Anne

The end of the day brought another new experience to Anne. She was too excited to daydream. Or maybe it was that for the first time, her real life offered more thrills than her fantasy life. When the final bell rang, she raced through the halls, careless of who she bumped in her hurry to escape into the brisk, winter day.

Yesterday, she'd made the trek home at a leisurely pace so she knew she had plenty of time to reach the bus stop before Di, but she didn't dare take a chance that yesterday had been a fluke of divine luck. Of course, she knew they were neighbors so even if she missed her arrival, she could go to her house, but there was something so much more lovely about greeting her friend and walking her home.

Later, she would think to herself that things would've gone very differently if she'd slowed down and paid attention- something she'd been begged to do her entire life- the pay attention part, that is. It was more often that she found herself chastised for going about the day too slowly, so consumed by her thoughts that she drifted into motionless states of intense imaginings.

So, perhaps it was the speeding that led to her demise, though others would blame the ice. No one blamed Anne. Accidents happen after all, but Anne had one of those unfortunate memories that replayed moments of shame over and over and over again until she could work herself into such a state that she might as well be truly reliving that moment.

One second, she was nearing her destination, congratulating herself on her decision to hurry as she reached the bus stop just as the lumbering, yellow vehicle squealed to a stop. The next, Di's smiling face was replaced by a slate sky as her feet betrayed her, shooting out so that she went thudding onto her back. Only the position of her backpack saved her skull from cracking against the concrete.

"Anne!" Di screamed, dropping her belongings and bending over to help Anne to her feet.

"No, no, let me lie here," Anne said, throwing her arm over her eyes to blot out the vision of her friend's beautiful concern. How utterly embarrassing this moment was. Why, she was quite certain Jodie would've fallen with such elegance, while she knew in her heart of hearts that she'd gone down like a graceless sack of sugar.

"Anne, don't be silly. It's cold. It's starting to snow. Are you hurt?"

Leaving her eyes covered, she assessed herself for signs of discomfort. There was a strange throbbing in her left ankle, but it didn't really hurt. Most likely she'd wrenched it when she slipped.

"I think I'm fine."

"Let's get you up then."

This time, Anne didn't protest. Taking Di's blue gloved hand, she sat up with a grimace, but as soon as she tried to rise to her feet, she fell back with a whimper. The throbbing intensified, and when she unzipped her boot, she found bruising on her skin.

"Anne, I think you're going to need a doctor."

"No, absolutely not," Anne shrieked. "Mary and Matt will send me away if I cause so much trouble."

Di, looking mystified, shook her head. "These things happen. What's their number? I'll give them a call."

"I- I don't know their numbers yet. We just ordered my phone, and I haven't had a chance to memorize them, and oh, Di- you were going to be my first number. After Matt and Mary, of course... and"

"Calm down," Di said, unable to keep a smile from blooming on her face.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Never, Anne. Never. You're getting all worked up for nothing. Look, I've got an idea. You're not going to love it, but I think it's our best option here. I don't think I can get you home by myself." She pulled out her phone and pressed a contact. After a long pause, she spoke again, "Gavin-"

"Absolutely not!"Anne shouted, flipping to her knees. "I can crawl home."

Di ignored her. "We're at the bus stop. Anne slipped on a patch of ice. Her foot is sprained, possibly broken. Oh good! See you in a minute."

"Di, why would you do that?"

"I don't see why it's a big deal. You said he was irritating, but he also lives nearby. He can help us."

"Oh, he's far more than irritating. He's my arch nemesis. Well, next to Jodie. She's horrid, but so is he..."

"We've got a few minutes before he gets here." Di shivered. "Tell me what happened."

Anne did. She regaled her friend with the horrors of her first day at school, making certain to emphasize the anger she felt when Gavin called her that terrible name. "And then, before I could think, I brought my tablet down over his head. It broke!"

Di covered her mouth with both her hands. She could have been hiding a smile, but Anne preferred to think the other girl was just as horrified by the story as she had been by the happenings. When she dropped her hands, only the ghost of whatever expression she'd disguised still lingered, its echo not enough to reveal her true thoughts.

"He did apologize, right?"

"He did," she admitted grudgingly. "But it wouldn't matter anyways. Mary has asked me to stay away from him, and it's a promise I mean to keep."

"You can always start tomorrow because he's here." Di jumped to her feet, her cheeks, already bright in the cold, turning red as the handsome boy arrived. Yes, even Anne could admit Gavin Blythe held some sort of masculine allure. She was angry, not blind.

"Anne, are you okay?" he asked, crouching at her side.

"Quite fine. Not sure why Di is making such a fuss."

"Let's see," he said, peering at her foot and frowning.

"Are you a doctor now?"

"No, but I'd like to be one someday. Let's get you home so your parents can take you to the hospital. It could be broken."

With a bit of maneuvering, they managed to get her standing. Arms over both their shoulders, she released a shuddering breath and took a step forward. Only to cry out and nearly drop to her knees.

Once again, the world went topsy turvy, only this time it was a pair of strong arms sweeping her off her feet and not her own clumsiness. Gavin smiled down at her as he shifted to redistribute her weight, then he started walking.

"Di, you have her bag?"

"Got it."

"This is ridiculous," Anne grumbled.

Gavin didn't address her comment, but a smile played on his lips. That fine set of lips she'd admired so much the first day before they proved to be weapons of spite.

"How's life going, Di? Surviving public school?"

"Grateful I don't have to be there for too long, but it's better than Hell Prep."

"For sure. I'd leave myself-"

"Except for the small part where your dad is the Headmaster, and you bear its namesake?"

"There's that." A small beat of silence. Anne swore she could hear the thudding of his heart, and for one moment, she was tempted to press her cheek against his breast. Then, he spoke again. "You heard from Ms. Spencer at all?"

Anne craned her neck to watch Di's face. Something fierce and sharp flashed through her doe eyes before the girl schooled her expression into something solemn but reserved. "No, She didn't leave a contact number or forwarding address, though my mother said she may have moved to the south."

"That's good. Probably best to get as far from here as possible."

Anne desperately wanted to inquire about this Ms. Spencer, but that would require her to speak to Gavin. And, she already regretted the few words she'd exchanged with him. Not even a day had passed since she'd determined to hate this boy forever, and here he was swooping in like one of the heroes in her stories. She was such a failure as an arch nemesis. 

"Here we are," Gavin declared, stopping in front of Stewart's house. Di darted up the steps and knocked on the door. "You feeling okay?"

Anne squirmed, pushing against him in an attempt to get down and tried to ignore how pleasant his warmth and sturdiness was beneath her hands. "I can stand."

"I'd prefer to hold you. Don't want you to do any more damage to that foot."

"I'll stand on the other," she protested, jerking free just as Mary walked out of the house.

"Anne girl. What mess have you gotten into now?"

"Don't worry, Mary. I'm fi-" Anne didn't finish her sentence. Blackness swallowed her as soon as her feet touched the ground. The last thing she saw was a pair of shocked brown eyes. Then oblivion.