Down at the Mercado, Bobby was packing some stuff out of a truck while Stella and Ronnie Anne worked together to stack everything onto the shelves.
"Your store has a lot of neat stuff," Stella said, placing everything on the shelves. "Do you get a lot of customers?"
"Yeah, mostly people from the building, having a convenient store at the bottom of an apartment complex is really...convenient," Ronnie Anne said, chuckling a bit, Stella doing the same.
"Guess it's convenient for you and Bobby, you make a little extra cash," Stella said.
"My services here are mostly volunteer, Bobby actually works shifts in this store," Ronnie Anne said.
"Yeah, much easier than the dozens of jobs I had back at Royal Woods," Bobby said.
"Dozens of jobs?" Stella asked.
"Yeah, hot dog guy, delivery boy, mall security guard, life was pretty busy for me," Bobby said.
"Why did you have so many jobs? Were you saving up for something?" Stella asked.
"I just like having money to take Lori on fancy dates," Bobby said. "Plus with my parents divorced, someone had to help mom bring in some extra cash. Plus I like working, makes me feel accomplished."
"That's a great mindset to have, shows you have great ethic," Stella said.
"Thanks, so what do you want to work as one day?" Bobby asked. "I do remember Lori telling me how tech savvy you are, maybe you can do something like that."
"Maybe, right now it's ore of a hobby, though it really does come in handy," Stella said.
"Didn't you fix Lori's phone once after it broke?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Yeah, Lori was very thankful," Stella said. "Little too thankful, she wouldn't t go of that massive hug she gave me."
"Lori does love her phone," Bobby said. "The one thing she can't live without."
"I can almost relate," Stella said, pulling out her phone. "The freedom that comes with a phone is exhilarating, being able to talk, text, use a camera, video." Stella affectionately eyed her phone. "It's amazing what technology can do, what more can be done. Every time I see some of these Sci-Fi movies with Lincoln, I can't help but wonder what more we can do with our tech."
"Have you tried talking with Lisa? Maybe she's come up with cool stuff," Ronnie Anne said.
"Well she said she built a Time Machine, but she doesn't want to use it for whatever reason," Stella said. "I mean no offense to Lisa but I do find that somewhat hard to believe. Even she can't pull off something like that, can she?"
"Well Lisa's a very gifted girl, I'm surprised she's not already in college," Ronnie Anne said.
"Well, don't tell her I told you since she seems kind of reluctant to admit it, but the main reason she probably doesn't want to move up is because she doesn't want to leave her friend Darcy behind," Stella said.
"Not like anyone should blame her, I wouldn't be so quick to leave Sid behind," Ronnie Anne said.
"It's a pride thing," Stella said. "Lisa is a bit ashamed of her 'inane human emotions', though she's gotten past it as she got older. Makes sense I guess."
"Lisa has always been a bit of an oddball, though sometimes all of them seem weird," Ronnie Anne said.
"They just take getting used to," Stella said. "They're not really weird per say, just lively. I admire them for their confidence and most if not all of them knowing what they want."
"They are special like that," Bobby said. "I remember when Lori made Varsity Golf back in Royal Woods."
"And now she could go pro," Ronnie Anne said. "Bobby tells me she's been mowing through the competition at her school."
"I heard the same from Lincoln and Leni," Stella said. "I got to see Lori play once, she's really amazing, very focused too."
"I heard Leni flipped out big time when Lori left for college," Ronnie Anne said.
"Same here, Lincoln told me she got a little depressed after she left, of course I could see it for myself whenever I went over to his house," Stella said. "I felt so bad for her."
"Lori told me how devastated Leni was, she's such a sweet and innocent girl, it breaks my heart to see her sad," Bobby said. "But she wasn't lonely long though, I mean didn't she end up sharing a room with Lynn for like a year?"
"You make that sound like a good thing," Ronnie Anne said. "Lynn isn't exactly pleasant to be around."
"Well believe it or not, they actually got along pretty well, plus Leni did seem to keep Lynn under control, Leni being one of the very few Lynn wouldn't mess with," Stella said, then thought it over. "Well not mess with much, since she's not above getting rough with her either, but she does it to a lesser extent."
"Has Lynn laid off you the last few years?" Bobby asked. "Lori told me she's been kind of not nice to you, she seemed pretty upset by it."
