The Foot Comes Down
For most of their lives, the girls have faced their fair share of trouble for their actions. With every fight, every instance of rough-housing, every argument they all had with one another; their parents always punished them accordingly. Said punishments were relatively bearable, however; groundings, being sent to bed without supper, losing phone/TV/internet privileges, losing chances for fun outings etc.
But at this very moment; as their parents loomed over them with eyes blazing red with anger, the girls felt like they would soon be on Death Row. With but a simple gesture, the Loud Parents ordered their daughters to head straight for the van. Not wishing to get them any angrier, the girls did as they were told without any backtalk.
The drive back to the house was no better either, much to their fearful displeasure. During the entire trip, no one dared to utter even a single word. Even Lily felt too afraid to say a simple "goo-goo," despite not being in trouble.
Finally, after easing Vanzilla into the driveway; Rita turned towards the girls and uttered four simple words, "girls...living room...now!" This caused all ten girls to let out a started yelp in alarm. Without missing a beat, they ripped open the door of the van and hurried into the house; not wishing to anger their parents further.
Moments later, everyone sat in the living room in a deathly silence. The only sounds that could be heard were that of a ticking clock, the pets scratching any itches they had or the soft patter of fingers tapping. Then, all of a sudden; Luan began to grow paranoid with the lingering silence.
Sweat dripped slowly from her forehead, her breathing became soft yet mildly frantic and she began biting down her lip so hard, it looked as though she were eating it. "It's so quiet...so tense" she thought to herself, "is this what the family feels like when they're waiting for my pranks to happen...if so, it's terrible!" Finally, after the clock ticked four more times; Luan snapped and fell to her knees in a pleading position.
"I CAN'T TAKE THE SUSPENSE ANYMORE" she wailed loudly, "GO AHEAD, PUNISH US; WE KNOW WE DID YOU GUYS WRONG...just...just get it over with." The girls all collectively groaned at their sister's weakness and facepalmed themselves irritably, all while muttering the words "ah, dang it." But much to their surprise, they suddenly heard their mother laughing softly.
"Punish you...really" she asked in a rather surprisingly sweet tone, "now, girls; what reason could your father and I ever have to punish you all?" Mere seconds after this; her husband, Lynn Sr. started showing off the same kind of oddly naïve yet "calm" behavior. "Agreed, honey...what possible reason could we have to punish you all" he murmured in the same sweet tone, while tapping his chin in thought; "oh...wait, there is one thing that comes to mind."
With that simple phrase, Lynn's expression immediately shifted from chipper to bitter in a blink of an eye. Then, he suddenly walked his way into the kitchen and when he came back; he had a newspaper in his hands. With an angry grunt, Lynn Sr. proceeded to gently yet firmly throw it atop of the coffee table; showing off he front page.
When the girls took a look at the article in question, their collective faces turned white with fear. For on the front page, in big bold lettering no less, were written these words; "Local Boy Confesses History of Family Abuse To the Public, Town Demands Retribution!" The Sisters didn't know whether to feel angry, confused, alarmed, betrayed or some odd mixture/combination of all of them.
Before they could make even the smallest comment about this, the girls' mother quickly picked up the newspaper and started reading the article aloud to the family. The whole time she spoke, she would often speak either their names or Lincoln's name in a rather fierce tone of voice. "'In recent days, it has been discovered that Lincoln Loud of Royal Woods, Mi may have been a victim of abusive behavior and mistreatment'" Rita growled, "'the Royal Woods School Board and local authorities may not be aware of the cause behind this yet...but according to several locals, Mr. Loud's family appear to be the most likely suspects.'"
The Loud Sisters were left feeling confused and outraged by the article's statements, wondering where the local news got their information from. But due to their current situation, they had no choice but to keep quiet; lest they risk their parents' wrath. Speaking of whom; Rita was doing her best to nurse a still throbbing headache, while Lynn simply stared at his daughters in silence. Desperate to end tension, Lori made an attempt to speak up...but stopped herself when he stood up to get some coffee.
At one point, Rita had finally managed to ease her headaches and was ready to speak to her daughters directly. "Looks like you girls made the news this past week" she muttered venomously, "got anything to say for yourselves about that?" After a while, Lori finally worked up the nerve to speak; despite the fact that her gut was aching like crazy with worry.
"Mom...I speak for all of us when I say that we couldn't have foreseen something like this happening" she mumbled, "I mean...we've all been literally dealing with a lot of stress and..." The moment Lori said this, Rita started laughing again in that oddly sweet tone. But truth be told; the girls knew from experience that when someone laughed this way, it's a sign that meant they were in deep doo-doo.
"Oh! You girls are stressed, huh" she murmured inquisitively, "well...I'm here to tell you that you don't know THE FRIGGIN' MEANING OF THE WORD!" No sooner had she screamed; she slammed her fist so hard upon the table, the resounding vibrations violently shook their pets out of their sleeping spots. "It's bad enough we had to bail you out from the fuzz...again" Rita grumbled, "but after what your father and I have been through the past few days, your 'stresses' are like small potatoes by comparison."
Upon hearing this, the girls' earlier fear and mild anger quickly gave way to concern; wondering what exactly happened to their parents. "Mommy...what's wrong" questioned Lola in her sweet tone, "what happened to you guys today...besides the obvious." After each of them let out a heavy sigh, Lynn and Rita began to recount their own stressful chronicles.
"To start things off, let me ask you girls something" questioned Lynn Sr. after returning from the kitchen, "do you recall what happened at my restaurant, the day after this little...tiff of yours got started?" After each of them swallowed down the nervous lumps in their throats, they answered with a small and silent nod; proclaiming that they recalled what happened on the day in question quite vividly.
(Scene Change/Flashback: Lynn's Table, the day after the sisters' fight began)
It had been only a day since Lori's loss to Carol at the golf course. But the moment the family returned home, it wasn't long until she and Leni went into a full-blown fight (punching, kicking, hair-pulling etc.) Truthfully, this was far worse than the time they both "supposedly" bought the same kind of dress at the mall.
This was a matter of honor; at least, that's what Lori claimed it was. Compared to making a scene on the golf course that caused her to lose an important match, the dress issue was now distant memory. In time, this one quarrel led to the remaining eight sisters to start fighting as well. At first, the Loud Parents thought this would all blow over quickly, like with the previous "Sister Fight Protocol" related quarrel...they were wrong
As things grew more and more hostile by the hour between them, Lynn Sr. (albeit nervously) asked the girls to assist him at his restaurant; hoping the work would help bring them together peacefully again. Alas; this would be a decision he'd come to regret, very soon. No sooner had they began working in the kitchen did things quickly started to fall apart.
Even while they worked, the girls still fought one another as viciously as they did at home. Within moments; they were either waving sharp kitchenware threateningly at one another, attempting to hit each other with pots and/or pans or ended up using produce (which Lynn needed for ingredients) as food fight weapons. Soon, the entire kitchen was transformed into a war zone and Lynn tried his darndest to keep everything in order.
