To The Rescue
Now, you all may be wondering how Ronnie Anne came onto the scene; am I right? Well, let us turn back the clock to where this all began; back at Gus' Games n' Grub. After Lincoln and the girls left the parking lot, the staff was getting ready to close up the place.
But just before the manager prepared to shut down the lights, a waitress quickly stopped him. She was a pretty, young thing with short brown hair, dangling white earrings, red lipstick and her work uniform showed off her slim yet slightly curvy form quite well. "I need to use the phone to make a quick call, Sir" she stated, "it's to Bobby Santiago; someone who used to work here, long ago?"
The manager chuckled softly upon hearing Bobby's name, remembering how dedicated of an employee he was. Granted, much of said dedication was spent in trying to impress his girlfriend...but it was still commendable work. With a light smile, he granted the waitress permission to make her call...but only this once.
After saying thank you to her boss, she hurried to the phone and started dialing; hoping someone would answer right away. Now, after he officially moved in with his family; Bobby gave his new phone number to all his former bosses and coworkers back in Royal Woods. He did this because not only would he have plenty of emergency contacts to call (if need be) but he also didn't want to lose touch with them.
In the past, whenever the waitress did decide to call him; she and Bobby would simply chat or catch up with one another. This time, however; after what she heard from Lincoln's group just moments ago...she felt as though something grim was afoot. Thus, she wanted to inform her former coworker of whatever might have been going on; just to be safe.
But the moment she pulled the phone off the receiver, the waitress suddenly hesitated; as if having second thoughts. "Hold on a minute, are we sure this is even legit" she thought to herself suddenly, "it could all just be a misunderstanding, just some gossip those kids were all spreading." Upon thinking this, a couple of her fellow coworkers passed by and she could hear them talking about Lincoln and his friends.
"Sorry, dude...I just can't bring myself to believe it" murmured one employee, "I mean, being left out in the sun in a mascot suit is one thing...But you expect me to believe the kid had that much sunburn on him?" Another employee nodded his head vigorously, while nibbling on a garlic knot. "Heard the conversation myself while bringing over a table's drink order" she murmured, "I even saw a glimpse of the sunburn for myself."
As she continued listening in on the conversation, the waitress' mind swirled in a whirlwind of thoughts. The whole story confused, disgusted, baffled even terrified her. At the same time, she couldn't believe Lori, another former employee at Gus', would deliberately allow such things to happen to her own brother. This was just the push she needed to make the call.
"If anything is going wrong at the Loud House; Bobby should be informed about it, at least" she thought matter-of-factly, "I just hope he'll believe me." With that; she took hold of the phone, activated the speed dial and rung up Bobby's number.
(Scene Change: the Casagrande Apartment Building)
At the apartment complex; we find young Ronnie Anne fearfully darting from room to room, as if hiding from something. "If I keep quiet and mind my steps, I can leave the building and head for the skate park without being noticed" she thought to herself, "if she finds me...who knows how many indignities I'll be forced to suffer." With that thought in mind, she took her board under her arm and proceeded towards the stairway with the greatest of caution.
She briefly stopped herself, at one point and looked about the area for signs of the family pets; Sergio (the parrot) and Lalo (the house dog.) She loved them dearly, like she would for anyone's pets. But Sergio had trouble keeping his beak shut and Lalo was both a friendly yet overly-excitable dog. If he caught sight of a friendly face, Lalo would storm at them like a bull and pin them down to the floor; allowing him to lick their cheeks as much as he pleased.
Both of these pets also made it difficult for anyone to sneak about the complex unnoticed. The slightest sound would either get Sergio squawking or cause Lalo to bark loudly. So, Ronnie Anne had to use whatever stealth skills she had in order to move quietly.
She took a moment to look into the living room to find that most of her family was busy watching telenovelas on TV. This meant that no one would notice that she was leaving...knock on wood. With everyone either asleep or distracted, Ronnie Anne went back on her way in trying to reach the stairway.
After almost a minute and a half of tiptoeing down the hall, she was mere inches away from the steps. Then without warning, the phone started ringing loudly; causing the pets to suddenly snap out of their relaxed state. No sooner had they woken up, Lalo began to bark loudly while Sergio simply kept squawking "BRARWK! GO AWAY, WE DON'T WANT ANY!"
The moment this happened, a door burst open and out came Carlota (Bobby and Ronnie Anne's eldest cousin;) who was holding a pair of semi-formal dresses in her hands. "Ronnie Anne, I know you're here somewhere" she called out, "I promise...if you try on at least one of these dresses, I won't bug you for the next month!" Ronnie Anne silently shook her head, knowing that her cousin was fibbing and proceeded down the steps as fast as she could.
The reason being; while the phone was ringing upstairs, it was also ringing down in the bodega. Upon arriving inside the aforementioned shop, Ronnie Anne discovered that the place was empty. Of course, it didn't take too long for her to figure out the reason; Bobby got himself locked inside of the dairy case...again.
"I swear, I love the dude...but he can be such a doofus at times" she murmured while facepalming, "he's got to learn not to shut the door behind him, when he's restocking." As she was about to help her brother out of the dairy case, the phone started ringing again. With an exasperated groan, Ronnie Anne gave her brother an "I'll be right back" gesture and hurried over to the desk.
On the other end of the line; the Games n' Grub waitress was anxiously tapping her fingers on the front desk, mentally begging for someone to answer. Finally; after a minute of waiting, someone picked up and greeted her with a casual "Casagrande Bodega, how may I help you?" The waitress let out a sigh of relief and proceeded to ask if Bobby Santiago was available.
"I'm sorry but my brother is currently...held up, at the moment" Ronnie Anne's voice replied, "but I'll be happy to take your call in his place." Upon hearing the girl call Bobby her brother, the waitress immediately presumed she was speaking with Ronnie Anne and giggled giddily. After that, the two started playing catch up with one another.
