Mono No Aware
Through war, famine pestilence and death, I keep writing. It's been difficult but I've got something for you today!
Having said that, through war, famine pestilence and death I'm finally back and I don't intend to waste any more time in this foreword. It's unexpectedly long; that's all. Go read it; you deserve it!
''Where's my phone?''
No response
''Has anyone seen my phone?!''
It was useless: Lori's call was absorbed into the ruckus of an above-average hectic morning in the Loud residence. On a day like this, Lori's expectations were nothing less of how this day would go… and it had just started. Lori groaned to lament how chaotic and unruly the house was. Though, Lori herself was still dressed in only a bathrobe as well.
Having no one else to rely on, Lori walked past Lola reciting a victory speech with choreography and Luna strumming on her guitar, to singing lyrics she just came up with with no shortage in decibels. Back at the couch, the last place Lori remembered having her phone before she got a bowl of cereal… just a quick walk back and forth and now it was gone! Gone! Thinking of it, Lori scanned the area and now had no idea where her cereal went either…
Under the environmental noise, Lori heard sucking noises and following the sound she also found her phone… in Lily's mouth.
''Lily! Let go!'' Lori exclaimed, lurching towards the baby. Lily put up little resistance as Lori pulled the smartphone off of Lily's lips. Lori reeled in disgust as she held the saliva-coated phone. Lily glowered at her oldest sister before crawling away to find something else to nip on.
Lori wiped the device on her robe and tried to turn it on, but a red battery icon flashed on the black screen; it was out of power. Of course. She only had to look up a simple address and that had turning into a minor headache. In her room, the phone was put on a charger and instead Lori booted up her laptop. It wasn't an ideal alternative: the computer needed time and effort for something simple as booting up from years of being well-used. Lori sighed and banged her laptop once in a vain hope that the abuse could motivate it to work faster somehow. This was the same laptop Lori was to take with her to Fairway; she would be lying if she said the prospect wasn't reason to worry, but there was no money to spare for a new one.
A bell rung. Lori gained a speck of hope thinking it was the startup jingle, but it was the doorbell downstairs. Lori stayed put; someone else would open the door. The desktop then finally displayed when the doorbell rung again. Lori looked up: had the racket downstairs gotten that bad that people didn't hear the doorbell anymore, or did they simply not care? Reluctantly, Lori went to answer the door herself.
At the doorstep stood a postman, holding a large, tied bundle under his arm.
''Lori M. Loud?''
Lori gave a nod, but confused and surprised. ''Yes.''
''Sign this please.'' The postman gave her a clipboard. Lori put her signature on the document and on cue the postman shoved the bundle into her grasp. Clearly, he was happy to ditch his load. He must've been in a hurry because he walked back to his van before Lori could say goodbye.
Shutting the door, Lori got a familiar thrill from tearing the brown packaging paper like it was a Christmas present. Upon seeing a shred of what was inside, she froze and then pitched a cry of joy loud enough to easily overwhelm the rest of her siblings' noise.
''Leni!'' Lori called, excited. ''To our room, now!''
''Ready?'' Lori asked as she peered around the door of her bedroom closet. Along with Leni, their mother and most of their siblings – who followed them out of curiosity whether they were invited or not – sat at the other end of the room. Most of them were ready to be dazzled.
''Come on, I don't have all day!'' Lynn griped. Her sour demeanor stood out in the crowd.
It didn't matter that the audience was just her family; Lori appeared from her bedroom closet and made the small crowd that gathered in her bedroom cheer, and if not that they were still clearly enthusiastic.
Lori's Fairway uniform finally arrived and she just had to try it on: she was dressed in a white polo shirt, a brown skirt, cleated shoes and a blue vizor cap. In the package also came shorts, slacks, a cap and a sweater. It wasn't anything noteworthy, but the Fairway logo emblazoned on everything made it special… so, prestigious!
