Avonlea MB  Fan Fiction   Nothing Else Matters Support Search runboard.com       Sign up (learn about it) | Sign in (lost password?) Page:  1  2  3  4  5  ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Nothing Else Matters Since the board was hacked, I took a break from writing. I meant to start working on Life Is Ours after Thanksgiving but never got around to it. After a long vacation, I've decided to start writing again, but in the meantime I'll repost my old stories (that I saved, thank goodness). I consider NEM along with Where My Heart Belongs part of my best work so far. I'm reposting this one first because it preceded LIO, and it will refresh your memory (along with mine) about the characters and circumstances. This is from Gil's point-of-view, and I must say that it's interesting looking at things from another perspective. Enjoy! *************************** Nothing Else Matters They say it's only natural to want what you can't have, and in my case it couldn't be any truer. I've been in love with Anne Shirley ever since that first day of school many years ago, and I can remember it as if it were yesterday. Let's flashback to six or seven years ago, shall we? I was a 14-year-old schoolboy who was – and I admit – very immature. I took joy in teasing the girls. It was fun; I couldn't help it! Besides, it was way too easy. They'd scream or cry whenever I'd poke them or call them names or throw stuff at them, and I'd sit back in my seat and laugh. It was mean to do such a thing, I know, but that's the way things were. They didn't fight back or anything; therefore, it made everything so much better. I have no idea why, but despite the fact that I'd tease those girls silly, they were all crazy about me. I tried my best to avoid Josie Pye and Julia Bell. Those two were the worst, especially Josie; who else writes “TAKE NOTICE!” in all caps on the wall anyway? The only reason why I did associate with Josie in the first place was because I could, and I knew it would make all of those girls jealous. Then one day, Anne entered my life and turned it completely upside down. She was the new girl in town and was apparently the talk of the town. The Cuthberts adopted this new orphan girl, and it was a bold move, especially for Marilla. I knew the history between her and my father, and it was always awkward whenever a Cuthbert was mentioned in a conversation. Anyway, I remember hearing about Anne from the other kids in school and couldn't wait to meet this new girl. It was someone new that I could pick on, but boy, was I ever in for a surprise. I took my seat across the aisle from Anne and Diana Barry and waited to make my move. In order to get her attention, I pinned Ruby Gillis' braid to the back of her chair and watched her scream. “Ahhhhhhhhh!” she cried. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen. Ruby tried to get her hair off the chair while I went back to “studying.” I did my best to keep a straight face so the teacher, Mr. Phillips, wouldn't suspect that I did anything. I looked over at Anne and gave her a wink, and to my surprise, she looked away with disgust. That wasn't the reaction that I was used to getting. Girls would usually blush when I did such a thing and whisper to their neighbor, “Oh my gosh, Gilbert winked at me!” But not Anne. Since she wouldn't look at me, I decided to get her attention. I rolled up little wads of paper and threw them at her, but she still wouldn't look. That's when I had the brilliant idea of pulling on one of her red pigtails. “Carrots!” I whispered. “Carrots!” She turned around and gave me the most hateful look I ever saw. Her face was as red as a tomato and yelled the harshest words my ears had ever heard. “You mean, hateful boy! How dare you!” She reached behind and grabbed her binder and smacked me over the head with it, sending the pens and pencils in there flying across the area of my desk and my lap. The room went silent. Mr. Phillips approached Anne and took her to the front of the room. “It's my fault, sir. I'm the one who teased her,” I said, trying to get her from being punished. He didn't listen to me. Anne was forced to stay after school and copy down word for word “Ann Shirley has a bad temper,” but knowing her, I knew she'd add an extra “e” where it belonged. I waited for her after school and tried to apologize, but she wouldn't budge. She simply stuck her nose in the air and walked home with Diana. I overheard her talking to Diana, saying “I shall never forgive Gilbert Blythe,” and I smiled. Normally I wouldn't do such a thing, but I couldn't help myself. Any girl who refuses to look at me and has the guts to smack me on the head with a five pound binder is someone special. This girl was certainly something. Fast forward to six or seven years later. Anne and I had become friends – good friends. We could talk for hours about nothing and just hang out. I knew all of Avonlea had secretly gossiped for years about us being together for eternity, and I hoped that they were right. I fell head over heels for Anne and