Getting to "Snow" You with the Gal Pals
(Story Summary: During Winter Break, everyone in Royal Woods, young and old, wakes up to see snow falling outside. As expected, everyone plans to enjoy it in any way possible...except for one young lady, Stella. Turns out, back in her old hometown; it never snowed that often and as a result, she's never known about the fun of Snow Days before.
Will her friends be able to show Stella what she was missing out on...or will it only lead to her wanting to stay indoors all winter?)
Our story opens on a brisk morning in Royal Woods during the middle of Winter Break. As the sun slowly rose up into the sky; down at the Loud House, Lincoln and his sisters could be found sluggishly pushing themselves out of bed (or in Lily's case, crawling out of bed.) It was the middle of Winter Break and by this point, the family had gone through a good chunk of each of their Holiday Hall, which seems surprising for a family of thirteen (not including the pets.)
As a result, the Loud Siblings feared that this morning would be nothing more than another cold and boring day at home. But as they slowly made their way downstairs; Lily, who was being carried in Lori's arms, took one look out the living room window and saw something that made her squeal loudly. The aforementioned noise caused the other ten siblings to immediately plug up their ears and groan loudly.
"Dearest Little Sister...we all love you with all our hearts" Lisa murmured dryly, "but it is far too early in the day for any of us to hear your infantile noises!" While the others murmured/moaned softly in agreement with the wee genius, Lily suddenly started fidgeting violently in Lori's arms. The whole time she did, she also kept jabbing her finger towards the window; as if trying to show or tell them something.
But much to Lily's disappointment, her siblings dismissed her behavior as nothing more than her being fussy. With a soft yet annoyed grunt; she cupped her tiny hands on Lori's face and did her darndest to try and turn her head towards the window. "Okay, Lily...you've gotta stop this" the eldest Loud Sibling said tiredly, "I swear I'll play with you...after I wake up."
With that said, she handed Lily off down to Lincoln before heading for the kitchen for some breakfast. Meanwhile, the baby in question was slowly running out of patience and tried yet another attempt to show her siblings what she saw. This time, however; she lunged up slightly, took hold of Lincoln's cowlick and tugged it slightly.
"OW! HEY, LILY" he cried painfully, "what did Mom and Dad say about pulling our hair when we hold you?" Much to Lincoln's surprise, his littlest sister ignored his firm tone and gave his hair another swift tug. This resulted in him catching just enough of a glimpse of the atmosphere outside.
Upon stepping closer to the window for a better look, Lincoln saw the unmistakably familiar sight of small white flakes falling from the grey skies above. At the same time, he looked towards the rest of the neighborhood and saw that every inch of the block from the yards to the street was completely covered in white fluff. Before long, Lincoln's sisters joined him at the window and gasped in awe at the white flakes falling.
Then, after taking note of all of this; broad smiles slowly formed on each of the siblings' faces. Meanwhile, in the second floor of the house; Rita and Lynn Sr. were slowly pushing themselves out of bed next. They barely had the chance to yawn, let alone greet one another; when their whole house suddenly echoed with the unmistakable sounds of loud feminine squeals.
"What's happening, girls; what's all the noise about" both parents cried while rushing yet tumbling slightly down the stairs, "are any of you hurt?!" Just like before, Lily grunted softly with a smile and started jabbing her tiny fingers towards the atmosphere outside. However, unlike with her siblings; her parents were actually able to understand her mannerisms and looked out the window.
"Well...what do ya know; looks like Ol' Man Winter paid the town a visit, last night" Lynn Sr. chuckled, "and you kids know what that means, right?" Without missing a beat, Lincoln and his sisters leapt into the air and bellowed out the joyful words "SNOW DAY!" Of course...not all of the siblings felt quite so joyful about this situation.
Upon hearing mention that today was to be a snow day, Lisa let out a soft yet bothered sigh and proceeded back upstairs to her room. "You are all welcome to indulge in your winter-themed activities, Family" she murmured, "as for me, I will be working on some much needed projects I've been putting off since Thanksgiving Break." While this idea was an acceptable way to pass the time on a snow day, Lincoln and the rest of his sisters still felt suspicious of the wee genius.
"How do we know you aren't secretly planning on messing with us like you did during our last snow day, brah" questioned Luna, "I still remember what you did to all of us back then."
(A quick flashback shows the "viewer" images of the Loud Siblings being chased by a seemingly crazed Lisa, who was pursuing them inside of a rather large tank. Although the military vehicle had been outfitted to fire snowballs instead of ammunition; thanks to cannon, any snowball fired would fly at them at high velocity)
The moment these memories flashed through their collective minds, all ten of the other Loud Siblings shivered slightly with fear. Meanwhile, Lisa still felt relatively indifferent about her past actions; proclaiming that she needed to show a little "tough love" unto everyone in order for her point to get across. "That's still no excuse for such behavior, young lady" Rita said as she entered the living room with a cup of coffee in hand, "and your father and I are sorry we didn't do anything to stop you, back then."
Upon hearing mention of this, Lynn Sr. attempted to hid his shame from his family; who were all looking at him with mild stares of disappointment. They were right to feel this way, though; as the father of the house, Lynn should've put a stop to Lisa's behavior. But the instant he saw her driving her tank around the yard, his "parental instincts" were immediately overpowered by his need to survive (or at least, save himself from harm.)
Coincidentally, Rita felt just as ashamed of her past actions as Lynn did but she was more than willing to make up for them now. "Lucky for the rest of you, kids; it's still Winter Break" she said with a light grin, "which means, Lisa...that you have no cause to try and ruin your siblings' fun this year." Although they didn't outright say anything about this; deep within each of their minds, the other Loud Siblings were either dancing joyfully in victory or making victorious exclamations (like "WOO-WHOO" or "in your face, brainiac.)
Meanwhile, Lisa attempted to make another defense towards her case; further insisting that a developing mind "desperately required" eight hours of education and that snow days were an "utter nuisance." "That may be true, hon...but using a tank and other dangerous methods on your own siblings to get your way is still inexcusable" Lynn Sr. said firmly, "thankfully, your little toys have all been confiscated and you're now forbidden by law to interfere in any weather related maintenance." To ensure that he was being serious, he took out his phone and brought up Miss Simmons' number.
Upon seeing said number, the young genius now saw the point her father was trying to make. Winter Break or not; if she made another attempt to perform any unauthorized snow cleanup herself, the police would have her apprehended and she'd either be punished by them, the mayor...or her parents. With all of this in mind, Lisa soon realized her family left her completely outmatched (even though her pride would never let her openly admit it.)
