gold rush- anderperry

1

"Come on Todd, please?" Neil begged.  They were sitting in the cafeteria eating lunch and Neil was trying to convince his best friend to come to one of his rehearsals with him.  

"I- I don't know Neil... there's gonna be a lot of people I don't know and they won't want me there-" Todd started. 

"Please, you won't have to talk to anyone, you can just watch," Neil reassured. 

"Why do you want me to come so bad?" Todd asked, a hint of playfulness in his voice.  Neil chuckled. 

"Because, I want to share this with you" he smiled.  For some weird reason this made Todd weak.  

"A-and why not Charlie, or Knox?" Todd questioned.  This took Neil by surprise. 

"B-b-because you're s-special," they both blushed, and smiled.  Todd wanted to spend more a lone time with Neil.  Yeah the time in their dorm was nice, just them.  But that was always late at night and one of them was always either tired or studying.  And the other dead poets didn't seem to like leaving them alone.  But he couldn't come to rehearsal.  Too many people.  Too many new people.  Too many new people that knew Neil that he didn't know.  But he looked up at Neil's smiling face and wanted so bad to keep it there. 

"Okay I'll come," Todd agreed, without really thinking about it.  Neil's face lit up and his smile grew.  

"Wait, don't come tonight, I have to tell them you're coming!" he jumped up from his seat, "They're gonna be so happy!" he beamed.   Todd laughed.  As lunch time ended Neil got up and practically skipped to Mr. Keatings class,  completely forgetting about the other boys.  As they walked sat down, Charlie, Knox, Meeks, Pitts, and Cameron walked in. 

"Hey, you guys just ditched us at lunch," Charlie said, half joking.

"Oh, haha sorry" Neil said and blushed. 

"Whatever, but you owe me trig answers," Charlie replied, staring at Todd as he walked back to his desk.  It was more of a curious look than anything.  Todd was still a little shy around the other boys.  Not as bad as when he first got to Welton, no it had gotten much better.  

"Alright boys," Mr. Keating walked out of his office into the classroom.  He started his lesson, which seemed to be a humorous lecture.  But Todd was staring at Neil, something he found himself doing quite often actually, he stared at his dimples that formed when he laughed, he stared at his hair, his beautiful brown eyes, his lips.  Everything about him was so perfect.  

Soon, the class ended and Todd went back to his dorm and started on his homework.  Neil had to leave early to go to his rehearsal and as he left he was ranting about how he was going to tell everyone that Todd was coming tomorrow  and how he couldn't wait.  Once Neil left though Todd locked the door and flopped on his bed.  He couldn't stop worrying about tomorrow and it wasn't just his social anxiety, it was kind of jealously almost?  He didn't know.  But his thoughts kept him up all night. 

"What if there's a girl in the play that Neil likes?" he thought.  Neil never talked about any girls in the play, the only things he talked about where the lines and the story.  Todd would read lines with him and Neil would enthusiastically tell him what each word meant and why it was important.  Todd could listen to Neil talk for hours.  So maybe he didn't like any girls, but one had to like him.  Who wouldn't?  

Soon, Todd realized it was time to get up and start the day, and today he had something to look forward to after classes.