It was a beautiful Saturday morning in the town of Royal Woods, and Lola was lying in her bed asleep. Her alarm just went off, and she woke up immediately. She inhaled deeply and sighed as she opened the window.

"Good morning, day!" she smiled as she began to walk, but then accidentally stepped on her big toe. "Ow!" she yelled as she fell, but then got back up with her soar toe. "I stubbed my toe!" Lola whined, and then started crying. Then she whined again, "I stubbed my toe! I was walking around and I stubbed my toe!" Later on, she was in her closet, looking at all the identical pink formal dresses she had in stock. She grabbed one, but then the hanger ripped through the side. "D'oh, that was my favorite dress!" she whined and then cried again. Later on, she was at the table eating breakfast while listening to the radio.

"And that was Aja by Steely Dan," the DJ announced. "Next up is We The Kings with their hit, Sad Song."

The sad song began to play, and Lola began to cry again.

"That's a sad song!" she whined.

Mr. Grouse was in his house listening to Lola cry, and he was very annoyed, so he said, "That Lola is such a crybaby. Lucky me, I have to deal with her and all the other 10 in that house all day." Later that day, Lola was making herself a peanut butter sandwich for lunch.

Lincoln then entered abruptly, startling Lola, who dropped her utensils on the counter. "Lola, guess what?" he asked, causing Lola to drop her well done sandwich on the floor. "Yeah, I'll come back later," he said, walking back to his room.

Lola then picked up the sandwich with a spatula. "He was a good sandwich," she said, and then sniffed. "I didn't know him well, but in the few short seconds between the grill and the floor, I..." She then put it in the trash can and began to cry. "I came to love him!" she said sadly. Then she yelled, "It just isn't fair!" She then cried louder, causing Mr, Grouse to stomp into the house.

"Lola, will you stop crying?!" he asked, enraged.

"But the sandwich fell on the floor, and he..." Lola began.

"Sandwich nothing!" Mr. Grouse said in an unfriendly tone. Lola tried to speak again, and Mr. Grouse yelled very loudly, "SANDWICH NOTHING!" He panted heavily, and Lola whimpered with tears. "What now?"

"You yelled at me!" Lola said, stifled. Then she whined, "You yelled at me!" She then sobbed loudly, and that was when Mr. Grouse realized that yelling wasn't going to work.

"All right, look," Mr. Grouse said. "So far today, and it's not even 2:00 yet, you have cried 43 times."

"And you wrote that number on a chalkboard," Lola assumed.

"Yes!"

"Why?"

Mr. Grouse paused for a moment and said, "I have no idea."

"Oh, Mr. Grouse, there's no way I cry that much," Lola told him. "There's not that many tears in my brain."

"Au contraire," Mr. Grouse said, turning on the TV.

Lola then watches a video of herself crying throughout the years.

Once the video was done, Lola said, "Wow, guess I do cry a lot. I promise I won't cry anymore."

"Oh, nonsense!" Mr. Grouse said. "I bet you can't go the rest of the day without crying."

Lola then realized something. "Excuse me a minute." She went to the bathroom to call Lana because she knew she was going to hang out with her friends all day.

Lana answered Lola's call by saying, "Lana Loud speaking."

"Hey, Lana," Lola said.

"Hey, Lola!" Lana greeted. "Is it 7:30 already?"

"No, it's still afternoon," Lola told her.

"How can I help you?" Lana asked.

"Do you think that I could go the rest of the day without crying?" Lola asked.

"Well, of course you can!" Lana answered.

"Okay, great, thanks, Lana," Lola smiled.

"Um... sure," Lana responded. "And did you remember to put that package outside where I told you?"

"Yeah, but I left it in a different spot," Lola told her. "Just ask Cliff, he knows where it is."

"Oh, yeah," Lana laughed. "Hey, good one, sis. You almost had me there."

Lola chuckled, "Okay."

"Yeah, talk to you later."

"All right, see ya." Lola then hung up, then walked back to Mr. Grouse. "Okay, it's a bet."

Mr. Grouse shook Lola's hand and said, "Fine. If you cry one tear before midnight, you have too... wash my car, clean out my rain gutters, and do all my yard work for a year."