At one point, though; the waitress quickly remembered the reason why she called the shop in the first place and immediately called for Ronnie Anne's attention. "Listen...I'm because a few moments ago, I saw Lori's little brother here with some girls" she explained, "before you ask; no, none of them were his sisters." This piqued Ronnie Anne's interest and she asked what was going on.
"I didn't get the whole gist of it, unfortunately" the waitress' voice stated, "but it seems that Lincoln, Lori's little bro, may or may not be having some trouble at home." Upon hearing this, Ronnie Anne went momentarily silent with shock. Truth be told, it had been a while since she and him had a video chat together.
With this in mind, she started to wonder if Lincoln was in some kind of trouble. "Thanks for the update" Ronnie Anne murmured, "I'll...I'll make sure to tell Bobby what's happening and that you said hello." After that, the two ladies shared one final goodbye before hanging up their phones.
Once that was done, Ronnie Anne began to wonder what was happening with her friend and former classmate. "Don't think too much on it, girl" she thought to herself, "the lame-o must've got himself caught in another playful scrap with his sisters and he's just blowing it out of proportion, he's probably okay." Little did the young Hispanic girl suspect that in the days ahead, she would see just how bad things truly were.
(Line Break)
As Spring Break rolled around; like most kids, Ronnie Anne was having a jolly good time. She skateboarded at the park, hung out at the city tower with her Great Lakes City Crew (Casey, Sameer, Nikki and Sid) gorged on some pizza (which they called "Great Lakes City Style) and many other fun activities. Then, one faithful night; when she returned home from viewing a movie premiere, she saw her whole family gathered 'round the TV.
"Uh...guys, not to be rude but The Dream Boat is on Monday Nights and today's Wednesday" she stated, "unless they had a rescheduling for this week." What happened next took Ronnie Anne completely by surprise. When Carlota turned to face her, she actually didn't egg her on about wanting to try on dresses (for once.)
"Ronnie Anne, glad you're back" she said softly, "come in...there's something you need to see on TV here." As the young tomboy looked at the screen, she saw that her family was watching the news station and grimaced. "Thanks but no thanks, everybody" Ronnie Anne murmured, "the news is much too boring for my taste."
As she prepared to head off for her bedroom, Ronnie Anne's mother quickly called her back politely. "Please, honey; this is important" she said with great concern, "I think something's happened to your friend, Lincoln." Upon hearing the aforementioned boy's name, Ronnie Anne's arm froze in place; just as her hand was mere inches away from the doorknob.
For the first few seconds, she hesitated; unsure if she should join her family in watching the news. "It's probably nothing big" she thought to herself, "Luna must've blown out the town's power again...or Luan went on another pranking spree." As she continued to weigh her options, Ronnie Anne silently listened in on the TV from where she stood.
"Welcome back to the 8 o'clock news, everyone" the news anchor in greeting, "for those of you just joining us; we are continuing our coverage of a news story that has taken all of Michigan by storm." This part of the story took Ronnie Anne by surprise. Whatever this topic was, it must've been about something big. That being said; if it did spread statewide, why didn't she know about it until now?
In thinking this, Ronnie Anne suddenly realized the obviousness of the answer; she never cared much about "adult news" before. As such, she always either changed the channel or turned the TV off; whenever it came on. Suddenly, she realized she was distracting herself and immediately joined her family in the room to watch the report.
What she saw next was so shocking, Ronnie Anne came close to throwing up the nachos she ate earlier with her friends. It was a picture of someone's belly, covered halfway in what looked like second degree burns. "EWWW, GROSS" cried Ronnie Anne in disgust, "why would you call me in to show me this?!"
While everyone understood her alarm, the family urged her to look at the picture again. Against her better judgment, Ronnie Anne complied and looked at the screen. That was when she saw who was wearing the nasty burns on his back and belly; her old pal, Lincoln Loud.
"What the...Lincoln" she murmured in confusion, "how in the heck did he get like that?" Upon saying this, everyone urged Ronnie Anne to continue in listening to the report. With a light shrug of the shoulders, she agreed and took a seat next to her mother.
After a while, the anchors began discussing more about the situation. "Run that by me again, Herb" said an anchorwoman in confusion, "how long was the boy in that costume for?" Her partner let out a sad sigh and said that he had been out on the beach for the entire afternoon.
"I say again, everyone; this young man was out on the beach, wearing that damned costume...for almost six hours" the anchorman grumbled, "six hours he was in that, standing in the blistering heat of the sun...it's a miracle he didn't die of heat stroke!" When the Casagrande Family heard this reveal, many of them were a mix of confused and disgusted. Meanwhile, Maria Santiago was feeling an overwhelming sense of concern for the boy.
As a nurse; she knew that no human (young or old) should be subjected to endure such conditions. She also wondered if the burns were ever properly treated or if he was hydrated, when he was finally able to remove the squirrel costume? Suddenly, the report continued with a third anchor bringing up a surprise reveal; one that made every member of the Casagrandes clan nearly faint.
"Word around the grapevine is that the family kept the boy in that suit because wearing it made him 'good luck'" grumbled the man, "can you believe that crap, anybody who believes in luck deserves to be put in an asylum." Upon hearing this, Rosa almost took offense to such statements; due to being a strong believer in luck herself. However, Rosa couldn't help but question the Loud Family's sudden belief in "luck;" while also wondering why they needed Lincoln to wear a mascot costume on a beach day.
Meanwhile something came to Ronnie Anne like a flash; as if she had been blinded by one of her Aunt Frida's camera shots. She suddenly recalled how just before moving away; Lincoln once told her about both the beach situation and of how it all stemmed from his older sister, Lynn's dumb obsession with luck.
