Lola Loud had hardly been up for a full hour, but she already knew that this was shaping up to be the worst Sunday of her entire life.
Perhaps it was the fact that she woke up and discovered—to her horror and disgust—that El Diablo had slipped away from Lana in the middle of the night and shed his nasty, flaky skin all over her precious stuffed companions.
Maybe it had to do with being the next person in line for the bathroom right after Lynn, who apparently had "no choice" but to bomb the bowl—besides the heavy, lingering smell, the indignity of the ordeal was the most nauseating part about showering and brushing her teeth in such a toxic environment.
Then again, walking by Luna and Luan's bedroom and overhearing her rock-loving sister talk about how she was gonna "turn it up to eleven" all day long in the garage—as she tested her brand new high volume guitar amps through her Logan V80—didn't do her mood any favors.
'I just hope that my goose feather pillows can block out her ear-piercing D-chords,' she thought with a scowl as left her room and headed towards the staircase.
She knew that lamenting her woes out loud would more than likely earn her nothing but condescending remarks from her family—who would probably just brush off her complaints as nothing more than her usual brand of dramatic overreactions to minor inconveniences—so she kept her mouth shut.
Not that she had the energy to scream at the top of her lungs to begin with.
But before she had the chance to tear her hair out from the roots at the thought of having to slog through another round of unfortunate events, a familiar but pleasant sensation halted her in her tracks. Gentle wafts of buttery, fluffy bliss slipped through her nostrils and warmed her body from the inside. She could detect hints of chocolate in the scent, stirring her tummy to rumble noisily and for her mouth to salivate.
What was once a bitter frown morphed into a dreamy smile and the bleakness in her weary eyes parted like dimming rain clouds as it gave way to a cheerful sparkle.
Only one thing could make Lola act like that on such a bad day, and the thought of digging into it made her bolt down the stairs in a hurry.
She stopped once she made it to the arch way of the dining room, but only because the beautiful sight on the dining room table forced her to take pause and appreciate its magnificence. There was her daddy, looking on at the handiwork that he had left in the middle of the table—a high stack of his thick chocolate chip waffles. She could see other people seated around the table in her peripheral vision, but she paid them no heed.
Lola let out a high, delighted squeak through her toothy grin as she hopped around excitedly, the noise drawing her dad's attention.
"Oh, hey, Lola," Dad said, chuckling at he sight of his daughter predictable reaction. "Lucky for you, your old man woke up this morning and thought, 'Y'know what, Lynn? I think it's a good day to whip up some chocolate chip waffles for the fam.'"
Lola was too giddy to cringe at Dad using the word "fam", though that didn't stop the dining table's occupants from doing so.
"Ugh, seriously, Dad?" Lori, Luan, Lana, and Leni said in unison.
Dad held up his hands in a gesture of innocence. "What? I'm just trying to be hip. It's what you kids say on the street all the time, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Lori replied with folded arms, "but only when we're using it ironically."
"I just don't say it at all," Lana said.
Lola left the discussion of the finer points of appropriate slang usage for everyone else. Meanwhile, she had a stack of sugary pastry goodness to wolf down like there was no tomorrow.
She wouldn't be a savage, though. She'd make sure to leave the others with at least three waffles to quarrel over.
"Oh well," Lola said quietly as she hurried over to the empty chair that was closest to the waffles, all the while wearing a sly grin. "You snooze, you lose."
She made sure to watch her family as she pulled her seat back, ensuring that none of them would catch her greedily horde her prized pastries on her own plate. Once she had it drawn back all the way, Lola had to suppress a chuckle at her cleverness. Instead, she reveled in her success with one of her cheekiest grins to date as she hopped onto her chair, planting firmly on the—
*PBBBBBBBBBHHHHHHTTTT*
Immediately, Lola's body stiffened, the wet, farting noise ringing in her ears. Even though she felt her stomach prickle with icy pangs, the sensation of raging fire scorched her face and undoubtedly left an impression on her cheeks. Her outburst prompted the attention from her family, who turned to her with gazes that only made Lola feel more self-conscious as she saw the gears turning in their heads.
Lori wrinkled her nose in disgust and scooted away while Lana let out a round of hearty laughs. Leni was the most merciful, though watching her muffle her giggles behind her hand still stung. Not even Dad could keep himself from chuckling
"Nice one, sis!" Lana cried as she pounded the table with her fists. "I knew you had it in you!"
