Alright, so here's the 411. It's Prom season throughout America, and I figured I might as well upload this story again. Same thing as Year As a Loud, basically, with reworked scenes and maybe a new chapter or two inserted.
I'm gonna give you a deal, though. Take it or leave. I'm gonna upload 2 chapters of this, and after that, I need at least 5 Favs/Follows and comments. I see no reason to keep a story going that nobody cares about, so you have to show me you want it. Enjoy.
"Will our captivating captain find her first mate, or will it be man overboard? Find out tonight as we set sail for love on...The Dream Boat."
"EEEEEEEEEH!" The 9 girls gathered around the sofa squealed in unison as the show continued. School had just ended a half hour ago, and so the Loud sisters were enjoying their Friday evening the only way they could: Watching their favorite reality TV show.
"Tonight, we're down to the final 4 passengers. Who will sail the seven seas for a lifetime with the lovely captain, and who will be cast away?"
"OMG, I totes hope that Karen picks Bryant! He's such a flirt!" Leni said, sniffing a rose in the process.
"Bryant? Please! He's such a wuss! Now, Blaine on the other hand… he's the only choice."
"I still like Bram," Lucy said, showing no sign of emotion whatsoever.
"Dude, I'm still trying to figure out how he beat Brock in the anchor ceremony! There's no way he's winning!" Luna said, strumming a ukulele at the bottom of the staircase.
"She's obviously going to choose Bronson! That's how all these shows work! It's too predictable!"
"Ha ha, very funny, Luan… Who do you thinks winning, Lori?"
Lori, the oldest sister, looked up from her phone.
"Huh? Oh, I don't care. Bronson, I guess."
At once, all of the siblings were staring at her, including the youngest, Lily.
"What?!" Her younger sister Lola screeched at her.
"Dude! Whaddaya MEAN you don't care?!" Lolas twin sister Lana asked her. "That's crazy talk!"
There were warning signs of a fight brewing for a few moments, until Dad came into the living room.
"Kids, dinner's ready! Come on, I made my world famous Meatloaf Surprise tonight!"
"Oh, boy... is this one gonna stick to the plate like last time?"
"LINCOLN! DINNERS READY!" Lynn Sr yelled up the stairs, completely ignoring his daughters snide remark. A few seconds later, the only boy in the family rounded the corner and began to walk down the stairs, talking to the 4th wall in the process.
"Thank God it's Friday! No homework! And believe me, that's a blessing in disguise if you ask me. This time of year, teachers ALWAYS give out their hardest material. So tonight, I'm just gonna finish dinner, head back to my room, and read comic books for the whole weekend! What could go wrong?"
He walked into the kitchen and sat down beside his sister Lynn, and the daily Loud family round table discussion began.
"So how was your week, kids? Anything exciting happen?" Rita Loud asked her children, picking at the "meatloaf" on her plate.
"Eh, it was ok, I guess," Luna said as she messed with her fork. "I don't have any homework tonight, so that's a win."
"Yeah, me neither. That's why I'm spending my weekend in my room!"
"I came up with a good pun this morning! Want to hear it?"
Despite the groans of protest, she told the joke.
"Why couldn't the bicycle stand up? It was "Two Tired!" Ha ha, get it?"
"Ugggggh..."
"Lori, what about you, dear? Anything fun happen to you this week?" Lynn Sr asked his oldest daughter as she picked at her meal.
"Well, um, not really... I took a math test Tuesday, and, um, that's it, really."
"Well, that doesn't sound so bad," her mom said. "Did you pass it or-"
"Wait, didn't Bobby ask you to Prom the other day?" Leni asked, confused.
The comment drew the attention of both the tables. Both of their parents were looking at Lori with a look of curiosity on their face.
"What? NO!" she yelled, then nervously chuckled. "Uh, I mean, no? Bobby didn't ask me anything like that! Don't be ridiculous, Leni..."
"Huh. That's weird. I thought it saw him with a sign the other day with your name on it..."
"Um, you must have read that wrong, then! I didn't-"
"It was a really big sign, though! And there was a lot of people, too!"
