Sometimes, nighttime was a curse. It was such a blanket force that it paralyzed any physical action, whether it required a bright light or produced a lot of noise. Leni told herself this as she lied in bed. The room was pitch black and Lori was snoring louder than Vanzilla's engine. And yet, Leni's eyes couldn't stay shut. Her mind was too wound up with her next project. She hadn't been able to finish that dress with the rainbow seams. The image of her desired product dominated all else, with the upcoming work underpinning the presentation.

When it came to fashion, Leni had a fire in her. Even in the stillness of night, her body was attracted to the sewing machine on the other side of the room. She wanted to sew the night away, preparing all the outfits needed for the Fashion Show. If it weren't for that silly thing called sleep, Leni convinced herself she would have completed the entire wardrobe by now.

But what about Lori? She may have been a snoring factory, but even a lamp light could have woke her (and not to mention the machine's buzzing). That was the weight holding her back.

"Are you sure you don't wanna do it? She won't mind."

Leni processed the ongoing debate in a frozen posture within her cushy bed. Each time that snoring entered her ear, it was another anchor for that voice, the one telling her to do it. By this point, she could even he's hear the machine running.

"It's okay if you mess up. It's your job!"

Her eyes snapped open. That was just silly talk. There was no way she would do something wrong when she could help it. It rarely showed, but she pushed herself to be better, to stop messing up. Every time she bumped into someone, couldn't make out what someone said, or did something mindlessly, she recognized it after the fact. And the grilling was relentless. Leni demanded to know why she couldn't have stopped it, why everyone took her slowness in stride. All she wanted was to be better. To do it on purpose was dishonest to say the least.

Besides, it wasn't like she always did something wrong. Leni scrounged together some moments where she got something right, whether it was a problem on a homework assignment or when she encouraged Lori to forgive Carol. Those were her doing and she tried convincing herself that was enough validation. In fact, there were even times where she defied expectations. If Maddy or Dr. Henry were in the room, they would say "I never thought you'd get this far" (or something along those lines).

So what was the big deal then? If Leni wanted to make clothes, then she should do it. It was gonna make a lot of people happy (in her head, at least), even if Lori woke up and barked at her. Maybe this wasn't a mess up after all.

"Yeah," she told herself, "I'm gonna do it right now!"

That was all she needed. Throwing off the pink blanket, Leni jumped to her feet and paced to the machine. She was lucky she didn't trip over anything (Lori made sure the floor was always clean). Once over there, she gripped the plug and groped through the darkness. Indeed, the hard part was not getting to the desk, but pinpointing the precise position of the outlet. In her effort, Leni scraped its side along with part of the wall in her exhaustive effort to locate two parallel slits.

Eventually, the prongs pushed inwards like two fitting puzzle pieces. Leni jerked her head towards Lori's bed. The snoring was still like a lawnmower. Now, the crucial was needed: flipping on the machine. Leni couldn't help but hear the familiar buzzing it was known to make. Was the noise gonna be enough to wake Lori? She assessed the true volume of the machine. Sure she had known its sound for years, but it was only now that Leni even considered how much of a disturbance it posed.

A whole minute passed in the darkness, her hands gripping the machine's side. What to do, she asked. In the meantime, she recalled that her phone had a built in flashlight and flicked it on. Leni clenched her eyes shut as the white light flashed against the machine. And yet, even then, all she heard was more snoring. Leni told herself that it wouldn't be that bad. After all, if Lori could sleep through this piercing light, then she could make it through a little humming. It wasn't that loud.

Bringing it all together, Leni emboldened herself. She knew that if she delayed, there would be some doubt (she needed to get this done). Without any more hesitation, she flicked the power switch.

Leni leveraged her phone at the base of the side with the presser foot. As she thought, the light successfully illuminated the primary sewing area. Finally, there was the material itself. That part was easy (it was in the desk's middle drawer). In there was a two-dimensional outline of a dress along with various square patches. Leni stared at the work. Indeed, the front half (the more united portion) was a blend of white and golden with rainbow outlining the seams. Gazing at the product through the light, the midnight mind presumed that purple was a decent color to work with, particularly for the backside. After all, a rainbow bobbin called for at least some diversity in the fabric.

