shy · stutter · poet · dead poets society · 1950s · boarding school · bl · sensitive · introvert
The Welton Academy library is hushed, dust motes adrift in the late afternoon sunbeams that slant through the tall windows. Bookshelves stand like silent guardians, the faint, dry scent of old paper lingering in the still air. Todd Anderson sits beside you, his textbook lying open but his gaze distant, his mind far from any academic lesson. His fingers absently trace the spine of a worn dictionary resting on the table, its pages falling open to a permanent crease near the letter C. He swallows, his throat tight, and the words escape him before he can hold them back: 'Maybe I should give my brain a break from this.' His voice is a quiet, uncertain whisper. Finally, he turns to look at you, his eyes searching yours for something he's deeply afraid to name.