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Chapter Text

            Charlie Brown, Frieda, Linus, Eudora, Lucy, Schroeder, and some of the others were at a table signing up for something.  Peppermint Patty, Franklin, and Marcie all walked up to the group and wondered what was going on.

            “Hey, everyone,” Patty greeted.  “What’s all the commotion about?”

            “We’re signing up for Driver’s Ed, Patty,” said Charlie Brown.

            “Eudora and I are too young to sign up this year, but we’re here in support,” added Linus.

            “I can’t wait to get a license to dive,” said Cobra.  “I had my eye on my tia’s car for some time!”

            “What kind of car is it, Cobra?” asked Lucy.

            “It’s a hot pink Dodge Challenger, Mamba.  She’s promised it to me when I got my license.”

            “That sounds like a badass car, Cobra,” said Patty.

            “What kind of car do you have your eye on, Charlie Brown?” asked an inquisitive Lucy.

            “If you must know, my grandfather is promising me his vintage red 1970 Camaro,” Charlie Brown replied.

            “Wow, I can’t wait to cruise in that, baby!” said a happy Frieda, kissing Charlie Brown.

            “Dominick is getting his father’s old SUV, as he’s getting a new one soon,” said Cobra.

            “I may drive my father’s car during the winter months, as a Camaro isn’t good in the winter,” said Charlie Brown.  “You could, but not recommended.”

            “But first, we need to get through Driver’s Ed so we can at least get our learning permits,” Schroeder reminded everyone.

            “Franklin, Marcie, what do you say?” asked Patty.

            “Already signed up, Patty,” said Franklin.

            “Marcie?”

            “I don’t know, sir,” said Marcie.  “I figured I’d ride with you or Franklin.”

            “Well, I obviously am okay with that, but you should learn to drive, as well, Marcie,” Patty responded.  “I may get sick and have to stay home from school, as could Franklin.  Plus, there are places you may need to go to on your own.”

            “Patty’s right, hun,” said Frieda.  “While I mostly will ride with Charlie Brown, I still want to be able to drive my own car if I have to.”

            “Having a license and your own wheels will give you bragging rights, as well,” suggested Patty.

            “Go for it, babe,” said Franklin to his girlfriend.  “You won’t be disappointed.”

            Marcie thought for a bit.  Then she said, “Okay, I’ll do it!”

            “Atta girl, Marcie!” cheered Patty.  And they joined the others and signed up for Driver’s Ed.  Marcie was nervous, but hopeful.  If Charlie Brown can sign up willingly, why couldn’t she?

NEXT CHAPTER: HITTING THE ROAD

Chapter Text

            Soon, most of the gang were in Driver’s Ed learning the basics of driving and rules of the road.  Most were surprised that there was a normal class where they took written tests, in addition to driving itself.  Everyone was doing pretty good with the learning, and some did okay.  Marcie, in particular, excelled at the written tests.  But when it was time to hit the road, THAT would be a different story.

            There were two ways of learning on the road.  One was the range test, where the instructors had cars parked in the parking lot and cones out with road signs in different areas.  The range learning was easy, for the most part, but it was when they got on the actual road where it got real.

            The kids did pretty well with road driving.  Charlie Brown, in particular, did really well with the road learning.  His instructor was impressed with all that he was learning.  Frieda did good, as well.  In fact, most of the gang excelled at the driving part of the learning. There was one exception, though.

            Marcie, while she did okay on the range, was struggling on the road.  It didn’t help that her instructor was the most nervous guy to ever teach Driver’s Ed.  The instructor’s name was Mr. Wiry.  He was a middle-aged man with white hair that was strange for someone his age.  While most people his age had SOME gray in their hair, even some more than others, his was purely white, not a strand of any other color, or even a hint of normal grayness.  This was because after years of teaching kids to drive, the man was a nervous wreck.  Anybody who was under his tutelage would almost ALWAYS jump at things when they really didn’t need to.  And Marcie was just unlucky to have this man as her instructor.

