Chapter 8

"sry babe cant pick u up I'm at wrk."

Lori closed the messages tab on her phone, only to reopen it for a tenth time, hoping Bobby had suddenly found time to drive his flabbergasted girlfriend home. As the bus rolled up, a light drizzle began to moisten the already damp hair of the Hooter Girl. The gray clouds seemed to loom right over her as she made her way into the vacant bus.

"Afternoon, missy," greeted the friendly bus driver.

Lori dropped the exact fare and mustered an unenthused "Hey". She took her seat at the furthest end away from the front door and stared out the window, her vision of the blurry walls speeding by partially blocked by a collection of rain water forming a star. She let out a sigh as she replayed the tranquil yet profound conversation that sent her home not too long ago.

"Carol, I'm sending you home for the day and writing you up," Fran had said.

Carol's eyes poked out over the towel she was drying her face with and gave a nod.

Fran turned to Lori. "As for you, Lori…"

Lori stood still like an abandoned statue, awaiting her judgment. Her hair still dripping pitcher water to the floor, awaiting a towel to be fetched by a by standing Hooter girl.

Fran sighed. "Lori, I have every right to fire you. Send you on your sorry little ass out onto the street. But, god dammit, you're one of the brightest Hooter Girls I've had in awhile."

Lori eked out a one sided smile, and though she couldn't see it, she felt the damp towel being crushed between Carol's teeth.

"That's why I'm also sending you home for the day, writing you up, and sending you into an extra training day with one of our other experienced Hooter Girls."

Lori blinked. "But that means I'll miss out on those tips."

Fran looked up from her report. "And?"

"It's not fair."

Fran stood up from her chair and pointed the pen in Lori's direction. "You know what isn't fair? Having my restaurant mere seconds away from erupting into chaos because of two high school brats fighting over some slack jawed dipshit in need of giving a good dicking. I know Carol, she's the best damned Hooter Girl I have. I know nothing about you, so you better start shaping up or your ass will be out looking for another job. You got that, princess?"

In the present, Lori shut her eyes and allowed the exhaustion to take her from her reality. The bumps to the side of her face only served to lull her into a deeper slumber. Had it not been for the vibrations in her back pocket, she might've slept until the driver announced the last stop.

"babe they just let me out u still need a ride?"

Lori sighed and answered the text, rejecting the offer. She looked out the window and saw her stop whizz on by.

"Shit," she said, pulling the cord.

The driver eased to a stop and opened the back door from his control panel, allowing the punished worker to exit quietly. "Have a nice day, missy!"

Lori faced the rear view mirror across the bus and managed to smile. "You too, driver."

The walk home was cold, lonely, and uneventful, save for the commotion in her head trying to conjure a believable story for why she showed up early from her job hunt. As she approached her house, she let out a relieved sigh as the family van wasn't in it's parking spot.

"They must've gone out," she said to herself.

She walked up the damp steps, stuck in her key, and unlocked the front door. The silence was a welcoming sound to Lori's ears, and thoughts of relaxing in front of the TV with a cold drink at hand brought cheer to her weary soul.

A click of a mouse button changed all that.

"… this prude will make sure you never fuck another poor, desperate sack of shit again, got it?"

Lori turned towards the dining room, a laptop replaying a third person's view of the early afternoon's events in a video editor. A late model smartphone hit the ground as disbelief wracked Lori's entire body for the second time that day. A lone hand flipped the laptop shut, revealing a devilish grin bearing shiny metallic braces.

"Welcome home, Little Cub," Luan said.

Lori balled her hands into fists. "What's gonna keep you quiet?"

Luan laughed as she held up her video camera. "Aw, come on Lori. You're not even gonna ask how I snuck into Bobby's car when he took Leni to Hooter's to get this golden footage?"

Lori marched over to the younger Loud and knocked the camera out of her hands. "I don't care about how you got that footage, you TMZ wannabe. I wanna know what it's gonna cost me to keep your unfunny ass quiet!"

Luan scoffed. "Ouch, a little touchy aren't we? Well, you already know that I never use footage without permission, but since you offered, I'm gonna take that as implied consent."

"Get to it," Lori snarled, mentally kicking herself for her misstep.

Luan stood up, revealing her very own Hooter Girl outfit as she struck a pose. "I wanna show."

Lori picked her jaw up from the floor and shook her head. "You want a what?"

Luan jumped on the table and clasped her hands against her face. "I've always wanted to do a stand up routine just like the ones on late night TV! And now that I've got connections to a mature audience, I can! You just need to, you know, convince your managers and whatnot."

Lori frowned. "Luan, I just got in sent home today. How in the hell am I supposed to get a minor in to do an adult themed comedy routine?"

Luan shrugged her shoulders and hopped off the table. "That's you're problem, little cub. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to work on my act for tomorrow night. Only the BREAST jokes will do!"

Lori fell into a chair and groaned into her hands as the sounds of laughter travelled up the stairs and disappeared behind the slammed door of Luna and Luan's bedroom.

"Kill me now," Lori sighed.