A/N: Family highlights are set to continue as we progress towards the end of the first day, and into the land of tomorrow. But first, I'm gonna take a little detour.
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.
It didn't take long for Carol to reach the neighborhood where her house resided, with the Fairfax-styled structure situated at the end of a rounded cul-de-sac that was boarded by forest on the right side. Carol gave a content sigh as she turned onto the dead end and began to slow the car to a crawl. The apartment she shared with Lori may have been a home away from home, but it didn't beat the real deal. Not having to find a place to park every night because some dick stole the space you always parked in, not being awoken by the morning rush hour, hoping every time you stepped out the door you didn't get assaulted by cats or come for find out someone put a dent in your car...
That's what made living in a full sized house worth more than anything.
The woman started to frown as a bad memory began to surface. Someone performing a hit and run on her car was less than ideal, but stealing it on the other hand...
September, 2018
Carol arched her back as she let out a yawn. "I thought Rosa's food was supposed to make me LESS sleepy..."
"Should've drank some coffee while you ate." Lori replied, biting into her breakfast bagel.
Both women were dressed in their Fairway Golf Team uniforms, with Carol carrying a regular backpack and Lori a bag full of clubs.
Carol eyed her roommate with a small glare. "Well, I'd have slept just fine if you and Bobby weren't banging your bed against the wall..."
Lori had a faint blush form on her cheeks. "W-Well, I can't help it if he's just so..." She paused to try and find the right words to describe their passionate sessions.
"Trust me," Carol cut in. "I can hear. Every. Word..." She shuffled the bag strap on her shoulder. "It's no wonder Ms. Santiago caught you guys."
"In my defense," Lori began to refute as they started walking down the steps to the main entrance. "I already nearly screwed up our relationship once." She took another bite of her bagel. "I can't help it if I just want to show how much I value him as a boyfriend."
Carol glanced behind them to make sure they were alone, before addressing the Loud with, "By fucking every week?"
Lori's brows furrowed mid-chew as she started to grow irritated. "Oh stop. I could say the same about you sending nude pics to YOUR boyfriend."
Carol rolled her eyes. "At least it's not disturbing anyone else."
The duo reached the bottom step as Carol pushed out the door. Instinctively, the women paused to check for any groups of stray cats lying around; some had already been taken to various shelters, but there were still enough to cause trouble if let inside. Fortunately, none were around.
"And at the rate you two keep going at it," Carol continued as they exited the apartment building. "You'll wind up with a kid before we finish college."
Lori stuffed the rest of her bagel in her mouth. "Why do you think I kept those pills handy?"
"How long do you think it'll be before you forget to take 'em one day, then BAM." Carol smacked her hands together. "You find out your pregnant?" The Pingrey woman refuted.
"Ugh! Whatever!" Lori sighed as they turned the corner. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll rearrange my bed and try," She started slowing down as she focused on the scene ahead of them. "Keeping...quiet..."
Some 70 feet ahead, there was a person wearing dark, baggy clothes fiddling with the lock on the driver door to Carol's car. A hood obscured their head, so they couldn't identify the gender of whoever the person was.
Both women's eyes widened upon realizing what was going on, which immediately turned into hostile glares.
"HEY!" The duo shouted as they started running over.
In most cases, a crook caught in the act would've attempted to flee. This one however, seemed fully intent on trying to steal a ride for whatever reason. The person let out a swear before abandoning the key lock, opting to simply smash the driver side window open with their foot. It didn't give until after a couple hard kicks, which only served to piss Carol off even further as she bolted ahead of Lori. The criminal pushed the door lock down and opened the door, quickly ducking inside with half their body sticking out.
Taking that brief moment to bust the window was more than enough for Carol to reach the car and grab the crook by the hoodie. "Get out of my car!"
"Sorry bitch, but I need this ride!" The criminal shouted as they fought back, trying to stay in the seat while prying Carol's hands off.
During their struggle, one of their hands slipped along the panel for the door controls, including the one that unlocked all the doors. When Lori pulled up, she opened the front passenger door. Her bag got caught for a split second, making her abruptly toss it off before shoving the crook in the back and out the other side.
Carol stumbled back as the criminal tumbled out. Her grip on the hoodie didn't relent, which cause the top piece of clothing to slip off the unidentified person. Due to the sudden shift in weight, Carol nearly lost her footing a second time. Upon realizing she was holding an empty hoodie, she looked towards the crook, who apparently was a Caucasian woman who appeared to be in her mid 30s. She looked as if she had been living on the streets for a while, her brunette hair disheveled with a couple faded cuts on parts of her face. Carol was almost certain they may have been from past fights.
Although initially perturbed, one quick glance at the car made Carol angry. She dropped the hoodie while stalking towards the woman. "You're paying for my new window!"
"Who cares?!" The criminal sneered. "Not like you need it anyway-"
The woman was cut off when Lori grappled her from behind after she managed to get out the car. The would-be carjacker struggled in Lori's arms as the Loud tried to force her to the floor. Carol approached, fists clenched with the intent to release her anger on the lady's head, but the criminal thought quickly and jumped upwards. One of her legs swung and struck Carol in the jaw, making the blonde screech in pain as she stumbled back. Next, the brunette launched her head backwards, with her cranium smashing into Lori's nose.
"AAAGH!" Lori shut her eyes as she let go, bringing her hands up to tend do the bleeding sensory organ. She groaned in muffled pain as an eye reopened, only to see a fist just seconds away from impact. Lori only had time to tense her body before being struck hard enough to send her to the ground.
Smiling at her handiwork, the unnamed assailant turned just in time to see an enraged Carol with her fist cocked back and ready to launch. The woman managed to avoid the first hit, but she was then struck in the stomach, making her vulnerable to taking another hit to the mouth, chest, and forehead. Gritting her teeth, the criminal grabbed Carol's hand, yanking it down before elbowing her in the face. Carol grunted in pain as she stumbled backwards, with a hard kick to the stomach sending her off her feet.
"Ugh!" Carol winced, holding a hand over her gut. She felt a little nauseous as her food tried to resettle.
"All bark and no bite." The woman chuckled. "If you're smart, you'll stay down." She turned towards the car, stepping over Lori who was still in a daze. "Sides, I'm sure one of you got enough doe to get a new one."
"What makes you think," Carol groggily began to get up. "You have any right to take our stuff? Why not the bus?..."
The lady shrugged. "Got no money." Once at the door, she leaned down and pulled off the cover just under the base of the steering wheel. With several wires exposed, she grabbed a bundle and took out a small object from her pocket. One side flipped up, revealing a blade.
Carol shuffled her shoulders a little, the straps on her back suddenly becoming more apparent. Glancing at her bag, the blonde quickly formed an idea.
As the crook was about to cut a few wires, "Broke huh? Have some of MINE!" Carol's voice rang out. The woman still had her back turned to the Pingrey woman, which is why she was surprised when 50 lbs of books slammed into her upper back.
The woman groaned, pain sensors flaring up all across her spine. She looked to the side to see the backpack fall to the ground. Turning around, "Did you just-" The criminal had her breath cut short as Carol wrapped her fingers around the woman's throat.
Carol was glaring at her with near murderous intent as she slammed the woman's head repeatedly against the edge of the seat. The crook continued to gag, pushing up against Carol's face, who retaliated by biting at her fingers. Another shove to the chin made Carol release one hand, which she promptly used to smash the woman's eye. Before Carol could launch another blow, a glint of silver appeared in her vision before she felt stinging pain on her arm.