The regular visitor to Lori's social media pages wouldn't ever guess from all the selfies she made, but she didn't care to become a professional model. Yet here Lori appeared from her bedroom closet and strutting through her bedroom carrying a golf club under her arm and being cheered on by some of her siblings: it wasn't too far from looking like the next collection was being shown on the catwalk to a thrilled public.
''Work it Lori!'' Leni called enthusiastically.
''Very nice!'' Their mother said.
Her siblings cheered her on when Lori laid her golf club on her shoulders and struck a pose. Leni immortalized Lori's grace in a photo.
''Six out of ten for pose, easily!'' Lola remarked and was rewarded by Lori with a curtsy for her generous rating. Lori then walked back to the mirror. Vanity got the best of her again and she did another slow spin to admire again how distinguished this uniform looked! Leni showed Lori the photos Leni made with her own phone. They confirmed what Lori felt wasn't just an emotion; it was simply fact!
Rita checked the time, and felt a tinge of regret for what she had to tell: ''Are you wrapping it up Lori? We're already late.''
Lori's noble smile faded: playtime was over, the show was done and everyone stood up and left.
''Yes mom.''
There was no rig above her, but Lori would swear she saw a limelight fade away: a feeling she experienced often lately. Lori faced the reminder: her uniform being delivered this morning and throwing the impromptu fashion show was only a brief but welcome distraction from today's dreaded schedule. it had been delayed and postponed three times already – with or without Lori's interference; no one knows – but now there really was no way out of it anymore.
Furniture shopping for her dorm room was something Lori hadn't been looking forward to it at all when the prospect first came to her: trudging through a crowded store with a confusing layout that gave her a headache to go through by itself. Fairway University provided a bedframe and the rest was up to the students to acquire. Where Lori was concerned, the university could easily have taken more of its responsibility. The idea of spending lots of time over silly choices like what bedframe was better or which pattern her bedding should have and whatnot that could end up being the wrong choice in the long run. It seemed like a strenuous undertaking for something that sounded so mundane. Even then, a three-hour drive to that dreary, unwelcoming dormitory? That was the cherry on top.
Lori had changed back into her regular clothing. The uniform was neatly folded and put back into the box.
''Lori!'' Her mother called from downstairs.
''Let's get this over with…'' Lori muttered.
The last thing she could realistically hope for that could get her out of this again was that Vanzilla might end up stalling on the driveway. She took her phone off the charger, thinking it had enough power to last the day. She grabbed a purse and stuck her wallet and phone into it.
Around the first floor it looked and sounded like Leni was already busy herding their younger sisters. The bedlam had returned and Lori walked through unbothered; this was Leni's challenge.
''Leni: we may be home late, so there's dinner in the fridge! If you need something, call your dad!'' Rita called.
Whether Leni heard or even noticed them leaving in the struggle she found herself in was anyone's guess, but all of them knew Leni could handle it. To Lori's surprise, Lynn, Lincoln and Lana had been waiting with their mother at the front door and followed them to the driveway. There was no room for Lori left to guess why when they climbed with her into the car.
''What are they doing?'' Lori asked.
''They wanted to come along and help out. Isn't that sweet of them?'' Rita asked before she put the car in drive.
Lori looked back at her siblings, sitting neatly in a row on the backseat with innocent faces.
''Yeah.'' Lori answered as she turned her head back.
More hands make light work was what Lori's father always said. It'd make this whole ordeal easier and Lori was grateful for that. Hopefully they wouldn't cause any shenanigans like before…
''Aren't Carol and her parents going to buy furniture? We could've gone together.'' Rita said.
Lori shrugged. ''They're still on holiday in the Dominican Republic.''
Carol's social media made it seem as appealing as it sounded: photos of Carol lounging on an island resort being tended to her every whim and basking in sunlight and leisure littered her page. Lori did herself a favor and scrolled away; it's been long since she has been envious of Carol. She checked what her golf buddy Roger was up to: he had gone to South Africa for charity work with his parents. It explains why she hadn't heard much of him since graduation. Lori should try to call him soon.
