In the Woods When First We Met

32. Confrontation

32. Confrontation

Billy will refer to a book Anne reads that is in the real t.v. show- in the scene in the show when Anne is getting ready for her first day of school, the book is shown briefly.

Gilbert didn't overhear anything the girls had said, because he left school quickly and was too focused on finding Anne.

He thought at first that she had gone home, as it was really too chilly out for her to be in her hideaway.

But then after thinking more about it, he felt fairly sure that she had not gone home, because yesterday she'd been so worried about what Miss Cuthbert would say if she'd returned home before school was out.

Upon that realization, he felt terrible for not leaving school with her. Had she been outside in the cold these past few hours, without her shawl? He wasn't sure how he could possibly have just gotten up and left school to go after her, but perhaps he should have. He wondered what Mr. Phillips would have done- or what the other students would have done- had he done just that.

Now he decided she was most likely in her hideaway, and he wanted to make sure he found her before Billy might potentially come across her in the woods.

But Billy wasn't looking for Anne, he was looking for Gilbert.

"Hey bud," Billy said, catching up to him.

Gilbert turned, looking warily at him. Then he looked away and kept walking.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you taking that dirty orphan's things with you?"

Gilbert ignored him.

"I can't believe you're touching her stuff. Aren't you afraid you'll catch something?" Billy laughed.

Gilbert stopped walking and looked at him hard. "Weren't you?"

"Weren't I what?" Billy asked, looking confused.

"Weren't you afraid you'd catch something?" Gilbert said, throwing Billy's words back at him.

Billy made a face. "What are you talking about, bud?"

Gilbert tried to stop his building anger. "I'm not your bud," he said.

Billy smirked. "Yeah, right."

Gilbert walked on.

Billy took a couple long steps to be at his side again. "Well let's have a little fun with her stuff before you take it to her. Nothing she'll notice right away. Like we could pull out some of the pages in her books." He turned his head to the side to read the title of the book on the outside of Anne's bookstrap. "Elsie's New Relations by Martha Finley," he read in a mocking tone. "My sister reads those stupid Elsie Dinsmore books too. Books written for girls have to be so dumbed down. Hey, I have an idea. Let's write some dirty words on the pages."

Gilbert kept walking.

"Nah," Billy said, thinking. "That's not enough. Maybe a little manure in her hat. That would be a scream."

Gilbert finally stopped walking and turned to him. "What is wrong with you?"

Billy looked surprised by the question. "What are you talking about?"

Gilbert said icily, "I'm talking about you and Anne."

Billy looked like he couldn't believe Gilbert. "What's wrong with you? Why are you defending that trash? Especially after what she did to you today!"

Gilbert said, a little too loudly and with an exasperated laugh, "I don't know, Billy, maybe she just acted that way because she's a little stressed out right now?! Maybe she's got a lot going on?! Maybe being at school is hard for her now and today it finally just boiled over and she snapped?!"