Carol hissed as she released the woman, lifting her injured arm to see what caused the damage. She went wide-eyed upon seeing her forearm was sliced open, the wound already starting to run red with blood. Making a quick glance at the criminal, Carol yelped as she jumped back as the knife was swung at her again. The brunette woman got to her feet and jumped at Carol with an enraged yell, forcing the Pingrey woman to duck and weave. Part of her shirt had gotten cut up in those close calls, but Carol managed to find an opening and grabbed the wrist of the hand welding the knife. The crook attempted to clock Carol in the head, but she blocked the blow with her free hand. During this time, the two were fumbling around in the street, fighting for control of the knife while Carol tried to keep the other hand restrained as the crook tried to free herself.
During the power struggle, Carol failed to notice the knife was getting closer to her stomach. Her blood started to run cold when she felt the tip poking into her skin.
The criminal grinned. "Should've kept your eye on the knife..." She began to apply more pressure, making Carol start to wince in pain as she felt her skin starting to tear at the spot.
PING!
Before the crook could thrust it in further, pain detonated on the side of the brunette woman's jaw as metal met flesh. The crook was thrown to the ground, knife clanging harmlessly at Carol's feet, who looked frozen at the realization of nearly having a knife in her stomach. The criminal spat out blood as she turned her head to see what hit her. Standing above her, was an angry Lori, nose bloody and eye blackened, with a driver in hand.
"I'm going to LITERALLY carve your face off..." The Loud spoke in a low, venomous tone.
"H-Hey, wait! I didn't-!" The brunette didn't get a chance to finish as Lori struck her again in the face, this time making sure it broke some teeth.
Carol flinched constantly as she heard Lori swing the golf club into her victim several more times, only glancing over when the Loud had stopped. Lori continued staring at the crook, the large blunt end of the driver now stained in blood. Carol dragged her feet as she came over to get a better look, only to grimace at the sight.
The lady's face was clearly cratered in a few spots, the jaw looked misaligned, the nose was definitely shattered, and one of the eyes was leaking blood.
"I-Is she dead?..." The Pingrey woman asked in surprise.
"No." Lori huffed, raising her club a little to inspect it. There was a sharp bend along the neck near the head. "But she'll wish she was when she wakes up. She fucking broke my favorite driver..." Turning to Carol, the Loud immediately drew her attention to Carol's arm, which was now coated in blood. She grew wide-eyed with a light jolt. "OH MY GOD! YOU'RE BLEEDING!"
Carol raised her arm. "It doesn't hurt that much."
"You sure? That looks kinda deep..."
Carol shook her head. "If it was, I'd be more concerned..." She dug into her pocket with her clean arm, pulling our her phone. "Also," She eyed Lori. "Why didn't you open up with that earlier?"
"Does it LOOK like I knew she had a freaking knife." Lori refuted, folding her arms.
To end that cautionary tale, the police got involved quickly and arrested the carjacker, who had to spend a week in the hospital due to her broken jaw, damaged eye socket, and broken nasal cavities. She would also have temporary blindness in her left eye. Both Lori and Carol had spent a couple days recuperating from the ordeal, and Carol had to get the window replaced and find a more secure parking spot. A parking garage down the street was an annoying grievance, but at least it was guarded 24/7.
Last they heard, the carjacker had been charged with attempted vehicle theft, assault with a deadly weapon (with aggravated assault as the main charge), and especially attempted homicide; Lori and Carol also learned the crook had a previous DUI incident that had resulted in her license being suspended. Even with someone like her off the streets, the golfers kept their clubs handy for the next week and a half.
"I still hate thinking about that..." She muttered to herself. She could still visualize that knife starting to force its way into her guts, and it wasn't hard to imagine what would've happened if Carol was alone at the time. The blonde shook her head. "Gah! Stop thinking about it Carol." She gripped the steering wheel harder. "Last thing you want is another panic attack while driving..."
Turning the wheel, Carol shifted gears until she backed the car onto the driveway. "Besides, you spent all that money getting the locks changed while getting a new bumper." She shut the engine off. "Still haven't figured out who did that."
She sat in silence, taking in the ambient noise of the wind rushing past the trees and the sound of birds singing. Carol slowly breathed out as she lied back in her seat. "I missed my neighborhood."
She didn't sit for long, knowing she had to empty the car of her luggage and unpack it. Pushing the door open, Carol kicked it shut before moving around to open the trunk. Like Lori, she only had one large suitcase containing about 2 weeks worth of clothes, her own PC, and some makeup. Both girls left all their golfing equipment at the apartment for obvious reasons.
Shutting the trunk, she slung her bag around her shoulder whilst pulling her suitcase down the path to the front door. While doing so, she fiddled with her set of keys. "Apartment, locker, golf club locker, golf ball locker..." Carol thumbed past a few other keys, a smile growing when she pinched one. "House."
As the tumbler moved, this caused an inhabitant of the house to stir. Black and white vision eyed the door from its spot on the couch, tail wagging slightly in curiosity. Upon seeing who opened the door, loud, cheerful barks filled the otherwise silent house. Carol flinched as soon as she heard them, the owner of which came running at her in the form of a small, 3 year old Pembroke Corgi.
"Max." Carol smiled, giggling even when the small dog grabbed at her leg in some vein attempt to climb up to her face. "Ok, ok. Come here." Letting go of the suitcase handle, she knelt down and picked up Max, who promptly started licking her face. "Hahaha!" Carol had to turn her head a little so she didn't end up getting spit on her eyes and nose. "I missed you too." The little dog stopped with his kisses after a few more licks, prompting Carol to put him down.
Leaving her stuff by the door, Carol went to the kitchen out of curiosity to see if anyone was home; Max followed his missing owner with excitement clear as day on his face. It was bare, but the blonde noticed Max's water and food dish was empty. Shaking her head, Carol walked up to a particular pantry door, opening it to reveal dog treats and other per-related products sitting on the shelves. She hummed as her hand wavered along the shelf, eventually settling on pulling out a medium-sized bag filled with Rachel Ray's brand for her type of dog.
Carol never met the woman, and was a little skeptical about what was in it. But it never bothered Max, so it settled her just fine. Max started barking loudly again as Carol came over with his food. "Max, Max." She spoke in a light, but stern voice. "Remember what I said about volume?" The dog kicked his mouth whilst panting. The teen smiled. "Good boy." She emptied the bag into the food bowl until it was full.
Max walked over and immediately started chowing down, with Carol petting him behind the ears as she took his water dish. Opening the fridge, she took out a bottle of water and carefully poured it into the bowl, then sat it next to Max as he continued eating. Feeling satisfied, Carol went back to the front door to retrieve her stuff. She paused upon hearing the floor boards upstairs creak, the familiar pattern of human footsteps moving about just above her.
"Well, someone's home. But it sure isn't Mom or Dad." A quick text when she hit a stoplight informed her they were glad she was back, but they were still at their jobs. "And Cassy is usually quiet..." Carol tapped her chin, a smirk growing once she figured out who it was.
