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      On Tuesday, Keating class was held in the courtyard. I could only assume He decided to have it outside since he entered the class and found most of us half asleep. The tiredness had taken over, a reaction to the mountains of work we'd been given by our other professors.

While it was halfway through November it was the mark where the Welton professors began to prepare us for the upcoming exams. The overwhelming amount of work and lack of time to do it had eaten into all our sleeping schedules.

    Knox, Pitt's and Cameron had been picked by Keating and were now walking in a circle around the yard, one after the other with Cameron leading and Knox at the back.

      "No grades at stake, gentlemen. Just take a stroll" I watched them trying to surpress the yawn that was coming on. I was stood by Meeks, with my head against his shoulder, who was standing tall trying to hide the tiredness even though the bags under his eyes were doing him no favours.

     "There it is" Keating said. My head lifted as I looked at the boys who where now all walking in step with each other. A few of the others began to clap along to the rhythm of their steps completely forgetting about the thought of sleep. Sadly. I was not one of them "I don't know what I've been told"

    "I don't know what I've been told" the boys responded back to Keating. It felt like a military camp.

"Doing poetry is old"

"Doing poetry is old"

      Keating began to walk along side the boys with his hands in his pockets "Left, left, left-right-left. Left, left, left-right-left. Left, halt!" The three boys came to a stop, as did the clapping.

     "Thank you, gentlemen. If you noticed, everyone started off with their own  stride, their own pace. Keating began to copy the slow walking of Pitts Mr. Pitts, taking his time. "He knew he'll get there one day. Mr. Cameron, you could see him thinking, 'Is this right? It might be right. It might be right. I know that. Maybe not. I don't know." A few of the boys laughed as Cameron smiled

     "Mr. Overstreet, driven by deeper force. Yes. We know that. All right. Now, I didn't bring them up here to ridicule them. I brought them up here to illustrate the point of conformity: the difficulty in maintaining your own beliefs in the face of others. Now, those of you -- I see the look in your eyes like, 'I would've walked differently' Well, ask yourselves why you were clapping."

      I leaned into my left leg looking up at Todd who looked down at me with a smile on his face. His elbow came out and nudged me making me smile as we focussed back on Keating.

     "Now, we all have a great need for acceptance. But you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or unpopular, even though the herd may go, 'That's baaaaad.' Robert Frost said, 'Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.' Now, I want you to find your own walk right now. Your own way of striding, pacing. Any direction. Anything you want. Whether it's proud, whether it's silly, anything. Gentlemen, Sophia, the courtyard is yours"

      The boys around me moved off but I stayed in my spot watching them "You don't have to perform. Just make it for yourself"

     "Miss Perry" I lifted my head at the sound of my name to find Mr. Keating stood infront of me "are you with us, dear?" I  nodded as Mr. Keating stuck his hands into his pockets leaning towards me "swim against the stream Sophia" he walked by me, patting my shoulder as Meeks stood directly behind where Mr. Keating was, with his hand out waiting for me to take it. "Mr. Dalton, will you be joining us?" Mr. Keating asked just as I took Meeks hand.

      We both stopped and turned to look back at Charlie who was leaning up against the pillar like he hadn't a single care in the world "exercising the right not to walk" I rolled my eyes with a small laugh as Meeks met my eyes, laughing also. He took a step back, my hand still holding his before he spun me making me laugh more.

    "Thank you, Mr. Dalton. You just illustrated the point. Swim against the stream"

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     "No the x is supposed to be on the top of the fraction, the numbers should be underneath it. Idiot"

"No its not. It should be under it. Idiot "

     I was sitting in my room after dinner trying to do the last of my history essay when the voices came down the hall and then burst into my room.

      "Boys" I said not looking up from my essay "having trouble with your trig homework?"

"Is she psychic?"

     "No. Shes not deaf" I said looking up to Pitts. "I could hear you from all the way down the hall" Pitts shoulders deflated as cameron shook his head holding his notebook in his hand

     "Sophie can you help us?" He asked handing the notebook to me which I took.

