Note: This takes place after the 'Listen Out Loud' podcast with Lana and Sam. The only thing you need to know is Sam volunteers at the shelter and Lana has animal friends there.
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Sam held her knees and gawked at her score: Zero.
Sweat dripped down the side of her head as her mouth hung open, her breaths coming out in pants. "I-I don't understand…?"
Simon blinked at the screen and then looked over at his bent over sister. "Well, uh…y-you know, sometimes these cameras that they sell for the consoles don't register movement very well! Maybe it…just didn't…know you were dancing at all?"
"WOW! I CAN SEE YOU GOT NO GROOVE!" the game's Hippy-looking-Jimi-Hendrix-rip-off-mascot proclaimed.
Sam sunk to her knees and let her face hit the floor with a long, pathetic whine. Simon stepped around her and turned off his gaming system.
"I don't get it, Sam. Why are you so obsessed with this game all of a sudden?" Simon asked.
Sam sighed and turned her head on the living room carpet so she could speak. "I-I dunno… I keep thinking about Luna's face when I told her I couldn't dance."
Simon looked confused. "So what if you can't dance? She can't rock climb or sail a boat, but you still like her, right?"
Sam sighed pathetically. "Of course I do…but…"
Simon grinned and picked up a video game case in his hands. "Just forget about it! I just got a really cool open world game where you can play as a ninja! And we can play it together!"
Sam lifted herself off the floor and then walked towards the long, green couch behind them. "Okay, that sounds like fun."
Simon beamed and began to switch out the games from his console. Sam sunk into the couch and blankly watched Simon grab two controllers. The young boy raced back to the couch and excitedly leaped up onto the couch beside her. She caught her controller that was practically thrown at her as Simon began the game with his own.
Sam let herself get lost in her own thoughts as a cutscene began. Simon, being much younger than her, wouldn't understand why Sam was suddenly thinking about learning to dance, or at the very least, learn how to be coordinated. A few nights ago, Sam and the band performed for a school dance, and when she saw all the couples dancing together on the floor…and the way Luna watched them with a longing expression on her face…it made Sam feel like a loser: a total rock star poser…a bad, lame girlfriend that Luna was too cool for.
It was already bad enough that she regularly played the ukulele for shelter animals, enjoyed "weird" vegan foods, and had other very un-rock-and-roll interests…but what kind of rock and roll band member didn't know how to at least move their body with to music without causing destruction and injuries in her wake?
Luna's surprised face once again flashed in her mind: "As in all dancing? Like, even at concerts?" When Sam gave her a meek shrug, Luna gave her a twisted, strained smile. "Cool…I get that…!"
Sam's eye twitched as she began to violently button mash on the controller. "No, it's not cool!" She growled under her breath. "I'm a big, dumb, clumsy mess who can't do anything right!"
Beside her, Simon gawked at the screen as Sam's character began to take out the entire bandit camp they were in. Screams and slicing noises filled the virtual camp as Sam's character became a master ninja: an unstoppable killing machine at only Level 2. He nervously glanced over at Sam whose eyes were small, one of her eyes' lower lids raised and twitching as her fingers flurried over the controller.
"Stupid poser! You stupid ukulele playing fake rocker! Stupid, stupid, stupid…!" Sam growled at herself through clenched teeth.
Simon slowly put his controller down and slid off the couch, watching Sam nervously. "I-I'm going to get us some, uh, snacks! Yeah, snacks! While you…completely wipe out the bandit camp…"
"Sweet, thanks Little Bro," Sam said in a moment of sanity as another agonizing scream of a bandit rang out from the television. She went back to growling at herself. "Who gets a zero on a video game, you loser?!"
Simon hurried away to the kitchen, whispering in a high, strained voice, "I think Sam needs therapy… Where's that number that Clyde gave me…?"
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Luna danced around ontop of the Loud House's living room couch, punching the air happily as she swung her hips. She sang to herself, "Friday nights are the best nights because-!"
There was a knock on the front door. Luna launched herself off the couch and landed by the door.