Grabbing her suitcase, she hoisted it up a few feet so it didn't drag on the floor whilst moving up the stairs. Carol heaved a little at the awkward position, but tolerated it nonetheless. Once she got to the top steps, the blonde could hear a snarky laughter coming out of a room to her left; it sounded too deep and masculine to be her sister. Sitting her suitcase next to the wall, Carol creeped over to the open door, poking her head just past the door frame to look inside.
Conner was dressed in some regular day clothes, sitting at his desktop with a game visible on the screen. It looked like one of those gory ones she knew he played semi-frequently; Killing Floor 2 was it? Seeing a large, grey man with a chainsaw hand briefly make an appearance before its head was popped confirmed that. On top of that, Carol noticed he had his headphones plugged in and over his ears.
She rolled her eyes. "Explains why he didn't hear Max's barking." Carol muttered, placing her hands behind her back as she strolled in.
Conner had his tongue out, mashing the buttons on his keyboard as he continued to block and parry the Quarterpounds that littered the screen. It was on the last wave before the boss round, on the highest difficulty setting, and he was the only person still alive in the group of 4 random players. Being a Berserker, he had good innate survivability; but that depended wholly on how often he could minimize the damage he took. He had around 40 health due to a mistimed block, so he focused on running around til his health built back up; and to refill his eviscerator after recklessly using up the sawblades.
"Geez, is there any ammo packs around here?..." Conner muttered, the headphones blasting sound directly into his ears. He didn't even notice a prowling 19 year old coming up behind him, even when he should've felt the floor shift from the additional weight. He squinted his eyes when it looked like he could see something on the reflection of his monitor. At that moment, the soft touch of flesh fell on his head as someone wrapped their arms around him.
"NGH!" Conner flinched, stopping his movement for a moment. Unfortunately, a Fleshpound who was already pissed had caught up during the pause and happened to whack him with its most damaging move: a double-handed outward shove. Conner deflated as his character lifelessly went into ragdoll physics while tumbling down the street.
As Conner's eye twitched from staring at the screen, he felt his left ear being exposed to the open air as his headset was pulled a bit. "You really should stop getting so absorbed into your games bro."
Conner slowly turned his head to look behind him, with his face becoming a little red around his cheeks once it became clear what was sitting on his head.
"Carol."
"Yeeeees?" The older blonde drew out her response with a grin.
"GET YOUR FUN SACKS OFF ME!" The boy shouted out of embarrassment and anger, jumping around in his seat as Carol held him in place.
"Pfff, hahahaha!" Carol laughed, letting go of the fuming boy. "That's how you greet the sister you haven't seen in months?"
Conner folded his arms as he went back to staring at the screen, trying to not give her the satisfaction of seeing his ticked off face. "It's already bad enough I'm about eye-level with your chest when standing up. You don't have to make it a habit of crushing me with them..." He grabbed the mouse and clicked out of the match to return to the main menu. "And, you messed up my game."
Carol only held her smile as she folded her arms. "Well, at least I know what you look for in a girl." A giggle left her. "I can only imagine what Cristina will look like when she's fully grown." She leaned in a little. "Have you seen her mother?"
Conner's face developed a redder hue as those mental images started popping up in his head. He could already feel his pants start to feel uncomfortably tight around his groin, making him fold his legs. "S-Shut up..." Was all he could muster.
Carol rubbed his head. "Aw, don't be like that. You know I'm just messing with you."
Conner grumbled something Carol didn't quite get.
Raising a brow, "What was that?"
"Either you're taking advantage of me because you have a nice body, or you're secretly into me..." Conner stated plainly, making a small glance towards his sister.
Carol gave a dry laugh, then immediately chopped him on the head. The younger boy hissed as he soothed the sore spot on the center of his scalp. "You know it's not like that." She leaned a hand on the desk. "You're a growing boy, you'll notice things about girls; me and Mom already told you that last year. But girls will get uncomfortable if you stare at their assets for too long." Carol paused, glancing at the computer. "Same for guys." Looking towards her brother, "And I don't want you to end up becoming a perv that ruins his social life."
"Ok, one." Conner raised a finger. "I find it offensive you'd think I'd end up like that. Two," He continued rubbing his head. "I'm surprised you didn't break my head open with that chop." He finally removed his hand. His head still throbbed, but looking at his palm, at least there wasn't any blood. "And you nearly strangled a guy to death?"
Carol went silent, absently tapping her finger on the desk. There wasn't a day that she didn't remember that time she and Lori got hauled to the police station, that sense of dread that filled her being at the idea of being sent to prison. She had no regrets over nearly breaking Hank, or Hawk's (she didn't care to remember their names) neck; the Pingrey girl was certain Lori would've done far worse, since it was her siblings that were the most injured. But even so, wouldn't she still face charges like Lori said if she did manage to fulfil the deed?
On one hand, it couldn't be any worse than what those two brutes did. Assault was assault, and they could've very likely killed Lynn given what Carol heard from Lori. So, in a way, fair is fair...right?
Her mind switched to that incident that nearly resulted in her car being stolen. She could argue in that case her life was in immediate danger as the thief was obviously trying to slice her open. But what if Carol had managed to take the knife and do the same to the criminal? The blonde shook her head; that wouldn't have happened. If anything, the first thing she had in mind was to try and knock the weapon away. And even then, Lori could've killed the woman with the way that club struck her.
Six times no less.
"You still think about the time you almost got carjacked?" Conner stated, breaking Carol out of her thoughts.
"A little..." Carol gave a solemn reply.
Conner wouldn't lie that it disturbed him to the point he sometimes lie awake in his bed for hours, letting it sink in he could've woken up that morning hearing that his oldest sister was either dead or in the hospital. Cassandra shared similar sentiments; she may not have been open about it, but he could see the fear in her eyes.
"I guess it's different when you think about it, but..." Conner paused. "I didn't think you'd let this get to you. You had no problems nearly breaking a guy's neck, and-"
"It's different because he hurt someone I cared about." Carol cut in, eyeing her brother. "I didn't like the idea of losing my car, but getting cut open is...something else..."
"Yeah, I get that." Conner nodded. "But why didn't you beat her up the same way you and Lincoln's sister beat up those other guys? Would've made it easier."
Carol tapped a finger on the desk. "Have you seen me that angry before?"
Conner glanced to the side in thought. Giving a hum, "Yeeeee-no."
"And you're right: we should've just ran at her with golf clubs. But our first priority was to stop her from trying to steal our car. Anything else was just an afterthought..."
The two siblings sat in silence for a moment, the fan from Conner's desktop filling the void.
"Well, on the bright side, I doubt anyone will try that again." The younger brother spoke with some optimism. "You two are scary when you're together, you know that?"
Carol chortled. "Somewhat." Wanting to change the subject, "So, is Cassy in her box or she disappeared?"
"Went to a friend's house." Conner shrugged.
"Fair enough." Carol pushed herself away from the desk. "I gotta go finish unpacking."
Right as she turned to leave, Conner stood from his chair and hugged her. "Nice to have you back." He answered.
Carol smiled, returning the affection. "Same here."
A few hours later...
The doors of the cinema flew open as Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, and Sid exited out.
"And critics hated that movie? Did they watch the same thing we saw?" Sid asked, squinting her eyes to adjust to the late afternoon sun.
"I know right?" Lincoln added. "I was skeptical myself after seeing the reviews, but the audience score was near the roof. And Clyde and Conner texted me last week saying 'Bro, you really gotta check this out.' I know everyone said Endgame was great, but now I wonder which one will top the box office records."