"Literally," Lori grumbled. "Geez, Lola, at least wait until we're done eating and you're in your room."
And of course, Luan had to jump in a way that only she would care to do.
"Wow, Lola," Luan remarked, "I didn't know that you were the kind of girl that liked to poot her best foot forward! Hahahahahaha! Get it?!"
The lump in Lola's throat made it hard for her to swallow, let alone speak, so she sat in a flustered stupor as the judgmental looks and mocking laughter continued. The only thing she knew for sure—besides this being one of the most embarrassing moments in her life—was that she was completely innocent.
"But I...I-I..." Lola managed to forced out in a weak stutter, looking to her Dad for solace.
"Hey, don't sweat it, Lola," Dad said with a shrug. "Even cute little princesses get a little gassy every now and then. It's nothing to be ashamed of."
"B-but, it wasn't me! I swear, it wasn't!"
Her plea didn't earn her the reprieve she was looking for, even though Lana and Leni's mocking laughter had subsided a little. In the midst of the bedlam, Luan rose from her seat, flashing a smile that spoke of triumph instead of amusement.
"Alright, alright," Luan said over the snickers and chortles. "I guess it's time I came clean."
Lola blinked. "Huh?"
Luan looked to Lola and winked at her. "Here's a little advice for you, Lola. Always look before you sit."
The surprise wore off as Lola was struck with realization—she didn't need to wait for Luan to explain herself further to understand that she had just gotten played.
The redness in her face had slowly ebbed away, but it flared back to life from ire instead of embarrassment. Lifting herself off her chair a little, Lola reached under her butt and felt the rubbery skin of the culprit against her gloved fingers.
A whoopee cushion. One of the oldest, most avoidable gags in the book, and she fell for it.
Easily.
And if that wasn't humiliating enough, she didn't even have the wherewithal to figure out what had happened until someone had to point it out to her.
To make matters worse, the laughter resumed with even more fervor than before—this time, Lori joined in. Lola was sure that she had a look that could kill, but it couldn't wipe out the merriment that rolled over her like a tidal wave.
"Ha! Way to go, Luan!" Lana said as she gave Luan a high five.
"I'm just glad I don't have to worry about anyone's abrupt flatulence at the dining table," Lori said happily. "Seriously, who does that?"
Her comment inspired from confusion from Leni, who looked to Lori and asked, "But, like, didn't you let one rip during dinner two days ago?"
Lori rolled her eyes. "For the last time, Leni, it was the vibration setting on my phone!"
Once again, an animated conversation had broken out in the dining room, which only got more lively as more family members started to pile in.
And once again, it fell on Lola's deaf ears.
All she could think about, as she glared daggers into Luan, was how she had been a victim to her prank. All she wanted was a great breakfast to offset the terrible start of her day. But now, nothing—not even the heavenly taste of those waffles—could wash out the bitter tang of humiliation out of her mouth.
She, Lola Loud, had been made a fool of in one of the worst ways imaginable. And whether Luan knew it or not, she was in her sights in one of the worst ways imaginable. Lola didn't care how long it took before her new objective was realized.
She was gonna get back at Luan if it was the last thing she ever did!
There were plenty of other things that Lola could've done to enjoy the tail end of the weekend, but they failed to excite her as much as peeking her head through her open bedroom doorway and spying on Luan and Luna's room.
"This is gonna be good!" Lola said to herself in an excited whisper. "Luan's gonna get what's coming to her, and all she has to do is open her door!"
In hindsight, it was a good thing that Luan had somewhat spoiled her appetite with her dumb prank. That gave her enough incentive to be the first one to leave the dining room and put her plan together. It wasn't completely foolproof, though. There was a good chance that Luna could be the casuality instead, meaning that Lola would have to do some on-the-spot improvising to make sure that that wouldn't happen.
At long last, Lola's patience bore fruit—as soon as she heard footsteps climbing up the stairs, Lola ducked back and swung the door almost all the way back. She left it open juuuuust enough for her to see through the crack without being spotted.
'Oooooh, I hope that's her!' she thought, her fists clenched.
Her hopes were delivered as she caught sight of none other than Luan coming into view. Lola took pleasure in seeing her sister with nothing more than a smile on her face, as she rounded the corner and headed towards the direction of her bedroom.
She wouldn't be having one for long.
Lola beamed evilly. 'Perfect!'
