The bell rang, and the students shuffled out of their classrooms to lunch. Janice followed Lucy into the halls as they headed towards the lunchroom, trying to keep up with Lucy as she fled from the class as fast as possible, not wanting to confront Violet.
"What's the hurry, friend?" Janice asked, trying her best to keep up with Lucy. Lucy looked away from Janice as they walked.
"I just don't want to be around Violet more than I have to... she's a negative influence," Lucy responded, trying her best to think of an excuse. Janice could tell it wasn't the reason, but she played along.
"Oh yeah, that makes sense. I've heard some things about her before." Janice commented, and Lucy felt relieved, thinking that Janice had bought it.
"I mean, whose first name is color anyways? That seems like lazy naming," Lucy said, reinforcing her point. Janice giggled at the comment.
The two had made their way to the lunchroom, looking out for anyone they knew. Usually, on the first day, Lucy would sit with Violet and Patty, but she would have to explain why she wasn't this year.
"Hey Lucy, over here!" Linus yelled across the lunchroom; Lucy's head darted over to look at her brother; he was alone but had found an empty lunch table for everyone. The pair made their way through the crowds of people over to Linus, who was currently unpacking his lunch.
"Hey, Linus," Lucy said, sitting across from him. Janice stood awkwardly, waiting for Linus to notice her.
"Hey Lucy, what's up?" Linus responded, still looking down and digging through his lunch. Lucy rolled her eyes and became annoyed.
"Well, if you weren't so infatuated by your lunch, you would know that Janice is standing right there," Lucy responded, annoyed. Linus's head shot up, and he locked eyes with Janice. A grin overtook his face. He ran around the lunch table and hugged her.
"Now, why can't Schroeder act like that?" Lucy muttered as she opened her backpack and pulled out her lunch. Janice followed Linus over and sat down next to him.
"How was your second class?" Linus asked Lucy; Lucy didn't look at Linus, pretending she didn't hear him think up an answer.
"It was great. We just went around introducing ourselves," Janice responded, noticing Lucy's behavior again and trying to keep the conversation away from the subject. Lucy nodded in agreement with the statement, glad she didn't have to tell Linus about the situation yet. Linus smiled back, then turned his focus to behind Lucy. She turned to see Schroeder and Peppermint Patty walking together from their last class. Lucy's heart filled with joy at the sight.
"Can you believe it? They gave me the role of backup piano! Beethoven was never a backup piano; it's an outrage!" Schroeder complained to Peppermint Patty as they walked to the table.
"Be glad they gave you an instrument. In music class last year, they told me to sit still and be quiet," Peppermint Patty responded. Schroeder looked at her, confused. "It was the hardest assignment I have ever had!" The two made it to the table, Schroeder sitting next to Lucy, but Peppermint Patty stood and glared at Lucy.
"Hi, Patricia!" Lucy said with a smile on her face; she ignored Lucy.
"I have to go get lunch from the cafeteria; I'll be back." Peppermint Patty stated, walking away as she said it. Lucy looked at her, confused.
"Is she still mad at me for pulling the ball away from Charlie Brown during our summer football game?" She asked Schroeder, confused as to why she still held a grudge against her.
"Seems like it; to be fair, every point counts," Schroeder responded.
"Every point counts! We were down by at least four touchdowns; it's not my fault the blockhead can't tell when I'm pulling the ball away. Besides, the game is supposed to be fun, and I see it as fun to pull away the ball from 'Sly Dog Chuck.' Lucy exclaimed, mimicking Peppermint Patty, causing Schroeder to laugh.
"Maybe she's just too competitive; she's the best at every sport. You should try making up with her," Linus said. Lucy stopped and thought momentarily, realizing she had little bridges to burn. Just then, Franklin sat down at the table by Linus.
"Hey Franklin, how was class?" Linus asked, fist-bumping him; Franklin laughed a little.
"It was good; Charlie Brown and Heather are both in my class, so no dull moment without any entertainment." The whole table laughed, except for Janice, who was confused.
"What's so funny about that?" Janice asked
"Charlie Brown has been infatuated with this girl, Heather, forever, but he doesn't dare to talk to her. He gets red even when he looks at her. It's too funny to watch." Schroeder explained. Franklin grinned at the remark and laughed a bit.
"Well, you'll be surprised when you see them," Franklin commented. Schroeder's smile faded, and everyone at the table looked at Franklin in confusion, curious about what had happened. He laughed again and pointed across the room to Charlie Brown and Heather, walking to the table while talking.
