Rubber Soul
10:1 PM.
Schroeder Wakes up and is greeted by the loud whispers of Charlie Brown coming from outside his window. “Beethoven!!! Beethoven!!!” Charlie Brown screeches softly. “Huh? Oh- shit- right. Coming!!” Schroeder whisper shouts to him. He takes off his jacket and sneaks out of his house.
The two race to the van pelt house. Its vivid lights contrast with the raven colored night. Charlie rings the door bell and Marcie greet the two boys. “They’re here!!” She barks to Peppermint patty. “Really?!” She tumbles to the group and gives Schroeder and Charlie a big hug. “Come- Come! We’re about to play beer pong!” She cheers. They all walk in and chat. The lights are blistering to Schroeder’s eyes, as usual. Patty’s replaced her usual green flannel for a white tank top and green parachute pants. The smell of alcohol is intoxicating and hits Schroeder’s throat with vigor. He becomes a bit anxious because of this. “You okay,bro?” Charlie questions. “Yeah.. mhm..” Schroeder lies. Marcie drunkenly tosses a ball into a red plastic cup. Which leads to Peppermint and Marcie to win against Patty and Frieda. “WOOOOO! TAKE THAT FUCKERS!” Peppermint cheered before affectionately biting Marcie.
The noise scares Schroeder and leads him to go hide in a small corner next to the dining table. He’s shaking now and misses Lucy now more than ever. If she were here , she would’ve shut everyone up for him. But Alas, he is alone, and no one else in that room would understand the pain he felt. “No-bitch-Beethoven, why don’t you play us a song on the piano?” Linus says after appearing practically out of thin air. “Uhh…” He’s silent for a moment. “Sure.” Schroeder accepts the challenge. Linus smiles at him , then takes another shot. Schroeder stands up and walks over to the grand piano. It’s wooden raven textures and elaborate details overwhelm him more than anything else in the room. People begin to notice him sitting down at it and gather. “Alright -uhm- everyone..” He whimpers. “This is uhm- I don’t know..” He trails off. The keys begin to blur. The notes for chords start to jumble in his mind and his palms get sweaty. “I- I’m sorry.” He stammered. Schroeder then runs up to Linus’ bedroom, crying. - A few minutes later he hears a knock at the locked door. “Hey Schroeder? Are you okay, darling?” Frieda mumbled through the passage. “Yeah sniffles” He lies. “Can I come in?” She asks. “Alright sniffles” he says as he unlocks the door. She walks in. Her naturally curly hair bounces with sass, but not with the false confidence in Lucy’s he could see through. No She was purely self-assured. “Aww… Poor boy. Here- gives him a lit blunt this should take your mind off your silly piano.” She says with a smirk. Her hands are soft , but they’re not Lucy’s. Her lips are a perfect shade of red, but they’re still not Lucy’s. He takes a puff and does a small fake smile. They sit in silence for a few more minutes before Frieda breaks the ice. “You know what Peppermint told me earlier today? She said you’re way cooler on drugs, and she was right. It may just be the fact that annoying Lucy isn’t here that makes you easier to talk to , aswell.” She remarks as she puts her hand on his lap. “Yeah.” He mutters. Suddenly , slow movements become rushed. Frieda begins taking off her clothes. “Let’s just get this over with now shall we? I’m tired of being the only virgin in my friend group anyway.”She scoffs , rolling her eyes. “What? No I-“ Schroeder says. “Cmon! It’s a nice night, isn’t it?” She laughs and tries to undo his belt. “No no no no no..” He tries to unlock the door. Schroeder looks back at her one last time. Her everything is nice- but she’s not Lucy, and she’ll never be. - He runs away; Past Charlie’s house, past Heather’s, past Marcie’s, past peppermint’s, and past Violet’s; but not before contemplating going to talk to Lucy. Eventually he gets to his house. He locks his door and rests awake in his bed for the rest of night, wishing to not wake up the next day.