Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.
An hour's worth of driving finally came to an end with the group finally arriving at the dairy-themed amusement park. Finding a parking space was slightly problematic; what with kids being out of school for the summer and parents finding any excuse to use their vacation time.
Lynn blew a strand of hair from her vision. "Can't believe all the good spots were taken..." She grumbled, shifting the gear into park.
Lola popped the door open, undoing her seatbelt before letting her legs hang out over the edge of the seat. "I still can't believe we ran into more traffic...MMMMM..." She hummed as she stretched her calves.
"Well, it's not the weekend." Lincoln stated as he popped his door open.
Lana undid her seatbelt and started undoing Lily's whilst Ronnie and Sid exited their row. As soon as Lily no longer felt the restraint of the booster seat, she jumped out before Lana could react.
"DAIRY LAND! DAIRY LAND! DAIRY LAND!" The toddler shouted as she ran towards the direction of the entrance with her arms reaching forward.
"Oh no you don't!" Lola shouted, grabbing Lily and hoisting her into the air. The toddler still held her arms out as she pumped her legs in spite of no longer having contact with the ground.
"But we're sooo cloooooose!" Lily whined in desperation.
"And we're not gonna risk you running around and getting lost." Lynn stated as she shut the driver door. A small, pink rope was in her hand. "Mom and Dad nearly grounded us all for 2 months because you sneaked off." Lily started to fume as she folded her arms. "Which is why, I brought THIS." She raised her hand, revealing it to be a baby leash.
The toddler glanced at Lynn, only to grow bug-eyed upon seeing the leash. She gripped Lola's wrists with her tiny hands and tried pushing herself out of her grasp. "NOOOO! LILY DON'T WANT DOGGY LEASH!"
"Lily, it's a baby leash." Lincoln pointed out as he came around the van. "There's a difference."
"Not really." Ronnie clarified. "Carlitos has to be tagged with one when Tía Frida goes out."
Lola winced as she felt Lily's nails digging into her skin. "Just put it on already!"
Lynn walked over, being careful not to apply too much force as she slid Lily's arms through the straps as the toddler tried to resist. Once she got the center strap around her midsection, she snapped the pin closed. "There." She let the rope out to its fullest extent, which was around 7 feet. Lily stared at the tall brunette a mean glare. "Hey, it's your fault you can't sit still." Lynn took Lily from Lola's hands, who gave a disgruntled look at the young girl as she inspected her wrists.
"Remind me to never teach her how to properly file her nails..." Lola muttered before rubbing her wrists to ease her pain.
"So, are we doing this thing or what?" Sid asked with a light smirk. "That park isn't gonna have fun by itself."
Ronnie shook her head in spite of the grin on her face. "That sounded so wrong." She started heading in the direction of the gates. "Let's go Lame-Os!"
Lana blitzed past the others, keeping a hand on her hat so it didn't fall off. "Last one there pays for lunch!"
"WHAT?!" Lola shouted before rushing after her twin. "YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A WALLET!"
Lily held her hands out in exasperation. "Why they get to run?"
"Cause," Lynn shifted Lily slightly so she sat on her forearm. "I actually trust they won't get lost." She turned to the other teens. "We're splitting the entry price, right?"
Lincoln held up his wallet, giving a slight wave. "Obviously." He put it back in his pocket. "What should we ride first?"
Sid stifled a laugh. "I think I know what Ronnie Anne would like to ride."
"What?" The tomboy replied as her curiosity rose. Seeing the mischievous grin on her best friend's face, the Santiago girl went wide-eyed as a chill ran up her spine, seemingly knowing what her eccentric bestie was up to. Ronnie quickly clamped her hand on Sid's mouth just as she was about to speak. "Finish that sentence, and I'll end you..." She glared at her.
Sid wasn't the least bit intimidated, seeing the blush that was forming on her friend's cheeks. Giving her a half-lidded look, "You know you want to." Came her muffled response.
Ronnie groaned. "You're just as bad as Nikki..." Deciding to answer the question herself. "I don't even know what we can ride anyways. Haven't been here in years."
"Well, if you're planning on riding the Milk Shaker," Lynn stated, spotting the twins ahead at the back end of a small line. "It's history now."
Ronalda's jaw fell open. "What?!" She dropped her hands, releasing Sid in the process. "Since when?!"
"Since people were finally disgusted at the idea of getting hit with their own vomit." Lincoln stated, shrugging a bit. "It's not a big loss since they replaced with a newer and cooler ride."
"Yeck..." Sid cringed. "Whose idea was it to design a ride like that?"
"Someone whose probably fired I bet." Lynn answered as the teens caught up with the twins.
Since their group wasn't big enough to qualify for a group pass, that meant the overall price for a day ran up close to $70; the price being a bit lower due to the twins' and Lily's age. The teens had no problem spreading it four different ways, so they at least had some cash left over for food when lunch time rolled around. Once they got through the gates, Sid pulled out a map she snagged from a nearby stand. After undoing the folds, the map itself was about a quarter of her size.
The hyperactive girl pulled the map closer to her face so she could read it better. "Soooo, who wants to put it to a vote on where we should go first?"
"Bumper cars!" Lana shouted with her hands raised.
Lola shook her head. "Nah. I prefer the track." She thumbed in the direction where the Go-Kart area was.
"Fun games!" Lily suggested.
"Can't that wait? I wanna try out some of the new coasters." Ronalda chimed in.
"I'd agree." Lincoln started. "But most of the rides you want to get on, they'll be too small for." He thumbed to the twins and Lily.
"Says the guy who took Lana onto the Milk Shaker years ago." The tomboy pointed out.
"That was then, this is now." The only boy of the group smirked. "Plus, they weren't as restrictive about the height requirements until they 'updated' it last year."
Ronalda folded her arms. "Well, that bites..." She eyed her bestie and Lynn. "What about you guys?"
Sid only shrugged. "I haven't been here in a while, so I'm game for anything."
"You 'invited' me to come here, so whatevs." Lynn stated.
"So we got one for the coasters, one for the bumper cars, and go-karts, and the fair area. Hmmm..." Lincoln rubbed his chin in thought.
"Rock, paper, scissors for it?" Lana suggested, raising a fist.
Lola rolled her eyes. "Last thing we need is a-"
"We can do the karts first, then the bumper cars." Lincoln suggested, making Lola form a smug grin whilst Lana and Lily pouted.
"Mmmmmmm..." Lily fumed as she folded her arms.
"Oh relax." Lynn shook the toddler soothingly. "You'll get your chance later."
Ronnie gave a shrug. "Fine by me." A smirk spread across her lips. "At least I get to crush you guys in a race."
Lola stared at Ronnie with a wide-eyed glare, as if she was personally offended by that remark. "Oh, we'll see about that..."
Sid waved her hand dismissively. "Pfff, I'm way better at driving than you guys."
Ronalda tilted her head towards her bestie, feeling even more amused. "Oh, are you now?"
"Heh, worms. We both know you could drive circles around them." Lynn's eyes widened a bit before she silently cursed herself. She really hoped she wouldn't hear that voice today; but apparently whatever god that was up there seemed to have a personal vendetta against her.
"Shut up..." Lynn mumbled.
"You have a license after all. The only thing that would make this suck is if the track doesn't allow any passing." Lynn was inclined to agree with her inner voice, but she was also secretly hoping it was a singular track. The Loud didn't doubt her driving skills, but she felt nervous at the prospect of coming out at first place. She didn't want to brag or boast about a small victory like she had in the past.
"Why was I so competitive anyway? I even turned folding laundry into basketball..." The brunette mulled internally.
"Oh shut up. You enjoyed it, because it was fun. Everyone deserves to know who Number 1 is." Inner Lynn replied.
"At the expense of looking like an asshole...which is EXACTLY how I looked whenever I won a freaking board game..." The former jock refuted.
"Lynnnn." Lily patted the teen on the cheek.
Lynn jolted in surprise before focusing on the toddler. Lily pointed to their group, which was now 15 feet away. Mentally kicking herself, Lynn held Lily a little tighter as she ran to catch up with them.
To the teen's dismay, the track wasn't what she hoped for. No offense to the track itself, which was sufficiently long to keep park customers entertained as well as being wide enough to allow for passing. It wasn't too long, as you'd pass by the starting point in under a minute; but there were 5 laps at best before the track manager decided to finish the race. Most of the group picked a single-seat kart; Lynn was the only one to get a two-seater due to carrying precious cargo.
