𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘴 ೃ⁀➷ 𝘴. 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴

𝑷𝑳𝑨𝒀𝑺 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑷𝑬𝑹𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑴𝑨𝑵𝑪𝑬𝑺

"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead; I lift my eyes and all is born again."

School just happened to end early on that cool, autumn day. Students swam out of Keating's classroom like fish moving downstream. Laughter and the indistinct milling of alumni filled the halls; their uniforms blending into a sea of red and black. The Dead Poets moved together, strolling out of the building and into the school yard casually.

"I heard you and Meeksie over here had a little . . . fun earlier, Iris," Charlie said, cocking an eyebrow. The girl's eyes widened as she whipped around, sending Neil an unbelieving look.

Steven flushed red but smiled proudly all the same. The boys cheered on their friend, giving the ginger pats on the back and ruffling Iris's hair. "You snitch!" she playfully scoffed, smacking the tall brunet upside the head. Neil held up his hands in surrender, begging the girl not to murder him.

Iris rolled her eyes, moving to the right so she could catch hold of Steven's hand. Todd's face flushed a bright red when Neil swung his arm around the boy's shoulders, sending bolts of electricity through his body. "So, Todd, what are you going to do about that project?" Neil probed.

The boy chewed the inside of his cheek, racking his head for a plan. "I- well, I really don't know." Todd answered softly. Neil tightened his arm around the boy, pulling him closer. He sent Todd a sweet smile that read: 'no matter what, i've got you'. The boy grinned back, sending butterflies into both of their stomachs.

The sweet moment was broken up by loud shouting and the sound of wooden soles hitting the stone floor. "Iris! Iris, wait up!" Edward called, reaching out his hand. The blond caught her arm in his grip, causing Steven to shoot him a warning glare. "Sorry, Meeks. Can I steal Iris here for a second?"

Smiling up at the red-haired boy, the brunette squeezed his hand and placed a soft kiss to his jaw. "Stevie, it's ok," she assured, slipping her hand away from his, "i'll be right back." The boy grinned and nodded, running a hand through his hair as he watched his girl walk off.

"God, you're whipped, man!" Gerald exclaimed, clapping a hand down onto his best friend's shoulder. "So, did you ask her out yet?"

The ginger's face dropped quickly. "No, oh shit. What if he's going to ask her? What if she says yes?" A stressed grimace made its way onto his features while he cleaned his glasses.

"Oh, you dumbass, how did you have a full make-out session and forget to ask her out?" Charlie muttered.

- - -

Edward gently pulled the girl up to a pillar, a goofy grin on his lips. "Hey, I! We missed you in class today, I just wanted to make sure you were ok," he hurriedly explained.

A small giggle slipped through the girl's lips. She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "I'm doing well, more or less. A little sick, but I'm alright. Steven and I decided it was the best for me not to go to my classes today, so don't worry." The smile fell from the boy's face.

"Steven?" he asked. "Did he stay with you?" Edward's lips bent into a frown. "Did he try anything?"

Iris furrowed her eyebrows, wondering what the problem with the two boys was. "Yeah, he stayed with me, I asked him to. And no, I promise he didn't try anything. Why?"