Disclaimer: The Loud House and associated characters belong to Nickelodeon and Chris Savino.

When it Rains, it Pours

By Lola Presents

Chapter 9

"What happened to you?" gasped Luan as Lola strolled tiredly into the kitchen. "You look... not like yourself."

Lola stopped yawning and stretching her back, then glanced over at the table toward Luan and shrugged. "Nothing," she replied. "I just felt like a change."

Lola's sisters eyed her suspiciously but said no more about her altered appearance. They continued their scrutiny as Lola went about making herself a quick breakfast. Most returned to eating reasonably quickly, however, and only Luan had maintained her surveillance when Lola reached for the small bottle of their father's cinnamon.

"Seriously?" questioned Luan, deep in contemplation. "Who puts cinnamon on, what's that she's eating... Zombie Bran?" Luan shook her head in disgust. That loathsome cereal already had way too much sugar in it, but to add even more flavoring was just insane. Besides, wasn't that Lincoln's cereal? Since when did Lola start eating that?

"Good morning," announced Lincoln as he clunkily entered the room and sat down. "How is everyone today?"

"Here, Lincoln," said Lola, smiling broadly, setting the bowl down before him. "I made you some breakfast."

"Gee, that was nice," noted Lincoln before beginning to rise. "But, I'm going to need a spoon."

"No need!" chirped Lola, pulling two spoons from her waistband, where she'd stuck them before fetching the bowl. "I thought we might share?" she added.

"Um, well, okay," conceded Lincoln, especially since it meant he didn't have to get up again.

Leni made a gagging face, then addressed them. "Please... that's gross. You only share food with somebody special!"

Leni was a simple soul, but she wasn't stupid. Even Leni knew there was an underlying sentiment in Lola's action, and it didn't sit well with her. People are supposed to fall in love and marry people from other families. That's how it has always been and always will be. Though, she was not entirely sure why.

"Are you saying Lincoln isn't special?!" Lola spat, demanding a clarification.

"What's this about sharing food and someone being special?" asked a bedraggled Lori, entering in an atypically silent fashion. But before anyone could reply, she released a remaining yawn, then, almost literally, fell into a chair and gazed around the tale with half-open lids.

It was difficult to discern the issue, with Luan, Lynn, and Leni chatting at once, but Lori's gaze finally fell upon Lola and Lincoln and put the pieces together. Deftly, Lori gave Lola a gentle kick in the shin and glared at her for the merest of moments before speaking. "Oh, well. At least that's one less bowl to clean."

"So, when's the match?" asked Lola of Lincoln. "I've been thinking about it since yesterday, and I can hardly wait for it."

"Mm?" Lincoln said with a mouthful of bran. He then swallowed and continued. "It'll be sometime after lunch."

"Whoa, whoa, wait up..." Lynn spat, shocked beyond belief. "Since when did you become a gamer?"

"What?" gasped Lola. "I've always been competitive. You know that. So, what if I've found a new game to win? Who cares?"

Lynn's eyes flickered between Lola and Lincoln, of whom the latter seemed oblivious as he read his morning funnies. She wasn't sure if Lola was talking about the video game or her intentions for Lincoln. Either way, it was plain weird. Finished with her food, Lynn decided a hasty exit was in order before she lost her cool.

The hot-head got up and strolled over to the sink before walking toward the exit but had to get one last comment in, and it was up to Lola to decide how to interpret it. "Well, be careful. Some games take more out of a person when they lose than others," she snidely said as she left.

Lola tracked Lynn with squinted eyes as she disappeared into the dining room and out of sight. "What's up with her?" she asked nobody in particular. "Did she lose a game recently or something?"

"I believe the game she's referring to," interjected Lucy, "is one she has yet to play."

"Augh!" snapped Luan, who dropped her spoon into her bowl, splashing milk on her nightgown. "Where the fuck did you come from?"

Lucy merely smiled. At least, one would assume that's what it was.