"Which is it?" I asked looking at the neatly placed equations

      "Last one, number 23" my eyes scanned down to the equation as I read over it before grabbing my trig book from the corner of my desk. I flipped through the pages until I found the one that held the question for number 23. After reading through it twice I closed my book handing the notebook back to cameron

     "Well?" Pitts asked me leaning eagerly towards the desk

    "your both idiots" I said referring to the insults that had been thrown between the two before they came into my room "the x isn't even meant to be apart of the fraction, It should be on the left side of the equals sign" both boys formed their mouths into small o's before cameron nodded

"Right"

      "Why didn't you just ask Meeks?" I asked directing the question towards Pitts "I mean he is your roommate"

      Pitts smiled sheepishly before looking down as his hand rubbed the back of his neck cautiously "he told me if I interrupted him doing his chemistry homework again that he'd throw all my clothes out the window"

       I raised the back of my hand up to my mouth trying to stop the smile that was forming. I looked towards cameron who was now looking at the ground "so how did you get dragged here?"

      "He bursted into my room while I was finishing it and asked me, when I told him how I did it he told me it was wrong and now were here " he said trailing off at the end

     "Oh alright" I looked between the two boys before all our head turned towards the door where a voice sounded

        "Pitts, leave Sophie alone. She has her own work to be doing" Cameron's head moved from behind Pitts to look out the door, before a sigh was heard "you pulled cameron into it too?" Cameron smiled at me thanking me before leaving as Pitts rolled his eyes at his Meeks' question before thanking me and leaving my room in a huff

"I was confused"

        "You're always confused" Meeks replied as the sound of their door shutting echoed through the halls. I laughed slightly, standing and walking towards my door that Pitts had failed to shut when my body collided with another's as he came into my room in a hurry.

     "Okay, knock me down while you're at it" I said shutting my door and turning towards my brother who had now collapsed onto my bed, sighing happily "Whats up with you?" I laughed at his lazy smile as he looked at me

     "Oh nothing. Just happy" I eyed him suspiciously before sitting on my bed by him

      "Care to enlighten me on what has caused this sudden burst of dopamine?" His head rolled back to look at the ceiling as he let out another happy sigh

"Life"

      "Life?" I asked raising my eyebrows in surprise.

       "Yes life!" He exclaimed sitting up and grabbing onto my shoulders "it feels like everything's falling into place. I mean the play, the dead poets, To-" he cut himself off before I smiled and finished it for him

      "Todd" he smiled at me before nodding "hows that going by the way?" I asked crossing my legs

      "It's good" he said sheepishly "its still all new" I nodded to him as he turned and looked out the window

     "It'll get easier" the room grew quiet and the conversation Charlie and I had from yesterday echoed in my mind "actually Neil, there's been something I've been wanting to talk to you about"

     He turned back towards my raising an eyebrow "yeah? Go ahead"

      "Well, you know the other day when you came in and ch-" I was cut off the door opening making me groan "does no one knock?"

    Todd froze halfway into the room before leaving and shutting the door behind him. Neil and I exchanged looks just as two knocks came to my door.

     The door opened up again as Todd stepped inside "better?" He asked with a stupid smirk on his face

     "Oh shut up Todd" I said with a smile as Neil hit me in the shoulder

     "Hey, that's no way to talk to the birthday boy" Neil said making my mouth drop open

"What? Todays your birthday?"

