No Such Duel
Chapter 5: Social Pariahs
Later, at the Royal Woods Mall,
"Alright guys, let's meet in the food court in about... three hours," Lori said, as they broke off from each other. Lori and Leni went into a clothes shop, where they saw their friends, "Becky, Dana, Whitney, Carol, hi there!" Lori greeted. But instead of a warm reception, their friends stormed passed them, not even making eye contact with them.
"Uh, girls? Is something wrong?" Leni asked.
"You bet there is!" Carol snapped, causing both Loud Sisters to flinch.
"What were you two thinking, locking that little cutie of a brother of yours out?!" Dana yelled.
"Girls, please, there is a reasonable explanation for this," Lori replied, only to receive a slap from Becky.
"No, there isn't! Bad luck is NOT, in any way, shape or form, a reasonable excuse!" she said, enunciated each word.
"Girls, please, just let us explain!" Leni begged, tears in her eyes.
"Don't bother! Friendship, over!" Whitney harshly said, as they left the two Loud Sisters, shocked, and somewhat broken.
"Hey, you two!" the store manager said, storming over to them, "GET OUT OF MY SHOP! You're bad for business!" she said, kicking them out, "You're banned until further notice!" she said, as she went back inside. Things were going just as well for the other Loud Sisters. Lisa was just kicked out and banned from the electronics store, when she saw her friend, Darcy.
"Greetings, Darcy. What brings you out here?" Lisa greeted. Darcy looked rather uncomfortable around Lisa.
"Sorry Lisa, but Mommy, and Daddy, and Jenny told me I'm not allowed to be your friend anymore," Darcy said.
"Wait, what?!" Lisa couldn't believe what she was hearing. She broke off her friendship with Darcy because she just wanted to improve her report card grade, but the two reconciled, as Darcy harbored no hard feelings, but now Darcy was breaking off their friendship?!
"They said that you're a bad influence, and I could end up like you and your family if I keep hanging out with you," Darcy said.
"Darcy, come on! I told you not to be anywhere near the Loud Sisters!" Darcy's sister called out, dragging her away. Lisa wasn't one for emotions, as she felt them unnecessary, but right now she felt saddened and guilt stricken. She had once again lost her friend, and Lisa knew it was all her fault, and the fault of the rest of her family. Meanwhile, with Luna, she was about to enter the music store, only to be ushered away by the staff on duty.
"Sorry Luna, you're not allowed in here anymore," one of the staff members said, as he pushed her out of the store.
"C'mon dudes! I'm one of your best customers!" Luna begged.
"Yeah, and also a reason we're running the risk of shutting down! Many of your neighbors complained about the noise your music makes, and we were issued a warning. Plus, we heard about the trial your family was in, which is another reason you're being banned," the staff member said, as he went back to work.
"Aww, dang it!" Luna complained. Lola was facing similar problems, as she was trying to sign up for a beauty pageant, only for the receptionists to deny her an entry form.
"Sorry Lola, but you've been banned from all future pageants for your actions against your brother," the receptionist said.
"WHAT?! But it's just one mistake we made!" Lola argued desperately.
"It's more than just one mistake, Lola! We got a tip of many of your other, less than acceptable actions to your fellow pageant contestants. Based on that tip, and the fact of your trial yesterday, not only are you banned from all future pageants, but ALL of your previous wins are to be revoked, each tiara confiscated, and given to each runner up," the receptionist said, her tone sounding final. Lola walked away, head hanging low, only to run into her former fellow pageant competitors, led by Lindsey Sweetwater, all of whom looked rather smug, seeing the former pageant powerhouse barred from the very thing she's good at.
"Well now, how the mighty have fallen," Lindsey commented disapprovingly.
"If you have something to say, then say it!" Lola demanded.
"Always a demanding brat, huh Lola? I'm ashamed to have ever called you one of my rivals!" Lindsey spat, as they all walked away. Lynn was in for the worst wake up call of her life. She was heading into the sports store, where all of her sports coaches and some of her teammates were browsing the wares.
