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Victoria was in the school house with her head on the table. She wasn't in a mood to talk to people.

"What's wrong? You seem as if you're in pain to be here. More than usual, at least." Ruby asked as the group of girls sat around her.

"My bworder is weavling." Victoria murmured in her arms as she refused to look at anyone.

"-What?" Tillie asked her and the other girls shrugged as well in confusion.

Victoria peeled herself off of the table. She blew a strand of hair out off her face. "My brother is leaving to finish his studies. And now I'm gutted, and have

a permanent hole in my heart as it is now filled with a blackening abyss."

"You sound like something in a book." Ruby stated.

"I couldn't help but overhear-"

Victoria groaned loudly and buried her face back on the table. "What do you want Billy?" She said.

"I heard about the hole in your heart, and I happen to know how you can fill it." He stated with a smirk, he sat down right next to her.

Victoria noticed the close proximity and moved closer to the other side of the bench.

"If you say yourself, I'll literally hurl something at your head." She stated as she looked up at him. "There's no need for the violence." He added as he placed an arm around her shoulders, Victoria quickly stiffened at the action.

"We did call a truce after all." Billy continued. Victoria looked at Diana with wide eyes and mouthed 'help me'.

Diana seemed to get the idea and was about to interrupt before someone else interrupted.

"Victoria! I need to talk to you outside! Right now!" Anne shouted as she popped her head into the school house and then disappeared.

"Look at that. I better go." Victoria stated as she got up from her seat. Billy quickly grabbed her hand to keep her from leaving.

"But I was talking to you." Billy added as he furrowed his eyebrows. Victoria shrugged her hand out of his hold. "Sorry, but duty calls."

"What duty?"

"Vicky! Hurry! It's a life or death situation!" Anne shouted once more, making everyone in the school look at her.

"The duty of being a great best friend. Cheerio!" And just like that, Victoria left the school house leaving Billy seething.

"What's wrong? Is this a real life or death situation? Or were you dramatic on purpose to emphasize the situation?" Victoria asked as soon as she closed the door behind her.

"Come here," Anne now commanded, being uncharacteristically quiet.

Victoria walked closer to her with confusion on her features. "Yes?" She urged on as she got closer to Anne. Anne grabbed her by the wrist and she dragged Victoria towards the bench outside.

"I have been cursed." Anne muttered to Victoria. "Pardon me, but what?" Victoria continued as she had no idea what she meant.

"I started menstruating. Its horrible!!" Anne stated with a pained look on her face.

Victoria let out a sigh of relief. "Oh! That was it! I thought something bad had happened." Anne let out a loud gasp. "Something bad has happened! I'm in no way ready to have the ideals of being a woman bestowed upon me!"

Victoria quickly hushed her. "Keep your voice down, you don't want the entire school to know, do you?" Anne shook her head and looked at her friend with terror.

"I wouldn't even want to imagine it happening to me! The horror." Anne continued. "You'll be fine Anne, its completely normal. I got mine about a year or so ago."

Anne groaned. "Why do we women get to suffer like this? And Marilla says this is God's plan! This is more like a devil's curse."

Victoria smiled sadly at her friend. "We get to suffer because if men had the same problem, unlike us, they would have no idea how to handle it. And I guess that I have been cursed as well then." Anne finally looked up at her friend. "Why is that? What much more terrifying horrors might you be going through?"

"Hamilton is leaving this Saturday to go to Charlotte Town. His request to continue his doctoral studies were approved." Victoria explained with a dull tone.

"But that's wonderful news! His dreams get to come true. If only I were that lucky when it came to my dreams. I would already have become a beautiful princess, without red hair, living in a tower." Anne added with a dreamy far off look in her eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with your hair Anne, I like it very much. It makes you different from everyone else, and who on earth wants to be ordinary?" Victoria reassured.

"You're too benevolent for your own good, Victoria." Anne said with a smile.

"I'm proud of Hamilton, don't get me wrong, but I'll still miss him. We've always been joined to the hip and I'm terrified of there being a space between us. This is all wonky." She added.

"He's your brother, Vicky. And you two love each other so intimately that you would never let anything come in between the love that you share. I believe that with the entirety of my heart."

Victoria nodded and smiled at her friend. "I guess you're right, and I am making too much fuss out of this. I mean, he is only going to Charlotte Town. That's not very far."

Anne placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's the spirit." "But don't get me wrong. I'm still dying emotionally."

"And I'm still dying physically." Anne continued. Both friends looked at each other in silence before engulfing one another in a hug.

"We really are a dramatic pair." Anne said with a smile. Victoria placed her head on top of Anne's. "That is part of the reason that we are friends in the first place." Victoria said with a chuckle which caused Anne to start laughing as well.

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