"SO WHAT did you think of the meeting?" Anne asked Diana as they walked out of the Montgomery Residence Hall for sophomores common room.
Both Anne and Diana enjoyed the "Modern Acts of Feminism" club meeting. It seemed like a tight knit group of girls (and some guys) who were all dedication to the movement. Not only that, but they were all extremely interested in finding ways to help the community in small ways.
Diana, being raised in the traditional household, was quite skeptical about the whole ideal but enjoyed it in the end. Being a woman of color and blossoming as a feminist, Diana was welcomed into the club with open arms. She listened carefully to their discussions and, when appropriate, she would chime in with her own experiences and thoughts.
The first part of the club consisted of presentations from those who had previously signed up and many of them talked about current politics happening in the area or ways to defend one's self from potential predators or males who thought they had the right over one's body just because they are a woman. Also, there were some talking about women in art and the work force. Nonetheless, all of the presentations were very interesting and Diana even snuck some pictures of the slideshow on her phone. Afterwards, there was an open discussion session on the current issues the members of the club have found in media or in real life.
Anne fit right in, talking about issues she'd always talked about to Diana in high school, though Diana really never understood it at the time. As she listened to Anne speak with the other members of the club, Diana realized how big of a deal everything was.
Diana always took for granted living in a small town where everyone knew each other and their problems. While there are always disadvantages, one thing that never bothered her was how everyone knew how to treat each other and not create too much drama. The only time drama really stirred across the town were rumors usually started by the Pyes. Still, everyone in the high school usually feared for their sanity if they did something out of line for their parents would hear about what they did in the small-town-grapevine and would never hear the end of it. Thus, the boys never really acted out. Yes, they were far from being a gentleman, but they never really did anything extremely outrageous in fear that it might cause a feud between families and tension between the whole town. Plus, they wouldn't want Mrs. Rachel Lynde to overhear in fear that they'd never hear the end of it.
Still, Diana extremely appreciated the new outlook on society and what other people had to go through instead of being so sheltered all the time. She was extremely glad that Anne decided to drag her to this club and she knew that she would definitely be joining Anne again.
"I really enjoyed it," Diana said in response to Anne's question. "There's something extremely interesting to see how people are so different depending on what city they grew up in."
"That's quite true," Anne said, thinking about her own experiences. "Just living in Avonlea for that short amount of time in comparison to you, I can completely tell the difference of what it was like living in the small town where everyone knew each other versus big huge cities where everyone really minded their own business. Working for the Hammonds in a populous suburban city, it was a complete change when I moved into Avonlea. It was refreshing, in a way, not always having to watch who's around me as much, scared that I may be taken away or kidnapped in some shape or form. You're lucky that you never had to grow up with that fear. But still, I suppose, it shaped me to become who I am."
"You wouldn't be the Anne I know today," Diana agreed. "Plus, how else would you have been able to think of making a neighborhood watch that allowed the Gillis, Pye, and Mrs. Lynde's quick, gossipy, grapevine to be used for good?"
"We definitely did save a lot of people's houses from possibly being robbed," Anne remembered.
Previously, no one in Avonlea had worries about possible break-ins to their houses, considering they were pretty much in the middle of nowhere on Prince Edward Island. Plus, they Pyes were too proud of their home to ever think about someone trying to rob it. Still, as a part of creating the Avonlea Village Improvement Society, Anne decided that it would be beneficial to have a neighborhood watch. Mrs. Lynde agreed on this instantaneously since she was getting quite bored in the the Cuthbert home where she had taken residence after her late husband's death, since the only thing she was able to do was cook, do housework, and stalk people on Facebook.
Thus, that summer, Mrs. Lynde was able to spot mysterious figures near the Pye house on her usual morning walk and immediately tweeted about it, alerting the Pyes who were disbelieving at the time. They were able to catch the robbers, though, and the police were notified right away.
Though the Pyes were still skeptical about the whole thing and believed it was just coincidence, the rest of the neighborhood kept the watch. Also, the AVIS is still running strong, though Anne is away at college.
"Anyway, that idea was brilliant," Diana said. "So what did you think about the club?"
