Chapter 6: More Drama And A Different Perspective

Anne's first week at Kingsport went by in a hurry. Jen Pringle's rebellious attitude was kept at a minimum, which made life in the classroom much easier for Anne and everyone else, but Anne didn't want to push her luck. Many parents had filed their complaints to the school board but decided not to take action until after the debut of Mary, Queen of Scots, which they hoped would fail miserably even though they were more than willing to pay $100 per ticket. Anne took it all in stride and simply ignored every hateful comment directed at her while teaching her students. Auditions for the play went relatively smooth, but although Emmeline Harris proved to have the most talent for the role of Mary, Jen Pringle ultimately won the part due to her tremendous ego. Everyone involved in the production knew it and didn't question it, including Emmeline. While she was disappointed not to win the part that she worked so hard for, she was awarded with the title of Jen's understudy for her efforts, much to Jen's chagrin and Morgan Harris' disapproval.

"What is going on here?" demanded Morgan after picking up his daughter late from auditions.

"We were auditioning for the play Mary, Queen of Scots, the class project and fund raiser," Anne replied calmly.

"Emmeline, I thought I told you not to participate in any school activities after I pulled the funds out of this dreadful institution!"

"But Dad," she begged, "it's required! And besides, I want to participate in this. It's my only chance to actually have fun, be with my friends, and do something academic at the same time!"

"I said 'no'!"

"But Dad -"

"Get in the car, Emmeline."

"Fine! You never let me do anything!" She stormed out of the auditorium and got into her father's Jaguar.

Morgan turned and looked directly at Anne. "This is all your fault!"

"My fault? Excuse me, sir, but my teachings have nothing to do with the way you raise your daughter," Anne responded.

"If you haven't been hired, this fiasco wouldn't have happened!"

"Whether you like it or not, Morgan Harris, this production will go on! I'm sorry if you do not approve of it, but this is for the benefit of the school as a whole and not to appease an impertinent man like yourself." Anne was furious now. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get home."

She angrily walked past him, trying not to let her temper get the best of her. Morgan was simply bemused at the fact that a teacher could say such a thing to a man of his stature and was secretly impressed at such boldness.

In the meantime, Jack had been waiting for Anne. She had refused to speak to him after slapping him the other day, and in some sick way, it made Jack fall even more in love with her. He was used to getting what he wanted out of women with his looks and charm, but Anne was different. Not only was she intelligent and opinionated, but she was also stubborn, a quality that reminded Jack a lot of himself. He had waited for her every day after school this week and was not sure of what was keeping her so late. He didn't see her car anywhere, but he didn't see her leave either. Was something wrong with her car? Did it finally die after he helped jump start it for her? Jack decided to sit it out and wait, but he wasn't alone. He noticed a Thunderbird parked in Anne's usual spot and saw that a man was sitting there waiting for somebody. Bored with the commercials playing on the radio, Jack got out of the car and decided to chat with this man.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," the man greeted back.

"Are you waiting for somebody?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Yeah."

Roy knew perfectly well the man he was talking to. Anne had told him all about it: Jack Garrison had followed her to Kingsport and wanted to know everything about her. He waited for her every day after school. She didn't want to blow him off entirely, thinking it would be rude to do so, but then again, she didn't want him bugging her. Jack didn't seem to comprehend the meaning of "no", so Anne asked Roy to wait for her after auditions to see if Jack would stop following her after seeing that she was with someone else.

"Who are you waiting for?" Jack asked.

"My girlfriend. You?" Roy asked.

"My girlfriend, too."

"Ah."

This man is completely stupid, thought Roy. Can't you see that Anne wants nothing to do with you?

Roy spotted Anne coming out of the auditorium and smiled to himself. Let's see who your "girlfriend" goes to now...

"Roy!" Anne greeted him with a hug and a kiss, knowing Jack was there watching.

"Hey, babe," he greeted her back. "How was work today?"

"All right, I guess."

