y/n POV
Another month passed and it was winter time, and I've been getting letters from Gilbert. I snort at his silliness, but am enchanted by his description of Trinidad. Of course I've been there too, but it seems so much prettier when he wrote it in the letter. He then brought me the shocking news that he'd be traveling back and will be going to school in a week or 2. I danced around my room happily and got ready for school. My hair grew long, so I cut it a little. I still wanted to keep it long so because I was planning to reveal my true identity. I got to school, still clutching the letter so I could show Anne, Diana and Cole.
"Ladies, good day" I said grinning at them.
"y/- Tommy! How are you on this fine day" Anne asked.
"I'm doing sensationally" I said using one of the big words Anne taught me.
"Girls! Look at the letter Gil sent!" I whispered.
"he wrote to you?!" Anne asked shocked.
"yeah, he said he's coming back in a week or 2!" I said excitedly.
I stood up and suppressed the urge to squeal like a little girl. After I revealed my secret to Anne and Diana, my femininity has started coming through a lot more. Luckily everyone was too dense to notice. Anne, Cole Diana and I broke off from the rest of the girls, but occasionally ate lunch with them. It was also a time when I could act like a girl around them. They could use my name freely without me having to hide it.
"So, y/n! are you going to hide your real self even after Gilbert comes home?" Diana asks.
"Yeah, probably. I want everyone to be there when I tell them I'm a girl" I sighed, leaning against a great oak tree.
"Will you tell him you like him?" Cole asked.
"Of course not! If I tell Gilbert I fancy him, he'll think I've gone mad! Especially because I've been his friend as a boy" I said pouting, but also contemplating.
"I see, well I hope you the best of luck with the whole 'I'm a girl' thing" Anne giggles.
"Why thank you, Anne with an E" I said bowing my head slightly.
Throughout lunch, I had Cole sketch me but he didn't want to give it to me until he thought it was perfect. I waited and waited. 1 and a half weeks passed and still, Cole wasn't finished. I groaned and leaned onto him whining.
"When are you doneeee"
"Almost! You have to be patient!" Cole snapped back lifting his sketch book out of reach. I slumped back down into my chair and crossed my arms pouting. Mr. Phillips then walked in. He strutted to the front, and told us to get our slate out.
"We will be working on angles and finding the area of different types of triangles" He droned. I groaned and pulled my slate out.
"Mr Roberts. You seem awfully upset about this subject? Care to explain?" he asked turning around.
"Well, I was wondering if you had a better way, a more fun way, of teaching to find the area of a triangle" I said standing up.
"You dare accuse me of teaching poorly?" He asked stepping closer to me.
"No. I was just saying if you engaged us, if you made it more of a game than a lecture... we could learn better" I said shuffling in my seat.
"This is school, not a playground. You are all here in my class to learn, not to play" he hissed. I sighed, which wasn't the best thing to do.
"Mr. Roberts! Stand, come here" He shouted. He walked over to his desk and pulled out a cane from his drawers. I gulped as I watched him walk to me.
"Hold your hand out, please" He hissed. I mustered all of my courage and held my left hand out for him to take. He then held his cane properly and lifted it down. With much more force than necessary, he brought it down onto my palms. It made a loud whipping sound as it traveled through the air. Finally it hit my palm with a high pitched smack. Everyone in the class flinched or looked away. But I showed no reaction. I felt the pain spread through my arm like a wild fire, but I gathered everything I had not to give him the satisfaction of seeing my pain. I stared at my red palms and slowly brought my eyes to meet his. He stared down at me, breathing heavily. Finally, when the pain was bearable, I looked him in the eye.
"That didn't even hurt" I said, forcing my lips into a smirk.
"Well then, hold your hand out again, please. We will do it until you learn your lesson not to disrespect me" He said. I glared at him, and pulled my hand back infront of me.
SNAP! SNAP !SNAP !SNAP! SNAP!
5 times he brought down the cane, with more force each time. I closed my eyes and and tried not to show any reaction in my face. I seemed to be successful because when I opened my eyes, he was staring at me in fury. I took in a deep breath and smirked.
"that was a little better" I breathed out, not raising my brows a little at him.
"Sit down, Mr. Roberts. Unless you want another whipping" He hissed. I nodded curtly and sat back in my seat. I stared at my left had. There were 6 white lines and red surrounding it. The 6 whip marks that Mr. Phillips left. It burned. Like I stuck my hand into smouldering hot iron. During lunch I sat by the stream, cooling it off as I ate my lunch.
"Are you alright, Tommy?" Diana ran up to me, using my 'boy name' because we were so close to the school.
"huh, this? Yeah it's fine, I'm just hurrying the healing process up" I snorted, putting my hand back into the water. They looked relieved and started up their own conversation. After school was over, they rushed me home wanting me to get my hands bandaged up. I giggled at their worry and assured them that I was fine. My mom fretted over me but I assured her too that it was only a scratch. She put ointment onto my hand, causing me to hiss at the sting. She then wrapped my hand in a bandage. I took a bath. When I got out, I looked at myself in the mirror. I grew strong because of all the male work I had to do. My stomach hardened and my arms started gaining more more muscle, but I still looked very feminine. My curves started becoming more and more prominent as the weeks went by. I was concerned on how to keep myself a secret during the summer. I sighed.