"I thought the whole concept of the club was a great one. I wish we had one of these in our high school! It definitely would've opened up everyone's minds instead of always living under a rock. Plus, it would've at least helped the more elderly in our neighborhood to understand what the younger people are up to these days."
The two girls discussed the club a little more as they walked back to their dorm. Diana had to get ready since she was meeting some of the people in her psych study group at the library. Anne had plans to write some more and talk to Marilla over Skype.
Anne made a beeline to her desk right when they entered the dorm, taking out her textbooks for her Society and Environment class and opening up her laptop. After logging in, she turned on the faerie lights, giving some light into the dark room and adding onto the aesthetic. She turned on soft music in the background to help her concentrate a little bit better while she was waiting for the time Marilla said she could call.
She opened her book and read in relative silence, annotating and taking notes when she deemed necessary when Diana burst into the room.
"Do I look okay?" Diana asked, twirling.
She wore a long pleated skirt that came down to her ankles along with a loose white blouse. Her hair was in a bow that she liked to whip out every once and a while and she wore a pair of black converse. She didn't wear much makeup besides a little bit of mascara, blush, lipstick, and she did her eyebrows.
"I think you look fine," Anne said earnestly. "Isn't this just a study group? I doubt you really need to be looking your best since you are, you know, studying."
"Why wouldn't I want to look my best?" Diana replied innocently.
Anne knew the actual answer to the question but she decided to ask anyways. Fred had also signed up for the study group (whether he did it just because Diana had also signed up is unknown) and knowing Diana, her feelings towards Fred had already rekindled. There was really only one person who had Diana extremely smitten and that one person was the one and only Fred Wright.
He had always been the exact opposite of Diana's childhood ideals, but it didn't stop Diana from falling and falling deep. He had always been the person about whom Diana talked to Anne. Not that Anne minded, but she thought it was quite weird since Anne herself still has her ideals of a dark, mysterious man in her own mind. Once Fred had moved Anne believed Diana's crush had gone away, only for it to come back strong.
Anne gave Diana a disbelieving look but dropped the subject. Diana checked the time on her phone and realized the time. If she didn't leave now she would be late. Bidding Anne goodbye, Diana fled their humble abode to go to the library.
Anne leaned back in her chair wondering if she'd ever be weird like that when she actually found someone worthy enough to date.
Ever since she was a child she had always dreamt up romantic stories about some person who would come in and sweep her off her feet and she'd fall instantly in love. Those were the kinds of stories she'd read and her mind would conjure up ideals. Even though they're not the most realistic, she's still waiting for it to happen.
After reading some more of her textbook the time came when she had to call Marilla.
Anne had always thought of the talks she had with Marilla quite refreshing. It was nice to have someone with whom she could confide in a way that was more intimate than with a friend. Though Marilla hadn't been the automatic kindred spirit like Matthew had once been, it was still nice having someone who knew her on a deeper level. Plus, having a motherly perspective was always nice to have.
Anne opened up the video calling app on her laptop and logged in. After adjusting her laptop screen for the webcam to focus on her, she also prepared the background of her room to not look too messy in case Marilla complained about the upkeep of her dorm, or if Mrs. Lynde decided to pop up and found something she thought would be despicable (not that Anne had any of the sort, but one can never be too cautious when Mrs. Lynde is involved).
She grew a little impatient as she heard the ringing of the video call trying to connect to Marilla, but soon the ringing stopped as Marilla's forehead came into view.
"Hi Marilla!" Anne called with a smile.
"Oh hello there, Anne," Marilla replied, her brows furrowing as Anne knew Marilla was trying to figure out how to use the technology of her tablet Anne had gotten her before she left for Kingsport.
Anne laughed. "I can't really see you. Can you adjust your phone so I can see you? I can only see your forehead."
Marilla grumbled. "All this unnecessary technology. It's all so hard to use."
"Perhaps you should ask Davy or Dora to help you... or Mrs. Lynde, on second thought. She's quite tech savvy."
"That's true," Marilla agreed, adjusting the grip of the tablet. "So tell me Anne, how has Redmond been to you?"
