OSTRACIZE | GILBERT BLYTHE

78

"I believe we've yelled enough about the incident." Miss Stacy said as she threw a paper aeroplane across the classroom to get everyone's attention.

Anne sat at her desk while everyone shouted about her. Ellis sat at the back of the classroom, trying to read the article that Anne had wrote.

"How would you like to proceed? My first recommendation is to talk at a level that won't cause deafness."

"We're arguing about the wrong thing." Gilbert started. Defeatedly, Ellis screwed up the paper and walked up to join the rest of her class. She had a rough idea what the article was about, considering she heard everyone arguing about Josie and Billy. "This isn't about what Anne wrote. This is about what's fair."

"What's fair? My piece is literally and precisely called 'what is fair?'" Anne interrupted, Ellis chuckled slightly. She didn't know if the title was meant to be a pun or not, considering the event happened at a fair

"Anne, it's time to listen. Gilbert, please elaborate." Miss Stacy said cutting in.

"I mean, fairness to us. The team. You could've pitched your idea, and we could've worked on it, together. I'm sure that's there's a way that we can talk about equality without ruining a girls life." Gilbert continued, looking between Anne and Ellis.

Ellis hadn't talk to him since the fair, and even then she barely said a word to him.

"Oh, now you have an opinion on equality?" Anne scoffed as she started a Gilbert.

"It's the same opinion I probably would've had yesterday, had you bothered to ask." Gilbert responded, crossing his arms.

"Interesting! Because at the fair, I could've sworn I saw you negotiating for an attractive new parcel of land. I mean...wife." Anne snapped.

Ellis stumbled back as if the words had, had a physical impact on her. Gilbert looked at Ellis and tried to reach out for her, to explain. But she began talking before he could say anything.

"Miss Stacy?" Ellis cleared her throat and looked down at her shoes. "May I say something?" Miss Stacy nodded with a warm smile. "I think what Anne did was right."

Ellis looked up to her fellow pupils and blushed a deep red. She tried to stay as calm as possible so that she didn't stutter.

"Billy deserves to be punished for what he did to Josie." Ellis paused. "No girl deserves to feel unsafe and disrespected the way that he made m-her feel."

Tears of anger formed in her eyes as she thought back to how he tried to kiss her.

"Billy has ruined her reputation, and why is that fair? Why should Josie be name called and not Billy for what he did?"

"Ellis are you okay?" Gilbert questioned reaching forward for the girl.

"Don't touch me!" Ellis smacked his hand away and it was only then did she realise that she had been crying. "I'm fine." Ellis didn't say anything else, she just turned on her heel and left.