            One day, Mr. Wiry and Marcie, who was behind the wheel, was about to go on the freeway for the first time.  Wiry was downing coffee like it was a life-saving elixir.

            “O-O-Okay, Marcie,” he said, stammering.  “Let’s get on the freeway.”

            “Okay, Mr. Wiry,” said a nervous Marcie.

            “God help us.”

            “Excuse me, sir?”

            “Oh, nothing, Marcie.  Go ahead.”

            And Marcie got on the entry ramp to the freeway, and then merged into traffic.  So far, Mr. Wiry hadn’t done anything to make Marcie nervous.  She was side-eying him to see what he would do.  Soon, they made their way to downtown Sparkyville.  Mr. Wiry gave the next instruction.

            “Take the next exit off the freeway,” he said.

            “Okay,” Marcie replied.  And as soon as the next exit came, she got off.

            “Turn right and then we’ll go into downtown traffic.”

            “Good grief.”

            She did as instructed.  But then, they saw it was heavy traffic.  It was rush-hour traffic from people getting off work and heading home.  Then, Mr. Wiry lost it at that moment.

            “Oh, dear lord!” he said.  “Uh, okay, veer to the right.”

            “Okay,” said Marcie, with some concern in her voice.

            “QUICK!!!  VEER LEFT!!!”

            “You said ‘right’!”

            “WATCH OUT FOR THAT SEMI!!!”

            “WHAT SEMI?!”

            “YOU’RE ABOUT TO HIT THAT OLD LADY!!!”

            “WHERE?!?”

            “LOOK OUT!!!!!!!!!!”

            Marcie screeched to a halt in the middle of traffic with horns honking in every directing, near tears.  Mr. Wiry was looking all around him at a fast-pace.

            “THEY’RE AFTER US!!!  WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!  NOW!!!”

            “THAT IS IT!!!”

            Marcie pulled the car over and parked it, took the keys out of the ignition, and threw them at Mr. Wiry.  Then she gathered her things and exited the car.

            “M-M-Marcie!” wept Mr. Wiry.  “Where are you going?!  We need to get back to the school!  Not to mention the spies that are after us…”

            “I WILL TAKE A BUS, MR. WIRY, SIR!” yelled an angry Marcie.  “AND, NOT ONLY AM I DONE WITH DRIVER’S ED, I’M DONE WITH DRIVING, PERIOD!!!  THANKS TO YOU, I AM SCARED TO GET ON THE ROAD!!!!  SO, THANKS A HEAP, MR. WIRY, BECAUSE YOU MADE ME FAIL MY FIRST CLASS EVER!!!!!!”  And she slammed the door, leaving the nervous wreck of an instructor shaking like a cornered animal about to be attacked.  She managed to get the bus that headed back towards her neighborhood and headed for home.  Once back home, she went into her house and slammed the door and burst into tears.  Darby and Jeremy, her parents got concerned.

            “Mini, what’s wrong?” asked a concerned Darby.

            “I FAILED DRVER’S ED, MOM!” wailed Marcie.  “I HAD A NUTCASE FOR AN INSTRUCTOR WHO MADE DRIVING A LIVING HELL AND HE JUST WOULDN’T STOP!!!”

            “Whoa, calm down, baby,” said Darby, calming her daughter.  “What instructor are you talking about?”

            “I had this mental patient of an instructor named Mr. Wiry for practicing driving on the road, and every time we went out on the road, he’d freak out!  I’m doing good with the written stuff and the reading, and when it comes to the range driving, that’s okay, too, but when I have to go on the road with Wiry…”

            “Wait a minute,” Jeremy interjected.  “Did you say Wiry, Marcie?”

            “Yeah,” Marcie said, calming down, but still in tears.  “How that guy became a driving instructor is beyond me.”

            “I know that guy,” said Jeremy.  “One of my work colleagues told me about him as their kid had him as an instructor, as well.  Now, my own daughter is dealing with this nut!  Your mother and I will talk to the school tomorrow and file a complaint against him.”

