It was a surprisingly relaxed day at the Royal Woods School, and at the 5th grade classroom, Mrs. Johnson looked solemnly at the window as she waited for someone to arrive.
This someone was Lisa Loud, who came in soon afterwards.
"Did you call for me, Mrs. Johnson?" the small genius asked in a tone suggesting she didn't think particularly highly of the woman.
"Lisa, we need to talk about something that has me... Rather worried, to be honest," Mrs. Johnson replied as Lisa sat down. "According to what Lincoln told me, you supposedly tutor all of your siblings at your house, right?"
"Of course," the scientist had a rather boastful hint to her tone. "I mean, how else would you explain him being your top student?"
Mrs. Johnson promptly took out an exam. "Lisa, out of all of your siblings, where does Lincoln fall in your priority? Is he top priority? Bottom priority?"
"Oh, Mrs. Johnson, I can already see where you're going with this," the scientist gave the woman the "you little rascal" look, which she didn't exactly like. "And I'd be more than happy to act as your replacement
The woman crossed her arms and forced a smile. "Mhm, I'm so excited to see how badly, because you mix up two similar, yet different topics."
Some seconds later, the scientist asked, "What do you mean?"
Mrs. Johnson handed Lisa the exam, which was a chemistry exam. The scientist remembered Lincoln asked her help to study for it, so of course she wouldn't be surprised if he got everything correct. However, one factor made sure she was not only surprised, but confused:
Not one of the questions was done right.
"The stuff you taught Lincoln was chemistry, yes, but you taught him chemistry for sixth graders, which deals with different stuff than the chemistry for fifth graders," Mrs. Johnson sternly explained, while Lisa looked every inch and corner of the exam to try and find something right about it. "Alongside that, he told me you forgot to teach him about the solar system, the earth and the weather, and the living beings, which were the things that mattered the most in the exam."
"W-Well, m-maybe it's his fault!" Lisa argued, and if Mrs. Johnson's glare and twitchy eye were any indication, she wasn't happy about the suggestions. "After all, he only told me to teach him chemistry, without even specifying what chemistry he wanted to learn!"
A couple twitches later, Mrs. Johnson calmed down and added, "I also got a call from the 1st grade teacher, Mr. Grouse, and he told me Lana and Lola mixed up the substraction and addition of certain numbers, and during his social studies class, the twins refused to speak, with the justification that they were taught that, and I quote, "if they shut up and pay attention ad infinitum, maybe they'll eventually manage to come up with words that have an actual meaning."
Lisa rubbed the back of her head. "Okay, that's a bit harder to justify, but-"
"And with the 3rd grade teacher, Howard McBride, Lucy asked when they were going to be taught about the state of beings and the solar system, things she won't be taught until 5th grade." Mrs. Johnson leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. "As if that wasn't enough, your own teacher, Mrs. Shrinivas, has said that you have come to her class with lower levels of energy than usual, and eyebags that would make your brother blush!"
The four-year-old looked at her eyebags, then covered them and put on a nervous smile.
"Lisa, I'm sorry, but from what I can see, you tutoring so many people at the same time has been detrimental to both you and your siblings," the teacher adopted a calmer, motherly tone. "If you want to fix this, you have to find some way to divide attention. For example, instead of teaching all your siblings, why not just teach those you think need the tutoring the most?"
"Well, Leni, Luna, Lori, and specially Lynn could use some good tutoring," Lisa hummed, scratching her chin. "And Lincoln is good enough on his own, so, he probably doesn't need my help as much as I or he thinks-"
"Alright, then focus on tutoring your older sisters," the adult answered. "And, because I didn't have the time to think of anybody else, I can tutor your younger sisters in your place."
"I don't know, are you sure this is a good idea, Mrs. Johnson?" the prodigy replied with a shrug and a nervous smile. "I mean, I believe my siblings have gotten used to have me as a tutor. I'm not sure if getting a different tutor, or in Lincoln's case just quitting tutoring altogether, would be. I mean, would it really be believable?"
Mrs. Johnson answered while proving her working knowledge of sarcasm:
"Right, because a professional adult who's used to teaching children tutoring a couple kids not much older or younger than her own kids is less believable than a four-year-old prodigy doing the same thing."
Lisa looked away. "Look, I know you have your doubts, but trust me, it's for everyone's own good. So, what do you say?"
"I say, I can handle it on my own!" the scientist boasted, trying to maintain her stoic, yet proud facade. "I just did some slip-ups those last times, next time I tutor everyone, I'll be sure to watch my words so they don't learn the wrong idea."
"Lisa, we both know you can't continue doing this," the woman answered. "So please, accept my offer, before everybody pays dearly for it."
