Disclaimer: The Peanuts characters belong to Peanuts Worldwide and remain the hallowed creations of Charles Monroe Schulz, even in the wake of his passing.

ICYMI: Charlie Brown achieves the impossible, and Patty is not impressed.

Now with that out of the way, onward to the next chapter.

3. Finetuning

She was back on her feet, dusting herself off after being tackled to the ground by Charlie Brown. Try as she might, though, she couldn't pat off her anger and frustration at that outcome. Her tackler stood close by, eying her cautiously. He wanted very much to apologize for his second display of grit and competence.

But now was not the time for words, for Patricia Reichardt was livid. If there were to be words, then hers would have to be the first.

Only a matter of time…

"Why now, Chuck?" Patty growled at Charlie Brown. Her utterance left the boy even more confused. Wasn't he supposed to stop her, or at least attempt it? He'd be the first to admit that his success was more a product of good luck than anything else. He decided to share that fact with her.

"I got lucky!" he insisted. "I don't think I'll ever be able to repeat that performance!"

"But why now?" Patty repeated, offering no hint of why he had offended her. Understandably, Charlie Brown was confused by the statement.

"Are you saying I should have lost instead?" he asked back, his voice brimming with disbelief.

"I was counting on it!" an exasperated Peppermint Patty shot back his way. Her accompanying expression matched her tone, strongly hinting that the answer should have been obvious. It wasn't; instead, it created more questions for an already befuddled boy. Thankfully, he required only one.

"Then why even set me the challenge?"

He was surprised to see her hesitate at his question. He was more surprised as he watched her inhale slowly, deeply, and deliberately. She was composing herself for whatever explanation she was about to offer. He felt oddly at ease, hopeful that her answer would be free of further drama.

He was not to be disappointed.

"Chuck, remember the day we sat at that tree" – she paused to motion toward the tree where she found him – "and I asked you about the type of girl you'd want to marry?"

"Yeah..?" he wavered. That particular exchange remained vivid in his mind because it remained the only time anyone – let alone a girl – had asked him such a question. Nonetheless, he was unsure of where she was heading with her response. "I remember," he continued. "I told you—"

"You told me you'd like the kind of girl who'd call you 'Poor Sweet Baby'!" she interrupted him.

"And what about that?" Charlie Brown responded as he recalled an unpleasant aspect of that conversation. "You said it would never happen, didn't you?"

"Small details, Chuck! You took me by surprise, that's all!"

Patty's conflicting responses were doing little to assuage Charlie Brown's curiosity. "But what does any of that have to do with today?" he almost begged his tormentor. The frustration of not knowing was starting to show in his more irritated tone.

Then came the bombshell.

"I wanted you to fail while giving it your all like only you can do," confessed Patty, "so I'd have a reason to comfort you when you were down. I wanted a chance to be the girl that would whisper 'Poor Sweet Baby' in your ear, just like you wanted."

Just like that, it all made sense to Charlie Brown. Patty truly liked him. She might have even been in love with him if her outburst at the baseball game was any reliable metric. This then was to have been her way of at least trying to express those feelings. Granted, the plan wasn't completely sound, but it was something that only one as obtuse as Patricia Reichardt could conjure up. At least her intentions were pure.

"And you denied me my chance, Chuck!" Patty snapped him out of his thoughts. "I'd see how exhausted and down you were, then I'd cuddle up close to you!" With that, slid up to him for a hug that was tight enough to bring them cheek to cheek. She even took the chance to nuzzle up against his cheek. Charlie Brown would have completely surrendered to the moment, had Patty not continued in an angry tone that belied her tender undertones.

"Then I'd whisper how it's ok and how you did your best and how I like you no matter what!"

Whether or not she was angry, Patty delivered her words in warm breaths and dulcet tones that hit Charlie Brown's ears and caused his skin to prickle. He'd barely had the time to process this reaction when she pulled her head back to look him in the eye with a look of intense frustration and disappointment.

"And then I'd kiss you, Chuck!" she announced. "Just for you! Just to make you feel better!"

