Co-Ed’s-pt. 7// Todd Anderson
It has been forever since I updated this story. I’ve lost interest in writing it, but for those of you that were invested, I want to post what I have of this chapter. Thank you for reading!
Disclaimer: the lyrics from Dandelion by Ruth B. are not mine and I do not claim them.
A few days later…
After school, Todd was in his dorm room, crisscross sitting on his bed. He seemed to be working on something, scribbling words onto a pad of paper.
Neil came into the room, noticing his roommate’s concentration, but decided to butt in anyway. “Hey Todd, we’re having a study group, you wanna come?”
“Uh, no. I’m working on something alone. Y/n might come by in while.”
Neil grinned, “Oh I see: ditching your friends to hang out with your girlfriend.” He raised his brows at Todd teasingly.
“She’s not my girlfriend…yet.” Todd looked up from his page and smirked at Neil.
Neil leaned against the door frame, crossed his arms, “So you’re gonna ask her to be your girlfriend?”
A coy smile on his face, Todd answered with a shrug, “Maybe.”
The brunette boy chuckled, “Alright slick, have a good time. I’ll see you later.”
……..
Y/n knocked on Todd’s open door to get his attention.
He looked up and smiled when he saw her, “Hey. Come sit down.”
She smiled widely, “Okay.” She slung her backpack off her shoulder and onto the floor. She then leaned over the bed some to kiss him.
Todd leaned into the kiss, wanting to drown in it. He had never felt so warm anywhere else than with her.
Y/n pulled away with a soft, “mm.” She then plopped onto his bed in a sitting position. She looked down at his paper, “So whatcha working on, Todd Anderson?”
“Nothing.” he insisted, clapping his hand over the page and bring it to his chest to cover the words.
She gasped, “It’s a poem?” she raised up onto her knees before him, “You don’t have to hide it from me. Let me read it, please?” she begged.
“No! And besides, it’s not a poem anyway.” he lied.
“Well if it’s not a poem, then why can’t I see it?” she raised her brows at him, eyes wide waiting for his response.
Todd sighed, “Fine, you’re right it’s a poem. But it’s not finished yet. And I don’t even know if I want anyone to read it, especially you.”
“Aw, why not? What is it about?”
“I’m not telling you.” he held firm.
“Oh, well then can I at least read it once whenever you finish it?”
“I don’t know. We’ll see.”
She nodded, “Okay. Do you think you’ll have it finished by tomorrow night’s Dead Poets meeting?”
Todd look her dead in the eyes, “I’m not reading it during a meeting, y/n.”
“Oh come on, Todd, it’s just your best friends and your…me.” She had to actively stop herself from saying the word ‘girlfriend.’ He hadn’t asked so she wasn’t going to assume that she was something she was not.
“I know, but,” he shook his head, “I just don’t want to do that, okay?”
She sighed, crawling over and lying down in his lap comfortably. She reached up, cupping his face in her hand, “You’ll come around eventually. I know you will.”
Todd looked down at her, “What do you mean?”
“I just mean you’re gonna open yourself up to the world, and spew out greatness.” she ruffled his hair.
He laughed a little, smoothing his hair after she had messed with it. “I don’t know about that.”
…….
They stayed that way for a moment as Todd picked up a book and started to read as y/n watched him.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately.” she said, out of the blue.
“Oh, well I’m flattered.” he offered with a smile, looking down at her in his lap.
“Do you think about me too?”
Todd let out a little laugh, “Of course I do. Sometimes you’re all I think about.”
She blushed, turning her head, unable to stand looking into his striking blue eyes any longer. Her heart was happy, and she was so content that she closed her eyes.
His fingers toyed softly with the strands of her hair, tickling over the shirt on her back. She was soothed into an afternoon nap, cuddled up to him in his bed.
………
The next evening, Neil was teasing Todd en route to the Poetry meeting. “I cannot believe the Todd Anderson had a girl sleep over without even getting in trouble with the dorm supervisor.”
“Okay, first of all, she did not sleep over, we were just studying and we happened to fall asleep. That’s all. Nothing else happened. I mean, she was still gone by curfew.” Todd rebutted.
“I for one cannot believe Anderson would kick a girl out of his room.” said Charlie as he barged into the conversation, walking up next to Todd and putting a rough, yet teasing arm over his shoulders. The rest of the poets behind them and Neil all laughed.
“I didn’t kick her out.” insisted Todd. “It was just curfew.”
“Oh we know. We’re just kidding, Todd, we know you wouldn’t hurt your girlfriend’s feelings like that.” chimed in Neil.
“She’s not my girlfriend-" Todd began.
But all of the boys interrupted him in unison, “Yet!” And eruption of laughter followed, with Todd shaking his head as he had a chuckle himself.
………..
The cave was alive with the boys’ voices when y/n and Marsha came in. Charlie got up and lent a hand out to each of the girls to keep them from sleeping on the dirt and rocks.
Todd smiled right at y/n, he had saved her a spot next to him. He let her sit down, and he leaned into her ear, “I have a surprise for you.”
Of course no one could believe it when Todd took a turn to speak. There were soft murmurs as he stood up, taking a folded up piece of paper from his pocket.
“So, I wrote a poem.” he started to recite quickly before he lost his nerve.
“Maybe it's the way you say my name
Maybe it's the way you play your game
But it's so good, I've never known anybody like you
But it's so good, I've never dreamed of nobody like you
And I've heard of a love that comes once in a lifetime
And I'm pretty sure that you are that love of mine
'Cause I'm in a field of dandelions
Wishing on every one that you'd be mine, mine
And I see forever in your eyes
I feel okay when I see you smile, smile
Wishing on dandelions all of the time
Praying to God that one day you'll be mine
Wishing on dandelions all of the time, all of the time”
“Okay, that’s it.” he said, sitting back down next to y/n.
Everyone was in shock for a moment, until Neil gave a shout, “Alright Todd Anderson!” Then he began an eruption of applause.
“Good job, Todd!” called out Charlie, cheering along with the others, accompanied by “it was really good.”
