"Grandfather `s nursing home harbors quite a few intriguing test subjects, especially one individual who`s at the astounding age of one hundred twenty! A rare and valuable case study for human longevity." Lisa, who was wearing a bandage over her head, said to no one in particular on the kiddie table while writing down a few a notes to herself regarding observations and sampling.
Lola was observing herself in a handheld mirror and looking for any blemishes while Lucy was finishing eating her lunch. Lana meanwhile was filling up the bowls of their pets.
"We`ll be surrounded by people in their twilight years." Lucy spoke up. "I always wondered if I`ll witness how one`s heart stops beating and watch their soul ascend to another plane of existence."
Upon hearing her, Lola and Lisa stared at her and quickly scooted their chairs as far away from her as possible.
"What?" Lucy asked simply.
Lola groaned and left the table. "That's it, I can't stand another second with you weirdos! I`m going back to my room!"
"No objections here." Lisa replied plainly, not taking her gaze off her notes.
"You, are dead to me!" Lola scolded the genius before sticking her nose up and continued leaving. Lisa couldn't care less.
Lana whistled for her pets before noticing Lola going upstairs.
"Hey, where are you off to? We`re leaving for Sunset Canyon in an hour!" she called after her twin. Lola stopped and sent her a haughty glare.
"Correction, you guys are leaving. I`ll be far too busy figuring out which dress to wear when I sign up for my next beauty pageant." she explained while stroking her flowing hair.
Lana looked at her incredulously. "What? You`d rather play dress up than visit ol`Pop-Pop? How dumb can you get?"
"I have more important things to do than gawk at a bunch of smelly old people." Lola countered arrogantly. "I have seen Pop-Pop hundreds of times before, he can wait. But my beauty pageant career can`t!"
With that, she turned her back and left. Lana narrowed her eyes.
"Ughhhh! Why does she have to be such a doofus!" the tomboy lamented to herself as Cliff and Geo arrived to eat their fill.
Charles was last to arrive, as he had difficulty navigating with the tunnel vision his head cone was giving him. Lana noticed someone missing.
"Hey, have you guys seen Walt lately?" she asked her sisters while scratching her head and looking around.
"I dunno. But some of Fang`s flock mates have recently gone missing too." Lucy pointed out.
"Oh, no." Lana was taken aback. "What could have happened to all of them?"
Lisa sighed exasperatedly. "What an inexplicable mystery." she lisped sarcastically. "It`s not like a foreign Felis silvestris catus has recently trespassed on this vicinity."
"What`s that supposed to mean?" Lucy asked. Lisa rolled her eyes and walked away.
"Nevermind. If you two are too dense to connect the blatant dots why should I even bother?" she reasoned dryly and left upstairs.
"Hey! Who are you calling stupid!" Lana yelled at her but was ignored by the genius.
Lincoln arrived late at the table. But only Lynn, Lori and Luna were present.
"Hey, Linc. Where have you been?" Lynn was the only one who greeted him.
"I...had stuff to do." he replied. Lynn got from his tone not to ask any further questions while they were being watched.
"Oh, well, I saved you a seat." Lynn tried to act casual and pulled out the chair next to her, and Lincoln seated himself.
"Thanks." he said plainly.
A somewhat pointless gesture from her as Luan was absent, their mother was busy packing, their father would probably not want to bother his wife if she came to the table and they all knew that Leni would be sitting the day out in her the room holding an ice pack to her head.
Lincoln definitely felt a strong sense of guilt over the last one, and even Lynn felt sympathy for her. She also thought that out of all of their sisters who could have gotten a concussion, Leni was among the least deserving.
Lori sent them both a brief, disdainful glare before turning back to her text messages. She had already finished her plate and would have left already if she wasn't so caught up in her phone conversation.
"So...you gonna spend some quality time with dad instead of coming with us?" Lynn asked Lincoln, trying to converse about their plans as much as they could in the open.
Hearing this came as a surprise to the two older sisters.
"Yeah, thought it might do us both some good..." Lincoln told the jock "...dad`s been kind of glum lately and I thought he needed some company."
"Spineless sellouts gotta stick together I suppose." a snarky Lori suddenly remarked.
The two younger siblings glared at her.
"Will you knock it off, Lori?" Lynn retorted. "Luan told you all that none of us helped her out, what more evidence do you need?"