"Oh Marilla, it's absolutely magical! It's not the same kind of magnificent splendor that Green Gables possesses, but it's so beautiful you must come and visit me soon. Class hasn't been to hard, either. I quite enjoy the challenge it has been providing me. The only thing is making sure to have enough time to study and be prepared for the next lecture. Otherwise, Redmond has been very good to me."
"Although I wouldn't care much about this, but I do hope the people you have been associating with aren't too bad. The women in the Ladies Aid Society here are giving quite a fuss about you possibly changing too much."
"I doubt that would be a problem. I don't think there's many people who would actually cause such a fuss to make me change, too much," Anne paused, thinking about what to mention next. Her eyes widened as she remembered something. "Oh I forgot to mention, Fred Wright is here! Diana was complaining a little about it actually," Anne mused, her eyes twinkling. "I can't believe I didn't realize Charlie Sloane was going to Redmond, too! I simply cannot believe I didn't hear anything from Mrs. Lynde about it. You and I know she would've said something about under what circumstance he would have gone to college, or how he had been accepted anyways." Anne paused, remembering the one person she absolutely despised, yet was extremely intrigued.
"There's something on your mind," Marilla read by the faltering of Anne's voice in the end.
"Do you by any chance know anything about Gilbert Blythe?" Anne asked, although saying the name pained her a little bit.
Marilla paused then. A look of recollection and grief flashed across her face. "I know a little, but why do you ask?"
"Oh!" Anne exclaimed, memories of previous day flooding back to her. "He's just the most infuriating boy that had ever walked this earth!" Marilla gave a small chuckle at this, where Anne had thrown her a glare. "He had called me carrots, Marilla. Carrots. That's ten times as worse as the insults Josie Pye had gave me."
Marilla completely understood Anne. She did have some sort of history with another boy around that age. Hopefully, though, Anne is smart enough to be forgiving. Being Marilla, quite stubborn and hardheaded, she hadn't forgiven that one boy and she still deeply regrets it.
"He was a nice boy as a kid," Marilla said, much to Anne's dismay. "He did love to tease the girls, though. Overall, a gentleman, but definitely loved to poke fun. I've heard that he had changed since having a great teacher back in grade 5 before you had came to Avonlea, but since then, I don't know. I suppose he hadn't changed much, considering your story."
Anne rolled her eyes. There had to be a much more gruesome story behind him than just that. She hoped there was some different tragic backstory or at least one more intriguing than the small spinets Marilla had given her. Although, for asking Marilla for some information, what she had gotten wasn't that bad. She still wondered more about Gilbert's story besides being one who would like to annoy girls. She made a mental note to ask Diana more about it later.
She sighed. "So how is it over at Avonlea? How's Davy, Dora, and Mrs. Lynde?" Anne asked, changing the subject
"Oh, they're doing just fine. Davy still has been getting into as much mischief as usual, and Dora has been just as helpful. Mrs. Lynde has been talking up quite a storm here, but at least it has been giving me something to focus on while you've been gone."
After a brief pressing on how the town has been putting up with the majority of the young ones moving away for college, Anne had to say goodbye and study.
Overall, the conversation was quite refreshing. It was nice having a way to easily be able to catch up on news in Avonlea besides Mrs. Lynde's Twitter updates and Davy's complaints over text about his latest escapades in the middle school. Still, talking to Marilla was nice.
Even though the small rant she had about the certain someone was quite brief, she would most likely recount it in an email to be sent to Marilla. (Marilla enjoyed emailing a lot more than texting or video call. Perhaps it was because it was more similar to the old fashion snail mail but definitely a lot quicker... the only thing was if she was able to have less spelling errors when she sends a reply back!) At least Anne knew a little more information about Gilbert before she read him a little more. Plus, she needed to talk to Diana and see her opinion on the boy.
Either way, the back story of the boy she hated would definitely be interesting than just "the boy who liked to tease." It was like knowing why the evil villain in one's favorite story became who they were and why they did what they did. It intrigued Anne, though she knew much would be needed to convince Anne to change her opinion about the one who was deemed Voldemort by her and Diana. After all, first impressions are almost everything, and her first impression of him wasn't a good one. Of course, they could change, but so far they weren't budging.