As the report went on, the lead anchor revealed that the entire situation only started after Lincoln was forced (emphasis on forced) to attend the ballgame. "According to reports; if Lincoln Loud refused to go to said game, his sister threatened him with a bat" she stated, "that sounds like a genuine mix of abusive behavior, anger management issues (on the sister's part) and disrespect towards one's wishes; if the girl intended to actually use it on him." The Casagrande family grimaced in alarm, questioning if Lincoln's sister actually would behave in such a manner to anyone; least of all, him.
"Doesn't seem too farfetched to me" Ronnie Anne thought to herself bluntly, "I always remembered that Lynn was often a bit of a brute towards her sibs." At first, one of the news anchors tried to defend Lynn; proclaiming that family had to support each other as much as possible...but the lead one quickly dismissed their claim. "That's true, family must try and be supportive" the lead anchor stated, "but what you need to realize, Mack is that with ten sisters; he's always expected to support them!"
Continuing from that point; the newswoman proceeded to list all the pageants, sporting events, performances and other extracurricular activities his sisters were a part of. Upon hearing only half of them all, Hector Casagrande proclaimed that such a schedule seemed far too overwhelming for any one person to handle. "As you can see, the entire family's days are quite booked" she stated, "which in turn, presents the following question, with so many things happening in the girls' lives...how could their brother find room for any kind of a personal life of his own?"
This question sparked a bit of a debate amongst the newscasters, as well as the Casagrande Family. Then, a male anchor brought up another part of the story; reports of possible abuse. "In a related story; several employees of the Tranquil Springs Spa and its owner, Fernando Garcia, have recently provided their own insight on the boy's situation" a male anchor stated, "and they had quite a bit to share, let me tell you."
One camera wipe later and the screen showed an interview with one of the spa's stylists, Randy; who appeared to be quite frazzled about everything. "It all started out very well" he said pleasantly, "I was primping his hair, we were talkin' all casual and such; that sort of thing." No sooner had this been said, Ronnie Anne saw Randy's expression change from joyful to disgusted.
"Then, when he mentioned his relation to Miss Lola Loud; I thought he was crazy" he stated, "I mean...how could a boy as nice as him be related to a girl as vicious as Lola the Prissy?!" After Ronnie Anne shared a small giggle at the nickname, one of the news anchors asked Randy just how bad Lola had been to him. That was when he pulled up his sleeve and revealed the teeth marks on his wrist.
"You see, I was once tasked to be her stylist for an upcoming child pageant she was entering" Randy explained, "I've bent myself over backwards multiple times and by the end, she still said my work was shoddy!" At that moment, an image of Lola from the aforementioned pageant appeared on the screen and everyone thought she looked adorable. "I think Randy did a rather excellent job on her" Carlota said with a pleased nod, "what could Lola have hated about it?"
Unfortunately, Ronnie Anne didn't know how to answer such a question; even if she wanted to. In the time she rarely interacted with the Louds, she always saw Lola acting rather bratty and demanding towards everybody. Of course, she simply dismissed it as a "little kid thing" and believed she would grow out of it...eventually.
Just then, several employee interviews played; each one of them describing the things Lincoln or his friends said happened in the boy's home life. One masseuse mentioned how Lincoln told a story about his sister, Luan's insane pranking sprees; particularly, the sort she would pull on April 1st (otherwise known as April Fools Day.) A nail stylist mentioned instances where Lincoln claimed his little sister, Lisa would presumably "experiment" on the family or "harvest his own and/or his sisters' organs."
But to Ronnie Anne; the most shocking of these stories were those that involved his eldest sister, Lori. "Apparently, she's been dating some guy she's known for...Lord knows how many years; I'm talking absurdly in love" a man explained, "she 'cares' so much about him that after Lincoln called out the guy's little sister for bullying him; the boyfriend got mad, broke up with the sister and she threatened to pulverize Lincoln...unless he 'made up' with her...friggin' ridiculous and embarrassing." The Casagrande Family gasped in shock at this reveal and they turned their heads over towards Ronnie Anne, hoping she'd tell them the man was lying.
Reluctantly, the girl sighed heavily with shame and said that every word the anchor said was true. "Back in Royal Woods, I used to hassle Lincoln like crazy" she stated, "I'd put gum in his hair, 'kick me' signs on his back, shove sandwiches down his pants...the works." To say the least, the family was both shocked and highly disappointed in her.
"One time, we were chosen to be partners for an assignment for Mrs. Johnson's class; my old teacher" Ronnie Anne stated, "it was one of those...egg baby assignments." Carlos, in spite of his still lingering disappointment, nodded slightly in understanding; remembering the days he and his own fellow schoolmates were tasked with such an assignment. It was here that Ronnie Anne revealed how Lincoln tried to keep their egg, Rochelle, as far away from her as possible; believing that she wasn't capable of watching over it.
"I can't say I really blame him" murmured Carlota, "after what we've just heard...it makes sense he'd feel concerned about leaving something fragile in your care." At first, Ronnie Anne felt offended by her cousin's words; preparing to question whose side she was on...only to suddenly realize that she actually deserved such scorn. After taking a moment to collect herself, she revealed how Lincoln's mood about her changed; when he got to see her behavior at home.
"I remember that, I think it was one of the few times I'd ever got to meet him" Maria gasped, "but...I didn't realize all of this stuff was going on at school between you." Ronnie Anne suddenly felt her cheeks flush with shame; realizing that there was no turning back now, after dropping such a big load of news on her family's shoulders. But as disappointed as Maria was about all this, her family looked even more so by comparison.
"Ronalda, I'm surprised at you; I can't believe we're all finding out about this now, of all times" Rosa said in a scornful tone, "I thought you said you and Lincoln were friends?!" Ronnie Anne quickly held up her arms defensively and claimed she could explain herself. "We are friends...really" she said nervously, "I was just...I was just playing around with him, that's all."
