Chapter Nine
"Ann! Sara! Mell! Here," Ruby ran over and gave us some slips of paper. We were back in school and it was early March. The weather had gotten warmer and Avonlea had never looked so pretty with its first buds of spring.
I looked at the paper. It said:
1.1 You are cordially invited to Ruby Gillis'
15th birthday party at the Gillis household
on April 2nd
Please RSVP through Ruby
By March 24th
I gaped happily at the invitation. I looked around at my friends and decided to go. Even Mike got an invitation. Everyone in our class was invited. I couldn't wait.
That evening, I sat on the porch listening to the sparrows singing in the nearby trees and thinking deep thoughts. It was warmer out than usual. Sara and Mell were out with Jane and Diana and Mike was supposedly playing football. I had decided not to go to either, preferring to sit in quiet solitude. The sun was slowly setting in the brightened sky, blending with wisps of purple and pink cloud. I sighed, twiddling with Anne's moon charm on the chain around my neck, thinking we had been here in Avonlea for almost a year. But, then, how did we get here?
It was funny; I couldn't even remember how I got here. Did my family miss me? My stomach growled and I all of a sudden yearned for a big cheesy slice of pizza, complete with a towering glass of soda. Then I'd add a whole McDonalds's meal, with a huge chocolate shake, finally topping it off with a long Milky Way bar. Aw, it sounded so good right then. I slipped from my food fantasies when I heard footsteps through the woods. It was Mike, all sweaty and gross again. I didn't wave, just kinda stared through him at an invisible world. But it was different this time. It was a picture of a house with three younger sisters waiting by the door and a mom and a dad, in the kitchen sipping coffee and laughing. It was a bedroom complete with a bunkbed and a huge desk filled with pictures of a girl's life. It seemed so real, yet so far away.
"What are you thinking about?" Mike asked, collapsing on the stoop.
"Fairfield," I answered absently.
"Why?"
"Because I haven't thought about it in a long time."
"Oh." I could tell he was confused. I continued my evening musings out loud.
"Remember when we spent, my sisters and I, with you and your brother in your pool, all summer long?"
"Yeah, so…"
"So. I miss it. I miss my house, my mom and dad, Melissa, Kate, and Sara."
"Even Melissa?"
I gave him a look. "Oh, come on, I bet you are so homesick."
"No."
I cocked my head to one side in disbelief. "You mean, you don't miss your brother at all?"
"No."
I looked at him again, with a come-on-be-serious look. He looked back at me.
"Well, all right, maybe a little of my parents." I kept staring at him.
"And my brother."
"Thank you, I knew I wasn't the only one."
"But it's so different here. It's such a fast life in Fairfield. There's no time for what we're doing right now."
"I know. That's partly why I wanted to come here anyway."
"Why here, though, of all places?"
I rolled my eyes. "Maybe you should read the books, then figure it out."
He sat in silence, gazing out at the lines of trees against the blazing sky. It was a while before either of us said anything. It was a little awkward.
"I do," he said.
"Do what?" I answered.
"Miss it. I miss it all."
The day of Ruby's party arrived and I couldn't wait for it to begin. We were given new clothes to wear to the occasion. Rachel Lynde did them up herself. We begged her not to, said we'd get them ourselves, since she'd done so much already for us, but she insisted and made them for us anyway. I was dressed that day in a red burgundy short sleeve dress, nothing too fancy, but good for a party. I helped Sara button up her pale purple gown, which reminded me of spring flowers, especially in Violet Vale, where Anne had taken us through last week for the first time. It really was beautiful, by the way, all covered in lines and lines of purple all over the fields.
Anyway, we forced Mell into another blue one, because she refused to wear the pink one Mrs. Lynde had gotten. Mike simply wore a nice pair of pants and those funny-looking suspenders.
The party looked so elegant. There were tables set up around a little garden full of young flowers. Each table had a set of doilies on it and pretty china. It was obviously her mother's best. We even had assigned seating. I was with Sara, Josie Pye, Diana Barry, and Anne Shirley. Mell sat with Ruby and Jane and Mike with Gilbert, Charlie and Moody. We began with a serving of fruit cups. It was like a buffet. Afterwards, as the lunch was not ready yet, the girls started up the 'daring game.' I remembered this from the book. First Ruby dared Jane to hop around the garden three times on one foot without stopping once or putting the other foot down. Sara and I raised our eyebrows, what a stupid dare. But it wasn't as easy as it seemed. Jane got around the pretty big garden in actuality two times and stopped, breathless, halfway around the third. Jane then dared Josie to walk the picket fence. Knowing what was coming, I watched Josie climb gracefully onto the fence and walk it without difficulty. She jumped down, smirked at Jane and looked around at the rest of the crowd, thinking who she would dare next.
Knowing before I spoke, I said, "I don't think it was such a big deal to walk a little fence like that. Besides, I knew of a girl who could walk the ridgepole of a roof."
