Weeks had passed and soon it was time for the Spring Vacation Week. A nice break from school is what every kid enjoys, it meant more playtime, like sports, video games, bike riding, and just all out fun.
For the Loud family, it meant a few important things. First off, Leni is coming home and she gets to spend even more time with Lincoln and Stella.
She wouldn't be alone, Lori and Bobby were gonna come back for the week since Stella was off, and in addition, they would be bringing Carlota, Sid and Ronnie Anne.
It started Saturday morning, the true start of the Spring Vacation Week. Leni had already come home that night, spending the night in her old room where she was going stay for the week. Stella had awoken from her bed, looking to see that both Luna and Luan were still sound asleep. Not wanting to wake them she carefully tip-toed out of the room so she can use the bathroom.
That would have to wait as she noticed that Lana was waiting outside the bathroom, looking a bit impatient. "Hurry up Lola, you've been in there for like twenty minutes!"
"Hey you know the rule! Weekends and vacation means free reign over the bathroom!" Lola said.
"Just because we're on break doesn't mean my bladder is!" Lana said.
"No one wants to hear about your bladder!" Lola said. "Fine, I'll hurry up if it keeps you from nagging so much."
"You're one to talk," Lana said, huffing in annoyance. She turned away from the door a moment to come face to face with Stella, as if she didn't have enough to deal with. "Oh it's you."
"Uh, good morning to you too?" Stella said, not sure what to make of this. Over the last couple of weeks, Lana had been somewhat avoiding her, doing her best to limit the amount of time she's around Stella, which makes the older girl a bit uncomfortable. "So, waiting for the bathroom?"
"Yeah, so don't try to cut in front of me, I got up first," Lana said, before rethinking. "Well, not first since most of the others got up, but you know what I mean!"
"Yeah, I think I do," Stella said, feeling a bit off. "I'm just gonna wait here, if you don't mind then."
"Like I care," Lana said, turning back to the door, feeling even more impatient in waiting for her sister.
Stella felt so conflicted, she really wanted to have a good relationship with Lana, like she does with all the other sisters. Seemed like Lori and Lynn were the only obstacles, but over time it seems like Lana had grown to dislike her as well, leaving her without the perfect score among the sisters even to this day.
"So, have any plans today?" Stella asked.
"Depends, are you just gonna tell me it's unsafe or unsanitary?" Lana sassily asked.
"Huh? No..." Stella thought a moment. "Well, it depends..."
"Then I'm not telling you, if you don't know, you can't stop me," Lana said.
"Lana, you know I only discourage you because I care about you right?" Stella asked. "I mean, playing in garbage is a bit unsanitary, there's a lot of germs and who knows what else."
"I have high tolerance, besides I know my limits," Lana said.
"I'm just saying that maybe you can lighten up a bit, I mean you are growing up, playing in the mud is more for kids," Stella said.
"Hey just because you're childhood's ending doesn't mean mine is," Lana said.
Stella groaned in annoyance, "Lana, I'm just giving you friendly advice."
"Hey if mom and dad are fine with it, you can be too," Lana said. "Now stop bugging me about this."
Stella felt a bit conflicted, she still had more to say but she worried about upsetting Lana more. She had to figure out a way to get on the same page with the young girl.
It wasn't long before Lola made her way out the bathroom, noticing Stella beside her twin, "Oh good morning Stella. I didn't realize you were waiting too, I would have let you in."
"It's fine, I can wait my turn like all the other sisters, and Lincoln," Stella said.
"Good, cause I'm next," Lana said, making her way inside the bathroom, leaving Stella a bit frustrated.
"That girl really does not show you enough respect," Lola said. "You really should do something about that."
"But I don't want to risk getting on her bad side," Stella said.
"You can't worry about that, you gotta make her respect you," Lola said. "If you're too nice in this house, you'll get walked all over, do you want that happening to you?"
"Well no, but I don't want to make enemies," Stella said. "In the end, I am a guest in this house so I shouldn't be too assertive."
"No, no, no, you're no guest Stella, you're carrying our brother's baby, we're gonna be aunts to that baby, you're part of this family and you gotta act like it," Lola said. "If you show a little assertiveness, then I promise it will make things so much better. We Loud sisters feed off of doubt and hesitation, even Lincoln knows when to act when he wants something. You gotta stand firm and let the rest of the sisters know that you are not to be trifled with."
Stella wasn't sure what to think, the girl sheepishly turning away, "I'm...not sure if I can do that though."
"Of course you can," Lola said. She walked over and wrapped her arms around the waist of the older girl, looking up at her with complete admiration. "Honey, I only tell you this because I care about you, and I appreciate all the nice things you've done for me, and furthermore, you make Linky happy, and that makes me happy. I love you for that."
"Well, I love you too Lola," Stella said, returning the girl's hug.
Lola broke away a moment, but gestured for Stella to lower her head. Upon doing so, she left a kiss on the cheek of the older girl. "Little gift from me to you."
"Aw, thanks," Stella said, blushing a bit as Lola went downstairs. It's times like these that Stella loves being around Lincoln's sisters, they can be just as sweet as they are spicy.
Later on after breakfast, Lincoln and Stella relaxed on the couch, playing some video games together. It wasn't long before the doorbell rang, new guests returning to the Loud House.
Rita answered the door to see her daughter, along with her boyfriend and his family, that being his cousin, sister and his two neighbors.
"Hi mom!" Lori greeted, giving a hug to her mother.
"Hi sweetie, I'm so happy you're here," Rita said, hugging her daughter. She quickly turned her attention to the other guests. "Bobby, Carlota, Ronnie Anne, Sid, Adelaide, good to see you five as well."
" You too Mrs. L," Bobby greeted.
"Bobby I've told you that you don't need to use 'Mrs.', just Rita is fine," the mother of eleven said. "Or soon you might be calling me 'mom' yourself."
"It could very well happen," Bobby said with a wink to his girlfriend.
"Lori?" Stella said, making her way over alongside Lincoln.
"Lincoln! Stella!" Lori quickly made her way over to hug the two. "How's it going you two?"
"Hey Stella, how's life in the Loud house?" Bobby said, making his way inside along with Carlota, Ronnie Anne, Sid and Adelaide.
"Pretty good so far, the sisters made me feel right at home, which wasn't too hard," Stella said.
"You're such a sweet and adorable girl, so who wouldn't like having you around?" Carlota said.
"Well..." Stella didn't want to name any sister, really not wanting to make anyone even more upset. "I may have had one or two not yet used to me, but it's a big change so I don't want to be too hard on her."
Lori seemed a little displeased, knowing one of her sisters wasn't make Stella feel at home. "I'll get to the bottom of that." She turned to Lincoln. "Are all our sisters home?"
"Yeah, they should be, I don't think any of them left," Lincoln said.
"Good to know," Lori turned to Bobby. "I need to talk with my sisters a moment, mind waiting up for me?"
"Fine by me, maybe I can talk with your mom a bit more about what we were discussing," Bobby said. "If you want to."
"That's fine with me," Lori said, making her way upstairs.
"What were you and Lori discussing?" Rita asked her daughter's boyfriend.
"Let's talk in the kitchen, it's a bit complicated to explain," Bobby said.
"You mean it's complicated for you to explain?" Carlota teased.