"No offense, dude..." Luna cut in, trying to stay neutral "...but I think we can all agree that Luan isn't the most trustworthy source."
"She said she was sorry and that she was gonna dial it back." Lincoln came to the comedian's defense. "Just what more do you want from her?"
Lori rolled her eyes. "Are you joking or are you really that gullible, twerp? Lots of people "apologize" and say they'll stop with something all the time. Doesn't mean they mean it though."
"Well...don`t you think we ought at least give her a chance?" Lincoln argued.
He couldn't exactly fault his sisters for being suspicious, even if some of them were just being jerks. There were reasons for being skeptical about Luan`s sincerity, he might have agreed with his sisters if he hadn't seen with his own two eyes that Luan could change and that there was more to her than the laughing, callous prankster her sisters took her for.
"I`m not necessarily siding with Lori, bro. But she has a point." Luna replied to him. "You gotta see something first to believe it, and this is Luan we`re talking about..."
"Hey familia!"
"Speak of the devil..." Lynn muttered.
"What`s for lunch? Mmmmm...smells incrEDIBLE!" Luan waltzed in, in a very upbeat mood, unaware that everyone but Lincoln was less than pleased to see her.
After an awkward silence, Luan blinked in confusion. "What's wrong?" she snickered and grabbed an orange. "Orange you glad to see me? Get it!"
Luan started laughing but soon went quiet as she heard no one else making a peep, except for Luna clearing her throat. Luan started to pout.
Feeling sorry for her, Lincoln decided to break the ice. "Hey, Luan, I...eh...heard you made friends with Ryan and went to Dairyland together?"
Luan smiled at him. "You breader believe it, Linky!" she replied while holding a loaf of bread. Her sisters groaned in annoyance.
"It was some of the most fun I had in years! And Ryan`s such a sweet and fun guy!" she gushed. Lynn silently fumed.
Lincoln tried to smile, even though hearing about Ryan getting praised would typically spur the opposite reaction in him.
"That`s great, Luan. I`m happy to hear that you're making new friends."
Luan smiled with appreciation. "Aww thanks, Linc. It's nice to see someone being happy for me..." her warm smile slowly turned into a bitter frown as she looked over Lincoln`s shoulder "...unlike certain other people."
Her icy gaze was directed at Lynn who gladly shot one back to her. Lincoln blinked in confusion at Luan`s shift in mood and quickly noticed the silent, yet unsubtly hateful glares between the jock and the comedian.
Lincoln was confused by the sudden hostile vibe between his sisters.
"Eh, Luan? You're not still mad at Lynn for knocking you out?" Lincoln made his best guess and tried to ease the tension. "Cuz she`s very, very sorry about that accident."
"Linc, where did you get that crazy idea?" Lynn smirked at the comedian. "When did I ever say I was sorry?"
Luan`s glare intensified while Lincoln grew more perplexed. Lori suddenly snickered.
"You knocked her out?" she addressed Lynn. "Okay, you`ve officially earned a few brownie points with me." Lori shrugged with amusement.
Luan`s glare shifted to her. "Hey! I freaking apologized and said I was gonna dial it back! Why do you have to be such grudge-hogging sourcrouts!"
Lori ignored her and looked back at her phone, only angering her more.
"You're really milking this for all it's worth, aren't you?" Luan raised her voice. Lori finally looked up at her.
"You keep cracking those puns and I`m gonna punch you in the face." she warned her casually.
Luan backed away nervously.
"Lori, that was uncalled for!" Lincoln spoke up for Luan. "You can't talk to her like that!"
"I dunno..." Lynn shrugged indifferently "...Lori might be on to something."
Lincoln turned towards her. "Lynn?" he asked in disbelief.
Suddenly someone whistled, surprising the siblings.
They looked for the source of the sound and saw Ryan leaning against the door frame of the kitchen.
"Hello, ladies." he greeted them smarmily. "What's with the negativity at the table?"
Before anyone else could respond, Luan beamed with joy.
"RYAN!" she jumped happily and zapped in front of him like a roadrunner before embracing him. "Couldn`t stay away from me, could ya?" she asked teasingly.
Smirking with satisfaction, Ryan gently pushed her back and flashed her a dashing smile. "I said I would come back to see you again, and I'm a man of my word." he answered in a chill tone that made Luan feel light-headed and giggle.