"Well, she sort of did, not by much though," Stella said, feeling a bit bitter. "We're still not friends though, out of all the Loud Sisters, Lynn's the only one I haven't fully befriended. Everyone I like, and they seem to like me, for better or worse."
"Better or worse?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"The more they got used to me, the more they started treating me like family, meaning Lola for example has gotten used to bossing me around," Stella said. "Clyde did warn me though, he said the sisters have messed with him as well because they feel comfortable enough doing so."
"Sid can relate to that," Ronnie Anne said. "While my cousins like her, they're not above messing with her either, especially Carl."
"Hey Bobby, have the girls messed with you in that way?" Stella asked.
"Well, Lola bosses me around as well sometimes, and Lisa has wanted me to help her with some...'experiments', plus Lucy does that spooky teleporting thing sometimes," Bobby started shivering a bit. "She's cute but she's really spooky sometimes."
"Lucy does creep me out sometimes as well, but she's also just as sweet," Stella said. "Another downside is finally seeing what Luan is capable of with her pranks."
"Ooh, she get you?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Washing that mud off took forever," Stella said, thinking over the prank.
Flashback
Stella had come to the Loud House one day and stepped on a carefully placed skateboard, leading her to travel fast to the mini pool, which catapulted her across the yard and landing in a large mud pile.
"Stella!" Lincoln shouted, rushing to his girlfriend, when he tripped over a carefully placed wire, falling onto a mini surfboard that slid down a slide that tilted upward, flying him into the air and landing right beside Stella in the mud.
"Looks like you two are really falling for each other!" Luan said, chuckling a bit. "Get it?"
"I warned you about Luan," Lincoln said. "Next time you'll listen to your wise and all knowing boyfriend."
"Oh can it," Stella replied.
End Flashback
"That's rough Stella," Bobby said. "Luckily Luan hasn't really pranked me that badly, mainly since Lori warned me that I was off limits, maybe Lincoln should have given that warning."
"I guess he was hoping that my friendship with her would spare me, but it didn't," Stella said. "That or it's easier for Lori to give the threat since she's older."
"So what happened after that?" Ronnie Anne asked. "Were you mad?"
"A little, but I couldn't really stay mad at Luan," Stella started looking aside, almost hiding a blush. "She's too close to my heart to stay mad at, plus she did apologize later."
"That's good to know," Ronnie Anne said. "Well I guess pranks are Luan's way of being friendly. I mean I love a good prank myself."
"Oh yeah, pranks are fun," Bobby said. "Just not the ones Luan pulls."
"Has she gotten you any other time?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"A few, minor stuff like the 'Black Eye Kaleidoscope' bit," Stella said. "She hasn't really gotten me with anything major, mainly since I knew to avoid that house every April Fools Day."
"Lori is never in a good mood for like a week after that day," Bobby said. "She once didn't leave her house for like a month after a prank that removed her eyebrows."
Stella placed the last of an item on a shelf, "That should do it, is there any more?"
"One more box, thanks for the help, it's really going by fast," Ronnie Anne said. "So tell me, what was it like having Lori as a babysitter?"
"We didn't do much, the only reason my mother hired a babysitter is because I was sick and she had to go somewhere with my dad," Stella said. "Plus my grandmother wasn't available, so Lori came by to watch over me, and it turns out I got really lucky with that?"
"Lucky how?" Ronnie Anne asked.
In the past, the loud telephone is ringing. It was answered by the resident jock Lynn, "Hey, Loud Residence, Lynn Loud Jr speaking, what's up?"
"Oh hello, I'm calling about a babysitting job?" the woman said.
"Babysitting huh? I can help with that," Lynn said. "So who am I watching over?"
"You might know her, my daughter Stella, she's dating your brother," the woman said.
"Wait Stella? She needs a babysitter?" Lynn asked, chuckling to herself. "I take it she's not very good at taking care of herself?"
"Actually she's quite independent, but she's under the weather," Stella's mother said. "It's nothing serious but I have to go out somewhere with my husband and her grandmother isn't available. If you or any of your sisters could babysit that would be a big help."
"Sure thing, I would love to babysit my brother's girlfriend, just leave it to me," Lynn said, somewhat deviously. Suddenly she had the phone snatched away from her by Lori. "Hey!"
"Sorry shrimp, there is literally no way I'm letting you babysit Stella," Lori said, then turned her attention to the phone. "Hello, Mrs. Stella's mother? I'm Lori, I'll be the one babysitting your daughter, just tell me all the details."
