The next morning was a mixed bag for Sally. While Charlie Brown was at school like normal, Sally was currently holed up in her bedroom with a bad stomach ache. While this was annoying, the good news for Sally was that it meant she didn't have to go to school today. Like usual, Sally wanted nothing to do with that dreaded classroom of hers, hence why she saw this morning as a mixed bag rather than outright bad.
While laying in bed, Sally thought back to the previous hours after school yesterday. She had certainly enjoyed spending time with the big girls, and compared to the last few days, she was feeling significantly better. As infrequently occurring as it may seem, Sally was capable of showing genuine appreciation for something, and those girls' going out of their way for her was one of those times.
But despite this, she was still far from fully healed, and she had some serious doubts plaguing her mind. How was it possible that she could completely get over from the previous weekend? It was finally drilled into Sally's head that Linus would never be her Sweet Babboo, and knowing this still brought significant pain to her heart. How would she ever be able to completely move on from Linus?
Sally craned her head to look at her alarm clock. It was currently five minutes to eleven. She then slid out of bed and proceeded to walk to her window, but not without making a quick stop at her mirror. She looked at her reflection, which stared back at her, and she took a few seconds to examine and admire her new hair. It really was very nice, and despite believing that she would, at least to some extent, miss her old hairstyle, she didn't. She didn't miss it at all, despite having it for many years. Imagining herself being back with her old hair honestly somehow didn't make her feel very good.
A moment later, Sally arrived at her window and took a look outside. It was nice and sunny out, and Snoopy was atop his red doghouse with his typewriter, evidently working on his latest manuscript (which Sally knew was sure to be rejected and Snoopy would throw a hissy fit over it). She noticed that the beagle wasn't currently wearing any of his winter gear, so Sally concluded that it must be on the milder side today.
With this knowledge, Sally decided that she wanted to take herself and her thoughts out into the yard for a bit. Yes, this wasn't the most common leisurely activity for someone like Sally, but it was something that she felt she needed to do for a little while.
After getting her mother's okay, Sally threw on some warm, but not heavy clothing and stepped outside. She arrived at Snoopy's doghouse and took a seat, resting her back up against it. Snoopy gave her a curious look, but just shrugged when Sally gave him no response, and he went back to typing on his typewriter.
For a little while, as long as her stomach would let her, Sally allowed her mind to wander. She found herself thinking back to her interaction with Heather last night after Heather had brought her home. She remembered how Heather, much to her surprise, took hold of her hands and really made it known to her that if there was anything that Sally needed from her, or that if she needed to talk about anything, that she would gladly be there for her.
Sally thought that was really sweet of her. She knew that for the past several months, Heather had been helping out her big brother via companionship, among other things. But upon having that last interaction with Heather, Sally got to truly see for herself for the first time just what this girl was really like. And the result now was that Sally was wondering if maybe actually having a real talk with her, as per her offer, could provide Sally with that much needed secret to actually being able to move on from everything that had happened to her.
Although she was still hurting, Sally really didn't want to just lay up in her room forever, and mope nonstop about how Linus and her would never become a thing. As unfair as she believed this life event to be, as much of an injustice she would say it was, she longed deeply now to just get past it all.
That said, could opening up to Heather about what was deep down inside of her really be that special medicine needed for her heart and soul?
Throughout much of the remainder of the day, Sally pondered on this question. In truth, she really had nothing to lose right now, and she was at least confident that Heather would never blab to anyone about anything that they talked about. Her secrets would be save with the (once) little red-haired girl, so if nothing else, at least she was guaranteed an outlet for safely pouring out her feelings.
Finally, Sally decided that she would go for it. Hopefully Heather was free after school today.
It was now minutes after the school day had ended, and Charlie Brown was on his way to the gym. He was accompanied by Shermy, Peppermint Patty, Franklin, and a couple of other kids who were interested in trying out for the school's baseball team.
It was only about two months now until tryouts, and Peppermint Patty was pulling no punches when it came to preparations. She had both herself and her crew, including Charlie Brown, hitting the gym three or more days a week for working out. And now as of this point, the group was now making regular stops to the batting cages, as well as utilizing other means of practicing for the season. Charlie Brown's schedule was evidently pretty intense right now, but despite this, it didn't in the slightest bother him.