"Sounds fair to me," Lola smiled. "And if I make it to midnight without crying, you'll have to come to a slumber party at my place. Just you and me." With that, Mr. Grouse retched and swallowed. "What's the matter?" Lola suddenly asked.

"Nothing, I just threw up a little in my mouth." He then thought to himself, "No need to worry, Bud. You've outdone yourself. She'll be crying in 10 minutes." Later that evening, Mr. Grouse and Lola were outside.

"Thanks again for hanging out with me tonight, Mr. Grouse," Lola smiled.

"There's a first time for everything," Mr. Grouse said. Then he said, "Also, I'd like to win this bet as soon as possible." Then he chuckled devilishly.

After hearing that, Lola thought to herself, "I am not gonna cry. I am not gonna cry." Then she yelled, "I can do this!"

Mr. Grouse smiled, "Do what?" Then he saw something and gasped, "Oh my! What a lovely sunset. Take a look, Lola." Lola looked at the sunset and gasped. "Isn't that beautiful?"

"I've never seen such a beautiful sunset!" Lola smiled.

"Really tugs the heartstrings, doesn't it?"

Lola then gasped quietly, "It's..." Mr. Grouse then chuckled as Lola's eyes began to twinkle with water.

"Is that a tear I see?" Mr. Grouse asked. Then the sunset disappeared and Lola snapped out.

"Oh, well, sunset's over," Lola said as she and Mr. Grouse both walked inside the Loud House. "Nice of you to drop in, neighbor," Lola said as they were both in the house.

"Nice of you to have me, I..." Mr. Grouse began, but then saw something. "Oh, look, Lola," he said. "Cliff's sleeping."

Cliff was on a stack of newspapers sleeping, snoring and meowing.

Lola smiled with love, "Aw. He looks like an angel."

"That is just so adorable," Mr. Grouse said. "Almost makes you wanna cry."

Cliff began to drool in his sleep.

"Yeah..." Lola began, but then snapped out of it by saying, "No! There shall be no tears in this house tonight!" She then walked in by singing Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye by Steam. (You don't need to know why I came up with that part. Just stick with it. Anyway, back to the story.)

Then the mail came through the mail slot in the door.

"Oh, Lola," Mr. Grouse said.

"Yes?" Lola asked, who was pouring drinks.

"Your mail's here," Mr. Grouse said. "Oh, look, it's a postcard from your dear mother and father so far away."

Lola then turned around and said, "Mommy? Daddy?"

Mr. Grouse then read, "Dear Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lincoln, Lucy, Lana, Lola, Lisa, and Lily, we are having a wonderful time in New Zealand and we miss you very, very much."

Lola was teary eyed when she heard that, so she said, "Oh!" Then she snapped out of it and said, "My subscription to Pageant Winning Monthly's expired. Remind me to renew that, will you, Mr. Grouse?"

Mr. Grouse then said with spite, "No problem."

Later on, Lola and Mr. Grouse were watching the News.

"Welcome back to Royal Woods News," the TV announcer said. "Our top story tonight: a series of sad tales."

"Ooh, let's turn it up," Mr. Grouse said.

"Tragedy in the park when a young kitten caught in a tree and almost didn't get down."

Lola gasped and was getting ready to cry.

"However, he did get down," the TV announcer continued.

"Hooray!" Lola cheered.

"Coming up, an interview with a little boy who didn't get what he wanted for his birthday."

"Oh no," Lola said in a sad voice.

"And finally, sad news for Blarney fans."

Mr. Grouse excitedly turned up the volume.

"What?" Lola asked, scared.

"They will only be showing the Blarney show 7 times a day instead of 8."

Lola then changed the channel and said, "Let's watch something else Mr. Grouse, okay?"

"Fine!" Mr. Grouse sighed.

The channel then changed to a show where a dad was walking outside of his house for work while a kid played with his baseball in the yard.

The kid said, "Hey, Dad, how about a game of catch?" Then he threw the ball in front of his dad.

Then the dad said, "Sorry son, I'm late for work."

Then the kid said sadly, "Okay, Dad," as his dad threw the ball back at him.

Then the dad threw his brief case and said, "I guess I can stay for a few throws."

The kid then said with tears, "I love you, Dad."

The dad then said with tears as well, "I love you too, son."