Lynn angrily stomped off, "Stupid Lori, I'll have my chance soon enough, you'll see."
Sometime later Lori had driven off to Stella's house, having bid good-bye to her parents. "Such nice people...wonder why her husband had a black eye though?"
She made her way toward Stella's room, carefully peeking inside to see her resting on her bed. While Stella wasn't that sick, Lori did not want to take a chance of catching a cold herself. The slight creaking of the door did catch Stella's attention. "Oh, hi Lori."
"Hi Stella," Lori said from the door. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better," Stella said.
"Yeah, no kidding," Lori commented. "Still, you don't look too bad. Any idea what might have caused this?"
"One of my classmates I think," Stella said. "Some girl was a bit sniffly."
"Yeah, Lincoln mentioned some girl he knew, Jordan I think," Lori said. "Uh, she wasn't too close to him was she?"
"No, he was pretty distant from her, the only reason I probably got sick is because the two of us were assigned for a class project, Lincoln was working with Liam," Stella said. "We all found out about Girl Jordan when she started coughing and sneezing, and I guess I was too close to her."
"Well as long as he's not gonna get sick, but as for you, I'm gonna have to whip you up some home remedies," Lori said. "I'm also gonna be making you dinner, any preferences?"
"Uh, my mother usually makes me chocolate chip pancakes for dinner," Stella claimed.
Lori however didn't buy it, "Chocolate Chip Pancakes? Stella I'm the oldest child of eleven siblings, I've heard every trick in the book, you really think I'm that naïve?"
"Heh, worth a try," Stella said with a sheepish grin.
Lori chuckled to herself, mature as Stella is, it's easy to forget that she's still a kid and has child-like tendencies. "Well luckily for you, your mother said to make whatever you'd like if it'll help make you feel better, so I'll make you your pancakes."
"Wow thanks Lori, that's really nice of you," Stella said. "Uh, you are able to make pancakes right?"
"Are you doubting me?" Lori playfully asked. "Your mom wouldn't ask me to cook if I couldn't."
"Right, silly question," Stella said.
"Plus pancakes are easy, especially compared to the stuff my dad makes," Lori said. "If I wanted to , I could even make you a nice Quinoa. But I'll stick to your request."
"Thanks," Stella said, laying back in bed. "Just let me know when you're done."
Lori had gone to the kitchen, whipping out the ingredients needed. As she left the food to cook, she heard a knock on the door. "Oh, are they home already?" Lori answered the door, and to her surprise she spotted her brother. "Lincoln?"
"Hi Lori, where's Stella?" Lincoln asked. Lori couldn't help but notice he had a bouquet of roses.
"In her room, she's sick in bed," Lori answered.
"Right, she would be in bed, anyway I came to check on her, and give her these," Lincoln said, presenting the roses.
"Oh, how sweet of you," Lori said. "Maybe now's not the time to hand deliver them."
"But I have to Lori, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't pay my girlfriend a visit while she was sick?" Lincoln said.
"It's understandable that you wanna see her, and you can, just make sure you don't get too close," Lori said. "Stella wouldn't want to get you sick."
"You make a good point," Lincoln said. "Alright, I'll keep my distance."
"Alright, come on inside then," Lori said, allowing Lincoln entrance to the home.
Lincoln took a look around the place, "Huh, I've hardly been inside Stella's house, but I gotta say, it looks really pretty."
"Has such an exotic theme too," Lori said.
"Well her family did come from the Philippine Islands, I think her grandparents did at least," Lincoln said.
"Isn't it interesting having significant others of different cultures?" Lori said. "My Bobby with his family from Mexico, Stella with the Philippines. Uh, that reminds me, does Stella know the native language?"
"I think so, Stella is trilingual, so I imagine she knows Filipino, she does sometimes refer to her grandma as Lola," Lincoln said.
"That's so...wait Lola?" Lori said.
Lincoln sheepishly smiled, "Yeah, that's why she seems to pronounce Lola's name with an accent because it's how she addresses her grandmother, I mean she doesn't do it all the time but the times she does, she brings out an accent."
"Here I thought she really was just trying to be fancy with her," Lori said. "But the accent is cute, reminds me of Bobby."
"Weird, I almost never hear him with a Spanish accent," Lincoln said. "Must be interesting."
"Huh? Oh no, he tries speaking with a French accent," Lori said. "He says it makes him sound more romantic."