"Get ready to eat my dust, losers!" Lola shouted to the other competitors.
"Get real Lola. You're gonna eat my dust!" Lana shouted from the second row.
"Hah, I'm taking home the gold today." Lincoln stated as if it were fact.
"You'll make a good keeper for my medal, that is." Ronnie refuted.
Sid sent a snarky look towards her. "Don't you mean, my trophy?"
However, it seemed one of the other park-goers didn't understand the friendly banter going on between the kids. "You do know this isn't a real race, right?"
Everyone else looked towards the person with a dull stare. "We know." Was the collective response.
Lily tugged at her seatbelt. "Do you think we'll win Lynn?"
Lynn gripped her steering wheel a little firmer. Her real intention wasn't to win, but she didn't want to crush Lily's spirits. She gave a warm smile, which was the opposite of how she was really feeling. "We'll see."
Once all of the customers were seated, the track manager began the countdown sequence. "Three!" Some of the kids were already revving their engines. "Two!" Lola brushed her hands together whilst Lana cracked her knuckles. "One!" Lily stuck her tongue as she gripped her steering wheel, even though she knew Lynn would be doing the driving. "Go!"
At the signal, all of the karts began speeding down the track, with those at the front just barely keeping their lead. "Is there really a point to this? I mean, all of the carts are built the same; with maybe one or two that go a little faster?" Lynn thought to herself, swerving past a single rider who was moving slower than the pack.
"Talk like that won't get you anywhere! Punch it!" Lynn's inner voice commanded.
The brunette narrowed her eyes. "I'm tempted not to..." She muttered to herself.
Lily giggled excitedly as she bounced in her seat. "Faster Lynn! Faster!"
Lynn looked at her youngest sibling. Seeing her all excited and energetic was starting to rub off on Lynn, as the teen couldn't help the smile forming on her lips. Giving a small chuckle, "Alright. Hang on to your seat." She pressed further on the gas and the kart sped forward, passing a few more strangers she could care less about.
"See? Even Lily agrees with me." Inner Lynn responded in a snarky tone.
"Oh shove it. I'm doing this for her, not you." The former athlete pointed out as they caught up with their group.
Lincoln managed to edge out in front of Ronnie Anne during a turn whereas the twins were fighting for the next spot behind them; she could already hear them throwing insults at each other even over the rattling of the engine. Looking further ahead, Lynn nearly let her jaw drop when she noticed Sid was at least a couple turns ahead of everyone else. "How'd she-"
"We're gaining on them!" Lily cheered.
True to her word, Lynn could now hear the twins' bickering more clearly. "Out of the way, mud breath!"
"Make me, frilly princess!"
Lola growled before slamming on the accelerator, making her kart jerk forward rapidly. The metal guard surrounding her cart slammed to the back of Lana's, making the older twin's hat jerk down and obscure her vision. Lana was forced to slow down as she readjusted her hat, to which Lola wholly used to her benefit. She made a slight turn to the left, proceeding to pass her sister. "Haha!" The pageant winner pointed at her twin, who just happened to finish repositioning her cap.
"Grrr!" Lana pulled to the right slightly before swinging back to the left, hitting Lola's cart.
"Hey!" Lola shouted as she steadied herself. "This isn't bumper cars!"
"You started it!"
"Yeah, well I'll finish it!"
Both twins pulled away from each other before turning to make contact again.
CLANG!
The sound echoed around as the karts collided with each other. Neither twin was willing to give up their spot as they kept the wheels turned towards each other, trying to force the other onto the side railing. They pulled away from each other once more before turning back again, only to be stopped when a third cart got in between them. Lynn and Lily were shaken a little when both karts hit their sides, before the teen turned her aggression towards the feuding twins.
"Both of you, knock it off! If you wanna bump each other, save it for the next ride!" She pulled ahead of them, with the twins sulking in their seats with slight irate frowns on their faces after being grilled by their older sister. Before they could focus back on the track, Lynn slowed down to get in between them again. "Also, you're gonna get kicked out if you keep driving like that." Their older sibling stated before driving off again, with Lily giving a small wave as she did.
Lynn and Lily soon caught up with Lincoln and Ronnie Anne, whom were much more tame in their bantering than the twins.
"If I come in before you, you owe me a funnel cake." Lincoln taunted.
"Oh please. You're gonna owe me half a pound of cotton candy." Ronalda grinned before flooring her accelerator again. She didn't gain much of a lead ahead of the Loud boy.
Lincoln let out a cackle. "Come on grandma, I thought you were trying to win."
"Grandma?" Ronalda looked at him with faux hurt. "I'm not the one with already white hair." She looked ahead of her, only to panic slightly when she realized they were already in a turn. The tomboy stuck the wheel to the right, letting off the gas as she nearly hit the side railing.
"You drive like one!" Lincoln fired out as he passed her.
"Get back here!" Ronalda shouted as she regained some speed.
The two lingered closely behind them for much of the race, only managing to gain ground on a few turns until they were just about neck and neck with them. Everyone seemed to be having fun; Lincoln and Ronnie managed to catch up with Sid, who promptly criticized their driving skills by calling them 'mega tortoises'; the twins continued to bicker but kept a lid on their road rage, fearing Lynn's warning of being barred from the track to be legit; Lily had her hands in the air to catch the wind as it whipped her hair into a frenzy. Lynn on the other hand, was feeling like she wasted a good few minutes of her life. Granted, the first two laps were enjoyable to a degree, watching Lily attempt to copy the others by throwing some cutesy insults at them; calling everyone else a one-armed booger monster was admittingly funny.
But driving on the same road for any longer than 3 minutes made Lynn start to feel bored. And the constant popping of the engine behind her was starting to cause a migraine.
"Three laps is enough for this place..." She muttered, now only having one hand on the wheel while the other supported her head by propping it up at the cheek.
"Alright racers! Last lap comin' in! Better pick your spots now so you don't end up dead last!" The track manager announced over the speakers.
Lynn sighed. "Finally..." She stepped on the gas as they completed another turn.
Out in front, Lincoln, Ronnie, and Sid were at a dead heat. Lynn felt Lily grip her arm, prompting the teen to glance at her. "Almost there! Almost there!" The toddler cheered.
Lynn chortled as the kart did its best to catch up, the engine sputtering a bit as more gas poured into the carburetor. Soon, they matched the other carts by taking up the lone spot by the right railing.
One more turn and the finish line was just 800ft away.
"Last one to cross the finish line buys lunch!" Sid shouted, egging on her competition.
"What?" Ronnie glared at her. "None of us have enough to get lunch for everyone, especially after we bought the tickets!"
Sid sent her a cheesy grin. "Awww, come on! Where's your competitive spirit?"
"About to leave you both behind." Lincoln chimed in as he inched ahead.
"Heh, I got money, but you guys are on your own for lunch." Lynn stated as she began to edge out ahead.
"Byeeeeee!" Lily waved at the teens.
As the group came around the turn, Lynn and Lily found themselves slightly further ahead as they happened to be on the side that held the shortest curve. The finish line was dead ahead; beyond that, the track was closed off to make the go-karters turn into the pit area where the unused karts were parked, along with others awaiting their turn.
"This is it! You can show these losers who the REAL winner is! They deserve to earn the chance to bask in our glory!" Lynn lost her smile when she heard her inner voice say that. "I can see it now. Lynn Loud: #1 Pro Go-kart champion!"
Lynn started to grip the wheel tighter as she let off the accelerator. "Don't you have an off switch?..."
"Suck it up wimp. What's a little gloating going to hurt? Sides, those chumps behind us deserve to know their place." The demon rebuked.
Lynn's left eye started to twitch as the finish line grew closer. "Those 'chumps', are my siblings and friends, bitch..." She fired back with a peeved expression now adorning her face.
"It's not like we need them. Stinkoln sucks at everything, pageants aren't a real sport, I'm still ashamed Lana doesn't even do sports and prefers to tinker around with junk, I doubt Lily will get into sports either." There was a brief pause. "Actually, with a little training, maybe we could mold her into-"
The voice was silenced as Lynn slammed on the brakes, making both girls jerk forward until the kart stopped; ironically, they stopped just a few inches short of the finish line. A second later, Ronnie and Sid crossed the line in a tie with Lincoln following a half-second later.
