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"Who would like to spin first?"
- Josie Pye
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ANNE WATCHED IN CONFUSION as Charlotte rummaged around their room, messing up everything the redhead had cleaned. "Are you looking for something?"
"I can't find my poem," Charlotte muttered, yanking one of the drawers open. "I was working on it and it wasn't finished yet. And I can't find it."
"Was it one of the ones that were to Gilbert that you were planning on never showing him?"
Charlotte looked over at the girl. "Obviously."
"I could help you look for it when we get home from school?" Anne asked her, chewing anxiously on her bottom lip, avoiding eye contact.
"Fine, whatever," Charlotte sighed, grabbing her slate and hat from the bed, before frowning at Anne's attitude. "Why do you look scared?"
Anne shuffled around on her feet. "It's my natural face. Also, how's your head?"
A gash along Charlotte's jawline was present, from when Nate had flung her across the ground. Green Gables felt more like home now that the two of them were gone. "Fine."
"Right," Charlotte narrowed her eyes. "Let's go to school then since your so desperate."
—
Charlotte slumped in her seat next to Ruby. She didn't even know why she bothered turning up. She used to love school, now, it was boredom and hatred she felt instead. Each morning, she wanted to walk out. Her routine was the same. Turn up, finish the problems, then sit there and stare at the ceiling. She zoned out and didn't even realize the day had ended, half the time spending hours inside her own head.
Charlotte stood from her seat, halfway through the school doors when Josie Pye called her back.
"Aren't you staying for the game, everyone is?"
Charlotte raised her eyebrows. "Does it look like I am?"
"It's spin the bottle, you're staying," Josie snapped, grabbing her forearm, dragging her into the back room, and forced her onto the ground.
She grimaced, being sat beside Charlie and Cole, across from Josie and Billy.
"Whomever the bottle points to, you are permitted to kiss. It has to be boy, girl, boy, girl," Josie instructed, placing the milk bottle on the floor between the circle.
"Where does that leave Cole?" Billy rhetorically asked.
Josie ignored him. "Who would like to spin first?"
"Diana," Charlie said, smiling.
Charlotte rolled her eyes.
Diana sucked in a breath, leaning forward to spin the bottle, watching as it landed on Moody.
"Now you have to kiss," Josie announced. "On the mouth."
Charlotte watched with a unimpressed look on her face as the two stood up, pecking each other on the lips, and equally grinning as they sat down.
"Your turn Anne," Josie sneered.
Anne leaned forward, her hand not even touching the bottle.
"I'm out." Billy shuffled back. "No way."
Charlotte clenched her jaw as Josie began speaking.
"What are you afraid of Anne? I seem to recall you knowing a lot about intimate relations. Your from unfortunate circumstances. This cant be your first kiss."
"Can you shut up?" Charlotte snapped. "You're not impressing anyone here. No wonder nobody sits with you at lunch."
"You sit by yourself too," Josie scoffed back.
"Because I don't want to sit with any of you, especially you," Charlotte spat. "And don't you dare bring up unfortunate circumstances, you have no idea what her life was like and it's none of your business either."
"Why are you even getting mad, this isn't about you?" Josie asked.
"Because I'm done with you treating everyone else like they're lower than you," Charlotte replied. "And I bet this game is a way for you to get attention from a boy because so far, you haven't been."
Josie rolled her eyes, looking back over at Anne. "Ever been kissed, Anne?"
"No," Anne responded loudly, standing up and storming out of the school house.
Charlotte followed, grabbing her bags. On her way out, she made sure her basket hit Josie's face with enough force she tumbled slightly, turning around to glare at Charlotte.
—
"What have you done to your hair?" Charlotte turned as Anne walked out of the barn, after insisting the brunette wait for her.
"I'm trying to be beautiful," Anne replied, fiddling with the one of six ribbons she had tied in her hair.
"Well, it's certainly something," Charlotte retorted, plastering on a smile.
"What's it like, being beautiful?" Anne asked.
Charlotte sighed. "I wouldn't know."
"What are you talking about?" Anne widened her eyes in disbelief. "You have the most stunning shade of eyes and match your skin perfectly. You've got the most perfect lips and cheek bones. And I would die to have hair like your instead of this monstrosity I have. Nobody wants red hair. Your hair is like the color of an acorn, a beautiful shade of chocolate and the sun shines on it so perfectly."
Charlotte's cheeks flushed pink. Not once in her life, had anybody ever called her anything to remotely beautiful. "Thank you."
Anne looked up at the sky. "I would love to be a tree. I would have different hair for every season. I would have pretty spring buds and a full head of blossoms in summer. Vibrant autumn colors, then..."