Fuming, Lynn jumped from her chair and bodyslammed Luan out of the way much to Ryan`s surprise.
"Upps, sorry, Lu. I`m such a klutz." she mockingly apologized to her sister, who glowered at her from the floor, before turning to her friend.
"Ryan? What brings you here, buddy?" she fist-bumped him.
"Well, I just thought I`d pay my new friends a visit." he shrugged. "See if they needed help with something?"
Lincoln pinched his forehead. It seems Lynn failed to tell Ryan he wasn't needed today.
Luan picked herself up and grabbed Ryan`s hand, yanking him away from Lynn.
"That`s so thoughtful of you!" she told him flirtatiously and dragged him towards the table. "Don't be a stranger! Take a seat!"
Lynn`s head was steaming as Luan seated him at the table and sat infuriatingly close to him, which Ryan didn't seem to mind.
Lynn ran back and sat to Ryan`s other side.
Ryan noticed the icy glares the sisters were shooting at each other, with him in the middle of it.
Feeling a tad uncomfortable, he soon also noticed the unpleasant glares Lori and Luna were sending him.
"Laurel! And...the other one!" he acknowledged them. "Sup?"
Lori and Luna were both taken aback by his casual attitude. Both thought that he wouldn't dare show his face here after what he did to them yesterday, but he just entered their home with complete nonchalance.
"Just who do you think you are?" Lori spoke up in an enraged tone, it's volume broke Lynn`s and Luan`s intense staring contest.
"Ryan Taylor, age 12, I hail from Cape Town. Need any more info?" the boy replied nonchalantly.
Lori squinted her eyes, entirely baffled by his demeanor. Was he messing with them or was he as dumb as Leni?
"Just what the hell kind of game are you playing?!" Lori asked him suspiciously.
"None that I know of." Ryan shrugged before elbowing Lynn. "But knowing her, I`ll probably we dragged off to another one in no time." he laughed.
"Ughhhhh...will you quit the act and stop dodging our questions." Luna cut in, finally growing out of patience with his tomfoolery. All eyes were now on her.
"You tied me up! You suffocated her with your armpit! You bagged the twins and you pranced on all of us like we were rugs! And you nearly dislocated my spine! What the hell, dude!" she threw her arms up.
"Huh?" Luan was surprised to hear this.
"Oh yeah, now I recall." Ryan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That was pretty funny, wasn't it?" he said merrily.
"You thought that was funny!" Lori growled.
Ryan nodded. "Yeah...the way I hear it you Louds are all a little looney and like to do crazy, chaotic stuff while playing so I thought this was the perfect chance for me to let loose, go nuts myself and blend in with you guys."
"I am not crazy!" Lori snapped, causing everyone but Ryan at the table to flinch. "I`m perfectly well adjusted! You're the chalk-skinned crazy who tried to poison me and who assaulted us!"
"Lori! Please don't scream at our house guests!" Rita`s voice came from upstairs.
"Oh, don't be so uptight, everyone`s got a little crazy in them." Ryan explained helpfully. "It helps clear the mind, right Luan?"
Luan giggled. "You said it! Embracing your insanity frees the soul! You can`t accept yourself if you can't accept your crazy side."
"Truer words were never spoken." Ryan nodded, making Luan blush and Lynn fume.
"What`s he prattling on about?" a confused Lincoln mused.
Lori`s jaw dropped and her brow furrowed. What was he talking about? She wanted to threaten to mangle him but he starts rambling nonsense, insisting they're all crazy and acting chipper about it. Why wasn't he scared of her? Why was he acting like this?
"Forget it, I don't have to take this!" Lori flipped out and pointed at him. "You're insane!"
"And so are you, you and you!" she pointed at Luan, Lynn and Lincoln respectively. "Just stay away from me you bunch of nutjobs!"
"Thanks for the compliment, Laurel." Ryan smiled gratefully. "You're positively and exuberantly out of whack too!"
Lori growled and stormed away from the table. "I`m going to the mall!" she growled and slammed the front door.
Once she was gone, Ryan looked at all the confused siblings with a self-satisfied smirk.
"Thin-skinned, ain't she?" he laughed. "You spout a little nonsense and she just runs off? Weak!"
"Wait? You were messing with her?" Luna asked him incredulously.
"Course I did, tutz. You really need to be quicker on the update." Ryan joked at her expense. Luna scowled.