As they were walking, Peppermint Patty turned to her round-headed pal.
"Yo, Chuck ol' boy, I hope these training sessions haven't been too intense for you," she said. "I know that everything we're doing now is quite the bit more than you're used to."
Charlie Brown shook his head. "Not at all, Patty. I'm actually very grateful that you're willing to try to help me out again. I know that I'm still far from being the best baseball player out there."
"True," Peppermint Patty agreed. "But compared to when I last tried to help you and your team out all those years ago, I'm definitely seeing some serious improvements for sure."
"I admit that I have to agree," Shermy said. "And to add to that, I've noticed that you've been putting on some muscle. That'll definitely help grab the attention of the ladies."
"Sure seems that 'Peppermint Patty's P.E. Program' really does deliver results, doesn't it, Chuck?" Peppermint Patty said, grinning at Charlie Brown.
"It sure seems so," Charlie Brown replied. "And despite how tired these workouts leave me after they're over, I'm ready and willing to continue trucking on. Baseball season is coming up and I want to be ready for it!" Charlie Brown pumped his fist into the air.
Franklin appeared pleased to hear this while Shermy actually looked impressed.
"It would appear that CB's muscle mass isn't the only thing that's gone up," Franklin whispered to Shermy. "His confidence has gone way up too, as well as his optimism."
"I find it hard to believe too, Franklin, but it's really happening. Whatever happened to the wishy-washy, borderline-failure, easily-depressed Charlie Brown we've grown up with?" Shermy whispered back.
"It's really quite simple, Shermy. He no longer exists, thanks to the interventions from a certain red-haired girl the guy has fawned over for the past several years," Franklin answered. "That girl is like the heroine who came to his rescue."
"That's cute, but you got it backwards, dude," Shermy said with a chuckle. "You know that in those fairy tales it's always the man saving the woman."
"Ah, but this isn't a fairy tale, now is it, buddy?" Franklin retorted. "This is the real deal, with no silly fairytale gender norms involved."
"Touche," Shermy said.
And so over the next few hours, Charlie Brown and these other prospective baseball team players continued on with their preparations in hope of securing a spot on the school baseball team in the spring.
Meanwhile, as Charlie Brown and his other friends were busy fulfilling their day's duties, Heather was making her way home from school, accompanied today only by Linus. While Charlie Brown, Mary, and of course, Schroeder were busier than usual, the opposite lately could be said for Heather and Linus. Without as much opportunity lately to spend time with most their friends, Heather and Linus have had a bit more time for themselves.
"So, what do you think you might do when you get home, Heather?" Linus asked the red-haired girl.
"Well, Mary said that she probably wouldn't be unavailable for too long into the afternoon, so I'll probably just hang out at home until she calls," Heather replied. "What about you?"
"Well, in truth..." Linus said, looking down at his feet as he continued to walk. "I had a small ray of hope that I could pay a visit to Sally today and see how she is."
"Hmmm..." Heather responded, thinking about this idea.
"Do you think it's safe for me to do so yet?" Linus asked.
Heather shook her head. "I'm not really sure yet, Linus. I think that she probably needs just a little more time before she's ready for that."
Linus sighed. "Well, it was worth a shot," he muttered, sounding a bit disappointed.
"Give her just a little longer, Linus," Heather said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I do think she's getting better. You and her will be able to have a chance at making up soon enough."
Linus gave Heather a small smile, knowing that she was right. As much as Linus wanted to try to start over with Sally, he would have to wait a little while longer. Though is was encouraging to hear that Sally's healing process seemed to be bearing some fruits.
A little while later, Heather was back at home and was left to her own musings. She started the rest of her day off by completing some of her homework. She then followed up with a bit of relaxation up in her room (which for her, meant gracefully waltzing about in tune to some pretty music). Soon enough though, she could hear the phone ringing.
"That must be Mary," she said to herself. She turned off her radio before proceeding downstairs to answer the phone.
"Hello?" Heather said after picking up.
"Um, Heather?" a female voice from the other end said.
"Yes, this is Heather," Heather said.
"Hi. It's Sally," the voice then said.
"Oh! Hello, Sally?" Heather said, sounding slightly surprised. "How are you doing? Is your stomach feeling any better."
"For the most part, yeah," Sally replied. "I was just wondering..." Sally was then silent for a few seconds.
