Becoming Anne Again

Chapter Thirty-Five Part Two

Stuck in some levitated state between nausea and her own pride, her head swam as she went through the motions of her next class—much like the rest of math had gone. One some level, she heard nouns, pronouns, prepositions, get tossed around, but once again, it was nothing more than white noise.

And amidst all of her conflict, she almost didn't have time to think about lunch.

About the bulletin board.

About the whole reason this dang day might just be alright, why the Monday wasn't so Monday-y.

She couldn't quite crack a smile, but what she could do, albeit unwittingly, was cause her eyes to twinkle just a little bit. They didn't light up, or properly sparkle—she contended those were two very different things—but a brief twinkle, enough to know that she was thinking about something that wasn't dumb English or Math or any sort of school subject that made her want to sink to the depths with Aquatica.

Her steps were a little quicker, but as she grabbed her lunch bag she was caught in between two different states, both quickening her pulse so she felt like she could hear it beating in her eardrums. She supposed they were called butterflies, but it didn't feel like butterflies were flittering around in her stomach. It felt like someone was shaking her heart like it was a piggy bank.

"Anne?"

It was strange, how it was Gilbert's voice that suddenly seemed to slow everything down that had been going far too fast, and, with lips pursed, she looked back at him. "Oh." She paused, blinking twice before she could will herself to say anything more. "Hello." It came out flat, and Gilbert briefly wondered if the ocean held some magic spell that brought her to life on its shores. (Then again, even if that were true she was just as intoxicating on land to him.)

"I think they posted the results. Ms. Spells said she was going to—are you going to check?"

"Yeah," Anne said, her fingers suddenly nervously drumming her thighs.

"I hope you get a good part. I know you will," He said, his head tilted to one side.

"Oh." Once again, there was a beat between words, but finally, despite everything, she forced her lips to quirk upward. "Thanks. You too."

Gilbert grinned, even if he didn't know if her words were meant as a good luck or as an affirmation—they were more of a simple response than anything, but that didn't really matter to him. "You want to look together?"

And somehow, for some reason, Anne was about to nod her head, but then there was a flurry of a brunette launching herself at Anne, and a flurry of giggles that follow. "Did you see it!" Diana squealed, suddenly grabbing Anne's hand and twirling her around.

"No!" Anne said, and although it felt good just to be dancing with Diana, her dizzy mind knew exactly what Diana meant, and what the grin that could split her face open meant.

"I knew you'd be Belle!" Diana squealed again, jerking Anne towards her so she could wrap her arms around Anne's shoulders and pull her flush against them. Of course, it was at this moment that Charlie would then launch himself so that he was hugging Anne's back and properly third-wheeling, which caused another eruption of giggles, although Charlie adamantly referred to them as chuckles.

"I can't believe it!" Anne said, every weight suddenly shedding off her as she flung one arm around Charlie. "What about you guys?"

"Ensemble," Diana said, shrugging her shoulders, grin still in place. "But Charlie over here, he gets to play dear old Dad."

"Maurice to you," Charlie said, his nose slightly upturned.

"Okay, dad!" Anne chirped, bumping her hips against his.

"Okay, daughter." Another peal of laughter, and Gilbert was promptly forgotten.

He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed as he faded into the background, and he slowly walked towards the bulletin board, his ears attuned to every time Anne laughed, and no one else.

But, as the board came into view, even the fact that Anne was currently oblivious to his own existence couldn't keep him down.

He had been cast as the Beast. Or, much more importantly, Anne's love interest.