She was about to tell him her worry that had begun with Emily Perkin's baby, but she stopped.
The only thing less bad than talking about that, was talking about Billy, and suddenly she felt she had it in her to tell him about what had happened.
She spoke haltingly: "I- I think I can...tell you...about Billy now."
"Okay," he said quietly, nodding.
It took her a while to start.
Gilbert sat in silence, not wanting to rush her.
"Um...it was...on the way to school..."
Gilbert knew that part, of course, but didn't say anything. He would let her tell her story the way she wanted to.
"He came out from behind a tree." She said.
Gilbert nodded.
It was a while before she said anything else.
Finally she continued, "He said he wanted to talk. And there was something...off about the way he said 'talk', like...like he knew he wasn't using the word for what it meant."
Gilbert knew exactly what she meant.
Anne continued, "He said...he said something about their family talking all night, or Prissy crying, or something like that. I...I can't remember exactly."
"That's okay."
"Slander," she said.
"Slander?" Gilbert asked.
"Yeah...he, um...he called it slander. What I said about Prissy, it was slander. And...he said he'd slander me, only...only I knew he didn't mean slander like talking...I..."
She stopped, trying to control her shallow breathing. "...I didn't know what he meant."
YOU ARE READING
In the Woods When First We Met
FanfictionGilbert is there for Anne when she needs someone the most. Billy did far more damage than seen in the episode. Anne goes through my own journey of healing after a trauma. Serious issues. (Skip chapters 3-4 to make it less scary to read; if you skip...
