Chapter 3: Camping Races

The next morning, the sun slowly began to rise over Camp Remote. Snoopy was the first to wake up, then exited his tent, ready to start a new day in camp.

Good morning, good morning, good morning.

Good morning to me and you.

Good morning, good morning, good morning.

There's so much we can see and do.

Snoopy then approached Woodstock's nest, ready to help his birdie buddy for the day. He then howled awake, waking Woodstock up, slowly and with a smile. Then, the camp fanfare boomed out, waking everyone up and knocking Woodstock off of his post.

In the boys tent, BJ bolted awake and then fell out of his bed. "I'm Captain Pickles!" BJ exclaimed, remembering the dream he had, but not realizing he had Linus's blanket tied around his waist. "I'm your dilly!"

"And that's my blanket." Linus said, yanking his blanket off of BJ, causing the dinosaur to blink in surprise.

"Whoops...sorry, Linus." BJ chuckled.

"Come on, guys, let's rise and shine and start this day right!" Charlie Brown said.

Linus:

Good morning to birdies and sun

Charlie Brown:

Good morning to grass and big green trees

Franklin:

Good morning to clouds and sky

Schroeder:

Listen to the wind

BJ:

And the buzzing bees

Boys:

Good morning, purple, pink and blue

Good morning to the bright, shining sun

Good morning to friends, like me and you

Let's start a morning full of fun

Barney heard the singing and popped out of his tent. "Morning everyone." Barney smiled.

"Morning Barney." the boys smiled. Snoopy simply smiled and hugged his dino friend.

"So, everyone ready for a day of fun in Camp Remote?" Barney asked.

"Yep! Let's just hope we won't run into those bullies who have the number one tent again." Carlos said.

"Where are the girls?" Kenneth asked.

"I have my theories..." Charlie Brown giggled.

"Better go wake them up." Linus said. "I just hope I don't need to kiss Sally awake."

"Nah, I think the only trouble they'll be having is waking Peppermint Patty up." Shawn joked.


In the girls tent, most of the girls were woken up, except Lila, Peppermint Patty, and Baby Bop. The two were clutching their stuffed animals, while Baby Bop held onto her yellow blankie. "Sir, it's time to get up." Marcie shook her friend up.

"Marcie, I know, I know. And will you please quit calling me sir." Peppermint Patty groggily said.

"Baby...Bop..." Sally exclaimed, jumping on the three-year-old's bed. "Time...to...wake...up..."

"No jumping, Sally." Lucy scolded, as the door opened. "Hi Schroeder! Hi Barney!"

"Snoopy, go wake Lila. I think Sally's good with waking Sissy." BJ explained, as Snoopy leapt on Lila's bed. Lila yawned and snuggled Snoopy, as she slept, dreaming of him in his puppy days. "Aye yi yi."

"Need help, Sally?" BJ asked.

"I...sure...need...the..." Sally leapt off the bed. "Help."

"We noticed. Looks like they'll sleep through breakfast." Peppermint Patty teased. Snoopy's ears perked up and he started to dance on Lila's bed, waking her up as she watched him in confusion.

"Snoopy, why must you be so happy? At this hour?" Lila yawned.

The kids chuckled, before BJ tiptoed towards his sister. "Sissy, time to wake up. You don't wanna miss all the fun, do you?" he asked, before yanking away her blankey.

Baby Bop yawned a little, before realizing what was going on. "My blankey!" she exclaimed, chasing her brother out of the cabin.

"Goody! Everyone's up!" Tosha smiled.

"I had the most amazing dream, that Snoopy was still a puppy dog..." Lila smiled.

"That's great!" Heather smiled before the announcer's voice rang out.

"Attention attention! Turn out for PT! Turn out for PT!"

"Alright troops! On the double! Turn out! Turn out!" Peppermint Patty ordered as Baby Bop came back into the tent with her blankie.

"Oh good grief." Julie sighed.

"What's this now? The infantry?!" Sally barked.

"PT? What's PT?" wondered Baby Bop.

"It's short, kid, for Physical Training." Peppermint Patty explained. "But first, we need to look PT ready."