"Oh ha-ha, give me a break I'm not that dense," Bobby said, making his way into the kitchen with Rita and Carlota, leaving Ronnie Anne, Sid and Adelaide with the soon to be parents.
"Well, it's nice to see you both again," Stella said. "So who wants to bring in a-"
"Me first!" Sid said, hugging Stella before the girl could finish her sentence. "Boy did I miss you."
"Aw, same here," Stella said, returning the hug. "I'm really glad you could make it."
"Yeah, I'm happy to see you three as well," Lincoln said. "So how long are you staying?"
"A few days," Ronnie Anne said. "At least as long as Bobby, Lori and Carlota are staying."
"That's great, we get to spend more time together," Stella said, breaking away from Sid. "Sometimes I wish you three lived here, I'd get to see you every day."
"Lola and Lana tell me that all the time," Adelaide said. "Speaking of Lana, where is she?"
"She's upstairs, but it sounds like Lori might call a Sister Meeting, so you're gonna have to wait," Lincoln said.
Adelaide seemed disappointed, but before she could vocalize her annoyance, she felt her phone vibrate. She looked to see that she got a text message from Carl. "Uh, mind if I take this?"
"Do what you want, just don't wander off too far," Sid said.
"I know my way around the house," Adelaide insisted as she took her phone out.
"Well, back on the topic of living here, maybe after High School I can move down here, if my parents are alright with it," Sid said.
"High School? What about college?" Ronnie Anne asked. "Wait, are you even going?"
"I'll worry about that later," Sid said. "Point is, I really do wish I can be closer to Stella, it'd make it easier to get her through her pregnancy."
"You're so thoughtful Sid, honestly everyone's been so thoughtful, I've never felt such kindness from so many people, really makes me less nervous about being a mom," Stella said. "Of course I have Lincoln with me, my ultimate source of confidence."
"It goes both ways," Lincoln said, placing his arm around Stella. "We're a team after all."
"Adorable, I hope I can at least be a bridesmaid if you two decide to get married," Sid said. "Ronnie Anne would make a great bridesmaid too."
"Uh-huh," Ronnie Anne said. "Anyway Lincoln, I want to talk to you, alone."
"Me?" Lincoln asked.
"Know any other Lincoln?" Ronnie Anne sassed. Normally Lincoln takes it with stride since Ronnie Anne loves to joek around, but she seems different this time. Truth be told, since he announced his girlfriend's pregnancy, Ronnie Anne's been different.
"Guess you want to catch up," Sid said. "Me and Stella can go chill upstairs."
"My room should be empty, we can just talk you and I," Stella said. "Maybe you can help me settle on some names, I still don't know the baby's gender but I want to be prepared regardless."
"Oh I think I got some good ones," Sid said, making her way up with Stella.
"Sid, remember that Stella isn't your treasure to explore," Ronnie Anne warned.
Sid blushed, partially in annoyance and partially because Ronnie Anne isn't wrong about the treasure analogy, "I'm not gonna do anything!"
Ronnie Anne did hope that Sid would keep her word, but part of her really doesn't care much, if she tries anything then Stella will do something.
"So, what did you need from me Ronnie Anne?" Lincoln asked.
"Lincoln, let me start by saying this," Ronnie Anne turned straight to Lincoln, looking him right in the eyes. "You're such a dumbass!"
"Uh-huh..." Lincoln replied, not sure what else to say. Not the first time Ronnie Anne's insulted him, even if she doesn't do it as much as when they were kids. "Go on."
"What the..." Ronnie Anne couldn't believe that response. "What do you mean 'go on'!? Do you know why you're a dumbass!?"
"Well you do come up with quite a few reasons sometimes," Lincoln said.
"Let's start with this, Stella is pregnant with a child you put in her," Ronnie Anne said.
"Yes, we've been over this," Lincoln said, not sure what to make of her words.
"So you're cool with this, that you're gonna be a dad?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"I mean, I'm a bit worried but...yeah I'm cool," Lincoln said.
"A bit worried? Lincoln being a dad means raising a baby, as in you're responsible for someone else's life," Ronnie Anne said. "You have to feed it, buy it clothes, take it to school, teach it to shave if it's a boy, if it's a girl...well Stella can hande that other stuff." Lincoln could figure what she meant by that, especially the blush. "Point is Lincoln, your life is changing, forever, and you barely seem fazed by it."
"Just because I'm not in a panic doesn't mean I'm not worried," Lincoln said. "Luckily I have my dad's resteraunt to work at, and if that's not enough I can always find work elsewhere."
"Yeah, how many places are gonna hire a kid your age?" Ronnie Anne asked. "What can you even do? What useful skills do you have?"
"Well I am a prized gamer, know how much cash I've won from video game tournaments?" Lincoln asked.
"Not that much," Ronnie Anne said. "Plus you blow it on even more video games anyway, or comics."
"Well I can also draw, I've had kids pay me to draw pictures for them," Lincoln said.
"But how can you use that for work?" Ronnie Anne said. "I think you're in over your head with this pregnancy thing."
"I mean it's not like I planned this, and it's already been done," Lincoln said. "I can't go back, but I can go forward. I have enough confidence to make this work."
"That's your main flaw Lincoln, you're way too confident about everything, then you end up falling flat on your face," Ronnie Anne said. "It just baffles me that you screwed up this badly, now you're stuck raising a kid with Stella."
"You're saying that so harshly," Lincoln pointed out, a little uneasy. "I don't want to think of it as being stuck, more like I get to experience something new."
"Well I hope Stella shares this enthusiasm you seem to have," Ronnie Anne said.
"She does, mostly," Lincoln said. "I mean she's nervous too, but with me by her side, she'll get through this."
"Well I just hope she doesn't feel stuck with you because of this," Ronnie Anne said.
Lincoln grew a bit annoyed with that statement of course, Ronnie Anne was really starting to bug him, "Stella isn't some girl I randomly had sex with, she's my girlfriend, who I love, and who I have dated for five years."
"Yeah, five years, kind of amazed, considering how young you both were when you got together," Ronnie Anne said. "From eleven year old cruhses to teenage parents."
"Is there something you're trying to say to me Ronnie Anne?" Lincoln asked.
"What if you two fall out of love?" Ronnie Anne bluntly asked.
"Excuse me, but what!?" Lincoln asked, trying to hide his frustration, though failily slightly.
"You two have been together since you were kids, meaning you've barely been able to explore other options," Ronnie Anne said.
"Explore options? We're happy together, I don't really care much about options," Lincoln said.
"If you two were really happen, then why did Stella kiss Luan four years ago?" Ronnie Anne asked. "Furthermore, two years ago you made out with Sid!"
"Hey that Luan thing was a spur of the moment decision from her and Stella, plus Sid kind of came on too strong that day and...well, I made a mistake that I won't repeat," Lincoln said. "Look, Stella and I have moved on from that, plus it was one situation each."
"Yeah one, suppose Stella starts wondering about the kiss again?" Ronnie Anne asked. "She's living here now, meaning more chances to sneak in a kiss on Luan, or even Luna. Suppose she decides she likes girls more than boys!?"
"Stella clearly loves me though, I mean even if she likes girls it's not like it's only one or the other," Lincoln said. "I'd be perfectly fine if Stella told me she was bisexual, because I trust that she'll want to stay with me regardless."
