Welcome to Avonlea

Chapter 7

She led us to where we came in. "Leave your hats and sweaters here. We'll have to figure where you'll be sitting. It's two per desk." I nodded and felt nervous at the thought of sitting with someone else, but I would have to get used to it eventually. "You can sit with Diana, Anne. I'm sure I'll find another seat." "Are you positive?" "Absolutely." "Then it's settled. I think Jane and Ruby may sit together, now that Prissy is studying for Queen's Academy entrance exam. And needs to sit with the other students." "Who?" I picked up my supplies again and followed behind wondering who I would sit with. Diana laughed before motioning to a seat. "Go on and set your things down here." I held my things closer looking at the desks. I felt nervous when two boys came over. "Hello there, I'm Moody." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Moody Spurgeon." "I'm Anne, and this is my sister Lydia." I smiled at the two boys. "Nice to meet you." "I'm Charlie." "Charlie Sloane." "Happy to meet you." "Don't talk to the boys. They're ridiculous." "Nice to see you too Diana."

They left and she turned to us. "All except Gilbert Blythe. He's dreamy, but he won't be here today." I smiled hearing her saying boys are ridiculous and here she was talking about a boy. I felt nervous when the other girl's came closer. "This is Jane Andrews and Josie Pye and Ruby Gillis and Tillie Boulter. Everybody, this is Anne and Lydia. "Hello Anne. Lydia." "Hello." "Nice to meet you." I nodded. "Hello." I smiled at them not feeling as nervous. "It is a scrumptious pleasure to make your acquaintances, and I shall do my upmost to prove myself worthy of your friendship." I winced and looked to the side at her greeting. Normally it would make me laugh in some way but this was our first day of school and actually meeting girls our age that were not at the asylum.

They all looked confused but put off with her wording. "Anne and Lydia love to read, and Anne knows ever so many big words." "Does she use them in every sentence?" My smile fell hearing the mocking in Josie's voice. "I like to read too." Tillie said smiling. "No, you don't." Ruby corrected her. "No, I don't." I felt confused about what was happening now. She either did or didn't. "I saw you both at the church picnic. I'm sorry, I should of said hello." Hearing about the picnic made me feel a little angry but calmed when Diana touched my arm. She felt horrible for what happened. "There were an awful lot of people there." "Mother wouldn't let me." Jane wanted to come and greet us but just like Diana's mother, they prevented it. "Why would they make you both wear old lady dresses?" I was starting to care less for Josie. "It's just nice to have something new." "If you're an orphan, I suppose. I wouldn't be caught dead in it." "Anne and Lydia are not orphans anymore. They've been adopted." "We're still orphans Diana. We'll always be orphans." I glared a little at Josie. Matthew and Marilla took us in and became family. We were orphans prior to that, but not now.

"Goodness. I'd hate to be an orphan." I looked at the other girls again. "I feel so sorry for you both." I heard barking and barely turned my head to side eye dog boy from the picnic. "You're ridiculous." "Not to mention childish." I mumbled to myself. "Hey look, it's talking dogs. Can they fetch too?" He laughed along with the few with him. "Billy, leave them alone." "Sit. Stay. Roll over." "Don't mind my brother. He's ridiculous." Diana had put her hand on my arm again. It must of seemed obvious that I was going to say something, and I was, and it was definitely not nice. He barked again and caught me glaring.

"Never let the boys know they've upset you." I glanced at Jane as they finally let us be. "And never let them know you like them either." My eyes moved to Ruby. "School... is a lot to contend with." "Have either of you been to a real school, or did they send you to a special orphan school?" "Come on, Anne. Lydia. Let's finish the tour. Bring your milk. I'll show you the stream outside." I held my school supplies since I didn't know where to sit yet but followed behind as we walked out side.

"Set your milks down next to mine so they'll stay cold." I glanced at the stream seeing others had put theirs in. I pulled mine from the basket and put it down. "I must have done something wrong just then. I don't know what it was." "Let me tell you all the things you both need to know about lunch. All the girls in our clique sit together. We make a kind of clubhouse with no boys allowed." We were walking back to the front when I caught Billy in the window laughing. "I usually sit next to Jane, but Jane sometimes sits with her big sister Prissy. Tillie sits on the other side of Josie."