decided one day to ask her to marry me. And that's where I went wrong. It was a beautiful, sunny day at Patty's Place. Anne was sitting outside in the orchard and looked absolutely stunning with the sun highlighting her features. I gathered mayflowers and gave them to her. We had a bit of small talk before I poured my heart out to her. Maybe I was a bit too forward in my delivery because that's when I heard her say, “I-I can't.” Was I hearing things? Did she honestly say “I can't”? “What do you mean?” I asked, wanting to know if I was hallucinating or not. “I'm so sorry, Gilbert, but I can't marry you,” she said. She looked in the other direction. “But why? Don't you love me?” “I care a great deal for you, Gil. Really I do but not in that kind of way.” “Is there someone else?” Desperation led me to ask that. “No. I'm perfectly happy with where I am. I don't want anything to change. Can't we just be friends?” Friends. Sure that could work, but I'm in love with her. How can I think about friendship with I'm in love with her? But I guess it's better than nothing. “Sure, Anne.” “Thanks, Gil.” She gave me a hug and then went away, and I watched her run back into the house. And this is where I am now, my first day at Redmond University. It's a little weird being here on my own away from the usual comforts of home, meaning Mom's home cooking and Anne, but I have to do this. My ultimate goal is to become a doctor. I want to help people, and being a doctor is just one way to do it. It'll be a slow and steady process, but I'm up to the challenge. Studying for exams is nothing; it's the thought of Anne being with someone else that's driving me insane. This is the first time that she's out of Avonlea too, and I know that other guys will fall for her charm just like I did. Maybe while I'm here I'll meet someone else who I can fall for, but I don't know if she'll ever compare to my Anne. 1/1/2007, 9:20 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters I walked into my first class of the day, which happened to be history, and it already seemed that the girls here were already starting to notice me. I don't get it. Had Josie Pye been talking to them or something? I don't know. Sure, I would have loved this reaction when I was younger but not now. The only girl I want noticing me is Anne, and she won't have me. But I can't keep my mind on her for too long because unlike most people here I actually do want to learn something. I look over to my right, and there's a guy sitting in the corner who the girls are also swooning over. “Oh, Roy!” I hear the girls say while they flutter their fake eyelashes and try their best to flirt with him. He sees me looking over in his direction and gives me the little head nod as if to say “What's up?” I give one back, and we both go back to where we were before. The professor walks in, and then class starts. I admit it was hard sitting through his lecture on various kinds of wars and weapons used throughout the centuries for two hours or so, but at least I made it. My new buddy, Roy, on the other hand, isn't as lucky. He's fast asleep, and I swear the guys over there are trying to draw a unibrow or something across his face. I'd be pretty funny though; I'll admit that. After class is over, I'm approached by some guys that I met earlier who are begging me to come to a party. “Blythe, you gotta come to our party tonight,” said Brad. “Please, dude! We need chicks!” pleaded Ryan. “Yeah, and you're 'the hot one' according to all the girls here,” added Colin. “I've heard them talk about you. Once they know you're coming, they'll come, and we'll have a chance to score!” “Please, dude!” “I'll think about it,” I said. I'm really not a party animal as the typical male college student stereotype perceives me to be, and I really want to keep it that way. “C'mon, Blythe. Just one party, man. It won't kill you, and besides, there are some pretty hot chicks after you,” said Ryan. “Like Christine Stuart. That girl is smokin'.” “Oh yeah. If you get her to come, we'll love you forever, man,” said Brad. “You get her to go, and we'll never ask you to do this ever again,” added Colin. I don't know if that's gonna be true or not, but I really want them to leave me alone after this. So I caved. “Alright. I'll go.” “Woohoo! We're getting chicks tonight!” Lovely. “So I'll see you guys tonight.” “Later, bro!” I leave, letting the guys celebrate on their own. I go to the rest of my classes for the day thinking, “What did I just get myself into?” Maybe it won't be so bad. I'll at least have a chance at meeting some new people, and I'll get to check out this Christine Stuart girl that the guys are raving about. Who knows? Maybe she'll be the person after my own heart. 