"Moral of the story?" Ronalda smirked. "Critics can suck it."
Sid frowned. "I think that's a little unfair. Like, what about food critics? Game critics? Books?"
The tomboy rolled her eyes. "Ok, movie critics. Is that better?"
Sid laughed. "You're so easy to tease."
Ronnie made a dry chuckle. "Hah hah. At least Link here," She jerked a thumb at the boy. "Didn't spoil anything."
"Pfff." Lincoln feigned in a mocking tone. "What? You didn't trust me when I said I'd wait until you guys showed up?"
Ronnie grinned. "You have a bad history with spoilers dude."
Lincoln bit his cheek. "Ok, there was that one time with Dream Boat." Lincoln pointed a finger in the air for emphasis. "But in my defense, I didn't even know you walked in." He put his hands in his pockets. "Plus, it was literally hell on earth to see a Godzilla trailer since the day it came out."
"Annnnd, he did pay for those reclining seats." Sid added. "I'm actually jealous. We don't have those at theater back home."
"They refitted some of the rooms recently." Lincoln pointed out.
"Still, you know how to treat a couple of girls." Sid grinned, before sleazily elbowing Ronalda's arm. "You sure know how to pick 'em."
The Santiago girl chortled. "Oh stop." Lincoln smiled with a light blush on his face.
The Loud flinched when he felt his phone vibrate rhythmically in his pocket. Whipping it out, he raised a brow when he saw Lola's number on the screen.
Tapping the call button, "Hello?"
"LINCOLN!" Lola screeched over the receiver, making Lincoln recoil a bit as he pulled his head away. "Hurry up and get back here! Dinner arrived 10 MINUTES AGO!"
Rather than be intimidated by her attitude, it only served as a source of irritation for the middle child., as he deadpanned. "Calm down Lola. We didn't expect the movie to be that long." He pulled the phone from his ear and switched the voice communicator to speaker. "And you guys could've started without us."
A huff was heard on the line. "Well, we would have if Dad wasn't picky about everyone being present to eat. And would you really trust Lana not to take your share?"
Lincoln frowned. "Good point." He eyed the time on his phone. "Just give us a few." He hung up as the trio stopped at a crosswalk.
"Is she always that mean?" Sid asked.
Lincoln waved his hand. "Sort of. Lola's gotten a lot better than she used to be a couple years ago; but she's still the one Loud most addicted to pizza."
Ronalda's eyes opened up fully. "You guys ordered pizza?"
"Yep." Lincoln smiled. "Call it a celebratory deal since everyone's home for the moment."
"Well, she sure is loud." Sid stated, directing her attention forward. A moment later, her eyes widened a little. "Oh, is that why your last name is Loud?" She asked, looking back towards Lincoln.
The middle child shrugged. "I honestly don't know." He gave a wry grin. "Makes sense when you think about it."
"How so?" The Chang girl asked.
"Our neighbors don't like us very much due to all the noise we make; especially Luna."
"Did she consider that, I don't know, maybe she doesn't need 25 stereo speakers?" Ronnie quipped, tilting her head to the side as she took a moment to run a finger on the outside of her ear. "I still have some ringing in my ears from the last time she made the power go out."
"Annnd nearly all the windows in the house." Lincoln added, giving a light chuckle. "Leni was soooo mad." He looked towards Sid. "Speaking of which, what does your last name mean?"
Sid gave a nervous laugh as she gripped her arm. "Mine's kinda boring. According to my dad, my last name means 'Often'."
Ronalda smiled. "You can say you often have a cheery personality."
"And you often make bird calls." Lincoln joked.
"And you're often unpredictable." Ronnie giggled.
Sid began to laugh. "Alriiight. I guess it isn't so boring." She eyed Ronnie Anne. "What about you, bestie?"
Ronalda rubbed the back of her head. "Kind of a long story. I asked Mom about it and she said our name comes from Saint James, which is derived from Saint Diego. Apparently James is english for Diego, but basically, it means James the Greater, who is the patron saint of Spain."
Sid stared at Ronalda wide-eyed whilst Lincoln held a neutral look. "Really?!" She said in shock. "You hearing this Link? We got boring last names, but she gets the biblical one!"
Both Lincoln and Ronalda gave a hearty laugh. "What happened to not thinking your name was boring?" The Hispanic girl asked.
Sid folded her arms as she pouted. "That was before I asked what yours meant."
Ronnie patted her friend's shoulder. "Could be worse. I could've ended up with a name that literally means BIG HOUSE."
Lincoln tapped his chin. "Ronalda Anne, Big House?" He stated rhetorically with a slight grin to his face.
The tomboy couldn't help the chill that creeped up her spine as she gave a visible shiver. "Ewwugh...that has a bad ring to it."
"I dunno." Sid started. "Seems fitting that you technically live in a big house now."
"I doubt apartments count as houses." Ronalda replied, developing a sour look. "My current room still feels smaller than my old one..."
Sid couldn't argue. The Chang girl still had memories of the house her family lived in before they moved to the city. She digged her current abode, but if there was one thing she deeply missed, it was having carpeted floors. Sure, you'd have to vacuum them once a week, but it felt nice compared to the hardwood floors of their apartment. Lincoln couldn't help but feel a little envious. He knew how large her room was during his brief stay at Ronalda's house, and it felt much roomier compared to the converted closet he still had; it was starting to feel a little cramped now that he was getting taller.
"Maybe I can ask to take Leni's room if she decides to move out." The Loud thought to himself.
"Hey," Ronnie nudged the boy, making him raise a brow. "What kind of pizzas do you guys usually order?"
Lincoln hummed in thought. "Usually a mix of pepperoni, cheese, mushrooms, sausage, spinach (for me at least), pineapple, and olives. Sometimes they're single or mixed."
Ronalda grinned, rolling her shoulders. "In that case," Before the other two realized what she was doing, the Hispanic girl bolted away from them. "First one back gets dibs on all the good toppings!" She yelled as the distance between them increased.
Lincoln and Sid looked at each other for a second, sly grins taking shape as the fire of competition spread to them. It didn't take them long before they caught up to Ronnie Anne, ducking and dodging past people and random obstacles to reach the house.
At the end of the race, Sid managed to beat the rest by taking a shortcut through a couple backyards, and nearly getting bitten by a dog for her trespassing. Ronalda came up second feeling rather winded, and Lincoln showed up a minute later due to having been held up at an intersection. Ronnie conceded and wanted to honor the bet she placed, but Sid calmly waved it off, saying she didn't need the special treatment. Upon entering the house, the family was just about ready to start eating, but was forced to wait yet again when Lynn Sr. wanted to take a photo to savor the moment. In addition to Ronalda and Sid, Luna had invited another guest in the form of Sam; Luan wanted to ask Benny if he'd come over, but he was already having dinner with his family.
14 pizza boxes were arranged along the length of the dining room table, some having single toppings while others were mixed with at least two or three. There were also 6 2-liter bottles of various soft drinks.
"It's like a buffet from heaven..." Ronalda quipped, a small amount of drool leaking from her lips.
"If I'm dead, please don't resuscitate me." Lucy added.
Luna nudged the two girls. "Dudes, smile."