The girls did just that, with Heather and Kathy brushing Lila's hair. "So Lila, you liking camp so far?" Kathy smiled.

"It's OK." Lila smiled. "Except before I went to sleep last night, I could have swore I heard a bear ask for the time, wanting to know if it's spring or winter. I just thought it was my imagination."

"A bear?" Baby Bop shuddered. "I'm afraid of bears."

"Uh, news flash Miss Soon to Be the Next Captain Blondie," Lucy teased, making Sally glare at the fussbudget, knowing Lucy uses that nickname for her. "Bears don't talk!"

"Come on! Crazier and more fantastical things have happened to us!" Heather smiled.

"I'll take your word for it." Lila gulped.

"Hmm...should I wear my sandals or my new running shoes?" asked Peppermint Patty.

"Try the running shoes." Min smiled.

"Good. Anyway, while we're exercising, I'll try to sneak over to those bully's tent, see what all the fuss is about." Julie grinned. "Play a little 'defense'."

"Great idea, kiddo!" Peppermint Patty smiled. "Come on troops! Let's get going!"

"Wait! What do I do about my blankie?" asked Baby Bop.

Sally shrugged, as Lila tied the blankie to Baby Bop's waist. "There, just yank it out, when the bullies give us trouble." Lila said.

"Thanks Lila!" Baby Bop smiled. "You're smart!"

Lila blushed and smiled. "And not a so called Captain Blondie." she quipped. Sally then glared at her. "No offense Sally."


The kids, animals, and dinosaurs made it outside and began to exercise.

Barney, Baby Bop, BJ, Barney's friends, and Peanuts Gang:

I exercise. (I exercise)

It's good for me. (It's good for me)

It makes me strong (It makes me strong)

as you can see. (As you can see)

I exercise. It's good for me.

It makes me strong as you can see.

I touch my knees, (I touch my knees)

I touch my toes. (I touch my toes)

I reach up high (I reach up high)

and I will grow. (And I will grow)

I touch my knees, I touch my toes.

I reach up high and I will grow.

I lift my legs, (I lift my legs)

I run in place. (I run in place)

And keep a smile (And keep a smile)

upon my face. (Upon my face)

I lift my legs, I run in place.

And keep a smile upon my face.

I move my arms (I move my arms)

around and round. (Around and round)

I think I might (I think I might)

fly off the ground. (Fly off the ground)

I move my arms around and round.

I think I might fly off the ground.

I'm nearly done. (I'm nearly done)

I have to hustle. (I have to hustle)

But not before (But not before)

I show my muscle. (I show my muscle)

I'm nearly done. I have to hustle.

But not before I show my muscle.

During their exercise, Julie tiptoed away from the girls, then found the Number 1 tent. She saw no signs of the bullies and decided to peek inside. She gasped when she saw what was inside. "Ball pit? Air hockey table? Swimming pool? And a fridge? For ice cream?!" Julie whispered. "How did this happen?" Julie asked herself, before deciding to report her findings to the girls, as she ran off.

Peppermint Patty and the girls were finishing their exercises. "Nothing works up an appetite! A rousing breakfast is the best way to really start out the day."

"All that exercise made me lost my appetite." Marcie complained.

"Not me! I'm hungry! I hope they have apples and bananas!" Baby Bop smiled.

"Do you think we can transfer out of this outfit?" Sally whispered to Lila.

"Nope." Lila said. "Besides, aside from the bullying, I like it here."

"Patty!" Julie shouted, catching up to her friend. "You and the girls are not gonna believe this!"

"You can talk about it during breakfast." Peppermint Patty smiled. They made it to the mess hall. The menu consisted of bacon, scrambled eggs, fruit, yogurt, cereal, and even powder sugar. The girls sat down at their table. "So, what up Julie?" Julie whispered what she found into Patty's ear. The tomboy's eyes went wide with excitement. "They have an air hockey table?!"

"And a swimming pool, ball pit, and ice cream fridge!" Julie smiled.

"We don't have that in our treehouse!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Good point!" Sally smiled, pulling out a piece of paper. "Where's my pink crayon?"

