prince ♛ cole mackenzie

13 | infinite

Silas watched Cole sketch in silence again, a million questions burning in his mind. He studied the classroom to find something to spark a conversation; he discovered a new face within a group of boys talking excitedly.

"Who's that?" Silas asked Cole, gesturing to the dark-haired boy.

Cole glanced up at the crowd. "Oh. Gilbert Blythe's back."

"You know him?"

"Not really anymore. We used to be friends when we were younger," Cole said. He fiddled with his charcoal pencil as he spoke.

Silas noticed the crowd of boys and clusters of girls begin to turn to the doorway, looking astonished. A few held their hands to their lips to hide their giggling.

Cole and Silas turned their heads. There stood Anne, looking equally bewildered. Her hair had been chopped to within an inch of her head, like a young child had been let loose with scissors. Atop the uneven tufts, a blue bow was tied pitifully.

what has she done this time?

Silas looked sideways at Cole. He seemed enthralled by Anne's haircut

"It's marvellous," he whispered to Silas.

Anne walked forward slowly towards her friends. However, when the group of boys broke apart to display the boy named Gilbert Blythe, her eyes widened. Gilbert greeted her with a small grin.

"Anne," he began.

"You're back," she replied, still in a state of shock.

Gilbert furrowed his brow slightly. "Yes. Hi."

"There's no gold!"

"Yes, I-I know. I-I heard. That's not why I'm here."

The door creaked open behind Anne as Mr. Phillips entered.

"It's really good to see you," Gilbert said. The way he spoke to her was careful yet full of meaning. It was clear that Gilbert meant his words.

"Open your readers to page twenty," sighed Mr. Phillips.

The students hurried back to their seats and pulled their books out, still judging Anne's haircut in hushed voices.

"What has she done with her hair?"

"Look at her!"

Silas regretted his initial thoughts on her new look. Anne did not deserve the comments and jokes that were aimed at her. He fruitlessly tried to catch her eye in the short time before Mr. Phillips began his lecture.

"It appears we have a new boy in class today," the teacher drawled. "Are you sure you're sitting in the right place, young man?"

The half of the class whom Silas liked less sniggered, ever thoughtless and insensitive.

*   *   *   *   *

Silas waved goodbye to Cole and left the school building. He decided his mother would have forgotten their conversation from the evening after the meadow by tomorrow, and so was prepared to endure another boring afternoon.

Once again, though, he found himself in Jane Andrews's company.

"Hello. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what I said. It was impolite of me to assume," she told him.