Lisa, not in the mood to continue a seemingly pointless discussion, promptly got up, walked to the door and said, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Johnson, but I can't trust you to teach my siblings as well as I can teach them" before she left a very annoyed Mrs. Johnson behind.
The next day...
The redheaded woman walked to the Loud house, and from the sounds of the house being not nearly as loud as usual, something was happening. She looked through the window, and saw Lisa tutoring her older siblings all at once. And she looked kinda...stressed. And cranky.
"Leni, carry the x! Lori, stop texting Bobby and write down the history of the French revolution! Luna, quit the music and pay attention to the chemical structure! Luan, we use the flower to figure out photosynthesis, not stupid jokes! Lynn, quit using the spherical earth replica as a basketball! Lucy, actually make some sound so I know you're paying attention! Lola and Lana, stop mixing up your equations!"
Then she saw Lincoln wasn't writing down anything. "Lincoln, what's wrong? Why aren't you writing down anything?"
"I lost track of what you were saying a while ago," the boy answered. "I've asked you to repeat yourself for a while now, but you never really paid me attention."
"Yeah, she's totally handling it herself," Mrs. Johnson thought, rolling her eyes. "If this is the kind of tutoring she employs, then no wonder she got so many things mixed up. I need to help her fix this immediately!"
So the woman stomped to the door and literally kicked it open, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "Mrs. Agnes?!" the Loud siblings exclaimed, with Lisa particularly doing it in shock.
"Hello there, Agnes darling!" Luna remarked, throwing a wink at the unimpressed teacher's direction. "Still looking fine as always, I see!"
"Luna, for the last time, I just accompanied you on the "Older-Younger" couples dance because I owed you a favor, it didn't mean anything else!" Mrs. Johnson growled at the rocker, who just gave her an "yeah, right" look. "And I'm a decade or so older than you!"
"It's okay, I like my ladies to be older than me," Luna threw another wink and spoke, totally unaware the woman would have none of her jazz. "Just wait a decade or so, and we'll be happily sharing an apartment."
"I thought you wanted to marry Mick Swagger when you got older," Luan pointed out.
"I like to keep my options open."
"Let's get back on track with the lesson!" Lisa exclaimed, regaining her siblings' attention as she walked to and shot a glare at the woman. "And Mrs. Johnson, your visit, while unexpected, is appreciated by more than one of us, as Luna just clumsily revealed. However, I believe you have no reason to be here, so-"
"What are you talking about?! We discussed this back at my classroom this morning!" the teacher snapped, stomping the ground and causing the small scientist to flinch. "You need to stop tutoring all of your siblings at once, and focus on one specific group, while I focus on the other group! And if you don't want me to co-tutor them, then tell me what you're looking for and I'll find you someone you can work with!"
"Agnes, for the last time, I can tutor all of my siblings, all at once, without any help whatsoever!" Lisa vehemently hissed.
"Lisa, you can't-"
Suddenly, Lisa covered her ears and went "lalala!" repeatedly before she ran upstairs, her siblings and Johnson looking at her in disbelief. "Does she always act like this?!" Mrs. Johnson inquired, grabbing the side of her head.
"Only when she's literally really upset," Lori nonchalantly answered.
"I'll go talk to her," Lincoln remarked.
The boy promptly got up and went upstairs while Mrs. Johnson stood behind and walked to the remaining Loud sisters. "Okay, how about we discuss what to do with your tutoring?" she asked.
Meanwhile, with Lisa...
The young scientist walked back and forth, one arm folded behind her back while she used the other to pinch her nose. And just in that moment, Lincoln entered the room, angering the scientist even further.
"Lisa, do you have a minute?" he asked.
It was clear from her tone she wasn't in the mood for small talk. "What do you want, Lincoln?"
"If I remember correctly, my teacher called you for something yesterday," Lincoln blurted, causing the small genius to flinch. "What did she talk about with you?"
"Nothing of value, Lincoln," the scientist answered. However, an angry glare from her brother forced her to come clean. "We just spoke about how I'm seemingly getting too stressed by tutoring all of you, but she's just being a worrywart! I can tutor all of you just fine!"
"But Lisa-"
"Lincoln, stop it!" the genius hissed. "I don't need Mrs. Johnson's help, I don't need to change my work schedule, and I certainly don't need you to butt into my business! So take your gluteus maximus and leave my room, right now!"
"But-"
Suddenly, Lisa grabbed her pillow and repeatedly smacked her brother with it while whining "get out!" as he backed away. And once he was outside the room, Lisa slammed the door shut right in his face.
And by the time he got downstairs, Mrs. Johnson was talking to his remaining sisters, who were paying her attention.