She continued her little song and dance as she grabbed the doorknob. "-Sam and I go out and go…places…?" She paused and put her finger on her chin. "…Dangit, I gotta think of something that rhymes…"
Luna swung open the door and was greeted by a depressed-looking Sam. In her excitement, Luna didn't notice the gloomy look on her girlfriend's face or the messy mascara that hinted Sam had been crying.
"Sam! It's Friday night, Brah! Let's get ready to-!" Luna froze when she finally looked at Sam's face. "Oh no! What's wrong?"
Sam's bottom lip quivered and Luna felt her heart drop as her mind ran through the worst possible possibilities that would make her normally chill girlfriend be so upset.
"I got a zero!" Sam blurted out.
Luna blinked. "On the Math test?"
Sam covered her eyes with her hands and shook her head. Luna felt the presence of her family behind her and then spun her head to glare at them. They were all peeking out from the dining room and from the top of the stairs, all looking confused except for Lori who looked like she was about to strangle Luna, probably thinking Luna was the reason Sam was so upset. Luna quickly, but gently, pushed Sam out onto the porch and shut the door behind them.
Luna hugged Sam with one arm and used the other hand to brush away her girlfriend's long bangs off her face. She planted a kiss on Sam's forehead and then spoke into Sam's skin. "Tell me what happened, Baby."
Sam shivered pleasantly at Luna's gentle voice and buried her head into the crook of Luna's neck. "…I got a zero on a dancing video game…"
Luna pulled away slightly and looked relieved. "Oh man! Whew! I was really scared for a second! I thought someone died!"
Sam looked up at Luna's face. "It's really bad, Lunes…"
Luna laughed and stroked Sam's head. "It's just a game, Sam."
Sam sighed into Luna's shirt. "I really tried… I've been trying really hard to get myself to try to dance again."
Luna looked confused. "You have? Why?"
Sam sighed and pulled away from Luna so she could wrap her arms around herself. "I mean…everyone else dances. It's just a natural human thing, y'know? At that dance we played at the other night…I just felt…left out. And I thought…maybe you felt the same way…?"
Luna shook her head. "No way! I don't care if you don't like to dance; I have a lot of fun with you anyway!"
"Lunes, I saw the look on your face, and besides for that, I want to dance with you," Sam insisted. She hung her head. "But, it's like my mind and my body can't communicate with each other when I try…" She winced. "…And I feel…dumb."
"Dude! Everyone looks dumb when they dance if you really think about it," Luna replied, spreading her arms out. "Who cares what other people think? Dancing is about fun!" She began an intentionally silly dance. "I'll dance like this so everyone will look at me instead of you!"
Sam laughed, "Thanks, but, maybe I should just learn how to relax and dance…"
Luna grinned and shrugged.
"Ahem," Lisa's muffled voice came from the front windows.
Luna slouched forward, annoyed, and turned to see the rest of the Louds all squeezed together to spy on the two from inside.
Lisa pushed up her glasses. "I may have a solution to Sam's problem."
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A large machine with a screen sat in the Louds' living room. Everyone gathered around it as Lisa held a clipboard in one hand, standing close to Sam.
"I created this little beauty while experimenting with 'popularity' a few months back," Lisa announced. "I have gathered all the data from all the most current popular dances in the United States and compiled them into this machine. It will use all that data to create the ultimate dance with an easy-to-follow instructional video!"
Leni squished her cheeks together. "O-M-G! Let's try it out now!"
Lisa held up a hand to prevent Leni from dashing at the machine. "I have to collect some basic information about Sam first."
"Me?" Sam asked.
Lisa nodded. "The machine has to know your physical limits and flexibility before it can compile the perfect dance your body is capable of performing." She looked down at her clipboard. "Please touch your toes."
Sam looked at Luna who shrugged at her. The blonde turned back and leaned forward to touch her toes.
"Very good," Lisa said with a nod, scribbling something down on a piece of paper that was attached to the clipboard. "Now, stand on one foot."
Sam did what she was asked, but this time she stumbled slightly before catching herself.
"Excellent," Lisa said mostly to herself. "Now, at what approximate times do you go number two?"
Sam's eyes went wide and a blush shot up her neck up to her face. "W-w-wha…?"
"Lisa!" Lori barked.