The show then ended with the two happily playing catch, and Lola turned off the TV and madly threw it out of the window, and then walked back to the couch panting.

Lola then said to Mr. Grouse, "You know what they said about television. Rots the brain."

Lana then walked inside with the TV and said, "Hey, thanks for the TV, Lola! I'm gonna watch it all night!" She then ran up to the twins' bedroom just to watch her "brand new" TV. Lola and Mr. Grouse then stared at each other, and Mr. Grouse stared at the clock, which said 8:41, then spoke in his thoughts.

"It's getting late. I'd better bring out the big guns." Then he said out loud, "Oh, Lola."

"Yes, Mr. Grouse?" Lola asked.

"What would you say to a little music?" he asked, pulling out a cello.

Lola gasped with happiness, "I'd say... I'll go get some refreshments." Then she walked off.

"Don't be long," Mr. Grouse said. "My secret weapon is waiting." He then got out sheet music titled Hearts and Flowers. He then chuckled.

Lola came back with a tray of tea and asked, "You said something, Mr. Grouse?"

"Oh, I just said, Relax and enjoy the song." Then he started to play some sad music on the cello, and Lola went stifled, trying to fight back tears.

"That's a really sad song, Mr. Grouse," Lola commented.

"You're not gonna cry though, are you?" Mr. Grouse asked.

"No," Lola told him. Mr. Grouse growled, and then Lola looked at the clock and noticed it was already 9:00. "Time really does fly when you're having fun," Lola commented. "Well, I'd better start getting ready for bed." She then put the tray down.

"Lola, wait," Mr. Grouse said.

"Yes, Mr. Grouse?" Lola asked.

"How about a bedtime story?"

"Now you're talking!" Lola cheered. Later in the twins' room, Lana was fast asleep, and Lola was in her princess bed with Mr. Grouse. "Whatcha gonna read me, Mr. Grouse?" Lola asked.

"How about The Little Boy Who Got Lost?" Mr. Grouse asked.

"That sounds like a very sad story," Lola commented.

"Oh, very sad," Mr. Grouse said, opening the book. "There once was a little boy," he began. The book he was actually reading to Lola was the Jack and Jill story, but Lola didn't know how to read, so she was too uneducated to know that. Mr. Grouse continued by reading, "who was a little sad. One day the little sad boy was walking through the park." Lola began to chuckle with joy.

"Walking!" she said in a happy tone.

"But he was sad because he was lost, and very sad," Mr. Grouse continued. "And then he started to cry." With that, Lola began to choke up. "He cried, and he cried. And he even cried more," Mr. Grouse continued. Lola started to shake with sadness. "And he kept crying..." Mr. Grouse continued. Lola strained and forced back her tears. "And crying, and crying, and crying, and... that's right. You can do it!" Mr. Grouse was pressuring Lola to cry, so he wouldn't have to have a slumber party with her!

"I'm wondering if it might not be so healthy to hold in all my tears, Mr. Grouse," Lola told her neighbor.

"You're exactly right, Lola," Mr. Grouse told her. "Let it all out. Don't fight the feel..." He started to watch the second hand as it ticked closer to midnight. "Ten, nine... do it, do it, cry... eight, seven, six, five... come on!" The dam inside Lola's brain began to crack. "Four, three, two, one!" With that, tears rushed out of Lola's eyes. "Midnight!" Mr. Grouse sighed. With that, Lola's body turned wide. "Well Lola, it looks like you won the..." Mr. Grouse began. Before he could finish his sentence, Lola's eyes burst with tears.

All of Lola's crying woke Lana up, and once she was done, Lana commented, "Wow, what a great show!"

Lola's crying was even heard in Lincoln's room, so it woke him up too, and he said to Bun Bun, his stuffed bunny, "Well, at least we're still together, Bun Bun."

After all that, Lola and Mr. Grouse were in the living room again watching TV.

"More popcorn, Mr. Grouse?" Lola asked.

"No thanks," Mr. Grouse said, keeping it together.

Lola continued to eat her popcorn, and she said to her neighbor, "Don't be shy now. I made extra." With that, Mr. Grouse began to whimper, and Lola rubbed his shoulders and said, "That's all right, let it all out. You can cry all you want. You're among friends here."

Mr. Grouse then whimpered even harder, and then started bawling hysterically.

THE END!