It was about six-thirty the next morning and Charlie Brown was still asleep. Despite his aching body from yesterday's physical activity, he had slept quite well. He had been made aware of the conversation and bonding time that Sally and Heather had shared, and was relieved, and very thankful to Heather, that Sally really seemed now that she was going to be fine. Heather had successfully helped Sally's spark return, and it truly warmed him up to see his favorite little sister finally put on the road to a hopefully happier and more fulfilling life.
Charlie Brown was abruptly awoken from his slumber by the sound of his sister rushing up into his room.
"Big Brother! Oh, Big Brother, wakey-wakey," Sally sang loudly.
Charlie Brown groaned as he shifted around in his bed. Sally may have been starting to change, but one thing that clearly was going to remain the same was her not-so-subtle way of waking up her older brother on certain mornings. Regardless, Charlie Brown soon sat up and rubbed the sleep away from his eyes.
"Good morning, Sally," he said to her. He then began sniffing the air. "Something smells good."
Sally grinned. "I've got a surprise for you, Big Brother. Hurry up and get ready, and meet me in the kitchen!"
Before Charlie Brown could even respond, Sally skipped out of her big brother's room and in the direction of the kitchen.
"Well, that was strange," Charlie Brown muttered to himself as he slid out of bed. Sally sure seemed to be in a good mood this morning, and was full of energy too, despite today being just a regular school day. He did wonder though how long it was since Sally had gotten up because she was currently still in her pajamas.
A little while later, Charlie Brown had gotten himself dressed for the day, and he was mostly packed as well. He was now on his way to the kitchen. Once he arrived, he saw both his mother and Sally. But what really got his attention was that they were both wearing cooking aprons.
Sally whirled around to face her brother. "Big Brother, you finally made it."
"Hi, Sally. Hi, Mom," Charlie Brown greeted.
"Good morning, sweetie," Mrs. Brown greeted back. "I hope you're nice and hungry this morning. Sally and I worked very hard on this special breakfast for you."
"You helped Mom make this breakfast, Sally?" Charlie Brown asked. "And specifically for me?"
"Yes, I did," Sally said, feeling pleased with herself. A softer expression then appeared on her face and she put her hands behind her back. "A little while after my talk with Heather yesterday, I had a bit of a revelation. I've come to feel that over the years... I may have taken you for granted at times. Although I haven't often shown much gratitude for it, you've really done a lot for me, especially when it came to things like helping me with my homework."
"Ahem. Helping? Or doing it for you?" Mrs. Brown interjected.
"Mom, really?" Sally whined. "This really isn't the time for that."
"I'm teasing you, dear," Mrs. Brown quickly said. "Though it is true."
Sally just sighed. "Anyway, the point is, I haven't told you this much, but you really are an awesome big brother, and I couldn't be more lucky to have you as part of my family. As such... I wanted to do a little something for you as a way of thanking you for everything you've done for me."
Charlie Brown felt very touched to hear this coming from his little sister and he even felt a tear coming to his eye. It meant a lot to him to hear an expression of such love and gratitude coming from Sally.
"Alright, take a seat, Charlie Brown. Your food will be ready soon," Mrs. Brown instructed her son.
Charlie Brown complied and sat down at the kitchen table. A couple of minutes later, Mrs. Brown placed in front of him a place that was piled high with pancakes, breakfast sausages, and scrambled eggs. And on another plate that was brought over by Sally was some buttered toast. All of it certainly looked good enough.
"Eat up, Big Brother. Mom and I will be back out in a little bit," Sally told her brother as she and Mrs. Brown were about to leave the kitchen.
"Huh? You've already eaten?" Charlie Brown asked.
"Yep!" Sally answered. "Mom and I have something we want to do, but we need a little extra time to be able to do it, and so, we ate earlier. Now, enjoy your breakfast while we go and get that done."
"Well, okay. Thanks again, Sally. You too, Mom," Charlie Brown said.
And with that, Charlie Brown began to eat his breakfast, though he started out a little bit cautiously as he knew that this was his little sister's first attempt at cooking. But he was surprised to find that it was all wonderful. The only flaw was that the toast was a bit on the dark side, but overall, Sally really did her best to put together this breakfast. Then again, she did have their mother helping her out, but he was still grateful to Sally nonetheless.