"Woah woah woah! What the flipping hell?!" The demon ranted. "What'd you do that for?!"
Lynn huffed through her nose. "Winning doesn't mean squat if YOU get to gloat..."
"Geez, you're so lame. You threw away an easy win for nothing! An EASY win girl..."
"Lynn?" The teen glanced at her passenger, who had a concerned look on her face. "You ok?" Lily tilted her head in curiosity.
"Yeah." Lynn sat up straight. "Sorry, I uh..." She paused, thinking up a fib on the fly. "Accidentally stepped on the brake when I wanted to go faster."
"Oh..." Lily replied, sulking in her seat. "We could've won though..."
Lynn immediately had a pit form in her gut, having just lied to her baby sister. She didn't do it often, viewing it to be distasteful due to the young girl being very impressionable; but Lynn felt it was better that Lily didn't know she still had her inner turmoil, and did a good job keeping that hidden from her for months. There were just some things that little kids shouldn't have to worry or think about.
Like her brother had...
"Hey." The teen place a hand lightly on the toddler's head. "Winning isn't everything. Trust me on that."
Lily leaned into Lynn's touch, but she still felt bummed out. "I guess so..."
Lynn pursed her lips slightly before speaking. "There's still bumper cars after this, and you get to crash into people as many times as you want."
That got Lily's attention, seeing a cute smile replacing her frown. "Can we bump them out the ring?"
The brunette chortled. "Not exactly."
"WATCH OUT!"
BANG!
Both girls were jolted forward as another kart slammed into them from behind. A heated glare filled Lynn's face before she leaned past the back of her seat to see who hit them; it softened a bit when it turned out to be Lana.
"Sorry! Couldn't stop in time."
Another motor was heard before another kart sped past them. "Why are you even sitting in the middle of the track?!" Lola shouted when she passed by before turning into the pit.
Lynn gave a quiet sigh before stepping on the gas, driving into the pit in a few seconds. Lana followed after a moment; turns out she hit them hard enough to disrupt the combustion process of the engine and cause it to shut down, which required an employee to restart it.
Having finished one activity off their list, as promised, the group visited the bumper cars next. Like all attractions of the same name, it simply consisted of a pit filled with small cars surrounded by large, rubber bumpers at the edges to absorb potential impacts. Since the park grew over the last two years, there were two bumper car attractions; the one the Louds were familiar with had the cars shaped like cows. The new one, which was where the group was at currently, tried something a little different. Humorously, keeping with the theme of Dairy Land, the cars were skinned as flavored milk cartons. Unlike the previous ride though, Lynn decided not to join but rather watch from the side.
She made the excuse that she wanted to stretch her legs after sitting in the 'cramped' karts for five minutes. In reality, the words her inner voice said were still bothering her. She didn't want to be confrontational on a ride that was effectively the point of the enjoyment, lest she end up going crazy and try bumping every car over the protective barrier.
Ok, maybe not to that extent. But she doubted she could focus enough on driving right now and would just get frustrated and end up doing something she'd regret.
"I'm not ready for this..." Lynn mulled to herself. "If I thought winning on a go-kart track was gonna make me go overboard, being in there and listening to this bitch yammering about 'winning' would definitely make me lose it..." She furrowed her brows. "There's isn't even anything to 'win' with bumper cars; you're just ramming into people."
Lynn watched as her friends and siblings drove around. Sid seemed to be tied up dealing a few kids trying to box her in; Ronnie Anne got sideswiped by Lincoln, who was now being chased by the irate Latina; and the twins and Lily were easy to spot. Since Lynn wouldn't join, Lily rode with Lola, who clearly had Lana dead to rights. She brushed off any other kid or teen to reach her target, then continued to chase Lana around the pit with the young mechanic retaliating when the opportunity presented itself. Initially, Lynn raised a brow at this behavior; she then surmised it probably had something to do with Lola coming in behind the rest of them at the track. Lily didn't mind at all, going into a fit of giggles every time Lola rammed someone.
Lynn bit her cheek as she watched Ronnie Anne bump away a kid who kept chasing Sid. "It does look like fun though..." She rested her head on one of her palms. "Man, why did I say no?...Lucy said to have fun, but I'm sitting here like a dried up stick because I'm too afraid to just enjoy myself. And I WAS until whatsherface decided to ruin my good mood..." She winced upon watching Lana and Lincoln bump into each other pretty hard. She could've swore they would've been flung from their seats if not for the seatbelts. "On second thought, not having pelvic or spinal damage is a good idea."
Soon enough, the pit manager called an end to the fun. All of the customers began exiting their cars whilst the next group started to enter.
Lana came out holding her head. "Hahaha, that was so much fun." She shook her cranium before raising both hands in the air. "Let's do it again!"
"You can if you want." Lincoln replied, a hand over his chest. "That last hit nearly did me in."
"Seconded." Sid added as she walked out, gingerly rubbing her side. "Why was I getting targeted?"
"Shouting "I'm gonna run everyone out of the pit" is a good way to put a target on your back." Ronalda stated, having a hand on her head. "Geez, I got T-Boned twice in there..."
Lincoln made a wry smirk. "Guilty." His response earned him an annoyed glance from his girlfriend.
Lola exited with Lily in hand. "Ah. Revenge, has been served."
Lana rolled her eyes. "Next time, don't drive like Gran-Gran and I wouldn't have passed you."
The younger twin glared at her roommate. "Says the girl who flung her hat at me!"
Lana put her hands on her hips. "I told you, it flew off!"
"If you two are done yapping," Lynn called to them as she walked over, getting the group's attention. "What else do ya wanna hit next?"
"Welp, the small stuff is done." Ronnie started, arching her back slightly. "But now, I think it's time we find some bigger entertainment."
Lola gazed at her with a lack of surprise. "You mean the roller coasters?"
"Uh, yeah?" Ronalda folded her arms. "What's the point of coming here if we can't ride a coaster or two?"
"Well count me out." The pageant winner waved her hand dismissively. "Not a fan of getting my hair wind whipped." She ran a few fingers through her long locks.
"I'd go," Lana rubbed her forehead. "But all that twisting and turning is gonna make my headache worse."
"I wanna go." Lily spoke.
Ronnie made a soft smile. "Sorry Lily, but the kind of rides I wanna try, you're too short for."
Lily frowned before crossing her arms. "Mmmmmm..."
Lynn eyed her brother and Sid. "I'm guessing you two wanna go on coasters too?"
Lincoln shrugged. "I'm up for it. Been wanting to try that new ride they released a few months ago." He pointed into the sky with a smile. "AKA, the Milk Shaker's replacement."
Sid raised a brow. "You mean The Mad Cow?" Lincoln nodded, to which Sid let out a gasp. "I heard that ride has so many twists and drops, you're guaranteed to lose your lunch!"
"Annnnd that first drop is 350ft tall." The white-haired teen rubbed his hands together. "That's gonna be weird on the gut."
Ronnie couldn't help the grin on her face. "Guess we know what to save for last."
"Well, if we're splitting up," Lynn looked towards the younger siblings. "What do you guys plan on doing?"
"Don't worry about it." Lola smirked. "I know exactly where we can go."
Sid's stomach gurgled, and not in a pleasant way. "Ooof...can we hit the bathroom first? I think my colon got jostled too much..."
Ronnie Anne nodded. "Yeah, I could use it too."
There were additional murmurs of agreement before the group began heading towards the nearest restroom.
As they were walking, Lincoln deliberately slowed his pace until he was walking next to Lynn, who had been lagging a little bit behind the rest. Tapping her shoulder, "Hey."
Lynn glanced at him. "What?"
"You feeling ok?" Lynn looked at him as if it were a stupid question. She opened her mouth to answer, but Lincoln stopped her as he held a deadpan expression. "Don't think I didn't notice how you stopped short of the finish line earlier. And you aren't the greatest liar..."
Lynn deadpanned at him. She would've been surprised at how he was able to see through her lies; but this was her brother she was dealing with. Looking out ahead, "...I choked because I didn't want risk showboating over something stupid..."
Lincoln gave a hum in understanding. "I'm guessing your inner thoughts reminded you of your past self again?"
