AS AMYBELLA WALKED DOWN THE stairs, she paused in shock.
An almost heavenly perfect looking and broadly smiling Gilbert stood in front of her.

"Look, Mr. Blythe's son came here to help. Why didn't you invite him earlier? You hardly find a gentleman these days." Her mother came down the stairs behind her.
Amybella turned to her around and Marissa regarded her appearance with a reproving look. She had said her words a little too loudly for Bella's taste and she was sure, Gilbert had heard every bit of it, because he grinned even wider now.
Her mother nodded to Gilbert and walked past Bella, towards the kitchen.

"I like being your gentleman," Gilbert whispered to the girl when she reached him.

"You'll dream about that from now on, won't you?" Bella replied and Gilbered responded with a chuckle and a charming smile.

The Blythe-boy was admittedly a great help to Bella and her Mother. He helped them set and lay the tables. They finished quickly and the first guests arrived a few hours later. Amybella had put on her best dress and fixed her hair as usual.

"Your dress is heavenly." Anne gushed.

"Thank you." Amybella smiled and was flattered by Anne's choice of words. She felt Diana's hand on her shoulder. Her eyes were fixed on something behind the blonde and she began to grin.

"You must have caught someone's eye." Diana whispered. Amybella turned and followed the girl's gaze. Gilbert had just walked in the door and was now approaching her.

"Come on Anne, let's get a piece of the cake, our kitchen-made baked." Diana winked at the blonde girl and then pulled Anne with her.
Amybella looked after them, being outraged that they had abandoned her so quickly.

"You look pretty." Gilbert's voice sounded behind her and she got a sinking feeling in her stomach. She turned to him and eyed him.

"You don't look bad yourself, so serious." she replied. He was wearing a plain shirt with a vest on top and had fixed his hair. He looked distinguished and nothing like the Gilbert she knew with a sweater and wild black curls.

The rest of the day was boring. Chit-chat and more tea here, more coffee there.
As the day drew to a close, the guests left and Anne and Diana also had to say goodbye. Gilbert helped Amybella and her mother with the dismantling and then said goodbye.

"I'll see you at school?" he asked when she nodded.

"It was lovely with you." she said and he grinned.

"Yeah? Then why did you ignore me?" Amybella also grinned.

"Well, I'm not going to make it that easy for you Blythe." he pursed his lips. Amybella giggled as he turned and walked off.

—
"Anne!" Amybella caught up with the redhead, smiling. Anne smiled back, surprisingly shyly, and they walked side by side into the school building, talking about poems. Well, it was rather Anne talking about poems and Bella listening to her, because she had no clue about them.

"Open the reading books to page 32, we are reading aloud the poem 'The fisherman' Diana Berry. Get up and start." Diana began to read. She read a little stick-like, but was probably better than some.

"Dangerous indeed! Sit down. Anne Sherly. Stand up and continue." Anne stood up and began to read. She read very powerfully, somewhat exaggeratedly. She dramatically clarified the poem and threw her hands theatrically in the air.

Her classmates began to laugh and Anne laughed along until she realized that her classmates were laughing at her instead of with her.
Her smile disappeared and suddenly, she looked insecure.
Her courage was suddenly gone and she slumped down on the bench, tense.
Amybella poked Ruby in the side next to her and with that, stopped her from laughing.

During the break, Anne sat alone outside by the stream. Amybella was about to join her when she saw Gilbert walking towards the redhead. He seemed to be trying to talk to Anne, but she suddenly stood up, said something and then walked away, annoyed.
She walked past Amybella, then the blonde girl looked at the confused Gilbert.

"What's wrong with her?" He asked.

"Are you actually annoying every girl who gets in your way?" She shook her head and Gilbert looked at her slyly.

"No just you." Amybella laughed lightly, giving the brunette a sense of satisfaction.

"What did you want from her?" She tried to sound as normal as possible, but didn't quite succeed.

"Nothing. I just wanted to talk to her." he then said.

"But she didn't want to talk to you, I suppose?" Amybella replied, crossing her arms.

"We'll see about that." Gilbert smiled at her and walked back into the school building, from which Josie Pye and her group of other girls plus a blubbering Ruby were now marching towards them. Josie looked at her angrily.

"How dare you talk to Gilbert Blythe?!"
Her tone sounded harsh and unnerving in Amybella's ear.

"What?" She asked irritably.

"You didn't know because you're new, but Ruby has liked him for three years she has privileges." Amybella stifled a giggle. A moment of silence ensued.

"Okay?" Amybella asked with a wry smile, not quite sure what to say.