1/1/2007, 9:22 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters I finally got a chance to walk into the frat house where the party will be held, and needless to say the guys were, in a word that I'm gonna borrow from their terminology here, "stoked." "Blythe, you made it!" exclaimed Colin as he pats me on the back. "Dude, I'm so glad you came! The chicks heard that you were coming, and they're totally rushing to get ready to come over here," said Ryan. "I've got the booze!" announced Brad. He places the cans of beer in a cooler. Wonderful. Like I said before, I'm not a big party loving kinda guy; I'd much rather stay at home and relax. Besides, I'm not a big believer in getting yourself drunk just to have a good time. It's just not me. There are other ways to have fun while being sober at the same time...like doing tag team bowling with your best friend and almost getting kicked out of the bowling alley five times because the employees there were all cranky and wanted you to stop throwing ten balls at a time down the lane. But that's another story. Anyway, loads of people started arriving, and needless to say, I didn't feel too comfortable. I was like a fish out of water and desperately wanted to get back to its bowl. I saw Roy there, and he gave the little nod like he did before in class. I gave one back and left him there to mingle with the various puckbunny, hockey like groupies in the corner. Brad ran up to me and tapped me on the shoulder. "Dude, Christine Stuart's here! I love you man!" So I'm guessing I'll never have to show up to one of these parties ever again assuming that the guys keep their promise. He pointed me to the direction where Christine was standing, and I automatically knew why the guys were crazy about her. There was an angelic like quality about her that came with her beauty. She was tall and had sweet violet eyes with dark brown silky hair. There was no question that she was a beauty, but did she have any personality? That I would have to find out. I made my way through the crowd and decided to talk to her. "Hi," I said timidly. "Hi," she said back, giving a smile. "It's a little weird here, isn't it?" "Yeah, a little bit." We started having some small talk, and it was quite a pleasant experience despite the fact that we were surrounded by crazy drunks. We were in the middle of our conversation when I noticed a blurred face walking towards me. I couldn't see because of the crowd, but when I squinted my eyes, I could make out the figure of a redheaded girl. Anne?! "Excuse me for a moment," I said to Christine. I made my way from where I was standing and saw the girl bolting in the other direction. I had to follow her to see if it was her or not, so I did and went after her outside. She stumbled from her shoe, and I caught her by the arm. Sure enough, it was her. "Anne?" I asked. She looked up at me and nodded. "Oh, Gil. I'm an idiot. I should have never let those girls talk me into this!" "What?" "I always wanted to have the college experience first hand, and now I'm finding out what it's like." She started to walk towards her dorm. "Anne, wait!" She turned around before walking back. "Go back to your friend, Gil. It'd be rude of you to leave her behind like that." When she walked back, I felt as if I was punched in the stomach. I slowly made my way back to Christine to tell her goodbye for the night and headed to my dorm. 1/1/2007, 9:24 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters I went to my classes the next day feeling tired and miserable. Yep, Anne had seen me with Christine, and I'm assuming that's why she left all of a sudden. She wouldn't just leave like that, would she? I couldn't think straight at all, but I at least kept my concentration up long enough to make it through the rest of the day. After school, I went into the library to study and chose a table to sit down. As I'm laying down my book, I look to my right, and I see Anne with Roy! That guy is not doing what I think he's doing, is he? I immediately sat down and opened the book to a random page. I act as if I'm studying when in reality I'm trying to listen in to their conversation. "And that's how you graph 3-D vectors," Anne explained as she finished her sketch. "Wow," Roy said. "Thanks a lot, Anne." "No problem. Don't mention it." Anne stood up to leave when Roy put his hand on her arm. "Listen, do you have any plans for tonight?" Please say no to him, Anne. Please say no to him! "No," she said. "Why?" "Do you wanna see a movie with me?" She smiled. "Sure. What movie?" "How about the latest romantic comedy out now, and let's say 7:00?" "I'd love it." "I'll see you then." Anne smiled and walked away, leaving Roy with a goofy smile on his face. Boy, I wish I could just go over there and hit him. But just as I was about to turn around, Christine took a seat at my table. "Hey." "Hi, Christine. How are you?" "Good, Gil. You?" "Not too bad." "That's good. What are you doing here?" "Just trying to catch up on some things." Like some peace of mind but that just got ruined. "Me, too." Christine and I basically started picking up from where we left off the night before in our conversation, and that's when I couldn't help myself. "Christine, do you have any plans for tonight?" "No." I saw her get a twinkle in her eyes. "Why do you ask?" "Do you want to go to the movies with me