Chapter 8

The next day Anne once again ignored Gilbert when he joined the trio on their walk to school. Knowing that she would be sitting by him all day he didn't let it bother him and happily horsed around with Henry and Tommy. Once seated at their desks he glanced her way and when Anne got to her arithmetic he saw his chance and grabbed it a little to eagerly with both hands.

"I could help you with that, you know," Gilbert offered her with a smile, indicating the math problems she was working on.

Anne had had every intention of ignoring him, but she took his words to be a certain smugness that he was superior to her and said icily, "I don't need help from the likes of you. If I did need help, which I don't, Henry would assist me after school."

"But I'm here now and Henry isn't," Gilbert said persuasively. "Wouldn't you rather not have to work on your maths after school when you could be doing other stuff? I could explain it to you real easy like right now."

Anne's eyes flashed and both her and Gilbert couldn't help but glance toward her slate. When she didn't pick it up but clenched her fist, Gilbert breathed a sigh of relief. He all of a sudden suspected he was on dangerous ground and quickly withdrew with a muttered, "That's fine." He couldn't resist a quick, "but I'm here if you change your mind about it."

Anne refused to respond and bent back over her work. Gilbert eyed her with a smile. She really was the most fascinating girl he had ever met and he was fairly certain she got prettier every time he looked at her. And he would know because he looked at her a lot.

Later in the day, when Mr. Philips was as usual distracted by Prissy Andrews, Anne stared off dreamily into nothing, lost in her imagination. Gilbert of course stared at Anne. He was debating if there was anyway he could get her attention, without the same disastrous results and use the opportunity to make friends. Henry realizing what his new friend was about, hissed a, "No!" at him. Gilbert jumped and looked guiltily at Henry. Then all of a sudden a wide smile lit his features as he glanced at Henry. Here, Gilbert thought, was how Anne would forgive him. Understanding dawned on Henry's features and he began to wildly shake his head no, as Gilbert just as emphatically nodded his head yes.

After school as Diana and Anne headed off home with Tommy between them, Gilbert quickly cornered Henry, smile firmly in place, eyes dancing with mischief.

"Oh no," Henry said right away. "What ever fool idea you have in your head you can count me out."

"Don't be like that," Gilbert said grinning. "While Anne and I were getting acquainted today-"

"I don't think that's what that was," Henry said smirking.

"I'd say we got along better than ever," Gilbert countered. "She didn't break her slate on my head today."

"A real victory there."

"Anne mentioned how if she were to need help with math, you would help her-"

"For some reason I don't think I am going to believe it if you tell me you need help with math," Henry pointed out.

"I don't," Gilbert agreed rolling his eyes. "But the fact remains that me, you and Anne are all behind, through no faults of our own, and the best way to catch up would be to asssist each other. We won't ever get caught up if we rely on Mr. Philips. But say we have study sessions after school hours at each other's places-"

"Like Anne would agree to that," Henry said with a snort.

"She would if she didn't want us getting ahead of her. She doesn't have to agree to it, just you do. I'm sure you could bring her round."

"I'm not manipulating a girl that is like a sister to me so that you can try and get in her good graces," Henry said with a stubborn look.

"I wouldn't expect you to," Gilbert said with an affronted look. "But it would benefit Anne to catch up in school, just as much as it would benefit both of us.."

"That it would," Henry conceded.

"And my charming personality will do the rest. No female has ever stayed mad at me. Anne can't if she can't ignore me, and if we are all studying together she will have to talk to me," Gilbert said with satisfaction.

"Keep telling yourself that," Henry said clapping him on the back. "Whatever helps you sleep at night. I'm in. I'll run it by Marilla and Matthew. "

"Can I ask a question?" Gilbert asked suddenly as they walked along.

"Spose so," Henry said looking at him curiously.

"Now don't get mad. I'm just curious and no one seems to know. I won't go telling anyone, but how did all three of you end up with the Cuthberts?"

"Your the first person brave enough to ask that," Henry said with a laugh. "Tommy figures Matthew's hair must have been red before it turned white cause even though Marilla doesn't have red hair she has the temper and it was our red hair that brought me, him and Anne together, so he figures it is what ties us to the Cuthberts. Ya see, Marilla was madder than Anne when Anne cracked that slate on you when the Matron hit Tommy with the ruler. Marilla claims she don't hold with violence against a child. Well she up and told the matron she was taking us all home and that was after she grabbed the matron's ruler from her and snapped it in half. The matron was mad as can be, but she saw a chance to get rid of all of us and agreed right quick and told Marilla she had never better bring us back. Course Marilla says we are on trial here, but we can't mess up or there might be nowhere for us to go. And nowhere might be worse than the orphanage."

"Marilla Cuthbert broke a ruler?" Gilbert asked in awe.

"Anne says Marilla had been good and mad ever since Mrs. Blwette pinched Anne's arm and opened her mouth to examine her teeth. Anne had barely registered it happening and all of a sudden Marilla was bundling her outside and saying she wouldn't stand for the dehumanization of a child. Anne tried to calm Marilla down telling her she was used to being examined like that. Folks that come to the orphanage looking for help around their places are always pinching our arms to see how strong we be and looking at our teeth. But that didn't calm Marilla down none. Anne said Marilla's anger turned into this quiet living breathing thing and the whole way back to Green Gables Anne said she could just imagine it curled around Marilla like a sleek lion, all regal and stately."

"Lions have red manes," Gibert said off handedly caught up in the story.

"That they do! I'll have to share that one with Anne. She'll love it!" Henry said laughing. "So Marilla decided then and there that they was keeping Anne and planned to go to the orphanage to pick me up. When Anne heard she would be sent back cause they didn't want a girl and wanted a boy, she plead for them to adopt either me or Tommy. They thought Tommy was to young and while 14 was older then they wanted, they had settled on me. Of course when Anne told them I was 14 she didn't remember to tell them I would be 15 in a week. Before I made it to the matron's office Tommy had ran in to see Anne and Marilla was madder than anything by the time I was there and announced she was adopting all of us."

"I'm glad they did," Gilbert said grinning.