"Here." Lila said. "What're you writing?"

"Can I see?" Baby Bop asked, sitting on some books, to reach the table.

"No. You can't read, Baby Bop." Sally said.

Baby Bop giggled. "Oh right. I forgot."

"I'm not writing anything. I'm making blueprints for a renovation to our treehouse!" Sally smiled. "You think the PTA will pay for a swimming pool?"

"That would be fun." Lila smiled.

"Not unless we use it for exercise." Tosha quipped.

"Those bullies have an amazing tent!" Peppermint Patty smiled before pondering in thought. "But how do they win it every year?"

"Maybe it's a prize for coming in first at camp games." Julie suggested. "But still, a freezer of ice cream? In summer? For just one tent?"

"That has to be brought in." Sally pointed out.

"How did they get a ball pit, though? That's the big question!" Peppermint Patty said. "And air hokey! We have no extension chords and nowhere to connect it all."

"We have to tell the boys this." Heather smiled. "They'll flip!"

"NO!" Lucy barked. "They are our competition! Besides Barney, Snoopy, Woodstock, and the bullies."

"Come on. It'll least give them something to think about during the games. Hopefully it'll help them focus on winning." Min said.

"Fine!" Lucy huffed. "But if we win that tent, I get first dibs on the ice cream!"

"As long as none of us accidentally blurt out our findings, we're fine." Heather said. "We better take an oath."

"But I already when you all voted me in as leader!" Peppermint Patty smiled.

"She means we need to make sure we play fair and according to the rules." Tosha explained.

"Fair enough." Lila smiled. "We'll tell the boys, Snoopy, and Barney after lunch."


Later, the girls were in the crafts tent, making all sorts of things. "If you want a wallet, why not use the Barney Bag? Or go to the store and buy one?" Sally complained.

"Because we're roughing it." Patty said. "Need any help, Baby-" she then noticed a cute wallet full of pockets that the toddler made. "-Bop...never mind."

"How'd I do?" Baby Bop asked.

"How in the world? You're half my age!" Sally exclaimed.

"I just used my imagination and used it to think up my wallet."

"Use my imagination?" Sally murmured, before thinking up a pretty wallet and sewing it together. "By golly, it worked!"

"Can I do that?" Lila smiled.

"Attention, attention!" the announcer said. "Lunch will be served at 1200 hours!"

"What does that mean?" Baby Bop asked.

"It means 12 o'clock!" Lucy barked.

"Well, I can't count that high, but I am hungry!" Baby Bop smiled.

A few moments later, the kids were back in the mess hall, getting their food. "All right! Pickles!" BJ smiled, grabbing a handful of them and putting them on his plate.

"BJ, quit hogging!" Linus scolded.

"Hey! Who's holding up the line?" a kid whined.

"I'm hungry!" Juan exclaimed.

"I know." Carlos said.

"Hey! Move, guys!" another kid shouted, before they heard crying.

"THat's Sissy!" BJ exclaimed, rushing towards his sister, with his lunch in his hands. "What's wrong?"

"They have no macaroni!" Baby Bop cried.

"That's it?"

"And I'm tired!"

"It's not even your naptime."

"We did a lot of exercise and made many crafts, Jay." Patty said. "She's just a bit cranky."

"Charlie, gather Barney and Snoopy, then meet us near our tent after lunch." Heather whispered to her boyfriend. "We got info we need to share with you."

"Got it." Charlie smiled.

As BJ comforted Baby Bop, the girls then got their food. "I love the chow line!" Peppermint Patty smiled as she got some fruit salad.

"Lila, do you want my cupcake?" Kenneth offered with a smile.

"Sure." Lila blushed a little.

"Uh oh. Someone's in love." Min teased.

"Kenny and Lila sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Tosha and Julie chanted.

"Are not!" Kenneth said, blushing a deep red.

"Exactly, Kenny. We're NOT dating, girls!" Lila said.

She then took her tray and sat down next to Heather. "He is kind of cute." Heather giggled.

"Yeah, you're right." Lila blushed and smiled.

