𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 . . . 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐬

•six•

over the next couple of weeks, billy had been ignoring and avoiding marissa. this made marissa overthink her actions constantly as she watched her so-called best friend laugh with the boys he had befriended when she fled avonlea. her thoughts about the blonde haired boy were set on pause when someone tapped her shoulder. it was none other than gilbert blythe, another close childhood friend. he was holding an apple in his right hand and the rest of his lunch in his left. "mind if i sit?" he asked. marissa shifted to one side of the school bench she was sitting on and pulled her food with her.
"i guess not. it's not like the other girls are going to invite me over anytime soon." marissa had been exiled by the rest of the school girls her age because they heard about her picnic with billy. josie pye specifically told her that billy was her soon-to-be beau and that marissa had no place in their relationship, or lack there of. the rest of the girls were too scared to defy josie and her ruling and simply went along with it.
"i don't understand what you did to the girls that made them kick you out."
"do they need a reason?" marissa responded.
"i-i guess not."
the pair made small talk with one another and gilbert even offered marissa his apple. "they're from our orchard, they're real sweet," he described. marissa's face showed a ghost of a smile as she took the apple from his hand.
all while this was happening, billy was watching the whole encounter from outside with his jaw clenched and opening and closing fists. he wanted to storm into the classroom and knock the apple right out of her hand, but he couldn't do something so irrational after ignoring her for a week or so.
marissa's bright blue eyes met with the muted, but sparkling brown ones of gilbert blythe. this was the last straw for billy andrews as he left the game him and his friends were playing and marched inside right up to gilbert and marissa. the two hadn't noticed billy until he cleared his throat.
"what do you think you're doing?!" billy exclaimed causing the whole room to turn and look at the three.
"um, we're eating lunch," gilbert said with an obvious tone to his voice.
"i wasn't talking to you blythe, shut your mouth!"
"yeah billy? because you weren't talking to me this week either!" marissa jumped in. at this point, josie pye and the girls from "the corner club" had started making their way over to marissa, gilbert, and billy who were all having a stare down between each other.
"what's going on here? billy? marissa?" josie pye said in an absolutely sickening sweet voice, one that marissa had never heard before. "hello? are you hearing me? billy!"
"oh buzz off josie!" billy yelled in reply. to this everyone gasped. "this is none of your business!"
"when it concerns you, yes it is my business!"
"josie why do you keep up with this act! the act that we're going to be something in the future that we won't ever be!" josie had tears welling in her eyes but she wouldn't dare let a single one fall, not in front of all these people. "i'm not your beau, and i never will be, so stop acting like it!" billy's sudden outburst had everyone fall into a big blanket of silence. josie then turned around and briskly walked out of the school building, the rest of the girls following after her giving billy glares and dirty looks.
marissa shook her head and ran after the girls. billy was about to follow her out when gilbert grabbed his arms and held him back.
outside, the girls sat comforting josie until marissa approached them and josie spoke up. "what do you want?"
"josie i'm sorry about what billy did in there, it wasn't right," marissa apologized on behalf of billy, "are you alright?"
"does it look like i'm alright!" josie screamed. the girls then shushed her and told her it would be alright. "this is all your fault watkins! things were fine until you showed up. billy was giving me all the attention in the world, but then you come back all 'oh billy i've missed you so much!', 'oh billy how could i ever leave this town!' and now his attention never leaves you or your stupid face!" this made marissa start to overthink again and tears prick the back of her eyes, but she would never let josie know that she was hurt.
"well i'm sorry you feel that way josie, but i can't help what billy feels, and if he says nothing will happen between you two, then you have to believe that nothing will." marissa the turned on her heels. "now if you'll excuse me, class is starting very soon," she then strutted away from the six girls standing near the river back into the school room where all the guys and older girls were sat in their seats.

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word count:897
i'm finally off of school for summer and that means i can start writing a lot more! thank you for sticking with me even though i've been very i active! anyways this chapter is juicy! hehe i love tea!
xoxo ~ angie