Welcoming the change in ambiance, Lori took the opportunity to change the subject by offering to field questions about life at college. No sooner than Lori placed the offer, the questions came rolling in from girls with eager faces.

Soon, breakfast was over, and the assemblage began breaking up, each rinsing their bowls and spoons, then placing them neatly in the sink. Ever since their father had opened his restaurant, his time was limited, and it wasn't fair to ask him to scrub time-hardened food off the dishes later.

The kids all took turns doing various chores, of course, including washing the dishes. However, the deal was that all family members had to participate. That meant mom and dad as well. Tonight was their father's turn, and they wanted to make it easier for him.

Lola's appetite wasn't what it usually was, and deciding she'd had enough, she excused herself from the table and dropped her spoon into a large glass of water near the sink, then left the room. There was something on her mind, which she needed to appease. Lola bounded up the stairs, then stopped short in front of Lisa's and Lilly's room, then knocked softly in case Lily was still asleep.

"I'm busy," called Lisa authoritatively from within the room.

Lola put her ear to the door and heard the sounds of her sister banging away at her keyboard. Then, she entered regardless. Lisa stopped typing immediately and turned to peer at Lola from above the rim of her glasses.

"May I help you?" Lisa sighed, most annoyed. "This better be good. I was in the middle of something important."

Lola closed their door, pleased to see that Lily wasn't in her crib. She wasn't sure where the baby had gone, but their mother likely had Lily with her, so Lola didn't fret over it. She then walked over and sat in a nearby chair with her hands clasped, dangling loosely between her legs.

"Lisa..." she began. "There's something I need to ask you."

"Then ask, woman," Lisa complained, furrowing her brows after finally noticing Lola's appearance. "I haven't got all... day."

Lola nervously scratched the back of her head. "The thing is, it's kind of personal, and well... I need you to promise me something."

Sensing Lola's distress, Lisa finally scooted her chair away from her desk and swiveled to face her. "Very well, you have my attention," she announced. "What, pray-tell, am I committing to?"

"Um, well," Lola stammered. "First, don't think badly of me, and second, take whatever we say here to the grave, alright?"

Lisa adjusted her glasses and leaned back, hoping this wouldn't be another impromptu counseling session. "Lola, we scientists consider emotional responses to be somewhat mundane and inconsistent with unbiased examinations. And, I'll have you know, we also pride ourselves on client confidentiality. Fear not, elder sibling."

"Good, because if not, Lucy would have her first actual client," Lola said, balling her fist for emphasis.

"Now, L-Lola..." gulped Lisa. "What does this visit regard?"

For the next few minutes, Lola explained what had been transpiring between herself and Lincoln. She began with the accident and ended with the events of this morning.

"...and it took everything I had to pretend I was still asleep," Lola concluded.

After hearing Lola's account, Lisa's face grew faintly crimson, though she couldn't ignore the cry for assistance. However, she needed some clarity. "So, to review..." she began, "...you awoke to him pressed against you?"

"Mmhm," nodded Lola.

"How did that make you feel?" posited the little scientist.

Lola shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "It was soft but stiff, and well.. really warm. It felt kind of nice, but at the same time, I was confused."

Lisa let out a lengthy sigh, removed her glasses, and scratched her head, just as Lola had done moments before. "And, rightly so..." offered Lisa. "Didn't mom already have this talk with you?"

"Yes, but she was very vague about it," informed Lola. "I mean, I know boys and girls grow up different, but she didn't explain things well."

"Naturally," Lisa sighed again before turning back to her keyboard. "Please, offer me a moment."

Lola stared in disbelief as Lisa began typing rather quickly. Line after line of what appeared to be gobble-de-gook scrolled down the screen. "W-what are you doing?" asked Lola. "You aren't making notes, are you?"

"Goodness, no," replied Lisa cracking a half-smile, then turned back toward Lola. "I've hacked the router's child-blocker for you."

"Why?" gasped Lola. "Won't you get in trouble?"

