The Hired Boy |Ruby Gillis & Jerry Baynard|

Fifteen | the new boy

It was a normal morning by the Avonlea schoolhouse. The students were out and about in the schoolyard, stealing a few moments of freedom in the brisk autumn air before class began, and Ruby was double-checking her basket to make sure she'd brought her school books.

Suddenly someone swooped in from behind and started tugging her across the school yard by her elbow. Ruby looked about wildly and saw it was Anne pulling her while Diana stuck close behind. Both had unusually stern expressions on their faces.

"Anne? What're you doing?" Ruby asked.

"Let's go put our milk jars in the brook," suggested Diana.

"We need to talk to you," Anne told Ruby.

The girls tucked their milk jars into the little stream that ran by the Avonlea school house, and then they continued walking along it until they found a good place to sit down safely out of sight of the other school children.

Tucked amongst the dying brush, and seated on a rock, Ruby looked back and forth between Anne and Diana with a frightened expression. "What is the matter?"

"Not quite." Diana glanced at Anne. "There is just something we need to talk about."

"It's a conversation of deepest solemnity," said Anne, eyes wide.

"What is it?" Ruby was getting more nervous by the second.

Anne and Diana looked at each other. Anne faced Ruby once more and said, "We know you've been meeting Jerry after school."

Ruby tensed. She looked back and forth between her friends and then squeaked, "You do?"

Anne and Diana nodded.

"Please don't tell Josie," Ruby breathed, then she cried, "How did you find out?"

"I followed you home from school."

Ruby looked on the brink of tears. "That was real mean of you, Anne!"

"I'm sorry, Ruby, but it had to be done! Both you and Jerry were acting oddly and I had to know why!"

"So is he your beau?" asked Diana.

"No!" cried Ruby. "Of course not! We've just happened to meet —" but even as she said it, Ruby knew what a sad excuse it was. Nobody happened to meet everyday at the same time for almost two weeks. She changed tactics. "There's no harm in going for friendly walks, now is there?"

"I'm only afraid that it might be more than a 'friendly walk' to Jerry," said Anne with a small smile.

"He doesn't even like me!" insisted Ruby. "He likes Diana!"

"Me?" said Diana, eyes growing wide. "Jerry can't like me!"

"He does!" said Ruby.

"I'm not so sure." Anne looked doubtful.

Before anyone could say anything else, there was the sound of footsteps, and then Charlie Sloane appeared.

"Oh, there you are." Charlie came to a stop when he reached the little clump of girls.

"Do you need something?" asked Anne.

"Well, we noticed you three were missing, and Gilbert asked me to find you," said Charlie.

"Why didn't he come himself?" asked Ruby.

"He didn't think you'd want him to," said Charlie, addressing Anne.

Anne looked pointedly away. "He was right."

"Well, that's all. I'll be going now," said Charlie.