I hurried down from my room, wearing a simpler dress than usual.
I paused, watching as Gil slammed the door, and Bash fell down in pain.
"Did he just take your tooth out?" I asked, wincing in discomfort as Bash chuckled.
"Fortunately. It's been bothering me for too long," he said, shaking his head.
I rolled my eyes.
"Gil we should be getting to school, come on," I said, grabbing our bags. He nodded, and we both slipped on coats, waving to Bash and heading out.
"Can't believe Prissy is really going to marry that idiot," I groaned, wondering what our lesson would be today.
"That makes two of us. (Y/N) promise me one thing, I don't care who on this earth you marry, rich or poor, as long as it isn't somebody as annoying as Mr. Phillips," he said, shaking his head. I laughed.
"I promise, I won't marry someone as annoying as Mr. Phillips."
I gave his hand a squeeze, and he smiled.
"Gosh, I can't believe you've grown up so fast. Feels like just yesterday that you were only this tall," he said, extending his arm to show how tall I used to be.
"You say that as if you're not only a year older than me," I said, smacking his arm down. He laughed.
"I'm just saying. You're a lot more mature now. Admittedly it's weird coming back after a year and seeing half of our class swoon over you," he said, shaking his head.
"Now imagine how I feel," I rolled my eyes. He chuckled, raising an eyebrow.
"What's that supposed to mean? The only person who likes me is Ruby," he said unknowingly. I giggled.
"Oh Gilby, you truly are oblivious," I declared dramatically.
"What? And stop calling me that, it was bad enough when you said it in front of Anne," he mumbled.
"So you care what she thinks then?" I teased.
"No, it's just an embarrassing nickname," he argued. I shook my head, and we headed into the school.
The girls were discussing Prissy's wedding per usual. Not that I had anything against Prissy, but I wasn't particularly interested.
"Anybody sitting here?" I asked Cole, motioning to the desk next to him.
"It's free, but I'll give you a fair warning. Mr. Phillips might call you a boy," he said.
"Eh, I think I can handle that from an effeminate man with a mustache," I teased. We both laughed loudly, resulting in stares.
"I should put the last of the wood in," he said, sighing and kneeling in front of the fire.
He grabbed the spare log, tossing it in before being shoved to the floor by Billy. I glared, getting up and smacking him hard across the face.
"You do not treat people that way, Billy Andrews," I hissed. He seemed surprised that I hit him, hurt too.
"Whatever, stupid girl. I don't know why you're defending the freak," he said, sitting down.
I glared for another moment, dead silence in the class as everyone watched me help Cole.
"Thank you, but you shouldn't have done that," he whispered.
"What's Mr. Phillips gonna do? Beat me? You know I won't stand for that," I said, walking back to my seat and waving off Gilbert, who was mouthing to me, asking what happened.
I averted my gaze, and I noticed Cole observe the fire, sighing before getting up to go get more wood.
Two minutes later he returned with this odd look on his face.
"Everything ok?" I asked. He nodded.
"Yeah it's just- well I'll tell you later," he said, putting more wood in as he noticed Mr. Phillips come back in from the closet area. I wondered what had happened in there to shake Cole so badly.
Mr. Phillips began the lesson, and I expected Billy to tell on me, but he stayed quiet. Of course, probably thanks to the look Gilbert was giving him. Nobody wanted to be on the bad side of Gilbert Blythe, and a quick way to get there was offending his younger sister.
We started with our math exam, and I gave Cole a strange look as Mr. Phillips began to talk.
"You may begin. The person who finishes last... will have wished he stayed home from school today," he said, swallowing and moving on. Cole looked over at me, and I furrowed my eyebrows.
He motioned to talk later, and I nodded, beginning to write with the chalk.
Lunch came fast, and I immediately pulled Cole out to the yard.
"What happened? Even Mr. Phillips looked weird," I said as we sat by the stream.
"I- I went to grab more firewood and I- well the dust fell on his shoe and we both kneeled to clean it off and- he looked at me in this- this strange way," he explained. My eyes went wide.
"You think he's- like Aunt Jo?" I suggested, trying to clarify.
"Yeah, I think he is. I think he is and he only hates me because he's mad at himself for being like this," he explained. I took in this realization, surprised.
"But Prissy-"
"Maybe he does love her but- when he looked at me like that (Y/N) something wasn't right," he said, sighing.
"So you think he might be using Prissy to cover up? To convince himself he isn't like Aunt Jo?" I said, and he nodded.
"Aunt Jo is a good code word," he said, laughing. I giggled, and we went on, eating our lunches.
"That's weird. That's really weird. I mean not him being like that but- just the denial he's in," I said, sighing and biting into my apple.
"(Y/N)! There you guys are. Why'd you hit Billy?" Gil ran up to us, and I turned back, surprised.
"Oh. He very obviously shoved Cole down, and I wanted him to know he was in the wrong. He treats everyone else like garbage and I hate it," I said, and Cole looked down.
"I see. Just be careful ok? I thought he was about to hit you back," he said, shaking his head.
I nodded, and he ran off.
"I take back what I said at the party, he's a bit overly protective," Cole joked. I laughed, and the bell rang.
"Wanna walk home together?"
"Sure, why not."
—————
I yawned, bored of this lesson. Was I happy for Prissy? No, why would you ever marry Mr. Phillips of all people.
Was I thankful? Extremely.
Once they married they'd be leaving Avonlea, which meant we'd get a new teacher who hopefully wasn't as awful as Mr. Phillips.
I was distracted from my thoughts when the door burst open, and I saw Bash sitting there.
"Sebastian?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.
"Stay in the cloakroom," Mr. Phillips commanded, and I glared at him, getting up and rushing over to help him.
