Story suggested by: Crystal Persian
It was another day in the Loud House, the noisiest abode you would ever see and hear. The family within were called "Louds" for a reason. With a collection of 13 people crammed in one constantly-falling-apart structure, it was almost impossible to get any silence under this roof. And that's not including the four pets, which were ironically the more easier animals to take care of in the household.
But for the first time in forever, it was actually completely silent. This was because everyone had something to do, which meant someone was required to take care of the house. This time, with the siblings doing their own thing, this left the eldest sibling of the family, Lori, to take care of the house while the parents were at their jobs.
"Ah, peace and quiet. The perfect day to relax and finally enjoy the tranquility." Lori said to herself as she was seen laying down on the couch. Talking to themselves has been a common trend in the Loud resistance, despite most of it being done by Lincoln. "Though, If only someone was here to do my nails for me. I mean, I'd do it but I'm sure my younger siblings will be here any second now."
As if on cue, the door opens, the younger siblings have arrived back from school. Lori smirked softly at their convenient timing. "Right on schedule." *Ahem* Lori cleared her throat as her younger siblings were about to crawl back upstairs. "Hello girls! Would anyone of you be like kind enough to help me with my nails? I'd literally be so thankful~."
Lori was sure to put on her best convincing voice. But unfortunately, and almost immediately, she was rejected by each one of them, from youngest to oldest.
"Apologize, eldest sibling. But I'm in the middle of a de-aging elixir that will make the elderly more active and, at the same time, live for a much longer life span." Lisa expounded.
"Sorry sis, but Hops is going out on a date with a lady frog, and my man need a chaperone." Lana cheered.
"Uhh, no. I'm helping Lana with her date. I'm gonna making Hops absolutely fabulous!" Lola punctuated.
"The spirits refuse to let me go, and I don't want them to. So that task is impossible." Lucy responded.
With all that being said, they resumed trudging up the stairs into their own rooms, leaving Lori alone and really, really annoyed. "Oh yeah?! Well, fine! I don't need you all anyway!"
It was at this moment, Lincoln walked into the house, a slight look of concern on his face as he stares out at nothing. Lori spots the next candidate as he heads to the stairs. She immediately coughs to get his attention, getting ready to repeat her "convincing voice." "Oh Lincoln~. Would you be kind enough to apply some nail polish to my-"
"Alright, fine. I'll do it." Said Lincoln, rolling his eyes as he grabbing some nail polish supplies from his pockets. He then turns to the audience, holding up the products. "When you live in a house of 10 sisters, it pays to be prepared, especially if you are called to their aid more than once a day."
"Uh, hello? Lincoln, these nails aren't gonna coat themselves, y'know."
The boy once again rolled his eyes at his older sister's attitude and began to coat her nails. Surprisingly, only half of the girls cared about doing their nails. And even fewer of them, for some reason, wanted a double, and even triple coat. Though Lincoln really didn't want to create another long argument about the necessities of nail polishing again.
Peeking over her phone, Lori caught a glimpse of her brother's arms. She didn't have a full memory of this morning, but she was pretty sure he didn't have bruises this morning, and that no fight happened during that time. "What happened there." She asked, thinking she might as well make small talk instead of staring up at the ceiling, forcing herself to look at Lana's disgusting "ceiling-gum." She knew she was gonna have a chat about that with her mud-loving sister.
Lincoln looked at his arms before answering. "Oh, it's-it's nothing. It's just Ronnie Ann. No big deal."
Lori drew her phone back to focus on Lincoln, finding this conversation interesting. "Wait, Ronnie Ann? You mean Bobby's sister?"
"Woah, what? You mean Ronnie is Bobby's little sister?! Wow, and I thought she was raised by trolls!" Lincoln exclaimed. In response, he earned a light kick from Lori for insulting her boyfriend's sister.
"Ok, Ok, start from the beginning. Why are you talking about boo-boo-bear's sibling?
(10 minutes of explaining-Ronnie Ann's-history later)
"What?! Nonono, I cannot believe my boyfriend's sister is a big bully!" Lori shouted, now having heard the story, is now standing up from the couch.
"It's okay, Lori. You don't need to do anything. I can-."
