Anne hated that Billy was constantly in her thoughts.
She didn't want to waste one second of her time thinking about him.
But he lurked in every corner of her mind, taking up space he wasn't welcome in.
At least for now her thoughts of him were happy ones: he was feeling miserable, and she was elated.
The weekend was lovely and Matthew and Marilla noticed she seemed extra chipper.
She was even excited to go to church because it was one more place that Billy would not be. When Anne, Matthew, and Marilla filed into their pew and sat down, Anne glanced over to where the Andrews usually sat. Billy was not with them.
But Jane saw Anne looking over, caught her eye, and waved to her with a small smile. Anne smiled back, surprised at the unexpected friendly acknowledgement from Jane.
The church sermon left Anne feeling a little guilty for being so happy that someone was sick. She remembered that she was supposed to be wanting good things for others. She ignored that nagging feeling of guilt until she no longer could. Stop it, she told herself. That's not the kind of person you want to be. You said it yourself that it wasn't right. Do the right thing.
Her eyes settled on the clock. There were five minutes left in the hour. Gracious heavenly father, she said silently in her mind. You've got so many other people to look after, could you ignore me for five minutes? Five minutes relishing in that horrible boy's misfortune, and then I'll stop. In five minutes the clock will strike the hour and then I'll be good- heavenly, angelically good. ...Let me have just five minutes...I promise.
She used her five minutes to their fullest potential.
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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...