"Oh, I see!" Luan said nervously, pretending she was in on it. "You played mind games with her to drive her crazy!"
"Huh, why didn't I think of that years ago?" Lynn mused.
"You hit the nail, Luan. The very essence of comedy is watching others suffer. And if you want to watch people squirm first you gotta get into their head and play them like a fiddle."
"Wow, you're so...thought provoking and smart." Luan gushed. Lynn groaned and glowered at her.
"Isn`t making people suffer and manipulating them mean, hurtful, despicable and...y`know, unethical." Lincoln interjected exasperatedly while slouching in his hand.
"Not as long as you make sure that you're never at the butt of the joke." Ryan replied coolly. Lincoln sighed and rolled his eyes.
Ryan smirked. "Oh, don't act so self-righteous, Linc-meister. Your hands are just as dirty as mine and Lynn`s. After all, it was your plan." he said nonchalantly.
"Okay, what gives!" Luna cut in." If you weren't playing, then why did you attack us in the park?"
Ryan sighed smarmily and looked back at Lincoln. "Should we tell her the truth about that "letter"?"
"Truth?" the rocker blurted.
Lincoln groaned inwardly, knowing what Ryan meant. The cover story the three of them had agreed on. Lincoln didn't like it, but it was about as good as any lie he could think off.
He nodded dejectedly. Ryan smiled gleefully.
"Well, ya see, I was told that most of you Louds are greedy and will go to insane measures to get something just because one sibling has it and you don`t."
"What? I`m not like that!" Luna retorted.
"And yet you chased after Linc as well." Lynn countered her claim.
"Well, I didn't believe that either..." Ryan told the rocker "...but since I always love a practical joke I agreed to test you guys out by dangling a blank piece of paper at ya and see if you would want it just because we wouldn't tell you what was written on it, which just happened to be zilch."
"What?" Luna looked dumbfounded before standing up and throwing her arms up. "You mean you made us run around like idiots for squat?"
Luan cracked up laughing and elbowed Ryan. "That's unbelievable! Grade A plotting!" she wiped away tears before turning to Lincoln.
"I never knew you could be so... devious, Linc. Cunning, sure. But not so devious and meticulous." she complimented him, but Lincoln shrank back with shame.
"Nobody forced you to chase him through town." Lynn retorted firmly. "You guys brought it all on yourself."
Ryan chortled. "I never thought you girls would go as far as you did. After it looked like you were seriously gonna hurt my little, helpless buddy..."
Lincoln scowled at the remark
"...well I had to step in and save his butt. But one thing`s for sure, he and Lynn proved me right. I guess I owe them both a soda."
Luna narrowed her eyes and looked at them all. "Not cool, dudes. Not cool at all!" she said indignantly and left the table. "I`m out of here, I`m gonna wait in the van."
"Touchy..." Ryan remarked before facing Luan. "These people really can't take a joke. I see what you have to deal with."
"Tell me about it." she agreed.
"Say..." Ryan wondered and looked at them all "...what did...Whats-Her-Name mean about staying in the van?"
Lincoln grew a small smile. Well, if nothing else he wouldn't have to put up with Ryan and his obnoxious quips for the ensuing twenty-four hours.
He straightened himself up. "What, no one told you? We`re visiting our grandfather at his nursing home today." he gladly explained.
"Well, my sisters will be going there and stay for the night, I`m planning to spend some time with dad."
Ryan looked disappointed.
"Sorry, Ryan." Lynn shrugged.
"Oh...okay..." he said casually. "Don`t want to interrupt family reunions."
Though truth be told he was rather bummed to hear this, he was so used to spending his free time with Lynn, and without her he had few other options beyond being by his lonesome or talking to his cat.
That actually sounded pretty pathetic when put like that.
"Aw don't be so glum, Ryan. You can come with us! We`ve got five empty seats as it is." Luan was quick to invite him. Lincoln frowned at the idea, while Lynn looked a bit excited.
Ryan blinked. "Ehhh..." he stressed with uncertainty as Luan looked at him with big, hopeful eyes.
"That's a kind offer, Lu. But I have to decline." he replied nervously. "I don`t want to ruin your guys` quality time with grandpa, that would be just rude."
Actually, it was more about the fact that going to an old folks home sounded about as thrilling to him as going on a school trip to the history museum.
