The next few classes for Charlie Brown were all the same, going in and being told what to expect in the class. Then, just going around the room and introducing themselves, with the only highlight being a few familiar faces in each of them, he was delighted to see Heather had several classes with him. Despite that, Marcie's situation at recess still dwelled on his mind through every period, and he could only momentarily distract himself from it by listening to the teacher. The bell rang after sixth period as he headed to his final class of the day, P.E. He waved goodbye to Heather as she headed the other way to her dance class. He walked along the corridors and hung his head down; the last thing he wanted was to see Jo Agate or Thibault in the halls.
"Hey Charlie Brown, wait up!" Schroeder yelled from behind him; Charlie Brown stopped and turned his head to see him running up.
"Hey, Schroeder," Charlie Brown said as Schroeder ran up by him.
"Hey Charlie Brown, where are you heading?" He asked.
"Just to P.E." Charlie Brown responded.
"Me too. I asked when my advisor gave me my classes if I could just substitute it for another music class, but she said it was a required part of their core curriculum that you must take a physical activity class," Schroeder commented, being a little disappointed
"Didn't Beethoven play sports, or at least do some running?"
"Outside of some hiking, he was fully committed to his work, so when I told them I wanted to be like that, they looked at me like I was crazy!" Schroeder replied, annoyed; Charlie Brown laughed but still hung his head. Schroeder noticed it and frowned a bit.
"Are you still thinking about what happened at recess?" Schroeder asked. Charlie Brown nodded. The two walked silently, and Schroeder did not know what to say.
"I'm just more worried about Marcie and Peppermint Patty. I'm not sure how Peppermint Patty will handle this, and I want to make sure Marcie is okay. Peppermint Patty has never been the most emotionally stable person." Charlie Brown said. Breaking the silence, Schroeder looked at him and rested his hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sure it will turn out just fine. We'll figure it out together. You've got nothing to worry about. You just have to talk to Peppermint Patty about it at lunch tomorrow. Don't worry about that today, and I doubt you'll see either of them again today," Schroeder responded. Charlie Brown lifted his head, feeling better now.
The two had arrived at their P.E. class earlier than most, so they hung out by the door and talked about their day, waiting to see who walked into the class. Schroeder went on about his band class and how stupid it is that he's been relegated to back-up piano player, while Charlie Brown talked about his classes and the fact that Heather is in most of them, which Schroeder teased him for. In the middle of their talking, Franklin and Peppermint Patty walked in. Charlie Brown's eyes widened with shock, while Schroeder flinched in disappointment.
"Hi ya, Chuck. It's great to be in a class together at last!" Peppermint, Patty said while hugging Charlie Brown, catching him off guard. He thought she would be quiet and keep to herself for the rest of the day, but hugging wasn't something she usually did. After a few seconds, she let him go and said hi to Schroeder. Franklin waved Charlie Brown over into the hall.
"Sorry, I don't have this class. My math class is right across from here, but I just wanted you to know she's not taking this well. She's trying to hide it but isn't doing a good job," Franklin told Charlie Brown. He hesitated to respond.
"What should I do?" Charlie Brown asked
"Just make sure she doesn't go off the rails; I'll talk to her about it on the bus," Franklin responded. Charlie Brown thought momentarily, then nodded in agreement with the plan.
Charlie Brown returned to the gym, and Franklin waved goodbye to the group. Linus came walking in, and more students filtered into the gym shortly after. The bell rang, and the PE teacher announced everyone should find a partner and pass a ball around while he set up today's game. Linus and Schroeder both looked at Charlie Brown.
"Uh, Peppermint Patty, would you like to be my partner?" Charlie Brown asked her.
"Chuck, you sly dog, of course!" She responded, running off to find a ball; he rolled his eyes at the remark, while Schroeder and Linus giggled at her comment.
"When do you think she'll realize how he truly feels about Heather?" Schroeder asked Linus. Linus shook his head.
"The day Charlie Brown gets his head out of the clouds and asks Heather the question, but talking to her at least makes progress. Thanks for talking to my sister at lunch; it made her feel a lot better." Linus commented.
"Oh, it's no problem; she's a good friend," Schroeder responded.
