Hey, everyone.

This is a request I should've written and posted a few months ago, but I prioritized Requiem for a Loud's newest chapter. Then, college started for me (southern hemisphere), and you all know what that means regarding my free time. And, well, soon after that my grandfather passed away. It's been a little over a month now, and during this time I didn't feel motivated to do anything. I've barely drawn, and I've barely written anything.

I'm trying to just, I don't know, push myself out of this moment, and I think this story is the first step towards it. It's short, it's simple enough, and it only acts as the first day of a long last relationship. It's based on Selfie Improvement and acts like some sort of prequel? But most importantly, this one-shot will be canon in the "Requiem for a Loud" continuity. I don't have the space to put this in the main story, but this will be canon.

I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: The Loud House doesn't belong to me, it's the property of Nickelodeon, Viacom, and its rightful owners.

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Frenemies: Day One.

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She had been instructed to wait outside for "just a second", and as she did so, Carol Pingrey decided that she definitely hated her father for getting a job in this dumb town. It had been already hard to leave kindergarten and start first grade without knowing anyone. She was an only child, but she had a cousin her same age, Mindy, who used to live only two blocks away. She had been her only friend her whole life, so it had been quite a challenge and a need for little Carol to make new friends in school.

And after a whole month, just when she had started to talk with Audrey and Jane, her dad had taken a new job in another state, and they had to move. Goodbye Mindy, goodbye Audrey and Jane. Goodbye Los Angeles, hello Royal Woods. And hello Royal Woods Elementary School.

She didn't want to be there. She didn't ask to, either. As she waited outside in the hall, she wondered if anyone would still be interested in making a new friend. Classes had started a month ago. They would probably all have made new friends already. What if there was no one left? What if there was simply no place for her to fit in? She couldn't just walk right into two people who were talking and just say "Hi, I'm Carol, can I be your friend too?". Her fingers began to play with locks of her hair, twisting and curling them as she dreaded the prospect of not being able to make a single friend.

The door of the classroom being opened from inside startled her, and she turned on her heels to give a terrified look at her new teacher.

"You can come in", the lady told her with a radiant smile, stepping aside to let her walk into the classroom.

She ducked her head between her shoulders, trying to look as small as possible -or better yet, disappear-, but she did what she was told. She walked to the front of the class looking at her shoelaces, hoping that they wouldn't loosen up because she didn't know how to tie them yet, and she marched onto the front of the class. She heard the rest of the kids talking and whispering among themselves, and she actively avoided their eyes.

God, she was so anxious.

"Everyone, welcome Carol Pingrey", the teacher announced with a smile. "She'll be joining us for the rest of the year, so be kind to her, and let's hope that we can all get along!"

Some kids said "Hi", but she couldn't detect any sort of enthusiasm or appreciation for her arrival to their grade. Her fingers gripped the edge of her purple skirt and she balanced the weight of her body on her heels. What was that weird feeling in her stomach? Was she hungry? Was she feeling sick? She wanted to eat a candy or something, but she only had her lunch in her bag.

"Don't be nervous, Carol", the teacher said, smiling down at her after noticing her clear nervousness. "You'll be making new friends in no time, you'll see."

"Y-Yeah", she answered, nodding her head.

"Let's see", Ms. Robinson said, looking up through the classroom, "why don't you sit with Lori at the bottom?"

Carol was forced to look at where the teacher was pointing. She quickly found a raised hand, and she started to walk there. As the heads of the kids on the front seats got behind her, she was able to see who the hand belonged to.

A pretty girl with blonde hair was staring at her, pointing at the empty seat beside her with her free hand. Carol smiled at her and the new girl smiled back, but the little Pingrey noticed that she looked tired. Her eyes were half-lidded and her body seemed to be dropped forward. She wasn't giving her an ugly look, but she couldn't help but wonder why she didn't look excited or happy.

"Hi", she said as Carol sat next to her, "I'm Lori. Lori Loud."

"Carol Pingrey", she replied, extending her hand and meeting Lori's. "Do you always sit alone?" She bluntly asked.

"Yeah. I don't have many friends, I think."

"Really? I don't, either. Maybe we can be friends!" She said, deciding that being straightforward was probably her best course of action.

Lori smiled at her.

"Maybe."

"I mean, don't you feel alone sometimes?"

To her surprise, Lori let out a chuckle.

"Not really. I don't think I could", she said with a dreamy yet tired look, but before Carol could ask her about it, the girl resumed her talking. "Why are you starting classes so late?"

"I moved to Royal Woods last week."

Lori raised an eyebrow, and Carol saw her face lightening up with curiosity.

"Really? Where do you come from?"

"Los Angeles."

This time Lori mouthed a big "Wow" and leaned forward against her.