Her phone vibrated in her hand, followed by a 'pling' sound effect shortly after. Leni had sent a text:
''Here are the pics. They r cute!''
Added with the message were the photos of Lori in her Fairway colors. She quickly saved them on her phone. Leni had been typing another message while Lori did so, and sent it shortly after.
''I've also sent you the pinboards we made together! Happy shopping! XX''
Lori checked the Pinternet app, which allowed users to gather images and create collages. She remembered herself and Leni making one a while ago. The stress of having to go furniture shopping completely chased out the memory of compiling a shopping list and doing up furnishing inspiration with Leni: it was a smoother, more fun undertaking than Lori thought, but that could also be because of Leni's assistance. It wasn't just happy bonding between the two, but Leni was also remarkably adept at interior design as she was with fashion. Everything they had pinned together looked appealing; Lori was so engrossed with the knickknacks especially that she failed to notice the towering warehouse with the iconic blue and yellow color scheme along the street. Only when her mother found a parking spot in the equally massive parking garage and stopped did Lori's attention finally bounce back to her surroundings.
The family entered the store: immediately there were escalators leading up and down, corridors going to the cash registers, to the Swedish food store, indoor restaurant; it was overwhelming to see right after through the entrance. Lori was sure she'd get lost again if she went here by herself; she had a poor sense of direction. In such cases, it was safe to rely on her mother. Fortunately, Rita indeed didn't seem at all fazed compared to her daughter. She took a complimentary measuring tape and lead the herd up an escalator into the first few showrooms.
''Hey look at that!'' Lori called. She pointed at a shelf full of creatively-shaped vases down the aisle. It looked similar to one of the images on her pinboard. She ran ahead and picked one up. It looked similar to one of the images on her pinboard and was just as cute in her hand as it did from a distance!
''This vase is adorable!''
''It has a nice color!'' Her mother remarked.
''And look over there!''
With quick, big steps, Lori went over to the next display bin and cuddled one of the big stuffed animals inside that looked like a goofy mix of several critters.
''Isn't it cute?'' Lori tightly pushed the toy against her to test if it was cuddly enough: it passed the test with flying colors
Before her family had even caught up with Lori let alone say anything, she had already spotted something else down the path with vase and stuffed animal in her grasp.
''Scented candles!'' Lori held up the pack to show to her folks, and either didn't care or was oblivious in her enthusiasm that they were a fair distance away from her. ''I haven't had those in literally ages!''
''Those things make me barf.'' Lana griped.
''Then don't eat them.'' Lynn replied.
''If they're orange scented, you'd think they also taste like it!''
''It are all nice things sweetie.'' Rita said, ignoring Lynn and Lana
''And look at this!'' Lori interrupted her mother to show a serving tray with three tiers.
''You don't even need a serving tray-'' Although Rita chuckled, it was time to assert herself over her daughter's folly. ''Lori, I'm happy you're excited for furniture shopping and it are all nice things sweetie but today we're going to buy the big furnishings first.''
Lori pouted indignantly.
''But I want it!'' She whined.
''We'll come back here later, and they'll still be here.''
Lori relented, but with an indignant pout. ''Okay.''
''What is wrong with you?'' Lynn asked, eyebrow raised in confused disgust.
''Sorry… that was the zeal.'' Lori answered as she recollected herself.
Though, once they reached the desks, Lori became smitten with all the pretty designs available all over again; their furniture was a breeze! There was so many nice pieces that Lori took interest in: sleek, functional desks, stylish wall mirrors, an extra dresser and a whole lot of miscellaneous knickknacks and clutter that'd jazz up her future bedroom! Her mother had to pull the reigns on her daughter's excitement because they couldn't go about buying everything on the list without meeting and consulting with Lori's future roommate first.
