This is a fic that was requested by crafordbrian17.
Ronnie Anne was excited when she received news that she'd be able to visit Royal Woods to pay a visit to her friend, Lincoln. She hadn't seen him in quite some time so she was looking very forward to the visit. Unfortunately, the Loud family was taking an unannounced vacation during the time Ronnie Anne was visiting, leaving her disappointed. Fortunately, while she was in Royal Woods, she caught wind of a hangout being hosted by Carol Pingrey at her house. With nothing else to do, Ronnie Anne decided to pay the place a visit and see if maybe she could still have a good time. When she arrived, she was greeted by Carol, along with Carol's two friends, Jackie and Mandee. At the moment, Carol was in a conversation with the two girls while Ronnie Anne was texting with Lincoln.
"So I was like, you should totally get that dress" Carol said to Jackie and Mandee. "And she was like, but if I do that, then my sister will get all mad and accuse me of sabotaging her..."
"So what did you tell her next?" Jackie asked.
"I told her that she shouldn't care what her sister thinks, what's important is impressing you know who" Carol replied.
"And who's this you know who person?" Mandee asked.
"Is this you know who person someone I know?" Ronnie Anne asked, having a hunch as to who Carol was referring to.
"Let's just say he's rather close to home" Carol said. "And speaking of close to home, look at this!" Carol then pulled out a shiny necklace with a gold locket that had a ruby jewel embedded in the middle of it. "Check out this locket I got from my grandmother. It's apparently been passed down for generations and is supposed to bring good luck to the next person who inherits it. My grandma gave it to me as an early birthday gift"
"A good luck charm locket?" Mandee questioned.
"Why would you need luck with anything?" Jackie asked. "You're already good at almost everything you participate in."
"You can never be too safe" Carol replied. "Besides, it's not the supposed luck that makes this so meaningful. The fact that it's a family heirloom is what makes it special"
"Not only that, but from the looks of it, I assume a locket like that would be pretty valuable" Ronnie Anne said.
"Well unfortunately for anyone interested, this baby isn't for sale" Carol said. "I wouldn't sell it for all the money in the world"
The group continued with their chat until they heard the doorbell ring.
"I'll get it" Jackie said.
"No, allow me, I insist" Carol said, getting up and walking to the door. She and Jackie opened the door and saw a hefty teenage boy who looked to be at least a yard/meter wide standing before thech
"Hello there, I hope I'm not a bother, but my name's Eric and I heard that there was a hangout happening here" The boy introduced himself. "I was hoping that maybe I could join in."
"Oh, you must be the new kid from school" Carol said sweetly. "Please, come right in. Make yourself at home."
"Thank you" Eric said, attempting to step inside, only to get tightly jammed in between the door. "Oh dear"
"Here, let us help you" Jackie said as she and Carol each grabbed one of Eric's arms and yanked as hard as they could.
"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to get stuck" Eric apologized.
"Oh no, don't worry about it, it's no problem" Carol told him, she and Jackie taking a short break before they tried pulling Eric through the door again.
"After getting Eric through the door, Ronnie Anne asked "So Eric, if you don't mind me asking, how did you get this… plump?"
"Well, it all started when I first became a teenager" Eric explained. "I was hitting my growth spurt and that came with an unexpected increase in appetite."
"So I take it you started eating until you became this big?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"That's right," Eric said, nodding his head.
"Have you tried, I dunno, losing some of that weight?" Mandee asked.
"Believe me, My sisters have put me on all types of diets trying be to get my to lose weight" Eric said. "No carbs diet, organic food only diet, limiting my food intake, literally almost every diet under the sun."
"And none of them have worked?" Ronnie Anne asked.
Eric shook his head and said "Nope. It's not their fault though. No matter how hard I try, I just can't keep myself from eating"
So, what should we do today?" Asked Mandee.
"Well, it is beautiful outside today, how about a walk through the wilderness?" Jackie suggesteas
"That sounds like a great idea" Eric said, stuffing his face with a handful of chips. "A short walk will totally be refreshing"
"And we all know you could use a walk" Ronnie Anne commented in a joking manner. Eric didn't seem too offended and in fact took it in stride.
"Then it's settled" Carol said. "A walk through the woods it is"
"Let's not waste anymore time" Jackie said, leading the way. "Let's get going."
