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"That was kind of you"
- Gilbert Blythe
---
"SPELL 'AMEROUS'."
The class spelling contested were the most exciting part of the school week. Every student would line up in front of the board, siting back down when they spelt a word wrong. The girls cheered for the girls and the boys cheered for the boys.
Tillie sucked in a breath, beginning to spell her word. "Amorous. A-M-O-R...U?"
"Wrong, sit down," Mr. Phillips said from the back of the class.
The boys side of the room let out cheers, the closer they were to winning with each girl that sat down.
"Spell 'gorgeous'."
Moody began to speak. "G-O-R-G-I-"
"Sit down you butcher of beauty."
The last three people stood up were Anne, Charlotte and Gilbert.
"Ostracize." Mr. Phillips said the next word, staring at Prissy.
Gilbert began. "O-S-T-R-A-C-I-Z-E."
"That would seem correct."
Gilbert earned a cheer from the boys.
"Haughty."
Anne stood up straight. "H-A-U-G-T-H-Y."
"Wrong," Mr. Phillips spoke without looking at her. "Charlotte?"
"H-A-U-G-H-T-Y."
"Callous."
Gilbert glanced over at the only remaining member of the girls side as Anne sat down. He knew Charlotte was good at her english. That was her best subject. He was math smart, she was english smart. It sometimes made him wonder, how someone was so good with words, but had the worst people skills he had ever seen. He had seen her school papers, and the way she formed words into sentences was something he would only find on papers under her name. "C-A-L-L-O-U-S."
"Penitent."
Charlotte didn't look at Gilbert. "P-E-N-I-T-E-N-T."
"Intentions."
"I-N-T-E-N-T-I-O-N-S."
Charlotte clenched her jaw, glancing over at Gilbert to find him already looking at her.
His dark brown eyes burned into her blue ones. Like the ocean clashing with the rocks at shore.
The spelling contests were often the same, Gilbert and Charlotte remaining out of the class while the rest of the students sat seeing if the girl or the boy would win. Sometimes it was Charlotte, sometimes it was Gilbert. Either way, it was a battle of the most competitive person in the class, and the most laid back person in the class.
"Persevere."
"P-E-R-S-E-V-E-R-E," Charlotte replied, cracking the stiff joints in her neck. She locked eyes with Gilbert. He smirked at her, before looking away as he was given his next word.
"Engagement."
Gilbert squinted in thought. "E-N-G-A-G-M..."
A small smile rose on Charlotte's face, indicating to Gilbert he had already lost. Her smiles directed at him were only ever seen when she beat him at something. Those were only tiny smiles, he had never seen her truly smile widely. Sometimes, he had the urge to lose just so she would naturally grin in triumph, although he never did.
"That is incorrect."
Cheers rose from the girls as Charlotte stepped towards Gilbert as he did the same.
"Nice work," Gilbert smiled at her, shaking her hand.
"You too," she nodded back. "You should have added an 'E'."
"I'll remember that for next time."
—
Charlotte stared out the window of the classroom, admiring the snow stretched along the landscape that was Avonlea. She looked back as Anne was called on.
"Which provinces compromise the Atlantic Maritimes?"
She stood up slowly, her hands rested on the back of her dress. Charlotte knew why. She was awoken that morning due to Anne's screams assuming she was dying when she was really just on her period. Charlotte knew how it felt, she had gotten hers weeks before and was expecting it soon enough. She was not looking forward to the agonizing feeling that came with it, or the mood swings. Charlotte was already grumpy enough as it was, she didn't even want to know how much of a menace to others she became when she was on her period.
"I'm sorry, what was the question?" Anne asked.
Mr. Phillips scowled at her. "Could you not hear me? Was I not speaking loudly enough? The Atlantic Maritimes."
Anne stared blankly at him.
–
"Gilbert Blythe is going to be the death of me," Anne snapped on the way home.
Diana walked alongside her, as well as Charlotte who wasn't listening to anything the girls said.
"He was just trying to help you with the mnemonics," Diana told her, stopping as the girls met the path split to their houses.
"Regardless, I don't need his help," Anne told her. "Have a good weekend Diana."
Diana smiled, walking away. As soon as she did, Anne turned to Charlotte. "Can I rant to you some more?"
Charlotte let out a sigh, knowing Anne was talkative by nature, if she wasn't allowed to talk she would be practically holding her breath. Besides, the brunette was beginning to enjoy the long rants Anne would go on. "Go ahead."
—
Charlotte sat in her room alone, doing her best to drown out the noises of Anne and Diana as they played dress up in the next room. Anne had her over for tea, which Charlotte wanted no part in, meaning she was attempting to study.
Math was never her strongest subject. She was good at it, but not good enough it would keep her at the top of the class. She had to work for that subject. it infuriated her how Gilbert was so naturally good at the subject, and how she needed to practice hours after school on it to make sure she was better than him.
The laughter from the bedroom was to loud for her to block out, causing her to grow more frustrated by the second. As soon as the two girls started singing loudly, the sound of their attempted harmony agonizing to her eardrums, Charlotte rose from her chair, leaving it skidding alone the ground as she stormed towards the bedroom, opening the door quickly. "Shut up Ann- what is going on in here?"
The two were wearing oversized corsets, dressing in Marilla's clothes, prancing around wearing dresses that were way to long for them. Anne was sprawled on the bed, Diana collapsed on the ground, both giggling and smiling.