"Yeah?" Heather encouraged.
"Well, see, I remember that you said to me last night that if I ever needed to, I could come to you if I needed to talk about anything..." Sally attempted to explain. Clearly, these kind of interactions weren't something Sally was used to engaging in. "And so... if it's okay, I was wondering..."
"Yes, if there's something you'd like to talk about, you can talk to me. I did promise you that," Heather told her, helping her out. "Is there something on your mind that you would like to talk to me about?"
Sally hesitated for a couple of seconds, but she then responded. "Yes, there is."
"Well, I'm not doing anything right now. Would you like me to come over to your house and we can talk?" Heather asked Sally.
"Yes, please, if you wouldn't mind," Sally replied.
"Okay. I'll be right over," Heather said before hanging up.
But before getting ready to head on over to the Browns' house, Heather picked up the phone once more and dialed Mary's number. After about twenty seconds, Mary picked up.
"Hello, Stewart residence," she greeted in a professional-sounding tone.
"Hi, Mary? It's Heather," Heather said.
"Hi, Heather. I'm still pretty busy right now, but what's up?" Mary asked.
"I just wanted to let you know real quick that I won't be able to come and hang out after all. I'm going to be busy having a chat with someone, and I expect that this discussion may take a while," Heather told her. "I'm about to head over to her place now."
"Okay," Mary said. "By any chance, would that 'her' just so happen to be Sally?"
"Yep," Heather said. "And I'm actually getting the feeling that this is going to be a rather... personal conversation."
"Alright, well, I'll leave you to it then," Mary said.
"Thank you, Mary. See you at school tomorrow?" Heather asked.
"You bet. See you tomorrow, bestie," Mary affirmed.
"Bye, Mary," Heather said before hanging up.
And so, with the knowledge now that Heather was possibly about to be engaged in a very personal conversation, Heather went to go find her coat before beginning to make her way to meet up with Sally.
Heather had just arrived at the Brown's house, and she was now making her way up to Sally's bedroom after being told that that's where she was. Once she arrived at her door, she cleared her throat before gently knocking.
"Who is it?" came Sally's voice from inside.
"It's Heather," Heather answered.
"Heather, hi. Please come in," Sally told her.
And so Heather opened the door and let herself inside, gently closing the door behind her. She approached Sally, who was sitting atop her bed. The young blonde scooted off to the side, and Heather took that as a cue to sit on the bed with her, to which she did.
"Thank you for coming over, Heather. I will be eternally grateful to you for this," Sally said.
"Eternally?" Heather said with an amused grin. "That's a long time, you know."
"Well, okay. I'll be grateful for a while though. Hopefully our conversation doesn't mess up your schedule too much. I dunno if you had any special plans for the afternoon," Sally said.
"Nothing important," Heather assured her. "So... what's on your mind, Sally?"
Sally took a deep breath. She suddenly felt the mood in the air change a bit as she tried to figure out how to get this conversation flowing.
"So, see... I've been thinking about how Mary told me about how she was able to move on from her bout of depression after her mother had had a miscarriage, and she lost her chance to be a big sister," Sally began. "I think it's great that she was able to move on from that."
"It was," Heather agreed. "She felt pretty bad, but with the support of her family and friends in her time of need, she was able to move on."
Sally gave a small smile, but she then looked down at the area of bed space in front of her. She shuffled around a bit as she tried to find the words for what she wanted to ask.
"Heather, I guess what I'm trying to say is that..." Sally eventually said. "While that was great... it's not the same thing as what I went through. I mean..."
At that point, Heather knew what it was that Sally was about to ask her.
"I get what you're trying to say," she told her. "You still have doubts that you can move on from Linus, am I right?"
Sally blinked in surprise, but seconds later, she nodded.
"I've tried everything, Heather," Sally said beginning to sound sad. "While what Mary had gone through was certainly rough, she's never had to deal with chasing after a boy for literally years without him ever reciprocating her feelings, has she?"
"Well... no," Heather replied.
"Now, I'm not trying to downplay what Mary went through, or suggest that she had it easy," Sally quickly told Heather.
"No, I understand. I wasn't getting that impression from you," Heather said.