Jackie walked out the door, followed by Carol, Mandee, and Eric, who got stuck in the door once again.
"Um guys, a little help here" Eric said, seemingly more stuck in the frame than he had been the previous time.
"I've got this" Ronnie Anne said before straining herself by giving Eric a push. It took her a couple moments, but finally Eric emerged through the door with a pop.
"I'm so sorry" Eric apologized profusely. "Maybe it would be for the best if I just left you guys alone"
"No way," Ronnie Anne said. "You may be a bit hefty, but you're still our new friend." She grabbed Eric by his hand and pulled him along. "Now come on, you're getting some exercise today"
"C'mon, let's get going before it's too late" Carol said, prompting the group to hurry.
The group had a wonderful time taking a walk through the wilderness. The sights were truly a spectacle for the eye to behold and just completely caught their attention. The five were so enamored by the beauty that they ended up walking for close to an hour before they decided to take a break. The group picked a lovely spot close to a nearby creek and sat down for a talk.
"This day has been going great so far" Mandee said excitedly.
"We should definitely take a picture in order to commemorate the moment" Carol said.
"Maybe we shouldn't include Eric in the photo" Jackie suggested.
"Why not, he seems like a nice guy" Carol said.
"Yeah, he's nice, but you see how big he is" Jackie pointed out. "He'd probably take up the entire picture"
"You're probably right" Mandee admitted.
"Guys, don't make fun of him" Carol chastised the two. "His heart seems to be as plump aadmitted
"Maybe this walk through the wilderness will help him out if you know what I mean" Mandee said.
"Hey, what're you guys talking abut?" Eric asked nicely, sitting away from the other girls and talking to Ronnie Anne.
"Nothing!" Carol said. "Hope you're having as much fun as we are!"
"Oh I totally am!" Eric said happily before turning away and continuing to talk with Ronnie Anne.
"Seriously though," Jackie whispered. "I wonder how someone could get that fat."
"He must eat at least ten meals a day" Mandee speculated.
"His family probably spends a fortune on groceries" Jackie said.
"You guys, that's enough!" Carol said sternly.
Hey, Eric" Ronnie Anne said.
"What's up?" Eric asked.
"Do you ever feel, I dunno, self conscious about your weight?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Heheh, nah" Eric laughed. "I mean, I've been bullied for it, but it doesn't really bother me all that much"
"It doesn't?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"One thing I've learned is that people are going to be cruel no matter what you do" Eric said. "You've just gotta shake it off otherwise you'll never be happy"
"That's a cool way of looking at life" Ronnie Anne said.
"I mean, I know I'm rather fat, but rather than mope over it, I'd rather take it in stride" Eric said. He then stood up to stretch. In that moment, Ronnie Anne thought she saw something where Eric had been sitting. She moved over to grab it, Eric sat back down and stretched his arms, resulting in his belly fat squishing against Ronnie Anne. "Oh no!" Eric said as Ronnie Anne struggled to get free.
He quickly stood up so that Ronnie Anne could get out. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! Please, please forgive me!"
"Eric, it's okay, really" Ronnie Anne insisted. "Your belly was actually kinda soft. It almost felt nice."
"Thanks," Eric said as Ronnie Anne held up a bit if his belly flab. "Heheheh that kinda tickles"
"Wow, it really is soft" Ronnie Anne said. "I'm actually impressed."
The five were really enjoying themselves as they sat and marveled at the woods' beauty. For the time being, it felt like nothing could go wrong and that all was right with the world. As the group exchanged laughter, Ronnie Anne suddenly stopped when she heard what sounded like someone wandering through the surrounding bushes and trees. Ronnie Anne thought nothing of it, thinking it was just the wind; at least, until she heard the undeniable sound of a twig snapping underneath someone's foot.
"Hold on" Ronnie Anne said to Eric, Carol, Jackie, and Mandee. "Did any of you guys hear that?"
"Hear what?" Jackie asked innocently, having heard nothing.
"Just now, I could've sworn I heard someone in the woods" Ronnie Anne told them. "I think we might be being watched"
"Ronnie Anne, I think you've been watching too many horror movies" Mandee said. "I didn't hear anything."
"I know what I heard," Ronnie Anne insisted. "Just everyone, stand still and don't make a noise, something's not right."
