Peppermint Patty and Marcie were currently walking together in the direction of their next class.
"I'm proud of you, sir," Marcie said to her friend.
"For what, Marcie?" Peppermint Patty asked, keeping her gaze ahead of her. "And stop calling me sir."
"For being willing to talk it out with Charles," Marcie replied.
"I'm doing this moreso because you basically forced me into it," Peppermint Patty told her.
"But you really do want to make up with him, don't you, sir?" Marcie asked knowingly.
Peppermint Patty didn't answer right away as she apologized for almost bumping into a fellow student who was passing by.
"Okay, yes. I do, Marcie. I admit it," she then answered a bit reluctantly.
Marcie took a second to analyze Peppermint Patty's current demeanor. "You look sort of unhappy, sir."
For the first time, Peppermint Patty stopped and turned to face Marcie. "What? I'm not unhappy. What makes you think I am?"
"Is this about Heather, sir?" Marcie inquired. "I noticed you had looked at her several times when you were talking to Charles."
Peppermint Patty blinked in surprise, but quickly shook her head. "Of course not! What reason would she have to make me upset?"
"Well, sir, you and I both know that Charles has been spending a lot of time with Heather ever since the school year started," Marcie said. "More time than he's ever spent with either of us."
"Yeah, so?" Peppermint Patty asked, trying to sound uncaring, though the tone in her voice seemed to give away how she really felt about that fact.
"I think you're jealous, sir," Marcie said.
"Me? Jealous? That's a laugh," Peppermint Patty said derisively before continuing walking. "Like I would ever be jealous of the "little red-haired girl". What with how pretty she is, and how friendly she is, and how Charlie Brown clearly likes her more than me. Yeah, what do I have to be jealous of?!"
By this point, Peppermint Patty's increasingly loud voice was beginning to attract stares from passerby students.
"There's no need to yell, sir. I understand how you feel," Marcie said, now sounding sympathetic. "You already know that I'm very fond of Charles myself, and seeing him and Heather becoming so close makes my heart hurt."
"Leave it to Charlie Brown to only like cute girls," Peppermint Patty said bitterly. "No girls with big noses and plain Jane looks for him. No sir!"
"I don't think that's the reason why Charles likes Heather, sir," Marcie said.
"Of course it is, Marcie. He's been fawning over her ever since she had moved here. And he's repeatedly called her cute," Peppermint Patty insisted.
"That may be true, sir, but what I mean is that I think Charlie Brown has now come to like her more for a different reason," Marcie said. "You see, ever since the school year had started, Heather has been a very supportive and caring friend to Charles. She's been able to help him when he needed it and be a source of comfort when he needed it."
Peppermint Patty said nothing as Marcie began to state everything that was on her mind.
"How often have either of us really done anything like that for him?" Marcie continued. "It's clear that both of us like Charles. And it pains us that he doesn't seem to like either of us back. But what have we ever done that could make him like us? Charlie Brown has gone through a lot in his life, but how often have we really been there for him? How often have we offered comfort or support when he needed it? Yes, Charlie Brown may have always fawned over Heather, but in the past weeks, he has come to actually really know her, and the kind of person she is."
While hearing what Marcie was saying was doing nothing to help Peppermint Patty feel any better, she was actually processing her words. Steadily, she began to realize that Marcie... was spitting out facts. Throughout the six or so years now that Peppermint Patty had known him, Charlie Brown had underwent frequent bouts of depression, never-ending failures, constant insecurity, and even outright bullying. But rarely had she ever really done anything to help him. There had even been some times where Peppermint Patty was the opposite of a good friend, like when she'd get really brash towards him, or would become frustrated or angry with him for no good reason. There was even the matter of her boasting to him about how much better she was at baseball than him, with great detail and everything.
These weren't things that a true friend would shamelessly do.
