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"You should've stopped him from getting on that steamship, Marigold," Ruby said as girls sat around a circle for lunch. "If Gilbert falls overboard and drowns, it'll all be your fault."
"I-I'm sorry I-I wanted to stop him, but I couldn't," Marigold stuttered, starting to panic at the thought of failing.
"He'd come home soon enough if he knew there was gold on his farm," Diana jumped in, "Anne is writing him a letter, aren't you, Anne."
"He looks so awfully lonely," Anne pointed out as she looked at Cole, sitting by himself.
"I think he's more sad and handsome than lonely," Josie said.
"Josie's dead gone over Cole."
"I am not. I'm simply observant."
"There is no boy more sad and handsome than Gilbert Blythe," Ruby sighed.
"I know just how he feels," Anne approached the lonely boy,"Your drawing was exquisite. It brought Camelot to life. And plus, Billy Andrews is a barbarian."
Diana followed after the redhead, "I have strawberry tarts to share. May we join you?"
"Aren't you girls coming over?" Anne called after the other girls as she and Diana sat next to Cole, "Diana has strawberry tarts."
"Sorry, Josie, but strawberry's my favorite." As the girls walked over to their friends, two stayed out. One out of protest and the other out of fear.
"Why, of course, Prissy, I'd love to join you and the older girls for lunch," Josie huffed. She glared down at Marigold, "Of course I end up eating lunch with you."
"I-I'm sorry I-" she didn't get to finish before Josie stomped off. Marigold curled up, trying to make her smaller than she is. She covered her face with her hands as she tried to relax.
"Marigold! Come over here!" Her sister called over, but she didn't move. She didn't want to. "Marigold?"
There it goes again, her inner dialogue, but it's not her friend. It whispers to her, "Everything has gone wrong, it's terrible, no way back, disaster, ruin..." The world seems closer to her eyes and the air becomes more soupy, harder to breathe. A glossy sheen coats her eyes that wasn't there before and her thoughts scatter like there's an electrical storm in her head, too many short-circuits to make any sense. All the while the only thing that comes through is "You're failing, it's over, give up, run away..." The blonde quickly got up from her spot and left the school house, causing Anne to follow after her with worry, grabbing her coat and her sister's since Mary didn't grab hers.
