Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.
"Do you think we can go on some coasters? Some time today?" Lana asked, her tongue partially sticking out as she stabbed a fork into her funnel cake. It failed to penetrate completely, forcing her to twist it around to try and break a piece off. "Dumb plastic..."
"I dunno." Sid shrugged whilst chewing, swallowing her food shortly after. "Are you both tall enough?"
"If I'm 4'4", so is she." Lola thumbed towards Lana.
"Hmm..." Sid rubbed her chin. "You should be tall enough to ride the smaller ones." She made a sad smile. "But you're still too short to ride the ones we checked out."
"What?" Lola narrowed her eyes. "You don't think we can handle it?"
"No." Sid forked off another piece of funnel cake. "You guys are at that height where you'd still need someone to ride with you." She heard a trio of footsteps come through the door. Out of curiosity, the eccentric girl glanced in that direction, only to give a chortle seconds later. "Annnnd I think we're officially burned out on coasters today."
The younger girls looked to where Sid had trained her eyes, spotting Lynn with a content smile on her face, Lincoln with a neutral look, and Ronnie Anne wearing an annoyed expression. Oddly enough, only the Loud boy had what looked to be some sort of food stain on his shirt.
"So, did you guys have fun?" Sid asked, not bothering to suppress her laughter.
"What do you think?..." Ronnie grumbled.
Almost an hour ago...
True to her word, Lynn took Lincoln and Ronnie Anne on some of the coasters she had been itching to try. Their options grew limited when it became apparent that the lines were getting longer than their patience. Even so, it didn't stop them from taking a swing at what few coasters still had relatively short lines. The first ride already had them feeling queasy, but Lynn wasn't finished getting her thrill rush just yet.
Shortly after The Matador though...
Lincoln held his stomach while covering his mouth with a hand as a burp escaped him. "Can we stop before we lose our lunch?" His cheeks puffed slightly as he swallowed some bile. "Again?..."
"Pssh, nah. That's part of the experience!" Lynn cheered before putting her hands on her hips. "So, where should we go next?" She asked whilst looking around.
Ronnie Anne felt her stomach give an unsettled gurgle. "Come on Lynn, that half hour was barely enough." She leaned against a wooden post. "You could at least show a little sympathy."
Lynn glanced at her brother and semi-best friend, noting the somewhat sickly expressions on their faces. Pulling out her phone, she glanced at the time. "Great...at this point, most of the lines ought to be LONG as hell..." Stashing her phone, "Alright, fine. We'll do two more rides." She folded her arms. "Think you can handle that?"
Lincoln rolled his eyes. "I guess..."
"Ditto." Ronalda shrugged.
Lynn smirked. "I still get to choose where we go though."
As she started walking off, Ronalda glanced at Lincoln. "She's gonna make us barf again regardless, isn't she?"
"I wouldn't bet against it." Lincoln trudged after his sister. "I just hope the lines have gotten longer than she's willing to tolerate."
The two eyed Lynn as she started walking towards Fly Me To The Moo, where the average wait time was at least 15 minutes. "Oh geez..." Ronalda groaned. "Those nachos aren't going down like I wanted..."
"It's not so bad." The white-haired teen spoke with slight optimism. "There isn't that many dips or turns."
"But those sharp curves are a killer..." The tomboy stated shortly before setting in behind Lynn.
Lincoln subconsciously tapped the paper bag in his pocket. Looking down, "Somehow, I doubt these will help..."
The 15 minutes spent waiting in line eventually gave way to 45 seconds of pure terror and screams. Lynn had her hands in the air with some of the other park goers as the cars made their way around the track, but Lincoln and Ronalda were more preoccupied with keeping their stomachs pressed so they didn't feel the onset of Gs too much.
Once it ended, and as promised, Lynn decided to go on one more ride; she herself was feeling a little nauseous. "Ooof, that almost made that burger get purged." She looked towards Lincoln and Ronnie, whom followed behind her at a slower speed. Lincoln's cheeks were a little puffy with an uneasy look in his eye. Ronalda held her head as she tried getting rid of the dizziness she felt. Both teens also had slight tints of green on their faces. The former athlete bit her cheek. "Wow, they won't last much longer." Her stomach gurgled. Lynn glanced at her abdomen. "And I doubt I will either." She looked to the side, spotting The Mad Cow off in the distance. From the looks of it, the line didn't seem too long; maybe 20 minutes tops.
A wide smirk grew on her lips. "Perfect." She turned towards the duo. "I figured out the last ride we'll go on."
"Which is?..." Lincoln asked, his unsettled gut telling him he wouldn't like the answer.
Lynn nodded her head towards the ride behind her; it only took a few seconds for both teens to lose the color on their faces. "Lynn, no." Ronalda stated firmly.
"Yes."
"No." Lincoln repeated.
Lynn's lips parted to reveal two sets of sharp teeth. "Lynn yes."
Ronalda pointed at Lynn as a heated glare formed on her face. "You'll have to drag us kicking and screaming before you make us ride that thing again!"
The brunette only laughed. "I was hoping you'd say that." She raised both hands.
Lincoln went wide-eyed before turning. "RUN!" He broke into a sprint, his girlfriend following only a second after.
The middle child should've known better; in spite of his sister's lack of sports activities, she was still the fastest runner in the house. Lynn laughed in faux evilness as she gripped the back of Ronalda's shirt, temporarily making her gag at the sudden halt in her motion whilst the brunette grabbed the hem of Lincoln's shirt. Ronnie tried to pry the girl's fingers from her shirt to no avail. She would've tried slipping out of the shirt itself, but the strap on her back reminded her she only had her bra on underneath. With little options left, she sat firmly on the ground, hoping the additional friction would make Lynn give up before the scrapes she was gathering got to her; it was no use as Lynn dragged the couple with little effort towards their doom.
"I hate you Lynn..." Ronalda muttered, folding her arms as she let herself be dragged along the ground.
"Well I still like you Ronnie." Lynn replied with a chuckle.
Lincoln pulled at his shirt as Lynn dragged him, digging his feet into the dirt as his sister pulled him along. "What did I do to deserve this?!" He shouted, tugging harder on the fabric before trying to remove Lynn's hand.