Maria raised an eyebrow at this, recalling all the times she "played around" with Lincoln whenever she heard Bobby talk about them "spending time" together. "While there isn't really anything wrong with putting bubble gum in someone's hair or...shoving sandwiches down his pants" she said with a slight shudder, "your family and I cannot condone any further violent actions towards Lincoln...he seems to be enduring quite enough as it is." Upon saying this, Ronnie Anne lowered her head in slight shame; mentally noting to make a boatload of apologies to Lincoln, the next time they'd meet.
"What I do not understand is...does Bobby know that his girlfriend has been forcing Lincoln to be faithful to Ronnie Anne" murmured Uncle Carlos, "I mean...we always felt they were good together but no one should force any kind of romance between anyone, let alone the two of them." As much as they disliked doing so, Aunt Frida and Grandma Rosa couldn't help but mutter in agreement with him; mostly because they believed the children were "destined" for each other one day. Meanwhile, Ronnie Anne was prepared to voice how she and Lincoln were "not together..." but realized it would be hopeless and just kept watching TV.
The whole time she did, the news team and those being interviewed kept bringing out all sorts of skeletons from the Loud Family's closet. With each new piece of info that was revealed, Ronnie Anne suddenly started to question how a sane dude like Lincoln came from such an unstable family.
(Line Break)
The following morning, Ronnie Anne went to the Skate Park to meet with her friends; Nikki, Casey, Sameer and her newest friend, Sid Chang. "What's up, peeps" she called out loudly, while performing some tricks on a ramp; "who's ready to roll?" Much to her surprise, not one of her friends answered back; they appeared to be glued to something playing on Nikki's tablet.
"AUGH! C'mon, you guys" she cried in exasperation, "it's Spring Break and we should be livin' it up, not be glued to some silly internet videos." Upon hearing her say this, Sid looked up and gave her a sort of "it's not what you think" sort of sad look. "This isn't some silly epic fail or challenge video, Ronnie" she murmured, "it's...well, you should see for yourself."
With a soft roll of the eyes and a deep sigh, Ronnie Anne complied with her request and looked down at the tablet. What she saw next gave her a grim sense of déjà vu. It was a news report and on the background was a picture of Lincoln; just like what she saw at her home, last night.
In said report; the news crew mentioned that over the past day or so, every other member of the Loud Family faced some form of punishment due to all the news that was spreading. The biggest blow had to be the temporary shut down of Lynn's table, where Lynn Loud Sr. (Lincoln's father) worked as the owner and head chef. "Whoa...that's bad mojo right there" Ronnie Anne murmured softly, "I mean...what will the family do for a livelihood now?"
Upon asking this, Sameer asked where Lincoln was during this whole thing. "That's a good question, dude" Nikki chimed in, "y'all don't think he's setting all this up on purpose...do you?" Ronnie Anne scoffed at the idea, proclaiming that Lincoln didn't have it in him to do something quite so vicious to his family.
However; with that being said, she decided that this whole thing was worth looking in to. So, after having some skating fun with her friends; Ronnie Anne hurried home and rushed to Carlota's room. "Cuz, I really need your help" she said desperately, "it's an emergency!"
Upon hearing this; Carlota let out a joyful squeal and, with the speed of a cheetah, pulled Ronnie Anne by the wrist into her bedroom. "I have been waiting for this moment for ages, Ronnie Anne" she said giddily, "I always knew you'd be facing a fashion emergency, someday." Before the young preteen could protest, she was suddenly caught in a whirlwind of colorful clothes.
For the next minute or so; she found herself put in formal, classy, peppy and even princess-y clothes (the last one giving Ronnie Anne a particularly disgusted feeling.) But with each one she put on her, Carlota consistently believed nothing "looked right" on her. "Hold on, I've got just the thing" she exclaimed, "a girl like you on the verge of becoming a woman deserves to look the part!"
Upon saying this, she brought out something that made Ronnie Anne shudder with sheer terror; a belly-cut blouse and a frilly mini-skirt...emphasis on the "mini" part. Finally, Ronnie Anne had enough and she decided to put her foot down (both figuratively and literally.) "Okay...Carlota; first of all, there is no conceivable way anybody would let me walk around in public in something like that" she grumbled, "second of all, I don't have time for this family's nonsense...least of all, yours!"
Clearly offended, Carlota was about to protest against her cousin; when the door suddenly swung open. Once it did, the two girls were met with the rest of the family (sans Bobby.) Normally, Ronnie Anne would scold her relatives for eavesdropping on her conversations but the looks of concern on their faces quickly dispelled these feelings instantly.
"Nietas, is everything alright" questioned Grandma Rosa, "we heard a crash and thought one of you fell." Carlota shook her head and said that Ronnie Anne was simply "acting up again." Just as her grandparents prepared to remind her about being nice to family, Ronnie Anne held up her hand firmly; silencing everyone.
"Please...Please, everyone; let me speak for a second" she pleaded desperately, "normally; I can handle all your wild behavior, everybody...but I've got a serious emergency on my hands!" Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions suddenly went grim and they asked what was happening. "I...I don't really know, to be honest" she confessed shamefully, "but something tells me that Lincoln might be in trouble...and I've got to go help him!"
After saying this, the family quickly understood the severity of the matter and each one offered their assistance. Uncle Carlos offered some information he learned from a book he read on life or death scenarios...but that wasn't appropriate for the situation. Aunt Frida asked if she needed someone to take photographic evidence of anything amiss.
Grandpa Hector offered to sneak around and keep his ears out for any gossip Ronnie Anne could use regarding Lincoln's situation. While Rosa suggested using a sort of "strength ritual" that involved inhaling some incense and drinking hot sauce (to help put the "fire burning in her belly," both figuratively and literally.) Meanwhile, her younger cousins had their own ideas.
"Let me come and assist you, prima" Carl offered while trying to appear "macho," "feels like this would be a situation that only a real man could handle." Carlota snickered under her breath and muttered how "real men" don't sleep in footie pajamas at night. CJ also offered to help but he thought that if he could "fly" fast enough, he would make the "bad guys" so dizzy that they would have no choice but to surrender.
