"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future." –John F. Kennedy
Patty was good at putting on a straight face.
She came into school every day with Kid and her sister, completely at ease; her spirit rejuvenated and her heart filled with hope for the new day. Maybe today would be the day where they all saw how clever she was! They would finally see how funny and cool she could be. She may even show them how smart she was.
For the most part, it went well. Either they wouldn't include her in their conversations, or correct her. But Patty couldn't say she minded too much. She didn't always have much to contribute to the topic of discussion, and if they were correcting her, she was of course learning! Wasn't that a good thing?
"Oh, no, Patty. The Nile River is in Egypt, not Australia. Ox and Harvar are going to Egypt, not Australia." Maka had told her once. Patty simply said "Okay!" and let them continue their discussion on Ox and Harvar's mission.
"Okay, but what if your theory proves true and your eyeballs do pop out of your head?" Liz questioned her in the pyramid of Anubis. At least Liz corrected her in the kindest way possible. She was her big sis, after all.
Sometimes she was the person who could cheer them up; which is what she liked doing best.
Now she's not saying that she likes it when her friends are sad or in trouble, but she likes being the first person they go to when they need some cheering up. She likes being relied on. She likes being useful.
Patty especially enjoyed comforting her friends Crona and Tsubaki. They were the weepiest, after all.
"Oh, Patty! It's terrible! Lord Death assigned Black Star and I to a mission and I still think I'm hurt from our last one when Black Star got my chain-scythe form stuck in a tree! It was so horrible, I was stuck there for hours in the dark while Black Star tried to saw down the tree to get me out! Oh, Patty, what if it happens again?" Tsubaki cried onto Patty's shoulder. Patty smiled and patted her friend's back as she gave her opinion in her cheeriest demeanor.
"You should try your best to stay out of a wooded area this time! And if you think it's going to happen again, try to change back really quickly before you hit the tree! And if Black Star still needs you, turn back again really fast!" Patty said happily, as she could hear Tsubaki calming down. Tsubaki detached herself from the younger girl and thanked her, embracing the blonde before shyly walking away to meet up with her partner.
Crona came to her later that day, tears falling.
The child cried that Ragnarok was being a bully once again. Of course, Patty hugged Crona and gave her advice, like the good, helpful girl she was. And Crona thanked Patty. Patty sat in her seat and watched Crona sniff as they walked away, probably off to talk to Maka. Which was fine with her, because at least Crona had come to her first.
Other times though, Patty couldn't help but feel upset with her friends. Not that she ever showed it, though.
She remembered how she had walked in late to a discussion her friends were having in class once, and she had inquired about what they were laughing about.
"Someone like you wouldn't get it, Patty." Soul said after he had finished his laughing spree. Black Star chuckled. Both were then hit in the head with a book by Maka. "What he means to say is that it sort of… well… I don't really know how I can sugar coat this, but… Basically, he means that you really wouldn't understand it because it's very intellectual." Maka explained, twiddling her fingers.
Patty smiled and pretended to be fine with it.
But those words stung her.
"Someone like you." "You wouldn't get it." "Intellectual."
Were they implying that she was dumb?
They were her friends! How could they think of her like that?
What none of them knew was that Patty went home and cried about it later that day.
The blonde stuffed her face into her fluffy pillow as she ranted to no one in particular about it. Her eyes were red and weepy, her nose runny, and her voice cracking. She was a complete mess. She kicked her feet occasionally like a child throwing a tantrum.
"Patty won't get it! She's too stupid!" Patty cried, mimicking Soul.
"You're not intellectual enough, Patty!" She ranted, sounding like Maka.
Patty wept freely into the sheets and the pillow. She didn't realize her door was cracked open and her older sister was watching her tantrum.
When Patty calmed down slightly, Liz took the opportunity to enter the younger sister's room. She sat down quietly on her bed and laid her hand on her sister's arm. Patty looked up to see her caring older sister looking with concern at her. It made her want to sink into the floor and never return. She hated disappointing her sister.
"Patty, what's wrong? Why are you crying? You never cry." Liz asked, her tone gentle, as she softly stroked the girl's arm. Patty sniffled and spoke quietly. "…They think I'm stupid." She said, so quietly that Liz couldn't her her. "Sorry, I couldn't hear that." She said, leaning in a bit closer. "I said they think I'm stupid!" Patty said, louder this time. Liz furrowed her eyebrows. "They? They who? Tell me. I'll beat them up for you." Liz said, squeezing her sister's arm. Patty sighed. "I'm not too sure you'd want to beat up Soul, Black Star and Maka." She said, wiping her eyes and sitting up. Liz sighed and put her hand on Patty's shoulder.
"I see… Patty, you know by now that Soul and Black Star can be real jerks. And I'm sure Maka meant it in the nicest way possible. They really don't want to hurt you." Liz said, crossing her legs to face her sister.
Patty sniffed. "I know. But it still hurts so much. Why do they think I'm stupid?" She asked, wiping her eyes and looking down at the bed sheet. Liz sighed. "Patty, they don't think you're stupid. The way you act sometimes makes you seem like you lack knowledge. And it's not only you. They think I'm less intelligible too. It's because we're from Brooklyn and we didn't get an education before we met Kid. Not to mention the blonde stereotype." Liz replied, taking Patty's hands. "I get the Brooklyn thing, but Maka is blonde too! And she's the smartest girl in school." Patty said.
Liz sighed again. She opened her arms wide for a hug, and Patty jumped into her embrace.
"Look kiddo, there are some things in this world that we can't change. We can't change our pasts so that we could have gotten an education. We can't change that Maka continues to be smart even though we're not as smart. But you know what? You can't let that bother you. If you dwell too much on the past or the present, you're going to miss the future. If that's the way they think, then so be it. That doesn't mean that it's true." Liz said.
"And just between you and me, I think you're a lot cleverer than Maka is. Maka is book smart. She's not street smart like you grew up to be. And you're certainly smarter than Soul or Black Star, no doubt about it." Liz added, smiling. Patty giggled. They separated.
Liz smiled at her younger sister. "Are you going to be okay now?" She asked. Patty smiled and nodded, feeling a lot better about herself than she was only 10 minutes before. Liz hugged her sister again before standing.
"Alright, well, I have to go cook something. I'm starving. And Kid's being naggy about it again." She said, turning to walk to the door. "If you want to talk again, just call for me, okay?" She asked, and Patty replied with an excited yes. Liz smiled. She was back to normal Patty once more.
Liz exited, but stuck her head in a few seconds later.
"Oh hey, and if you want, I'll help you to do your homework and study after dinner." She said, grinning. Patty giggled. She loved their study sessions, even though they hardly ever did any actual studying. Only if they had to cram before a huge test, like the super written exam. Even then they always procrastinated. But Patty knew she wanted her sister's help. "Sure! Sounds like fun!" She said, and Liz nodded, finally taking her leave out of Patty's room, closing the door behind her.
Patty grinned and took her schoolbooks from her bag, preparing them for later. She could only think of Liz's words and how lucky she was to have someone like her.
She knew she could always count on Liz. She was her big sister, after all.