            “Thanks, dad,” said Marcie.  “But, I think I’ll ride with either Franklin or Peppermint Patty.  I am NOT going through this again and get someone worse than Wiry!  I am done with driving!”  And Marcie went to her room.  Darby and Jeremy were determined to at least get Wiry away from teaching any more kids.

NEXT CHAPTER: A POSSIBLE DO-OVER

Chapter Text

            Peppermint Patty, Franklin, and Claudia were all at Marcie’s house after the debacle with Mr. Wiry.  The entire school had learned about Wiry’s breakdown while instructing Marcie, thus causing her own mini breakdown.  As promised, Darby and Jeremy had filed a complaint against Wiry.  The school informed them that they weren’t the first and possibly wouldn’t be the last, as they were already in the process of getting the man some help and possibly coercing him into resigning from teaching Driver’s Ed, saving them from having to terminate him.  The school also apologized to the Carlins for what their daughter endured and promised that she was welcomed to come back or re-apply for the next session.

            Marcie was hugging Franklin as if her life depended on it.  It was obvious to her boyfriend and friends that the experience with Wiry had traumatized her.  But, they were determined to help her get over the trauma she experienced with him.

            “Marcie, not all the instructors are like him,” assured Patty.  “Sure, they may be ones who will jump if you don’t follow the instructions, or may shout if you get too close.  Mr. Wiry just had a psychotic break.”

            “That’s what I’m trying to avoid, sir,” retorted Marcie.  “Not so much talking about myself, though I’m trying hard not to snap from this, but if I had another instructor who was worse off!”

            “Babe, the chance of that happening is slim to none,” said Franklin.  “Plus, the people in charge of Driver’s Ed assured that you walking off on Wiry won’t reflect on you due to the circumstances.  They are willing to put you with a new instructor.”

            “What have you got to l-lose?” added Claudia.  “It’s Sidney or the b-b-bush!”

            “Come on, Marcie,” said Patty.  “You’ll be okay from here on in.”

            Marcie sighed deep.  After giving Franklin a kiss and hugging her friends, she said, “Against my better judgement, I will finish Driver’s Ed.  But, I want to see that Wiry is gone from there.  If not gone, in the process of leaving!”

            “Well, according to your parents, he will be leaving,” said Franklin.  And the kids went to Joe’s Café for a meal and to meet up with the others.

            Meanwhile, in the same mental facility that Shermy’s cousin and former Lizard Ladies leader Hilary “Tarantula” Wilson was once held at, before being broken out by Gertie years earlier, Mr. Wiry was being brought into a room, while in a straight jacket.  He was still murmuring about how “they” were going to get him.  They would learn that after years of doing Driver’s Ed and dealing with kids who driving skills were not up to par, so to speak, Wiry completely snapped and was now suffering some psychosis.  After putting him into the padded room, the staff closed the door.  Wiry looked out the window and was shaking all over.  It would be a while before he was let back out in society, if ever.

NEXT CHAPTER: MARCIE BEHIND THE WHEEL AGAIN!

Chapter Text

            Marcie was back behind the wheel with a new instructor, Mrs. Kline, who was shades calmer than Mr. Wiry, and nicer, too.  She was nervous, but far less than how she was with Wiry.  Mrs. Kline, by contrast, put her mind at ease.  She saw that Marcie was still a little shaken by Wiry’s breakdown in front of her.

            “There’s nothing to worry about, Marcie,” assured Mrs. Kline.  “We’ll pull out and take on the freeway again.  And I promise you, you’ll have no mental break from me.”

            Marcie took a deep breath and pulled out into the street.  From the side where they waited for their own instructors, the gang took notice of Marcie driving off.

            “I hope Marcie is better after the whole fiasco with Wiry,” said Charlie Brown.

            “Me too, Chuck,” said Peppermint Patty.  “Wiry did a number on her when they were on the road.”

            “What happened to him?” asked Frieda.