Anne, especially as a redhead (though one's personality doesn't have anything to do with their looks), can definitely hold a grudge. Once, when she first met Mrs. Lynde, she actively avoided her and wouldn't apologize for a week once Mrs. Lynde had called Anne unattractive (which at the time greatly offended Anne). Even though Marilla had condemned Anne from leaving her room until she apologized, Anne didn't waver. Eventually Anne had gotten around to apologizing, but nonetheless, it goes to show how stubborn Anne could be.
She wondered, though, if anything would ever change her perspective of He Who Shall Not Be Named.
Diana had come back to the dorm, happy, but quite flushed. Anne was busy typing away on her computer to notice this right when she walked in, but as Diana floated past Anne's door and into her room, Anne questioned what actually happened during that study group. Plus, it was nearing 10 PM and Diana said she would be back by 8.
Of course, the lovestruck look written across Diana's face Anne saw as she entered the room across from her's and sat on her best friend's bed answered so many questions as to the reason behind Diana's dreamy state.
"So I take it the study group went really well?" Anne questioned as she faced her friend.
"Oh yes, very well. We were able to get a lot of work done. I think I'm definitely ready for the exam on Friday," Diana replied, her eyes not really focused.
Anne frowned. She expected Diana to be ecstatic to tell her what happened during the study group, but she supposed Diana needed a little more pushing to ease her out of her reverie.
"So what happened? I thought it ended at 8," Anne said.
"Oh nothing really. We just went on a walk afterwards and talked a little," Diana replied, playing coy.
It was kind of getting on Anne's nerves the fact that Diana wasn't being completely open as to happened between her and Fred, but she didn't want to push it. She knows that Diana would tell her eventually, but she's dying to know about the unresolved tension they have between them. It was quite petty, but she really wanted to know what was going on in her friend's love life. Perhaps she really was spending too much time with Phil to actually care about that stuff.
"Diana," Anne pouted. "Who'd you go with?"
"Oh, just Fred," Diana answered, studying her chipped nail polish. "So how was the conversation with Marilla?"
"It was great, but what I want to know is how was the conversation with 'Just Fred.'" Anne moved closer to Diana to hopefully get Diana to talk a little more, and even nudging Diana with her shoulder.
Diana produced a little smile at this, though it was a tired and lazy one. "Can't we talk about this tomorrow? I'm exhausted."
"That's cause you were hanging out with Fred," Anne teased in a sing-song voice. "Please? I want to hear what happened."
"Oh alright," Diana said, complying. The teasing was getting to her, although she was quite enjoying it. "We might have talked a little more, and he might have said he still loved me."
"Diana Barry!" Anne exclaimed, bouncing up and down on the mattress. "He didn't!"
Diana's small smile widened and she nodded as she grabbed a pillow from her bed and hugged it to her chest.
"What did you say after that?" Anne asked, her genuine interest piquing.
"I didn't exactly say anything, but we were in Patty's Place - you know, the cafe we were at the first day we came here - and I just blushed and drank some more hot cocoa."
"But Diana!" Anne interjected. "He's probably mortified and he thinks you don't love him anymore."
"I didn't finish yet Anne! Anyways," Diana continued, "I might have kissed him before going into the room."
"Diana Barry, you sly rascal!" Anne exclaimed. Well that explained the dazed look and the unfocused eyes.
Anne and Diana fangirled a little more about the night Diana had with Fred and Anne's general curiosity about Gilbert fading. Of course, that was until Diana had brought him up.
"You know, Fred was talking about Gilbert. He and Gil are roommates along with Moody and Charlie, but they actually met up back in Charlottetown," Diana said even though she knew her friend's opinion on the boy. (The main reason why she even mentioned Gilbert is to see how Anne would react as it did give her pure joy to see her writhe.)
Anne rolled her eyes. Of course Diana had to mention something about Gilbert. As if he hadn't invaded her thoughts already! But something clicked. She was curious as to how Gilbert came to be who he was, but she didn't exactly know how to formulate the question to not sound so suspicious. "Really Diana? You had to mention that... stupid flirt?" Anne spat instead.