"Hey gang, I'm sure you all know Heather. She's going to be sitting with us for the first day," Charlie Brown said, introducing Heather to everyone as they sat down. Heather shyly waved to the whole gang. The table was silent momentarily in shock; everyone there was sure Charlie Brown would never work up the courage to say anything to her, let alone become friends.
"Hey, everyone, what did I miss?" Peppermint Patty walked over to the table, clueless about anything that had been said.
"Hey Peppermint Patty, this is my friend Heather," Charlie Brown responded. Peppermint Patty extended her hand in a handshake, and Heather reluctantly extended hers. Peppermint Patty grabbed Heather's hand and shook it violently, catching Heather off guard.
"Any friend of good ol' Chuck is a friend of mine!" She exclaimed; Heather smiled back in confusion about what had happened.
"Does she know Charlie Brown has a crush on Heather?" Schroeder whispered to Linus, who shook his head no. Schroeder's eyes widened; once Peppermint Patty figured that one out, it wouldn't be a good day for anyone who came across her path.
"So, Chuck, are you joining the school baseball team this year? Or the football team, or both?" Peppermint Patty asked excitedly; previously they had to play against opposing teams, but now she could finally have Charlie Brown on her team. Charlie Brown sat there for a moment, contemplating what to say.
"I'm not sure; I just don't know if I'll have the time for it, but I want to play a sport this year. I'm just not sure which one," Charlie Brown answered, carefully choosing his words. Peppermint Patty's face turned to a look of shock at first, but then one of happiness.
"I see. You want me to pick for you to see which one I like the most, you Sly Dog," Peppermint Patty said, leaning forward. The table erupted in laughter. Charlie Brown continued to talk about sports with Peppermint Patty and Heather, telling Heather about the many games they fought against each other (that Charlie Brown's team mostly lost) over the years.
"So, you're not the main piano player in band class?" Lucy asked Schroeder; he sighed in response.
"The teacher let another student do it instead of me, which was humiliating after years of practice. I tried convincing the teacher to let me try out for the primary piano again, but he insisted I should be the backup instead." Schroeder responded disappointedly while playing with his food. He had always excelled at everything he did, but this was his first defeat in a long time.
"Give me the piano player's name; I'll pound him for you!" Lucy responded, raising her fist into the air, half joking. Schroeder smiled at the thought of it.
"It's fine; I'll just have to prove myself again," Schroeder commented as his spirits lifted. Lucy smiled, still wanting the piano player to give the part to Schroeder.
"How was your class? Hopefully, it was a bit more than our math class. You seemed pretty upset when you left," Schroeder inquired. Lucy was silent momentarily, looking up at Janice for help, but she didn't notice as she was too busy talking to Franklin and Linus.
"It was… fine. I met Janice in that class, and we just hung out and introduced each other." She answered after a few moments of silence. Schroeder raised his eyebrow, as he could tell something was off with Lucy. Lucy noticed it and tried to sell the lie with a fake smile, tapping the table to get Janice's attention. She finally looked up and backed up Lucy's claim.
"Yeah, class went great! And Lucy realized she didn't want to hang out with Violet and Patty because they were bad influences." Janice blurted out quickly, and Lucy winced. Schroeder's eyes shot over to Janice, then he looked back at Lucy. She could tell he had discovered her lie and had known Violet and Patty better than he had known Lucy.
"Is that so?" He commented. The bell rang just in time to save Lucy from the conversation as the kids flocked outside into the field behind the school, allowing them to explore. Amongst the chaos, Charlie Brown and Heather separated from the group, and Franklin followed Peppermint Patty to where the equipment for sports was being held.
"So, where is Marcie?" Franklin asked as Peppermint Patty dug through the basket to find a football. She looked up at him.
"She's spending time with this new group now; we fought about how seriously I take school. So, she's taking a break from hanging out with me." She explained, sounding unbothered.
"Is everything ok? Did you apologize to her?" Franklin asked, concerned with how casually she was talking about the situation. Peppermint Patty only got through school because of Marcie, and Franklin knew she couldn't do it without her.
"Made up? Where fine. She'll come around in a few weeks, now come on let's play some football, I have to start practicing now" She responded, plucking a football from the basket and throwing it to Franklin, he caught the ball and shook his head in disbelief; meanwhile, Charlie Brown and Heather explored the school's baseball field
"So why does she call you Chuck?" Heather asked
"I don't know; it's just a nickname she gave me; she's not a very formal person, as you can tell." He responded, scratching his head, "Unlike her friend Marcie, who calls me Charles and calls her sir, they're a weird duo. I don't know why we didn't see her today." Heather giggled a bit.
"So, what did you think—" Suddenly someone runs up and knocks Charlie Brown down, with two people running up with him.
"Long time no see, Brown," he said as a smirk covered his face.