Chapter One

*Two Months Ago*

"Hey, Maggie… Did you hear the one about the dork and her beautiful girlfriend?" Luan asked, Maggie scowled. Another joke. Maggie wondered whether she was the dork or the beautiful girlfriend in this one.

"No… What about the dork and her beautiful girlfriend?"

"Well… The dork is kind of wondering why her beautiful girlfriend is so quiet today… Is… Something wrong?" Luan asked, Luan wasn't smiling like she usually did. She looked worried.

This wasn't a joke. Maggie sighed. It was time. The moment she had been dreading from the minute she got up that morning.

"Luan… Í… I need to be honest with you… I'm breaking up with you…" She muttered. Luan felt all the air leave her lungs and ice cold water douse her.

"W-what? Why?"

"I-I just can't see you anymore! Goodbye!" Maggie said louder than she had meant to, leaving Luan sitting under the tree with their picnic, stunned into silence. For hours, Luan just sat there, her picnic going completely to waste, ants crawling all over it. Finally, her cell phone rang.

"H-hello?" She asked, her voice felt hollow, void of any emotion.

"Luan, sweetie! Are you alright? You weren't answering your phone, we were about to call the police!" Lynn Sr. said, sounding terrified.

"Yes… I'm still at the park… Alone." She said, feeling her heart break just from saying that.

"Alone? Do you want us to come get you? We can be there in a few minutes." Her father replied

"No, that's alright. I'll be right home… Sorry I'm so late." Luan muttered, picking up her basket and walking home slowly. It felt like it took forever to get home, her thoughts so heavy she could barely stand them. The school year came and went, and summer was around again.

*Saturday*

DING DONG!

Lincoln hurried to get the door. Clyde was supposed to come over that day so they could play Ace Savvy. He was 14 now, but he still never got tired of playing his favorite super hero. When he opened the door, though he scowled.

"Maggie? What are you doing here?" He asked bitterly.

"Is… Is Luan home?" Maggie muttered nervously.

"Why would you think she wants to talk to you?" Lincoln demanded irritably. The nerve of this girl, coming over to their house to rip Luan's wounds even deeper.

"Come on, Lincoln… You've broken up with girls in the past… What about Ronnie Anne?"

"At least I gave her a reason… You just left her. 'I can't see you anymore' isn't a good reason. Sometimes things don't work out. That's not an excuse to rip their heart out when you break up. Now go away!" Lincoln said, closing the door on Maggie. He had actually ended up back together with Ronnie Anne, and they were still dating.

"Hey, dude! Who was that?"

"Nobody… Just someone trying to scam us." Lincoln said, his anger boiling now. The doorbell rang again.

"WHAT! I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU…" Lincoln began, his eyes widening.

"Clyde?" He asked.

"Did I do something to make you angry, buddy?" Clyde asked.

"No… No… It's… Well, it's nothing. Come in…" Lincoln said.

*Sunday*

"Hi… I'm…" Maggie began.

"I know who you are, dude…" Luna said, her voice dripping with contempt. "You're not wanted here." The Loud with the pixie haircut said. She had been getting ready for a date with Sam.

"I need to see Luan!"

"She doesn't wanna see you, dude! It was totally bogus how you treated her!" Luna exploded.

"My parents were pressuring me to break up with her! You're dating a girl! Didn't you have trouble with your parents on that?" Maggie asked desperately.

"No… And I totally wouldn't care if I did! I'm not my parents and I can't live my life to make them happy.

"Mick Swagger once said 'you have to do your own thing, love. Love is love, and anyone who tries to convince you otherwise is totally bogus!" The brown haired Loud said.

"Now… Don't bother Luan anymore! She doesn't need you here shootin' her through the heart again! It's too late! You give love a bad name, dude!" Luna said, closing the door on Maggie.

*Monday*

"Like, you're back again! This is the third day in a row you're here! Didn't Luna and Lincoln tell you you're not welcome here?" Lori demanded.

"I just want to tell Luan how sorry I am that I hurt her! I got some really bad advice from my parents." Maggie pleaded. Lori's eyes became less sharp.

"Well… I can totally understand that. You swear you didn't mean to hurt her?"

"Yes!" Maggie gasped, hoping that she was finally getting through to one of the siblings.

"You have ten seconds to convince me why I should let you see Luan. Go…" Lori said, counting down on her fingers.

"I really love Luan, and she may be a little bit dorky, but I wanted to be with her forever. My parents are against it, though and they've been pressuring me for a long time. Recently they said that they were going to send me to rehab to straighten me out if you get what I mean. I didn't want that to happen, so I ended up making the biggest mistake of my life! Now I'm living with my aunt and uncle and they're super cool about what they call my lifestyle, and…"

"Time's up. Get out." Lori said, slamming the door on Maggie. She had never intended to let her through. She just sort of enjoyed tormenting her with enticements of the chance to have her say. Lori would never let Maggie hurt Luan again.