"Sticking me on babysitting duty for starters." Lynn answered calmly. "I might not be too competitive these days, but I still want to keep that tradition of puking on a roller coaster every time I visit Dairy Land." The former athlete stated as if it were fact. Lincoln frowned bitterly, knowing it was true. "And since you guys wanted me to enjoy myself, you can at least spend time with me honoring that tradition."
Lincoln let his hands fall to his sides. "When I wanted you to enjoy yourself, this isn't what I meant..."
Lynn chortled before looking towards him. "Should've asked. And I'm gonna make us sit up front FYI," She grinned. "Since you can't appreciate my tastes at a carnival."
Lincoln rolled his eyes. "At least she isn't making a competition out of it..."
Twenty two minutes later...
"Move, move, move!" Came Ronnie's muffled voice as she held a hand to her mouth. Her whole face was a sickly green with her cheeks puffing as much as they'd allow.
"D-Dammit Lynn!" Lincoln stuttered, giving a small hiccup as his throat felt shorter than usual. He kept a hand to his mouth as he gingerly made his way down the steps.
"Wooo! Let's go again!" Lynn yelled into the sky with her hands raised. Her cheeks were green with a small sliver of bile on the corner of her mouth. "Let's go agaaaain!" She shouted as she walked past the exit. She heard a retching sound, turning towards it to find Ronnie face deep in a trash can with her brother patiently trying to wait his turn with a hand on his stomach. Upon seeing his sister join them, Lincoln promptly flipped her the bird.
"Ah come on." Lynn waved her hand in a casual matter. "It wasn't that bad."
"Shut-!" Lincoln stopped short as a burp nearly escaped him; it wasn't the only thing coming out. Turning around, he disposed of his lunch in the bushes.
Lynn tried to stifle a chortle as she watched the scene. Ronnie lifted her head for a brief moment before ducking it back in as she retched, and Lincoln only stopped for a brief moment before expelling more of his lunch. The brunette couldn't help the giggles escaping her as she went into full blown laughter. Her chuckles were cut short as a second wave of nausea hit her, making her grip her knees for a second before bile spewed from her mouth and onto the ground. She coughed a few times, incorporating a few dry heaves as some residual stomach acid made its way out. The brunette wiped her mouth before standing up straight.
"Dang it..." Lincoln muttered, standing up straight as he wiped his shirt. "That's gonna stain..."
"Well...that's $40 wasted..." Ronnie stated, keeping a hand on the trash can as she leaned up.
Lynn folded her arms as she sighed in content. "Tradition, kept alive."
Lola looked at the trio with a disgusted, deadpan stare. "Did you really need to go into detail about it?..."
Lana bit her cheek. "Luckies..."
"Now I wanna try!" Lily cheered, bouncing in her seat.
"I'm burned out from coasters today." Lincoln stated evenly as he sat down. "Unless these two," He thumbed at Ronnie and Lynn. "Want to waste more money on food before going on more rides."
Ronnie glared at him. "It's not like I wanted us to go through that twice." She replied in a heated tone as she sat next to him.
"But it was your idea to have a bet about it." The Loud retorted. He pulled at the hem of his shirt. "This is my favorite shirt FYI..."
The dark-haired tomboy deadpanned. "Who do you think bought it for you?..."
"If it makes you guys feel better," Lynn spoke as she sat down and kicked her feet onto the table. "I'm pretty much done with coasters myself." This elicited a groan of disproval from Lana and Lily as she put her hands behind her head. "Besides, I only got like, $15 left."
Sid looked down as she pulled her wallet out. Using two fingers, she opened up the pocket that contained her bills, seeing a $5 and a $20 in there. "Still got $25."
Lincoln and Ronnie grumbled. "Broke..." They replied simultaneously.
The Chang girl grinned smugly. "Thanks for the funnel cake besties."
Lincoln sighed. "I dunno why you or Lynn come up with these weird bets..."
Lynn smirked at him. "Cause it's fun, and you love us."
Ronnie poked him on his temple. "And, you didn't back out when you had the chance to."
"You wouldn't have let me live it down if I did..." The Loud muttered.
"Wasn't saying you were a chicken..." The tomboy propped her elbow onto the table to support her head. "Sides, you lasted longer than I did." She eyed the stain on his shirt. "And that'll come out with some Oxi-Clean."
Sid couldn't help the grin on her face. "Awww. You two are already fighting like a married couple.~" She said in a singsong tone.
"So, when's the wedding?" Lynn added, a cheesy smile on her face.
Lola raised her hand. "I call Head Bridesmaid!"
Lincoln and Ronnie Anne turned their heads to the rest of the group with disgruntled stares that were betrayed by the redness of their cheeks.
"I call Best Woman!" Lana chimed in.
"Don't you mean Best Man?" Lynn asked.
"I wanna be Flower Girl!" Lily shouted.
"Can you stop?..." Ronnie and Lincoln spoke simultaneously.
Lynn raised her hands. "Alright, fine." She propped her elbows onto the table. "Besides, these two haven't reached second base yet."
A second later, pain rocked Lynn's bad shin as she felt the front end of a shoe connect with it. The hit caused her leg to bump against the underside of the table, causing everything on top to rattle slightly. The brunette hissed as she grabbed her leg, before glaring at her brother, whom was staring at her with a satisfied grin. "Low blow dude...and on my bad leg?"
"You talk too much." The white-haired teen stated, his smirk never leaving his face.
Two Hours later...
Lynn stretched her arms as she climbed out of the family van. "Just barely skated past the afternoon rush, and I definitely wasn't gonna stand for being stuck in that mess."
"When can we go again?" Lily asked cheerfully as one of the twins undid the seatbelt to her booster seat.
"Probably not before we go on vacation." Lincoln stated as he swung his legs out, making a sigh in relief as his muscles relaxed. A frown took shape as he said, "And I have to get up early tomorrow...ugh..." He shut the door.
"For what?" Sid asked.
"Paper route." Lincoln replied as he stretched his arms. "Not the best side job, but it helps."
"Still better than flipping burgers at a fast food place." Ronnie stated.
"Eck." Lola shivered.
"If you want a more exciting job," Sid replied as she hopped out the van. "You could volunteer to pet sit for others."
Lincoln raised a brow in thought. "Probably. But that's Lana's job." He thumbed to the tomboyish 8 year old.
Lana gave a shrug. "It's a livin'."