Once the Louds did reach the registers, they exited the warehouse with around a dozen different boxes as well as some smaller housewares they couldn't resist taking with them. With a minivan that had an ironic amount of room inside without the usual dozen of people occupying it, fitting the furniture inside was a cinch and the Louds drove away with having put in an uncharacteristic small amount of effort compared to what they were used to.
Their mission wasn't yet over once they've bought the wares and had lunch at the restaurant: the Louds were bringing them to Lori's dorm room right away, all the way in Great Lakes City. Another three-hour ride was uneventful, but it couldn't be called boring, for Lori at least; Lincoln and Lana would find out Lynn had more difficult entertaining herself. The lush Michigan countryside looked as vibrant as earlier, and the odd time Lori did get bored with the tamed wilderness, she'd quietly watch an episode of CiCi Cumberbatch on her phone. She noticed she had seen almost all episodes Sickflix offered by now while there were still enough other shows left to watch.
Apparently, more students had the same idea as Lori today: there were numerous people of Lori's age unloading furniture and carrying it inside their dormitories when the Louds arrived at Fairway. It made that the roads were clogged and limited Rita to drive at a leisurely pace, but that gave plenty of time for Lori's siblings to take in the elegance of Fairway as well. They went through a street with student housing built more opulent than Lori's housing: they resembled a mansion in the style of the rest of Fairway's architecture more closely than a dorm. Many of them bore random letters, which most of the Louds didn't recognize, on the face of the building and were decorate with similar banners.
Lynn gave them an inquisitive look. ''What's with the Russian letters?''
''It's Greek, Lynn. These are Greek houses.'' Rita explained.
''Geek houses?'' Lana asked.
''You mean like frat bros and stuff?'' Lynn let the idea sink in and eagerly pulled herself towards the front seat. ''Hey Lori, are you going to join a house?''
Lori scrunched her face in confusion and mild disgust. ''Why?''
''They're the life of the party! And are you seeing the digs they get to stay in?'' Lynn raved.
''Greek parties and the events are fun yes, but they also help you get connections and develop yourself. By the way, sorority sisters make friends for life!'' Rita explained.
''Did you get into one, mom?'' Lori asked.
Rita's face slowly fell with regret, visible only to Lori next to her. ''No, I didn't make the pledge. Besides, I started living a different life shortly afterwards.''
Lori was curious and wanted to know more, but didn't dare trying to open a possible old wound. Meanwhile, behind her Lynn lounged back and grew content imagining herself in Lori's place. ''If I go to university, I'm definitely joining one! Whatever hazing they throw at me, bring it!''
Lori was aware of the reputations Greek houses had: wild parties where the drink flowed plenty and everyone gets with each other and disapproved of them. Yet… thinking of it, wouldn't it be a waste to not even consider trying to get into one? If her mother's explanation was true to her words, it'd be something she'd love to experience!
By the time the family parked the car and unloaded the boxes, they grasped that they had to carry them all the way from the parking lot to Lori's dorm, far away from the parking lot. Of course, Lynn didn't mind but all of them thought that getting the boxes to fit into the car would be the hardest task of today…
''Are you doing okay down there, mom?'' Lori asked.
''Yes. Just keep going up!'' Rita answered.
Lori and her mother heaved a mattress up the stairs of Elrick hall. The mattress's weight wasn't the problem as they could carry it together with little trouble, but the large, unwieldly slab didn't let itself be maneuvered easily through the front door and up the narrow stairs.
Once upstairs, all Lori and her mother was left was the hallway, which seemed narrower now that they were carrying a mattress, to Lori's room, 2C. Inside, Lana was assembling a chair while Lincoln stood in a corner with his phone, judging from how he wiggled his thumbs to text, and Lynn used a box like a dumbbell to keep her biceps warm but seemed appalled when Lori and their mother came in with the mattress.
''Aw, couldn't you let me lift that?'' Lynn griped.