tonight?" "I'd love to! What time?" "I don't know...7:00?" "Wonderful." She gave me a hug. "I'll see you then." And with that, she left. I know I shouldn't be acting like a five-year-old boy in a situation like this, but I really don't care. Anne is someone who I'll always love and admire, and I just can't let her go that easily. I'm not going to go stalker crazy on her because I love her too much to scare her half to death. I just don't like this Roy character at all and wouldn't trust him with my life, yet I have to know what he plans to do with Anne. 1/1/2007, 9:26 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters I went back to my dorm to prepare for my "date" with Christine. To be honest, I was a bit nervous. Why? This was the first time that I took someone out besides Anne, but Anne and I never officially "went out." We just hung out like normal friends did, and contrary to popular belief, I never went out with a lot of girls. Sure, I like to tease them every now and then, but as to dating every one of them, I didn't do that. I don't like being a "player" and breaking girls' hearts unlike other guys I know. I picked up Christine from her dorm and drove over to the movie theater near the campus. Being the gentleman that I am, I let Christine choose the movie, and luckily for me (if you can call that lucky), she chose the same one that Roy and Anne were going to see. I knew I was probably going to fall asleep through it since it was some chick flick/romantic comedy that every girl in school wanted to see, but I was determined to stay awake no matter how much I had to pain I had to cause myself to do so. I bought our tickets and held the door for Christine as we went inside. We walked into the room where the movie was going to be played and took a couple seats in the back. Since we were a little early, we had a chance to talk again. We weren't the only ones in there though, for out the corner of my eye I saw Anne and Roy sitting together a few rows ahead of us. I admit I was a bit jealous when I saw Roy with his arm around Anne as she snuggled against him, but I couldn't do anything about it. Afterall, it wasn't like I owned Anne or anything, and it was her choice to move on in her life, a decision that I choose to respect. So in response to that, I put my arm around Christine when the lights went down, and she didn't resist. I felt her moving closer to me, which I didn't mind. As I expected, the movie was boring, and I had to jerk my head several times against my seat in order to stay awake while Christine was totally focused on the screen. Half way throught the movie, my eyes shifted towards Anne. That's when I almost lost it. Roy leaned over to kiss Anne, and she didn't pull away. They were literally making out during the movie. I can't tell you how much strength it took me to not go over there and beat the daylights out of him; it's a good thing too because I honestly believe that I could have done it. I had to excuse myself for a moment to regain my composure as I "needed to go to the bathroom." I went out into the hall and smacked myself on the forehead. I had no right to be acting like this. First and foremost, I'm with someone else at the moment even if it's not totally official. Second, Anne is a person that I love and adore, and if it means that I must sacrifice my sanity and happiness in order for her to be happy, I'll do it. Will I ever get over her? I don't know, but I feel as if I must if I'm ever going to survive the rest of my time here. After taking a deep breath, I walk back in and force myself to watch the rest of the movie. I took Christine out for a little walk at the park after everything was over so we could talk and relax for a bit before going back. The moon was shining as we sat down on a bench, and it accented the features on Christine's face. She looked beautiful; it was then that I realized that I could actually have another chance to move on with my life. Christine was a nice girl that I wanted to know better, and she hadn't done anything yet to convince me otherwise. I took her back to her dorm when I realized that it was getting late and kissed her good night. The look on her face reassured me that I would be seeing her again. 1/1/2007, 9:27 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters A couple weeks went by, and as expected I saw Christine again. And again. The gossip around campus starting incorporating the two of us along with Anne and Roy. I didn't really mind being talked about seeing that there was nothing to hide, but my ears would always perk up whenever I heard anything involving Anne or her new flame. "Did you hear about Anne Shirley and Roy Gardner?" asked one girl during my biology class when the professor wasn't looking. "No!" replied another girl. "What happened?" "They went to the Coldplay concert last night, and Roy got them both on stage!" "Really? Oh my gosh! They met the band and went up on stage in front of all of those people?" "Yeah!" "Wow! Anne is so lucky! I'd kill to have a guy like that - someone's