Everyone was in a large group around the table, giving a cheesy or genuine smile as Lynn Sr. set the camera. "Oookay, and..." He pressed the timer before running over and taking a spot next to Rita. Seconds later, a bright flash enveloped the room for a half second. "Annnd done!"
Lola sighed in relief. "Finally!" She grabbed her plate and immediately pulled off two pepperoni slices.
"Is this really necessary Dad?" Lori asked, looking towards her father. "It's not like I won't come visit after one semester."
"After that one incident with the car thief, you can never be certain." Lynn Sr. stated adamantly, picking the camera off its stand. "And besides, pictures are forever."
Lori opened her mouth as if to argue it was only a one-time thing, but decided not to after understanding what her father was getting at. Both her parents were near hysterical after she told them what happened, and her father in particular was willing to drive up there just to personally check on her. She assured them everything had been settled; aside from having to deal with the police again to give a statement about the incident. Great Lakes City crime rate was relatively low, but there were still those one off incidents. Putting those thoughts aside, the oldest sibling grabbed a plate and plucked a slice with spinach and olives.
Due to so many people in the house, the parents allowed the kids to spread out or eat in the living room.
"So, how was everyone's day?" Rita asked to those who sat at the table.
"Oh, it was fine." Lola started, in a sweetened voice that only Lana got different vibes from.
"Here we go." The young mechanic muttered to herself as she munched on a sausage pizza.
"Got a new dress Leni wanted me to try on, figured I could use it for my next pageant." The former princess then turned her head towards Leni as a glare formed. "If I can live long enough to use it!"
Leni frowned, knowing what the 8 year old was ranting about. "I said I was sorry..." She muttered, chewing a little slower than before.
"Sorry doesn't excuse the fact I felt my life flash before my eyes!" Lola refuted, grinding her teeth slightly. "AND, you made my hair almost get permanent wind streaks because you wouldn't put the windows up!"
"Lola, sweetie, calm down." Lynn Sr. pleaded. "I'm sure Leni had a good reason for the way she drove." He opened his mouth to take a bite of his own slice, but then paused as he realized something. "So, why were you driving fast Leni?"
Leni twiddled her fingers. "I heard Lori was home, and I couldn't wait to see her..." She hung her head in guilt.
"Dying to see her was more like it..." Lola grumbled, taking another bite out of her slice.
"Lola..." Rita chided with a frown before turning to Leni. "Leni, it's fine that you're happy to see your sister whenever she's around; but Lola does have a point. You need to drive safely at all times when you're on the road, and the DMV is still monitoring your driving habits..."
"And, we'd hate to see you wind up in an accident." Lynn Sr. added. "It was a bit of a hassle getting you a car, but you need to treat it with finesse."
"Finesse?" The assistant manager questioned.
"Dad's saying you need to treat your car with respect." Lana stated while still chewing her food. "It won't last long if you keep burning rubber on it."
Leni raised her hands to her cheeks in shock. "Oh my God! I didn't know cars had feelings!"
Lynn Sr. gave a hearty chuckle. "Not in the literal sense sweetie, but if you keep speeding around, you'll make the engine parts wear down quicker than you'd want. And, we just don't want you causing another accident." He scratched the back of his head. "The insurers are still iffy about letting us give you one."
Leni squinted an eye. "What are insurers again?"
"They're people who will pay for damages to the car if you get in an accident so you don't have to pay out of pocket." Rita replied, glancing towards her husband. "And didn't the insurance run out on Vanzilla a while back?"
The Loud patriarch sulked a little. "Yeah..."
As much as Lori wanted let her family continue their conversation, she wasn't in the mood to talk about cars while eating. "Soooo," She spoke up suddenly before anyone else could say anything. "Anyone else have a fun time?"
"Oooh yeah." Sam started, taking a pause to swallow her drink. "We finished getting our schedule lined up for our tour."
"We're gonna hit Beaverton, Huntington Oaks, annnnd..." Luna paused for dramatic effect. "We even managed to snag a few gigs in Detroit!"
"Detroit?" Rita began. Royal Woods was a moderately sized city not very far from the motor city, with the city centers of both areas being 40 miles apart; meaning, you'd hit the outer suburbs after about 30 minutes of driving. A pretty smooth drive, but if they were planning on doing concerts there... "How are you going to manage going back and forth?"
Luna waved her hand in a nonchalant manner. "Don't sweat it Ma. We already set up a couple rooms at a decent hotel." The musician took another bite out of her slice. "Had to do some digging to pick one that isn't a cash cow so we don't offset the costs too much. But the way I figure, it's a win-win."
"You guys get more cash for your trip, and our band gets some street cred." Sam added.
"Well, sounds like you two are goin' up there in the musical world." Lynn Sr. complimented. "But if you need a masterful cowbell handler," He pointed a thumb at himself. "You know who to call."
Luna chuckled. "We'll keep that in mind Pops."
Rita turned to her gothic daughter, who was characteristically quiet and brooding like usual. "How's your day been, Lucy?"
The raven-haired girl shrugged. "Usual. Business has been booming lately however." She sat her slice down. "This morning I had to hold 4 funerals for pets who lived long, fulfilling lives, and after I paid respects to Geo."
Lana sulked at the mention of their deceased hamster. "Mmmm..." She might have moved on from his death, but she still wished she hadn't let him out of his bubble...
"Sounds nice." Rita spoke with a hint of unsettled feelings in her stomach. Turning towards her oldest child, "So, Lori. How'd your semester go?"
Lori shrugged. "It was ok for the most part. I think I'm getting the hang of nailing hole-in-ones with the driver; though, I need to adjust my angle better." She paused to drink her soda. "On one game, I swore it was going to land in the hole, but the wind picked up at literally the worst possible moment, and the ball landed in a rough patch of grass."
"Guess nature hit the 'Nope' button on you, huh?" Luan chuckled.
Lori cracked a light smirk. "You could say that." Glancing at her comedian of a sister, "You still doing Funny Business?"
"Yep." Luan frowned a little. "Though I think it's best I avoid my clown costume for a while."
Lori raised a brow. "Why? Don't the kids love it?"
"Yeeaaaah." Luan started, pulling a piece of crust off before tossing it into her mouth. "But some of the parents had taken their kids to see It: Chapter Two, for who knows why. I don't get it, because we all saw what happened with Lincoln and Ronnie Anne back then. And because of that, it's made things a little difficult because I have to find other ways to entertain the kids." She smiled a little. "Ben's been a good help on that though. I didn't expect kids to be interested in theater."
Lynn Sr. gave a knowing smile. "Welp, if you put something shiny or goofy in front of a kid, they'll get a riot out of it." Rita giggled in agreement.
Roughly an hour after dinner started, things were winding down. Most of the pizzas were eaten, evidenced by the stack of boxes Lynn was smashing so Lincoln could stuff them into the recycle bin. Thankfully, there were very few dishes as most of the family used paper plates. At the end of dinner, Lynn Sr. and Rita had done a few calculations on how much money was saved for the trip, and theorized they'd have enough by the end of next week, to everyone's delight. Lincoln in particular was feeling glad, because he was starting to hate waking up before the sun did to do his route.
At least he didn't have to work tomorrow.
Once everything was cleaned up, Luan, Luna, and Sam bid the others farewell for the time being as they went to their respective houses. Luan however, left with a pouty face after being told by Rita to have no 'funny business' while she was at her boyfriend's house. Make no mistake, Luan had some inclination that something might go down between them if left alone, but she wouldn't hedge her bets.