Heather on the other hand, had indeed been a consistently supportive and caring friend to Charlie Brown, and she still continues to do so to this day. She never berated him, she was accepting of his flaws, and Charlie Brown felt comfortable talking to her.
At this point, Peppermint Patty understood. She understood why Charlie Brown and Heather were growing so close, and why Charlie Brown showed no indication that he was ever going to stop liking her.
But these understandings did not make Peppermint Patty feel any better. In fact, she seemed to be hurting even more now.
Marcie saw the expression now on her friend's face and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I know how you feel, sir. I feel the same way. But I think at this point, all we can do is to try to be happy for Charles. He finally has someone who will always build him up rather than tear him down," Marcie said consolingly. "And he still considers us friends of his. And as his friends, we owe it to him to be supportive."
Peppermint Patty sniffed and wiped away the tears that had begun falling. She nodded.
"I know you're right, Marcie," she said between light sobs. "But still, it really hurts."
"I know. But we'll move on. Many wise people have said that from our mistakes is where we truly learn," Marcie gently told her, knowing what she was probably thinking.
The two of them continued onward. Marcie was glad she was able to soften Peppermint Patty's heart a bit and help her to understand what was probably now the best path going forward concerning their friendships with Charlie Brown. Hopefully during Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown's evening discussion, their friendship would end up stronger than it ever had before.
While Peppermint Patty and Marcie were walking together towards their next classes, so were Charlie Brown and Heather.
"You were right, Heather. Peppermint Patty did eventually come around," Charlie Brown said, delighted by the turn of events.
"I was pretty sure she would," Heather said. "You two have known each other for years; I doubt she would've wanted to just up and end everything between you two that easily."
The two of them then were silent for a brief moment as they left the cafeteria and were now in the halls.
"So now you and Peppermint Patty have a chance to really talk it out," Heather said.
"Yeah," Charlie Brown agreed.
"If you want... I mean, if you think it might help, I could be there with you two. You know, to help ensure that conversation flows smoothly between you two," Heather then offered.
Charlie Brown blinked and looked at his red-haired pal. "I..."
But he then hesitated. Heather had already done so much for him over the past month and a half. And like usual, she was willing to help him out again. And Charlie Brown was about to accept her offer, but something inside of him made him not feel at peace about it. Could he really keep asking her to constantly help him fight his battles, all the time? He was sure that she didn't mind helping him here, but was it possible that maybe he was starting to become a little too dependent on her?
Finally, Charlie Brown sighed. "No, that's okay. I think I can handle it alone."
"Are you sure? I don't mind, you know. I'm not too busy this evening," Heather said encouragingly.
But Charlie Brown shook his head. "You've already done so much for me lately, and it's all so much appreciated. But... I don't want to constantly be running to you with every little problem I have. I don't think it's fair to you," he explained to her.
Heather was about to respond, but she had to admit that he did have a point. It was great that Charlie Brown had learned that he could talk to someone when he needed it (most often it would be her). But all the same, it was nice to hear just now that he wanted to make sure he didn't ever become overly dependent on anyone. It was true that there were times when it would be more appropriate for one to try to stand on their own two feet, and Heather came to agree that for Charlie Brown, this was one of those times.
"I understand," Heather said to him as they arrived outside of Heather's next class. "Well, I'd better get to class."
Charlie Brown smiled and was about to carry onward, but he was then caught off guard when Heather took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He found himself freezing in response to this gesture.
"Good luck with everything. I'm sure everything will turn out well," Heather assured him, flashing him one of her smiles that always instilled confidence in him. "Just remain calm, keep your emotions in check, and I believe you will handle yourself just fine."
Heather then slowly let go of his hand, looked at him for a couple more seconds, and then, with cheeks tinging pink, she quickly made her way into her classroom. It took Charlie Brown about twenty seconds before he found the urge to move again. His face was burning hot by what had just happened. Heather had actually just taken him by his hand and even squeezed his hand!
He held out the hand that Heather had just held in her own and looked at it for several seconds before smiling brightly and bringing it to his chest. Wait until Linus heard about this!