She gently placed her work beneath the presser foot. Getting into her seat, her barefoot quickly found the pedal (its rugged surface pressed against the skin). Now was the moment of truth, where Leni would discover a new possibility. By that point, her mind cleared. Any fears had wandered off with their hands up; anything wrong was gonna be on her abdetmidended watch. Leni only wanted to do what she loved.

Her toes clamped down on the pedal. Leni flinched as she was pinched by that sound. The humming was more like Lori's snoring, definitely something a Loud would own. Leni jerked her head to her big sister. Her heart was pounding and her face heated up. If Lori woke up, it would be a disaster. Sleep would have either been permanent or extinct. If the machine was that noisy, then anything was possible.

But as the seconds went by, the snoring persisted. The buzzing became second nature, reverting to the soothing harmony that usually occupied her sewing sessions. Leni gasped as she tried to calm herself down. The noise didn't wake Lori and it gave her more time to pursue her favorite hobby.

As the seconds turned into minutes, Leni's mind became the humming. Those self-conscious concerns melted away, yielding to an uncontrollable passion. Her hands got to work, sliding the fabric along the machine, crafting a new rainbow seam. It was a rhythm. No thought was needed, only certainty and heart. The whole world simplified with each corner she reached, leaning her closer to euphoria.

Nothing else mattered.

Lori was not a morning person. In fact, that was an understatement. Every day began with a battle to keep her eyes open, resist her blanket's cozy warmth, and trudge the cold trail to her mug. The image of that light brown mixture of cream, sugar, and coffee was vivid enough for her to smell its savory scent. She yearned for her wake up beverage.

Mentally kicking herself, Lori jerked the blanket off, holding her breath from the sudden whiplash of cool air. For the next minute, she just lied there, absorbing the new environment (her half-asleep mind stressed the importance of acclimation). Indeed, it was an excuse to try falling back asleep. It was the weekend after all. Her heavy eyelids and relaxed limbs tried coaxing her to cave into their desires, painting sleep as life fulfillment and second nature. It was tempting and Lori felt her hand being guided down that gilded path.

But just as she was about to fall asleep, her eyes slammed open. Lori remembered she wasn't the only coffee drinker in the House. If she snoozed right then, Lynn might swoop down and use the last of the Breakfast Blend (why wasn't yesterday grocery done yesterday?), leaving everyone else with French Vanilla and Hazlenut. Both of them were fine blends in their own right, whether for an afternoon sip or to compliment a delicious slice of cake. But this early in the morning, the Breakfast Blend was the only one with enough caffeine to kickstart the day (and knowing her younger sisters, they were gonna fight for its last morsel).

Fighting every instinct in her body, Lori peeled herself out of bed, determined to get what remained of that precious blend. She didn't care if the others complained when they were forced to use the weaker blends. Lori would simply tell them that being the oldest was a full-time job that required all the attentiveness and energy she could acquire; she was entitled to the Breakfast Blend for the sake of keeping the House together. It was a notion repeated so often that even she started to believe it. Lori told herself it had to be true (the alternative killed her).

As she got to her wobbly feet, her glazed eyes examined her surroundings. Small nuances such as chips in the wall and discolored spots on the carpet were invisible in the haze. But even in this gentle daze, there was one feature that jumped out to her. By the window desk, she saw Leni leaned back in her chair (that was new). Even with coffee in mind, Lori saw an opportunity. This required her input.

Making her way over there, she noticed the power light on the sewing machine was on. Rather than sighing, Lori was glad it was on. Not only was it a waste of electricity (something the Louds were notorious for doing), but it was dangerous (it was a good thing Leni was leaning back rather than bent forward). Now was Lori's moment, her time to shine.

Lori unplugged the machine, causing the light to instantly cut out. Perhaps the should have been enough; Leni would have just woken up to a powered off sewing machine. But as good as that coffee was, Lori couldn't help but wonder how her little sister would react. In her head, Leni would have continued sewing her dress until she realized that it wasn't on. And then the poor thing would have gotten confused (panicking even) for wondering how this change transpired. Leni just needed a little sign, an indicator that her big sister Lori was there to care for her.