"Still ruined the mood Mom..." The comedian thought to herself as she walked along with her sister and band mate. "Maybe I can ask Lori for advice."
Once dinner was finished, the rest of the family was getting ready to turn in; which meant there was the evening line for the bathroom if you planned on taking a shower. And Ronnie Anne had glumly made the mistake of not jumping in as soon as she had the chance.
"Ugh...it's just like at my apartment..." The Hispanic girl groaned, having a towel and some PJs over her shoulders.
"Believe me, it's much worse in the morning." Lana, who was next in line, stated in a calm voice.
"And before we acquired our second and third washrooms, it was far from ideal." A voice with a noticeable lisp spoke from behind.
Ronnie Anne turned to see the resident genius, holding a pouty Lily in her arms. The tomboy did a double take as her eyes widened a little. "I hadn't seen you all day. Were you even at dinner?"
Lisa nodded, pausing to readjust her glasses when the movement of her head made them slide down her nose an inch. "Affirmative. I was at the table with everyone else, but had not committed to the conversation due to being rather lacking in energy."
"Doing what?"
"Rebuilding some three-dimensionally-printed prosthetics for a few people who had lost their limbs in accidents." The 6 year old let out a yawn. "It took more time than I expected because the manufacturer had not installed important components to make them function as desired, making me build new pieces from scratch." She shifted Lily in grasp as she raised a hand, lifting her glasses to rub one of her tired eyes.
As she did so, Lily whined as she tried getting out of Lisa's grip. Her arms and legs were outstretched towards the floor, only to be jolted upwards as Lisa resettled her in her arms.
"Now isn't the time for your shenanigans Lily. I'm too tired for it..." Lisa chided the toddler.
"But I don't wanna take a bath!" Lily whined.
"It's for your continued good health." Lisa countered.
The irate blonde waved her hands in the air. "I'm clean!" She put them in front of Lisa's eyes. "See?"
Lisa didn't change from her deadpan look. "I can see specs of dirt from your fantasy adventure in our backyard."
Lily made an exasperated groan. She looked towards Lana, who was busy excavating her nose as she leaned against the wall. "Lana still likes dirt, right?" Her tongue stuck out in thought. "Yeah! She hates baths too! She can help me!" Lily waved her hand in the mechanic's direction. "Lana! Lana!"
Lana paused in her movement, pulling her finger out to glance at her youngest sister. "Hmm?"
"Am I clean enough to not take bath?"
Lana's eyes scanned the young blonde. She rubbed her chin as she hummed to herself, appearing deep in thought. Stepping up to the two, Lana took a whiff for verification. While Lily did look clean (and didn't smell odorous), Lana knew well enough that she still had some sweat or dirt particles on her person. Not to mention, Lily's hair looked a tad less bright than usual.
The young mechanic tried not to dawdle too long on her opinion, seeing that Lisa was beginning to bore a hole in her head with that disapproving glare.
"Sorry Lily, but you still gotta get in the tub like the rest of us."
Lily's pupils shrank as her best chance of avoiding bath time were dashed. "But I don't WANNA! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" She screamed at the end of her sentence. It was loud enough to echo around the hall, making the girls cringe from the noise.
A second after, the bathroom door opened to reveal Sid, whom was dressed in her pajamas but kept a towel wrapped around her hair. "What was that?"
Lana thumbed towards Lily. "Little Lily here doesn't want a bath, and she's being a drama queen about it." Turning towards her little sisters, "Hand her over Lisa." She ordered with her arms outstretched.
The young genius held her out. "Please..."
Lily squirmed harder in Lisa's grip. "Noooo! You can't make meeee!"
Just before the older siblings could make the exchange, the toddler leaned down and bit Lisa's fingers. The brunette hissed as she withdrew her hands, letting Lily fall to her butt before the youngest sibling began to haphazardly run to the opposite end of the hall.
She didn't get very far due to her short legs; Lana only needed to take a few long steps to catch her. "Oh no you don't!" The little plumber stated, trying to hoist Lily up.
"Nooo!" Lily cried out, digging her nails into the carpet.
Seeing she had little options, Lana decided to work with what she had and dragged the whining toddler back to the bathroom. Lily's fingers left marks along the floor, only stopping when she lost her grip as the carpet switched to tile. Lana shut the door before Lily could make another escape, leaving the three girls to stare at the hard wood.
"I'm guessing she does that a lot?" Ronalda asked, glancing at Lisa.
"Unfortunately..." Lisa began, inspecting her fingers. She frowned upon seeing small beads of blood forming on her index and middle finger. "I'm tempted to run an experiment to find the jaw strength of my younger sibling," She licked the wound in an attempt to force coagulation. "But I know she won't be cooperative, and I disavowed doing such things unless necessary."
"She must really hate baths to put up a fight like that." Sid commented. "Is she afraid of water?"
"Negative." Lisa rubbed her fingers together. "She just has rebellious tendencies."
The group heard the splashing of water, along with a muffled groan. "Stop acting like a brat Lily. I'm just getting behind your ears." Came Lana's muffled voice.
Ronalda made a small grin. "It's pretty funny that the filthiest girl in the house is lecturing someone about being clean."
"I believed I would have expired long before witnessing such an event." Lisa agreed.
"Aw, she couldn't have been that bad." Sid replied. "Like, what's the worst she could've done?"
"Considering past instances where Lana made objects out of waste for her birthday party, along with requiring our house to undergo fumigation due to her 'accidentally' bringing home termites," Lisa stated with some annoyance in her tone. "I assume it could've been far worse."
"I can hear everything you're saying you know..." Lana shouted, more than likely glaring at the door. "And I apologized for the termite issue!"
"Yes, you have." Lisa spoke evenly. "It's just a reminder."
"Don't make me give you a cleaning..." The young tomboy spoke in a low voice, making certain that she wasn't making an idle threat.
The two teens glanced at each other, then Lisa. The little prodigy was biting her cheek, though she maintained a stoic face. Ronnie Anne wasn't sure what Lana was like during her 'germaphobe' phase, though Lincoln said that just so much as sneezing near her would put her in a frenzy. Deciding to let things go, Sid walked back to their room, closing the door behind her. Ronnie Anne leaned against the wall, deciding to pass the time by browsing the internet on her phone. Lisa had her head tilted down slightly; Ronalda did a few quick peeks to see if the young girl was trying to sleep standing up.
All the while, the two continued to hear Lana struggling with Lily, who now sounded as if she was having her hair scrubbed. It would be a half hour later before the two finally emerged from the bathroom, as Lana proudly presented a still-ticked off Lily whom was dressed in her onesie. Ronalda took less than half that time to get herself scrubbed down. When she emerged from the bathroom, dressed in her own set of PJs as she dried her hair, the skater girl had to shake Lisa awake; the latter had finally succumbed to her fatigue.
After Lisa shut the door behind her, Ronalda walked down the hall. She didn't stop by her room however, instead opting to head towards the converted closet bedroom that was Lincoln's. Halfway there, she took the towel off, letting her long, black hair sway as it drifted down to her lower back. Upon reaching the door, the tomboy lightly rapped her knuckles on the wood.
"Yeah?" Lincoln called out.