"Fine, you're alright with her figuring that out, but haven't you ever wondered that of yourself?" Ronnie Anne asked. "Ever think you could be with a boy?"
"I have honestly never considered that," Lincoln said. "My path of romance is a straight path toward the sanctity of a girl's affection."
"...That was so fucking corny dude," Ronnie Anne said.
"Potty mouth," Lincoln said.
"We're sixteen, we can say whatever the hell we want dude," Ronnie Anne said. "You need to stop acting like you live in some cartoon show where all the swear words are replaced with stupid phrases or conveniently blocked out of hearing."
Lincoln turned to the side, as if looking toward a camera with an expression of annoyance before facing Ronnie Anne again, "Seriously, I have not thought about anyone but Stella, and I doubt she has thought of anyone other than me."
"You doubt? Almost sounds like you're not even sure," Ronnie Anne said.
"Ronnie Anne, what's the point of bringing this up anyway?" Lincoln asked. "We're happy together, and now that we're going to have a kid, that's just going to bond us even more, because now we have a symbol of our love."
"Oh, so I suppose if two people have kids together then that automatically means they'll be together forever!?" Ronnie Anne asked, feeling very agitated. "That's not how it works Lincoln! Relationships fail regardless of kids!"
Lincoln knew where Ronnie Anne was getting this from, and he wasn't taking too kindly to it, "This has to do with your own parents, doesn't it?"
"It's called experience, it didn't work for my folks, it might not work for you," Ronnie Anne said.
"I don't know what happened with your parents, but that doesn't mean it'll happen to us, because I have the best set of role models, my parents," Lincoln said. "They've been together for about twenty six years, and they're still very much in love with each other, if it can work for them, it'll work for me and Stella."
"Well, aren't you just a lucky little bastard then," Ronnie Anne said.
"You're getting on my nerves, if this is how you're gonna be then...you can just go find somewhere else to go," Lincoln said. "Maybe go find your brother and help him with whatever he's doing. Also speaking of your brother, he's been dating Lori longer than Stella and I have been dating, and you don't see them slowing down."
Ronnie Anne angrily turned away, not wanting to be bothered by Lincoln at the moment. The boy looked really confused and worried, hoping he didn't upset her more.
Meanwhile upstairs in the shared room of Luna, Luan and Stella, the newly moved in girl was looking over some blueprints Sid had on her.
"I've been working on this for a while," Sid began. "It's basically a babysitter robot, one that can help you and Lincoln with your kid, this way you both can focus on your education or career and your baby is cared for."
"That's really nice, but if we need a babysitter, that's what Lincoln's sisters are here for," Stella said. "They have babysitting experience, either from watching over sisters younger than them or babysitting someone else's kids."
"Oh yeah, good point," Sid said. "Well we'll keep this in the backlog just in case, I mean if your sisters aren't available or you and Lincoln move into your own home, you might need this, especially if you ever decide to have more kids."
"Hopefully by then we would have graduated from at least High School," Stella said. "I'm not against more children but I'd rather not be a child myself still."
"I do have to say, I admire how well you and Lincoln are handling this, I mean if it were anyone else I knew, I think they would panic," Sid said. "How are you not nervous?"
"Who says I'm not, I'm pretty terrified," Stella admitted. "In about nine months, I'm gonna be a mother. I have to take care of another life while still trying to grow up myself. The only reason I'm not freaking out too much is because one, I have a boyfriend who loves me and wants to take care of me and our baby, and two, I have friends like you, and Lincoln's sisters that are very supportive of us and helping us through this ordeal."
Sid sat there all gushy eyed over how brave Stella sounded, "You are totally awesome Stella. So is Lincoln, Ronnie Anne always told me how optimistic he is, but it's really paying off here. Personally I think your baby is lucky to have parents like you."
"I hope so," Stella said, rubbing her belly. "I do want my baby to be happy, I love it so much. Scary as it seems, I'm also happy to have a little bundle of joy call me 'mommy'. Some of my favorite memories in this house are the times I helped Lincoln babysit Lily. She was the most adorable little girl. Still is actually, I still babysit for her. She really seems to like me."
"All of Lincoln's sisters like you," Sid said.
"Well, except Lana," Stella said. "I really gotta figure that out soon."
"What's up with that anyway? Even Adelaide's a bit worried," Sid said. "Lana used to like you didn't she?"
"Yeah, when I first met Lincoln's sisters, they all liked me, except Lori," Stella said. "Once I got that resolved, I just had Lynn to worry about, and just when that got resolved now I have Lana, it's like I'm doomed to have one sister that doesn't like me."
"Well when do you think it started?" Sid asked.
"I'm not sure, maybe she's still mad that I kissed Luan, I mean she did start losing her patience with me shortly after that," Stella said. "It didn't help that I always bugged her about not getting dirty."
"Sounds like she's being a bit unreasonable," Sid said. "I mean everything you do is out of love, and you love Lincoln's sisters like they're your own. Another admirable thing about you."
"Maybe I come on too strong, I mean Lana's been doing muddy stuff before I met her and she's been fine in recent years," Stella said. "I just worry too much, one day I feel like she's gonna get sick and it's gonna break my heart if that happens. She's such a cute and adorable little girl, I just want what's best for her."
"Doesn't she hate being called 'cute' though?" Sid asked.
"Well she is, nothing she should be ashamed of," Stella said. "But enough about me, honestly, I kind of want to hear about you."
"Me?" Sid asked. "What about me?"
"It's about your relationship with Ronnie Anne," Stella said. "I don't know why, but something feels different about you two."
"Wow, keen eye you have," Sid said. "But, there really isn't much to discuss, I mean we're just having a bit of a disagreement on certain things, nothing we can't work out."
"Are you sure about that?" Stella asked. "You know you can tell me anything right? You're one of my best friends, and I want to be able to help you if you need it."
"It's nothing really, I can handle it alone," Sid said. "This is about me helping you, issues are nothing to worry about."
"But I'm worried about you," Stella said, sitting back and patting her legs. "Tell you what, I'll let you use my legs as a pillow if you agree to tell me your troubles."
"...Can I get head rubs too?" Sid asked.
"Sure, what are friends for?" Stella replied.
Laying on the legs of an attractive girl while that very girl gave her head rubs would be a foolish thing to pass up. Moving quickly, Sid laid her head on Stella's legs, looking up at the pretty girl. "Always a pleasent view when I get to see your face."
"You're such a flirt, it's kind of cute actually," Stella said, rubbing Sid's head. "Now talk."
"It's like this, you know that I have a crush on Ronnie Anne, right?" Sid asked.
"Yeah, a big one it seems," Stella said.
"Well over the last couples of years, I can't dropping signals to Ronnie Anne, reminding her of my crush, and hoping she would start to return it," Sid explained. "Give you one guess how that turned out."
"Didn't work huh?" Stella replied.
"Not only that, I think it's starting to get on her nerves," Sid said. "Like, first she was alright with it, she kind of found it cute and we were still able to do the things we like doing. But over time she did get annoyed by it, and I did my absolute best to not push it. I mean I did not want to lose her friendship, even if she didn't want to be my girlfriend, I still wanted to stay as her best friend, it's better than not having Ronnie Anne at all."