All she needed was something simple enough for Leni to understand. Looking around, her sleepy eyes picked up the perfect sign. With her resolve developing, Lori staggered to Leni's bed and pulled off the pink blanket. She gripped the massive fabric and hauled it over to the desk. Finally (the important step), Lori wrapped the blankets around the chair, enveloping her little sister. Even in all of the contact the blanket made with her, Leni didn't move at all (not surprising Lori).

Finishing up, Lori stepped back to marvel at her work. Leni appeared so peaceful when she slept, oblivious to the benevolent hand guiding her through this maze called life. Indeed, she had done a decent job at wrapping the blanket, tucking in whatever opening she could. As if her gentle face didn't say enough, the rest of her was completely nestled in the soft pink fabric (Lori wished she could have been tucked in that way).

Lori smiled a little, knowing that her sister was now safe and comfortable.

"What would you do without me?"

The urge for coffee was the only thing nudging her away from her work. Regardless, she was appeased. The day was off to a good start. Lori smirked again before heading out, her mind shifting towards her other siblings.

When she awoke, Leni thought she was in her bed. It took her a whole minute of embracing her soft blanket and shifting her eyes to register that, in fact, she was where she last recalled.

Slipping a hand out to clear her vision, Leni was surprised that the entire ordeal had happened. It was like a single instance where she made the snap decision to get off her mattress and sew the night away. And then that surprise was replaced with fear. That got her up. Leni finagled with the blanket as her mind tried to break her arms free from the blanket's firm tucking. What if she had messed up on one of the seams? Those foggy recollections from the middle of the night must have been hiding some sort of error.

Breaking free, Leni grabbed the dress resting on the machine and examined it. Now that she was awake, it was easy to detect the subtle details expected out of a fashion designer. She followed the stitches up and down, front and back, inside out and outside in. Her paranoia fueled her search, even compelling her to re-examined spots that had been deemed acceptable.

Luckily, she couldn't find anything wrong; she had stuck to the design even as she couldn't remember the process. What a miracle, she thought.

Peering out the window, Leni saw the sun glaring in through the glass. It was time to get up.

She rose, not caring where her blanket fell and stumbled out into the hall. As she strutted across, she picked up various noises emitting from the other rooms. Leni couldn't help but wonder how late she stayed up sewing. Was it really so much that she overslept? It must have been.

Leni descended the stairs and noticed Lori on the couch, phone in hand. These days, her big sister never went too long without pulling it out. Sure, Lori was active on social media, however she preferred texting directly to those that make up her long contact list. As far as she was concerned, Lori practically had the whole school in that piece of plastic; Leni marveled at how many friends her big sister seemed to have. But there was one person Lori loved to text more than anyone (even Leni picked up on that).

"So..." Leni said teasingly. In the moment, she also decided to raise her eyebrows, "How's Bobby doing?"

Immediately, Lori's face popped to life. Her glowing eyes gazed up at her little sister.

"So he literally just sent me this pic. It's literally adorable," she said, presenting her open phone screen up. Normally, Leni wouldn't have dared peek at something so personal. Lori deserved privacy and she had no right to invade that. But here, she couldn't resist. After all, Lori was literally shoving her phone specifically at her. Perhaps in this case, a little sightseeing wouldn't hurt.

Leaning into the flashing phone screen, Leni saw a towering selfie of Bobby in a dressing room (judging by the decor, she assumed it was Moles). He had a bashful grin while he wore a loose-fitting green sweater. While not something she would use for the Fashion Show (not to mention his unkempt hair), Leni couldn't help but smile herself. Once again, Lori was right.

"Awww," Leni said, the corners her lips still tucked, "that's not just adorable. That's, like, totes adorable!"

"I know, right?" Lori replied. As she pulled the phone back, her fingers swiftly tapped at the keyboard, "I'm gonna tell him to buy it."

"You tell him!"

Only a foot away, Leni thought about how funny and cute it was that her big sister had found love. What had started as buying clothes together in Junior High really blossomed over the past few years. Lori had been texting Bobby since then, mainly as "friends". In the early years of high school, Lori had insisted on that label, nothing more. But deep down, it was really just a cartoonish facade. Leni had heard from Luna and Luan how they weren't falling for those useless defenses. At first, she wanted to believe Lori's word, that they were only friends. But over time, she started to notice her big sister get more involved, talking with her "friend" more frequently. Now, even Lori stopped pretending it was anything else.