Everyone listened to Ronnie Anne and stopped what they were doing, hoping to hear whatever she heard. For a few moments, there was nothing but eerie silence, the only sound being made coming from the cheerful chirping of birds and the chattering of squirrels. No sign of anyone else in the area however, aside from the five of them.
"I still don't hear anything" Carol said, pulling out her locket to admire it. "I hate to say it, but I think you were just hearing things"
"Maybe you're right" Ronnie Anne begrudgingly said.
"This day has just been perfect" Carol said, opening up her locket. "There is literally nothing that could ruin this day"
No sooner than she said that did a kid wearing a white cap suddenly emerged from the bushes and ran past Carol, snatching the locket out of her hands and yelling "YOINK!" as he took off running.
For a few seconds, the group could only stand around in stunned silence, none of them able to comprehend what just happened. Finally, it clicked what had just happened and Carol yelled "Get that kid!" before going after the thief, running as fast as she could. The others quickly followed suit, keeping their eyes on the thief.
Unfortunately for them, the kid was rather fast as he lead the five back into town. Being the sneaky brat that he was, the thief hid behind some boxes, watching his pursuers run right past him before making a run for it.
"Now where did that little weasel sneak off to?" Ronnie Anne asked, looking around for the thief.
"Look! There he is!" Jackie said, spotting the thief ducking into a fantasy shop called "Mages' Mall".
The shop had a distinct look from the rest of the buildings surrounding it as its exterior was designed to look like a giant tree. The only entrance was a single door and a couple of windows. As it was late in the evening, the lights were out and the shop was completely empty.
"Come on, let's go! I need to get my locket back from that little creep" Carol said, leading the charge. The group tried opening the door, only to find that it was suddenly locked. "Drats, the kid must've locked the door behind him."
"Now what're we going to do?" Asked Eric, pulling uselessly at the handle.
"Hold on, let me handle it" Mandee said, telling the others to step aside while she pulled out a hair grip and stuck it in the keyhole. After a few seconds of fiddling, the door to the shop was unlocked.
"Whoa, where'd you learn how to do that?" Eric asked.
"It's a pretty useful trick my friend Leni taught me" Mandee told them as she opened the door.
"Impressive" Ronnie Anne complimented her.
"C'mon, let's not waste anymore time" Carol said as she ran inside the shop first, determined not to left the thief get away with her locket.
She was followed by Mandee, then Jackie and then Eric. Ronnie Anne tried to follow only to run into Eric's butt and be bounced back onto her butt.
"Hey, what gives?" Ronnie Anne asked, more than a bit irritated.
"Uh… don't freak out, but I think I'm stuck" Eric said, his flesh taking up the entire doorway and leaving his upper half inside the shop while his lower half dangled outside, his legs kicking as he tried freeing himself.
"Well, could you try to get unstuck?" Mandee asked as she and Carol heard the footsteps of the thief making a break for the back door.
"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Eric asked, pushing with all his strength, trying to get loose.
"Here, let me handle this" Ronnie Anne said before she began pushing up against Eric's backside, trying to force him through the door. Unfortunately Eric wouldn't budge, his girth proving to be a troublesome obstacle. Behind them, Carol could hear the thief banging against the back door, trying to open it so he could make his escape. Carol was torn between helping Eric and going after the thief.
"After this, we are seriously putting you on a diet" Ronnie Anne said to Eric, now repeatedly kicking Eric's butt to try forcing him through the door.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, could you try a gentler method?" Eric asked.
"I wouldn't have to do this if you weren't such a tub of lard" Ronnie Anne said, pushing with her back.
"Okay, now you're being emotionally hurtful" Eric said.
"Hurry up, guys, the thief's getting away" Jackie said.
That's when Ronnie Anne got the idea to take a few steps back, get a running head start and ram Eric as hard as she could. That gave Eric the final push he needed to make it through the door.
The thief had barely made it out of the backdoor before Carol caught him by his shurt collar and hoisted him into the air.
"Hey! Let me go!" The kid yelled, kicking and trying to get free.
"Not until you give back what's mine" Carol demanded.
"Fine!" The kid huffed, throwing the locket in Carol's face. Here's your stupid necklace! Now let me go!"
"Not until we get some answers" Ronnie Anne told him. "Who in the world are you? And why did you take Carol's locket?"
