In the Woods When First We Met

2. Ambush

When it happened, Anne was walking through the woods on her way to school, wondering what kind of day it was going to be, and hoping for the best.

An older boy stepped out from behind a tree, startling her.

Who was he? Oh, yes, Billy...Billy something. She couldn't remember if she had known his last name.

Anne was thirteen and sat with the girls, Billy sat with the boys of course, and he was a couple years older than Anne, so she hadn't had much contact with him at all yet.

"Anne of Green Gables," He said smoothly. Something about his demeanor gave Anne a silent shiver that went all the way down her back.

"You and me? We're gonna talk." He almost laughed over the word "talk". Anne didn't understand that, but she would later.

"You said some pretty nasty things about my sister," He said, taking a step toward her.

Anne looked confused. "Who's your sister? I don't-"

"Prissy Andrews, dummy," He supplied.

Anne looked at him with big eyes, feeling a tiny bit frightened because she could actually feel the anger resonating from him.

She suddenly noticed for the first time how much bigger Billy was than herself. He was 5'8" and strong. She was feeling smaller by the second.

She could smooth it over, though, she'd just apologize for what she said about Prissy and the teacher.

"I'm sure I didn't mean to be nasty-" she began.

"Then why was she crying all night?" He demanded.

"I- I'm sorry-"

"My parents-" He took another step forward- "Say that's slander."

Now he was leaning slightly over her, causing her to have to take a step backward.

"Do you want to get slandered?" He asked, fire in his eyes.