CHAPTER 4: LET'S GO TO THE VET, SNOOPY!

Charlie Brown was pacing up and down pondering something. Sally was curious why her brother was pacing so much. He was doing great with Frieda, Lucy was out of his life and not bothering him, nor was Violet for that matter. So why was he pacing so much.

"Everything okay, big brother?" she asked.

"Yeah," he responded, "I'm just wondering how I'm going to get Snoopy to willingly go to the vet. It's time for his check-up, but he always gets so nervous about going because he's afraid he's gonna get a shot."

"Well he should be caught up with all of his shots," Sally pointed out, "so he shouldn't be nervous about going."

"Exactly," said Charlie Brown. "But with Snoopy, veterinarian equals shots. What's worse is that he's gotten wise to our tricks. He needs to prove that we're going to a place we said we were going. So if we're going to get ice cream, he expects there to be ice cream."

"I see. Why don't you have dad go to the place where you say they're going and then take him to the vet?"

"No. I got to try something else." Charlie Brown continued to pace up and down, wondering how he was going to get Snoopy to the vet without a fight. Finally he had an idea. First he called Frieda.

"Hello Frieda?" he started. "Can you come over? I need your help with something."

Frieda showed up to the Brown's house. Charlie Brown answered it. "Hey, Frieda."

"Hi, cutie," she said, and then kissed him. "So what can your Friedakins do for her Charlie Baby?"

"Snoopy needs to go to the vet today for his check-up. But he has a history of trying to avoid the vet like the Plague. And with his aversion to, as you put it, 'being a traditional dog', I think you can make a deal with him."

"I think I know what to do, honey." And Frieda went to the backyard where Snoopy was lying on top of his doghouse.

"Okay listen up!" she began. "It's a nice day out today. The sun is shining, the crisp autumn air, and the rabbits a-plenty! However I'm gonna give you a choice: You can either go out hunting for rabbits with me, or you can go get a check-up at the vets to see if you are even healthy enough to play shortstop and be the superstar, let alone able to hunt said rabbits. You see for either of these activities you must be in tip-top shape. And if Charlie Brown wants to keep his shortstop, you'd better get that check-up. And you may not even need a shot."

Snoopy thought hard about what Frieda said. While he didn't feel like hunting rabbits, he didn't want to be in ill health either. Snoopy reluctantly went towards the family car and got in without incident. Charlie Brown was amazed. She managed to get Snoopy to get inside the car to go to the vets, and he didn't put up a fight or try to hide.

"What did you do?" he asked her.

"I just played on his ego," she said, with a smile. "I told him if he didn't go, there may be a chance he couldn't be the superstar of the team anymore. Plus I gave him a choice of going rabbit hunting or the vets to see if he was healthy to even do that."

"Thank you, Frieda," said a grateful Charlie Brown. "Not only a great girlfriend, but an outstanding negotiator as well!"

"And now for my payment," said Frieda. "Treating your ever-loving girlfriend to lunch at Joe's Café."

"You got it, babe!" And Charlie Brown and Frieda hopped in the car with Snoopy and asked his father to drop them off at Joe's on the way to taking Snoopy to the vet.

Later at Joe's, Charlie Brown and Frieda were enjoying their lunch when Peppermint Patty and Franco walked in. They saw Charlie Brown and Frieda and went to greet them.

"Heya gang!" Patty greeted.

"Hey Patty and Franco," replied Charlie Brown.

"You're in a good mood, hun," said Frieda noticing Peppermint Patty's happy demeanor.

"I am happy, kids," Patty said. "I finally scored a decent report card, AND free of D minuses!"

"Wow, that's great!" said Charlie Brown. "Congratulations, Patty."

"Thanks, Chuck. I really studied hard this time around and took things seriously. And I'm going to continue this hard work so I can maintain it. I don't expect to be valedictorian or anything; just at least make a good showing in grades."

"We totally understand," said Frieda.

"So what's your plans for today?" asked Charlie Brown.

"Today I take Patricia out to lunch to celebrate good report card," said Franco. "Then we go to movies."

"Sounds like a good day for you two," said Charlie Brown.

"It is, Chuck," agreed Patty. "After what happened with the Homecoming incident, I needed something good to happen like this."

"That reminds me," Charlie Brown remembered, "Linus told me about your argument with Lucy. He overheard you two talking. Is it true about her being in the Serpent Sisters?"