"Leni! Be quiet!" She finally hissed, but by then it was too late.
"Wait…" Lana said, trying to process the revelation. "Lori is going to..."
"EEEEEEEEEHHHHHH!" The girls screamed as they gathered around the table.
"When did he ask you?"
"How did he do it?"
"Was it romantic?"
"Guys! Give me some space!" She shouted. Almost immediately, the kids backed up from the table.
"Lori, you were asked to prom and you didn't tell us?"
"I was going too! I just didn't really, uh..."
"Make Mom and Dad mad?" Lola asked.
"Yeah! Yeah, I just didn't, uh, want you guys to be mad at me or anything. No big deal."
"No big deal?" her mother asked in shock. "Honey, it's your senior prom we're talking about here! You get to go with the boy of your dreams!"
"Yeah, Lori! This is great for you, sis!"
The kids continued to murmur as Rita spoke again.
"So how did he ask you? Was it just a sign?"
"Oh, no. It was actually really nice..."
-FLASHBACK-
Just another typical Wenesday afternoon at Royal Woods High School. That is, for most people. While other kids were in their 8th period classes, Roberto Alejandro Martinez-Millan Luis Santiago, Jr, otherwise known as Bobby, was in the bathroom, staring into the mirror. In his heft hand he held a rather large carton of strawberries, while in the other he held a small sign.
At the mirror, a tall Hispanic boy smoothed his dreadlocks out, babbling the entire time.
"Dude, she's gonna love it! You got nothing to worry about!"
"I don't know, Colin…" Bobby said, gripping the carton. "I just don't feel too good about it."
"Why not? Girls go GAGA over this type of stuff, bro! You made the sign, you bought the food, now all you need is to present it!"
"I don't think I can do it… I feel sick..."
"Bobby, Bobby, Bobby…" Colin said, grabbing his friends shoulders. "You have come THIS far already! You even managed to get strawberries in freaking March! They aren't even in season now! You can't quit!"
"Oh, dude, I just don't know why I have to do it in front of a crowd..."
"Uh, because then she CAN'T say no?"
"Isn't that cheating, though? Like, why can't I do it on a date?"
"It's only cheating to the single folks, Bobby, only to the single folks..." he said as the bell to dismiss the day rang.
"It's go time, Santiago. Go time."
"-sigh- You're getting it on video, right? So I can post it to Instagram?"
"Hell yeah, bro! Let's get it!"
Slowly and nervously, Bobby walked into the crowd of people, followed by a much more confident Colin. He had rolled up the sign so no one would notice, but based on the stares from others, it still probably seemed odd that he was carrying a huge carton of out of season strawberries around.
"Keep going, keep going..." he repeated in his head as he walked over to his girlfriends locker, the same as he did every day. Lori noticed him and stood up to brain eye contact.
"H-hey, babe!" He stammered out.
"Hey, Boo Boo Bear! How was your day?"
"Oh, it was good. I had a test today, so-"
"Oh, hey Colin. What's up?" She asked Bobbys wingman as he held the cell phone in his hands. He smiled, and looking at Bobby, winked his eye. It was time.
"Uh, what's with the eye? And why do you have a carton of strawberries, Bobby?"
Nervously, he opened the poster and held it in front of him, closing his eyes in preparation for the rejection.
"Huh?" Lori said as she read it out loud.
Lori,
I think it would be "Berry" nice if you went to prom with me! Yes, or Definitely Yes?
He flinched at the initial silence, but that feeling was soon replaced by-
"BOO BOO BEAR!" Lori shouted as she he wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. He dropped the strawberries due to shock, but luckily, Colin caught them in the nick of time.
"Uh, so is that a yes?" He asked, the pressure relieving off his chest.
"No, it's a Definitely Yes!"
"Really?" He asked, a smile growing on his face.
"Well, yeah! I'm your girlfriend, Bobby. Did you think that I would say no?"
"I don't know...I was just really nervous, I guess. But I know that this is gonna be great… I love you, babe…"
He wrapped his arms around her for what felt like eternity...
-END OF FLASHBACK-
"So, that's how it happened. It was really sweet."