Lincoln didn't know what to make of that, "Uh...well I guess it makes sense, he does seem to like French related things, like those Baguettes." Lincoln then found the smell of a delicious aroma. "Is that chocolate?"
"Oh right! The pancakes!" Lori rushed back to the kitchen to check up on it. "That was close, almost burnt them."
"You're making her pancakes?" Lincoln asked. "Wait, is that chocolate chip?"
"Yeah, she wanted some," Lori said, flipping them. "Guess your girlfriend has quite the sweet tooth."
"Yeah I know how much girls love their chocolate," Lincoln said. "I still haven't forgotten the time you all ate my school project."
"Oh give us a break, we didn't know," Lori said. "You could have told us instead of getting that silly 'Girl Guru' idea."
"Would you have cared?" Lincoln asked.
"It doesn't hurt to try, you act like we never make things up to you," Lori said, getting a glare from Lincoln. "Oh go check on your girlfriend, I gotta get these on a plate."
"I'll do just that," Lincoln said, leaving the kitchen, and making his way to Stella's room. He knocked on her door, "Stella? It's Lincoln!"
"Lincoln? Oh, come on in." Lincoln opened the door, finding his girlfriend laying in bed, looking a little better than he expected. "So nice of you to come."
"Well of course, what kind of boyfriend wouldn't come see his poor sick girlfriend?" Lincoln stated. "How are you feeling?"
"Better than before, guess it was a minor cold, I'll be back in school tomorrow," Stella said.
"That's good, it felt so incomplete without you there," Lincoln said.
"Oh come now Lincoln, you've done fine without me before," Stella said.
"That was before I met you, since then it hasn't been the same without you Stella," Lincoln said. "It's like you were a missing piece for us Stella, you really clicked with our group, and before long you became one of our best friends."
"That's so nice of you to say Lincoln," Stella said. "Oh, are those flowers for me?"
"Yeah," Lincoln said, placing the flowers on her dresser. "I'd give them to you up close but I can't risk catching a cold."
"Understandable, I wouldn't want to get you sick," Stella said.
"Yeah that's what Lori said too," Lincoln said. "Don't you worry though, once you're all better you'll be getting a nice kiss from yours truly."
"I look forward to that," Stella playfully said.
"So is there anything you'd like me to do for you?" Lincoln asked.
"No, I just need some rest...after I try your sister's pancakes," Stella said.
"I'm glad Lori's doing this for you, weird that not so long ago she wasn't too fond of you," Lincoln said. "I'm so happy she likes you now."
"I'm happy too, truth be told, Lori is the type of big sister I wish I had," Stella said. "She's very calm, when she wants to be, and has a lot of wisdom. She's also caring and protective, I can tell just how much she loves you and all your sisters, I wish I were that fortunate."
"Well look on the bright side, you at least get peace and quiet once in a while," Lincoln said.
"Hey it gets boring after a while, that's why I like coming to your house, it's so much livelier," Stella said.
"Well I guess someone's gotta like the chaos," Lincoln said. "Well I guess I should go home before it gets too late. Try to feel better Stella, I want to see your pretty face in class tomorrow."
"Lincoln, come on, you're making me blush," Stella said, her face indeed showing signs of red.
"Hey, you're the one who's pretty, I'm just calling it like I see it," Lincoln said. "Take care."
"Bye Linky," Stella said as Lincoln made his way out the room.
As he turned to call his sister, he saw that she was already by the door, the plate of pancakes in her hand. "Oh you're here."
"Yeah, I have her pancakes ready, I just gotta serve them to Stella," Lori said.
"I bet she'll like them, well I'm heading home," Lincoln said, making his way to the front door. "Also Lori, thanks for watching over Stella."
"My pleasure," Lori said, entering Stella's room. She placed the meal on the table next to her bed. "Here you go. If you need anything else, I'll be in the living room."
"Thanks Lori, I really appreciate that," Stella said.
"No problem Stella," Lori said, making her way out of the room. "For the record Stella, I would love to have you as my little sister."
Stella looked almost surprise when those words left Lori's mouth, but simply smiled in her direction. "Thanks Lori."
Back in the future, Bobby is seen blowing his nose into a tissue, "That's so beautiful!"
"Oh get a grip bro," Ronnie Anne said, then turned her attention to Stella, "Though that was a nice story. You and Lori are so close now, you almost are like sisters."
"I feel close to all of Lincoln's sisters, well except Lynn," Stella said.