Both Luan and Lynn looked saddened.
"Girls, get ready! We`re leaving in less than an hour!" they heard Rita`s voice.
"Well, I better pack up." Luan stood up. "I have to make sure I`ve packed all the props I need to make those old timers laugh."
She turned to their guest. "By, Ryan. Oh! But one more thing!" she reached behind his ear and pulled out a pen.
"Tadda!"
"Wow, neat trick." the boy was impressed. Lynn fumed once again.
Luan grabbed his hand and wrote her phone number on his palm.
"I expect you to call that number soon." she flirted and then skipped away. "See ya!"
Smirking, Ryan showed his palm at Lincoln. "Told ya I had a way with the ladies."
Lincoln sighed. "You sure proved us wrong..." he replied sardonically and stood up himself.
"I better check on dad. See ya, Lynn, and you know where the door is, Taylor." he droned and left the kitchen.
Ryan shook his head. The little guy just couldn't take being owned and proven wrong. Though he would have appreciated a more petulant reaction.
"And you guys sure you don't need me today?" he asked Lynn.
"You aren't worried that your sisters will blow the old joint to smithereens? Or give some old lady a heart attack, or push some wheelchair-bound geezer down the stairs? Or maybe steal all the seniors` chattering teeth for a scavenger hunt?"
Lynn laughed dryly. "I`m sure they won't, they`re usually well-behaved there. And if they try something funny, I can handle it alone."
"I`m sure you can." Ryan replied with no hint of sarcasm.
Lynn smirked. "I`m more worried about you. You don't exactly have a busy schedule without yours truly providing you company."
Ryan shrugged. "When you're right you're right. But I`ll think of something."
"You don't have to be alone."
Spooked by the sudden voice, Ryan jumped and fell out of his chair, revealing Lucy standing behind him.
The likewise frightened Lynn grew a scowl directed at the goth.
"LUCY! Why are you here? Didn't you hear what mom said about leaving in less than an hour!"
"I didn't come to speak with you." Lucy told the jock simply.
Ryan stood up while straightening his back and looked at the pale girl.
Despite nearly having a heart attack himself, he wore a friendly expression. "Why hello there, how you`ve been, sucker?"
"Fine." she replied shyly.
"I see, and why aren't you preparing for your trip?"
"I...I wanted to ask you something." Lucy said timidly. Lynn eyed her suspiciously.
"And that would be?" Ryan asked.
"I...I heard you had nothing to do today so I thought...you might be interested to... spend the day with me?"
Both preteens were surprised.
"You want to hang out with me?" a befuddled Ryan gestured at himself.
Lucy shuffled. "Well...not literally, I assume you didn't have much practice hanging upside down. I just thought we could...spend time together."
"Hey, Dutches of Darkness..." Lynn called her out curtly "...need I remind you that you already have commitments?"
"I don't." the stoic goth countered. "Mom said none of us have to go if we don't want to. Pop-Pop will have all of you for company, he won`t notice my absence." she reasoned sullenly before turning towards Ryan.
"But I heard what you`ve said, and no one deserves to be alone."
That remark oddly struck a cord with Ryan. No one had ever said that to him or dropped everything they did just for him.
"You're asking to come with me?" he asked her again to make sure he hadn't misheard her.
"Yes, I want to learn more about you. I sense that we`re kindred spirits."
Lynn wanted to hurl, it was the second time she had heard someone say that dumb line in relation to Ryan.
Ryan pondered. "Well, if you insist..."
"Ryan? You do realize you're agreeing for a freaking babysitting gig! Without even getting payed!" an annoyed Lynn told him, unable to believe her own ears.
Her friend shrugged. "Fine by me. I`m all yours, kid."
Lucy smiled while Lynn`s jaw dropped.
Taking a heavy sigh, Lynn reluctantly entered her parents' room and found her mother filling up a small suitcase on the bed.
"Mom...can I have a sec with you?" she asked with uncharacteristic timidness.
"Lynn, I`m sorry I kept you girls waiting in the van." her mother immediately apologized. "Gosh, I always get so caught up packing and lose sense of-"
"No, no. It's not that, mom." Lynn reassured her while rubbing her arms and tentatively stepped in. "I`m not going..." she blurted in a shaky voice.
That came as a surprise to Rita and she faced her daughter. "You don't want to go too?"
