𝑺𝑵𝑶𝑾𝒀 𝑫𝑨𝒀𝑺 - Gilbert Blythe [1]

SEVEN

7|LEAVE THEM SEETHING

Her head tilted to the side, trying to view a new angle, trying to understand what she was staring at. Her nose scrunched up in confusion, lips pulled in a tight line, trying to mask her emotions.

"What do you think?" Anne asked hopeful, her hair pulled into a craze style.

"Well..." Diana felt the same confusion as Marie, not knowing what to say about it. "You hold your head with such an air."

"Here. If you don't mind, I'd like to make one or two adjustments. For balance. May I?" Cole moved to sit beside Anne, his fingers softly weaving through the red strands, pulling it into an intricate style.

"Ooh, that'll look divine, Anne." Diana admired Coles choice of hairstyle.

"Um, Diana, could you...?" Cole asked for help, gesturing for Diana to remove the ribbons Anne had tied in her hair. "Sorry, everyone's staring at us."

Amaryllis rested her head in her hands, watching curiously as they retied the ribbons. She noticed the stares the three were receiving, shocked anyone cared enough to create gossip.

"Cole Mackenzie!" Mr. Phillips yelled, startling Marie as she sat up straight and turned to watch the teacher enter the room. "Since you have such...  feminine proclivities, we shall indulge your taste of it this morning. You can sit with the girls."

Billy burst into laughter, gesturing for his gang of friends to join in. Amaryllis watched them with a glare, feeling sympathetic for Cole as he crossed the room to grab his school supplies. He walked back to the girls side, settling down in the empty chair.

The class was dull. Mr. Phillips monotone voice almost sending half the class to sleep. But once it was over Cole immediately jumped up from his seat, settling down in the cloakroom.

"

Mr. Phillips had no right to insult you like that." Anne said as she and Marie sat next to Cole in the cloakroom. "I'm sorry you had to endure it."

"It's fine." Cole mumbled his reply, not wanting to dig into the humiliating moment.

"It's horrendous and a misuse of power! He shouldn't be allowed to act like that. It's childish even." Marie argued, her accent becoming thicker leaving the other to guess what she had said.

"He's never liked me."

"He doesn't seem to like anyone. Except Prissy." Anne stated.

"You notice that I always seem to get detention for no other reason than I'm..." Cole stopped himself, biting his tongue slightly.

"What?" Anne asked. "You're what, Cole?"

"Different." He answered, not lying but not telling the whole truth.

"There's nothing wrong with different." The red-headed girl reassured him. "I'm unusual, too. And that's why we're kindred."

"You grow used to it, Cole." Amaryllis said reassuringly. "The stares, the comments, the disrespect. It just means that you're succeeding. Leave them seething over your success and happiness."

"You are unique."

"I don't want to be unique." Cole snapped. "Unique means weird."

"I think it means... singular and extraordinary." Anne said while Marie hummed her agreement.

"Well, I'd rather be ordinary." He complained.

"I feel that way sometimes too." She revealed. Marie sighed and placed a hand on Coles shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly. "But an ordinary person wouldn't be a brilliant artist."

"I'm not but thanks."

___

"Good morning." Amaryllis greeted Diana and Anne as she sat down in front of them, squinting her eyes to try and read the letter they were stating intently at.

"You could write him back." Diana suggested. "With your knack for words, I'm sure you could convince him."

"Write who back?" Marie furrowed her brows in confusion, not understanding what they were talking about.

"Gilbert Blythe." She froze.

"Well, considering "there's gold in Avonlea" didn't change his mind almost makes me grateful that there wasn't." Anne answered Diana's previous question. "Wouldn't it have been a personal mortification if he had to leave his exotic port-of-call?"

"True enough." Diana shook her head dismissively. "In that way I suppose it's all worked out for the best."

"Besides, if I were to write him again, which I most certainly won't, it would be to tell him there's no 'A' in "indefinitely"." She huffed in annoyance at his letter.

"Maybe that was on purpose. Maybe he wants to be pen pals." Diana suggested, shrugging her shoulders.

"If he's challenging me to a long-distance duel, I will not engage." Anne sighed in annoyance. Amaryllis watched as they spoke about the boy she knows so much about yet has not met him once.

"I believe he spelled that word wrong last year. Engage." Diana recalled.

"Engagement. But I don't quiet recall."

"Ruby will have an affliction." She sighed, watching their friend chat happily behind them with their other friends. "Let's give this to her to keep."

"What? Why?" Anne gasped, grabbing Diana's hand and stopping her from giving the letter to Ruby.

"For her to cry over?" Diana questioned herself. "Unless... you don't want to."

"What's this?" Billy snatched the letter out of Diana's hands.

Amaryllis stayed still. She was lost in her thoughts. What if he never returned to Avonlea. Did she have to return to her father in France? Could she stay living in the Blythe residence?

""Dear Anne, it's very nice to hear-"" Billy began to read out the personal letter.

"Stop! Stop it! Just give it back!" Anne snapped, running after Billy and trying to grab it back. Cole used his height and took the letter away from the unsuspecting Billy.

"Ooh... what a gentleman." Billy laughed.

"Anne, is that letter from Gilbert Blythe?" Marie jumped up from her chair, pulling herself back into reality. She placed both her hands on Anne's shoulders, her grip tightening as the fear began to bubble deep inside.

"Yes."

"Did it say he was never coming back?"

"Yes."

"I have to go, I am not feeling well." Marie let go of Anne and ran towards the cloakroom, grabbing her jacket and school supplies. She barely spared her friends a farewell before dashing out the school door.

"Marie?"

She kept running.

"Amaryllis!"