"I'm not telling you dipsticks anything" The kid said defiantly.
"Very well," said Jackie. "Then we're not letting you go anytime soon"
"Fine by me, you're just wasting your time" the kid said, crossing his arms. "I'm not telling you anything"
"Then I guess you'll be spending the rest of the day with us kicking and screaming" Mandee told him.
The six stood in awkward silence for a grand total of two minutes before the thief finally gave in. "Alright, alright, fine!"
"That's what we thought" Ronnie Anne said. "You can start by telling us your name"
"My name is Jackson" the kid said angrily.
"Okay Jackson, why did you take Carol's locket?" Eric asked.
"Because it was funny, that's why" Jackson answered with a laugh. "You should've seen the look on your faces when I snatched her stupid necklace right out of her hands! It was priceless!"
"Do you normally take people's things?" Carol asked him in a tone befitting that of a parent.
"Why, of course" Jackson said. "It helps alleviate the boredom."
"How'd you know where to find us?" Ronnie Anne asked. "Were you following us?"
"Of course not!" Jackson replied. "I spotted you idiots coming from my hideout. That's when I figured out what I was going to do today"
"Okay, Jackson, the next thing you're going to do is take us to your hideout" Carol ordered hius
"And why would I do that?" Jackson asked.
"Because if you don't, we're totally going to tell your mom what you've been up to" Jackie threatened. She was bluffing as none of the five even knew who Jackson's mom was. Nevertheless, the threat seemed to work as Jackson immediately dropped the tough kid facade.
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you" Jackson said. "Just let me go and I promise I'll lead you facade
"You better not try anything funny or else" Carol told him as she put him down.
"C'mon follow me" Jackson said, leading the way. Jackson lead the group to an abandoned 3 story forest house that had all of its windows boarded up. "Well, here we are"
"Wow... This place looks kinda creepy" Eric said.
"If you think that's bad, wait until you see the inside" Jackson said as he entered through the front door. Carol, Jackie and Manded followed him, but Eric stopped just short of the door as he noticed it was the same size of the door of the tree hut. Eric looked back apprehensively at Ronnie Anne, knowing that getting through the door would be a challenge.
"Let's get this over with" Ronnie Anne said before Eric tried crawling through the door. Once again, Eric got stuck, this time his flesh eclipsed the doorway by a large margin. "Here we go!" Ronnie Anne then pushed as hard as she could and with some struggling managed to push Eric through.
"Well you weren't lying when you said the inside is worse than the outside" Carol remarked.
"Looks like the type of setting you'd see in a horror movie" Jackie said.
"And that's the reason I steal the most expensive items I can find" Jackson said with a smirk of pride. "Trying to get it up in working order"
"You know, with a little work, this place would make a killer party hangout" Eric said.
"Yeah!" Mandee said. "Just do a little cleaning and sprucing up and bam this place is an hangout hotspot"
"Yeah, but how am I going to be able to fix this place up?" Jackson asked.
"We could help you" Ronnie Anne offered.
"Really?" Jackson asked, his eyes lighting up.
"Sure, but on one condition" Carol said.
"What's that?" Jackson asked.
"You have to promise not to be such a brat and to never steal from anyone else again" Carol told him.
"Deal!" Jackson said.
Carol, Jackie, Mandee, Ronnie Anne, Eric, ad Jackson immediately got down to business sprucing up the old cottage. The first step was obviously cleaning up the place. There were at least a ton of cobwebs hanging from the ceiling, there was a thick coat of dust lining the walls as well as the furniture. There were several items scattered about on the floor, ranging from a clock to a chessboard to what looked like legos and other small toys. Near the boarded up windows were broken shards of glass that posed a cutting hazard.
Clearly, there was a lot of work to be done if the group wanted to make the cottage into a party house.
They divided the work amongst themselves. It was decided that Jackie and Mandee would be in charge of dusting, Ronnie Anne would deal with the spiders and cobwebs, Carol would sweep up the glass, and Jackson would organize the items on the floor. That left Eric with nothing to do. Or so it would appear.
