The following morning, Lincoln had woken up from his peaceful slumber, feeling well rested from the previous night.
The first thing on his mind was the first thing he had every morning for the last few months, checking up on his pregnant girlfriend. One could call him overprotective and quick to worry, but to Lincoln, he just cared to see how she was doing given that she's carrying his child.
He stepped out the room, no line for the bathroom but that wasn't his concern, yet. He cautiously approached the room where Stella was sleeping, hoping not to disturb any of the sisters that might be sleeping in. As he neared the door, he gave it a light knock.
Within seconds, the door was opened by Luan, the comedian looking like she had recently got out of bed, "Hey Lincoln, here to see Stella?"
"Yeah, is she awake?" Lincoln asked.
"Not yet, she's still asleep," Luan said. "She felt pretty sick yesterday, she got out of bed a couple of times last night because she had to throw up."
"She did eat a lot of food, I guess our daughter didn't like most of it," Lincoln theorized.
"I mean it's not exactly high quality food, so I'm not surprised," Luan said. "She just needs some of dad's home cooking and she'll feel better again."
"Or better yet, some of my home cooking," Lincoln said. "Time to cook for my girlfriend."
"Oh she'd love that, plus you're a great cook, not on dad's level but you're at least a C+, maybe a B," Luan said.
"Gee, thanks for the confidence boost," Lincoln sarcastically remarked.
"It was an honest complimented, can't you 'B' satisfied? I don't 'C' why you can't," Luan said.
"Wow, that's pretty terrible," Lincoln joked.
"While I cook up some puns, why don't you cook up some buns, it'll be fine as long as your food doesn't give us the runs," Luan quipped.
"I'm not cooking for you or the sisters, just Stella," Lincoln pointed out. "None of you are pregnant after all."
"Wow, that's hurtful," Luan sarcastically mused.
"Well sorry but Stella's my priority, a man takes care of his woman," Lincoln said. "Now I have some pancakes to make, with a side of eggs."
"That should 'butter' Stella up," Luan joked. "Better get 'cracking', cooking is no 'yolk', even if dad makes it look 'over-easy'."
Lincoln groaned in annoyance, "I'm leaving."
As he left, Luan continued her puns, much to his annoyance, "Guess you should 'scramble', I'll just stay and keep my 'Funny-Side up'!"
It was around that moment when Lynn came out of the bathroom, having heard most of her puns, "Your jokes are torture sometimes."
"Hey it's the second crappiest thing you endured this morning," Luan said.
Lynn almost looked disgusted, "Even for me that's too gross. I thought you had some standards."
"Oh I 'flushed' those away," Luan said. "Hope you're not 'pissed' by that choice."
"I'm leaving," Lynn said, walking downstairs.
"Act any crappier and we'd have to flush you too," Luan joked, then turned around to see that Stella was awake, and very confused. "Morning gorgeous."
"Uh, morning Luan, you're feeling punny this morning," Stella said. "Well I guess you do every morning."
"What can I say? I'm always feeling pun-tastic, so pun-derful, so-" Luan's witty comments had been interrupted by Stella.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Stella said, uncharacteristically annoyed by the puns while trying to crawl out of bed. "Ugh, my stomach, it feels so empty."
"Don't worry, there's going to be a nice little surprise for you in the kitchen in a bit," Luan said.
"A surprise?" Stella asked, before getting suspicious. "Wait what type of surprise?"
"Don't worry, you'll like it," Luan said. "It should help with that empty feeling you have inside you. Pretty funny since you look kind of full right about now."
Stella looked to her bulge, "Hey I'm not that pregnant yet, I'm only four months in. At least I can somewhat fit into my pants."
"Hey remember, it's nothing to be ashamed of, not like you're getting fat, you're just carrying life, one of the greatest privileges a woman can have," Luan said. "In five months you'll have a baby in your arms."
"Yeah, the one thing I'm looking forward to," Stella said, imagining what it'd be like. "I just hope things work out well, especially with school."
"You're still going back?" Luan asked.
"Well yeah, I have to, I promised my mom I would complete my education," Stella said.
"You can do home schooling though, Lola does it sometimes," Luan said.
"Lincoln made it sound tough though, so did Lynn," Stella said.
"It's not that bad, just don't procrastinate like we did," Luan said. "Lola can help you, and you know how much she admires you."
"I guess, maybe I can talk to mom about it, by that I mean your mom," Stella said. "It is something I should figure out soon after all, by the time I got back I'll be about six months in and I'm definitely going to show. I just hope I don't vomit too much."
"Just stay away from that amusement park food," Luan suggested. "And maybe pack some lunches, the food at the High School cafeteria has never really been gourmet."
"Not wrong there," Stella said, feeling a grumble in her stomach. "I should head downstairs, I hope there's going to be enough food for me."
"Like I said, there's a surprise, and Lincoln will do his best to make sure you get that surprise," Luan said.
Stella made her way past her friend, "You coming too?"
"Actually I might shower since it's open," Luan said. "See you in a bit."
Meanwhile, waking up from her own slumber was Lola, the pageant princess rising from bed, stretching out any sleep she still had in her. "What another lovely summer morning."
"Hey Lola," Adelaide greeted. Lola turned to see Adelaide sitting on Lana's bed, the guest rubbing the head of the other twin.
"Morning Adelaide, how long have you been up?" Lola asked.
"Few minutes, just passing the time," Adelaide said, looking down to Lana. "Is it me or is she cute when she's asleep?"
"It's you, there's nothing cute about Lana," Lola said.
Adelaide rolled her eyes, of course Lola would say that, "Well I think she's cute."
"Well to each their own, so what are you and Lana planning for today?" Lola asked. "Frog catching? Animal safari? Joy riding? If it's the latter, remember my rule."
"We won't use your car again," Adelaide said. "I really didn't know she took it without permission."
"In this house, if you don't keep an eye on your stuff, it can go missing because many of our sisters, and brother, have some pretty sticky fingers, especially when it comes to food," Lola said.
"Well I have something planned for today, but it sure won't be fun," Adelaide said, looking worried. "I just hope Lana won't be too mad after today?"
"Mad? About what?" Lola asked.
Adelaide quickly got off the bed, even with Lana asleep she did not want to risk saying this too close to the girl, on the off chance she randomly woke up. "It's about Skippy."
"Skippy? What about him?" Lola asked.
"You know how Skippy hasn't been here in like a month?" Adelaide asked.
"Yeah why?" Lola asked. "Wait, did you have anything to do with that?"
"No, but I do know why he hasn't come back, and it's not vacation," Adelaide said.
"Well? What's the reason then?" Lola asked. "Don't keep me in suspense here."
"Promise not to tell anyone?" Adelaide asked. "I mean, I am going to tell Lana soon but I'd rather she hear it from me, or the only other girl that knows."
"You know you can trust me Adelaide," Lola said. "You're one of the very few I completely adore, and I won't tattle on you."
"Alright, the reason he hasn't come back..." Adelaide cringed a bit, almost ashamed of having to reveal this secret. "Is because of Stella. She told him not to come back."
"Stella!?" Lola shouted, before being promptly shushed by Adelaide. Lana started to stir, causing Adelaide to freeze up in worry.
Fortunately Lana did not wake up, rather she just mumbled a bit in her sleep, "Five more minutes..."
"Phew," Adelaide was worried she'd have to explain things sooner than she would have liked to. "Please be careful Lola."
"Sorry, but what do you mean Stella told him to leave?" Lola asked. "Why would she do that? I mean I know she doesn't like Skippy but that seems like too much."
"Well, it's because..." Adelaide felt embarrassed to admit this part, "She caught him peeping."
"Peeping? On who?" Lola asked, before feeling worried. "It wasn't me right?"
"No, he was peeping at me and Lana," Adelaide said. "Remember the day me, Sid and Ronnie Anne came over, the first day we started sleeping at this house?"
"Yeah, you got all greasy and had to bathe almost immediately after coming inside," Lola said.