Lynn Jr. sighed and left for the kitchen. "Welp, I saw that one coming…"
Sam blushed hard. "I-I…I mean…I g-guess…"
Luna quickly slapped her hand over Sam's mouth. "You don't have to answer that, Sam!" She glared daggers at the calm Lisa. "Dude!"
Lisa held up her hands. "Okay, okay. Sheesh. I do not understand why everyone gets so upset when I ask about basic, human functions…" She peered down at her paper. "Hmmm, from my past observations of you, Sam, it appears you have no serious balance or coordination issues besides for the occasional clumsiness. There is no reason you have so much trouble dancing, unless…was there a traumatic event in your childhood that involved dancing or being in large crowds?"
Sam paled and froze, lips squeezed tightly together. "Ha ha! No…! Nope! Nothing like that! My childhood was totally boring!"
Luna was in protective girlfriend mode. "Stop torturing Sam and turn on that machine already!"
Lincoln agreed, "Come on, Lisa. I'm sure that's enough data for your machine."
Lisa rolled her eyes and heaved an annoyed sigh. "Very well, although, I did not know you were a scientist as well, Lincoln…"
Lincoln put his hands on his hips proudly. "I is smart enough to be one!"
Lisa stuck the piece of paper into the machine and stepped back as it whirled and clicked to life. Sam looked on nervously and wondered if she should just run out the door now before she could humiliate herself infront of Luna and the entire Loud family.
"Don't worry, Sam, we'll dance along!" Rita reassured.
The screen attached to the machine suddenly flickered on and a 3D animated woman appeared.
"Okay everyone! Let's dance!" the animated woman cheered.
The Louds lined up infront of the screen with Sam reluctantly in the middle. The woman began to dance, swaying her hips and moving her arms back and forth over her body. The Louds easily copied while Sam awkwardly tried to get her hips and arms in sync with the dancing. Then the woman began to move her feet and throw her arms in the air while cheering. The Louds moved and cheered along with her, while Sam slowly tried to figure out how the others were doing it.
Suddenly, one of Leni's arms hit Lori in the face.
"OW! Leni!" Lori yelped, holding her nose and stumbling backwards where Lily was currently sitting.
Lynn Jr. emerged from the kitchen and gasped, seeing Lori stumbling towards the innocently smiling and clapping Lily.
"Woah!" Lynn Jr. shot forward and leaped towards Lily, grabbing the baby in midair before rolling away. The two watched as Lori fell backwards with a grunt. "Aaaaand Lynn Jr. makes the save!"
Rita turned to Lynn Jr. and gasped when she realized what had happened. "Omigosh!"
She took off towards Lily and Lynn Jr., accidentally stepping on one of the machine's wires in the process. The wire fell out of its slot in the back of the machine, unknown to the others.
The woman on the screen began to dance faster. "Let's do the Footsole Shuffle!" She began to move frantically as the Louds and Sam tried to follow along. Her image flickered and her voice stuttered. "N-n-n-n-now The Git Down!"
"U-uh, Lisa? I think your machine is busted!" panted Lana.
Lisa was also panting as she tried to follow the dances the woman was presenting on the screen in high speed. "Nonsense! We are just learning at a faster pace!"
Suddenly, the machine began to smoke and electricity crackled from underneath the panels.
Lana flung herself behind the couch. "IT'S GONNA BLOW!"
The others yelped and rushed off to hide behind anything they could find. As Lana predicted, the machine exploded into a cloud of thick, black smoke and pieces everywhere.
Luna peeked out from behind the television with Sam. She briefly looked at the smoldering parts on the ground and the giant burn spot on the floor before grinning timidly at Sam. "Maybe that was too intense…"
Sam sighed, "Well, at least I didn't make a total fool out of myself infront of your family. But I couldn't even follow along with the first dance – and that was just hips and arms movements."
Luna stepped out from behind the television and put her hands on her hips. "Don't worry, Sam! We just need to find what makes you want to move, and I think I have an idea."
Lynn Sr. shot up from behind the couch, cowbell in his hand. "I have an idea too!" He rushed over to the girls and began to pound on his cowbell, swinging his hips to the beat. "Cowbells are great for making a beat you can shake your booty to! It's easy! Come on, Sam!"
Luna quietly groaned in her throat with embarrassment and looked at Sam. Much to Luna's horror, Sam began to slowly follow along, looking unsure.