"Not likely," Lisa responded. "I made it appear as though an automated system update reset everything."

"Well, okay. But, why?" pondered Lola.

"Because, dear sibling," Lisa announced. "There are a few videos you need to see. I could explain things to you, but I fear my vocabulary may overwhelm you."

Lola nodded and handed her phone over to Lisa, who pulled up the first video. The young beauty queen turned gamer sat there and watched as a deep male narrator began explaining puberty, displaying the changes on hand-drawn pieced art. Every slide included labels, pointing to the part the man was discussing. At first, Lola found the drawings of people sliced down the middle a little disturbing but soon realized that a lot was going on inside as well. Puberty wasn't an outside-only event.

Finally, the video ended, and Lola looked up at Lisa. "So...," stammered the astonished girl. "Um, Lincoln... he..."

"Now, before you come to any conclusion," Lisa warned her sister. "There are two possibilities. One is that he merely had to use the restroom after waking up. It is pretty common and has a similar physical reaction. And, the other..."

"He wants to have s-sex with me?!" gasped Lola, turning an odd mixture of crimson and pea-soup. "B-but, I don't even... I mean..."

"Now, for the second video," Lisa sighed, not looking forward to it but feeling it entirely necessary for Lola to understand what was transpiring completely. Pulling up a second video, she handed it back to Lola. "Before you hit play, please, for the sanity of any who may overhear, put in your earbuds."

Lola did as instructed and nervously clicked play. It didn't take long before Lola's face cycled through various contorted expressions and those of utter denial. Her eyes grew to this size of saucers when the couple on-screen began the act of having sex, and she nearly stopped breathing. Quickly shutting it off and closing her browser, Lola just sat there with her blank phone in her lap.

"What's wrong?" asked Lisa. "Is that not what you requested information on?"

"Y-y-y-yes," muttered Lola. "But... doesn't that hurt? I mean, do people really do that?"

"Affirmative," Lisa confirmed. "That's sexual intercourse how women get pregnant. Now, if you're still up to it, I have one final video to show you."

Lola neither reacted nor declined. Instead, she watched as Lisa took her phone and loaded the last video, then handed Lola's phone back to her. Lola stared at it blankly and nervously clicked play. "Okay," thought Lola after a moment of watching the new video. "This won't be too bad. It's just a hippo and some zookeepers."

For a few minutes, nothing much seemed to happen. The people tending the hippo were talking about how the animal was pregnant and due any time. Lola couldn't wait to see the cute baby hippo, but her eagerness turned to horror soon after the mother began to give birth. Disgusted but unable to put down the phone, Lola watched the entire thing.

"Do you understand now?" asked Lisa.

"H-how long..." said Lola, quivering.

"I beg your pardon?" Lisa returned.

"H-how long have you been planning this?" Lola accused Lisa. "You just happen to know if these three videos off the top of your head?

"For a while now," Lisa admitted. "Certainly, you did not think that such an occurrence would elude my attention, did you?"

Lola lowered her head and shrugged. "I guess not. But, why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Would you have listened?" asked Lisa leaning forward.

"No, I suppose not," Lola admitted, looking down at her lap. "But, oh my, God... Lisa. That poor mommy hippo! How... I mean... do they stretch that much?" Lola said, fumbling with her thoughts and words.

"Now then," concluded Lisa. "Let's not hear any more about this ridiculous notion of you and Lincoln, alright?"

"What?!" spat Lola, standing up immediately. "Was that your plan all along? Hell, no! I am in love with him, and that's that! At least, now I know what not to do. Until I'm older, anyway." Shen then turned and left the room, slamming the door on her way out.

Lisa scrunched her mouth up. Things hadn't gone as planned, which was to scare Lola to her senses with the truth. She then looked at the door Lola had just vanished through and began to wonder if she had done the right thing. Sometimes, Lisa forgot that most people weren't like her and lived entirely within their emotions. The idea that Lola might use her new knowledge against Lincoln out of spite came into focus, and Lisa frowned.

