COME HOME SOMEDAY

The rival returns

"Who can tell me how you spell unbelievable?" Asked the teacher.
Anne lifted her hand, completely bored, and when the teacher saw that nobody else was going to answer, he sighed and said:

"Anne Shirley?"

"U-N-B-E-L-I-E-V-A-B-L-E" She replied quickly without even blinking. Diana and Ruby cheered and Charlie Sloane clapped her on the back when it was announced that she was miles ahead of the other students, but Anne didn't even smile. It wasn't fun anymore, being top if the class, when she had no worthy rival...

Ever since Gilbert had left, she had had no real competition, so her successes didn't feel so well deserved and her failures were less bitter.

She wasn't motivated...

"Anne! Anne!" Di called, snapping Anne out of her daydream.

"What?" She asked with a half smile.

"Why aren't you happy? Why aren't you celebrating that you are top of the class?"

The redhead looked at her friend's worried face and sighed as she gathered her things and walked with Diana. Finally, she spoke.
"I don't feel like I deserve to be top... Or at least, I don't see it as a challenge, so there is no glory in it. It's not like I imagined, because I haven't EARNED to be top..."

"Oh, Anne! Is this about Gilbert?! Do you still miss him?" Her friend said embracing the much thinner girl.
Anne nodded and looked at the ground with eyes full of sorrow.

So much had happened since Gilbert had left, she had nearly been robbed by two men, but thankfully they had been caught in time, Matthew had unfortunately passed away and Anne had become friends with Jane.
But all that time, Anne had wondered when the handsome Gilbert Blythe would return to Avonlea. Every day, she would tell herself that that was the day he would come back... But ever single one of them she was disappointed when he didn't...

It had come to the point where she had stopped believing he would return and she was resigned to the fact that her life was a perfect graveyard of buried hopes...

The next day, she had her breakfast and grabbed her books quietly and kissed her beloved Marilla on the cheek before leaving to school.
Halfway there, she considered not going and hiding in a tree somewhere instead... But no, if Marilla found out she would be worried, and she had enough stress without that added on top of it.

Eventually she arrived at the small building and grudgingly walked through the door, joining the group of girls who were gossiping in the corner.
Her eyes fell on Ruby Gillis.
Perhaps the only girl who seemed to understand what Anne felt. They both nodded at each other encouragingly and held each other's hand in silence.
"Settle down, children, settle down!"
Shouted the Master. And thus started another dull day for Anne Shirley... Or so she thought!

It was almost time to leave when the teacher asked her a question she could not answer.

"How do you spell obnoxious?"

The whole class went silent, which surprised Anne. Were the whole class that stunned that she hadn't lifted her hand?

"O-B-N-O-X-I-O-U-S" said a smooth voice from behind her which made Anne's heart leap.
She turned her head around and met the roguish hazel eyes she had thought about so much.

"Gilbert!" She squeaked as she threw herself at the boy who was much taller than normal and looked more mature.

"Anne!" He whispered in her ear as he hugged the girl he loved.
Then, as if it was planned, they both took their old seats and started working hard.
Finally, her rival was back!

I hope you enjoyed this, although it's not amazing! Ignore any stupid spelling mistakes and feel free to ask anything!
Thanks for reading!
-theunicornthequeen