Luna quickly grabbed her arm and gave her dad a nervous grin. "Sorry, Dad! Sam and I gotta go! Bye!"
She dashed out the front door with Sam in tow. Lynn Sr. blinked after them as Lisa and Lincoln emerged from underneath the couch with a burnt faces.
"I told you I needed more data," Lisa grumbled to Lincoln.
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Luna hauled Sam up to the front of Flip's with a grin. Sam blinked at the crumbling storefront and looked at Luna with an uncertain expression.
"Flip's?" Sam asked.
Luna nodded. "Yeah, Flip sells a lot of instructional DVDs for cheap. Maybe we can find one for you."
Luna entered the store first with Sam behind her. Flip was at the counter, gluing the soles of a pair of old, crumbling shoes.
"'Zup, Flip?" Luna greeted as the two girls approached the counter.
Flip turned to them with a grin. "You two ladies interested in a semi-used pair of shoes? Only twenty-five dollars!"
Sam looked down at the shoes that were dripping with glue. When a fly buzzed out of it, she gave Flip a strained but polite smile. "No thanks, Flip."
He shrugged, placed a twenty-five dollar price tag on the shoes, and placed them on the shelf behind him. "Then how can I sell you-I-I mean-help you-with anything?"
Luna asked, "Ya got any dance instructional videos we can buy or rent?"
Flip beamed. "I got something even better than that!"
He disappeared under the counter and then reemerged dressed like a 80s dance instructor complete with a tight orange and green leotard and a purple headband across his head. Sam looked away as Luna shielded her eyes from the sight, both grimacing.
"Uh…you know how to dance, Flip?" Luna asked slowly.
Flip nodded and jumped out from behind his counter. "You're looking at a Royal Woods Dance Champion! Now, hand over a dollar and we can get started!"
Luna dug into her pocket and handed Flip a dollar. "Huh, dance lessons for a dollar! Can't beat that!"
Sam had a bad feeling about Flip's lesson as she watched him shove the dollar down the front of his horrifying dance suit. "Uh…Lunes? Maybe we shouldn't-"
Flip slammed his finger down onto an old boombox on the counter and 80s dance music blasted from it. "Okay, just follow Flip's lead!"
Sam frowned and lined up with Luna who looked intrigued, a smirk on her face.
"And one!" Skip cheered as he stuck out one foot.
The girls followed and then watched him for the next step. He stood still, watching them and they watched back, confused. Flip held out his hand and moved his fingers back and forth.
"If you want the next step, ya gotta pay up another dollar!" he announced.
Luna blinked and then shoved her hand into her skirt pocket to retrieve another dollar. Sam opened her mouth and then closed it when Luna handed over another dollar for Flip to shove down in suit.
"And two!" Flip continued, bringing his other foot to the side of his other foot.
Luna and Sam copied and then waited for him to continue. Flip held out his hand again and this time Luna growled as she retrieved another dollar.
"Lunes-" Sam objected.
"Now for the good part!" Flip said enthusiastically, his hands shaking infront of him.
He put one foot back. And his hand out.
"AGH! This is ridiculous!" Luna shouted, throwing her hands in the air.
Flip look offended. "Ridiculous?! Fine! I'll show you my signature move and then you'll be convinced to spend all your money-er-time learning from me!"
With a sudden lightness, Flip jumped into the air and spun. He landed and continued spinning like a top until he came to a stop with his arms crossed and legs crossed. Luna and Sam's jaws dropped in unison.
"Hah! Now you two try!" Flip challenged.
Luna hopped into the air and spun around half way, landing on the floor with her back facing Flip. Sam didn't even attempt to try it and just looked down at her feet.
"What was that baloney?! Here – I'll do it again!" Flip proclaimed. "First, you jump and then you throw your body into a spin!"
Luna jumped with Sam and spun around. Sam landed dizzily and stumbled backwards into a vat of nacho cheese. It crashed to the ground and spilled cheese across the floor. Flip landed on the ground in a spin right onto the cheese. He yelled out as he began to slide and spin in circles around the store like a top. Luna and Sam cringed as he crashed around the store, knocking almost everything over in the process. With one final scream, he spun into the bathroom where a violent crash and the splashing of water echoed in his wake.
