Lynn managed to clutch the soda can before it slipped out of her hand, then remained standing in shock then an uneasy silence filled the living room until Luan spoke.
"Sorry Lynn," she uttered in a tiny voice.
Lynn snapped out her daze then trudged upstairs while her sisters resumed their TV watching.
Albert announced, "I have to pick up Lincoln's cake. Luan please warm the soup for dinner."
That morning Albert told Lori while they prepared Lincolns breakfast he had preordered a birthday cake at Carmen's Cakes and Confectionaries three days ago. Lori promised to give a monetary contribution after he returned home with the cake.
Upstairs Lynn guzzled most of the cherry soda before slamming the can down on her bedside table. Grabbing her basketball inside her closet, the athlete muttered, "I'll just shoot some hoops for a while."
This moment Lincoln and Clyde were having a blast playing Dance Dance Revolution at Gus while Ronnie Anne, Zach, Liam and Rusty played other games. Upon his arrival, Lincoln met his friends sitting at their usual booth and Clyde suggested everyone should begin playing the arcade games for a while then have some pizza and sodas which they wholeheartedly agreed to.
"That's enough for now," Lincoln told Clyde when they stopped at a certain point.
Clyde with his knees slightly bent with his palms resting on them and panting managed to say, "Okay."
Rusty, Ronnie Anne, Zach and Liam stopped playing their games and returned to their booth.
"Everyone put away your money because I'm paying for everything," Clyde announced.
"Let's order the pepperoni, sausage and onion pizza," Liam suggested.
'What does everyone want to drink?' Clyde inquired.
Lincoln then Liam asked for orange soda while the others decided on Sprite, Clyde was getting a cherry soda for himself.
"Hey Ronnie, how are you going to spend the summer?" Lincoln asked curiously as they waited for Clyde and Rusty (who offered to carry the sodas) to return.
"Mom might send us to stay with my Uncle Carlos and Aunt Frida in Great Lakes like she does every year since we moved here," Ronnie Anne explained.
Bobby didn't go last year because of his summer job working as a lifeguard.
"There's something you should know, Mami applied for a nursing position at Great Lakes City Hospital," Lincoln blinked his eyes in astonishment and uttered, "Really, I thought your mom likes working at Royal Woods Hospital."
"She was thinking about moving to Great Lakes City for a while, she wants Bobby to get a steady job working at my grandfather's Mercado, and that I need adult supervision after school," she replied.
"Do you wanna leave Royal Woods?" Zach inquired.
"Not really, but if she gets hired, I can't do anything," Ronnie Anne continued.
"If she gets the job, tell her congratulations," Lincoln replied.
Meanwhile, Lori finished sending Carol a text regretting being unable to attend the graduation party because she forgot that today was her brother's birthday when Albert returned. He placed the cake with orange icing and "Happy Birthday Lincoln" written in blue icing with blue and yellow decorations on the kitchen counter. Soon Howard arrived for Clyde at Gus and offered to drive the birthday boy home.
"Bye Lincoln, we'll talk later," Ronnie Anne said, followed by the redheaded boys waving goodbye.
'Clyde I need to run an errand, I'll come for you later," Howard said as he stopped at the Loud residence. Albert notified Howard that morning about surprising Lincoln with a cake and invited Clyde to come.
"Hey Lincoln I decided to buy you a birthday cake," Albert said approaching Lincoln and Clyde.
Lincoln smiled warmly, after embracing Albert briefly, walked with Clyde into the dining room. The sisters, Clyde and Albert sang happy birthday then once Lincoln blew out the candles, Albert served everyone a slice of cake. The rest of the night after Clyde left Lincoln watched TV until nine thirty.
The next day Lincoln and the younger girls had cereal for breakfast and Lori made French toast for herself and the other sisters. Lori told Albert since it was Father's Day he needed a break from cooking dinner so Luna and Lincoln peeled potatoes and Lincoln mashed them with grated cheese. Lori prepared a pot roast using a recipe she found online for dinner while Luna made a salad.
"Lincoln yesterday Pop-Pop got a call from the Hazeltucky police and they're coming for Lynn tomorrow," Luna announced.
Lincoln became wide eyed, "No wonder she seemed a bit distant yesterday."
After dinner Lori placed a movie from the DVD collection for everyone to enjoy before going to bed.
Monday – June 19
"RISE AND SHINE EVERYONE, IT'S THE FIRST MONDAY OF SUMMER VACATION!" Lori yelled from the upstairs hallway
Everyone except Lynn scrambled out of bed upon hearing Lori yell, and dashed out of their bedrooms.
The siblings began speaking jovially about their plans for relaxation while eating cereal on the sofa.
"Lola and I call dibs on the TV first because we're watching cartoons until dinner," Lana declared loudly.
"Dream on, I have some concerts to watch on the concert channel," Luna declared.
'I'm heading over to Clyde's to play video games," Lincoln said equally loud.
A sudden realization overcame Leni, she glanced around anxiously to see if Lynn was there responded, "Shh, we can't let Lynn hear us sounding so happy, remember today she's going to juvie."
They immediately clammed up and continued eating silently, soon Lynn appeared in a rather sullen mood, making her siblings uncomfortable.
A few minutes later Lynn grumbled as she placed a dab of toothpaste on her toothbrush, "The start of summer yet I'm gonna spend two months in juvie."
Afterwards she donned her usual sportswear then grabbed her basketball and passed her twin sisters watching cartoons with Lily. She spent a few minutes shooting her basketball into the net. Later Albert interrupted her concentration as she bounced the basketball constantly on her knees.