"Well I did, with Lana, we bathed together, like friends do, sometimes," Adelaide said.
"I occasionally bathe with Stella, I completely get it," Lola said. "Go on."
"Well while we were getting undressed, Skippy was peeping at us, but Stella caught him and yelled at him for it," Adelaide said. "I know because I heard someone right after Lana and I completely undressed. That's when I saw Stella telling Skippy never to come back. Lana didn't hear because she wasn't really paying attention and was too focused on the bath. It was really awkward, I think he saw us naked."
"Wow, so he actually peeped at you?" Lola asked in mild disgust. "I thought boys didn't get that curious until High School."
"I guess Skippy is an early bloomer in that regard," Adelaide said.
"Well if he did do that, I don't blame Stella for getting mad, if anything he should be happy none of my other sisters caught him," Lola said. "More than that, he should be happy Lincoln didn't catch him, he's quite protective after all."
"I think the only thing worse would be Ronnie Anne or Sid catching him, they're more likely to get violent," Adelaide said.
"Have you seen my sisters? They would definitely get violent," Lola said. "Even Lincoln would, he's a nice guy but mess with his sisters and he'll rain justice down on you."
"Makes sense, it's weird to imagine Lincoln getting violent though," Adelaide said.
"Uh, Adelaide, you've seen him get into fights with our sisters," Lola said. "Just last week he and Luan were fighting over a piece of pie, which Leni took from right under their noses."
"Makes sense, I mean it's more sibling squabble but it does show that Lincoln is willing to be aggressive," Adelaide said. "Anyway me and Stella were planning on telling Lana, but we're worried she'll get upset. What do you think we should do? Should we even tell her?"
"Well Lana should know the reason her boyfriend hasn't come back, if you don't tell her she's gonna think he ditched her and it'll make her feel like garbage, and not in the way she likes," Lola explained.
"Alright, so how do we tell her without her getting upset?" Adelaide asked.
"Oh you can't," Lola said. "Lana's gonna be mad, that's unavoidable."
"Huh? Isn't there a way to soften the blow for her?" Adelaide asked. "I mean, what if she starts hating Stella again?"
"That's something Stella is going to have to deal with, and honestly it's not just her she's gonna be mad at, she might be mad at you for not telling her sooner," Lola said.
"Me?" Adelaide turned back to Lana, the girl still asleep. "I can't handle that though."
"Oh it's not so bad, she gets mad at me a lot, so I know how it works," Lola said. "She gets mad, she throws a fit, she moves on. Even if Lana gets mad at you it won't be so bad, you know how much she likes you, you're her best friend, and as her best friend, you really should tell her the truth about Skippy."
"Alright, I'll stick with it," Adelaide said. "So, do you think Stella did the right thing?"
"She probably should have ran that by the rest of us, but she only reacted out of love, and I can respect that," Lola said. "And if Lana has any self respect, she'll understand why Stella did what she did."
"Well I perfectly understand," Adelaide said. "If Skippy were my boyfriend, I'd probably be upset if he peeked at me, I'm already upset he did that and I'm not even his girlfriend."
"That actually makes it worse, if you're gonna tell Lana, be sure to mention that, might get you some understanding and sympathy," Lola said.
"Right, sure thing," Adelaide said, then heard Lana's mumbling a bit. She turned to see that the girl was waking up, almost perfect timing. "Hey Lana!"
Lana turned to her friend, "Sup Adelaide, sleep well?"
"I always sleep well when I'm with my best friend," Adelaide said, making her way over to the young plumber.
"Same here, at least you don't complain about my snoring," Lana said.
"You sound like a truck!" Lola said.
"I'm from the city, something like that sounds totally natural," Adelaide said.
Lana pulled herself off of the bed, "Well time to start the day. But first I gotta hit the bathroom before the dam bursts."
"We don't need to know what you're doing," Lola said.
"Hey I used a metaphor," Lana said.
"That's not how...oh forget it, just go pee," Lola said.
"Bossy," Lana said, leaving the room.
It took a moment for Lola to remember something, "Hey wait, I woke up first, I should get...ah forget it, it's too early to fight over that."
"She probably won't take long," Adelaide said. "Anyway I should head downstairs and see if there's anything to eat."
"I should do that too, at least beat Lana to the food," Lola said. "Assuming Lynn isn't already downstairs and hogging it herself."
Sometime after breakfast, Stella and Lincoln were seen sitting together on a couch, the girl in question happily rubbing her stomach.
"Thanks for the breakfast Lincoln," Stella said. "Really hit the spot, and I think our daughter likes it too."
"Well as a dad, I should be able to cook for my kids," Lincoln said, rubbing Stella's belly. "Just like my dad does for us."
"Well at least we have cooking down, just a bunch of other paternal traits to go," Stella said. "I mean what else should a parent be able to do?"
"Let's see, in addition to feeding, we need clothes," Lincoln said. "Leni's actually knitting some socks and a hat for us, and she'd be happy to make more once the baby's born."
"Knowing the gender makes the style much easier," Stella said.
"Then there's changing diapers," Lincoln said.
"Good thing I had practice when Lily was a baby," Stella said. "I just hope our baby isn't as messy."
"It'll happen, best to brace ourselves," Lincoln said. "I guess next is toys, I might pass down some of my Ace Savvy toys."
"You mean the action figures? I think she'll need something softer," Stella said. "Like the teddy bear Lily won for us yesterday."
"Oh yeah, that was really nice of her," Lincoln said. "If I hadn't given Bun-Bun to Lily, I would gladly give it to our baby."
"That's probably why she wanted to win the prize for you," Stella said. "You gave her something, and now she wanted to give you something. Anyway I think we're good for now, there's going to be a lot we need to provide for our baby, but that won't come til she's a bit older. I mean we gotta teach her to read, teach her to tie her shoes, get her potty trained, get her in school, then her toys and stuff, getting her a bike, teaching her to drive, prepping her for college, making sure she finds the right-"
"Uh Stella, getting way too carried away," Lincoln said. "Our baby's not even born yet, teaching her to drive is way too far away."
"Sorry, I guess I think too far ahead sometimes," Stella said. "Better live in the now, I don't want our baby growing up too fast."
"Especially since she's not even born yet," Lincoln said. "Hey, I don't know if it's too early to ask but, you think we'll have more kids?"
"Now who's thinking too far ahead?" Stella joked.
"Yeah, but I am serious about that, one of my favorite things in life is knowing I have ten sisters to spend my time with, even if we drive each other mad sometimes," Lincoln said. "I kind of want our baby to have that same thrill."
"Well it'll be quite some time before our little girl has siblings of her own, but yeah, I wouldn't mind having more kids once we're older," Stella said.
"Also, about what Clyde said yesterday, about tying the knot," Lincoln said, blushing a bit. "You think that we might be able to do that one day?"
"I mean, we're already having a baby together, I think our future is secure in that regard," Stella said. "Don't worry about marriage, I just need you to be my boyfriend and the father of our baby."
"That I can handle," Lincoln said.
"Ever the reliable one," Stella said, then leaned in to kiss Lincoln. "I love you."
"Love you too Stella," Lincoln said, locking up in another kiss.
Moments later there was a knock on the door, which Lynn answered, "Where were you two all night?"
"Doing stuff," Ronnie Anne said.
"You mean, doing each other?" Lynn teased.
"Is that any of your business?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Yeah Lynn, is it?" Sid backed up.
Lynn rolled her eyes, "Fine, not like I give a fuck what you do anyway."
As Lynn walked off, Ronnie Anne and Sid made their way inside, immediately spotting Lincoln and Stella on the couch.
"There's our favorite couple," Ronnie Anne said, making her way to the duo with Sid.
"Oh hi Ronnie Anne, hi Sid, how was your night?" Lincoln asked.
"Pretty freaking amazing," Ronnie Anne said. "Easily the best night of my life."
"Same here," Sid said. "The two of us finally made our love for each other official."