"Gee, I wonder what gave that away..." The former jock muttered irritably. "Linc, I used to go overboard whenever I won a board game. None of you said it at the time, but I knew you guys hated me being a sore winner just from looking at your faces. Heck, I nearly decided to shave Loser on your head at one point." She admitted with a guilt-filled look on her face before glancing at him. "How do you think I would've acted in a pit full of bumper cars, when there isn't even a goal to achieve? I probably would've tried to 'win' by making people lose control of their cars..."
Lincoln blinked in surprise about the comment where she nearly shaved part of his head without him knowing. "That's not important." He shook his head. "Ok, I get that. But the reason we brought you out here was so you could learn that, you can have fun without needed to gloat." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Really, there's no winners or losers here; it's just good fun. I saw that look on your face while we were in the pit, and you looked like you regretted not joining in."
Lynn nodded lightly, looking ahead. "I did...but at the same time, I'd rather not have my spine thrown out of whack."
Lincoln chortled. "True, it got a little crazy in there. But seriously, before we leave today, I want you to try to get some fun out of this place; you also really need to try some of the slightly competitive games." Lynn raised a brow. "What I'm saying is, trying to win the small stuff should prove to you that you aren't the same Lynn from two years ago. You're much more mature than that." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, you were super annoying when it came to being competitive; on like, everything, even sleeping." The brunette sent him a look that clearly spelled 'Not Helping'. "But that's in the past Lynn. I got over the bad luck incident-"
The brunette huffed. "You still get those nightmares occasionally..."
Lincoln bit his cheek in annoyance. "Ok, most of it; specifically the part where I lost trust in my family and questioned ever loving you guys. I'm over that. The bullies are a different area." He slung his arm around her shoulders before jabbing a finger into her cheek. "But if I can get around to trust my family again, you can definitely grow back into your old groove."
Lynn rolled her eyes. "Why are you being so pushy?..."
Lincoln lowered his finger. "You always pushed me to help you with something, even when it wasn't sports-related; so I'm returning the favor." He smiled. "And..."He started to frown. "Not to sound like Lucy, but I noticed how you looked...aimless; like you didn't know what you'd do with your life." Lynn looked at him directly. "And I get that Lynn." He looked ahead, noticing how the other girls remained just out of earshot. "Don't tell anyone," He looked back at her. "But I used to be like that for a while too."
Lynn raised a brow as her eyes opened up in surprise. "Since when?"
"...It started some time after Ronnie moved and when you started to get caught talking to yourself a lot." The boy started. "You giving up sports was a shock to all of us, because we didn't think you'd go that far in trying to fix a past mistake." He made a brief pause. "Well, actually, if Lori was right about you starving yourself at the time; then I guess it wasn't impossible." He muttered before getting back to the topic. "But since it was what you wanted to do, we didn't stop you." He noticed the restrooms up ahead, prompting him to hurry. "To keep it short, since you started helping our sisters and myself with anything much more often, it made me wonder if I had any sort of talent that made me stand out in our family." He counted on his fingers. "Lori has golf, Leni has fashion, Luna had music, Luan has comedy; it brought up old feelings where I felt like I had little or no knack for anything unlike my sisters."
Lynn pursed her lips as her shoulders sank a little. "...Sorry if it felt like I was stealing your old job..."
Lincoln chuckled. "Don't be, because that self reflecting made me realize how much I liked drawing. So, I gave it a shot, and now? I'm raking in money doing commissions online."
"So, why are you telling me this?"
"Because I know what it's like to feel empty and think you're missing out on something big." Lincoln stated as they stopped in front of the bathroom. The other girls already went in. "Playing sports was everything to you; and to be honest, none of us thought you'd give it up forever." Lynn furrowed her brows slightly, feeling a little offended. "And like we've told you before, we all hate seeing you going through this like there's nothing else left for you aside from just helping us. I was in that boat before, and I didn't like it. And I don't want you to be stuck with those feelings." He let her go. "Just, give a few games a try ok? You can play and have fun too you know."
After saying his piece, Lincoln walked into the men's room. Lynn stood silently as she reflected on his words. "Geez, I knew Lincoln felt left out sometimes; but I didn't think he thought he had no talent. What about his planning and detective skills? Those gotta count for something..." Feeling a bit of pressure in her bladder, Lynn decided she ought to use it too. As she made a quick turn into the women's room, "He's right though..." A small fire was lit up behind her eyes. "I need to start getting serious about actually having fun." A tiny chortle was emitted from her throat. "That sounds weird. Learning to have fun."
She noticed Sid come out of one of the stalls and went in after she exited. "And maybe, I might be able to take on Margo's proposal and get back on a team."
The kids split into two groups, with Lincoln, Ronalda and Sid heading off to find a decent coaster to try out whilst Lynn stayed with the younger girls as they trekked towards the fairgrounds. Lynn tapped her pocket, feeling the lining of the leash snuggled inside; as much as she trusted the twins ability to keep Lily from wandering off, it felt good to have a backup plan.
Taking her brother's words to heart, Lynn set out to get invested in whatever it was that the girls wanted to do; or whatever Lola had in mind since she was leading the pack. They arrived at the fairgrounds in a few minutes, with numerous stands spread out over a wide area.
Somewhere towards the back, Lynn could see some wooden fence posts and a few hay bales. "That looks like a...petting zoo?" She muttered to herself.
"Alright ladies. The world is our oyster." Lola stated as she gestured to all the stands around them. "Take your pick."
"Hey Lola!" One of the employees, a tan-colored teen no older than Lynn wearing regular clothing with the usual Dairy Land cap on his head, called from a nearby stand with a wave.
"Heeeey Archie." Lola greeted back.
"You know him?" The brunette questioned.
"You could say he's my, informant, around these parts." The younger twin boasted as she walked over to his booth. From what the others could tell, it was one of those water-based games where you have to shoot a jet of the fine liquid at a target to earn points. Lola leaned against the counter. "So, seen anything worth getting around here?"
"Hmm..." Archie rubbed his chin. "Been kinda quiet lately, but I think Maggie back there got a new tea set and some toys for her stand." He jerked a thumb towards what appeared to be a strongman game, judging by the tall pole with a bell at the top.
Lola frowned. "Oh, brilliant..." She rolled her eyes. "Maggie is always sour-headed."
"Is that a petting zoo over there?" Lana asked randomly, pointing towards the area a little far off from their position.
"Yeah." Archie leaned against the counter. "Got a bull, a few cows, and a goat. Oh, and we also had a few chickens and ducks shipped in yesterday. Really young ones too."
Lily wasn't paying much attention to the conversation as she looked around, becoming absorbed by the many plush toys hung above the booth counters. "Ooooo..." She held a curious eye as she started to walk forward a bit towards one booth.
One of these furry friends would definitely make for a good playmate for her. They could go on adventures, meet with friends, have sleepovers...anything that Lily's mind could think of was on the table. She heard a loud yell of frustration to her left, spotting another group of kids a few years older than her at one booth. She didn't know what they were saying, but they sounded mad; and they certainly looked the part as one pointed at the booth owner and threw their hands up in the air. When they started to leave, something immediately caught Lily's attention.
Her eyes widened as much as they could while she brought her hands to her chest while letting out a gasp. Hanging above the booth was perhaps the prettiest plush toy she'd ever seen: a pink, stuffed unicorn with a rather dimwitted look on its face that was roughly her size. Ok, it wasn't exactly the grandest toy in the world; but to Lily, it was as if holy bells were ringing in her ears and the heavens were casting a light solely on the plushy.
"I want unicorn..." The toddler muttered to herself.
Lynn gave a sigh as she brought a hand to her face. "Do you guys wanna play anything, or are you just gonna keep talking?..."
Lola rolled her eyes. "Geez, give me a minute." Turning back to Archie, "So anyway..."
The older sister noticed Lana was doing the equivalent of window shopping, using a finger to guide her vision on what she could possibly want and didn't want. Lily was...
Wait a minute...
Lynn raised a brow when she realized the toddler wasn't next to Lana or Lola like she originally was. Taking a few glances around, Lynn started to sweat when she realized Lily wasn't nearby. "Oh shit..." Was her one thought as she stepped away from the booth, scanning the nearby setups. "Lily?!" Lynn shouted. "Lily!"