The only thing that wasn't perfect about this situation was that she couldn't come out of her room and see her trap being sprung without the risk of being caught.
Oh, but that didn't mean that Lola couldn't hear everything and paint a mental picture of what was about to happen.
'Just a few more seconds, Luan,' Lola thought as she rubbed her hands together, 'and you'll find out why you never cross Lola L-'
"Woah!"
And there it was—Luan's startled cry, the sound of water splashing everywhere, and the telltale thunk of a bucket landing on the ground. Lola snickered quietly as she cracked her door open, wanting to leave enough room for her to slip her head through and survey the damage.
She did so…
...and her face fell. The sight she was greeted to wasn't just less than ideal, it was downright unfair! The water bucket that she had rigged had fallen alright, but not on Luan. By the cruel hand of fate playing against her wishes, the bucket had spilled its contents next to the Luan. The only thing her set-up had done was mildly confuse her instead of bringing her down to Earth.
"How the heck did this bucket get up there?" Luan thought as she scratched her head. "I don't remember putting it there."
She only pondered on the matter for a few more seconds before she donned a bored look and shrugged.
"Eh, I must've rigged this in my sleep. Wouldn't be the first time."
With that, Luan grabbed the bucket, and entered her room.
Meanwhile, Lola was doing her best not to cry out in frustration at her chance at revenge being denied. She clamped her teeth down on her fist as her face creased in deep, pensive look.
This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
Lola had to thank Mr. Sprinkles for coming up with her next plan of attack. And unlike the one from before, this was one that she could call true poetic justice. Once again, she stood in her room, looking on at what she had laid out just a few feet away from her through the crack of her door.
There, in the middle of the hallway and seated on the hallway's rug, was Mr. Coconuts. Staking out Luna and Luan's bedroom had paid off—swiping the dummy was all too easy once Luan had to leave her bedroom to use the bathroom.
'That's not all I took,' Lola thought, looking on at the somewhat conspicuous lumps underneath the rug area that surrounded the puppet.
Lola took the liberty of nabbing a few of Luan's whoopee cushions while she was at it. Inflating them just enough to make their incriminating noise but not enough to make them completely noticeable underneath the rug was what Lola's plan called for.
'Once Luan sees Mr. Coconuts, she'll have no choice but to run over and grab him. But, uh, a word of advice, Luan: watch where you step!'
Soon enough, the sound of flushing, a door opening, and a pun rang out:
"Heh, I guess since I just used the toilet, I should call myself Loo-an Loud from now on."
Lola stifled a groan, not wanting to be discovered. Instead, she perked her ears up even more, waiting for Luan to-
"Huh? Mr. Coconuts? How'd you get out here?"
Bingo.
'That's it, dear sister. Come on over and get yourself a nice helping of karma à la Lola!'
Lola looked on, waiting for Luan to show up in her line and vision and get what was coming…
...only to be taken for a loop when she heard a door opening instead.
A few seconds after that, something—rather than someone—showed up in front of Mr. Coconuts. The curved end of a long hook slowly reached forward, nabbed Mr. Coconuts by the collar of his shirt, and gingerly hoisted the puppet off the rug.
"Don't worry, Mr. Coconuts," an utterly baffled Lola could hear Luan say as she watched the dummy get carried off, "this'll be the first and last time I'll ever give you the hook."
Lola could almost hear the veins in her neck popping and swelling up as she seethed angry bursts of breath through her clenched snarl. Her body shook from pent-up anger and with a mighty swing of her leg, she kicked her nearby dresser.
...
Needless to say, she immediately regretted it and spent the next two minutes rolling on the floor in pain as she clutched onto her hurt foot.
Lola's little owie had slightly inconvenienced her, but she had still been able to sneak about to execute her latest plot without anyone noticing her. It took nearly half an hour to do so, but Lola's next scheme was all prepared for Luan to take the bait.
By now, it was almost noon, and everyone that hadn't left the house for weekend plans would swing by the kitchen to go grab something to eat for lunch. After the fiasco with the fridge (which had resulted in throwing away everyone's leftovers and almost sabotaging their Dad's cooking ambitions), it was decided that everyone get what they wanted to eat at twelve o'clock. That way, any disputes could be handled right there and then, as opposed to sneaking behind everyone's backs to get the upper hand and trigger more retaliations against one another.
