How to Spell 'Beautiful'

Muriel Stacy watched him as he scribbled down his essay. His hands floating over the paper.

She smiled.

School was over since nearly half an hour, but she had to keep Gilbert Blythe for detention, since she had caught him talking to Moody Spurgeon MacPherson. Gilbert had probably only told him to be quiet or the like. He never disturbed lessons. But she couldn't treat him differently just because he was one of her star students.

Besides, even though Miss Stacy wasn't a friend of detention, she had hoped for a chance to talk to Gilbert alone.

Muriel Stacy was a teacher, yes, but she was also a woman. A very curious woman with a very strong empathy.

For weeks she had wondered what was behind all the glances Anne and Diana gave each other. And know that she knew their story, she wanted to know all the more how Gilbert Blythe was involved in all of this.

How shouldn't she have noticed how Anne and Gilbert always tried to outdo each other? Or the way they looked covertly, when the other one wasn't aware.

Had he been a friend too and they'd had an argument?

"Here, Miss Stacy." Gilbert's voice ripped her out of her thoughts. "I'm finished."

He reached her his essay. "May I leave now?"

"In a moment, Gilbert. I wanted to speak with you about something." She stood up and walked round her desk.

"Oh?"

"Why don't you have a seat?" she motioned him smiling.

Gilbert sat down on one of the chairs in front row, while Miss Stacy leant on her desk.

"Gilbert, I couldn't help but notice a sort of … tension between you and Anne Shirley. It is my task as a teacher to make sure there are no problems between students, which could disturb either the class or their accomplishments. So is there anything you want to tell me? Did you two have a fight or the like?"

Gilbert noticed how his face turned crimson. "Um, uh, you don't know the story, Miss Stacy?"

"Story?" she asked confused.

"Oh. I… um was so used to everyone knowing it and making comments about it, that- um, uh, well… um one could say Anne and I didn't start off really well…"

"I see."

"It, um, was her first day at school and, um", if possible Gilbert Blythe reddened even more, "and, and I pulled her hair and called, called her 'Carrots'." He finally brought out.

Miss Stacy looked with eyes wide open at him. She had known Gilbert Blythe as nothing but a very polite, hardworking student.

"Why Gilbert, that really wasn't a nice thing to do, was it?"

"I know that!" he lifted his head to meet her eyes, determined to make her understand, "I didn't mean to insult her! I just wanted to talk to her and she wouldn't notice me and so, I- I only tried to get her attention…" he trailed off, realizing what he had just confessed.

Miss Stacy couldn't help but smirk. So that's what it was all about. Love…

"The- the worst thing was", Gilbert finally continued, deciding he rather wanted her to hear it from himself than from someone like Misses Lynde, "that, that Mister Phillips made her stand the whole day in front of the class, as punishment, writing something about her bad temper on the black board."

Muriel Stacy knitted her brow. Had she missed something in his tale? "Why - why would he punish Anne?"

"Well… um… she… she broke a slate over my head."

Miss Stacy brought a hand to her mouth, first just because of her bewilderment, then to keep herself from laughing out loud.

She had known that Anne Shirley was a very special little lady. She even reminded her of herself sometimes. But that she would break her slate over some boy's head… She shook her head, regaining her composure.

"That explains a lot, Gilbert. And ever since you two are angry at each other?"

"What? No. I've never been angry with her. I apologized right after, and I even explained Mister Phillips that it was my fault, not hers. But she just couldn't forgive me. She… she told me she would never forgive me…" He dropped his gaze.

Even though it was a boy of seventeen years who sat in front of her – more man than boy – her motherly instinct made her wishing she could console him. It was obvious that Gilbert Blythe had feelings for Anne.

"Well Gilbert," she cleared her throat, "Thank you for sharing this with me. You can go now."

She smiled at him and he stood up to leave for the door.

"And Gilbert?" she spoke as he had reached the school entrance. He turned his head towards his teacher. "If something is meant to be, it will always happen. No matter how long it takes."

He nodded, understanding her words as what she had meant them, and left.

Miss Stacy started the next school day by distributing the graded essays in English Literature.

"This one was the best you've ever written, Anne", she smiled proudly down at her student while reaching her the paper.

