CHAPTER 3: TAKE THE TEST!
The day of the exam had arrived and Peppermint Patty was focused. She had studied hard and prepared for what was to come. She didn't goof off or just spend all weekend watching sports. She was serious about passing this exam and not getting a D minus. She wanted to maintain the momentum she had gained from the previous year. The exam was handed to the students and everyone began.
Patty worked on her exam for what felt like forever, but was determined to do good, and impress her teacher again. She was answering the questions, but rather than make guesses like she did in the past, she thought out her answers, mad sure they were right, and then wrote them down. It was obvious that she had come a long way from her days of sleeping in class and getting bad grades. Though it really started when she and Marcie went to Germany on Foreign Exchange where they first met Hans and Franco. While it started out with her sleeping in class and guessing her answers, once she realized that she could relax and didn't have to worry about being by herself like she would have back home when her father worked late, she began to get better sleep and focused on her work. So when she and Marcie got back, Patty started staying with Marcie at her house the nights her father worked late, thus making it easier for her to focus on her studies.
Once she got done with her exam, Patty it to the teacher and hoped for a good grade. While she never expected to be valedictorian or even the smartest student in school, she wanted to at least have a decent showing on her tests and assignments. She even stopped blaming Charlie Brown for any shortcomings that would happen to her. She realized that all of that was no one else's fault but her own. Her personality was also improving, as a result. She could still be impulsive, but she would also stop herself and make sure what she was doing would benefit others and her. Also when something didn't go her way, she wouldn't blow up or be in denial anymore. Plus it also helped having a boyfriend in Franco to keep her grounded.
Later that day, Patty, Franco, Marcie, and Hans were with Charlie Brown and Frieda at Sparkyville Park, discussing the exams they all were taking.
"We had an exam today, too," said Charlie Brown. "It must be district-wide."
"I think so too, Chuck," Patty responded. "I just hope I did good. I'm not expecting a miracle or anything; just something other than a D minus."
"Well, with how you've been studying you should do fine, Patty," said Frieda.
"Frieda's right, sir," added Marcie. "You've been doing way better than you have in the past."
"True," said Patty, "but I just don't want to revert back to my dumbness."
"As long as you keep studying and coming over to my place when you dad works late, there should be no problems," said Marcie.
"Well here's hoping you do get a good grade, Patty," said Charlie Brown.
"Thanks, Chuck," said Patty. And the kids continued to talk about the upcoming summer and what their plans were.
Meanwhile, Joslyn was with Lucy, Cobra, and Rattler. They went to Sam's Auto Salvage Yard where Python lost her life that night the Lizard Ladies confronted them and the Spiders. They wanted to share with Joslyn everything that had happened to them and her friend so she understood everything that happened to her friend. They stood outside the salvage yard, as they didn't want to go in there due to its history.
"So this is the place where it happened," said Joslyn.
"Yeah, this is it," said Lucy, somberly.
"It's been over a year, but it still feels like it happened yesterday," added Cobra.
"Is the girl who shot Margaux, Anaconda, still in the juvenile facility?" asked Joslyn.
"She is, Jos," Rattler answered. "We don't know when she'll get out. Because Python was never her intended target and because she made a deal with the prosecutor, she was only charged with involuntary manslaughter as a juvenile. So she could get out as soon as this year, depending on how she behaved while locked up."
"If and when she does get out," Lucy said, "she can't contact us or be around us, or she goes back." And the girls walked away from the salvage yard. They didn't want to stay there any longer, as it brought bad memories back to them. Unbeknownst to the girls, Gertrude, aka Gertie, the girl who helped out Tarantula in setting up the Serpents and Spiders, was watching from her father's office. She then began writing on a piece of paper. On it read "Escape Plan".
NEXT CHAPTER: VISITING PYTHON