Chapter Text
“Hey Charlie.” Linus walked in the front door.”
“No, I don’t want to be a third wheel with you and Roy, Trish… again. No, if… just… Trish! I’m okay, yes it sucks he’s gone, but I can’t be sad forever, I’ve accepted it… I’m being honest, and I don’t have a problem with Roy, you know that… right… yeah… mm-hmm… that’s what I’m saying. Instead of trying to drag me along, why don’t you ask Marce, and Rerun, so you don’t have to epically fail at trying not to make your date a date? Alright, have fun, Linus just came over… see ya.” he hung up.
“She trying to get you on a date again?” he sat on the couch.
“Yeah, you know how she is.”
“Can you blame her, it’s like we barely hang out, Charlie.”
“It’s not my fault everybody else is wrapped up in relationships. At least I get to hang out with you, wanna watch this show with me?”
Suddenly they heard a door open and close.
“Yeah… about that.” Linus chuckled.
Charlie gave him a look, as they heard Sally run down the steps.
“Sorry.”
“My sweet Babboo!” she hugged and kissed him. “Watching your show again, big bro?”
“Yeah, I’m hooked.” he smiled. “Have fun, and be safe.”
“Always!”
Charlie rolled his eyes when the door shut, going back to his show.
“He’s not here, but he always practices around this time.”
“Usually he would be, but he decided to take a break this time, Lucy,” Schroeder’s mom explained.
“Darn… I was looking forward to listening to him practice.”
“I know you were… his biggest fan.” she smiled.
She knew how Lucy felt, and how he felt, the woman just couldn’t tell her what was really going on with her son, all these years, she had known for a while, and she figured it would be best for Lucy to figure it out herself, hoping the girl isn’t that dense.
She looked around disappointed, before her face briefly lit up. “I guess I’ll catch him next time, let him know I stopped by?”
“I sure will, Lucy.”
“See ya later.” She walked back home.
This has been happening more, she thought, spending time with her Schroeder is one of the few constants she has left as they get older. At least Charlie is still there for her amusement, and she could use a bit of cheering up. She saw him sitting on the porch of his house, as she walked up.
Charlie was strumming a bit on his guitar, it’s been like this a while; slowly people started dating each other, so the most he might see them is at school. When Snoopy was put down, he was hurt, but he knew how he was, and being weak wasn’t one of them, he was surprised to see Linus step in and help pick up the pieces with Sally. There was a time where he questioned feeling for a dog that barely respected him, from what he could tell, but he did. Something told him to look up.
“Good Grief,” he muttered as Lucy grew closer.
“Hey, loser.” She walked up.
“Hi Lucy… why have you cursed me with your presence?”
“Have you seen Schroeder, I went over there, and his mom said he was gone. My brother is on a date with your weirdo sister, so I know he’s not with them.”
“I haven’t seen him, or talked to him.” He shrugged.
“You’re not hiding him, are you, because if you are…”
“I’m not hiding him. Have you called anybody else, and asked them; Franklin, Frieda… Lamar, Trish?”
“Not yet, you’re like his best friend—whatever, guess I’ll just see him at school, tomorrow.”
“If you’re not doing anything…” He stood. “Then do you wanna hang out?”
“Me… hang out with you‽ Why would I wanna hang with you‽”
“We’re friends, that’s—"
“Lemme stop you there; we aren’t, and haven’t been for a long time. I don’t understand why you think that, just because I can be civil towards you. Small town… we know the same people… it’s out of necessity, fucktard.”
“Why can’t we be friends like we used to, why do you need to hate—never mind… waste of time.” He shook his head.
“Why do you try to be my friend?”
“You know me; I never give up.” He went to open his door. “I might have an idea about Schroeder… but we aren’t friends… so…”
“Tell me, tell me, tell me… I’ll give you five buck!” She dug in her pocket.
“Okay.” He took the five. “He probably found a girlfriend better than you could ever be.”
Lucy’s face dropped, he had a big grin on his face, quickly going inside, locked the door, while she recovered.
“Hey! That’s not funny!”
He laughed from behind the door.
“Open this door, you’ll pay for that repugnant joke!” She beat on the door. “Gimme my money back!”
Charlie laughed back to his worn bean bag chair, and turned the T.V. up. Lucy with a huff, went back home, turning to look at Charlie’s house one last time.
