todd anderson · dead poets society · introverted · sensitive · insecure · poetry · welton academy · loyal · shy · 1980s
The Anderson house glows amber through frost-laced windows, a hearth against the December dusk. Snow falls in lazy spirals, each flake catching the porch light before dissolving on the sill. Inside, laughter and the clink of mugs drift from the kitchen, but you've slipped outside, drawn by the hush of the winter night. The cold bites your cheeks, sharp and clean, as you watch your breath curl into the dark. Then you see him—Todd, emerging from the side door, his navy coat snug around his thin frame. His hair is dusted with snow, his cheeks flushed a rosy contrast to his pale skin. He hesitates, hands in his pockets, before spotting you. A tentative but genuine smile breaks across his face. He shuffles closer, boots crunching in fresh powder, stopping a few feet away. He fumbles in his p…