"And in our case, it's a 24/7 job." Lynn chuckled.
The group spent the rest of their time at the theme park getting a souvenir or two, in the case of Sid and the little ones; Lynn, Lincoln, and Ronnie had been to the park enough times that it didn't matter to them. Lola and Lana went on at least two roller coasters that they were fortunate to be tall enough to ride on; Lynn, Sid, and Lily tried a quick water ride; which Lincoln and Ronnie sat out due to having gotten their fill on thrill rides.
Also, they had to babysit 'Mr. Sprinkles' since water and stuffed toys don't mix.
Lynn pushed the door open, giving a shout of, "If anyone wants to know, we're back!"
Nary a sound greeted them, aside from the creaking of floorboards somewhere on the upper floor. Several barks echoed in the house as Charles came from the kitchen, wagging the little nub that was his tail before he started pawing at Lynn's leg. "Alright alright, settle boy." The brunette patted the little pitbull mix.
The dog settled for maybe a second before moving onto the others. Cliff had poked his head from behind the couch, as if to merely acknowledge the presence of his owners before going back to sleep. The group started to disperse to do their own things; Lynn, Lincoln, Ronnie, and Sid, sprawled out around the couch as the oldest of the teens flicked the TV on; the twins separated to do their own tasks, such as Lana checking on her reptiles and Lola only going into their room to get a change of clothes; Lily busied herself by showing Charles her new stuffed friend, though she had to push the dog's nose away out of fear he might try to chew on it.
It seemed no one else besides them were home. The parents were still at work, Lori and Leni were likely hanging out with their girlfriends, ditto for Luna and Luan (band and boyfriend respectively), and Lucy and Lisa were likely to show up if they wanted to.
"And I get to just sit back, and relax." Lynn boasted internally as she put her hands behind her head.
DING DONG!
"...Annnnd the moment's ruined..." The former athlete groaned as soon as she heard the doorbell.
As Lynn moved to get out of her comfortable position, "I got it!" Sid spoke as she stood up. The 15 year old shrugged before focusing back on the TV.
When Sid opened the door, she was greeted by a fair-skinned, red-haired boy who looked to be her age with a bowl cut style wearing blue overalls. A green shirt was visible on the top portion around the shoulder straps. "Hey Linc," The boy spoke, unaware of who answered the door as he had been focusing on the object in his hands. "Found a game I borrowed from ya a month ago, and I was wondering iiiiiiiifffffffff..." The boy drawled out as he finally looked at Sid.
Sid made a confused look as the teen became starry-eyed and his mouth started to hang open. "Uh..." Sid glanced behind her as Ronalda came up. "Why is he staring at me like that?"
The Latina looked between Sid and Liam, then waved her hand in front of his unblinking eyes. An amused grin made its way out. "Dude's in a deep trance."
Lincoln came up next, wondering what was going on. He saw the game in Liam's hands, but was more concerned at how petrified his friend was. "Liam? Buddy?" He put his hand on the redhead's shoulder and gently shook him. "You alright?"
Liam shook his head as he came back to reality, a heavy blush on his face as it finally occurred to him what he was doing. "Uh, here's your game Lincoln!" He spoke quickly as he handed the game to his friend. "Cya!" He slowly turned before bolting away.
The trio watched as the farm boy ran down the street for a couple seconds before Lincoln decided to shut the door. "What was his deal?" Sid asked, before giving a shrug as it didn't seem to matter now.
"Who was that?" Lynn asked, still having not moved from the couch.
"Liam had this weird look on his face." Lincoln replied. "Think I've seen it before..." He eyed the game. "And I was wondering where the heck this was."
"You've done it before too." Ronnie chuckled in a knowing tone.
Lincoln raised a brow at her, but his attention turned to his pocket as his phone vibrated inside. Taking it out, he saw Liam's number on the screen. Walking into the dining room, "Dude, what was that about?"
"Linc, you gotta tell me: who was the girl at the door?"
"Who? You mean Sid?"
"Y-Yeah...where'd she come from?"
"She's Ronnie Anne's bestie from the city. Also, what was with the stare?"
"...She's real pretty..."
"...Ok?" The Loud raised a brow.
"She looks like an angel...DAG NABBIT! AND I LOOKED LIKE A FOOL IN FRONT OF HER!" Liam shouted, making Lincoln pulled the phone away from his ear. "Wait, you said she's from the city right? How long is she in town fer?"
Lincoln gave a shrug. "Most of the summer I'm guessing; though we're all going on our family vacation in a couple weeks. Why?"
"Dude, you GOTTA help me ask her out." The redhead spoke in an almost begging tone.
Lincoln formed a deadpanned expression as he felt he should've saw this question coming. "Look, Liam. I don't think-"
"Come on man! Pleaaaase? Someone like her only comes once in a lifetime!"
"...I guess, but she lives like, three hours away. Even if you do end up together, can you handle a long distant relationship like that?"
"Well, you and Ronnie Anne are still together, and I don't see any complaints from y'all."
Lincoln rolled his eyes. In reality, he despised the distance that separated him from his girlfriend; but only kept those issues to himself as it wasn't anyone else's business. He made an exasperated sigh. "Fine, but some time later. Just came back from Dairy Land and I really want to rest my legs." Before Liam had a chance to reply, the Loud ended the call.
"I really don't want to play matchmaker..." Lincoln muttered as he pocketed his phone. "I don't even know what Sid likes all the time."
"What about me?" The aforementioned girl asked as Lincoln walked into the living room.
"Nothing important." The Loud gave a quick reply before he flopped onto the couch with an exasperated sigh.
Lynn Sr. was glad to see the kids arrived from Dairy Land without issue, and even more happy that Veronica was without a scratch or dent. "Sometimes it feels like he loves the van more than he loves us," Junior said to the others in a half-joking tone. Leni and Lori enjoyed their day trip to the mall with Carol, with Leni even going as far as to show her college-level sister to her friends/coworkers at her job. No one heard much from Luna or Luan, though Lori said she swore she saw Luna and Sam browsing the music store. In spite of working the long hours, Lynn Sr. still had enough energy left in him to prepare a traditional meal for the family.
Rita, unfortunately, dragged herself straight to bed upon getting home; she sorely wished for the day she wouldn't have to look into people's mouths to arrive post haste...
