Clearly, that was not a group of friends that would survive when they were lost in the woods. They were in the first step of their camping adventure, and everything was already failing.
-This stick goes like this!
-Why would you bend it?! It doesn't make sense! Just slide it through the little sleeves- Cole smacked the back of his head.
-Has someone figured out where this damn thing goes?- Josie held a large piece of cloth in the air.
-That's the floor!
-Jane, that's impossible, the floor is already there.
-Pay a look at the instructions, Jose.
-Wow, Akes, you are so bright! I hadn't thought of that!- she exclaimed sarcastically- They are in JAPANESE, you smart-ass.
-Has none of you ever gone camping?- Noah, who was already putting his belongings in the tent, asked.
-Not enough times to know how this works...- Ruby muttered, sitting inside the tent and holding the roof so that Jane could finish passing the pole through the little holes.
The only ones that were going in the right direction -apart from Noah, who had already finished his'- were Anne and Diana, who put it up in ten minutes, but the rest took another half an hour. However, two couples had to re-build it: Josie and Tillie had forgotten to clear the ground beneath it, so they had to do it again to avoid getting stabbed with pebbles and sticks in their sleep, while Cole and Jerry had their door facing the other way, so they messily tried to turn it around and failed completely. Charlie, Noah and Moody would sleep together, next to them Cole and Jerry, then Ruby and Jane, following them would be Anne and Diana, and finally, Tillie and Josie; all placed in a circle around the fire they'd start later on.
Despite the lack of survival skills they all had, the day went on smoothly. Cole sat by the lake, drawing a sketch of the landscape, and somehow managing to make it look even more stunning than the real one. Jerry, Charles and Moody spent a couple of hours kicking a ball, and then trying to teach Tillie how to play soccer. Josie and Jane laid under the sun, getting tanned for the summer. Ruby and Diana were trying to learn how to skip stones, and they laughed each time they threw one that would make a plop sound and sink directly into the water. Anne, living her adventure, skipped across the needle-covered paths of the forest, jumping on fallen logs of trees and spinning around, breathing in the smell of damp moss. Noah walked peacefully behind her, admiring, not only the nature that surrounded them, but also the girl in front of him.
-Oh god, Noah, look at that tree!- she pointed her finger at it.
-It...looks like every other one we've seen up to this point.
-No, this one's perfect to climb- she squealed before rushing towards it, and the boy just chuckled at her spontaneity.
-Be careful!
Her two french braids bounced up and down as she got ahold of the different branches and hopped onto them. Her friend was extremely surprised at her abilities. In just a second, she was already sitting on one of the side branches, laying her head against the main tree trunk and admiring the rest of the forest. Her eyes wandered around the place, until they met the boy's.
-The view from up here is outstanding!- she exclaimed from the top of her lungs, stretching her arms as the light spring breeze caressed her freckled face- Come up!
-Me?- he said with a breathy voice, his eyes wide open.
-No, the rock next to you... YES, you, Noah!
-Oh, no. No way.
-It's not that high up, I promise.
-I pass, it is really not my thing. I'm not too adventurous.
-Oh, alright...-she said disappointedly, fidgeting with her bracelet as she continued appreciating her surroundings.
I wish you were here, she whispered into the air, looking down at the little carrot.
-AAAAKES!!! Come here!- Jerry shouted from the camping site and ran towards him- The girls are kicking our asses, we need your help. They're fucking good at soccer. You need to go save us. Right now.
-Haha, sure- he started going to the place where the rest of the group was, but quickly noticed his friend wasn't following him- Are you coming?
-Yeah, you go, I'll be right there...- he replied, looking at the redhead who was sitting on the tree, and then approaching her- Hey, sis, are you okay?
-Uh, yeah- she finally looked up from her wrist- I was just daydreaming.
-Alright... Are you coming to play soccer?
-Oh, get ready to get your ass kicked- she smirked, climbing down.
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The fun they had had turned hours into seconds, so the sun sunk into the horizon more quickly than everyone had expected. They were all laughing along, sitting by the burning fire, the rush of the soccer match still running through their veins. The bags of marshmallows, cookies and chocolate were being passed from hand to hand, as they all tried to heat their marshmallows to make the famous s'mores. They traded stories, remembering "the good old times"- or so Jane had called them. Noah was surprised at how things had changed for them, and made them realize that, in fact, that was true. The new friendships, the blossoming relationships, the amount of time spent together. Some years prior, Josie was the girl that bullied Anne, and now they got along perfectly well. Cole had arrived at Avonlea- for the second time- less than a year ago. There were three new couples. And what surprised them the most: At the beginning of that school year, the football team used to eat on a different table than the girls, and now there was not a day in which they didn't spend time together.
It was a well-known fact that Anne sucked at baking and cooking. She helped with dinners during the holidays, but always under Marilla's thorough supervision. She had many talents, but things related to food weren't her strong point. However, she would have never expected what a mess she'd make with the s'mores. The hot marshmallows left her skin extremely sticky, and the melted chocolate left stains across her whole hand. Once she couldn't take the discomfort of the filth in her fingers anymore, she kneeled down by the lake to rinse her hands with the cool water and get it all off. Still, she stayed there after having finished. She enjoyed the sound of Moody's banjo softly playing in the background, along with the crackling fire and the moonlight against the clear lake.
Meanwhile, a young man from the United states watched her from behind. He sat by the campfire -which looked impressively similar to her hair- trying to gain some strength. Despite having been friends for months now, he sometimes got nervous to talk to her. He knew she didn't like him back, but he was still hopeful that, one day, he'd be enough for her, and for that, it was necessary that he didn't mess anything up by making a fool of himself- especially since her intelligence was one of her most notorious qualities. So, after taking a large sip of water- in a way that looked as if it were alcohol, or, so called "liquid courage"- he sat by her side.
