Charlie Brown was very glad that he had not wrecked his friendship with Schroeder over this whole Heather thing. Schroeder was one of the few decent friends Charlie Brown had, so it would've really sucked if any bad blood had come between them.

Though while things with Schroeder had been worked out, there was still one thing Charlie Brown felt he needed to do: apologize to Heather.

"Schroeder, do you think that Heather is upset with me that I had walked out on you both?" Charlie Brown asked his friend.

"Well, I'm sure she didn't really appreciate it," Schroeder said. "But based on my observation, I think more than anything she's concerned more as to what has been the matter with you. She looked really worried after you had left and had asked me if I might have known anything."

"Wow," Charlie Brown said in astonishment. He knew that Heather seemed like the patient type, but apparently it really would take a lot to cause Heather to think badly of him.

Schroeder noted Charlie Brown's expression and nodded. "More evidence that she really seems to care for you."

"Thank you, Schroeder," Charlie Brown said as he prepared himself to leave. "I'd better get home now. I want to call Heather and apologize for my behavior."

"And I want to get some more practice in before another mountain of schoolwork gets dumped on me," Schroeder added.

"I'll see you at school," Charlie Brown then said as he proceeded to leave. He could then hear the sound of Beethoven's Für Elise now being played as he exited the house. Schroeder's piano skills really are amazing. It won't surprise me at all if he and Heather win the talent show.

A little while later, Charlie Brown was back at his house and standing by the phone. Although not to the same degree as when he wanted to ask her to that restaurant, he couldn't completely suppress the nervousness that had bubbled back up inside him.

Slowly, he reached for the phone and proceeded to dial Heather's number. After about twenty somewhat tense seconds, a familiar sweet-sounding voice came from the other end.

"Hello?" Heather answered.

"Heather? Hi. It's Charlie Brown," Charlie Brown said.

"Oh! Hi, Charlie Brown," Heather greeted. "How are you doing?"

"I'm feeling better," Charlie Brown replied.

"That's good to hear. I was worried about you," Heather said, sounding like she really meant it.

"I'm grateful for your concern," Charlie Brown said. "And I wanted to apologize for last night. I'm so sorry for walking out on you and Schroeder. Especially when you both had arranged to show off the routine you've worked so hard on. I have really not been the best friend I could have been lately."

"Don't worry about it, Charlie Brown. I was more worried about how you were feeling than I was upset that you had walked out," Heather told him. "You really looked as though something was bugging you."

Charlie Brown breathed a sigh of relief. Schroeder was right once again.

"And you're sure you're alright now?" Heather continued.

"Yes. I promise that I am fine now. Schroeder and I talked about what was really going on," Charlie Brown answered. "For personal reasons I unfortunately still can't tell you what it is that was wrong, but I promise you that everything has been worked out."

"Well, that's good to hear," Heather said. "And I won't try to pry if what was bothering you is strictly between you and Schroeder."

In truth, Charlie Brown sort of did want to tell Heather what had been going on. He hated it when he made Heather feel so worried about him. But of course, there was no way that he could tell her without him clearly implying to her right there and then how he felt about her. That would be so awkward, and who knows what it might do to their friendship.

"Thank you, Heather. Do you forgive me?" Charlie Brown said, though he felt slightly silly for asking that.

"Of course I forgive you, silly," Heather responded. "You'd have to do something really awful in order to make me feel differently about you. You are a wonderful friend, as well as a compassionate, honest, and overall sweet person."

Charlie Brown felt his heart swelling as Heather reminded him of what she saw in him. Numerous times in the past, he had referred to himself as a nobody, but Heather clearly saw him as a somebody. And it was a somebody really admirable. Maybe it really was possible that...

"Charlie Brown, are you still there?" Heather then asked, snapping Charlie Brown out of his thoughts.

"Oh. Yes, I am. Sorry about that," he said. "I had just felt really good at that moment after hearing what you just told me."

"I mean all that, Charlie Brown. I really do," Heather reassured him. "Anyway, thank you for calling to let me know that you're alright now."

"You're welcome. Sorry for making you worry like that," Charlie Brown said.

"It's okay," Heather said. "I'll see you at school on Monday, right?"

"You bet," Charlie Brown replied.

"I'll see you then. Take care," Heather said before she hung up.

