LITTLE HUMMINGBIRD ━━ ( GILBERT BLYTHE )

FIFTEEN ; school boy

"I SEE WE HAVE TWO NEW BOYS TODAY."

After the odd, and strangely intimate, moment between Gilbert and the redheaded girl, who Sydney had found out was Anne, she had slumped down in her seat and Anne had taken a seat next to Diana.

Sydney couldn't see Anne, but she guessed her freckled face was just as red as hers.

"Are you sure you're sitting in the right place young man?" The teacher asked condescedendly as he looked back and forth between Sydney and Anne.

Gilbert turned around to send Sydney a sympathetic smile, which she returned.

"Introduce yourself." He flipped his book up, signaling Syd to stand.

She hesitantly stood, feeling awkward with everyone's eyes on her. Syd straightened out her dress, clutching the skirt anxiously.

"M-My names Sydney Salem. I'm from Charlotte Town." Syd gulped as she felt a pair of intense eyes on her and saw a blonde boy with piercing eyes that watched her every move and a deadly smirk on his face.

"You left Charlotte Town to live in little Avonlea?" He asked nicely with a tilted head, but it was obvious to Sydney that he was anything but nice.

Mr. Phillips was just as dreadful and monotonous as Gilbert had described, maybe even more so. He had sent plenty disgusted glares at Sydney. The only time he wasn't slowly and dully reading from the book was when he sent weirdly love-struck glances to the older girl sitting in front of her, Prissy Andrews.

The day droned on. There wasn't much to do in class since Sydney got the assignments done fairly quickly and she had no one to talk to, not wanting to risk humiliation again if she went over to talk to Gilbert or Cole.

And then the bell for lunch rang and Sydney had never heard such a beautiful sound.

"I just don't understand." Sydney took a bite out of her apple, and continued. "I used to enjoy school. I used to enjoy learning and poetry. But after that class, I never want to come back here again."

Gilbert's amused laugh only made Syd groan and sink further down into the ground. "That's Mr. Phillips for you."

Sydney whined loudy, suddenly sitting up with a dramatic gasp. "Gilbert. I fear Mr. Phillips has truly ruined education for me." She said solemnly.

"Don't be so dramatic, Syd." He chuckled. "You'll get used to his teachings. Eventually." Gilbert muttered the last part, but Sydney still heard.

"Just his presence makes me melancholy." Sydney muttered, her words muffled by the chunk of apple she was chewing. "Plus, I don't think I'm going to make very many friends. They seem top have already made up their minds about me. I swear Gilbert, if I have to resort to hanging out with you and your icky little friends, I might just drown in their fragile masculinities."

"You'll make friends." Gilbert smiled scooting down on the wooden floor until he was laying down, staring up at the ceiling. "The girls here are just... intense?"

"Diana seems nice," Syd smiled down at Gilbert. "Anne too! She's everything you described and more." Sydney went on to explain and describe how Anne had introduced herself and had compared Syd to 'an angel of the purest lights,' but the only thing Gilbert could focus on was Sydney's pillowy lips as they stretched into a smile.*

"What?" Syd giggled at the curly haired boy's intense stare.

"You're pretty." Gilbert said so casually, nonchalantly that Sydney could barely process his words. On her face was a dumb, starstruck expression as her brain tried to catch up with her heart.