The next morning, half the family was up and about when it was half past 8. The parents had once again left to clock in more overtime, whereas Lincoln had risen two hours prior to do his paper route. To make up for their parents' absence, Lori decided to cook breakfast for the rest of the family; Leni wanted to offer assistance, though Lori was quite reluctant to oblige due to the fashionista's past cooking incidents. The smell of cooking pancake batter floated through the air until it reached the second floor, stirring one of the inhabitants from her slumber. Lynn sniffed the air as a waff of cooking food brushed over her nose, triggering her stomach to growl as it hadn't been filled in over 12 hours.
The 15 year old awoke with a yawn, soon discovering that Lucy's bed was empty. "Where'd she get off to?" Lynn muttered before giving a shrug. "Eh, she'll pop up out of no where when she wants." She scratched her side whilst swinging her feet out over the side, letting her legs do their work as she stood up.
Lynn made a moan of relief as she arched her back, feeling the individual bones pop out of their tense state. Shuffling over to her cracked door, she poked her head out and checked the hall.
"Hmm, Link's door is open, meaning he's either in the bathroom or doing his paper route; cause he sure as hell doesn't wake up early during vacation." She catalogued in her mind.
"Come on Lola, I wanna watch Invader Zim!" Lynn heard from downstairs.
"I'm not spending my morning watching that gross show." Another bickered.
"I wanna watch Disney channel!" A third, younger voice was thrown into the mix.
Lynn rolled her eyes. "Well, that explains where those three are..." She turned her head to the right. "And where's-" Lynn paused upon seeing the bathroom door open.
Lisa walked out, dressed in a small plain green shirt with white shorts; being six, she clearly grew out of the onesie she normally slept in. The young genius was too busy cleaning the lens of her glasses to immediately notice Lynn, only doing so once she sat her visual aids back in front of her eyes. "Greetings 5th oldest sibling. I assume you'll be wanting to use the communal bathroom?"
"Yeah, I guess." Lynn lowered her head as she did a smell test against her armpit. She cringed slightly at the odor. "Probably need to wash my sheets too."
"Well as a warning, we are almost out of toothpaste." Lisa stated as she walked towards the stairs. "I question how that's possible seeing as Mother bought some two days ago."
"There's like, 12 people in this house at one time Lisa." Lynn walked past her. "Lori leaving doesn't make much of a diff. Trading two for two since Ron and Sid are here didn't change much."
The young girl pinched the bridge of her nose. "That's not what I was referring to...I'm saying that we have more than enough toothpaste for 20 people; and I'm certain Ronalda and Sid had brought their own toiletries." She began marching down the steps. "Someone's using more than they should in this house, and I plan to find out who..."
Lynn shook her head before shuffling towards the bathroom. Looking towards her left, she saw Lori and Leni's room was wide open. Taking another sniff of the air, "Makes sense. Dad uses more seasoning when he cooks."
The room to her right was still shut. Since her need to use the toilet wasn't as a big issue, Lynn let her curiosity peak as she quietly opened the door. Inside Luna and Luan's room, Ronnie and Sid remained asleep on the bunkbed; Ronnie was nestled under the covers as she gave a loud snore whilst Sid was partially hanging off the edge of the top bunk.
Lynn's mouth slowly formed into a wry smile. "I could just let them sleep, but..." Her lips parted further as her smile grew into a grin that would give the Cheshire Cat a run for his money. "This is too good to pass up..."
The 15 year old was light on her feet as she crept into the room, eyeing up the sleeping duo before turning her attention to Luan's closet. She grabbed the handle, putting one hand on the frame to make sure she didn't make too much noise as she pulled the door open. A few creaks were heard from the worn hinges, followed by a rustling from the bed. Lynn glanced back, a wave of relief washing over her as Ronnie merely turned onto her side with her back facing her; Sid moved slightly as well, her head now hanging off the side of the bed along with one arm. Looking back into the closet, Lynn took stock of what was in the little storage room to see what she could work with. The closet was much more spacious after Luan had dumped all of the embarrassing footage she had of Lincoln, coupled with several joke items she didn't need as she vowed to tone down her pranks.
"Hmmm..." Lynn tapped her chin before rummaging around the tools that remained. She knelt down further as her fingers touched what felt like a can full of air. Pulling it out, Lynn gave an evil chuckle as the item turned out to be an air horn. "Wish I had a camera for this." The brunette whispered before stalking over to the bed.
Lynn lightly shook the can to make sure it had some ammo left in it; no telling when Luan used it last, and on whom. Once she reached Ronnie's bed, Lynn stuck her tongue out as she held the horn portion of the can near the girl's ear.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
That was the sound that echoed through the house, soon mixing with the shrill scream of two girls. Ronnie's came first as she immediately jolted awake, arms moving widely as her brain was suddenly jarred out of REM sleep. Sid's followed a second later, jumping slightly as her hair jutted in all directions as if she was given a jolt of electricity. Unfortunately, her sudden movement was enough to knock her off balance from her precarious position on the edge of her bunk. Her arms made circles as she tried to correct herself, only to end up shifting her center of gravity further before falling off the bed.
THUMP!
"Uuuuuuugh..." Sid groaned as lie face down on the carpet.
Ronnie finally managed to come down from her scare, gripping the sheets tightly before finally noticing the laughing tomboy standing next to her. Spotting the airhorn in Lynn's hand, her frazzled mind put two and two together. "WHAT THE HELL LYNN?!" The Hispanic girl shouted as she gave a fierce glare through her bloodshot eyes.
"Y-You should've seen your face!" Lynn wheezed out, pointing at the enraged Latina. She put her hands on her knees as more cackles escaped her. Drawing a breath, she tossed the airhorn back towards the closet. "Oh GOD now I really wish I had my phone for this shit."
Ronalda's eye twitched as her forehead began to turn a light shade of red. Throwing the sheets off, the Santiago girl felt her knuckles pop as her hands tightened into fists. "And I'm gonna shove that air horn up your ass!" She growled out before making a jump at the Loud.
Lynn only gave a smirk as she ducked to the side, letting Ronalda land on her stomach. As the Latina whirled around, she was met with a soft object smacking her in the face. Thankfully it was soft, as the force the pillow had been thrown was enough to knock her onto her back.