Meanwhile, patrons outside of the kitchen area managed to overhear the sounds of their fighting quite vividly; which made their dining experiences difficult to enjoy. Then, without warning; a large glob of food stuffs came flying out of the serving window (or whatever that little window thing between the dining area and kitchen is called) like a cannonball and soared into the dining area. This glob then struck a woman hard in the face, causing her to spill her beverage onto her child's face.
Seconds later, the woman could feel her face burning painfully from the food that hit her; while her child started wailing loudly with displeasure at his mother's screaming (as one would expect.) Upon hearing the commotion; two of Lynn's other staff members, Kotaro and Grant, rushed outside and tried their best to calm everyone down. Alas, their efforts did little to help with the situation; as the fighting in the kitchen eventually became even more severe.
Finally, one of the patrons threw his napkin atop his plate angrily and left the restaurant in a huff. "THIS IS THE WORSE SERVICE I'VE EVER HAD" he shouted, "I'M GOING TO JEAN JUAN'S FOR DINNER, EVEN IF I HAVE TO WAIT ALL NIGHT FOR A TABLE!" Upon hearing these words, Lynn rushed out towards the exit doors and blocked the way.
"Now, Sir; I know things seem...out of sorts right now" he chuckled timidly, "but...I can assure you, Lynn's Table is all about fine dining and good..." At that moment, there came a loud crash from inside the kitchen; which was followed by the loud rushing sounds of water. Soon after, the kitchen doors flung open and a large rush of dirty sink water came flowing into the dining area like a mini tidal wave.
In the blink of an eye, the water washed over several tables; knocking many patrons roughly from out of their chairs. Meanwhile, those who sat in booths saw the dirty water splash onto their plates and all over the food; thus tainting it with grime and dirt. This was the final push the other patrons needed to help make their decision.
Soon, they all went pouring out of the restaurant in droves; many of the patrons muttered loud obscenities about how poorly their dining experience went or that they vowed to never eat there again. For Lynn; the worst part wasn't the water damage, the loss of his ingredients, the broken sink or the fact that the day's dinner rush stormed out. The worst of it all was, due to them leaving so suddenly; none of the customers left tips behind...let alone paid their bills.
In the end, Rita forcefully escorted the girls back into Vanzilla; while Lynn remained behind to make a call for a repair crew to come over. When the company's truck arrived and saw the damages, the repair crew inside had no choice but to call in for some backup. To Lynn, this meant one thing; that the repairs would cost a large sum of cash to be done properly...and he was right.
It took the combined repair crews all night and into the following morning to bring the place back to normal...but they did it. Unfortunately, such circumstances forced Lynn to dip into his "cooking funds" to repay them; which was money he had saved on the side for whenever he needed to restock his stores of ingredients, meats, veggies, fruits and other supplies. After the repairs were done and the crews were paid, Lynn decided to head home; making a note to spend the next day taking it easy.
At least...he was hoping to have a peaceful day off, when he returned home. But what he got instead was his daughters going at each other's throats once again and turning his entire living space into a warzone...AGAIN! It took all the patience, optimism and good humor Lynn had inside to try and endure endure most of the day; while all this went on.
But when it became too much to bear, at one point; he decided to try and relax in the garage while listening to some rock music (something that always helped calm his nerves.) A half hour later, Lynn sat in the driver's seat of Vanzilla; jamming to some rock n' roll music on the radio. Then, he suddenly felt his cellphone vibrate; which snapped him out of his relaxed state.
With a disgruntled groan, Lynn picked up his phone and saw that it was Kotaro calling him. "Hey, dude; thought you'd be chilling at home today" he said with a slight yawn, "what's happening?" What followed was Kotaro speaking almost a mile a minute on the other end, which almost overwhelmed Lynn.
"Whoa...Whoa! Easy does it, buddy" he said calmly, "take a deep breath and tell me calmly what's going on." Soon after that, Kotaro's face appeared on the screen of Lynn's phone; indicating that he must've turned on the webcam function on his end. Before anything else could be said, Kotaro showed Lynn the front entrance of his restaurant; which was being tapped off by men in suits.
(Back to Reality)
After Lynn abruptly ended his half of the tale, he took out his phone and showed a picture Kotaro took of the restaurant to the girls. What they saw was the front door of the establishment bearing several large posters upon them. After tapping the cellphone screen to zoom in, Lori got a look at what the poster said.
Notice of Closure
"By order of Mayor Theresa Davis and the Royal Woods Health Department, this establishment has been dubbed guilty of several health, work environment and/or safety related violations. Until these issues are remedied; it shall be, henceforth closed down. The establishment's staff and all other citizens are prohibited from entering or approaching the area until the mayor deems said establishment safe, once again. Any violation of this warning shall be met with police action and a substantial fine."
"Thank you for your cooperation; sincerely, Royal Woods Health Dept."
After reading over every word of the notice several times over, Lori now understood the reason behind her father's anger. That restaurant was his life's biggest dream; next to playing the cowbell professionally on stage at a concert, of course. Now, because of what she and her sisters had done; he lost it (though...not forever, just temporarily.)
"I've worked and slaved for months, learning all the basics of fine restaurant cooking under Sergei's guidance at Aloha Comrade and helping him with customers" he sobbed softly, doing his best to hold back tears; "I've spent months earning and saving the money I needed to buy and remodel the old building...and now, just as quickly as I've achieved my dream; I've lost it!" In that moment, the cold chill of guilt washed over the Loud Sisters. Lori and Leni, in particular felt especially ashamed; considering that it was their actions that sparked the entire fight.
Once Lynn's story came to an end, the poor man fell back onto the sofa and cried; unleashing waterfalls of sorrowful tears onto the nearest throw pillow. Soon after, Rita rushed to his side and did whatever she could to soothe him; all while trying to keep herself from crying as well. Eventually, Lynn calmed down enough to look his daughters straight in the eye and sneer with disappointment.
"You know...it wasn't just me that was affected by your shenanigans either, girls" he grumbled, "your mother has been dealing with her own share of distress at work lately." Despite feeling too nervous to speak up, Lola gave her mother a look that seemed to ask "what happened?" Upon seeing this look; Rita ceased patting her husband's shoulder, grabbed her purse, took out her phone and brought up an image.
When she showed it to the girls, some of them didn't have a clue as to what they were looking at. "This is the appointment log for Dr. Feinstein's office where I work" she stated, "now...can any of you girls tell me what's wrong with this picture?" Upon hearing this question, Leni automatically assumed they were playing a sort of "guessing game" (sort of like those types where you find the object that doesn't belong.)
But before she could say this out loud, her sisters quickly silenced clasped their hands over her mouth; reminding their sister that now wasn't the time for her to show off her usual "Leni-ness." With that settled, they spent almost half a minute of thinking what their mother was trying to show them...but came up with nothing. "Forgive me for stating the obvious, Mother" Lisa muttered, "but there doesn't seem to be anything amiss, besides the fact that your log appears completely blank."