"So, you didn't tell us about your bunny." Heather pointed.

"Oh, I named him Bugs Jr." Lila smiled. "It's just too bad I didn't get to take Bugs to camp with us."

"You'll see him soon." Heather smiled.


Back outside, the bullies were confronting the boys, again. "It's like I told you all before kid! We're number one, and don't you forget it!" The lead bully barked.

"Is that so?" Schroeder asked.

"I should've brought my blanket to the mess hall..." Linus told himself.

Baby Bop then came to their rescue, whipping her own blankie. "Back! Back! Back!" Baby Bop barked.

"She may be only three, but she's quite a fighter." Linus smiled before he and the other boys made their way to the girls tent. They then spotted Barney and Snoopy there as well.

"Hey Barney." Charlie Brown smiled.

"Hi guys. I wonder why the girls wanted us." Barney smiled before the girls approached them.

"Alright, troops! We have to talk!" Peppermint Patty explained.

"About baseball season?" Charlie Brown quivered a little.

"No. Those bullies. We had Julie here do some spying. Tell 'em what you found."

Julie took a deep breath. "Their tent has a ball pit, swimming pool, air hockey table, and an ice cream fridge with every flavor!" Julie squealed.

"Air hockey table?" BJ smiled before almost fainting. Luckily, Carlos and Schroeder caught him.

"Ball pit and a swimming pool?" Juan smiled.

"Wow! That sounds like a whole bunch of fun!" Barney smiled.

"But how is that possible?" asked Shawn.

"Good question. Any theories?" asked Sally.

"They're thieves! How else can they get a freezer in their tent?" asked Carlos.

"Well, Snoopy put a freezer in out treehouse, before we left." Charlie Brown said. "But he bought it with his own money."

"Let's not chase down any wild theories." Linus said. "Anyway, that tent is clearly a lot of fun! So, we should all work hard to try to win that number one title and tent!"

"Linus is right!" Lila smiled. "It'll be so much fun to play in that thing!"

"But I don't know if a dinosaur should go into ball pit." Lucy honestly said.

"Look troops, once the camp games begin, we will see how those villains compete and win. Then we will work together to win that title and tent!" Peppermint Patty smiled.

"Attention campers!" the announcer's voice boomed. "It is time for camp games to begin! The first event: tug a war. The first teams: tent number 13 against tent number eight."

"That's us!" Charlie Brown smiled.

"Well, good luck everyone." Barney smiled.

"Good luck, sweetie." Heather smiled before kissing her boyfriend on the cheek.

"You'll do great, BJ!" Baby Bop cheered.

"Thanks, girls." The boys called out.


The boys were now at the tug a war game, competing against another group of boys. Each group then grabbed their end of the rope. "Ready, set, go!"

They finally started to pull.

It's a new day (we all can agree),

That the sun shines (brought to you absolutely free).

Free as running water, fresh as morning dew,

(No matter who's the leader) when the sun sets down,

It's gone, Charlie Brown (so race for your life).

It didn't take long, but Charlie Brown and his group actually won, pulling the opposing group into the mud. "We did it! We won the first event!" Charlie Brown smiled.

"YES!" BJ exclaimed. "All thanks to teamwork!"

"You'll lose the next game!" one of the bullies said.

"Oh yeah?" Shawn asked, smugly.

Linus giggled. "You shouldn't say that."

"What if they do win?" the fattest bully worried.

"Don't worry. We take on those wimpy girls, after. And rumor has it that one of them has to take an afternoon nap. That kid is the one with the blanket. That'll be one less ankle bitter to worry about." The tallest one reassured.

"Up next: sack races! Tent number 7 will go up against tent number 3!"

"Augh!" the bullies exclaimed.

"That's us troops!" Peppermint Patty smiled.


The girls, minus Baby Bop, were gearing up for the sack race. Tosha then noticed Peppermint Patty holding a butterfly in her hand. "Patty, please tell me you're not gonna cheat by putting that butterfly in Marcie's sack." Tasha scolded.

"Come on! Min helped us win a tug a war game by tickling Big Purple!" Peppermint Patty protested.