Charlie Brown also hung up. Afterwards, he suddenly found the urge to go and give his loyal dog a great big hug. Heck, he even felt now that he wanted to do something special for his sister.

Now came the big night, the night where talented seventh and eighth graders would be showing much of the town what they had cooked up for this year's school talent show.

It was currently about an hour before entrants were to be at the school auditorium. Schroeder, who was outfitted in a formal tuxedo and his yellow hair slicked back, was taking one final shot at playing the music piece that had been touching him since infancy. Once he was finished, he stood up and fixed the tie on his tuxedo jacket.

"We're ready, Heather," he said confidently to himself.

Heather was also busy finishing up getting ready. She was also currently at her house, where she was finishing up pulling herself together. Eventually, she came into the living room, where Mary was waiting for her. Mary smiled once she saw her friend.

"You look amazing, Heather," she said in awe.

Heather giggled. "Thanks, Mary. That means a lot."

"I'm sure Charlie Brown is going to be blown away," Mary then said with a smirk.

Heather's face went red at this remark. "Mary! I told you to stop with that! Good grief."

Mary only giggled in response as she and Heather began making their way to the door. Seconds later, the two of them were outside and on their way to the school.

And finally, Charlie Brown and Linus were currently at the former's house. Unlike with Schroeder and Heather's skit, Charlie Brown and Linus didn't have to practice their routine nearly as much. But they still agreed that it was in their best interest to run a few drills just to make sure that they were truly ready. They knew from a competitive standpoint that they had their work cut out for them. They were doubtful that they would be able to outperform what Schroeder and Heather had cooked up.

But upon seeing that the magic tricks they had been performing were now in tiptop shape, they held out a ray of hope that maybe they would stand a chance. After their latest attempt at the "magic box" trick was a success, Linus walked out (back in one piece) and stood firm next to Charlie Brown. Snoopy and Woodstock both were applauding them.

"We're ready," they both declared in unison.

About an hour later, the talent show entrants were gathering together behind the stage, while the auditorium was filling up with the entrants' families, as well as other interested townsfolk. Fellow classmates, as well as friends of the entrants were also there, making for quite the audience.

Out of our main crew, Charlie Brown and Linus were the first to arrive. Like Schroeder, both Charlie Brown and Linus had decided to dress up for their skit. Charlie Brown made his presence visible to the other performers the same way he did during the elementary school talent show.

"Whoa, did you see that?" remarked a girl whom Charlie Brown had never spoken with.

"Is that Charlie Brown? It can't be," said the boy standing next to her.

Overall, most of those currently present were people who Charlie Brown didn't see last time, but there were a few familiar faces as well. Among those faces were Violet and Patty, who seemed unfazed by Charlie Brown's entrance. They were sure that he would mess his act up, or that somehow, something will go horribly wrong and he'd make a major fool of himself. Nothing to worry about here.

Charlie Brown smiled at everyone and straightened his bowtie before going to take a peek at the audience from behind the curtain. He and Linus both saw Sally and Mary sitting in the front row, who waved at them both. In Sally's case though, it seemed more that she was waving mainly at Linus.

Then suddenly, Charlie Brown and Linus heard a voice call out to them.

"Hello, Charlie Brown. Hello, Linus."

The two of them turned and saw that Schroeder and Heather had now arrived and were approaching them. Charlie Brown got a good look at the dressed-up Heather and felt his voice catch in his throat.

He had never seen her look this amazing.

She was wearing a light turquoise dress that came down to just above her ankles. Its short sleeves were edged with white frills. She wore white pantyhose on her legs, and elegant flats the color of her dress were on her feet. Her fiery red hair had also been put into a braided ponytail, which was tied back with a bright turquoise bow. Charlie Brown could've also sworn that she was even wearing just a little bit of makeup.

And Charlie Brown wasn't the only one who had seemed to notice. Most of the other entrants were looking at Schroeder and Heather, looking either amazed or jealous.

"Schroeder, Heather, you both look great!" Linus complimented them.

"Thanks. You two look quite nice as well," Schroeder said.

Heather stepped a little closer to Charlie Brown and Linus, her cheeks tinging slightly pink. "What do you think, Charlie Brown? Linus?" Though the question clearly seemed more for Charlie Brown than for Linus, and she did a little twirl for emphasis.