-Oh, hey, Noah.
-Hey...How was your day? Did you have fun?
-Totally. I love going on a great adventure with my friends. Well, it was an adventure just for me, really, given the fact that Jane and Josie spent the day laying on the floor to "get ready for summer", which apparently is really a thing. I have always wondered, why would someone want to get tanned for the summer, if that season basically exists because of an intensely burning sun that's supposed to get your skin tanned. They are basically taking summer's task and giving it to the spring. It doesn't make se...
God, I would give anything to go on a date with you, he thought to himself.
But that conversation wouldn't go as he had planned, and he realized that when, at that moment, she lifted her head to look at him wide-eyed.
SHIT, his breath got caught in his throat.
Aw, but damn it! Diana should've warned me that THIS would happen. She should've told me what to say!! Oh fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, she thought instead.
-Did...Did I say-...Did I say that out loud?- he stuttered, he was a literal nerve wreck at that moment. She just nodded slightly in reply- Holy sh...
-Look, I really am flattered but I...
-I know you don't like me back. But...
-Wait, you are a great guy. You are polite, responsible, and probably one of the purest and most kind-hearted people I've ever met. It's just that th...- they continued interrupting each other.
-I'm asking for one chance.
-What?
-Just one date. Whenever and wherever you want. And if you don't enjoy it, we stop. Just one.
-This will only end up hurting you, Noah.
-I don't care. If I'm heartbroken, it means I've been happy before, right?
-But you deserve so much better. And I'm a hundred percent sure that you will get something better. Someone better.
-I don't want better. There is no better.
-I'm sorry, Noah, but I can't let you do this to yourself!
-What do we have to lose? And, besides, it's better to go on a date with the person I like and then be destroyed by the fact that she didn't want to go out with me again, than being destroyed by the fact that she rejected me from the start.
-Noah...
-Just one date. Nothing more.
Fuck, I can't say no to those puppy eyes... is what she thought during that minute of silence. Fuck everything, he's right, I've got nothing to lose...
-Fine. Just one date- she rolled her eyes, biting back a smile.
A dorky grin was drawn on his face at her response, and he wore it as he walked away and then secretly celebrated when she wasn't looking. And, just some steps away, all their friends discreetly listened to the conversation, and they were just as surprised at her response as Anne herself was.
-Well, that was... unexpected.
-Making Anne mad with the Norley shit was fun until it became fucking real- Josie sat up as soon as she heard the girl's response.
-Oh, crap. Shirbert emergency, the ship is sinking- Cole whispered breathily, almost hyperventilating.
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Among the pitch black night, one of the tents shone brightly as a flashlight lit it up. It was already 2AM, but the redhead was the spilling words as quickly as the thoughts went through her mind. Damn, did she have boy trouble.
-I still can't believe you did it!- she whispered strongly.
-Me neither! I'm the most stubborn person existent, why did I agree to that? It's true that he was looking at me with puppy eyes, and he looked so devastated when I rejected him at first, and he is new in Avonlea- well, kind of- and he... I don't know, he's the first guy to actually like me. Like, like me like me- she stared upwards, her hands on her stomach. Meanwhile, Diana was laying on her side, facing her. It almost looked like Anne was in a therapy session- which, in a way, she was.
-Yeah, that's what you say...
-What? What do you mean?
-Oh, uh, nothing...- she rolled to be in the same position as her friend was.
-No, you are not doing this Diana Barry! Now you have to tell me!
-Okay. First and since always, Gilbert Blythe. Then, Charlie in 7th grade...
-WHAT?! Charlie as in Charlie Sloane? Charlie as in Jane's Charlie? You are kidding!
-I'm not. Just, don't tell him I told you.
-Oh my god, no way- she scoffed, a mischievous lips appearing on her lips.
-It's true! And Oliver Howell, from our Geography lesson. I heard he got a crush on you when you did one project together.
-Oliver?! From the New Zealand project?! Wow, there's a lot I didn't know...How come you didn't tell me this before?
-Because you would've just denied it.
-I wouldn't have.
-You would've.
-I wouldn't have.
-You are not helping your case- she snickered.
-Fine...You have a point. Anyway, we better go to sleep, it's getting late.
-True, goodnight.
-Goodnight.
The night sounds of the forest surrounded them once again. And, even though Anne was the one who had boy trouble, Diana was the one doing a lot of thinking now. What about shirbert?, is the question that filled her mind while the redhead started falling asleep.
-I think you should text Gilbert.
-What?
-You haven't talked in a while, right? And I know you miss him.
-He has a girlfriend, Di. And I don't want to get between them. I'm sure she wouldn't like how close we are...- she started saying, but Diana just stayed silent for some seconds, knowing that that wasn't it- And I'm still kind of mad for... Is what we talked about in the van, you know?
-But I think he misses you too. And, after all, you can't have him for yourself if he isn't yours. Imagine if he didn't let you date anyone, but you aren't in a relationship neither have figured out what you feel yet. I think it will be good for both of you.
-Yeah, I guess I won't be able to avoid him during his whole relationship with Winifred. He'll eventually come back to Avonlea, and, when he's around, he can be pretty insistent. All those years talking to me, even when I almost didn't answer back, or just yelled in reply...
-He's just...perseverant.
-Yes, he is.
-So, will you talk to him?
-I'll see tomorrow morning...
However, just ten minutes after they decided to go to sleep again, the light of her phone broke the darkness. She unlocked it and sent three short texts.
Blythe🤪 and Shirley🧡
Shirley🧡: hey blythe
Shirley🧡: how are you?
Shirley🧡: it's been so long