"Lincoln, only WE are allowed to beat you up. No one picks on our brother but us! I'm gonna get to the bottom of this!" Lori firmly said, making the words resonate with Lincoln. It was very sweet, but also weirdly wrong. Lori then proceeded to call her boyfriend, about to give him a talking-to.
As much as she wanted to avoid this conversation, family always comes first. No question.
(Meanwhile, an hour away from Royal Woods.)
Bobby was currently arriving home from his new job when he felt his phone vibrate through his jeans. It was most likely a call from Lori, the most important person in his life. Surely it was about their date reservation tonight. He excitedly brought the phone up to his ear and pressed talk.
"Hey, babe. How's it going?" He asked, always happy to hear her voice. He was completely unprepared for the response he got.
"Bobby Santiago, is it true?! Is your sister bullying my brother?!" Lori shouted through the phone, nearly making Bobby drop it out of his grip.
"W-what? What are you talking about?" He asked, completely clueless about the situation.
"Don't play dumb! I just heard from my Lincoln that Ronnie Ann has been picking on him for quite some time! He came home with bruises on his arm! You expect me to believe that you had no idea about this?!
"What?! B-babe, I had no-."
"Save it. Until your sister starts behaving nicely around my brother, we are done with each other! Trust me, this hurts me too." Lori said, feeling herself start to tear up. She hated that she had to do this, but this abused needed to stop. "Oh, and about that date, CONSIDER IT CANCELED! LITERALLY! " Lori concluded, ending the call right then and there.
Bobby stood in place, still clutching the phone in his hand. There was a strong silence in that moment, Bobby standing motionless, not daring to move a muscle, as if he was processing what just happened in his head. It was then, the girl in question came downstairs from her room. She was walking rather cautiously, making sure not to make any noise.
"Hey bro, welcome back. Can you please not tell mama about any potentially disappearing cookies? She can get a little... y'know?" Ronnie Ann did a weeping motion with her hands near her face as she says it. She then saw her brother's face, suddenly feeling a cold chill through the air. "Uh, you okay, dude?"
Suddenly, Bobby got down on his knees, and began to cry hard. His tears poured out like a sprinkler, though it doesn't rival their own mom's crying fits. But he was definitely taking the news harder than she would. Ronnie Ann tried to talk to him, to tell her what the problem was.
(Back at the Loud House)
Lori was bawling her eyes out, having had to break up with her boyfriend. It had to be done, but it still left a crack in her heart. And just knowing how long they were dating together made it sting even more.
Lincoln lifted himself onto the couch, with Lori on her front, face down on a tear-stained couch pillow. "Lori, You didn't have to do that for me."
Lori lifted her head off the pillow to talk. "N-no, I had to. I couldn't have that girl treat you like a punching bag anymore. You deserve better."
Lori suddenly paused, wiping her tears and wet makeup off her face as an idea popped in her head. "You know what? You do deserve better. Why don't we go do something together."
"But you never want to do anything I want to do." Lincoln counterattacked. Lori never drove anyone anywhere unless they did something for her benefit like writing a love letter, doing her homework, or even right now: doing her nails.
"Quiet, Lincoln! We're going out today to have fun whether you like it or not!" Lori stood up, and after wiping off the stained makeup from her face, stormed off outside to the Loud's van: Vanzilla.
As Lincoln began to walk out of the house, he turned to the audience with a concerned expression. "I don't think she's over him yet."
(At the Arcade)
The scene then shifts to the arcade, where Lincoln is currently play a hoop game. Lori was next to him, having paid for the tokens to play the game. Lincoln was making hoop after hoop, scoring again and again, aiming to break the high score.
Lori was paying more focus to her phone than her brother's winning streak. She was currently scrolling through the Jitter app to distract herself. However, it only made things worse, as she saw other girls like her posting photos of them together with their boyfriends and girlfriends. Lori would be tearing up again if her eyes weren't all red and sore from crying earlier, which was when Lincoln started to take notice.
"Lori? Are you sure you're alright?" He asked, stopping his flow for a moment.
This snapped Lori out of the trance she was in. "What? Oh, Pfft. Of course I am. I'm literally just fine." She said, trying to maintain her self-centred personality she usually had around her siblings.