*Tuesday*

"You're here again?" Lola asked, her face wrinkling in disgust.

"Is your older sister, Luan home?" Maggie asked. She had heard both good and bad things about Lola. She could be a right little savage when she got mad, but she was as loyal as any of the siblings to each other.

"I wouldn't tell you if I knew. I'm sure my reputation precedes me. Do you know how I got to be the queen of the beauty pageant circuit?"

"I haven't heard that story yet." Maggie said.

"All the other girls are too scared now to compete with me!" Lola said with a vicious grin. Maggie gasped, her eyes going wide.

"Now get out! I don't ever want to see you here again!" Lola shrieked. "Sic 'er, boy!" Lola screamed and a dog came barreling out, barking madly as he charged at her. Maggie screamed and ran away.

"Good boy, Charles! Good boy! You took care of that intruder so good!"

*Wednesday*

"Hello?" Came a friendly voice from behind the door. It was Leni.

"Open the door, Leni…" Maggie said. Leni opened the door and gasped when she saw who it was.

"Luan doesn't want to see you! Why do you keep coming?"

"Well… It's better than being sexually frustrated… Ahahaha! Get it?" Maggie asked, shaking her head at her own joke. She was turning into another Luan.

"No." Leni said, thinking about the joke. Maggie shook her head. It wasn't worth explaining

"Listen, I know Luan doesn't want to see me. But I need to see her. I need to beg for her forgiveness. I can't pretend that I'll be able to make up for what I did… But I can't just do nothing."

"Mmmmmmm… Lori totes told me not to let you in. She like, said you'll just hurt Luan again." Leni said. Clearly she had been coached on what to say if she answered the door, and she was repeating it, sounding slightly robotic.

"Listen… Leni… There's a chance that I could hurt her again… But there's always a chance someone could get hurt in a relationship.

"What if Chaz hurt you? Would you kick him out of your life forever?"

"Chaz hurt me? Oh no! Wahhhhhhhh!" Leni sobbed, falling to her knees.

"No! No! It was just rhetorical… It was an example!" Maggie said, dumbing her language down.

"Ohhhhh! You're good… You're clever like Linky and smart like Lisa…"

"Pfft… Linky?" Maggie giggled. After a moment, though, Lincoln and Lori were at the door.

"Good job keeping her out till now, Leni. Go. Home. Maggie! Do NOT come back!" Lincoln demanded, striding towards Maggie and chasing her down the steps and away from their house.

*Thursday*

"Oh… It's you…" Lucy said, letting go of Lily's hand. As soon as the youngest saw Maggie, she stopped and glowered at the black haired girl, looking quite hostile.

"I wrote a poem for you." Lucy said in her gravelly tone.

"Oh? I'm flattered."

"It will pass. Black haired, heartbreaker

"Won't take a hint.

"Black haired heartbreaker

"Just needs to sprint

"Black haired heartbreaker

"Doesn't know what to do

"Black haired heartbreaker…"

"POO POO!" Lily finished, sounding angry. She was four now, but she still pulled that occasionally. Her siblings had told her stories about that being her catch phrase when she was a baby and it just seemed to fit.

"Yes, Lily. Poo poo." Lucy said flatly. I'm afraid it's not my best work, I finished it in just a few minutes… But I think it gets the point across." Lucy said. Lily crossed her arms.

"Get out!" She snapped. Maggie sighed and walked away on her own.

*Friday*

"Whoa! You're still coming here? Go long!" Lynn said, faking being about to throw a ball.

"Two for taking the bait!" Lynn shouted, punching Maggie twice in the solar plexus in less than a second, dropping the girl to her knees, gasping for breath. Lynn watched without sympathy as Maggie struggled for breath and finally staggered back to her feet.

"Alright, get on with the pitch, cuz I won't play catch with ya for long. I got soccer in fifteen minutes. If I sprint, I can make it in ten." Lynn said. "C'mon, c'mon! I've punched Stincoln way harder than that and he recovered quicker than you!"

"I… Need to see… Luan…" Maggie gasped, still trying to breathe.

"Well if you're gonna give me an attitude, why should I let you in?" Lynn said, tensing her arm. Maggie flinched.
"Two for flinching!" She said, punching Maggie in the stomach again, tears forming in her eyes.

"We're done here. I'm leaving. You can stay at the door 'slong as you need to, but the rest of our siblings ain't home right now." Lynn said, striding past Maggie and setting into a run, getting to full speed in seconds. Maggie gasped for breath again, not quite having caught her breath the first time, retching and heaving to the side of the steps, not wanting to make a noticeable mess. Lynn was a demon. How could anyone be that strong? Especially someone as small as Lynn.

Even though she was fifteen now, she wasn't much taller than she was at 13. She had filled out a bit, but she was still short and wiry. But she could punch super hard, having just dropped Maggie with two punches in half a second. Maggie made a note never to mess with Lynn again. If anything, she was even more of a savage than Lola.

