Chapter 180
(Ketcham Park.)
A nice and peaceful day at the park. Lincoln and Jordan are both chatting amongst themselves onto the nearby picnic bench.
All the while, Lola and Lana are at the sandbox and Lucy is underneath a tree nearing Lincoln and Jordan, reading a book on ancient history. No clue why.
Patriot is not there with them, instead there is a nearby Guardian Tank and two peacekeeper troops watching over them.
Then a car comes in and parks itself, and a teenage girl with blonde hair wearing a purple skirt and shirt, Carol Pingrey.
She came to the park to ease her thoughts and maybe find some peace.
Ever since the Kidnapping of Lincoln Loud, and the aftermath when they brought him to the mall, Carol has been feeling bad for some time. She didn't intend for Lincoln to see her in that way, or any of her. What's worse, she has been marked as an enemy by Lincoln's girlfriend Jordan Rosato.
Carol was punished by her parents, but after Lincoln restored himself from his traumatic experience of that kidnapping, he reasoned with Carol's parents to lift her punishment a bit.
So, she can go on her vacation with her friends and celebrate after she has graduated. But, she is no longer allowed any cash for her allowance. She has to know earn it from her job at Lynn's Table. She doesn't seem to mind at all, but she has also been given a curfew and cannot go out after nine.
Carol walks through the park and looks down in sadness, she thinks about what she can do to fully make up to both Lincoln and Jordan. 'Summer is months away, and I have to try and make things right with the two of them. I know Lincoln doesn't want anything in return, but what about Jordan. She's not easy to reason with.'
"Hello Carol" Carol looks to see Jordan in front of her, arms crossed and a stern look.
Carol gets nervous. "J-Jordan? W-What are you doing here?"
"Hanging out with my boyfriend, and right now he's dealing with the twins arguing again" Jordan and Carol both look to the sandbox and see Lola and Lana being talked to by the white-haired boy.
"Huh, he's really sweet and caring when it comes to his family disputes" said Carol.
"Speaking of disputes" Jordan looks to Carol. "I think I figured out what we can do to end this problem with each other."
Carol grows nervous by those words. "O-Okay, is it ….. Is it gonna be bad?"
Jordan shakes her head. "No, no. We have to talk about it in private first."
"Okay, where should we talk?" asked Carol.
"Follow me, also Lincoln and I know you were here. We saw your car arrive minutes ago, and Lincoln said that this was the right time to talk to you. Just you and me, alone" replied Jordan.
Carol follows Jordan to one of the lone picnic benches and table. The two girls take a seat, they see no one else eavesdropping on them, and so they have a talk.
(Minutes later.)
Jordan walks towards Lincoln who was helping Lucy with some her poetry after she read her book. "Hey guys."
"Hey Jordan" replied Lucy.
"Hey there beautiful, so how did it go with Carol?" asked Lincoln.
"Pretty well, we talked and I guess we settled it all down. I made the circumstances to our arrangements and it's all been taken care of" replied Jordan.
"Is that so? So you're not angry with her anymore? No more hatred on Carol?" asked Lincoln.
Lucy is looking back and forth between Lincoln and Jordan. She has no idea or clue as to what the heck was even happening. And she didn't even know Carol Pingrey was there at the park with them.
"My dispute with Carol is no more. We're both on good terms and are happy to be friends, unless she does something stupid again" replied Jordan.
Lincoln stands up and kisses her. "I'm glad you two talked it out. You guys want some ice cream?"
"Sure, I could use one" replied Lucy.
"Same" replied Jordan. She then looks to the twins who are on the swing set. "Hey girls! Want some ice cream?"
"Yeah!" replied Lola and Lana. They got off the swing set and raced towards them.
"There's an ice cream parlor nearby we can go to" said Lincoln.
"I want rocky road!" said Lana.
"I wanna try this black forest!" said Lola.
"I hope they have dark chocolate" said Lucy.
They all leave the park and make their way to the ice cream parlor, with the Guardian Tank following them.
"So Jordan, what was it you and Carol were talking about earlier?" asked Lucy.
"Carol Pingrey was at the park?!" asked Lana in shock.
"Oh boy! What happened this time?" asked Lola.
"Easy there you two. We just talked and let's just say only Lincoln, myself and Carol are the only ones who know about our little arrangement and ending my dispute with her" replied Jordan.