who's attractive and rich and has good connections." "Well, I hear ya on that one. People are saying that they're pretty serious right now, and I believe it." "Oh yeah?" "Yeah. I'm expecting those two to be engaged any minute now." "Whoa." And that's when I tuned everything out. Engaged? Anne and Roy had known each other for like what...two weeks? It's way too soon to assume anything like that would happen. But then again...Anne does have a tendency to do the unexpected, and she'll do anything if she puts her mind to it. I forced myself to focus long enough until class was over and went out to meet Christine who was waiting for me by the steps of the building. "Hey," I said while I kissed her on the cheek. "Hey," she said. "How'd your class go?" "Alright." It would have been better if the girls there didn't talk about Anne and Roy. "That's good. Listen, Gil. I hear homecoming's coming up pretty soon, and I'd love for you to come with me to the dance." Hmm...that's a first. A girl besides Josie Pye asked me to go to a dance, and I don't even have to stick up for myself. "I'd love to go, Christine." She smiled. "Great!" There was something in her eyes then that made me a bit suspicious and weary. Usually her eyes would give off a sweet vibe, but at that moment I saw them turn dark, giving her a mischievous look as if she was up to something. I don't normally look into things like that, but as my mother always says, "The eyes are the window to the soul." With Anne I could always tell what she was thinking or feeling whenever I looked into her eyes, but with Christine I couldn't always tell. I know I haven't known her long enough to make any sort of judgment like that, but I can at least be aware of it, can't I? 1/1/2007, 9:29 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters Note: The song used here is "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica, the same source of inspiration for the title of this story. ***************************** Homecoming finally came after a couple more weeks. I usually like coming to these kinds of events because I could see my friends, but I felt weird this time. For one, I knew Anne and Roy were going to be there, which meant that I would have to bite my tongue to keep myself from saying stupid around Anne or from saying something that I would regret later to Roy. Another thing was that I sensed that Christine was up to something. It wasn't the usual "Oh my gosh, I don't know what to wear!" kind of frenzy that girls go through for dances or special occasions.(I never really understood that in the first place; I like natural girls to be honest.) Well, Christine did go through that, but there was a quiet sneakiness in the way she conducted things with her friends compared to the past that made me suspicious. After getting in my suit (and being told by some girls that I looked "hot" after passing them on the way to my car), I picked up Christine. I can't deny the fact that she looked beautiful in her pale blue V-neck dress, and I put the corsage that I had for her on her wrist. With a kiss and her arm in the crook of my arm, we made our way to a nice restaurant for dinner. It turns out that the place where I made reservations was hosting a lot of Redmond people that night, so the wait was a little long. Lucky for us, we were able to make our way through the crowd and got seated. As we waited for the waiter to come by and take our orders, Christine excused herself to the restroom, and I sat there staring at the menu. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a couple being seated next to me. It was none other than Anne and Roy. Roy looked not too bad in his suit, but it wasn't him that I was looking at. Anne looked like she came from a dream in her soft green dress that brought out the rich gray in her eyes and the ruddy tints in her hair. It was piled up in the most elegant manner and had a curl on either side of her head, framing her face. I couldn't breathe for a moment or two but was brought back into reality when Roy noticed me. "Hey, Blythe!" he called. I couldn't believe that he actually knew my name after all this time. "Hey!" "Lookin' sharp, man." "You, too." Actually, I don't care how you look like since I'm not paying attention to you. "Where's your date, bro?" "In the bathroom." I love your date though. "Anne, you're looking very nice to night." Well isn't that the biggest understatement of the year? I could have sworn that I saw her blush when I said that. "Thank you," she said, looking down. I didn't have much time to analyze what just happened because Christine returned. "Your date's looking pretty good," Roy commented. "Thank you," Christine said, doing a mini pose. Roy laughed, and I laughed quietly. I know I shouldn't be nit picky about little details like that, but with the way she was acting before, could this be part of her plan? Again, I didn't have enough time to think as the waiter finally appeared to take our orders and quickly returning with them, leaving us to eat in peace. After paying for the