"That's a sweet thing to say," Stella said. "It can be a difficult transition, being friends is helpful for being in a relationship, but it's not always enough."
"Yeah, and I have tried keeping my options open just in case, granted I haven't seen too many other kids like," Sid said. "Like Nikki's cute but not my type, Sameer, Casey and Laird are all cool but they're not catching my interest. Honestly Lincoln is the only boy I can really get into, oh and Yun Kwan, he's dreamy too, but way out of my league."
"Lincoln should feel honored that he shares a category with a member of a popular boy band," Stella said.
"Lincoln may have set a bar too high for me though, ever since I met him he's just been so fun to be around, he's also really cute, makes me wonder what if I tried dating him years back before you made your move," Sid said.
"Can you handle long distance?" Stella asked.
"I...am not sure actually," Sid said. "Yeah that would have been torture for me. I think you got the better deal Stella, and you two are my favorite couple, you're both everything I want me and Ronnie Anne to be. You love each other, you're always there for each other, you think a lot about each other, you like to spoil each other with gifts or treats, you're perfect."
"We're not perfect, I mean yeah he's the one for me but he has his faults, as do I," Stella said. "I mean, I used to think his fascination with magic was lame, though he's actually gotten really good over the last few years."
"Lincoln has a lot of talents," Sid said. "Magic, drawing, video games, singing."
"To think he thought he wasn't as good as any of his sisters," Stella said. "I mean he loves how talented his sisters are and is proud that they have talents that's gonna get them far in life, but it took him a while to feel great about himself."
"You probably helped him feel more confident about himself," Sid theorized. "Because you love him, and he loves you, hence why he tries so hard to be the man he believes you deserve."
"It's not just me, his sisters are very encouraging too," Stella said. "Since moving here I got to spend more time with Luna and Luan, and they both love talking about how great it is that Lincoln has such talents, and that they wish he was a bit more confident in himself."
"Sounds like what we have to do for Ronnie Anne sometimes, like the time she had stage fright, and she wasn't even on stage, she was at her family's house singing a song for her grandfather," Sid said.
"Lincoln and Ronnie Anne are pretty similar sometimes," Stella said. "I'm still amazed they never got together."
"Well they were, but I think according to Ronnie Anne, she broke it off because she wasn't ready," Sid said. "Though, I do have to admit, Ronnie Anne's been a lot moodier since she found out you an Lincoln are expecting a baby."
"Huh, interesting," Stella said. "You don't think she's jealous of us, do you?"
"No way, she loves seeing you two together, she takes pride in the fact that she helped you two hook up," Sid said. Of course Sid knows that Ronnie Anne has a crush on Lincoln, but she hasn't talked much about it lately, so she figured maybe Ronnie Anne put in on he back burner.
"I hope so, maybe me being pregnant is just a shock since we're such good friends," Stella said.
"She's definitely worried about you, I can tell," Sid said. "I'm worried too, but if you think you're gonna be fine, then I'll put total faith in you."
"I'll definitely be fine as long as I have the support of my friends," Stella said, rubbing Sid's hair. "I just hope whatever's happening between you two is something you can work out."
"It's gonna be difficult, I really ticked her off big time a couple weeks ago," Sid said.
"Huh? What'd you do?" Stella asked.
"Eh...promise you won't freak out or judge me?" Sid asked.
"You know I wouldn't do that," Stella said, affectionately stroking the girl's face. "You can tell me whatever it is."
"Alright...I might have seen her after coming out of a shower, and I saw her naked for a second before she slipped into some underwear," Sid explained. "After she caught me, I slipped into my underwear too so she wouldn't feel awkward."
It took a lot for Stella to not immediately react, though she did take a moment or two to process this. She knows how weird and nutty Sid can be, she knows that the girl is a total pervert, but this really took the cake. "Uh-huh..."
"It's weird, isn't it?" Sid said, sitting up. "You don't have to say it, I know its weird, I'm such a crazy nut and totally perverted, there's no excuse for the way I am, I should just-"
"Sid!" Stella interrupted, hugging her friend from behind. "It's alright, I told you that I wouldn't judge you, remember?"
"Y-yeah..." Sid felt some sense of relief, of course what more could she expect from Stella, the girl has the patience of a saint, sometimes. Dealing with the Loud sisters on a daily basis, while not all bad, Sid could spot a few pain in the neck girls, remembering how bossy Lori was, how much of a jerk Lynn was, seeing how bratty the twins are, plus the stories of Luan's pranking, something even she's seen first hand. But Sid knows she couldn't handle that chaos, and to think she had trouble with just one sister, having ten sounds exhausting, yet another reason she respects Lincoln.
"Maybe Ronnie Anne just has a lot on her mind, given that two of her closest friends are gonna be parents," Stella said.
"Yeah, it is a shock for sure," Sid said. "I still can't believe it, but it's knowing that is the main reason why I want more for me and Ronnie Anne. You two have come so far, now you're gonna be parents. You might even get married, meanwhile I'm still unable to make it work with Ronnie Anne."
"Don't compare yourself to others, you'll figure things out at your own pace," Stella said, breaking away from her hug. "Remember, it's not like Lincoln and I planned to be parents, this is just a nice little surprise for the two of us."
"Even so, you two were close enough to have sex, I just wish I could enjoy that feeling," Sid said.
"Too bad I can't help with that," Stella said.
"Well you can but you shouldn't," Sid said.
"Huh? What does that mean?" Stella asked.
"I'm in love with Ronnie Anne, but I totally dig you and Lincoln," Sid said. "You two are the only others I would do that with. Of course it might not mean the same as it would with Ronnie Anne, but you two are close enough to me that it would still feel special."
"Wow, that's...flattering," Stella said, unsure how to feel.
"Not like it matters," Sid said. "You and Lincoln are together, and I would never want to split you two up, I nearly made that mistake two years ago when I kissed Lincoln, I don't want to take another risk. So forget I said anything."
"It's fine, it's almost kind of sweet, in an unusual way," Stella said. "Anyway we should go check on Lincoln and Ronnie Anne."
"Good idea," Sid said, getting off the bed. "Maybe Ronnie Anne is a bit more chill now."
"I really hope you two work things out," Stella said, getting off as well.
"Hey, if you were single, do you think you could date me?" Sid asked.
"Oh yeah, totally," Stella said. "You're probably one of the only girls I would give a chance to."
"Well that's reassuring," Sid said. "If I knew I liked girls back then, then I could have made Lori's plan work, indirectly of course."
"Imagine that, but I don't know if I could have done long distance myself," Stella said. "Let's get going."
During all this, Lori had held her sister meeting, all nine other sisters being present in her room. "Alright, so it's been about two weeks since Stella's moved in. It's obviously a big change since someone new is living in our home, and we haven't had a new member to our house since Lily was born."
"So six years," Luna said.
"Exactly, I want to see how everyone's coping with the change," Lori turned to Leni. "I know you have barely any more experience with Stella than me, but I take it you don't mind her living here? I mean when you graudate college you're going to be living at home again, think you can manage with Stella?"
"Of course, she's really sweet and we've already bonded," Leni said.
"That's good to know," Lori turned to Luna and Luan. "You two are sharing a room with her, I trust things are going well?"
"You know it, Stella's a good friend of ours, and she makes for a great roommate," Luna said.
