As there were even with Ms. Stacy, there had to be some days, or at least portions of days dedicated to staying inside and solving the complex arithmetic problems Anne had written on the large chalkboard at the front of the room. William, who it seemed was the embodiment of intelligence, was quickly finished with the problem on his slate, and gently set down the piece of chalk while turning his head to face Anne. This had become their nonverbal signal so as not to disturb the other students used to alert Anne that a student had completed the work on the board.
A few seconds later, a younger girl named Emily set down her chalk, turning not to face Anne but rather to glare at William. Upon noticing however Anne's eyes on her, she turned, smiling at Anne, and acted as if nothing had happened. Anne chuckled slightly, being reminded of her time with Gilbert in the schoolhouse.
However much she would not admit it to anyone, she had come to enjoy Gilbert's daily visits to the schoolhouse. He often brought something with him that could be useful to her lessons, and in return Anne would provide him with a small treat she'd baked the night before. They both had grown accustomed to this routine, considering it'd been about three weeks since the first day of school, however neither would admit that there was in fact a routine. It was an understanding that neither would vocalize, and they were content with that knowledge.
The end of the school day came rather quickly, and Anne sent each of them home with an assignment to write a small bit about their families, or the homes they lived in. She made sure to acknowledge that if any students were uncomfortable with this, they could simply describe the schoolhouse, the woods, a favorite place of theirs in nature, or something like that. She also promised the students that she would do the same, and they would all present. This seemed to ease some of the children's nervousness at the word 'present'.
Gilbert came through the door, a smile on his face and a book in hand, and Anne promptly pulled a small pastry out of a basket on her desk. Gilbert held out the book: "Anatomy of the Human Body". Anne took it, nodding at Gilbert. "Thank you, this will do well for a short lesson on this topic." A smile was creeping across her face as well, and so she handed him the pastry. "Hope you like it," she said. Gilbert unwrapped the small blue checkered handkerchief it was wrapped in, and, peeking at the contents, smiled even wider. "This looks fabulous. Thank you Anne." He said. Their interactions of course were to remain courteous, and as always professional, since Anne was strictly against treating him or William specially for any reason.
Once the two had finished a brief conversation regarding William's progress in school, Anne set off towards Green Gables, organizing the thoughts and feelings in her mind into a story she could tell Cole.
The trees swayed gently in the wind, not so much as to knock off any branches, but tugging any loose leaves from their places and laying them back down on the ground beneath the trees. Anne went through the fence back into Green Gables, opening the door and preparing to tell her great tale that was today to Cole, when she was stopped suddenly in her tracks.
There, standing in front of the door, eyes sad and cheeks stained with tears, stood Diana, holding out a small daisy to Anne.
"I miss my best friend. I'm so sorry for how I acted Anne."
Anne wasted no time, and immediately ran to Diana, enveloping her in a hug and smiling widely, small tears rolling down her cheeks as well. The memories of their argument were gone, and in place, happy memories, like the ones of their childhood, brought on by the overwhelming nostalgia Diana waa giving Anne. The two stayed in that embrace for a while, until they both broke away, wiping their cheeks.
"I suppose we have a lot to catch up on."
A/N: Hey everyone. Sorry for the late update, I wasn't quite sure how to continue from the last chapter. To be clear, I'm not ignoring or blowing over what happened there, it will be addressed in another chapter. Thank you for reading, and stay safe and healthy!