A/N: Most of this chapter is in relation to (Plain) Patty, while the last few paragraphs are in regard to (Peppermint) Patty. Just to clear up any confusion before it starts :)

Thank you for the support I have received! I appreciate it so much.

In case you cared, I listened to "Proud of Your Boy" (a deleted song from Disney's Aladdin) while writing the first part of the chapter.

Now enjoy!

24 days after

The clock ticked like a nervous beetle. TickTickTickTickTick. Only ticks, no tocks, as if time itself was in a hurry.

Patty sat on a floral-printed settee, her clammy hand clasped in Shermy's sweaty one, waiting for her mother to return with tea. Bile rose in her throat as she realized how proper it all was. A glass coffee table was placed in front of them, though her mother would have a fit if anyone actually placed a coffee mug on it. On the wall opposite them hung a collection of pearly white china, destined to shatter at any sign of chaos. An old grandfather clock stood in the corner of the room; a painted moon, sun and stars glided behind its ebony numbers. This was not the source of the ticking. Instead, a square, outdated alarm clock ticked away on the unused grand piano. The room was like a fancy cage.

It stifled her.

Her father sat across them, smiling weakly, as if he knew exactly what they came to tell him and wishing they had come for anything but. Patty always loved her father more than her mother (or Erlene, as Patty preferred to call her); his only fault was that he never defended her against Erlene's barbed words.

Everything Erlene said greeted Patty like a welcome-home slap in the face. Nothing was safe from the woman's scrutiny: the way Patty acted, spoke, even laughed. The first words she said to Patty when she opened the door that day was, " Really, Patricia? You're wearing that dress? Does everything you own come from a charity?" Patty wished she could have retorted with, "A simple 'hello' would have sufficed." But Erlene wouldn't have listened to her anyway.

The clicking of heels sent another wave of nausea over Patty. Erlene walked from the kitchen holding a silver platter with four tiny teacups and a plate of chocolate fudge. She placed it atop the coffee table, offered cream and sugar to her husband and daughter, and then crossed her legs and arms, staring at Patty. "So?" she said through pursed lips, "Why are you here? Do you have news? It better not concern him." Her eyes darted threateningly to Shermy.

Patty gulped. Shermy squeezed her hand. "I do have news, mom, dad. Shermy and I…well, we're engaged."

Her father smiled a real smile. It melted the fear in Patty that Erlene instilled in her. But the feeling didn't last.

"How long?" Erlene quipped.

TickTickTickTickTick.

"Um…how long what?" Patty asked nervously. Shermy fidgeted in his seat.

"How long until the wedding, of course. Really, Patricia, do I need to articulate every word for you so you can understand what I say?"

Heat rose to Patty's cheeks. "Shermy and I haven't picked a date yet," she stammered.

"Good. Then this isn't permanent. We can still change your mind," Erlene said, as if everything was fixed.

Patty suddenly found herself standing, her body hot with frustration. "I want to marry Shermy! I have no intention of not doing so."

Erlene glared at Patty until the latter, now embarrassed, sat back down.

TickTickTickTickTick.

"My dear Patricia, will you look at him?" She waved a hand at Shermy, who was trying hard not to speak out. He bit his lip so hard blood started to dribbled down his chin. "He's average. A good-for-nothing louse who will never make his way through college, never get a good, high-paying job, never serve you any purpose in life. I want you to marry a respectable man, a well-trained man in both manners and knowledge. Not this nobody. What will this man provide for you that others couldn't?"

"I love him," Patty said bitterly, hot tears streaming down her face.

"Now, but in 5 years? 2, even? You are a stupid, selfish girl, Patricia, so quick to believe the lies of young men who say they love you. Sometimes I don't know whether to laugh at you or pity you."

TickTickTickTickTick.

"Erlene-," Patty's father tried to interject, but Erlene cut him off.

"Henry, do you really think we should just allow our daughter to marry this…this degenerate?"

TickTickTickTickTick.

"Sherman is a respectable man, Erlene, I have known him all his life and I know he is intelligent and a hard worker. I think he would suit Patty just fine."

"Thank you, sir," Shermy mumbled.

TickTickTickTickTick.

"But Patricia could do so much better!"

TickTickTickTickTick.

"I'm pregnant," Patty shouted, causing her parents to go still. Shermy sunk his head into his hands, defeated. Erlene turned to stone.

"Out," Erlene whispered. Patty blinked in surprise. Erlene raised her voice, "Out."

Patty and Shermy both stood and rushed to the door. Erlene beat them to it and opened it for them. "I never want to see scum like you again," she hissed. She slammed the door behind them.

Patty collapsed to the ground in sobs before they reached Shermy's car. "That ticking! That damn ticking," she cried. "It was going so fast…everything was going so fast…I didn't think, I just said it. I shouldn't have told them. I shouldn't have told her. At least we would still be on speaking terms...but now..."

Shermy kneeled down beside her, wrapping his arm over her shoulders. His face was blank, and his words were monotone. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." He pulled her into a hug as she sobbed.

The shock of the recent events paralyzed them. They sat there, in her parents' driveway, for what felt like hours. Finally, Shermy regained his strength. He pulled Patty up, though her body was limp. "A burger will cheer you up," he said with a fake cheerfulness. Patty said nothing.