Taking that as her cue, Ronnie Anne opened the door. She found the middle child sitting at his desk with his laptop and drawing tablet in front of him. Having taken his shower much earlier, he was already dressed in his usual orange PJs. The snow-haired boy sat up straighter upon seeing Ronnie Anne enter, with a noticeable red hue on his face.
Ronnie stared at him curiously. "What?"
Lincoln slowly turned back to his computer, his blush maintaining its level of redness. "I-I haven't seen you with your hair down like that in a w-while."
Ronnie Anne couldn't help the smile spreading on her face. "You think it looks cute?" She stepped in fully and shut the door behind her.
Lincoln turned at her as Ronalda stopped next to his chair. It was a rather dim in his room due to the only source of light being his desk lamp, but her hair gave off a shiny, dazzling appearance that made his eyes wander; likely due to it still being slightly damp. "It makes you look even more beautiful..." He spoke without thinking, and Ronalda felt her cheeks warm a little. "B-But what's the occasion?"
The Hispanic girl snorted before shoving her damp towel into Lincoln's face. "It's not like that Linky." She sat on his bed. "Just wanted to go over a few things."
Lincoln removed the towel from his face, doing his best to ignore that fact it still smelt like her. "I'm gonna guess that you finally got through to Lynn?"
Ronalda nodded, her smile dropping into a neutral stare. "It's almost hard to believe she still carries that guilt with her; but I get it now..."
Lincoln raised a brow. "Which is?..."
Staring at her boyfriend directly, "Did you know she feared you could've died the night you ran away?"
The middle child reflected back to the time Lucy had dragged a hesitant Lynn out onto the field to meet him during recess. She couldn't finish her apology before becoming a sobbing wreck on the ground, but Lincoln did remember her mentioning her regrets about wishing he'd never been born; that insult alone was part of the reason why he fled the house. Then, when they finally patched things up the next day, she didn't mention how afraid she was for him when he first disappeared; though, she didn't need to.
As such, this was news to him. "No." Lincoln shook his head. "I thought it might've been a reason why, but she never told me directly..."
"Welp," Ronnie Anne leaned back so her upper body was being supported by her arms. "That's one of the main issues she's been a headcase about lately." Idly kicking her feet. "She felt that because she could've killed you (indirectly or something), and she still feels at fault for causing everything to happen, she didn't want to get back into sports cause she thinks she might do the same mistakes again."
"We kept telling her that she won't." Lincoln replied. "I thought those talks with Clyde would've at least got that message through."
"Apparently, she forgets." Ronnie glanced at the door. "Or her confidence was just that low."
Lincoln let out a depressing sigh as he sank in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. "Is she at least doing better?"
"Yeah." Ronalda nodded. "She's actually willing to go and try things out slowly. Don't know how she's gonna do it, but it'd be a lie if I said I did take her word for it."
Lincoln raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
"I think it'd be better to press it onto her." The tomboy stated, sitting up straight. "Not bluntly, but you know, edge her into it?" Ronalda made a light shoving motion with her hands for emphasis. "She also said she believed everyone thought it was better for her to stay out of sports," She folded one of her legs on top of the other. "Even if she didn't like the idea and felt she was stuck in limbo."
Lincoln squinted an eye. "No one was stopping her from doing it..." He pulled himself up on his chair to sit squarely in the seat. "I get that she's afraid of being a girl with a giant ego again, but I know Lynn better than I used to, and she wouldn't go back to that." He scratched his head. "Maybe I just didn't try harder to help her..."
Ronnie Anne lightly nudged him with her foot. "Hey." The aspiring artist looked at her. "You did everything you could Lincoln. But we can't do everything for her. That whole bad luck incident messed with all of us differently, but we can't just force her into something she isn't comfortable with. You know that better than anyone." She bit her cheek. "I'm kinda surprised you're still the same old guy after everything you went through."
Lincoln smiled a little. "Well," He tilted his head towards her. "I did have help when I needed it the most."
Ronnie would have smiled in acknowledgment, but memories of seeing Lincoln so beaten up that night were at the forefront of her mind. She couldn't help but wonder if a different scenario played out than what was actual history. Lincoln appeared to catch on as his smile dropped. "What's wrong?" He asked.
Ronnie took a brief moment to breathe in before exhaling through her nose. "Sometimes I end up staying awake thinking about that night I saw you out there..." Her fingers gripped the bed sheets. "I wondered...what if I hadn't looked out the window and saw you? Or if I was a few seconds too early or late?" Her stomach squirmed under the nervousness that welled in her chest. "Chances are no one would've known anything about what happened until the next day, or days later when you might've been far away from here..." The tomboy bit her lip. "And because of that, I feel like a complete dunce for not realizing something big was going on when I noticed you had been wearing that suit for a week..."
"Ronalda..." Lincoln began, already knowing where the conversation was drifting. "I don't blame you for not noticing. It wasn't like the other mascots didn't wear their costumes 24/7."
"Yes, but I knew you enough that you wouldn't consider doing anything related to sports." Ronalda refuted. "That day Lola ranted at you over getting a B on her test, I asked Clyde if he noticed anything unusual about you. He didn't, aside from the suit and that you two hadn't hung out lately." Her brows furrowed. "Had I known you would've ended up the way you did when I found you outside, I would've taken it more seriously when you first told us how your family had been treating you..."
Lincoln sighed. "I know. It sounds crazy when you first hear it." He kicked his feet out before standing up, taking only two steps before plotting down next to Ronnie on the bed. "That's why I didn't really try to find anyone's help that week. I mean, not outside help, because I was looking for advice." He clarified. Clasping his hands together, "Back then, I was still surprised that my family would go that far on something that was easy to see through. I thought it was just some overextended punishment." He furrowed his brows. "A very, law-breaking punishment at that." He glanced at Ronnie Anne. "But I was trying to figure out if they still loved me at all."
"Lincoln." Santiago deadpanned at him. "They boarded up your room, and kicked you out. And threw your stuff away. And that's before you had to wear the suit. What could've happened if you hadn't come up with the idea to try and change their minds?..."
The Loud gave a slightly irritated groan, catching the Hispanic girl by surprise. "I don't...I don't know, ok? I just want to move past all of this and not have to worry anymore..."
The two sat in an uncomfortable silence. Ronalda was wondering if it was best to leave, feeling she might've accidentally poked a nerve. But Lincoln began to speak before she could move. "S-Sorry about that..." The boy sighed. "I'm not gonna lie and say I haven't thought about what could've happened. If I didn't come up with the idea to wear the suit, I might've stayed outside until someone noticed what was going on, landing my whole family in a world of trouble." He grimaced at the thought. Ronnie scooted a little closer to him, his eyes briefly meeting hers before he continued. "If I decided to give up the moment I told them the truth and they didn't believe me, I might've ran off and..." He shrugged. "I don't know what could've happened. Most likely, I would've just went to Clyde's or your house; or Rusty's, Liam's farm, or Zach's place until this all blew over." He gave a dry chuckle. "I might've even left to a different city and lived on the streets if I really wanted to be as far away from them as possible. taking odd jobs just to survive every day. It'd be crazy if, in doing so, I ended up the city you live in now."
Ronalda pursed her lips, tightly grasping his hand. "Don't joke about that Lincoln..." Lincoln was rather surprised by the pleading tone she gave. "That's not something you want to sleep on...myself included..." She muttered the last part.
