Chapter Text
Lucy walked with Sally and Linus to her class.
"Why are you two walking with her," Benny asked.
"Because she's my sister," he spat.
"That didn't stop you from saying all that stuff about her."
"Yeah… well… sorry not sorry, Janice, but things have changed, she's changed, and it's not like I ever stopped loving her."
"Just leave Lucy alone, you all had your fun, she's not bothering anybody and all of you broke her, you won, okay… just stop it already!" Sally grabbed her hand and pulled her along.
"I owe you both."
"No you don't… well… let's just say we owe each other."
Royanne walked up to Lucy between class bumping in to her. "You punk trash, or skater trash today? Are you going to stop this fake ass front, once you have Charlie and his friends in your clutches?"
"Royanne… I really am not the same girl, I'm done being a bitch for no reason, I can't apologize enough for how I treated you."
Sally tapped Charlie and pointed to Royanne and Lucy, both walked quickly to her.
"You don't just get to be sad for a while and everything’s going to be peachy keen."
"I know that, I'm not asking to be friends, I just want to be left alone, haven't I suffered enough? I threw my friends away, my brother hated me, my friend abandoned me to get beat unconscious, and I still have memory loss from it, I get no peace in school. Haven't I suffered enough? I already feel like kil—"
"Yeah, you have suffered enough." Sally grabbed one arm.
Charlie grabbed the other, and they walked away with her.
"You can't keep letting people bully you, you should stand up for yourself, at least a little bit," Sally scolded.
"I do… kinda. That's what got me in this mess to begin with."
"No, that was bullying. Then… walk away… ignore them best you can, okay?"
"Doing that, too. But I'll try harder."
"Okay, I believe you Lucy, I know you don't give up easy." Sally smiled and hugged her.
Charlie was surprised at that. They had next class together, so Sally was ready to part ways, until Charlie stopped her.
"Don't be too hard on her."
"I'm trying not to be, but she can take it."
"Not like you think she can, sure she's tough, tough when she needs to be, but she's… fragile at heart, gentle. Some of it is walls she puts up, and you're seeing the other side of her nobody else has really ever seen, except maybe Rerun and Patty."
"You think she'll ever be back to her mean, fussbudget self?"
"Maybe… if it ever called for it, once she's okay. You are dating Linus, she likes that he finally got with you, so expect her to play big sister at some point."
"How do you know this‽"
"Because I know Lucy."
Violet was up and hungry, raided the fridge. People still dogged her online, she read every thread, every word. Everybody; Frieda, Sally, Royanne, Molly, Charlotte, Delores, the only people she didn't see were Heather, Patty, Charlie and Rerun. So many hurtful things, even memes. Violet desperately wanted to talk to somebody, she wanted revenge for how she was being treated, but so many stories kept reminding her that it was her fault. She found her moms secret cheat stash, grabbed a few things, went to watch something to take her mind off social media.
"Charlie." Linus walked up to before the next period. "I've been a fool. I had so much vindication for my sister, I couldn't see how bad she had gotten… she… she—" He shook his head.
"I know she's happy to have you in her corner, this is the happiest I think she's been in a while, plus she really wanted to be friends with Sally."
"I made her happy." He looked Charlie in the eye.
He simply nodded.
"Thanks man." He hugged him. "Thanks for taking care of my sister! You're really a big part of her life right now, you mean so much to her, and I want that, too."
"I don't know what happened last night, but I can promise you, you're just as important." He hugged back.
They heard on the P.A. for Lucy to report to the office.
"Wonder why they called her to the office?"
Linus let go and shrugged.
"Well it can't be anything bad."
Lucy went to the office to meet her mom.
"Lucy, I have your meds, how is your arm?"
"It really hurts every time I move it."
"Now, when you take these, don't just pop these like candy, just take as needed, okay?"
"Okay mom, thanks."
"And please… please don't do this again, we all love you." She hugged her. "I'd hate for you to sit in some psych ward over that Schroeder."
"I… I know," she sighed. "But it wasn't—"
"Good! Now I need to get back to work, and you need to get back to class." She turned to leave.
"Bye mom, have a good day at work."
She was too busy going through her phone to notice, quickly left the office. Lucy sighed, tore open the bag, threw it in the trash, and took two of the hydrocodone’s on the way back to class.
Violet knew it was lunch time and she couldn't help herself, she decided to try and call Patty.
She looked at her phone. "Why is she calling me, what could this girl want‽"
"Who," Marcie asked.
"Bet it's Violet," Lamar guessed.
"Eeeyup." she canceled the call.
"What could she want," Lucy wondered.