"She hasn't caused me any trouble either," Luan said. "It's like having another sister with her around."
"You have been on your best behavior with Stella, haven't you?" Lori asked.
"Yeah, I haven't pranked her or anything," Luan said.
"And you've minded your distance," Lori said. "Didn't do anything that would upset Lincoln in certain other ways?"
Luan could tell Lori was talking about the kiss the two had five years prior, it was something she was never gonna live down it seems. "I haven't done anything I shouldn't with Stella, we're just keeping it friendly."
"I hope so," Lori turned to Lynn and Lucy, "What about you two? Has Stella been in your room with Lincoln?"
"Aside from the first night...once or twice," Lynn said. "Of course they wouldn't...you know, do anything wild while Lucy and I were in the room."
"Stella spends a good amount of time with us too, only because Lincoln gets worried," Lucy said. "If they're not in our room, they're both with Luna and Luan."
"Well it makes sense that Lincoln is being attentive to Stella. Now that just leaves Lisa, Lily..." Lori turned to Lana and Lola, "And the twins."
The little mechanic started to feel worried upon receiving Lori's gaze, the oldest Loud girl had something on her mind, and Lana had an idea what.
"I like Stella," Lily said. "She's really nice, I get to play video games with her and Lincoln."
"I too have obtained no objections to Stella residing in our abode," Lisa said. "Plus this way I can monitor her pregnancy."
"You haven't been experimenting on her, have you?" Lori asked.
"Hey cut me a break here, I'm not foolish enough to experiment on a pregnant woman, especially one that's carrying my niece, or nephew, or both," Lisa said.
"Stop saying 'both' will you!" Luna said. "You don't know for sure if it's gonna be twins."
"Stella and Lincoln are nervous enough without you making it seem like it's gonna be more than they expected," Luan said.
"Well harsh as it may sound, they need to be prepared for the possibility," Lisa pointed out. "It may not even be twins! They might have triplets, or quadruplets, or-"
"Lisa, enough!" Lori warned. "Until we know for sure, let's just assume it's only one kid."
"You know what happens when one assumes, don't you?" Lisa sassed.
"You know what happens when one of you back-talks me, don't you!" Lori warned, intimidating Lisa to the point of silence.
"Pfft, one of us back-talking, who does she think she is?" Lynn muttered.
"You say something Lynn?" Lori asked in an almost menacing tone.
"Uh...no?" Lynn said, hoping Lori would believe it.
Lori did not believe it but she also didn't care enough to press the situation, but maybe she'll give her jock sister a reminder about respect later. "That just leaves the twins. Lola, Lana, how have you been handling Stella living here?"
"Oh I just love having her around," Lola said, reminiscing the girl of her brother's heart. "I mean I've always loved having Stella over, she's so kind, sweet, generous, she combs by hair, she helps paint my nails, I just feel like we're getting closer every day. She's such a beautiful girl too, with pretty black hair, sparkly eyes, and a really nice and curvy figure. Linky is so lucky to have a girl like Stella, and I would do anything I could to help her through her pregnancy."
Lori was amazed by just how deep Lola got into this, "Wow...um, that's nice. I'm glad you like Stella."
"Sounds like you have a crush on her or something, like Luan wasn't enough," Lana said.
"Hey!" Luan protested.
"Well Lana, I can't help but notice beauty, and Stella's got beauty," Lola said. "She's a pretty girl, just like me, so we have that connection."
"Seriously, you do seem to fawn over her lately, don't pull a Luan," Lynn said.
"You know I'm right here!" Luan shouted.
"I'm not gonna do anything, I mean a kiss on the cheek now and then isn't a bad thing," Lola said. "I wouldn't make out with her, unlike some sisters."
"Did I turn invisible or does no one give a damn that I'm sitting right here?" Luan asked.
"Luan watch your mouth in front of Lily," Lori warned.
Luan's mouth just gaped in disbelief, "That you hear!?"
"Let's just move on," Lori said, leaving Luan feeling a bit bitter, Luna patting her on the back in reassurance. "Lana, you still haven't answered, what are your feelings about Stella?" Lana hadn't answered, the girl choosing to remain silent. "Lana?" Still no answer. "Hey don't ignore me!"
"I don't have anything to say!" Lana said.
"Oh, really?" Lori asked. "So no comment about the fact that you have someone new living here?"
"I mean Stella already practically lived here before, compared to Bobby, Sam and Benny it feels like Stella's been around here longer than any of them," Lana said.
"Hey Sam comes here a lot," Luna said.
"So does Benny," Luan stated.
"Yeah, but they keep mostly to themselves, or they stay near you," Lana said.
"Not true, Benny's friendly with all of you," Luan said.
"Sam too, she likes being here, she says you're all really nice girls, and she likes being around Lincoln," Luna then muttered. "Too much sometimes."
Luan raised her eyebrow at Luna's comment, but didn't press it, "Stella came over a lot but she didn't 'live' here like you're making it seem like she did."
"And if she's interacting with us, that's not a bad thing," Leni said. "It means she wants to get to know her boyfriend's family."
"Plus it is a bit easier for Stella than it is for Bobby, Sam and Benny," Lisa said.
"How is it easier for Stella?" Lori asked.
"It's simple, since Bobby and Benny are boys, naturally they would be a little more hesitant to hang around the other sisters out of fear of jealousy from their mates," Lisa said. "Lori exhibited this the most, not trusting Bobby around Leni, Luna and sometimes Luan."
"Hey I wasn't that protective!" Lori said.
"You kind of were," Luna said.
"Yeah, you always get nervous every time Bobby gives me a hug," Leni said. "He loves you too much to cheat on you Lori, especially with me. If Bobby did hit on me I would let him have it."
"Same," Luna said. "Thankfully he never did, he's a cool dude and really appreciates you Lori."
"Funny you would say that Luna, you yourself have been protective of Sam," Lisa said. "Given Sam's interest in the same sex as her, it's natural you would feel just as worried as Lori and Luan when it comes to flirtation."
"Bogus, I'm the only sister here who digs chicks," Luna said.
"Hey you yourself once said that maybe another girl here could like other girls," Lynn pointed out. "And Lola's proof that might be the case."
"Just because I think Stella's pretty doesn't mean I'm into other girls," Lola said.
"Still, the fear could be a good deterrent," Lisa said. "Which is why it is easier for Stella to be around the other girls because she is less likely to engage in potential romance with any of us."
"Yet she was the one who ended up kissing Luan," Lana said.
"And there it is, again!" Luan said. "Listen, I messed up but do you all have to constantly bring that up!? Even Benny forgave me and moved on! If my boyfriend who had more right to be mad is forgiving, I would think my own sisters would too!"
"It's not that we don't forgive you, we all do," Lori said. "But the concern is still there, you got curious once and now that Stella's living here, you might get curious again."
"I won't!" Luan insisted. "I mean, I already messed up once, I don't want to do it again! It'll be bad for me, Benny, Stella and Lincoln."
"It would be bad for everyone here, none of us want to see Lincoln and Stella have troubles in their relationship, especially considering that they're about to have a baby," Lori said.
"Or babies," Lisa corrected.
"Can it Lisa!" Lori ordered, then focused back on Luan. "I get that you love Benny and you don't want to be unfaithful to him but just because you like him won't make Stella suddenly unattractive."
