Forget Green Gables

An Anne and Her Diana, Cruelly Separated

The first rehearsal is simply a read through. Jessie looks like she wants to come and sit with Danny and me, but instead sat down several feet away by herself. Felix comes in later, looks between me, trying to catch Jessie's attention, and Jessie, pretending to read her script to avoid looking at me. Felix plops down with Jessie, who looks both startled and confused. She's always gotten along fine with Felix but they were never particularly close. My heart goes out to Jessie before I can remind myself we are fighting-Jessie has nursed her 'secret' crush on Felix for so long that it is the first thing which leaps to the forefront of my mind.

Danny takes my hand and squeezes, breaking my attempt to glare holes into Jessie's head. "I wish you were breaking the slate over my head."

I squeeze back. "Me too."

After the read through, the director calls Jessie and I over. "I want to make sure that you two are going to be able to pull off acting like best friends. That was a pretty chilly read through."

"We'll be fine," I state. "Right?" Plastering my brightest cheer smile on my face for Mr. Gilmore's benefit, I lock eyes with Jessie.

Jessie forces herself to look at me with her best cheer smile. "I can act like your best friend on stage." The words are flat- I cannot tell what emotions Jessie conceals in her frustration.

"Good enough for me," I shoot back.

The teacher, Mr. Gilmore, looks between us. "You two have a week to either get this crap out of my production or be recast. Are we clear?"

"Yes," we state in unison before turning on our heels and walking away in opposite directions.

"Everything okay?" Danny asks as I storm out of the backstage door so forcefully it slams against the wall.

"I HATE Carl. He's done nothing but ruin my life." Frustrated, I yank my pony tail holder out of my hair and attempt to pull my hair back up; the band breaks. "Oh, hijo de la chingada!"

"It'll all work out," Danny offers feebly as I toss the broken hair tie away in the trash can with considerable force.

"I'm still going to punch him in the face the next time I see him."

"I'm sorry, Baby."

Taking a deep breath, I smile faintly at Danny. "I love you," I say for only the second time in our relationship. "I love you because you're wonderful and kind and my best guy friend in the world."

Danny smiles and ducks his head bashfully. Wordlessly, he reaches up and kisses me, his arms snaking around my waist. Mine go around his neck. Not for the first time, I feel something stirring deep in my abdomen, and I want more of this contact. Is this sexual desire? No wonder so many people have sex. This urge is powerful.

"Woah, Charlie!" A senior in the play exclaims, coming around the corner. "I don't think L.M. Montgomery would appreciate such a dramatic plot twist."

I reluctantly take a few steps away from Danny, and I swear I physically ache. "That's what they invented fan fiction for," I say to the senior, flipping my hair off my shoulder. "I gotta get to softball practice. See you later, Danny."

"Bye, Cheyanne," he answers, smiling at me as I walk away.