Chapter 4: Consequences

Right, after a few weeks of being busy with not only new episode reactions but also other life stuff to deal with, I'm back with the 4th chapter for this story. Hopefully, there won't be such large gaps between the uploading of other chapters in the future. But of course, sometimes other major commitments take priority. But now I can carry on. Now the setup is going to start making some progress, as Lynn is at the point where she's going against the constraints of the law.

Let's get started with this one.

As she wandered the streets of an unknown neighbourhood alone, Lynn Loud Jr knew she had really messed up. She knew from the moment her coach handed her those performance enhancers that they were trouble, and she would end up paying the price for taking them. That's exactly what happened. She spent the last week antagonising and alienating everyone in her lives, from her parents and siblings, to her teammates and fellow sports players. To top it all off, she had just made the choice to run away from home. And if she ever returned, she would be in a whole world of trouble…

…but she wasn't thinking about anything in a reasonable way. All she could concentrate on at that moment was right there and then. All she knew was that she needed some fresh air and quiet.

As Lynn travelled on her customised bike, all sorts of thoughts gathered and circled inside the realm of her mind. The terrible things she had done. The people she had let down. The consequences she would be dealt with because of her actions. Above all else, what kind of person she was. And she wasn't just thinking about since she started taking the pills, but all the months of rough and aggressive behaviour prior to that, as well. She knew that, pills or no pills, she wasn't exactly a saint. She was guilty of rancid and violent behaviour towards others even when she wasn't under the influence of any substance.

Lynn (to herself): "This is all my fault! I never should've agreed to take those enhancement supplements. I should've said no! Now I'm going crazy!" she stated as she struggled to hold back tears.

As Lynn continued to ride on her cycle, she encountered a group of kids, around Lincoln's age, just sitting down and hanging out on a bench near the sidewalk. They appeared to be finding something quite amusing at that moment.

Kid group: "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Their laughter was beginning to irritate the already riled up sports girl. Lynn didn't know exactly why they were laughing, but given her irrational and short-tempered mindset at that moment, she began to suspect the laughter was aimed in her direction.

Lynn (to herself): "Who are those punks laughing at?!"

As they continued to emit laughter, Lynn began to think the worst. She began having brief yet powerful flashbacks to her time as a victim of bullying. She concluded the kids on that bench, much like the ones at middle school, must have been laughing at her. That was the only explanation. After all, Lynn was no stranger to being the butt of a joke. The reason why she became such a violent and tough kid in the first place was because of people laughing at her with cruel intent in middle school. In her mind, there was no reason to think it was any different in this specific case…

…but she knew her reaction would be different. She didn't let bullies torment her, not anymore.

Lynn: "Hey, you kids want something to laugh about?!" she asked as she approached the group.

Lynn then picked up her bike with little effort, and bashed it around one of the kid's faces. The other three kids screamed in terror as it was clear the older girl was dangerous, and was about to inflict some serious damage on them. Lynn leaped towards one of the other kids and tackled him to the ground. She then delivered a series of hard hitting strikes to the face, stunning the poor child. The other 2 were running for their lives, but Lynn, being the incredibly fit athlete she was, easily managed to run after them and catch up.

One of the children actually tried to throw a punch to Lynn's face, but she grabbed it with ease and decided to play a cruel gag against her opponent.

Lynn: "Why are you hitting yourself!? Why are you hitting yourself?!" she repeated as she forced him to continue hitting his own face with his hand, adding insult to injury.

The fourth and final child then tried to grab Lynn from behind and choke her out. Unfortunately for them, Lynn was an experienced fighter, and managed to reverse their choke attempt into a hip throw. As the kid slowly started to get up from the ground, Lynn ran up and punted them in the side of the head, knocking them out.

Lynn: "Yeah! That's how it's done!" she shouted while breathing heavily.

She was proud of what she had done. As far as she was concerned, she had just triumphed in spectacular fashion against the likes of a foursome of bullying jerks. Indeed, it was a noble accomplishment on her part. All that was left was to rub the victory in her opponent's faces, make it clear to them who was boss…

Lynn: "That's right, Jerks! I'm Lynn Loud Junior, and I'm the toughest kid around! I deal with punks like you every day in Middle School, that's why I became who I am today! You jokers are just scum! Now, let me make something painfully clear… NO ONE LAUGHS AT ME!"