Lincoln knew a lot about his sisters, so he could tell whenever they were lying or trying to hide something. Knowing this was one of those times, he decided to act on it immediately. "Here, shoot some hoops." Lincoln said, handing her his basketball.
Lori was pretty surprised when she was handed a basketball. Her uncaring tone returned as she spoke. "Uh, Lincoln? You're confusing me with Lynn. I don't do these sports."
Lincoln let out a sigh. "Not my point. I want you to distract yourself from your phone; it's reminding you of Bobby." Lincoln moved behind his oldest sibling, analyzing her position to throw the ball.
"Lincoln, this is ridiculous." Lori complained, still not sold on the idea.
"Don't worry Lori. Just plant your feet, look at where you are shooting, and throw it." Lincoln said, encouraging her to make a hoop.
With an eye roll and a heavy sigh, she decided to indulge him in his lame activity. She gripped the ball, fully confident in her own inability to score. She gave the ball an underhanded shot and missed the hoop by quite a bit.
"Um, Lori. You're supposed to throw the ball into the hoop." Lincoln commented with snark in his voice.
"Ha ha, Very funny, little brother." Lori said with sarcasm. "Alright, I played your game, so can I do my own thing now?" She was about to reach for her phone when Lincoln suddenly grabbed her hand.
"Come on, Lori. Take another shot. If you don't, you'll miss out on the satisfaction of scoring. So we're not moving until you swoosh that ball into the basket." He ordered.
A silent groan sounded from Lori's throat as she picked up another ball. She had a new goal now: Score a hoop so her brother would stop bugging her about it. She started to really focus, mimicking the stance Lynn always took when throwing a basketball. Making sure her throw trajectory was somehow accurate, she threw the ball, swishing right into the net.
"Lori, you did it! Good throw!" Lincoln complemented his eldest sister. He turned his head around to see her expression. But it wasn't what he expected.
Lori had a face of shock, worry, and unease all in one, like she had remembered something important. Her body was stiff, her arms drooping to her sides, with her head looking down. Soon after a long pause, she turned her head towards her brother.
"Lincoln, I-" she stopped herself, looking around the arcade. "I want to go somewhere else. Can we go? Please?" Her voice sounded genuine, making Lincoln question what was going on in her head.
"Uh, Okay then." Lincoln said, having felt like he spent enough time in here as well. They then proceeded to walk out of the crowded arcade, heading towards the outdoors.
(Meanwhile)
Ronnie Ann and Bobby were at the mall, eating ice cream at the mall. She had hoped that having some frosty treats would quench his depressing mood, but it was to no eval. Bobby was taking this breakup with Lori just as bad as she was. His ice cream was beginning to melt, having gone through all that preparation and not even a single lick has touched its creamy goodness. Ronnie Ann was quick to point that out to him.
"Bro, your ice cream is melting. Finish it off before it does the same to your shirt." She said to her older brother, seeing as the ice cream was about to start dripping onto his clean shirt.
Bobby shifted his focus on nothing to look at his cone. He made a pathetic moan of annoying, throwing the whole ice cream dessert in the public trash beside him.
"Dude! That's 6 bucks down the drain! If you didn't want ice cream, you could have just said so." Ronnie said in annoyance, having to have paid for it with her brother's money.
"I did..." Bobby murmured out.
"Oh, ...so that's what those mumbles were all about." Ann realized, feeling stupid for not figuring it out earlier. She then looked at her brother, still as depressed as when they left home. And at this point, the tough girl was getting annoyed at this continuous display. "Okay, I'm sorry, alright?! How many times do I have to spell it out for you?"
Bobby let out a huge sigh, turning towards her sister, looking at her through tear-dry eyes. "I just don't get it. Why would you ever want to bully anyone, especially Lincoln?"
"I... i-it's complicated." She said, holding her right arm nervously.
Bobby scooted closer to his sister, grabbing her by the shoulder. "Please! I can't live without Lori. Whatever problem you have with Lincoln, you need to fix it. Please fix it! I love Lori, she's kind and sweet and adorable and lovable and she gives the best kisses a make-out sessions—"
"Okay, Okay, GET OFF!" Ronnie Ann shouted, pushing him back a respectable distance away from her. She calmed herself down, dreading what she was gonna say. "I-I like... Lincoln Loud."