"Are you both drunk?" Charlotte asked, glancing over at the girls, to which they burst into laughter and even more singing.
She rolled her eyes, rushing down to the kitchen to grab the two water. She spun around as the front door opened, revealing Mrs. Eliza Barry.
"Do you hear that?" She asked Charlotte.
"Hard not to," the girl replied. "Were you coming to collect Diana?"
"Yes," Eliza scanned Charlotte over, frowning at her blouse and trousers. "What on earth is going on up there. Are they singing?"
"Clearly," Charlotte mumbled. "Come back in a few hours when they're finished having fun."
Charlotte's attempt of stalling until she got the two sober didn't work. Eliza marched up the stairs, stopping in her tracks as soon as she saw the two girls.
Mrs. Barry looked back at Charlotte for answers, to which she only shrugged. "I was studying."
—
Gilbert wasn't at school the next day.
"Charlotte."
The brunette turned towards Mr. Phillips, just as she was about to leave. "Yes?"
"Take these lessons to Gilbert Blythe, he'll be missing classes for some time and I don't want him falling behind he's my best student."
Charlotte's jaw locked as she harshly snatched the books from him, glaring daggers down at the man. Her nostrils flared in frustration, the same thought running through her head. She thought her and Gilbert were equal, not anymore it seemed like.
She shoved the books in her satchel as she mounted her white horse, Whiskey, as Anne had named him, due to the pale white color of his coat. Snow fell lightly down on her as she made her way to the Blythe resistance, dismounting as she stood in front of the house. In her eyes, it was a pretty house. It had roughly the same layout as the one she lived in, only made of brick and the layout of the land different.
Charlotte stepped forward, the snow squelching as she made it to the porch, rapping her knuckles on the glass window of the door. A huff made it's way out of her throat as she waited. A curtains was laid behind the window, meaning she couldn't see inside.
Just as she was about to leave, the door opened. Her face subtly dropped seeing a man open the door, his eyes dropped, hollow cheek bones, breath shaking as he leaned on the doorframe for support. A nightgown hung below his ankles, telling her he hadn't gotten out of bed in what could have been days. "Sorry to make you wait. Gilbert... is out back chopping wood."
Charlotte knew John Blythe wasn't in the best condition, but she didn't have a clue until now just how bad it was.
"No, sir I'm sorry," Charlotte replied. "If I had known I wouldn't have come at this time. I can go get him out back if that's no trouble?"
"You're the girl that's living with the Cuthbert's, aren't you?" the man asked her. "Not the adopted one."
"Yes, sir I'm Charlotte," she told him, feeling an enormous amount of sympathy towards Gilbert in that moment. Charlotte never knew her parent, having been abandoned on the streets when she was a child. She had walked to the Cuthbert's home, where she lived for most of her fourteen years of life. Charlotte could tell simply by the body language of Gilbert's father, he was sick. Badly sick.
"I've heard about you, though, you don't seem to be anything like Gilbert describes you," Mr. Blythe smiled. "And how is Marilla, still feisty I hope."
Charlotte didn't now how to answer. For once, she couldn't answer a question. Gilbert talked about her? She wanted to know what he said for his father to think she was anything but a grumpy girl that got mad about anything and everything.
"Dad, what are you doing?"
Charlotte turned to the side, giving Gilbert room to place the freshly chopped wood at the side of the house. "You shouldn't be walking."
"My son worries to much," Mr. Blythe smiled. It seems this young lady has urgent business with you. I'll go inside now."
He glanced over at Charlotte. "It was nice to meet you, give my regards to Marilla."
Gilbert stood in the doorway as his father walked inside. He nodded down at the books in her satchel. "Those for me?"
"No, I just carry two extra books around with me," she replied before she could stop herself from giving him a smart answer. She handed him the books, taking an opportunity to look at him. Snow was blanketing his ebony hair, caught in his eyelashes and the grey knitted sweater he wore. His face was pale, at the same time rosy from the chill in the air. He looked different in a way she couldn't explain.
"It was kind of you to bring them by."
"Of course. Mr. Phillips doesn't want you falling behind." Charlotte dragged her eyes away from him.
"He says your his... best student." Those words in her mouth felt disgusting, rotten.
"I don't want to be falling behind either," Gilbert smiled genuinely down at her. "If you're going to beat me in class I want you to do it fair and square."
"Right," Charlotte glanced up at him again. "Don't get your ego up to much, but I will miss you a tiny bit from school, seeing as your the only one that makes me want to keep up my grades. And plus, I have nobody in my eyeline to glare at."
"Billy Andrews?"
"Sits way to far back."
"Josie Pye?"
"Anne and I got moved today because she is banned from being with Diana so she now sits next to me and I'll look like a fool if I stare at her."
"Mr. Phillips?"
"Not a chance," she chuckled slightly, for the first time in a while. "Well, anyways I'll see you later, Blythe."
"And I'll see you later, Wells," he replied. "You could always glare at Moody, he's pretty scared of you."
"That could work," she nodded, before turning to walk away from the Blythe home, hearing the door click shut behind her.
Something had changed between her and Gilbert. She didn't know what it was, or why it changed. All she knew is that something had.
---
3/12/2023
Them >>>
(he looked so pretty in that scene oml)