The group got down to business and from the start things moved very quickly. Ronnie Anne cleaned up the cobwebs with care and even thought about using the spiders to play a prank on Lincoln the next time she got to hang out with him. She pushed that thought out of her mind for the time being and continued her work. Jackie and Mandee were sneezing rather violently as they dusted every corner of the old cottage. Carol meanwhile gathered up the glass shards as carefully as she could, taking great strides to avoid accidentally cutting herself. Jackson did his part as well, gathering the stolen items off of the floor and putting them in a neat pile so that they were out of the way of the others. Everything was coming along perfectly.
Eric was standing around, wishing that there was something he could do to help when he spotted an attack door against the wall that was approximately 1 1/2 yards off the ground.
"Hey Ronnie Anne" He said, getting her attention. "Do you see that door over there?"
"Yeah, what about it?" Ronnie Anne aasked
"Do you think you could maybe give me a boost so I could clean it?" Eric asked.
"I dunno, you might be too big for me to lift" Ronnie Anne said.
"You have to at least try" Eric told her.
"Alright, I'll give it a shot" Ronnie Anne said.
Ronnie Anne tried to lift Eric up with her back and as she did so, she could feel Eric's flesh sag around her head. "You really are quite the big boy" She joked as she strained to keep Eric in the air so he could clean the opening.
It took several hours of hard work, but at last the cottage was in what the group considered decent condition. The six youth all took a moment to admire their handiwork, amazed at what they had been able to accomplish.
"Well gang, it took us a while, but we finally got this place in proper order" Carol said as she looked over the cottage. "So, how should we celebrate?"
"Oh, I know! I know!" Mandee said excitedly. "We should, like, totally throw a party!"
"I'm all onboard with that," Jackie agreed.
"Yeah, a party would be the perfect way to cap this off" Jackson agreed.
"You're not going to try stealing from the partygoers, are you?" Ronnie Anne asked, cautious of the kid. Even though he'd promised to stop thieving, Ronnie Anne didn't know if they could trust Jackson.
"You have my word I'll be on my best behavior" Jackson promised.
"Alright then, it's settled" Carol said. "We're totally throwing a party!" She then pointed at Ronnie Anne and Eric, saying "Ronnie Anne, Eric, you two are in charge of getting supplies for the celebration. Think you can handle it?"
"As sure as my name is Eric," Eric answered. "We'll be back in a jiffy"
He went to exit the cottage and as to be expected, got stuck in the doorframe for an additional time. Ronnie Anne didn't need prompting and began pushing to get Eric through the door.
"If I could make a suggestion: after this party, we make the door bigger so our hefty friend can fit through it" Ronnie Anne yelled, slamming herself shoulder first repeatedly in an attempt to wedge him through the door. Finally she took a few steps back and ran at Eric full speed, forcing Eric out of the door with a "pop". "We'll be right back."
After Ronnie Anne and Eric came back with the supplies, the group wasted no time decorating the cottage for the party. Soon, night came and the cottage was host to an exciting party. The guests included Christina, Girl Jordan, Renee, Beatrix and Kat. It didn't take long for the party to become a banger with everyone present thoroughly enjoying themselves.
"You know, Mandee, this party may have been the greatest idea you ever had" Carol complimented Mandee.
"Aw, thank you" Mandee said. "But I think you deserve some credit for the party as well"
"Hey, don't forget about me" Jackie. "I helped just as much as you two"
"Of course, Jackie, we didn't forget about you" Carol told her. "No need to get jealous"
"I was just kidding" Jackie said with a laugh. "Honestly, this party wouldn't have happened if you hadn't hosted that hangout earlier"
"Not to mention that if Jackson didn't steal your locket, we wouldn't have found this hotspot" Mandee said.
"Speaking of Jackson, where is the little bugger anyway?" Carol asked keeping a tight grip on her locket.
"Relax, he's in charge of the music playlist" Jackie told her.
"This day really couldn't have gone better" Mandee said.
The three girls then looked over to see Ronnie Anne, Christina, Girl Jordan, Kat, Beatrix, and Renee all struggling and straining to hold up Eric.
"And what's going on here?" Carol asked.
"Renee here made a bet to see how many young girls it takes to hold up one overweight teenager" Ronnie Anne explained, she and the other girls straining themselves to hold Eric up. "And as you can see, it's more than a bit challenging"
Carol laughed and said "Well you girls have fun with that. Try not to hurt yourselves."
"Is it me or does Eric seem a little fatter than he was earlier?" Mandee asked.
