•𝒮ℯ𝓋ℯ𝓃•
AMYBELLA WAS WALKING TO SCHOOL together with Anne and Diana.
"Why didn't you tell Nate the truth?" Diana asked the question Amybella wanted to ask as well.
"I thought seeing gold in the soil would be obvious. He thinks I'm a child. Pipsqueak!" said Anne annoyed.
"You are a child, Anne." Amybella said and Anne looked at her in offense.
"I am much more mature than a CHILD!" The red-haired girl defended herself.
"You can't possibly expect to be his equal, Anne. He's an adult and a scientist. Uh.. But that's just book learning though and you've already proven you're good at that." Said Diana nodding eagerly.
"You have imagination Anne. That's a gift and Nathaniel certainly doesn't have a bit of it." Amybella supported Diana's statement.
"What good is an imagination if I can't see what's right in front of my eyes?" Anne was getting upset again.
They arrived at school and another school day would pass without Gilbert. Amybella was talking to Anne and Diana when she spotted a blond boy. Cole Mccanzy to be precise. She had never exchanged a word with him.
The girls put their glasses of milk in the cold water of the stream. Cole was sitting next to them, drawing something in his book.
"Is that Cole? He's changed." Anne said.
"He looks so grown up. Very different from before the harvest." Diana said.
"Is someone keeping an eye on Cole?" Amybella nudged Diana.
"Not at all." She replied indignantly. They ran to the other girls, giggling.
—
The lesson was terribly boring, as it often was. Mr. Phillips read a poem and Amybella looked behind her at Cole.
Diana was right. He had really changed. He sat in the seat where Gilbert always sat.
Once again, Amybella was overcome with a feeling of longing for the brunette boy.
She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she really missed him.
"I think the whole poem is shameful." Josie was now getting all the attention.
"They should be tarred and feathered!" Confused, Amybella looked at her book to understand what Josie was talking about, but poetry had never been her passion and she couldn't find a connection between the many words.
"Josie?" said Mr. Phillips warningly.
"Guinevere is married to the king. Not Lancelot." Josie justified her statement.
"Oh! Mr. Phillips can't you skip to the part where Elaine's pure and true love turns most tragical?" Amybella smirked at Anne, the master of poetry.
"No." said Mr. Phillips simply.
"Do not.. interrupt me again." Anne fell silent and the professor continued.
Amybella put her head in her hands and was about to fall asleep when Cole suddenly jumped up.
All heads turned to him. The blond boy stood in front of his bench, not moving or saying a word.
"Cole? What have you got there?" asked Mr. Phillips. Cole looked behind him at Billy, who grinned at him.
"Cole!" called Mr. Phillips and the blond boy turned back to the front.
"My apologies, Mr. Phillips. I'll clean it up-.." the blond boy huffed.
"Are you doodling while I'm tirelessly dedicating my life to your education?" Mr. Phillips interrupted him
Tirelessly.
And she TIRED away. Amybella thought rolling her eyes.
"Blackboard! Now!" yelled Mr. Phillips as Cole tried to pick up his sketchpad. Amybella stood up to pick up his things and saw his drawing half covered in ink.
"You like to draw? Draw that. Make sure it's legible!" Mr. Phillips pointed to the board. Amybella noticed Cole's tension and how he had to pull himself together not to lose his composure.
"Back to your readers!" She sat back down next to Ruby and they were reading on when suddenly there was a giggle.
Amybella looked ahead at the board.
'I'll never draw in class again'
Cole had written it on the board in beautiful script.
After all, he was supposed to be drawing it.
"Less flourish. 'You're gonna need room for fifty of those,' said Mr. Phillips, wiping the board clean.
During the lunch break, the girls all sat together. Only Cole sat alone.
"You should have stopped him from getting on that steamship, Anne! If Gilbert falls overboard and drowns, it'll all be your fault!"
Ruby said and Amybella rolled her eyes.
"Like Anne could have stopped him!" Amybella let sarcasm resonate in her voice.
If Gilbert leaves without saying goodbye, he wouldn't have cared less if one of them had tried to stop him. It was his decision to leave and it was the wrong one.
"He'd come home soon enough, if he knew there was gold on his farm," Josie said.
"He's not a money-grabber, first of all. And secondly, how do you know there's gold on his farm?" said Bella. She herself didn't know why she was defending him so much, after all, she hated that he was gone too.
"Anne is writing him a letter. Aren't you Anne?" Anne's mind seemed to be somewhere else and she looked at Cole.
"He looks so awfully lonely," she said. Now everyone looked at the lean blond boy.
"I think he's more sad and handsome than lonely." Josie commented and Amybella eyed the girl.
"Josie, you're so taken with Cole! Aren't you?" she teased the blonde and the others laughed.
"I am not! I'm simply observant." She defended herself.
"There's no boy as sad and handsome as Gilbert Blythe," Ruby said and Amybella rolled her eyes.
"Lord in heaven, I can't listen to your gushing anymore," the blonde girl said and stood up. Amybella sat down by Cole, as he looked at her in surprise.
"Mr. Phillips is terribly mean and an idiot. I know how you feel," she said, shrugging her shoulders. She heard footsteps beside her.
"Your drawing was exquisite! It brought Camelot to life. By the way, Billy Andrews is a barbarian." Anne and Diana joined them.
"Billy Andrews, he's just a sad little pile of dung looking for attention," Bella said affirmatively.
"Bella!" Diana hissed at her, startled at the girl's choice of words.
"It's only the truth!" said Amybella defensively.
"He's not worth getting upset about. I've brought strawberries tarts, shall we share?" Diana then said. Cole was visibly overwhelmed with his situation but then had a smile on his face.
They laughed together and slowly the other girls joined them, except Josie. She walked out.
