In the Woods When First We Met

138. Secrets and Lies

At lunch time, as everyone rushed to the cloak room, Billy pulled Jane aside and demanded, "Why did you tell Josie of all people?"

"What?" Jane asked, having no idea what Billy was talking about.

"You shouldn't have told anyone!" Billy said.

"I didn't," Jane responded, surprised.

"Yes, you did!" Billy told her. "How would Josie know?"

Jane's eyes were wide. "I don't know. But I didn't say a thing."

Billy's eyes narrowed. "Then Fido's opened her dirty mouth."

"Billy, don't say anything to her!" Jane pleaded.

Billy glared at her. "She's got to keep her mouth shut, Jane!"

"Just leave it! Please! Leave her alone!"

Jane didn't know if Billy would listen to her or not. Jane decided she'd have to be especially kind to Anne in case Billy was mean to her later.

Instead of eating with the other girls, Jane went to Anne and said, "Let's eat together, Anne. I was hoping we could talk, without all the others around."

Anne felt flattered that Jane wanted to be closer friends with her, apart from just being one of the group.

She followed Jane into the cloak room.

Jane opened her lunch basket. "Maybe we can share our lunches. Want to trade half our sandwiches? I have ham and cheese."

"I have ham, too, though." Anne said. "But no cheese."

Jane gave her half her sandwich. "Now you have cheese."

Anne smiled. She held out half of her sandwich too. "Mine's on rye bread...do you like rye bread?"

"Mmm, I love it," Jane said, taking it from Anne. "Mine's wheat bread. This will be great."

Anne tried not to show how excited she was at feeling like she had a friend now.

On the other side of the room, Josie, Ruby, and Tillie were staring at them.

"She doesn't look like she's having a baby," Tillie said. "She's so skinny."

"It can't show right away," Josie said, feeling important for having such juicy gossip to share.

"When does it show?" Tillie asked.

"Well, I don't know about that part," Josie admitted. "But she's not going to be able to hide it forever. It'll start showing eventually."

Josie looked over at where Billy sat with his friends. She noticed Billy was staring at Anne. That made her furious.

Billy was staring at Jane and Anne in the corner. Maybe Jane is convincing Anne not to tell anyone else, he thought. He hoped so. Jane was nice; she could make Anne not tell but still be nice about it. Hopefully that would work.

"So how's everything going?" Jane asked Anne.

Anne stopped chewing. Her food sat in her cheek.

Finally she swallowed. "Fine."

Jane prodded, "I hope you're feeling better...you kept getting sick."

Anne didn't say anything.

Jane prodded: "I wonder why."

Anne looked down for a moment. Then she said, brightly, changing the subject, "I heard you're getting another new dress. You're so lucky to have so many pretty things to wear. Can I see it, when it comes in?"