"Love is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it"
-Nicholas Spark
❦
"Are you alright Annabelle?"
Annabelle closed her eyes in distress taking a deep breath, "I'm fine Anne," She said smiling in a harsh attempt to ignore her anger. Annabelle thought back to the event which occurred just earlier that morning, she had been walking to school, her arms looped with Diana and Annes when Billy ran up to the trio smiling one of his vicious grins, Moody and Charlie following him, he stood in front of them, shoulders as always broad. When Annabelle had made an attempt to ask Anne about the day they met and what had taken place, Anne shut down, she didn't say a word and Anna watched as her wonderfully bright friend's light slowly diminished ever so slightly, since then she hadn't dared ask again. "Annabelle, I am willing to forgive your previous mistakes." his whiney voice barked, Annabelle, frowned, releasing her arms from her friends to mimic his stance.
"Is that so." she asked sarcastically, "Can you leave us alone Billy for christ's sake" He smirked "Mutt." Anne grimaced stepping forward in anger. Annabelle loosened her arms rolling her eyes with distaste, "You are perhaps the dumbest girl I have ever met" He exclaimed to Anne staring her down eyes locked into hers like two bulls in a ring, "Look Annabelle I'm offering you an out from becoming one of these losers, and I highly suggest you take it" she stared in his eyes for a second, that empty blue, not the kind which welcomed you to anything but a world of hatred and refined venom which carefully was circulating through his blood waiting for its next victim. She pondered her next move, and whilst she had several responses she could have given, the only one she liked at this moment was to spit at his feet and kick up the dirt onto his disgustingly cuffed pants. and so she chose that one
He stood in shock and heard the gasp from Diana's mouth, and then just like that, she had thrown red into the arena and within a second, Billy bit his lip nose crinkling up in disgust, his arm leered towards Annabelle's wrist, forcefully throwing her towards him, the force was too much for her weakening body as she struggled against him but he kicked under her feet and the dirt kicked up onto her tights, her knees on the ground in the dirt, tights ripped. Annabelle couldn't move. Billy had her whole body on the ground in seconds and he leaned down still in that stance, so close to her and it felt as though with each step he was filling the tank she was in with more and more water. Even Annabelle's two dearest friends who had wished to help were fearful of this look In Billy's eyes too unfamiliar to try to challenge. She watched his face as he pulled on his act that he had so flawlessly perfected. The one where what he had just done was completely justified as who was to challenge him? It reminded Annabelle of a clown painting its makeup before a show. He spat at her, roughly missing her face. He looked up at his friends "take the mut and the follower out of here for me would you?" Moody and Charlie stood frozen but Billy remained calm, barking his orders again. They grabbed Anne and Diana who struggled screaming Annnas name but before long their cries were in the distance and Annabelle was no longer in the moment, she closed her eyes frozen in fear, yet there was no regret other than that she may have caused distress for her friends because he was disgusting and he deserved to be treated as such.
She felt betrayed by his strength and the spite at her own weakness, she wished she could fight but she couldn't, not when her lungs were not taking in even a quarter of the air they needed to be and her bones and muscles felt so strained as if she had constantly been running a marathon, a way she supposed she had been. "Are you going to listen now?" He whispered in her ear and she winced
"Let her go, Billy," her eyes snapped open and Billy's head snapped towards the familiar voice
Gilbert stood, holding his books over his shoulder in one hand and the other an apple, which as he walked towards them was tossed in the air and firmly caught. She watched as he stared down at Annabelle's now red wrist from Billy's grip, she remembered the last Saturday when he had held her own wrist with much less aggression than now. She watched something change in his eyes, a shift, similar to billy's yet this time it felt comforting rather than manic.
"This doesn't concern you, Blythe," He said pulling Annabelle up behind him, she winced from the pain of her legs and bleeding knees
"Actually it does and it's going to concern your family, hopefully, the police too actually." Billy smirked "It's a conversation between me and my future wife here that's all buddy come on"
Gilbert threw the apple up catching it again, this time he looked at Annabelle softly for a second, and her heartfelt weaker, but not in a bad way, in an 'it'll be okay' way.
He swung his books over his shoulder dropping them and placing the apple on top
"You want me to ask again? is that it-?" Billy watched as Gilbert rolled up his sleeves, "because it seems you haven't gotten the picture" Annabelle looked at Gilbert, hair wet from the snow of the morning melting on his skin which she just knew was warm from chopping wood for the fire stack she noticed outside his house, and he looked. Different, he looked angry. Calm. But angry. She felt Billy's grip loosen ever so slightly and finally, he dropped her, she fell back to the ground, the shock winding her a little bit, and she gasped.
"Fine Blythe. I'll let you have this one but just remember. That precious little farm of yours? My father owns half that land. I'd be careful what you say and do"
And as fast as she was fearing for her life, he was gone. And just like that Gilbert switched back, he rushed to her side, knees on the forest floor his arms surrounding her, she had been right that he was warm. "Are you okay!?" She smiled looking up at him as he examined her wrists, she pointed towards his pants "They are gonna get dirty." They both looked at each other for a second, his face questioning her sanity "My pants. getting dirty. that's what you are worried about right now?" she nodded and he chuckled, he quickly slid his arms under her and she instinctively wrapped her arms around him.
Now as Annabelle sat in class staring down at her wrist in silence, she had covered them with a jumper after Gilbert had carried her home where she quickly changed and sculled tonic, she wasn't going to miss another day of school, her aunt had been at the market so she safely avoided questions, she bandaged her knees and waited till her breath returned to normal. The mix of bloody blues and reds was familiar to her skin from how sensitive she was these days. But when she returned outside, Gilbert sat on a bench, waiting for her.
"Gilbert-" He smiled awkwardly scratching the back of his head as he stood up "I was worried" she frowned but couldn't help that feeling of warmth spread through her. She walked beside him both in silence to the school, they were both late.
The class whispered in shock and excitement about the new gossip to discuss, that Annabelle had arrived at school with Gilbert at the same time after class had begun. And as Annabelle tried to feel comforted that she was okay, she only felt consumed by the numbness that had consumed her for such a long time before moving to Avonlea creeping slowly back into her body.
Anne and Diana frantically apologised and questioned her at lunch stating how they had rushed back to the school house begging Mr Phillips to come help but he had threatened them for lying as Billy's mother had just called into the state he was sick and not at school. They asked what had happened and Anna had relayed the events, forgiving them for their disappearance, except Anna kept the majority of the Gilbert part a secret, and to be truthful she wasn't sure why she wanted to not share that he had carried her back home and waited for her, or that her heart felt warm around him, or that she liked the way he smelt. So many things she felt so deeply inclined to keep to herself.
"We have to do something about Billy" Diana exclaimed, her eyes avoiding the gaze of Charlie and Moody who both looked doused in guilt. Anna nodded slightly and Anne frowned
"I was so scared, Anna. How were you not terrified spitting on Billy like that, you should have stayed home and rested!' Anna listened to Anne's rambles but suddenly, Annabelles eyes finally left her wrist moving to meet Anne's own bright ones
"Everyone is scared of something Anne."
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Fanfiction"𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚." ❦ Annabelle Smith is dying, she has exactly one year to live. And as her family moves her to the country in Avonlea to live her last year as normal as possible Annabelle is faced w...