Upon hearing this, Lori couldn't help but mentally groan with dismay; as did most of the other Loud Sisters. "THAT'S EXACTLY THE POINT, BRAINIAC" Lynn mentally yelled, "I swear, Lisa...you may be a genius but you're dumb when obvious things are right under your nose!" Alas, the wee genius would come to realize this truth too little too late.
With a disgruntled groan; Rita, who looked as though she was teetering on the brink of a mental breakdown, decided to spell it out for her daughters. "Sweetie...there's a reason that the log is blank" she said with a forced smile and a twitching eye, "it's because...THERE AREN'T ANY APPOINTMENTS RECORDED IN IT!" Upon hearing this revelation, the girls let out a collective gasp of shock.
"But...But why would people do that" questioned Luan, "Dr. Feinstein is a great dentist, he's the one that gave me my braces." In response to her inquiry, Rita revealed that she was the reason why so many appointments got cancelled at the last minute; not the doctor. "Thanks to all the news being reported about us, people are too afraid to let me help work on their teeth" she stated, "they're saying things like 'if Loud can't help care for her own family, how are we supposed to trust her with our dental health?'"
At the end of the story, Rita revealed that Feinstein had decided to put her on temporary leave until "your family mess is straightened out." As one could imagine, this news felt like a heavy punch to the gut for her...but she knew better than to argue. Afterwards, the girls felt as though their entire world ended; not only was their father jobless but their mother was as well.
With these circumstances in mind; they were left wondering how their family would be supported, if none of them could work for the money they needed. "I know, why not ask Lincoln to lend us some money" Leni chimed in softly, "according to the link Lori sent to all of us, he got a lot of it for his coloring book." The moment she said this, several of the Loud Sisters' faces blazed red with anger.
"Don't you dare bring up that twerp's name in this house anymore, Leni" growled Lynn Jr., "he's the reason all this is happening to us in the first place!" In an instant; Lola, Luan, Lori and even Lisa suddenly shouted in agreement. "That little weasel is always causing us problems, even when he's not at home" Lori fumed, "he runs out of the house like a coward, goes off to who knows where for days and the next thing I know; I discover this!"
She then took out her phone and brought up several images on Carol Pingrey's social media page. At first, her parents and sisters tried to tell her that now wasn't the time for such things. But then, Lori told them to look and see if they could "spot anyone familiar" on any of the pictures.
Reluctantly, Rita decided to answer her daughter's wishes and took a look at one of them. There, she saw what looked like Lori's friends from school (or former friends, at the moment) at the spa. She also happened to notice what looked like some girls in Lincoln's grade hanging with them as well. Finally, she spotted the thing that Lori so desperately wanted her to find.
At the center of the picture with several of the ladies coddling him was Lincoln, whose face was coated with lip gloss kissy marks and bore a silly squiggly-line grin of bliss. "Huh...Mrs. Pingrey told me that Lincoln would be heading off to the spa with her daughter and some of their friends" Rita said with a soft smile, "looks like he had a great time." Lori was aghast by her mother's reaction, to say the least; why would she seem so pleasant about what she saw.
"How can you say that, Mom" she shouted with confusion, "he's been living it up while we've been suffering here at home!" With an indifferent look upon her face, Rita revealed she already knew about Lincoln's exploits. "While you girls have been ripping each other apart, the parents of Lincoln's new friends have all been looking after him for us" she stated, "they say he's been a true gentleman towards the ladies."
Just then; Lynn Jr. prepared to, once again badmouth Lincoln and place blame for their current situation on him. But her father quickly stopped the young athlete in her tracks and directed her attention to the newspaper article. Upon reading it, they saw images of his body (which was halfway covered in what was supposedly sunburn) that were taken by security cameras at the Tranquil Springs Spa.
Beneath it was a statement from the spa's owner, Fernando Gutierrez; which read "'before his recent visit, I have not seen or met the boy before. But my staff tells me this Lincoln Loud was quite a good boy.'" Lynn muttered softly under her breath with disgust, after reading the statement a third time; whispering claims about Lincoln doing a lot of "brown-nosing" to get on his good side.
As the statement continued; it went on to describe Fernando's horror, when he learned of Lincoln's near full-body sunburn. The next statement in the article was by a man named Randy, which caused Lola to suddenly sweat nervously. "'Things started out very well, I was styling the lil' man's hair and we were chatting casually with each other; loads of fun'" Randy's statement read, "'then, when he told me he was from the Loud Family; I was beyond shocked!'"
As the article continued; Randy went on to tell the press of how Lola, Lincoln Loud's little sister, once bit him on the wrist. "HOLD ON! In my defense, that man did little to help me prepare for a pageant I was entering" Lola shot back, "everything he did just made me look frumpier and frumpier!" These words, much to the wee "princess'" dismay, did not earn her any sympathy from her parents; only disappointment and annoyance.
All she got from them was a vicious glare that seemed to say (or shout) "NO EXCUSES!" Upon seeing this look, Lola's earlier demeanor gave way to fear and she huddled herself beside a couch pillow for security. After that, Rita opened the paper and showed them something that almost made Luan's heart stop.
It was a picture, albeit a playing card-sized one, of the two bank officials Luan met at Funny Business earlier. What truly caught her attention was the right eye of the second gentleman, which had become incredibly red and swollen from irritation. "Luan...says here that you assaulted two people at Funny Business with hot sauce from a 'suped up squirting flower,' after they chose to close down your establishment" grumbled Lynn, "is this true?"
At first, the young comedienne considered either lying or pretending not to understand the situation. But then, she decided to take a moment to weigh both options; if she lied...her parents would be beyond miffed and punish her. But if she decided to keep quiet, she shuddered to think what they or her sisters would do to make her talk.
In the end, she did something rather unusual (even for her;) she decided to have someone else talk for her. In the blink of an eye, she collected Mr. Coconuts from out of her backpack and placed him on her lap. At first, the other nine sisters considered scolding her for being "silly" at a bad time.
But then, Lynn Sr. suggested that Luan might've "needed help" in saying what she needed to and decided to allow this course of action...for now. "So, Luan...care to explain what happened with the two bankers" prodded Rita, "why on earth would you assault them after they punished you for a legitimate reason?!" For the longest time, no reply came; which made the Loud Parents rather antsy.
Then...Mr. Coconuts' eyes blinked, he "cleared his throat" and he said "'IT'S 'CAUSE THE DAME'S PLAIN CRACKERS!'" Now, everyone (except for Leni, mostly) knew that it was Luan's own words coming out of Mr. Coconuts' mouth. But many realized the puppet was often used as a...crutch of sorts for her to speak her innermost thoughts.
But when the Loud Family heard Mr. Coconuts call Luan "crackers," they were incredibly surprised. Unfortunately, the dummy was just getting started with his lashings. "'We go to the joint to see if there's any work for us; ya know, to help us forget the stress at home'" explained Mr. Coconuts, "'when the two suits tell us that sales have been goin' sour, thanks to my braindead bimbo of a partner here!'"