Amybella enjoyed the feeling of being among true friends. A healthy atmosphere in which she could be free and her own. She knew she could trust these girls and it gave her a comforting sense of security in her world of chaos.
—
After school, Amybella accompanied Anne home, as the redhead was afraid that she had accidentally brought ghosts from her stories to life.
When they arrived at Green Gables, Marilla invited Bella to stay a while and then let Mattew accompany her home as it was long since dark when they arrived.
So it came to the situation of Amybella sitting down to dinner with the Cuthberts and their boarders.
"Ah! Good evening, all. My day was incredibly productive." It came from the door. It was Nathanael, as she could easily tell from his annoying voice that stretched her nerves.
"I spent a good part of it chatting with William," he said as he entered the dining room.
"Who's that?" asked Anne.
"Mr. Barry. Diana's father," Amybella answered her question.
"You know him?" Nate's eyes now met hers.
"I was at his side, when we saw you having your little.. outburst." Amybella answered and the dark blond grinned at her.
"Amybella. Right? Yeah I remember you." His grin widened and he nodded at her.
"Anyway. According to William, apparently many people are skeptical about the gold, even after the the town hall meeting." he continued, turning his gaze to Amybella and Anne again and again.
"That's to be expected. It is an unusual business." Marilla now spoke up.
"So we thought.. William and I!" he emphasized strongly. Amybella stifled a roll of her eyes.
"That there should be a less formal gathering. Where the people of Avonlea can talk things out." Nathanael suggested.
"That's a splendid idea." said
Mr. Dunlop, the second and, according to Bella, more sympathetic tenant of the Cuthberts.
"The Barrys have decided to host a big party for any and all interested folks. Rather classy , I'd say." said the geologist enthusiastically.
"Marilla. You and Matthiew have to go." Anne said excitedly.
"Sounds a rather frivolous affair." Marilla spoke. The woman was always skeptical about new matters concerning the community.
"Well perhaps it might help you and Matthew to make your decision, one way or another." said Nate.
"What about you Amybella?" He then asked the blonde girl. The girl raised her head surprised.
"Uh.. Well that is my parents' decision, I don't really have much say in it." She then answered, awkwardly smiling and turning back to her plate.
It was uncomfortable enough that she had to sit at this table, even though she really enjoyed seeing Anne around her family and how close they were with one another. She deeply wished that for her family too.
"Why? Considering you're usually smart as a whip." Nate said and his undertone was hard to ignore.
He seemed to enjoy teasing her about the fact that she was just a child.
Amybella's resentment towards him only intensified. She wondered where his arrogance had gone when he'd told the whole town about his amazing gold certificate.
"Well the smart one here is Anne." Amybella pointed at the person sitting next to her, who immediately laughed.
"Besides, Nathanael! I think it is better to stay out of certain things, especially when they're none of one's business, is it not?" The other people at the table grew quiet and Bella's eyes were locked on Nate's. She noticed the awkward silence emanating from Marilla and Mattew and backed away when she realized how rude she was being.
Nate only giggled in response.
„Precious, aren't they?" he asked and then changed the topic.
—
When Matthew walked Amybella home later that night, hardly any of them spoke.
"I'm sorry Matthew. I didn't mean to be rude at the dinner table." The girl apologized and the old man waved her off.
He led a bay mare beside him that he would probably ride back to Green Gables later.
"Nathanael shouldn't have asked those questions to you. Eh.. it was anyway.. very rude of him!.. yes." he stuttered.
„Anne really has found a wonderful home with
You and your sister. You could say, she starts glowing, when she talks about Green Gables!" Amybella then said.
"We're also very glad to have her! She brings.. well eh... wind!.." he twirled his hand in the air in front of him.
"Into our old house." Then he laughed lightly and Amybella couldn't help it but smile at the man.
"I'm sure she does!" said Amybella and they fell into silence again.
They arrived outside Amybella's house and the girl thanked Matthew, before she said goodbye and went inside.
"Amybella McCurthy where have you been?" her mother's shrill voice rang out.
"At the Cuthbert's, they invited me to dinner." the girl replied, looking at Marcus as he peered out of the window through the curtains.
"That was Mr. Cuthbert?" he asked. Amybella nodded.
"Why were you with them for dinner?" her mother asked in a strict tone.
"Does that geologist have anything to do with this?!" asked Marcus, getting to his feet. The two of them stood in front of the girl, who shook her head.
"Mrs. Cuthbert didn't want me to go back alone after dark. That's why I stayed there." she said meekly.
Her parents looked at each other.
"You're not talking to this geologist! Do you hear me?" Marcus held his index finger under her nose. Amybella nodded.
"Go to bed, it's late." Marissa said and Amybella hurried up the stairs. Her parents would hardly have cared if the girl hadn't come home that night.
She felt like she only knew her parents like she knew strangers. Marcus had completely alienated her mother. And he himself was only thinking of himself and his money.
He didn't care how she was doing and Amybella just waited for him to abandon her.
At times she even wished that he would put her in a girls' boarding school or an orphanage. That she no longer had to live with him under the same roof.
But Amybella forbade herself this thought after everything Anne had told her. It was ungrateful of her to complain about her stepfather when it was only thanks to him that she could live in this house and wear these dresses. Yet, she felt nothing but hatred for the man. He treated her mother badly and brought her nothing but grief.
Amybella would have preferred it if he had never married Marissa and therefore never interfered in her life.
She would do anything to avoid having to rely on his money. She decided to make a career so successful that she could break away from him and be free.
That she would earn her own living without him walking her down the aisle one day.
Author's note:
🎶 Jingle Bells,
Billy smells!
Josie go awayyy!!
Gilbert's hot
And Marcus' not
BASH SUPERMACY ALL THE WAY, HEY!
—
2223 words
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