Finally, Ronnie Anne let out an exasperated moan and silenced everyone with a raise of the hand. "Guys, you all have some really...really good ideas" she muttered, "but what I really need is for someone to give me a ride to Royal Woods." When asked why she wanted to go, Ronnie Anne simply said that Lincoln would need backup; if things were as bad as the news claimed.
"Please, guys; I'm begging you" she implored them, "I need to do this...the last thing I want is for Lincoln to get seriously hurt." Although the family genuinely wanted to help her, many of them felt torn about how to do it. Neither Rosa or Hector had a license and Ronnie Anne's mother was at work in the hospital until 9 PM.
Then, Carlota raised her hand high and offered to help out with the situation. But Ronnie Anne held some doubts about her cousin's sudden "selflessness." What's the catch, Carlota" she prodded firmly, "you want me to go clothes shopping with you, get my belly button pierced...put on makeup?"
On the inside, the teenager was squealing at the prospect of doing each of those examples with Ronnie Anne. But on the outside, she did her best to suppress those desires; believing that there were more important things to think about. "No, Ronnie Anne...there's no catch here" she said firmly, "this situation is obviously a serious one and we need to go help your friend right away."
After Ronnie Anne took a moment to let her initial shock pass, she thanked her cousin with a quick yet loving hug. "The question is...how will we get to Royal Woods in time before anything really bad happens" she grumbled, "the buses don't go fast enough from here to there, the Mercado van is in the shop and my mom has the only car we have." Upon saying this, Carlota smiled sneakily and murmured "that's not entirely true."
Moments later, after distracting the gang of street cats that loitered by their complex and sneaking out; Carlota brought Ronnie Anne to a parking garage. There, the girls came and found a beautiful sight; a sleek, rose-colored sports car. "Whoa! This is a sweet ride" gasped Ronnie Anne, "wonder who this belongs to?"
That was when Carlota gave her a sly grin and gave her a sort of "this gal" pointing gesture. "Before you moved in; I got this car for my Quinceañera, last year" she chuckled, "how do you think I've managed to go to so many thrift stores all this time?" Ronnie Anne smiled at her cousin, clearly pleased with how well life's been for her and climbed into the passenger's seat.
"Quick question, Carlota" Ronnie Anne asked suddenly, "just how fast can this car of yours go?" With a small wink of the eye; the teenager climbed into the driver's seat, revved up the engines put her foot to the petal and before Ronnie Anne knew it...the car zoomed out of the garage like a bat outta hell. While she still struggled to resist the g-force of the ride, Ronnie Anne's mind couldn't stop thinking of her goal.
"Just hold on for a little longer, lame-o" she stated mentally, "the cavalry's coming."
(Cut back to Present Day)
As we return to the present, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne exchanged a brief high five before greeting one another warmly. "Wow, Ronnie Anne; didn't expect to see you here" the white-haired boy chuckled, "what brings ya back to Royal Woods?" Ronnie Anne's demeanor then softened slightly, becoming somewhat stoic and she brought up the stuff she heard about him on the news.
"At first, I thought it was all hogwash" she admitted, "possibly another one of Luan's dumb pranks and then...I saw the pictures." Upon hearing this statement, Lincoln questioned what type of "pictures" she saw on TV. "The ones where you had all that sunburn on you, doofus" she muttered with a slight eye roll, "I came close to losing my lunch, when I did."
At that moment, Carlota arrived and she quickly started looking over every inch of Lincoln; hoping that he had no signs of injury. "Guys, I'm okay...really" he assured them, "thanks to my friends, they kept me safe." This reveal left Ronnie Anne feeling quite baffled, to be frank.
Looking around; she spotted Liam consoling his pet pig, Zach holding up a toy space laser gun with trembling hands, Rusty passed out from shock on the grass and lastly, Clyde was twitching about on his side while making robot noises. This led Ronnie Anne to presume that he had another mental breakdown, after seeing Lori. "No disrespect, dude" she murmured softly, "but I don't see your pals posing much of a threat against your sisters."
Surprisingly, Lincoln didn't take much offense to Ronnie Anne's descriptions of his friends; despite inwardly agreeing with her a little on them. "I wasn't talking about them" he stated, "I was talking about the ladies here." Soon after saying this, Ronnie Anne suddenly overheard a loud cacophony of whooping and shouts.
She looked all around her and soon spotted the ladies Lincoln spoke of. But aside from a few mildly familiar faces; like Jordan, Haiku and even Cristina...the rest of them were unfamiliar to her. As if sensing the girl's confusion, Carol approached her and casually introduced herself.
"I'm Carol Pingrey...I'm sure your older brother might've mentioned some things to you about me" she stated, "specifically when Lori and I got into that silly selfie race." Ronnie Anne tapped her chin silently for a bit, racking her brain in trying to recall that day. "Oh, right...Bobby had to get his wisdom teeth pulled, when Lori called him that day" she exclaimed, "but wait...she did all that for a selfie?"
This statement caused everyone to laugh loudly at the sheer ridiculousness and stupidity of the event in question. "I know; both of us were so silly, back then" Carol giggled, "the only consolation the two of us got from that was that we put our rivalry behind us." The moment she said this, her pleasant demeanor instantly gave way to a sullen frown.
"That is to say...I thought we'd put it all behind us" she murmured, "yet here she is with her family, hell bent on hurting us and/or her only brother for reasons that had nothing to do with him." Not too far away, Lori quickly overheard her words and hissed venomously. "You traitor, how could you say that" she shouted, "my family's whole situation has everything to do with my brother!"