"I guess I'll just tell them before the summer" i said to myself. I dried up and changed into my night wear. I got into bed and went to sleep to the feeling of a throbbing pain in my left hand.
Time Skip:
I woke up and took the covers off me, only to hiss at the dull pain that shot through my hand. I looked at my left hand and saw it wrapped in bandages. Oh right. I was caned yesterday. I sighed and put my blouse, suspenders, sweater and jacket on, ignoring the constant pain shooting through my arm. I sighed and went downstairs to eat breakfast. I unwrapped my bandage and threw it into the sink, meaning to wash it later.
"Why are you taking it off, honey?" my dad asked confused.
"It proves to Mr. Phillips that it hurt. I'm not going to give him the satisfaction" I said strutting through the house. Charlotte handed me my school supplies as my mom handed me my lunch which I stuffed into my schoolbag. I put my boots, scarf and hat on as I walked to the door.
"Bye Mother, Bye Father! Bye Charlotte" I called as I walked out. But just as I stepped out, I bumped into a familiar figure. I took a step back and looked at the person. The person was a he, and he was Gilbert. My eyes widened and I let my stuff drop. He looked back at me with a light blush as my mouth hung agape.
"Gil? This is you right? I'm not schizophrenic?" I joked.
"Nope, I'm pretty sure I'm real" He chuckled. I let out a yell of joy, mindful about keeping my girly side at bay. I rushed over to hug him but just before I made contact, I turned to give him a side hug. He seemed confused and a little sad but I shrugged it off. He was going to have to get used to it until I reveal my true identity.
"How was traveling! I thought you'd be gone for at least another year". I laughed joyfully.
"I guess I found peace. I also brought home a friend with me! He was with me every step of my journey" He said happily as we started to walk to school. I kept my hands hidden in my pocket so he wouldn't be suspicious.
"tell me everything about it" I said giving him my full attention.
For the entire walk, we joked about how no one liked his singing on the steamer or how he threw up after he drank his friend's drink. A couple of times I slipped in the snow, unable to catch myself because my hands got caught in my pocket. I groaned, going to school with my hair sopping wet. We walked through the school doors and-
"GILBERT!" the boys cheered and ran over to him. I grinned at their adorable excitement as they bombarded him with questions. I made my way over to Diana, Anne and Cole. Anne had quite a bunch of ribbons in her hair, and I suppressed my giggle as I walked over to her.
"What do you think" Anne asked Diana.
"It's definitely a look" She replied.
"Here, Anne. Can I.."
"Oh, of course" She said and sat down. Cole sat down next to her. He started braiding her hair into 4s, and I helped. I ignored the sting in my hand once more and continued to braid. We brought the braid to the top of the head. We tied it to the top of her head. I sighed in content but I noticed everyone staring at us. Mr. Phillips just had to turn around and he saw Cole adjusting her hair.
"COLE MACKENZIE! Since you're in touch with your...feminine side, you can sit with the girls today" He said smirking. Cole just stared at him as everyone else whispered and giggled. I was having none of it, so I turned to Anne and also started touching her hair.
"And it seems Mr. Roberts wants to join Cole" Mr. Phillips hissed turning to me.
"Sure, that'd be great" I smirked. His nostrils flared at my sarcastic comment and marched to his desk, taking out his cane. The kids gasped and looked at me in pity, remembering what happened the day before. I sighed and held my left hand out like it was nothing. In all honesty, I was dreading it, but also looking forward to his disappointment when he didn't get a reaction.
"You seem to know what's happening here" Mr Phillips said, looking down at me. I sighed and glared up at him.
"just get this over with, Phillips" I said, not bothering to add the Mr at the front. Everyone gasped and started whispering. His eyes flashed in fury and he grabbed my left hand and held my palms facing up. I took in a deep breath and relaxed myself. I waited for impact but it didn't come. I opened my eyes, but I felt a burning pain hit my left cheek. I stumbled a little and tenderly pressed my fingers upon the cane mark on my cheek. The girls screamed in fright and the boys gasped in shock. I looked at him through my hair, and saw him looking at me breathing heavily like it took a lot of courage. He looked triumphantly, expecting a reaction. he got a reaction all right. I scoffed. Soon it turned into a chuckle and my chuckle turned to laughter.
"Mr. Roberts! What on earth are you laughing at! Hand! NOW!" he shouted. I sighed and held my hand out like it was an every day thing. I caught sight of Gilbert who looked horrified at the teacher. He then caught my eye and opened his mouth to say something, but before any words came out he was cut off.
SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!
Ten hits on my left hand. My face flushed deep red as I tried my hardest not to give a reaction. I bit my lip and closed my eyes to keep the tears at bay. My eye brows twitched as I felt my skin split open. As soon as he finished, my eyes flew open and I forced another smile on my face. My hand felt like I just grabbed a burning coal from the oven.
