Y/n POV
I was shook awake by nine other than Charlotte. She was wearing her usual kind smile. When I finally opened my eyes, she huffed like it was a big deal. I chuckled a bit and got out of bed, immediately wanting to lay back down.
"Oh no you don't! You have school in 1 and a half hours!" Hurry up and get dressed! You are Thomas from now on in the public eye!" She said curtly, throwing me trousers, a blouse and suspenders. I let the soft fabrics hit me as I put on my socks first. I then put on my blouse and trousers, tucking my top in. The blouse was fairly thin and breathable. Finally I attached my suspenders and pulled them, letting them snap back into position.
"Now you have to learn to style your hair, Thomas" she said. I nodded and walked into the bathroom.
"Fist wet your hands and hair, NO! Only a little! Yes, like tha-good! then part it down the middle, yes like that, and eat breakfast while your hair dries nice and fluffy" she instructed. She was the one who taught the real Thomas how to do his hair after all.
"Really? That's it?" I asked shocked.
"If this is how boys live, then I want to be a boy" I declared, not missing the hours of work spent on my hairdo everyday.
"Hush child! Now do eat your breakfast! I put your school supply in Thomas's old bag" she said, showing me my packed bag. I nodded and smiled at her. I scarfed down my breakfast, noticing how I only had 45 minutes left to get to school. I put Thomas's old shoes on and kissed Mum and Dad goodbye. I walked through a path in the Forrest. I came out on the other end to a clearing and saw a quaint white schoolhouse. There were 2 houses. One for the younger kids, and one for kids my age. I went into the one where I saw kids my age walking into.
"Tommy!" I heard someone call. I looked around and saw Moody and Charlie. My fave broke out in a grin and walked over to them.
"Hey lads!" I grinned as I met them in the cloak room.
"Want us to show you around? You're new, so we can help you settle down" Charlie offered.
"That would be wonderful! I'm so very grateful" I smiled.
"Alright, well put your bag and hat on the peg here. Take your books out and sit in that seat there" Charlie instructed, pointing to an empty seat.
"Am I sitting alone?" I asked putting my stuff down into the empty table.
"Well no, but this really cool guy called Gilbert usually sits there, but he's traveling right now. He'll be back soon I hope" Moody said excitedly.
"Well I hope I can meet him one day" I said politely.
"You guys would make great friends for sure! Anyways, bring your milk jar out and cool it in the stream just outside the window" Moody said. I walked out alone, and looked through the window at them. They opened it so we could talk.
"So where? Like by the rocks here?" I asked
"Yeah! Next to the other jars" Moody pointed.
"Oh yes, I see them now. Thanks, mate!" I grinned placing my jar down gently.
I walked into the classroom, when behind me walked in a redhead. She was wearing a plain and modest dress, and in her hat were a bunch of fallen leaves and flowers.
"Anne! It's so good to see you!" A dark haired girl said running over to her.
"Diana! You too!" Anne said.
I watched them from afar, longingly almost, as the girls introduced themselves. Then I saw Billy walking up behind them.
"Ruff ruff ruff!" He started barking at Anne.
"Look it's the orphan dog!" He laughed with a bunch of other boys.
"Billy! How awful of you to say that to a beautiful lady?!" I scolded him, walking over to them.
"Oh shut up Tommy! What are you going to do? Talk me to death?" Billy snorted. I kept my cool, and smirked.
"I'm not sure, Billy. I might have to have a wee talk with your mother! Maybe she'll knock some sense into you" I said shrugging, while looking at the red head. She was staring at me in awe, much to my confusion.
"Whatever. C'mon boys, we have better things to do" he grumbled, walking away. I waved them off with a grin. I then turned to the girls who were staring at me.
"My apologies, ladies! I did not mean to overstep my boundaries! I just thought it was terrible for a man to treat a woman that way!" I said frantically.
"N-no! It's fine! I am forever grateful the sympathy you showed me! And your accent is so wonderfully exquisite! I could listen to you talk all day if I could! What a romantic accent!" She rambled. I just laughed, making her go quiet.