She then backed off from the kid she was screaming at, and began to slowly back away from the battlefield she was just on…

Lynn (to herself): "Not anymore!" she reassured to her own psyche.

…and then she looked over near where one of the kids she just defeated was lying in pain, and their iPhone was on the ground. She picked up the phone and saw that the kids were halfway through watching a humorous road rage clip on the internet.

Lynn (to herself): "Oh… so that's what they were laughing at." She awkwardly reflected.

Feeling guilty, Lynn went over to apologise to the kids for needlessly harming them, but she then looked over to the distance. She saw an adult dialling on their phone from the corner of her eye. Her savage assault was witnessed by at least one neighbour in the area…

Lynn: "Ut-oh." She said as she saw her act of violence had been witnessed.

…she had to make a run for it. She was now in trouble with the law. Whatever trouble she was already in, was amplified up to eleven.

Lynn ran and ran. She went as far and fast as her little body could take her, which was still quite far given her fitness level. She eventually ran out of breath and stopped in the middle of a dark alley, where she likely wouldn't be spotted.

Lynn (to herself): "Oh my god! What have I done?! What should I do now?! I can't keep running forever, but I can't go to prison either!"

She then began recollecting all the despicable things she had done over the course of the past week. All the acts of violence and terrorising, all just because she lost control of her emotions. Those pills her coach had supplied her with were nothing but trouble.

Lynn (to herself): "This is all YOUR fault!" she yelled at the container of pills she just pulled out of her pocket.

She still had them with her. They weren't something she could just leave around or dispose of easily. That's why she was addicted to them. After having taken them just once, Lynn had a dependence for them, a deep wired need to keep taking them and reaping their benefits… even if they were far more trouble than they were worth.

She felt like throwing the container away, but for all her physical ability, she lacked the mental strength to overcome her unhealthy addiction. She placed the container back in her pocket, unable to separate herself from the toxic influence that was plaguing her.

As she raised her head to observe her surroundings, Lynn spotted something in the corner of her eye…

Lynn: "Coach Henry?!" she asked startled.

The figure in the distance that she assumed to be her coach then began to retreat. But Lynn was in pursuit…

Lynn: "Hey, wait up!" she told the ambiguous figure.

She chased him down the street, slowly catching up to the disguised individual.

Lynn: "COACH?!" she asked, wanting to know if it was him.

Lynn then collided with someone, but it wasn't the figure she was chasing. It was a police officer, the last sort of person she wanted to run into at that moment.

Officer: "Lynn Loud Junior, you are under arrest!" he stated as he pulled out his pair of handcuffs.

Lynn: "What? NO!" she reacted as she tried to run away, but another officer was standing behind her.

The duo of cops then quickly wrestled a surprised Lynn to the ground and placed the handcuffs on her. She was powerless to stop them from taking her away.

After she was taken to the car, she tried to quickly look for that figure she was chasing one last time. She observed in the distance, the figure that she had spotted, and her suspicions were confirmed. It was her coach. The one responsible for everything that had happened.

Lynn: "Hey, guys! You might want to look over there. That guy is the one you really want! He's the one who… er, who made me do all those things!" she insisted, remembering that she didn't want to admit that she was taking performance enhancers.

Officer: "Likely story, you just want to distract us so you can make an escape! We're not stupid."

Officer 2: "Look at this." He said as he reached into Lynn's pocket.

Lynn: "HEY!" she yelled as she objected to the cop searching her.

The container was then pulled out of her pocket.

Officer: "Drugs! Why am I not surprised?" he remarked.

Lynn: "Give those back!"

Officer: "We'll use these as evidence in court."

Lynn: "Court!?" she asked in fear, which was succeeded with an audible gulp.

Elsewhere, the Loud family was reflecting on the events which had just transpired between themselves and Lynn, unaware that the situation was about to become much worse…

Leni: "I can't believe she just got on her bike and rode off like that!"

Lori: "I can't believe she kicked dad in the… peanuts!"