Charlie stepped out of his car, immediately put his headphones on, knocked on the roof to catch Linus and Sally’s attention as they make out in the backseat. What has that girl done to him, he often thought. He spotted Lucy on her scooter, that brown leather jacket she likes, Doc Martin’s, black jeans that barely hide her curves, then that tale, tale sign she’s secretly an anime fan; her Celty helmet she ordered from Japan. He spotted her friends going near her, and opted not to greet her, not that she cared, judging by the look Linus was giving her, they must’ve been making fun of one of them.
“Look at that dope, how can you live next door to him,” Violet asked Lucy.
“It’s not like I see him everyday… Sally on the other hand; how can my brother like somebody so dumb‽”
“We’re right here,” Sally snapped.
“We don’t care, keep walking ditz. Linus, you need higher standards.”
“Lucy, you need to learn respect, you’ll never get Schroeder, or anybody else, being a fuss budget. And stop acting like you don’t like Sally, the both of you seemed real buddy buddy when you two were watching that anime movie.”
“Ugh… that stuff again? Was it that movie you tried to get us to watch, with that loser deaf girl,” Violet asked.
“It was a good movie…”
“Was it? All I heard was you crying most of the time.” He smiled.
“You cried over a cartoon, Lucy? Are you turning in to one of those weeboo freaks,” Patty asked.
“N-no! And that was Sally crying, I just watched it because I thought it’d get popular—that’s why I asked you two. If normal people liked it, I didn’t want us left out, is all.”
“You were crying too, and maybe you should watch it again and learn something.” Sally glared. “Never ask me to watch anime again.”
“What could I possibly learn from that movie,” she said with a scoff.
“Linus, baby; make sure I never ride with her in a carousel.”
“It was a ferris wheel, dummy!”
“I know that, I just wanted to make sure you knew what I was talking about. I don’t really even like anime, I just watched all that stuff to extend an Oliver’s broom… but you’re a bitch through and through.” She grabbed Linus hand. “Let’s go.”
“How much anime do you watch,” Patty asked.
“All of it,” Linus yelled.
“Shut up stupid! I don’t watch it like that!”
Charlie had just kept walking, not wanting to deal with it all.
Charlie walked to his locker spotted Lamar nearby, pulled his headphones down when they locked eyes.
“Aye bruh, whassup Chuck!” He held up his fist.
“Nothing much, you.” He finished the fist bump.
“So, I was talking to Heather the other day, and she was trying to ask me out.”
“Do you like her?”
“She’s cute, but I know you like her, and I ain’t trying to do you dirty.”
“Give her a go, I’m over her, I’m just focusing on myself.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it, you’ll like her.”
“Thanks, man she show is fine.” He smiled hard.
“Mm-hmm, go get her.” He put his headphones back on, with a grin.
Charlie sorted his locker and went to class, sat next to Schroeder, who was listening to music himself.
“Charlie.” He tapped him.
“Yeah?” He pulled his headphones off.
“How’s the guitar?”
“Pretty good.”
“I’ve got a recital coming up, you going to go?”
“You know I’ll be there, man.”
“Sweet.”
“You seem to be pretty busy lately.” Charlielooked concerned.
“Yeah… it’s like that sometimes, sorry about that,” Schroeder chuckled.
“At least I’ve had time to focus on myself.”
“Hey, maybe we can get the old gang together soon, don’t worry.”
“Maybe. I get that we aren’t kids anymore, I take what I can get, I just get tired of being the third wheel, it’s really nobody else’s fault, for the most part.”
“I understand, Charlie. People get wrapped up in their relationships.”
“Sometimes I feel like I’m the one throwing friendships away, and I’m being petty.”
“No, no, you’re right to feel how you do.” He placed a hand on his arm. “You’re not the same guy since… you know, and we all see how you’ve grown, and once these ladies realize the same worthiness we all saw; you’ll be right with us, and these lonely times will be a distant memory.”
“Sounds like something Linus would say, and you’re right; I’m not going to be that guy who gets consumed by jealousy, or whatever.”
“That’s the spirit!”
After class Charlie ran in to Lucy and Patty in the hallway to his next class.
“I can’t believe you said what you said about me liking anime,” Lucy huffed.
