Anne walked toward Ms. Stacey's office, pausing before knocking on the door. She was unsure of why Ms. Stacey's office was her instinctive destination in the first place. However, Anne decided that she simply needed to get away from the rest of the world and take some time to sort things out in her mind, and that Ms. Stacey's office would be the best place to do so.
Anne knocked loudly at the thick, wooden door. She paused and closed her eyes, dreading the fact that she would have to tell Ms. Stacey about her, well, affection for Gilbert. But, she reminded herself, Ms. Stacey had been quite delighted at the relationship in the first place.
"Come in!" Mrs. Stacey's voice said, somewhat muted by the door.
Anne sniffled a deep breath and turned the knob, entering the office of her beloved childhood teacher. She was still crying uncontrollably, and her hair had come out of its place, strands of it sticking to her wet cheeks.
"Anne, dearest, what is ever the matter?" Ms. Stacey asked in a concerned tone.
"Oh, Ms. Stacey," Anne cried, unable to say any more without breaking down completely.
Ms. Stacey immediately pulled Anne in for a hug, patting her on the back. "It's all right," she repeated over and over again, though she still clueless regarding what had caused Anne to be so upset.
After several moments, Anne pulled back from the embrace, dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief. "I'm sorry, Ms. Stacey," she sobbed. "I shouldn't be bringing my troubles into your office."
"Oh, don't be so utterly ridiculous," Ms. Stacey said with a gentle smile. "Would you like to tell me what is bothering you, Anne?"
"It's about...Gil..." Anne said.
"Dear me, is he all right?"
"He's perfectly fine. But it's my heart that...that has been broken, Ms. Stacey," Anne weeped. "Because just a few minutes ago, in fact, two of my students told me that Gilbert doesn't care about me anymore," Anne weeped between breaths. "They said that he...he only went on a picnic with me today at lunch as a distraction..."
"To distract what?" Ms. Stacey asked.
"Me. To distract me from knowing that he is having a relationship with two Pringle girls!"
"Why, you can't be serious, Anne! Gilbert of all people! Are you sure that this is accurate information?"
"I didn't think it was possible either, Ms. Stacey. But the two girls he...he fancies...they knew about our plans for our picnic. And they only would have discovered that information through...Gilbert." Anne cried.
"Anne, don't believe for a minute that Gilbert isn't head-over-heels for you," Ms. Stacey insisted.
"He used to be, Ms. Stacey. But now, in a matter of moments, he has become more interested in other girls." Anne whimpered. "I just...I don't understand."
"Anne, listen to me," Ms. Stacey said, placing her hands on Anne's cheeks and raising her head to meet her gaze. "Gilbert has loved you for as long as I can remember. And that is quite a long time. He has never given up on you, Anne. Despite how stubborn you used to be, he kept trying to win your heart. Do you truly suspect that he would throw that all away? All of the effort he's put in over the years to get to this point?"
"I didn't think that he would, Ms. Stacey. But obviously, my thoughts have proven wrong," Anne said, chocking up again.
"Now listen to me, Anne. Don't take any of this to heart yet. Let me have a word with Gilbert when I have the chance, and I promise everything will be straightened out," Ms. Stacey said optimistically.
"I hope you're right, Ms. Stacey," Anne replied. "Though I cannot remain hopeful in this situation, as that would only make my heart susceptible to being broken again."
"Now how about you sit down and regain your composure? You don't want to be the hottest topic of the day for Pringle gossip now, do you?"
Anne smiled as she sat down, wiping her face.
"Oh, by the way, here is a new stack of slates for your classroom like you requested. I've been meaning to give these to you for several days now," Ms. Stacey admitted.
"Thank you," Anne said as Ms. Stacey handed her the stack.
Just then, there was another knock at Ms. Stacey's door.
"Who is it?" Ms. Stacey asked, hoping that it was not Katherine Brooke or another complaining Pringle.
"It's Gilbert," the knocker replied.
"Ms. Stacey, please do me a favor and do not let him in! He is a man of disgrace!" Anne muttered through clenched teeth.
"I think that we must let him in, Anne. Once we talk to him, we should be able to sort out this situation, once and for all," Ms. Stacey proclaimed. "Come in, Gilbert," she said loudly before Anne could get a word in edgewise.
"Hello, Ms. Stacey. I was just going to..." Gilbert stopped mid-sentence when he saw Anne, who appeared extremely distraught and saddened.
"Anne, are...are you okay?" Gilbert's voice was shaking with worry. He did not like to see Anne upset at all. He wanted to protect her from whatever had made her so miserable and cuddle her and tell her that everything would be okay.
If only Gilbert knew that she was angry at him.
"I am most definitely not okay!" Anne yelled in reply, closely clutching the pile of slates to her chest. "I loved you, Gil. But now, it's all been ruined! And I'll never forgive you for it. Don't ever expect me to speak to you again!"
"But Anne, darling...I don't know what..."
"Don't you try and talk to me! You are the most vindictive, malicious, and rancorous person I have ever known! I hate you!" Anne sobbed as she pulled a slate out from her pile with one hand and smacked it over Gilbert's head with as much force as she could muster.
"Oh, my head..." Gilbert yelled, wincing in pain as he clutched the side of his head.
"Gilbert, are you okay?" Ms. Stacey asked, running toward him. It was not like Gilbert to react to an injury unless something was truly wrong.
"Gilbert! What's the matter?" Anne yelled when he didn't respond. She stepped backward, shocked at what she had done to him.
"I'm...I'm all right," he said, stumbling toward the couch on the other side of the room.
"No, you're not all right," Ms. Stacey insisted. "You can hardly stand!"
"I'm fine..." he muttered as he lost consciousness and fell backward, hitting his skull on the brick fireplace behind him.
"Oh, my goodness!" Ms. Stacey screamed as she ran over toward him. A steady stream of blood that was dripping down the side of his head. "Anne, stay with Gilbert. I'm going to fetch the doctor. He's right across the street," she said urgently.
"But Ms. Stacey..."
"Anne, I demand that you stay with him. If anyone could make him feel better, it would be you!"
Anne cried as Ms. Stacey rushed out of the room, leaving her alone with Gilbert. She stood in shock as she thought about the situation. What had she done? She had only meant to punish him...not wound him...or worse...
She didn't even know if he would be okay. What if he didn't live? What if he didn't do anything to warrant such treatment in the first place? And would he ever love her after what she'd done? Could he ever forgive her after this?
Anne ran over to him and dabbed the side of his head with her handkerchief. He was losing a substantial amount of blood, and he looked to be in horrible pain. And she was the source of it.
"Gilbert, I'm so sorry..." she whispered, placing her head down on his chest, her tears dripping down his stomach. "So, so sorry..."
A/N: I feel so badly that I'm doing this to poor Gilbert. He definitely doesn't deserve it. So now it's time for you to predict: What will happen to Anne and Gilbert's relationship? Will Gilbert forgive Anne? Will he fully recover from his injury? Predict and review!