Chapter 5: On the Verge of Payback

Anne woke up the next morning ready to face the upcoming challenges ahead of her. She was aware that everyone wanted her gone, but she had other ideas in mind. But before she could do anything, someone called her cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Anne!" greeted Diana.

"Diana? What are you doing?" asked Anne.

"I'm just checking on my best friend. Is that a crime?" Diana teased.

"No," Anne answered.

"So how's Kingsport?"

"Rough. Very rough."

"Aww. What happened?"

Anne began to explain, beginning with her encounter with Jack at the gas station and how she thought he followed her to Kingsport. She then went on about how Jen Pringle was ten times worse than Josie Pye and how her job was in jeopardy because of Jen's stupidity.

"Do you think they'll force me to leave? I didn't even have a chance to start anything yet." Anne looked down at her feet.

"No. You'll win them over. I know you will. Just look at what you've done with Rachel Lynde. Remember?" Diana tried to cheer her up.

"Oh yeah." Anne laughed. "Thanks, Diana. I don't know what I'd do without you. Oh, I have a date tonight."

"Really? With whom?" Diana was all curious.

"Roy Gardner."

The name sounds familiar, thought Diana.

"Is he handsome, Anne?"

"Very. He's charming too and is one of the sweetest guys I've ever met. He fits my description of a dream guy."

Diana couldn't resist asking the question that had been on her mind for awhile. "But what about Gilbert?"

"Gil?" Anne hadn't really thought about him except when she thought she saw him yesterday. "He's just a friend. Besides, he's with Christine Stuart now."

"Ah, I see," Diana said softly. You love him, Anne! Won't you admit it?

"I have to go, Diana. I have a meeting first thing with the principal over what happened yesterday. I'll talk to you later. Bye!"

"Bye!"

Anne hung up and prepared herself for the worst. After getting dressed, she went out the door to face the Pringles and Ms. Brooke.

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"You wanted to see me, Ms. Brooke?" Anne asked as she stood outside Katherine's office.

"Yes, Miss Shirley. Have a seat," Katherine replied.

"Miss Shirley, I've received numerous complaints from parents about yesterday's incident, and they've requested your resignation. Captain Morgan Harris, a major sponsor of this school and father of Emmeline Harris, has pulled his funding from the school entirely. Other parents are threatening to do the same. I think it is best that you resign before the whole student body drops out entirely."

Anne couldn't take it any longer. "I'm sorry, Ms. Brooke, but I refuse to be ordered around by a group of ludicrous individuals! They refuse to hear my side of the story! They listen to no one but themselves and just want me out of there because I am not like them. None of those ill-natured parents were in that classroom yesterday except for me and my students, so they have no right talking about me or my methods that I did not even have a chance to begin. As for Morgan Harris, he is a curt man who is way too into himself. And as for the lost revenue for the school, I will get you that money back."

"How?" Katherine had no idea how this new teacher could just slip into town, turn the school upside down, and promise to regain lost money for KLC.

"I will put on a play with each student of mine participating in it. Tickets will be $100 a piece, so with one hundred people in attendance, you will have $10,000 back into your pockets."

"But $100 per ticket?"

"Pringles would stop at nothing to see their daughters' names in that program, no matter what the cost, am I right?"

"Yes."

"Then that settles it."

"Do what you want, Miss Shirley. But I will not take any responsibility for the outcome of this play should it fail."

"That sounds fair enough."

"May I suggest that Jen Pringle take the role in whatever play you plan to put on? Her parents are the richest people in town, and I know that they would like to see their daughter have maximum time on stage."

Anne got up from her seat and headed to her classroom. "We'll see about that, Ms. Brooke."

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Class began for the day and had a much different tone than the day before.

"Today, I'm handing out your first major assignment. We will be studying a play, Mary, Queen of Scots. In one month, we will be putting this production on as a fund raiser for our school. Auditions will begin at the end of the week, and I will give you the selected passages for each character tomorrow. Besides putting on a production, we will be studying the underlying elements of the play such as symbolism and dramatic irony and so forth."

Anne continued the day's lessons with hardly any interruption. She took what she could because she knew Jen Pringle wouldn't be silent for long. When class was dismissed for the day, Jen went up to Anne.

"Miss Shirley, I would like to play Mary," Jen declared.