"Los Angeles? Is that where movie stars live?"

The moment she noticed she had Lori's attention, Carol felt the numb, tingling sensation in her stomach subside. Her new acquaintance seemed interested in her. And she knew a lot about herself, she could talk about that all day long! She was more than happy to tell Lori all about her life back in LA, with the weather, and the movies, the restaurants, the big buildings and how she and her cousin used to spend long afternoons in her house, playing in the playroom or swimming in the pool. Lori seemed particularly excited to hear about her home, and she wanted to know more. Carol tried to explain how her old house looked like, but she couldn't quite describe it as she would like to. The best way she could resume it was that "it was big".

"I live in a big house too!" Lori told her.

Carol didn't know much about Royal Woods, but from what little she'd seen, and considering that her daddy had said that their new house was "nice and comfy" and yet it failed to compare to the one they had in LA, she was a little skeptical about what Lori meant by "big house".

"Do you? How many bedrooms do you have?" She asked.

Lori raised her and started to count with her fingers.

"We have six, but I heard my mom and dad talking about making another one", she happily explained.

"Six rooms?!" Carol gaped. "That's HUGE! I only had five in my old house!"

"Girls, please, keep it down", the teacher warned them. "Are you reading the story I copied on the board, or are you just talking?"

"We're reading", they both lied, taking out their books and trying to open it on the marked page as soon as possible. They hid their faces behind the books and peeked to look at the teacher, who was smiling.

They couldn't talk too much about their lives for the rest of the class because they needed to read a whole page and answer a few questions, but Carol found herself sneaking a few concealed looks at her classmate. She looked like a nice person, and she was pretty, too, even if she looked tired. She also had a big house, and the girl in purple realized that they had a lot in common.

Maybe finding a friend wouldn't be so hard after all.

"Alright kids, have fun!" Said the teacher, opening the door and stepping aside, just in time to avoid being run over by a legion of little kids aged six to twelve.

The sun beamed over the little kids as they ran and spread over the whole playground. Some went straight to the swings, some others found themselves playing in the slide. Others went to play tag, running in all directions, trying their best to avoid hitting a kindergarten kid or a classmate.

Carol had taken two extra minutes to save all her pencils in their case and put it in her bag, and when she walked into the playground, she was soon at a loss. She saw a few of her classmates here and there, but they all were busy talking with other people. Her eyes looked for Lori, and a smile spread across her face when she spotted her on a swing.

She ran right next to her.

"Hey, Lori!"

"Hey, Carol!" The girl answered, swinging slightly back and forth.

"Do you want to play something?"

Lori's smile faded, and she stopped trying to swing harder, soon enough stopping altogether.

"I don't think we can, Carol", she grimly said.

It was like the world had just stopped for Carol. The ruckus of the playground was extinguished to her ears, and the warm light of the sun felt cold on her skin. She made the conscious effort of closing her mouth when she realized her jaw had dropped, and she stared at Lori in disbelief.

They had so much fun during class! Carol had genuinely enjoyed her conversation with Lori. She seemed like a cute girl, with a big house, and who seemed interested in her luxury life. What else could she ask for? It was a dream come true. She couldn't believe her luck for being assigned next to someone so like herself! She had tried to keep herself from making high expectations, but… Well, she was really hoping that she and Lori could become actual friends.

And now… now she said they couldn't play? Why would she say that? Had she done something wrong?

"What?" She simply asked in disbelief.

Lori bit her lips and looked away.

"I like you, but I can't really play with you."

"Why not?"

"Because I have to take care of-"

"Lori!"

Carol and the aforementioned girl turned around, just in time to see two little girls running towards them. She was taken aback by how pretty the blonde one was, wearing a seafoam green dress that went down her knees, with salmon frills and a white headband keeping her hair together. And right behind her, a younger kid with long, chestnut hair and freckled cheeks, wearing a light purple skirt and a white shirt, was running along. The blond girl stopped in front of them, while the brown-haired tugged Lori's forearm.

"Lori! Can I swing with you? Please? Please? Pleeeeeease?" Asked the girl, standing on the tip of her toes and leaning onto the blonde, looking at her with sparkling eyes.

Carol's classmate sighed and stood up from her swing.

"I think it's Leni's turn", she said, looking down at the slightly shorter brunette girl.

"It's ok!" The other blonde said with a radiant smile. "I saw a pretty flower and I want to tell you all about it!"

Lori tried to give her the biggest smile she could possibly pull out and nodded. The other girl giggled and sat on the swing, moving her legs in the air, excited at the prospect of Lori making her reach new heights. Only when the older girl was about to give her the first push did the younger kid realize Carol was there.

"Hi!" She said, waving her hand. "I'm Luna!"

"I'm… Carol", she said, trying to process the whole situation.

