the weather was warm. not too hot but not too cold. it was the definition of perfection.
under a tree covered in orange leaves sat scarlett, her journal open in her lap. she was writing fast and sloppily, but she didn't care. the beautiful fall weather had gifted her with inspiration.
scarlett's journal was sacred to her, its contents confidential. scarlett's deepest thoughts and secret poems lied within it.
as her pen danced along the white paper, scarlett's body began to fill with a feeling that could be described as static. the feeling of warmth and joy. she adored the feeling. it was comforting.
scarlett was so engrossed in her writing world that she didn't notice the human figure hovering over her. the sound of a throat clearing startled scarlett. she looked up to see a grinning neil perry.
"neil! you scared me half to death!"
still grinning, neil sat next to scarlett on the leaf covered grass. "damn, i was aiming for you to die of a heart attack."
scarlett rolled her eyes as she playfully shoved neil's shoulder.
"did rory tell you about the dead poets society reformation yet?"
"yes, she did. i am in." she said with a smile. "it sounds like fun."
"so what are you writing there?" neil glanced down at the journal that now laid on the grass.
"oh, it's nothing. just a poem is all."
neil's eyes widened. "a poem? care to read it to me?"
scarlett let out a sigh. "fine, i'll read it to you but you need to promise you will not judge, okay?"
neil raised his right hand as he muttered an "i swear".
with a shaky breath, scarlett opened her journal and began to read the poem she was working on: "sometimes my mind is my enemy. sometimes my mind is my friend. in the midst of harmonizing thought and spirituality, i was frequently taught that a mind you have to tame with positivity in order for it to be a gem." she closed the book and looked at neil, nervously biting her lip. "what do you think?"
neil sat there quiet, his face unreadable. "i thought it was beautiful, scarlett."
scarlett's cheeks began to feel hot. "really? you aren't just saying that?"
"i am serious, scarlett." neil rested a hand on her forearm. "you have a talent for writing lovely poems. you should read another one of your poems at one of the meetings!"
scarlett was quick to shake her head.
"no, i couldn't possibly read my poems. i have never shared them with anyone. not parker, not even my dad, neil! you are the first person i have ever read one to."
neil smiled. "i am honored that you shared it with me, scar."
"for as long as i remember, i've always wanted to write. whether it was novels, poems, hell, even songs, i just knew writing was what i wanted to do." scarlett eyes shined as she spoke about her passions. "what about you, neil? what do you want to be?"
"well, my father wants me to be a doctor."
scarlett noticed the way neil tensed up as he spoke about his future.
"but is that what you want?"
neil was hesitant to answer. "no. i don't really know what i want."
"you've got time to figure it out. hell, you could continue on floating aimlessly through life."
"yeah, no sense of direction." neil let out a chuckle. "my father would get a kick out of that."
"neil, you can write your own story. you don't have to let your father be the writer. you can rewrite this path he has pushed on you, be your own writer."
"that's easy for you to say, scarlett." he snapped. "you've got a father who supports your dreams no matter what, a mother who loves you." neil let out a heavy sigh.
"i am sorry, neil. "
"no, i am sorry, scarlett. you were just trying to help, and i appreciate that, i really do."
a small smile appeared on scarlett's face. "it's alright. let's get back to the dorms and get ready for dinner." scarlett gathered her books off the ground.
neil offered to walk her back to her dorm, which she gladly accepted.
once they were standing outside of scarlett's dorm, neil reached out and pulled scarlett into a hug.
"thank you for reading me your poem. i still think you should read another one of your poems at the meeting tonight." neil whispered into her ear. scarlett grinned, thankful that neil couldn't see her face, which was growing red and hot. "midnight. meet us by the staircase."
scarlett nodded. neil pulled back from the hug with a small smile on his face.
"see you in a bit, scarlett."
scarlett muttered a 'bye' as she stumbled into her dorm. the grin on her face soon was washed away when she saw a broken parker lying underneath the covers, her cheeks glistening with tears. scarlett's heart broke at the sight of her hurt friend. she quickly climbed into the bed next to parker.
(i know this is a gilmore girls gif but this is how i pictured it while writing)
"parker," scarlett whispered. "what's wrong?"
"everett cheated on me with some slut at a party." parker said in between sniffles.
"oh, parker. i am so sorry." scarlett held parker's hand. "boys are scum. i am sorry i wasn't here earlier."
"it's okay. knox helped me out a lot."
scarlett's eyebrows raised when she heard knox's name.
"knox?"
"yeah. he heard the shouting and comforted me. he is the only exception of the 'all boys are scum' rule." parker smiled weakly. "the worst part is that i still love everett. i don't want to fucking love him anymore." she angrily wiped her cheeks. "people say they love you, but they really don't."
scarlett smiled sadly at her friend as she leaned down to give parker a kiss on forehead. "you'll be okay, parker. he's a stupid boy. stupid boys don't deserve smart girls' tears." scarlett wiped a stray tear from parker's cheek. "he doesn't deserve your tears."
parker pulled scarlett into a tight hug. "thank you for being my best friend."
"thank you for being mine." scarlett straightened up. "now, should i enlist rory in my quest to sneak ice cream from the kitchen so we can sit, devour our feelings in ice cream, and listen to some music until the meeting tonight."
parker nodded excitedly. "i didn't peg ms. keating as a stealer."
"anything for my best friend."