"I don't believe it. You certainly couldn't little miss know-it-all."
I glared at her fiercely.
"I dare you," she said, "I dare you, Ann, to walk the ridgepole of Ruby's kitchen roof."
Several people gasped. I stood my ground, beginning to sweat.
"But that isn't a fair dare."
"What are you? A chicken?"
"No, I'm not. And I will, Miss Josie Pye. I will walk that ridgepole or die trying."
I heard Sara gulp behind me. Maybe that was too harsh a sentence for such a great girl.
"Well, maybe not die, per say. But you know what I mean."
I walked over to the ladder, angry, and started to climb it. I heard Sara whimpering underneath me.
"Ann, come on, it's not a fair dare."
I knew what happened to Anne in the book. But she wasn't doing it this time, I thought, as I stepped up slowly. Mell was coming underneath me, followed by Mike and Anne. Gilbert came over and put an arm around the pale Sara. I felt a little better, watching that with a weak smile. Finally the top came into view. I wasn't going to fall like Anne. I was going to make it across and show that brat of a Josie just what it means to be a Victor (which is my last name, by the way). Taking small, careful steps, I moved my way across to the little chimney that stuck out of the roof. I grabbed it and set my balance straight and stood up. I looked down, God it was high. Anne was there, gazing up at me with those grey eyes of hers. I would not fail. Sara was gripping Gilbert's hand very tightly, watching my every move. Mell looked up with her eyes set upon my feet, watching to make sure they didn't make any sudden moves. Mike stayed by the edge in case I fell.
Breathing deeply, I took one small step. I hear Anne's line running through my head, "But there is scope for imagination everywhere, sometimes you just have to look harder." I will make it to the other end. Again, I glanced down and saw Anne. She nodded at me, telling me to go on. I proceeded, shaking uncontrollably, staring straight ahead at my destination. I would not make Josie look triumphant. I glanced down at my feet, shakily taking steps. Wobble, wobble, I gasped and steadied myself.
Keep going, keep going. OK, good, halfway there, three-quarters…then I lost my footing and went tumbling down the other side, into the Virginia creeper. I heard a scream and Sara came into my blurred view.
"It's OK, Ann. It's OK," she kept looking back at Josie and giving her dirty looks. My mind was all blank, what was happening? Then, Anne's face came into view also. Black started filling the wells of my eyes. I saw a glint of red and everything disappeared into the blackness.
"Ann! Sara! Mell! Here," Ruby ran over and gave us some slips of paper. We were back in school and it was early March. The weather had gotten warmer and Avonlea had never looked so pretty with its first buds of spring.
I looked at the paper. It said:
1.1 You are cordially invited to Ruby Gillis'
15th birthday party at the Gillis household
on April 2nd
Please RSVP through Ruby
By March 24th
I gaped happily at the invitation. I looked around at my friends and decided to go. Even Mike got an invitation. Everyone in our class was invited. I couldn't wait.
That evening, I sat on the porch listening to the sparrows singing in the nearby trees and thinking deep thoughts. It was warmer out than usual. Sara and Mell were out with Jane and Diana and Mike was supposedly playing football. I had decided not to go to either, preferring to sit in quiet solitude. The sun was slowly setting in the brightened sky, blending with wisps of purple and pink cloud. I sighed, twiddling with Anne's moon charm on the chain around my neck, thinking we had been here in Avonlea for almost a year. But, then, how did we get here?
It was funny; I couldn't even remember how I got here. Did my family miss me? My stomach growled and I all of a sudden yearned for a big cheesy slice of pizza, complete with a towering glass of soda. Then I'd add a whole McDonalds's meal, with a huge chocolate shake, finally topping it off with a long Milky Way bar. Aw, it sounded so good right then. I slipped from my food fantasies when I heard footsteps through the woods. It was Mike, all sweaty and gross again. I didn't wave, just kinda stared through him at an invisible world. But it was different this time. It was a picture of a house with three younger sisters waiting by the door and a mom and a dad, in the kitchen sipping coffee and laughing. It was a bedroom complete with a bunkbed and a huge desk filled with pictures of a girl's life. It seemed so real, yet so far away.
"What are you thinking about?" Mike asked, collapsing on the stoop.
"Fairfield," I answered absently.
"Why?"
"Because I haven't thought about it in a long time."
"Oh." I could tell he was confused. I continued my evening musings out loud.
"Remember when we spent, my sisters and I, with you and your brother in your pool, all summer long?"
"Yeah, so…"
"So. I miss it. I miss my house, my mom and dad, Melissa, Kate, and Sara."
"Even Melissa?"
I gave him a look. "Oh, come on, I bet you are so homesick."
"No."
I cocked my head to one side in disbelief. "You mean, you don't miss your brother at all?"
"No."
I looked at him again, with a come-on-be-serious look. He looked back at me.