"It's not you" Jackie said. "Eric kinda overdid it with the snacks at the buffet"
"Aw, I see" Mandee said. "We may wanna make adjustments to the door"
Ronnie Anne and the other girls then came over, having given up on lifting Eric.
"Well, it's official, Eric is too heavy for us" Ronnie Anne said.
"I'm never trying that again" Christina remarked.
"Tell me about it," Beatrix said. "My arms are killing me"
"Something tells me all of my muscles are going to be aching in the morning" Girl Jordan said.
"Why did we even try that in the first place?" Kat questioned with a laugh.
"It was all Renee's idea" Christina pointed out.
"Hey, I didn't think you'd all agree to go through with it" Renee defened herself.
"Whatever, never make us do such a muscle burning bet again" Beatrix told her with a laugh.
While everyone was having a good time and enjoying themselves, upstairs a malfunctioning speaker would soon ruin their fun. Jackson was picking out the next song for the playlist when he sniffed th air and smelled smoke. Due to his devious nature where he'd occasionally set small fires for kicks, Jackson immediately recognized the smelled of smoke and went upstairs to investigate. On one of the cottages upper floors, he found a loudspeaker that had short circuited, flames emerging from the electronic device, resulting in the smoke. Jackson immediately made his way downstairs to warn the others of what was happening.
"Uh... We've got a problem" Jackson said to Carol.
"What kind of problem?" Carol asked.
"One of the speakers caught fire," Jackson informed her. "We've gotta get outta here before this whole place burns down."
"Whoa, calm down," Jackie said. "All we've got to do is find a fire extinguisher and maybe we can control this fire before it gets out of hand."
"That's too dangerous," Mandee said. "We've got to evacuate the guests before someone gets hurt"
"You're right," Carol said. "You two try to evacuate the others, I'll try putting out the fire"
"No, leave it to me" Ronnie Anne said. I've dealt with my fair share of fires, I can handle this. You just focus on getting everyone out safely"
"Are you sure?" Jackie asked.
"Positive" Ronnie Anne said, running up the stairs. "Now get going"
"Hey! Could I have your attention please?" Carol called out. All eyes turned to her and Carol said "We've got a bit of a situation. I need all of you to evacuate the building in an orderly fashgoing
None of the partygoers questioned Carol's order and made their way towards the door. That's when Jordan smelled smoke and shouted out "Fire!", causing panic to break out. Fortunately, everyone made it out except for Eric, who got stuck in the door, and Renee, who was behind him.
Renee tried pushing Eric through the door, but Eric was thoroughly stuck. That's when Renee saw a little bit of fire creeping up on her and started to panic. "Come on, come ! Move it!" Renee shouted, pushing with her back.
"I'm trying" Eric said, trying to get himself unstuck.
As the fire approached, Renee grew more panicked and started ramming herself full force into Eric, trying to dislodge him. Upstairs, Ronnie Anne had managed to get a little bit of the fire under control and peeked out the window to see what was happening.
"Hey!" She called out, getting the others' attention. "Eric's stuck in the door again. I need some of you to try and pull Eric out!"
The others listened and sprang into action. Carol and Jackie ran over to Eric and each grabbed an arm as Renee continued pushing from behind. With all their strength, Carol and Jackie tugged hard on Eric's arms, hoping that they could get him outside. Upstairs, Ronnie Anne continued to tend to the fire. She wasn't going to try and escape until the fire was impossible to control. Not that she could with Eric blocking the door.
"Come on, come on, come on!" Renee screamed, growing more and more afraid with each passing second and breaking down into tears as panic swept over her.
"I'm so so sorry!" Eric apologized, breaking down into tears himself.
"J-just try to stay calm, both of you" Carol told them.
"We're working as fast as we can" Jackie added, straining her muscles in her attempts to pull Eric out.
"Well hurry up!" Renee shouted. "The fire's getting closer!"
Finally, after a minute that felt like an hour, Eric was pulled from the doorway with a "pop". As soon as he was out of the way, Renee ran out of the house as fast as she could and broke down sobbing. Upstairs, Ronnie Anne could see that there was no extinguishing this fire and so she bolted towards the door.
Ronnie Anne ran out of the cottage in the knick of time as the entire cottage went up in flames. As she made it outside, she saw the others standing around watching as the cottage burned down. Carol and Jackie were comforting Renee while Eric profusely apologized.