Lori cast a quick glance; it became clear why Lynn and Lana wanted to come along: Lynn insisted she was strong enough to heave the boxes from the car to the room by herself… even if they were larger than she was and she often seemed to collapse under the bulk. Meanwhile, Lana had a blast assembling some of the furniture, and seemed to be able to make a few pieces even sturdier using the spare parts. Lori should've guessed earlier that they had their reasons, but she couldn't figure out why Lincoln went with them yet: he wasn't particularly handy with tools or lumber and got his fingers jammed, cut or hammered several times already.
''Let it go!'' Rita called.
With a quiet 'oomph', they dropped the mattress on the bedframe farthest from the door, like where Lori slept in her room… her old room that is. They laid it on the slats, and then Lori took the liberty of laying down on it. Though it was sturdy, if Lori wasn't careful she could fall asleep right there.
''You like it?'' Her mother asked, a content smile on her face.
''Hmm hmm.'' Lori contently murmured, spreading her arms and rubbing them over the mattress's fabric. This was good. Was it better than at home? Probably not, but it'd literally do. Lori started to feel a yearning and considering how she had been feeling lately, was surprised to say it: ''I-I can't wait to move into here.''
''Mom, once Leni moves out too, do I get the room?'' Lincoln was quick to ask, sounding like a whiny child.
''Nuh-uh! I want it!'' Lynn replied similarly. She seemed willing to fight for it.
Rita was resolute in her answer: ''No dice. We're going to need the space!"
Lori went to work to assemble her favorite piece of today's bunch, which she discovered by complete accident: an oblong ottoman that doubled as storage box. The soft, pleasing sound of a boxcutter sliding through cardboard and tape enhanced her smile before she sorted the box's content. However, before she could read the first instruction, a presence at the door surprised all the Louds and stopped them into what they were doing. A girl: Lori's age, spunky hair dyed in a violent pink color; her tall, overweight posture hidden under a graphic tee reading 'Death To Triumph', supposedly made by herself, that was a tight fit either by design or lifestyle choice were her most distinguishing characteristics. She looked at the Louds, neutral but ambiguous whether her surprise was positive or negative finding Lori and her family here. In particular, her glance seemed sourer once she took notice of Lincoln and Lana, but softened immediately for the latter once she realized Lana was a girl after all.
''Hello.'' The girl said in a tone that was calm, but equally vague as her glance.
''Hello.'' Rita was the first to return a polite greet, standing up from helping Lana assemble a desk. ''Are you Lori's new roommate?''
Zoey gradually showed more genuine friendliness in her curiosity, her sight aiming at Lori. ''Oh you're Lori?''
Lori took this as a sign to stand up and she and Zoey found each other halfway into the room, approaching with hands stretched out.
''Hi I'm Lori Lo-''
''Zoey Day!'' She vocally introduced herself as they shook hands once. ''I'll have to get to the point first. My pronouns are Xe and Xer and I insist that you address me as such. Also, I am very sex-positive and you have to respect that.''
Admittedly a little startled but not necessarily daunted, Lori retracted her hand. ''Okay.''
''Oh, and I'd like to have the bed farther away from the door or it triggers me.''
Now, Lori was a little alarmed; how rude it was that they just inconsiderately claimed a bed for herself.
''O-oh- of course, we'll move it over if that's what you want.'' Lori said. She and Lynn immediately went to work heaving the slab up. ''Do you have something medical, or?''
''I prefer to have some space in case a rapist breaks through the door.''
Everyone was put off with Zoey's reasoning, who either didn't realize or didn't care at all.
''Okay…'' Lynn had the courage to properly voice what most people in the room were thinking.
''Mom,'' Lana said, tugging at Rita's pant leg. ''what's a rapist?'' She asked with childlike obliviousness. ''Is that… a repairman without a license?''
Her mother stiffened, suffering parenting terror of the highest degree akin to being asked where babies come from before the right age.
''Yes'' Lincoln answered before their mother could, which was for the better.
As Lori and Lynn laid down the mattress on the other frame, did Rita see a chance to lighten the awkward mood. ''Where are you from, Zoey?''
