Avonlea High

Chapter 20

Diana
I am a master of secret plans. I swear I could make a living off of it. I have never had a plan go wrong. At least ones I planned. Things that were planned for me never went accordingly. They always seemed to go wrong. I guess I just always needed my hand in everything. Especially big gestures. And I know a best friend isn't supposed to meddle. I meddled. I couldn't help myself.
No one knew of it. Not the girls and definitely not Anne. I watched it all unfold. Halftime came and the boys swarmed in the field. My mind churned in excitement. A smile not bothering to hide itself. Anne and the girls bickered trying to figure out what was going on. Then a girl, if I remember her name was Lee, at least that's the nickname she told us, ran out with a microphone. They were even more confused. The girl disappears between the football players. You couldn't see who had the microphone. And then she bolted out throwing a thumbs up as she ran to stand against the bleachers.
The boys then dispersed a bit. They held signs now. It was working. Everyone was confused. I nodded as they began a ripple of turning the signs. In big blue letters it wrote-
"Why is my name on those?" Anne asked. "What the fuck is going on?"
"Anne!" Ruby gasped as her curse.
They all looked back at the group. It got Anne's attention alright. Anne moved away from the girls to center herself trying to see better. I knew Anne well enough to predict this from her. She wanted to investigate. Figure it out before it happens. That's when she goes off by herself. The girls all squeezed towards me.
"She will kill you if she finds out this was your idea," Josie mumbled.
"How would you know it was my idea?" I tried to play off.
"Oh please. You are the queen of meddling with other people's love life. Especially Anne and Gilbert's."
"I do a damn good job at it."
All the girls were happily bouncing their focus between Anne and the field. Gilbert was taking a long time to say anything. The PA system whirred. It just turned on.
"Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, can you come down to the field please," his voice boomed over the mic.
She quickly escaped down the steps and towards the field. We all cheered her on. She was twirling a piece of her hair nervously.
"Oh this is so romantic!" Ruby squealed.
We all giggled at Ruby's reaction. It wasn't even her being on the receiving end of this grand gesture. And she had so called "loved" this boy, Gilbert Blythe, for years. And like that she's cheering for Anne's and his happiness. I think that makes Ruby special. She is a hopeless romantic who is in love with love. At the same time she is frightened of acting on it without absolute confirmation the other person likes her just as much. Yet she cheers for love and happiness for her friends. Even if it's with the person she liked. She was a beautiful and kind spirit in a really fucked up world.
Ruby has her eyes purely focused on Anne. A smile of hope aimed towards her friend. Our friend.
"I hope she chooses happiness," Ruby whispered.
I wrapped my arms around the blonde girl. Our heads leaning into each other lightly as we watched our best friend.
"Me too."

Ruby
When Anne's name was on the signs I knew it was Gilbert. And it was most definitely Diana as well. She had a thing for grand gestures and meddling. She liked to see everyone happy. For Anne, when she was with Gilbert was the happiest we'd ever seen her. Gilbert too. I would always say he was "oh so sad and handsome". With Anne, he was happy and full of this light. Like the darkness of the real world did not exist in his eyes.
We watched as Gilbert finally showed himself. His face was as white as a ghost. Anne's was too. She wasn't one for big public gestures. But I guess this seems to be the only way to get her attention. After a month of just friends, he couldn't do it. None of us expected them to. They weren't made to be just friends. It's not how the universe wanted it to be for them. There was more for them both.
Anne was already wearing his number. We all noticed. We just didn't say anything. If we did we knew she would get embarrassed. And this plan of Diana's probably wouldn't work. Speaking of Diana's plan, Anne was standing across from Gilbert.
He lowered the microphone. It didn't need to be said on the microphone for them. He just wanted her attention that way. I looked at the others rather than the two main people this was about. The football boys looked supportive and ready to jump when it went well. Coach Dean seemed to be on the edge of his seat. Watching Gilbert as if it were his own son. Ready to take care of the boy whatever the outcome. Diana with a smug smile with the girls enthralled by the events. I was a people watcher. When something is happening, I look at the people around the situation. You get a sense of what people are like when you do that most of your life. You get really good at reading people. At least until you think you feel something towards that someone.
My favorite place is at a wedding. Every wedding I've been to, I look at the groom. While the bride is walking down the aisle, the groom will show how much he cares and loves the woman he is marrying. Or how much he doesn't. You can see it. Whether tears threaten their eyes or it's just stone cold. You can see why they are marrying. The same with the bridesmaids. You can see who actually hates the bride or groom. And which of the bridesmaids fancies one of the groomsmen. It's all in the way they act.
I watched it unfold. Anne was stroking her hair. She wasn't nervous. She was excited. When she twirled her hair, that's when she was nervous. Her eyes were filled with love and admiration. Her face filled with color slowly as they talked indistinctly. A cheeky smile rising on Gilbert's face as he responded to her lengthily. It was going well. For Diana's sake, that was good news.

Anne
Why was I excited and jumpy right now? I don't get it. This great big gesture usually scared the life out of me. But for some reason I was okay. I was filled with the bubbling excitement as Gilbert lowered the microphone. His face was ghostly white as he built up the courage to speak. I stopped running my hand over my hair.
"I can't be just friends with you Anne. I just can't. I don't know why, my heart just won't let me. Maybe I care too much or maybe I'm crazy. I just can't convince myself that we are supposed to be just friends."
"Gil-"
"I have more to say," he said quickly.
"Okay."
He gathered himself again and spit his thoughts out endlessly. A smile growing on his face as he saw mine was showing.
"...and I love you," he finished.
I held in a chuckle. I stroked my hair glancing at Diana back on the bleachers. She totally had a hand in this. All the girls beside her were all waiting. I smiled largely as I turned my head back to Gilbert.
"I love you too," I said.
Before I could register it, he scooped me into his arms and spun me around in the air. The crowd in the stands screamed and hollered in congratulatory rejoice. The football team surrounding Gilbert and I like a swarm of fish. Gilbert kissing my cheek before his football brothers yanked him away. He laughed as he was teased and congratulated. Their voices overlapped each other as they talked to me and then to him and then to each other. I laughed backing myself away from the chaos. I got to the stairs before my name was called again. Gilbert jogged to me. His right hand pulled me to him by my waist. His left resting on my cheek slowly connecting our lips for a moment.
"Go," I said with my hands on his chest.
He lingered for longer. I pushed his chest playfully.
"Go. Your coach is glaring."
"He loves me. So do you."
"Go win this game Gilbert. I'll see you after."
"Fine. Just one more?" He protested.
I glared at him. He stuck out his bottom lip with a devilish desire in his umber iris'. I pecked his lips and went running up the stairs of the stands. I got to the rails seeing him looking back at me with a smirk. And like the football boys did before I was swarmed with my friends. They all gushed over how romantic and grand the gesture was. I just looked at the silent bosom friend of mine. We nodded to each other. We were good. 100% good. Everything was forgiven, and everything was okay.