"That's so sweet, nothing like an intimate bond between lovers," Stella said.
"Yeah, we'll spare you the details but it rocked," Ronnie Anne said. "The privacy made that much better."
"If you two get curious again, you have the attic or basement at your disposal," Lincoln said.
"We'll consider it," Ronnie Anne said.
"So how was Adelaide? No trouble I'm guessing?" Sid asked.
"Yeah, no trouble, she spent most of her time with Lana and Lola anyway," Lincoln said.
"Of course, she loves being with the twins," Sid said. "They've become her two favorite people."
"She acts like a great moral compass for them too," Stella said. "When she's not making trouble herself."
"Which is more often than not," Sid joked.
"Hey, I heard that!" Adelaide said, making her way over with the twins.
"Oh hey sis," Sid said.
"Hi girls, looks like you're all ready for the day," Stella said.
"You know it Stella, why later I'm meeting Roxanne for some ribbon twirling practice," Lola said. "You're welcome to come and join us."
"You know I would love to spend time with you, but I have something that needs to get done today," Stella said, glancing toward Adelaide.
Lola of course knew what Stella meant, "Understandable." She turned her attention to Lana, "Looks like you got Adelaide to yourself today, lucky you."
"What did you want her to go with you?" Lana asked. "She can if you want, I don't mind."
"No Lana, there's something I want to do with you, a little later though, I have something to say to Stella first," Adelaide said.
"Alright, I'll be outside creating a mud puddle then, maybe we can play a slip and slide game," Lana said.
"Sure, just don't start without me," Adelaide said.
"You can count on me," Lana said.
As she left, Adelaide called out to her, "Oh, one more thing."
"What is it?" Lana asked.
"I..." Adelaide felt a bit embarrassed to say this so abruptly, especially in the presence of others, but she needed to soften the blow for later. "I'm happy we're friends, and that we get to spend so much time together, you made this summer so fun, and I hope we can continue to have fun until I have to go back home."
"Uh...alright," Lana said, confused as to where this was coming from. "I'm happy we're friends too."
"A friend like Adelaide doesn't come along very often," Lola said, about to make her way out the room. "Make sure you don't forget that Lana."
This was confusing for the mud loving girl, "Is something happening?"
"It's just that..." Adelaide had to think of a cover. "I just had a bad dream that we weren't friends, so I felt like I needed to say something."
"Oh, is that all?" Lana asked. "You have nothing to worry about Adelaide, we're buddies, don't let that dream worry you."
"Oh good..." Adelaide said, then quickly moved in for a hug. "That's a relief."
Lana returned the hug, hoping to soothe the girl, "Hey I'll spend as much time with you as you want, keep that dream away. Remember what I told you yesterday, we'll always be friends."
Stella, Lincoln and Sid looked on with watery eyes, this was way too cute for their hearts to handle. Ronnie Anne also found this adorable, but was quick to snap out of it, "Wow, this got pretty emotional huh?"
Lana pulled away and made her way to the backyard, "See you in a bit."
"Yeah, see you," Adelaide said, then quickly turned to Stella. "So can we talk in private?"
"Sure," Stella said, getting off the couch and following Adelaide to the front yard.
"Well while they're doing that, I should call my brother, let him know I got here," Ronnie Anne said.
"Does he know about you and Sid not being here last night?" Lincoln asked.
"I had to tell your parents and they had to ask Bobby, who needed permission from my mom, so yeah he knows, not the details but he might figure that out," Ronnie Anne said. "I just wish I could see the look in his eyes when he realizes what his baby sister did."
"Alright, while she brags about her sex life, I gotta go and get my stuff, don't want to keep Roxanne waiting too long," Lola said, making her way upstairs.
"It's weird hearing my little sister talk about sex, even if it's someone else's," Lincoln said.
"Speaking of that," Sid looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. When she was pretty sure no one was around, she moved close to Lincoln, speaking in a hushed tone. "I kind of want to tell Ronnie Anne about that one night, you know, when I shared a bed with you and Stella."
"Oh, that..." Lincoln was not happy once he started remembering certain details. "I'm still kind of annoyed about that honestly."
"I'm really sorry about that, guess we let things get out of control that night," Sid said. "I should not have started it by kissing you, and Stella."
"It's in the past," Lincoln said. "But if you want to tell Ronnie Anne, that's fine, a good way to get it off your chest."
"Hopefully Stella won't mind me telling her," Sid said. "Though I am curious as to what my sister needed to tell her."
"Me too, wonder if it had to do with the way she was sweet talking Lana," Lincoln said.
"You don't think she really does have a crush on her, do you?" Sid asked.
Lincoln shrugged it off, "I don't know if I can see it, they're close but Adelaide has always seen Lana as her friend. I mean maybe I'm missing something, but Lana has a boyfriend, sort of."
"Yeah that boy never came back," Sid said. "So weird."
"Lana says he's on vacation," Lincoln said.
"I think Adelaide told me that as well, but she also didn't seem to want to talk too much about him," Sid said. "Something's going on for sure."
"I guess I can ask Lana about it later, if she wants to tell me that is," Lincoln said. "We'll ask her later then."
Off at the front of the house, Adelaide was trying to work out the plan with Stella on how to tell Lana what had happened.
"So I ran this by Lola, and she did warn us that Lana might be pretty mad," Adelaide said.
"I figured, I did tell her boyfriend not to come back and she spent a month thinking they were still a couple," Stella said. "I should have said something then but I just on her good side and I did not want to blow it."
"Are you willing to risk getting back on her bad side though? I mean maybe this isn't such a good idea," Adelaide said.
"Uh, Adelaide, this was your idea," Stella pointed out.
"Well, I can change my mind can't I!?" Adelaide pointed out. "I'm looking out for both of us here."
"Adelaide, we probably should tell her, she's gonna find out eventually," Stella said.
"Yeah, you're right, I should stick to my plans," Adelaide said. "I just hope her anger really does pass by."
"Lana cares a lot about you, and no one can really stay mad at a friend, even Lincoln and I forgave Rusty for the trouble he caused," Stella said. "That and he along with the sisters forgave me for kissing Luan, and I forgave him for kissing your sister."
"Well Sid kissed him, I just can't believe I didn't even notice, I was right there too," Adelaide said.
"I still forgave them both, by this point I think we've all formed a close enough bond that we can get through anything," Stella said.
"You really think so?" Adelaide asked.
"I know so," Stella said. "Now come on, we have a secret to tell Lana."
The two went inside, Ronnie Anne having just gotten off the phone with Bobby. "Well that's taken care of." She turned her attention to Stella and Adelaide. "Hey girls, finished up outside?"
"Yeah, I'm ready to do something that's probably going to be very awkward," Adelaide said.
"Awkward how?" Sid asked, making her way over.
"Tell you later, if things don't go bad," Adelaide said.
"Uh, right, speaking of which,." Sid turned to Stella. "Come with me a quick second please."
"Me? Uh, alright," Stella said, following Sid to the corner of a den.
"Everyone's being all secretive today, what's up with that?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"It won't be secretive for long," Lincoln reassured. "We're just trying to set the ground work for some stuff."
"Uh, alright?" Ronnie Anne said. "Well whatever works for you I guess."
With Sid, she was giving a quick rundown to Stella, "So I want to tell Ronnie about the three way because as your friend, Lincoln's friend and my girlfriend, she deserves to know and I'd rather she not find out another way."
"What other way? No one else knows," Stella said.
"There's always a way, anyway I don't want to hide this from her, so would it be cool if we tell her?" Sid asked.
"I guess so, if you want," Stella said. "Right now I'm helping your sister out with a secret she has for Lana, so you might need to do this without me, I don't think I can handle having to reveal two big secrets."
"You're the best Stella," Sid said, hugging her briefly. "Wait, what secret does Adelaide have?"
"Ask her later," Stella said. "Let's just get this over with."