"Now," Miss Stacy made her way to her desk. "I noticed that many of you have a problem with using or finding adjectives. So I decided to devote today to improve these abilities. I will choose two students – by chance," The whole class groaned, "and one will describe the other, so we can upgrade your characterization. Alright," She took a green book from her desk, "I will open a random page and the number it shows will tell us, who has to come forward. 13, who is number 13 in our class register?"

"Me, Miss Stacy", Anne stood up and walked towards the desk.

"Alright, Anne, you will be the object to be described." Anne cringed. She hated her appearance already enough, she didn't need to be described in front of the whole class.

"The second one is the number 7. Who is that?"

It took some moments for Gilbert to finally mutter, "Me, Miss Stacy."

Anne thought she would drop dead. But nothing like that happened as Gilbert Blythe made his way to the desk. Unfortunately…

"Alright, now that we have our two subjects, we may begin. Gilbert, please try to describe Anne's eyes, using as many and various adjectives you can find."

The class whispered and giggled.

"Silence now", Miss Stacy turned towards the children, "or I will choose someone else." That helped.

"Now Gilbert. Don't be afraid of using them. You all have to learn to be bold concerning writing. I don't want to humiliate anyone of you, I just want to take that fear off you."

"Um… the eyes?" He stammered.

"Yes."

"Um… well green?" Gilbert gulped, wiping his sweaty hands off his trousers. If this was some nightmare, he hoped someone would wake him up soon. He looked at Anne, noticing her uneasiness. Alright, as faster as he would do this, as faster could they sit down again. All embarrassment aside.

"Um, green. Grey. A-almond-shaped? Um, sparkling." He took a deep breath. "Vigilant. Um. Pretty?"

He cringed at his own words and looked down.

"Good. That was a very good start, Gilbert." Miss Stacy looked at the class, "we could also use words just as 'vivid', 'mesmerizing', 'radiant', 'smiling'. There is no limit to describing a person's appearance. The more words you use, the more vivid will it become in the eyes of the reader."

She turned towards Anne and Gilbert again, "Alright Gilbert, now please repeat the same with her hair."

The whole class hold their breath. Gilbert Blythe describing Anne Shirley's hair? They were sure something interesting was about to happen.

"Um…" Gilbert gulped terrified, noticing the heat spreading through his veins. "Shoulder-length? Um. Smooth. Bright. Braided. Flowing. So-soft." He stammered.

Gathering his courage, Gilbert met Anne's eyes for the very first time during their demonstration. It was obvious how uncomfortable she felt right now. At least it seemed to him.

She wasn't very fond of her hair. That's something he had learnt in all the time he knew her - from first day on. He didn't want her to feel uneasy. Or even not pretty enough. To him she was the prettiest and most unique girl in whole Avonlea. This was his chance to show her that. To let her know he was still hoping for her friendship.

"…Beautiful. Special. Shiny…" He gulped, very aware of all the staring eyes on him, "Auburn."

Anne lifted her head amazed, looking at him. She had been terrified, thinking of all the horrible words he could use. Instead he used all those she always wished her hair would look like.

He didn't meet her gaze. Gilbert looked down at the ground, too afraid of her eyes and what they could read into his.

"This was really good, Gilbert." Miss Stacy smiled, noticing the glances between them. "Alright class. We will now go outside and anyone will search for an object to describe afterwards in thirty adjectives."

Jane Andrews and Ruby Gillis rushed immediately to Anne's side. Diana wished she could too…

"Looks like someone is dead gone on you," Ruby said in a sing-song, looking at Gilbert from the corner of her eyes.

"Leave him alone", Anne hissed, for the first time in her life having the urge to defend Gilbert Blythe.

Gilbert gave her an astonished and even hopeful look, very aware of her changed attitude, before he followed the others outside.

"You two can go ahead", Anne told her friends, "I want to give Miss Stacy a story of mine."

"Alright…"

Anne used her solitude for taking a deep breath. What had just happened? Had she suddenly forgiven Gilbert Blythe? His words today didn't change the word he used back then. Or did they? And what if he only used them because of Miss Stacy? But his expression…

She shook her head to clear her mind and grabbed the papers from her desk. As she put them on Miss Stacy's desk, she noticed the green book on the ground, lying with its back upwards.

She bent down to lift it, looking bewildered at its page number.

"Twenty", she whispered.

AN: Guest: I had something in my mind from the period when Anne and Gil aren't friends yet, and your review sparked it off :)