"It's quite alright, Anne, was it?" Asking for her name
"Yes! It's Anne Shirley Cuthbert of Green Gables! Pleasure to make your acquaintance" she said excitedly.
"Thomas Roberts, the pleasure is mine" I said, holding my hands out to shake.
I turned to the rest of the girls and smiled.
"May I ask your names?" I asked politely.
"O-of course! My name is Josie Pye, and this is Ruby" The tallest girl there said. She was around my height.
"I'm Tillie!"
"And I'm Jane, I'm sorry if my stupid brother was bothering you at the picnic" she said apologetically. I shook my head with a smile.
"Boys will be boys" I laughed.
"Why are you being so nice to us?" Josie asked all of a sudden, crossing her arms.
"Is there a reason not to be?" I asked confused.
"N-no, well! The boys are always mean!"
"Well, I think they should act more like gentlemen, then maybe they could get one of you fine ladies" I winked, causing them all to giggle. I excused myself and walked away to my desk. I read my book and stared out the window, daydreaming about the flowers in the fields by my house and the brilliant sea not far from the fields. Suddenly I heard a bang. I turned around and saw the teacher strutting through the class. He stopped right at the front and turned around.
"We have new students today. Please stand up" he ordered. I adjusted my trousers and stood up, hands to my side.
"Girl! You go first" he ordered. I was about to speak when I realized I was dressed and looked like a boy.
"My name is Anne Shirley Cuthbert of Green Gables! Anne spelled with an E at the end" she said excitedly.
"And you boy?" He asked turning to me with narrowed eyes.
"Sir, I am Thomas Roberts of the noble family of Queen's advisors; Roberts, from London, England" I said curtly. He nodded and gestured for me to sit down. I took my seat and opened took out my slate. I grinned, excited for school to start.
Time skip:
I was shook awake by Charlotte once more, but this time I shot out of bed excited for school. I put styled my hair and ate breakfast. Finally when it was time, I walked to school. It was already starting to gets chilly, so I put in my a knitted sweater vest that I had in my bag just in case. I started down the path, as I admired the beautiful scenery.
"Is that why my sister was crying all night?" I heard a voice say
"I-I'm terribly sorry! I honestly meant no harm!" A terrified voice squeaked. I rushed to the source of the voices. Sure enough there stood Billy, towering over poor Anne.
"Anne! There you are! I thought you were going to walk to school without me!" I made up a lie.
"Oh! Tommy I'm Sorry! I-"
"We weren't done here dog" Billy interrupted
"Oh-"
"You see, now I'm going to have to punish you because you hurt my sis-"
"Alright, enough chit chat. We have to go. See you at school Billy" I said, grabbing Anne's wrists and pulling her to the side farthest from Billy.
"Hang on just a second" he scoffed, squeezing my shoulder tightly.
"Don't touch me Billy" I ordered.
"Oh did a member of the the Noble family of the queens advisor get scared?" He asked squeezing tighter. I gripped his arms, and flipped him over my shoulder using a technique I learned when I lived in Japan. I flipped him on his stomach and pulled his arms back painfully. I gestured for Anne to start walking which she did right away.
"Ow what the fu-"
"Now now, don't say such filthy words!" I hushed him.
"Bu-"
"You mustn't bully any more of our classmates! They are just trying to live their life" I hissed pulling my arms back.
"Alright alright! Now let me go!" He shouted. I nodded and got off of him. He turned into his back and I held my hand out for him to take. I swatted it away, and stood up on his own. I shrugged and ran ahead trying to catch up with Anne.
She seemed to already have reached the school house because when I went inside I saw her hat, and scarf. But it wasn't as quiet as it was usually. There was an excited buzz. I walked in, and closed the door behind me. I went to my peg and took my coat, hat and scarf off.
"Tommy! Good morning!" Charlie said running up to me.
"Charlie! Wonderful Autumn day isn't it?" I asked smiling.
"Autumn! You mean fall? Yeah it is!" He laughed.
