Chapter 20

Anne's agreement was obtained, which alarmingly for Gilbert, Henry had mentioned revenge on him while talking Anne into it. The three then presented their proposed piece of history to retell to Miss Stacy. Despite not having seen the original enactment, but having heard it mentioned frequently, she laughed and agreed for them to do an original dialogue of it.

Anne stood looking at him with narrowed eyes, and Gilbert inwardly groaned. Why, he wondered had he allowed Henry to talk him into this. Another glance at Anne and he thought, ah, yes to spend more time with Anne. While he enjoyed Henry as his desk mate, he missed sitting by Anne. He missed their study sessions in Green Gables kitchen. What he did not miss was Anne primly calling him Mr. Blythe when she hadn't done so in half a year.

"If you can't play me with any degree of credibility, Mr. Blythe," Anne said with a shake of her head. "Then maybe you shouldn't do it."

"I'm sorry," Gilbert said with a bite of sarcasm, "I don't have much experience playing a girl."

"Well, I will have you know I don't toss my head that way," Anne snapped, unconsciously tossing her hesd in just the manner she declared she didn't.

"You just did," Gilbert said exasperated.

"Did not."

"Did so," Gilbert said giving a toss of his head, attempting to imitate Anne.

"Don't you dare mock me, Gilbert Blythe," Anne said with a glare

"I already told you, I'm not mocking you. It's supposed to be a comedy. Henry, tell Anne I'm not mocking her," Gilbert told his friend.

"Gil's not mocking you," Henry said helpfully smirking. "You do toss your head."

"Tell Gilbert that even if I do toss my head, I don't look as ridiculous as he does doing it," Anne snapped.

"That's the point Anne. He's supposed to look ridiculous. It's a comedy," Henry reminded her. "Now you be me."

Anne glanced down to consult the script in her hands and then dramatically said, "That great oaf, clodpole has insulted my beautiful little sister!"

"Hey I thought we agreed nix the clodpole," Gilbert protested.

"Fine," Anne said and then redid the line saying, "That great oaf has insulted my beautiful sister! What a great chum he would make! I shall introduce myself!"

"Okay let's start from the beginning again," Henry instructed and then facing Gilbert he feigned yanking with enthusiasm on where, if Gilbert were a girl, braids would have been and in his high falsetto exclaimed, "Carrots! Carrots! Come get your Carrots! They're great in stew!"

"I did not attempt to hawk Anne's hair off like some farmer at market," Gilbert protested.

"Remember creative liciense?" Henry said and then indicated for him to continue with his line.

Gilbert read off, once again pretending to toss his hair, and with exaggerated delicacy brought the pretend slate he mimicked holding down, proclaiming, "Horrid mean hateful boy! Don't you know my hair is more like a sweet cherry then some grubby vegetable!"

"A cherry?" Anne asked in disbelief. "Why would I compare my hair to cherries?"

"Cause its as pretty as a cherry blossom tree," Henry said with a smirk.

Frowning, Anne abruptly announced, "I want to be Gilbert. If he gets to be me, I should be him."

"Then I have to play myself, and I make a great Gilbert, Anne," Henry argued.

"We could all play ourselves," Gilbert suggested.

"And let Anne break another slate over your head, mate?" Henry asked smirking.

"Nevermind," Gilbert said not because he was deterred by Henry's joke about another slate, but because even though they joked and teased about the indident Gilbert was pretty sure he didn't have it in him to call Anne Carrots in a reenactment in front of everyone, despite calling her it playfully on other occasions without the same unfortunate results. He was still somewhere in that in between limbo with Anne, tolerated, but she wouldn't claim him as a friend yet, if ever. And considering how he wanted to claim her as much more than a friend, he knew he didn't have it in him to play himself for the reenactment.

...

When Gilbert saw Anne arrive, he momentarily forgot how to breath. Anne was beautiful and looked more grown up than ever in her new dress. Gilbert hadn't paid much attention to feminine clothing before, but all of a sudden he found it to be utterly fascinating. He had always found Anne to be pretty and had assummed Anne would look the same in any dress. And while he couldn't say the dress made Anne any prettier, he could say that the dress made a fella's eyes linger more on how the soft material caressed Anne's frame. Anne was as pretty as ever and the dress seemed to merely call more attention to that fact. The dress he couldn't imagine looking as pretty on anyone else.

When Henry joined him as Anne made her way to Diana, her eyes shinning with excitement, Henry said flatly, "I hate Anne's new dress." When Gilbert made to protest he said, "Billy Andrews eyes practically leapt out of his face when he saw her and I know I saw Jeremy Pye looking at her like well, like no Pye needs to be looking at my sister. As if Anne would ever let a Pye court her."

Gilbert swallowed and wondered about his own reaction and said feebly, "She's always been pretty."

"I can see you are breathing again," Henry commented. "Here comes Charlie. Let's see what you think of her dress after he sees it."

Charlie's google eyes became more goggly and he hurried over to Anne his eyes sweeping over her and Gilbert frowned, though he knew Anne had no interest in Charlie Sloan, he just always disliked Charlie's overt unwavering interest in Anne. Christopher Lark, who was Gilbert's age and had finished school the year before the orphans came to Avonlea, stepped toward Anne a smile of male appreciation on his face, but to Gilbert's relief, Anne barely acknowledged him.

"See, it's like they all of a sudden realized she is a pretty girl of almost 15 and not just a school girl anymore," Henry said. "Fellas that couldn't be bothered to do so much as look at her a week ago. Like they can truly appreciate Anne," he scoffed. "Mrs. Lynde made it slightly longer since Anne will be fifteen come March and said if Anne goes to Queens she will need longer skirts anyways."

As Anne ran off the stage, one of the flowers from her hair fluttered to the gound and softly landed. Gilbert stooped down to pick it up and quickly pocketed it. He knew if Henry saw it he'd never live it down, but luckily Henry was in conversation with his latest crush, Susan Blair. Gilbert couldn't help but want some tangible reminder of Anne in her new dress. While Anne barely tolerated him, knew he had come a long way since that fateful day, but how lovely she looked tonight reminded him he had a long way to go if he ever wanted her to be his. Her intelligence, imagination, and everything that made her Anne called to him, urging him to wrap her in his arms, hold on tightly, never letting her go. He knew he would never find anyone else like her and he didn't even want to try too, he just wanted Anne.

The slot for Henry, Gilbert and Anne's short skit was coming up and Gilbert looked over Anne's head, who stood between them, at Henry, who winked at him in an exaggerated version of Gilbert's own wink. Gilbert shook his head, before glancing down at Anne, a soft smile momentarily visible on his face. Then they heard their cue from Miss Stacy and prepared to head to center stage.

With dramatic flair, Henry addressed the crowd, setting the scene causing everyone to laugh at his over dramatization and flamboyant descriptions of the school room, Anne, Gilbert and himself. Laughter reaching a new height when he described the character Henry, "as fair of face and form with masculine muscles and chiseled features," ending with an elaborate wink directed at the audience. When Gilbert came skipping in and tossed his head, the crowed roared with laughter. All three hit each of their lines and their usual chemistry ran between them until the crowd gave them thundering applause at the end. Anne gave each of their hands a quick squeeze of congratulations before rushing over to Diana who was waving madly at her.

"And that's how things should have gone," Henry said with a smirk at Gilbert's dazed expression. Anne was an openly affectionate person but she avoided touching Gilbert, something that could be attributed to proper behavior since he was an unrelated male, but Gilbert suspected was a bit of distaste and aversion to the memory of the sparks he knew she had to feel whenever they did have unexpected physical contact. Sparks that Anne didn't want to acknowledge.