The two girls came back, Sid being the first to talk, "Hey Ronnie Anne, can you, me and Lincoln head upstairs?"
"Uh, sure, I guess," Ronnie Anne said. "What for though?"
"You'll find out when we get there," Sid said, gesturing upstairs. "Let's hurry."
Ronnie Anne curiously followed her best friend and girlfriend up the stairs, curious as to what the two had to say.
"Alright, Adelaide, let's go meet Lana outside," Stella said.
"You got it," Adelaide said, following after Stella to the backyard, just as Lola made her way downstairs.
"I wish I could be around for this, but I trust that things will go well," Lola said as she left.
"We'll be fine," Lincoln insisted, bringing both girls into his old room where Sid got ready to confess some stuff to Ronnie Anne.
Outside, Stella and Adelaide were preparing to tell Lana a secret of their own, the young plumber girl getting curious.
"So, what's this all about?" Lana asked.
"Lana, we kind of have a secret to tell you," Adelaide said, feeling very nervous.
"A secret? What type of secret?" Lana asked.
"It's...not easy to say really," Adelaide said. "It's pretty big."
"Big? How big?" Lana asked. "Is it about someone else? One of my sisters?"
"It's about a Loud sister for sure," Stella said.
"Oooh! Tell me!" Lana said, moving in close. "I wanna know!"
"Just try not to overreact when you hear this," Adelaide pleaded.
"Don't worry, I'll keep it mellow, and I won't tell anyone either, so you don't need to worry about that," Lana insisted.
"It's not you telling anyone we're worried about," Stella said.
"It's more you not being unhappy when you hear this," Adelaide said.
"Why would I be unhappy?" Lana asked. "Wait, is it about Lola? Did she do something? Did she break one of my things!? What about my pets!? Are they alright!?"
"They're fine, if it was about your pets I would be very straight with you, I don't mess around when it comes to animals," Adelaide said. "Especially the reptiles."
"That's why you're my bestie," Lana said, holding her fist out. "Animals pals forever."
"Right, I'm holding you to that," Lana said, doing a light fist bump.
"Alright, so whatever it is, just tell me," Lana said. "I'll do my best to-"
"It's about the real reason Skippy won't come by!" Adelaide blurted out, almost too fast for anyone to comprehend.
"Uh, what was that about Skippy?" Lana asked.
Adelaide took a quick breath before resuming, "There's a reason Skippy hasn't been by this past month."
"I already know the reason why, he's on vacation," Lana said. "You already knew that though."
"That's actually a cover up for the real reason," Adelaide said.
"What are you talking about?" Lana asked, pulling out her phone. "He is on vacation, he sent me pictures during the first week."
As Lana showed them off, Stella looked a bit annoyed, "Wait, he's still contacting you after I told him not to!?"
That definitely caught Lana's attention, the plumber girl placing her phone down as she looked directly at Stella, "Uh, mind repeating that?"
"Yeah...I may have told Skippy not to contact you," Stella sheepishly said. "I also may have told him not to come back here ever again."
"Stella, is this some type of joke?" Lana asked.
"She's not, she really did tell him not to come back, I overheard her," Adelaide said.
Lana was very confused, and slightly irritated, "And when exactly did this supposedly happen?"
"Remember a month ago before our first bath together, I told you I heard something outside the door?" Adelaide asked.
"Yeah, you said it was nothing," Lana replied.
"It wasn't nothing, it was something," Adelaide said. "A big something."
"I had just caught Skippy peeping at you and Adelaide, so I pulled him aside and started lecturing him about it, then I told him to go home and never come back, or even try to talk to you again," Stella said.
"I saw and heard the whole thing, that's why I didn't want to talk about Skippy that night, and why I never really liked talking too much about him, unless it was to hopefully help you get over him," Adelaide said.
"So, you tried getting rid of a boy I liked!?" Lana asked, looking very unhappy.
"Only because he did something inappropriate," Stella said. "Seems like he didn't even have the decency to break it off with you, giving you that vacation nonsense. Though it looks like it isn't nonsense, unless it was just good timing on his family's part."
"Let's back up here!" Lana said. "First off, I can't believe you tried getting him to stop seeing me! I mean, all this time I was waiting for him and now you're telling me he might not even come back!?"
"I mean, you can do a lot better than him Lana," Stella insisted. "No boy should be peeping at you or your friend."
"That's not your call to make!" Lana shouted, glaring right Stella. "See this was why we had such a rocky relationship! For the last couple of years you've just been bossy and annoying, you were way too controlling of everything I did! I want to make my own decisions Stella!"
"You can Lana, I'm just here to help guide you and keep you from making any mistakes," Stella said.
"I don't need you to do that! I already have older sisters who never had a problem with the stuff I did, and they've known me my whole life!" Lana said. "You didn't know me as long as Lori or Leni have! Or Luna and Luan! Even Lincoln lets me do whatever because he trusts me enough to know that I can take care of myself! Even my parents don't mind, why are you being so...so...ugh, I can't even think of a word because I'm so mad!"
"Everything Stella did was for you Lana," Adelaide tried reassuring.
"Don't even talk to me Adelaide! You kept a secret from me! We're suppose to be friends, I tell you everything, and now you're hiding things from me!?" Lana shouted.
"I'm sorry, it's just...you know I wouldn't try to hurt you," Adelaide said.
"Well you're doing a really lousy job then!" Lana said. "I can't believe you've been hiding this from me!"
Adelaide shrunk in fear, Lana has never been mad at her, and she doesn't know how to handle it. Fortunately Stella tried to help, "Please don't be mad at Adelaide, it's me you're unhappy with."
"Hey I got enough for the both of you! I can't believe all this time I thought you had changed Stella, but it sounds like you waited to pull off the biggest jerk move you could possibly muster!" Lana said. "You know what, I'm done! I don't want you talking to me Stella, and Adelaide, you can go back home for all I care, I'm not wasting a second more of my summer with you!"
As Lana tried stomping off, a desperate Adelaide tried to get her attention, "Wait, please Lana! I'm sorry for keeping this from you! That's why I wanted to tell you, I didn't want there to be secrets between us!" Adelaide tearfully got on her knnes, almost begging for forgiveness, "Please, can't we start over if anything? I'll be a better friend."
"I don't want to talk to you Adelaide," Lana said, going into the house.
"But Lana!" Adelaide pleaded. "One more chance, please! Lana!" By this point, Lana had either stopped hearing her, or just paid no mind. This resulted in a stream of tears for Adelaide, feeling like she lost her best friend. "Lana..."
"Adelaide," Stella knelt beside her, patting the girl on the back. Adelaide turned to Stella and immediately embraced her in a hug. "It'll be alright, we'll fix this."
"Lola warned me she might be mad, yet I still couldn't take it," Adelaide said between sobs. "What if she really doesn't want to be friends with me?"
"Lana will get over this, she can't stay mad at you," Stella said. "Just give her some time, things will get better."
Adelaide sniffled as she rubbed her nose, "You really think so?"
"I've seen how it works, the sisters get mad, they vent for a bit, then they forgive," Stella said. "How many times have you seen Lola and Lana get mad at either each other or one of the other sisters?"
"A lot," Adelaide commented.
"And they always make up in the end," Stella said.
"They make up because they're sisters, you can't replace a sister, but you can replace a friend," Adelaide said. "It almost happened to Sid and Ronnie Anne."
"Key word is 'almost'," Stella said. "They made up didn't they? Because Ronnie Anne cared too much about Sid to stay mad at her forever. It worked super well because they ended up dating each other. Give Lana some time and I guarantee she'll feel closer to you, sometimes being at odds reminds us of how much we care about one another, because we see just how determined a friend is to keep that friendship, or a sibling is to maintain a bond."
"I really hope you're right," Adelaide said.
"For now, maybe it's better if you weren't around, Lana needs a little break," Stella said. "I'll have to figure something out for myself as well since she's mad at me as well."
"Are you worried about her forgiving you?" Adelaide asked.