"Tommy! We want to introduce you to someone!" Moody said running up to me with a bunch of other boys.
"Alright then, lead me the way" I laughed, as I finished putting my milk jar in the stream. They lead me to a boy sitting in a desk with a bunch of other boys surrounding him.
"Gilbert! This is Tommy Roberts! Our good friend" Moody said, moving aside so I could be seen.
"Hello Tommy! It's nice to meet you" he said with a soft smile. Not bad, he seems like a gentleman. I nodded and smiled back.
"I suppose you are Gilbert? I've heard many great tales about you, especially from the lovely ladies" I chuckled.
"Well, it's nice to know that I'm not forgotten" he laughed politely. I nodded and caught sight of Anne.
"I wouldn't talk to her, she just flat out ignored me" Gilbert said, catching my eye. When I thought there was going to be a nice guy, they always have to ruin it. Men are so full of themselves.
"What did you say to her?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"I only wanted her name, but she wouldn't tell my until we reached the school house" he sighed.
"Well maybe she felt scared! I mean just before she was threatened by Billy" I said. With that, I ran over to Anne.
"Anne! Are you alright?" I asked grabbing hold of her hands.
"Wha-? Oh Tommy! Yes, thanks to you! Words cannot express how grateful I am! I am forever in your debt! How can I repay you?!?" She cried out.
"Anne, lower your voice! You do not have to repay me! I'm just doing what a friend would! We're helping each other when in times of need!" I said. I spread my arms slightly, inviting her in for a hug. She instantly accepted and hugged me tightly.
"Wow! For a skinny lady like you, you sure do have a grip" I laughed.
"That was what I was known for back in the orphanage" she laughed long.
"As you should be! You are probably even stronger than big Billy over there" I joked. She giggled as well. Diana walked up to us with a smile.
"Good morning Tommy! Anne, are you alright? I saw you coming in all pale, and then Gilbert walked in! Oh Anne I wish I could have done something when the girls yelled at you" she cried flinging herself into Anne's arms. I just watched sympathetically.
"What matters is that Anne isn't physically hurt, and that you still want to be her friend" I said, patting her gently in her back.
"You're right. Thanks Tommy! You truly are the best guy here" Diana declared, giving me a bright smile. I chuckled and sat back in my seat. I then remembered Gilbert, and immediately groaned. He didn't make the best first impression on my after all.
I sat by the window and gazed out of my window, not paying attention. Then I heard a yell.
"I'M NOT TALKING TO MY YOU!" I flipped my head around just in time to see Anne slapping Gilbert across the cheek with her slate. He took a second to regain his composure and smirked.
"You just did" he said. I rolled my eyes, and looked pityingly at Anne. I smiled encouragingly, and got a small smile in return.
"ANNE SHIRLEY!" Mr. Phillips. Anne gasped and looked fearfully at the teacher. He pointed towards the board, looking furious.
"BOARD! NOW!" Anne shuddered and walked slowly up to the board.
"Anne Shirley has a very bad temper" he read aloud as he wrote on the board. He misspelled her name. I noticed her annoyance but she seemed too scared to.
"Uh sir, her name is spelled with an E at the end" I said standing up.
"Did I call on you to speak Mr. Roberts?" He asked turning around.
"No sir, but it is disrespectful to Anne when her name is misspelled" I said boldly.
"Sit down!" He ordered. I remained standing.
"Fix her name" I said back.
" SIT DOWN!" He shouted.
"Fix. Her. Name" I repeated.
"MR. ROBERTS! BOARD! NOW!" He roared. I sighed, and walked through the aisle. I saw everyone look at me, and caught the eye of Josie. I grinned and winked. She quickly looked away and I saw her ears get red. I reached the board, and stood next to Anne and looked at her.
"Thomas Roberts is disrespectful"
"I'm not being dis-"
"SILENCE" I shut up, and then saw Anne's hands trembling. I held my hand out subtly and she noticed. She quickly grabbed my hand and clutched it tightly. Then all of a sudden, I felt a tugging feeling. I looked at Anne and saw her walking through the class, and tugging me along. I walked with her, knowing if I resisted I would make her sad. I let her lead me out and through the path I go through when I go home.