"Better luck next time Santiago!" Lynn boasted as she ran to the door.
Ronalda made a fierce growl as she sat up. Gripping the pillow, she threw it hard at the retreating Lynn; the former athlete remained a step ahead of her as the door slammed shut, with the pillow hitting it a second later with a loud thump.
"UGH!" Ronalda shouted, slamming her hands onto the carpet. Drawing in a breath, she blew out a stream of hot air, pushing some of her black locks out of view. "Bitch..." She swore under her breath. She looked towards her right, spotting Sid still face down on the floor. "You ok Sid?"
"Is it morning yet?..." Was the Chang girl's reply.
Lynn held her smug grin as she walked downstairs, knowing better to use the bathroom in the dining room lest she get cornered by an angry Ronnie Anne and possibly Sid on the second floor; her shower could wait.
THUMP!
The brunette stopped in her step when she heard the sound. Once she got past the first floor ceiling, Lynn wasn't all that surprised to see the twins and Lily fighting over the remote. What started as a Mexican standoff turned into a three-way brawl; Lola was pulling Lana's pigtail, Lana in turn was using her foot to push Lily away and Lily herself was pulling on Lola's PJs. All three kept a hand on the remote as they jerked it each way to gain control of it; not like anyone in this house would be expected to talk things out. And Lynn felt it definitely wasn't her problem as she walked past the brawl and into the dining room.
In the kitchen, Lori put another pancake in the oven to keep it warm before turning an eye off the bacon. "Now that that's done..." She grabbed an egg beater and began mashing the already cracked egg meat that was sizzling in a pan.
"Are you sure I can't help Lori?" Leni asked innocently, tilting her head to the side as she handed Lori a carton of milk.
"You are helping Leni." Lori told her, giving a nod as she took the carton and poured some calcium into the eggs. "Just not with cooking." She glanced back at her old roommate. "Aside from letting the food rot on our last family trip, there's also the time you nearly burned the house down..."
"I said I was sorry about that!" Leni retorted with a glare, but the anger was betrayed by the stinging pain of hurt in her chest and eyes. "I didn't know water was going to make it worse!"
"You don't use water on a GREASE FIRE..." Lori stated bluntly, focusing her attention back on the eggs. "That's why Lisa had taught you about the different types of extinguishers." She let the eggs cook for a moment so she could fully address her sister. "Look, your intentions were literally in everyone's best interest, but we just don't want a repeat of last time. Ok?"
Leni made a pouting face as she cross her arms, making a hum of irritation as she pursed her lips.
Lori expelled a sigh from her nose. "Well, for giving me the stuff I needed to make breakfast, you can have a few hotcakes with chocolate chips in them."
This cheered up the fashionista immediately as she gave a squeal of excitement. Lori made of huff of amusement before taking a step over to one of the overhead cabinets, opening it up to see where her father put the bag of chocolate chips. "Mmm...guess there's still some chocoholics in this family." The oldest sibling bemused as she moved some items out the way. She could boast how she managed to kick her habit after moving out; partially because Rosa didn't use much chocolate in her food, even desserts.
Trading one addiction for another however, is still having an addiction. Not that Lori could help Rosa being an excellent cook.
"Can I have some too?" Lori looked towards the dining room entrance. Lynn walked in, smug smile still present, as she dried her hands off with her shirt.
"No." Lori replied dryly, putting her hands on her hips. "You didn't think I heard that airhorn from down here?"
"Aw come on. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!"
"And I don't feel like being the one to stop you and Ronnie Anne from killing each other." The college Loud pointed out.
"Pfff." Lynn made a dismissive wave. "We always do that to each other. Plus, it's payback for cutting off my ponytail the last time she was here."
Lori rolled her eyes. "Please. She's almost like a clone of you; and by that, I mean she's also more likely to break stuff." She turned her attention elsewhere as she grabbed a bowl to pour the cooked eggs in. "At least she doesn't throw balls around the house."
Lynn pursed her lips as she shifted awkwardly on her feet. In a way, that somewhat felt like a low blow since she no longer did sports; and Ronnie Anne wasn't a frequent visitor to their house even before the "luck" incident. On that same vein however, Lynn could see Lori's point; junior had gotten into trouble on more than one occasion for playing ball in the house despite her parents' warnings. And in spite of moving her practice to the outdoors like they wanted, there was still the chance of someone catching a wayward ball through the window; and sometimes the very walls of the house. And now that she thought about it, why did she practice so many different sports at the same time? Sure, she was confident that she could manage her practice time and the schedules between games; at the expense of her grades.
Having Lisa as a tutor wasn't bad, but you needed to have some thick skin as she had a habit of belittling her 'students' for their lower IQ. Just thinking about it made Lynn frown in disgust. Yes, we get it. Not everyone was lucky enough to be graced with the brilliance of Einstein since birth. Doesn't mean Lisa had to stoke her ego every single-
"NGH!" Lynn was cut off from her thoughts when her head was yanked back and towards the floor by the ponytail, leaving her just barely standing on her feet whilst being bent in an uncomfortable position.
Speak of the devil...
"Lynn..." Ronnie fumed as their gazes met. Her eyes were no reddish longer as she was fully awake, and apparently had time to tie her hair into it's usual style.
The 15 year old gave a slightly nervous smile. "Heeeeey...can you let go my hair now?" She asked innocently.
Ronnie sent her an evil grin in response and jerked Lynn's head down further, only to feel herself falling to the floor in the process. It took only a second to realize that Lynn was quick to grab her by the hair and yank the Latina down with the brunette.
Leni covered her mouth to suppress the giggles building up. Lori rolled her eyes. "You two are already like the twins, I swear..." She muttered.
The two girls would wrestle on the floor for only a minute before Lori told them breakfast was ready. The twins and Lily joined them moments later, looking a little roughed up with Lana sporting a bruise on her cheek; Sid came down after fixing herself slightly, followed by Lisa coming out from the basement. As the nine girls sat and began to eat, there was a brief discussion about where Lucy was.
"Probably in the vents again." Was Lynn's comment.
"I recall she stated her intent to visit the cemetery." Lisa answered.
"At this hour?" Lola asked.
"Well, she's literally all doom and gloom." Was Lori's reply on the matter. She made a note to leave a plate for the gothic 10 year old; and for Lincoln, since he was performing his odd job that morning.