Thus, she let out a sigh and proceeded upstairs to her room; wishing to get an early start on her work. "I still question the appeal of playing out in the snow like savages" she stated, "the weather is 15 below zero, the icy walkways make it impossible to move about anywhere and all the heavy clothing we wear outside makes it insanely difficult to bend one's limbs!" While each of their sister's negative points towards winter were rather valid, the rest of the Louds dismissed it as her simply being a simple sourpuss.
"Be that as it may, you will not interfere in another snow day unless it's a dire situation" Rita said firmly, "am I understood?" Normally, Lisa had been known to stick to her guns with her beliefs and stand firm; even when faced up against her parents. But seeing as how the combined authority of the R.W.P.D. (that's the Royal Woods Police Department) and her parents superseded her intellect, she had no choice but to relent.
"Good...now, go and attend to your projects, sweetie while the others enjoy this snow day their way" Lynn Sr. ordered kindly, "if you play your cards right, I'll make some of my famous hot cocoa with cinnamon later." Upon hearing the mention of the famous wintertime beverage, each of the Loud Siblings suddenly felt a joyful squiggly-line smile form on each of their faces. With all that settled, everyone else sat down for breakfast and began discussing any plans they had in mind for today while Lisa retreated to her lab work.
"Hey, Mom; mind if I ask you a favor" inquired Lincoln, "would it be okay if I hung out with my friends for the snow day?" It didn't take long for everyone to realize that Lincoln was referring to both his original clique and the Gal Pals. In any case, Rita happily granted her son's request...on the condition that he helped Lynn Jr. in shoveling off the sidewalk.
"Don't worry, Bro" the family jock chuckled, "I'll help lend a hand, if you need one...which I think you will." After he shared a chuckle at Lynn's light jab at his expense, Lincoln wondered if any of the Gal Pals were prepping for the snow day.
(Line Break)
As we leave the Loud Family behind for the moment; all across town, people young and old were getting themselves ready to enjoy the snow day fun. At the McBride household, Harold and Howard had almost outfitted Clyde with four rows worth of winter wear. "Dads, please; we talked about this" he groaned while unzipping his other coats, "I'm perfectly okay with going outside in my usual snow gear."
Though he knew his son spoke the truth and had certainly become more outgoing than usual in the past year, Howard still had his doubts. "Honey, I know you're right" he said kindly, "but your father and I just want to make sure you don't get frostbite or anything while you play out there." At first; Clyde felt that his fathers were, once again making too big of a mountain out of a molehill.
But then, he realized that the frostbite thing was a serious issue to watch out for. Thus, in the end; the three of them came to a rather reasonable compromise. "How about you wear that new red snow shirt and those extra thick gloves your father got you for Christmas, honey" Howard suggested, "the coat will still allow you to move and the gloves will help keep your hands nice and toasty out there."
After giving the idea some thought, Clyde collected the items in question and slipped them on to test how they all felt on him. On the surface, the coat appeared quite thick and heavy. But thankfully, Clyde was able to move his arms about every which way without any difficulty.
Moving on to the gloves; not only were they easy to slip on but the Velcro kept them firmly but not too tightly fastened to his wrists and according to Howard, the material was hypoallergenic. "There we are" Harold said with a smile, "now, go get your snow pants on and you can go out...just make sure to watch out for icy spots on the sidewalk!" Clyde nodded slightly in response, gave his dads a quick hug and proceeded off to his room.
Meanwhile, in another part of town; Liam was seen safely putting the animals inside of their pens. "There now, y'all" he said with a sweet smile, "you should be nice n' toasty inside while this snow's goin' on." The animals smiled back at him and thanked the young farm boy with a symphony of happy animal sounds.
Once his job was finished, Liam approached his parents and asked if he could go and play in the snow with his friends. "Let me just check your work, Son" Liam's father murmured, "don't wanna have any loose ends behind now." With that said, he made a quick walk around the grounds and checked every work area for anything that seemed out of place.
The chickens' feed troth had been filled with scratch, Virginia was gnawing away at her slop in the pig pen, there were newly shoveled paths leading to all the aforementioned areas and Carol Anne, the family goat, was also nibbling away at her own food. "Yup, everything appears to be in order" Liam's father said with a bright smile, "thanks for helpin' with the mornin' chores, Son; you can go play now." After giving out a joyful "YEE-HAW," Liam rushed back into the house to put on his snow gear.
Along the way, he passed by his "Mee-Maw;" who was sitting snugly in a reclining chair under a thick blanket. "You go and have fun, sug" she said with a light yawn, "as for me...imma gonna stay inside where's all warm n' toasty-like." With that said, she took hold of the remote and began flipping through the channels.
Liam gave a light chuckle at this sight and headed up to his room, anxious to get his snow clothes on and head outside for some fun. Meanwhile, in another part of town; the Gurdle Family was helping Liam get ready for the snow outside as well. Of course; due to their on-again/off-again paranoia, they would often go...a little overboard.
"Mom, Dad...I told you before, it's just snow" Zach groaned, "there's no reason for you to make me an aluminum snow hat!" Both of the elder Gurdles briefly ceased working and faced their son with crazed stares. "But honey, this is the kind of weather where most alien life-forms thrive in" Mrs. Gurdle said nervously, "I just want to make sure none of the...'snowflakes' out there are actually tiny extraterrestrial microbes that could burrow into your brain and..."
Before his mother could finish her tirade, Zach snatched a marshmallow (one of some they planned to use for hot chocolate) and stuffed it into her mouth. "MOM...I'm telling you, I'll be okay" he cried in exasperation, "I'll be with my friends and if anything goes wrong, they'll give you a call." In spite of their still lingering doubts and concerns, both parents decided to trust their son and let him go.
"Just...wear at least, two layers of foil beneath your snow hat for us" Mrs. Gurdle requested, "just to be safe." After giving a small eye roll, Zach sighed softly and accepted his mother's request. With a joyful squeal, both parents lined the inside of the hat with foil and neatly placed it atop their son's head.
"I mean...I know I'm just as skeptical about aliens as they are, at times" he thought to himself, "but even I have my limits."
(Line Break)
As we leave the boys behind for the moment; the next scene now turn things over to the homes of each member of the Gal Pals crew (that is to say, the Royal Woods Branch.) Some of them (like Jordan, Cici, Kat and even Cristina) were dressing themselves as quickly as possible; anxious to head out the door for some fun. On the other hand; while they also shared in the excitement, others had a bit more difficulty.