Sam rushed towards the bathroom door but stopped when she saw the 'men' symbol on the door. Instead of going in, she cracked open the door and said, "Flip! I'm so sorry!"
"…Flip? You good, Dude…?" Luna hesitantly called out as she joined Sam's side.
A groaning came from the bathroom. "I think I swallowed some of the toilet water!"
Sam and Luna exchanged worried glances before they slowly began to back out of the store.
"Well, uh, we'll see you later, Flip!" Luna called as they backed to the front door.
"Still interested in more lessons?" Flip called out. Luna and Sam quickly ran out the front door. "…Girls? Hello?"
Once they were a safe distance away, Sam groaned and began to bump her forehead with her fist. "Wow, I really messed that up…"
Luna shook her head and reassured, "No, you were right, Sam! Flip might be a…kinda scammy…dance instructor, but he wasn't the right teacher for you."
"Trust me, Lunes. No one is the right teacher for my two left feet. Let's just forget about it," Sam sighed.
Luna stubbornly retorted, "No way, Sam! Maybe the only teacher you need is some good music!"
She whipped out her phone and began typing on it.
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Mazzy and Sully waited outside a small burger joint and entertainment venue. Sully checked his watch once again while Mazzy held her stomach.
"Ugh, where are they? I'm about to go inside and eat without them," Mazzy complained.
"Sorry we're late!" Luna's voice rang out.
Luna and Sam ran over to their friends.
"Hey! I'm surprised you texted us, Luna. I thought Friday night was date night?" Mazzy teased, playfully elbowing Luna.
Sully looked concerned. "Yeah…is…something going on…?"
Luna shook her head. "No, not really. I just wanted Sam to have more moral support. She wants to try to dance!"
Mazzy and Sully's mouths dropped open. "Sam?! Dance?!"
Sully reached over and felt Sam's head. "Hm…" He leaned backwards and whispered to Luna, "Is she feeling okay?"
"Dude, you HATE dancing!" Mazzy gasped at Sam. "I can't even get her to do the Y-M-C-A!" Mazzy told Luna while shaping her arms into each letter.
Luna reached out and put one arm around Sam's shoulders, pulling her in close with a proud grin. "Well, she's going to try! No pressure. I figured, if Sam were to want to move her body to anything, it would be with rock music!"
"Alright!" Sully cheered. "Rock and roll!"
Mazzy pointed behind her. "I'm going to grab a burger first before I eat one of you."
A few minutes later, Luna and the band made their way down the basement stairs of the burger place. Rock music blasted from the speakers on the walls, a small stage setup where a crowd of people were already gathered to watch a band play. The crowd was dancing and moving with the loud music.
Luna pointed to an empty spot towards the front of the stage. "Come on, I see somewhere we can stand!"
They made their way through the crowd and then stood in the area Luna found. Luna looked up excitedly at the group playing on stage and then looked at her friends.
"Aw man, these dudes are rockin'!" Luna shouted over the music and noise. "Come on, Guys, let's show Sam how we dance!"
Luna began to dance to the music, followed by Sully, and then Mazzy. Sam watched her friends and then looked down at her own feet. She heard her heart in her ears, her body suddenly feeling numb as she desperately tried to push her fears and insecurities back.
"Here, Sam, watch!" Sully offered. He leaned back and began to play air guitar while head banging. "Pretend you're playing your bass!"
Sam numbly lifted her now sweat-soaked hands and positioned them like she would on her bass. She imagined her bass in her hands and began to pluck the air while slowly moving her head back and forth.
"Now do this!" Mazzy shouted.
Mazzy bent one knee infront of her and began to shift her weight back and forth. Sam watched her for a second before trying it herself.
"You got it, Brah!" Luna cheered.
Sam gave Luna a weak grin as she continued to dance like she was shown. But then, an image popped in her head: people scattered across the floor, electricity buzzing in the air, flowers strewn about with vase pieces on a dance floor. Sam gasped and then tripped over her own feet, flailing as she stumbled backwards. She grunted as she knocked into a tall, muscular man's back.
"Dude, Sam!" Luna gasped as she, Mazzy, and Sully rushed over to her.