*Saturday*

"Whoa… We have a real wreck here. Maybe a kiss from Hops'll fix ya up… Try it. Maybe he'll turn out to be a prince, sweetie!" Lana said, holding out her frog to Maggie.

"Oh, no thank you." Maggie said. "Actually, I'm here to…"

"I know why you're here. You've been coming here every day for a week now. What makes you think I'll let you in?"

"I brought dirt from my family's trip to the Ukraine. It has some of the most fertile soil in the world… I thought you might enjoy it."

"Oooohhh… That's tempting… All I have to do is let you in?" Lana asked. Maggie nodded, feeling like she finally got through to one of them, even if she had to bribe Lana.

"Well… I definitely want that dirt… But I can't let you in. So I'll have to turn it down. Thanks for the offer, though… Oh, and bribes won't work on my other siblings either. I like your spunk, but you're fighting a losing battle!" Lana said cheerfully, closing the door on Maggie.

*Sunday*

Maggie had written a script today. She would get her say in. As she rang the Loud House doorbell, she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Would she have to run from a Pitbull today? Anything was worth it if she could see Luan even one more time. This was her last chance. She had faced every sibling, including the baby and failed. From Lori to Lily, she hadn't been able to see Luan. Today was her last chance.

"Hello… I know who you are… You have rung our doorbell every day this week and the previous weekend. My name is Lisa… I may only be in second grade, but I have many experiments to run, but I will give you five minutes of my time. Consider it a social experiment in the psychology of homewreckers… You have five minutes starting… Now." Lisa said, setting a stopwatch, waiting until the minute hand hit 12.

"Alright, Lisa… Listen, I made the biggest mistake of my life breaking up with Luan. She brought sunshine into my world… I'm not very good at laughing, but her jokes… They were lame…"

"Agreed." Lisa said flatly. She had never lost her lisp.

"But she told them so well and she was so sincere that I couldn't help but laugh. I loved her… I still love… Those are interesting glasses."

"Lie detector specs. I'm not giving you extra time just because you complimented me, though. I'm not skilled at determining dissemblers on my own. But these glasses will tell me all I need to know. Please, continue." Lisa said, still with the same deadpan look on her face.

"Right… I still love her… She… She's beautiful and funny and she made my life better when we were going out. I hope I made hers better as well. I don't know if I deserve another chance… I'm sure I don't after the way I hurt her… But maybe you could give me five minutes with Luan?"

Lisa stared blankly at Maggie for a moment.

"How queer… Sorry, strange." Lisa said, referring to her choice of words. "The glasses detect no falsehoods emanating from between your lips, but you broke her heart, you left her without so much as an explanation.

"Your history suggests that you would be prone to lying, but the glasses have either been hoodwinked or you are being honest… I will give you two minutes." Lisa said, standing back and letting Maggie in.

She led Maggie up to Luan's room and knocked on the door.

"H-hello? C-come in…" Luan muttered just loud enough to be heard.

"Luan? I-it's me…" Maggie said, seeing the state that Luan's side of the room was in… it was too neat. There were no gag objects anymore. Her marionettes were gone.

"Yo! Bogus, dudes!" Luna exclaimed, storming in and grabbing Maggie by the arm, holding hard enough that Maggie winced in pain, trying to drag her out.

"Luna! Wait! I looked at her with my lie detector glasses. She was not uttering any falsehoods." Lisa said, trying to remain calm.

"That's not the point, brah! I didn't kick Maggie out because she was lying to me! I kicked her out because she hurt Luan… When ya love someone, ya don't lie to them! Ya don't break their heart! Maggie doesn't deserve another chance!"

"I-I know I don't… But if Luan could give me just two minutes, I'd like to at least explain… Then I'll leave… I promise…" Maggie said. Luna and Lisa looked at Luan, who nodded. Both sighed and left the room.

"Luan… I've been coming here every day since Saturday to try to talk to you… I…"

"Why would you work so hard? I thought you hated me…"

"I don't hate you! My parents… They're kinda old fashioned and they tried to convince me to break up with you. They were about to send me to rehab… Do you know what I mean?"

"I think so… But keep going…" Luan said, seeming marginally happier.

"I… I loved you… I still love you, and now I'm living with my aunt and uncle… I told my parents they could suck it… I'm sorry I hurt you… I was afraid if I told you the real reason, it would leave things unfinished between us and you would be even more hurt… Please tell me you don't hate me!" Maggie pleaded. Luan looked at her, her eyes narrowed.

For an agonizingly long minute, she said nothing. Then she sighed.

"No. I don't hate you. I could never hate you… But I need to think about this. Give me a while… I'll call you… I-I promise… Whether the answer is yes or no, I'll call you." Luan said. Maggie nodded, sighing in relief and hurrying out, practically skipping.