"So, you don't hate Carol anymore?" asked Lana.
"And I was planning on putting some bets on who could win it" replied Lola. But she gets elbowed by Lana.
"At least she agreed to the terms, the last thing I want is the two of you going at it. Though she could be the one getting hurt from you" said Lincoln.
"I understand that she feels bad after what she did and even though she did that, I wouldn't want to inflict some harm to her. Even though I am tougher in dodge ball" said Jordan.
As they walk to the ice cream parlor, they spot Carol going into her car. She spots them and waves. Lincoln and Jordan also wave at her, and she drives off.
"So, are you gonna tell the others that Carol and I are no longer in this dispute?" asked Lucy.
"We will, later when we get home" replied Lincoln. "Now come on, let's get going."
"The others are so gonna get surprised about this" said Lana.
"Next to what Jordan said, I'm surprised that Luna let you and Jordan off from grounding today" said Lola.
"Luna said that we learned our lesson enough, and she wants us to enjoy ourselves. Besides, we still have some sleep over rules to deal with" replied Lincoln.
"And of course, Rule number 1 is Rusty and the boys have to take it easy when we're all united in a slumber party. I don't want anything inappropriate to happen, or someone's getting kicked out. Hard!" said Jordan.
"That is a good rule" said Lincoln.
"Geez! You sound like the warden Sanders McGee in prison pageants" replied Lola.
"Why do you watch those again?" asked Lucy.
Meanwhile with Carol. She stops at a Red light and waits, she then recalls the conversation she had with Jordan.
"So, what is there to talk about?" asked Carol.
"First off, I do not wanna inflict any harm to you. That would hurt Lincoln to see me like that, or make things complicated. Also, you'd be in serious pain when I do hurt you" replied Jordan.
"You're the dodge ball queen of RWES. I know I wouldn't stand a chance and I feel bad for those who are going to middle school with you" replied Carol.
"Darn right" said Jordan. "Lincoln and I came up with three terms that could work between us, to help end my hatred on you."
Carol gulps. "Okay, what are the three terms?"
"First: We know you're going to College soon, which one is it?" asked Jordan.
"Fairway University. Why?" asked Carol.
"Lincoln and I wanna keep in touch with you, we wanna make sure you're not in any trouble or making wrong choices. College can be tough and a bit unpredictable" said Jordan. "We learned that from watching CSI and other crime investigation shows and they do not end well for some college kids."
"Okay, but is there another reason why you two wanna keep tabs on me?" asked Carol.
"Because Lincoln sees you as family as well, even though you have had this dumb small rivalry with Lori in the past, your pretty much our friend and that makes you sorta family, you did help us with that dumb kid at Aloha beach with your phone as evidence" replied Jordan.
Carol was touched that Lincoln would see Carol as family, even if he had a small crush on Carol before.
"Okay, then so what's the second one?" asked Carol.
"The second one: this one is a future thing. Lincoln and I know how organized you can be next to Lori, and we know that once she gets out of college she will be way busy with her dream job. So, we want you to act as an organizer should our wedding come up" replied Jordan.
Carol feels as if her jaw could drop of her mouth. "Wait a minute! You want me to plan a wedding that you two want in the future?! For reals?!"
"Yes. We know we're both devoted and we seem to have minimal arguments, which is mostly when we're gaming. And we both dream of a future where Lincoln and I are together and starting a family. Odd for kids like us to think of the future so fast huh?" chuckled Jordan.
Carol also chuckles. "It is, but what you guys are asking sounds more like a request than a term of agreement from our small rivalry."
"And that's where it will be tough, you know we have family and friends and chances we will have an over the top wedding which will be hard even for someone like Lori. Think of this as a fitting and punishing challenge of mental and physical" replied Jordan.
Carol knows that when it comes to Lincoln and Jordan's relationship, it can be over the top. From the hard work they put on, the competitions they've won and most of all the expensive things they give each other as gifts. So, this does seem fair and tough.
"Alrighty then. And the last one?" asked Carol.
"The third term: Should Lincoln and I ever come onto some hard and unexpected times throughout our lives in the future. Next to Luna, we want you to be there to help us, or at least support us. We know someone of your standards is gonna be making it big with some fancy job and this is the advantage we wanna take" replied Jordan. "Lincoln and I know we have some talents, and it helps for whatever future we have, but we need something to fall back to."