"But yeah. I'm really just not sure how I'm going to move on from him, Heather. I've just spent so much time. Way too much time... trying to get him to be mine. I've been nice to him. I've made nonstop effort... practically day after day... in the hopes that one day... he would tell me that he was my Sweet Babboo. But...but despite everything I've done... all the efforts I've made... it has all been in vain." Sally gulped, the tears beginning to sting her eyes. "He j-just d-did not want to become my Sweet Babboo."
Heather scooted closer to Sally on her bed and placed her arm around her, allowing her to rest her head upon Heather's shoulder. As Heather gently caressed the younger girl's shoulder, she thought about the next question she wanted to ask. And this question was an all to important one that would set the stage for the rest of this discussion.
"What exactly is the history between you and Linus?" Heather soon asked. "I mean, if you can remember, what is it that happened that made you become so infatuated with Linus in the first place?"
Heather felt Sally raise her head up and Sally looked at her. Sally was silent, and Heather was staring back at her, wondering if she would answer.
"Linus once did something really nice for me," Sally finally said after a few seconds. "Or rather, to be more to the point I guess, it was me who did something, and the way Linus reacted to it that caused me to fall for him."
"What did he do?" Heather asked curiously.
Sally sighed. "It happened when I was just two years old. I had finally learned how to walk, and Linus' reaction to seeing me walk for the first time was what started everything. He was so excited for me. He was so happy for me that I finally had done it."
Heather kept her gaze on Sally as she looked down at her lap. She noticed a look of deep longing appear on Sally's face.
"He was... proud of me."
"I see," Heather replied, processing what Sally had told her.
So Sally became infatuated with Linus as a result of being flattered, and feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, due to Linus being happy for her when she had finally achieved something she had been trying to do for a long time.
"It wasn't just me thinking it was cute the way he reacted that day that made me attracted to him. The truth is, it really meant a lot to me to see Linus react the way he did," Sally continued. "I know that I took longer than most infants to learn how to walk, but even when I had finally learned, I never got this sort of reaction from anyone else. Not even my parents." Sally's voice then took on more of a harsh tone. "In fact, the only reaction I got from them was that they were glad that they didn't have to try to teach me anymore. As if it me taking a bit longer than normal to learn was a burden on them."
"So, Linus' reaction held special meaning for you," Heather acknowledged, to which Sally nodded.
"Ever since that happened, I wanted so desperately for Linus to be that certain special someone of my life," Sally went on. "And so I spent the next eight years doing everything I could to try to win over Linus. No matter how many times he would deny it, I would assume him as, and refer to him as my 'Sweet Babboo'."
"But why though?" Heather asked. "If Linus was not interested, why did you continue to pursue him like you had been doing?"
"Because..." Sally hesitated. Heather maintained a soft, yet encouraging expression as Sally tried to muster up the words to get out what was in her mind and heart. "Because I wanted someone in my life to be there. To be there to cheer me on when I accomplished something. To be excited for me, and be willing to celebrate with me. It gave me motivation, and it actually made me willing to do things. In my almost eleven years in this world, I've barely ever gotten that kind of treatment from anyone, and I still don't to this day. Linus was the only one who ever made me feel accomplished... that of course being when he had supported me that day I had learned to walk. I'd do anything for him to continue to support me like he had. Without this kind of support... or even any kind of support for that matter, it's as if accomplishing something had no meaning to it. My parents didn't care. My teachers especially haven't cared. It all just seemed so futile."
As Sally continued to speak her heart, Heather was listening intently. The more details Sally gave, the more Heather was coming to realize that Sally, for pretty much her entire life, has had a certain something very important missing from her life, a proper support network.
"Look, I will come right out and say it: I've always tried to get by on doing as little as I can in life. And do you know why?" Sally said. "It's because I've never felt that it would matter, or that it would ever mean anything. Nobody would care if I achieved anything. And nobody would support me if there was a goal or dream I wished to pursue. I'm not looking to be a famous star or anything." Sally gave a shuddering breath, her voice began to crack again. "I... just want someone to support me in my life. I want someone who will say things to me that will give me the will to continue pushing forth. T-To be there for me."
At this point, Sally was now sobbing. Heather held her close, and for a little while, she was gently patting and rubbing Sally's back, trying to help her to calm down.
