CHAPTER 3: SEEING THE RAMIFICATIONS

The last day of school had arrived, and all of the kids rushed out of their schools ready to start all summer activities. Over at Peppermint Patty's school, she was walking with a saddened Marcie. She was still on indefinite punishment for kicking Charlie Brown in his shin, fracturing it. She could deal with the punishment, but it was the fact that Charlie Brown seemingly hated her now, and wasn't talking to her. She was more upset about that than her being grounded.

"Give him some space, Marcie," said Patty to her friend. "Chuck will come around once he has cooled off."

"He hates me, sir," said a weepy Marcie. "I kicked him and nearly broke his leg. And for what? Misunderstanding what he was asking! For a smart person, I'm really stupid!"

"Admittedly, you have a lot to learn about life, Marcie. Like when you invite a boy to a movie, when he asks 'What's playing?', it's not an insult; he just wants to know what's being shown. The same if he asks if it's a double feature being shown. Just answer the questions, it doesn't mean he's going to reject the invite or expect you to pay for more than what you were willing to spend. They're innocent questions."

Marcie took in what her best friend was telling her. Then she said, "Will you stop going into jealous rages when Charles mentions the little red-haired girl, as well?"

"Hey, we're not talking about me, Marcie!" Patty retorted. "Besides, that's a whole different situation all on itself. Just don't jump to conclusions, Marcie. I know I'm the last person that needs to tell you this, seeing how I'm guilty of that on more than one occasion, but someone has to. And again, leave Chuck alone for a while. Let him cool off, then I will work something out so you and him can at least clear the air, and you can properly apologize to him."

"Okay, I'll give him some space, sir," Marcie conceded. "It still hurts that he doesn't want to talk to me, though." They had arrived at Marcie's house. "I'd invite you in, but I'm still grounded. I'll see you soon, sir."

"Later, Marcie." And Patty headed for home.

Later, Peppermint Patty was on the phone with Charlie Brown, telling him about her conversation with Marcie. She wanted to let him know she was sorry for what she did.

"Well, I'm glad she feels guilty for what she did to me," Charlie Brown conceded. "Not even Lucy is capable of that. But she still nearly broke my leg, Patty. I'm not ready to forgive her. Not yet."

"I told her to give you some space, Chuck," said Patty. "To let you cool off, and then she can clear the air about what happened with the two of you."

"Well, I don't know. Maybe I'll be ready after a while. Who knows? All I know is you won't be seeing me on the baseball field this summer as a result of the fracture. Even if the cast is removed before summer's end, I still will need time to continue to heal after that."

"Yeah, Marcie made a mess out of things, I can admit that. The rest of your team will be able to play without you, won't they?"

"Yeah. As of matter of fact, they always look forward to when I'm unable to play. They actually resemble a baseball team when I'm gone, for some reason."

"That is strange, Chuck. Usually, they are a complete mess. Even if I can strike you out with three pitches, you are still more competent than they are, save for Snoopy, where there's no question about his abilities. Anyway, I better get ready for dinner. Talk to you later, pal.

"See you later, Patty."

NEXT CHAPTER: NEVER BEEN SO COLD IN JULY