She made good on her words as she zeroed in on his lips with hers. Charlie Brown was powerless to stop the advance and as a result, was mouth-to-mouth with Patty. His eyes remained wide open, meaning that he could see her closed eyes and her irked expression as she kissed him with an awkward but loving intensity. He was just about getting used to this new development when she pulled away to continue ranting.

"But no!" she resumed. "You had to go and ruin it. You had to rise above the normal you! Dammit, Chuck! Can't you do anything right?"

With that, she shoved him away before huffily gathering her football and stomping away. She found the time for one last parting shot.

"It's been a terrible time with you, Chuck!"

Only when Peppermint Patty was out of sight did Charlie Brown begin to process the preceding sequence of events. Unfortunately, processing them as he did, he ended up no closer to a logical explanation.

Only one key question.

"How do I keep getting into situations like these?"

About an hour later, Charlie Brown was feeling nostalgic for all the wrong reasons. He recalled the countless times he stood in front of the little red-haired girl's house. The countless futile bids to gather his nerves and just walk up to and knock on the front door. The countless times he remained petrified, too scared to make that crucial first move.

Now, however, the circumstances were different.

For one, this wasn't the little red-haired girl's house. This was Patricia's. This wasn't an unattainable vision; he was after something that felt at least within reach. It didn't matter that he had, at best, a vague idea of what he was chasing or what the outcome would be. He'd regret it more if he didn't act on his current motivations.

Secondly, this time he wasn't rooted in fear, hiding behind some tree or shrubbery while he fought a losing battle with himself over springing into action. This time he was waiting for Patty Reichardt to open her front door after he'd knocked on it.

The door opened to reveal a wary, though not yet angry, hoyden. Her mouth started forming an utterance as soon as she saw him on the porch. Maybe she was formulating a greeting, maybe she was about to ask what the hell he wanted.

Denied.

He quickly but not aggressively cupped her cheeks and pressed his lips on hers for a slow, lingering kiss. In effect, this was a role reversal. Charlie Brown was the one reveling in the moment with closed eyes, while Patty was the one trapped in wide-eyed bewilderment. Patty was probably too surprised to offer any resistance to his advance, for he felt none. He eventually ended the kiss and pulled away from a now very flustered Patty.

Silence.

Patty stood still. She was struggling to process yet another heretofore unprecedented occurrence. Her eyes were wide open, her mouth only slightly so. Next, she raised two fingers and lightly pressed the tips against her lips as if to aid her understanding and reaffirm that she had just been kissed.

Silence.

Then came the foremost words.

"Chuck, what was that all about?" Patty asked, still flustered but miraculously not irked.

"Just going off-script again," Charlie Brown earnestly replied.

And that's it for this chapter. Charlie Brown seems to have stepped up, right? But what now? Ah, but that would be telling. I guess you'll have to wait for the final chapter. And as ever, thank you one and all for your support. Extra thanks to those who've enjoyed what they've read. And finally, extra extra limited-edition thanks to those moved to leaving reviews.

Speaking of which...

HPDrummerman: Show me a Peanuts character who doesn't. Well, maybe Franklin.

The J.A.M. a.k.a. Numbuh I: "Script", as you found out. And as any dirty player will tell you, it's only illegal if the referee sees it.

Guest: Not that I'm ungrateful, but what particular aspect of the chapter earned it the "wow"?

As for this chapter, no prizes for guessing that I drew inspiration from the song "Poor Sweet Baby". Not just the song, but also the scene from "Snoopy: The Musical" containing it. The animated version is especially good because of Patty's raw emotion as she sings to Charlie Brown.

Staying on the topic of music, I was also inspired by the Phil Collins song, "Inside Out". I found the lyrics a dead-on description of what might have gone through Charlie Brown's head during this chapter.

And on that note, here's this chapter's Tidal List:

Head Over Feet – Alanis Morrissette

Have A Little Faith In Me – John Hiatt

Inside Out – Phil Collins

So yeah, that will be it for this chapter. See you in the conclusion. Stay safe and take nothing for granted.