But anyone who knew Luan well enough knew that there was no one in her family who enjoyed pork dumplings but her. And it just so happened that she had a greasy bag of dumpling leftovers from the last family Chinese takeout dinner night.
And what were a few dumplings, Lola thought after setting everything up, without some shaving creamed squirted inside?
This time around, she didn't even feel the need to go downstairs with everyone else. If it meant that she couldn't get first dibs on Dad's leftover carrot cake, then so be it.
Knowing that Luan would literally be getting a mouthful of vengeance satiated her enough for three lunches.
Lola could read time well enough to know that it was ten minutes past noon. She had heard her siblings all go downstairs for food, but she hadn't picked up any signs of Luan falling victim to her trap—no screaming, no disgusted retching...nothing.
From the comfort of her bed, Lola's mind was in a state of anything but comfort:
What if Luan hadn't eaten the dumplings, after all?
What if she knew that they were tampered with?
W-what if she knew that Lola was responsible?!
Before now, Lola didn't have a problem with coming out from the shadows and rubbing her victory in Luan's face, but her two previous failures had taken their toll on her confidence in both her success and her safety.
It didn't take long for Lola's heart to start thumping erratically and for her teeth to chatter. Much like everyone in the Loud house knew about Luan's infatuation with pork dumplings, they also knew that spiting her could lead to...to…
At the thought of the last April Fool's Day, Lola calmed herself down. Sometimes, it was difficult to remember that Luan's April 1st shenanigans were over. She had nothing to fear about being on the receiving end of some elaborate snare that'd result in her falling into a ditch full of gravy or finding the toilet clogged with her gowns.
Again.
"Phew," Lola said. "For a second or two, I thought I'd have to give up on gloating about my brilliant prank. I guess I don't have to worry."
She stared at her door and smirked. "Speaking of which..."
It was time to check out the scene of the kitchen for herself. She climbed out of bed, crossed her room, and opened her door.
And who should she find on the leftest side of the hallway but Luan and Lisa. The most disheartening part of her discovery, besides that fact that Luan was all smiles, was the conversation going on between the two of them.
"Thanks again for sharing your meat and cheese ravioli with me," Luan said.
"Psshaw. I can always spare a few pieces of cooked pasta dough," Lisa replied. "Though, I trust that you're still willing to conform to our agreement?"
"You know it. Once I get back from the birthday party I've got to entertain, I'll be sure to volunteer for your new elect...uh….electragonical...ummm..."
"Electroencephalograph."
"Right. That thing. Anyways, I gotta get going and do some last minute prepping. I've got a few hours before I'm supposed to go, but a little bit of prep never hurt anyone."
Luan turned to leave, but suddenly stopped. A wide grin slit across her face as she cried, "Well, not unless you're using prep-per spray on someone!"
While Lisa reacted with a facepalm and a mournful sigh, Lola retreated back into her room before anyone could notice her…
...and the sinister look she wore. Had Luan not unwittingly sealed her fate with what she had just said, she'd have no misgivings about taking out her anger on the dresser again.
But now? Now, Luan was truly going to pay or her name wasn't Lola Loud!
The recipe for what Lola hoped to be her final plan was rather simple: one of Lynn's roller skates, some grape juice, and a reason for Luan to go to the basement. From her hiding spot underneath the kitchen table, Lola thought about how she had brilliantly managed to get the last ingredient without Luan finding anything about "the accident" amiss.
'Sorry about 'accidentally' tripping and getting my grape juice all over your wonderful clown wig, sis,' Lola thought as she cackled quietly. 'And all I wanted to do was visit you and see how your clown routine was going. Oh well. I guess you've got no choice but to go down to the basement and get it washed. You can't go to your gig with a dirty wig, can you?'
Her cackles grew in volume as her shark-toothed beam glinted. 'Just make sure you avoid the roller skate on the second step. I wouldn't want you to slip, fall all the way down, and land into something like a...oh, I don't know...how about a laundry basket full of dirty clothes at the bottom of the staircase!'
Besides the fact that Luan hadn't sniffed out her intentions like a bloodhound, the best part about this was something that she hadn't even accounted for. Luan had voluntarily decided to stay behind and clean up the juice that had gotten into her carpet, meaning that Lola had enough time to go downstairs, hide near the basement door, and watch her plan unfold right before her very eyes.
'Won't be long before Luan shows up. She'll be in such a rush to get her wig cleaned, that she won't even bother to watch where she steps.'