A few seconds of silence was in the air, letting the words sink into her brother's head. The silence was broken however, as Bobby, completely forgetting about his sadness, wrapped his arms around his little sister.
"OMG, Sis. I'm so proud of you! Your first crush! How awesome is that!?" Bobby cheered in happiness for Ronnie Ann, squealing as he hugged his sibling in a tight hug.
"Sh-shut it, bro! We're in public." She said, trying to get out of his warm embrace. "Besides, Lincoln doesn't know I like him like that. To him, we just hang out."
"Uh huh, sure." Bobby nodded, letting go of his sister. "B-but wait, why have babe been bullying Lincoln if you know you like him? Is that a new form of affection or something." Bobby asked.
"No, its not." Ronnie Ann responded. "I... have a reputation at school. I'm one of the toughest girls in school. No shady kids have ever asked me out in years, which was what I wanted... well, at first."
"Okay?" Bobby nodded his head for her to continue.
"But then Lincoln appeared and... well, he was different. He was a little full of himself, sure, but he never really took it too far. Though, he did thread the needle at school. He said that I was rude, gross, and totally not his type, and he'd rather lick the bathroom floor than go out with me."
"W-what? He said that to my baby sister?!" Bobby said, switching his mood of his on a dime. He slowly curled his hands into fists, but uncurled when her sister placed a hand on his fist.
"It's okay, really! I just shrugged it off, not letting it affect me too much. But I get why he said that." Ronnie Ann said, calming her brother down. "We both knew we had a thing for each other, and we both didn't want to tarnish our reputation by... well, hanging out. So we made a silent deal with each other to not make our... plutonic relationship official until it was safe to do so. That's why Lincoln told his lunch-buddies about how much he doesn't like me; he was following our deal."
Bobby raised an eyebrow to Ronnie Ann, looking a bit unsure about something. "Isn't that a bit too complicated. That seems like a lot of work just so you can have a simple relationship."
"Well, how else would I have done it? Any other way, and my tough-girl act would be ruined." Ronnie Ann commented.
"Is that really a bad thing?" Bobby rebutdtaled.
Ronnie Ann was surprised by her brother's words. Surely he knew about her tomboyish personality after all their years of growing up. "Uh, Yeah man. If I lost it, the students would make fun of Lincoln and me for the rest of our school lives."
"Well, sure. But wouldn't that be worth risking if you want to spend more time with Lincoln?" The young man said, hoping that his words resinated within his sister's brain.
It did. If Ronnie Ann wasn't speechless before, she definitely was now. Bobby was absolutely right, her friendship with Lincoln was much more important than maintaining her constant streak of intimidation. If her family ever decide to move, she might be too late to take the next step with her male friend. She set herself down off the bench, taking her brother's hand.
"We need to find them now." Ronnie Ann stated bluntly. She pulled Bobby along with her, desperate to search for her friend. If she knew boys, they would be attracted to two things: Girls and video-games.
Fortunately, he was easier to find than she thought, as she spotted Lincoln, as well as Lori, leaving the arcade and out the sliding doors of the front entrance. She started giving chase, with her brother in her grip, determined to bring this situation back to normal.
(Back to the Louds)
Lincoln and Lori took a breath of clean air, having stayed in that crowded mall for long enough. They eventually settled down at a park table, each other sitting down perpendicular to each other. Lori was looking conflicted, as if debating to herself what she should say. Lincoln, however, was pretty patient with his older sister. He was always willing to help any of his sisters whenever possible, so he gave his phone-obsessed sister as much time as she needed. After a few moments, Lori relaxed herself enough to speak.
"First off, thank you for letting me go outside. After being around so much noisy people, I really needed the fresh air to clear my head." Lori said, once again breathing in a whiff of air. Lincoln nodded his head, not saying a thing as to not interrupt her. "Second... well, I haven't been the best sister in the past, haven't I? I want to apologize for that." Lincoln perked up his head, eager to hear more from his sister.
"I'm sorry for not being nicer to you and our siblings. I just... I always had these worries that... I'd be spending more time with you guys than Bobby. I guess I thought that if I spend too much time with you, someone might steal him, someone with a lot more time on her hands."