No sooner had this been said, Lynn Jr. quickly joined in; her face blazing red with rage. "Because of that fucking little rat, all our lives have been put through the wringer and now...we have nothing" she growled, "meanwhile...Stinkin' has all you dumb bimbos, your parents and this whole friggin' town treating him like a king for no reason!" She then proceeded to reference all the stuff Lincoln had done together with his new friends, which made his family feel slightly envious.
"You couldn't be any more wrong, young lady" Jordan's mother seethed, "all of us did those things for and with Lincoln because he needed to be surrounded by good people!" The other parents shouted exclamations of agreement to her words, as did the girls. "Lincoln is one of the kindest, smartest and most loyal guys some of us have ever known" Becky said with great praise, "he's been an absolute sweetheart with all of us."
To say that Lynn Sr. and Rita were surprised by all this would be a gross understatement. At the same time, they were happy that his good nature still remained; in spite of all the...craziness happening. "Fact of the matter is, Louds; you've all been taking advantage of your boy here" murmured Stella's father, "as it seems; without him around to help manage your drama, your family goes all to pieces!"
Half of the Loud Sisters prepared themselves to make some sort of retort, they were left so offended. But every time they tried, they consistently failed to find the right words. It was then that they realized the grim truth...the girls and their families were right, Lincoln did help keep them together.
After that, they proceeded to look about the grounds; taking notice of all the games that were set up and the foods that they all prepared. "Hey, what's that" inquired Leni while pointing towards a table, "it looks delicious." Everyone turned around to see what the girl spotted, a tray of fresh chocolate chip brownies.
"Nice, aren't they" sighed Mr. Pingrey with delight, "your brother helped Jordan and her family make those." The moment he heard this, Lynn Sr. suddenly felt a pang of sadness grip at his heart. "He...H-He helped them with baking" he thought in confused sadness, "but...b-but I thought we were baking buddies."
After that, Leni looked over and saw that Fiona was sporting a crimson-red scarf. Upon asking where she bought it, Fiona simply said it was given to her as a gift. "Apparently, your little brother has a knack for sewing and knitting" she stated, "he and his friend, Clyde made this for me."
Much like her father; the moment she heard her former friend's statement, Leni felt her heart shatter to pieces. "But...B-But...we would always do knitting together" she whimpered, "and now...he's doing it with somebody else?" The next gut-punch came when Haiku stoically told Lucy that Lincoln was considering in joining her poetry club.
"Not only does he have a passionate soul" she said with a soft smile, "but he's been a big help with me and my fellow members." While her eyes remained unseen, Lucy's body language and her lips showed a whole plethora of emotions. Soon; she started biting down on her lip, her hands started shaking while balling up into fists and as she inhaled through her nose, her breathing seemed shaky.
"But...But we would always work on poetry together" she thought to herself, "sigh...I can't really blame him for doing it with somebody else, though." After that, Lincoln suddenly noticed things were getting heavy and decided to (after so long) speak to his parents. "I know it's beyond awkward of me to do this, guys" he murmured, "but...could one of you lend me some laundry soap from home...somehow."
When he saw the confused looks on his family's faces; he explained how if he was to be staying over any of his friends' homes, he felt like he should help lend a hand with the laundry...including his own. After hearing this, Rita came darn near close to choking up tearfully. Back home, she had moments where Lincoln would help lend a hand with laundry duty; even if it meant touching the likes of Lynn or Lana's clothes.
"Oh...s-s-sure thing, honey; I'll help" she whimpered, "would you like to use the Fresh Scent or...or Heavy Du..." In that moment, Rita found herself struggling to get the last word out; which came as quite a shock to the likes of Lincoln and his sisters. Finally, after clearing away the lump in her throat; she made another attempt to speak clearly. "Let me try again" she said with a heaving sigh, "w-w-would you like t-t-to use the...Fresh Scent or Heavy Du...Du-Du-Du...TYYYYYYYYYYY!"
That did it; after failing to get the final word out, Rita finally fell to her knees and sobbed loudly. Not long after this; Leni, Lana, Lola, Lily, Lucy and even Luna began to weep as well. "LINKY! PLEASE COME BACK TO US, LINKY" cried Lola, "PLEASE COME HOME...OUR FAMILY'S A MESS WITHOUT YOU!"
While it did pain him a little to see so many of his family members crying this way; at the moment, it all felt like nothing more than crocodile tears. "Don't give in, dude...stand your ground" Lincoln thought mentally, "this could just be a ploy to try and emotionally manipulate you." With these thoughts in mind, the Loud Boy tried to steady his nerves as best as he could; regardless of however tearful his family's apologies seemed
"C'mon, Son; our family misses you like crazy" Lynn Sr. murmured, "not to mention the fact that the house has been falling apart without you around...both figuratively and literally." Upon saying all this, he took out his phone and showed Lincoln an image of their house; which was taken by the Social Services workers who visited them. Several windows were broken, some belongings were seen out on the yard (which may have explained the broken windows) and it looked as though all of the house's pets had taken shelter in Charles' doghouse.
But despite everything he had been told and shown, Lincoln only scoffed at them; proclaiming that it seemed like they only valued his presence because he did favors for them. This statement not only shocked the Loud Family but the Gal Pals and their own families as well. "No, sweetie; it's not like that at all" Rita said desperately, "you're the family's rock...you help keep all of us stable, loving and strong."
Several of the sisters began to cry out in agreement with their mother's words, all while doing their best to not get overwhelmed by their tears. "I know we've all done you wrong for some time, sweetheart; I really do" Rita sighed with great shame, "but if you'll let us...we can try to fix things...together." For what felt like ages, neither side had spoken a word; which made the otherwise joyful park scene feel rather tense.
Finally, much to the family's surprise; Lincoln hung his head low and turned his back on them. "I'm sorry, Mom...I really am" he muttered sadly, "but I don't want to go back to a house where everyone only sees me as either a slave, a guinea pig, a jinx or an inconsiderate screw up." With that said, Lincoln made his way down towards one of the picnic tables; anxious to have some potato salad Cristina's parents made.
