Cigarette, daydream and poetry ( A DPS fanfiction ) Charlie x OC

Tears

Charlie had left in the middle of the night so that no teacher would notice his absence. Margaret knew this because she was awake when he left. That's why she was surprised to be woken up by him in the early morning. She was even more confused when she saw Knox, Todd, Pitts, and Meeks at the door, all of them looking awful.

"What's going on?" Margaret asked, worried.

The words wouldn't come out of Charlie's throat. The young girl turned her gaze to him and saw that he had been crying; she didn't understand. Then he uttered these words:

"Neil is dead."

Margaret forgot to breathe for long seconds. She remembered how she had watched his father's car leave, knowing full well that something bad was going to happen, but she could never have guessed this. She thought it was a stupid joke or a horrible nightmare, but it wasn't. She stood up and protested, refusing to believe it.

"How is this possible?! It's... no... he's not..."

"He shot himself," Charlie replied.

That's when she realized it. She felt dizzy; she saw her brother, his sweet smile, heard his laughter in the room—her brother who loved life so much... he couldn't have done this. She stumbled and caught herself on her desk. She looked at her friends and burst into tears, falling to her knees and seeking refuge in Charlie's arms. She tried to calm her breathing but seemed to be in a full-blown panic attack. She cried for a very long time and agreed to go outside with her friends to get some fresh air.

It had snowed all night, and the lake was completely frozen. The group walked there for a long time, ignoring the cold and the pain in their legs. Todd led the way, then stopped and looked around. Margaret knew he was suffering as much as she was, and she wanted to be strong and comfort him, but she felt completely destroyed inside, as if a part of her had been taken away. Todd looked around and said:

"It's so beautiful."

Then he fell to the ground, and everyone came to support him. He burst into tears, cursing Neil's father's name and accusing him of killing Neil. Margaret let the young man seek refuge in her arms while his words echoed in her head. She hated her father and, deep down, held him responsible for her brother's death. She shouldn't have—Neil made that choice on his own—but she couldn't accept that idea.

Todd asked to be left alone and walked into the snow, letting his grief torment him. Margaret started crying again, and her friends embraced her. No one wanted to accept reality; no one wanted to believe that Neil was truly dead. He was a brother, a friend, a confidant, a comrade, and now more than ever, a lost poet.

Welton organized Neil's funeral. A song was sung in his honor at the chapel, and his friends carried his coffin to his grave. His sister collapsed and placed the book he had used for all the circle meetings on his tomb. By burying it, they buried all those moments they had shared in that cave.

During the funeral, Margaret had to face her parents. Her mother cried and hugged her daughter, who did not push her away but did not return the embrace either. Her father tried to do the same, but she pushed him away.

"Come on, Margaret, this is not the time to act this way," her father said.

"I refuse to hug the man who killed my brother."

"Your brother chose to die; his cowardice..."

"Shut up!" she screamed.

The boys heard her screaming and rushed over to pull her away from her father, but she pushed them aside and continued to confront him:

"You can stop me from doing what I love, you can separate me from everyone I cherish, and crush all my dreams like you did for Neil, but you have no right to tarnish his name now that he's gone! My brother was the most joyful and lively person I knew, he loved me, he loved you! He loved you so much that he did everything to please you, but it was never enough! So yes, I refuse to listen to a man who killed his son by depriving him of love!"

She left without another word. Her father watched her go, feeling remorse and regret gnawing at him. He had not only lost a son; he had also lost his daughter.

The group of friends had arranged to meet in an old abandoned room. None of them felt like talking; they had been waiting for Cameron for a long time and wondered what was taking him so long. Nolan had announced that they would seek out those responsible for Neil's death, and they were well aware that it meant the circle.

"Did you tell him about this meeting?" Charlie asked.

"Twice," said Meeks.

"Then it's over. Cameron is a snitch; he's probably with Nolan spilling everything!" declared Charlie.

"About what?"

"The circle, idiot! Didn't you think of that? The parents, the administration, and Mr. Nolan—you think all these people are going to bury the story without making waves? Schools have gone under because of this, so they're looking for a scapegoat."

Suddenly, they heard a noise. They put out their cigarettes and waited to see who was entering the room. It was Cameron. He walked in, smiling, and asked if everything was okay, but Charlie cut him off:

"You snitched, didn't you?"

"Snitched? What are you talking about?"

"You told Nolan everything about the club!"

"There's one detail you forgot, Dalton, which is that there's an honor code at this school, you know. If you're questioned and hide the truth, you're immediately expelled."

Charlie tried to punch Cameron but was quickly held back by the group. Margaret placed a hand on his chest, repeating that it wasn't worth it. Charlie's eyes softened for a second, but he continued:

"He's a scumbag! He knows he's screwed, so he ratted us out!"

"If you touch him, you'll be expelled!" Knox warned.

"I'm already expelled!"

"You don't know that," reasoned Margaret.

"He's right. Do as I did, exactly, we just have to cooperate. It's not our skins they want, we're the victims."

Then they asked who he meant, and Cameron replied that the target was simply Mr. Keating. He said that without Keating, Neil would still be alive. Todd then lunged at him, in tears, defending Neil and his dreams. But Cameron maintained his opinion.

"This is nonsense; they would never expel us for this!" said Margaret.

"Oh, they'll expel you directly when they find out you're sleeping with Dalton!"

"You bastard!" the young girl insulted him.

But before she could take a step, Charlie snapped and punched Cameron right in the face. Cameron was left covered in blood, a smirk on his lips. Charlie had just signed his expulsion; there was nothing more he could do.