     He looked towards Neil, shaking his head "I told you not to tell anyone" he smiled looking back at me "it's not a big deal"

     "Are you joking, It is so a big deal" I made my way across the room to him "Happy Birthday" I pulled him into a hug

"Thanks Sophie"

      "I wish you told me sooner, I didn't even get to get you a present" I pulled away from him as he shook his head

     "I don't need a present. This has been the happiest birthday Ive ever had" he said as I smiled

      "Awe" I said looking towards Neil who smiled as Todd shook his head with a grin

     "Yeah yeah whatever, sorry for interrupting i didn't realise you two were talking" 

     "Oh yeah, sorry phi, you were saying?" I waved him off shaking my head with a smile as Neil looked at me

     "Doesn't matter" I said, chickening out as I looked at Todd "what matters is that this guy thought he could go the whole day without telling me it was his birthday. I thought were were closer than that todd" I said shaking my head disappointed.

     "I'm so sorry Sophie, it won't happen again" he laughed as I nodded

      "Better not" the three of us laughed before Todd seems to shake himself out of a small day dream and turned a bit more serious.

      "Hey Sophie, I never got say it before but thank you for being such a good friend to me and for being okay with me and your brother being ,yeno, together" he blushed and my heart almost bursted at the sight. Neil nodded along with Todds words as he leaned back against my dresser I crossed my arms laughing as I looked between the two boys

      "Yeah to be honest I was half expecting you to not talk to me when I told you because of how close you two have gotten" I crossed my arms laughing as I looked between the two boys

     "Oh cmon Neil, thats such a stupid excuse for me to stop talking to you" I smiled up to Todd

      "Not really" Neil shrugged making todd and I look to him

"What do you mean?" Todd asked

      "I mean I wouldn't talk to you for a few days if it was the other way around" Neil said nodding towards me, the fun conversation that was once being had now turned into a conversation that had my stomach dropping

"What?"

      "Yeah, I mean If you told me you were in love with Knox or even Charlie for example, I think I'd be pretty pissed" I was surprised that's no one else took notice of my heartbeat rising since it was the only thing I could hear as it pounded in my ears.

       "You really wouldn't talk to her?" Todd asked from slightly behind me

        "Well those two are my best friends. If it was one of them and Sophie, it would be weird. I mean shes my little sister"

      "Were twins" I said slightly under my breath as todd chuckled from behind me

      "Wait so you really wouldn't be okay with her dating one of those?" He asked as Neil shrugged behind him

      "No" he looked between the two of us, noting our expressions  "Well I don't know how I'd take it, she hasn't dated one of my friends before" it was quiet for a minute before Neil stood way from the dresser "look it doesn't matter,  It's not like your in love with any of the guys" Neil said looking me in the eye "right?"

     My mouth opened to speak but just as it did my door opened once more and cameron popped his head in again "Everyone's in the lounge. Yous coming" I grabbed my books, thankful for the interruption as Neil nodded telling him he had to get his things before he went.

      Neil left and I followed, walking along with todd towards the lounge. When we got there all the others were sat around the couch area working on various assignments. Knox moved to the left on the couch allowing me to collapse in between him and a sleeping Charlie.

      Todd took up his position on the floor infront of the empty lounger that Neil would soon occupy. Meek was sat on the  double couch to my left, where cameron now sat beside him and Pitts was on the floor cursing about something as he scanned through the scattered papers that surrounded him.

    "Do you have your essay done yet?" Knox asked me looking over my shoulder onto my sheet. I shook my head tiredly as I looked towards him

      "I'm only on page three" I said defeated. Mr. Adler had assigned us a ten page essay on the ancient greeks. Sadly it wasn't the interesting kind that involved the gods but the progress they'd made since the 1800.

     "What about you?" Knox lifted his page that had the date and his name on it. He looked just as defeated as I did. I rubbed his arm and turned back to my page. I hadn't notice Neil come in until I began to cough on air and he handed me his water. I took it thankfully and out of the corner of my eye I could see Meeks nudge Pitts with his knee which was followed by a small interaction.