''Bloomington, Indiana.'' Zoey answered. Before anyone could hook into her answer, Zoey scoffed loudly and shook her head: ''Terrible city. I'm glad to be leaving it; the patriarchy is strong there and I was constantly being oppressed.''
''Well, we're from Royal Woods, Michigan.'' Lori said. The conversation went quiet again as Lori's siblings would rather assemble furniture while Lori had nothing to add, and Zoey didn't seem the least bit interested to indulge further either.
''Is this the stuff you'll bring in here?''
''Yes, yes; we just came from the store.'' Lori answered, doing her best to present her stuff.
Zoey examined the setup, to nod her head shortly after. ''It'll do.''
''I guess.'' Lori answered, not sure what she meant exactly.
''Well, I'm going back to see what's keeping my parents… lazy people,'' Zoey declared with a grumble, turning around to leave. ''and I really need something to eat.''
''Wait-'' Lori's call halted Zoey as the former approached pulling her phone out of her pocket. ''can I have your E-mail or phone number or anything so we can chat and discuss the room arrangement further if we have to.''
''You're a doll Lori.'' Zoey answered. She took Lori's phone and added her number to Lori's contacts before handing it back, smiling widely before giving her a brisk hug. ''I think we're going get along really well! TTYL, bye!''
After her quick wave, her smile suddenly dropped to give Lincoln, the lone male in the room, a vile glower for whatever reason. Lincoln had no time to show his disturbance as Zoey left; finally, as most people left in the room would confess.
Lynn approached Lori, having been looking at Zoey with a crooked sneer that only now started to soften. Once again she was the one in the room to voice what the rest of Lori's family thought:
''She ticks lots of boxes of a Trippr and Blather stereotype…''
''I know, but… huh.'' Lori indifferently shrugged and went back to sorting out the assembly.
''When did college students stop being cool?'' Lynn continued to gripe. ''When did college stop being cool?!''
''She… xe seem outspoken.'' Rita tried to reason.
''Is that what it's called?'' Lincoln asked sarcastically.
Slowly, everyone went back to putting together furniture and decorating Lori's corner of the room. Lori understood what her family thought of Zoey, but she couldn't feel very bothered with her right now. It was a certain reassurance to knew what she was up for, and confident to know what to do if she had to.
The afternoon went on; all the boxes had now been opened and most of them were empty. Lori was helping Lana helping Lori mount a big photo frame to the wall. There was some difficulty, but that had little to do with the frame itself.
''You've got to screw it to the wall! Those stick-on hooks are trash!'' Lana cried, proudly holding up her own screwdriver.
''But Lana, we talked about this at the store: the guidelines forbid us from twisting screws into the wall!'' Lori insistently replied. She held said adhesive clips in one hand and showed Fairway's rules on her smartphone in another, to which Lana pretended to be blind.
''Lana, dearie, we can't go against the rules.'' Their mother quickly pacified the argument, crouching down to Lana's level to meet face-to-face. ''I'll let you put up a shelf in our bedroom your father needs to mount, will that do?''
''Okay, but don't come running to me when those lousy clips keep falling off.'' Lana relented with a furrowed brow.
''After this, I bet we'll be done here for today, right mom?'' Lynn asked, sitting on Lori's mattress.
''It would seem so.'' Rita answered, going over the mess of boxes.
As Lana reluctantly put the adhesive hooks to the wall, did Lori notice that Lincoln had been getting a little fidgety. Most noticeably, he was repeatedly looking out the window and checking his phone.
''Lincoln, are you alright?'' Lori asked over the quiet thuds of Lana using her fist to pound the hooks into sticking to the wall.
''Yeah yeah… I'm fine.'' He mumbled.
Lincoln was absent; kept peering out of the window. Lori didn't want to press on: she suspected that he was looking at girls outside. As long as he wouldn't get worked up over it in the wrong place, she'd happily let him. However, not too long after he brightened up and started waving frantically at someone. It confused Lori, but and moments later she was distracted by someone was going up the stairs and a voice sounding dear to Lori sounding through the hallway outside.