"Well, all right, maybe a little of my parents." I kept staring at him.
"And my brother."
"Thank you, I knew I wasn't the only one."
"But it's so different here. It's such a fast life in Fairfield. There's no time for what we're doing right now."
"I know. That's partly why I wanted to come here anyway."
"Why here, though, of all places?"
I rolled my eyes. "Maybe you should read the books, then figure it out."
He sat in silence, gazing out at the lines of trees against the blazing sky. It was a while before either of us said anything. It was a little awkward.
"I do," he said.
"Do what?" I answered.
"Miss it. I miss it all."
The day of Ruby's party arrived and I couldn't wait for it to begin. We were given new clothes to wear to the occasion. Rachel Lynde did them up herself. We begged her not to, said we'd get them ourselves, since she'd done so much already for us, but she insisted and made them for us anyway. I was dressed that day in a red burgundy short sleeve dress, nothing too fancy, but good for a party. I helped Sara button up her pale purple gown, which reminded me of spring flowers, especially in Violet Vale, where Anne had taken us through last week for the first time. It really was beautiful, by the way, all covered in lines and lines of purple all over the fields.
Anyway, we forced Mell into another blue one, because she refused to wear the pink one Mrs. Lynde had gotten. Mike simply wore a nice pair of pants and those funny-looking suspenders.
The party looked so elegant. There were tables set up around a little garden full of young flowers. Each table had a set of doilies on it and pretty china. It was obviously her mother's best. We even had assigned seating. I was with Sara, Josie Pye, Diana Barry, and Anne Shirley. Mell sat with Ruby and Jane and Mike with Gilbert, Charlie and Moody. We began with a serving of fruit cups. It was like a buffet. Afterwards, as the lunch was not ready yet, the girls started up the 'daring game.' I remembered this from the book. First Ruby dared Jane to hop around the garden three times on one foot without stopping once or putting the other foot down. Sara and I raised our eyebrows, what a stupid dare. But it wasn't as easy as it seemed. Jane got around the pretty big garden in actuality two times and stopped, breathless, halfway around the third. Jane then dared Josie to walk the picket fence. Knowing what was coming, I watched Josie climb gracefully onto the fence and walk it without difficulty. She jumped down, smirked at Jane and looked around at the rest of the crowd, thinking who she would dare next.
Knowing before I spoke, I said, "I don't think it was such a big deal to walk a little fence like that. Besides, I knew of a girl who could walk the ridgepole of a roof."
"I don't believe it. You certainly couldn't little miss know-it-all."
I glared at her fiercely.
"I dare you," she said, "I dare you, Ann, to walk the ridgepole of Ruby's kitchen roof."
Several people gasped. I stood my ground, beginning to sweat.
"But that isn't a fair dare."
"What are you? A chicken?"
"No, I'm not. And I will, Miss Josie Pye. I will walk that ridgepole or die trying."
I heard Sara gulp behind me. Maybe that was too harsh a sentence for such a great girl.
"Well, maybe not die, per say. But you know what I mean."
I walked over to the ladder, angry, and started to climb it. I heard Sara whimpering underneath me.
"Ann, come on, it's not a fair dare."
I knew what happened to Anne in the book. But she wasn't doing it this time, I thought, as I stepped up slowly. Mell was coming underneath me, followed by Mike and Anne. Gilbert came over and put an arm around the pale Sara. I felt a little better, watching that with a weak smile. Finally the top came into view. I wasn't going to fall like Anne. I was going to make it across and show that brat of a Josie just what it means to be a Victor (which is my last name, by the way). Taking small, careful steps, I moved my way across to the little chimney that stuck out of the roof. I grabbed it and set my balance straight and stood up. I looked down, God it was high. Anne was there, gazing up at me with those grey eyes of hers. I would not fail. Sara was gripping Gilbert's hand very tightly, watching my every move. Mell looked up with her eyes set upon my feet, watching to make sure they didn't make any sudden moves. Mike stayed by the edge in case I fell.
Breathing deeply, I took one small step. I hear Anne's line running through my head, "But there is scope for imagination everywhere, sometimes you just have to look harder." I will make it to the other end. Again, I glanced down and saw Anne. She nodded at me, telling me to go on. I proceeded, shaking uncontrollably, staring straight ahead at my destination. I would not make Josie look triumphant. I glanced down at my feet, shakily taking steps. Wobble, wobble, I gasped and steadied myself.
Keep going, keep going. OK, good, halfway there, three-quarters…then I lost my footing and went tumbling down the other side, into the Virginia creeper. I heard a scream and Sara came into my blurred view.
"It's OK, Ann. It's OK," she kept looking back at Josie and giving her dirty looks. My mind was all blank, what was happening? Then, Anne's face came into view also. Black started filling the wells of my eyes. I saw a glint of red and everything disappeared into the blackness.