To be more specific; two members of the crew, Tonya and Whitney, were having a doozey of a time trying to get themselves dressed. But their endeavors were consistently thwarted by a common enemy...their poofy hair. In Tonya's room, she could be seen hoping and bouncing about the place; angrily trying to get her hair through the collar of her sweater.
But in the end, she lost her balance and fell unceremoniously onto the floor. "AH, DANG IT...that's the fifth time this morning" Tonya groaned in frustration, "I knew I should've gone with Linc and the crew to the spa last month...they probably could've done somethin' about my afro!" As Tonya slowly picked herself up and tossed her sweater at her dresser, a soft knock sounded off outside of her door.
"Kiddo, are you doin' okay" a soft voice asked with concern, "your Mama and I heard some crashing going on and we thought you might've had a serious fall." Not wishing to appear indecent, Tonya quickly put on one of her sports jearsies (which had an elastic collar) and opened up the door; revealing her concerned mother, Donna on the other side. "Sorry for scarin' y'all, Mama" she murmured, "I just fell over myself while tryin' to get my stupid sweater over my stupid hair!"
With an angry huff, Tonya plonked herself atop her bed and proclaimed she should've "lopped off" her hair on New Year's Eve; stating that her "resolution" was to not let it get the best of her again. "Don't start talking crazy now, kid" Donna said firmly, "that pretty head of hair of yours gives you your own look, much like Omar's dreads and my riding suit" Though she appreciated her mother's kind words, it didn't make Tonya feel any less annoyed with her afro hairdo.
After that, she tried to get one of her regular shirts on...only to be met with the same problem from moments ago. Upon seeing the situation for herself, an idea suddenly came to Donna's mind. "I'll be back in a sec, T" she said while darting out the door, "just gotta get something from the kitchen." Due to her current frustration towards her wardrobe issue, poor Tonya didn't quite care that her mother needed to leave so quickly.
Then, seconds later; Donna returned with a large bowl in her hands. Inside was what looked like a couple of egg yolks, some olive oil and a few splotches of honey. Then, at a near lightning fast speed; she began to mix the concoction up in the bowl. "Uh...Mama, what exactly are you doin'" questioned Tonya uneasily, "ain't it a little too early to start bakin' any..."
Before she had the chance to finish her sentence, Tonya was suddenly turned around and had her posture slouched forward slightly. Then, from the corner of her eye; she could see Donna moving her gloved hands around inside of the bowl. This left the poor girl feeling even more confused.
"Just sit tight, hon and let me work my magic" Donna urged softly, "this will definitely solve your lil' problem." With that, she began to massage her hands against Tonya's hair; making sure to get almost every lock with each rub. At first; the way the oil, honey and egg yolk felt against her hair caused her to shiver slightly with discomfort.
But a minute or so later, the rubbing her mother was giving her felt oddly relaxing. Then, just as quickly as it started; Donna suddenly stopped working and asked Tonya to try putting on one of her shirts. "I dunno, Mama" she said with an uncertain tone, "do ya really think that goop's gonna..."
Before Tonya had the chance to finish her statement, Donna picked up one of her shirts and proceeded to try and help slip it on. At first; it looked like the poor girl's hair would, once again, refuse to go through the opening. But then, much to Tonya's amazement, both her poofy afro and her head managed to slip cleanly through it.
"WOW! That was actually...pretty easy" she murmured in awe, "the collar just...slipped right over my hair like nothin'." With a proud smile upon her face, Donna proclaimed that the "miracle" was all thanks to her little "life hack" she created. "See...back when your Mom and I were still dating, she used to have the same issue as you had just now" she explained, "there were even times where I thought seeing her tryin' to fit her hair through her shirts looked kinda...adorable."
The moment this was said, both ladies suddenly heard the words "I HEARD THAT" sound off from downstairs. This sudden outcry caused the two them to laugh loudly with amusement. After their giggling subsided, Donna cleared her throat and got back to telling her story.
"Because Gail's own hair was so fluffy, I wondered if there was a way to...soften it up a little" Donna murmured thoughtfully, "that's when I decided to do somethin' I never thought I'd ever do...seek advice in those beauty magazines." This revelation came as such a shock to Tonya, her jaw almost hit the floor. But this behavior was mostly because she never once imagined the idea of her "hardcore biker mom" reading "girly" magazines.
"So, let me get this straight" Tonya murmured in disbelief, "these fashion mags told you how people with poofy hair can get their shirts on?" With a hearty laugh in her throat, Donna shook her head and clarified that the articles she read discussed how to soften one's hair; not how to get their clothes on. "The remedy was not only simple, it was also inexpensive too" she stated, "all ya need is some veggie/olive oil, honey and a one egg yolk...or two, for people with your kind of hair."
To conclude her tale, Donna said that all it took was to properly mix up the ingredients and rub it against one's hair. As a result; the mixture would help soften the locks just enough to either make it feel less heavy on their heads or in other cases, get their shirts on. "That's actually kinda cool, Mama" Tonya said in amazement, "I should send the recipe to my friend, Whitney...she has just as much hair trouble as I do."
After saying this, she let out a soft gasp and realized she was almost late to meet with the others for snow day fun and proceeded to rush down to the front door. "You gotta put your snow gear on first, pal" Donna exclaimed with a light chuckle, "might I suggest wearing your zip-up snow coat instead of your other ones?" Upon realizing her behavior, Tonya blushed shyly and walked over towards the mudroom to collect the aforementioned gear.
Once she was finally fully dressed, moments later; Tonya felt ready and raring for some fun. At the same time; Omar, who appeared to be dressed in a rather thick snow shirt, was also ready to head out. The last thing Tonya needed to put on was her snow hat, which only managed to fit over her hair; not her ears.
Thankfully, her moms were prepared for this and gave her some earmuffs to wear. "Now remember, kids" Officer Simmons stated, "make sure you two play safe out there, watch out for ice patches on the sidewalk and most importantly, if y'all find yourselves in a snowball fight...don't yell at your target before you attack; you'll lose the element of surprise, if ya do." Tonya and Omar giggled softly at their mother, thanked her for her advice and rushed out the door.
"Get your phone out and put out the call, Big O" Tonya said with a hearty cheer, "'cause it's time to hit the powder!" With a broad smile upon his face, Omar pulled out his phone from his pocket and sent out a mass text to the entire Gal Pals and Guy Squad crews. Sometime later; after they've all had their morning meals and changed, the rest of the children of Royal Woods rushed out of their houses and began their merriment.
