of the girls, quoting a poem as if it were his own.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate." The blonde girl placed her hands over her heart, telling the boy how sweet the poem was. "I made that up just for you."

"You did?" The boys laughed, Cameron shaking his head as Charlie moved over to sit next to Gloria.

"No, that's Shakespeare's Sonnet eighteen." The blonde looked at Cove, wondering what she had meant because she clearly didn't have a clue.

"That's not true, Tina. She's just mad I never wrote her one." Tina looked at Cove, like she was better than her, making Cove roll her eyes. "But I'll write one for you too, Gloria. She walks in beauty like the night. She walks in beauty like the night. Of cloudless climes and starry skies. All that's best, dark and bright, meet in her aspect and her eyes."

"That's beautiful."

"There's plenty more where that came from." While the group talked, one of the blondes grabbed a bottle of liquor out of her bag, opening it and passing it around.

"Go ahead, pass it around." Cameron motioned for Neil not to take it but Neil took a swig anyway. Afro once in her life, Cove had agreed with the Cameron boy, knowing none of these boys should have been drinking.

"Me and Pitts are working on a hi-fi system. It shouldn't be that hard to, uh, to put together.

"Don't you guys miss having girls around here?" The boys suddenly stopped, Todd, Cameron, and Neil looking at Cove as Meeks and Pitts nodded, telling her they did.

"No, we have Cove, and she's great." The girl looked at Todd, softly grinning as a thank you before Charlie continued.

"That's part of what this club is about. In fact, I'd like to announce I published an article in the school paper, in the name of the Dead Poets." All of the boys immediately stopped, looking at Charlie in confusion.

"What?"

"Demanding girls be admitted to Welton." Cove looked at who she thought was her best friend, hoping he wasn't being serious. She knew enough was enough so she got up from her seat, placed her hood on her head before walking out. The brunette girl didn't bother staying any longer if Charlie was going to keep talking absolute nonsense. It had only taken ten minutes for Cove to get back to the school, sneaking back into the large building and walking up to her room, opening her door.

"Cove?" Her head whipped around at the sound of her name, eyes widening when she saw her brother covered in blood and bruises walking towards her. Cove quickly pulled her brother into her room, making sure Hager didn't find out that they had been out.

"What happened to you? Who did this?" Knox just shook his head, wondering why Cove had come back to the meeting without the rest of the guys. "Knox Overstreet, why do you look like you got run over?" The boy shook his head, not wanting to tell his younger twin that he had kissed a girl and got beat by her boyfriend.

"That's not important. Why didn't the guys come back with you? Did something happen?" The older sibling watched the way Cove's eyes moved from his to the woods behind him, just for a split second. "What happened?"

"Charlie brought girls to the meeting. He quoted poems to them and I thought... well I don't really know what I thought but-" Knox didn't hesitate when he saw the way his sister's eyes become glossy talking about their best friend, pulling her towards him. Knox and Cove were never the type of siblings to be super close but they understood each other better than anyone else ever could, including Charlie.

"I'm sorry, Cove." Know had kept his arms wrapped around his little sister as she began to cry. "I know you liked him." Suddenly, Cove looked up at Knox, her brows furrowing, questioning how he knew. "You looked at him the same way I look at Chris. Only difference is, he looks at you the same way."

"Always a romantic, huh? Guess you got that from Aunt Luanne."