The tall muscular man slowly turned to Sam, eyes dangerous.
"U-um…I'm really sorry, Sir…" Sam stuttered fearfully, putting her hands up infront of her as she slowly stepped away.
"MOSH PIT!" the man happily screamed as he grabbed another man by his side and shoved him into the area where Luna and the band stood.
Luna gasped and looked around frantically as people began getting pushed and thrown around them. Sully grabbed Mazzy's hand, who grabbed Sam's hand, who grabbed Luna's hand. "Let's beat it, Dudes!"
Just as Sully said that, another teenager crashed into him, causing Sully to fly backwards and lose his grip on Mazzy. Mazzy blinked down at her now empty hand and then lifted her head up.
"…Uh-oh…" she said right before she was pushed away by a headbanging woman.
Luna tried to guard Sam but the crowd began to close in on them, everyone pushing and leaping against each other.
"Brace yourself, Brah!" Luna told Sam as the two clung to each other.
Luna and the band's screams and shouts echoed inside the basement as the crowd completely closed in and the mosh pit spread.
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Later on, outside the burger and entertainment venue, people went their separate ways out into the street. On a patch of grass on the side of the venue, Luna and the band lied on their backs, their clothes and bodies beaten-up looking.
"Ugh…our first mosh pit…" Sam groaned.
"Rock and roll…!" Sully moaned with forced enthusiasm, waving his fist into the air. His arm made a snapping noise and then it dropped uselessly by his side. "…Ow."
Mazzy sat up and rubbed her head painfully. "Well, at least we made it out alive." She opened her jacket and pulled out a wrapped burger. "And so did my burger!"
Sam sighed and sat up next. "I'm really sorry, Guys…" She stumbled up and dug her hands into her jacket. "Maybe there's a good reason I shouldn't dance…"
Luna shot up, bones cracking as she did. "No way, Dude! I'm not giving up on you!"
"Yeah," Sully agreed, looking up at Sam from the ground. "We were in a tough crowd tonight! Maybe we can find a kinder, gentler one?"
Luna nodded. "Yeah! How about we go to a…uh…a folk concert!"
Sam shook her head. "Look, I really appreciate you guys trying to help me, but I'll just cause you more trouble."
Luna grabbed Sam's shoulders. "Come on, Sam! L-let's try again tomorrow! Please?"
Sam sighed, leaned forward, and gave Luna a quick kiss on her cheek. "Sorry, I'm volunteering at the shelter tomorrow." She stepped around Luna and trudge off down the street. "I'll see you guys later."
Luna watched Sam disappear down the street with a sad pout and large eyes.
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The next afternoon, Lana led Luna towards the Royal Woods Animal Shelter.
"Thanks for being my guardian so I can volunteer today!" Lana cheered. "But you've never volunteered before, what happened?"
Luna sighed, "Yeah, I-I'm not really good with animals, but, I'm worried about Sam. She was pretty bummed last night."
Lana led Luna up the stairs to the front door of the Shelter and paused, one eyebrow raised. "Because you all got your spleens kicked in?"
Luna held her stomach. "Oof, don't remind me…" Lana opened the door and Luna followed her inside. "But, naw, Dude. It was because of the dancing thing."
Lana seemed to be half listening as she approached the front desk. The front desk woman smiled happily and allowed them inside the back area where the animals were.
Luna continued as they walked through the cat area towards the kennels. "I feel really bad about the whole thing. Sam thinks I'm unhappy because we don't dance together, but that's not true, Dude!"
Lana continued to walk ahead of Luna, seemingly not paying attention to anything her older sister was saying. "You wanna see something?"
Luna looked down at Lana with a frown. "You're not even listening, are ya?"
Lana grinned and pushed open the door to the kennel area. She turned to Luna and touched her lips with a single finger. "Ssh…"
Luna looked confused but obeyed. Lana crept into the kennel with Luna following close behind on her tippy-toes. Inside, a soft, distant voice echoed amongst the concrete walls and cages. Luna perked up, instantly recognizing it as Sam's voice. Lana motioned Luna to stay low as she snuck forward.
"Are we allowed to be in here?" Luna whispered, still confused as to why her sister wanted them to sneak in.