"It'd be hypocritical of me if I did worry, I'll just have faith that she'll come around and appreciate the honesty," Stella said. "For now let's check up on Lincoln, Ronnie Anne and Sid."
The two girls went inside, Adelaide checking to make sure Lana wasn't around, worried that she'll get mad again. While inside, Ronnie Anne was seen making her way out the house.
"Ronnie Anne?" Adelaide said, getting her attention.
"Hey Adelaide, Stella..." Ronnie Anne looked around. "What's with Lana? I just saw her storming off."
"She's mad, I told a boy she liked to not come back, because he was a peeping little pervert who took a peak at Lana and Adelaide while they were getting ready to shower," Stella confessed.
"Wait, he peeked at you Adelaide?" Ronnie Anne asked, the young girl nodding in conformation. "Tell me where this kid lives, I'll bash his face in right now."
"That really isn't necessary," Stella said. "I don't like what he did either but I don't want to resort to violence, not like he was being too forward with them."
"Adelaide, if a guy ever tries being a perv to you, make sure you kick him in the balls," Ronnie Anne siad.
"Or pull out a giant hammer and whack him on the head," Stella said, chuckling a bit, earning some weird glances. "Anime joke."
"Alright, well I'll go look for her, see if I can calm her down," Ronnie Anne said. "Then later Stella, you and I should have a chat."
"Sure thing," Stella said, she could already tell what it's going to be about. As Ronnie Anne left, Stella looked upstairs, "Guess Lincoln and Sid must be up there, let's go check on them."
"Right, I should probably ask Sid what to do, Lana doesn't want me around so I can't really sleep over, I might need to call my parents, or Lori and see if I can get a ride back to Great Lakes," Stella said.
"Or we can try to resolve this," Stella suggested. "Let's not give in just yet."
"Alright," Adelaide said, then followed Stella upstairs. As the two passed through the halls, Stella noticed that Lynn glanced at her from her room, snickering a bit.
"Something funny Lynn?" Stella asked.
"No, it's nothing," Lynn said, though Stella could tell Lynn was hiding something. She paid little mind as she just cared to rendezvous with Lincoln.
"Getting dirty thoughts Lynn?" Lucy asked.
"Maybe," Lynn said. "What about you?"
"...I'd rather not say," Lucy replied, blushing a bit, Lynn grinning in satisfaction.
"This could be fun," Lynn stated.
Stella and Adelaide made their way into the Linen closet where Lincoln and Sid were still talking, the girl still confessing a few things.
"I really am happy you handled this well, I shouldn't have gotte so curious that night but you and Stell are the biggest sweethearts I know and I just wanted to feel a bit of the love you give each other," Sid said. "I realy hope Ronnie Anne wasn't too weirded out by certain details."
"It's alright Sid, don't you worry about it," Lincoln said, gently stroking her shoulder. "We all do weird things, you're still my friend."
"You're the best Lincoln, I love you," Sid said as she hugged the boy, then noticed Stella and Adelaide. "We have company."
"Hey Lincoln, Sid," Stella greeted. "Anything interesting happen?"
"You could say that," Lincoln said. "How about you?"
"Well, Lana probably hates me," Adelaide said, surprising Lincoln and Sid.
"Did you just say that Lana hates you?" Sid asked.
"How? I mean, Lana loves you, the two of you are best friends," Lincoln said. "What makes you think she hates you?"
"I kept a secret from her for about a month," Adelaide said.
"You kept a secret? Wait is that why you wanted to talk to Lana?" Sid asked.
"And why you were complimenting her a lot before you went outside?" Lincoln asked.
"I already told Lola and she warned me that Lana might get mad, so I figured if I buttered her up with compliments, then maybe she'd be more forgiving," Adelaide said. "It didn't work though."
"What was the secret?" Lincoln asked. "If you don't mind telling me that is."
"Promise you won't get mad either?" Adelaide asked.
"Of course, I mean even if you did something that upset Lana, you still wanted to do the right thing by telling her, I know how hard it can be to do something like that, I just went through it with Ronnie Anne," Lincoln said.
"Don't ask for the details," Sid said. "It's really weird and complicated."
"Uh, alright," Adelaide said. "But it's not me I'm worried about you being mad at, it's Stella."
"Stella?" Lincoln seemed very confused now.
"Lincoln's not gonna get mad at me, so you can tell him," Stella said. "Or better yet, I should tell him since Lana's mostly mad at me."
"You two were finally tight a month ago, what happened now?" Sid asked. "And what does Adelaide have to do with it?"
"You both know Skippy right?" Stella asked.
"Yeah, the boy Lana liked, he hasn't shown up in a month though, Lana said he's on vacation," Lincoln said.
"Well it is true, but there's another reason he didn't come back," Stella said. "That reason is me, I told him never to come back."
Normally if someone was scared away from The Loud House, it would be because of the sisters, hearing that this time his girlfriend had been the one to scare a kid off was quite surprising. "Stella, you scared him off? I mean, why would you go and do something like that?"
"It wasn't revenge because Lana had been sassy to you, was it?" Sid asked.
"Huh? No!" Stella said, a little offended by the notion. "I wouldn't do something that petty!"
"She did it because he was peeping at Lana..." Adelaide said. "And me..."
"Peeping?" Sid asked. "How exactly? What did he do?"
"A month ago, Lana and Adelaide were bathing together, and Skippy was peeping at them while they got undressed," Stella said. "Seems like he saw a really nice view from how he reacted."
"He saw Adelaide naked!?" Sid asked, feeling irate. "That little shit, I'll mess him up for that!"
"Easy now Sid, I just had to talk Ronnie Anne out of that type of mindset, I'd rather not have to do that for you as well," Stella said.
"Still, that's my sister, no one acts all perverted around my sister!" Sid declared. "But fine, I won't go after him. No promises on the state of his well being if he shows up on his own though."
"I...guess we can take that risk," Lincoln said. "Just try to keep civil if you do see him."
"Come on, this affects Lana too, he peeped at her, aren't you furious!?" Sid asked.
"Of course I am, part of me wants to find the kid and kick him all the way to Hazletucky," Lincoln said. "But we have to be mature about this, it's the right thing to do."
"Besides, I already fixed the problem," Stella said.
"Eh, not exactly, you might have made it worse," Lincoln said.
"Excuse me!?" Stella replied.
"Well instead of telling Skippy to leave, you should have came to me and the sisters and asked our input, we could have worked this out," Lincoln said. "I mean you kept this from all of us for a month, this is something we needed to know."
"Are you kidding? I did what I did for Lana's sake!" Stella said. "I don't appreciate you telling me I made the wrong choice here Lincoln."
"I'm just being honest, I know you had good intentions but your planning was poorly thought out," Lincoln said.
"Uh, Lincoln, maybe you shouldn't say stuff like that, it might upset Stella," Sid warned.
"No, go on Lincoln, anything else you wanna say!?" Stella asked, some venom seeping into her voice.
"Look I'm sorry if this upsets you Stella, but this isn't even the first time you've made a decision that got you in over your head," Lincoln said. "That's something you're going to need to work on."
"Uh, you're one ot talk, how many times have things escalated because you overreacted to something?" Stella asked.
"Hey I don't overreact that much," Lincoln said.
"Yes you do Lincoln! That's always been your thing, one little flaw and you act like it's the end of the world!" Stella aggressively stated.
"Uh...maybe we should leave," Sid said, nervously escorting Adelaide away.
"But what about Lana?" Adelaide asked.
"We'll figure that out later, just get going," Sid said, not wanting to be around this.
"Stella, I'm trying to be reasonable here," Lincoln said. "You're going to have to accept a little criticism."
"I can say the same for you Lincoln," Stella said. "But you have moments where you're too defensive and you insist that you're making the right calls."
"Like what you're doing right now!?" Lincoln pointed out. "This isn't even about me anyway, it's about you and your mistakes."