After about twenty minutes, Charlie Brown had finished his breakfast and was now busy clearing off the table. Just as he was finishing, his sister came back into the kitchen.
"Are you about ready to get going now, Big Brother?" Sally asked.
"Just about," Charlie Brown replied before turning to face his sister. What he saw next was quite a surprise indeed.
Sally was standing at the entrance to the kitchen, but her appearance was something Charlie Brown was not at all used to. Sally was wearing the new red dress that she gotten that day when she had gone to the mall with Heather and Mary. Sally also was wearing dark-colored tights, and brown boots that came up to about two inches below her ankles. A matching brown jacket was also being worn over her new dress.
"S-Sally?" was Charlie Brown could respond with.
"What do you think?" Sally asked him as she slowly turned about in a full 360. "During the evening, right after dinner, Mom and I went back to Sparkyille Mall and we got for me a few more new pieces.
"Well, you look... presentable," Charlie Brown said somewhat awkwardly.
Sally let out a single chuckle as she quickly realized that the new Sally Brown was going to take some time for Charlie Brown to get used to. Nevertheless, she gave him her thanks.
"Anyway, shall we be going?" she then asked.
"Yep. Lemme just go get my stuff," Charlie Brown answered. "Incidentally, I can't help but notice that you seem to actually be looking forward to school today."
After a few more minutes, Charlie Brown had finished getting ready, and the two of them made their way out the door for school.
It was now lunchtime at Sparkyville Elementary, and right now Sally was of course, getting her own food. Throughout the day, Sally and her new getup had been met with quite a few compliments, and Sally was absolutely loving all the attention. Of course, it wasn't the same kind of attention that Sally had professed to Heather that she longed for. Nevertheless, it was making her feel pretty darn good.
After Sally had gotten her food, she began to make her way to her usual table. To her surprise though, she saw that Eudora was not there. In fact, Sally didn't recall even seeing Eudora at any time throughout the day today.
Gee, first me, and now possibly Eudora. I hope there isn't a stomach bug going around, Sally thought.
Sally then decided to take a look around the cafeteria, thinking about if she wanted to maybe find a group of new people to ask to sit with. Despite the attention she was receiving due to her "design change", she still wasn't the most popular girl in school, and ultimately, very people knew her that well. She did see Janice, who was accompanied by her fair share of pals. However, Sally knew that she and Janice were NOT on the best of terms at all right now, and she rid herself of the idea of joining that group.
Finally, after looking out the window, and realizing that it was quite nice out today, she decided to take her lunch outside.
Upon arriving outside, she walked over to, and sat down on a bench not too far from the cafeteria entrance. From a short distance away on another bench, a certain red-haired boy looked on at Sally as she began to eat her lunch. He didn't say anything to her, but the boy took a moment to take in Sally and her new look. Both the hairdo and the new outfit simply made the girl look dazzling.
"Okay, Harold, you really got to get your mind off of her. She clearly has no interest in you," Harold Angel whispered to himself before trying to concentrate on his lunch.
He was able to keep his focus on his lunch relatively okay, having only snuck a few glances at the girl whom was the angel in that Christmas play he had sang in. But then suddenly, he began to hear something that he never would have imagined he would hear. He heard Sally beginning to sing to herself!
But all you really need is support.
Just a little rapport.
Those who will be there for you at your need.
But all you really need are good friends.
And together achieve your ends.
A group of pals together can do anything.
Harold Angel was quite shocked to find out that Sally could sing. And truth be told, she was clearly very good at it. He wondered though how often she would practice singing, as he had never heard her do it before. Harold would claim to have some singing talent himself, but it was quite the revelation to find out that the girl he had been hopelessly crushing on for five years also had that talent. He and Sally had something in common!
After about a minute, Sally had finished. It wasn't yet a full song, but it was a nice little something she had been thinking up throughout the day that was inspired from the previous night's heart-to-heart with Heather.
But even though it wasn't a full song yet, she clearly already had a fan of it. She heard the sound of someone clapping, and she quickly looked in Harold Angel's direction. The boy was indeed clapping, and it make Sally feel slightly awkward.
"That was really good, Sally," Harold told her with a smile.
"Oh. Um, thank you," Sally replied. "It's not finished yet though; I mean, I just began thinking it up this morning."
