Butterflies~~ Shirbert

Chapter eighteen: Beneath me

(Don't play the song yet;)

"Anne you've got yourself a beau."
Said Diana with her eyebrows elevated in curiosity.
"What! Gilbert is not my beau, D-don't call him that. I want all of you to remove that nonsense from your brains now."
The girls giggles only intensified.
"Do you understand me." Anne said desperately.
"And this morni"-
Before Diana could finish Anne put her hand over the raven haired girls mouth preventing her from exposing how Anne got to school.
"What happened this morning?" Jane said curiously, intrigued by Anne's reaction to what Diana was going to say.
"Gilbert"-
Diana began muttering an explanation through Anne's hand, but the redhead only said louder than her causing the girls to have to inability to hear Diana.
"NOTHING!"
Everyone laughed as Diana pried Anne's hand from her face. Her best friend looked at her with a warning glare. Diana was on the verge of reveling the truth but then she came the revelation that Anne would push Gilbert way if she had any reason to. The redhead was known to turn her back on him given any reason that slightly provoked her.
Then something else came to her mind that overruled any temptation she had to spill he beans, she was reminded of how big of gossips the girls were, if she told a couple of them soon enough the whole school would surely know and Diana wanted to let them keep this private, a memory just for them, and Diana too she supposed considering she had walked into them. But she knew what Anne and Gilbert had was not something to be exploited. So with this in mind Diana sent a swift nod in Anne's direction and kept her mouth shut. Anne let out a visible breath of relief. The girls were about to press further when Ms Stacy walked into the classroom.
"Why are you all so quiet."
Ms Stacy said suspiciously. Slowly soft laughs sounded circling the school house until finally Jane said quickly trying to get it all out before Anne interrupted her.
"Gilbert walked Anne to green gables and back today while we thought they were just in the schoolyard, and then once he helped her sit down he WINKED AT HER."
Ms Stacy was not in the least bit surprised she only smiled and shook her head.
Anne yelled.
"There is nothing between me and Gilbert."
"So it was a friendly wink?"
Questioned the teacher doubtfully who couldn't help a bit of drama.
"Yes! just because a girl and a boy are friends doesn't mean they have to have anything romantic between them."
Ms Stacy nodded with a suspicious smile on her face as Jane said.
"But That doesn't apply to you and Gilbert."
Anne looked at her with her mouth open. Jane persisted. "You know he likes you right."
Anne was completely shocked.
"HOW COULD GILBERT BLYTHE LIKE SOMEONE AS PECULIAR, AND UGLY AS ME."
During her outburst Anne noticed the girls attention went away from her. Once she finished yelling she looked behind herself to follow the girls gaze. Her mouth dropped agape as she registered the display in front of her.

Every single one of her classmates stood in the coat room starring right at her. But that wasn't what made her blush furiously.
No, the thing that made her heart beat out of her chest was Gilbert Blythe standing right in front of her crouching down holding his hand out to help her stand. He was blushing as well, a fact that made Anne feel a bit better considering her apple-like complexion. Anne sat there staring at Gilbert, had he heard what she said. There was no way he hadn't, she practically screamed it at the top of her lungs in fact she would be surprised if Marilla hadn't heard it all the way at green gables. Gilbert seemed almost frozen. His face read something of hurt, and confusion. Anne looked from his hand to his face, after a moment she grabbed it. Once standing Anne looked around, all the students eyes still boring into them.
She looked over to Gilbert who was already watching her. They stood there holding hands facing each other. Anne knew what this looked like, she forced herself to pull her hand away from his even though she desperately wanted to savor the warm safe feeling his touch gave her. She hobbled back to her seat and huffed, her face getting as red as her hair, but this time it was out of anger.
Why did it feel anyone constantly watched their every move, Why couldn't they just be free. Every interaction they had received raised eyebrows snickers and judgement, judgement.
Anne knew they all most likely meant well but she was long tired out by the whispers about them. It was their personal life's. And not only that but there was nothing romantical between them anyway! The rest of class she bobbed her leg in attempt to let her frustrations out that way and not by punching Gilbert who was The designated victim to her angry outbursts.
Finally class was over and Anne tried to rush out of the classroom but was of course unsuccessful due to her injury. Gilbert was at her side in a matter of seconds. He wrapped his arm around her and they began walking out the door after putting their coats on. As they entered the edge of the woods there was a tension in the air between them. Gilbert finally couldn't take it anymore, her furrowed eyebrows and purses lips put him over the edge of worry.
"Anne, what's wrong."
She looked at him and clenched her fist, don't punch him, don't punch him, don't punch him.
She forced herself to look away and take deep breathes closing her eyes. Which unfortunately shut eyes may not be the best idea when you are walking through a trick filled forest.
She went to take a step with her good leg but just as the bottom of her boot was about to make contact a unfaithful branch lingered under her foot leaving her to fall on her back against the mud. Gilbert having held her shoulder fell as well.
He went down with her.
(A/n hehehehe play the song now;););)