CHAPTER 4: THE FANS ARE RESTLESS, CHARLIE BROWN

Charlie Brown and Trevor were walking towards Charlie Brown's father's barber shop. It's been a while since Trevor saw his uncle. They made it there and went in. Charlie Brown greeted his father.

"Hey dad," he said. "Just wanted to bring Trevor down here. It's been a while since he's been in the shop."

"Hey uncle," said Trevor. "How's business been doing?" As they talked to Charlie Brown's father, Charlie noticed Violet and Patty along with other girls looking in the window at Trevor.

"Oh good grief!" said Charlie Brown.

"What is it, cuz?" asked Trevor.

"Your fans await!" And then Charlie Brown's dad's shop was filled with girls; some Charlie Brown's age, and some who were teens. Violet and Patty led the pack.

"Trevor B.!" said Violet with excitement. "I am your biggest fan! Patty and I go to school with your cousins."

"You. Are. GORGEOUS!" Patty screamed. "Can I have your autograph?!" All of the girls wailed and Charlie Brown tried in vain to bring order.

"All right!" he said. "My dad's trying to run a business here. If you want my cousin's autograph let's bring it outside!" And the girls surprisingly complied and went outside to wait for their hero. "Sorry about that, dad," Charlie Brown said with embarrassment. His father said it was all right and he understood how famous Trevor was now.

Trevor and Charlie Brown went outside where Trevor signed autographs to all of his fans. Patty brought a copy of his CD and he autographed it for her. Now it's priceless, she thought. One by one Trevor signed for each girl. Some even got their arms autographed. Linus came walking by and noticed the chaos around the barber shop. Then he saw Charlie Brown and Trevor.

"What's going on, guys?" asked Linus.

"Trevor and his harem, Linus," said Charlie Brown. "All of these girls were led by the Snob Squad to get his autograph. And it almost destroyed my father's barber shop."

"There seems to be a lot of them," said Linus. After the last girl got her autograph, Trevor was wiped out.

"Whew!" he said, exhausted. "I never thought I'd ever finish that."

"Sorry about that, Trevor," said Charlie Brown.

"No worries, Charlie," Trevor smiled. "It goes with the territory. It's just another part in the game of being a celebrity. Come on, guys. I'll treat you to some ice cream at Ace's." And the three boys headed over to Ace's for some ice cream.

Around that time, Thibault was walking by himself down a street. He was in a sour mood, due to being banned from being near Patty after stalking her after their breakup. Plus, he hasn't been allowed back into school as of yet. He's been getting his learning at a remedial school for bad and underprivileged kids. It was then he bumped into Peppermint Patty.

"Hey kid, watch where you're… Thibault?!" she said shocked to see him.

"Hey Patty," he said, still frowning. "I'm sure you heard what happened with me."

"Are you kidding?" she said. "The talk about you just now died down. Everyone was talking about you stalking Patty. What in the world were you thinking?"

"I don't know," said the curmudgeon. "I was still upset about how we broke up."

"I heard about you getting thrown out at the Spring Dance by every girl at Patty's school. This is why I kicked you off the team, Thibault. You are a great player, but your attitude about us girls stinks. I was upset when Marcie decked you at first, but then I understood why she did it. You are a male chauvinist. You have views about girls that date back to the dark ages. I don't know why you listen to that uncle of yours and why your dad lets you still visit him."

"Actually, he's cut me off from seeing my uncle after, you know, this recent incident."

"Probably for the best," Peppermint Patty said. "But that's not the only issue. How about when you refused to give Chuck's glove back to him without a fight, only because you thought he thought he was better than you? Nothing could be further from the truth, Thibault. If you only knew how his life really is. He's the last person who would think he was better than anyone else. I think I know what your problem really is."

"What's that?" asked Thibault.

"You don't know how to deal with people, Thibault," said Patty. "You got these ill-conceived ideas about everyone from you thinking everyone thinking they're better than you and what girls should be doing. You act so angry at everyone when you have no reason to be angry at them. Nobody has ever done anything to you. So why are you so angry all of the time?"

And for the first time, Thibault's angry face disappeared to one that looked sad; almost on the verge of tears. "I-I don't know," he managed to say, almost breaking.

"Maybe you should talk to your dad about getting you some help," Patty continued. "Maybe with some professional help, you can get to the bottom of what is angering you all the time. Who knows? This could be the key to you getting back into school, and possibly getting that restraining order lifted. But if you're going to make peace with everyone, this is the first step you must take. And if you want, Franco and I can be there for some support."

"I'd like that," said Thibault, who looked like he was fighting back tears. His angry demeanor finally gone for the first time in ever.

"Come to my house first," Patty finished. "I'll call Franco, and then we can all go to your house and you can talk to your dad about getting some counseling." And Peppermint Patty and Thibault walked over to her house.

NEXT CHAPTER: SCHOOLING MELANIE