''Babe?''
Lori's heart pounded hard, ready to burst with joy. Any doubt she had that she was imagining it fell when her boyfriend did appear in the door opening.
''Bobby!'' Lori threw herself into his arms and pressed her cheek against his face. Then she overwhelmed him with repeated smooches all over his face.
Since they live so far apart, and video calls and texts were only so fulfilling, Lori was glad for every moment she could spend with Bobby in the flesh.
''What are you doing here Bobby?'' Rita asked, surprised like everyone else.
''We heard that you were around-'' Bobby paused briefly when Lori urged him to share a quick kiss on the lips, making Lana gag quietly. ''and Abuela wanted to invite you to have dinner with us.''
''That's okay Bobby, but that won't be needed.'' Rita kindly denied.
''Are you going to tell her that yourself, misses Loud?'' That uncharacteristic wily smirk he grew was like an omen when he pulled out his phone and immediately had Rosa, his grandmother, on video call.
''Buenas tardes Loud familia! I can hear rumbling stomachs from the other side of the city!''
''She's not wrong, ma…'' Lynn said in a faint groan as she started rubbing her belly.
''I also heard you've got a long way back to Royal Woods ahead of you.''
''Thank you senora Casagrande, but I don't want to inconvenience you. We'll have some takeout on the road.'' Rita replied.
''¡disparates! I gladly feed hungry souls, so please come over!''
It wasn't hard for Rita to see what her children favored: their pleading smiles and begging eyes left no doubt. Mama Loud sighed and rolled her eyes in good mood over Rosa's insistence.
''I guess we don't have a choice then…''
''I'll have the tables decked!'' Rosa announced. The younger Loud siblings cheered quietly.
''We'll clean up and get driving!''
''Be there!'' Rosa said before hanging up. The Louds tidied the room where it was necessary. Bobby wasn't too shy to help them out either and carried the cardboard waste away. Her loved ones went downstairs but Lori stayed at the door.
The first time Lori came here and said she could see herself living here, she didn't really mean it because it put her parents at ease. Now that she took a moment to admire how she and her family had furnished her bed and the rest of the corner feel as a warm nest like she couldn't have thought earlier. Lori locked the door mumbling a hum: she was very glad to call this her future roost!
''Wherever did Zoey go to? She hasn't-''
''Xe.'' Her mother corrected.
''That's what I'm saying, she hasn't come back.'' Lynn wondered out loud as they deposed the last of their waste in a dumpster outside the dormitory, pushing herself up on the rim and punted her last scraps of cardboard in like a slam dunk.
''I bet she got a breakdown because she was told something is mandatory or whatever…'' Lincoln guessed with a biting air.
Lynn chuckled. She and Lincoln happily shared a fist bump over a good razz while they walked. ''Good one lil' bro! Luan got nothing on you!''
Lori had gotten a text message from Zoey earlier and felt like it was better not to honor their sarcasm.
''I came here with the bodega van. You can follow me to our apartment, misses Loud.'' Bobby said as they neared the parking lot.
''Can I ride with Bobby?'' Lori didn't wait for the answer as she was basically glued to his side. Though, there was no reason to assume she couldn't.
Lori was ashamed to admit it, but she had been neglecting Bobby since he streamed his graduation shortly after her own. Frequent bouts of texting and a call every few days was normal… but with everything going on, she regularly forgot to maintain their relationship. It was worth hitting herself over the head for, because such forgetfulness was disastrous in a long-distance relationship like theirs. It was a good thing that by moving to Fairway, it'd be easier to be with Bobby again.
Yet… the bliss notwithstanding, Lori nipped on her finger and stewed on it: Bobby finding them here didn't make sense.
''Bobby…'' Lori gave him an inquisitive glance. ''How did you know we were in Great Lakes City?''