All around you could see toddlers making snow angels, parents helping children build snow sculptures...as well as one or two disgruntled individuals having to spend the morning shoveling their walks or driveways (like Mr. Grouse.) Among these jubilant souls was our favorite duo friend groups, the Gal Pals and the Guy Squad; who decided to meet up at Jordan's front yard. "Alright, everybody; listen up" Carol said in a mock military tone of voice, "today's mission is to enjoy every second of every minute of today's snow day in any and every possible way...is that understood?"
Soon after she said this; everyone, young and old, responded with a hearty "MA'AM, YES MA'AM!" Then; Clyde, while still in soldier mode, saluted Carol and asked to speak freely. "You may, lil' dude" the teen giggled, "tell us what's on your mind?"
After letting his posture ease up slightly, Clyde revealed a small flaw in their groups' plans. "There appears to be someone missing from our ranks" he stated, "has anyone seen any sign of Stella this morning?" Upon hearing this reveal, both groups started looking all around them; eager to find even the slightest sign of Stella anywhere.
However, they did catch sight of someone else running towards their location; specifically a young teen with a very recognizable blonde poof. At one point during her stride, Whitney slipped on a patch of ice and landed on her rear. Not long after that, she slid the rest of the way towards her friends at incredible speed.
When she eventually, reached the end of the ice patch; Whitney was sent flying into the air and landed unceremoniously atop her friends. "Whoops...sorry about that, guys" she murmured with a shy smile, "I really should've watched where I was going." No sooner had she said this; Becky, Carol and Dana each gave her a firm glare that seemed to say "YA THINK?!"
However, in spite of the collision; everyone appeared to still be in one piece and relatively unharmed...aside from having a little snow in their clothes, that is. "Again, sorry about the crash and for running late" Whitney murmured, "I had the darndest time getting my stupid coat over my stupid hair!" Upon hearing her teen friend's rant, Tonya patted her shoulder and proclaimed she had the same issue mere moments ago.
"This kinda thing's been happening to me since Fourth Grade" she groaned, "Mama Donna told me the same thing's happened to Mama Gail for years!" It was here that Tonya asked Whitney if she received her text yet, which contained her mother's recipe for softer hair.
"Let's worry about that later, girls" Carol said suddenly, "for now, we've got another slightly more important issue on our hands to attend to." With this small statement, both ladies suddenly grew worried and asked if anyone was hurt or something; be it from the earlier crash or some other incident. Straightaway, everyone assured Whitney that they were fine and clarified that it was Stella whom they were concerned about.
"It's interesting you mention her, y'all" Tonya stated, "when Omar sent out the mass text for us all to meet here, everyone replied back...except for Stella." Both guys and gals suddenly grew worried and wondered if their friend might be sick or something. It was here that Lincoln and the boys volunteered to go to her house and see if she was okay.
"Go for it, dudes and give her our regards" Paige stated, "just don't take too long or else all the good activity spots will be filled." With that said, Carol instructed the boys to meet with them at the park later; after they've attended to Stella. After one quick multi-sided high-five, both parties split up and went to opposite ends of town.
(Line Break)
Meanwhile, in another part of town; Stella was seen sitting with her granny in the living room of her house. They sat together and peacefully watched TV, as the snowflakes continued falling outside. Then, Stella's mother entered and asked either of them if they wanted a refill on their tea.
"Thanks for the offer, Mom" Stella said warmly, "but I think we're good he..." Before she had the chance to finish, there was a strong knock at the door; which caused the family (sans Granny) to almost jump out of their skin. At the same time, this sudden start caused Stella to accidentally drop her teacup on her; thus spilling some of the drink.
Now, as it was mentioned earlier; Stella's granny didn't really hear the knocking that clearly, at first. Being as old as she was, such noises to quite register with her as quickly as they should. But then, when the knocking came a second time; her slightly wrinkled face contorted into a scowl and she shuffled her way towards the door.
With one swift movement of her wrist, Granny threw open the door and exclaimed "I SAY TO YOU BEFORE, WE DON'T WANT NOTHING!" Mere seconds after this outburst, she suddenly heard a pair of startled yelps from somewhere close by. After taking a moment to clean her ears out with her finger, Granny looked down and saw two young boys standing on the porch.
When she saw that one of them had white hair, her demeanor changed in an instant. "OH! STELLA'S LITTLE FRIEND, LINCOLN" she cried out joyfully in her broken English, "it so nice to see you again, come in." The moment he heard the old woman's tone of voice change, Lincoln suddenly felt calmer and headed inside.
But before he could take two steps forward, Clyde gripped him by the shoulder and pulled him back. "Dude, what are you doing" he asked in a hushed yet confused, "it's obvious this lady doesn't like visitors!" No sooner had he said this, both boys suddenly heard Stella's voice urging them to come inside.
Upon hearing someone more familiar greet them, Clyde's earlier anxiety faded slightly and he allowed Lincoln to proceed. Once they've entered, Granny immediately apologized for her behavior from before. "It's no problem, Ma'am and don't worry about my buddy here" Lincoln said while wiping off his boots, "this is just his first time meeting you."
After this was settled, he introduced Clyde to the elderly woman; who tried her best to offer her sincerest apologies for scaring him. But sadly, Clyde was...a tad confused by Granny's broken English and he asked Lincoln if she was okay. "She's right as rain, dude" Stella assured while greeting both boys with a hug, "my granny's Filipino, you see and she mostly communicates through her native tongue of Tagalog."
Though he himself wasn't quite familiar with the language in question, Clyde still understood the situation and smiled over at Granny. "We are...sorry...if...we...disturbed your...morning...Madam" he said apologetically while slightly enunciating each word, "we...just...wan-ted...to speak...with...your grand-daughter." After saying the final word, Clyde suddenly started to pant heavily; as if he had finished running a marathon.
This behavior suddenly caused Granny to burst out into giggles before she proclaimed "you funny young man, I like you." Upon hearing her kind words, Clyde offered up a smile and thanked her respectably. "Well, I'm glad that's settled" Stella said calmly, "now...could you kindly explain why you were BANGING AT MY DOOR THIS EARLY IN THE MORNING?!"
As shocking as it was for the boys to hear Granny Zhao shout at them earlier, it felt slightly more terrifying seeing their friend in such an angry state. That was when they saw the tea stain on her PJ shirt and everything became clear. "Oops...We're really sorry about that, Stell" Lincoln said in a nervous yet sincere tone, "but we...just got so excited to invite you to join us down at the park."
