SING ME TO SLEEP -- neil perry

chapter four: mr. keating

a/n im so sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I literally had the worst writers block the whole time so it's also not very well written but u can deal with it. also, i didn't really read over this one so if there are any errors, please tell me

The door opened and Neil recognized Mr. Keating from the introduction ceremony. His face was lit with a wide smile that seemed full of warmth and welcome and Neil found himself beginning to smile as well. He ushered them into the room and Neil stepped inside with the herd of shuffling boys. He looked around and found himself in a room that for the most part looked like every other room in the building, but sight differences set it apart, made it more interesting and made Neil feel as though he were more at home. The walls, unlike those in the other classrooms, were lined with bookshelves containing the brightly colored spines of books, pages upon pages of worlds asking to be explored. Neil found his way through the room and lined up along the back wall with the other boys, as was expected of them before the start of the first class.

"I am going to seat you alphabetically in this class," Mr. Keating said. "It seems rather fitting in this class doesn't it?" A few boys cracked a smile and there were scattered breaths of laughter. Everyone seemed to be quiet, reserved, waiting to pass judgement on this new teacher. No one really knew what to expect of him and no one wanted to get on his bad side.

"Oh, come on. There's no need to be so stiff. You all look like wooden coffins standing there like that." Mr. Keating said cheerfully. There was a general flurry of movement as the boys began to relax. Neil looked around the classroom. There weren't very many seniors at the school so chances are he would have this class with most of his friends. He caught Charlie's eyes from across the room and grinned.

Mr. Keating looked across the line of boys, smiled, said, "Alright boys, now find your seats," and turned, walking with his back to the students into his office. Neil raised his eyebrows and could feel the boys around him glancing around with the same apprehension. In this school, teachers didn't just leave their students alone in classrooms. Teenage boys were just too untrustworthy. Many furtive glances were thrown across the room and there seemed to be a collective silent agreement as the boys started to find their way across the room and sit down in desks. There were several small scuffles as the seats in the back row were argued over, but Neil found his way to a seat in the second to last row, threw his books down on the desk and flopped into the seat. He saw Charlie, win an argument with Meeks and sit down in the seat in the very back corner of the room. Scanning the room, Neil also saw Todd in the seat directly in front of the teachers desk. Interesting. As the boys waited for Mr. Keating, they began to get restless. It felt as if everyone was trying to keep silent for the fear that Mr. Keating would suddenly pop out of his room and scold them for speaking but 2 minutes passed and then 5 and he didn't come out. Suddenly, someone started talking to the boy next to them and the whole room erupted into conversation.

After about thirty seconds, the door opened and Mr. Keating walked out whistling the overture of 1812. His head was held high, not looking at the students, but seeming to be lost in his own universe. The room quieted down quickly and only one boy was left talking. His cheeks turned red and he smirked in embarrassment as he realized.

Neil watched as Mr. Keating walked towards the back of the classroom, opened the door and stepped out. The class went silent as they tried to figure out what they were meant to do. Then, Mr. Keatings head popped back into the classroom. "Well come on," he said grinning and walked back out. Neil glanced around and then grabbed his books off his desk, stood up and walked out of the classroom. He could hear the sounds of rushed packing up from inside as he found his way down the hallway hurrying after Mr. Keatings fast-paced footsteps. They walked through the spookily silent hallways until they reached the entrance hall and Mr. Keating stopped in front of the wooden trophy cabinet that contained all of the awards that boys at the school had won during their time there. Neil thought it quite unfair that you had to give up the only record of your accomplishment, but those were the rules of the school.