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“You read Anne of Green Gables? You?” Ava gave Peter a pointed look.
Peter slumped in his seat, his lip twitching in thought as the whole table turned their attention to him. “Yeah,” he answered. “They were good books-”
"They were good books, I read them too, but,” she paused, thinking about how she wanted to ask this. “Aren’t they like, girl books?”
Peter threw her pointed look right back at her and went to retort when Ava’s face suddenly lit up in revelation. “Oh! I get it! It’s because you felt like a little orphan girl!” Peter’s eyes widened and his mouth gaped. The boys’ shoulders were beginning to shake in quiet laughter.
She interrupted any defense Peter was about to make. “You kinned Anne Shirley Cuthbert. You literally wanted to be her.” Sam choked on his juice and the laughter began to rise.
Peter wasn’t even blushing at the accusation, only in shock at its accuracy. He’d put his head on the table and was running his hands through his hair. The laughter had died down to snickering when he lifted his head to finally counter.
"Oh my God, and you had like, real-life Matthew and Marilla!” Peter’s shock returned tenfold as Ava pressed on. “And you lost your Matthew just like her! Like, you have her trauma. Wow.” He covered his mouth, having no hope of arguing anymore. She reached a hand across the table in excitement. “Oh! And that makes Harry Diana!”
That was what got Pete in hysterics. It was beginning to seem less and less like a joke to Ava, though. “Right down to the asshole family too. Damn.”
He dragged a hand down his face, snorting in between snickers. “I can’t believe you just psychoanalyzed me based on the book series I read as a child.”
Ava took a bite of her apple and absentmindedly twirled it in her hand. “So, who do you think is Gilbert, then?”
Peter flushed at that. The other four teens exchanged knowing looks. “I don’t think I’ve found him yet,” he managed through nervous laughter.
The smirk on Ava’s face was downright diabolical. Too diabolical, and she hid a good amount of it behind her apple. “I think it’s MJ.” He rolled his eyes exasperatedly. “She flirts with you the same way Gilbert flirted with Anne. It’s like, violent flirtation.” Sam, Danny, and Luke nodded in agreement.