Lynn avoided eye contact. "I wanted to, really. It's just..." she shifted uncomfortably.
"It's quite alright, dear. I`m not forcing any of you to come with me if you don't want to." Rita reassured her.
"It's not that I don't want to, it`s just..." Lynn took a deep breath "...Ryan dropped by, and Lucy wanted to spend time with him..."
"Lucy wants to spend time with him?" Rita was surprised but slowly grew a smile.
"Good for her, I`m glad she's making friends." she knew the goth didn't leave the house and socialize much, so this was a pleasant turn of events and a bit of a relief to the mother.
Her daughter seemed to struggle to speak out her next sentence, but Rita didn't need anything more to figure out what Lynn was thinking.
"You want to go with them too?" she asked knowingly.
"I...I just want to make sure Ryan`s prepared for Lucy, you know how...spooky...and weird she can be..." Lynn replied tensely as if she was trying to convince herself of something.
"Oh, is that the only reason you want to see him?" Rita grew a hint of a smirk.
"Of course...well...he`s my friend and I just want to see him..." Lynn shrugged uneasily, not exactly believing herself at this point.
She once again felt as confused and troubled as before, and Rita easily picked up the internal turmoil her daughter was currently trying to mask.
Given the flow of the conversation and a certain boy`s name, she had a pretty good idea about what was troubling Lynn.
"Did you want to ask me about something else by any chance?"
Lynn swallowed a lump. Should she tell her? Who else to turn to about this other than her own mother? Maybe she should? Maybe these weird feelings were some puberty related mumbo-jumbo, and her mother could confirm it.
Lynn braced herself and looked at her mother pleadingly. "Mom, please promise me to keep this between us!"
"You have my word, dear." Rita reassured her warmly and gestured to the bed. "I think you should sit down."
Lynn did so and sat next to her, sighing dejectedly.
"So, let me take a guess..." Rita started immediately "...you and Ryan were having a great time as friends but now you suddenly feel weird when you`re around him?"
Lynn was astonished. Did Lisa somehow give their mother psychic abilities? "How`d you guess?"
"Lynn, I had this conversation four times already." Rita felt like she was going through a repeat, she wanted to jump to the answer already but knew not to rush such a delicate conversation. "So, when's the first time you felt that way?"
Lynn looked away. "I dunno, I think I sorta felt it a few times this week..." she said with uncertainty "...but it got really bad yesterday when..." Lynn paused and then sighed. Might as well spit it out.
"Ryan...wanted to learn more about the neighborhood and...see Dairyland, but I had to go training so he instead asked Luan to take him there, and from what I hear they...became fast friends."
That was as far as Lynn was willing to say, the rest of Luan`s actions were a whole other can of worms.
"I see...and did that bother you?"
Lynn narrowed her eyes. "Yes..." she said in a low voice. "I felt mad at him, but even more at Luan. I wanted to kick her butt, knock her stupid teeth out, chop her spine in half and..." Lynn`s tone grew more aggravated with every word "...and use her head for a bowling ball!"
A stunned Rita blinked. "Eh...Lynn? That might be a very...unorthodox way to deal with your emotions."
Lynn looked at her "Then why do I feel so angry in the first place!? Why now? Is this puberty?" she asked curtly. "Am I gonna have what women call "a period"? I heard somewhere that this thing makes you go cranky?"
Rita grew red and yanked the collar of her shirt nervously. "That, dear...I think is a discussion for another day. I think I know what your problem is, but it's not...that."
"Then what is it?" Lynn asked impatiently.
Rita sighed, somehow telling Lynn this felt more unnerving than with her older daughters.
Maybe because she was far more temperamental, or because she seriously hadn't expected Lynn out of all of her daughters to be hit by Cupid`s arrow before she was twenty or something, and even then. Unless you counted an infatuation with sports.
"Well, if you want a direct answer...I think you're...smitten with Ryan."
Lynn paused with disbelief before glaring at Rita. "Mom! You can't be serious! I came to you looking for help...but...you`re just teasing me like my stupid sisters!"
"Wow. Calm down. I`m not making fun of you." Rita tried to ease the situation.
Lynn glowered. "I don't have a crush on him, he`s my friend." she said bitterly.
"Lynn..." her mother replied softly. "I know this is confusing to you now, but it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's just a natural aspect of growing up."