The other twins looked towards Lynn, who then noticed that their youngest sister was no longer with them. "Oh gosh darn it!" Lola slammed a fist on the counter. "Where'd she run off to now?!"
Archie pointed to their left. "Saw her wander over to Rob's booth."
Lola whipped her head in the direction Archie was pointing to, becoming a little relieved upon seeing the little girl in front of a counter, jumping up and down as she tried climb up the ledge. Her relief was washed away with irritation when she saw the person who ran that booth greeting her. "Oh great, Rob..."
"Whose Rob?" Lana asked, scratching the hair under her cap.
"He's a stupid jerk who keeps trying to rig his games." Lola spat with disdain as she walked past her twin, heading towards the booth. "He may have bested everyone else, but he's never beaten me."
Lily managed to grab the ledge and pulled herself up just enough so her head and shoulders were on the top surface. "Can I have the pony pweese?!" She pointed towards the stuffed animal whilst making a wide smile.
Rob gave a light chuckle. "Well, it's not for sale. But to win it," He gestured to five sets of empty glass milk bottles stacked in a pyramid formation. "All you gotta do is take one of these baseballs," He held up said object. "And knock down three stacks of these bottles there."
"Mmmmm..." Lily squinted her eyes as she thought it over. "Okay!"
"LILY!" The toddler went wide-eyed when she heard her name being called in a not-so-kind tone, making her let go of the counter ledge and fall to the ground. Turning around, she saw the displeased stare of her her 5th oldest sister. Lynn glowered at the young girl with both arms crossed. "What did I tell you about wandering off?"
Lily gave a sheepish smile. "I wanted the unicorn!" She pointed up at the plushy hanging above their heads.
Lynn looked up. The toy itself probably looked like it was maybe $5 at best. "Ok," She looked back down. "But you can't just walk off without saying something! What if something bad happened?!"
The young blonde sank her shoulders as she directed her gaze to the floor. "Sorry..." She twiddled her fingers nervously.
"Hello Rob..." Another voice called out to the employee.
Rob turned after having put the baseball back with the others, only to glare at the 8 year old girl boring a hole into his forehead. "Lola..."
"So, word on the street is you have something my baby sister wants." Lola stated, inspecting her nails.
"She wants the stuffed horse." Rob leaned on the counter. "But I bet even someone like you wouldn't be able to snag it."
Lola chuckled. "Really Rob? After the last three times you tried to short change me?" She leaned against the wall of the booth. "If you think I'm blind to your tricks, you must've taken a bigger hit to the head than I thought."
Rob smirked. "Well, why don't you put your money where your mouth is." He gestured to the stacked bottle behind him. "Knock out three of those, and the pony's yours."
The pageant winner scoffed. "How much?"
"The usual." The employee held up two fingers.
As Lola whipped out her purse, Lynn reflected on the short conversation between the two. For one, it was obvious they had a history; and Lincoln did say Lola was known quite well in the fairgrounds. For another, Lola mentioned 'tricks'. Looking at the employee, Lynn saw that Rob was some white guy that didn't look all that different from your average joe; he had a little bit of facial hair and a zit on his cheek, telling her he was probably around her age or slightly older. Looking at his eyes, Lynn could feel some red flags sounding the alarm; they held the gaze of someone who was scheming.
Unfortunately, he seemed to notice. "See something you like?" He smiled at her.
Lynn deadpanned. "Keep dreaming dude..."
Rob raised his hands in defense. "Alright alright. I know a 'play-hard-to-get' type when I see one." He turned to grab a few baseballs.
Lynn's left eye twitched as her brows knotted into a hard glare. Before she could utter a few choice words, Lana spoke up. "Set me up too!" The mechanic slapped $2 on the table. "I wanna crack at this."
Lynn looked down when she felt someone tug on her pants leg. "Can I join too?" Lily asked.
Lynn winced a little; the toddler had the starry-eyed stare on her face, and she only pulled that out when she really wanted something. The teen sighed, knowing there was little hope of getting Lily to change her mind on something when she was set on a goal. It was admirable, but also annoying. "Fine..." Lynn took out her wallet and put two bills on the counter.
Rob grinned when he set three baseballs on the counter, taking the cash in hand before moving to grab two more sets. Once nine baseballs were set in groups of three on the counter, the twins grabbed one in hand whilst Lynn sat Lily on the counter so she could toss. The distance from the counter to the glass pyramids was about 20-25 feet; not far, but still difficult for anyone who has poor aim. Lola held a calm smirk on her face, Lana had her tongue out with eyes squinted as she planned on lining up her shot, and Lily grasped a ball with both hands, humming to herself.
"Alright girls. Have at it." Rob stated, standing off to the side.
Three balls were flung towards the bottles, with varying degrees of success. Lily didn't put much force in her throw, which landed far short of the targets; Lana's aim wasn't as straight as she thought, as her ball flew past the bottles and smacked the wood behind them; Lola's was the closest, only off by two inches.
"Mmmm..." Lola growled a little, to which Rob smirked.
"A little too much to the left..." Lana muttered to herself.
Lynn lightly pushed another ball to Lily. "Try using both hands."
The trio gripped the next baseballs in their sets before flinging them once more. Lana yelped as hers slipped from her grasp before she was fully ready, causing it to fly off towards the side, Lola had better success and knocked off the top bottle of one stack, and Lily (using two hands this time) managed to throw the ball farther than previously; though she wasn't actually aiming it and still missed.
"What was that?" Lola glanced at her twin.
"I dunno. It just slipped." Lana answered, rubbing her hand. "Felt kinda wet too."
Lynn squinted an eye at hearing that.
Lola however, seemed to ignore it as her irritation was on fully display. "Well, look. Just aim at a stack and bring it down." She gripped her last baseball. "We are winning this ladies!" She yelled, stretching her hand into the air during her declaration.
The other two girls gripped their last baseballs, every one of them looking determined to score a hit. "Ok, on three." Lana ordered. "One," They gripped the balls tightly. "Two," The girls raised their hands, doing their best to aim their shots. "Three!"
Three baseballs shot away from the counter towards the bottles. Lola scored a direct hit on another stack and knocked it to the floor; Lana only managed to knock down one of the lower bottles of a stack that Lola hit moments ago; Lily's ball was much straighter than her last two throws, and managed to score a direct hit on an undamaged stack. Surprisingly, the tower did not reciprocate the hit; it stood tall while the ball bounced off the center and fell to the floor.
The twins and Lynn let their mouths hang open at this, while Lily clapped her hands. "Yay! I hit it!" She raised her hands proudly in the air.
"You still don't get the unicorn though." Rob pointed out.
Lily went wide-eyed as her happiness was replaced with shock. "Huh?!"
"Hold the phone." Lynn started, pointing at the bottles. "That last throw was dead center; and the other hits should've been enough to knock at least four of those towers down." Her tone was filled with irritation.
Rob scoffed. "Well, let me explain it to ya, miss." He pushed himself away from the counter. "You gotta knock down three stacks for the horse." He thumbed behind him. "That's only one and three quarters. Now, maybe y'all just don't have great throwing arms; or the best aim for that matter, cause some of those throws were wild." He laughed. Lynn furrowed her brows as her eyelids narrowed, wishing she could burn a hole into his face with her glare alone. "Hey, don't be upset." He turned around, bending down to pick up a few of the spent balls. "You might have better luck next time."
Although her mouth was closed, Lynn was actually gritting her teeth. She looked at the towers, trying to figure out why none of the hits (aside from the obvious misses) weren't enough to bring down the other pyramids; even a near miss would've generated enough wind pressure to knock an empty bottle down. As she focused in on the bottles, the brunette couldn't help but notice there appeared to be some sort of translucent liquid covering certain parts of the bottles; not enough to be too noticeable, but Lynn felt her vision become a little blurry when eyeing certain parts of the bottles. She traced a line that ran from the top of one of the lower glass containers to the shelf top, where this strange liquid had pooled and dried up.
"Is that...glue?" Lynn questioned. She soon spotted other similar translucent lines on a few other stacks. "And Lana said her ball felt slippery..." Lynn's eyes widened for a brief moment before a gust of hot air left her nose. "Lola was right. This shithead is a goddamn cheater!" Her fist shook subtly as she weight her options, taking notice of Lily's saddened look and the hate-filled gaze Lola was putting out as Lynn assumed she came to the same conclusion. "I oughta climb over this counter and..." She eyed the baseballs being set up on a shelf. "Actually...no. I got another idea." She dug into her pockets, pulling out her wallet. "If he thinks he can cheat my sisters out of this, he's got another thing coming..."