It was a little while before Peppermint Patty was due to arrive at Charlie Brown's house to hopefully sort out things between the two of them. Currently, Charlie Brown was on the phone with Linus telling him about his most recent interaction with Heather.
"And do you know what happened at the end?" Charlie Brown said, brimming with excitement. "She actually held my hand! Of course it was only for a few seconds, but can you believe it?!"
"Big brother, are you going to be off the phone soon?" a certain female voice called out from the living room, sounding as though it was becoming annoyed.
Charlie Brown ignored it and listened for Linus' response.
"Well, that's good for you I guess," Linus said from the other end.
"It couldn't be possible that she might actually like me? I mean..." Charlie Brown said.
"Of course she likes you. She told you that she admired all your traits that day after third grade ended. And you and her are definitely good friends," Linus informed him.
"No, no! I mean like, do you think she..."
But Charlie Brown was interrupted by Sally again.
"Big brother, come on! Eudora is gonna be calling any minute!" she yelled.
"Be quiet, Sally! You're on the phone all the time!" he yelled back at her.
"I am not!" Sally retorted, slamming her fist against the beanbag chair.
Charlie Brown ignored her though and continued on. "I mean, do you think she... she..."
Linus then understood where this was going. "I'd say it's possible, Charlie Brown."
"Really? How would I be able to tell?" Charlie Brown asked.
But Linus then laughed, causing Charlie Brown's face to scrunch up in confusion.
"What's so funny?" he questioned.
"Come on, Charlie Brown. You're asking me that question? I'm barely old enough to be talking about this kind of thing," Linus said to him.
Charlie Brown blushed slightly in embarrassment.
"Look, all I can really tell you is to just keep doing what you're doing," Linus continued. "You've really improved as a person ever since school had started. You're doing better in school... better at everything really, you're not as insecure or self-defeating anymore, and you've got friends, including me, who are always willing to stand up for you."
Charlie Brown listened carefully as he allowed Linus' words to really sink in. Linus was absolutely right. Things really had improved for Charlie Brown since the start of the school year, and he was growing into a completely different person. He had every reason to continue to be optimistic about the future, including in regards to his friendship with Heather.
"Charlie Brown, are you still there?" Linus asked him.
Charlie Brown snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh. Yes, I am. I was just thinking about what you just told me know."
"Big Brother!" Sally's voice rang through the house again.
Charlie Brown facepalmed. "Good grief. Well, I suppose I'd better get off the phone now before Sally slugs me."
"Okay. I'll see you at school tomorrow, and good luck with working things out with Peppermint Patty," Linus said.
"Thank you," Charlie Brown said.
"BYE, MY SWEET BABBOO!" Sally then shouted.
As Charlie Brown was placing the phone back on the receiver, he could hear an irritated Linus shouting, "I AM NOT YOUR SWEET BABBOO!"
A little while later, Charlie Brown heard a knock at the door.
"That must be her," he said to himself as he went to go answer it.
Sure enough, as he opened the door, he was greeted by Peppermint Patty. Marcie for some reason was also present with her.
"Hi, Chuck," Peppermint Patty greeted as she walked in.
"Hello, Charles," Marcie greeted afterwards, following her.
"Hi, Patty. Hi, Marcie," Charlie Brown said as he closed the door behind them.
"Hope you don't mind, Chuck, but I brought Marcie along with me," Peppermint Patty informed Charlie Brown as the three of them walked into the living room. "She said she wants to be a sort of 'mediator' for our conversation. Whatever that means."
"Oh, no. If it's okay with her, I don't mind at all," Charlie Brown said, pleasantly surprised. He was really glad now that he didn't drag along Heather into this. Not only would he had felt like he was beginning to take advantage of her by this point, but with Marcie already here, it would've now been redundant.