Upon seeing him "rudely" deny his mother's wishes, Lori and Lynn Jr. finally snapped and glared viciously at their brother. "Listen here, you little shithead; we're done putting up with your attitude" Lori growled while approaching Lincoln, "so, apologize to mom and make up with everybody right now or me and Lynn will make you do it...the hard way!" Not wishing to wait for an answer; Lynn Jr. loudly cracked her knuckles, rolled up her sleeves and stomped her way over towards her brother's table.
But in an instant, her path was suddenly blocked by over a dozen of Lincoln's friends. "If y'all want our buddy, yer gonna have to go through us first" Liam said defiantly, "and I mean all of us." With that said; every preteen, teenager, high school student and parent held their ground before the two enraged girls.
Not long after, Ronnie Anne and Carlota took their stand in the middle of the lineup; the both of them crossing their arms defiantly. "What's it gonna be, Loud" challenged Ronnie Anne, "if you turn around and leave us alone, we won't call the police on you...but if you do fight us and me and Carlota end up getting hurt, Bobby will know...and you know your sister doesn't want that, right?" Upon hearing these words, Lori immediately froze stiff; realizing that Ronnie Anne spoke the truth.
If she fought either Ronnie Anne or Carlota to get close to Lincoln, Bobby and his family would find out and she dreaded to think what would happen afterwards. But Lynn, on the other hand; well...restraint wasn't really something she was known for. "My dumb sister may be too chicken to fight but not me" she growled, "bring it on, Santiago...I want to see if you're as tough as my brother claims."
What happened next was a brawl that seemed more fearsome than any of the sort Lincoln had with his sisters before or since. There was much hair-pulling, punching, kicking, a few headlocks and the girls even snuck in a few attempts to bite at each other (either on the arm or the face.) Finally, both girls were quickly pulled away from each other by the adults as best as they were able.
"Young lady...we're already on thin ice with the town as it is" Rita whispered through clenched teeth, "if we...or moreover, you cause anymore trouble; who knows what will happen next!" Upon freeing herself from her mother's grip, Lynn desperately tried to make herself look like the "victim" of the situation. "Don't you guys get it, everything bad that's happened to us is because of Lincoln" she shrieked, "he's nothing but friggin' mistake!"
Again, the boy in question tried to ignore his sister's insults as best as he could. But after seeing all his friends suffer her wrath, his anger was boiling up so fiercely inside of him that the plastic fork he held almost snapped in two from his tightening grip. "Lynn...I know you're upset and I totally understand your anger" he muttered while inhaling through his nose, "but if you don't stop hassling me and my friends right now...you'll regret it."
After hearing the frightfully grim tone in his voice and seeing the fire in his eyes, almost everyone around Lincoln could immediately tell that he was not bluffing...save for two people. Despite the fact that he was growing angrier by the second, Lori and Lynn refused to be intimidated by their little brother. After taking a moment to snap the joints loose in her knuckles and neck, Lynn boldly made her approach; hankering for a good fight.
"Listen here, runt; let me remind you of who it is you're threatening" she said viciously, "I'm a highly skilled student of martial arts, wrestling, hand-to-hand combat and the toughest gal in our family." To drive her point home, she took out her cellphone and showed everyone all the awards she had won and all the victories she had achieved. "You can barely last one round against a house cat mauling you" she chuckled sinisterly, "so...why should I be spooked by any of your threats?"
Lynn then looked all around at the other ladies and asked them the same question, not caring about the difference in numbers. "Fact is, no matter how many of you there are...I'd still be able to take you all down" she boasted boldly, "I mean...you saw what I did to Santiago, right?" Upon saying this, Lincoln gave his fingers a squeeze; which caused the plastic fork he held to snap in two.
Afterward, he stood up from his seat and glared at Lynn with a blazing fire in his eyes. This look was so terrifying, it even caused the likes of Lucy and Haiku to quiver in terror. Then, he approached Lynn with a sort of slow stride; stomping his feet with every step he took.
"Lynn...let's get something straight here" he whispered vehemently, "you and the family can humiliate me all you like, you can destroy my stuff, you can threaten me, you can have me grounded for months, blackmail me or even kick me out of the house and force me to live in Charles' doghouse." Before Lynn could make any kind of retort, Lincoln grabbed her roughly by the collar of her shirt and pulled her over; so that they'd be nose-to-nose with one another. "But mark my words" he growled, "when you mess with my friends...YOU'RE DEAD!"
The moment he said this, something inside of Lincoln snapped and his full rage was finally released. Before anyone could react, he pounced onto Lynn like a lion and they proceeded to give each other the worst throttling ever. Lincoln ripped out chunks of Lynn's hair by the roots, she kicked Lincoln several times in the back, he gave Lynn an Indian Rope Burn on the right arm and they both pounded their fists into each other's faces so fast and hard, bits of blood could be seen flying through the air.
Then, Lynn was sent flying backwards before landing inside of a nearby trashcan; leaving Lincoln the chance to turn his attention towards Lori next. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, ya blonde bitch" he seethed, "you had this beating coming for years!" After that, he snorted angry steam through his nose and was ready to rush her like a bull. But Clyde and Jordan quickly hurried over and placed their arms on him in a desperate attempt to calm their friend down.
While they did this, the Pingreys and other parents approached the Louds; all while wearing enraged expressions upon each of their faces. "You've really screwed up this time, Louds" grumbled Jordan's father, "things were going so well here until you all showed up!" The other parents shouted loudly in agreement, each of them voicing their apparent disdain towards the Loud Girls' behavior.
"What your two daughters started here was the last straw" Mrs. Pingrey cried out, "not only did you wander into a private gathering uninvited and unannounced...But your daughters also put one of our guests and several of our daughters in harms way!" Rita nervously looked over in Ronnie Anne's direction to find that her cousin, Carlota was trying to fix up her damaged hair. This coupled with Lincoln's mildly blooded face meant one thing, that they were in deep doo-doo now.
