༶•┈┈⛧┈♛ ♛┈⛧┈┈•༶

" Well nobody asked you what your opinions were "

- Charlotte Wells

---

ON THE BACK OF THE SAME HORSE that departed Green Gables three days ago, Anne and Charlotte sat on top of it. Anne breathing in the air and admiring the sights, talking about the animals she would want to be. Charlotte sat silently listening, guiding the horse by the reins.

She jumped off, opening the gate and leading Anne and the horse through the yard by the reins.

As soon as she got through, Matthew popped out of the barn, just as Marilla ran out of the house. Matthew stepped forward, taking Anne's bags, helping her off the horse, while Marilla walked towards them.

"Well, it took you long enough to fetch her."

Charlotte turned around, rubbing muck and grime out of her eye. "Oh, I'm sorry to cause you worry while I was on the other side of the mainland."

Anne stepped forward, grinning widely. "Hello Miss Cuthbert."

"Hello Anne, good to see you back." Marilla nodded. "Please take your things up to your room and I'll get supper on."

As Anne walked up to the house, Charlotte looked over at Marilla. "For a woman practically begging to have her back you don't sound very grateful."

Marilla rolled her eyes, too tired to snap at her. "Just untack the horse."

Charlotte turned away, bringing the horse to the stable, untacking it and sitting down on a clump of straw. Due to the lack of sleep, she fell asleep in second, where she stayed asleep for the day.

—

Charlotte didn't bother changing for the picnic, she figured if people already didn't like her, why dress nicely in an attempt for them to change their mind.

She walked alongside Anne towards the several tents layed out, food everywhere. She cringed as Rachel Lynd and her husband walked up, she was never font of that woman. "Welcome home Anne."

"How do you do Mr. Lynd?" Anne smiled.

"Glad we didn't find you in a ditch," he smiled.

Charlotte stayed with Anne as the grown ups walked away. "You alright?"

"I feel unwelcomed," Anne admitted.

"If anyone does anything, let me know," Charlotte said, glancing at all the people looking oddly at the two. "And feeling making people feel unwelcome is what these people do."

Anne looked at the people of Green Gables as they whispered to her, one of the boys barking at her. She watched as Charlotte stepped towards him, grabbing a handful of grass and shoving it down the back of his suit, before walking away proudly.

Charlotte turned to her left, seeing Anne sprint away from the picnic, glancing over at Marilla. "I'll go. You apologize to Billy Andrews before I get back."

"Like hell I will," she spat as Marilla walked off.

Instead of doing any of the things Marilla asked of her, Charlotte stayed by Matthews side, watching Billy Andrews squirm around as he tried to get the grass out of his jacket with a smile on her face.

—

Charlotte trudged behind a cheery Anne, listening as the girl yapped away about how she was excited for her first day of school.

"Why hello there," Anne said to nobody, practising how she would greet people. "I'm ever so pleased to make your acquaintance. Greetings. No- Salutations."

"Don't say salutation," Charlotte told her. "Nobody will have a clue what you're on about."

Charlotte huffed as Anne crouched down, giving herself time to continue talking to herself while decorating her hat with flowers.

"Do you like school Charlotte?" Anne asked once she was done, continuing walking down the path to the school house.

Charlotte pretended to think for a moment. "No."

"Why?"

"It's school," Charlotte replied, stepping up the stairs of the hall, walking inside.

Diana walked up to the two instantly. "My, Anne, what have you done to your hat?"

"I wanted to make a good first impression," the redhead smiled.

"You're making an impression alright," Diana replied. "I expect we shall be able to walk together soon. My parents will be accepting you soon now that you are a Cuthbert and all. I'll show you around. Charlotte, will you come."

"That's a good question," Charlotte paused. "No."

DIana turned as four girls walked up to her. Charlotte scowled. "This is Jane Andrews and Josie Pye and Ruby Gillis and Tillie Boulter. Everybody, this is Anne."

Anne smiled. "It is a scrumptious pleasure to make your acquaintances and I shall do my utmost to prove myself worthy of your friendship."

The four girls looked dumbly back at her.

"Anne likes to read," Diana explained.

"I like to read too," Tillie grinned.

Ruby looked up at her. "No you don't.

"No I don't."

"I saw you at the church picnic," Jane said. "I should have said hello but i was busy getting grass out of my brothers suit."

Charlotte snickered, a smile stretching across her face.

