Idiosyncratic {Gilbert Blythe}

Chapter 13

I have had enough of the cruelness of Mr. Phillips, he had targeted too many students and humiliated Anne and others to the point that they spent days at home. No adult, let alone a teacher, should be able to get away with such abuse. I was going to get back at him and the girls who made fun of Anne for her hair. I'm sure they are jealous of my long, curly black locks of hair, let's see how much they love it when it's in the trash. I dug through a drawer and found a pair of scissors, as I looked in the mirror I hesitated for a moment, surely I could get back at them a different way? but no other way would be so satisfying and jaw-dropping, they needed to be put in their place. And so, I started snipping away, as my hair fell to the ground in large clumps, I felt more and more excited to see the reactions of every girl in school. It won't be too bad either, I won't have to work so hard to brush it, especially with my arm, as well as it being out of my way. Besides, hair grows back, It'll be back before I even know it. 

The next day class was preparing for a Christmas panto, a play unique to Nova Scotia. I walked through the doors to the auditorium and watched everyone's heads turn one by one, as Josie Pye's face turned into a look of horror. It felt good seeing her fuming expression, as the very hair she envied was gone, swept out of the house and on to the ground like dust. I simply continued to my work, as I was part of the art crew, I was to paint the background and the props. 
"Caspienne?! What in heaven's gracious name have you done to your beautiful raven black locks!" Anne screeched when she saw me
"I cut it all off, you don't have to go through this alone Anne. If Mr. Phillip's is going to call you a boy, then he'll have to call me one too." I smiled at her
"How dare you make me bring you down with me! this is all my fault, I should have never bought that hair dye" she went on dramatically
"Anne, don't you see I wanted to do this? I'm trying to make a point. There isn't anything to be brought down to because you didn't do anything wrong, your hair doesn't define your worth" I lectured
"...Do you really mean that?" 
"Of course I do" I reassured her. She smiled and we hugged, until all the girls swarmed us, bantering about my hair and how it was all gone and everything in between. 
"I'm not going to explain myself all over again, it's gone and that is that" I declared
"well, I think it looks great," Ruby said, and after that, we all got back to work. 

I was working on some flowers for the decorations of the play while Cole was up on a ladder painting the top, as I couldn't climb up with my arm. Just sitting and painting was hard enough, I couldn't hold the wood still or multitask, my left arm was still completely useless. The girls were ogling over the bird Cole was painting, and he somewhat ignored them, not out of malice, he was just hyper-focused. Suddenly behind me, I heard a ruckus, and I turned to see the ladder he was on shaking until it came down completely with Cole on it. He fell to the ground with a sickening crack and I sprung to my feet along with everyone else. While he was writhing in pain on the ground, Gilbert ran over to help, and everyone started yelling
"Don't move it!" Gilbert told him as he gently grabbed his wrist to look at it, "His wrist is definitely broken, I don't know what else." Billy was suspiciously quick to defend himself,
"It was an accident," he said, "I swear!" 
"Sure it was, Billy, you just happened to 'accidentally' hit the ladder while Cole was on it," I spat at him, "accident or not, it's your fault."

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I was with Marilla and Anne helping them bake Christmas treats, the two of them were working on a pie as I tried my best to knead the dough for a loaf of raisin bread with cinnamon in it. Believe it or not, two hands are mostly required to knead bread, just like everything else, apparently. 
"That's it, I don't care if it hurt, I'm using my arm!" I grumbled,
"Caspienne, you'll hurt yourself! You don't need to help, we have it covered" Marilla scorned, and she was right. The second I tried kneading the dough with my arm I scrunched my face in pain, "ughhh, you're right Marilla, I don't want this to take longer to heal than it needs to" I groaned, admitting defeat. 

I helped decorate the tree, thankfully lighting the candles is a one-armed job, as I finally got the last candle lit, there was a knock on the door. There were more guests? I only knew Marilla invited me. 
"Merry Christmas to you both!" Marilla greets 
"And to you" I hear the greeting returned, and my stomach fills with butterflies, it was Gilbert! I turned around and before I saw Gilbert, I noticed there was someone else. A tall black man had walked in and Marilla introduced him, "this is Sebastian, a friend of Gilbert from Trinidad" I put forward my hand and shook his, "nice to meet you, Sebastian, my name is Caspienne"
"Please, call me Bash," he asked,
"Well then, call me Cas, if we are going to drop the formalities" I grinned. Bash had a thick Creole accent, I had heard of the Creole countries from my parents but never had I actually met someone from Creole. 
"I've heard a lot about you, Cas," Bash smiled. What did he mean by that? The only person he knows here is Gilbert... does Gilbert talk about me? No, he probably told him about everyone-
"have you?" I smiled
Just then Anne came down the stairs in her favorite dress with her puffed sleeves and everything. As she talked to Bash I turned to Gilbert, "How have you been? I haven't had the chance to properly talk to you since you got back" 
"I've been good, Bash has been good company, I don't have to be alone back at the house," he said
"I'm glad, I was worried you would come back to an empty house. I'm sorry I didn't keep up my promise, as you would assume, it's pretty hard to take care of two houses with an arm like this" I gestured to my arm still in its sling. 
"You still need to tell me that story, I've heard a lot of rumors, particularly involving a gun. That can't be true, right?" he said jokingly,
"Well... it's not exactly wrong..." I said stiffly. He looked at me with concern again, I really need to stop making this boy worry like this. Marilla told us to blow out the candles on the tree, as it was time for supper, I just finished lighting those, I thought disdainfully. 
"Oh, Caspienne, Anne, Merry Christmas" he pulled out two small, wrapped gifts from his pockets and handed them to us
"I didn't get you anything," said Anne, somewhat embarrassed,
"Oh right! I did grab something small for you," I pulled out of my pocket (yes her dress has pockets) a small pocket watch, "It isn't much, but I figured you would like it, sorry it isn't wrapped in anything-"
"Don't worry, I love it." he smiled, and we continued to blow out the candles one by one, as we both ended on the same candle. I looked at him, suddenly flustered, his face was so close I could see his little freckles that dusted his cheeks. 

After we had all eaten Christmas dinner we said our goodbyes and each of us departed, I walked down the lonely path to my house and got ready for bed. Before getting under the covers, I grabbed the small gift and opened it. Inside the little box was a beautiful small blue necklace, I smiled warmly as I pulled it out of the box and looked closer. It was so simple and so beautiful, I don't even know where he got the idea for such a gorgeous necklace, or the money. I set the necklace on my dresser and happily drifted to sleep.

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AN: missed me? Merry Late Christmas! and what a perfect chapter to start back up on! that's right, the hiatus is over! My hyperfixations decided to slam headfirst into AWAE again, so until they get their grubby little fingers on another fandom, I'll be writing this again! I'll also be trying my best to write even when I struggle with it, but that might be hard with so many shows getting new seasons. Also! Please vote and comment, it really helps get my story out there and it doesn't cost you anything :)