“Oh I wasn’t being serious, Lucy! You know I would’ve watched it with you, if I wasn’t hanging with Vee, and Frieda.”
“Sure ya would’ve.” She rolled her eyes.
“I promise, the next time you ask, I will—you’re my friend, girl!”
Charlie shook his head when he walked by.
“Sure… unless Violets around.”
“I will sooo ditch her to hang with you. Gotta get to my next class!”
“So you can drool over Pig Pen?”
“Fuck yoouuuu!” She ran off.
Charlie felt somebody poke at him, looking to see Patty.
“Hey, how ya doing?”
“Why do you care?”
“I can’t ask my classmate about his well being?”
“Weren’t you just making fun of me before school?”
“No! We were making fun of Linus and Sally… sorta, not you. Well it kinda turned into getting on Lucy about anime…”
“What’s wrong with anime?”
“Nothing, some of it is okay.”
“Well I’m doing fine.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
They walked in the classroom and ran into Pig Pen coming from the other direction.
“Hey Charlie.”
“Hi, Pig Pen!” she beamed.
“Hi… Patty.”
“How’s it going Pig Pen?”
“Fine, but the homework was crazy, where’s the standards, man‽”
“I hear ya, I struggled with it, too, it made no sense at first.”
“It was crazy wasn’t it‽ I was like; what even is this, who hired this teacher?” She chuckled nervously.
“…yeeeah.” Pig Pen gave her a look, moved quickly to his seat.
“You like him, don’t you?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Totally. Maybe you should talk to him, nicely, and not making fun of him with your friends. He’s a level headed guy, just tell him you were nervous, or something.”
“I’ll give it a try.”
“And Patty?”
“Yeah?”
“Stop caring so much about what your friends think, you’ll be happier.”
“How’s two of my favorite love birds.” Charlie walked up to Roy and Peppermint Patty.
“Whassup, Chuck, good tuh see ya ,” Peppermint Patty greeted.
“Charlie, my guy.”
“You missed it last night, dude! We went to the look out…”
“Oh yeah, I wanted to see you two making out.”
“No… we saw Schroeder there last night.”She leaned closer. “And he was making out with Frieda.”
“Huh?”
“That’s what I said.”
“You didn’t know, Charlie?”
“No, no I didn’t.”
“Why do you think he might be keeping it a secret?”
“Lucy,” they said together.
“You know how Lucy is, babe, and Frieda doesn’t deserve that, she’s been a nice girl since she stopped hanging out with the bitch sisters.”
“But he didn’t even tell me… weird.”
“Maybe they’re trying to keep a low profile, Chuck.”
“Maybe it’s not him, maybe Frieda wants to, to avoid the drama.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right Roy, we should just let them be, until they’re ready.”
“That means leave them alone, baby.” he looked at Peppermint Patty.
“I won’t say nothin’ I promise! But It’d be nice to have double daaate…”
“Baby!”
“I know, I know…”
Charlie couldn’t help but laugh.
Later on at lunch Charlie was looking at where to sit, when Shermy came up behind him.
“Charlie, why don’t you sit with us, I hardly see you nowadays.”
“Oh, hey Shermy, wait, don’t you sit with Violet?”
“Yeah, but she’ll be cool, c’mon man, let’s chat—look she’ll be too wrapped up in girl talk, it’s boring. Please, man.”
“Okay, okay, don’t get on your knees.”
Charlie plopped down with Shermy, while Violet was prattling on with Patty and Amy, not paying him any mind.
“Hey Vee.” He kissed her cheek, then frowned. “Ugh, I think I just sucked makeup off her face.”
“You know she likes to lay it on thick.” Charlie laughed.
*Hi Charlie,” Amy greeted.
“Shermy, you ruined—what’s he doing here, for fucks sake‽”
“Uh… he’s my friend.” he rose an eyebrow.
“Hi Amy, Patty, Violent.”
“I don’t see why, and you know my name isn’t Violent.”
“No, your mouth can be, though.”
“Why do you like him?”
“Everybody likes me, I’m nice, dependable, loyal.”
“You’re good man, Charlie Brown.”
“Thanks Shermy.” He smiled.
“Just don’t breath this way, it’s whatever, not like I own the table.”
“See… she’s cool.”
“It’s the ice her heart pumps through her veins.”
Shermy had to hold back a laugh, when Violets eyes darted their way.