The moment this was brought up, Stella gave the boys a rather confused look; as if they were spouting gibberish. "Hold on...back up a minute" she said dumbfounded, "you guys are actually...going outside in all this...by choice?" At first, neither Lincoln nor Clyde said a word; mostly because they didn't know if their friend was being serious or not.
After a while, they looked at her and answered her inquiry with a simple yet enthusiastic "YEAH!" What happened next was something neither of the boys ever expected to see. First, they noticed that Stella's eyes were darting about nervously and then, she ran her hands through her hair; as if her mind was still having difficulty processing everything.
Then, Lincoln saw that her parents were performing the same odd mannerisms as her. It was then that the answer became rather clear to him...they were scared (or at least, nervous about going out in the snow.) "Guys...have you ever seen snow before" Clyde asked hesitantly, "I mean, I recall it snowing a little during Thanksgiving Break; so..."
Just as he was about to finish his statement, Clyde looked ahead and saw Stella giving him a "do you take me for a fool" kind of look. This caused him to immediately cover his mouth and apologize for making any offenses. "I think what Clyde meant to say was...why you seem so confused by us wanting to play outside" Lincoln politely inquired, "a lot of people do that during snow days."
With this explanation, Stella's family finally understood the issue and gestured for the boys to take a seat; which they did. Afterwards, Granny offered some of her tea to them; in case they wanted something warm to drink. "Thanks but no thanks, Ma'am" Lincoln said respectfully, "I'm more into hot cocoa during this time of year."
Granny nodded her head slightly in understanding, poured herself another cup and handed the teapot off to her daughter (Stella's Mom.) As she walked up to the sink to refill it with hot water, she decided to help explain the family's "situation" to Lincoln. "To answer your earlier question; yes, we've all seen snow before" she stated, "we're just...not used to it is all."
This answer seemed to leave the boys slightly more confused than they were earlier, to say the least. It was here that Stella explained that before moving to Michigan (and to an extent, Royal Woods) they weren't that accustomed to snowy weather in their old hometown. "See, we used to live in one of the more...warmer states; back in the day" she stated, "as a result, our winters there ranged between slightly frigid to mildly warm."
After getting the tag in; Stella's father said that whenever they did get snow in their old stomping grounds, it either didn't last for very long or it barely covered up much of the ground. "I myself don't quite enjoy the snowy weather during wintertime, to be honest" Stella's mother confessed, "it's not only cold but there are loads of things that can go wrong." From here, she went on a tangent on all of the possible worst case scenarios she can think of about snowy weather.
These ranged from slipping on the ice, sinking through thick snow banks, catching frostbite, barely seeing anything through the wind or snow and who knows what else. "Ma'am, I totally understand where you're coming from" Clyde said matter-of-factly, "my dads often get nervous about me playing in the snow too." The atmosphere suddenly became quite tense, after he made this reveal and Stella felt it didn't quite help make Clyde's case that positive.
"So...if your fathers are as nervous as you say about snow days, how are you allowed to go outside now" she asked inquisitively, "don't tell me they spy on you from the bushes or something." Rather than be offended by the idea, Clyde couldn't help but laugh; thinking that such a thing did feel like something either one of his dads might do. "Yeah...every now and again, my dads do feel protective still" he admitted, "but they also know I'm stronger than I look and that I've got my friends to look out for me."
Upon saying this, Lincoln suddenly remembered that they needed to regroup with the others at the park. As such, he wanted to make one final attempt to get Stella's parents to let her come out with them. "I can promise you, everyone; we'll be perfectly safe outside today" he assured, "we've got our Gal Pals looking out for us, the rest of the Guys will be joining in...and some of my sisters will be there too."
All was silent for a moment or so, after this; as Stella's parents took some time to think everything over. Finally, her father looked down at Lincoln with a smile and patted his shoulder. "Okay, young man; you've convinced me" he stated, "Stella can go out with you all but...we have a few conditions."
After they heaved out a sigh of relief, both Lincoln and Clyde stood at attention and asked what they needed to do. "Stella can join you on your...fun in the snow; as long as you do the following things" Stella's mother requested, "be careful while walking around out there, make certain to wear the appropriate clothes, stick together with whatever group you join, try to stay warm and (deep inhale) call us or any other adults available, if anything goes wrong." No sooner had the woman finished speaking, Clyde was already fast at work writing down the conditions onto a notepad.
This sight caused Granny to chuckle heartily before she said something in her native tongue. "What was that, what did she say" Clyde asked in confusion, "could someone give me a translation?" With a giggle, Stella patted her bestie on the shoulder and said that her granny was simply reminding everyone to have fun...and to tell Clyde that he was very resourceful.
"Oh, uh...thanks, Ma'am" the young McBride boy said with a shy blush, "and...uh, we'll definitely make sure to have fun; don't you worry." After that, Stella's mother brought her over to the mudroom and proceeded to dress her in all the "proper snow gear" with near lightning fast speed. By the end of it all; Stella had three hats over her head, an extra large set of earmuffs over her ears and seemed to be wearing seven layers of clothes.
She had four thick snow coats on, a pair of snow goggles strapped around her head and had a scarf wrapped around her face. With so much clothing on, she could barely pull her arms down or talk beneath the scarf. "Take it off, honey" Granny muttered while shaking her head, "you only going outside to park, not to South Pole."
Time and again, Stella's mother tried to get her own mother to understand that she only wanted her daughter to be prepared and kept safe. But Granny insisted that having so many layers of clothes on would make her situation even more of a struggle than she claimed. "She's right, Mom" Stella groaned while shaking the scarf from her face, "I can barely move with all this on, which would make it easier for me to get stuck someplace or who knows what else!"
With a reluctant sigh, Stella's mother helped remove some of the snow gear off. All that remained afterwards were her one pair of thick snow pants, her snow jacket, her snow cap with a pair of ear-flaps on the sides and she was given a much smaller scarf to wear around her neck. "Okay, this is much better" Stella sighed with relief, "thanks for letting me do this, guys; see ya in a few."
With that said, she and the boys went out the door; giggling loudly with excitement. Only Stella's parents and her Granny remained in the house, after that. Then, almost half a minute later; Mrs. Zhao felt a chill of worry run down her spine.
As if sensing this; Granny poured three cups of tea, one for herself and two for the parents, and smiled warmly. "Don't worry so much, sweeties" she said calmly, "back in old country, we never had snow but I know people like to have fun in it here." Not long after she said this; Granny proclaimed that as long as Stella stayed together with her friends, she would be fine.
