At the Loud house, Lori packed a couple things on her backpack while Leni was knitting something on her bed. "Hey, Lori, where are you, like, going again?" the ditzy teenager inquired just as Lori finished packing.
The oldest Loud turned around and saw Leni's knitting lead her to make a sock. For some reason, she felt particularly... Upset, by the sight, but she nonetheless forced a smile and answered, "I'm just going to go have a picnic. Alone."
"Why isn't Bobby coming with you?"
The young adult just shrugged, closed her backpack, and left the room. As she walked through the hallways and headed downstairs, she couldn't help but catch a glance at how her other sisters were doing:
Luan was playing pranks on Luna, who just continued playing music, while Lynn threw a ball at Lucy while she wrote a poem.
Lisa tried to do some experiments while Lily was... Just there.
Finally, Lola and Lana, alongside preparing for a pageant and acting like a plumber, fought each other over a petty argument. You know, nothing out of the ordinary.
And no matter how many times she looked at them, Lori grew more and more upset for each talent showcased, to the point she quickly ran to the door and left the house as fast as she could. She did this just as Lana noticed her and decided to follow.
Later, at the park...
Lori sat down close to a pond, with her picnic set up close nearby. She was throwing rocks at random, watching them bounce up and down on the water until they either sank, or reached the other side. Mostly the latter.
"Hi Lori."
The young adult flinched and turned around to see it was none other than her third youngest sister, Lana, who promptly sat next to her and joined in her rock throwing. "Lana? What are you doing here?" Lori sternly inquired, with a slight hint of worry. "I thought mom and dad didn't allow you to go out the house without supervision."
"I convinced everyone that you invited me and that I forgot to get prepared," the discount plumber answered, throwing another rock. "Anyway, I saw you looking quite upset while you were heading out. Mind telling me what's wrong?"
The phone-a-holic teenager looked away and tried to avoid the question, but no matter how hard she tried, Lana's stern stare at her made it clear she wouldn't do anything until she explained herself. So, having no other option that would lead anywhere, she started:
"It's not something you would probably understand, but I could try to explain. Listen, you and the rest of the family see me as the bossy, phone-obsessed sister of the household. But, I want you to try and find out something about me that-
"You're upset because you don't stand out from the rest of the family, don't you?" Lana guessed, grabbing and throwing a rock in the air.
Lori's eyes widened once she realized what just happened: The dirty and nightmare of all that is feminine Lana... Figured out what was bothering her. Then, as the mud lover threw her rock and watched it sink into the water, Lori took a deep breath and scratched her head, worried about what would come next.
"Listen, Lana, don't think I hate you guys just because you're all so memorable and stuff," Lori told her sister, brushing her hat as the tomboy remained motionless. "It's just that, when comparing myself to you, which is bound to happen, I just feel like... I'm not all that special-
"I understand what you mean," Lana replied, catching Lori off-guard. "I mean, take a look at me. What part of me do you find memorable?"
Lori was quick with her answer. "Well, you got a lot of pets-"
"That's related to me specifically, and nobody or anything else,"
The young adult was rendered silent. So silent, in fact, she just looked at the ground in regret while Lana looked for another rock to throw. "You may think you're the only one who doesn't stand out from the crowd, but you're not alone on that, you know?" Lana stated, looking firmly at the rocks. "I mean, when you got nearly a dozen people to compare, it's bound to be hard to stand out."
Suddenly, Lori grabbed a rock and handed it to Lana. "Then, I guess that means we should be able to get along, right?" the young adult asked as the tomboy checked the rock with caution. "After all, we do share one thing in common. So, can we give it a shot?"
The mud lover threw the rock, watched it bounce on the water until it reached the other side, then she gave Lori a pleased smile and answered, "Sure, I guess we could do that."
With that said and done, Lori returned the smile, and she decided to officially invite Lana to the picnic. And as the sun set in the horizon, the duo watched it while enjoying a pair of sandwiches. However, while Lana watched with joy, Lori looked more contemplative.
"Lana?" Lori suddenly asked.
The mud lover turned to her sister, then flinched when Lori pulled her for a hug.
"Thanks a lot."
Once the shock wore off, Lana just smiled, and returned the hug.