Lana ignored her and rounded a corner. A few feet away was an open door leading to the yard where they took the dogs outside to socialize. Lana snuck up to the door and hid on one side of it while Luna hid on the other side.
Lana grinned at her sister. "Check it out."
Luna peeked around the corner into the yard. Sam was standing in the yard with a group of small, Golden Retriever puppies all gathered around her. She held one puppy in her arms as she slowly danced around and sang to it.
"Dude…Sam's dancing!" Luna whispered excitedly.
Lana snorted, "I bet she doesn't even realize it, but she does that when she's holding a baby animal. I've seen it a bunch of times." Lana dashed out into the yard, arms in the air. "Hey Kiddos!"
The puppies turned and barked excitedly when they saw Lana running towards her. She flopped backwards onto the ground and let the puppies climb all over her as she laughed. The puppy in Sam's arms began to struggle frantically while crying excitedly, so Sam let it down so it could join in on the fun.
Sam's eyebrows shot up when she saw Luna enter the yard. "Lunes! I'm surprised to see you here!"
Luna grabbed Sam's shoulders, eyes wide and a grin on her face. "Dude! You were dancing!"
Sam looked confused. "Wait, really? That was dancing?"
"I told ya she didn't know!" Lana called out while giggling from the puppy kisses.
Luna nodded. "Dancing comes in all forms, Brah. See? You just needed a no pressure, happy situation to shake your groove thing!"
Sam looked unsure. "But…that's useless then. I can dance with puppies but not my girlfriend?"
Luna was still grinning ear to ear. "Well, this is a start! Once you get comfortable dancing like this, then you will eventually get comfortable dancing everywhere else!"
Sam sighed and looked down. "Luna… I need to tell you something: Lisa was right."
Luna looked confused. "Right about what?"
Sam shifted on her feet and then glanced over at a picnic bench the Shelter put in for families meeting dogs. Underneath it laid the tired-looking Mama Golden Retriever that offered a lazy tail wag when she saw Sam looking towards her. "Let's go sit down."
The couple sat down and briefly watched Lana get up and begin to run around with the puppies.
Sam finally took in a deep breath. "So…when I was young, like, really young…my Aunt was getting married. At the wedding, they had this DJ who was playing good music."
"Good music at a wedding? Unheard of," Luna interrupted with a laugh.
Sam laughed, "I know, right? Anyway, I decided to get up and dance with all the adults. While I was dancing, I was enjoying myself and not paying attention to anything around me. But then, I noticed everyone had stopped dancing. They were all now surrounding me, towering over me, laughing and clapping their hands. I mean, now I know they were just amused by seeing this dumb little kid on the dance floor by herself, but at the time, it was scary."
Luna nodded understandingly as she placed her hand on Sam's. "That does sound scary for a little kid."
"Oh, it gets worse," Sam warned.
Luna's mouth drew tight as she mentally prepared herself for what she knew was coming next.
"I tried to escape but they kept blocking my way and begging me to dance more. Then a bunch of strange people I didn't know said they wanted to dance with me. I was really scared so I just ran to what I thought was an opening in the crowd," Sam continued, head dropping between her shoulders. "…But I ended up running right into a catering cart…which rolled into one of the decorative poles that held up some wedding decorations…which then collapsed and took three other poles with it…"
Luna's mouth fell open. "Dude…"
"Oh, it gets worse," Sam interrupted quickly.
Luna gulped.
"Those poles held up a giant banner which landed on her now-husband. When he escaped it, his wig fell off…and it turned out my Aunt didn't know he was bald," Sam sighed, bringing her hands up to cover her face. "…And she was like: 'What other secrets are you keeping from me?!' The next day, she handed him divorce papers."
Luna sucked in a breath. "Uh…is this the Aunt who lives alone with ten cats?"
Sam flopped her head and her arms onto the table and whined, "Yes…"
Luna quickly shot up from her seat and rushed over to sit next to Sam instead of across from her. "Sam! It's okay! Your Aunt was totally petty, and you were just a little kid! None of that was your fault! Those adults should've left you alone!"
She gathered Sam in her arms and kissed the top of her head. Sam's eyes were huge and watery as she made another whining noise in her throat.