"I'm afraid so, Chuck," Patty replied sadly. "Our own issues with her isn't important anymore. She's joined up with this gang and doing who knows what. I never would have believed it if it weren't for me and Marcie taking a late night walk."

"Late night walk?"

"I was feeling despondent over how I treated you after the previous game two years ago again. Even though you forgave me for that already, those guilt feelings came back because of the revelation that Lucille planned this from the beginning. And I was talking with Marcie about it when we saw that the Serpent Sisters were vandalizing the remedial school Thibault went to after he was suspended from our school indefinitely. What we didn't know until after we followed them back to their hideout was that Lucille was with them."

"So it is true about them vandalizing the school," said Charlie Brown.

"Not only that, but as I'm sure Linus told you, she was proud to be a part of that gang. She said that since we've shunned her, the Serpents became her new friends."

"I may have not been talking to her because of what happened, especially to Snoopy, but I wouldn't want her to feel so rejected that she'd join a dangerous gang. This outweighs anything bad she's done to us, including what happened at Homecoming."

"That's what I told her. It's like she doesn't care anymore."

"I told Linus he should go to his parents about it and maybe they can put a stop to it. But try to get through to Lucy first."

"Probably a good idea, Chuck. I hope it worked." At that moment, Linus and Eudora walked in. Linus looked really upset. He was clinging to his blanket harder than usual.

"Speak of the devil," said Frieda. "Linus, is everything all right, hun?"

"No, Frieda," said an upset Linus. "Everything's all wrong!"

"What happened, Linus?" asked Charlie Brown.

"I did what you told me, Charlie Brown," he began. "I talked to Lucy first. Not only did she not refuse to leave the Serpent Sisters, but she threatened if I told mom or dad, harm would be coming my way from not only her but the other girls as well. And they would do worse to me than Lucy would."

"Oh my gosh," said Frieda.

"I've been staying with him all day to make sure he's all right," said a concerned Eudora.

"I'm glad you are, Eudora," said Peppermint Patty. "Linus, what exactly did she say?"

"She said if I went to our parents, she'd slug me," Linus said. "But while I'm used to that, she also said that the rest of the Serpents would do much worse and she said that she doesn't think she could stop them!"

"All right that tears it!" said an angry Patty. "We put up with a lot from Lucille in the past, but threatening harm to her siblings, albeit she's done it before but never on this level, is crossing the line. I can put up with bad attitudes, I can put up with scheming against my friends during an important football game, I can even put up with her calling me names, but this has gone way too far! Linus, we will go to your parents and we WILL tell them what your sister's been up to! And if she has a problem with that, she can answer to me! And that goes for the rest of those so-called Serpent Sisters as well! If only I knew who did that egging and toilet papering of houses, though."

"The Serpent Sisters were responsible for that as well," Linus said meekly.

"Say what?!" said Patty.

"Lucy and the Serpents were the ones who toilet papered and egged the houses on Halloween night."

Patty's blood started to boil. "THAT LITTLE….!" The rest gasped in shock when he uttered that. They never knew Peppermint Patty to use such language, no matter how upset she was. Before they could react, she stormed out of Joe's.

"What did I say?" asked a confused Linus.

"Marcie's house was one of the houses that got egged and papered," said Charlie Brown. "She was crying over it when we saw her the day after Halloween at Ace's; the same day Patty blew up at your sister."

"Oh good grief!" Linus exclaimed realizing the ramifications of telling her that the Serpents were responsible for egging and papering the houses on Halloween.

"And ever since then, Patty swore she'd make whoever did that to Marcie's house pay," Frieda added.

"And now she's going over to their hideout about to start trouble," said a worried Charlie Brown.

"We need to stop her before she hurts herself," said Eudora.

"I got an idea," said Charlie Brown. "Franco, call Hans and tell him what's going on and for him to get Marcie. She's the only one who can calm Patty down. Eudora, you take Linus back to your house and stay there so he'll be safe from any retaliation from the Serpents. Frieda, you come with me. We're going to find the rest of the gang. We'll need all the help we can get. When Peppermint Patty's on the war path, it'll take an army to stop her. Marcie will know where the hideout is and can tell us where Patty is heading." And everyone left Joe's to stop Patty from hurting herself or others.

NEXT CHAPTER: MEANWHILE BACK AT THE HIDEOUT…