            “Rumor has it he’s in the same mental facility Tarantula was once at before Gertie broke her out,” said Lucy.

            “Yeh, I loined my lesson aftah that,” added Gertie.

            “Amen to that, Gert,” agreed Cobra.

            “Well, here’s hoping my girl does good,” said Franklin.

            “We’re sure she will, Franklin,” assured Linus.

            “When will you be taking up Driver’s Ed, Linus?” asked Violet.

            “Next year, Vi,” said Linus.  “Both Eudora and I will be taking it up.”

            “I’m actually surprised that you did this well, Charlie Brown,” said Lucy.

            “Well, as kids, my grandfather would always let me drive a little in the back roads near his place,” Charlie Brown said.  “Not to mention Snoopy showed me some stuff behind his limo.”

            “So, you had a leg up on driving, eh, Charlie Brown?” said Schroeder.

            “You can say that, Schroeder,” Charlie Brown replied.

            “That’s my man!” said Frieda, proud of her boyfriend.

            Back on the road, Marcie and Mrs. Kline were getting close to the freeway.  Mrs. Kline instructed Marcie, “Okay, Marcie, let’s take the entry ramp towards downtown.”  And Marcie did as instructed.  But this time around, there was no hysterics or shouting.  Aside from the occasional direction from Mrs. Kline, Marcie did a better job this time around.

Asked a girl what she wanted to be

She said, "Baby, can't you see?

I wanna be famous, a star of the screen"

But you can do something in between

Baby, you can drive my car

Yes, I'm gonna be a star

Baby, you can drive my car

And maybe I'll love you

I told that girl that my prospects were good

And she said, "Baby, it's understood

Working for peanuts is all very fine

But I can show you a better time"

Baby, you can drive my car

Yes, I'm gonna be a star

Baby, you can drive my car

And maybe I'll love you

Beep-beep, beep-beep, yeah

Baby, you can drive my car

Yes, I'm gonna be a star

Baby, you can drive my car

And maybe I'll love you

I told that girl I can start right away

When she said, "Listen, babe, I got somethin' to say

I got no car and it's breaking my heart

But I've found a driver and that's a start"

Baby, you can drive my car

Yes, I'm gonna be a star

Baby, you can drive my car

And maybe I'll love you"

Beep-beep, beep-beep, yeah

Beep-beep, beep-beep, yeah

Beep-beep, beep-beep, yeah

Beep-beep, beep-beep, yeah

            Later, Marcie and Mrs. Kline pulled back into the school’s parking lot and Marcie parked the car.  The rest of the gang had also just got back from their time on the road.  As she exited the vehicle, Marcie breathed a sigh of relief.  Mrs. Kline walked up to the teen.

            “Marcie, you did excellent on the road,” she began.  “I think after you take the written test, you’ll be well on your way to getting your permit to drive.”

            “Thank you, ma’am!” said a grateful Marcie.  “I appreciate this!”

            “You’re welcome, Marcie,” said Mrs. Kline, with a smile.  “You’re dismissed for the day.”  And Mrs. Kline headed towards the high school.  Marcie rejoined the rest.

            “How’d it go, babe?” asked Franklin.

            “It went well, Franklin, baby!” said a relieved Marcie, kissing him.  “Really well!”

            “Well, we’re all proud of you, hun,” said Frieda.

            “No one more than me, Marcie!” added Peppermint Patty.

            “Thanks, everyone,” said Marcie.  “Right now, though, I think I need to have a milkshake at Ace’s”

            “Sounds like a plan,” said Charlie Brown.

            “If Orbweaver’s there, she may be able to convince Rudy Jr. to give us a discount,” said Lucy.

            “Don’t let it be too much of a discount, Lucille,” quipped Marcie.

            “Ace’s it is,” said Franklin.  And everyone went to Ace’s Ice Cream Shop to wind down.  Marcie, for her part, was relieved that she was able to make it through Driver’s Ed.  And soon enough, everyone had passed and got their permits.  Even Good Ol’ Charlie Brown!

THE END