"Oh my goodness, I can't say this enough, but I am so sorry," Eric said. "Please, please forgive me! I never meant to put you in harm's way!"
"Well maybe if you weren't such a fat loser, we wouldn't have to worry about it!" Renee yelled.
"Hey, that was uncalled for" Carol spoke up on behalf of Eric.
"Uncalled for?!" Renee exclaimed. "I could've died back there because tubby here couldn't fit through the door!"
"I know and I'm sorry" Eric apologized again.
"Sorry isn't good enough!" Renee yelled. "Maybe you should try losing some weight so that you're not such a danger to others!"
"Alright, that's enough," Jackie told her. "Eric didn't mean to put you at risk, this was all just an unfortunate accident"
"Jackie's right" Carol said. "No one here is at fault here. Renee, I know you were scared back there, but you need to calm down. Everything is alright now."
Calm down!? How can you expect me to calm down when I was nearly burnt to a crisp by this tub of lard?" Renee asked.
"Okay, that's quite enough," Ronnie Anne spoke up. "I understand what just happened to you, but there's no reason for you to continually insult Eric like that!"
"Why not? This fat boy put people in danger with his stupid eating habits!" Renee argued.
"Renee, I'm going to ask you one more time to ease up on Eric" Ronnie Anne warned her.
"Oh, I'm sorry" Renee said sarcastically. "I wasn't aware Tubby was your boyfriend-"
That was the last straw and Ronnie Anne pounced on Renee, tackling her to the ground. The two rolled around on the ground with Ronnie Anne slapping at Renee while Renee pulled at Ronnie Anne's hair. Ultimately Ronnie Anne was the stronger of the two girls and she got Renee in a chokehold before Carol, Jackie and Mandee rushed over to break up the scuffle.
"Break it up, you two" Mandee said. "There's no reason to get violent."
Finally, Jackie, Carol, and Mandee were able to pull the girls apart, however Renee still had a tight grip on Ronnie Anne and in the process, pulled out the scrunchie keeping Ronnie Anne's hair in a ponytail. This ended up revealing a long flowing main of hair that was much longer than any of them thought.
"Wow, I never knew she had so much hair" Kat commented.
"I know, I thought it was much shorter than that" Beatrix said.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it my hair is long" Ronnie Anne said, slightly embarrassed. "That's why I kept it in a ponytail. If I let it hang freely, it drives me crazy"
While all this was happening, nearly everyone present had forgotten about the burning cottage. Until Jackson yelled "Um, hello... Are we just going to forget about the blazing inferno behind us?"
"Oh yeah, that's right" Carol said before pulling out her phone and dialing 911.
As the firefighters arrived to put out the blaze, Beatrix couldn't help but to marvel at Ronnie Anne's hair.
"It's just so smooth and soft" Beatrix said as she ran her fingers through Ronnie Anne's hair. One couldn't blame her for gushing over Ronnie Anne's hair as it was truly beautiful to see free flowing. It was long enough to nearly reach Ronnie Anne's waist.
"While I appreciate the feedback, I think I'm just going to keep my hair in a ponytail" Ronnie Anne said, putting her scrunchie back in her hair.
"Well, looks like I'm gonna have to find a new hideout" Jackson said as he watched the cottage collapse after the fire had been put out.
"I'm really sorry about the fire" Carol apologized. "We truly didn't mean for this to happen"
"Meh, it's fine" Jackson said. "Probably karma for me stealing your locket. I'm real sorry about that by the way"
"It's fine" Carol said. "As long as you remember your promise not to steal from anyone else."
"I'll try" Jackson said before walking off.
"Well, this has been quite the day, hasn't it?" Mandee asked as she fondly looked back over the day she and the others had had.
"Indeed it has" Jackie said. "Indeed it has.
"This was one of the best days of my life!" Eric said excitedly. "Thanks for letting me hang out with you guys"
"It was no problem, you're a pretty cool guy, Eric" Ronnie Anne said. "The five of us have got to do this again some other time"
"That sounds like a great idea" Carol agreed. "Next time we see each other, we'll be sure to have even more fun than ever"
"No doubt" Mandee said before looking down at her watch. "Well, I hate to leave, but it's starting to get late. I've got to get home"
"Same here" said Jackie.
With that, the five friends said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, ending their fun day on a high note.