"I...suppose you're right, Mother" Stella's mom murmured, "I just hope things won't get too wild out there for Stella while she's out there."
(Line Break)
Sometime later, the boys and Stella safely reached the park and were seeking out any signs of either the Gals or the Guys. During their search, Stella took a moment to observe look at the sights around her. There were little kids making snow angels, couples ice skating together on the nearby pond, children her age flying about on sleds and many other wonderful things.
To say that Stella was in awe by all this would be an understatement and the boys couldn't be happier. Then, without warning; one of the sled riders suddenly zipped past Stella like a rocket. As a result, she spun about in place for a few seconds before falling over onto the snow.
"Watch where you're standing, girly" the kid called out with a slight chuckle, "don't want to end up becomin' snow pizza, right?" Though the jab at her expense wasn't really that clever, it was still enough to make Stella feel somewhat nervous. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea coming out here after all" she thought to herself, "maybe I should just go back home."
Just then, she was shaken out of her train of thought when Lincoln and Clyde helped pull her back up onto her feet. "Are you okay, Stell" the latter boy asked, "that guy didn't run over your foot or anything, did he?" After giving her boots a quick inspection, Stella was relieved to see that nothing appeared to be out of place or broken.
"Does that kind of thing happen a lot during these snow days" she asked uneasily, "you know...the flying by on sled thing?" Without missing a beat, both boys nodded and explained how sledding was one of many things people did to enjoy the snowy weather. "There are other things to do besides that" Clyde interjected, "there's building snow sculptures/snowmen, ice skating, making snow angels...OH! Let's not forget catching snowflakes with your tongue."
After hearing the last example, Stella questioned why anyone would want to catch flakes on their tongue. To which Lincoln answered in saying that it was simply "for the fun of it." "Think of it as a...a sort of game" he said simply, "there are so many snowflakes falling, people might think it's impossible to catch any of them on your tongue."
Soon after he said all this, Lincoln suddenly felt Clyde urging him to look upward. That was when the trio caught sight of all the snowflakes falling. "C'mon, guys" Clyde exclaimed excitedly, "let's see which one of us can catch the most flakes on their tongues!"
With that challenge made, he and Lincoln immediately went to work; while Stella stood behind, still pondering on the initial "point" behind the whole thing. That was when she felt a sudden cold sensation nip at her nose. She crossed her eyes slightly until they reached the bridge of her nose and that's when she saw it, a large snowflake resting at the tip.
Stella gave her head a shake, both to get rid of the aforementioned flake and to remove the chilly sensation from her face. When the boys caught sight of this, they gestured at their own tongues; as if instructing Stella on what to do. After letting out an uncertain squeak, she stuck out her tongue as far as she could and eased her head upward.
She had barely moved her chin halfway up when four flakes suddenly touched down on the tip of her tongue. "Huh...that wasn't so hard after all" she thought, "and those snowflakes were actually...kinda tasty, it's like eating unflavored shaved ice." With this thought in mind, catching snowflakes became much easier for Stella to do.
By the time she and the boys decided to call it quits, they each lost count of how many they all caught. However; it didn't really matter, in the end. "I'm just happy we got you to embrace in the game to begin with" Lincoln said with great pride, "you have officially done your first snow day activity...congrats."
Though she didn't see it as that big of a thing to make praise about, Stella still felt flattered by her friend's statement and bowed her head slightly. "The next activity is an easy one" Clyde stated, "and we're already halfway there by lying here on the snow." Feeling mildly confused by her friend's words, Stella asked what sort of activity involved sitting in snow.
In response to this, the boys offered up two simple words; "snow angels." "It's really easy to do, Stell" Clyde stated, "you just lie back and wave your limbs in and out for a few seconds." With that, he fell backwards into the snow and began fanning his arms and legs repeatedly.
This went on for about fifteen seconds and then, Clyde leapt up onto his feet and looked over at his handiwork. "Very nice job, dude" Lincoln complimented, "don't forget the halo." Without a moment's pause, Clyde brought his index finger down to the spot just above his angel's head and dragged it slightly in the snow.
Once he was finished, he looked at his angel again and gave a satisfied sigh. The whole time this happened, Stella watched the boys in both intrigue and mild confusion. "You guys actually...like doing this" she asked, "aren't you worried some snow will get in your clothes or anything?"
Both boys considered the scenario, for a moment; then, they each offered her a playful shrug and said "if it happens...it happens." As the trio broke out into jolly laughter, Lincoln suddenly felt his phone vibrating and brought it out of his pocket. When he turned it on, he saw a text message from Jordan asking him "where are you guys" in text form (i.e. "where R U Guys?")
With this simple message, Lincoln suddenly realized their shenanigans had accidentally made them late for their meet-up at the center of the park. "Well, what are we doing standing here for" Stella said with a chuckle, "let's hoof it!" Just as she was about to head off, Clyde reminded her that running on snow wasn't that good of an idea.
"Not all of the snow is very soft" he informed, "some of it can actually be pretty slippery." While both she and Lincoln appreciated their friend's warning, Stella questioned how else they planned on getting to the meeting spot. "We've got just the idea, Stell" Clyde stated, "but let me ask you something...are you ready to go for a ride?"
Though the question sounded a touch odd to her, at first; she still responded with a slight nod. After that; Lincoln brought out his trusty sled, the Fearsome Flyer and placed it on the snow. Before boarding, he offered Stella to sit at the front; so that she could be the first to feel the rush of the ride.
"Uh...I dunno, guys" Stella murmured uneasily, "can this thing fit all three of us and are we sure this idea is safe?" The boys took her concerns into consideration, for a moment; then, Lincoln patted her shoulder and offered up a soft smile. "We'll help you out the whole way, we promise" he assured, "and if it will make you feel safer...one of us will hold onto you to make sure you stay on."
At first, Stella felt slightly apprehensive about Lincoln's suggestion. But after giving it some thought, she realized it was the safest thing to do. "Okay, we'll go along with that" she stated, "but be warned; even though we're friends, if either of you purposefully moves your hands to anywhere I don't like, I'm pushing you off!"
In response to this, both Lincoln and Clyde offered Stella the famous "Scout's Honor" salute; promising to not violate her personal space in that manner. With that settled, Stella and Lincoln took their places on the sled; while Clyde helped give them a push. Once they got the proper momentum, seconds later, Clyde hopped on and they went flying.
In a matter of seconds, the trio were whizzing along the snowy park grounds like a rocket; doing their best to avoid any people and obstacles in their path along the way. "Wow, I didn't think the snow would be able to hold all three of us on the sled" Lincoln thought mentally, "at this rate, we'll reach the others in no time...wherever they are."