Violet called back.
"What," she stretched the word.
"Pat… can I please talk to you? I'm… I'm so alone."
"You're what?" She put it on speaker.
"I'm so… alone. I need somebody to talk to."
"Why me?"
"Because you're such a good friend, I was hoping we could."
"But I could never talk to you, so why should I listen?" Her voice went cold.
"I don't know."
"And we aren't friends anymore. Talk to a maid… or Jennifer."
"I can't do that. I told Jennifer I was going on a retreat, so I could stay home. I can't face anybody at school, my parents won't care, I fe—"
"That's not my problem, Violet—you're not my problem. My only concern is Lucy's wellbeing." She heard some rustling noises, and chewing.
"H-how is Lucy?"
"None of your business, not that you ever cared. I don't have anything for you."
"I took you guys for granted, I didn't know what real friends you were, what can I do‽ Can we just get a temporary truce, or something? I need you girls… I feel… empty."
"Find something else to fill the void… buy clothes, or something."
Violet made a noise and hung up. Patty sighed.
"That's telling her," Lamar said.
"I didn't want to do it, I hate to do it. She was one of my best friends."
"All of this is her fault, Patty. I still feel like shit for how I treated you, but I… I really wasn't no better, even if I thought I was."
"Nobody is going to tell you how to handle Violet, either of you. If you want to try and make up, or let her suffer, or whatever while you sort yourself through it, it's on you. I'll support whatever choice you make." Charlie held her hand.
Patty quickly hugged him.
"Patty… I don't like treating Violet this way either." Lucy walked up to her.
"I just gotta be strong like you two."
"You are stronger than you think you are… trust me… you're probably stronger than both of us." She rubbed her arm."
"She sounded so sad!"
"Of course she's going to be—You've seen the stuff online."
"Right. Right! She did let you get beat up… but she felt really bad about it. No. Be strong. She needs to understand."
"She will. Now let's get to class."
Violet finally stopped crying, or what was left of it, this was something she never thought would happen to her, that she would have nobody, and nothing else mattered. She hadn't even thought about shopping, or any of her hobbies. Nothing felt right, she tried to reach out, she wouldn't do it again, knowing Lucy wouldn't be so kind. She looked around the large living room, wondered how she could prefer to even be here, than over one of their houses, they spent more time at her place, she always was a show off, like the time she was bragging to Charlie, and he seemed quite content with his father being a barber and owning his own shop. All she could do is think about the past, think about how much she was willingly a bitch, it made her feel so low, so empty, she went to find something else to eat.
"You okay, how's your arm, Luce?"
"Oh, those pills are working wonders."
"Great, that's great." Linus smiled.
"Thank you for changing your mind about me, it means so much to actually have family on my side."
"How was mom, I never got to ask."
"She said don't overdose, and stop doing things like this." She held her arm up. "So I won't end up in the looney bin."
Linus hissed through his teeth. "Another reason we should stick together."
"I appreciate it, even helping me dress, but just don't be trying to see my boobs so much," she teased.
"I… that was…"
"I know Sally doesn't really have any, so I can't blame you for looking."
"Hey… you're my sister, I'm immune to your boobs.” He frowned.
"I know you're just being a boy." She hugged him. "I'm just teasing you! Relax baby bro.”
"Did I just hear right? You trying to get in your sisters bra," Joe spoke up.
Both gave him a nasty look.
"That's not what you heard," Lucy growled.
"Are you trying to get this fist in your mouth," Linus snarled in his face. "She messed her arm up and needs help with things."
"Wanna put money on that, blanket boy?"
"Yeah. Make my sister cry and see what happens, I promise you won't be unscathed."
"I'm shaking here." He rolled his eyes.
Linus grabbed his shirt and slammed him against a locker and before Joe could react, he was flung to the other side of the hallway and hit another locker.
"You're taller, not stronger… we're not kids anymore." He grabbed Lucy's hand and walked off.
"You didn't have to do that."
"Last thing you need is rumors that we're… well… doing things together."
"So… guys… girls… the wonderful Heather finished Lucy's saddle the other night, and my dad went to have new tires fitted. I'm picking them up right away, who wants to be there when I show her the bike back together?"
"Sure I'll be there… you babe?"
"Yeah." Roy smiled.
"You know I gotta know if she loves the seat!"
"A chance to see her genuinely happy," Emily asked.
"Yeah, we'll be there," Franklin agreed.
"You two wanna be there?"
"No I'm good, Patty," Schroeder quickly answered.
"I didn't think it was right that her scooter got messed up, but I really don't wanna be there. I hope she likes it, though," Frieda explained.