"I'm going out with him later tonight. We're going to Jean Juan's," Lori said, her voice cracking from the excitement.

"Yay!" Leni exclaimed, Ducky arms up, "I wonder if he'll get down on one knee and hold out the ring thingy."

Even though she was still smiling, Lori raised an eyebrow. Leni couldn't quite grasp why. Did she really do something wrong already?

"It's too soon for that. Maybe some day," she said as she slowly gazed down at the photo. It was soft, making Leni think she was sad. Luckily, she quickly perked her face back up, "for now, though, we're just dating."

"Oh," Leni said.

Well that cleared up a lot of other questions. Now, Leni was left standing there with nothing new to say. Since Lori's eyes had reverted to her phone, it wasn't as awkward as it could have been. Still, Leni's face warmed up as she struggled to keep the conversation going. What else could she follow up on? Despite all her thinking, nothing came to mind. And since she just woke up, she hadn't had breakfast either. Yeah, that was an excuse to get out of her. Lori would understand.

As she walked away, Leni began to think about Lori and Bobby as a couple. That could keep her busy while she prepared a smoothie. She opened the fridge and pulled out some milk. Resting the full gallon on the counter, Leni instinctively went to the fruit cabinet and pulled out a bunch of strawberries and blueberries. She then dumped it all in her blender and turned it on. Leni casually looked with disinterested eyes at the swirling mixture and hearing its light roar.

Love was an interesting thing in Leni's eyes. There was her family, who she loved more than anything. There was also Helen, who she saw as her best friend (though not like Lori with Bobby). There was even the majority of those in the school; she had a solid understanding of a lot of their names and interests, while others got jumbled around (she once went up to a guy named Donald and said "Hi Dolan"). Leni liked lost of them. They were perfect, just like the rest of her family.

As for Lori and Bobby, though? That was a different, mushy type of love. It was the one Leni had seen on TV, written about in her fanfics, read countless articles about it. For her, romance was comparable to many other things. It was like the future, reading other people's minds, and meeting Rosy Cake in real life. It was little surprise to the others that she was interested in boys. Indeed, Leni wanted a boyfriend of her own, someone she could call "Boo Boo Bear". Maybe they'd go to the movies and she could make him a special sweater with his favorite things in it. They would both smile and say "I love you" until they fell asleep in each other's arms. Leni found that heartwarming and she would love to have it.

But at the same time, Leni saw the writing on the wall (it was in invisible ink, however she found it legible). She knew that no boy would ever say yes to someone like her. In her mind, her reputation had been tainted by years of being in speech therapy, sitting alone, and having unusual interests instead of forming bonds through more universal means. It's already been two years since she got out of her IEP, yet she doesn't feel different. She's just her, going through life with everything she was already comfortable with.

Leni pressed the power button, cutting the sound while leaving the smoothie to rest. She stared at the interesting purple drink as her arm reached out for a glass. Leni loved making smoothies. They were so sweet and creamy, they tasted way better than that bitter coffee her other sisters liked having each morning (she tried it once). What was wrong with having something she liked? In the moment, she just really liked the taste.

She poured it in and took a hearty sip. As usual, it was delicious. Sure, no one else used her smoothie machine, however that shouldn't matter(or at least, that's what she tried telling herself). In the moment, Leni liked the way she did things, even if they've only changed in minor ways.

And then there was school. Leni liked sitting in the front seat next to Lori (now a driver). She enjoyed seeing everything out the windshield as well as the side window; it was one fascinating sight after another. It was also nice having her big sister to talk to while she drove (Lori claimed the act was "boring"). Of course Lori wouldn't have found such a daunting task exciting when everything came to her easily.

In the back were Luna and Luan, the other two Loud students of Royal Woods High. Those two often talked amongst each other, preferring their proximity over the towering upholstery of the front seat.

Leni spent the drive thinking about the Fashion Show. Other members of the Club offered to serve as models and today they were supposed to try on her latest outfits (which were packed in the trunk). What was Carol gonna think of the blue dress she laid out? Sure it didn't look sophisticated, but it wasn't supposed to. The idea was that the dress was good enough for anyone to look in it. That made sense, right? And then there was Whitney, one of Lori's friends, who was gonna wear a special poncho that was not only practical, but fashionable as well. Whitney wouldn't mind wearing that burly garb over her shoulders. And the special dress (the one with the rainbow thread)? Out of all the models, she still hasn't decided who should wear it. There were plenty of options to choose from (Stephanie, Allison, Dana).