Aside from the fuss that occurs just about every morning, the family had settled down enough to eat in peace before dispersing to do their own activities. The twins didn't fight over the remote since both of their shows were finished by the time they were done with breakfast, and settled on watching stuff on Disney Channel with Lily. Lori, after taking all the used dishes and throwing them in the dishwasher, was on her phone chatting with her boyfriend; Leni settled down at her desk to begin going over a new design she had in mind. Lisa went back into her room to review the (ahem) surveillance footage taken from the cameras she still kept hidden around the house.
Unlike Luan, she could use the excuse that she needed them in place for the well being of the family. And the fact it doubled as a security system, meaning the parents wouldn't have to spend a nickel on some cheaply-made advertisement.
Just shortly after 9 in the morning, Lincoln opened the front door to the house. "Ahhh..." He sighed in relief as a wave of cool air hit him. This morning proved to be muggier than expected; by the time the sun was above the trees, Lincoln was beginning to sweat. Repeatedly tossing papers to houses was a good workout for his arms and upper body; but it became uncomfortable when sweat began to cling to his skin like an additional protective layer. Pulling on his shirt, the young boy grimaced a little at how it stuck to his skin like glue.
"Ew! Take a shower!" Lola shouted from the couch.
Lincoln deadpanned. "What do you think was my first idea?"
Lincoln climbed the stairs and made a beeline for his room. Lisa's door was shut but he could hear her mumblings behind the barrier, not to mention Lori laughing about something in her room. He was about to question where his remaining sisters and two friends were, but was distracted by a sticky note that had been stuck to his door. A brief memory flashed through his mind about the last time he saw such a note on his door; one where it was stuck to a chain lock that had been strewn to his door to prevent outside entry, along with police tape and wooden boards that were nailed to the door frame.
For a brief moment, Lincoln almost swore he saw the same thing on his door; fortunately, he tapped his head and shut his eyes to halt that thought. "Relax Lincoln, that was two years ago..." He muttered to himself. He pulled the note off the door, with the handwriting cluing him in that it was from his father.
Hey Sport,
Hate to ask this since I know you're out there delivering the papers, but I need you to mow the lawn and edge the grass. I'd do it myself, but I'm expecting a TON of customers today, so I'll be gosh darn tired by the time I get back.
Thanks in advance!
- Dad
Lincoln reread the note as some irritation was clear on his face. He was already tired from having to deliver a higher than expected load of papers, in what was already the start of a hot day; and now his dad wants him to cut the grass in this growing heat?
"Ugh!" Lincoln crumpled the paper in his hand as he shouted in frustration.
"You ok Lincoln?" Lori called from her room.
"No. Dad wants me to mow the lawn..." The middle child grumbled.
"Sucks." His oldest sister replied. "By the way, there's a plate for you in the kitchen. Also, you didn't happen to see Lucy anywhere, did you?"
Lincoln made a sigh as his anger subsided for the moment. "No...and thanks..."
Turning heel, Lincoln balled the paper in his hands as he walked down the steps. He wasn't looking forward to doing a chore after waking up so early to do his job, but he figured the sooner he got it done, the sooner he could spend the day doing little else. And, he was grateful his sister left him some way to gain the energy to actually do the work; his stomach grumbling in agreement.
Passing through the dining room, he spotted two plates with pancakes, bacon, and eggs sitting next to the stove. Grabbing one, Lincoln looked outside the backdoor.
Raising a brow, "Now where'd those three get off to?"
"Come on slowpokes! The day's just getting started!" Lynn shouted, standing next to a stop sign as she tapped her foot impatiently. The brunette was wearing a simple white tee and some cargo shorts; the headband strapped to her forehead caught whatever sweat poured from her skull, and it was already starting to feel damp.
"Didn't you check the weather before you brought this on?!" Ronnie shouted in frustration as she jogged to catch up.
"If I die...tell them...my story!..." Sid wheezed behind her, attempting to keep pace with a fast walk.
The two girls finally reached Lynn, with Ronnie leaning back as she panted whilst Sid grabbed her knees for support. Both weren't wearing workout clothing like Lynn was, seeing as Ronnie had only her purple tank top and black shorts whilst Sid wore a pink tee and beige shorts.
Ronnie wiped sweat off her brow before it reached her eyes. "Geez it's hot today..."
Sid sucked in a huge gulp of air before standing up, placing her arm on her forehead to block out the sun. "I think...I'm gonna die of thirst...before this jog is over..." She panted, then looked down at her chest. Because of her sweat, she could just barely see the faint color of her bra peaking through the fabric. She pulled the shirt out so it wouldn't be as revealing. "Should've picked a darker shirt..."
Lynn shook her head. "Black clothing and hot weather don't mix, you'll just absorb more heat that way." She dug into her pockets and pulled out a few medium-sized water bottles. "Here." She tossed two of them to her friends.
Ronnie caught hers whilst Sid fumbled around with her bottle when it touched her hands. In spite of being in the former athlete's pockets for a half hour, the bottles still felt cool enough to drink from. Sid popped the cap off and drank hers in a fashion similar to someone who hadn't had any water for two days; Ronnie and Lynn were a little more moderate in their drinking.
"Ah...I'm surprised you're the one of all people goading us into exercising with you." The Latina chided in a half-joking manner before wiping some residual water from her lips.
"How are you surprised?" Lynn asked.
Ronalda made a snide smirk. "Considering that it's usually Lincoln who had to drag you out the house so you didn't lose any muscle."
Lynn made a curt frown. "Pff, I could've went out and done it any day of the week." She paused to take another sip. "Sides, I'm the one who got him to get the muscles he has now."
Sid gasped in relief after almost emptying her bottle in that single drink fest. She squinted an eye as she looked Lynn over. "I dunno. You both look a little on the scrawny side." Was her innocent opinion. She just didn't see much muscle bulging from the Loud.
Lynn's mouth went agape. "What?! I can still bench press the couch with most of my siblings on it!" She raised an arm before tensing up her bicep. A mound of muscle appeared, but it didn't extend much from the skin.
Sid prodded it with a finger, even going as far as to give it a light squeeze. It was firm, but not what she was expecting. "Still doesn't seem like much."
Ronnie chortled, nearly spitting out her water. "Looks like someone's been away from the gym for too long."
