Gilbert Blythe hurried across Redmond campus one icy December afternoon of his Junior year. His chemistry final was now behind him, and he was quite sure those late nights of studying paid off. A month long Christmas break loomed before him like a beckoning lighthouse, calling him to safety after the rough waters of Fall term. He certainly felt adrift. His friendship with Anne was strained at best, after his foolish declaration last Spring. He simply had wanted hope that she could love him. He would of walked away on clouds had she been able to offer even the tiniest possibility that she would one day return his feelings. Instead, he walked away bitterly disappointed and broken hearted. Gil had avoided her the rest of term and had not talked to her all summer. He merely followed her on Facebook. Anne was not one to post about herself ( she generally posted inspiring quotations or picturesque scenes) but she was constantly tagged in the photos of others. Gil loved seeing these pictures of Anne, happy and surrounded by her friends, though they didn't come close to filling her absence in his life. Those images were all he had to live off last summer, as he had taken a job in Kingsport and avoided Avonlea. He hadn't received one text or message from her, hadn't heard her voice at all those long months. Once Fall term began, the damage he caused was apparent. Their friendship, once deep and edifying, was now shallow and awkward, a pale shadow of what it once was. He would often see Anne at parties and events, as they shared the same circle of friends. She made sure there was never an opportunity to be alone together. He hated that her gaze was now wary when she looked his way, as if he was going to make another romantic speech, or try to cram a ring on her finger the first chance he got. She spoke to him politely but with a definite reserve and he returned the same. Gilbert was tired of it. He was determined to mend their friendship and Christmas break offered the perfect time to do it. Away from Redmond College and the stresses of studies, not to mention the distraction of friends and roommates. There was no better place to repair their friendship than Avonlea, where it grew in the first place, and he knew nostalgia would work to his advantage. He ducked his head into the wind and plotted as he continued home.
Gilbert soon arrived at the apartment he shared with Charlie Sloan, not far from campus. It was small, but fit their meager budget. It was generally clean and tidy, thanks to Charlie who had too much free time and abhorred a mess. In light of this, Gilbert was surprised to find unwashed dishes in the sink, and Charlie slumped on the couch looking even more dejected than usual, his eyes on the tv, the volume barely audible.
"Did you see?" he asked Gilbert, holding up his phone.
"See what? Were grades posted already? Did you fail or something?" Gil responded as he shrugged out of his coat.
Charlie laughed humorlessly and simply said "Facebook".
Gil pulled his phone of out of his pocket and opened Facebook. Soon enough, the color drained out of his own face. He too slumped into a chair, his disbelieving eyes fixed on his phone.
Anne Shirley is in a relationship.