"Wow, you're so pretty!" The Leni girl said, staring at her open-mouthed before turning her head to look at Lori. "Lori, your hair looks almost as good as that other girl's!"

"And she dresses in purple! I like purple!" Luna exclaimed, pointing at her skirt with both index fingers.

"Are you playing with Lori?" Leni then asked, tilting her head to the side.

Carol didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to answer. She was still processing everything that was going on. Lori said they couldn't play together. Did it have something to do with those girls? It had to, right? Because she sure didn't have a problem to play with them. They seemed to know each other, so maybe they-

Realization hit Carol. They were friends. Lori already had someone to play with. Of course, she did, classes had started a month ago. She had her own group of friends, and they all played together. Lori said something about turns in the swings; they must have had a schedule of games or something. She couldn't possibly just appear and make them change everything. They didn't have a place for her to fit in.

As her biggest fears became true, Carol remembered that Leni had asked her something.

"No, I was just… saying hi", she said. She took a step back and started fidgeting with her fingers. "I think I'll better be going."

"Okay! Bye!" Leni cheerfully said, enthusiastically waving her hand back and forth.

Carol was about to leave when Lori gave her an embarrassed look.

"Sorry", the girl said, and she looked genuine with.

She didn't say anything back. She just turned around and walked to the opposite side of the playground. As she walked, she tried to see how everyone else was doing. They were all playing. All her classmates -come to think of it, she didn't even know their names yet- were busy with other people. She looked for someone that looked even remotely bored, so maybe she could say hi and offer to play something, but she couldn't find anyone.

She sat on one of the plastic horses with a spring that made it move, and she spent the whole break looking to the other side of the playground, watching three great friends playing together on the swings.

Going back to classes for the final period was… awkward. She and Lori met at the door, and they both stopped for a second, staring at each other, before looking down at the floor and walking silently back to their places. None of them said anything as they waited for the teacher to return. Lori was drumming her desk, and Carol played with her pencil, trying to make it spin on its end to no avail.

She didn't blame Lori. She could never blame her, really. Of course, she would have friends. She was pretty, she had beautiful hair, a big house, and she seemed to be a nice person, judging by the fact that she had kept swinging Luna and Leni the whole break, not even asking for a turn for herself. She seemed like a really nice girl, and Carol could understand why she'd have other friends to spend time with.

The teacher came back shortly after, just in time for their English lesson. She started to write down a few sentences, and just when Carol grabbed her pencil and opened her notebook…

"They're my sisters."

Carol looked at Lori. She was also starting to copy what was on the chalkboard, but she also was looking at her from the corner of her eye.

"What?"

"Leni and Luna, they're my sisters. Two of them."

"You have more?" She asked, surprised by that revelation.

"I have four sisters and a baby brother: Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn and Lincoln", Lori explained, dropping her pencil and using her fingers to count. "I'm the eldest, and my mom says I need to watch over them and make sure that they're okay. It's my responsibility, and I need to be there for them if they need me. They only want to play with me during break, and I can't let them down, because they're my sisters! Leni doesn't have any friends, she just talks to me or my siblings. She's really shy. She doesn't even play with anyone else at the Blue Bells!"

Well, that was something Carol would have never expected. Four sisters and a brother? That was crazy! She was an only child, she couldn't imagine what it would feel like to have so many siblings. She did have a cousin, though, and she had been her best and only friend ever. They did everything together before she started elementary school. If they had been so close, how couldn't Lori and her sisters be close too? She couldn't blame them. Even if she wanted, she couldn't be angry at Lori for not playing with her. She had her priorities, of course, and Carol could understand it.

If anything, the whole thing just made her a bit jealous. She thought she and Lori had a lot in common, but as it turned out, Lori had a great advantage over her. She was way, way prettier -even if Leni said Carol had a better hair-, she had a bigger house -so many rooms!-, and most importantly, she had friends. And not just any type of friends, she had siblings she could rely on. That felt more important than simple friends because you could get into a fight with your school friends, or you could move out to another city far away, where not even your cousin could follow you. But your sisters? They would always be there for you.

There was no need for someone else.

"It's ok", she said, looking back at her notebook and copying the homework written on the chalkboard.

She tried to look focused on what she was writing, but Carol had her whole attention on Lori. She waited for her new classmate to say something to her. Apologize again. Ask her to be her friend. To invite her to her big house so they could all play along with her siblings. Anything to make her feel a little better.

When she saw from the corner of her eyes that Lori opened her mouth to say something, she thought she'd do it. But Lori hesitated, she didn't say anything, and she also picked up her pencil to write down the homework.

They didn't talk for the rest of the class.

