Nobody Knows This Little Rose - Dead Poets Society x Reader

7

A week passes. Y/n spends her time getting to know some of her classmates better, and enthusiastically attempting to keep up with the course load. It's insanely difficult, she was never used to being challenged before and it was a difficult adjustment at first.

The following Tuesday night, exactly a week since she had arrived at Welton, she gets assigned her hardest project yet; a Calculus project that would take weeks - and she only had two days to finish it.

She sat alone in her dorm, staring over the page. The numbers made absolutely no sense, and the more she realized and comprehended this fact, the harder concentration began. Her mind fogged as her insecurities were amplified by the combination of exhaustion and boredom. 

Tears swam in her eyes, a few dotting the page. Her breath became ragged. Her doubts about Welton, feeling like the black sheep, and her fear took over. She sniffled, putting her head in her hands. She had such a strong urge to tear the homework to shreds but knew she shouldn't. Her hands shook with the pressure she was holding in by not causing an outburst. The seconds dragged by.

Until there was a knock at the door. 

She jerked upright, wiping her face hurriedly and sniffling quietly. "It's open" she called, forcing a bright tone into her voice. 

The door swung forward, and Steven Meeks' face hovered in the gap in the doorframe.

 "Hi," He said awkwardly, the corner of his mouth pulled up in a characteristic fashion. "Have you finished the Calc project yet by any chance?"

"Uhm, no I'm j-just starting it now actually. I know I'm really late" She replied, not meeting his eye.

He looked at her intently, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. He seemed to spot a small hole in her response. Moving slowly in case she objected and leaving the door open. he moved into the room. 

"Can I see what you have?" He asked softly, pulling up a chair and looking over her shoulder. She nodded and he pulled the paper softly towards him. His fingers traced the numbers etched there, and his brow furrowed as he noticed the tear stains. He looked back up at her face and noticed the tracks that she had tried to hide there too.

He looked back at the paper, biting his lip nervously. He wasn't sure what to do. He thought she might want to handle things such as these on her own. It was true, they had met a mere week ago, it was possible his opinions and advice had no home in her brain. But at the same time, he knew as well as anyone what the Welton workload would do to your mental health. He had been in the exact position she was in now many, many times. And he knew exactly what he wished people had offered him when he was in that place.

"Do you want a hug?" He said quietly, looking up at her again.

She stared at him for a moment, a look of surprise replacing the one of anxiety that had been there moments before.

"Y-yeah" She whispered barely audibly.

He got up and wrapped his arms around her for about 5 seconds before pulling away. "It's bullshit. It's too hard, too fast. They expect us to teach ourselves the majority of the coursework. The only way to get through it... you've gotta ask your pals for help. I'm always happy to help." He said reassuringly. Y/n nodded.

He smiled. "You're doing just fine here. You belong. Everyone's been saying it, how you're better than most of the students here already. Just so you know" He added.

She let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Meeks, you had no idea how much I needed to hear that," She said, smiling broadly now. 

"Anytime. Now, let's get started on this Calculus"