Finally, I stopped walking, making her stop with me.
"Anne-"
"Tommy, I'm sorry you got into trouble for me!" She cried.
"No Anne, Mr Phillips is the one at fault here" I said, pulling her into a hug.
"But you- your reputation is ruined! And oh no! Josie and Tillie is going to hate me!" She cried.
"What why would she hate you?" I asked
"They both have dibs on you" she cried.
"Dibs?"
"They called dibs so no one else will take you! The same thing happened with Gilbert" she cried out in despair.
"You can go home, I'll have a little chat with them" I said hugging her goodbye. I jogged back to school, with white puffs coming out with every breath. Finally I walked through the class door.
"Sorry sir! I tried to bring Anne back, but she felt ill" I lied, and ran back up to the board for my penalty.
"What are you doing standing mr. Roberts?" Mr. Phillips asked.
"Standing at the board for my penalty for not being respectful, on my way back to school I reflected and realised that I should have listened to what you said" I lied through my teeth once more.
"Well, sit back down Tommy" he said, finally using my fake first name. I nodded and ran my fingers through my hair.
I sat back next to Gilbert to was staring at me the entire time. I looked at him curiously, only to be met with a cold stare. When lunch came around, I grabbed my lunch and placed it on my desk. Before I started eating, I walked to the girl's little corner and knocked on the coat rack.
"Who is it?" Diana called.
"It's Tommy, I want to have a little chat with you guys" I said. I heard shuffling, and the scarf was taken down. I looked who let me in, and sure enough it was Josie. I smiled politely and walked in. I sat down next to Diana who offered me a slice of apple. I declined and cleared my throat.
"Well? What did you want to say?" Diana asked
"Well, when Anne pulled me out, she broke down about how no one likes her. I just wanted to ask you guys to be kind to her" I said.
"Why should we? Anne talks to Gilbert, even though we told her not to! Ruby has had dibs on him for 3 years!" Josie spat. I got irritated and clenched my jaw.
"And I also heard that you told Anne not to talk to me because both you and Tillie called dibs on me" I pointed out.
"Yeah bu-"
"No buts Tillie! I'm not an object you can call dibs on! Anne is my dear friend, and I don't want her to stop talking to me" I said, standing up.
"Tommy I-" Josie tried.
"Josie, I understand that you like me, but calling dibs isn't the way to get someone to like you! And telling people to not talk to me is also preventing me from being with my friends! I'm asking you, Ruby and Tillie to stop the whole dibs shenanigans" I said smoothening out my pants. They nodded. I smiled.
"Thank you. You are all lovely ladies, and I'm sure you'll find a gentleman suitable for each and every one of you" I smiled and let myself out.
I sat back down in my seat, and noticed Gilbert coming to sit next to me. He smile a little and turned to me like he was going to say something. I raised my eyebrows, signalling him to speak.
"uh- i-" He stuttered, not knowing what to say. I just finished drinking my milk and wiped my mouth.
"Gilbert, was it?" I asked, opening my lunch box. He nodded curiously.
"Gilbert, I believe we had a bad first impression of one another. I was protective over my dear friend Anne, so when you said she has a temper, I thought you were blaming her. I'm Thomas Roberts, but you can call me Tommy" I smiled brightly, holding my hands out.
"Y-yeah" He said, a little hint of red on his face. I didn't notice though.
After that, we started talking about traveling and how wonderful the world was. I was about to speak about my life back in London when my lunchbox was pushed off my desk, and the contents spilling out. I looked at it sadly, and turned to look a the culprit. It was none other than Billy Andrews.
"i thought about what you told me this morning, Tommy" He said, wrapping his arms around my shoulder.
"Yes, and?" I asked, trying to get his arms off my shoulders.
"Well you told me not to bully any of our classmates, but you never said anything about you" He said.
"Your point is?" I sighed getting agitated.
"What?" He asked confused.