"I like to think I have better self restraint Lori, not that you should talk, remember Hugh?" Luan said. "Even while you were dating Bobby you still fawned over him, yet had the nerve to say that Bobby wouldn't dare crush on another girl as long as he was with you!"
"Hey I just found Hugh attractive, I wasn't gonna do anything," Lori insisted.
"We all chased him down the street Lori! Even dad...for some reason," Luan commented, still curious by her father's actions.
"Still, I just thought he was cute, but I wouldn't cheat on Bobby, all these years and we've remained loyal and faithful," Lori said.
"You came close," Luan said.
"Can we drop this, you two are going back and forth, and knowing us, neither one of you would admit defeat," Luna said.
Lori wanted to retort but she knew Luna had a point, the sisters would never admit their faults if they could help it, each of them struggled with their pride. Lily seemed be the only one who was safe from that, mostly at least. Helps that she seems to spend a lot of time with Lincoln, who is less likely to be prideful, or at least hold it for long.
"You know looking back, I don't even remember what I liked about Hugh," Lola said.
"Probably the accent," Luna said, then shook it off. "Ugh, forget that guy, let's move on. Lori, I know Luan messed up but she's not gonna do anything she shouldn't to Stella. She loves Lincoln too much to risk hurting him again."
"Yeah, I'm really happy with Benny, I won't do anything to ruin that," Luan said. "I mean it's been a couple of weeks and nothing's happened. I had chances too, Stella and I have been alone together, but we always kept it friendly."
"That's good, so all in all, we're all happy with Stella living here, right?" Lori asked.
"Except Lana," Lola said, getting a scowl from her sister.
"Get off my back will ya?" Lana said.
"Lana, please tell me that whatever you have against Stella is so minimal you can work it out and get used to it," Lori said. "Stella is going to be living here for who knows how long. It's not like she'll move away once the baby's born, because she's gonna wanna take care of him or her-" Lori quickly shot a glance at Lisa, deterring her from another correction. "And Lincoln's gonna want the mother of his baby around. Until Lincoln and Stella find a home of their own, Stella is going to live here."
"So it might be years before she moves out," Luna said. "Are you gonna be fine with that?"
"Yeah, I guess," Lana reluctantly said.
Lori sighed in annoyance, "Lana, come on. You used to like being around Stella, you were so happy when she and Lincoln got together. What happened?"
"Yeah, why do you hate Stella all of a sudden?" Lola asked.
"Hey I don't hate her!" Lana insisted. "I just think she's a pain, she's too bossy."
"Are you still upset because she doesn't like you playing in the mud or doing anything that would et you dirty?" Lori asked. "It is an annoying habit Lana, you really should outgrow that."
"Hey I thought we established that our 'annoying habits' are part of us that shouldn't change," Lana said. "Plus mom and dad don't care!"
"Well they do but they are more lenient," Lori said. "Look, we'll talk to Stella and see if she can lighten up. But remember, she's only doing this because she cares about you."
"If she cared she'd back off," Lana said.
"That's a really crummy way to put it Lana," Lori said, looking very displeased. "Remember when I didn't like Stella? Or Lynn? How well did that turn out for either of us?"
"She's got a point, my dislike for Stella caused me to be isolated from our sisters," Lynn said.
"It wasn't because you didn't like Stella, it was because you blackmailing pictures of her," Luna reminded.
"Hey to this day I still wonder why I was the only one who got shit when Luan was the one who kissed Stella," Lynn said.
"Lynn!" Lori shouted, annoyed by her sister's language.
"Because I actually apologized, you had to be strong armed into doing so," Luan said.
"Yeah, it took Lincoln being mad at you to make you give in," Luna said.
"Well yeah, he was the only one who bothered sticking by me, plus he's my favorite out of all of you so of course I wouldn't want him mad at me," Lynn said.
"Wha-huh!?" Luna shouted. "You picked a favorite!?"
"Duh, it's been like that for years," Lynn said. "Why do you think I liked calling myself his favorite sister? Because he's my favorite sibling."
"That's totally bogus Lynn!" Luna said.
"Yeah, everyone knows I'm Linky's favorite," Lily said. "I've never been mean to him, not once."
"Neither have I," Lucy said. "I should be his favorite."
"Oh hell no!" Lynn said, Lori giving up on correcting the bad language. "You let him take the fall for the Pretty Princess thing, that's worse than what we did."
"You mean that Pretty Princess thing you all called him terrible names over!" Lucy shouted. "It hurt to see that happen to him because he wanted to protect me from all of you!"
"Hey don't make us seem like we're terrible people!" Lynn said.
"Also how is what I did worse than you actively harassing his girlfriend?" Lucy asked. "Plus don't forget, you caused the ultimate sin for this family."
"I swear to God, if you mention that Bad Luck thing one more fucking time!" Lynn warned.
"Alright that's enough!" Lori shouted, banging her shoe. "Honestly no one here knows how to let go of a grudge, is it that hard to not live in the past!?"
"Sure seems like it," Luna said.
"Let's get something straight here, Lincoln does not have a favorite sister, he has always treated us equally," Lori said. "Sure some of us were easier to get along with but that doesn't mean he would treat any of us differently unless the situation called for it."
"You're just jealous because you're one of the 'mean sisters'," Lynn said.
"First off, so are you!" Lori shouted. "Second that is just some made up thing one of Lincoln's friends came up with!"
"Which one did that again anyway?" Lola asked.
"Rusty I think," Lana said.
"Right, Rusty, thank goodness Lucy lost interest in his dopey little brother," Lola said. "That guy's a pain in the neck, putting labels on us like that."
"I think we lost track of this topic," Lisa said. "This was about Stella."
"We already established that Lana's the only one who hates Stella," Lola said.
"I don't hate her, I just think she's annoying!" Lana said.
"Well, get used to her, like Lori said, she's gonna be around for a long time," Lola said. "And I more than welcome her. In fact I'm gonna go bond with her right now."
"Pretty sure she and Lincoln hanging out with Sid and Ronnie Anne," Lana said. "Which is fine, I can just chill with Adelaide."
"Alright, meeting adjourned," Lori said, banging her heel for emphasis as the sisters made their way out of the room.
Downstairs Stella and Sid had just reunited with Lincoln, the boy explaining what happened with Ronnie Anne.
"She just got mad and left," Lincoln said. "I'm worried about her, she seems to be in a really bad mood."
"I've noticed," Sid said. "I wish I could do something for her, but she seems really bothered by me lately."
"We'll figure something out," Stella reassured. "Ronnie Anne's a nice girl but she can be very stubborn and hard to reason with."
"I'll go check on her myself," Sid said, making her way into the kitchen, just as the sisters had started to come downstairs.
"Hey Stella," Lola said, quickly making her way over to the girl. "Wanna style my hair?
"I would love nothing more than to help you with your pretty hair Lola, but there's something I need to tell Lincoln quickly, it's a bit private," Stella said. "Can you wait a few minutes for me?"
"Of course, I'd do anything for you Stella, because you're my friend and I love you very much," Lola said, hamming it up a bit to annoy Lana.
"Aw, you're so adorable," Stella said, kissing Lola on the forehead. "Just give me a few."
Lola turned to her sisters, a blush on her smug smiling face as she did a thumbs up, before walking off.