"Okay, but what happened to giving her a chance? You said you would, on the stream," Patty replied uneasy.
"I'm sorry, it's just me and Lucy…"
"It's cool, no need to explain. You all have a history, I just ask to give her a chance," Charlie held the door open.
“Baby steps. I gotta support my guy, here, too. I’m sure Schroeder would be more uncomfortable, than I would.”
Lucy, Sally and Linus weren't too far behind the rest of them.
"How much bullshit today," Charlie asked Lucy.
"Some, but I'm not worried too much about it."
"Good. I have a surprise for you later today."
"What is it?"
"It's a surprise, I can't tell you! I will tell you that you'll love it."
"I can't wait!"
"You think she'd know what it is," Sally whispered to Patty.
"I don't think she's had time to think about it," Patty whispered back.
"You two know what it is, don't you?” Lucy spotted them whispering.
"Us‽ No, we don't know.” Patty held up her hands.
"No we… we were trying to—we wanted to hang with you while he got whatever your surprise is," Sally lied.
"Really‽ You want to spend time with me?" Her face lit up and she hugged her.
Sally for the first time witnessed the bigger girls strength, trapped in that hug, the first thing came to her mind was how thankful she was that nothing ever went past a verbal exchange. After a moment she hugged her back, tight as she could.
"Then let's do something we all like." She let go. "I meant what I said; I don't want anything one-sided, I want you to be my real friend."
"I think it's safe to say we're friends." She smiled.
Lucy hugged her again, and picked her up.
"Oh god," she cried out.
The others couldn't help but laugh at Sally's fear.
"Let's leave my sister in one piece.” Charlie laughed.
Sally walked towards Charlie's car and leaned towards Peppermint Patty. "If you want to fight her still, you're braver than I am. I think I would piss myself if I had to."
She just laughed at her.
Patty followed Charlie to his place, Lucy was just glowing the whole ride.
Linus got out, leaned in the window. "You're a good man, Charlie Brown. To turn my terror of a sister in to that."
"I told you she just needed a chance to prove herself. You like the new Lucy?"
"I almost beat up Joe Agate over her today. Go get those wheels."
Charlie pulled up to his dads barbershop and walked in.
"How's Lucy doing, I bet she can't wait to get back on her bike."
"I think she's been through too much to even think about it. Linus finally came around, and so did Sal. Lucy is really happy, and I can't wait to see her face when I show her it's all fixed up."
"I wish I could be there to see it." He smiled.
"Knowing how loud Lucy can be; you just might hear it."
His dad laughed. "They're in the back."
"Thanks so much for this, I didn't know how I was going to get tires."
Charlie loaded them in his car, went back to install them, topped off her gas tank, cleaned himself up and called their friends.
"It's ready‽ Awesome, I'll get Marcie and Rerun, and call Franklin," Peppermint Patty said.
"Me and Heather'll be right there," Lamar said.
He texted Patty to bring Lucy out once everybody showed up.
"I think your surprise is ready, Lucy."
"For real‽ Let's go!" She jumped from her bed.
Patty saw one of her scarves, grabbed it, and chased after her. Linus figured it was time, hearing Lucy make such noise.
"Stop her, Babboo!"
Linus got in her way and Patty blindfolded her.
"Now you can go."
Everybody shushed themselves when the front door opened. Charlie opened the garage and wheeled it into the driveway. Patty lead her up to the bike, stood near Charlie, she and others had their phones ready.
"Okay Lucy, ready when you are," Charlie yelled.
She quickly pulled off the blindfold not knowing what to expect, her eyes were wide, her mouth dropped, she didn't even see the rest of the group. Then she screamed.
'You fixed it!"
"I told you I would."
"This… this is fucking great… look at her! I don't know what to say." Patty’s eyes filled with tears.
"I fixed the seat." Heather stepped forward.
Lucy quickly hugged her. "Thank you so much!"
"No problem, I know you love it."
"I love the new saddle! And you Charlie… I don't know how to repay you… I owe you for this!"
He went to hand her the keys. "No you don't. Just seeing you so—"
Lucy grabbed and pulled him down into a deep kiss, surprised everybody. It wasn't until they all cheered that it brought Lucy back, she broke the kiss, they both were short of breath and blushed hard.
"S-s-s-sorry, I…"
"N-no it… it was fine! How about th-the keys—ride?"
"Yeah."
"You might need this for more than just safety.” Linus handed her the helmet with a smirk.
Lucy put it on, started the bike and drove off. They all looked at Charlie still red in the face, while he played with his hands.