Fortunately for them, Eudora had just minutes ago called for Sally, so Sally was no longer in the living room. This allowed for them to have this space, as Charlie Brown expected that Sally was going to be busy now for a while.
Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown sat down on opposite ends of the couch while Marcie pulled up the beanbag chair. Once everyone was seated, Marcie spoke up.
"Now, we all know why we're here this evening. We're here so that..." but she was interrupted by Peppermint Patty.
"Marcie, there's really no need for this. This isn't some kind of formal hearing," she said, though she was unable to completely hide her giggles.
"Very well. Please proceed, you two," Marcie said.
Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty faced each other and Charlie Brown cleared his throat. He really hoped that he wouldn't completely screw this up. He then took a few seconds and thought back to all the times Heather had assured him of his capabilities and had given him encouragement, allowing these thoughts to act as a source of strength for him. Finally, he began.
"Peppermint Patty, let me just start off by saying that I'm so sorry for exploding at you that day, saying that I didn't want to "deal with you and your domineering self" anymore and all that," he began.
Peppermint Patty said nothing, but nodded. She was silent for a few seconds before speaking.
"The reason why I was so upset that night was because I couldn't believe that you'd want to give up on baseball," she said. "Sure, your team had hardly ever won a game, but you would always keep trying. It pained me to hear that you were going to give it all up, especially when baseball was practically your life."
Marcie watched on, smiling in satisfaction that the conversation seemed to be flowing smoothly so far. She hoped for everyone's sake that it would stay that way.
"I understand," Charlie Brown said. "And I'll tell you the truth: every day, I sort of feel regret about the decision I made. I myself often wonder if I really should've given up yet."
"It's not too late to change your mind, you know," Peppermint Patty told him.
"Yes," Charlie Brown said, nodding. "But I still don't think I'm ready to try to get back into it..."
"But Chuck," Peppermint Patty quickly tried to say, but Marcie raised her hand.
"Sir, please let him finish," she said in a gentle, yet no-nonsense tone.
Peppermint Patty wanted to protest, but nonetheless went quiet.
"I think I know what you're about to say. You're about to say that maybe I should try my hand at a different position," Charlie Brown said knowingly. "And if I were to get back into baseball, perhaps I'd consider your idea."
Peppermint Patty's lack of a response seemed to indicate that Charlie Brown had guessed correctly. She really wanted to speak again, but she knew she had to let Charlie Brown finish everything that was really on his mind.
"But here's the truth," Charlie Brown said. "It's not just never winning any games that made me decide to quit."
Peppermint Patty raised an eyebrow at this.
"I believe I had said a thing or two about this during our little phone spat, but a big part of why I quit is because..." Charlie Brown really had to search himself in order to communicate clearly how he felt. At the same time, he wondered how Peppermint Patty was going to react to this.
"...is because I had simply lost my motivation to play anymore."
Peppermint Patty furrowed her brows in confusion. "Chuck, I really don't think I understand..."
"My team never won any games, yes, but at the same time, as our team's manager, I myself have never really gotten much support or respect from most of my teammates. I'm sure you already know that a big part of why my team was disbanded in the first place was because of people deciding to just up and quit on me."
Peppermint Patty nodded, indicating that she did know this.
"In fact, I could actually say that in general, most people have not often really treated me in a way that made me feel like I was respected or cared for. Not just in regards to baseball, but in pretty much everything. On the flip side though, I very much have had my fair share of ridicule and mistreatment from others. When you put everything together, I guess it had finally broke me," Charlie Brown finally explained. "I hope that's a clear enough explanation. I don't really know how else to phrase it all."
Charlie Brown then went silent as he watched to see how Peppermint Patty would respond to all this. For a moment, her expression was unreadable, and she was silent on everything.
"You still don't understand, do you?" Charlie Brown said before sighing.
"No, I do understand," Peppermint Patty then said. But at this point, she sounded as though she felt remorseful. "And I'm sorry."