Heather now fully understand and realized the full scope of Sally's situation, and it had now been revealed that Sally, for the longest time now, had a deep emotional void that was the result of not having people in her life to support her in the way that she longed for deep inside. Sally never did much of anything with her life because she had fallen victim to the belief that anything she did would not ultimately matter. That it would mean nothing to anyone. And the reason why she was so desperate to have Linus in her life was because she felt that this was the only way in which that void in her soul would be filled. It was all, ultimately, a prolonged cry for help.
And as for Heather, her mission now was to respond to that cry.
"Sally?" she said softly.
Sally slowly raised her head until Heather could see her tear-stained face. Like last night, Heather took Sally's hands into her own.
"I understand now what you've really been dealing with throughout these past years, and I appreciate that you were willing to share all of that with me," Heather told her. "And now that I know what the real situation is here, I want to be able to do whatever I can to help you get what you need."
Sally wiped her eyes with her sleeve, but remained silent, which Heather took as an okay to continue.
"Now, I don't mean that I can help you get Linus to agree to be your 'Sweet Babboo'," Heather continued. "However, that wouldn't be needed either. I know now that what you've really been looking for all these years is for people to come into your life who would act as a proper support system for you. They would motivate you to press on, and be willing to say 'Way to go, Sally!', or something like that when you accomplished something."
Sally sniffed and slowly nodded.
"There are people who can do that for you. And not only that, no forced romance or being called pet names are required," Heather then said before smiling at Sally. "One of these people is sitting right here in front of you."
Sally blinked. "You?"
"Of course, Sally," Heather affirmed. "Surely, you don't think that people need to have romantic feelings towards you to be supportive of you, do you?"
"Wha... n-no! Of course not," Sally replied, waving her hands.
"So... I can therefore be one of those people to be a part of your new support system," Heather told her. "There's also of course your big brother. I know that he isn't perfect, and he might have in the past not always known what was the best thing to do in certain situations, but I know that he really loves you and cares for you. He would most certainly want his baby sister to be living the best life she could."
Sally, suddenly, started having flashbacks of moments where Charlie Brown had advised her on the right way to go. Whether it be by telling her she'd never learn unless she did her own work, or even by giving her the occasional moral lesson. Heather didn't need to give examples to prove that what she said was true. Charlie Brown did care deeply for his baby sister.
"And it's not just him and me who can help you either. Mary, my best friend, would certainly be willing to be by your side as well. Remember that it was her who came up with the idea for us to take you out yesterday," Heather continued. "And I'll tell you what, I bet even Linus would be willing to play a role in all this."
Sally tensed up. "Linus?! Him being supportive towards me? Even after what I had done to make him so mad at me? Even though he's made it clear that he's not my Sweet Babboo?"
Heather nodded. "Sally, let me tell you something. Just earlier today, Linus and I were walking home from school together, and we were talking about our plans for the afternoon. He said that he wanted to visit you. He wanted to check up on you and see if you've been getting better."
"Wow..." was all Sally could say in response. She truly believed that after what she had tried to do, after trying to ruin the close bond between Linus and Janice through blackmail, that Linus would never want to give her the time of day anymore. That kid was truly something else. And he was even concerned for how Sally was, and wanted to know if she was okay? Sally was... touched, to say the least. Though despite that, there was one thing that made Sally hesitant.
"But... do you think that Linus would ever forgive me for what I did?" she asked.
"I'm going to assume so," Heather answered. She then was silent for a few seconds. With what Heather was about to say next, she hoped that Sally would be willing to allow for this. "Sally, I have a request of you."
"What's that?" Sally asked.
"I would like to talk to Linus a little bit about this conversation."
"Eh...?" Sally responded nervously.
"I don't mean that I'm going to spill everything we've talked about to him," Heather quickly said. "But... I do want him to get an understanding for how you really feel, and what it is that you've really wanted from him. If he can know just enough about the situation so that he knows that you want him to be a part of your new support system, I think that he would be very willing to do his part."
Sally didn't know how to react to Heather's idea, so for now, she just continued to listen.
"Linus is a very nice person, Sally, and he clearly cares a lot for other people," Heather continued. "And I truly believe that he cares about you too. He may not be willing to be your Sweet Babboo, but I bet you anything he'd be willing to be a supportive friend to you if you simply dropped the whole 'Sweet Babboo' schtick and acted normal around him."
Sally shifted her gaze towards the window, thinking about everything Heather was saying. She felt that she most likely could trust Heather, but she still was a bit cautious.
