Anne was in a right bad mood the next morning. Gilbert's letter was full of "fond affection" and his words were so evocative that she had to step away and catch her breath more than once in the reading of it. She was tickled pink at the notion that Gil may be able to pull off a visit over reading week. And, yet, she could sense a weariness in his words that she couldn't quite put her finger on. What's worse, buried at the bottom of the letter in the postscript was the following note:

"P.S. Oh, I almost forgot: I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I am in the running for a coveted internship with Dr. William Osler who is doing the most amazing research at Toronto General Hospital. The bad news is that if I get it I'll be working here for all of spring and most of summer. Your thoughts?"

Of course she wanted him to succeed in his career and if this internship would bring him closer to his dream of being a medical researcher than she was all for it. But to spend the entire summer apart? What could be more tragical! She had already begun to plan every moment of their summer holidays in her head, and now the whole thing was spoiled.

Anne was entirely off her game at Saturday's afternoon's Hamlet rehearsal. So much so, that the director released her early. She funnelled her foul mood into her studies and locked herself into the Connolly Library for almost six hours until her paper on Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd had been written into submission. Early to bed and late to rise, Sunday afternoon was upon Anne before she knew it and with it: the Strawberry Social.

It was sort of an inside joke; Strawberry Socials were commonly held in late summer when the berry crop was ripe for the picking and not in the middle of winter. The AYA, or Association of Young Adults, at the church thought it was such a laugh to host such a social with nary a strawberry to be seen. Anne has missed the particular meeting of AYA when the idea was hatched, and most of the other meetings for that matter, so she really didn't see the comedy in it. What was worse, worlds were about to collide and Anne's stress level was through the roof as a result.

She adored the Hammies, she really did, but they weren't always the most … accepting. They were theatre kids, theatre snobs actually, and they sometimes looked down on "mere mortals." The Avonlea gang wasn't known for being particularly welcoming either, and they were not likely to accept the weird and over-the-top shenanigans the Hammies were certain to pull at the event. In summary, Anne had a headache.

She arrived just as the final streamer was being hung and the band was finishing tuning. Everyone from the AYA was there, standing on the far side of the room. Josie glared at Anne as soon as she walked through the doors and Ruby promptly turned her back. Diana rushed over as best friends do and grabbed Anne's hand, pulling her to the safety of the refreshment table. Most of the old gang was a part of the AYA: Moody, Charlie, Tillie, Jane, and so forth, and a good sized group of pious young people from other cities and towns in the region were also regular attendees, some of whom Anne had met but not many who'd made an impression on her.

The party was picking up when Christoper, Esther, and Timothy walked through the door with a group of about eight or so friends from the Hamlet cast and crew. Whether time actually stood still or the band happened to finish their song at that exact moment and everyone in the room happened to stop what they were doing and stare at the newcomers in perfect unison, Anne couldn't be sure. She was sure of one thing: this was very wrong. These people weren't supposed to meet; they were supposed to be kept separate at all costs. It was like there were two Annes out in the world and the universe - or perhaps God seeing that this was all playing out in the church hall - had forbade them from meeting face-to-face and yet here they were. BAM!

Anne was frozen in her spot. When everyone turned their heads from the entrance to where she was standing, she panicked. She grabbed a plate of food and started stuffing every vegetable and finger sandwich she could into her mouth.

Suddenly, Moody jumped down off the platform where he was standing with the band and headed to the doorway with a smile on his face with a jaunty clip.

"You must be Anne's friends from the drama club! My name's Moody; I'm an old school chum of Anne's from Avonlea."

"Nice to meet you, Moody, I'm Christoper, and this is Timothy and Esther." They all shook hands.

"We're glad you've come. Things were a little dull until now; hopefully you can help me liven the place up a little."

"We do so like to liven," said Esther, cheekily.

"Well, Miss Esther, would you be so kind as to dance with me? No better place to liven than on the dance floor."

"It would be my pleasure."

Esther took Moody's arm and they were off. Anne's jaw hit the floor. The rest of the AYA followed Moody's lead, and before long everyone was chatting and a few brave souls joined Moody and Esther on the dance floor. Anne, not sure what to make of any of it, rested her plate on the edge of the table and awkwardly found her way into a seat as Diana approached.

"Anne, the Hammies are delightful," said Diana.

"It appears the feeling is mutual," remarked Anne, still in shock.

"What can you tell me about your friend Timothy? He's quite handsome, I dare say. Fair game?"

"He's all yours, Diana!"

"Merci!" she chirped and scampered off.

After a few dances, Moody and Esther parted ways and the kind-hearted brown-haired boy pulled up a chair next to Anne's.

"Moody, that was really wonderful of you. Thank you so much."

"The pleasure was all mine. Your friend Esther is a good dancer, and was it just me or did Ruby turn bright red at the sight of us?"

"I'm very sorry about what happened between the two of you, Moody."

"Oh, Anne, please, don't be. I was upset at first but I've gotten my head around it. I could be wrong, but in my heart of hearts I know Ruby and I aren't done for forever. She's just going to make me work for it, that's all. Did you see her just now? A new partner for every song! It's almost like she's caught up in the show of it all, not the substance. I can wait. What's that they say? All the good things are worth waiting for, right? Ruby's as good as they come in my opinion."

"Moody, I admire your pluck."

"Thank you, ma'am." He smiled. "Now what is this all about? You look positively grey. You, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, are the opposite of a wallflower. May I have this dance? Gilbert will never forgive me if I simply let you expire over here in the corner."

"Oh, Moody, Ruby'll never ... "

"You leave Ruby to me! May I?"

"Of course." Moody took Anne's hand and led her to the floor. They laughed their way through a jaunty little two step and Anne finally started to relax. When the music changed, she felt a tap on her shoulder. There was Christopher, his arm extended.

"May I cut in?"

Anne accepted; it was the polite thing to do and, like Moody, Christopher was a good friend. Maybe even a bosom friend? It was too soon to know for sure but she was certain they shared a special bond. She hadn't anticipated a slower tune, however, and found herself just a little uneasy standing so close to someone who wasn't Gilbert. She knew Gilbert would understand - he wasn't the jealous type after all - and she was sure he would like Christoper as much as she did if they ever had the occasion to meet. Absolutely sure. Well, at least fairly confident.