"Jen, I would love to give you the role, but it wouldn't be fair for the other girls," Anne began. "Since the audition will be in front of everyone, you will get to see their interpretation of the role for yourself, and from there you can tweak your performance if you choose depending on how you think they did. Does that sound fair?"

"Yes, Miss Shirley." And with that, Jen left the classroom.

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The dreadful day that Anne had been preparing for wasn't quite like she expected, not that she complained or anything. She walked out to her car and spotted the same red Corvette she saw yesterday.

"Hey, Beautiful," Jack greeted.

"What do you want, Jack?" Anne asked.

"I wanna talk to you," he said.

"I can't. I have to go." She put her papers in the passenger seat of her car.

"Wait a minute." Jack grabbed her arm. "I know you don't have to make lesson plans this early."

"Actually, I have plans for tonight that don't involve you." She got away from his grip.

"Oh really?"

"Yes. I have a date with another man, thank you very much."

"And who is this guy?"

"Like I'm going to tell you. Do me a favor, Jack Garrison. Leave me alone!" Anne got in the driver's seat and slammed the door before putting on her seat belt.

Noticing that she had left her window open, Jack put his hands on her face and turned her head so she could look at him. "Anne, I'm in love with you."

She couldn't believe it. Jack took a step back, but before he could get too far back, Anne slapped him across the face as hard as she could and drove off.

I know I sound crazy for thinking of this, Jack thought, but I think I love her even more with that slap she just gave me...

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Anne arrived home and hurried up with her chores around the apartment before getting ready to meet with Roy. As she made her lesson plans for the next day, Jack's words floated through her head: Anne, I'm in love with you.

What was he thinking? Anne thought. He doesn't even know me! All he did was help me jump start my car, and now he's in love with me? What's wrong with him? Is he on something?

She slapped her forehead to stop thinking about Jack and continued to get ready for Roy. After taking a shower and drying her hair, she put on a touch of make up and pondered about what to wear. Jeans? Too casual. Ball gown? Way too fancy. A nice skirt with a flowery top? That'll work.

Anne took one last look at herself in the mirror before heading up to the roof. She had no idea why Roy would want to meet her there instead of at his apartment or hers, but when she got up there, the sight she saw took her breath away.

Roy had transformed the rooftop completely, adding white lights around the borders of the area and creating an intimate space in an open area. He had a table set for two and had ordered Italian food, somehow knowing that Anne liked it. In one corner stood two violinists who he hired for the night to serenade his date. Anne was touched.

"Roy, this is beautiful!" she gasped.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"Like it? I love it!" Anne hugged him.

"I'm glad you love it." Roy smiled.

"Care to join me for dinner, mademoiselle?"

"Of course, monsieur."

Roy pulled out Anne's chair like a true gentleman before getting settled himself. They chatted while they dined, and while it wasn't like being with Gilbert or Diana at dinner, Anne found herself liking Roy. Not only was he handsome and charming, but he exemplified the characteristics of a true gentleman, something Anne always had wanted ever since she was a little girl. A man that could sweep her off her feet and take her away from her misery. As soon as the violinists completed their Bach duet, Roy asked them to play something more romantic.

"May I have this dance?" Roy held out his hand.

"Of course." Anne took his hand.

They danced steadily to the beat of the music underneath the stars. While this should have been moment where Anne would get lost in the music, she found her mind drifting back to Avonlea. Oh the summers where she could be free and do as she please. Gilbert would often join her in her walks, and they'd talk about anything and everything and laugh over silly things. How she missed him...

Enough! Anne thought. Gilbert is nowhere near here. He's out of the picture. It's Roy that I should be focusing on, not Gilbert.

After the song was finished, Anne told Roy that she had to go in order to teach the next day. He walked her down to her apartment.

"Roy, thank you so much for tonight. I truly enjoyed it," Anne said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You're welcome, my dear," Roy said with a grin. "I'd love to do something like this again."

"Me, too."

"Do you want to see a movie tomorrow night? That's if you're not busy or anything."

"I'd love to."

"Goodnight, Anne."

"Goodnight, Roy."

Roy leaned in and gave Anne a gentle kiss. He put his hand to her cheek. "Take care of yourself." He kissed her cheek and then went back up to the roof to clean up.

Anne got the key to her apartment and unlocked the door. She went in, closed the door, and leaned on it. "Maybe things won't be so bad after all..."