"Loud? What are you doing here?!" Lynn's softball coach yelled, sounding non too happy to see her, but Lynn didn't notice the disdain in her voice.
"Hey there coach! Just getting some more equipment for the next game," Lynn said proudly.
"Who said Royal Woods is playing next game?" the coach asked. Lynn was confused.
"Well, obviously, if the Squirrel's are going to win the championship, we HAVE to play a doubleheader to get back into the swing of things!" Lynn explained.
"You're missing the point Lynn! Royal Woods isn't playing the next game, because we're pulling OUT for the season so the team can be reformed!" the coach said.
"WHAT?!" Lynn exclaimed, unable to believe what she was hearing, "But if Royal Woods doesn't play, then how can we bring home a win?!" she demanded, clearly outraged.
"It's because of you!" the coach replied.
"ME?! But I'M the reason we've won every game! At least, until that no good jinx ruined the game against the Lions," Lynn said. Her coach simply shook her head.
"That's precisely WHY we're pulling out, Lynn. Your over-reliance on superstitions has caused many parents to chew not only ME out, but every other sports coach in school for the health problems their kids have been experiencing since you won't let them use the bathroom!" the coach said.
"Well, yeah! Using the bathroom before a game brings bad luck! That's basic information!" Lynn argued.
"No Lynn, that's what YOU believe in, just like you only believe in winning. In sports, the important thing is having fun, not winning or loosing, but it's clear that golden rule is one you've chosen to neglect all this time!" the coach yelled at her former star athlete.
"I'm looking out for the team's reputation!" Lynn argued.
"You mean your own reputation!" one of Lynn's teammates yelled, "You need to learn that there is no 'I' in team!" she said.
"Wilson here is right. And because you believe there is an 'I' in team, then there isn't a 'U' either! In other words, you're being cut, not only from the softball team, but EVERY sports team you're a part of! Each team will be reformed and started anew next season without you!" the coach said. Lynn really wasn't too happy about this. In fact, she looked more furious than ever.
"FINE! GO AHEAD AND LOOSE ALL FUTURE SEASONS! YOU'LL SEE I WAS RIGHT! YOU'LL ALL SEE!" Lynn screamed, as she stormed out of the sports store, purposely knocking down a security guard, who immediately slapped handcuffs on her, "Hey, let me go, you jerk!" she demanded.
"Attention all units! Proceed to find and escort the Loud Sisters OUT of the mall!" the guard said, as she dragged Lynn to the exit. There, she undid the handcuffs, and pushed her out, "AND STAY OUT!" she said. Moments later, the rest of the Loud Sisters were thrown out too.
"This is literally unbelievable!" Lori complained.
"Not only were we banned from our favorite store, but we lost our friends too!" Leni cried, tearing up.
"I was banned from the pageant circuit!" Lola cried.
"Not only was a banned from Fanny's Prank Emporium, but all of the clients for birthday parties I was originally going to perform at withdrew their requests for me!" Luan added, clearly upset.
"And more importantly, my coaches had the gall to ban ME from all sports teams! ME! The greatest athlete in all of Royal Woods!" Lynn yelled, still angry at being cut.
"What do you mean 'more importantly'? It's because of YOUR softball game, that YOU lost, that we're now in this mess to begin with!" Luna argued.
"Well we wouldn't be in this mess if Stinkcoln didn't decide to jinx that game in the first place! All because he'd rather read those stupid comics than support his family!" Lynn argued back.
"Statistically speaking, it is understandable why Lincoln was willing to lie about being bad luck, seeing as how his schedule was mostly just coming to support the rest of us. He clearly just wanted some time to himself to recuperate," Lisa stated.
"Ok, first of all, he DIDN'T lie about being bad luck, because he IS bad luck! How do you explain what's happening to us?!" Lynn exclaimed.
"Simply put, karma is coming back to haunt us. We treated our brother unit as a curse, and treated him like an outcast, and now everyone knows what we did, and now WE'RE the ones being treated as outcasts," Lisa replied.
"That's a load of bull! We didn't do anything to warrant bad karma!" Lynn yelled.