"Please state your point, Billy. I am trying to enjoy my lunch break, well I was" I said, turning my head to face him. I just noticed our close proximity. Our noses were barely touching, and I felt Billy stumble back.
"Oh my, what is this? Billy getting flustered?" I asked, with a smirk.
"You! Filthy little mag-" He grumbled, pushing his friends out of the way to come face to face with me.
"Billy~" I cooed, now knowing how to get him to back off. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were in love with me"
"Wha- Ew No! I'm not a F****t!" He shouted in jumbled words.
"Are you sure about that, darling?" I teased.
"Shut up!" He then stomped out of the school house and into the fields. I sat back down and sighed, looking longingly at my lunchbox.
"Here, Tommy! you can have some of mine!" Gilbert offered, sliding his lunch in between us.
"Thank you Gilbert, thats darling of you! But I can't take your lunch from you" I declined.
"Fine, then take my apple! We have plenty in our Orchard!" he said, pulling an apple from his bag. I finally gave in and took a bite out of it. The apple was crisp and sweet, flavour oozing onto each and every one of my taste buds.
"This apple is immaculate!" I whispered, looking at Gilbert with a wide smile.
"Thank you! Maybe on the weekends we can go apple picking!" He laughed.
"That would be wonderful! And we can invite the girls too!" I said excitedly.
"Tommy, I have to ask you a question" He said .
"Yes Gilbert?" I said nervously, realising he might have figured out my secret from my speech pattern.
"How do you get along with the girls so well?" He asked curiously.
"I see. Pretty boy Gilbert wants to get with the ladies" I grinned, wiggling my eye brows.
"Wha- no! I'm just curious! If you don't want to tell me, then thats fine" He huffed playfully.
"Well, I'm not really sure, I guess I'm myself and I know when to sensor my self" I said smiling.
"You must have wonderful parents for you to grow up so kindly" Gilbert said longingly.
"Well, yes, but they weren't always there. My father always told me to look at things from everyone's point of view and to base your actions upon that, so I sort of understand how a woman feels" I said, making suer to lie at the end.
"Thats so inspirational" He said, gazing into the distance.
Gilbert POV:
I watched as Tommy left me and the boys to talk to Anne Shirley. I scoffed a little believing she wouldn't even give him a single bat of an eye, but to my surprise she tackled him into a strong embrace. I scowled a little wondering how he got her to like him so easily. Throughout the day I noticed how all of the girls liked him and flocked over to him in groups. He would always smile and give them compliments to which they would giggle and blush at. It's not like I was bothered! But he got along so easily with everyone! Both Charlie and Moody are always going on about how cool Tommy is, and it's a little annoying.
Finally when class started, I got curious and took short glances at him. He had medium length h/c that he ran his fingers through every so often to keep the hair out of his face. I noticed his long lashes and soft jaw. If I looked hard enough, I could almost imagine him as a girl with short hair. Maybe thats why the girls feel comfortable around him, and the boys are drawn towards him! He's a really pretty boy.
But I'm sure all he is, is a flirt. Only saying what the girls want to hear, and getting on everyone's good side. Not many men are good from the heart, but maybe he's a rare one. I noticed his annoyed glances at me as I tried to get Annes attention when SMACK! Anne smashed her board against my cheek. I was embarrassed and now all the attention was on me.
"I'm not talking to you!" she shouted. I didn't know what to say so I decided to be sly.
"you just did" I said and took my seat. I felt bad that Anne had to go up to the board and get publicly humiliated on her second day. I was standing up to defend her Tommy beat me to it. But instead of busting me, he tried to correct Mr. Phillips. Over the course of the day, I heard him confronting the girls, gaining the favour of Mr. Phillips, and get Billy to back down with just his words. He started gaining my respect and I desperately wanted to become his friend. I realised my judgment at the beginning was way off, and Tommy was a kindred spirit. At lunch I tried to make conversation but I because too nervous. He seemed to understand and indicated it first.