Franklin chewed lazily on a veggie burrito as he watched his friend, Pig-Pen, scarf down his fifth Diabetes Dump. "Ten seconds," Linus said excitedly, staring at his watch. Charlie Brown frowned distractedly into his salad.

It was a game they had invented, almost immediately after they had invented the first Diabetes Dump. The Diabetes Dump was a concoction of the most fat-dripped, carbohydrate-filled, unhealthy food available in the school cafeteria, which was then deep-fried and dipped in ketchup, ranch, and mustard. It smelled revolting, but by their standards tasted delicious. The game was much simpler; players would stuff in their mouth as many Diabetes Dumps as they could without throwing up. Pig-Pen reigned supreme, having set a record of 25 Diabetes Dumps in 5 minutes. Linus came at a close second with 23, and Franklin came in third at 19. Charlie Brown, as always, came in last (a lousy 7). Schroeder now and then made a good run, but he stopped when he spent an entire math period heaving his guts out.

"Time's up!" Linus shouted, jumping up and doing a little jig around the table. "How many?"

"Five," Pig-Pen said through a mouthful of Diabetes Dump.

Linus slumped dejectedly back into his seat. "Come on man, that's not even trying."

"Dude, calm down, I have a history test today. I need to be in ship shape for my memory to work."

"Fine," Linus sighed. "You wanna try?" He raised an eyebrow at Franklin.

Franklin shook his head. "No thanks. I've had my fill for the week."

"It's only Monday," Charlie Brown pointed out, still contemplating his salad.

Franklin smiled. "Exactly."

"Oh. My. Gooooooooooood!" The four were greeted by the presence of Vi, who was giddy with juicy gossip. Pig-Pen suddenly perked up; Franklin had to stop his eyes from rolling. "Ew, what's that?"

She was, of course, referring to the still uneaten Diabetes Dumps, which sat in a staggering pile in front of Pig-Pen. "Er, uh, nothing," he said, pushing them off the table. "What's up?"

Ignoring the fact that Pig-Pen had just shoved a pile of greasy food to the floor, Vi squeezed between him and Franklin. Franklin scooted as far from her as possible. "Okay, so I know you guys hate gossip and such, but I have to tell you this."

"No, you don't. You don't have to do something unless you'll die if you don't. Will you combust if you don't tell us this?" Franklin said, annoyed.

Vi paused, thinking it over. "Sort of, yeah," she said to him with a winning smile. "Anyway, I know you guys don't know this cause I just found out. And I was the first person she told."

"Who?"

"Patty," Vi whispered, as if it was a very important secret. "Shermy and her are getting married."

"What?" Franklin, Pig-Pen, Linus, and Charlie Brown said at the same time.

"I know," she said, puffing out her chest. "And she's made me her Maid of Honor. Isn't it wonderful?"

"Oh yeah," Franklin said sarcastically.

"Oh yeah," Pig-Pen said dreamily.

"They don't know the date yet, but she said the whole gang's invited," Vi beamed. "Oh gosh, is that the time?" she said, looking at her phone. "The bell is going to ring any second. Guess I'll see you guys around, then. Bye."

When she was finally out of hearing distance, Pig-Pen heaved a long, dreamy sigh. "She sat next to me."

Franklin frowned. "Yeah, and I'm sitting next to you right now and your heart isn't all aflutter."

"Geez, go easy on him. What's gotten into you lately?" Linus demanded.

"Nothing," Franklin muttered, taking off from the table.

"You'd think we insulted his honor, the way he's acting," Linus said as the bell sounded.

Pig-Pen watched the disappearing back of Franklin, completely dumbfounded. "He has been on edge lately, especially when Vi's around. Or when any girl is around, for that matter."

"Maybe he still believes in cooties," Linus said, making a face. Pig-Pen gave him a light-hearted punch in the shoulder, laughing. They picked up their things and headed out of the lunch room.

"Hey, wait up guys!" Charlie Brown said, dispensing of his uneaten salad and running after them.

Pig-Pen clapped Charlie on the back, leaving a dusty handprint. "Speaking of people acting strange, what's up with you? You've barely said anything all day. And don't say it's nothing. Because a guy knows when another guy has fallen for a girl. Don't we?" He winked at Linus.

"Okay, okay, it is a girl, but it's also not...oh, who am I kidding? I don't even know what it is. All I know is I'm just some guy at a party, minding my own business, and then a girl starts kissing me."

"First of all," Pig-Pen said, "don't make it sound like it was such an inconvenience. I'd pay to have something like that happen to me."

"You don't understand; it was Patty. As in, Peppermint Patty."

"Didn't she refuse to talk to you until the end of time?"

"Yeah, about a month ago. I don't know, it's just confusing. Patty's confusing. Girls are confusing."

Pig-Pen laughed. "You said it. Now wish me luck on that test." He ducked into his history classroom.

"Don't forget the Diet of Worms was in 1521," Linus shouted after him. "Hey, I better get over to math. See you later."

Charlie almost didn't hear, he was so immersed in the meanings and sub-meanings, contexts and sub-contexts, of what happened between him and Patty. And he still couldn't make any sense of it.

A/N: Please leave me a review and tell me what you think about my story, my writing, or both! Critiques are always welcome :)