    BbPitts cleared his throat earning all our attention "Sophie, id like to say sorry for earlier"

    Charlie, who had practically been dead to the world sat up looking toward Pitts "what happened earlier"

     "Calm down there mother hen" I waved him off before looking at Pitts "there's absolutely no reason to apologise I'm happy I could help"

     "Help with what?" Knox asked from my other side suddenly now as suspicious as Charlie but was ignored as Pitts let out a breath

      "Thanks Sophie. It was really hard and I didn't know what to do"

      "What was really hard" Charlie asked more serious now sitting up and I went to answer him but cameron butted in.

       "Hey, I tried to help but you insisted I was doing it wrong and dragged me to Sophie's room to let her do it" Knox turned to me with his mouth open

    "Cameron was there?" I pulled my eyebrows together

     "Yeah, like he said he was doing it wrong and needed help too" Knox's mouth dropped open more as he looked at Charlie.

      "You gotta figure out how to do it on your own Pitts" Meeks said looking over his book. "You cant annoy Sophie whenever one of those come up"

      "Yeah well I wouldn't have to annoy Sophie if you had just helped me in the first place!"

      "Ive been doing it all year for you Pitts. I'm getting sick of you asking" I watched the interaction with unsure eyes and someone grabbed either side of my face turning me to look at them

      "Sophie. What were you helping Pitts with?" Charlie asked me with concern and a hint of something else in his eyes that I couldn't place

      "His trig homework" I said slowly looking at him. He let out a visible breath as he let go of me "wasn't that obvious?" I asked as Knox chuckled beside me

"No."

     "What did you think I was helping him with" I asked looking between charlie and Knox. They exchanged a look before Knox nodded and leaned over whispering in my ear.

     My eyes widened at his words as I looked between the two "you are pigs"

     "Well you said it was hard!" Charlie defended as I sat up straighter

"And thats where your mind went?!"

      "That's where everyone's mind went!" Knox said pointing to Todd who was laughing and Neil who looked like he was close to popping a blood vessel in his forehead.

     "For the record. I was helping Pitts with his Trig homework" I said loud so they could hear me

       "Well duh Sophie" Pitts said from the ground. Meeks and cameron looked at us confused since they had been there and knew exactly what we had been talking about. I shook my head leaning back into my seat as I continued my essay.

      After a while we had all moved onto different parts of our homework, apart from Charlie who was nearing the end of pride and prejudice, when Hager burst through the door giving us the five minute warning. Gathering everything up we all made our way out the door and towards our rooms.

      By the time I was in bed and half an hour had passed my door creaked open and in tiptoed Charlie. "Cameron asleep?" I asked, moving over in the bed at the same time.

      Charlie kicked off his slipped then slid in beside me, nodding. His arms wrapped around me and mine around him as we cuddled deeper into the duvet.

       "I saw Neil was in here earlier. Did you talk to him?" He asked me, his voice barely above a whisper as his fingers raked through my hair.

      It was now or never to tell Charlie about my brothers opinions on me dating his friend. I was fully ready to tell him, to tell Charlie how Neil wouldn't talk to us if we were together.

And yet.

I froze.

      I didn't say a word. Just a shake of my head. The sudden fear that Charlie would end whatever was happening between us if he found out my brothers opinion on us was too much.

      So Instead I let out a breath and held him tighter "No. I didn't get a chance to."

     "We're gonna have to tell him soon Sophie. If he finds out too late he won't talk to us" I was laughing quietly in my head right now.

     If only Charlie knew that telling Neil would do the exact same thing.

We couldn't win either way.

      "I know. I just don't want anything to ruin things" I said in all honestly in my voice.

       If we tell Neil, It's out in the open and he probably won't talk to us. There's more of a chance of people ruining it.

      If we don't tell Neil, he can't be angry until we do and no one can ruin it.

    "Neither do I" his voice began to get quiet as he leaned down, kissed me and held me tighter.

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I actually just love writing this book so
I hope you enjoy reading it too. 🤍
Do yous like the OC or do you prefer the Y/n reader insert? Let me know.
Thanks so much for reading this though and commenting, makes me feel like I'm not alone in the Sophie /Charlie world that is Moonstruck.
~C🦋