CHAPTER 4: THE ORIGINS OF PYTHON

Lucy and Python were sitting on a bench at the Sparkyville City Park. It was just the two of them as Cobra, Anaconda, and Rattler were busy with some other stuff. The two of them grew closer as friends and they were getting to know each other well.

"You actually took over a 'Simon Says' game and turned it into 'Lucy Says'?" asked a bewildered Python.

"Yep," said Lucy, proudly. "What was funny was the kids were okay with it. Later Pig Pen led a square dance which was called the Pig Pen Hoedown. It became dusty real fast."

"Wow, I bet," said Python. "It sounds like you had some fun friends."

"'Had' being the operative word," said Lucy, turning melancholy. "I messed up big with them, Python. Especially Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty. He won't even talk to me or even acknowledge my presence. Patty, on the other hand, will talk to me; only to tell me to stay out of her neighborhood."

"I understand, Lucy," Python said. "I know you miss them. I actually had friends like that myself once, in my old town that I used to live in."

"I didn't know you lived elsewhere."

"Yeah. I lived in Detroit, Michigan. The neighborhood was really bad. You know the rough part of Sparkyville? Imagine that but on a wider scale and you've got Detroit. I never thought I would get out of there, but my mother decided to move here. She was originally from here before she moved to Detroit. I never knew who my father was. He kind of disappeared from my mom's life before I was born.

"Anyway, I had friends back in Detroit. My best friend there was a girl named Joslyn. She and I were inseparable. We did things together almost all the time. But then my mom wanted to get out of the area as it was becoming too dangerous. I didn't want to be away from my friends, especially Joslyn. I kind of understood why, but still I hated to leave Joslyn without a best friend. I told her I'd write her all of the time. And once we got here I did just that. We wrote each other often, and even called her using my mom's cell phone. After a while the letters and calls stopped. I wondered what happened. Once I was able to finally get a hold of Joslyn it was like she was a different person. She was cross with me and I didn't know why. I asked her what I did wrong, and she just said I knew and hung up. I haven't heard from her since. I cried for days until one day when I was out walking around I met Cobra, Anaconda, and Rattler. I was initiated into the gang, like what you're doing now, Lucy. And the rest is history."

"Wow!" said Lucy. "Joslyn never told you about what happened between you two?"

"Nope," said Python, sadly. "I never got an answer."

"At least I know why Charlie Brown and Patty are mad at me," Lucy replied, "but you don't even have the satisfaction of that."

"After I joined the Serpent Sisters, I pretty much forgot about Joslyn," Python finished. "I haven't talked about her since, until today." Both girls sat for a while and thought about their situations. They were a lot alike in many ways. Although Lucy knew why she was shunned by Charlie Brown and the others, Python didn't know why her friend Joslyn gave her the cold shoulder. Lucy decided to do something nice for her new friend.

"Python," she began. "I would like to be your new best friend. Even if I don't make it into the Serpent Sisters, I would like for us to be besties."

"Really, Lucy?" said Python, almost becoming emotional. "You'd like to be my best friend?"

"Why not? I think we both could use some company."

Python shed a tear. She was happy that Lucy was willing to be her best friend. "Thank you, Lucy. I think it's safe to say that we are sisters, Serpent or not." She then hugged Lucy, who returned the hug. Both girls were spiritual soulmates and had each other's back.

"I never thought I'd have a close friend again after Joslyn," said Python, wiping her tears away. "After I moved here, aside from the Serpents, I had a hard time making friends. One girl in particular made my life hard. I knew of your reputation, but this girl was far meaner than anyone I knew."

"What does she look like?" asked Lucy.

"She has black hair like you, except hers is in a ponytail. Even though you played tricks on Charlie Brown, she more often than not belittled him and made him feel inferior. With me, she'd make fun of my height and the fact that I was, in her words, a 'Ghetto Rat'! Plus she's always going on and on about how her father is better than everyone else's father, especially when I don't even know who MY father is!"

Lucy immediately knew who she was talking about. "Violet!"

"Even funnier is that she didn't participate in your scheme against Charlie Brown. I thought she would've joined you in his humiliation, knowing what kind of a witch she is."

"Let me tell you about Violet Gray," Lucy began. "She doesn't like getting her hands dirty. She's content with using her social status to put down others. I'm willing to get down and dirty when it comes to my pranks. The Homecoming scheme aside, while I may play pranks on Charlie Brown, I always did those in the sense that I was doing it for his own good. I see that wasn't the case, now. But even though I was always pretty harsh with him, I also offered to help him fix his flaws, whether it was the Psychiatric booth, showing his faults on slides, as messed up as it seemed, I, at least, was willing to help him, for better or worse. Violet, on the other hand, hated him with a passion. It was more than her thinking he was beneath her; he was BEYOND beneath her! Her best friend, Patty, often joined her in belittling him, though when she wasn't with Violet, she was usually nicer to him, but not by much. I may be a fussbudget and crabby, but Violet is 100% pure EVIL! And as far as the Homecoming plot, she wouldn't even join me. There are debts even SHE wouldn't go, as it seems."

"Well I'd like to stick it to that little prissy witch one of these days," Python said, angrily.

"We will, Python," said a devious Lucy. "One of these days we will."

NEXT CHAPTER: THE DOUBLE DATE!