The family was shocked and appalled to hear Luan speak so viciously about herself, to say the least. "That still doesn't explain why the one man's eye looks like this" Lynn said matter-of-factly, "did you have something to do with it?" Once again, through Mr. Coconuts; Luan went on to describe how she went and flipped out at the two bankers.
"'Then, just when ya think it couldn't get much worse...it did'" Mr. Coconuts grumbled, "'the one guy hands us loads of papers showin' that every gig we had planned to entertain for up and cancelled on us!'" This reveal caused the family to actually feel a twinge of pity for her, despite their still lingering anger. But all that quickly changed, when Mr. Coconuts delved deeper into the story.
"'Rather than walk away all peaceably, this broad here snapped quicker than a twig gettin' stamped on by a squirrel'" he groaned with shame, "'she uncorks her squirtin' flower, loads it with hot sauce and fires a small 'warning shot' at the one guy's face!'" With this reveal, the family found themselves swept up in a raging torrent of emotion. They didn't know whether to be angry, ashamed, horrified, embarrassed or some combination of all of them.
Needless to say, Luan knew she was in trouble. But in spite of that, she still confessed to everything she did. "'The moment the drop of hot sauce hit him, a tiny bit of it flew into the one suit's eye'" Mr. Coconuts explained, "'much to the broad's surprise, the suit cried out in pain and dropped the hose he was holdin' on to.'" It was at this point that, thanks to the photos in the paper, her parents were able to put the pieces together.
"What you did, young lady is worse than any form of April Fools pranks you've pulled" Rita seethed bitterly, "it's even worse than the 'Paint the Town Red' idea you came up with, back in 2008!" Luan suddenly felt herself growing smaller (metaphorically speaking) with every harsh word her mother said. Over the years, people have asked her "why do you go so far with your jokes and pranks?"
As a response, she would use the same words she told the two bankers earlier at Funny Business; "in comedy, you either g-g-go big or g-go home." But looking back, using phrases like that or "the pranks are only meant for the prankster to enjoy" actually sounded really stupid now. Finally, as Luan lowered her head in shame; Mr. Coconuts glared at her with his wooden eyes and said "'this time, ya screwed up; ya dumb clown.'"
Next, Lynn Sr. and Rita directed their ire towards Lynn Jr., who was sweating like she just ran a thousand marathons all at once. "Before we start, young lady; I gave your latest trophy to Agent Mathers, when we were going over to pick you girls up" Rita explained, "after learning what you did to his daughter...well, it wasn't much but it felt like respectable compensation for what happened." Upon hearing this, Lynn Jr. felt beyond outraged and was prepared to let her folks hear it.
But when she saw the fire in her parents' eyes, she quickly shut herself up. "Lynn...we know you like to push yourself and try to be the best" Lynn Sr. muttered, "in fact, it's one of the things I find most admirable about you." Hearing her father say such kind words of praise caused the young jock to lower her guard a bit.
Unfortunately, she realized too late that he wasn't done with her just yet. "That being said, don't think for a second that we didn't notice how aggressive and crass you can be on the field at times; regardless of the sport" Lynn Sr. said firmly, "when we heard what happened to his daughter during the football game, last November...we didn't know what to tell him!" When the Loud Parents saw the confused looks on their daughters' faces, they knew they all needed an explanation.
With that, Rita showed them a picture of a girl in a wheelchair with a cast over her left leg. "This, girls is Amy Mathers" she stated, "she was one of the players for the Hazeltucky Football team during Lynn's last game...and she also happens to be Agent Mathers' daughter." The girls nodded slightly in understanding and then, Lola asked what happened to Amy's leg.
"Seems your sister got a bit too rough with her" Lynn Sr. grumbled, "when she fell to the ground, after Lynn tackled her; the fall sprained Amy's leg!" There was a mixed reaction from the girls about this news. The younger ones, even Lily, grimaced loudly with dismay; hoping that Amy would be okay, in time.
Meanwhile, the rest were left feeling utterly disgusted with Lynn, save for Leni; who needed some time to catch on to what happened. In the past; they've all tolerated Lynn's bragging, her showboating, her smug attitude and even her immature victory dances. But then, there were moments where she would up in the most obscenely aggressive ways towards them.
Said attitude often led to Lynn either laughing at them smugly, attacking them (verbally or physically) or even damaging their own property in a fit of annoyance/rage and not apologize for it (like how she often uses Lucy's Edwin bust as a football.) Of course; over the years, the girls and even Lincoln managed to find some way to deal with it all. But none of them ever thought that Lynn would act this way towards other people in public...at least, not while people were looking directly at her.
"This isn't the first time your actions have either hurt or injured other players during a game, young lady" Rita said in a scolding tone, "your father and I can't even begin to tell you of all the lawsuits we've narrowly avoided, over the years due to your...'hardcore' playing style!" This reveal lead to all the girls swarming Lynn and demanding to know what went through her mind during incidents like the one with Amy. But despite it all, she still answered back in her typical brash and indifferent manner.
"I don't see what the big deal is" she yawned, "people get rough, when they play football or any kind of sport and they also might get hurt...that's how it's been for ages." To add further insult to injury for herself; Lynn mumbled "if you're gonna punish me for that, you may as well punish me for being a female football player." Naturally, her folks felt offended by her snide response.
"LYNN L. LOUD JR." her mother roared, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO YOU BUT YOU DO NOT SPEAK TO ME OR YOUR FATHER LIKE THAT!" The wee jock simply scoffed coldly at her mother and quickly used her own words against her. "What's gotten into me, I should be asking you that very question" she asked bluntly, "why are you two getting upset with me...with all of us...over something that's been goin' on for ages?!"
Up until now, the other sisters had remained silent during this sit down. But after hearing Lynn's statement, they couldn't help but side with Lynn in her outrage. "Agreed, the ten of us and especially Lincoln have behaved this way towards each other for approximately seventeen years and four months" Lisa surmised, "so...why choose to unleash your anger upon us this way now, when you've always reacted to our past quarrels on a..."moderately restrained level?"
Before the discussion continued, everyone saw Leni struggling to understand the math Lisa presented. However, rather than try and help her understand (AGAIN;) the family decided to remain focused on the topic at hand. "It's true...over the years, we've done our best to discipline you all accordingly for certain actions" Lynn Sr. stated, "but the truth is...we've been unable to truly be firm with you because we've always been afraid."
Upon hearing this reveal; several of the girls questioned what, exactly their parents were afraid of. To which, they responded by simply gesturing their hands at the girls themselves. "As we said before, girls; you all can be quite...unstable, at times" Rita confessed, "whether it's Luan and her overzealous pranks, Lynn's competitiveness...or even Lisa and her scientific pursuits/inventions."
For his part, Lynn Sr. confessed how much of a miracle it was that he's remained mentally stable after raising all of them over the years. "At first, we simply left you to your own devices; let you be who you are" the family patriarch sighed, "but we soon realized that things can get incredibly overwhelming with you all, at times; especially for your brother!" After this, for what felt like an eternity; no one had chosen to speak a word to anyone about anything.