"Yeah, but still, you have a really pretty voice," Harold said.
Sally found herself blushing a bit in response to this remark, and Harold suddenly felt a bit nervous as he quickly realized how his comment might have sounded. That boy was nice and polite, but he really could be just a bit too forward at times, oftentimes unintentionally.
"Well... thanks, Harold," Sally replied.
The two of them were silent again for a minute or so longer as Harold tried to shift the focus back to his lunch. But what happened next surprised him quite a bit.
"Hey, um... Harold?" Sally called out to him.
"Hm?" Harold responded, looking up again at his crush.
"If you want," Sally began. Her gaze then shifted downward, her eyes slowly navigating the ground in front of her. "You can come over and sit with me."
Harold blinked. Clearly, he didn't hear that right. Was Sally actually inviting him to have lunch with her? Even though...
"A-Are you sure? I mean... I..." Harold sighed. "I remember that day way back when, when..."
But Sally interrupted him. "Don't worry about that, Harold. Come on over and have lunch with me," she said to him, patting the space next to her.
After a few more seconds, Harold smiled brightly and he stood up. He then walked over and sat down next to Sally. Today had suddenly turned into a very good day for Harold Angel. He was now enjoying lunchtime (well, what was left of it), with his longtime crush, Sally Brown.
"So, Sally," Harold began. "You know that before the end of the day, we are going to be given the opportunity to look at options for an elective class to take at the start of next term."
"Yep, I know that," Sally said. "That's what actually made me, for once in my life, look forward to coming to school today."
"Did you know that one of the electives offered is going to be a singing class?" Harold asked her.
"You're kidding!?" Sally responded.
"I'm not. You know Mimi Josephine, right? That other girl who can sing really well?" Harold asked.
"Well, I know who she is. I don't recall us ever chatting before," Sally answered.
"Her mother is going to be the one teaching the class," Harold said.
"Really? That's pretty cool, Harold. Did Mimi tell you that her mother was doing this?" Sally asked.
"Yes, she did," Harold replied. "Anyway, you've just got to think about signing up for this class as your elective. Trust me, I really think you have a lot of potential. I'm going to hopefully be taking the class too."
Sally began to ponder Harold's recommendation to her. Sure, every once in a great while, Sally was put into a situation where she was asked to sing, and okay, she had received praise from Schroeder once for being so good with a basic musical scale. But did she really have an actual talent for the art of singing? How would Sally feel about being in this type of class? Would she enjoy it? Would this be something she'd actually do well in?
It was now near the end of the school day, and Sally's fifth grade teacher was now passing out small booklets to her students. Within these booklets listed the electives that Sparkyville Elementary would be offering for the second term, which started Monday, January the Twenty-Third. All of these classes would only be offered to fifth and sixth graders, and in some cases, space was limited. A few of the courses also had certain requirements for admittance.
"An elective class for fifth graders makes about as much sense in my opinion as elective surgery," the teacher complained as she finished passing out the booklets. "But regardless, they've been offered at this school for some time now, despite my personal views on the matter. Now, the whole point of an elective class is to choose a subject that genuinely appeals to you. That being said, on Friday, January the 20th, when you will be able to decide on your class of interest, do not just pick what your friends are picking!"
Sally began to look through her booklet until she found the listing for the singing class that Harold had informed her about. It was located on the bottom of the second page. She read over the course details, finding herself quite intrigued by what she read.
"Course name: The Human Voice - A Potential Musical Masterpiece
Details: In this course, twelve gifted students that have been handpicked by the instructor are given the chance to further develop their already present ability to create lovely music using their own voices. Students will participate in various practical exercises that expose them to several different styles of singing. They will also learn about the life and history of some of the world's best singers from multiple different genres. Among those students who successfully complete the course, the top three performing students will be offered the chance to perform among fellow students from various other schools at a special event, located at the Sparkyville Music Hall, at the end of June. Details of the event will be given during the course.
Instructor: Nina R. Josephine
Course meets: Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays during final period
Prerequisite(s): Interested students will be required to audition for their spot in the class. Auditions take place over two days: Wednesday, January 18, and Thursday, January 19, from 3:30PM to 5:30PM. Prospective students should meet with the instructor by the end of the day on Monday, January 16, to obtain a copy of the lyrics they will be required to sing for the audition.