"What is it exactly that you are going to tell him?" she questioned. "I mean, I'm aware that I sounded pretty desperate when I spilled all that baggage on you. I definitely don't need Linus to be doing anything for me out of fear that I may wind up going off the deep end or something. That would be way too embarrassing."
"I promise to be very careful with what I explain to him," Heather assured Sally. "I'm just going to tell him that what you want from him, going forward, is for him to be a source of support or encouragement when you need it. You're not going to hear me telling him 'I was talking with Sally, who was a complete, desperate, sobbing mess as she was crying to me for help.'"
Sally tried to hold them in, but a few muffled chuckles managed to escape her. "But I was a complete, desperate, sobbing mess just now, wasn't I?"
Heather shook her head. "It's very understandable that you've been feeling the way you did. Everyone needs people in their lives who would support them, cheer them on, and be there for them when they need them. You do. Your big brother does. Heck, even I do."
Sally looked down at her lap, but Heather noticed that she had begun smiling. After a few seconds, she looked back up at Heather, having now made her decision on Heather's suggestion.
"Okay, Heather. You can talk to Linus about this," Sally finally agreed. "But just one thing: please, let's not mention all the details of my sob story, okay?"
"It's a deal, Sally," Heather responded. "Are you feeling any better now?"
"Yeah, I am," Sally replied.
"Is there anything else you want to talk to me about?" Heather asked.
After a few seconds, Sally shook her head. "No, that's it for now."
"Okay, Sally. I'm happy that I could help you out, and I hope that you can finally be happier now," Heather said, giving Sally a warm smile.
Heather then stood up and proceeded to leave Sally's room. Just before her hand touched the doorknob though...
"Heather?" she heard Sally call out.
Heather turned back to face her. "Yes, Sally?"
Sally didn't say anything, but she hopped off her bed and approached Heather. The next thing she knew, Heather was wrapped in a tight hug from Charlie Brown's little sister. Heather was briefly surprised by this, but she then hugged Sally back, gently rubbing her back. They remained like this for almost a full minute.
"Thank you, Heather. Thank you so much for being there for me," Sally told her. Tears ran down her cheeks once more, but this time they were tears of joy. "This all means the world to me, and I will be eternally grateful for all of this."
"You're welcome Sally," Heather said. "This is my promise to you."
After finally breaking apart, the two girls smiled at each other before Heather made her way out of the room. Shortly after Heather had left, Sally walked over to her mirror. As she stood in the mirror, watching her reflection stare back at her, she felt something awaken inside of her. She no longer wanted to do the bare minimum to get by. She no longer wanted to spend all her free time wasting away in the beanbag chair watching television. Nope. She had a new vision now.
Sally came up closer to her reflection and stared her straight in the eyes.
"Look out, world. A completely new Sally Brown is coming to Sparkyville," she said with determination. "And this time, things are gonna be different. This Sally Brown will seek to achieve such great things that it will make everybody's heads spin!"
AN: And it is finished! My big Sally arc has come to a close. Well, this arc has anyway. That isn't to say that Sally won't have any more big things happening to her in this story and she'll still be an important character in this next chapter.
Throughout this whole ambitious subplot, I have essentially broken Sally Brown down, and have rebuilt her from the ground up. I won't deny that I'm quite proud of how everything turned out. Sally and Heather had a deep heart-to-heart, and we learned a lot about the inner workings of Sally's heart and soul. We learned why Linus was so important to Sally, why Sally always wanted it easy in life, and what could be done to set Sally on a much better life path.
I'd like to dedicate this chapter to a reader who has been wanting to see Heather become a special influence in Sally's life. That had been the plan all along, but I hope that this reader, a guest reviewer by the name of Big Peanut Guy, is happy with how this arc turned out. I also hope that other Sally fans reading this are happy with how things turned out for her in the end. Sally has been given a fresh start... and from hereforth, she is on the path to becoming a completely new person. And very soon, she will have a certain someone entering the fray who will begin to play a special role in her life. Some of you reading his already know who I'm talking about.
Anyway, I'll see you all again soon with the next chapter! Feel free to review and let me know what you think of this chapter, the arc, or the story as a whole!
Next Time: Chapter 29: New Year New Me, Even Though I Started Late