The Loud made a curt frown. If she were the old Lynn, she probably would've went overboard at the teasing insult; going as far as to 'prove' she was stronger by challenging them to some meaningless contest. But this wasn't the old Lynn, for the 15 year old could tell Ronnie and Sid didn't mean any real malice. "Fiiine..." She lowered her arm with a pout. "I haven't been as active as I used to be. Doesn't mean I just let myself go and get fat like a bunch of other people do." She folded her arms. "Besides, I can still outrun both of you any day of the week."
The Latina rolled her eyes. "I bet you couldn't! You only stayed ahead of us cause we don't do our walks in the morning."
Now it was Lynn's turn to smirk. "What's the matter? The cats in the city don't chase you around enough?"
Sid shuddered at the thought of those vicious cats. "Feral cats man...ngh..."
"Not as much as you'll be chasing our dust for the next ten minutes!" Ronalda boasted.
"Hah, in your dreams." Lynn chided. "But I'll be happy to school you on the art of track." She shook her water bottle, noting that it was just below halfway full. "Damn this heat..." She muttered. "Since we're gonna have to go back to get more water, last one there gets to clean Cliff's litterbox! And trust me, he lays an extra helping down every morning."
Ronnie and Sid glanced at each other. Sid was no stranger to cleaning after animals, seeing as her mother was a zookeeper; but having lived in the city for over two years, she had more than her fair share of cleaning cat waste from her shoes. Ronnie on the other hand, began to cringe at the consequence of losing; there was no way in hell she was spending ten minutes of her morning cleaning after Lynn's pet.
Directing their attention to Lynn, both girls met her cocky gaze with determined grins. "You're so on."
Lincoln felt his hands shake as the lawnmower vibrated in his grip, keeping an eye out for stray objects. Growing up with a large family, half of which were still quite young, many toys often found themselves being left in the yard to be forgotten until it finally struck someone's memory to go out and find it; often too little, too late as Lynn Sr. would end up running it over with his lawnmower, breaking or cutting the toy to pieces while damaging the blade of the mower. Before starting, Lincoln covered every inch of the yard and made sure to throw whatever toys he could find onto the back porch; a tedious process that took about 20 minutes. Once he was satisfied, he got the backyard finished, and was now wheeling the mower around the side to the front.
"Thank whatever God there is that our yard isn't huge..." He grunted, wiping sweat off his brow. He frowned at how constrictive his shirt felt when he moved his arm. He sat the mower onto the grass before checking his shirt; it was soaked from the neck area down to his chest, as well as his arm pits, and Lincoln was sure he felt a huge damp spot on his back. He made a deadpanned face. "Forget this..." He groaned before stripping the shirt off. He would've did the same for his shorts if it weren't for the fact he was outside in public.
Tossing the shirt towards the porch, Lincoln was satisfied to see it hang on the railing before focusing his attention on dealing with the front yard; a task that should only take 20 minutes as it was a little smaller than the back. At least, that's how it should've been.
As Lincoln was cutting, he felt the blade stutter as if it hit a solid object. Raising a brow, he moved it back to see what he ran over, but didn't see anything. Giving a shrug, he moved forward again, only for the blade to begin to stall once more. Lincoln's shoulder's sank. "Ugh...dang it..." He released the gas lever, shutting the mower down. Turning it onto its side, Lincoln saw the problem: too much grass had become stuck in the blade bay, preventing the mower from cutting freely.
Getting on his knees, "Would it really kill Dad to get one that has that has a collection box or ejection pit on the side?..."
As Lincoln busied himself with cleaning out the blended grass, he didn't hear the front door open. "Hey, Lincoln!" A young voice shouted.
Lincoln peaked over the mower to see Lana coming down the steps. "What?" He asked in an inadvertent annoyed tone.
"Gotcha something." The young mechanic pulled out a bottle of water.
Lincoln's irritation dropped immediately upon seeing this. "Aw, thanks." He smiled before gently taking the liquid in his grass-stained hand.
Lana made a cute smile as she rocked back and forth on her heels. "Can I get a pat?"
Lincoln looked a little perplexed at her question, then noticed the green stains on his hands. He made a chortle as he twisted the bottle cap. "You just wanted an excuse to get dirty, didn't you?"
"Maaaaybeeeee." The eight year old sang.
"Well, thanks for the water." Her brother stated as he patted his little sister on the cap. Gaining a light smirk, he lowered his hand and lightly poked Lana in her arm pit.
"Hahaha! S-Stop!" The young girl squirmed away. "Sides, this'll definitely be enough to annoy Lola."
"For what?"
Lana just made a smug grin. "She knows there's nothing good on Cartoon Network in the mornings." Was all she said before turning and running back towards the house.
Lincoln shook his head. "She's cleaner than usual, but still classic Lana." He twisted the cap off and started to drink the liquid he needed to stave off the heat.
What Lincoln didn't know was that a trio of girls were rapidly approaching the house. Because she was unfamiliar with the area, Sid had tagged along with Ronnie Anne whilst the former took a shortcut. It involved vaulting between yards, and almost getting bitten by a rightfully angry dog, but the duo found the street that ran right up to Franklin Avenue. After three minutes of dead sprinting, they arrived at the street corner and were just a house away from snatching victory.
"Yes!...My heart is going to give out!..." Sid cheered and panicked at the same time, lungs burning from exhaustion as her heart pounded in her chest.
"Don't give up...just yet!..." Ronnie panted, pushing what energy remained in her legs. "The house is just...right there!...Ngh..."
Both city girls opted to give it their all as adrenaline coursed through their veins; Lynn was nowhere in sight, but they weren't about to let her claim victory. As they passed by the bush barrier that separated the Loud house from the house to its right and past the tree in the front yard, the duo spotted Lincoln (still shirtless) next to an overturned lawnmower near the porch. Sid didn't think much of it, but for Ronnie Anne...
Time seemed to slow down as she took a full assessment of what the Loud was doing.
Covered in sweat that seemed to make his skin glisten, Lincoln drank several gulps of water before deciding to pour the remainder on his head in order to cool down. The effect of this somehow managed to make the lean muscles on his arms and skin more pronounced. His biceps seemed to pulse slightly from the frigid water, followed by Lincoln shaking excess water from his head in a way that made his white hair sway to and fro, leaving small drops to fall from the edges. Now, Lincoln was by no means a hulk or athletic looking, but as Ronnie drew her eyes toward his chest and abdomen, his body looked quite fit and firm; she could even imagine a four-pack growing there if Lincoln continued whatever his workout regiment was.