"Mistakes!? Well sorry that I love your sister enough to want to look out for her! Maybe it wasn't the best way to go about it but I did my best here Lincoln!" Stella said.
"You knew that you had trouble with Lana, did you honestly believe this was going to go over well with her?" Lincoln asked.
"Alright what would you have done in that moment then?" Stella asked.
"I..." Lincoln took a moment to think. "Would have gone to Lori or Luna for advice and-"
"Oh please," Stella said, interrupting Lincoln. "You would have flipped out worse than I did, when it comes to your sisters your emotions are always on high, for better or worse."
"Well even so, that's my right as an older brother, I know what's best for my little sisters," Lincoln said. "If something like this is affecting Lana, it's your duty to let everyone know and not keep it a secret! I mean I can understand Adelaide since she's younger, yet it sounds like she at least told Lola."
"I would have said something eventually, but I just got Lana on my good side, I did not want to mess that up!" Stella said. "I figured maybe wait til summer's end or until Lana and I were close enough so that she would understand."
"Yeah, I bet that worked out so well when you waited a year to tell everyone that you made out with my sister," Lincoln said.
"Hey! Don't you throw that in my face after you made out with Sid!" Stella said.
"Difference is that at least I told you right away," Lincoln said. "You haven't been fooling around with her some more have you? Or Luna? You were very eager to be with Sid and to invite my sisters, are you hiding something?"
"I swear Linc, do not start with me on Sid," Stella warned.
"No, I'm starting with Sid! I just had to tell Ronnie Anne about that, how you encouraged some weird shit that could have ruined things for Sid and Ronnie Anne! And now it's your stupid idea that may have ruined Lana's friendship! That's the thing with you Stella, you do these stupid things and find yourself in a big mess that you can't pull yourself out of on your own! You contantly make these mistakes and now you're dragging everyone into your problems and now I have to constantly keep you in check!"
"Keep me in check!?" Stella shouted. "You don't own me Lincoln! Don't freaking act like you can control me or what I do!"
"Well someone's gotta keep you from acting stupid!" Lincoln said.
"Seems like the only stupid thing I did was picking you for a boyfriend and getting pregnant with a child that I didn't even want!" Stella shouted, panting in frustration from the pure anger she felt.
Lincoln was speechless, hearing Stella take it that far was beyond words. For the first time, he began to doubt his relationship with Stella, even after the Luan thing, and even during this pregnancy situation, he thought he had a grip. Looks like he didn't, this was going south really badly.
After catching her breath, Stella realized what she said, and needless to say, she immediately felt guilty, "Oh my God Lincoln, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean what I said!"
Lincoln had no words, he didn't even know what to say, this hurt a lot. Things were going downhill fast.
"Lincoln please, say something," Stella begged, tears forming in her eyes. "Please, I don't care if you're mad, just say something."
"I don't even know what to say, our relationship is the most important thing in the world to me, it's what's getting me through this pregnancy thing, whenever I have to take shifts to make some money, or do any odd job I could find, or study harder to make sure I get an education so I can get a cool job, or even practice my drawing skills in hopes of making it as a comic book artist." Lincoln said. "Anytime I felt frustrated, I thought of you Stella, you and our baby. I thought we could persevere through anything, but now...I'm having doubts." Lincoln shook his head in disappointment, "Ronnie Anne might have been right, maybe we rushed into this. Maybe we aren't ready for this."
"No, we are!" Stella said. "Lincoln, I love you, please believe me when I say that. I would never want to break it off with you. I...just got so frustrated and...I just do and say these dumb things..." Stella wiped her eyes, "Lincoln, I can't imagine my life without you, I'll do anything to earn your forgiveness, please."
"Stella, I don't want to break up either, but, what if this is just the start?" Lincoln asked. "What if we do end up miserable together? What if we end up like Ronnie Anne's parents?"
"I won't let that happen," Stella reassured. "I promise!"
"Stella..." Lincoln felt conflicted. Suddenly she brought him in for a hug.
"Please, I'm really, really sorry," Stella said. "You're a great boyfriend, and I'm glad I'm having your baby. I just want things to go back to normal. I'll help you fix Lana's situation as well as the situation between Sid and Ronnie Anne, but please, just don't leave me. I need you in my life. I know we can move past this, I love you too much to let you go."
Lincoln slowly returned the hug, gently stroking his girlfriend's back, "You're right, we can get past this, but I am going to need a little time to think this over."
"Sure," Stella pulled away. "Whatever you think is the right call."
"You should probably take some time to think things over as well, we'll come up with a solution together," Lincoln said.
"Of course," Stella said, then kissed him on the cheek. "I love you."
"I...love you too..." Lincoln said, almost hesitating as he started making his way out of the room. Stella laid against the nearby wall, feeling the weight of the situation bringing her down.
"I hope I didn't mess this up," the girl lamented.
Downstairs Lincoln could see that Sid and Adelaide were conversing, likely talking more about the Lana and Skippy situation. Maybe Lincoln could try understanding things from her perspective as well.
The boy made his way into the kitchen, checking the fridge for a snack, figuring that might calm his nerves.
"Hey kiddo," Lynn Sr said, the father of eleven working on some meals. "Looking for a snack? I think there's some pudding, should be plenty so you don't have to worry about your sisters calling it."
"Thanks dad," Lincoln said, grabbing the pudding cup.
Lynn Sr took note of Lincoln's tone, "Something wrong son?"
"Dad, have you ever had disagreements with mom?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, we've had a few, why?" Lynn Sr asked, but he figured it out pretty quickly himself. "Oh, did you and Stella have an argument recently?"
"We might have..." Lincoln shamefully admitted. "It was not pleasant."
"Well of course, no one enjoys an argument, especially with someone you love," Lynn Sr said. "Was it bad?"
"Sort of, I got a little critical of Stella's way of doing things and then she said..." Lincoln did not want to get to detailed, not feeling comfortable with that yet. "She just said some things, she said she didn't mean them and I do believe her, or rather I want to believe her, I just wasn't sure how to handle it."
"Keep in mind son, when people are mad, they might say things they don't mean, I know I have, and the regret is a pain," Lynn Sr said. "You've had arguments with your sisters, ever feel like you said something you shouldn't have?"
"Yeah, I remember that happening with Lori a couple of times," Lincoln said. "But we're siblings, so it's normal. Stella's my girlfriend and she's carrying my baby, I have to be nicer to her, I can't have these arguments."
"Son, like I said, even your mother and I have had disagreements, all couples do, and yeah, it's not pleasant, I for one do not like upsetting your mother," Lynn Sr said. "But sometimes couples need to air our some frustrations, believe it or not in might make you feel closer. Every time I feel mad at your mother, over time I realize that it's not worth it because I love her so much. We get mad, we might say things we shouldn't, but we come back to each other because that's how much we care. That's what it means to be a couple, to trust that even in the darkest of times, your love is stronger than anything. Thankfully we don't disagree a lot, but it happens. I mean you remember the incident with my ties right?"
"Your ties?" Lincoln asked.
"When you kids thought your mother and I wanted to get rid of one of you?" Lynn Sr reminded.
"Oh yeah, I feel so silly about that," Lincoln said.
"It happens son, point is your mother and I had many disagreements about my ties, and that was one of them," Lynn Sr said. "Sometimes it's more than that, but that's just one example. Sometimes it's finances, and how to budget our money. Sometimes it's about Vanzilla, your mother just recently asked me if I would consider replacing it, and I had to remind her what happened the last time we tried."
"I think we all remember that," Lincoln said, recalling Veronica.
"Exactly, and that led to a little argument because she's still a bit unhappy that I did that and she thinks that maybe I should try again and not be as obessive, while I tried to insist that I had a right to be a little protective because it was a brand new car," Lynn Sr said. "Now I personally don't want to consider getting rid of Vanzilla again, I still want to pass it on to you, if you want it."
"I'll need to fix it up, but I wouldn't mind taking it over, I just need to drive in it a bit more," Lincoln said. "I just hope it lasts."