Lynn would've been surprised at the fact these thoughts weren't from her inner demon guiding her into winning something, especially since it was sort of sports-related. But at the moment, she didn't care; she wasn't about to let her sisters be swindled by some two-faced hustler with a dead end job. In spite of quitting sports, the one thing she still completely loathed with a passion, was cheaters...
"Well then, how about I give it a shot?..." Lynn's voice was almost quiet with an air of venom surrounding her words as she put $2 on the counter. Her sisters appeared to notice her shift in attitude, given the curious and somewhat nervous looks they were giving her.
Rob, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice. "Wanna try your luck already, eh?" He snatched the bills off the counter and put three baseballs in their place. "Hope you got the good stuff on your side. I think you'll need it." He winked at her before going back to reset the bottle stacks.
Lana bit her cheek. "Shouldn't have said that..." She muttered.
Lynn wanted to give a retort, but opted to let her actions speak for themselves. "I don't need luck." Lynn grabbed one of the balls. "I have SKILL..." She fumed inwardly as she took a few steps back.
Seeing this, Lola and Lana thought it would be best to get out of the way; lest they be accidentally struck by a wayward ball. Lana grabbed Lily and carried her away from the booth.
The gears in Lynn's head were turning as her eyes judged the distance between her new position just seven steps back from the counter. "I doubt I'd have enough room with the twenty foot or so distance from myself to the stacks. Where I'm at now should be enough." As if she were being guided by instinct, Lynn planted her feet together and held the ball close to her chest as if she were on a pitcher's mound. "So, I'm around 30 feet away trying to hit a target that's about the size of a catcher's mitt." She squinted her eyes as the visage of the brown, leathery cowhide took the position of the stack she was aiming at. "And with that in mind..." She placed both hands behind her, stretching out her triceps as she prepared for her throw. "I need to exert just enough force to not only reach the glass, and account for ball drop, but to BREAK it." Moving her hands to her right side, Lynn lifted her left leg as she prepared to throw her weight into her pitch. As she did, she spotted the smug grin Rob had on his face. Meeting his perverted gaze with a harsh glare, "Screw it. I'm throwing whatever I got into this..."
Removing her left hand from the ball, she tucked into her right hand before she started her swing. The twins and Lily watched as Lynn acted as if she was a professional baseball player in the midst of a stadium, but without an ounce of smug or cockiness as she was completely focused on her task. With her right arm reared back as much as possible, Lynn swung her arm forward, putting as much force into the ball at the last point of contact with her fingers.
WOOSH!
The sound was heard through the air for only a second before the unthinkable happened.
PSSSH!
CRACK!
One would need a high-performance camera to capture what occurred in those two seconds. The ball sailed straight at its target so fast that it was barely visible, just before making contact dead center on the middle stack. Right as the ball made contact with the empty bottles, the glass immediately gave way as the force from the ball was transferred onto it, sending fragments in all directions. The ball itself kept going until it impacted the wooden wall behind the stacks, but it didn't stop there. Wood splintered and broke away as the ball burrowed through until it came out the other side, leaving a the size of the ball itself being briefly visible for anyone who happened to notice it. The glass fragments broke away from the point of impact with such force that they struck and shattered the other four stacks around the original; and it didn't stop there either.
Rob shrieked as a few large pieces whizzed by his hair, ducking down to avoid getting cut where as the younger Louds (being further away), jumped at the sound of hearing multiple glass fractures. Several shards imbedded themselves into several of the toy prizes and the roof of the booth, a few of which cut the electrical wiring to the ceiling lights. Sparks flew about for a few seconds as the electricity was discharged into the open air, which unfortunately had some grave consequences. A few of the hot sparks landed on some of the plushies hung to the ceiling, which immediately started a few embers before they gained enough traction to start a fire.
And it started spreading rapidly.
Seeing the danger, Rob grabbed the fire extinguisher, activating the jet and tried to put out the flames. Unfortunately, a wind gust made the fire jump to another part of the booth and it too started to burn rapidly. Not wanting to stick around, Rob climbed over the counter and ran off. Lynn was a little shocked that all of that happened so quickly, but at the same time, a smile grew on her face.
"How's that for getting knocked down?" She muttered to herself as the booth was now completely engulfed in flames.
"Woah..." The twins and Lily gaped in awe at the burning wreck as Lynn walked up to them.
The moment was short lived when Lily realized an important detail. As she let out a gasp, "MY UNICORN!"
"You mean this?" The teen produced the stuffed animal from behind her back. Not a sign of damage was visible on it.
"EEEEEEEE!" Lily shrieked with a huge smile as she bounced on the spot before before hugging Lynn's leg in a vice grip.
"How'd you grab that so fast?" Lola asked, inspecting the plushy.
Lynn gave a nonchalant shrug. "Snagged it when I noticed the fire starting." She let go of the toy when she felt Lily tugging on it.
"IT'S SO FLUFFY!" Lily shook the unicorn before giving it a big squeeze.
"So," Lynn put her hands on her hips. "Any other games you guys wanna try?"
"Mmmm." Lola rubbed her chin. "I know of a basketball game not far off. It usually has some sweet prizes." She eyed the burnt husk of the booth with a smirk before turning. "Hope you enjoy cleaning up Rob!" She shouted to the employee, who was standing gobsmacked at the destruction of his stand as it fell to pieces after the fire used up all of its fuel.
As the Louds started walking off, several nearby persons surveyed the destruction, not exactly certain what happened aside from the obvious damage. Rob still stood in shock, even when he heard a couple footsteps stopping next to him. "Geez, rough day huh bro?" Archie stated, not even bothering to hide the amusement on his face. "By the way," He poked Rob with the broom in his hand. "You may wanna clean that up before management gets here."
Rob only gave a wordless nod as he grabbed the broom, with Archie giving him somewhat reassuring pats on the back as he walked away.
As Rob started cleaning the booth behind them, "Can we destroy another booth?" Lana asked with a giggle.
"How'd you throw the ball so...perfectly?" Lola asked, a genuine smile on her face. "I'm surprised you still remember your baseball technique after you dropped it years ago."
Lynn chuckled. "I'm surprised I even looked like a pro."
"Still, nice job showing up that jerk." Lola complimented.
Lynn rubbed the back of her head with a cheek smile. "It was nothin'."
"Think you can teach me to throw like that?" Lana asked. "It'll come useful when getting Charles to exercise when we play fetch."
Lynn raised a brow for a moment before shrugging. "Sure. But keep in mind, it's not gonna come to you on the first day."
The group set about looking for the next booth to try out, hopefully without Lynn resorting to brute force and 'accidentally' causing property damage. As for the troubled teen, being flanked by two of her younger sisters giving her praise for her effort with the youngest of the group playing around with her new toy, she felt...content, if that's how she could describe herself. She just won a prize for her littlest sister, and got some well-deserved payback on a chump that tried to wrong them. And like Lincoln said, she wasn't being boastful about it.
"Huh. This is the first time I've ever felt relaxed in a LOOONG time. First time getting a decent win too, even if it wasn't for myself." Lynn tucked her hands behind her back as the girls headed towards the booth Lola had mentioned. "At least if not for me, I can win something for my family. Gotta keep that in mind." As she thought of her family, another question struck her mind. "I wonder how Link and the others are doing."
Lincoln, Ronnie, and Sid were splayed out on a bench with a light shade of green on each of their faces. giving an occasional sickly groan. "I can't believe you talked us into doing that..." The Loud muttered, keeping his head hovering over the side of the bench.
Ronnie moved slowly until she was kneeling over the edge of the seat. "Not one of my best ideas..." Her cheeks puffed a little bit, but she managed to keep her bile down. Bringing a hand to her head, "Man, my head hurts..."
"Hah...hah..." Sid made a dry laugh as she hung over the back of the bench, knees planted on the seat and keeping her face over the edge. "You both still owe me funnel cake..."
Lincoln and Ronnie felt their stomachs gurgle at the mention of food, eliciting another sickly groan from them.
