staring at the stars {Anne and Gilbert}

chapter two ~ wildflower

w i l d f l o w e r

it was a surprisingly hot day today, for the middle of April, and Gilbert takes his time on his way to school so he can feel the beautiful rays of heat on his face for longer. because it's spring, the meadow he walks through is filled with an array of colourful flowers, all brushing against his legs as he trudges through them. the sky is bright and blue, the air still and warm.

everything becomes even more beautiful when he sees Anne across the meadow, twirling around in the flowers. she has a vibrant assortment of flowers in her hand, a collection of vivid pinks and purples and bright yellows. she also has then sowed into her braids, and sticking out of her hat.

Gilbert smiles, unable to help it. she always seems to fit perfectly with the nature surrounding her, as if she was made specifically to be part of the beautiful scenery of the countryside. Gilbert can't imagine her living in a town, it would make her seem so dull and colourless. but now, with the bright wildflowers in her hair, she looks like a princess.

Anne thinks much the same, as she runs her hands through the grass and flowers of the gorgeous meadow she so desperately loves. living in a built up area would provide almost no scope for the imagination, she feels. but here in avonlea, she can roam through the beautiful forests and talk to the tall, winding trees and daydream in the vast plains of lucious green grass.

out of the corner of her eye, she sees Gilbert Blythe staring at her, a small grin on his face. she stops twirling and starts walking through the meadow in the direction of the school building, suddenly conscious of the fact that Gilbert is watching her.

"A-Anne," she hears his voice say. she turns around and sees him picking up his pace to catch up with her. "hey."

"hey, Gilbert," she says, stopping still and giving him a chance to catch up. she looks suddenly awkward. "ready for the spelling contest today?"

"ready to beat you, yes," Gilbert smirks, finally right beside Anne. they continue walking to school side by side.

a few weeks ago, Anne would of kept walking with her head down and ignored Gilbert's presence entirely. but since his Dad died, she's been trying to act a little nicer to him. even after how he treated her.

"well, i would recommend getting your hopes down now, to save yourself from being disappointed," Anne says, very -matter-of-factly. "i woke up this morning with the intention of winning, and so i intend to do exactly that."

"did you, now?" Gilbert says. "well, i can't argue with that, can i?"

"don't condescend me, Blythe," Anne says, narrowing her eyes at him.

Gilbert smiles to himself. "i just have to warn you, you have a tremendous amount of competition today," he tells her. "i've been practicing."

"i'm sure you have been," Anne says. "but that won't stop me from beating you, i'm afraid."

"whatever you say, Shirley," Gilbert retorts.

"it's Shirley-Cuthbert," Anne bites back, "thank you very much."

with that, she starts walking ahead of him, and Gilbert doesn't try to catch up.

~~~~

the spelling competitions at school have become extraordinarily predictable. it's always a final between Anne and Gilbert— them being the brightest students in the school and everything.

Mr. Philips makes the words extremely difficult for them, but from years of reading obsessively, they both manage to spell the words surprisingly well.

"Anne," Mr. Phillips calls sharply. "spell illuminate."

Anne takes a deep breath. "I-L-L-" she begins. "U-M....I-N....A-T-E."

"correct," Mr. Phillips says, not even an ounce of praise in his voice. "Gilbert, spell necessary."

"N-E-C-E-S-S-A-R-Y," Gilbert says confidently. it was always a word he struggled with, and his Dad made him repeat the spelling over and over again until it was drilled into his head.

"very good, Mr. Blythe," the teacher says. the spelling seems to go on forever. Gilbert notices Anne get progressively more and more nervous. she starts fiddling with her fingers, taking deep breaths. Gilbert can see that she so desperately wants to win this. to beat him.

"Gilbert, spell... presumption," Mr. Phillips announces.

Gilbert hesistates. he knows how to spell it, he does. he spells it out in his head, and he gets it perfect. p-r-e-s-u-m-p-t-i-o-n. simple as that.

but when he goes to spell it out loud he finds himself getting it wrong. "P-R-E..." he begins. he glances at Anne. "uh. S-U-M... T..."

"incorrect," Mr. Phillips says sadly. "Anne... i guess that means you win."

the girls all cheer for Anne, and Gilbert watches Anne's face light up as she smiles, victorious.

"well played, Shirley," Gilbert says, holding out his hand for her to shake it. she noticibly hesitates before taking it.

"you didn't do too bad yourself," she says. "though, i have to say, i did warn you that i intended to win." she smiled slightly at him. they're interrupted then by Mr. Phillips ordering everyone to their seats, But Gilbert keeps his eyes on Anne, watching her smile at the victory of her win, and hug Diana when she gets to her seat.

he knows why he got it wrong. it wasn't because he didn't know the spelling — he did. the truth is, he wanted Anne to win, to see her face light up and even if he has to live with her rubbing it in his face for the next few weeks, it was worth it to see her so delighted, see her beautiful smile.

~~~~~~

after the long and boring day finishes, Gilbert approaches Anne on the walk home from school. "Anne, hey," he says, picking up his pace so that he's walking alongside her.

"Gilbert," she greets with a nod.

"can we—" he swallows. "can we talk?"

Anne furrows her brows, confused. "sure. what is it?"

"i wanted to, uh," he wrinkles his nose, not really knowing how to do this. "i wanted to apologize, i guess."

"oh," Anne says shocked. "um. okay."

"i've put it off long enough," he admits. "i appreciate you ignoring it and all, but it needs to be said. so, Anne, i'm sorry for how i treated you the day of my dads funeral. i shouldn't of exploded on you like that, it was an extremely rude thing for me to do. it wasn't personal, i was just in the mother of all bad moods." he laughs slightly, trying to lighten the mood.

Anne looks taken aback. "i forgive you," she says. "i'm sorry too, for making things all about me. i was being selfish. i apologize."

"apology accepted," Gilbert smiles. "now that that's sorted— walk with me?"

Anne smiles and nods. "certainly."