"Are you really that weak Mr. Phillips? That felt like you were merrily just tapping me on my hand" I scoffed.
"Go sit in your seat!" he ordered, pointing it towards Gilbert who flinched.
"I thought I was going to sit join Cole and the girls because my femininity was showing" I said recalling the words he said to Cole.
"No. Now SIT"
"Alright, are you sure you don't want to add another 10 beatings?" I asked walking to my seat as blood dripped down my hand.
"SIT!" He roared. I scoffed and slumped into my seat next to Gilbert. His eyes trailed after me and stared at me as I looked at Cole pityingly.
"Tommy... show me your hand during break" He breathed out. I looked at him, turning my head slightly and smiled.
"You don't have to be worried Gil! It doesn't hurt! Look" I said, and clapped my hands a little but stopped when I saw the blood spattering.
"Stop! you'll infect it!" He said shocked and pinned my arms down on the table.
"But Gil! I'm fine" I laughed.
During the rest of the class, I kept having to wipe blood off the table so I wouldn't stain the wood. I eventually gave up and clutched onto the handkerchief so it didn't spill. Class ended and Gilbert grabbed my wrist, waving people who wanted to talk to him off. He brought me to the lake and sat me down on a stump, and ran back inside to get his medical supply he always brought. I looked at my handkerchief and noticed how heavy it got. It then started to drip blood. Did I bleed that much? I thought as I cleaned it in the little stream. Gilbert came back, and set it down next to me. He took my hand gingerly and counted how many strikes.
"17 in total. When were the older ones?" He asked.
"Yesterday" I answered smiling.
" why are you happy about it?" He asked confused.
"Because it was me and not my friends" i grinned.
He frowned and nodded, concentrating on wrapping my hands up. He cleaned it with alcohol first, causing me to suck a breath.
"So that hurt more than the caning?" he asked jokingly.
"no, I just give you a reaction because I know you aren't hurting me on purpose" I shrugged.
He went silent and looked sad. Troubled, almost. I frowned as well, and stared at him for a while but started looking around. I saw through the window Anne, Cole, and Diana all staring at me. Anne had tears in her eyes as she stared at my bloody hands.
"Anne is such a darling! She only cares about other people! She's so selfless" I sighed in admiration.
"Be quiet Tommy" I heard a quiet voice.
"w-what?" I asked confused.
" I said Be quiet" Gilbert said a little louder.
"Bu-"
"Tommy! Just shut up! Do you know how worried I got when he hit you like that! You come out of your house with hour hands in your pocket and refuse to take it out! You throw yourself into harms way just to protect others! You admire everyone for being selfless when they DON'T EVEN COMPARE TO YOU! I don't understand why you refuse to show pain" Gilbert shouted with anger and sorrow. My eyes widened and I looked down.
"When I said it didn't hurt, I didn't mean it. It hurt like hell. I thought I was going to die. But I wasn't giving him the satisfaction when he hurt my friends first! It's my duty to protect my friends at all costs! I have to defend the bullied, I have to-"
"You don't have to do anything" Gilbert interrupted me.
"But then who else will? Who else will protect and comfort the broken?" I shot back standing up.
He stayed silent.
"When I say it doesn't hurt me, I means I can bear it. Never the less, I feel the pain" I mumbled. Gilbert looked stunned when I looked at him. I realised I just poured out my darkest thoughts. I slapped my hands over my mouth and apologised.
"Lets go back, alright! They must be worried about us!" I forced a laugh, trying to make him forget about what I just said. I stood up and ran back inside the school house. As soon as the door opened the girls threw themselves at me, causing me to fall on the floor.
"Tommy! Is everything alright! I saw your hand! It was bleeding! Oh how brave you are" They cried, helping me stand up.
"Girls! I'm fine! It was only a little slapping" I laughed, wincing a little as one of them pressed their hands into my wounds.
Gilbert's POV
I watched as Tommy put a smile on his face when the girls looked at him worriedly. I could now see how fake, how artificial it was. My eyes trailed down to his wounded hand and saw a girl squeeze it. I saw his fingers twitch and yet his face didn't show any pain. My heart ached for him. He laughed and comforted them, assuring them he was alright. He even clapped his hands loudly to prove it. I saw his brows twitch from the pain but no one seemed to notice. Billy scoffed and walked up to Tommy.
"I bet it didn't even hurt! You're acting all tough but it probably was only a little sting" He laughed.
"It only was a little sting Billy! After all, I'm sure Mr. Phillips doesn't really want to hurt us" He replied with a hint of sarcasm and a smirk. Billy rolled his eyes and sat back down with his goons. I sat down in my seat, pulling out a book to read. But in truth, I wasn't reading. I was staring at Tommy from afar over my book.
Tommy, you are light. But sometimes you shine too brightly and I have to look away... Even so, is it still okay for me to stay by your side? To stay your friend? Maybe... More?