"So, what you're saying is, give Lincoln or yourself a job if I run someplace big?" asked Carol.
"If that's a problem we can come up with the backup term" replied Jordan sternly and her arms folded.
"Umm, what is the backup term?" asked Carol. She felt nervous and wondered why she even asked that one.
"Three backup terms: Either you name one or two of your kids after us or you sorta become a house assistant when Lincoln and I live our good life or become our neighbor and stay single until we have one or two kids" replied Jordan.
Carol was now shocked, those were some very ….. Well unexpected backup terms.
"How about, I just stay as your neighbor and also offer you two a job?" asked Carol.
Jordan thinks about it. "I'm sure Lincoln would find this reasonable, and I guess I can go with it as well. Deal."
Carol sighs in relief. "Thank you. This means a lot for me to end what I started and again I am so sorry for what happened at the mall last month. I promise it will never happen again."
"Which is something we also have to talk about" said Jordan sternly.
And Carol is nervous again. "What is it?"
"If Lincoln and I are grown up, and/or teenagers and we're going to the mall and you have free time to hang out with us. You will help me find something so attractive it would make Lincoln forget what he saw on you" replied Jordan.
Carol smiles. "Oh, I think I can do that. You have a deal Rosato."
Carol and Jordan shake hands. "A pleasure doing business and ending this conflict against you Ms. Pingrey."
"Wow! You sound like a business woman when you do that" said Carol.
"What can I say? My dad runs the biggest shipping industry in Michigan, and business negotiations runs in our blood" replied Jordan.
"Well, I'm gonna head off now. I took note of all this in my phone and I will also write some memos so I can keep track of them for the future" said Carol.
"Spoken with true responsibility, see ya around Carol" Jordan was about to walk away, but then she goes back to Carol and hugs her.
Carol is surprised, but she smiles and hugs her back. They then break the hug and look at each other.
"This conversation cannot be known to anyone else, just you, me and Lincoln. Got it?" said Jordan. "You cannot tell your friends or your parents and you cannot tell Lincolns sisters and his parents or even my parents."
"Got it, this conversation never happened, you have my word" replied Carol. They then go their separate ways.
(Present.)
Carol smiles, she was glad this was all done and done.
All of those terms that Jordan suggested were not gonna be easy tasks, but Carol promised she was gonna take her punishment with stride.
She was mostly glad it wasn't dodge ball, she did not want to ge badly hurt by a twelve year old with the rage of a Word War 2 pilot.
Carol sees the light has turned green and she drives back home. She had a lot of planning to do, and some memos to write down.
(The Loud House.)
Lincoln and Jordan are in the Tree House and both of them talk about what Carol agreed to.
"Wow! Now that must've been some rough negotiations, glad this is over and she agreed to them" replied Lincoln.
"It was mostly for her, and with all of that settled, I can totally focus on other things. We have kept note of what we agreed with Carol right?" asked Jordan.
"Just did" Lincoln shows her his planning notebook/journal. "And only myself and you can access this journal to recall everything."
"Good, and with that being done. Let's get to the real reason why we're up here" said Jordan.
"Rules for the Sleepover!" they both reply.
Lincoln then looks out the window and down the tree and sees Luna waiting. "Sis! You can come up now!"
Luna climbs up the ladder and enters the tree house. "You two done talking with whatever it was with Carol earlier?"
"We did, and we're ready to make the rules for next week" said Jordan.
"Cool" replied Luna. She takes seat on one of the bean bag chairs. She wants to know what and how did Jordan settle this with Carol.
She knows Lincoln got involved and made some agreements to make things right, but she won't ask or push them into telling her. This was they're business, even though she wants to get involved. This was their privacy and she has to respect it.
"Okay, so we all know what rule 1 is. So let's get to rule 2" said Lincoln.
"I think it should be something to do with McBride" said Jordan.
"She's right, we know how his dads are with his safety and always helicoptering him" said Luna.
Lincoln smiles. "Then let the rules begin!"
A/N: Some of you guys have been wondering when Jordan would settle the score or in other words, "Get Even" And this was the best way I could make. No harm, no foul, just some negotiations and coming soon or the next chapter. Rules of the Sleepover.
Leave a review and tell me what you all think.
Date made: 3/23/20.