All Charlie Brown could do was stammer as he tried to give his response. It took the elbowing of Linus to get his mind working properly again.

"You look amazing, Heather. So elegant," he told her fondly.

"Thank you. You look rather handsome yourself," Heather said, smiling at him.

Charlie Brown felt his own face going a bit red as he smiled back at her.

A couple minutes later, some music that sounded a bit like the opening to a game show began playing throughout the auditorium.

"And now, it's time for the annual Junior High talent show," the principal's voice announced over the intercom. "Here's your host, Franklin Armstrong."

The stage curtains were then pulled open and Franklin came into view, being met with a round of light applause.

"Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for coming tonight! Welcome to this year's talent show!" he said.

As Franklin was saying a few words of introduction, Charlie Brown and company were sitting together backstage as they awaited their time to perform.

"Gee, all of a sudden, I'm feeling so nervous right now," Heather suddenly said, getting the attention of both Charlie Brown and Schroeder.

"Don't be, Heather. You're going to be very good," Schroeder assured her with a smile.

"I'll say," Charlie Brown agreed. "I remember during that winter dance, you won that award so easily. And you didn't seem so nervous then."

Heather blushed slightly, flattered by the compliment, but nonetheless gave her response. "This is different though. I'm going to be performing a dance routine that I myself had made up. One that I had to put in many hours to finally get right. And in front of practically the entire town too. I couldn't imagine how I'd feel if what had happened on Veteran's Day happened tonight."

Charlie Brown then understood after this explanation. Heather was, in actuality, under a lot of pressure right now. Between the routine itself, the preparations for said routine (including the dressing up), and the size of the audience, she and Schroeder may as well have been about to put on an actual performance that was being broadcasted live on television. In fact, he wasn't so sure that it wasn't being broadcast. He knew at the very least that this show was going to be written about in the local newspaper.

Despite that though, it felt foreign to Charlie Brown to see Heather exhibiting this behavior. He never expected that this would happen, but for the first time ever, he found himself relating to her. Even really talented people could feel insecure at times as well.

Suddenly, Charlie Brown felt the urge to do something he hadn't ever done before. Perhaps maybe the urge was because of all the times Heather had given him comfort and support when he needed it?

Charlie Brown inched closer to Heather and actually placed his arm around her, giving her a determined look. She looked up at him in surprise, tensing up a bit in response to his gesture.

"Heather, if there is one thing I've learned about you, besides how caring and kind you are, it's that you have a dancing ability at a level that no other student in this school has. Heck, with your skills, I'd bet you could go into the big time someday. I bet you and Schroeder together could one day actually perform a beautiful show for a real live audience," he told her with much conviction in his voice. "But as it goes for right now, you are going to perform your routine, and I assure you that you are going to do it perfectly."

Heather, as well as Schroeder and Linus, were now all looking at Charlie Brown, clearly surprised by him just now. Was this really Charlie Brown saying all of this? They weren't sure they'd ever seen this side of him before. But here he was, so solidly convincing Heather that she would perfectly execute her dance routine. Schroeder and Linus had to admit that they were quite impressed.

Heather, meanwhile, felt her own insecurity being washed away by Charlie Brown's words. At the same time, her face was flushing pretty furiously now and she had to fight the urge to look away from him.

"T-Thank you, Charlie Brown. That really means a lot to me," she uttered out. A grin then appeared on her face and she suddenly appeared much more confident. "You're right. I can do this!"

Schroeder and Linus smiled at the scene before them. It was just as they expected. Charlie Brown clearly still liked Heather, and there were clear signs that Heather potentially liked Charlie Brown as well. And these two were so caring and supportive of one another. Linus and Schroeder were growing increasingly convinced that Charlie Brown and Heather were a good match for each other, and they both were now beginning to really hope that the two of them could be together someday.

At last came the time for Schroeder and Heather to perform. Charlie Brown and Linus wished them luck as they began making their way towards the front of the stage, looking as though they really were about to put on an actual broadcasted performance. Being met with gentle applause, Schroeder got himself comfortable at the piano that was provided, and Heather positioned herself center stage, giving the audience a light curtsy.