I got to know Tommy a lot more and he was actually a really great dude with a great sense of humour. I was drawn to him like everyone else was. I wanted to get to know him better. That evening when school was over, I asked to walk home together.
"I'm sorry! I have to deliver Anne's school supply to her house! We can walk there together if you want!" He said, carrying both his and Anne's stuff.
"Here let me help" I said, and grabbed her coat and jacket from him. Finally, when we got to Anne's house, she knocked on the door. An elderly woman came out with a scowl but her face softened when she saw us.
"Hello dears, what can I do for you?" she asked kindly.
"Are you Mrs. Cuthbert?" Tommy asked.
"Yes, who are you?" Mrs. Cuthbert asked.
"I'm Gilbert Blythe, and this is Tommy Roberts" I said, introducing us.
"Yeah! We're here to deliver Anne's school supplies. She wasn't feeling well today, so she ran home" Tommy said politely.
"Oh I see. Well, put your stuff on the table, and you boys can run along" She said, inviting us in.
"Actually, Mrs. Cuthbert, I as wondering if I could check up on Anne! She's a dear friend of mine, and I would hate to not be able to comfort her" Tommy asked out of the blue.
"Oh, well I'm not too sure about how she would feel. I'll go and ask her." Mrs. Cuthbert said and disappeared up the stairs. I turned to Tommy.
"Tommy! What are you doing?" I whisper shouted.
"Checking up on my dear friend" He replied with an adorable smile. What?!
Finally Mrs. Cuthbert came down and said it was alright. Tommy sped walked up the stairs and I walked slower, giving an apologetic smile to her. We were told that Anne's room was the one at the end of the hall. Without knocking, Tommy marched in.
"Tommy!" I heard Anne shout.
"Anne! How are you feeling? Are you alright? Any better?" Tommy bombarded her with questions as she pulled him into a hug. I felt a pang of jealousy as I watched the 2 embrace. When they pulled apart, she answered the questions with a smile, and butterflies erupted in my stomach.
Do I like Anne?
Suddenly I caught Anne's eyes, and her smile turned into a frown. I smiled at her, but she just turned away and payed attention to Tommy again. I felt hurt in my chest, but wouldn't show it. After half an hour of Tommy and Anne chatting. It got late so I suggested we go home, not wanting to leave my dad alone for too long.
"Bye Anne! See you on tomorrow?" Tommy asked.
"Well, I don't want to go back to school anymore. Everyone hate's me! They still probably resent me because the 2 most popular boys are in my house" She cried.
"Anne! It's alright! I talked to the girls, and they called a stop to the dibs! At least thats what they said they would do. But please consider coming back to school when you're ready" Tommy said, grabbing both of her hands into his. She looked flustered and nodded saying she would come back eventually. She walked us out, but before we could leave, she planted a kiss on Tommy's cheek. I frowned and walked ahead.
"Hey, Gil! Wait!" he called after me. I stopped walking and put on a fake smile.
"Gil, I know thats a fake smile. Whats wrong" He asked. Darn it.
"W-well, I don't know. Whenever I see the 2 of you together, I feel a little annoyance. I don't know how to explain it, but I get happy when Anne acknowledges me, and a little hurt when she ignores me" I explained. Tommy stopped walking with his mouth wide open, and his eyes sparkling.
"No way! You like Anne!" He cried out.
"W-what?!" I shouted
"You fancy Anne! You fancy Anne! Oh what a wonderful day" He cried out running to me and pulling me into a bone crushing embrace.
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, you get happy when she looks at you! Your stomach flutters, correct? Exactly! You fancy her to the point where you feel giddy at the thought of her!" He cried out, doing a little happy dance. Imagined Anne, and Tommy talking. I instantly felt heat rush to my face.
"Yeah, maybe I do like her" I said smiling.
We parted ways halfway home, and I went home with a smile. I tended to my father, payed Mrs. Kincannon, and went to bed with the image of Anne and Tommy laughing and chatting happily.
A/N Sorry that this chapter was so long! I just had a lot to write! I hope you guys enjoyed!
-Calcifer 🔥