"Let's go Lincoln," Stella said, before turning to the sisters. "This won't take long if any of you need me."
"You're good," Luna said.
The two went outside where Stella began to converse with Lincoln, "So how mad exactly did Ronnie Anne seem?"
"It didn't seem like she was totally mad but she was definitely frustrated, asking if I regret anything," Lincoln said. "Even saying that now I'm stuck in this situation."
"Stuck?" Stella asked. "Oh like stuck raising a child. That kind of sounds harsh to say though."
"Yeah it does," Lincoln said. "I mean this wasn't that I had planned but I don't feel stuck, I'm excited to be a parent alongside you."
"Same here," Stella said. "Sid was asking me similar stuff, but she did it out of concern, asking if I was afraid."
"Are you?" Lincoln asked.
"You know I am, that doesn't mean I'm not excited but this is a big change for us," Stella said. "I mean sometimes I wonder if we'll even do a good job raising our baby. I always thought that when I become a mother, it would be after college, after finding a neat job, and definitely after getting married. I'm still wondering if I can even finish High School, like, I want to keep going into school but Principal Rivers did have a point about whether or not I'd be able to."
"You did expect her to say that though," Lincoln said.
"I did, but it still bothered me that she did," Stella said. "I expected some last minute twist like not only can I go, maybe I can even get my own private classroom."
"Your own classroom?" Lincoln asked.
"Not just of me, but all our friends," Stella said. "A more private education for us."
"That's...reaching a bit," Lincoln said. "No way Principal Rivers would have agreed to that."
"Hey she seems like a free spirited thinker who considers things outside the box," Stella said.
"Even so, remember she has Oliver there, likely telling her 'no' to things," Lincoln reminded.
"Yeah you're right," Stella said. "But I do feel some confidence about this, too bad Ronnie Anne and Sid seem more worried than we are."
"I'm really not happy with Ronnie Anne though, she got way too assertive with her questions," Lincoln said.
"She's just worried about you, and me," Stella said. "But we should do something, I mean poor Sid's really heart broken over this."
"Do you have an idea of why Ronnie Anne is so mad at Sid?" Lincoln asked.
Stella knew but she didn't think it would be right to tell Lincoln. Close as they all are, this is something Sid should tell him. "Well it has to do with Sid's crush on her, she's taking it a bit too far."
"How far?" Lincoln asked.
"I...want to tell you but I think it's better if you ask her," Stella said. "She might be able to explain it better."
"Alright, I'll try that," Lincoln said. "Still, there should be a way we can help Sid at least, between worrying about us and this rift she has with Ronnie Anne, I really am worried about her."
"I wish we could help, poor girl is struggling romantically, maybe we can find a new boyfriend or girlfriend for her," Stella said.
"Boyfriend might be easier, seems like the only girls she's paid any mind to are you and Ronnie Anne," Lincoln said.
"I've seen her gawking at your sisters, even Lynn, though she would never admit it since she really doesn't like Lynn," Stella said. "Seems like she really likes Lynn's butt though."
"They'd probably make a great couple, but one, Lynn hasn't shown an interest in girls, and two, it'll be hard getting them to co-exist," Lincoln said. "Who else could she crush on?"
"Aside from you or me, no one," Stella said. "She doesn't like Clyde, Liam, Rusty or Zach that way either."
"We'll keep brainstorming," Lincoln said.
"Eh, worse comes to worse, we can date her for a night," Stella joked.
"Imagine," Lincoln said. "That would be weird."
"...Kind of fun too," Stella said, getting a weird look from Lincoln. "Hey it'd be great for you too, I mean wouldn't you want to do it with two pretty girls at once? You'd be the envy of all the boys."
"That does sound cool," Lincoln said. "Not sure if I want to go through with it."
"Just me being nutty I guess, let's go inside, kind of hungry," Stella said, Lincoln following her to ensure she eats properly and grab some food himself.
As the two went inside, they overheard Lynn Sr. and Rita talking with Lori and company about where they would be staying.
"You really don't need a hotel sweetie, you can stay with us," Lynn Sr. said.
"Maybe if it were just me and Bobby, but we have Carlota, Ronnie Anne, Sid and Adelaide with us too, that might be too much," Lori said.
"Hey the entire Casagrande family has stayed here before, it's nothing new," Lynn Sr. said. "We can make room for the six of you."
"What do you think Bobby?" Lori asked.
"We already booked the hotel babe, I think I can get our week cancelled but it's gonna take a while," Bobby said.
"How about just this weekend we stay at the Hotel, until we get this sorted out," Lori said.
"Aw, I was hoping I could stay and hang out with Lana," Adelaide said.
"You can, we just have to work this out," Lori said.
"Maybe she can stay," Stella interjected. "If you don't mind me suggesting, Adelaide can stay over while Lori and Bobby figure out the hotel situation. It would make Lana happy if she had her friend over, Lola too. I mean it's not like all of you have to stay in the hotel room."
"Yeah, good point," Lori said.
"Aw, what a simple yet sweet solution," Lola said. "She really does care about us, doesn't she Lana?"
"I guess," Lana replied.
"So, do you want Adelaide to stay or not?" Lori asked, her voice sounding a bit stern.
Lana nodded her head, "Of course, she's my best friend."
"Then you should be grateful that she brought this idea up," Lori said.
"I could have thought of this though," Lana muttered.
"Did you say something?" Lori asked, getting a bit annoyed.
Lana shook her head, "No."
"Good, now say 'thank you' to Stella for suggesting this idea," Lori said.
"She doesn't have to, I'm just trying to be friendly," Stella insisted.
"She doesn't have to, but she should, right Lana?" Lori said.
Lana reluctantly nodded, "Th-thanks Stella."
"It's really no big deal, I just want you to be happy Lana," Stella said.
"Which is more than what she deserves," Lola said.
"Hey, take it easy," Adelaide scolded. "Come on, let's focus on having fun, all three of us."
"You two can have fun, Stella said she would style my hair," Lola said.
"I did say that," Stella said. "And I would be more than happy to do so."
"Alright, so Adelaide's gonna stay here, should let my parents know just in case they ask," Sid said, bringing out her phone.
"Hey Sid, do you want to stay as well?" Lincoln asked, surprising the girl.
"Oh, really?" Sid asked. "I'd like that, if your parents don't mind."
"Of course not, Ronnie Anne could stay too," Lynn Sr. said.
"I think I'll stick by my brother for now, he might need help talking to the hotel guys," Ronnie Anne said. "He needs his brain by his side."
"Hey!" Bobby shouted. "What's that suppose to mean?"
"Oh nothing..." Ronnie Anne somewhat innocently said. "Don't worry about it."
Bobby groaned in frustration, he really does not like this new attitude Ronnie Anne's developing, he needs to figure out what's up with his sister and get her back to normal. He just hopes this isn't her teenage hormones amping up some rebellious phase.
"Alright, so both Chang sisters are staying here for the night," Lincoln said. "We just gotta think of a place for them to stay."
"Adelaide can bunk with me and Lana," Lola said. "Not sure about Sid, maybe she can stay with Linky, Lucy and Lynn."
"I was thinking more that me, Stella and Sid can share a room for the night, the two of us want to catch her up on some things," Lincoln said.
