⇎CHAPTER FOUR

||fake friends||

"  all your words are like white noise "

***

OLIVIA WASN'T NERVOUS as she stood in front of the door, saying goodbye to her parents before she left for the first day of school. Excited was more the word for it.

It wasn't her first, first day either. She had done this plenty of times before and she was sure she would make friends with everyone right away. People always told her she had it easy when it came to making friends.

As she kissed her mother and father goodbye and opened the door to leave, she was suddenly hit with doubts. What if this time around no one wanted to be her friend? She shook the thoughts out of her mind as she walked down the driveway, anxious to get closer to school where she would be meeting Anne. After the lunch they had with Jerry yesterday, Anne told her that when she made it past the woods she would be standing there waiting for Olivia.

Now as she walked to school she got even more excited. Surely with Anne by her side the pair would make lots of friends.

Fifteen minutes later Olivia dragged her fingers over the bark of the trees that came to an end as she made it to a clearing with a line of brush to the left. Two boys raced past her and from a distance she could just make out the flaming red hair from behind a bush.

"Anne!" Olivia yells to her friend and runs to catch up with her.

"Ollie! Did you make it here alright?" Anne asks and Olivia nods.

"The walk was quite beautiful and peaceful." She lets out a content sigh while remembering the beautiful flowers she passed. It was only then that she realized Anne had flowers on her cap. "Oh Anne that's lovely."

"Thank you! I picked them up on the walk here!" Anne smiles, her dimples showing through.

The pair round the line of brush and are met with a small building with kids running in and out through the doors. Anne walks into the building with Olivia and the noise of children running around and talking loudly fill their ears.

"Anne!" A girls voice calls out to the ginger and a figure walks towards them.

"Hello Diana. This is Olivia Fontaine, but you can call her Ollie." Anne introduces the brunette who gives Diana a hug.

"I've heard quite a bit about you." Olivia says to Diana.

"Same my way!" She smiles.

"My, what have you done to your hat?" Diana asks Anne, staring at the flowers.

"Well I wanted to make a good first impression and it was so...plain." Anne and Diana laugh.

"Well you're making an impression alright." Diana giggles. "I'm glad you found your way. I expect the three of us can walk together soon."

"We can't?" The smile from Anne's face disappears.

"I'm sure it won't take long for my parents to accept you." Diana reassures her. "Now that you're a Cuthburt and all." Olivia thinks about how her parents didn't need time to accept Anne. They did it without hesitation and she wonders what could possibly be wrong with Diana's parents.

"Welcome to the first day of school girls!" Diana extends her arm to show the classroom. "C'mon, I'll show you everything you need to know." As Diana takes the two girls to the door Olivia hears a group of girls whispering about her and Anne.

Brushing it off, she follows Diana where she shows the two where to put their things when they first come into school.

"Would you two like to sit together or would you like to sit with me, Anne?" Diana asks as she helps them hang up their coats.

"I'll sit with Olivia so we can be the new kids together." Anne responds, smiling at Olivia.

"Wonderful! Ruby definitely won't mind." Diana nods. "Come over and set your things down." Anne puts her book on the left side of the desk and Olivia on the right.

As the three turn around they're met with two boys. "Hey, I'm moody." The bigger one says to Olivia.

"Oh I'm sorry." She frowns.

"Moody Spurgen." He clarifies and she lets out an 'oh'.

"I'm Olivia and this is Anne."

"I'm Charlie." The taller boy gives a flirtatious smile to Olivia who feels her cheeks heat up.

"Charlie Sloan." Diana adds and Moody shoves Charlie in the ribs.

"Nice to meet you." Anne says to them.

"Don't talk to the boys," Diana says rolling her eyes. "They're ridiculous."

Charlie leans his elbow on Moody. "Nice to see you too, Diana." Moody shoves him off and Diana turns around.

"All except Gilbert Blythe." Diana sighs. "He's dreamy, but he won't be here today."

All of the sudden the group of girls that were whispering about Olivia and Anne step forward. "This is Jane Andrews, Josie Pye, Ruby Gillis, and Tillie Bolter." Diana introduces the four girls and Olivia gets a sick stomach from looking at Josie who looks like she'd be a real jerk.

"Everyone, this is Anne Cuthburt and Olivia Fontaine, but you can call her Ollie."

The girls say hello to the pair. "It is a scrumptious pleasure to make your acquaintances, and I shall do my utmost to prove myself worthy of your friendship." Olivia smiles at Anne's big words but the girls don't look too impressed.

"Uh, Anne loves to read." Diana butts in. "And she knows ever so many big words."

"Do you use them all in every sentence?" Josie asks sassily, plastering an obviously fake smile on her lips and Olivia raises her eyebrow.

"I like to read too." Tillie smiles, nodding her head.

"No you don't" Ruby says in a small voice, shaking her head.

"No I don't" Tillie admits.

"I saw you at the church picnic, I'm sorry. I should've said hello." Jane speaks and Olivia finds herself getting bored of the conversation. She looks around the room and her eyes land on Charlie who gives a smile and waves. Olivia repeats the action and turns back around.

A boy making dog noises brings Olivia's attention back to the people in front of her and she sees a blonde haired boy throwing a ball in his hand with two other boys trailing behind him.

"You're ridiculous." Anne declares, not giving away any feeling on her face.

"Look, it's a talking dog." The boy laughs and Olivia rolls her eyes.

"Then what are you? A talking dufus?" Olivia asks him, glaring.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He asks, walking around her in circles. "Another dog?"

"Billy leave her be." Jane scolds to the boy but he ignores her.

"Can you fetch too?" He asks, nudging his friend.

"Can you shut up?" Olivia asks, placing a hand on her hip. "Or did nobody ever teach you that trick?"

The smile drops from his face for a second but as he walks behind the girls, he lets out another 'ruff'. "Please don't mind my brother, he's ridiculous." Jane shakes her head. "Don't let the boys know when they've upset you."  She tells Olivia.

"Never let them know when you like them either." Ruby adds on and Olivia chuckles.

"Trust me, I don't plan on liking anyone."

_

i know i said gilbert was in this chapter but I had no idea the first day of school would be this long so he'll either be in the next chapter or the one after that if i decide to continue with this day