(KID AU)

It was another one of those days.

Charlie Brown sat at his desk, chin propped up on his hand, staring at the clock that refused to move. He sighed the biggest sigh you’ve ever heard.

“School,” he mumbled, ruffling his short, messy brown hair. “Why does it always feel like the longest thing in the world? I bet astronauts on the moon get done with school faster than this.”

Peppermint Patty was already asleep on her desk, Marcie was taking neat notes, and Linus was scribbling something that probably sounded way too smart for a spelling test.

Just when Charlie Brown thought the day couldn’t get more boring, the classroom door opened.

The teacher’s trumpet-voice (wah-wah-wah) announced, “Class, this is our new student.”

And then you walked in.

Charlie Brown felt his heart leap up like a football he would almost get to kick. His eyes went wide, his mouth dropped open. Puppy love hit him right between the eyes.

“Good grief,” he whispered to himself, “I think I’m in love…”

You smiled shyly and sat down in the empty desk near his. Charlie Brown couldn’t believe it. Out of all the classrooms in the world, you were in his.

But before he could think of anything clever to say, the teacher said something even scarier: “Surprise test!”

The whole class groaned. Snoopy, who was sitting outside by the window, pretended to faint dramatically.

Charlie Brown picked up his pencil, already sweating. He stared at the paper. The paper stared back.

And then—oh no! Your pencil slipped out of your hand, rolled across the floor, and stopped right against Charlie Brown’s shoe.

He looked down. He looked at you. You looked at him.

Slowly, he bent over, picked up the pencil, and handed it back. His hand shook like he was passing a diamond ring instead of a No. 2.

“H-here,” he said softly, his face turning as red as Schroeder’s piano.

You smiled and whispered, “Thanks.”

Charlie Brown almost fell right out of his chair. His test paper was still blank, but suddenly, the day didn’t seem boring at all.

“Maybe school isn’t so bad after all,” he thought, as the bell rang.