Charlie Brown practically bolted upright. That certainly wasn't the reaction he was expecting.
"For what?" he asked.
"It's partly my fault. I'm part of the reason why you feel the way you do," Peppermint Patty said. "I contributed to your breaking down."
"Whoa, hold on, I don't want to place any blame on anyone..." But Charlie Brown this time was interrupted by Marcie.
"Please let her finish, Charles," she said.
"No, Chuck. I now know that I have not been the most supportive fellow player that I could've been. Yes, the two of us played on opposing teams, but I now realize that some of the things I've said in the past were just plain unnecessary and would make you feel bad," Peppermint Patty admitted. "Like when I'd constantly say how I could strike you out with three pitches. Or how I would boast about how our team could beat you twice in April, three times in May, and all that. And then there was that time when that big garden had been planted in your field; I blamed you for it when it was everyone on your team but you who had planted everything. YOU didn't even know what the heck had happened. So yeah, I realize now that I've not been a great friend to you these past years... and I'm so sorry."
Charlie Brown was at a loss for words. Peppermint Patty now seemed to not only understand why he had decided to quit baseball, but was now actually apologizing to him for her role in everything.
Peppermint Patty was now looking solemnly down at her lap. She was still disappointed that Charlie Brown was no longer interested in playing baseball, but she now had come to realize that part of the blame fell squarely on her. How could she not have been more aware of how some of her behavior was affecting him?
She was then caught by surprise when she felt a hand lay on her shoulder. She looked up to see Charlie Brown looking at her and smiling.
"It's okay, Patty," he said to her.
"Y-you forgive me?" Peppermint Patty uttered out.
"Of course," Charlie Brown said reassuringly.
In a moment of instinct, Peppermint Patty found herself throwing her arms around Charlie Brown in a tight hug. Charlie Brown was caught off guard, and found his breathing being slightly restrained by the strength of the hug, but seconds later, he hugged her back.
Marcie herself couldn't help but smile at her two friends. Deep down, she was worried about how this conversation would turn out. Peppermint Patty could be quite the stubborn one. She was glad that she had stayed in check throughout all this, and it clearly looked as though things were going to end well for the both of them.
"Thanks, Chuck," Peppermint Patty said appreciatively before breaking from the hug. "I promise that from here on out, I'll be a better pal to you. And if you do ever decide to get back into baseball, I'll be a more encouraging fellow player and will not brag to you anymore. It's completely friendly rivalries only from here on out!"
Charlie Brown nodded and grinned at her as the three of them stood up.
"In fact, Chuck, now that I think about it, if you and I were both to try out for the school team in the spring, we'd be playing together on the same team instead of against each other on different teams," Peppermint Patty told him as the three of them walked to the door.
"Yeah, you're right," Charlie Brown said, realizing this fact.
"Well, I'll see ya around, Chuck," Peppermint Patty said as Charlie Brown opened the door for her and Marcie.
"Bye, Patty. Bye, Marcie." Charlie Brown waved at the two of them as they left the house.
And so Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty were now friends once again, and a new understanding was founded between them. Peppermint Patty resolved that from now on, she was not going to let either her more brash, or her more competitive side get in the way of being a good friend towards Charlie Brown. While perhaps it was now too late to try and salvage any chance she may have had to win Charlie Brown's heart, she knew that she could look forward to a better, stronger friendship with him, as long as she did her part to be more caring towards him and mindful of his feelings!
Author's note: And done. That last part was actually quite the challenge near the end to write out, but now Peppermint Patty can be a much better friend because of it. Next chapter, we'll see an update as to how Lucy is doing with getting help with her issues.
By the way, it happens every time. I think it's only going to take like 2,000 words to complete a subplot I come up with and then it takes much more. Not that it disappoints me of course. It's always better in my opinion that I can flesh things out more. Thanks to those, particularly HPDrummerman and Hoang Sa Tran for being consistent reviewers to this story.
See you all again soon with the next chapter!