While they were all wonderful girls that could rock that outfit, Leni still was wrapped up in indecision. What if someone got upset that they wouldn't wear it? While that was certainly gonna be the case for any of the dresses this dress was especially unique with its rainbow-esque tapestry.

Glancing over at Lori, Leni remembered something. Lori was in the Fashion Club too. Sure, she didn't agree to be a model, but maybe Leni could change that with a little pep talk. Maybe once she gets her alone so that she can truly absorb all of the vibrant colors and nuanced stitches that Lori would agree to adorn it for the event. Of course, that only remained a narrow possibility.

"What about Helen?"

Helen. She hadn't thought about her fellow friend. Despite her best recruiting efforts, Leni couldn't get Helen to join the Fashion Club. When she asked her why, the girl tensed up and pensively shrugged. Leni figured that such an opportunity could encourage her friend to step up. She saw Helen standing on that stage, wearing the dress as the spotlights reflected upon it. Hundreds of people would be cheering for her, admiring her all in the name of a good cause.

Maybe that was her mission for the day. The only obstacle now is getting to the point in time.

Vanzilla rolled into the assigned parking spot and everyone got out. Each of the girls gave their farewells before each going off in their own directions. There was a special side door that Leni always liked to enter. It was a hike from the assigned parking spot, however such walking gave her more time to herself, to to continue that ongoing conversation with herself. In her head, she imagined Helen in front of her and she worked through her pitch. Wording was tough. Persuasion was an art Leni never got good at (she admired Lori for her gift in that department).

In addition to the walk, her preferred entrance led to a relatively secluded part of the school, where few students roamed in the morning. One of those few was Helen, who opted to hang out in a special corner waiting for her friend to come along. Leni smiled as she made her way down the familiar hall, eager to be reacquainted with Helen. On her way down, though, she noticed a boy emerge from one of the classrooms. Judging by that buzzed black hair, blue dress shirt, and round face, Leni had a sense of who he was. He was a face she had seen a lot in her classes. It was only polite to greet him.

"Hi Dolan!" she said, raising a stiff arm up. And just like that, the gesture got the boy to stop in front of her. Leni decided to slow her pace as well to take it all in. This had to be her chance.

"Oh, it's Donald," he said clumsily, his lips struggling to keep up.

Leni blushed. How could this have happened? This was a kid she saw every day, his face and name. But even with her mind trying to resolve the embarrassment, Donald remained standing there. Why was he looking at her like that?

"Oh...sorry, Donald. It's nice to see you Donald," Leni said, forcing a grin. She even chuckled a little in order to make it appear more natural. Although his face lightened up a little, it wasn't the 180 she was hoping for.

"You too, Leni."

And like that, he walked off without saying another word. Leni couldn't help but keep her feet planted and watch her fellow classmate walk off. She tried to piece together what he was thinking at that moment. Was he mad? Annoyed? Now that she put herself out there, Donald was probably gonna tell his friends all about his little encounter. She didn't want to be there for that hypothetical conversation. She blotted out the precise words they would have said, but their faces were live with mockery. Mixed with laughter and quiet contempt.

But even with that, Leni refocused. That was only a practice run, she told herself. Maybe there was a slight chance that someone other than herself can make a mistake from time to time. Perhaps it was gonna be alright. Leni needed all the confidence she needed to get through this. Helen needed this in order to put herself out there.

Lifting her feet off the ground, Leni continued her walk. Soon enough, she was around the corner and there was only one person sitting there in that tiny corridor.

"Hi Leni!" she heard.

Helen's face had transformed with the snap of a finger (even though she hadn't done that). Her jaw had dropped to form a cheerful grin. She even nudged herself over to give her friend a little extra space.

Leni took a deep breath, a relief from that minor episode. Maybe she was the one that needed the talk more than Helen did. There was plenty of time before the morning bell. She loved getting there early. But now it wasn't about her own feelings. It was time to get to the root of Helen's.

"Hey!" Leni replied as she made her way over and took a seat, "You'll never believe what I have for you!"