"Why do they make you wear that old lady dress?" Josie asked slyly.

"It's just nice to have something new," Anne stuttered.

"If you were an orphan I suppose. I wouldn't be caught dead in it."

"Well nobody asked you what your opinions were," Charlotte scoffed. Out of everyone in the school, Josie Pye was by far her least favorite. To Charlotte, the girl was extremely unlikable.

"Anne isn't an orphan anymore," Diana stated. "She's been adopted."

"I'm still an orphan, Diana. I'll always be an orphan," Anne informed her.

"I feel real sorry for you Anne," Ruby nodded.

The group paused as a bark came from Charlotte's left, directed at Anne.

"You're ridiculous," Anne stuck up her chin.

Billy pretended to look surprised. "Look, it's a talking dog. Can you fetch too?"

Charlotte glared up at him.

"Don't mind my brother," Jane said. "He's ridiculous. Never let the boys know when they've upset you."

"Or get your parents to teach him to be a gentleman," Charlotte snapped.

"Have you ever been to a real school?" Josie asked Anne. "Or did they just send you to special orphan ones?"

Before Anne could answer, Diana placed her hand on her arm. "Let's finish the tour. Bring your milk. I'll show you the stream outside."

Charlotte stayed put, moving towards her desk at the front, reading as she waited for the class to start. Her thoughts were interrupted as a pair of hands slammed down on the table. She huffed, looking up only for her blue eyes to lock with the face of Billy Andrews. "Yes?"

"You know, I'm still picking grass out of my hair, Cocoa," Billy glared down at her.

"Good for you," Charlotte snapped, clenching her jaw at the nickname Billy had given her years ago.

Billy huffed in her face stepping away from her towards his seat as the bell rang. He had always hated Charlotte, with no clue why. Maybe it was the way her face scrunched up when she got angry, or she was just unlikable.

—

"Spell, ravishing."

Charlotte wrote the word on her slate, watching as the next student had to walk up to the board.

"Moody," Mr. Phillips called. "Stand and deliver. Spell dreadful, like your handwriting."

Charlotte stopped as Anne stood up behind her. "Moody, it has an a in it, but the a is silent."

"Yes, a is silent like you should be," Mr. Phillips said. "You're the orphan?"

"My name is Anne Shirly-Cuthbert and please spell Anne with an E."

"Did I call on you?"

"No."

"Then sit down."

Charlotte's jaw clenched tight as the class chuckled.

"Charlotte, up," Mr. Phillips pointed at her with his stick. "Spell. Onomatopoeia."

Charlotte huffed as she reached the whiteboard, scrunching her face up in thought. Mr. Phillips was always giving her bigger and harder words, or extra work as she completed it faster and to better quality than the other students.

She was one of the two current top students in their year. The other being Gilbert Blythe.

Charlotte bit her lip as she wrote the word down in perfect handwriting, stepping away as she finished.

Mr. Phillips read the word over, his eyes widening in surprise as she got every letter correct. "Perfect Charlotte."

—

During Lunchtimes at Avonlea school, Charlotte often sat alone by the stream, her back rested on the school house and her knees tucked to her work as she read her book or completed the extra work Mr. Phillips had assigned her.

Mr. Phillips has mixed feelings on the girl. Though she was awfully bright, her impulsiveness wouldn't give a bystander that first impression. The amount of times he had to break up a a fight between her and one of the boys, or the times he walked into class with her and somebody up in each others faces in an argument was too many times to count on one hand.

Charlotte looked up from her paper as Josie stormed towards her, Tillie and Ruby at her side. "Tell your orphan friend if she wants to fit in here, she should keep her mouth shut."

The brunette on the floor frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"She was yapping on about pet mice and touching them and getting the strap," Josie spat, disgust clear on her face.

Charlotte grabbed her stuff, standing up to her full height before shoving past the three girls and Diana, stepping inside the schoolhouse to see Anne sitting in the corner alone. Charlotte cleared her throat, walking towards her and sitting herself down in front of Anne.

She would rather have been alone, finishing her work at that moment, but she knew Anne constantly felt like she had nobody. If Charlotte was there, maybe that feeling would go away.

Charlotte sat with Anne all lunchtime, trying her best to at least look like she was interested in whatever Anne had to speak about. 

---

20/11/2023

Keep patiently waiting for our bf Gilbert to make his entrance. 

Also anyone got ship names?