Just as Lola predicted, it didn't take long for the telltale sounds of fast-paced footsteps to be heard from the living room. The sound grew louder and louder, finally reaching its pinnacle as Luan emerged from the dining room to enter the kitchen.
Lola covered her mouth as she sniggered. 'Here it comes!'
She watched as Luan made a beeline to the basement door, flung it open, and disappeared from sight as she headed down the stairs.
…
…
Lola felt her heart drop in her gut and her skin slightly flush from exasperation. 'What?!'
Had Lola's ears gone bad or was she not hearing Luan's frightened shrieking, the sound of her body tumbling down the stairs, or her dry heaving from landing in a heap of sweaty, smelly socks and undergarments?!
'No, no, no! This better not mean what I think it means!'
Lola scrambled out from under the table and stumbled towards the open basement door. Along the way, all she could think about was how Luan had managed to slip away form her yet again. Just thinking about it boiled her blood to volcanic proportions. Caught in the throes of frustration, Lola succumbed to blindness—she was blind to the prospect of throwing in the towel...
...as well as the caution in minding where she put her foot as she trounced down the stairs.
Lola only had a split second to consider her error as her left foot slammed on the roller skate, and another split second to prepare for the outcome of her mistake before she tumbled down, her descent filled with her grunts and yelps. It finally came to an end as—just before she could hit the basement floor—she sailed into the air and crashed into the laundry basket.
For a few seconds, there was no movement from the clothes stack. Then, it shook as Lola popped out of the pile, coughing and spluttering as the musky stench of her snare filled her lungs. As if she couldn't look any more foolish from being caught in her own web, she had one of Mom's bras draped over her head and one of Lucy's socks dangling on her nose as badges of dishonor.
But as Lola strained to get clean, fresh air through her nose through her gagging and deep breathing, she soon discovered the worst part of the ordeal. Standing over her was Luan, her hands on her hips and a cheeky smirk on her face.
A knowing, cheeky smirk.
"Hmm, not bad, Lols," Luan said, "but I thought you could've stuck the landing a little better. Wanna give it another go?"
Getting drenched in the stench of failure and dirty laundry had done a number on Lola's pride and will. Instead of barking back with a snarky retort or vowing revenge before going back to the drawing board, Lola simply let out a defeated sigh and shot her older sister with a half-hearted, sullen glare.
"You know what I've been up to all day, don't you?"
Luan chuckled. "Mmhmm."
"Figures. No wonder I haven't been able to get the drop on you."
Lola's eyes cast down to the floor, waiting for Luan to get her gloating over with. She didn't even think about how allowing Luan to do so was fair., even though it was. She just wanted her to get her licks in so she could go to her room and stay there for the rest of the day.
"Hey, Lola?"
Lola braced herself as she looked up at Luan…
...and found no traces of snide contempt or condescension layered underneath her warm smile.
"Listen, why don't we talk about it?" Luan asked.
Her question befuddled Lola more than her decision to not relish in her cleverness.
"About...what?" Lola asked, her eyebrow arched.
"Well, about everything. Look, I'm not mad, okay? I just wanna know what's going on in your head."
That...that was it? Luan just wanted to know why she had spent part of her morning and most of her afternoon trying to prank her?
Not only had Lola underestimated Luan's quick wits, but she had sold her sense of compassion short, too. She had cut into her sister's prep time for the sake of a mean-spirited practical joke, and all she wanted to do was waste even more time on hearing her out.
It almost made Lola tear up. Instead, she settled into a tiny smile.
"Alright," Lola replied.
She had been too caught up in her emotions to notice the awful, lingering smell of unwashed clothing, but not anymore. She let out another gasp and choked cough as she shook her head violently, tossing off the garments that had been draped over her like Christmas ornaments.
"But can I take a shower first? It's gonna take at least half a bottle of shower gel to get this nasty stank off of me."
"Sure thing," Luan said. "I mean, it's not every day that someone has a clothes encounter like the one you just had."
For whatever reason, when Luan laughed, Lola laughed along with her.
The time that Lola spent washing herself gave her a chance to reflect on everything that had happened, and she ended up feeling a little worse than before by the time her much-needed shower was over.
Presently, she was sitting cross-legged on her bed while Luan sat close by, their bodies pressed together as she leaned into her older sister. While, it was comforting to know that Luan was allowing her to be so close after everything she had done, but that didn't stop her from feeling guilty. Not to mention that she was still a little bitter from that stunt at breakfast.