"How would you know?" a surly Lynn retorted while folding her arms. Rita chuckled lightly.
"Maybe because I was a girl once and had lots of crushes? And maybe because I already had this conversation four times before. Sure, only Lori has found her significant other so far, but you might change that."
Lynn blushed and pouted. "I won't!" she spat defiantly.
"Lynn, nobody says you have to. Far from it. I`m just saying you shouldn't look at this like a bad thing. How do you think Ryan feels about you?"
That question cut like a knife to the jock. The simple answer would be that he was a reliable if a huge smartass of a friend, but that hasn't always been the case.
The days of Ryan Taylor the unscrupulous bully and sleaze who shamelessly flirted with her were history, and now with time resetting itself it technically never even happened, even if she, him and Lincoln still remember it. He seemed complacent with simply being friends with her, but she didn't want to think about if those old attractions still lingered on.
"I dunno, I can't read minds." she said, half-way paying attention to her mother.
"He...he...did say that I was his best friend and that I could always count on him." she admitted.
At least she could admit that the "best pals" feelings between them were mutual. No friend or acquaintance of her`s ever went through the same kind of dire trials with her as she and Ryan had.
Him and her survived three separate, actual life and death situations, all courtesy of the same beast that terrorized them, and Ryan was perfectly willing to put his life on the line for her, and even her siblings.
And now he and her were thrown together in the insanely absurd situation of landing back in the past and trying to prevent her parents' divorce. No friend of hers had ever gone to such absurd and unlikely lengths to help her.
There was no denying that at this point she had become more intimate with him than with anyone else in her life, sans her own brother and the people who gave life to her.
"Really?" Rita said suggestively. "And he doesn`t, by any chance, blush and grow stiff if you hug him? Or eagerly agrees to help you at any chance?"
How did her mother guess that? Was she really psychic?
"Yes..." she answered skeptically. She would have added "hauling a wolf of me and vice versa" just to see if her mom would bring that up.
"Well, I can't read minds, but those hints certainly imply the feelings are mutual." Rita smiled. "Maybe you and him should just talk things over, and the rest will run it's...natural course."
Lynn glared at her oddly. "I`ve run plenty of course. But what does that have to do with anything?"
"Mom! Will you come down already! Pop-Pop`s not getting any younger!" a voice from down the hall interjected.
"Coming Luna!" Rita shouted back and stood up before looking at Lynn one last time. "I`m sorry, Lynn. I gotta go."
"But don't you worry about anything. I think you're just seeing the beginning of something great for you." she told her encouragingly as she left.
Still frustrated, Lynn followed her but halted as they bumped into Ryan and Lucy.
"Ah, Mrs.L, how great to see you again." Ryan greeted her politely before turning to Lynn.
" So? Got the permission to skip the old folk`s home?"
"Oh, don't you all worry." Rita said mischievously. "I`m not one to ruin your kids`fun. Wink. Wink. Nudge. Nudge."
Lynn blushed and looked down from embarrassment.
Once everyone was gone, Lincoln found his father reading the newspaper on the couch and carrying a sulky expression.
Sighing, Lincoln moved in and sat next to him. "Hey, dad. What's up?" he forced a casual tone.
"Lincoln?" Lynn Sr. turned to him in surprise. "You didn't go to visit your grandfather?"
"Well, I wanted to, but...I was kinda worried about you, dad, and I wanted to see if you were okay."
"Oh, I appreciate that, son. But there was no reason for you to stay." Lynn tried to sound more upbeat than he really was. "Just look at me, I`m perfectly fine and dandy."
"Dad..." Lincoln gave him a serious look "...you don't look fine to me. I`ve noticed how mom`s kind of been giving you the cold shoulder after Luan`s late April Fools tribute."
The man`s forced smile fell and he exhaled. "Lincoln, you don't need to be worried. Yes, I`m currently a little on your mother`s bad side, but that's all because of a tincy-wincy misunderstanding, it will blow over soon."
"No, no it won't." Lincoln thought grimly. "Not unless we can change that."
"Dad..." Lincoln sighed "...would you mind if we spent some time together given how you have some free time?"
"Why of course Lincoln, that sounds like a swell idea." his father lightened up.
"Great." Lincoln smiled. "And could we maybe talk about some stuff that`s been on my mind?" he suggested offhandedly.
