A beautiful Friday morning filled with certainty and hope, that everything is okay, and not in fact Thursday, having yesterday nothing but a sham of a sick saccharine dream, Lucy stared at the date on her phone, double checking her joy wasn't a waste for reality and the need to get up so early. She ventured downstairs to the breakfast their parents left and the coffee Linus brewed.
"Mornin Lil Bro, she greeted.
"That was rather cheerful," he gave a puzzled look.
"If it was actually Thursday, it wouldn't have been."
"Huh? That was yesterday," he poured a cup.
"Exactly, so it wasn't some dream, that me and Charlie hooked up and made out, saw the stars, beat up people, seen the sunset," she sighed, "not in that order."
"No… it happened. Good to see you're still entertaining the idea," he took a long sip. "I still can't believe Charlie fought somebody."
"I don't believe it either," she gave a serene smile."
"Damn it! I'm your sister; I should be able to sit in the front," Sally argued.
"Yeah well Lucy is my girlfriend now, I'm sure she doesn't want to sit in the back of her boyfriends car."
"I'm your sister… family first!"
"Yeah and Lucy wants me her first boyfriend, plus Lucy is Lucy," he laid out.
We'll see about that," Sally stormed out ahead of Charlie.
"Suit yourself," he walked to his car.
Sally stood by the front door, jumping in when he got in.
"Guess you gotta learn the hard way," he shook his head.
"The fuck does she think she's doing, Linus," she questioned on their approach.
"Getting in the car," Linus answered.
"You know what I mean."
"Here they come…"
"Ass to the back, Blondie," Lucy instructed.
"No. It's my brothers car, I can sit right here."
"But I want to sit with my boyfriend," she sneered with a grin.
"Well we can take turns," Sally suggested.
"Your turn is when I'm not in the car. I'll sit in the back if your mom or dad ride, but I am not taking second fiddle to you little girl," her attitude came out.
"Too bad," she turned her head.
"How you doing, Charlie," Linus got in.
"Since last night, pretty fucking good."
"Look at me, Sally."
Sally glanced, then turned to see Lucy's wide eyed stare and teeth bared, arms crossed. She wasn't winning, accepting defeat, taking her place in the backseat.
"Thought you were getting a back-bone, brother dear?"
"I want Lucy up front and your perfume downwind."
"Morning Charlie," Lucy kissed him on the lips.
"Good morning, Lu-lu."
"Lu-lu," Sally mocked, getting a laugh from Linus.
"Just look at it this way; One day I'm going to be your big sister."
Linus laughed again.
"Just the girl I wanted to see," Frieda approached Lucy.
"It's the perv," she teased.
Sorry about that last night. I wanted to ask you something."
"Anything, Frieda."
"I want you and Charlie to go on a date with us, Saturday."
"A double date… with you… and…"
"Yeah, I miss hanging with my best friend, it's like the last thing to sort."
"Right. I'll ask Charlie," she nervously replied.
"It was fate with Schro, and Charlie… fate date," she giggled.
Lucy rolled her eyes when she walked off, "Violets right; I can't keep avoiding her, it should be safe," she thought.
Lucy sits next to Charlie at lunch, they're already talking about the fight yesterday.
"Hey Baby," she kissed him.
"You actually punched Joe?! I can't believe it," Peppermint Patty said in disbelief.
"Used my pitching arm," he flexed.
"Lucy, what did you do," Schroeder asked.
"Me? Um I didn't do anything… it wasn't m-my fault, I promise."
"No, you beat up Thibault, how'd you do it, is what I mean."
"I grabbed his arm and punched the shit out of his face. They were trying to get me away from Charlie, he was groping me and trying to get me out of the car."
"What, oh he's going to get another face pounding from me, the next time I see that mother fucker! He might not respect women, he might as well fear them," Peppermint Patty threatened.
"He really did that, you didn't tell me that," Charlie said.
"I didn't want to ruin the date, are you mad?'
"Only at him," he hugged her.
"I wish I had gotten my hands on him," Schroeder growled.
"Subject change! What happened the rest of the date," Peppermint Patty blurted.
"Yeah," added Patty.
"I don't want to go in details about it," Charlie blushed.
"You sly dog you… oooo," Peppermint Patty teased.
"No, we didn't do anything like that," she blushed.
"And you call me a perv… you perv," Frieda laughed.
"Noooo… all we did was make out, nothing more," she cried out.
"Was it good," Peppermint Patty asked.
"I don't know if I should answer that… for you," she glared.
"Oh I'm over him, girl, so was it good?"
"Yes! Oh my god, and the way… I'm gonna stop now."
"Aww," both Patty's moaned.
"You talk to him about what I asked," Frieda wondered.
"Not really… not yet."
"Charlie, convince your girl to go on a double date with us."
"Sounds fun, wanna do it, Lu-lu?"
"If you want to, we can."
"I can't wait, this will be so fun!"
"How is she friends with Violet with that joy and niceness," Charlie asked.
"Violet is nice," Lucy replied.
Everybody looked at her.
"Sometimes…? Where is she anyway?"
"Oh she's over there, she didn't want to… uhh…," Patty started.
"Sap the happiness and color," Peppermint Patty finished
"To feel out of place, Trish. She knows that she's not well liked," Patty explained.
"I figured she would be here after all of this, and actually helping," Lucy figured.
"We tried."
"Next time just drag her ass over here," Charlie suggested, "I'll do it."
"What, why," Peppermint Patty asked.
"Her friends are over here," he left.
"Linus you haven't said anything, you okay," Patty asked.
"I'm fine, just looking up stuff online."
"Hey, your friends want you over there, Violet."
"I know. I'm just not in the mood for the couple thing."
"I thought you had a boyfriend?"
"I did. I was dating Shermy and he cheated on me… twice. First it was Tapioca Pudding, which I was willing to forgive and pending him working on regaining my trust, get back with him fully… until I found him with Three and Four… I won't speak more on that."
"Damn, I'm sorry that happened, do they know?"
"I wasn't going to say anything, honestly. I didn't want to bother, especially with Lucy's problem- that was more important than my on and off relationship with him between all the other guys."
"You could say something now."
"I'd rather keep it to myself. I won't be getting back with him, but it wouldn't be a big deal… it's like the seventh time we broke up… I don't even fucking know any more."
Charlie just gives her a hug.
"Why are you… I don't need a hug, I don't care about… Charlie I don't know why it hurts so much," she fell apart.
"Maybe because you have a heart despite always acting so cold and stoic."
"Lucy is so lucky to have you. I think I need to find a Charlie in my life," she hugged back.
