𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐋𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 ᵍⁱˡᵇᵉʳᵗ ᵇˡʸᵗʰᵉ

07

-🌸-

CHAPTER SEVEN

Gilbert Blythe had been gone for over eight months.

It was safe to say, Penny missed him. She missed the way when he saw her he waited for her to hug him first before touching her. She missed him tutoring her most days after school. She missed those dark brown eyes.

She just missed him.

Over the eight months, Penny had become aware of the fact that him being gone made her miss him even more. She wanted him around more than she should, her attention was drawn to conversations with his name in it. She liked those things.

She liked him.

Penny had figured out her feelings while baking cupcakes while thinking about him. Even though she knew she felt those feelings, she crushed them down. Deep down inside her.

So far down Ruby would never find out. Anne would never find out. Christian would never find out. Gilbert  would never find out.

Penny knew it wasn't fair to Ruby. Even if Penny knew no matter how long Ruby waited, Gilbert would never feel what she did. Regardless, Ruby was one of her best friends. And no matter how much she liked a boy, she wouldn't risk her friendship over it.

As she sat beside her friend, staring down at papers and attempts of love story's she had written about Ruby's crush, she rolled her eyes, ripping the page apart. It didn't matter who or what the story was about, Penny couldn't write. The words didn't work well together and they all were boring and dumb and bad. Since Gilbert had left, she felt more stupid than ever. She wasn't doing well at school at all. Several notes from Mr. Phillips had gone home to Margot and Vance, but nothing helped.

The only thing that did was miles away.

Penny glanced away from her papers and towards Diana and Ruby as they spoke loudly back and forth about what Ruby should write.

"Just write another Bert story," Diana concluded. "You always write a version of the same thing."

Ruby pursed her lips. "No I don't."

"About a dashing hero named Albert, Hubert, Rupert, Pilbert—"

"Pilbert?" Ruby glanced towards Penny in shock. "That's ridiculous. I would never write a story about a boy named Pilbert."

"It's not like we can't tell that your not so cleverly disguised stories are all about Gilbert."

"Well, you always murder everyone because you don't know what to do with your characters—" Ruby huffed, fully hearing what Diana had said. "No, they're not!"

Penny silently mouthed the words 'no they're not' to mock the fact every single story Ruby had written was about a brown haired boy with the word 'Bert' in his name.

"How else am I supposed to deal with the fact that he's been gone for eight months and three days and he might never come back?" Ruby let out a sad sigh, while Diana let out a sigh of exasperation.

"Anne," she scoffed as Ruby gazed into the distance, "please get your nose out of that book and help me here."

"What about a tale of a handsome scientist who one day stumbles on a secret that could save the world."

Ruby nodded at the idea. Penny glanced away from the daisy chain necklace she was making. "Will you name him Robert?"

"Anne, however do you think of such amazing things all the time," Diana asked before Ruby could respond to what Penny said.