constellations [DISCONTINUED]

pegasus

Since the announcement of the project, first period seemed to take ages to end, Mrs. Stacey lectured us on what a classic was, why Canadian works were important to study and she gave us a brief refresh on literary devices to help us guide our project.

"Alright students, you have ten minutes left, please meet with your assigned partner for the project so you can start discussing. By the end of class I want a list on my table of all the books you choose to work on."

Anne and Gilbert. Gilbert and Anne. Not so much for kindred spirits, more like two ballerinas who danced on top of a rope, to in which if you fell left, were soulmates, but when falling right, became enemies. Two edges of a same sword.

"So, carrots, I was thinking—"

"Don't call me carrots, slateface."

"Fine. Anne, I was thinking we could—"

"Why do you think you decide things around here?"

Gilbert stopped for a second and looked at me, very confused, which frankly was totally fair. I snap too easily on him but it's not a hundred percent my fault.

"Calm down, princess. I was only going to suggest a novel."

"Drop the princess. Let me suggest something first, Gilbert: 'Hi Anne, it's Gilbert, we haven't seen each other since the beginning of freshman year because I left, but now I'm back, how are you?'"

Gilbert stuttered for a second but quickly got his posture back, breathing in patiently.

"Hello Anne, how are you doing? God, I haven't seen you since my dad died and I moved away so I could deal with the unbearable grief, but now I'm back, so please, by all means, would you care to tell me all that happened to you and only you?"

This time the one who was left speechless. It's not like I didn't deserve some passive-aggressiveness, he could have said something but he didn't have to, I could have done it.

"I'm sorry, Blythe. How was the time away? Are you feeling any better?"

"Now that you asked so kindly, yes I'm feeling better, but don't worry, we'll have time to talk. Now, on to the novel, I was thinking about Beautiful Losers, by—"
"Leonard Cohen. That's... that's actually a great idea, Blythe"

"I'm sorry Anne, what did you say?" Gilbert smiled and I rolled my eyes, holding back a grin "Did you just say I had a good— no, great! — a great idea? Anne Shirley-Cuthbert told me I had a great idea? Oh my, things really did change!"

I slapped him in the arm and muttered 'slateface', which made him streak his hand across the left cheek by reflex, remembering the ninth grade incident.

"Anyways, I'm glad you liked the idea because I think we could do a great job on it. You have always been good with words, I don't think that has changed since then, right?"

"No... it hasn't."

We shared a comfortable silence for a few seconds, I could notice that one single curl in his forehead was out of place, and I had to fight weirdly strong urges to adjust it. Gilbert too seemed to be noticing things, because he didn't hesitate in furrowing his eyebrows to my face. I blushed, although I tried my hardest to make it go away.

"Anne, are you wearing makeup?"

"No! N-no, I mean, yes I am but I said no as in it's none of your concern!"

"Okay, calm down" He chuckled between the sentences, slightly intimidated "It's just because your freckles weren't as noticeable, even hidden from a far, so I was trying to figure out if they had disappeared."

"W-well, no, they haven't! I just put on some foundation, that's all."

"Why'd you do it? Not that it's any of my concern nor that I, or anyone as a matter of fact, had anything to do with your decisions."

"I don't know, I just did."

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have to."

"Anne doesn't do things without thinking."

"Gilbert apparently doesn't shut up."

"Were you trying to hide them?"

"Are you trying to make me mad?"

"Maybe. Were you?"

"Maybe."

"You don't have to."

"Wanted to."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Okay." He smiled, looking through his backpack for paper and pen, writing down "Beautiful Losers by Leonard Cohen" so he could give it to Mrs. Stacey, which he did.

'You don't have to' circled around on my thoughts for a while.