Lola headed for the restroom and slammed that door as well, then turned on the water and adjusted it until it was nice and warm. She stepped into the shower after disrobing and stood there, letting the warm water cascade over her body. It was soothing and began to relax the girl as she attempted to come to terms with the things Lisa had shown her.

Taking a mid-day shower meant plenty of hot water, and Lola took advantage of it. She'd realized, of course, that her parents would notice once the bill came and would apologize for the extra usage later. For now, Lola needed it more than anything. Lola felt dirty, though she was nearly as clean as when she went to bed last night, save for the night's sweat.

Eventually, her breathing regulated, and she calmed down, beginning her cleaning routine. The process included shampoo, more shampoo (the bottle said "repeat" on it), conditioner, more conditioned (for the same reason), and a thorough bodily wash-down with soap.

One always cleans from top to bottom, so dirt doesn't get on a place you've already cleaned. It's been a time-honored tradition for Lola ever since reading about it in one of Gil's pageantry books. However, today she paused after rinsing her belly. The next part was her privates, and she hesitated.

Never before had Lola thought much about her special place. It was only something she used to pee. Now, however, there was an innate curiosity that began to overcome her. She stared down at it, squatting slightly to get a better view. There wasn't much to see, however, just two bumps.

Then, a frightening thought occurred to the young girl, and she shuddered. What if Lincoln had done something to her during the night? No, that was stupid. She would have woken up. Wouldn't she? The thought lingered and nagged at her brain until she found her hand moving toward herself, seeming of its own accord.

After a few disconnected moments of examining herself, she was satisfied that nothing had happened and that she was whole. Sighing with relief that she wasn't going to turn up pregnant, she finished washing, turned off the water, dried off, and got dressed. She stared at herself in the mirror and rubbed her face, hoping never to watch anything like that again.

"Hey, Luna?" prodded Luan, who was sitting on her bunk, laptop in hand. "May I ask you something?"

"Huh?" replied Luna, pulling her earbuds out. "What?"

"I was just thinking," Luan told Luna. "What if, you know, they actually are in love, and we're ruining it?"

Luna's eyes went wild. "You can't be serious?" she asked. "I'm the most liberal person in this house, and it's wrong. How could you even consider that?"

"Oh, come on," Luan spat. "I'm not saying that we should support them. But, what if, later in life, they get together. They might end up resenting our involvement."

Luna considered her sister's words for a moment. "Dude, if that happens, so be it. They'll be consenting adults. But, that's a far cry from what's going on."

"Yeah, I know. It's just..." Luan sighed.

"Just what?" quipped Luna, getting irritated at the direction their conversation was taking.

"Promise you'll keep it a secret?" asked Luan, standing and facing her sister.

Luna narrowed her eyes but conceded. "I suppose," she announced with a sigh. "That's what sisters are for, right?"

"Well, Benny and I, we..." Luan began, her cheeks turning rosy.

"You didn't..." gasped the rocker.

Luan only nodded and smiled.

"But, you aren't..." mumbled Luna.

"...consenting adults?" finished Luan. "Yeah."

"No, I was going to say related," Luna said, shocked to her core that her younger sister had sex before she did.

"Okay, so being a consenting adult isn't as important to you as you thought?" asked Luan, leaning against the top bunk. " If that doesn't matter, then why does being related? As long as they're informed and make good decisions, who cares?"

Luna blinked, then laid back down and talked to Mick in her mind.

"People are gonna do what people are gonna do, Luv," Mick said to Luna. "At least they don't hate each other. In the end, love always wins."

"You're no help," Luna said out loud.

"Huh?" chirped Luan, only then noticing Luna's glazed look. "Oh, you're talking to him again. And, what did he say?"

"Nothing important," Luna lied, annoyed at herself. "Now, can we let this go? I want to finish listening to my playlist."

"Lincoln?" Lola called after knocking, something she never used to do. "It's almost time for the match. May I come in?"