Chapter Seventeen:
"Anne, I Must Confess Something."
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Mabel felt like a liar. She felt like she was lying to anyone and everyone she had come across.

And that's because she has been. She acted like she was like the other girls in her class, like Josie Pye and Ruby Gillis.

But she wasn't. She wasn't like them. No, she didn't fawn over Gilbert Blythe or Billy Andrews.

She fawned, in silence of course, over Anne Shirley-Cuthbert. She so desperately wished Anne felt the same, but unfortunately.. she knew it would never be true.

It was driving her to the brink of maddness. Complete and utter maddness to hide this any longer.

She had to tell someone! She simply had to.

Anne had begun to sense something was wrong, and continued to grill her until she was satisfied with an answer.

Which for Anne, was not exactly the easiest task to accomplish. Anne was never satisfied with whatever excuse Mabel had managed to come up with.

"I didn't sleep much last night."

Anne didn't look amused. "Well, sleep better tonight."

Excuse after excuse.. Anne accepted none of them. She knew Mabel far too well to believe any of the obviously made up on the spot excuses.

Slept in, or not at all. Didn't eat breakfast or ate too much. On her time of the month or feeling under the weather.

Mabel was beginning to run out of excuses. She had known she would have to tell Anne soon, and had finally decided that today was that day.

Mabel nervously brushed her hands against the light red fabric of her dress. Staring herself in the mirror, she quietly practiced what she would say to Anne once she arrived.

She mumbled the words to herself, trying to avoid the waterfall of tears threatening to spill.

"Mabel! I'm here!" Anne spoke in a singsong tone as the door opened, slowly this time.

Mabel felt her blood run cold as she slowly took her teary eyes off of her reflection to Anne.

"A-Anne." Mabel murmured, causing Anne to drop what she was holding and rush over.

"Mabel? Mabel, what's wrong?" Anne took her now tearstained face into her hands. "Mabel, say something. What happened?"

"I-I-" Mabel let out a choked sob as Anne pulled her into a tight hug. "I-"

"Sh, sh, sh." Anne carefully sat her on the bed. She continued to comfortingly rub Mabel's back, patiently waiting for her to speak.

"Anne.. There's something I must confess." Mabel spoke slowly.

"Well, what is it?"

"Be-Before I do.. I ask that you be as understanding as you were with Aunt Jo and Gertie."

Anne furrowed her eyebrows, going to speak. "I-I don't.. I don't think I understand."

Mabel sniffled, looking down at the white material of the dress cover she wore. "Anne.. I-I... I think.. N-No. I know.. I-I'm like them."

"Like Aunt Jo and Gertie?" Anne's tone was questioning.

Mabel sniffed, avoiding Anne's gaze. "Ye-Yes."

Mabel couldn't bare to look up from her hands to see Anne's reaction.

Oddly, the silence that filled the room was deafening. The passing seconds felt like hours.

"Oh, Mabel." Anne's voice was soft and quiet as she pulled the crying girl into a tight hug.

"It's alright. It's alright." Anne cooed, cradling Mabel as she cried. "You love who you love, and there is simply nothing wrong with that."

Mabel's lips trembled as she looked up at Anne. "Yo-You still love me?"

"Why, of course I do! You loving girls isn't going to change that. In fact, I strongly believe that people love who they love and there shouldn't be so much.. hatred about it."

Mabel smiled brightly as she pulled Anne down into a hug, sending them toppling off the bed.

Mabel let out a grunt as Anne's weight fell ontop of her.

Anne pushed herself up, her hands resting by Mabel's head causing her heartbeat to increase. "Why, we really must stop meeting like this."

Mabel blushed, a nervous giggle slipping past her pink lips. "B-But what if I like meeting like this?"

Anne's teasing smile dropped, a more nervous one replacing it. "I-I.. okay, we'll have to meet like this more often."

"Mabel? What was that noi-" Catherine's voice cut through, the sound disturbing Mabel. "What.. what's all this?"

"I-I fell!" Mabel was quick to explain, pushing Anne off. She stood up, brushing her dress off.

Catherine crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow, "What was Anne doing, then?"

"Helping her!" Anne interrupted, sensing Mabel's panic.

"Helping her with what, exactly?" Catherine continued to pressure Mabel.

"Well! Not helping her.. per se, b-but.
It was actually my fault she was on the ground. You see, I just get so excited and I have this terrible habit of jumping up, forgetting someone is there, and, well, that kind of causes her to.. well, fall." Anne began rambling, moving her hands back and forth as she bounced on her heels.

Catherine didn't look like she believed a word falling from the redhead's pretty mouth.

"Hm.. I see. Don't let father, let alone mother, see that. They wouldn't be so.." Her eyes flickered to Anne for a split second, "pleased."

Mabel swallowed thickly, folding her hands together and avoiding Catherine's prying eyes.

The second the sound of the door closing and Mavbel's sister's footsteps disappeared, Anne's laughter filled the room.

Mabel's hands flew over her face as she tried to conceal her laughter. "That was quite honestly the most embarrassing thing I've ever experienced in my entire life!"

"She did not look happy at all!" Anne shook her head, her hands on her stomach from the amount of laughter.

Mabel nodded in agreement, "I just about died right there and then! I-I was so terribly worried it was my mother or father! I do wish it was Ed, though.. that would've been much less strange and awkward."

Anne nodded in agreement, silencing her laughter as she took Mabel's hand into hers gently. "Thank you for trusting me."

"I'd trust you with anything, Anne." Mabel said sincerely.

Even my heart.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

{ Word Count: 1045 }

{ A/n: hi i feel like this was so bAD and im SO SORRY :) }

{ Edited: No }