Lori folded her arms on the park table. "Do you remember when I tried to make you behave while our parents were gone? You know, the one where everyone thought I was imitating a prison guard? Well, there was another reason for that display. I did whatever I could to make you behave like responsible adults. It was so you could look after yourselves without me having to, that way I could have more time with my boyfriend... well, ex-boyfriend. I guess it was all for nothing, huh?" Lori held her forehead with her palm.
"I'm really sorry, Lincoln. That basketball game made me realize how much I was ignoring you. Being with you without actually giving you any attention. I guess my love for Bobby sometimes blinds me from the well-being of my family. Heh, some sister I am. Guess I ruined our day together by dragging you along with me too." Lori softly chuckled pathetically to herself. Lincoln slowly placed his hand on Lori's unoccupied hand.
"Lori, it's okay. I don't mind hanging out with you. And you're not a bad sister. You just really love Bobby, anyone can see that. And... its obvious that you still do." Lincoln responded.
"But her sister..."
"Exactly! It's not his fault. Do you think he would ever be involved in his sister's actions?" Lincoln continued. "You don't even know why Ronnie Ann was bullying me. Though... I know why."
"H-huh?" A currently distraught Lori said.
Lincoln let out a sigh. "I was going to tell everyone when the time was right for us, but it's clear that this won't change without some context. Well, here it is: I... like Ronnie Ann. Sorry for the mixed messages."
A huge truck of confusion slammed into Lori, making her lean back and sit up straight. "Mixed messages" was right; She and her sisters saw Lincoln get punched by that same girl and he likes her?! Were her and her sisters right all along? Or was there more going on there than they thought? "Keep talking, Lincoln." She said, her eyes fixated on her brother, more attentive than ever.
"Well, after I got that black eye from her, I received a note from her that was attached to a cold steak, which helped with the swelling. After that, it sorta turned into a routine. She'd bully me in front of everyone, then she'd secretly apologize with a note right after that, sometimes with something to ease the pain of any potential bruises I get." Lincoln continued.
He adjusted his sitting position on the wooden seat for a moment before resuming. "It's a way to keep her tough-girl reputation without looking vulnerable to others. Sure its a bit rough to be on the receiving end of one of her slaps and punches, but its worth it to keep her own persona."
"So does she know about your feelings towards her?" Lori asked.
"What? No, of course not! Lincoln quickly blurted out, waving his hands in front of him to emphasize his panic. "I... just haven't found the right time to confess it to her."
Lori brought her thoughts back to her brother's method. Is keeping Ronnie Ann's reputation intact really worth her brother's black eyes and bruises? She decided to speak up on that. "Lincoln, I don't think that's a safe system. What if you get badly injured by her?"
Lincoln countered with his reasoning. "Don't worry, Ron promised me that she wouldn't hurt me too much. Just enough to convince the other students."
"Lincoln." Lori said bluntly. It was time to be the big sister. "Is preserving someone's social status really more important than your own health? What if you guys get caught? They'll think that bullying is genuine. She'll probably get suspended, or more likely sent to a different school, somewhere far away from you. Again, do you really want to continue with all that secrecy with all those risks?"
This was one of those times when Lincoln was completely speechless. He knew that she was right. This was actually a very risky system Ronnie and him came up with. Consequences were the last thing they had on their minds, not having gone farther than annoying teases from the other students. He didn't want to stop hanging out with her just because someone else believed that their fake-bullying act was a genuine act.
"Oh no, I can't let that happen!" Lincoln exclaimed, having realized a fatal flaw in they're plan. "I need to find Ronnie Ann and-."
"Lincoln!!" He heard a shout from nearby, making him look over his shoulder. His eyes widened in surprise and glee as he saw Ronnie Ann running towards him, with Bobby following close behind. Ronnie Ann slowed down when she reached the white-haired kid, holding her knees as she was catching her breath. "I... I was searching all over for you."
"Really? What for?" Lincoln asked, surprised by her being here.