Lynn Sr: "Well, when she finally wises up and comes home, she'll be in a world of trouble! You can believe that!"

Lucy: "I know Lynn is a ruffian normally, but I've never seen her a bad as she is today. She's never scared me so much in my life."

Lincoln: "And what about me? The other day, Lynn tried to beat me to death with a baseball bat!"

Lynn Sr: "Hey Kids! It's not a competition… but if it is, I totally won. A shot to the nuts beats a little scare."

Rita: "Look, maybe there's a perfectly good reason for why Lynn is behaving this way." She tried to argue in defence of her daughter.

Luna: "Yeah, but does that excuse everything she's been doing?! Threatening Lucy and Lincoln, manhandling us like we're pieces of meat!? Berating us in front of the whole neighbourhood!?"

Lincoln: "I don't know. I know that behind her rough front, she's just a little girl who feels she isn't appreciated or accepted in the world. I think we should give her a chance, at least to explain herself." He stated sympathetically.

Lola: "But that's no excuse!" she argued back.

Lisa: "I concur with Lola. Lynn's tragic experiences must not excuse her from the negative judgement that her rancid actions deserve."

Lola: "Yeah! Besides, aren't you the one who she tried to attack just yesterday?!" she questioned her brother.

Lincoln: "Yes, you're right. I'm not saying she hasn't done wrong, and I've been on the wrong end of her anger and her rough ways before, but I also know what a messed up emotional state can make you do. I haven't always made the greatest decisions, as you guys know, but I'm still here. We just need to hear Lynn's side of the story and maybe we can come to an understanding."

Luna: "I dunno, bro. What about you, Luce?" she asked her younger sister.

Lucy: "Lynn can be annoying, sometimes she's a brat. She's an egotistical, rough, selfish kid. She's also my sister, I know she'd always be there to stand my ground if I needed her and she's always there to listen and help out when I have a problem. As her roommate, I know some things about her that she might not have told all of you. I know she's not a bad person deep down. And… I love her… please don't ever tell her I said that."

Luan: "You do have a way with words, sis. No wonder you beat me to performing at the Royal Woods Theatre."

Lola: "Eh, I'm still sceptical."

Lana: "No surprises there." She remarked.

Lincoln: "Look, let's just wait and see what she has to say for herself when she gets back. She won't stay out there forever. She'll know she has to come home, and then…"

But before he could finish his sentence, the phone started ringing, prompting Lynn Sr to answer…

Lynn Sr: "Loud residence."

The other Louds then looked on as Lynn Sr's facial expressions and vocal tone told the whole story, despite only being able to listen to one half of the conversation…

Lynn Sr: "SHE WHAT?!"

That reaction caused the family to collectively adopt a shocked look on their faces. They knew something was seriously wrong.

Lynn Sr: "I understand… yes, we're on our way." He finalised before putting the phone down.

Rita: "What is it, honey?"

Lynn Sr's head was hung in shame and disappointment, but he finally managed to raise his head, look his wife and children in the eyes, and tell them…

Lynn Sr: "It' LJ. She's been arrested. She could be facing months in juvie!"

And with that sentence, the spirit of the whole Loud family was crushed.

Well, we all knew this was coming. As the description of the fanfic probably gave away right from the start, Lynn will be facing time on the inside. Her only chance of dodging the bullet will be a successful result in her favour during the upcoming trial, which will be the next part of the story and the conclusion of the setup. Just a little teaser as to what's coming up next.

Anyway, I know my work has been receiving a lot of criticism regarding issues such as dialogue, exposition, the storybook/script format and tonal contrasts, and while I am open to such critical feedback and opinions, and I appreciate that you all have the right to state your opinions and some of you even have proven track records and experience to justify your perspectives, I also need to be honest. I'm not so sure I agree with all the points that have been made against my story. But I won't elaborate too much on that here. Let's just say that if you plan on writing a review for this chapter, I would suggest reading one of my uploads from my DeviantArt called 'Understanding FanFiction Criticism' first.

That's all for now. I don't know when I'm going to upload the next chapter. Probably in a couple of weeks since I'm going to be very busy with other aspects of life and other commitments between now and then.