"Sorry...again..." Lincoln replied, his shoulders sinking due to his own guilt. "What I'm saying is, I don't see the point in thinking about what could've happened because it didn't; and I prefer not to." His gaze began to take a more depressing turn. "Lynn isn't the only one who feared about someone dying..." A small chill went up his spine. "At least hers was just a dream. I nearly had to live mine..."
Ronnie gave a slow nod, knowing what he was referring to. Just a day after the those bullies were taken care of, Lincoln had confided in her about how he nearly lost his sister after they finally patched things up. You don't get any closer to that than watching your sibling one beat away from having a stopped heart. She would've comforted him better at the time, but Ronnie didn't want to risk giving Lincoln her own sickness. On the bright side, if you could call it that, she had plenty of chances to ease his nerves whenever he had nightmares over the ordeal.
"...You still get night terrors about that fight?..." She finally asked.
"...A little..." Lincoln admitted. "Haven't had one since a little over a week ago."
Ronnie gave a light huff through her nose. "...I ever tell you about my nightmares?"
Lincoln raised a brow, glancing in her direction. "No? I don't think so."
"They didn't happen very often; about once every two months." Ronalda started. "Not long after my dad died, my mom started having this..." She spat the next words as if she tasted acid. "Drinking problem..."
Lincoln's eyes widened in surprise. "Your mom? The same person who barely had a mean bone in her body?"
"Same one." The Hispanic girl nodded. "Dad dying hit all of us pretty hard. But Mom took it the worst...I knew why, but..." She sighed. "It was hard seeing her cope the way she did. I just closed up for a while, but she decided to drown herself in wine sometimes. I think she tried to hide it from me and Bobby, but sometimes I'd catch an empty bottle in the recycling." She paused to collect herself, with the Loud noticing visible tears sitting at the corners of her eyes. "Then, at some point, your mom found out and had taken the bottle from her. Mom got mad and tried to hit her; guess she had been hitting it so much that she could barely stand up right..." Lincoln stayed silent, still processing the past she brought forth. "Your mom was a big help for mine, but it still bothers me seeing Mom like that..." Looking towards Lincoln, "She reminded me of those moms who take their anger out of their kids for any little reason they could think of..." Looking away, "And for a while, I felt like my family was going to break apart completely..."
"...Guess both of us stood at the edge of that abyss, as Lucy might say." Lincoln finally spoke.
Ronalda deadpanned at him. "I wish you didn't say it like that, but..." She shrugged, taking a moment to dry her eyes. "Yeah."
"However," Lincoln placed an arm around her shoulder. "We managed to make it past all of that despite what could've happened. It wasn't easy, or enjoyable," He smiled a little. "But it might as well have been the best likely outcome after what we talked about."
Ronnie squinted her eyes in thought. "When you put it that way, I guess it is." She started to glower. "Still hate the fact we can't see each other regularly without needing to use a screen..." Folding her arms, "Last thing I want for us is to get obsessed with our phones like two other lovebirds we know."
Lincoln made a wry grin. "Would you start calling me boo-boo-bear if we did?"
The Hispanic girl smiled as she let out a chuckle, poking him on the nose. "Not on your life, Linky-Poo."
Lincoln stifled a laugh. "Whatever you say, Nie-Nie." His hand moved down a little towards the middle of her side. "After the last two years, I doubt we can't handle whatever comes next. Remember that time I almost got sent to Canada?"
Ronalda suppressed a giggle. "I know you're good with presentations, but I don't get how you wanting to change classes because you didn't back-check your writing turned into signing you up as some foreign exchange student."
"Yeah." Lincoln scratched the back of his head. "I think I accidentally outdid myself on that one; guess my presentation wowed Principal Ramierz that much. However, my parents nearly blew their tops when they found out; they even threatened to get the superintendent involved if she didn't take me off the program."
"I'd be more surprised if they went along with it." Ronalda stated. "How exactly would that have worked? Would you have to live up there the whole time or would it just be a very long trip back and forth getting there and to your house? Isn't there a ferry you'd have to take?"
Lincoln hummed in thought. As he did, he eyed the clock on his wall. It was almost 11; his body suddenly developed a mind of its own as it grew aware of how late it was, eliciting a yawn from the boy. "At this point, I'm too tired to think about it."
In response, Ronnie gave her own yawn. "Fair point. It's painful enough being three hours away." She arched her back a bit. "And I just remembered I woke up earlier than I normally would for that road trip..."
"Heh, I had to do my route today." Lincoln raised both arms as he stretched out. "Before we turn in, you got any ideas on what you wanna do tomorrow?"
Ronnie tapped her chin. "Hmmm..." Her eyes brightened as one idea came to mind. "Wanna go to Dairy Land? Been forever since I've went."
Lincoln shrugged. "I'm game. Sid might like it too." He developed a neutral face as one important fact came to mind. "Someone's gonna have to drive us though. Lori might, but I know she generally likes to chill for a couple days whenever she comes home; Leni has to work again; Luna and Luan might be too busy..."
"Your parents?" The tomboy inquired.
"Nah." Lincoln shook his head. "Dad's gotta run the restaurant, and Mom might go shopping in the morning." A smile formed as one person came to mind. "However, Lynn does have her learner's permit."
"Think she'll be up for it though?"
The Loud shrugged. "You said we needed to edge her into her passion. We can start by getting her to enjoy herself."
"Sounds game." Ronalda kicked her feet out, stretching her leg muscles.
Lincoln was about to get up to save the progress he made on his tablet, but Ronalda placed a hand on his shoulder. As he looked towards her, she had a sly grin on her face as she brought him in a little closer. Catching on, Lincoln grinned only seconds before their lips met. They held the kiss for a little longer than normal; towards the end, their lips moved against one another before they parted, leaving both teens a bit flustered with a very thin line of saliva between their mouths.
"Goodnight Linky." Ronalda spoke sweetly, getting off the bed whilst making sure to grab her clothes and towel.
"Goodnight." Lincoln replied, watching her with a goofy grin that matched the starry appearance in his eyes.
Once Ronnie Anne shut the door behind her, Lincoln broke out of his trance and shut down his computer. It was little moments like this that made her visits all the more sweeter. Turning off his desk lamp, the Loud climbed into bed, placing his hands on behind his head as he lie awake staring at the darkened ceiling; the blush on his face had abated, but not completely. In the performer's room, Sid was already knocked out when Ronnie stepped in. Honestly, she preferred that so Sid didn't pepper her with 20 questions a minute. As she pulled herself into bed, she too still had a blush on her face. When her head hit the pillow, one question ran through her mind that was the same thing Lincoln was asking himself.
"Did I feel his/her tongue?"
A/N: To make some clarification of the timeline here as to avoid confusion, in this AU, the Santiagos had moved out roughly a year after Worth began. Since Marcus died in November, their finances started to become problematic after a few months until they moved out near the end of Ronnie's 6th grade year. However, in this timeline, the school Lincoln and friends currently attend was being built around that same period, and had finished completion by the start of summer that year. This in turn led to some of the events in 'Schooled'; minus the bit with Canada because that second half was just riddled with stereotypes to prolong an episode LONG past when it should've ended.
That aside, a plan is set in motion for some fun activities the next day. Lynn might not be so keen on giving them a free ride, but it isn't like she has anything else to do.