meal, Christine and I left to go back to Redmond and entered the dance hall. It was set in the main room of the planetarium of the school, and I admit that the setup surpassed my expectations. The stars were shining (even if they were projected on the ceiling), the lights were dimmed, flowers were scattered throughout. It created a very intimate atmosphere, and on top of all that everyone looked great. As I entered the hall with Christine on my arm, everyone turned around. One of Christine's friends rushed up to us. "Christine!" shouted one girl over the loud music that was playing. "You look great!" "Thanks, Melanie! You look great, too!" she shouted back. I noticed her eying me up and down. "So I see you brought a date this evening." "Uh yeah! Where's yours?" "He's somewhere. I don't know where he is, and I don't really care. I didn't really want him to begin with; I just someone to pay for my corsage and dinner." "I totally understand." Huh? "We better catch up to other people," Christine said. "We'll see you around!" "Okay!" Umm...okay. That was a little weird. Before I could say anything, a mass group of Josie Pye wannabes swarmed over to us, and my eyes widened in surprise at the number of them. "Hey, Gilbert!" they said sweetly while fluttering their fake eyelashes. It's times like these that I wish I didn't have "sophisticated good looks." "Umm...hi." Christine glared at them all. "Back off! He's MINE!" The girls backed off and went away. Christine looked over at another friend of hers and winked. Is that supposed to mean something? I know those girls were annoying, but was that necessarily the best way to get rid of him. I decided that it was best to keep my mouth shut in order to not spoil the evening. Moments later, Anne and Roy entered the room. I heard whispers all around me about how "handsome" Roy looked and how gorgeous Anne looked. They were right about Anne, but I'm not so sure about Roy. Christine took a hold of my hand and led us up to them. "Roy!" she greeted. "Nice to see you again." "You, too," he said. "It's been, I don't know, twenty minutes?" She laughed. "Maybe." I looked over at Anne and smiled. She smiled back, and that ticked Christine. She grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to her as she stuck her nose up at Anne while scowling at her. She then looked over at Roy. "Good luck tonight, Roy. I hope you'll be the Homecoming King." "Good luck to you too, Christine," Roy said. "I hope you'll be the Homecoming Queen." And with that, we walked away. And by we, I mean Christine dragging me away with her. I could tell that she did not like the sight of Anne, and I didn't like that. Christine could have at least pretended to be nice to her even if she didn't like her; it's a whole lot nicer than just blowing her off like that. We were beginning to chat with yet another one of her friends when the Dean walked up to the microphone to announce the Homecoming King and Queen. "Thank you for coming out tonight," he began. "I'm glad we got a big part of the student body to come out and join us this evening, but before I announce this year's Homecoming King and Queen, let me begin by telling you all a story..." "Boo!" went the crowd. "I'm kidding!" he laughed. "I know how much you all want to know the results, so may I please have the first envelope?" A member of the student council handed him an envelope. "Thank you. This year's Homecoming King as voted by you, the student body, is..." He opened the seal. "...Roy Gardner!" Anne beamed with pride as she kissed Roy before he went up to receive his crown. The Dean received a second envelope. "And this year's Homecoming Queen is..." He broke the seal. "...Christine Stuart!" She jumped up with glee and hurriedly made her way through the crowd to get her crown, completely leaving me behind and not even stopping to give me a hug or a kiss or any other sign of acknowledgment. A couple of student council members put the crown on her head. "Congratulations, you two," said the Dean. "As a tradition here and anywhere, the first dance begins with the king and queen." He signaled for the deejay to play the song and walked off to the side. With Roy dancing with Christine, that left Anne and me alone on the dance floor. I walked closer to her and held out my hand. "Anne, for old time's sake, would you honor me with the first dance?" To my relief, she took my hand. "I'd love to." Anne put her hand on my shoulder as I put my arm around her waist. The lyrics of the song sounded so sweet, and even though Anne and I weren't together as a couple, it just felt so right to be dancing with her underneath the stars and looking at her as if she was the only one in the room. So close no matter how far Couldn't be much more from the heart Forever trust in who we are And nothing else matters Never opened myself this way Life is ours, we live it our way All these words I don't just say And nothing else matters Trust I seek and I find in you Every day for us something new Open mind for a different view And nothing else matters