"My advice, keep Lana close, that girl can really keep Vanzilla running," Lynn Sr said. "But we're getting off track. My advice to you son, don't worry about arguing with Stella once in a while, it's perfectly normal. What you don't want is it to be a constant thing, but this is your first spat in...when was the last time you two disagreed?"
"I mean we have a few but we never argued like this before," Lincoln said.
"That seems pretty good, it took you five years to have something like this, and now you can start over," Lynn Sr said. "The key to reducing arguments is honesty, and trying to be open. Warning, sometimes that can lead to a disagreement but it will make it easier to resolve. You want to make things right with Stella, don't you son?"
"Yeah, I do want to, I really care about her," Lincoln said.
"That's good, just talk things out with her, and everything will work out," Lynn Sr said. "Stella's a great girl son, make sure you hold onto her."
"I will," Lincoln said, snacking on his pudding.
Outside, Stella had gone into the backyard, resting against a fence as she made a phone call, "Hey Lori? You got a minute?"
"Sure, what's up?" Lori asked, the girl near a house that she was looking into.
"Lincoln and I had an argument and now I'm worried about our future together," Stella said.
"Oh no, sorry to hear, what could have caused this?" Lori asked.
"I got mad because Lincoln said I make a lot of mistakes and I mishandle situations," Stella said. "Like I just told Lana about that boy she liked, how I made him go away and never see her again because I caught him peeping at her and Adelaide."
"Wait is that why that boy hasn't come by?" Lori asked. "Besides that, he peeped at Lana!?"
"When she was about to take a bath, yes," Stella confirmed.
"Oh that little sneak, good thing you caught him rather than me cause I would have destroyed him," an unhappy Lori said.
"Did I make the right call then?" Stella asked. "I mean, Lincoln told me I should have asked one of you, or told one of you girls right after, but Lana and I were finally getting along and I didn't want to risk ruining anything."
"Well I do agree that maybe you should have alerted us but I don't blame you for telling that boy to leave, it just means you care about Lana," Lori said. "Lincoln would have done the same thing, any of us would have. But tell me, how did the argument end? Are you two still mad?"
"I said something hurtful, and immediately apologized but I'm worried the damage is done," Stella said, once again feeling teary eyed. "I'm worried that Lincoln won't want to continue dating me, like what if he wants to split up?"
"I don't think he will, Lincoln gets mad about things but he never holds a grudge," Lori said. "Look, I know how bad it feels to argue with someone you're with, Bobby and I have had our own arguments, and sometimes I say something that upsets him or he says something that upsets me, hurtful things, but we always come back to each other because in the end, it's not worth it. Bobby never means the things he says, neither do I. Sometimes we feel closer because we talked about our differences and after each argument we always worked to compromise and keep us both happy. Luna and Luan had the same problems themselves, you think they always have harmony with Sam and Benny?"
"I just can't imagine that," Stella said.
"It happens, because I remember both of them coming to me in tears because they were afraid they ruined their relationship, a feeling I understand well because I remember going to mom the first time I had troubles with Bobby," Lori said. "These things happen, and sometimes it's good to have an argument or two, gets the bad vibes out of your system and you can start making up. I can tell you from experience, when a guy wants to make it up to a girl, he really goes all out, at least if he cares enough about her, and you know my brother loves you to bits."
"I feel the same way, and I want to make it up to him but...I don't know how to make up for what I said," Stella said.
"Just show Lincoln that you really do love him," Lori said. "I mean, I don't know what you said, and I won't ask, but I know whatever bad thing you said, you didn't mean, and Lincoln knows too. Don't do anything grand, just show him how much you love and care about him."
"Alright Lori, thanks," Stella said.
"Anytime Stella, I'll come by later to check up on you, but I believe things will improve by then," Lori said.
"I hope so," Stella said. "Bye Lori."
"See you later," Lori said, hanging up.
"Hey babe, who was that?" Bobby asked.
"It was Stella, just some girl troubles, nothing I couldn't handle," Lori said.
"That's my Lori, I love that you're not only a good big sister to your siblings, but even to your brother's girlfriend," Bobby said. "Their baby's gonna be lucky to have an aunt like you. One day, that talent will translate well when we finally bring kids into this world.
"Aw, you're so sweet," Lori said, the couple sharing a kiss. "Come on, there's still some things I want to check regarding this house."
"Eh, might not be worth it once you hear the price," Bobby said, feeling unsure about this home.
"We'll figure it out once I see it," Lori confirmed.
Back at the Loud House, Stella went inside just as Lincoln came out of the kitchen. Both crossed paths with each other, feeling a little awkward.
"Lincoln/Stella"
The two looked on in confusion a second then chuckled at the odd timing.
"You can go first," Lincoln said.
"Alright, Lincoln...I really, really am sorry for what I said, and I want to make things right," Stella began. "You have been an amazing boyfriend, always so supportive, letting me live here, taking care of me, keeping an eye out for me, working hard at school and whatever odd job you can get. I feel so grateful for everything you do for me, and I should not take that for granted." She gently stroked his face, "I love you so much, and I love our baby. I never should have said what I did, because I do want this baby, more than anything in the world, aside from being with you."
"That makes me happy," Lincoln said, placing his hand on her belly. "Expecting a baby, with a girl like you, is actually really exciting. I love you both so much." Lincoln placed his hand on her cheek. "Maybe it's because of that excitement that I get overprotective and overly critical. I just want what's best for you and our family, but I don't know how to go about it. This is our first child and I'm still trying to graduate High School. Well so are you but that makes it more awkward. We'll have been parents a year by the time we graduate."
"Kind of cool to think about, our baby can be at the ceremony," Stella said.
"Yeah that would be neat," Lincoln said. "Point is, I'm sorry about my actions too, and I really want to work this out."
"Same, we'll improve together," Stella said.
"Sounds good to me," Lincoln said. He then brought Stella in for a passionate make-up kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too Linky," Stella said, bringing it in for another kiss.
Lynn Sr noticed from the kitchen, feeling a bit teary eyed, "That's so cute! I love a happy ending!"
The two pulled away, Lincoln remembering something else, "Now there's the matter regarding Lana."
"Right, how do we fix that?" Stella asked.
"I have an idea," Lincoln said as he began explaining the plan to his girlfriend.
Meanwhile with Lana, the girl was sitting on a park bench, thinking everything over. She still felt a bit mad about what happened before, but part of her felt a little guilty for yelling at Adelaide, the girl she calls her best friend.
"Maybe I was too hard on her, I just wish she didn't keep a secret from me like that," Lana said to herself. "I should probably talk this out with her, she's been by my side forever, especially when it came to Stella." At that point, Lana started to grow frustrated. "Stella...she couldn't just stay out my business, could she? Some friend she turned out to be."
"Lana?" Came the voice of Ronnie Anne, the girl making her way toward the young plumber.
"Ronnie Anne, what brings you all the way out here?" Lana asked.
"I just needed to take a walk, heard you did too, guess we went the same direction, neat huh?" Ronnie Anne said.
"Something bothering you too?" Lana asked.
"Sort of, I'd tell you but it's kind of a secret," Ronnie Anne said.
"Been a lot of secrets lately," Lana said. "Especially from my friends."
"Yeah, something about that Skippy kid right?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"They told you?" Lana asked.
"Sure did," Ronnie Anne replied. "Adelaide seemed pretty shooken up, she's worried that you hate her. Do you hate her?"
"I don't, I'm just mad at her a little," Lana said. "She should have told me about Skippy."
"Yeah, maybe she should have, so should Stella," Ronnie Anne said. "Maybe it was too embarrassing, he did peep at you while you were naked after all."
"Right..." Lana barely even though about that, she was too busy being mad at Stella and Lana, it finally dawned on her that a boy she liked peeped at her in the bathroom. "Should I be mad at that, or feel flattered?"
