At lunch it felt like there was starting to be a divide between friends because of Charlie and Lucy, there were faces aimed at the two, as he walked her through the lunchroom back to her table, to make sure she was okay.
"Thanks," she whispered.
"Please join us, dude," Shermy asked.
"Yes… please… join us, Charlie," Violet asked sarcastically.
"Is that sincere, Violet?"
"Since you asked…"
"I don't care what you think," he sat down.
"Lucy, you've been going through something, and I can't pretend to understand it on every level, but I stand with you," Shermy said.
"Thanks… at this point I feel like everybody seriously hates me."
"I don't hate you, I'm on your side, so is Marcie… and maybe Patty, if you change your ways," Charlie explained.
"Why should she change who she is, or listen to you," Violet snapped.
"Have you not been here today? I saw you at the recital, so I know you were there. These are the fruits of Lucy's labor… and yours too. What's wrong with being a decent person? You're the last one, and your turn is coming soon, and maybe I won't be so kind as to give amnesty… since I'm such a try hard loser who cares about everybody too much."
"So you care about me, too, huh?"
He glanced at Shermy, "so… read any good comics, or manga?"
"Dude, yeah!"
"There he goes, sitting over there with her," Schroeder spoke.
"So? He can sit where he wants, or hang with who he wants," Patty stated, "stop trying to make him pick sides, when he's trying to do the right thing."
"Like you aren't the slightest bit jealous your lover boy isn't with you," Peppermint Patty teased.
"Noooo… it's not like that."
"Good! Even after all this time, he's still wishy-washy," Linus said.
"You sound like Lucy; full of hate," Patty spat.
"Don't say that!"
"She's right," Rerun agreed.
"What do you two think," Linus asked.
"Us," Lamar and Heather asked.
"Man… you're better than this," Lamar answered.
"This does sound like a Lucy rant. She had her heart broke just like Patty, she's trying to redeem herself, like Patty. None of your will give her the benefit of the doubt. No ones putting a gun to your head and telling you to be friends with her, but will it really hurt to let her be happy, if she's not going to stand in the way of yours? How low will Lucy have to fall, and suffer, before you think it's enough? She might have been bad for a long time, but she was never sinister, and she has done good things," Heather explained.
"She never gave me a chance to be real friends anyway," Schroeder said.
"Why don't we see how this plays out, huh? From what I remember, most of you were friends with her, regardless of how she treated Linus and Charlie," Lamar said.
Once again Violet got a taste of Charlie's inner workings, against her will, and for the most part, he did seem interesting. And for those moments, Lucy seemed okay, hung nearly on every word Charlie spoke, almost happy, and then it was over; time for class.
"Well it's been real, it's been fun… but it hasn't been real fun. C'mon Lucy," Violet said.
"No goodbye kiss?"
"Now you remember I'm here?"
"I got you, Sherm," Charlie leaned across the table with puckered lips.
"If you don't go on with that worn out whisk broom moustache," he laughed.
"Come get your kisses, babe."
"Is there enough for the rest of us," Charlie teased.
"I'd rather kiss the hot tailpipe on Lucy's scooter," she broke the kiss.
Violet and Lucy stopped by a bathroom, while the former touched up her make up.
"I think I saw a bit of shimmer in your eye," Violet sang.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"I've never seen you look at Charlie like that… do you like him?"
"Like him? He's…"
"Or do you just feel some sort of way, because he took pity on your soul?"
"He's always tried to be nice to me… I don't even believe he thought I'd ever let him kick a football, I think he did it, because it made me happy."
"All I'm hearing is budding blockhead love."
"Now you look here," Lucy grew annoyed.
"Look here, indeed! Two birds with one stone, right, Charly," Delores spoke.
"Oh yeah… just like I said."
"Now, now, ladies, I haven't done a thing," Violet spoke.
"No, but you piss us off anyway, and you're friends with that cunt," Molly leaned against the door.
"So you think it's okay to beat up a girl just because she's dating your crush? Frieda's a nice girl, and she deserves payback, you stuck up gringos, time for a beat down," Delores glared.
"Rearrange your faces some," Charlotte sneered.
"H-Hey wait! Don't do this, I didn't even know she did it until today!"
"Vee, calm down."
"I don't want my face fucked up, and I can't fight."
"I'm too weak to fight."
"Please let me go, I'm innocent," she begged.
"Thought you were tough, huh‽ I guess Lucy was the muscle. Fine, go, but keep your mouth shut," Delores ordered.
"Tell anybody, and your next, bitch," Molly threatened.
"I won't, I swear," Violet quickly went to the door.
"Violet! Help me!"
Charlotte swung at Lucy.
"I can't, I'm sorry."
"Get the fuck out, or get beat with her," Molly snarled.
"Violet," Lucy yelled.
"Shut up," Delores punched her.
She looked up to see Molly closing in, she was yanked by her arm towards her, with Molly's heavy fist colliding with her stomach, she gasped for air. Charlotte flung several punches at Lucy's face.
"Please… stop! I didn't mean to fight Frieda, I didn't know what I was doing."
"Perra tonta," Delores hit her in the mouth.
Lucy tried to block the punches from her face, but there was too many, and she was too weak, she was yanked around, and pushed and shoved, screamed out when her hair was pulled, then another fist connected with her jaw. She just wanted over, as she collapsed and cried, curled in a ball while they stomped her.
"Dios Mios! That felt good, huh‽"
"The mighty have really fallen," Molly laughed.
"Look at her," Charlotte kneeled down, "now the outside matches the inside."
"We should go before we're caught," Molly suggested.
The girls left the bathroom quickly, leaving Lucy in a heap, moments later Patty wandered in to use the bathroom and froze at the sight.
"Lucy," she ran over, "what happened‽"
Patty shook her, but she didn't respond, she left quickly to find anybody that could help, running in to Schroeder and Frieda kissing in the hallway.
"Frieda! Help!"
"Patty," she tore away from the kiss, "what is it‽"
"It's Lucy, she-"
"We don't want anything to do with her," Schroeder interrupted.
"Get Charlie to handle it," Frieda suggested.
"Please," she started to cry, "it's bad… help me save her… she's beat pretty bad… unconscious."
Patty grabbed her hand and ran off.
"Oi, are you crazy," Schroeder chased them.
Patty ran into the bathroom door flinging it open.
"Patty, she's not that weak, I'm sure she'll be… oh… oh no," she covered her mouth.
"Patty have you gone mad," Schroeder caught up to them, "what could-," he saw Lucy laid on the floor through their legs.