Never cared for what they do Never cared for what they know But I know... When the song was over, I let go of Anne so she could go back to Roy, and that's when Christine hastily went up to me and said, "We're leaving." "Huh?" I asked, dumbfounded. "Yeah, we're leaving," She looked over at Anne and said in a nasty tone, "Stay away from him!" She grabbed my hand and started heading for the exit. Last edited by ladybell101, 1/1/2007, 9:48 pm 1/1/2007, 9:35 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters Once we got near the door, I put my foot down. "What was that all about?" "Oh nothing, Gil," Christine said as she tried to move closer us to the door. I grabbed her arm. "What I saw back there was clearly something. Now tell me why you were acting like that towards Anne." She paused for a minute. "She doesn't need to be hanging around you." Whoa, hold it right there. Is Christine actually jealous of Anne? Huh? "What did she do to you to make you act like that?" "Well, you were dancing with her!" "What's that supposed to mean?" "Oh c'mon, Gil! Don't tell me that you didn't feel anything." Well, to be honest, she got me there. I did feel something, but I wasn't going to admit that to her. "Christine, I didn't feel anything. Honest." Yeah right. "Anne is just a friend; I've known her for years. And besides, she's with Roy right now, and I'm not the kind of guy who would do such a thing." I saw her lighten up a bit. "I believe you." Whew. "So are you okay now?" "Yeah." I could now breathe a sigh of relief. "But I still don't want her hanging out with you." She's never going to get over this, is she? I guess it's my turn to step up and be a man then if she's going to act like a controlling and possessive girlfriend. "If that's the case, then I don't want you hanging around Roy Gardner." With the shocked look on her face, I knew I hit the jackpot with the name. "But Gil!" Since I had such perfect timing whenever I wanted to say something, the swarm of Josie Pye wannabes just had to pass us at that exact moment, and I heard them saying, "Oh my gosh, I feel so bad for Gilbert! That Christine Stuart is just using him to get to Roy Gardner. What a conceited girl!" A ha! So that's the reason why she had been acting so strange lately. She was using tonight to get to him. Go figure. And with that, not only was she trying to hurt me but she was trying to hurt Anne as well! Anyone that hurts Anne has to deal with me, and even if that means that I have to give one of my friends a black eye for doing so, I'll gladly suffer the consequences for it. Christine quickly interjected. "Gil, that's not true! They're making stuff up so you can leave me for them!" "That may be true, but I don't want to be around anyone that's going to act one way with me for a couple weeks and another way another couple weeks. It's just not worth it." "Don't you love me?" Love? Love?! We've never even talked about love. Christine is - was rather - a nice girl, but love....I'm not so sure about that. And even if she didn't do a 180 degree turn before Homecoming, then I don't think that I actually could fall in love with her. Now I know why girls spazz out when it comes to the subject of love and guys. I can't fool myself, but I could at least try to be honest with her without sounding like a total jerk. "No," I finally said. "What?!" she shouted. "You don't love me?!" Great. Now she's making a scene, and people are starting to look. I wonder if that's part of her plot to get Gardner. "Christine, you're a nice girl, but I don't love you." For one, we've only been dating for like a month, and two, she's not Anne. "W-Why?" she cried. Her tears made mascara run down her face. "We're rushing into things too quickly. For your sake and mine, I think we should see other people." There, I said it. "Okay." Okay? She just agreed to it just like that? Hmm...now I'm really suspicious, but since tonight actually was Homecoming, I can't just let her spend of the rest of the night crying in the middle of the planetarium. "Let me take you home, Christine." "That's alright," she said. "I'll get a ride from one of my friends." "Okay. It's been nice knowing you." "You, too." After taking one last look at her, I turned around and went to my car to go back to the dorm. With everything that went on, I could use a good night's sleep. 