"I was five!" Min chuckled.

"Fine!" Peppermint Patty huffed before releasing the butterfly.

"BUTTERFLY!" Marcie shrieked, before tripping out of her sack and landing face first on the ground. "Ouch..."

"Come on, Marcie. Up and at 'em!" Tosha insisted.

"You know, girls, I wasn't born to be a potato." Marcie shuddered.

The girls then helped Marcie back up and got in their starting places. "Ready? Go!" a kid then banged a gong, starting the race.

"This is probably the dumbest game I've ever seen." Sally said to Lila.

"You're telling me." Lila whispered back, before they all saw something they never expected. "Did-did...DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT?!" shrieked Lila.

"I did." Sally said.

"They're cheating..." Peppermint Patty said, hopping towards them.

"The dirty criminals." Julie huffed.

"We have to hold a meeting regarding this, after the race!" Kathy said, focusing on reaching the finish line, before she fell over a banana peel that one of the bullies tossed in their way. "HEY!"

Luckily, Tosha grabbed Kathy and they got back in. It was a close race, but the girls were able to beat the bullies. "We did it! Nice job, troops!" Peppermint Patty smiled.

"Okay, you got lucky!" the lead bully huffed. "But there's still a lot of games left, and let's not forget the big event!"

"Thank you for reminding us." Heather said, trying to be the better person. "Now if you'll excuse us..."

"We're gonna beat you all and keep our title and tent!" the bullies yelled.

"Now we know how they win: cheating!" Min exclaimed.

"That's it! GROUP MEETING!" Peppermint Patty shouted, leading the girls in the cabin and slamming the door behind them. "ALRIGHT, TROOP! We have to have a serious talk about our findings!" exclaimed the tomboy.

"Uh...Patty..." Lila gulped. "Maybe use your indoor voice..."

"Democracy knows no indoor voice." Lucy smirked.

"EXACTLY! Besides, my voice needs to be heard!" Peppermint Patty added.

"Keep it down, Sir." Marcie shushed, pointing at Baby Bop. The three-year-old was beginning to wake from a nap. "You're waking the baby."

"Oh good grief." Peppermint Patty blushed. "Sorry, Baby Bop. We didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's...fine." Baby Bop yawned, nuzzling into her blankie, with half-lidded eyes. "How were the activities?"

"Two words: they cheat." Lila said.

"We won the sack race." Tosha smiled. "That's gotta count for something."

"Yes, but pretty soon they might cheat again and make us fall behind." Lucy pointed out.

"Look, we can still win this." Heather smiled. "Do any of you want that super fun tent?"

"More than anything." Julie smiled.

"So we need to catch them in the act and report it!" Sally explained. "Any ideas on how to catch them, Baby Bop?"

"No...no ideas..." Baby Bop yawned, nuzzling into her blankie and falling back asleep.

"Baby Bop, this is a team meeting, and you're part of the team." Sally sighed, yanking the blanket off of Baby Bop. "So we need your full attention..."

"Aww man. Stop being a flippity-boot, and let me sleep."

"Not now. We need to come up with a strategy. Strategize first, nap later." Patty explained.

Baby Bop could only groan in disbelief, before coming up with an idea. "Aha! Why don't we try spying on them, like in spy movies?"

"That might work." Marcie shrugged.

"Fine, but we need to do it whenever we're not competing against them." Heather said. "Otherwise, they might do something just a criminal and unfair. In the meantime, let's give it everything we got!"

"Right!" Peppermint Patty smiled as the girls got back to playing.


Throughout the day, the kids, dinosaurs, Snoopy, and Woodstock were all competing in various camp games: egg races, sack races, wheel barrow races, three legged races, and tug a war. All the while, the girls continued to spy on the bullies. They caught them cheating in all kinds of ways.

Baby Bop, BJ, Barney's friends, and Peanuts Gang:

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?

Giddy and foolish the whole day through,

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?

Lucy, Marcie, and Tosha:

A horse and a flea and three blind mice

Sat on a curbstone covered with ice.

