𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥 (𝐆𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐁𝐥𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐞)

xi.

"Eleanor? Are you alright?" Diana asked as she waved her hand infront of the girls face. 

"Oh! Yes...sorry I blanked out for a moment there." Eleanor sighed and gently shook her head, her tight ringlet curls smacking against her face. 

"What were you thinking about?" Diana asked. 

"Probably Gilbert." Anne whispered, making all three of them giggle. 

"Nothing important, and no Anne, I was not thinking of Gilbert." Eleanor giggled and swatted at her friend. 

The sound of the normal train came bustling through the large train station in Charlotte town. The group of friends were finally going back to their home, but not everyone was excited to go home. 

As the large brown train rolled to a stop, with a loud whistle, guest started to load on. Eleanor was quick to pick up her trunk and start towards the train. She glanced back and noticed Cole was standing still, staring at the train with no luggage in his hands. 

"Cole? Where's your luggage?" she asked as she handed one of the train workers her trunk for him to stow for her. 

"I'm not going back." he stated.

Eleanor stopped dead in her tracks, along with Diana and Anne. 

"What? Cole what about your family-" Anne started but Cole simply shook his head. 

"Josephine has offered me a room at her house, and I said yes." he sniffled slightly. 

"Oh Cole." Eleanor sighed and pulled him in for a tight hug. 

"We'll miss you Cole, but we know you're doing the right thing." Diana sniffled slightly as Anne was full on crying now. 

"Don't let anyone change you, okay?" Eleanor whispered as the sound of the train starting up was heard. 

"I won't, just as long as you don't either." Cole smiled and shoved her gently towards the train. 

She turned back and gave him one last smile before hopping onto the train just as a man was shutting the door. 

Her eyes watched Cole until they had left the station, then she finally flopped down in an open seat opposite of Anne and Diana. 

"I'm going to miss him." Diana sighed. 

"He'll always be right there when we need him." Eleanor smiled as she glanced back at the small figure in the distance, the shadow of a friend was waving them goodbye. 

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Eleanor spent most of the train ride trying to catch up on sleep, though she had gotten a nice vacation away from home while at Josephines, she knew that her busy schedule would be even worse now that her father is coming home. 

She had yet to tell any of her friends that he was coming home, she hoped that he would stay in New York forever and forget about his little family in the little town. 

But alas, he was coming home next in a day. 

Most girls grow up loving and cherishing every moment with their father, and though Eleanor had some good memories with her father, he was much different than she remembered. 

He was always working, even if it meant he wouldn't come home for days at a time. he would send the kids expensive gifts and money, trying to win back their affections. And though that worked a few times, Eleanor craved for some sort of time with her own father. 

She had to act different when her father was around, more proper and prissy. 

"Eleanor, come along now. Your father will be arriving shortly." Laura stated as she patted her daughter on the rear to make her move faster.