#dpsstarter

"I counted all the ceiling tiles in Pre-Calculus today. I doubt anyone can beat that kind of complete waste of productivity." 

"Now that I've officially been accepted to an Ivy League I can maybe sleep at night for a change." 

"Pajama day...looking forward to seeing what everyone wears to bed. Also willing to bet that guy at breakfast in the nightgown is going to get in trouble with the teachers." 

Manny was exhausted. Anyone who knew him could plainly see he wasn't acting like himself. He stood outside of the Dalton building, his room being the one all the way at the end of the school. Outside his dorm was one of the few old payphones that were scattered around the school. This particular young man much preferred this payphone to using his cellphone, for a variety of reasons. And as usual around this time of day, Manny could be found outside by the phone, trying to ring up the same person.

A skeleton of a boy left Welton three weeks ago, reduced to nothing except a living question: What had happened? No one knew anything about the overdose, about what he did or how he did it or why he did it. A million smaller questions surrounding the name Keohane, and now, quiet whispers of suicide attempts and insanity followed suit. Neither were true, it was an accident; an accident that only multiplied in chaos. The burning of Society records, cleaning out the Cave, almost destroying the existence of Dead Poet's, at least in plain sight. When the worrying died down and Eli was promised to survive, he was welcomed home, home to Welton. He was still hesitant to return. Facing the school (and the rumors, and the comments, and the looks) would be the hardest part of the overdose, including facing his own dormroom. 

"Okay, so I think that tonight- I'm going to stay up. Homework is done, I have nothing to do. Rocking it up tonight with some Galaxyquest, popcorn, and maybe actually soda. Are you in?" Garrett was tired of all the drama. He'd been a concerned citizen and now he needed to cut loose in appropriate ways. 

"Hair gets annoying. I shaved it all off."

Manny sat at the edge of the dock near the boathouse, overlooking the crimson sunset that evening as the sun cast it's gentle rays over the lake. His legs hung over the end of the boardwalk, nearly touching the icy water beneath him. Manny tossed away a few stones, watching them skip over the surface of the water, then leaned back, propped up on his elbows. The past days events were something he wished he could forget, and he often came here to do just that. When he was just about to leave, Manny heard footsteps approaching behind him.