Hello, everyone. This story is actually based off my idea of what I wanted The Loud House movie to look like. The premise is sinple: a cross country journey. I think this has the potential to be my best story yet, so every amount of support you can give is appreciated. Thanks in advance, and be sure to rate, review, and the whole shebang. So here it is; Chapter 1 of 'The Loudest Journey.' enjoy.
The white mailbox that sat at the front of the house wasn't too impressive, but it got the job done. True, it stood crooked to the post it so crudely sat on, and yes, it did have more than enough dents in it, and MAYBE it had one too many chipped off pieces of paint covering it… but it WORKED. And to the owner of the house that it belonged to, a humble restaurant chef named Lynn Loud, as long as it worked, it was usable: no matter HOW crummy or broken it may be.
To the mailman that drove the Franklin Avenue route through Royal Woods, it was a downright STUPID word to live by. He had seem many a pathetic mailbox in his day, but THAT one? It took the cake, no question. One would think that after a while you'd cave in and fork over some cash to get an upgrade; unfortunately, these folks didn't exactly look like they were rolling in dough.
Oh, well. It wasn't his business to pry into anyone's life. He was there to deliver mail, not contemplate. He fingered his way through letters, pulling out ones with the correct address on them. One for the man himself, one for Rita, a postcard for Lola…
Ok, so he wasn't SUPPOSED to look through letters. A man's only got so much to enjoy though, you know?
Either way, the bright blue and yellow envelope stood out in the Loud pile like a sore thumb. It was addressed to one Lori Loud, whoever that was. You never knew with this family; they seemed to have cousins or someone else over every day. Even in the WINTER, and NOBODY went anywhere then.
His curiosity got the better of him, and he flipped the envelope over to read the address.
"Huh," he offhandedly grunted. "Puebla College. Not bad, Loud, not bad…"
He quickly slipped the mail into the crummy old mailbox and hopped back into the car, humming a merry tune along the way. The sun began to rise, and his shift would soon be done. And the closer it got to Friday, the closer it got to payday.
Boy, he loved his job.
The alarm clock went off with a start, waking Lincoln up in a hurry. He groaned, rubbing his eyes together. Was it REALLY already 7? It couldn't be, he thought; he had only been sleeping for a few hours!
Oh, well. It was time for more same old, same old anyway. He yaened, getting out of his bed and slipping on a pair of jeans from his dresser.
"Ahhh, the first day of summer!" he said to no one in particular, taking off his night shirt. "School is nice and all, but once you get to summer vacation, you can't get enough of it! Sun, the beach, the pool… what isn't there to love?"
He threw on a clean orange polo from his closet and turned to his door. A strange sound was beginning to rise from the other side; a crude caterwaul that seemed to rise over the room like a cloud of smoke.
"Well, except for my sisters. They enjoy summer as much as I do... which means they can pretty mucg run wild. And if you've ever SEEN my sisters, you'd know that's a very, very, VERY bad thing."
He took a deep breath and swung open the door, revealing a scene of mass chaos. Nine girls were crowded in the hallway, each doing their own crazy activity. Lincoln sighed. For a boy to use the bathroom, he needed to plan ahead. And unfortunately for him, he had failed. Miserably. He was going to have to wing it.
"-sigh- Say your prayers, Sergeant… SEMPER FIII!"
He charged into the mass confusion, almost immediately running into a pair of twins.
"Lincoln!" one of them yelled, wearing a pink dress. "I need you to be the butler at my tea party!"
"Yeah! Hops and Izzy need another guest!"
"Uhh…" he stalled, trying to think. "How about you get Lisa to play? She can be the wizard!"
"Ooooh, good idea!" both squealed ad they ran to find their sister. Lincoln moved a few steps forward before being stopped again.
"Lincy! I can't feel my face!"
"Have you tried touching it?"
"Huh?" the tall girl asked, feeling her chin. "Oooh! Thanks, Lincoln!" she said as she walked away, humming a tune.
He tried moving forward once more, only to be tackled to the ground.
"AND LYNN LOUD GETS THE SACK ON BRADY! LIONS WIIIIIINNNN!" Lynn screamed as she got up and bolted down the stairs. Lincoln sat up, rubbing his head.
"Well, that happened…"
"LINCOLN! TELL ME IF YOU LIKE THIS JOKE!"
"HEY BRO, CHECK OUT THIS SWEET TUNE!"
"BROTHER, HAVE YOU SEEN MY LATEST CONCOCTION LAYING AROUND?!"
Girls began to crowd around him, each talking and shouting and grabbing at him. So this was it… the end of Lincoln Loud…
"You did good, soldier…" he whispered to himself as he braced for impact…
-INSERT-
TWEEEEEEEET!
The shrill tone of a whistle blared through the hall like a siren, sending the kids hands up to cover their ears. Out of the farthest room, the tallest girl walked out, looking extremely annoyed.
"Alright, everyone downstairs!" she shouted. "Mom and Dad are trying to sleep!"
Reluctantly, the kids complied, leaving as quickly as they had appeared. Lincoln sat, staring into the distance. He had been saved… saved by a-
"LINCOLN!"
He jumped up and made a beeline towards the bathroom, where he managed to lock the door behind him. At last, some peace and quiet!