The family had, once again found themselves in a period of stone-cold silence; one that felt more tense than the car drive home. But then, almost seconds later; that silence was swiftly broken by the cries of lil' Lily. "CURSES! Here she goes again with her wailing" groaned Lisa, "the time has come for one of you to try and soothe her...because I am at the end of my rope!"
Despite their arguing over the past few days; stopping Lily from crying too much was, at the moment, the one thing they agreed upon unanimously. With that in mind, the girls and even their parents tried everything they could to calm her down. First, they assumed the obvious and checked to see if she required changing.
But much to their surprise (and relief,) Lily's diaper was as dry as a bone. Then, they assumed that she might've been hungry; which brought Lynn Sr. to collect some baby food he whipped up himself. But Lily refused every spoonful everyone offered, despite each of their attempts to feed her.
The next few moments after that were then spent on trying to think of ways to cheer her up. Luna tried singing to her, Rita tried bouncing her on her lap for a "horsey ride," Lori tried moving her around the air like an airplane (only to end up with a face covered in spittle) and Luan and Lynn Sr. tried making funny faces. But in the end, their efforts ended the same way; with Lily wailing loudly.
It was then that everyone realized that this may as well have been one of those "babies sometimes cry for no reason" moments. But then, Leni (surprisingly) came up with an idea and quickly sprinted up the steps. "LENI LOUD, GET BACK DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT" fumed Lynn Sr., "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON THE COUCH WITH YOUR..."
His tirade came to a quick halt, when Leni suddenly returned to the room with something behind her back. When everyone demanded to see what she had, the second eldest sister smiles softly and revealed...a small stuffed bunny in her hands. In an instant; everyone recognized the doll as none other than Bun-Bun, Lincoln's favorite toy.
"Where did...Where did you find that, Leni" questioned her mother, "I thought Lincoln might've taken it along with him, when he left the house." In saying that, she realized that maybe he left it behind; fearing that others (namely his new friends) might mock him for having it. "I found it on his pillow, upstairs" Leni replied, "I figured...why not give this toy a try, since Lily didn't want the others."
The family couldn't help but gawk astounded at the young lady, after making sure they all heard her correctly. In that moment, they were unsure of what shocked them more; what Leni said or the fact that it was her who said it. However, in spite of the fact that the idea had a 50-50 chance of success; the Louds all knew they had few other options to go with.
After exchanging a quick, unanimous nod; Rita took Bun-Bun in her hand and waved it playfully in front of Lily. "Don't cwy, widdle girl" she murmured adorably, "Bun-Bun's here and he's gonna make you feel all better." Suddenly Lily's cries died down slightly; just enough so she could look at the doll in front of her.
The moment she saw it; her face, much to everyone's surprise, lit up brightly with joy. Then; she proceeded to crawl towards the bunny, take it in her tiny arms and hug it lovingly. Everyone cooed softly with delight, while also mentally sighing with relief.
With the baby now satisfied, everyone came close to going back to yelling at one another. But then, Lily did something that took everyone off-guard. While hugging the stuffed bunny close to her; she looked at his small doll eyes, smiled and murmured one simple word..."Wincoln."
At first, everyone simply brushed off the word as another piece of silly baby talk; much like everything else she said. But soon, Lily's cries gave way to giggles and she consistently said the word "Wincoln" in-between each laugh. As she sat there, watching her smallest daughter laughing; Rita tried her best to figure out what "Wincoln" is.
This thought seemed to be on everyone else's mind as well, coincidentally enough. While it felt a tad off, at first; it was a rare joy for the whole family to collectively be on the same page about something. Then, realization suddenly struck Lil' Lisa like a flash; as if a million cameras started flashing in front of her eyes.
"Family, I believe I understand what is happening here" she stated, "but I will need something to test it." The moment she said this, her parents went ballistic; ordering her to never place Lily or any of the family on one of her inventions again. "I can assure you, Mother; my test does not require one of my machines" Lisa assured, "instead, someone here must make a quick wardrobe change."
(Line Break)
A moment or two later, half of the family gathered outside of the bathroom; while Lisa (and one of the other sisters) was working inside of said room. "Lisa, honey; how much longer do you plan to be" Rita called out, "I don't think Lincoln will like seeing Bun-Bun covered in baby drool." Upon hearing her brother's name, Lily let out a soft yet pleased babble.
Then, the door suddenly swung open and out came what looked like Lincoln...or rather, Lori dressed like him. Though the family was rather surprised by this sight, it wasn't something entirely new to them. Long ago, each of the girls had to dress as each other; in order to cover for one another during certain moments.
What truly puzzled them was why Lori still had Lincoln's style of clothes and the wig. Regardless, Lisa was quite pleased that she still had them in her possession. "Now, let us see if my theory is correct" she stated, "go on, 'Lincoln'...go and greet your sister."
Though she felt rather uncomfortable in the outfit (emotionally speaking,) Lori went along with the plan and approached her baby sister. She had barely taken two steps forward, before Lily suddenly started laughing madly and demanding (in her own way) to be let down. Confused, Rita played along and placed the baby onto the floor.
Afterwards, Lily proceeded to crawl like a rocket into Lori's arms and hug her tightly. Then, with a pleased giggle; she muttered the word "Wincoln," once again. Upon seeing the scene before her, Lisa leapt into the air while fist-pumping in victory.
"EUREKA" cried Lisa, "this proves that my theory is correct...as if I ever doubted myself!" The moment she made this comment, the rest of her family groaned loudly and demanded answers; Lori especially. "What did me dressing up like Lincoln have to do with your theory" the eldest Loud Sister mumbled impatiently, "I can't be expected to do this forever."
As if sensing her family's confusion, Lisa cleared her throat and cut straight to the chase. "It seems, my dear family that our earlier presumptions about Lily were incorrect" the wee genius murmured, "she was neither tired nor hungry nor wet or any of that...she simply misses our brother." Upon hearing this, Lynn Sr. and Rita gasped in shock; realizing that Lily must've felt lonely during Lincoln's absence.
Then, without warning; everyone suddenly overheard Lana giving off a series of sad whimpers. When they asked what was wrong, she simply replied with "well...now; I'm cold, hungry, tired and I miss Lincoln too!" The moment she said this; the lil grease monkey soon fell to the floor and began to cry pools of sorrowful tears.
Then, mere seconds after Lana started, Leni fell to her knees and started sobbing as well. "LINKYYYYYY! I MISS HIM SO MUCH" she wailed, "I WANT HIM TO COME HOOOOOME!" While this was going on, the rest of the other Loud sisters struggled with their own negative emotions.
Luna was overcome with a sense of shameful dread, Luan put on a sort of half-crying/half-laughing face (like Pagliacci) and though her bangs covered them; everyone could see waterfalls of tears falling down Lucy's cheeks. Meanwhile, the remaining four sisters seemed indifferent about the situation. "What gives, dudes" sniffled Luna, "ain't ya got anything to say about our bro bein' gone?"
