George is almost 15 here. Since EB decided to never let the Kirrin kids get any older, decide for yourself which famous adventure this school interlude comes before or after:)
...
...
...
..
.
George Kirrin stared out over the playing fields. Outside, girls in green skirts and hockey shirts ran back and forth, shouting to each other. The sounds of whistles, and the thwack of ball on sticks filled the air.
She glared down at the paper in front of her.
This last exercise was keeping her from the only part of life at Gaylands boarding school that she enjoyed. Sports. Though she was only halfway through her first year at the Lands', as the school was commonly known, she'd already made it onto the hockey and lacrosse teams, and she'd swum for the school at a carnival. Now, her teammates were out there practicing without her, and she was stuck deciphering French poetry!
Footsteps had her looking up.
"Hey George,"
"Hi Bill," George grinned. The girl in front of her had short hair like hers, though it was straight, not curly. Wilhelmina, as she was known to the mistresses at school, was also a fixture in sporting sides, and could perhaps have been happy here, if, like George, her main passion(Timmy) could have been with her. As it was, George had spent many an hour listening to Bill talk about her beloved horse, and she understood when the shorter girl informed her friend that she was changing schools.
"It's just that...well I can't stay. I can't live for months at a time without seeing Thunder."
George felt a pang of sadness, and was amazed for a moment as she thought back to her life of only a few short years ago, when to have no friends struck as the ordinary way of being. Then along came Julian, Dick and Anne and everything changed.
"What are you doing?"
"That ridiculous translation. Mrs Proferoux said I couldn't go to training until I'd competed it, and its taking an age!"
Bill grinned. "Well, don't look at me, do I look like I know French? If I wasn't leaving at the end of this term I'd be right there next to you, cribbing," she said, sitting up on the edge of George's desk, feet on a neighbouring one.
"If you were a true friend," George moaned, "You'd be helping, instead of just standing there gloating."
"Oh, and how can I resist when you look at me with those big blue eyes?"
George snorted. "My eyes are brown, fathead."
Bill leaned over. "Huh. They are. Always thought they were green actually, I like green eyes."
For no reason she could discern, George blushed. Scowling fiercely, she looked down at her desk.
Bill was too kind to say anything, reaching out one bronzed hand to grab at one of George's dark curls.
"But brown eyes are nice too. Thunder has brown eyes, and Timmy," she reassured her friend.
George burst out laughing. Bill dropped her hand.
"Well, Timmy does have lovely eyes." George said, still smiling.
Bill nodded and stood up, shaking her legs to get the kinks out of them.
"Well the hockey field is calling, do hurry up George old thing, I'll meet you out there."
George sighed and glanced down at the page. "I don't understand a single word."
Bill smiled at her fondly. "Here, I'll give you something easy," said Bill, leaning over and writing a sentence on the desk. Tu as de yeux beaux.
"'Tu' means 'You'" she said, ignoring George's rolling her eyes.
"as de" means "have"
Then she stopped, smiled, and went to leave.
"Wait, what's the rest mean?" George called after her.
A dictionary flying towards her head was her only answer, and she soon spotted Bill's athletic form running onto the field, stick in hand.
George sighed again, wished for the hundredth time since starting school that she could bring Timmy inside to sit at her feet give a comforting 'woof' when she needed one, and flicked open the book.
The work of a few moments brought a confused smile to her face, and a reappearance of the treacherous, girlish blush.
"You have beautiful eyes."
Note, this is the name of George and Anne's school, according to the books. I think it's hilarious, but it's true.
For those of you who know who Bill is, I'd like to point out that I know in the books she'd never been to school before, but that's why this is fanfic, not canon.