"Oh my gosh, that is the cutest thing I've ever heard!" Lola said.
"Eh. I think it needed more gloom."
"Lori, that's great, honey! I'm so excited for you!" Her mother said from across the table.
"Yep! So, I guess we need to get you a dress, then. And tickets. And expensive accessories, I guess..."
"Oh, knock it off, Lynn," Rita told her husband. Turning back to her daughter, she asked another question.
"Well, like your father said, um, how much does this all cost? After all, we ARE on a budget, hon…"
"Uh, we may want to leave, guys. Money negotiations can get pretty heated around here," Lincoln told his other sisters. Knowing what he meant, they l slowly filed out of the room.
Walking up the stairs to his room, he began to talk again.
"So Lori is going to Prom, then. Well, good for her. See, I don't know how you do school dances wherever you are, but in our High School, it's done a little differently. At least, according to Leni. She was talking about it earlier this week, but I wasn't paying atten-"
He stopped as he tripped over the black mass that was curled up on the step.
"Ugh, Cliff! You know not to sleep on the steps! Now, where was I? Oh, yeah. See, at the high school, all the grades are allowed to go to Prom. Seniors, though, get in for free, while the Sophmores and Juniors pay about $50 to get in. Freshmen are allowed to go, too, but they need to be asked by an older student. It's really confusing, I know, but luckily I don't have to worry about it for a few more years. And as far as I know, Lori is the only one who ever goes. So it really shouldn't be any big concern here."
Meanwhile...
In Luna and Luans room, it was relatively normal. Luan was reading a joke book, and Luna was playing her ukulele. But tonight, something was different. Every once in a while, Luna would hear her phone vibrate. She'd pick it up, type a few words, then go back to strumming her instrument.
Luan noticed the small breaks between playing. She sat up and turned to her sister with a suspicious look on her face.
"What are you doing?"
She looked up from her phone, a slightly panicked look on her face.
"Uh, nothing. Just, you know, looking for music videos and stuff," she said as she continued to type.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know. I don't usually see you on your phone, though..."
"Well, I'm allowed to be on it, aren't I?"
Luan narrowed her eyes. Something definitely wasn't right.
"You sound defensive..."
"What?" She said as she turned the phone off and dropped it onto the nightstand. "What are you talking about?"
"You aren't looking up music at all, aren't you?"
"Of course I am!"
"Really? Then you wouldn't mind me seeing your phone, then?"
"Uh, actually, I kinda would mind that."
"Why?"
"Why are you so nosy tonight, sis?!" She said, her voice growing louder.
"I just want to know what you're REALLY doing!"
"I'm just looking up-"
HMMMMM!
They both looked up to where the phone was vibrating on the nightstand. Almost immediately, they were both reaching for it. Luan, though, was on the bottom bunk, which allowed her to wrestless it out of her sisters grip.
"LUAN! GIVE IT BACK!"
"Ok, Ok, I will! Let me just see what-"
"KNOCK IT OFF!"
Luan clicked on the home button, revealing a text that somebody had sent her sister.
"Luna, who's Jordan? Why are you-"
"Give me that!" She said as she snatched the phone away. She read the text and began to type, talking to her sister at the same time.
"It's none of your buisness. He's just my friend from school."
"HE'S just your friend?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.
"YES! Just my friend! Nothing else!"
"How old is he? What grade is he in?"
"I don't have to tell you-"
"Luna! Answer the question or so help me…"
"Fine!" she said, anger in her eyes. "He's 16 and he's in my grade! Are you happy?!"
"You know what Mom and Dad say about texting boys, Luna. They have to-"
"Know them if they're older than us, I know," Luna finished the sentence. "Who cares, though?"
"Uh, Mom and Dad?"
Luna rolled her eyes. Unless it involved jokes, Luan was one of the better behaved kids in the family. And that in itself drove her crazy.
"Look, it isn't a big deal, Luan. He's just my friend and there isn't anything else to it! Capiche?"
"How did you two even meet? I've never even heard of anyone named Jordan at our school…"
She began to talk, but stoped to think of how to say it. After a moment, she began to tell the story.
"Well… it was a couple of weeks ago..."