Lori simply scoffed at her rocker sister and insisted there was nothing to say. "All that little brat ever did was get on my nerves, constantly annoy our family and put my relationship with Boo-Boo Bear at risk" she grumbled, "I'm literally glad he's gone, to be perfectly honest here." The sisters who were weeping were shocked by Lori's response, while their parents were simply outraged.
"Look us in the eye and say that again, young lady" Rita said firmly, "tell us how you think your brother ruined your life, as you claim?!" As if expecting this inquiry, Lori wasted no time in mentioning several instances she believed Lincoln "purposefully" ruined not only her life but the lives of others as well. Such moments included when he made Ronnie Anne cry, when he talked Lisa into dumbing herself down for "popularity's sake," having her work triple shifts at Gus' just help get Chandler and his Crew free meals and then, there was the infamous "bad luck incident."
"That little wimp has been nothing but trouble for each of us since day one" growled Lynn, "he says he tries to help keep us together but ironically, all he really does is cause us to fall apart!" Lisa couldn't help but agree with her elder sibling, despite not being a believer in irony. "Lincoln may be my brother" muttered Lola, "but he's caused me so much anger and stress, I worry about getting crows feet beneath my eyes!"
After everything had been said, the girls fell back into their seats and heaved out deep sighs of satisfaction; feeling happy to have gotten all that off their collective chests. But then, the unexpected happened; when Leni slowly turned towards Lori...and punched her square in the face. This display left everyone completely stunned; mainly because it was Leni, the ditzy yet genuinely kind one, hitting Lori.
True; they've all roughhoused, wrestled and tussled with one another on many occasions. But the blow Leni delivered looked like something born from a feeling Leni never felt before; blind, unrelenting fury. After Lori fell back with a resounding "crash" against the trophy case, causing bits of glass to spill everywhere, she touched her cheek and discovered a bit of blood on her left palm.
"You...You just hit me...and you literally caused me to bleed" she seethed bitterly, a hint of betrayal lingering in her voice; "how could you?!" Leni scoffed at her sister's pain and simply muttered that she deserved the pain. "How could you say such things about Linky" she prodded bitterly, "how could any of you that...you should all be ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!"
Once again, the family was left far too stunned to speak up due to this sudden change in behavior from Leni. Then, with looks of determination on their faces; Lynn Sr. and Rita decided to step up and join in on her side. "Your sister is right, girls...surprisingly" Lynn stated, "how could you say such horrible things about your only brother?!"
Having barely recovered from Leni's earlier blow and her crash, Lori could only stand before her parents in shamed silence. Not long after; Lisa, Lola and Lynn Jr. took their places by her side. "You girls should all be ashamed, not just for what you've done to this family this past week...but what you just said about Lincoln" Rita scolded, "he may have made some mistakes, sure...but he's done all he could to fix them in the best ways he knows how."
After wiping the tears from her eyes, Leni sounded off in full agreement with her mother's words. "All he's done is try to be a good guy...but this family's so focused on the 'bad stuff' he's done that you never look for the good inside of him" she stated maturely, "I mean...Lola; that one time when all four tires on your Princess Car's blew at once, who gave you the money to buy new ones...no questions asked?"
Upon being asked this, her mind suddenly flashed back to the previous summer; where the memory in question happened.
(Flashback)
In the memory, Lola was driving her car around the yard; waving at her "fans" like some Miss America beauty queen at a parade. When suddenly, she drove over a collection of Jacks that Lynn was playing with; which caused them to pop all at once. As the vehicle sputtered to a halt, Lola came dangerously close to letting out a shrill shriek of despair.
Meanwhile, up in the house; Lincoln had seen the entire scene play out through his bedroom window. Thinking quickly; he rushed out of the house with all the speed he could muster, took his sister by the hand and began consoling her. One talk and hug session later, he offered her some of his own money to help get new tires for the princess car.
At first, Lola snobbishly refused it; proclaiming that he was planning to buy a new comic with that money already. But then, without even a word; Lincoln suddenly placed the money into her hands. After that, he smiled at her and murmured "you need it more than I do, right now."
(Flashback ends)
In the real world, Lola suddenly fell back onto the sofa in shock. Then, her eyes began to well up slightly with tears; the memory Leni spoke of now flashing clearly in her head. "You're right, Leni...he did help me out" Lola muttered, "he could've easily spent that money for himself...but he chose to help me, instead." Satisfied that she'd gotten through to her little sister, Leni directed her attention towards Lori next. "What about you" she asked bluntly, "remember how upset you were when you couldn't go to Jean Juan's for your anniversary dinner with Bobby, last year?" Lori grumbled bitterly, remembering how much she was looking forward to that dinner.
"I'll take your silence as a yes, then" muttered Leni, "well...after finding out about that, who managed to talk Dad and all of us older gals into putting on a fancy dinner date for you guys out in the backyard?" Upon saying this; Luna, Luan and Lynn suddenly muttered to themselves in deep thought. They remembered how insistent Lincoln was, when he was begging for their help.
At first, they presumed he wanted to do the whole thing just to keep Lori from "going postal" on everybody. But then, Lincoln quickly revealed how hurt and disappointed Lori looked. Truthfully, it always broke his heart whenever he saw anyone feeling that unhappy; especially his sisters.
So, he thought about putting on the best fancy dinner date scene ever. He volunteered to be the waiter, Lynn Jr. was tasked with being the soda jerk, Leni was tasked with making the table look stylish (something he knew she'd be good at) and he asked Luna to provide romantic musical accompaniment. When she was given the job, Luna came close to deciding in playing a "romantic power ballad."
But Lincoln quickly suggested that the violin would be a better idea, once he remembered how versatile Luna's music skill was. Lastly, he even asked for his dad's help in prepping a special dessert for Lori and Bobby. With their combined abilities, they did just that and created a small chocolate covered strawberry cheesecake.
Lori was quite surprised that Lincoln remembered how much she loved cheesecake and chocolate covered strawberries. Needless to say; in the end, both the dessert and the date as a whole were perfect. "That was literally the best date Bobby and I ever had in a long time" she sighed blissfully, "all thanks to you guys, especially..." Before she could mutter the final word, Lori suddenly found herself overwhelmed with guilt.
How could she have said such horrible things about Lincoln, after he managed to get the others to give her such a wonderful date? In that moment, she felt that Lincoln's voice mail to her from so long ago may have been right all along; she truly was the "worst sister ever." With her and Lola dealt with; Leni slowly approached Lisa, who had chosen to sit on one of the dining room table chairs.
"I understand what you plan to do with me, Elder Sister" the wee genius muttered stoically, "but it is useless to do so, I am above focusing on something as inane and trivial as emotions." The moment she said this, Leni simply shook her head at her; as if appearing unconvinced. "You can say that all you want, Lise" she muttered, "but deep down...you love Lincoln just as much as the rest of us."
It was there that Leni asked the wee genius to think back to her first science fair. "Remember how upset you were when your first ever science gizmo didn't win first place" she asked, "when you got home and told us about it...who spent all night with you fine tuning it, so that it would be ready for the next fair?" All the girls muttered happily, upon hearing this; remembering how much of his evening Lincoln sacrificed to help her.