Anne called out for him too, and I rolled my eyes. Not to say that I disliked Anne, but sometimes she did bother me.
I didn't understand why my brother liked her. She was perfectly beautiful and all, but I couldn't stand her personality. She had good views and all, but at least how I saw it, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert seemed to think she was the main character in not only her own story, but in everyone else's too.
I returned to helping Bash, sitting him down on the bench.
"What's wrong?" Gil asked him, and he explained the tooth pain.
"Alright, I'll take you to a doctor," he said, helping him out.
I sighed, returning to my seat. We continued with our lesson, and Mr. Phillips instructed us to read certain chapters before heading into the closet.
"What's this?"
I turned over, watching Billy steal the clay Cole used to help his wrist.
"Give it back to him, Billy," Anne said, and he chuckled.
"Seriously what is this? It's disgusting," he said, wiping his hand on his shirt.
"Billy give it back," Cole said, standing up to try and grab it from him.
"You want it back? Alright, here," he said, and he threw it at him, but instead, it flew and hit the window, causing the glass to shatter, and the clay to plop on the floor.
"Billy Andrews that enough!" Mr. Phillips yelled. He removed his handkerchief, picking up the clay.
"To whom does this belong?" He asked, scanning the class room.
"It's mine sir," I said, knowing Cole's family couldn't afford that. Neither could mine, but it wouldn't matter as much if it were me.
"No- (Y/N)- the clay is mine, Mr. Phillips," Cole admitted. I gave him a solemn glance, and he looked down.
"Then your family can pay to fix the window," he ordered.
"My family can't afford that," Cole replied. He stepped back, looking at Billy.
"Why can't you just own up for once."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he claimed.
Mr. Phillips kept his eyes locked on Cole, tossing the clay into the fire. I wondered if it would damage the stove, or explode inside of it.
"Then we'll have to punish you some other way."
I watched, looking at Cole with wide eyes as he pulled out a sharp twig from his drawer.
Prissy seemed frightened by her Fiancé's actions.
"Open your hand," he instructed.
I noticed the look on Anne's face. I wondered if she might do anything. She did not.
I stepped between the two men.
"Please sir, it's not Cole's fault, he-"
"Move aside Blythe, unless you want to open your hand as well," he threatened. I stood there, glaring into his eyes.
"You leave her out of this. This is not her fault, this is mine. And I will not open my hand. If you would like someone to hate, you should look in the mirror," he said in a low tone, walking away, grabbing his things, and leaving the schoolhouse.
Mr. Phillips scanned the class.
"Return to your readers."
We all did so, unnerved by what we'd just seen.
I made up my mind. Tonight, I'd go visit Cole tonight.
—————
I picked up a rock, flinging it at the window.
Nothing.
Another.
Suddenly, it opened.
"Who's there?"
"Cole?"
"(Y/N)?"
"I came to see you."
I smiled, gripping the boards on his house and climbing up them. Something I'd learned to do when I was younger so I could prank Gilbert.
I slipped in through his window, and he was surprised to see me.
"Why are you here?" He asked.
"I needed to make sure you were ok. Plus, Gilbert and Bash haven't come home yet, so I've got nothing better to do," I said, sighing.
"I'm never going back to school," he said, shaking his head.
"What? What are you gonna do then?" I asked.
"Go to the story club hut, sculpt all day, I don't know. I'm never going back, not as long as Billy Andrews and Mr. Phillips are still there," he said, upset. I rubbed his back.
"Once he leaves with Prissy we'll get a new teacher, and you get to start all over," I said, trying to convince him.
"But Billy still hates me, (Y/N). What do I do about that? I hate going there. It's easy for you because you're pretty and sociable and all the boys like you," he said, sighing.
"And because of that I know of several girls who hate me. It's no different Cole," I said, sighing.
"But even then. The people that don't hate me don't like me either. That's why the only people I have are you, Anne, and Diana," he said, a tear slipping down his cheek. I embraced him, rubbing his back.
"I just- I hope you'll come back someday. If not for yourself but for me," I said, kissing his cheek. He sighed, nodding.
"I'll see you around, (Y/N). I'll walk you home tomorrow, like I promised," he said, and I smiled.
"Alright. See you tomorrow, Cole."
—————
"Do we have to go to this service?" I asked, fixing my dress.
"We don't have to, but I believe we should," Gil said, fixing his suit.
"You just want to see Anne all dressed up don't you?" I said, and he shoved me. I laughed, trying to decide which dress to pick.
I decided on the pink one I'd gotten from Jeanie's, and we set off.
"Who knows, maybe when they say their vows he'll mess up. Or when the priest asks them to say I do, he won't say anything," I listed the possible bad outcomes that would make me laugh.
What would actually happen to him would sure make Cole laugh.
We entered the church, removing our coats. Oh Avonlea, where it still snowed heavily even in February.
We took our seats, and Gilbert glanced at Anne. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"What? Forgive me for accidentally looking at a person," he tried to lie. I giggled,
Soon the ceremony started, and I watched as Prissy walked down the aisle in her beautiful white dress.
Mr. Phillips lifted her veil. He looked... upset.
She noticed.
Prissy scanned the room, looking at her mother.
They held eye contact for just a moment.
She dropped her bouquet, running out of the church, Jane followed her, and I looked at Diana and Anne. All of us girls followed her out, calling out for her as she ran in the snow.
We ran after her, and she fell.
She pulled back her veil, and started laughing. We all smiled at each other, and engaged in a huge snowball fight.
It was cold, and strange, and the weirdest and worst wedding I'd ever attended. If you'd even qualify it as a wedding. But I didn't care an inch.
Somehow, despite the worst in Avonlea, we all found a way to be happy.