Dead Poets Society

disappointment.”

    It was a disappointed Knox who wandered through the huge Danburry house and ended up in the butler’s pantry. Several kids stood talking while one couple was kissing passionately. Knox tried not to look as the boy’s hands kept moving up the girls skirt, and she kept pushing them away. Knox spotted Ginny Danburry, and they exchanged embarrassed smiles.
    “You Mutt Sanders’s brother?” a huge line-backer-type guy asked Knox as he mixed a drink.
    “No.” Knox shook his head.
    “Bubba!” the linebacker called to another huge, drunk jock who leaned against the refrigerator.
    “This guy look like Mutt Sanders?”
    “You his brother?” Bubba asked.
    “No relation,” Knox said. “Never heard of him. Sorry.”
    “Say, Steve,” Bubba said to the linebacker, “where’s your manners? Here’s Mutt’s brother, and you don’t offer him a drink? Want some bourbon?“
    “Actually I don’t...” Steve didn’t even hear Knox. He pushed a glass into Knox’s hand and filled it with bourbon, adding a tiny splash of coke.
    Bubba clicked glasses with Knox. “To Mutt,” he said.
    “To Mutt,” Steve, the linebacker, echoed. “To... Mutt,” Knox agreed. Bubba and Steve drained their glasses in one swallow. Knox followed their lead and burst into a coughing fit. Steve poured everyone more bourbon. Knox felt as if his whole chest was on fire.
    “So what’s Mutt been up to?” Bubba asked.
    “Actually,” Knox said, still coughing, “I don’t really... know Mutt.”
    “To Mighty Mutt,” Bubba said, holding up his glass.
    “To Mighty Mutt,” Steve echoed.
    “Mighty... Mutt,” Knox coughed as they drained their glasses again. Knox continued to cough, and the linebacker knocked him on the back.
    “Take it easy there, bud,” he laughed.
    “Well, I’d better find Patsy,” Bubba hiccupped as he slapped Knox on the back. “Say hello to Mutt me.”
    “Will do,” Knox said. He turned to see Ginny smile at him as she wandered out of the pantry.
    “Gimme your glass, bud,” Steve called, pouring Knox more bourbon. Knox felt his head begin to swim.

    The fire blazed inside the cave. The boys and Gloria and Tina sat closely around the woodpile, mesmerized by the dancing flames. The candle on the head of the “cave god” sputtered.
    “I heard you guys were weird, but not this weird,” Tina said as she looked at the pitted statue. She pulled out a pint of whiskey and offered some to Neil. He took it and sipped, trying to act as if it were natural to take a swig. He handed it back to Tina.
    “Go ahead, pass it around,” she said. The fire and the warmth of the whiskey gave her plain face a pretty, flushed glow.
    The bottle went around the circle. Each of them tried to pretend he liked the bitter taste. Unlike most of the others, Todd managed to keep from coughing as he swallowed the whiskey down.
    “Yeah!” Gloria said, impressed by Todd’s drinking. “Don’t you guys miss having girls here?” she asked.
    “Miss it?” Charlie said. “It drives us crazy! That part of what this club is about. In fact, I’d like announce that I’ve published an article in the school paper, in the name of the Dead Poets Society, demanding girls be admitted to Welton, so we can all stop beating off.”
    “You what?” Neil shouted, standing up. “How did you do that?”
    “I’m one of the proofers,” Charlie boasted. “I slipped the article in.”
    “Oh God,” Pitts moaned. “It’s over now!“
    “Why?” Charlie asked. “Nobody knows who we are.”
    “Don’t you think they’ll figure out who did it?” Cameron shouted. “Don’t you know they’ll come to you and demand to know what the Dead Poets Society is? Charlie, you had no right to do something like that!”
    “It’s Nuwanda, Cameron.”
    “That’s right,” Gloria cooed, putting her arm around Charlie. “It’s Nuwanda.”
    “Are we just playing around out here or do we mean what we say? If all we do is come and read a bunch of poems to each other, what the hell are we doing?” Charlie demanded.
    “You still shouldn’t have done it,” Neil said, Pacing around the cave. “You don’t speak for the club.”
    “Hey, would you stop worrying about your precious little necks,” Charlie said. “If they catch me, tell them I made it up. All your asses are safe. Look, Gloria and Tina didn’t come here to listen to us argue. Are we gonna have a meeting or what?“
    “Yeah. How do we know if we want to join if you