"As I recall; in helping me, our brother didn't retire to his bed until 10 PM" muttered Lisa, "he even missed the Season Finale of that ARRGH series he so richly enjoys." It was then she remembered that, thanks to Lincoln's assistance, that very project went on to win the science fair the following month. When this memory came into her mind, a chill of regret swiftly washed over Lisa's diminutive form.
With three of the remaining sisters dealt with, all eyes now turned towards Lynn; who was doing a series of face slaps and chest pounds on herself. Almost instantly, everyone realized what she was doing; Lynn was "toughening herself up" so that she wouldn't end up crying like the others. "Do your worst, Sis" she said with a defiant smile, "I'm tougher than all of you put together, there's nothing you have that can break me!"
With that said, all the girls smiled at one another and turned towards their parents; who've decided now was their turn to "approach the bench," as the saying goes. "We applaud you for remaining so steadfast during this whole thing, Lynn...really" Rita said with a smidgen of pride, "but the truth is...if you think being 'strong' or 'a good athlete' means being rude, aggressive, pushy and insensitive towards everyone...well, you're living a lie." Lynn Jr. was taken aback by this response, due to having her abilities called into question.
"You don't understand, Mom; I need to be tough...I NEED TO BE AGGRESSIVE" she exclaimed loudly, "if I even show the slightest mistake or softness, people will think I'm weak...and I can't be an athlete, if I'm weak." The moment Lynn said this, Lisa began clicking her tongue softly in disbelief. "You poor, deluded fool" she murmured, "you've been so wrapped up in this persona of yours that it has taken over your very psyche."
Lynn growled loudly at her sister; muttering how while she didn't understand what she said, she didn't like how she said it. "What your sister means, sweetie...is that you're living a lie" Lynn Sr. stated, "real strength actually comes from embracing your faults...or as you call them, 'weak points.'" The young tomboy simply chuckled at her father's words; proclaiming that no one could be strong, if they admit their weaknesses.
"Actually, dear...your father's right" Rita interjected, "nobody in the world is perfect, we all have flaws and that includes your brother...but it takes a lot of maturity to both accept and admit them." It was this piece of wisdom that brought everybody to confess their own insecurities and faults. Such faults included Lisa's poor social skills, Lola's inability to accept losing with grace, Luna being a tad too aggressive (at times) with her music and even Lana confessed how she enjoyed dressing pretty while masquerading as Lola for a pageant, long ago.
"I remember that, brah" gasped Luna, "you and Lincoln got in the game, when it was revealed that Dairyland tickets were the grand prize!" Lana gave her sister a thumbs up, indicating that she was right. "As much as I loved winning the trip, I truly did like dressing up" she admitted, "I just...I never thought someone like me could look pretty too."
Upon hearing their sister's confession, eight out of ten of them applauded her bravery; proclaiming it must not have been easy for her to do it. "If you like wearing dresses sometimes, Lana; do you think...you'd be up to play Warrior Princesses with me, sometime" Lola asked, "you'd get to use a weapon." Lana smiled slightly at her twin sister and muttered "I'll think about it" in response.
While this went on, Lynn Sr. and Rita couldn't help but notice some signs of the girls getting along again. "Maybe there's hope of things returning to normal" Rita thought to herself, "or...whatever passes as normal for our family." After hearing Lana's confession, Lucy mentally debated on confessing to her own weaknesses.
But something nagged at her, which forced her to think twice on the matter. "C'mon, Lucy...if Lana is brave enough to confess her secret, you should be to" she whispered quietly, "even if they end up laughing, it needs to come out." After that, the wee Goth cleared her throat and called for everybody's attention.
"I've got something to add to this conversation as well, everyone" she murmured, "it's not just about me confessing a weakness either...it's also about confessing to a wrong that was committed against Lincoln." Both intrigued yet concerned, everyone faced Lucy and asked what she wanted to say? "Well...do you guys recall when the toilet got clogged a year or so ago" she asked, "and that it was due to a book being found inside of it?"
Everyone thought hard on the memory in question (or harder, in Leni's case) and then, it all became clear. "All due respect, brah; what does the toilet cloggin' have to do with you" questioned Luna, "I mean, Lincoln already said it was his book." With a deep blush on her cheeks and her fists clenched at her sides, Lucy quickly called "shenanigans" to Luna's statement.
"The Princess Pony book wasn't Lincoln's" she exclaimed as loudly as she could, "he only took the fall for the real owner...because you all said you'd make them into a laughingstock, once you'd found out!" There was a strong silence, after Lucy's outburst; everyone feeling too shocked to speak. Finally, Leni raised her hand and asked why she referred to the book's owner as a "her?"
"The reason is because...because...sigh" she groaned softly, "it's because...the book...was actually mine; I read it in the bathroom, the night before the incident happened." Everyone gasped loudly, unsure on which part surprised them the most; Lucy confession to the incident...or the fact that she read girly books for fun. "Something doesn't add up, though" Lynn Sr. muttered, "if your brother didn't own that book and if he didn't clog the toilet with it, how did the book even end up in there to begin with?"
It was here that Lucy revealed that just before anyone came to the bathroom, she hid the book inside of the toilet. "When Lincoln came in, he saw that the lid was down and assumed someone forgot to flush, during the night" she explained, "so...he accidentally flushed my book down the tube but it got stuck, instead." To close out her story, Lucy revealed that while she will always love creepy stuff; she had moments where she liked to get out of her comfort zone, at times.
"Lincoln does that all the time with us, after all" she stated, "he enjoys beauty treatments with Lori, sewing with Leni, making headbands and such with Luna...he even enjoys coaching Lola to help her prep for her pageants." Upon hearing their sister's list, they realized that what she said was true; everyone had the right to step out of their archetypes...even Goths like her.
Upon hearing this reveal, everyone was starting to feel like a great weight was being lifted off their shoulders. But then, they realized that one person still remained to confess her faults; Lynn. But surprise, surprise; the young jock held on to her guns and kept up the "tough girl' act she was so proud of.
Finally, Lynn Sr. decided that there had been enough confessions and stories told that day. "The time has come to get to the point of this whole matter" he stated, "there are going to be some biiig changes in the Loud House, after today!" This declaration caused the girls to feel a tad nervous, wondering what sort of changes their father had in mind.
"For starters, girls; this nonsense you call the 'Sister Fight Protocol' ends today" Rita said firmly, "anytime you girls have a disagreement, you are to report directly to either me or your father; we will straighten it out for you as best as we can!" The girls only nodded silently, in response; realizing that now was the perfect time for the protocol to end. "The second change is that even after the situation with Lincoln is fixed (knock on wood,) there will be a strong limit on some of the things you girls can do" Lynn Sr. decreed, "that means no more Prank-Pocalypses, no more wild animals in the house, no more lording driving privileges over everyone's heads, no more blackmailing...and no more science experiments of any kind!"