"I was wondering if you would like to have me as your tutor," the woman crouched down and gave the girls a reassuring look. "That way, your sister, Lisa, only has to deal with four students instead of ten."
"What about me, Mrs. Johnson?" Lincoln blurted, catching the adult's attention.
"Lincoln, you don't even need tutoring, you're good enough on your own."
"Yeah, but I'm kinda paranoid something will happen and I'll wind up failing to pass the class."
Then the redhead brushed the boy's hair. "Don't worry, I don't see that happening."
"Well, if we do pick you as a tutor, can you guarantee us you'll be a better tutor than Lisa?" Lola inquired.
"Unfortunately, I don't see that happening either," the woman turned back to the girls. "But what I do see happening is your sister being more relaxed, and you and your siblings successfully doing the correct things, and learning things you're supposed to learn at your age. So, what do you say?"
After a couple moments in silence, the sisters all nodded in agreement... And of course, Lincoln was unfortunately the bearer of bad news. "I'm not sure Lisa thinks this is a good idea. I tried talking to her, and she simply kicked me out of her room and refused to hear me out!"
"For such a genius, she sure can be childish," Mrs. Johnson scoffed, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "How about we all talk with her? Maybe if we discuss this all together, we'll change her mind."
Literally a couple seconds later, at Lisa's bedroom...
"Nothing you can do or say can change my mind!" the genius hissed.
"Well, it was worth a shot," Leni frowned.
Lincoln pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lisa, please, just give Mrs. Johnson's offer some consideration and-"
"What is there to consider?!" the kid growled, making it clear her patience was wearing thin. "She's just trying to do something redundant: I can teach all of you just fine!"
"Lisa, we've all been literally having trouble in our classes because you tutor way too many of us!" Lori hissed. "So swallow whatever pride you have and-"
Then, Lisa snapped. "This isn't a matter of pride, this is a matter of being useless!"
And so did Mrs. Johnson. "Are you calling me useless?!"
"I'm calling myself useless!"
Everybody took a step back as Lisa was hit with the realization of what she just said, right before she ran off and hid under her bed. She was then approached by Mrs. Johnson and Lincoln, who looked underneath. "Leave me alone!"
The duo exchanged looks, and Lincoln crawled deeper inside the bed while Mrs. Johnson watched. "Lisa, why are you calling yourself useless?" the boy asked.
"I told you to leave me alone!" the genius snapped. "I already made a fool of myself by acting like a child, I won't humilliate myself any further!"
"Lisa, you are a kid. A prodigy, yes, but still a kid," Mrs. Johnson remarked. "Just because you're a prodigy who's won a nobel prize doesn't mean you don't have the right to act like a kid. Nor does it mean you have to act like you did before and reject the help I'm offering you."
"But I've been the only my sisters could depend on when it comes to studying for stuff!" Lisa whined as she got on a fetal position, hoping nobody would see her cry. "And unlike every other of my sisters, I don't have a secondary function I could work with! I mean Lori works, and has a boyfriend, Leni is very good with fashion and can use a lockpick, and so on, but when it comes to me, personally, I don't have anything other than brains!"
She paused, then weakly added, "And if I do accept your help, Mrs. Johnson, then half of my usefulness, and my sisters' respect, will be just... Gone."
"Lisa, you know that's not true," Lincoln remarked. "Yes, maybe some of us will be surprised that you need help, but you have to take into account that this is for everybody's own good."
After remaining silent for a moment, Lisa eventually crawled back outside and said, "We'll give it a test shot tonight. If it works, then I'll consider making this a thing. But if not... Well, I'll still try to follow Mrs. Johnson's advice and find a way to make it a bit less hard on me."
With that said, Lincoln and Mrs. Johnson hugged the girl as the sisters cheered, with Leni in particular shouting "I have no idea what just happened!" amongst the cheers.
Next day...
Mrs. Johnson was checking her students' exams when Lisa walked into the room, looking like she managed to rest a little. "Mrs. Johnson, I've come here to check up on Lincoln's notes," the little genius said as she sat next to the teacher. "And I'd like to know if dividing the tutoring between you and me has worked."
"According to the other teachers, Lucy and the twins have done much better," the redhead brushed the brunette's hair. "And Shrinivas specially likes how you've actually took the time to take a rest."
"What about Lincoln?"
Mrs. Johnson promptly revealed Lincoln's exam, which had an "A-" grade.
"Heh, well, of course." the prodigy scratched the back of her head before saying, "Thanks for helping me with this, Mrs. Johnson."
The redhead just offered her hand to Lisa, which the prodigy promptly shook as the pair exchanged smiles.
