Dead Poets Society - Imagines and preferences

Already Taken - Knox Overstreet

But as you made your way to the plaza, you saw a tall silhouette you recognized instantly.

Not him.

Knox turned around to face you, and he frowned, putting his hand over his forehead to block the sun from his eyes. He appeared to be searching for someone. As soon as he saw you, he sprinted up to you, and a wave of panic submerged you. You remained there frozen, your eyes widened, as he got closer and closer.

"Hey, um... Y/N, right?" he asked with that beautiful voice that made your legs waver. His eyes stared straight into yours, and for a moment you lost yourself in them.

"Y-yes," you stuttered. Oh god, he was so close -

"I'm looking for Chris, do you know where she is?"

"Um - she's - out of town. Went to see her parents."

"Oh." His face fell in disappointment. "And um... do you know when she'll be back?"

"Tonight before eleven."

"Oh. Then, um... would you mind passing her a message from me, please? Tell her to meet me tomorrow night, at midnight, under the big oak on the side of the hill that goes up to Welton. Will you do that for me, please?"

At that moment your breathing stopped. It felt like you were being choked, and the air around you had suddenly turned burning hot.

"Yes," you gulped, "I will."

"Okay, thank you so much! See you around, I guess."

And with that he was gone. Oxygen was running out of your lungs, and you barely had the time to run up to a chair on the cafe terrace before collapsing on it, gasping for air.

You quietly burst into tears.

The next day, at lunchtime, you sat with Chris as she excitedly babbled about her boyfriend - boyfriend. That word struck a blow in your chest. You listened attentively, and you tried feeling some happiness for your friend - seeing her so happy would've usually made your day, but things had changed. And every time the name "Knox" came out of her mouth, you winced in pain.

As she paused to take a bite of her lunch, you were about to tell her about Knox's message - and then a wave of hesitation hit you. What if you didn't tell her? What if you went instead? This could be the occasion to tell Knox how you felt.

But you realized how stupid it was, and you brushed the thought away. Knox trusted you to tell Chris, and you were afraid that he'd never forgive you if you deceived him. Plus, how could you call yourself Chris' best friend if you did this to her? It wouldn't be fair.

The more you thought about it, the more the idea sounded absurd. What would you do once you'd told Knox about your feelings? He'd reject you, and there'd be an awkward silence, and he'd probably avoid you for the rest of your life. It was already painful enough seeing him with Chris - a verbal rejection would only make it worse for you.

"Knox wants to meet you tonight, at midnight, under the big oak on the side of the hill," you blurted out.

Chris' eyes shot up from her plate to you. "What? Tonight? At..."

"The big oak," you repeated. "On the side of the hill. At midnight. He was looking for you yesterday evening but you'd already gone, so he asked me to tell you."

A squeal of excitement rose from your best friend's throat. "A secret date! Oh, thank you so, so much for telling me!"

Please stop, you said inside your head. The very thought of the two of them having a secret midnight date made you want to run to your room and cry your eyes out.