"Well, there you have it," he said once again to nobody. "It's a MADHOUSE out there in the mornings. You think having one brother is bad? Or two siblings? Try having TEN. All sisters, none the less."
He turned to the toilet, finally able to go number one in private. He finished, and flushing the toilet, went to the sink. As he washed his hands, he looked at himself in the mirror, his white hair glistening with sweat.
"Luckily, it isn't ALL that bad. Sure, they can be annoying at times, but when they actually help out and all, they can be pretty cool! Especially Lori. Without her, it would be… UGGH!"
He finished and opened the door a crack, making sure the coast was clear. No sign of intelligent life anywhere. He slowly tiptoed out the door, and swinging his head around, sprinted for his room.
He got there, slamming the door and covering it with his body. He breathed heavily as the paranoia gradually left.
"S-see, Lori is… sort of the GLUE of the family. Mom and Dad are the rule makers, but they have to work most of the time. There isn't much time to enforce for them. Without Lori, the entire systematic order of the Loud house would CRUMBLE!"
He sat down on his bed, pulling a comic out from under the covers.
"Well, at least it's over with… FOR NOW. You know there's going to be something else happening sometime. For now, I'm just gonna sit back, relax, and read this-"
"OH MY GOD! I GOT IN!"
Lori's high pitched scream was inmistakable. Lincoln jumped at its sound; Lori hardly EVER had that sort of tone.
It sounded… EXCITED.
"I GOT IN! I GOT IN!"
Lincoln walked downstairs, where the entire family was gathered around their oldest sister. Mom and Dad walked out of their room, seeing Lori jumping around like a madman.
"MOM! DAD! I GOT IN!"
"That's great, honey!" Lynn Sr said. "Uhh… to what?"
She shoved a blue and yellow envelope into her fathers hands, sending him stumbling backwards.
"To college! I got into one of my first schools!"
The air left the building… on a good way. The entire family (save Lincoln) beamed as they crowded around her, asking a variety of questions.
"Oooh! Where did you get into?!"
"How much does it cost?!"
"Is there a cafeteria?!"
"Alright, ALRIGHT!" Lynn said, pushing past his children towards Lori. "Honey, we're so proud of you!"
"Yes, we are!" Rita said, her smile the biggest of the familys. "So which college is it? Royal Woods Community?"
Lori, still smiling, shook her head no.
"Uhh… Michigan State?"
Same result.
"... Detroit?"
"No!" she said, happier than ever. "I got into Puebla! The nicest school in California!"
NOW the smiles in the room changed. The kids looked around, confused. No one had heard their sister mention a 'Puebla College.' and in California?
Lynn Sr seemed to be the most surprised by this. He looked at his daughter with a confused look on his face.
"What? You've never…"
"Mentioned it?" she interrupted. "Yeah, I know! I wanted to surprise you all if I got in! AND I DID!"
"But… even your PARENTS?" Rita asked. "Can I see the letter?"
"Oh, yeah, of course!" she said, handing the blue and yellow envelope to her mother. She reached in and opened the acceptance letter, reading it intently:
Miss Lori Louise Loud,
Congratulations! On behalf of the entire staff and community here at Puebla University, we are proud to be the first to tell you of your acceptance to the university. Welcome to the Puebla Marlins Family!
Along with this letter, you have also received a packet detailing the campus in beautiful downtown San Diego. Your official Marlin email address is also enclosed in a see rate envelope inside this packet.
Once again, I wish you the best of summers and I hope to see you in the fall!
-Franklin Williams, President, Puebla University
Rita looked up from the letter, a shocked look on her face.
"S-SAN DIEGO?!"
"Yeah! And guess what! Bobby got accepted, too! We're literally going to college together!"
She grabbed the letter away, screaming in delight. Her parents looked at each other with concern. The budget for their children's college was tight as is; the LAST thing they wanted was to go out of state.
"Well, honey, we're very happy for you, really, but-"
"We still need to tour the campus!"
Lynn Sr looked at his wife like she had gone insane, but Rita shushed him.
"-gasp- REALLY?!" Lori said in delight.
"REALLY?!" Lynn Sr said, not so delighted.
"Yes! We have to approve of the campus, you know! And there has to be a tour happening sometime this summer!"
"Well…" the father sputtered, trying to shoot down his wife's idea. "Well, we, uhh, we have no money!"
"Oh, sure we do! Your father has a savings account, IN BOTH OUR NAMES, for this sort of thing!"
"Wait we do? No we… oh, no. NOT the cowbell investment!"
"Oh, YES, the cowbell investment! I TOLD you it-"
"That's my bands future right there!" he complained, but it was no use. Rita had won this round.
"So… we're going to California?" Lincoln asked from the top of the stairs. Everyone looked towards him.
"Hmm…" Rita thought. "I… think you should stay here, kids. Flying isn't cheap, especially with 13 people."
They immediately began to complain, but the decision was final. Lori, Lynn Sr, and Rita would fly out to San Diego to confirm the admission during the next tour; which, conveniently enough, was that Saturday.
That had all taken place a few hours ago, and Lincoln sat in the dark of his room. Sure, he was happy for Lori. She deserved to go to the best college, after all; she was his sister! And in a cash strapped house like theirs, it wasn't an everyday occurrence to see people get into such an elusive campus.
But…
What about HIM?