Kevin found it repulsing. The idea of Steve and Conner... Just.. Ew. Kevin had started pretending he only thought of Conner as his friend. Though that didn't change much about their relationship.
The boys sat in Keating's class, actually excited to learn and hear that days lecture. "Language was developed for one endeavor, and that is - Mr. Mckinley?" Mr. Keating said, Standing in front of Conner's desk. The Boy looked up at him with a slightly clueless look, saying nothing. Keating sighed. "Come on, are you a man or an amoeba?"
...
"Mr. Price?" Keating turned to Kevin who answered a simple an logical answer. "To Communicate."
"No! To woo women!" Keating smiled wide. The boys laughed and Kevin shrugged, Nodding in agreement. "Or men." Keating quietly threw in before moving on. "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."
"To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"
Each of the boys grinned. Keating walked back behind his desk... And then, to the boys surprise, Climbed on top of it. "Why am I up here?" He asked.
No one answered. "I'm up here on my desk because we must see the world in different lights at all times. Conformity is the most dangerous of things here on this earth. You can't conform, remember our lesson yesterday?"
The boys nodded. The day before, Keating had taking them into a concrete area of the courtyard. The boys lined up and Keating randomly selected Chris, Arnold, and Steve and had them walk in a circle. At first, they walked in different patterns... But eventually the three boys fell into the same stride. Keating began clapping with each step they took... And soon the boys standing and watching started clapping As well. He explained that this, though small, was an act of conformity. As well as their clapping.
"See that lesson yesterday was to show you the wrongness of conformity. Come on. Up. all of you. I want you to climb up on the desk, he said, hopping off his desk. "Along with the reading, tonight for homework I want you all to write an original poem and read it aloud tomorrow in class." Keating said as the boys all climbed up on the desk. "And Mr. McKinley!" He said, turning as Conner stood on the desk, his Gaze shifting to Him.
"Don't think I don't know that this assignment scares the hell out of you." Keating grinned as the bell rung and hurried out the door.
Steve chuckled helping Conner down.
Later...
Conner sat on his bed, writing. Or trying too... He had no clue what to write about. Suddenly Kevin burst into the room. "Conner!! Conner check it out!!" He said, pushing the flyer into Conner's face.
"A Midsummer Night's dream?" Conner asked, looking at his excited roommate. "Yes!" Kevin giddily said, bouncing and bubbling with excitement. Conner smiled a little. "What are you so excited about?" I'm gonna audition." Kevin climbed up onto his own bed, wrapping his blanket around him and standing. "I want to act."
Conner smiled as he watched the brown eyed boy. "For the first time in my whole life, I know what I wanna do! And for the first time, I'm gonna do it! Whether my father wants me to or not!" Kevin yelled, running over to Conner's bed and jumping up on to it, grabbing a bunch of papers and throwing them. "CARPE DIEM!" He yelled excitedly, jumping off the bed and onto the wooden floor.
"Yeah but how are you going to go if your father doesn't want you too?" Conner asked, wondering if maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Though he did love seeing Kevin so excited.
"I'll worry about that later. First I gotta get the part."
"But won't he kill you if he finds out you went to an audition without asking him first." Conner asked, looking up at the brunette boy. "No. No as Far as I'm concerned he doesn't have to know a thing about this." Kevin said.
"That's impossible."
"Shit, Nothing's impossible."
"Well, why don't you just call him and ask him and maybe he'll say yes."
"That's a laugh." Kevin threw the blanket back on to his bed, his excitement wearing a bit thin and he walked toward the window. "If I don't ask him, at least I won't be disobeying him." Conner bit his lip. "Well yeah but if he's said no before then-"
"Jesus, Con, Who's side are you on?!" Kevin yelled, getting defensive. He sighed, gently taking the flyer for the play back. "I mean, I haven't even gotten the part yet. Can I just... Enjoy the idea for a little while?"
Both of the boys were silent. Conner sat back on his bed and started writing again and Kevin sat up on heater thing next to the window.
"You're coming to the meeting this afternoon, right?" Kevin said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I don't know... Maybe..."
"Nothing Keating says means Shit to you, Does it, Conner?" Kevin asked, sitting up a bit. "Wh-what is that supposed to mean?" Conner looked at the boy, not sure weather or not he should be angry. "You're in the club! Being in the club means being... Stirred up by things. You look about as stirred up as a cesspool." Kevin ran his fingers through his hair.
Conner searched his mind for a reply and ended up saying, "so you want me out?" This got Kevin to stand up. "No, I want you in! But being in means you gotta do something not just say your in." He said, stepping toward Conner.
"Listen, Kevin." Conner sighed. "I appreciate this concern. But I'm not like you. Okay. You- you say things and people listen and... And I'm not like that." Conner said, looking up at Kevin who replied with, "Don't you think you could be?"
"No. I..." Conner bit his lip. "I-I don't know but that's not the point. The point is that there's nothing you can do about it. So you can just bud out. I can take care of myself just fine." He explained, looking up at the taller boy in front of him.
"No."
"What do you mean.. No?"
A slow smile krept on to Kevin's face. "No." He repeated, a bit softer this time. Suddenly, he grabbed Conner's note book, jumping up on to his bed. "Kevin... Kevin no give that back- wha- Kevin!" Conner stood up quickly and started chasing him in a circle across the beds. "What's this- poetry! I'm being chased by Walt Whitman!" Kevin laughed as he and Conner jumped from bed to bed.
"What are you guys doing?" Steve came in, trig notes in hand. "You know I'm trying t- Hey, Kevin give that back that's not funny!" Steve said as he joined Conner in the quest to retrieve their school work from Kevin. A bunch of students crowded outside the door. "Give it here!" James said as he took Steve's note and joined the chase. Eventually Arnold joined too, Playing a bunch of weird notes on his old recorder as they ran in circles.
Seven.
Start from the beginning