(Line Break)
In another area of the park; the atmosphere appeared...eerily quiet, compared to everywhere else. There was nothing there, except for a collection of Snow Forts; some small and some slightly big. It was so quiet there, one could hear the snowflakes break apart as they landed on the ground.
Behind each of these forts were a few of the town's children, each one looking about the area with intense expressions upon their faces. Among these children were Jordan, Cici, Kat, Paige and Mollie; who all had ready made snowballs clenched tight in their hands. "It's too quiet out there, ladies" Cici whispered softly, "ya think they may have called it quits already?"
On one hand, Jordan thought the idea was plausible and that the other snowball fighters might've decided on a ceasefire. But on the other hand, a part of her believed the silence might've been a trap just to lure them out. "We should see if the coast is clear" Jordan whispered, "Kat, stick your hat over the wall quick and see if anyone spots it."
Though she didn't quite like the idea of leaving her hair exposed in the snow for very long, Kat realized that there was no other way and did as her friend instructed. She took off her snow hat with one hand and in the other, she held a long hockey stick. As silently as she could, Kat placed her cap over the handle of the stick and slowly eased it up in the air.
The pom-pom of her hat had barely gone three inches passed the top of the wall, when a large snowball suddenly flew towards it; knocking it down into the snow. "Nice try, Kitty" the voice of Trent called out from behind one of the forts, "but there's no point in making a distraction when you're surrounded on all sides!" Kat fumed heavily at these words, not only for the fact that her other BFF was right...but for the fact that he was calling her out by her old nickname; which the Gals couldn't help but giggle at.
"No time for jokes, ladies" Kat said firmly, "we gotta think of some way to make our move against one of the other forts." For a moment or so, each of the preteen Gals racked their brains to the point of burnout; desperate to try and think of a good strategy. But after a while, the headaches kicked in and they decided to stop.
"Our only other option is to somehow, distract everybody" Mollie said in a hushed tone, "but how are the four of us going to do something like that?" As if Fate had heard her concerns; at that very moment, every child behind each fort suddenly heard the sounds of screaming on the eastern side of the "battlefield." Feeling curious; all the children, young and old, peeked over their fort walls to see what was going on.
It was in that moment when they caught sight of something heading their way...a sled being ridden by three people. "Hold up, is that...Stella over there" Jordan murmured, "cool, looks like the boys managed to get a hold of her after all." While the others felt equally pleased by this development; they soon noticed that Stella, Lincoln and Clyde were coming down their way pretty fast.
Naturally, while their group felt concerned about this; the other snowball fighters saw their sudden arrival as nothing more than an easy target. "Ready your snowballs, everybody" Omar called out, "on my signal...unleash wintery heck." Upon hearing her brother say all this, Tonya questioned him on whose side he was supposed to be on.
"You're forgetting one of the golden rules of the game, chica" Dolores said with a snicker, "in a snowball fight...almost anything goes." With that, she readied herself a makeshift snow catapult; consisting of nothing more than a wooden board and an extra-wide snow shovel. Dolores then filled said shovel with over two dozen ready made snowballs.
Meanwhile, as Lincoln's sled whizzed past the other forts; everyone else unleashed a flurry of snowballs down at them. But because it was moving by so fast; no one was able to land a single hit on Lincoln, Clyde or Stella. Back at her fort, Dolores and her teammates (Lainey, Alice, Kaito and Chandler) waited patiently for their target to come in range.
But then, after taking another look at their approach; Kaito suddenly grew very nervous and suggested that they should retreat. "Retreat...dude, are you nuts" Chandler exclaimed, "why the heck should we run from here and risk getting nailed by the others?" Before Kaito had a chance to make a reply, Stella and the boys' sled suddenly crashed into the fort's main wall; sending snowflakes flying every which way.
As a result of the aforementioned collision; not only was the wall destroyed, everyone on the spot was buried deep in the snow. Upon seeing the crash, Lori and Carol popped out from behind both of their forts and called for an immediate timeout. "Hold your snowballs, folks" Jordan called out, "we've got a pair of men and a woman down!"
While everyone disliked the idea of stopping the game, especially those who claimed to be "winning;" they knew that helping those in need was more important and immediately leapt into action. Within moments, several kids hurried over and helped pull the trio out of the snow mound they were buried in. Afterwards, everyone looked over the three of them to see if there was anything amiss.
"Everything appears to be in place, guys" Becky announced with a relieved sigh, "are you guys okay, nothing broken or anything?" After taking a moment to shake some snow off of them, Lincoln and Clyde assured everyone that they were quite alright. "What about you, Stella" questioned Paige after she dusted some snow off her friend's hair, "are you feeling...ooooh...oh, jeez."
The moment she took a look at Stella's face, her train of thought came to a screeching halt. The poor girl's irises had shrunken with shock, her face had become slightly pale and she had a sort of "Thousand Yard Stare" look on her face; the kind most military people had after surviving wartime trauma. The moment they saw this look, everyone glared daggers down upon Lincoln and Clyde; who were already sweating through their winter coats.
"Boys...you better have an explanation for this" Carol prodded firmly, "and it had better be good." After gulping down a nervous lump in his throat, Lincoln slid over to Stella and did his best to snap her out of whatever trance she was in. But after snapping his fingers and calling out her name two times over, she still didn't respond.
Then, after calling out to Stella a third time, her lower lip started quivering. Next, everyone could hear her voice coming out in soft yet strained whispers. But in spite of that, they could hear her muttering the words "I gotta" several times over.
"What is it, Stell; what do ya gotta do" Rusty asked anxiously, "you gotta call your parents, gotta go to the doctor, do ya gotta go to the bathroom?" The moment he made the final suggestion, his friends looked in Rusty's direction and thought "please, tell us you're joking." Then, everyone soon heard Stella muttering the words "I gotta" again; this time, in a slightly louder tone of voice.
Once again, everyone asked what it was their friend needed...but she quickly held up her hand while muttering the two words; silencing everyone. Afterwards, Stella cleared out her throat loudly and took in a deep breath to help calm down a little. "Are you okay now, Stell" Clyde asked worriedly, "what is it that you've got to do...just tell us and we'll help you out however you want."
Stella smiled slightly in appreciation and took in another deep breath, before speaking again. "Guys, I gotta...I gotta" she muttered softly, "I...I GOTTA DO THAT AGAIN!" To say that this outburst both shocked and confused everyone would be a gross understatement, truth be told. Then, mere seconds later; Stella pushed herself off the snow and started jumping about merrily like a crazed nut.