The horse, he slipped

And fell on the flea

"Whoops!", said the flea, "There's a horse on me!"

Baby Bop, BJ, Barney's friends, and Peanuts Gang:

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?

Giddy and foolish the whole day through,

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?

Heather, Kathy, Lila, and Kenneth:

Relay races are the best

Having fun from east to west

Being silly with our team

Trying hard to win that tent and ice cream!

Baby Bop, BJ, Barney's friends, and Peanuts Gang:

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?

Giddy and foolish the whole day through,

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?

Peppermint Patty, Julie and Min:

Way up north, where there's ice and snow

There lived a penguin and his name was Joe

He got so tired of black and white

He wore pink slacks to the dance, last night

Baby Bop, BJ, Barney's friends, and Peanuts Gang:

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?

Giddy and foolish the whole day through,

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?

Charlie Brown, Shawn, Peppermint Patty, and Julie:

I hope I don't fall on my face

And put my team in last place

Running backwards like a fool

Camp is more fun than school!

Baby Bop, BJ, Barney's friends, and Peanuts Gang:

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?

Giddy and foolish the whole day through,

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?

Boom, boom,

Ain't it great to be crazy?


Later that night during dinner, Heather was going through her findings. "Okay, I think we have enough to report this and get the bullies kicked out of camp." Heather said. "But I think we should wait until after we win the final event."

"So that way it could make victory more sweeter for us and defeat more smellier for them?" Lucy giggled.

"Bingo." Heather grinned.

"Oooh!" Baby Bop giggled. "I can't wait for us to get desserts."

"You mean their 'just desserts', Baby Bop." Marcie corrected.

"Nope. I mean dessert."

Snoopy's tail wagged. "Good grief." Charlie Brown sighed.

"So, what are you girls talking about anyway?" Linus asked.

"We saw those mean boys cheat their way into winning almost every game." Tosha said.

"We did too!" Kenneth said. "During one of tug a war games, the bullies were holding onto a tree to make the other side fall into the mud. Snoopy and Woodstock laughed hard at that. Right before Brutus scared them into jumping in the mud."

"And the eggs are glued to their spoons." BJ whispered. "Theirs barely budged, while mine splattered on my tail."

"Yikes!" Lucy shuddered, as Patty wiped off the egg yolk from BJ's tail.

"That's even more silly than when Shawn stuck peanut butter on his spoon during a peanut race for the fall festival." Tosha said.

"He was starting first grade with Sally." Marcie defended.

"Hey you losers!" The fat bully yelled from their table. "You may have got so lucky, but the last event is the big one! We won it last year and we'll win it again this year!"

"It ain't over till the fat lady sings!" Peppermint Patty yelled back. Snoopy then approached them, wearing a Viking outfit, shield, and wig. He then giggled to himself.

"Don't even try." Sally warned her brother's dog.

"OH YEAH?! WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT!" BJ exclaimed.

Baby Bop giggled. "Yeah! We'll win it!"

"Oh yeah?" one of the bullies walked up towards Baby Bop. "You're just a puny two-year-old freak of nature. And this..." he swiped her blankie "...is just an old rag."

"MY BLANKIE!" Baby Bop exclaimed, as the bully ripped a small tear in it. "STOP IT, YOU FLIPPITY BOOT!"

"You and what army?"

"Her and THIS army!" Lucy defended, holding a fist.

Min and Tosha held her back a little before Lucy could do any slugging while Linus snatched Baby Bop's blankie from them. "Never mess with security." Linus warned before returning Baby Bop her yellow blanket.

"I think it's clear we're gonna need another meeting. This time with both genders." Julie said.

"Julie's right." Heather said. "Honey, could you please gather the rest of the boys and meet them by our tent before bedtime tonight?"

"On it." Charlie Brown reassured. "Boys, we have a meeting to attend."

"On what?" asked Jason.

"Those bullies." Charlie Brown said. "We need to talk about them."

"Oh boy..." the boys sighed.

"And we hold it at...1845." Heather said, looking at the clock.

"None of us were even born in 1845." Juan explained.

"It just means 8:45 pm." Carlos said

"Actually, it means 6:45." Schroeder corrected.

