Thin Line- Charlie Dalton Love Story

Chapter 10: Freedom

Today was our last day in New York. We were expected to drive back tomorrow morning, which was a ride every single student dreaded. Today was sort of the highlight of the entire trip according to Keating. The destination: Broadway Theater: "Hamlet" and "Macbeth".

I showered in haste and got dressed in high waisted baggy jeans and a Welton crewneck. I paired the fit with a pair of black ankle winter boots. I put on my black coat and headed downstairs. Showering turned out to be a mistake, since my hair was curly it took ages for it to properly dry and it was a freezing winter morning. After Keating took roll call, we headed out and into the bus.

Once we arrived, we got our tickets and made our way into the theater and 'quietly and respectfully' (Keating would insist) took our seats. I was sitting between Becky on my right and Neil on my left. Not to sound too weird, but Neil smelled so good. Neil looked particularly excited to be here. He was practically jumping in his seat. Some students had brought their notebooks to write notes for their upcoming report on the plays. I looked to my right and witnessed Becky taking out the entire fucking library out of her bag.

"What you do? Rob a stationary store?" I commented sarcastically.

"And I suppose you're gonna be taking notes on the inside of your hollow head." Becky snapped back.

"I didn't appreciate that. New York changed you." I said, a bit blindsided by the remark.

Both plays took a whole century to come to an end. Twice did people tap Becky on the shoulder to stop with the scribbling noise, coming from taking an essay of notes. I was lost half the time, but once I started concentrating on their costumes, I did enjoy it a bit.

We got out of the building and, with no hesitation, the sun had blared into my eyes. It was 14 degrees and it was bright and sunny out. In my opinion, it feels more cold when it's sunny than it does when it's snowing or raining. Since the highlight of the trip was basically over, Keating allowed us to wander about on our own. Of course any normal teacher would never allow this but Keating wasn't a normal teacher. And us being 17-18 years old, he trusted that we would be able to take care of ourselves. Although He did mention that we should be at the hotel, in our rooms, by 9PM.

"I will be coming to check each and everyone of your rooms at 9PM. Don't lose your keys. Go on, have fun now!" He shooed us away.

The students all scattered in different directions. In every group, there was at least one person with a pamphlet map of New York's top tourist attractions. I grabbed Lily and Becky's hand and ran to no particular place.

We went to the top of the Empire State building. This place was a famous stop for many Welton students. We went to the observation deck on the 70th floor. Lily, Becky, and I looked through the tower optical coin operated binoculars for a while then we spent a good while reenacting scenes from the movie "An Affair to Remember".

"I don't get why Terry wouldn't just call Nickie from the hospital." Lily said while we were taking the elevator back down.

"I don't think they exchanged numbers, Lily." I replied.

"Well I'm sure his name would turn up in the phone book. It just didn't have to turn out like that." Lily replied, weirdly engaged in the subject.

The discussion of Nickie and Terry's would-be love story carried on as we walked down the streets looking for worthy places to empty our pockets. Out of everything we've done so far, shopping was my favorite part. I bought two new pairs of shoes, a pink purse, a satin mini skirt, and a brand new beret, big thanks to Dalton. The topic of Dalton and the bet replaced the movie discussions.

"Have you made any progress at all? from what I've seen, you're doing the exact opposite." Lily said, dumping her mountain of clothes on the register counter. The cashier lady, not much older than us, looked at us up and down.