"And after that, I just…couldn't dance," Sam ended.
Luna stroked her light blonde hair. "But you were just now. If you really want to dance, and once again, not required by me because I like you a lot with or without dancing, you just need to practice more: that's how you build confidence. Once you got confidence, that childhood fear will slowly get better."
Sam shrugged and separated from Luna. "That makes sense. I mean, it applies to playing instruments too."
Luna nodded. "Yup! And you know what? I think I have an idea how I can help…"
+0+0+0+0+
Later that night, Sam walked up the stairs of the Loud House's porch. Her bass was strapped on her back and a gym bag filled with clothes and supplies in her hand. She knocked on the door and stepped back. The door almost instantly flung open to reveal Lynn Sr. with Rita behind him.
"Sam…! Welcome back!" Lynn Sr. cheered as he stepped aside to let her in.
Sam entered the home and turned to the Loud parents. "Thanks for letting me stay over."
Rita waved her off. "It's no problem! Luna is up in the attic."
Sam put down her bag and bass. "Okay, thanks again!"
She walked up the stairs and stopped when she saw the attic door open. Sam climbed up into the attic and went wide-eyed. Everything in the attic was pushed aside with layers of bubble wrap around the piles of stuff. The entire middle of the floor was clear except for one speaker with a MP3 player resting on top of it. Across the rafters were paper lanterns and a light that created a soft spotlight on the floor.
"What's all this?" Sam laughed as she climbed the rest of the way up and shut the attic back up behind her.
Luna stepped forward from standing in a corner, dressed in a tuxedo. "You like it? See look! It's the perfect place to try dancing for you!" She motioned up to the lanterns. "Soothing lights…" Luna nodded at the speaker. "Calm music…" She pointed to the bubble wrap everywhere. "I Sam-proofed everything so you don't have to worry about accidentally breaking anything!"
Sam grinned and cocked her hip. "Oh, ha ha. You should start a Sam-proofing business: Sully would be your first customer. He still won't let me touch anything new he gets."
Luna laughed, "Sorry, I'm just being extra careful."
Sam shook her head with a smile. "No, I appreciate this. Thanks, Lunes." She stepped into the middle of the room with Luna. "So, uh…you wanna dance?"
Luna grinned and took Sam's hands. "Yes I do."
Luna pulled Sam closer and took the lead. Sam nervously stumbled after her, checking her feet every few seconds.
Luna chuckled and said in a soft voice, "Dude, relax. Just follow my-" Her eyes went wide as a 'crunch' noise came from below them. "-YEOWCH!" Luna yelped.
Sam quickly removed her heavy boot from Luna's foot. "Omigosh! I'm so sorry! See I-!"
Luna quickly put her hands on Sam's shoulders. "It's okay! I'm okay! You're good, Sam."
Sam sighed with relief and hung her head. "I'm sorry."
Luna thought for a second and then smiled. "I think I have another idea…"
Soon, Sam and Luna slow danced gracefully across the floor.
"You're such a good dancer," Luna said in a teasing voice.
Sam grinned and looked down at their feet. They were both in their socks with Sam standing on Luna's feet. "Why, thank you. I learned from the best."
They laughed and place their foreheads against each other. Luna slowed down to a steady rocking motion, looking deep into Sam's eyes.
"Are you sure I'm not too heavy?" Sam asked for the hundredth time.
"I'm sure I'm sure," Luna reassured, touching her nose against Sam's. When Sam finally looked reassured, Luna grinned and dipped Sam down. "And dip!"
Sam giggled as Luna nuzzled her neck. "Lunes!"
Luna laughed naughtily and lifted Sam back up onto her feet.
Sam grinned and wrapped her arms around Luna's neck. "Well, I know I'm not good at dancing…but someone once told me I'm pretty good at something else we can do together."
Luna grinned wickedly. "What's that?"
Sam giggled and kissed Luna on the lips.
Luna pulled away with a giant grin and blush. "Love, if all we did was kiss for the rest of our lives and never danced again, I would be totally okay with that."
"You would, wouldn't you?" Sam teased before they kissed again.
But Luna continued to sway with the music anyway; Sam planted on her feet where she would stay long into the night.