"Exactly. Be there, or be square." Heather said.

"Or pucker up." Lucy cooed, hoping the boys would be late.

"Good grief." Schroeder groaned. "Carlos, is there any chance you might one day fall in love with Lucy so she'll stop bugging me?"

"I don't know about that." Carlos giggled. "But, after camp is over, I might take her dancing soon. For you."


Later that night, the boys and girls met outside the girls tent. "Alright, from the lookout from today's events, it's clear that those bullies will do anything to win the raft race." Heather said. "Even sabotaging our efforts. But they're clearly nervous when they saw that both of our groups, and Barney, Snoopy, and Woodstock are close to winning."

"When's the big race anyway?" Kenneth asked.

"In two days." Sally said. "We're supposed to have our rafts prepared tomorrow."

"Aye yi yi." BJ shook his head.

"By tomorrow?" Charlie Brown gulped.

"When's bedtime?" asked Julie.

"2200 hours. 10 o'clock." Charlie Brown said.

"Good." Julie smirked.

"Julie has an idea." Peppermint Patty said, with Baby Bop in her arms. "Tell us."

"I was thinking of spying a little more, after 10." Julie said.

"Wait! This calls for a vote! Before we do so, we need to take a vote!" Peppermint Patty said. "Marcie, hand out the ballots! Now, the topic is: should Julie spy on the bullies after 10, should we all help her or do we do nothing?"

"Can I not vote? I'm sleepy." Baby Bop said.

"Just tell me your vote and I'll write it." Lila reassured.

"Do us BOYS get ballots?" asked Franklin, in curiosity.

"Wait!" Charlie Brown exclaimed. "Better idea. One that won't require a vote or ballots. Who's the one person we all trust no matter what?"

"BARNEY!" the kids, BJ, and Baby Bop smiled.

"Exactly!" Charlie Brown smiled. "So, we just let him do the spying, and if the bullies try to sabotage anything, have him fix it. That way none of us are cheating at all. Just helping friends."

"Where's the fun in that?" asked Lucy.

"Well, no good deed goes unnoticed." Charlie Brown reassured.

"Where even is that dinosaur?" asked Peppermint Patty.

"He's probably collecting berries with Snoopy." Lila said.

"I love Charlie Brown's idea." Heather smiled. "We'll talk about it more with Barney tomorrow during a nature hike. After we finish our rafts."

"Oh goody! My first nature hike!" Lila smiled.

"But shouldn't someone stand watch, tonight? Just in case they try any funny business?" BJ reasoned.

"I got an idea." Marcie giggled. "We could take shifts. 10 minutes, each."

"Who'll take the first shift?" asked Lucy.

"Peppermint Patty's the captain. She should go first." BJ said. "But then again, Marcie suggested the idea."

"I'll go first!" Charlie Brown said. "To show I'm a good captain."

"Great idea, babe!" Heather smiled before kissing her boyfriend on the cheek, making him blush. Both groups then prepared to go back to their tents.

"You know, if we win that tent, I could share some of the ice cream with you." Carlos flirted with Lucy. "Plus, I hope you love Samba dancing."

"Carlos, what are you doing?" Lucy asked suspiciously.

"I just wanted to get to know you better." Carlos chuckled. "Besides, I think you're cute." Lucy giggled while Carlos shuddered.

"I'm very flattered, Carlos." Lucy blushed and smiled. "But you know how I feel about Schroeder. He is my future husband. Good night."

As Lucy went back to her tent, Juan approached his older brother. "Carlos, did you have a brain malfunction when you were talking to Lucy?" Juan asked.

"No! I'm trying to get her to like me. Schroeder's idea." Carlos said.

"¿Qué?" Juan asked.

"Yeah. His idea." Carlos said. "Come on. We have over three hours before bedtime. Who's up for 'Go Fish'?"

"I'll pass. Lookout duties." Charlie Brown smiled.

"Good luck, babe." Heather smiled as everyone headed back inside their tents.


Author's Note: It's great to be back doing these. Have a lovely weekend/weekday, everyone