"Don't let it happen again!" said Josie and Ruby sobbed in her arms.
Amybella nodded slowly and then raised an index finger upwards.

"Just so I know. Is breathing in a radius of 10 feet around him allowed?" she asked, tilting her head to one side. She put a sarcastic tone in her voice and then threw up her hands defensively when she saw Josie's scowl.

"Let it go Josie." Anne appeared at Bella's side and the girls marched away. Anne and Diana stayed with the blonde girl.

"They did that to me when I was just walking next to Gilbert!" Anne said and Diana nodded in agreement.

"Why does she hate me?" Amybella asked, shaking her head as she looked after Josie and her friends.

"Josie is like that, but it will get better," said Diana.

"She doesn't get to decide what anyone should or shouldn't do." Amybella turned back to the girls and crossed her arms.

"I wish I was like you Bella! You're so authoritarian." Said Anne, Diana nodded affirmatively. Amybella looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Authoritarian?" she asked, confused.

"Confident!" Anne answered her question.

"How come you use those big words?" asked Amybella with a grin.

"Oh. I read a lot. That's all! Besides, who wants to do big things, needs big words to express them!" replied Anne. Amybella nodded appreciatively, then they walked back to the school building because the next period started.

—
It was quiet in the classroom. The only thing that could be heard was the chalk writing on the small tables.

Anne sat on a bench in front of Amybella and suddenly flinched. She got the McCurthy-girl's attention, who eyed her critically as another chalk was thrown next to the redhead. Anne raised her head again.
Gilbert now stood up and Bella looked at him in irritation. He slowly approached the redheaded girl and placed his apple on her table.

"Oops!" he whispered and crouched down. Amybella looked at Ruby, who was watching him the same way.

"Hey." he tried to get Anne's attention but she ignored him. He reached for her red braid and pulled on it.

"Carrots!"
The next moment, Anne had already stood up with a jerk, grabbed her table and was now hitting Gilbert in the face with it.

"I'M NOT TALKING TO YOU!" she shouted and everyone in the room turned to look at her. Now there was no more scratching of chalk and it was eerily quiet in the room. Amybella felt like she could literally touch the tension in the air and an explosion would occur as everyone looked around in horror between Gilbert and Anne.
Gilbert held his cheek and Anne looked at her now broken tablet in amazement.

"You just did." Gilbert then said and went back to his seat.

"SHIRLEY!!" shouted Mr. Phillips.

"Get up here. NOW!" Anne slowly climbed over her bench and walked towards the lectern.

"What a vicious display!" Mr. Phillips wiped the previous bill off the board.

"Is this, what they taught you in that orphanage?!" He began to write 'Anne Sherly' on the blackboard and gestured Anne to turn around.
Bella was surprised, that Anne came from an orphanage. She had heard about a girl that was an orphan and also recently came to Avonlea but she had no clue it was Anne.

Anne seemed so.. educated and she could read. Amybella always thought, orphan kids weren't good at reading.

She looked at Gilbert, who looked guilty towards Anne. He then locked eyes with Bella and if looks could kill, he would have been six feet under the ground by now.

"Anne Sherly has a very bad temper." Mr. Phillips pronounced the words he wrote on the board.

"You'll stay here and stay put. And the rest of you pipe down!" Amybella felt nothing but pity and empathy for Anne. She could imagine how the redhead felt now. She killed Ruby with her gaze as the girl started giggling again.

"Let this serve as a lesson to you, that we do not tolerate such displays of temper here in a civilized society."

Civilized society? This was a joke.

"It was my fault." Gilbert had stood up and finally spoke up.

"Sir! I teased her," he said with a quick glance at Anne.

"Quiet Blythe! That's hardly an excuse." Said the teacher, waving his hand.

"It's not her fault he was bothering her." Amybella stood up.

"Sit down McCurthy, or you'll be next in line!"
Her classmates giggled and Gilbert sat down. He looked up at the blonde girl, who hadn't moved.

"Alright." she heard herself say and the next moment she wanted to slap herself in the face. The others, who had already turned back to their lesson, looked at Amybella in shock.
Mr. Phillips was quiet now too.
The girl felt her body lift her legs completely against her will, as she climbed over the bench. She didn't miss Ruby's look, which threatened to make her eyes bug out.

Amybella ran forward, not knowing whether it was really that quiet or whether her ears were no longer working. She stood next to Anne, who continued to stare straight ahead.
Then the redhead suddenly stepped forward.

"Where do you think, you're going?" asked Mr. Phillips, but she continued walking unhindered.

