In the Woods When First We Met

34. Love

Anne had finished crying a couple of hours ago and now just sat in the corner of her little house, hugging her knees, trying to keep warm. It was bitterly cold outside, and she regretted not bringing her things with her when she left.

Should she go back and get her things? School was likely over by now, but what if Mr. Philips was still there? She wasn't sure how long the teacher stayed after he let school out. And what if Billy was still hanging around? What if he was in the woods this very minute?

No, she better stay where she was. It seemed too risky to walk alone in the woods, and even riskier to head back to the schoolhouse.

After all, she was truly alone now.

She felt terrible about hitting Gilbert, the one person she could trust, the one person she felt safe with.

She regretted not being able to control her emotions in school.

How awful for him, she thought, to have done so much to help someone, only to get smacked in the face with a slate in return.

And, she thought with despair, I have no one, now. There's no one to protect me. I'm on my own.

Anne felt she could not go back to school, but what would Marilla say about her coming home without her belongings? If it was just a book or two, she could pretend to have left them at school. Marilla would sigh and call her careless, but that wouldn't hurt her. But how could she pretend to have forgotten her books and her lunch basket and her hat and her shawl? There was simply no way she could have forgotten her shawl, especially, with it being so cold outside.

And, goodness, what would Marilla say when she found out she'd have to buy Anne a new slate?

Anne hugged her knees to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to imagine she was somewhere else. Anywhere else.

"Anne?" came a soft voice.

Anne's eyes snapped open.

Gilbert was leaning into the doorway of her makeshift hideaway.

Anne stared at him.

She had not thought she would see him again.

Her first thought, unfortunately, was that he had come to hurt her. He had been so kind, so gentle, before- but now, after what she'd done...well, Billy had hurt her in revenge. Perhaps Gilbert would too. Perhaps that's what all men did when they were angry. Mr. Hammond seemed angry an awful lot of the time, and now Anne knew what poor Mrs. Hammond had to go through.

She stared at him, not speaking.

Gilbert looked at her with an odd expression. He stood up and glanced around, thinking perhaps Billy had followed him; that Anne had spotted Billy coming up behind him.

But he didn't see anyone. He looked back at Anne. Billy wasn't behind him. But Anne was still looking at him with fear in her eyes.

"Anne, what's wrong?" Gilbert asked, concerned, stepping inside the little house and sitting down next to her. "Why do you look so scared? Did something happen?"

Anne just stared at him. "What- what are you doing here?"

Gilbert searched her face, looking confused. "I...came to bring you your things. And to see how you were."

She now noticed that Gilbert was indeed holding her belongings. "Oh," she said. She took a shaky breath.

"Look," he said, showing her her hat and her bookstrap. "I brought all your things, your books, and...and there's math homework, and if it's something you haven't learned yet then I'm gonna help you with it, okay?"