"She even said you leaned in for a kiss." Linus teased
"AUGHH, I DID NOT," Schroeder yelled, covering his mouth as his yell echoed through the gym. Linus burst out laughing, and Schroeder's face scrunched in anger and blushed a bit. "I can't believe she said that; when is she going to get that idea out of her mind?"
"Oh, I heard about what you told Charlie Brown this morning. I think after all these years, she weakened you, and you're finally warming up to her. I can even see you blushing." Linus protested, and Schroeder raised his fist at Linus and gritted his teeth. "Look, you're even reacting the same way she does when she's being crabby."
"Good grief, let's just pass the ball and tell the teachers ready with whatever he's setting up," Schroeder said, throwing the ball to Linus, who opened his mouth to make another comment but decided it wasn't worth it.
Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty started passing the ball around a few times. He didn't say much to her, except for the occasional compliment on a catch, and she said little in return. He was uncertain whether to speak up or wait until later. The coach returned and rolled a bunch of dodgeballs out, instructing the group to split into two teams. Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty walked to the left side of the room, where Schroeder and Linus were standing.
"Hey guys, did you two see that Violet and Thibault are also in the class?" Charlie Brown winces in response to Linus's comment as they walk over, knowing Peppermint Patty will take the game too seriously now. Her expression turns to anger as she rolls up her sleeves and sits on the wall with her arms crossed. The rest of the class sits against the wall as the coach blows his whistle, and everyone dives for the balls in the middle.
The middle of the gym becomes a war zone, with students lobbing balls at each other, trying their best to dodge them. Linus, Schroeder, and Charlie Brown stayed towards the back as Peppermint Patty threw the ball as hard as she could at anyone across the line.
"Think this is good for her?" Charlie Brown asked.
"Probably not, but I'm not going to stop her," Linus responded.
"Why aren't you up there, Charlie Brown? You always said dodgeball was your favorite." Schroeder commented,
"Fine, I'll show you how a master plays this game," Charlie Brown responded, walking towards the line, winding up his ball, lobbing it at a student, and hitting them in the arm. "Yes!" he yells, turning to face Linus and Schroeder.
"Watch out, Chuck!" Peppermint Patty yells at him; he turns around and gets hit in the face with a dodgeball, knocking him to the floor.
"RATS!" he says as he lies on the floor. Schroeder and Linus burst out laughing at him. Peppermint Patty looks up to see Thibault hit him with the ball and scold him from across the room. A ball comes towards Peppermint Patty, and she catches it, then points towards Charlie Brown.
"Get back up, Chuck!" Charlie Brown sits up and backs up towards the wall where Schroeder and Linus are.
More balls came rocketing her way, and she dodged each of them. Then, she caught one midair and threw it at Thibault, getting him out. He scolded her as he sat down, and she shot him a mean look in return. Only a few students stood on the other side, and she took them down one at a time until Violet was the last one standing. Their eyes locked as they missed each other several times.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Linus comments as he watches; Charlie Brown nods and slowly walks over to Peppermint Patty to calm her down. As he walks, the bell rings, but the two still try to hit each other with the balls.
"Hey Peppermint Patty, it's time to go," Charlie Brown tells her.
"Not yet, Chuck!" She yells back,
"Yeah, stay out of this, you blockhead!" Violet protests.
As the Students filter out of the room, they watch as the two keep going at it, slowly getting closer to each other. The coach walks over to separate them, but Peppermint Patty notices him out of the corner of her eye and spikes the ball into Violet's face. As the ball bounces off Violet's face, blood trickles down her nose. The coach yells at them from across the room, rushing to Violet while ordering them to stay after class. Charlie Brown slowly backs up and heads for the exit.
Charlie Brown trudged his way to the bus, holding his head down. He had one job, to make sure she didn't 'go off the rails, and now she had detention after school on the first day. He walked up the bus's steps and looked up to see Heather waving at him; he faked a smile and walked over.
"How was gym?" She asked.
"Good grief, where do I even start?" He responded, and the two discussed it on the way home. Heather would try to make him feel better, but he felt terrible for letting his friend down.
Once he got home, he went to his room and flopped into bed, staring at the ceiling.