1/1/2007, 9:35 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters The major news story that broke out on campus the next day was of "the scene" that happened with me and Christine. I know because it was the only thing people were talking about. Lots of people came up to me saying, "Oh, Gilbert. I'm so sorry for what happened." I did feel kind of bad for just breaking up with her like that on Homecoming night, but in the long run I think it was for the best. More gossip spread about Christine's secret plot to steal Roy away from Anne, and that hurt even more than the news of the break up. Anne was very sensitive when it came to her personal life, and with the news spreading as fast as it was, I didn't know how she would handle it. I went into the library to get some studying done and saw Anne sitting at a table by herself near the back. It was obvious that she had been crying earlier and was visibly upset. I went up to her to see how she was doing. "Hey," I said. Anne looked up from her book. "Hey." "Mind if I sit here?" "Sure." I put my book down and sat next to her. "So how are you doing?" "Alright, I guess." I looked into her eyes. "Anne, don't lie to me. I know you're not alright." She shook her head. "Yeah." She wiped a tear with the back of her hand. "I just don't get it, Gil. Why do people act so cruel? Was it something I did? Was it something I said?" "No, Anne." I couldn't stand the sight of her like that. I longed to take her in my arms and hold her and make the world go away, but I knew I couldn't do that. Instead, all I could do was be a good friend and listen. "I have no idea what I got myself into," she said. "What do you mean by that?" I asked. "I don't know. It's just that Roy's a nice guy, but I don't know if he's the type to just leave a girl hanging if you know what I mean." If Gardner hurts her, then he's going to have to deal with me. And trust me, I won't be Mr. Nice Guy. Anne continued. "Then again, I'm probably worrying too much. My imagination always seems to get the best of me." I took this as an opportunity to lighten the mood. "So was slamming your binder over my head in school part of your imagination?" She laughed after she lightly punched my arm. "Maybe." I laughed, too. I was happy that I could make her laugh again even if I was on the receiving end of her punch. "So are you better now, Carrots?" "Yeah. I just don't know how long it'll last though." "If you need anything, I'm always here." "Thanks, Gil." She gave me a hug. "Well, I better go now. I have to finish up some stuff. I'll see you later!" When she left, I turned my focus to my book, but I was distracted again because Roy had entered the library and walked towards me. 1/1/2007, 9:36 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters “Have you seen Anne?" asked Roy. "Yeah," I replied. "You just missed her." "Oh." I could tell that he was disappointed. "So I'm guessing that she heard all the rumors and is avoiding me." "Not exactly." "Huh?" "She's a little upset, but she's not intentionally trying to avoid you I don't think." "Shh!" went one of the librarians in a stern voice as she passed by. Roy took a seat at my table. "How do you know that?" he tried to whisper. "She told me," I whispered back so the librarian wouldn't come back over here. He raised an eyebrow. "How are you so close to her?" "We've been friends for years, and we can tell each other almost anything." He sat back in his chair. "Look, Roy. I know what people are saying about you, me, Christine, and Anne, and it's not fair for either one of us. If what they say about Christine and you is true, then we're gonna have some problems here." He gave me a blank stare, so I went on. "You seem like a nice guy, but if you hurt Anne in any way, then I'm afraid you'll have to mess with me." "I would never do that!" he exclaimed. The librarian passed by us again and glared at both of us. I didn't care. "Never," reiterated Roy. "Good," I said. "I'm just making sure." "I never realized how close you two really were to each other." "Well, she means a lot to me." That's one way to sort of admit your feelings. "I can see that you're kind of like a big brother to her." "Big brother"? Hmm...I guess you could say that, but if Anne really was my sister, then we'd have some big problems here. So I'm not even going to go there. "Yeah," I managed to say. I looked at my watch and realized that I had to go. "I gotta run. I'll see you later." "Let me know if you run into Anne again, okay?" "Okay." I picked up my book and went out of the library. So in this time that I was supposed to be studying, I got nothing done. That's the second time I got nothing done in the library, and I might want to keep my concentration from now on. Otherwise I'll never get anything done, and I might flunk out. As I was walking down the steps, one of Christine's friends passed by me and dropped a note at my feet. I bent down to get it to give it back to her, but she was gone when I got up. Since I had nothing else to do, I opened it and read it. Inside was a message from Christine. Dear Gil, I'm so sorry for last night. I feel absolutely horrible about everything, and I want to make it up to you. I know you might not wanna talk to me after the chaos that has erupted from this, and I understand that. But I want you to come back to me. I want you to give me another chance; let me show you that I actually am worthy. Please? I love you. - Christine I crumbled up the note and threw it in a trash can as I went back to the dorm. 1/1/2007, 9:37 pm Page:  1  2  3  4  5  Powered by AkBBS 0.9.5b  -  Link to us   -  Blogs   -  Hall of Honour   -  Chat Click here to get your own free message board You are not logged in (login)      Board's time is: 12/2/2008, 12:42 am