"That's not flattering, no one should be peeping at you," Ronnie Anne said. "Adelaide didn't find it flattering, she hated it, and honestly I almost wanted to hurt that boy when I found out."
"I guess that makes sense," Lana said, starting to feel a bit guilty. "Aw, I should have seen this from her point of view instead of making it just about me."
"It's not too late to fix that," Ronnie Anne said. "If you really care about Adelaide, I think you'll go and make things right."
"I will," Lana reassured. "But what about Stella? I can't help but still be mad at her. She's the one who really help the secret. Also she tried controlling my life again."
"Alright, here's the thing here Lana, Stella is not trying to control your life, or at least, that's not her intention," Ronnie Anne said. "Stella is just super protective of you, and I get how annoying that is, I mean do you know how nuts my grandmother is when it comes to making sure everyone is fed or everyone is healthy? Not just her either, my whole family can be like that, they were super protective of me when we first moved to Great Lakes. Was it annoying? Yeah, but I understood why. Don't you understand why Stella is protective?"
"Uh..." Lana had no immediate answer.
"Well tell me this, do you think Stella hates you? Do you think she has it out for you?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"N-no..." Lana said.
"Exactly, see Stella is just being overprotective, and maybe she should lighten up, I mean she's tried to hasn't she?" Ronnie Anne said. "She's been off your back recently."
"Yeah, after pulling off the biggest jerk move," Lana said.
"Lana, just be grateful you have someone looking out for you," Ronnie Anne said. "You grew up luckier than most kids anyway, you have ten siblings who love you and two parents who are still together at least. I only had a big brother and a divorced mother for many years, and even I though I was a little lucky to have a caring family. You have way more, and now you have a girl who loves you enough to always look out for you, and you know she's willing to compromise. Please just get over yourself and figure this out."
"It's hard though," Lana said.
"No, it's not!" Ronnie Anne insisted. "Look I had to learn to like your sister, I think you can learn to be friends with Stella, you liked her once, you can like her again. Just please, give her another chance, she deserves it."
"...I'll think about it," Lana said.
Ronnie Anne shook her head, "I hope you make the right choice, consider this too, at least Stella came clean. She loved you enough to be honest, took a month but would it have been that much better if you found out on your own? I'm heading back to your house, I hope later you do the same with a change of heart."
Lana cringed a bit, almost hating that Ronnie Anne had a point. As Ronnie Anne left, Lana took a few seconds to think, then came to a conclusion she hoped she wouldn't regret. "Hey wait up!" Lana quickly followed after Ronnie Anne.
At the Loud House, Lincoln and Stella are were helping Sid cheer up Adelaide, the four playing a video game together.
"This is my favorite game, a crossover of many fun games," Lincoln said as he gamed. "How often can the main character of Total Trash Takedown fight Muscle Fish?"
"It is pretty neat," Adelaide said, trying to figure out her buttons. "It's a bit complex though."
"It's really not, anyone can get into this, just keep trying," Lincoln said.
It wasn't long before Ronnie Anne got back, "Hey look who I ran into." She gestured to Lana, the girl sheepishly walking in. "Uh, hi everyone."
Adelaide looked to her best friend, feeling mixed emotions, "Lana?"
"Adelaide..." Lana said, making her way to her friend, who still wasn't sure how to react.
Everyone looked on anxiously, curious as to what would happen next. The moment Lana held out her arms however, Adelaide rushed over and greeted her best friend in a hug, which Lana quickly returned.
"Does this mean you forgive me!?" Adelaide asked, the girl slightly teary eyed.
"Yeah, I'm sorry I got mad, you did the right thing by telling me, and I should have been nicer," Lana said.
"It's fine, I'm just happy we can move past this!" Adelaide said, rubbing Lana's head. This scene of course was a cute sight for the older kids, especially for Lincoln and Sid, both happy for their little sisters.
After a few seconds, Lana pulled back, "I hope you haven't made plans to go back home."
"No, I can keep staying here for the summer if you want," Adelaide said.
"Good, I wouldn't want anything else," Lana said.
"Me neither," Adelaide said, a look of endearment in her eyes toward Lana. "Spending my summer with you is just perfect, I wish we could do it year round."
"One day," Lana said. "Anyway, I gotta say something to Stella real quick. Go meet me upstairs."
"Sure," Adelaide said, making her way upstairs, eager to spend time with her friend again soon.
Lana turned her attention to Stella, looking the girl right in the eyes, "Stella..."
"Yeah Lana?" Stella asked.
"I...know you were trying to help me, and I do appreciate that," Lana said, taking her hat off a second, almost as if giving her head space to think. "But, please, in the future, let me know these things sooner. I spent a month waiting for a boy who wasn't coming back to me."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, I just hated what he did," Stella said.
"I get that, and it's great that I have another big sister looking out for me," Lana said. "I still want to talk things out with Skippy soon though."
"Do you need help?" Stella asked.
"Thanks, but I got this on my own," Lana said, turning to the stairs. "We'll talk later, I have a friend to make amends with and a boy to settle things with."
"Sounds good to me," Stella said.
Suddenly Lana turned around and hugged the older girl, "I love you, and I'm glad you're gonna be my niece's mother."
Stella felt a bit choked up as she returned the hug, "I love you too."
The hug seperated, Lana quickly running upstairs, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the moment, but Stella was glad to have that closure.
"That was adorable," Lincoln said.
Stella looked relieved, "Glad that's settled, I did not want to go back to Lana hating me."
"Just keep dialing back the overprotectiveness and you'll be fine," Ronnie Anne said.
"Noted," Stella said. "So, is everything resolved? Are we all cool again?"
"We're all good," Ronnie Anne said. "Whatever happened, it's harmless fun. I just wish I was there that night."
"It's...not too late for that," Sid said. "I bet I could convince Lincoln and Stella to demonstrate it again for you."
"Keep dreaming," Lincoln said. "I just want to be with Stella out of love, not as entertainment."
"What a shame," Sid said. "It'll be a good way for us to have an unbreakable bond."
"But if you don't want to, that's fine," Ronnie Anne said. Suddenly Sid whispered something into her ear. "Are you sure about that? It sounds risky."
"But worth it," Sid said.
"Hey what are you two planning?" Lincoln asked. Sid answered that by jumping in and locking the boy in a kiss, completely taking him by surprise.
Someone was about to hurt Sid, be it Lincoln or Stella, both feeling a bit irate over Sid getting way too comfortable with the kissing, boundries needed to be set.
Just before anything could happen, Ronnie Anne got Stella's attention and pulled her into a kiss, taking the taller girl by surprise, same with Lincoln, who was too shocked to notice or care that Sid started using her tongue, while Stella recieved a similar treatment.
Sid pulled away seconds later, calling to Ronnie Anne, "Switch!"
"Switch!?" Lincoln asked, barely registering a kiss he felt from Ronnie Anne while Sid went to kiss Stella, once again holding it for a few seconds, the couple surprised by the kisses they recieved from two girls whom were not their lovers.
After some time, both Ronnie Anne and Sid broke away from Lincoln and Stella, the latter two very much confused as to whether they should be angry or not.
"Well I'm feeling a bit in the mood after that. Sid, wanna find someplace quiet?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Oh fuck yeah, let's go," Sid said, following after Ronnie Anne.
Lincoln just stood there in surprise, Stella looking just as speechless. The boundries between their friendship with Sid and Ronnie Anne continued to diminish, they weren't sure if that could be seen as a special type of benifit or just abnormal.
"So, now what?" Lincoln asked.
"Eh..." Stella shrugged it off, just as confused herself.
Of course there was one other issue to resolve, and Lana had already begun. With Adelaide by her side, the girl dialed the number of Skippy, waiting as the phone rang, expecting an answer, which she got.
"Skippy? It's Lana. We gotta talk, and now."
Adelaide sat by the girl as she began to finally resolve this issue, and finally move past this little incident. Despite the bump in the road, things were looking up again, and hopefully this could be a nice fresh start for both girls and a new point in their relationship with one another.