Anne's eyes locked on the trees, their leaves falling due to the upcoming winter. "Never mind."
—
Charlotte stood alongside Cole and Diana, watching as the two saw Anne's hair.
Well," Diana began. "You hold your hair with such air."
"If you don't mind, I'd make just two adjustments," Cole said. "May I?"
"Please do," Charlotte muttered as Anne sat down on her desk. Charlotte sat behind the three, watching as every eye in the classroom was drawn to the trio.
"Cole Mackenzie!"
Charlotte jumped slightly as Mr. Phillips screamed right behind her.
"Since you seem to have such feminine proclivities, we shall indulge your taste of it this morning," Mr. Phillips scowled. "You can sit with the girls."
Laughter burst from the boys side of the room as Cole took the empty spot beside Charlotte.
Charlotte leaned over to whisper in Cole's ear. "I'll throw something at him if you want me to."
The boy smiled back. "That's alright."
—
"No, I'm not playing this dumb game again," Charlotte groaned, standing in front of Josie.
"Fine, just sit there and watch, or write whatever secret things you write," Josie rolled her eyes.
Charlotte clenched her jaw, squashing herself into the spare spot next to Anne. "I'm sitting here. Don't even try to move me Josie."
"Whatever." Josie grabbed the milk bottle, putting it in front of Anne. "Spin."
Anne leaned forward, spinning. Her breath caught in her throat as it finally landed on the boy next to her.
"I'm not kissing that ugly orphan."
"At least her hair isn't coated in grease," Charlotte sneered back.
Cole stood up. "I'll kiss Anne."
"Good, let the freaks kiss," Josie raised an eyebrow.
Shouting slowly rose from the small room. Starting with Josie and Billy chanting, followed by Diana, Jane and Charlotte screaming for them to stop. The shouting died slowly as Anne rose on her toes, pecking Cole on the cheek.
—
Charlotte turned from her desk as Marilla walked in, the woman's eyes immediately landing on the lump on the bed.
"Has she been sleeping?" Marilla asked, referring to Anne under the covers.
"She's been like that since I walked in. I was in the barn so I don't know what's wrong," Charlotte replied. "She's in the depths of despair."
"Are you ill?" Marilla asked, stepping towards Anne.
"No," Anne replied tearfully. "I'm in the depths of despair. Please Marilla go away and don't look at me!"
"Told you," Charlotte mumbled.
"Get up right this minute and tell me what is the matter."
Charlotte turned just as Anne sat up, despite the blanket wrapped around her hair, Charlotte manage to see a smudge of green where Anne's red hair should be. "What did you do to your hair?"
Marilla pulled away the blanket, revealing bright green locks of hair.
"Marilla you little know how utterly wretched I am!" Anne cried. "I'm the unhappiest girl in Prince Edward Island."
"Well if I had decided to dye my hair, I'd have died it a decent color at least," Marilla replied.
"But I didn't mean to die it green, I meant to dye it a beautiful chestnut color," Anne sobbed. "I applied the dye as the directions said I used up the whole bottle. And it was like I'd been bewitched. When I saw myself with brown hair I wanted nothing more than to look like myself again. I looked like a demon possessed! I tried to wash it out but it wouldn't come out and I thought maybe the laundry bluing would strip it out."
"That explains the green then," Charlotte stated, fully turned on her chair to face the two.
"What do I do? I will never live this down. People have pretty well forgotten my other mistakes but they'll never forget this." Anne looked down with her teary eyes. "And how Josie Pye will laugh. Marilla I can't face Josie Pye I just can't!"
"I'll deal with Josie if she says anything," Charlotte told her.
"You will not be doing anything," Marilla turned back to Anne. "And now I hope you've opened your eyes to where vanity leads you, Anne."
Anne stood up, grabbing her stained sheet and throwing it over the mirror in front of Charlotte. "I'll never, never look at myself again. Yes I will, I'll do penance for being wicked. And I'll look at myself every time i come into this room and see how ugly I am. And I won't try to imagine it away either."
"I reckon beauty doesn't enter it," Marilla stood up behind the girl. "Now, are you ready?"
Marilla grabbed a pair of scissors, as Charlotte got off the chair, dragging it in front of Marilla.
"Cut it off at once and have it over," Anne insisted loudly, throwing herself into the chair. "I feel as if my heart is broken. I'm going to weep all the time you are cutting it."
Charlotte watched as Anne squinted her eyes closed, as Marilla brought the scissors to her hair.
Locks that were once red fell to the wooden floor of Green Gables.
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7/01/2024
Our fav person comes back next chapterr.
Sloppy chapter today but it's fine.