Gilbert and Diana | all I want [modern au]

Hey, Crow. Are you still online?

Diana closed her phone. Was Ruby right? Had the Cuthberts actually adopted a child?

„Mum?", she shouted out of her room. She heard her mother coming upstairs and entering her room. 

„What is it, Diana?"

„Is it true that the Cuthberts have adopted a girl?"

Her mother shortly hesitated, but then nodded. „Yes, Sara Gillis just told me this afternoon. Why, did Ruby say anything?"

Diana nodded. „Yeah, she told me and the other girls about it."

„Well, I hope you haven't gossiped or anything", said her mother severely, „you know what I think about gossiping and the girl had to go through a lot before having arrived in Avonlea."

„How old is she?", continued Diana asking. She is surprised about herself as she can not explain why she is so curious. But something leads her to want to know more about this mysterious girl.

„I've heard she's in the same age as you", responded her mother, „fifteen, maybe sixteen. I don't know. Sarah actually knows all about this through Rachel Lynde, you know, the Cuthberts' neighbour, and according to her this girl had been in the foster system for years. Poor child. Promise me you'll take some care of her when she's going to school."

„She'll be going on our school?", said Diana surprised.

„Why, yes, of course. What did you think, Diana?"

Her mother gave her this look which she always did when she thought her daughter raised a rather ridiculous question. Which was quite a lot.

„And what is her name?", asked Diana, ignoring her mother's previous question.

„Anne. Anne Shirley, I think. Mrs Lynde has already met her and described her to Sara, but I do not want to repeat that since it was mostly insults about that poor girl."

„Insults?", repeated Diana.

„Goodness, Diana, would you stop being so nosy? You'll meet her soon, anyway."

„What do you mean?", asked Diana and almost bit her tongue since she asked a question, again.

But her mother only raised an eyebrow, then answered: „Well, I've invited Marilla and Matthew for tea tomorrow. And of course, Anne, too."

Tea. Her mother had been living in Canada for almost twenty years, but they would still have those ridiculous tea afternoons everyday.

„What's the matter?", said her mother, rather impatiently, „you have an odd look on your face."

„I'm, um, just wondering what made the Cuthbers adopting a child after all this time."

She knew it was a mistake speaking her thought out loud, as her mother immediately snapped: „My goodness, Diana, that's none of your business! I hope you'll behave yourself better tomorrow and don't humiliate yourself in front of the Cuthberts. I've got to go, picking up Minnie May from her friend's. Oh, have you seen the outfit I picked out for you? I thought you could wear it tomorrow, for the tea."

Diana nodded and put on a smile. „Yes, I did. Thanks. See you later."

As soon as her mother had left her room, Diana stood up and went to her desk chair, where her mother had lied down the outfit she had picked out for her. Diana sighed. A plain white shirt and a brown skirt made out of cord. How much she hated wearing skirts. Diana knew a lot of girls who would call this outfit cute and would be happy for having a mother who bought them such kind of clothes. But Diana was not.

She went back to her bed and lied down. Anne Shirley. She had never heard about this surname before, but she liked it.

She still had so many questions, but she was afraid to ask her mother. What did she mean by „the girl had to go through a lot before having arrived in Avonlea"? Her mother mentioned she had been in the foster system for some years. Was that the reason? Diana barely knew about the foster system, but having watched the Fosters almost made her feel thankful for living with her parents and her annoying sister.

Her mother also referred to Rachel Lynde, who reportedly insulted the girl. Diana knew Rachel Lynde from their town festivals and from sometimes seeing her while doing groceries with her mother, so she knew Rachel Lynde was a woman that loved gossip and had a loose tongue. But she never heard Rachel Lynde had insulted a person, let alone a teenage girl. What was this all about?

She looked at her phone. Should she write the girls about the information she got from her mother?

Her mother was kind of right, she should not gossip and God knows especially Josie and Ruby were doing that enough. But does passing impartial information about a strange girl really count as gossip?

Diana shortly struggled with herself, then she took her phone and unlocked it.

Just before she could go into the girls chat and spread the information about that girl named Anne Shirley, Diana received a new message. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw who texted her. Gilbert.

Her hands began to shake and her heart beat faster. Gilbert hardly uses his phone, mostly for text messages, but that is it. But he normally does not start a conversation. Instead of opening the message, she was shortly distracted by his profile picture. She clicked on it and looked at it for the hundredth time.

Gilbert Blythe was a seventeen year old boy and being known for remarkably handsome. With his dark curly hair and his hazel eyes he matched Diana's outer appearance, wherefore they had often been mistaken as being siblings. However, Diana would not describe herself as being as handsome as Gilbert Blythe.

Being friends with Gilbert was hard. Not because he was impolite, rude, idiotic or insulting. None of that kind. Gilbert Blythe was worse. He did not even look good, he was good. He was charming, kind, clever and fair. His only flaw might be mocking the other girls at school, when they do not show him enough attention, which is hardly the case.
With Diana, it was different. They had been friends since elementary school and she was one of the few girls he highly respected (however, he still called her crow sometimes because of her thick dark hair).

But when Diana, Gilbert and their friends all went to middle school, Diana felt a difference in their friendship. She blushed when he directly looked into her eyes while talking, her hands began sweating when he sat down next to her, she got a feeling of jealousy every time Gilbert mocks or even only talked to a girl. However, Gilbert did not seem to see the change of Diana's feelings.

And so their friendship had been lasting until now. He considered her as his best friend, whom he could trust with all his secrets and where he could be himself around her, while Diana saw Gilbert as her best friend, whom she could tell every secret but one. That she was in love with him.

Her phone ringed again and Diana woke up from her short lasting daydream. She looked at the display. Gilbert had sent her another message.

Hey, Crow. Are you still online?

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So...this is my first chapter. I have to admit, I really missed writing stories and  I was kinda scared since this is my first fanfiction I write in English, not German. So if you find any grammar, spelling, etc mistakes....please be easy with me, haha <3 nevertheless, I'm happy for every comment, feedback, criticism, and whatsoever! Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)