Sid turned around to look at the reader, "I know what you're all thinking, why do we look like we want to puke? Well, actually, we did puke..." She chuckled aimlessly. "Three times..." She glanced at her friends. "Since those two are out of commission, I'll tell ya what happened. And it's a loooong story..."
Half an hour earlier...
"So, what should we try out first?" Lincoln asked, looking at the park map.
"We can do Fly Me To the Moo since it's closer." Ronnie suggested.
"Oooh." Sid pointed at a specific spot on the map. "What about The Wrangler? Those twists and turns look fun."
Lincoln scratched his chin. "It's also one of those rides where you go from zero to sixty in a straight line instead of using a big drop for speed."
"Hmmm..." Ronnie tapped another spot on the map. "So The Mad Cow is back here..." She circled the other attractions nearby. "We could go in a circle and try them all out, before hitting the big one." She put a hand on her hip. "At least Dairy Land was smart to build its coasters in one place and not spread them out."
"True." Lincoln nodded, looking off into the distance. He could see the track for Fly Me To the Moo just past a few concession stands. "Welp, these coasters aren't gonna ride themselves!" He started walking in the direction of the ride.
"Technically," Sid smirked as she and Ronnie followed. "They can. It's not uncommon for ride technicians to run a coaster empty for maintenance checks."
Ronnie rolled her eyes. "Obviously." She eyed the snack shops. Her stomach gurgled slightly as hunger pangs kicked in; but even she knew better than to go on a coaster right after eating. "Although..." Her eyes narrowed before they opened up again as an idea came to her.
Sid and Lincoln noticed the halt in her movement. "Ronnie Anne?" Lincoln asked.
"Dudes, I got an idea; but it's probably gross." The tomboy stated with a wry grin.
Sid bit her lip to avoid giggling, as if she knew it likely was a bad idea. "What is it?"
"Since we're gonna be riding on a bunch of coasters," Her grin grew. "Why not have some fun and make a challenge out of it?"
Lincoln's shoulders sank. "Oh boy..." He muttered. "What are the stakes?"
Ronalda waved a hand. "Nothing serious, just that the losers have to buy the winner extra funnel cake." She folded her arms. "And I'm serious on that."
"Funnel cake, eh?" Sid rubbed her chin as her smile widened. "What's the challenge?"
"We gotta go through every coaster without puking, including The Mad Cow." Ronalda stated.
Lincoln squinted an eye. "That, doesn't seem challenging. We haven't eaten anything yet."
Ronalda chuckled darkly. "Yeah. Yet..."
The Loud pursed his lips as his eyes widened. "Please don't tell me we gotta eat something heavy..."
"Pfff, no." The Santiago girl calmed him. "It'd be a waste of money if we ate lunch and only puked it out later. We'll just get something small, but enough to give our stomachs some weight."
"Mmmm..." Lincoln hummed, still feeling unsure. He took a quick glance at the map. "The Shake Lab is close. We could fill up there." The Loud reluctantly suggested.
Ronalda smacked a fist into her palm. "Perfect. Make sure you get a small cup."
The trio made their way to the milkshake shop, which was well-known for allowing patrons to experiment with different flavors or create their own batch to eat. There was a reason why Shake Lab was often referred to as 'The Las Vegas Candy Shop of Michigan'; massive barrels topped with individual flavors were lined up across the shop floor. Wanna try Mint Chip with Cookies n Cream, or Strawberry with Reese's, or go old fashioned with Vanilla and Chocolate? This was the place to be.
Sid let out a gasp as she planted her hands on her cheeks, her eyes becoming starry. "This place is AMAZING! Why didn't we come here sooner?!"
"It wasn't like we didn't plan on coming here eventually." Lincoln pointed out.
"But there's so many flavors!" Sid walked around, eyeing the various barrels and tubes that dispensed the frozen treats. "GRRRR!" She shook a fist. "I CAN'T CHOOSE!"
Ronalda chuckled. "Like a kid in a candy store."
Lincoln chortled. "Too bad it's going to come back up."
The tomboy walked over to the cup dispensers. "Let's see...large, medium..." She spotted the cups labeled 'small', and pulled one out. Ronalda raised a brow as her eyes opened up in surprise; the cup was about the length of her forearm. "This is a small? It's like, the size of a large!"
"Actually," Lincoln pulled out a large cup, which itself was slightly bigger than his head.
Ronalda blinked. "Ooookaaaay," She stared back at the small cup. "I think I might've miscalculated..."
Lincoln could help the smirk on his face as he lightly nudged Ronnie with his elbow. "Giving up already?"
Ronalda furrowed her brows. "No?..." She responded quickly. "This changes nothing." She walked away, trying to figure out which flavors she wanted.
Lincoln chuckled to himself. "She's gonna regret this bet."
The trio soon walked out with their cups filled to the top with their chosen flavors: Ronnie chose Cookies n Creme mixed with Reese's, Lincoln chose plain old Mint Chip (his favorite), and Sid went a little exotic by mixing Strawberry, Snickers, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan.
Ronalda gave her bestie a critical eye. "You sure you can hold all that in?"
"Hey," Sid paused to sip her milkshake. "You dragged me into a shop where I had a hard time choosing," She took another sip. "So I got all my favorites."
The Santiago girl gave a shrug. "Fair enough." She took a sip from her cup.
Lincoln sipped his shake for a good minute, only to stop with a cringe-filled face as he squeezed his eyes shut. "Ugh..." He shook his head. "Brain freeze..."
"Hehe, slow down there Link." Ronalda stated. "We got all day."
He gave her a side glance. "I'd rather get this over with now so we're good enough to eat lunch later." Lincoln pointed out, going for another long sip.
"He's got a point." Sid stated. "When I win, I'm gonna get one of those all-topping funnel cakes." She licked her lips as she rubbed her stomach.
"Psssh. When I win, I'm getting two." Ronalda sipped her treat once more.
Once their milkshakes were mostly done, and their stomachs filled, the trio set out towards their first coaster, Fly Me To the Moo. As the name implied, it revolved around an old tale involving how a cow was able to jump to the moon; the cars themselves being painted like cows to sell the image. Of course, the park can't just moonshot people to the stars; but they get pretty close. And by that, we mean pulling a significant amount of G's to make it feel like you were shot from a cannon. The coaster cars sat three persons a row, so the teens were able to sit together quite easily.
"If you guys hurl on this first ride, I'm gonna be very disappointed." Ronalda chided them as she pulled her padded safety bar to her lap.
"Speak for yourself. You got the middle seat!" Sid pointed out, pulling her safety bar down.
"Just make sure you try to hold it in Nie-Nie." Lincoln taunted, pulling his bar down. "Or else you'll get hit with your own vomit."
Ronalda stuck her tongue out in disgust at that thought, not having a moment to give a comeback as the coaster started to move along the track. Seconds later, the teens along with the other riders were being guided up the slope at the start of the 220ft drop.
As they gained altitude, it allowed them to gain better situational awareness. Ronalda pointed out to another coaster off in the distance. "There's The Mad Cow." She whistled. "Knew you said it was tall Link, but didn't expect it to be that tall."
Sid had a hand over her eyes to block out the sun. "I think I can see our car from here!"
"Really?" Lincoln asked, looking out to where the parking lot was located. He developed a deadpan stare upon seeing the distance. "I doubt you can make out any cars from here."
Sid shrugged. "It's a van, right?"
The cars reached the top of their descent. "Yeah, but still-" Lincoln started.
"GET READY TO RIDE!" Ronalda shouted as she already had her arms up in the air.
Everyone on the ride almost felt weightless as the cars left the top of the slope and started a rapid descent towards the bottom. Screams of fear and cheer echoed in spite of the thunderous sound of the track buckling slightly as the cars zoomed up to 60mph. It then made a sharp turn, throwing everyone who wasn't prepared for it against the wall of the car before it went up another slope; this one being a little shorter than the initial drop, but it elicited the same excitement from the crowd. The ride itself was only meant to go for 30 seconds, and that was long enough for everyone to feel wobbly in the legs after enduring several more tight turns and a few more sudden drops. Once the cars pulled into a stop back at the station, the patrons all shared a laugh as they talked about how exciting the ride was, some even going around for another go.
Lincoln, Ronnie, and Sid all laughed as they walked down the exit ramp. "Man, that was awesome!" Sid cheered. "Let's go again!"