"Wowza," Sally whispered to herself after reading about this class. "This teacher means business. I really don't know about this."
A short while later, the bell rang, and the day was over. Still feeling unsure of herself, Sally stowed her booklet (and other things) in her backpack before beginning to follow her fellow classmates out of the classroom.
Sally was now beginning to make her way out of the school building when she heard a familiar voice call out to her.
"Sally! Hey, Sally, wait up!" it said, it's owner trying to catch up to her.
"Huh?" Sally turned to the source of the voice. "Oh! Hi, Harold."
The two of them then began walking side-by-side.
"So, did you have a look at that class I told you about?" Harold asked hopefully.
"Oh, I sure did," Sally replied.
"So, what do you think?" Harold asked her. "You think you want to give it a try?"
"Uh..." Sally said hesitantly. "I don't know, Harold."
Harold appeared slightly dejected. "Awww. How come you're not so sure?"
The two of them stopped walking, and Sally looked down at her feet. "This teacher really seems like the serious type who doesn't want to waste her time with the little leagues. With the details I read concerning this class, you'd think we're actually beginning training for some big competition or something. How could I really be good enough to be in her class?"
Hearing all this coming from Sally made Harold's heart twinge. It honestly pained him a bit inside to witness Sally doubting herself life this. Earlier during lunch might have been the only time thus far in which he's heard Sally's singing voice, but he knew right off the bat that Sally had something worth sharing. Also, given Sally's recent makeover, taken together with how she used to look and act in the past, Sally, to Harold at least, was like a one-time caterpillar that was now living its very first days as a beautiful butterfly.
Suddenly, Harold put on a very determined expression.
"Sally?" he said.
Sally looked back up at him, appearing to have noticed the change in tone in Harold's voice.
"I may have only heard you sing once, but mark my words: you have a gift here. And if you were to sing for anyone else, I can pretty much guarantee that they would agree with me," Harold said, sounding very resolute.
Sally's gaze lingered on Harold's own as he made his case to her. The look in his eyes were of complete sincerity. Harold Angel really seemed to believe that Sally had what it took to be a worthwhile pupil that Mrs. Josephine would be happy to have.
"And I'll tell you what," Harold continued. "If you and I both make it past the audition phase, I would be very much willing to help you and support you on this journey. We can practice together, we can support each other, and if we're really lucky, perhaps you and I could be two of those three special singers giving this county a command performance at the end of June."
Sally was at a loss for words now. She believed Harold, despite his forwardness, seemed to be an okay guy, but it was clear that Harold really believed in her. Like the night before, when Heather Wold had proclaimed her willingness to support Sally, Harold Angel was now doing so here. And it was making Sally feel very warm inside. At the same time, Sally began to feel her cheeks turning red.
Harold didn't seem to notice this, but he kept his gaze on Sally with hope in his eyes. "So, will you at least give this a try?"
Sally glanced down once more at her feet. But seconds later, a bright smile appeared on her face and she even giggled softly. Finally, she looked back up at Harold, a much more confident expression appearing on her face.
"Okay. I'll do it!" she declared.
"Alright!" Harold cheered.
The two of them then continued walking the rest of the way out of the school building. The bright smile that had appeared on Sally's face did not go away. As they were walking, Sally looked once more at Harold, who gave her a smile back in return. It really looked as though Sally was on a much better path now. She had gotten a complete makeover. She learned that she had people who would be by her side, supporting her and helping her to feel like what she does has purpose. And now, she has even found a worthwhile goal worth striving for. And this boy, Harold Angel, would be pursuing that same goal right alongside her. All in all, things were truly looking up now for Charlie Brown's favorite little sister.
AN: Okay, now for SURE this chapter concludes this Sally side-story. Sally is healed, has been given everything needed for a fresh start, and Harold Angel is now even starting to play a role in her life.
In the next chapter, we well be moving forward to the start of February, where we will be getting ready for what, to me, is the second most important arc in this entire story. Also, coming soon, we will be diving into the blossoming romance between Patty Swanson and Pig-Pen, and kicking off a subplot that involves them, as well as Patty's BFF, Violet. So, stay tuned for that!
Next Chapter: Chapter 30: There's A Valentine's Dance Coming Up!