"What do you want to do now?"

"Oh, I don't know. Surprise me. You know I love surprises."

"Your wish is my command." There was a smirk on Roy's face. He opened the passenger side door for Anne and let her get in before getting in the driver's seat.

"I hope your girlfriend shows up soon!" Roy yelled to Jack. And with that, he drove away.

That son of a gun, thought Jack. He thinks he can just waltz right in and take Anne away from me. We'll see about that.

After driving away, Anne told Roy to take her anywhere except her apartment because she had a feeling Jack would follow them there. He agreed and took her to the nicest restaurant in town. They were seated in a corner in the back of the room, and sure enough Jack had followed them there.

"Oh my God, Roy!" Anne whispered from behind her menu. "He's here."

"Not on my watch," Roy whispered back. He went up to the hostess and instructed her not to let Jack in the restaurant and left a $50 tip in advance. Luckily for Anne, the hostess that night was an ex-girlfriend of Jack's.

"Welcome to La Strada. How may I help you?" greeted the hostess.

"Hey, Michelle. Listen, I want a table for one somewhere near that back corner," Jack pointed out. "And I wouldn't mind another date with you."

"Very funny, Jack, but that's not gonna cut it this time. You see, I've moved on since we broke up, and I've learned my lesson: never involve myself with guys like you. Now get out and leave before I kick you out of here."

"But Michelle, aren't you supposed to be doing your job?"

"I am. I'm servicing the customers and making the atmosphere as pleasant as possible. I'm afraid your presence would ruin the atmosphere; now get out!"

"Make me."

"Jack, don't make me call security because I will call them."

"C'mon, babe. I know how much you love me."

"Security!"

Four bulky men appeared out of nowhere and escorted Jack to his car. They made sure that he went back to where he came from, giving Anne and Roy comfort in knowing that he was gone for the night.

"Thank you for doing that, Roy," Anne began. "He was really starting to scare me."

"You have nothing to be afraid of Anne as long as I'm here," Roy reassured. "I promise as long as I'm here no one will hurt you."

Anne smiled. Maybe Roy was her knight in shining armor after all, and maybe Jack was the dragon that got in the knight's way of the princess. She kissed Roy and enjoyed the rest of the night without any worries.

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Gilbert stared long and hard out of his bedroom window. This was his last weekend in Avonlea before heading off to Redmond to begin medical school. However, he knew things wouldn't be the same. As much as it killed him to be rejected twice by the woman that he loved the most, it killed him even more knowing that she was off in Kingsport, miles away from Redmond. He would rarely if not never get to see her face or hear her laugh. Anne wanted them to be friends; he wasn't so sure if he would do that. How could he be friends with her if she was the only thing he ever thought about? She was the last thing he saw before she went to sleep and the first voice he heard when he woke up. He had no idea how he could last an entire year at Redmond without going insane.

Christine Stuart was now in his life whether he liked it or not. Her brother had told him to look after her, and he promised he would. Maybe she could get his mind off Anne if it was in a romantic way or not. Christine was definitely a sweet girl and a deep thinker, so they'd have no problem getting along.

Gilbert sighed. He walked back to his bed and stared at a picture on his nightstand. It was of him with Anne back when they first decided to be friends in their youth, and he had his arm around her. How young they both looked! Anne was full of life and energy; her eyes clearly expressed that.

"Anne, what went wrong?" Gilbert whispered.

He had no clue. He had fallen in love with his best friend and made the tragic mistake of proposing to her. Twice. There was no way of taking it back now, but he would do anything to make everything the way it was before he asked her. Even if that meant giving up his dream of becoming a doctor, he would do it just for her. Gilbert knew he was a lovesick schoolboy, and he didn't care. Nothing really mattered to him anymore. All he knew was he was leaving for Redmond on Sunday to begin the longest year of his life. Gilbert went underneath the covers, put his head on his pillow, closed his eyes, and forced himself to fall asleep.