"You can have my room," Leni said. "I can bunk with Luna and Luan for the night, if they dont mind."
"Of course we don't," Luna said.
"Alright, then it's settled," Stella said. "Just us tonight, and if Ronnie Anne wants, she can come by the rest of the week."
"Alright, your arrangements can work for now, of course if Lori does stay then we'll have to make a few changes," Lynn Sr. said. "But for now I think we're all good."
"Perfect," Lola said, taking Stella by the hand. "Now it's hair style time."
"I'll see you both later then," Stella said, walking off with Lola.
Sid leaned in to whisper to Lincoln, "Hey what did you need to catch me up on anyway?"
"I'll explain later," Lincoln said. "Wanna play some Super Mega Turbo Brawler?"
"Oh heck yeah!" Sid said. "I got some new moves to show off!"
The two quickly made their way to the couch where Lincoln powered up the game, the two immediately getting into it.
"So Lori, any more thoughts about buying a house down here?" Rita asked.
"Yeah, I was hoping to use this time to shop for houses," Lori said. "Maybe something close by."
"What about the store Bobby's family owns?" Rita asked.
"I can live without it, if anything Carl, CJ or Carlitos can take over," Bobby said. "I'd add Carlota but like she said before, she wants to bunk with us."
"You know you need me primo, Lori's gonna have her hands full when it comes to taking care of you," Carlota sassed.
"Ugh, why does everyone think I'm clueless?" Bobby asked.
"You're not alone," Leni said, pouring a drink into a measuring cup. Of course that garnered her some stares, much to her confusion. "What?"
"Leni that's a measuring cup," Lisa said.
"Oh, is that what the little numbers are for?" Leni asked.
Lynn Jr. shook her head in shame, "How are you even getting through college?"
Later on, Bobby, Lori, Carlota and Ronnie Anne had gone to the hotel, leaving the Chang sisters home with The Louds. Stella had joined in on the fighting game, really taking it to Sid.
"You're a lot tougher than I thought," Stella said, struggling to win.
"I play to win," Sid said, getting the final KO. "Yes! Another score for Sid!"
"Wow, you're really good," Lincoln said.
"So are you, really pushed me to my limit," Sid said, placing the controller down. "That was fun, got any other plans for tonight?"
"Well, sort of," Lincoln said. "Why don't we head upstairs, I'll grab some comics and some snacks."
"Ooh, the next best part of a sleeover, snacks!" Sid said, hopping off the couch and heading upstairs. "Which room was it again?"
"Turn left at the top of the stairs, and it's the first door to the left of the bathroom!" Lincoln called. He turned to his girlfriend, "Anything you want in particular?"
"Surprise me," Stella said, going upstairs. "See you in a bit."
Lincoln made his way to the kitchen to grab the snacks, then his room to grab the comics before joining the two girls in the shared bedroom where Stella was laying against a pillow and Sid was laying stomach first on the bed.
Lincoln placed everything on a nightstand beside the two and laid next to his girlfriend as he presented her with a macaroni bite.
"Aw, thanks, I know how much you like these," Stella said.
"I like you a lot more," Lincoln said, kissing Stella on the cheek.
"That's adorable," Sid said. "You're so lucky you have each other, you're easily my favorite couple. Oh don't tell Ronnie Anne I said that, because I said the same thing about her grandparents."
"You can say we're your favorite Royal Woods couple," Stella said.
"Yeah, you can have more than one favorite," Lincoln said. "You're one of my favorite girls after all."
"Aw, thanks, you're probably my favorite guy," Sid said. "So, you got the comics right?"
"Pull up beside is," Lincoln said, inching over with Stella so Sid could be on his right, the girl quickly making herself comfortable beside her friend.
"This one's a classic, Ace Savvy has to team with one of his enemies to fight a greater evil," Lincoln said.
"That's such a cool trope, really raises tension," Sid said, resting beside Lincoln.
"Here we go, the start of the adventure," Lincoln said as he began reading the comic out loud, both girls enamored with the action and just happy to be close to Lincoln.
Sid in particular felt a warmth to this situation, something about Lincoln made her feel secure, she felt a sense of reassurance just being close to the boy. He really would have made a great boyfriend, too bad she never realized it sooner. She would have made long distance work if she could.
At points she would not even be paying mind to the comic, she'd just be too enamored with Lincoln's presence, a desire to want to be close to him, so she'd cuddle up closer, somewhat pretending that Lincoln was currently her own boyfriend.
Stella also felt her sense of reassurance with Lincoln, cuddling against the father to her baby as she too was more enamored with the boy rather than the comic, not that she didn't appreciate Ace Savvy, but to her, Lincoln was much cooler than the superhero he admired.
By the end of the comic, Lincoln carefully placed his possesion aside, feeling satisfied with the story, "Ace is so cool, I wish he was real, that'd be so awesome."
"Maybe in an alternate reality," Stella said, feeling a yawn coming about. "I'm kind of sleepy."
"You're sleepy after that awesome comic? I'm kind of pumped up," Lincoln said, then turned to the other girl beside him. "What about you Sid?"
To his surprsie, Sid seemed to be comfortably sleeping next to Lincoln, the girl quite snug against the boy she was beside.
"Aw, she looks so cute," Stella said, gently stroking Sid's hair.
"It is cute, but should we wake her up so she can be on her own bed?" Lincoln asked.
"Let's not, I think we can let her sleep with us for tonight," Stella said. "As long as you're alright with it."
"I'm totally fine with the idea," Lincoln said, bringing Sid closer, as he did with Stella. "Good to have two girls I care about close to me."
"We can always be closer," Stella teased.
"That's not necessary," Lincoln nervously insisted. "Besides, it'd be hard to take care of two pregnant girls."
"Can't argue that," Stella said, laying her head down. "Well, you can stay up, but I'm going to bed, sweet dreams Linky."
"Sweet dreams," Lincoln said, carefully reaching to grab another comic. "I could read these all night."
About a half-hour later, Lincoln had fallen asleep as well, the boy got too comfotable. As he slept, Sid had woken up, seeing that she was in Lincoln's embrace. She felt a massive blush reach her face, to be this close to the only boy she's crushing on is really something. She remembered their short but passionate make out session a couple of years prior, or at least, it was passionate to her. She really did enjoy that feeling, and yearned for it again.
Carefully leaning in, Sid had took Lincoln in a kiss, one she knew was wrong but her heart yearned for the affection. She felt Lincoln kissing back, but she figured he was dreaming of Stella, not that she would blame him, that is his girlfriend after all.
Speaking of Stella, she looked just as adorable sleeping beside Lincoln. In what Sid deemed the interest of fairness, and because she had quite the affection for the taller girl, Sid leaned in and locked her in a kiss as well. Once again she felt the kiss returned, likely dreaming of Lincoln.
Feeling satisfied, Sid went to sleep, unaware that Stella had peeked her eye open, the girl now having a few ideas running through her head.
Meanwhile Ronnie Anne remained awake in her room, unaware of what her friends had just done, thinking over the day prior. Truthfully she felt some remorse, knowing she may have upset Lincoln, the one person she really didn't want to upset. On top of that, she really did start to miss Sid's company, and her grouchiness wasn't helping much.
"I'll talk this over with them tomorrow," Ronnie Anne said, going to sleep herself, hoping to make things right soon.