This statement took Lisa completely off-guard; with such a restriction, her experimentations will not be as fruitful as they've currently been. She was moments away from presenting this point to her father...but the firm yet icy stare in his eyes quickly shut her up. Luan also felt threatened by the ruling; believing that April Fools Day wouldn't be fun anymore, due to her father's restriction.
"Third; if your brother doesn't want your help or your advice, you will respect his wishes and leave him be" Rita added, "if you meddle in his business again and we hear about it, there will be trouble." The girls collectively gulped in fear, when they heard this. For this rule meant they could no longer give Lincoln the help they believed he needed.
But with that thought in mind, they all realized the point their mother was trying to make. Just because they think they had all the answers on things like dating, dealing with bullies or whatever else; that didn't mean Lincoln needed them. It was then that they all mentally decided to apologize to him for all the times they tried to "help" him...but only made things worse.
"The fourth rule is that if your brother wants a little private time to himself, respect his wishes and give him just that" Lynn Sr. stated, "if you have something important you need his help or support with, ask him nicely; do not kick his door in or threaten him!" It didn't take long for everyone to realize it was Lola, Luan and Lynn Jr. that he was referring to and the aforementioned girls swiftly began to blush with shame. The girls all collectively murmured a soft "yes, Sir;" indicating that they were still paying attention.
"Finally...we want you to respect him more" Rita stated, "if he likes 'nerd stuff' (like comics, video games etc.) but isn't that invested into sports, fashion or pranking...respect his choices and don't force him to be something he's not." No sooner had all this been mentioned, the Loud Sisters brought up the moments where both their parents had done nearly everything Rita had just described. "Your mother is fully aware of that, girls and so am I" Lynn Sr. said bluntly, "but we'll also be making note to remind ourselves (AND YOU) to try and respect Lincoln's wishes a bit more in the future...are we clear?"
Once again, the girls all muttered softly in understanding and vowed to follow all the rules their parents established. For a brief moment, the Loud Parents were quite surprised with how quickly the atmosphere had changed; after dealing with so much fighting days before. "We'll literally do whatever you want, Mom and Dad, we promise" muttered Lori, "we just...we just need some time to get back to normal."
The two Loud parents smiled slightly at their daughters, happy to see them acting civilly again. Because of this, Rita decided to reward them all. "How about we take a trip to the park tomorrow, girls" she offered, "a little time outside will be just the thing to help perk us up again."
The girls, weak with regret and burnt out from fighting for so long, offered so little of a response. All they could do was simply murmur with approval. Pleased by this response...or lack thereof, Rita asked Lynn to prepare a nice picnic lunch for everybody.
"I'm on it, honey" he said with glee, "I'll even make us my famous Lynn-sanity Pepper Chili!" With that said, he quickly zipped into the kitchen to prep the food; leaving the ladies back in the living room to discuss possible plans for their park outing. But before they started, Rita issued one final warning to the girls.
"Listen well, girls" she said firmly, "this outing will be your last chance to prove yourselves to us that you want things to get back to normal." The girls all nodded in unison, fully understanding the severity of the situation. "If any of you act out of line or exhibit any further disorderly behavior, there will be more than just groundings happening" she grumbled fiercely, "do I make myself clear?"
Due to feeling much too nervous to speak up, the only response the girls could offer was a collective nod. However, this was all that their mother needed to see. With that settled, she waved goodbye to the girls and went upstairs to collect the picnic gear.
(Line Break)
The following morning, all of Royal Woods was welcomed by a truly gorgeous day. The sun was shining, the skies were clear, the birds were singing; these conditions made it the perfect day for a trip to the park. One group who had such an idea was the Loud Family; who, after storing their picnic and game gear into Vanzilla, headed off for the park.
For the first time in days, everyone felt truly at peace again and were anxious to have some fun together. Little did they suspect that they would meet with an unexpected surprise, upon their arrival. After driving for a half hour or so, they have reached their destination; the Royal Woods park grounds.
After parking the van, Lynn Sr. and the family unloaded the supplies and headed straight for the entrance. But before they could stick one toe inside, they were suddenly stopped by Officer Schoffner. "Sorry there, folks" she said firmly, "but the park is closed for today."
To say that the Louds were disgruntled by this news would be a gross understatement. "But...how can that be" murmured Lynn Sr. in disbelief, "it's such a beautiful day, how can it be closed?" Understanding his confusion, the officer decided to explain the situation to them.
"Until 6:30 or 7PM tonight, the entire park has been reserved for a private party" she stated, "only invited guests may enter." The Loud Girls all moaned and groaned with immense displeasure, hoping that this was all a dream. "Who in the world could rent out an entire public park for one party" questioned Lynn Jr. bitterly, "whoever it is must either be rich or have strong connections."
At that moment; the family could hear loud sounds of laughter, joyful screams and general conversations from within the park. Upon looking at the crowds ahead, the girls gasped loudly in surprise at those who were in attendance. In the park, they caught glimpses of many of their former friends and classmates with their families.
"What the...where did all of these people come from" grumbled Lynn irritably, "and how could they rent out a whole park?" Realizing they were in need of answers, Rita turned towards Officer Schoffner and asked her for some insight. "To make a long story short, ma'am; this endeavor was a collaborative effort made by the families you see inside there" she explained, "Mrs. Pingrey called City Hall the other day and got permission for the whole thing."
Upon hearing the name of the one in charge of it all, Lori's blood began to boil. But what she saw next brought it close to becoming as raging as the flames of Hell. Up where Carol and her crew were playing Frisbee together, Lori spotted something familiar...a young preteen boy with white hair!
(First AN: Now, the rest of the Loud Family has made their presence known in this story...But it's not under pleasant circumstances, unfortunately. What will happen now that they're blocked out of the park and that they know Lincoln's crew are the ones who called dibs on it)
(Second AN: I heard most of your concerns about Agent Mathers in the previous chapter, everyone. So, in lieu of striking him from the story or changing up his character; I've made it so Lynn Jr. had a history of incidents where she acted much too aggressively on the field; much like how she was with Amy. I hope you'll all understand, now)
(Third AN: The incidents of Lincoln's screw ups that Lori and some of the girls made are references to previous Loud House episodes. Among them are Save the Date, Dance Dance Resolution, Sleuth or Consequences, The Waiting Game and of course, No Such Luck. There was also a small reference to Cover Girls as well...but only when Lori dressed as Lincoln)
(Fourth AN: For the moment where Lynn's Table is temporarily closed down; I wasn't entirely sure about how the text on the Health Department posters should appear, when they're put up on a restaurant or business. So, I made up the text using the best knowledge I had on such things. I hope everything makes sense to you all, when you read the moment in question)
(Final AN: Some things might seem off too some of you, like Leni actually talking some sense into everyone or Luan using Mr. Coconuts to "speak for her." But for the former; I figured that in times of great peril, Leni finds enough sense to speak her mind about something important. As for the latter, episodes like Stage Plight have shown me that Luan might not be very skilled at speaking from her heart.
So, that is when she relies on her ventriloquist dummy to help be her lips. I hope that will make sense to you all)