"Sure, son. Anything that's got you thinking you can share with your ol`man. Though we can't stray away from the house, I made a promise to watch it."
"I understand, dad. Trust me, I`m kinda feeling homesick today anyway." Lincoln agreed.
"But maybe we could talk somewhere outside. Without her roommate and with Leni napping, and Lori of to the mall, I doubt Lola or Lori will do anything too crazy beyond having a tea party with her plushies or talking on the phone all day or."
Lynn pondered but then smiled. "I suppose you do have a point. But first, would you mind doing me a little favor?"
"Why sure, dad. Anything you need I`ll gladly help. What is it?"
"Help me clean the garage?"
Lincoln went pale, but very strenuously forced a smile. "Sure...sounds like fun..."
Lynn found herself carrying a duffle bag and walking through the neighborhood with Ryan...and Lucy of all people, who was sandwiched between the older kids and carrying a black backpack.
Not exactly a splendid situation from the jock`s perspective, as while getting another free day from their mission sounded cool on paper, having her weirdo little sister tag along seriously hampered it.
The talk she had with her mother also suddenly made being in the presence of her friend a lot more uncomfortable regardless. Following that talk, she had almost wanted to change plans again and go with her mother instead, but she had run herself into a corner.
Lucy wasn't very happy about Lynn`s presence either. Having Lynn come along meant that she would likely draft Ryan into another one of her 24-hour multi-sports marathons while Lucy would quickly be forgotten and left behind as an unwanted onlooker.
"So what do you guys want to do first?" Ryan broke the silence. "I know your respective hobbies and interests don't overlap, like...at all. So I assume we`re gonna have to invent shifts for any upcoming activities."
Lucy felt a bit relieved. Ryan did think about what she wanted instead of just thinking about Lynn. She was still hesitant to speak, expecting her older sister to start chatting with Ryan nonstop and tune her out completely. But that didn't happen.
Lynn was strangely withdrawn and avoided eye contact with the boy. Lucy noticed that and felt perplexed. Was Lynn actually shy about something? She looked like she was having some serious inner turmoil, but that couldn't be true?
As far as Lucy knew her Lynn always leaped into action and never engaged in any thought processes more elaborate than: "Sports! I love sports! Must turn everything into a contest! Touch down! Lynner, Lynner, Chicken Dinner! Whooho!" So what could possibly be troubling her?
"You wanna make a suggestion first, kid?" Ryan addressed the goth.
"Well...I have some ideas..." she stammered timidly "...but...they`re...a bit weird."
"Shoot right ahead." Ryan shrugged. "The weirder and more out there an idea is, the more fun it's guaranteed to be."
Lucy smiled, feeling a bit more encouraged to speak her mind.
Listening to that, Lynn had her own internal battle. "Don't act like a dweeb, Lynn. Nothing has changed! It's the same Ryan as before! Don't think about him like that! What does mom know about what she`s talking about anyway!" she kept denying her feelings just so she could muster the courage to look Ryan in the eye again.
"I have an idea!" she cut in. "I`ll gather my friends together so I can introduce you to everyone, Ryan. Then we`ll organize a big game of your choice! Football? Soccer? Baseball? Basketball? It's your decision to make, buddy!" she spoke bombastically.
Ryan turned quiet, clearly not being thrilled by the idea.
"And what am I supposed to do there?" Lucy asked her.
Lynn smirked at her and pretended to think. "You're too young and out of shape to play in the big league, Luce. But don't worry, you can be our cheering fan on the sidelines. I`ll even give you your very own foam hand with my name on it!"
Lucy frowned. "So, in other words, you just want to exclude me from everything. And I don't do cheering."
"Well too bad, cuz that's your only option!" Lynn retorted.
"Lynn...eh...let`s put a pin on that." Ryan interjected. "Let the kid have her fun first."
Lynn sent him a glare that said "Traitor!"
"Looks like democracy wins this round." Lucy grew a small smirk, which greatly agitated Lynn.
"C`mon, Lynn. Don't knock it until you try it." Ryan reasoned with her.
Lynn frowned bitterly before exhaling. "Fine, whatever. But if it's too stupid I`ll just watch you two from a distance."
"I`d love that." Lucy thought snidely.
Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched. By none other than Lyle.
If you haven't guessed by now Ryan really loves being a troll.
And looks like poor Albert will only get a visit from four grandchildren out of ten.