Though thankful as they were to see her in such good spirits; this sight came as such a shock to everyone, they swiftly fainted backwards into the snow.
(Line Break)
Later that afternoon, all the Guys and the Gals headed over to the Louds' house for a round of hot cocoa. They were later joined by some of the other parents, particularly Stella's; who were anxious to know how their daughter's first snow day outing went. Stories were shared, laughs were had and some (specifically Phoebe and Carol) even took pictures of their whole outing.
"HA-HA-HA-HA! I told you that wasn't a good hiding spot for the two of you" Phoebe chortled loudly, "I'm amazed you didn't fall over from being hit by so many snowballs." As she enlarged the photo on her phone, everyone guffawed madly at the amount of white snow that was stuck in both Tonya and Whitney's hair. Even the girls' own mothers couldn't help but find the whole thing a little humorous.
"Laugh it up, people; LAUGH IT UP" Whitney grumbled, "I'll make sure to remember that when the next opportunity for a snowball fight happens." No sooner had she said this, Leni looked on her phone and said that another snow shower would be passing by tomorrow morning. "That means we all have some fresh powder to play around in" Rusty said with glee, "er...that is to say, there will be some for most of us to play in."
Upon making this statement, all eyes fell over to Stella; who was sipping on her hot chocolate while stroking Cliff's back soothingly. When she noticed the looks everyone was giving her, Stella asked if anything was wrong. "No, not really" Lincoln said hesitantly, "we were just wondering if...if you enjoyed your first ever snow day today."
For a moment or two, she didn't make a reply; she just sat in the chair with drink in hand, looking around at everyone. While doing so; her mind echoed with the sounds of all the laughter, battle cries and joyous screams that she heard mere hours ago. At the same time, she took hold of Phoebe's camera and shuffled through the pictures she herself took.
With each one she looked at, a Cheshire Cat grin slowly began to form over Stella's face. "Judgin' from that smile on your face, honey; you must've had a grand ol' time" Officer Simmons laughed heartily, "did y'all really sled all the way across the park to meet your friends?" Without hesitation; Stella, Lincoln and Clyde nodded their heads in unison and assured everyone that what happened was 100% true.
"Even though it was just across the parkway, it was all still the biggest rush I've ever had" Stella giggled madly, "the wind running through your hair, the snowflakes falling on your face, the sound of the snow beneath the sled crackling...it was incredible!" With a laugh in his throat; Lincoln told his lady friend that while the aforementioned experience was fun, the true thrill of sledding came from going downhill.
"Yeah! Tomorrow, we'll take you down to some of our favorite sledding spots" Clyde interjected, "that is...if your parents say it's alright." Once the spotlight was on them, both of Stella's folks found themselves stirring their cups of cocoa in nervous silence; as if unsure on how they should respond. Finally, the mother let out a sigh and said that while she wasn't very fond of snow days herself; if her daughter enjoyed it, she could keep having fun.
"Thank you so much ma'am, really" Lincoln said gratefully, "and don't worry; we'll be there to help Stella out, in case she needs a hand." With that settled, everybody began to discuss other snow day activities for the next day. "I think I should start out slow, before we go sledding" Stella suggested, "I wanna try out making the snow sculptures you and Clyde mentioned earlier."
Just as the Guys and Gals were about to sound off in agreement, Tonya and Whitney suddenly yelped in pain. Lincoln looked over and saw that they were both fine...save for the fact that Lily was tugging at their poofy hair slightly. Despite having tiny hands and fingers, the littlest Loud Sister still had quite grip on her.
"AH! Now, Missy; we talked about this, remember" Whitney asked firmly, "no tug-tug on the poof-poof." Tonya echoed the same statement to the baby while preparing to add a sassy finger snap to emphasize her words. But before she could do just that, she took one look at Lily's "puppy dog stare" and...her heart instantly melted.
This caused a soft smile to appear on both Rita and Lynn's faces and then, they decided to share one other fun thing about snow days with Stella. "What else is left, guys" she asked eagerly, "your son and the others showed me so much already." No sooner had she asked this, Charles leapt up into Stella's lap and lied down beside Cliff; feeling suddenly at peace with the young lady.
"The snow may be cold like the rest of winter" Lincoln confessed sullenly, "but...on the bright side, it's perfect weather for cuddling." No sooner had he said this; Lilly curled herself comfortably between Tonya and Whitney, while Carol and Dana took Lincoln into their arms. After that, the Loud Parents sat together in a cuddled position and the rest of their daughters followed suite.
Then, Lori did something she never imagined she would do...she coiled her arm around Clyde slightly and brought him to her side. At first, her touch sent a sudden shiver across his body; while a blush slowly formed on his cheeks. But surprisingly, he neither bled through the nose nor went into "Overload Mode."
With a light smile upon his face, Clyde murmured a soft "thank you" up to Lori and relaxed himself comfortably against a pillow. "This is really nice, you guys" Stella said with contentment, "if all snow days are like this...I'm really excited for the next one." To seal the deal, the Gals and Guys clinked their cups together in a toast.
Meanwhile, Stella's parents found themselves sinking heavily in their seats with worry; wondering if they will be able to survive an entire season of "crazy outdoor activities."
(First AN: For this installment, I got the idea from the fact that Stella wasn't originally from Royal Woods. This led me to wonder if she and her family ever had snow days where they used to live. Most real world people who live on the west coast or Texas hardly ever see that much snow due to the warm temperatures.
But I don't think she used to live in any of those places. Regardless, I thought that sort of circumstance would make an excellent theme for this oneshot and I hope you'll all enjoy it; in the end)
(Second AN: The "Lisa with a snow tank" thing is a reference to Snow Bored, an episode that I consider to be one of my least favorites due to the aforementioned character's behavior in it. This oneshot could be seen as a "remake" of that episode but with Stella instead of Lisa. But rest assured, this venture was entirely my own idea)
(Third AN: Since this involved Stella, I thought it would be fun to bring back her granny into the Gal Pals universe. On that note; until the show tells us who she is, I've decided to address her as "Granny." I hope that all makes sense to you.)
(Final AN: Speaking of things that I hope make sense; even though Tonya calls both her mothers "Mama," she does so in different ways. For Officer Simmons, she uses the typical term; while she uses the Cajun/Southern term for Donna. Hope that helps clear up any confusion...and I also hope no one pulls out the "race card" on me for that)
