A/N: In memory of my wonderful husband who will always be my Valentine.

Charlie Brown jumped at the unexpected sound of Violet's voice.

"You didn't give me a valentine!" she yelled.

He sighed. Leave it to Violet to forget about the valentine he'd given her at school. But then again, he was definitely forgettable.

"I did too!" he shot back.

"Well, it wasn't a very big one!" she replied.

"It was the biggest one I could afford!" Charlie Brown yelled.

That Violet could be so ungrateful! Angrily he picked up his pace and continued walking, hoping that she'd go away. But now she was standing in front of him,

preventing him from moving any further.

"Now what do you want?"

Amazingly her frown disappeared and was replaced with a smile. "Charlie Brown, you're wonderful."

Now it was Charlie Brown who stopped in his tracks. Had he really heard what he thought he'd heard?

"What did you say, Violet?"

But she was nowhere to be found.

As he walked home by himself, his heart fluttered. She liked him! She really liked him! She'd called him wonderful! No one had ever called him wonderful before!

He was so happy that he began to skip down the sidewalk. And then he began to run. And he barely felt it when he tripped over a rock and skinned his knee.

Someone actually liked him! He floated the rest of the way home.

"She likes me! She likes me!" He sang.

"Who likes you, big brother?"

He smiled at his little sister who stood at the door. "Violet!" he grinned proudly. He could almost see the tiny hearts floating above his head.

Sally's mouth fell open. "Violet?"

"Yes!"

To his horror, Sally began to laugh so hard that she fell down and kicked her feet in the air. But Charlie Brown wasn't amused at all. "What's so funny?"

Still laughing, Sally stood up. "Violet? You're crazy, big brother! She didn't even invite you to her Halloween party!"

There was no denying it was true. "Well, this is different." Charlie Brown reasoned. "Halloween was way back in October. This is February. Maybe she's

changed!"

"But she didn't give you a valentine either!"

Charlie Brown grumbled. "I bet Linus didn't give you one either, huh? How do you like that?"

Her expression changed and she looked like she was about to cry. Charlie Brown immediately felt bad for hurting her feelings.

"I'm sorry, Sally. I didn't mean it!"

"Yes you did!" she pouted. "You're a mean brother!"

Charlie Brown sighed as he watched his little sister run into the house and slam the door. What was wrong with him? He shouldn't have spoken to Sally like that.

He walked into the house and put down his books. And then he spotted her sitting in front of the television.

"Sally?"

Just as he figured, she ignored him.

"Sally come on. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Honest."

She turned around and smiled. "I didn't mean it either. I'm sorry. I'm glad that Violet likes you. Maybe she'll invite you to her party next year."

"Thanks Sally. I really think she's changed. She'll invite me to her party for sure!"

Sally just shrugged and went back to watching television. "Okay."

The next day Charlie Brown was still beaming when he went to school. At lunch he sat alone on his usual bench and watched the other kids playing on the

playground. But instead of wishing that he could gather up the courage to talk to the little red haired girl, he watched Violet, Frieda and Lucy play tetherball.

Then he had an idea. If he couldn't get up enough courage to talk to the little red haired girl, maybe he'd have better luck with Violet. After all, she'd told him

that he was wonderful.

An unfamiliar sense of confidence came over him and he slid off the bench and quickly finished his jelly and bread sandwich. His potato chips could wait for later.

He ran toward the girls. "Hey Violet! I wanna play!"

Violet, Lucy and Frieda just stared at him and then burst out laughing, much the way Sally had done the day before. Charlie Brown grumbled and put his hands

on his hips.

"What's so funny?"

"What makes you think we'd want to play with you, Charlie Brown?"

He'd expected a comment like this from Frieda or Lucy, but from Violet, it was wounding. But he wasn't going to back down. Not when he'd come all this way.

"Why wouldn't you want to play with me?" he demanded.

"Are you serious?" Violet laughed. "Lucy told me all about it!"

"All about what?"

"About those silly valentines you brought everyone but you bought a really big one for the little red haired girl."

"So?"

"And you were too afraid to give it to her, so you threw it away!"

"Well, I, uh…"

"You're a blockhead, Charlie Brown!" Frieda laughed.

"What do you mean? Violet, you told me I was wonderful on the way home from school yesterday."

Her eyes widened when Lucy and Frieda started to laugh. "I did not!" "

"You did so! I heard you!"

"Can't you tell the difference between sarcasm and sincerity, Charlie Brown? I'd never call you wonderful!"

He slumped his shoulders and began to sulk, unable to look at them. He could still hear them laughing as he turned and went back to his bench.

Silently he opened his lunch bag and began to eat his chips. But he wasn't hungry anymore. Linus sat down beside him.

"What's wrong, Charlie Brown?"

"Nothing." He said glumly, trying to avoid Linus' gaze.

"Come on, you can tell me. I know something's bothering you."

"You'll just laugh at me."

"No I won't. I promise."

"Yesterday on the way home from school, Violet told me I was wonderful because I told her I gave her the biggest valentine I could afford. I really thought she

liked me. But then she laughed at me when I went over and asked her if I could play tether ball with her and the other girls. I really thought she liked me. But I

was wrong."

"I'm sorry, Charlie Brown. That wasn't very nice of her."

"It's okay. I'm used to it."

"Well, you shouldn't be!" Linus said in a firm voice. It was the same voice he used when he talked about the Great Pumpkin.

"Shouldn't what?"

"Be used to it. In fact, I'm going to go over there and give her a piece of my mind!"

"No, Linus! Don't!"

But Linus was already storming over to where Lucy, Violet and Frieda were playing tether ball. Charlie Brown could see the three of them arguing, and then

Linus returned to the bench.

"Don't worry about Violet anymore, Charlie Brown. She's not worth it. The things she said to me about you weren't very nice and I told her that she needs to

learn to like everyone."

Charlie Brown sighed. "I knew it."

"Don't feel bad. Someday someone will come along who will sincerely appreciate you and want to be your friend; someone who likes you for you. And when that

day comes, you'll be happier than you ever imagined!"

Charlie Brown smiled. "You really think so, Linus?"

"Sure, Charlie Brown! Oh, there's the bell! I'll see you inside!"

As Charlie Brown gathered his lunch bag and headed into the school, he looked back at the playground. One day he was going to do it. He was going to talk to

the little red haired girl. Maybe she'd even let him eat lunch with her. And then he could ask her to the movies. Maybe she'd come and watch him play baseball.

They could even hold hands on the bus!

The images made him sigh. Linus was right. That would be the happiest day of his life. And Charlie Brown could hardly wait for that day to come.

THE END