"This is your last warning, Louds" murmured Cristina's parents threateningly, "leave here now or we'll be forced to take drastic action!" In that moment; Rita, Lynn Sr. and the other eight of the ten sisters were more than willing to leave peacefully from the park. But then, as if by some cruel joke made by Fate; Lynn Jr. pushed herself up from out of the trashcan, fell down to her knees and spat out some blood dripping from her cut lip.
"Go ahead...do whatever the Hell you want to us, assholes" she grumbled, "that twerp's already done enough to ruin our lives; so, how much worse could things possibly get for us now?" Upon hearing this, Lincoln looked at her with genuine shock and offense. "Wait...you guys still think I'm the one who ruined your lives" he asked in astonishment, "you've got it all backwards...truth is, you did all that on your own."
From that point, he went on to say how he simply tried to be the mediator/emotional lightning rod for the family. Whatever bad karma they've gained in the past few days, he added was entirely due to their actions. "I've tried to keep you guys stable, to help stop your stupid fights...but all it does is blow up in my face" he grumbled, "no 'thank yous,' no hugs, no trophies on my shelf on the trophy case, no respect; all I get is grief from the ten of you, Mom and Dad...not necessarily in that order."
With each word he said, the other half of the Louds felt themselves shrinking with shame; fully realizing just how bad things were between them and Lincoln. Meanwhile, Lori helped Lynn Jr. up off the grass and offered to be her "tag-team" partner to help take Lincoln down. This sight was all the parents needed to see for them to bring about their next course of action. After Mrs. Pingrey gave a shrill whistle; she turned towards the park gate and shouted "HELP, POLICE; WE'RE BEING ATTACKED!
The instant she said this; Officer Schoffner, along with a team of other officers she called in for backup, rushed onto the scene. In an instant, every member of the Loud Family (with the exception of Lily) was swiftly tackled to the ground/grabbed hold of and had their hands cuffed behind their backs. Of course, they had a little difficulty with cuffing the younger members; mainly because their wrists were too small for normal handcuffs.
"Just slip them on and get them outta here already" Schoffner grumbled, "they've caused enough trouble here for one day!" Despite the Louds mixed cries of outrage and alarm, they were all left unheard; as one of the other officers placed them inside of a police wagon. "It's off to the Cooler for you, maggots" Officer Schoffner said to them firmly, "and be thankful you're not being put into cells right off!"
After the family was shoved into the wagon and the doors closed shut, Rita cast one last look towards her son. She gave him an expression that seemed to say "please, forgive me..." but Lincoln, much to her shock, offered her no response. It was in that moment that Rita realized she was coming ever closer to losing her boy forever.
Lynn Sr. and eight of the ten sisters who had genuinely felt remorseful of their actions also gave him similar pleading looks; hoping Lincoln would take pity on them. But just like with their mother, Lincoln said nothing to them; choosing only to scowl bitterly. The moment he woke up, that morning; Lincoln hoped for a day of fun in the sun, good food and loads of friends to share it with.
But thanks to his sisters (or more specifically, Lori and Lynn;) everything almost fell to pieces. Because of all this, Rita and Lynn Sr. didn't blame him for giving them all the silent treatment. Meanwhile, Lincoln's lady friends were more than willing to speak to the Louds for him.
"I hope you're happy, everyone" grumbled Dana, glaring through the van's barred windows; "you've almost brutalized/traumatized Lincoln, put everyone here in danger and came close to ruining our party!" To the Louds, every word the girl said to them felt like she was stabbing them with a knife. The next to speak was young Jordan, who appeared to be on the verge of tears.
"I hope you'll have a nice rest in prison" she grumbled, "because tomorrow, you're gonna be in for a big surprise...and it's not going to be a good one, I promise you that!" With that said, after giving it a strong pat; the paddy wagon took off down the road and off to the station. Afterwards, everyone hurried over to Lincoln; hoping that he wasn't too badly hurt...or worse.
Despite the anger lingering inside of him, the boy found enough energy to calm himself down and smile at them all. "I'm fine, girls...I really am" he murmured, "I just...I just need something to calm me down, is there any food left?" This inquiry caused Lincoln's guy friends, his Gal Pals crew and their parents to all chuckle softly at him; all of whom appeared to be relieved that Lincoln's joyful demeanor still held on strong.
"He's right, everybody" Haiku murmured, "we shouldn't let what his family did ruin our day, let's all enjoy it while we can." Everyone cheered in agreement and immediately resumed their earlier activities. But while everyone partied and laughed, Lincoln sighed softly to himself; clearly baffled by the fact that his family still hadn't worked out their issues.
"Whatever happens next, I imagine it can't be good" he thought to himself, "I just hope that whatever kind of higher power exists up there...they find it in them to be merciful; at least, a little."
(First AN: What did I tell you, folks; out of the frying pan and right back into the fire they went. Whatever happens in the end, I hope Lori and Lynn will get some help to manage their rage. But at least, the rest of the family and their parents aren't beyond redemption.
So, please...don't mistake my writing as me demonizing Lori and Lynn. For even in the original series, they possessed almost the same levels of rage. What will happen, while the Louds are in the Cooler and what will Lincoln and Crew do next? Tune in next time)
(Second AN: To clear up any confusion, the waitress at Gus' who calls up the Casagrande's apartment building was seen in episodes like Back Out There and The Old and The Restless.)
(Third AN: Along with Nikki, Sameer and Casey; this chapter also introduces Sid Chang into the picture, who is set to appear in the actual Loud House episode Friended with the Casagrandes that is set to air on Memorial Day. When I saw her on the promo, I thought it would be interesting to add her into the story. I hope I did in a way that was both correct and entertaining)