Welcome to Avonlea

Chapter 8

My eyes slowly would look at the new boy but looked elsewhere when I saw he was staring. "You all right, Miss?" I pulled the strap up and put it over my shoulder and nodded. "Yes. Um... I have to get to school." I rushed past him. "Thank you." I said quietly. "You're welcome." My hands had a tight grip on the strap and basket of my lunch and was watching wherever there was a possible hiding spot. "Need anything else? Any dragons around here need slaying?" "No! But thank you for offering!" I felt extremely jumpy and the memories coming back were not helping at all.

"Who are you?" I almost stopped for a moment but I needed to check on Anne. If Billy cornered me, who knows if he got to her. "Hey, who are you?" I was almost tempted to go back home, but this is something I needed to get over with. I wasn't going to let Billy bother me or Anne. "Uh... Miss?" I almost jumped even though I knew he was walking behind me. "What's your name Miss?" I glanced a little and felt the knot again. "What, you can't tell me your name?" I moved away almost too quickly when he moved past me to the door. I was embarrassed he caught it. I hated when I had brave moments but the fear stricken ones prevailed. "Here, allow me." "Thank you." I said it very quietly. When he opened it, he let me go in first but it quieted a little once we were inside.

When I looked, almost everyone was staring but I spotted Anne seeing she was fine. I shuffled before going to hang up my coat, hat, and scarf. "I'm sorry if I seemed rude. I had to check something. My name's Lydia." I looked at him giving a small smile, now that I was calming down. "Um. I'm-" It was overlapping when everyone became excited. "Gilbert!" The boys swarmed and I took that as my que and went to put my milk in the stream.

"Lydia." I turned and saw Anne. "What took you so long? Did you get pulled away into an adventure while walking through the deep, dark woods?" I nodded and placed my milk in the cooling water. "You could say that." I stood seeing Josie, Ruby, Tillie, and Diana marching over. "I don't know what you think you're doing walking with Gilbert Blythe." Josie was the first to start. I looked at them but saw Ruby was upset to the point of crying. "What?" "You can't talk to Gilbert Blythe. You can't even look at him." Tillie piped in. "Well, see for yourself. Ruby has liked him for three years." Josie told me and I stared at them if that was supposed to mean something. If she liked him then she should tell him. Her and Tillie were close to comfort her. "She has dibs. There, there. That nasty girl didn't know any better. You know you're no better than your sister. You're still trash. Just like with her tall tales she told yesterday."

I was getting very irritated with them and only stared at them with a blank face. "So us meeting by chance while walking to school is my fault in some way. You realize most of us do walk the same paths here, right?" "Lydia." I glanced at Anne. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again." They left with that. "And they call boys ridiculous." I sighed. Diana stayed and walked to me. "I'll try to smooth things over." She went after the trio. "Lydia. You can't talk to him again." I glanced at Anne. "We want to make friends, don't we?" "Being talked down to and shunned by those said girls. And being told I'm forbidden to even talk to someone. I'm not so sure now." I crossed my arms. "Lydia. Please." "Fine. But if they act like that again. I'm not going to be bullied because one of them called dibs on a boy that just happened to meet me on the walk here. They make it sound like he's someone owned when he's his own person." "Just try." "I already said fine." I walked inside and sat at my desk undoing the strap and ignoring everyone. I was tired, drained, and just wanted the day to be over with already.

"Open your readers to page thirty-two. We will read Barry Cornwall's poem, 'The Fisherman'." I slowly opened the book to the page and read it over while tilting my head a little. "Diana Barry, stand and begin." "A per-i-lous life. And sad as life may be. Hath the lone fisher on the lonely sea-" "Perilous indeed. Sit down. Anne, up. Continue." I frowned thinking of the stupid commands you would give a dog. But it went away and looked down failing to hold back a smile. He was in for a real treat. "O'er the wild waters labouring, far from home, for some bleak pittance e'er compelled to roam: Few hearts to cheer him through his dangerous li-" I started giggling quietly trying to cover my mouth. "Stop. You find your sisters reading funny?" I looked at Mr. Phillips. "You should hear her read aloud Shakespeare or any book you give her for that matter." "Enough! Stand, continue." I picked the book up as I did as told. "And none to aid him in the stormy strife: Companion of the sea and silent air, The lonely fisher thus must ever fare; Without the comfort, hope, — with scarce a friend, He looks through life, and only sees— its end!" I stared at him reading the last part. "Sit." I frowned a little at the command but did so. "At least you read it punctually and not as overly loud but still showing passion." I looked at my desk not wanting any of what he thinks is a compliment. "Josie Pye. Read Campbell's Pleasures of Hope, The Downfall of Poland." I turned the page to find the poem and mouthed it to myself.