While the kids were conversing, Lori's eyes met Bobby's, making her turn around. Her face turned red with guilt and embarrassment, only now realizing the weight of her previous mistakes she made. It made her want to break down and cry, that that yelling at him for something he had nothing to do with might have cost them their relationship. She tried her best to hold her emotions at bay as she waited for Bobby to talk first.
"Babe? You okay? I need to explain-." Bobby started, only to get interrupted by Lori.
"I'M SORRY!!" Lori cried out, refusing to wait, leaped into his arms. Her tears were staining his shirt as she let her emotions out for Bobby. "It's my fault, it's always my fault! I'm sorry for judging you for something you didn't do. I was just caught up in the moment cause my siblings are always stressing me out, but I still love them and want to protect them, but not from you! And now we're breaking up and we'll never see each other again-"
"Woah woah, hold up." Bobby interrupted his girl, holding her to his chest to let it all out. "Lori, listen to me. You were always the most assertive out of us, so let me be the assertive one this time and say; We are not breaking up, I promise you that. Our love is too strong to be broken by any reason. Even if we do encounter a problem in our relationship, we'll work through it together. I'll do it because I love you Lori, and I hope you still love me too."
Lori looked like a mess from her crying fit, with her makeup washing off from her salty tears. But she didn't care. All she could focus on was what was right in front of her. "I don't deserve you." She muttered.
Bobby lifted his hand, placing it on her cheek, wiping her tears from her eyes before softly speaking. "Yes, you do."
With a flutter in her heart, Lori locked lips with her boyfriend, a new fiery passion awakening within the couple. The two high schoolers have been reunited, their relationship stronger than ever. This made Lori realize that she wasn't the only one thinking about their relationship. Bobby was thinking about their relationship just as much as she was, which was very refreshing to know. Lori went on to kiss her boyfriend for a full minute, which was very sweet and wholesome to everyone... except the kids.
Grossed out from all the lovey-dovey emotions that were emanating from the lovebirds, the kids went into their own conversation. "Well, looks like our secret friendship isn't so secret anymore." Lincoln said, lighting up the situation in his own way. "I guess "Operation: Keep our friendship a secret by bullying me so our reputation doesn't get demolished" was a big flop."
"Guess so. Though it may not have been the best plan you have ever thought of, dude." Ronnie Ann said, agreeing with him. "Plus, the name needs to be shorter."
"Heheh, yeah I get that a lot." Lincoln rubbed his arm before continuing. "So what now? Should we just continue what we're doing?"
"Lincoln... I-I think it's time we went clean." Ronnie Ann said bluntly.
"But your reputation-"
"I know, Lincoln, I know. But... I had a chat with my brother and... well, I decided to expose our friendship." Ronnie Ann hid her hands in her hoodie pockets, looking straight at Lincoln. "Lincoln, it feels wrong to hold it in for this long. Hiding a simple friendship is... there's just no point, other than to look suspicious. Even though I worked hard for my image at school, your friendship is much more worth it."
Lincoln was surprised to hear that she had a very similar thought to his. "T-thanks, Ron." He said with a smile.
It was at this moment that the two kids realized that they were staring into each others eyes without even realizing it. They immediately turned their head away from each other's gaze, blushing immediately from the awkward moment. Lincoln got an idea, turning back to Ronnie Ann.
"Hey, Ron. Since you're here..." Lincoln said, walking towards the wooden table. "...Would you like to sit with us? Maybe we could order something."
Ron smiled, blushing softly for a little bit. She hated how she was acting, but she couldn't help it. After a day like today, she was trying her best to collect herself. She quickly responded with: "Sure, that's cool."
They all sat down on the park table, phoning Burpin-Burger an order of burger and fries. The group of four then spent the rest of their time talking with each other while they ate. Lori and Bobby sat together, cuddling, kissing, and trying to figure out what they should plan for their recently canceled date. While the couple were conversing, the two kids made fun of how mushy they were being, talking about movies they seen, and how things are going to be different with them publicly announcing their friendship.
And they're right. School will definitely be different from this point on. But it will be for the best reason.
So sorry it took so long, I had a lot going on in my life during this story, like my drivers test and work-related stress. Nevertheless, I'll do my best to provide stories whenever I can! Thanks for reading and understanding!
... Stay tuned for the epilogue coming soon...