Whether the heat was getting to her from her adrenaline rush, or the fact her boyfriend was making serious eye candy, the Latina didn't know. All she knew is that her face felt hot from the blush that was no doubt highly visible; actually, her entire body was feeling quite hot, especially in her core. Ronnie's mind started getting fuzzier as her eyes trailed south, starting to wonder how much muscle might be in the boy's legs.
PSSSSH!
"NGH!" Ronalda was brought back to reality as the air was suddenly knocked out of her lungs, her entire momentum coming to a sudden halt as she didn't even realize she was still sprinting at a good pace. "Oooooh..." The tomboy groaned in pain as her body slid off the dented mailbox, falling to the side walk in a heap.
Sid held her hands to her mouth to avoid unleashing a gut buster, having witnessed the whole thing.
Lincoln raised a brow when he heard the sound of light metal being bent, turning his head just in time to see Ronalda fall to the ground. He ran over in an instant, kneeling down to check on the fallen girl. "You ok Ronnie Anne?"
Ronnie opened her eyes, letting her vision focus for a moment as she realized a shadow was looming over her. Her visit focused on the concerned look of her boyfriend, whose hair was still slightly matted down due to being damp; the parts of his hair closest to his eyes was long enough to partially cover the top edges. The fact his head was blocking the sun from her eyes, casting a bright halo around his head, was adding more to his unintentional allure.
Ronnie's brain started going into panic mode upon realizing how close he was. Her gaze drifted to his chest for a second as she started taking in his shirtless form once more, making the heat return to her face with full force. "I-I'm f-f-fine!" She stammered out like a schoolgirl being approached by their crush, followed up with an awkward smile.
Lincoln didn't seem to pick up on the girl's flustered stance. "You sure?" He glanced back. "It looked like you almost knocked the mailbox over."
"I said I'm fine!" Ronalda answered with more force, quickly getting to her feet. "I-I just uh..." Her eyes shifted around. "Need some water!" She pointed to the house.
Lincoln opened his mouth to respond, but the Latina already started running into the house. Sid let a few giggled escape from her, only to break down laughing once Ronnie Anne was through the front door. "I'm sorry, I...I couldn't hold it in! Ahaha!" She gripped her sides as she bent downwards.
"What's funny?" Lincoln asked.
"I can't believe you didn't notice the way she was staring at you." Sid responded as she started to gather herself.
Inside the house, Ronnie was hyperventilating as she leaned on a dining room chair for support. As her breathing calmed, she suddenly became aware of the smell of copper, followed by a runny and sticky substance touching her upper lip. Squinting an eye, Ronnie put a finger to where it was and pulled it back; she went wide-eyed upon seeing how the tip of her finger was covered in blood.
A hand slapped her forehead. "I hope Lincoln didn't see all that..."
"I did." Came the snide remark from the last person Ronalda wanted to hear. The city girl glared at Lynn, who was standing in the kitchen with a few paper towels in her hand. "Need these?" Lynn's smirk didn't falter as she held out the paper towels.
Ronalda snatched the papers from the Loud's hand. "...How much did you see?..." She asked before dabbing the blood off her mouth.
"Enough to see you undressing Link, then running into the mailbox like a dork." Lynn chuckled, making the Latina start to fume. "You should be thanking me though."
Ronnie huffed as she twisted one end of the paper towels before sticking it into her nose. "For what?..."
"Link didn't get those muscles overnight you know." Lynn's smile faltered a little as she recalled the reason they started. "He wanted to be strong enough to defend himself from people bigger than him, so I put him through the ropes and helped moderate his exercise routine." She paused as she made a irate huff. "And yes, he did drag me with him sometimes to get me out the house." Her cocky grin returned. "But I'd say I did a pret-ty good job at molding his physique since you literally went gaa-gaa over him."
The younger tomboy turned her face away as she felt her cheeks getting hotter. "S-Shut up..." Since she was facing the window, Ronnie focused her attention on Lincoln and Sid. The latter was laughing her head off as she said something whilst the former made a quick glance at the house before looking back at Sid; in those few seconds, Ronnie spotted the developing blush on his face. "Great..." She sighed in embarrassment.
"Hey," Lynn put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't take it personally. If anything, you might consider this payback for the picture you sent to him a week ago."
"Not. Helping..." The Latina grumbled, moving her shoulder so Lynn's hand slipped off. She pulled the towels out of her nose, unsurprised to see them saturated with blood. She stuck another in for a few seconds before pulling it out, finding no specs of blood. "I'm going on a walk..." She stated before going to the kitchen to fish out another water bottle.
"Aw come on." Lynn folded her arms. "You know you want to cuddle with him." She spoke in a singsong tone. "Just you, him, alone in his room-" A wad of balled up used paper towels came flying at Lynn, who dodged it and let it land on the floor. "Hey! Biological warfare!"
"Whatever..." Ronnie stated in an uncaring tone, not bothering to hide the blush on her face as she took a sip from her bottle. "Why don't you hang with Sid for a while? At least so she doesn't feel like a stranger." Without bothering to let Lynn reply, the Latina brushed past her and walked out the door.
Sid came up the stairs with a knowing smile directed at the tomboy. Ronnie sent her a glare that said, "Don't say it..."
Lincoln had finished removing the rest of the chewed grass clogging the blade well and turned the mower back on its wheels. When he reached down to grab the cord, he was about to pull when he noticed his girlfriend walking past. "...Y-You ok Ronnie?"
"I'm fine." She answered in a calmer tone. "Just need to go cool off for a minute."
Lincoln didn't exactly know what that meant, but he was too nervous to ask. "...She's not mad at me, is she?" He mulled inwardly. A quick glance at the yard made him push those thoughts to back of his mind; the yard wasn't going to cut itself. "Or could it?..." He spoke aloud, thinking of his brainiac of a sister. A frown crossed his face a moment later as he shook his head. "Nah." Lincoln pulled the cord, forcing the mower to spur to life. "Last thing I want is Lisa making a robot that mistakes us for grass."