Getting clean was easy—it was much more difficult to scrub away hard feelings.
"So," Luan began with a smile, "mind telling me what all those pranks were all about?"
Lola couldn't deny that despite better judgment, Luan's obliviousness kind of stung. She shouldn't have expected her to possess an inkling on where she was coming from (she wouldn't have asked her to explain herself if she did), but that only meant that she thought that she hadn't done anything wrong at all.
Still, that didn't mean that she was exempt from owning up to her mistake.
Lola had been looking down at her lap the whole time, but she spared Luan her undivided attention when she looked up at her.
"Okay, but can I just say that I'm sorry for acting like such a stinker today?" Lola pleaded.
Immediately, Luan's sunny expression evaporated. "What're you talking about?"
"I got so wrapped up in trying to get revenge on you that I made you stop practicing for your gig. Not to mention that I ruined your food, took Mr. Coconuts without permission, took your whoopee cushions without permission, got water all over you-"
Lola's ramble ceased when Luan put her hand up in a request for silence. Then, in a move that took Lola off guard, Luan wrapped her arm around Lola's waist in a side hug.
"Hey, don't worry about all that," Luan said. "No harm, no foul."
And for a moment, Lola had finally believed that she was done feeling sore at Luan or herself.
That is, until Luan said, "But what I wanna know is what you meant by 'trying to get revenge'."
She should've known better than to feel indignant, but Lola couldn't help herself. She pried Luan's arm away and let out an angry huff.
"Seriously?" Lola said, traces of bitterness entering her voice as her brow creased downward. "You're telling me you don't remember how you embarrassed me this morning?"
It took Luan a few seconds, but from the way her face lit up, Lola could see that was piecing everything together.
"Ooooooooh. You mean the whoopee cushion thing?"
Lola's cheeks tinged with light pink as she grimaced. "Yes, the whoopee cushion thing."
Her blush flared up when, as a response to her newfound revelation, Luan just laughed. Lola could tell that it wasn't mean to be cruel, but she still couldn't help but feel slighted.
"C'mon, Lola, it was just a harmless prank," Luan said. "What's the big deal about that?"
Even though she felt that familiar angry tension bubbling in her chest, Lola kept her temper under control. Instead of angrily shouting, she displayed her irritation through a cold stare.
"I had a really bad start in the morning, and your prank didn't make it any better. That's the big deal."
Lola anticipated for Luan to just laugh it off, tell her that she was making a mountain out of a molehill, and that she should get over herself.
Instead, she was taken aback when Luan's face twisted in a guilty look as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Oh geez, Lola. I'm sorry," Luan said softly. "It was just supposed to be a joke. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad, honest."
Her sorrow mollified Lola enough for the last remnants of her wrath to begin to crumble, but it just made way for to feel bad all over again for brushing off her hug and for putting her on the spot as harshly as she had done.
In an effort to make up for it, Lola sidled up to Luan again and brought her in for a one-armed hug. She felt her heart flutter from joy when Luan immediately reciprocated it.
"I know, I know," Lola replied. "I still shouldn't have done what I did, though."
Once again, Lola found herself flabbergasted from how Luan reacted to her. She expected Luan to feel a little better about everything, but she didn't anticipate what her sister had to say next.
"Well, actually," Luan said with a smile, "I'm kinda glad you did."
Lola gave Luan a puzzled look. "Uh...say what?"
"I'm serious," Luan said. "I love a good prank, but sometimes I feel like I'm on my own, y'know? No one likes to get on my level unless I go overboard. Plus, once I realized what you were up to, I was on my toes up until the end."
From there, she looked down on Lola with pride in her eyes. "I gotta say, you're not half-bad at this. Give it a few more years of practice and hard work, and you might be half as good as I am."
Lola could sense the unspoken invitation in her words, the call to enter into her world. And once she dwelt on her true feelings, Lola had to admit that buried underneath the lust for revenge and the frustration at seeing her plans foiled over and over again, it had been a little fun to keep at it for as long as she had.
There was something satisfying about wracking her brain over all the variables that went into her schemes, and the excited, tense thrill that zipped through her veins as she stood by and waited for Luan to get caught.
"Well...I guess it was sorta fun trying to trap you," Lola admitted.