From within the front row of the audience, Mary and Sally looked up at Heather. Mary was smiling fondly at her best friend looking so good up there while Sally couldn't quite suppress the green-eyed monster now having a fun time inside of her. Charlie Brown meanwhile, was watching on hopefully (and somewhat nervously), from off to the side. He wished right now that he could be in the actual audience where his view would be better, but he and Linus' turn to perform was coming up right after Schroeder and Heather's.

Finally, Schroeder began to play, and Heather began to dance.

As good as Schroeder's piano-playing sounded, Charlie Brown could not take his eyes off his crush as she was now perfectly performing the dance moves she had practiced so many times now. She was looking as skilled as Charlie Brown had ever seen her. Heather really was by far the most caring, beautiful, and talented girl he had ever known.

Likewise, the audience appeared as though they had let themselves be lost in the performance that was unfolding in front of them. So far, not one mistake had been made, and Mary had her fingers crossed, praying to the Lord that it stayed that way.

A few minutes later, it was down to the last notes. By this point, Charlie Brown had gripped the hem of his suit jacket as Heather performed the last few moves. It was going well... until finally...

Perfection!

Heather landed her last jump as Schroeder played the final note of the tune. They had done it. They had just perfectly executed their performing arts routine!

There was a couple of seconds of silence before the auditorium erupted with applause. Sally, Mary, and other various members of the audience stood up and were now giving a full-on standing ovation.

Charlie Brown and Linus were also applauding as Schroeder walked up beside Heather. He gave the audience a nice bow as Heather curtsied alongside him.

"I think your words really helped her, Charlie Brown," Linus said to his bestie as the two of them continued clapping.

Charlie Brown looked at Linus. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, I think what you said to Heather before they went on gave her the bit of confidence she needed right there and then," Linus said.

Charlie Brown smiled and turned back to his two performing arts-loving buddies. Perhaps he was capable of saying the right thing every now and then.

After Schroeder and Heather had finished, it was time for Charlie Brown and Linus to go on.

Although they didn't get the same level of applause that Schroeder and Heather had gotten for their skit, their act together had gone as it was supposed to. They had managed to put on a nice little magic show for their audience.

Finally, all the entrants had performed, and they were all now gathered together onstage as they awaited the outcome of the show.

"And now it's time to announce the winner," Franklin announced as he held up a paper stating the chosen winner. "And the trophy goes to... Schroeder and Heather Wold!"

The audience erupted in applause once again as Schroeder and Heather were presented with their award. Heather had to fight back tears as she and Schroeder basked in the applause and support of everyone.

Charlie Brown and Linus also applauded, and neither of them were even remotely disappointed that they had not won. It came as no surprise to them that they were not going to be the winners, but rather, Schroeder and Heather were. They really deserved it too after all that practice.

And as for Charlie Brown, even though he was looking at Schroeder and Heather standing proudly together, he did not feel at all jealous. The two of them might have shared a commonality in the form of being performing arts specialists, but he knew that at the end of the day, they were just friends... and work partners who were honing their crafts together. They had no romantic interest in one another.

But in regards to Charlie Brown and Heather's relationship, it really did feel different. He truly liked Heather, there was no question about it. And by this point, he was actually holding out a bit of hope that she perhaps liked him too.

As Charlie Brown and his crew were now leaving the school building and had begun making their way back home, Charlie Brown shot a glance at the once little red-haired girl that had stolen his heart four years ago, and that to this very day, had never given it back. She caught his sight and smiled back at him.

Charlie Brown, at last, had now decided that someday, he was going to do what was by far the bravest thing he had ever done. It wasn't going to be today, or tomorrow, or maybe even for a while still, but someday, when the time was right, he was going to do it, once and for all.

He was going to tell Heather Wold, the red-haired girl of his dreams, how he really felt about her.

Author's note: And marks the end of this chapter. In truth, I suffered a brief period of writer's block as I was typing out the second half of this. But I did it, and now you have the longest chapter yet of this story. Hopefully though, you all found both quantity and quality with this chapter.

As of this point, I now again need to refuel my imagination tank for this story, as well as work a bit on some of my other projects, so the story will now go on a small hiatus again. Rest assured that I will finish this story; I am well on track towards completing it by year's end. Stay tuned! And thanks for all the support the story had gotten!