"Oh sure, let's just forget about the fact that you threatened Lincoln to come to your game, turned right around, and blamed him for it, which is to say nothing of the fact that we also barred him from activities he would've liked to participate in, sealed up his room, and sold his personal possessions, forced him to sleep outside like an animal, and banished him from our house altogether," Lisa said, listing ALL of the offense the family did to the lone son.
"Lincoln would've gone to Lynn's game anyway, even if he persisted and she gave him time off. We're a family, meaning we HAVE to support each other, even if we don't like it," Lori stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Just then, Ross pulled up in Vanzilla, which was sputtering loudly.
"This scrap heap sounds like it's at it's last miles. Anyhow girls, it's time for your Duel Monster's Lessons," Ross said.
"But we're not going to play," Lola stubbornly refused.
"You girls don't have a choice in the matter. This is a court ordered sentence. Besides, the agreement said that if any one of you girls shows up late, for even ONE of the training sessions or for the match against your brother, then you'll be shipped out, to either Rhonda's Boot Camp, or the Facility," Ross stated.
"If we're going to either of those places, then Lincoln has to go too! It's only fair," Lori said.
"Lincoln has already been punished enough by you guys and your parents. But we did give him a light punishment in light of the fact that he lied," Ross said, as he ushered his nieces into the Van.
"Like what? Writing sentences?" Lola asked rhetorically.
"Actually, yes. He was made to write 'I will not lie about being bad luck' enough times to fill 10 pages of paper," Ross replied.
"Why is everyone saying he lied?! HE IS BAD LUCK!" Lynn exclaimed.
"Junior, that's enough out of you! Your brother may have made things worse by lying, but none of this would've happened if you had just accepted the fact that you lost, and got on with your life, like a proper winner," Ross chastised.
"Except that winning for me is as natural as breathing! It what I do!" Lynn argued, as they arrived at the Rec Center, where some of Lincoln's peer group, and Bobby were waiting. None of them seemed to happy to see the sisters.
"Wait, so Lincoln's peers are going to be coaching us?" Lisa asked.
"Yes. Lincoln asked them specifically to do it. His friends are dong it because Lincoln promised them some rare cards," Ross replied, as they got out of the van.
"Bobby! I missed you!" Lori happily exclaimed, as she rushed over to her boyfriend, only for him to step out of her way. Lori then saw a look of pure disgust on his face, "Boo-boo bear?" Lori asked.
"Never call me that again, Lori. What were you guys thinking, kicking your brother out of the house?!" Bobby berated.
"I-I just didn't want him screwing anything up between us!" Lori said, shaken with how her boyfriend was berating her.
"And what makes you think I'M more important that your own family?!" Bobby yelled.
"Because you and Ronnie Anne are practically family already!" Lori countered.
"'Practically' doesn't mean 'officially'. And based on how you guys treated Lincoln, it's no wonder he lied about being bad luck, and pressed charges!" Ronnie Anne spat, equally disgusted.
"And that's another thing! Back during the Sister Fight Protocol regarding that dress, you guys never let Lincoln know about it ahead of time, but told ME about it! Why is that?!" Bobby yelled.
"I can answer that," Lisa replied, taking the stage, "Lincoln is known for making things worse, so we temporarily disown him to keep him out of our family squabbles," she explained.
"You can't 'temporarily disown' someone, Lisa. You either do disown them, or you don't, permanently," Clyde said. The rest of Lincoln's friends agreed with him, and started throwing insults towards the Loud Sisters.
"Alright, that's enough!" Ross said, breaking up the fight, "I understand that you kids are angry with Lincoln's sisters, and quite frankly, I don't blame you, but you need to focus on what you need to do with them now. The law will handle giving them a properly just punishment in due time," he said.
"You're right. Sorry about that," Clyde said.
"It's quite alright. Be sure to put the girls through the wringer. I'll be back later," Ross said, as he got back into Vanzilla, and drove off, only for it to break down, quite completely, as it fell to pieces before he got out of the parking lot, "DAMN IT!" he yelled, before making a call.
"Alright, let's get this over with," Ronnie Anne said, as they entered the Rec Center.