"Get back here." Mr. Phillips was talking to her, but Anne didn't even seem to be thinking about it. Her gaze was straight ahead and she kept walking. All eyes were on her.

"Shirley. Come back here!" Anne grabbed her hat, opened the door and ran out. Amybella now stood alone at the front. Heads turned towards her.

"Anne." she breathed so that hardly anyone could hear, then ran after her. Bella felt a hand grasp hers. Gilbert had gotten up and stopped her. He shook his head.
Inwardly, the blonde girl cursed and tore her hand away from him. She gave him a venomous look and went back to her seat.

She thought about Anne for the rest of the school day and decided to visit her immediately after school. As soon as class was over, she ran out, ignoring Gilbert's shouts behind her.

"Amy wait!" Bella turned to him angrily.

"You're an idiot!" He reached her, but she wanted to keep running.

"How could I know she'd snap like that?"

"You pulled her hair and called her a 'carrots'! If you want to get a girl's attention, don't do it by humiliating her!" Bella turned around and left for good.
Gilbert stopped and looked after her.

—
"Hello Mrs. Cuthbert, can I see Anne?" Amybella asked the elderly lady in the kitchen.

"Yes, I think she's in the barn." Marilla answered and nodded towards the old building.
So she ran over to the barn and found Anne in the hayloft.

"You left me standing there by myself," Bella giggled and stood in front of her. Anne was laying in the hay and looked dreamily at the ceiling. She didn't answer her, so Amybella continued talking.

"I don't know what Gilbert was thinking!" She sat down beside the redhead.

"It's not just that." sighed Anne, biting her bottom lip. She looked at Amybella thoughtfully and then back at her shoes.

"I told things about Prissy and Mr. Phillips that spread all over town and now an abomination!" she said. The girl had squinted her eyes as if something had caught her eye.

"Prissy and Mr. Phillips?" Amybella asked confused.

"Long story. Diana and I had seen them holding hands." she said.

"That.. is.." the blonde started, but couldn't find the right words.

"Gross?" Anne asked.

"I'd rather marry Gilbert Blythe than have anything to do with Mr. Phillips!" Bella then said and giggled. Anne joined in her laughter and Bella decided to lay down next to her. A comfortable silence hang in the air.

"I'm never going back to school." Anne's face turned serious.

"But then you'll leave me alone with these idiots." Bella's mouth was open and she looked at Anne desperately. The redhead laughed.

"You have Diana." She shrugged and avoided the blonde's gaze.

"But Diana doesn't loathe Gilbert like we do!" Anne laughed heartily. Amybella sighed.

"I have to go home! My mum is surely worried." Bella said, although she didn't think her mom would care if she never came home.

She turned her head to Anne and eyed the girl. Anne had cute freckles all over her face. Her eyes were really bright and now pleading at Bella.

„You should re-think going to school Anne. It'd be a tragedy if you wouldn't come anymore. I need you." Amybella sat up.

"Don't leave me." Anne said, pulling her mouth into a thin line. Bella's lips formed a smile.

"I'll never leave you." she then said and truly meant it. She reached for Anne's hand and the red-haired girl looked at her in astonishment. She then sat up abruptly and Bella wondered for a moment if she had said something wrong, but then she felt the delicate arms of Anne around her and the red hair tickling her cheek. Bella smiled and returned the embrace.

—
"Child, where have you been?" she heard her mother's voice just after she came in the door. Marissa didn't expect an answer from her daughter, when she came running out of the kitchen.

"I want you to meet someone." Her mother stepped behind her and took off the girl's coat and hat. Then she pushed the girl around the corner to the dining table, where she saw a man sitting.
He had neatly cut brown hair and was wearing a suit that didn't look cheap.

"Amybella say hello to your future stepfather."

—
"I heard it myself! She's here to get married again!" Rachel said as she sat at Marilla's table and drank a tea.
Marilla sat down opposite her.

"My Goodness." she said, staring at the table in front of her.

"And then, out of the blue, he runs into my husband, Thomas! A fine gentleman with a brisk walk. Marilla THAT explains how she got herself this trip here and the house of old Manson! She may rest in peace." Rachel threw her arms up in the air dramatically.

"Thomas asked him if he was lost, you only see these men in the cities! But no, he says he's walking to see the country!" Rachel shook her head wildly.

"That poor girl, she can hardly have it easy." said Marilla, taking another sip, while thinking about Amybella.

"I immediately wondered what a mother and her child from England were doing here, but now it all clears up. The child needs a father." Rachel drummed her index finger on the table.

Author's note:
We love our gossip-aunt Rachel.
What do you think so far?

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