Again, that unusual sly smirk returned to Bobby: ''Shall I tell them, Little Loud?''
Everyone turned to Lincoln, whose sheepish grin declared him guilty, but no one knew of what yet.
''Lincoln had called Ronnie Anne this morning to tell us you were coming to Fairway. He thought your mother wouldn't pay us a visit if he just asked, so he needed someone else to convince you.''
Everyone cast amused smirks at Lincoln, while the boy himself blushed slightly over it. Either that, or for being found out.
''You sneaky sneak!'' Lori muttered, surprising her ever-shrewd brother by briefly digging her fingers into his side.
''Wanting to see your girlie, eh Lincoln?'' Lynn asked suavely, with Lana wiggling eyebrows along with her.
Lincoln bittered for a moment. ''Shut up.''
''Lincoln, why wouldn't I not agree to it?'' Rita wondered as they walked onto the tarmac of the parking lot.
''Traffic… when you bring me, it's always difficult to get to Ronnie Anne's apartment.''
''Worse than the Detroit beltway?'' Lana asked, slightly amazed.
''He's right; I was here barely on time. I hope the way back will go much smoother!'' Bobby said. From there, the group split up into two: as the Loud family boarded Vanzilla, Bobby and Lori went to the brightly colored van further away. Bobby waited for Rita to tail him, and then went on their drive to the Casagrande apartment.
There wasn't going to be much in the way of talking between Bobby and Lori during the drive: chatting they did often enough during their calls and text walls, now they just enjoyed being together in the flesh. As she tried to get a glimpse into his eyes, pried to the road ahead but ever desperate to just turn to his girlfriend, Lori noticed that Bobby had been growing his hair and it was getting wavy in the back, which was very cute. A hand then rubbed on Bobby's lap, and when he had a moment when standing in front of a red light, he took Lori's hand into his own and they exchanged a lovely, maybe a little gooey, glance before a claxon crudely reminded Bobby the light had turned green.
Definitely, there were better situations for a touch to be had, but it sufficed. Since he moved away, Lori had almost forgotten how nice a physical touch from a lover could be.
They drove onto the highway, and Bobby didn't exaggerate a word; almost immediately from the onramp, they merged into slow-moving traffic. It trickled on, but Great Lakes City was part of a larger metropolitan area and seeing the same urban sprawl roll by at a snail's pace… it didn't seem that interesting to Lori, and it cooled the prior romantic vibe; exhaust fumes and furious honking wasn't very amorous.
Glad not to be driving, Lori whipped out her phone for some distraction. There wasn't happening much on social media that interested her, other than liking another beach pic of Carol- oh, Roger and Dana hooked up; cute, Lori thought.
The flow on the net neatly matched the gridlock going on outside. As the best option she had, Lori opened Sickflix and the first suggestion she got was resuming CiCi Cumberbatch. She was honestly looking for something else, but eh, what gives?
Turning the volume down to zero, Lori laid her phone on the door and covertly looked over her right shoulder. Yet, with a little effort, Bobby could still see the screen once he got curious.
''Hey! Is that CiCi Cumberbatch?''
Lori blanched, and in doing so almost flung her phone up in the air. ''No- literally no!'' she rushed to turn off Sickflix and pocket her phone.
''Oh…'' Bobby was miffed with his girlfriend's response, but he was used to quite a bit so there was no reason for alarm and he peered back out of the front window.
Meanwhile, Lori wondered why she responded like she did, or why she even felt compelled to hide CiCi from Bobby in the first place…
I had to control myself not to rib too hard on Zoey's character or her stereotyping would've gotten just ridiculous.
After a lot of consideration, I split this chapter off from the next one because it was too long together; almost twice as long as the rest of the past few chapters. This way, I think they're easier to read and I could put better focus on their respective plots.
I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and continue to enjoy the story as a whole! I thank you for your time… and especially your enduring patience!
:D,
-Q.W.