"Junior," he called out, "I went to Burping Burger, come and get your share."
At 12:55 pm, the others waited for Lynn downstairs with bated breath, except Lincoln, Lori and Lisa.
"I hope she survives in prison," Leni said worriedly.
Luan wasn't in a pun making mood on this occasion, remained quiet, everyone else became lost in their own thoughts.
The doorbell suddenly rang, Lori opened the door and saw a female officer wearing a plain white shirt and black pants and wearing her badge, stood there.
"Hello I'm Officer Garcia from the Hazeltucky PD, is Lynn ready," Officer Garcia inquired.
"I'm Albert Morgan her grandfather," Albert replied, at this moment Lynn Jr made her presence known, wearing a resigned expression. She was carrying white tote bag with two toothbrushes Lori bought and four underwear.
"I'm ready," she announced glumly.
Her siblings immediately surrounded her and some had words to say, only Lincoln lingered a few inches behind the crowd.
"Please don't get into any fights" Lori warned.
Albert placed a firm hands on the girls shoulders, "Listen to me, just be on your best behavior. Okay," Albert pleaded, but she merely nodded.
Lynn then turned around to her siblings and remarked. "Bye guys have a nice summer without me."
"I'm taking you to the Royal Woods station then an Officer there will drive you to the Hazelwood Detention Center," Officer Garcia explained.
"Bye Lynn," her siblings replied in unison, somewhat cheerlessly.
Albert closed the door once Lynn stepped through the door with Officer Garcia.
'Kids I'm taking Charles for a walk," Albert declared, which Lana responded, "Can I come with you?"
"Wait there I'll get his leash," Albert said.
Hazelwood Juvenile Detention Center
Lynn remained in a sullen mood as she entered the doors of the facility with a female officer escorting her and two other teenage girls inside. One girl with short chestnut hair sported a petulant expression while the other girl kept quiet. The officer approached a window with Lynn behind her and tapped a silver bell on the window sill and a stocky lady appeared.
"We got a few others," the police woman declared.
"What size clothing do you wear, Miss?" the stocky lady asked.
After Lynn responded, the lady disappeared briefly then returned carrying back a clear plastic bag containing the uniform worn by inmates and handed the bag to Lynn. The teenage athlete noticed the drab color of the uniform, burgundy and frowned.
"To your right there's a green door. Go inside and change then place what you're wearing into the bags but leave on the table," the lady instructed.
After changing into their uniforms, they were escorted by the same officer into a holding room to await further instructions. A blonde girl sitting on Lynn's right, turned in her direction.
'Hi, I'm Wendy," she greeted, but Lynn ignored her.
"What were you in for?" Wendy insisted causing Lynn to frown deeply at her and declined to respond.
Another five minutes passed before the matron in charge of the facility, a woman of African-Chinese descent arrived with a female warden.
"Afternoon girls my name is Mrs. Topaz Woodward, the head Matron who runs this institution, and here's Miss Emerson, she's here to explain the rules," she stated.
Miss Emerson wore a ponytail and a stern expression then stood with her arms folded.
"Listen up girlies, this isnt a luxury resort or your parents' house so don't think we're catering to your every command. From Mondays to Fridays everybody rises at six thirty a.m. except on holidays and the weekends its eight o'clock. We serve four meals a day, breakfast, lunch dinner and supper. Tomorrow you will be assigned jobs and complaining about your duties wont be tolerated. Fighting, refusing to do your assigned job, talking back to your supervisors and wardens is not acceptable and will be dealt with an appropriate punishment. On Sundays at nine a.m. there's a forty minute period of reflection that everyone is required to attend. Homework must be finished before relaxation time which lasts forty minutes on school nights. Dinner is served at five pm and bedtime is every night at eight thirty," she snapped.
"We don't follow the school schedule of the Hazeltucky school district so school will be in session until July twenty-first and classes will resume on September seventh, we will provide you with amenities such as extra washcloths, toothpaste, toothbrushes and sanitary wipes, we expect you to keep your textbooks in good condition and anyone who defaces them will be given extra chores. You have to wear a uniform for school," Ms. Woodward added.
The girls were asked to rise and escorted by two stern looking female officers into the main entrance and to the second floor. An officer walked towards a cell numbered twenty four and opened the door.
"Wendy, Lynn this will be your quarters," she remarked bluntly.
The girls stepped inside the cell and Lynn noticed two cots on the right side of the cell and two separate cots on the left facing each other. A mirror-less dresser and four drawers stood under a small window. Within the cell a raven haired teenage girl laid on the cot near the window on the right side of the room, reading a book she borrowed from the library.
"Hi guys, I'm Justina," she greeted the newcomers but only Wendy acknowledged her with a nonchalant, "Hi, I'm Wendy."
But as Lynn was about to sit on the other bed facing their roommate, Justina panicked a little.
"Wait don't take that bed that's Tasha's," Justina warned her.
A bit alarmed the athletic girl blurted, "Oh sorry?"
"Actually her name is Latasha but she prefers to be called Tasha, please just don't get on her angry side. Our previous roommate Amanda just rested her library book on her cot for one second and received a punch in the right jaw," Justina said.
"Oh great I'm going to be rooming with another Lola," Lynn thought in annoyance.
Taking the cot beside Latasha's, Lynn kicked off her sneakers and laid on the cot resting her head on the flat pillow.
"What is Tasha doing now?" Wendy decided to ask Justina.
"In the infirmary for getting a fever, she'll be out in two days," the other girl explained.
Lynn sighed internally and closed her eyes until she was awoken for dinner.