Carol was the last one to leave the classroom after the final bell rang. She took her sweet time saving all her things in her school bag, slowly tossing every single object inside there, one by one at a snail's pace. When she was finally done, she hung her bag behind her and dragged her feet towards the building's entrance. She counted the tiles until she reached the door, and she then proceeded to stand on the sidewalk, right where her father had told her to wait for him after school.

As kids passed by her, she saw everyone greeting their friends goodbye. Waving hands and telling each other that they'd see again the next day. She saw it all from afar, standing in silence and alone, with no one wishing her a good day. Her fists gripped the strap of her bag but she said nothing as she waited for someone to pick her up. Carol looked up and was rewarded with the majestic sight of the radiant blue sky.

She hated Royal Woods.

Just as a bird flew over her, a ruckus at her left draw her attention. She turned her head in that direction, and her heart tugged and her brow furrowed at the sight.

Lori and her two younger sisters were coming out of school. Luna was holding Lori's hand, skipping along the way as she sang, and Leni walked talking about something, monopolizing Lori's attention. Carol saw her classmate smiling at her younger sister, nodding her head as the girl with the seafoam green dress just talked and talked. Just before Carol could try to figure out what they were talking about, Luna raised a hand, let go of Lori's and ran towards the sidewalk.

Carol turned her head and saw a tall, blonde woman waving and smiling at Lori and her sisters. The woman wasn't alone. She had a double stroller right next to her, where two babies, one with brown hair and a slightly younger one with a white wool cap, were sleeping, snuggled together under a blanket. And beside them, there was another girl, with light brown hair tied into two ponytails, with a yellow, striped dress.

The latter received a bear hug from Luna that lifted her off the ground. Carol saw Lori and Leni joining with, she assumed, their mother and siblings. The girl with the two ponytails hugged them all, and then the three girls that just got out of school leaned over the stroller to kiss the two babies' foreheads. The mom asked Lori to grab Luna and the other younger girl's hands, and with Leni walking next to the stroller looking lovingly at the two babies sleeping in there, the whole family walked away from the school on the sidewalk.

Carol stayed on her place, watching them go from afar. They looked so… happy. Lori had a big family, and they were really close. She could tell. It was obvious. She pursed her lips and looked down at her shoelaces. One of them was loose.

She didn't have to worry much about it, because a car's horn in front of her pushed her out of her thoughts. She saw the silver and expensive car she knew so well and walked towards it. She heard the click of tback dooroor and opened it, stepping inside.

"Hey honey", her father greeted her, looking at the screen of his phone. "How's your new school?"

Carol closed the door, put on the seat belt and looked at the building she had just exited.

"Not too bad", she admitted in a low voice.

"That's wonderful", he said, sending a text and leaving his phone on the front passenger seat.

"Dad, can you tie my shoelaces?" Carol asked, lifting her right foot.

"No can do, baby, I'm driving. Now, be quiet, I need to listen to the radio to see if they put up my ad."

Carol put her foot back down as the radio started. She turned around and looked through the back window. She could still see Lori, holding Luna and the other girl's hands, walking right next to Leni, her mother and her baby siblings. All so happy together. Talking to each other. Going back to their big house with six rooms, where they could play together all day long. Where Lori would be surrounded by people she loved and whom she could have fun with.

Carol sighed. She barely knew her, but Lori was already everything Carol wanted to be. A pretty girl, with a big house, who maybe didn't have much friends, but she had a big, loving family, and that was even better.

She wished she could have any of that. She wanted so much to be Lori's friend! If she was, maybe she would invite her to her house, and they could all play together. But why would she? Carol had always thought that she was very good. She had a big house in LA, her cousin was her best friend, she had everything to feel good about herself, but it was evident that Lori was on a different level. She had no need for a friend like Carol.

Maybe… maybe she would had to prove her wrong.

"Daddy?"

"What is it?"

"I met a friend."

"That's wonderful, sweetie."

"She's in the Blue Bells."

"That's wonderful, sweetie."

"Can I be a Blue Bell too?"

"Yeah, you can be whatever you want, but let me just listen to the radio, it's very important."

"Okay!"

Carol excitedly looked over her shoulder, giving one last look at Lori and her family.

She'd show her that she was worth her attention.

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Day one of a relationship that would last for years. You all know how it grew up to be. I imagine that after this first day, Carol tried her best to prove Lori that she was good, that they could be friends, but Lori only saw Carol's achievements as "Oh, God, she's literally too good for me." Eventually, they became rather distant, and their friendship could never kickstart. Instead, what grew between them was a petty rivalry that none of them wanted.

I hope you could at least enjoy this tiny little story. I gotta say, while I wished I could've done a better job at this, I'm glad that at least it gave me an excuse to start writing again after some tough times. Sometimes, the only way to break a writer's block is to just write. I'll see you guys soon.