"We could, but we gotta get the rest of the rides first." Ronalda pointed out. Her cheeks puffed up a little, only to give a small burp. "Excuse me..." She patted her chest. "How are you guys holding up?"
"Hah, you think one ride would do me in?" Lincoln proclaimed.
Sid arched her back slightly. "Still got nothin' swirling in the tank."
Ronalda smirked. "Good." Said smirk turned into an evil grin. "Cause there's 7 more coasters to scratch off the list."
Lincoln and Sid met her enthusiasm with equally sinister grins. "Let's do this thing!" The three fist-bumped.
Presently...
Sid let a small burp escape her before spitting out some residual bile. "I know you guys probably want to see us try every coaster, but I'll save you the hassle and make it short. By the 4th or 5th ride, all of us started to feel queasy. The 6th nearly ended it for Lincoln and myself." She laughed again. "But The Mad Cow did all of us in. Ronnie ended up barfing when the ride stopped just before the station, Link tried to make it to a trash can but puked next to it. And me?" She pointed down towards the grass. "On the bright side, I get extra treat." The Chang girl made a small hiccup as her stomach gurgled. Her eyes widened as much as they could upon feeling her throat swelling slightly. "Oh crap..." She turned around and held her face over the back of the bench.
As Sid let go of what remained of her snack, Lincoln took out his phone. It was a little past 2, and he was wondering how his sisters had been keeping themselves busy for the last hour. He heard a booth had caught fire in the fairgrounds, even seeing a plume of smoke rise into the air when they were on a ride. The Loud would be lying if he said he wasn't worried about his sisters; though he was certain they weren't in any danger. Opening the texting app, Lincoln scrolled to Lynn's name before typing in a message.
'Hey. How are things going?'
A few minutes passed before Lynn responded back.
'Pretty good. We're over at the Petting Zoo. Had to keep Lana from trying to ride the bull.'
Lincoln rolled his eyes in spite of the smile on his face. "Who else but Lana?" He muttered as he typed.
'Cool. Btw, was there a fire over there?'
'Yeah...sort of my fault ^^U'
Lincoln blinked in surprise before sitting up straight. Part of him had been hoping that earlier incident wasn't due to his sisters' actions; and he was more surprised that Lynn was involved, seeing as she hardly got into trouble over the last couple of years.
'What happened? O_o'
'I'll tell ya when you get here. Or, actually, the food court, cause everyone's getting hungry. You guys done being thrill seekers?'
Lincoln glanced at his girlfriend and Sid. The Santiago girl was still nursing her headache while Sid coughed a few times.
"Mixing all those flavors was a bad idea..." The Chang girl muttered.
'Yeaaaah, we're done. Meet ya there.'
Pocketing his phone, "You guys think you're good enough to eat?"
"Slowly, maybe." Ronnie replied, leaning back against the seat.
Sid turned before sitting down. "Blech...I can still taste my puke..." Her stomach grumbled; this time though, it wasn't the need to empty itself. "Annnnd I could go for a burger right now. Anything solid really."
"Welp," He pushed himself off the bench. "Lynn and the others are heading to the food court. Also, you know that smoke we saw earlier?"
"Yeah?" Both girls glanced at him questioningly.
Lincoln smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the hairs on his neck. "Turns out that was Lynn's doing."
Ronalda and Sid went a little wide-eyed. "How'd she manage that?" The tomboy asked.
Lincoln only gave a shrug. "Gonna have to ask her."
"So I threw it, probably with a little too much force; and not only did the ball smash through the bottles, it also went through the wood in the back." Lynn explained as she munched on a hotdog.
"How thick was the wood?" Ronnie asked, dipping some chips into cheese.
The brunette shrugged. "Dunno. Enough that it would stop any regular throws at least."
"So how'd the fire start?" Lincoln asked, taking a bite of his pizza.
"Oooo, oooo! I know this one!" Lana bounced in her seat as she raised her hand. The rest of the group gave her their attention. "Now, from how fast Lynn threw it, it looked like the bottles exploded, right? From what I saw, some of the electrical wires hanging from the ceiling got cut touched some of the toys." She took a bite from her burger. "And they caught fire, easily."
Lola deadpanned. "Didn't anyone tell you not to talk with your mouth full?"
In response, Lana turned and shot her tongue out, which was now covered in chewed up foodstuffs. "EWWWWWWW!" Lola shrieked, throwing some of her fries at Lana's face.
Lana growled and picked up some of her unopened ketchup packs, rearing her arm back to toss them at her roommate. However, Lynn reached over and grabbed her wrist. "Can you both not fight over something for five minutes?..."
"Sorry..." The twins uttered simultaneously.
"But, yeah. What Lana said." Lynn chewed on her hotdog for a moment before swallowing. "Grabbed Lily's prize before everything went up in smoke."
Lincoln frowned a bit. "I hope you didn't get in trouble for all of that."
"We didn't." Lola started as she wiped her mouth. "Not only did Rob have to clean all of that stuff up, I heard he got suspended for a week because he kept rigging his games." The little fashionista chuckled. "Serves him right. He should've been fired though."
"He's a big meanie." Lily added, biting on her pizza. She didn't have a good grip on the slice, causing it to fall to her plate after she bit a piece off.
"At least you girls had fun." Lincoln smiled, especially towards Lynn. "And it looks like you finally came out of your shell."
"Hey, if not for me," The former jock stuffed the rest of her meal into her mouth. "At least I'll do it for family." She spoke through muffled chews. Lola gave a sigh at the lack of table etiquette. "So, how'd the coasters go?"
Lincoln, Ronnie, and Sid looked at each other for a moment. "It was fun." Ronalda started.
"Nice dips, sudden turns." Lincoln added.
"Not holding in your snack at the very end." Sid replied next.
"SID!" Lincoln and Ronalda glared at her with a light blush.
Sid put a hand over her mouth. "Sorry! It spilled out!"
Lynn cackled a little. "You guys barfed on a ride?"
Ronalda hummed to herself. "Well, technically not on the ride..."
Sid deadpanned at Ronnie Anne. "Really? Because I almost had barf on my shorts if you hadn't partially climbed over me."
The Santiago girl gave Sid an annoyed look. "Thanks for throwing me under the bus..."
"Admittingly, you should've picked the edge seat." Lincoln pointed out. "At least I held it until we got down the ramp."
"Pfff. You both have weak stomachs then, because I didn't puke until we actually sat down." Sid boasted. "And you thought my milkshake was weird."
Lynn, Lana, and Lily couldn't help but burst out laughing. Lola continued staring at the group with an annoyed look, pushing her food away. "And like that, my appetite is ruined..."
"Ah, you'll get it back soon." Ronalda shoved the last few chips in her mouth before chewing. "Nearly ruined ours from our stunt earlier."
"And speaking of stunts," Lynn played with the pizza crust that remained on her plate. "I hope you guys still plan on riding more coasters."
Lincoln raised a brow. "Well..." He glanced around. "Actually-"
"Hey," Lynn began, her tone shifting into something more serious. "I've had to babysit all day, and it was your idea for me to drive you guys here." She pointed an accusatory finger at him. "So you owe me."
Ronalda started to giggle. "She's got ya there Loud." She spoke in a tone that mimicked the Louds' neighbor. Lynn turned her head towards Ronalda, a smirk growing on her lips. The younger tomboy flinched a little as she felt the former jock had horrible plans for them. "Don't look at me like that..."
"I think we got room for one more." Lynn spoke in a half-joking tone.
"Aw, come on Lynn." Lincoln groaned. "We just finished eating. I don't feel like puking again..."
"Yeaaah..." Ronnie pushed herself away from the table. "I'd actually like to keep my nachos down."
"Hmmm." Lynn tapped her chin. "Fine, I'll let it digest." She intertwined her fingers as she propped her elbows onto the table. Her smirk turned into a grin as her eyes narrowed. "For thirty minutes."
Lincoln and Ronnie Anne stared at Lynn with baffled looks. As heavy as their stomachs felt, half an hour likely wouldn't be enough time for their food to remain unaffected by the movements of the rides. Taking quick glances at the other girls, it was obvious they weren't looking to back them up. Sid, annoyingly, whistled to herself as if she was ignoring the whole conversation.
Giving sighs of defeat, "Dang it..."
Lana held out a couple paper bags, not even trying to hide her stifled laughter. "You guys might need these."