little mouse | gilbert blythe

Chapter 5

Days passed and it was another day of school. We had just finished another segment of our story and went on a break. Kids ran outside and laughed and Mr. Phillips grade papers.

I leaned my chin on the palm of my hand and daydreamed until I saw something placed down next to me in the corner of my eye. I ignored it until I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey, Natalie." I heard someone say. My gaze turned to the sound to see Josie with a smile on her face. "Oh. Hi, Josie." I answered. Thank god! Was she speaking to me? Maybe she didn't hate me after the 'horrible' thing I did. "I was eating my lunch and came across this snack and realized I wasn't hungry and figured you might want it!" Josie said and I looked at this so called snack. It was a little piece of cheese on a napkin. "Since you are a little mouse and all." She completed. The group of children behind her started laughing. And may I add, it was most of the class. My face grew a bright red and my smile fell. The feeling of my eyes being glazed with tears hit me. "Come on! Eat your snack, little mouse." She said laughing walking away. I slowly stood up from my seat and walked out the door.

"Miss Holland! Where are you going?" I heard Mr. Phillips calls out. My back turns towards him giving him giving him one last look. "The lesson is about to begin!" He hollers and I glance at Diana and Anne. They give me a look of sorrow. Diana frowns at me and Anne gives an odd look. But then I remember she had told me a story the other day about how she left before. I then turn my head to look towards Gilbert. He looks as if he was going to say something. Before he can, I turn back around a leave through the door.

"All if you leave her alone, would you!" Gilbert says in the distance faintly and the children laugh. I then start to run towards the willow tree. My legs feel as if they are going to fall off from running so long. Tears fall from my face onto my shoes as I make quiet sobs.  I rest my head on my knees and hug them as tight as I could. The sound of my cries filled the forest as if it were a quiet wind on a Spring's evening.

"Natalie!" I hear a voice say. My head springs up and searches around the forest. Was I hearing things? I come to the conclusion it is just my imagination until I hear it again. I continue to search my surroundings and hear the voice again. It sounded sweet, yet strong. I hear the voice one last time even louder and immediately look behind me to see Gilbert approaching. My eyes bulge out of my head in shock. "Gilbert! What are you doing here? You shouldn't of left! You'll get in trouble." I say as I sniffle, wiping the tears from my face. "I told Mr. Phillips I would fetch you even though I just wanted to make sure that you were okay." Gilbert responded as he sat down next to me. I watched him sit and then turned away and stared forward. The sense of Gilbert staring at me out of the corner of my eye. "Those people had no possible right to be rude to you like they did. " he said and I didn't respond. Gilbert moved closer. "Do you need to talk?" He asked. I slowly turned my head towards him. "What is there to possibly talk about? The fact that I'm the strangest person at school? That I get pushed around? That no one wants to be my friend or even go near me?" I said throwing my hands up in the air. "Oh! Don't be like that, Natalie. There are definitely people who want to be your friend! Anne, Diana, me.... and if your strange, than that's a good thing!" He said smiling slightly.  "Sure.." I said rolling my eyes. "I'm just a burden." Gilbert's jaw drops. "A burden? Do you seriously think your a burden? If you were such a burden, why would I have chased after you?" He says and I shake my head. "Besides. I don't know why you won't stand up for yourself." He says and my face turns red. "I can't!" I yell. "Why not?"  He yells back. I stand up and cross my arms looking down at him. "Because... because I'll say something stupid! Because I'll try to and it won't make a difference! Because I don't know how!" I yell throwing my hands up again. "Just be confident! What's the worst that could happen?" He says now standing up. "I can't." I say calming down. Gilbert stays quiet. "I can't." I say looking up and staring at him. "No matter what I do, people will still tease me! It's happened before! And no matter how hard I try, I can't!" I say breaking into sobs. My hands fly up to my face wiping the new tears. Gilbert clenches his jaw as he stares at me for a minute. "I can't" I say one final time as I cry. Gilbert immediately gets closer to me and wraps me in a hug.  It takes me by surprise at first but then I hug him back. I cry into his shoulder for a little longer. "Sh. It's okay. Everything is going to be just fine in the end. Whether it's me or you who deals with it." Gilbert says muffled due to his face being in my hair. I am still crying but, I start to smile. Because I realize, when I'm with Gilbert, I feel like I belong. When I'm with him I feel like everything with be okay.

-more Gilbert and Natalie stuff is going to happen soon-