"I don't think he's that bad," Diana insisted. "Yeah, he does tease people a lot, but I don't think he meant it, Anne. You know, he called me 'Crow Head' in elementary school. It annoyed me tremendously but I did learn to ignore it. But then, that was elementary school. He probably changed since then."
"Then how do you explain the 'Carrots' incident?" Anne said, giving Diana a pointed look.
"Fred has been saying that's he's tremendously sorry about it," Diana replied. "He's apparently been moping around in his room trying to figure out ways for you to forgive him."
Anne scoffed. "He'd better keep thinking because it will be a while until I will be able to."
"He was in the same position as you, you know," Diana said.
"What do you mean?"
"He's been an orphan since he was 13. His father died of cancer, but he missed a lot of school leading up to that," Diana informed Anne. "He was extremely close to his dad after his mother died, and he was alone after that."
Anne's face softened from the stubborn, pointed look that had rested there since the talk of Gilbert began.
She completely understood what it felt like to be alone in the world, but it still wasn't exactly the same. Anne had no recollection of her parents whatsoever, only the outlines of stories from acquaintances who had known Berta and Walter, only for them to be filled in with imagination. Plus, Anne had gone through most of her childhood without any friends, and the only time she had been close to getting one, they'd stabbed her in the back. The memory of the dead rat being swept across her face while she was stuck underneath the staircase of the group home still haunts her today. Not only does that memory haunt her, but the way she was first treated in Avonlea when she first arrived.
Overall, Avonlea was a great place to have her first home, but as it was already a small town where everyone knew each other and the happenings of each family, it was no surprise that an outsider wouldn't exactly be treated with open arms. Billy Andrews had definitely been a perpetrator of her first few anxiety attacks brought to her by the memory her rough experiences as a foster child, but Diana being there to help her definitely lessened the blow.
As much as Anne had pity for Gilbert Blythe, it still wasn't enough for her to jump into his arms and beg for his forgiveness for not taking him up on the opportunity of friendship sooner. It took a lot more warming up to do than that.
Anne nodded at Diana whom had resumed talking about Fred, but both girls soon been caught by a wave of drowsiness and Anne left the room to get ready for bed.
Anne grabbed her sleeping clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower (she had always been one who would rather shower at night versus in the morning, after all, who would willingly get up earlier just to take a shower?) and think.
Was she being irrational? He did try to be nice to her, and her behavior was quite childish, to be honest. Still, it was kind of fun watching him wait it out to see if she'd actually be willing to take on friendship. Plus, he was being an obnoxious scoundrel when it came to getting her attention. Why pull on a girl's braid when she clearly wasn't paying attention? Isn't that something 5 year olds would do?
As she dried herself, put on her clothes, and started to brush through her auburn locks, she thought perhaps she should wait it out a bit longer. The feeling of automatic resentment towards him still lingered, although the tough wall barricading her from obtaining an actual friendship or at the very least acquaintanceship with him was slowly starting to deteriorate.
He might not be as bad as she once thought, but she wasn't about to jump the gun and be friends right away. She thinks that in this case, she's willing to make him sweat it out a little bit longer.
As she braided her hair, she peered at herself through the mirror and shook her head. She really needed to think about something else.
i'm oh so dreadfully sorry that it took so long for me to update! i never really had the overwhelming feeling to write recently and it's coming back, finally. also, i'm sorry for the horrible update after being gone for so long! nonetheless, it doesn't exactly excuse me from not writing much, but i assure you the next few chapters are going to be a lot better.
a few things i have to say. one, as much as the book is about anne and gilbert, i hope that it doesn't exactly take over as i do want to talk about how anne has been doing throughout the college course and not just about her drama mooning over gilbert and gilbert pining after her.
two, i just watched the aogg movie/tv series with megan follows as anne today! it was amazing and the first anne of green gables movie was so extremely accurate i could die peacefully. megan follows is definitely the perfect anne! although, i have to say anne of green gables: the sequel was great, but it was so different than the books. i still loved it though!
okay, enough with the extremely long authors note. i hope you liked the chapter and i'll see you next week (hopefully)!