Luan beamed and gave Lola a giggle-stirring cheek pinch. "Ah, see? That's what I'm talking about!"
Lola was undoubtedly in high spirits now. She had earned her sister's forgiveness and discovered something that they had in common. But even in her good mood, Lola's curiosity couldn't be abated.
"So, Luan?" Lola asked.
"Yeah?" Luan replied.
"How did you know what I was doing? How could you have figured out every trick I was trying to do?"
Luan's chest puffed up as pleased, somewhat smug smile unfurled.
"Instincts and deductive reasoning, my dear Lola," Luan explained. "I'll admit that the bucket trap genuinely caught me by surprise, but I figured out it was you once I realized that you had left the dining table before anyone else. I also thought that you were snooping around nearby, waiting to see your plan work out.
That's why I pretended to think that I had set it up in my sleep. That way, you wouldn't know that I knew that you were responsible. And since I figured that you thought that you had gotten away with it, I also figured that you'd have enough incentive not to stop with just one prank. That's why I had to be extra careful about where I went and what I did for the rest of the day."
Lola didn't know which emotion resonated stronger in her being—her awe at Luan's craftiness or her humility from being played so effortlessly.
"So, my prank with Mr. Coconuts?" Lola prodded.
"Waaaaay too obvious, I'm afraid. After all, there's no way my dummy can just get up and move on its own."
"And the dumplings?"
"See, Lola, the bag of dumplings was greasy. Because of that, it should leave an imprint on the surface of the glass shelf, right?"
Lola mulled it over for a little bit, and came to the same conclusion that Luan had. It helped that all she had to do was think about to the shower gel she used earlier and the ring of gel that was left behind on the shower's shelf after she had picked it up.
"Yeah," Lola said.
"When everyone went downstairs to eat lunch," Luan continued, "I noticed that the bag wasn't directly aligned with the imprint. That means someone must've moved it, which wouldn't be likely. Why? Well, that's because I put them in the corner and out of the way of everyone else's leftovers. Since no one eats those dumplings but me, there should've been no reason for the bag not to be exactly where I left it."
Luan paused and ruffled Lola's hair. "Unless, of course, someone was trying to prank me."
Lola grinned sheepishly, despite herself.
"Anyways, once I saw that things weren't right, I knew that you had snuck down to the kitchen before everyone else and messed with the dumplings somehow. Once I opened the bag and inspected the food, it didn't take long to find the little surprise you left in them."
Luan made sure to add, with only a little vexation evident in her tone, "By the way, you owe me $6.27 for those dumplings."
Lola sighed in acceptance. It was the right thing to do, after all. Still, that was for later. She still had one last question to ask.
"And what about the laundry basket prank?"
Luan just shrugged. "I just had to keep a level head and realize that you were trying to lure me into a trap. That's why I had to apply a different version of the advice I gave you at breakfast: watch where you step."
No longer filled with questions and having a newfound appreciation for Luan's shrewdness, Lola had no choice but to let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"Man, what was I thinking? I was way in over my head. I should've known that getting the better of you would've been impossible."
"True," Luan said, "but like I said, you'll get better with practice. I've been honing my craft since before you were born. I didn't become this good overnight."
As much as Lola enjoyed savoring this moment with her sister—finding more depth to Luan that she would've ever thought possible—she knew that it wouldn't last long. She had two commitments to go to, and both of them didn't have any time for her at all.
She tried not to look disappointed for the sake of Luan's conscience, but she must've failed pretty hard if what Luan had to say to her next was any indication.
"You know, I think I've got a good idea about how I can make your day better," Luan said. "After I come back from that party and I help Lisa with her...eh….electrazoomalgram thingie, why don't I show you a couple home videos of me in my early pranking days? Just the two of us?"
There was nothing about Luan's proposal that told Lola specifically where the fun would be in that. Still, the general idea of spending quality time with Luan—with the high chance of laughs being involved and delicious snacks being enjoyed—was way too good to pass up.
"Okay!" Lola exclaimed with glee and brought herself forward to plant a kiss on Luan's cheek. "Thanks, Luan!"
With that, Lola ran off happily, hoping that the Princess Car was still parked in the backyard where Lana had last left it—she just had to go into town and buy snacks for the event. All the while, Lola had two very important things in mind.
The first was that Luan had single-handedly saved her Sunday.
The second was that before she sat down with Luan to watch those videos, she was going to check for whoopee cushions.