"Lynn is hard to get close to," Bobby said. "I mean, I don't think she's that bad of a kid, she's just got a weird sense of what it means to be friendly. You gotta try speaking her language."
"What? Crazy?" Ronnie Anne said.
"Come on Nini, you know better than to say stuff like that," Bobby said. "Lynn respects athleticism."
"As long as you're not better than her," Ronnie Anne said. "She can't handle the fact that I can skate so much better than she could, I proved it at that Royal Woods contest too."
"Plus I tried a game of dodgeball with her," Stella said. "She got her Roller Derby Team to go against me and the guys, I won but she claimed that I cheated."
"Speaking of guys, how are things with that one kid who gave you trouble?" Bobby asked.
"Who Rusty? We made up eventually, I don't know if he was genuinely sorry or if he was just afraid that Lynn or one of the other sisters would hurt him again," Stella said. "He hasn't been as close with us since but we tried putting things behind us."
"That's good to know," Bobby said. "Uh, that you at least tried putting things behind you, not that he isn't as close."
Ronnie Anne put the last piece of item on a shelf, "That should do it, let's go back upstairs."
"Uh, alright sure," Stella said, leaving the Bodega. "See you later Bobby!"
"Sure things girls," Bobby said.
As the two left the store, Rita caught their attention, "Hey girls, just want to let you know I'm going to the train station, I'm gonna be picking up Lynn and the girls. If Lincoln gets back before I do, just let him know that for me."
"Sure thing Mrs. Loud," Stella said.
"Lori should be here on her own later, keep an eye out for that," Rita said.
"Will do," Ronnie Anne said. As Rita drove off, the two started making their way back to the Apartment. "So, about Lynn, I take it she tried using those pictures of you for leverage?"
"Yeah, she did, but that's not all she had," Stella said
"Huh? What else could she have had?" Ronnie Anne said. She noticed that Stella seemed hesitant to talk, able to tell by how much she started squeezing her fingers. "Hey, if there's something bugging you, then you can tell me, I'm your friend, I want you to feel better."
"It's just that...it's so embarrassing, and shameful," Stella said. "I kind of did something stupid, something I never told Lincoln about. I'm worried that everyone will have a different opinion of me."
"Just tell me, I promise not to judge you," Ronnie Anne said, "I can tell this is really bothering you, and if you made a mistake that you regret, it's better to talk about it."
"Yeah, you're right," Stella said. "Here's the thing, you know how Luan has her-"
"Yo Ronnie Anne!" They heard. The two turned to see Ronnie Anne's friend Nikki. "Sup girl?"
"Oh, hey Nikki," Ronnie Anne said, somewhat annoyed at the interruption, not that she could be mad, Nikki didn't know. "What's up?"
"Nothing much kid, heard you're going to a concert, you and Sid gonna see your favorite band," Nikki said.
"Yeah, we're both excited, so many awesome bands in one place, and Lincoln's sister is opening the show," Ronnie Anne said.
"Right, Lincoln's suppose to be here, where is he?" Nikki asked.
"At the park with Sid and both their sisters, well Lincoln's youngest sister," Ronnie Anne said.
"I should pop by soon," Nikki said, then turned her attention to Stella. "Hey you're Stella right? Haven't seen you in a while."
"Not since last time, Luna had a gig at Lori's school, then I came by here for the first time," Stella said.
"Yeah, wasn't that the day your Abuela officially had her heart broken Ronnie?" Nikki asked.
"If you mean when she made a big deal about Lincoln showing up with another girl, then yeah, that was," Ronnie Anne said. "Honestly for the longest time they said 'Oh it's probably just a friend' and junk, then Lincoln shows up with this cute girl by his side, and reality set in for them."
"I didn't mean to upset anyone," Stella said.
"It's not you Stella, they just need to get over their obsession with me hooking up with Lincoln, he's just a friend, nothing more," Ronnie Anne said.
"Oh like you didn't have a crush on him, I could see it in your eyes," Nikki teased.
Ronnie Anne facepalmed at her friend's words, "First off, I don't know what you're talking about, second, don't say that in front of his girlfriend, third, I know for a fact that you found him cute yourself!"
"Well yeah, can't deny that," Nikki said. "I just wish I knew he was into tall girls, though Stella ain't so tall for him nowadays."
"Yeah, I don't really feel out of place anymore," Stella said.
"Don't fret over that, you had the advantage," Nikki said. "Anyway enough of that, how are things going for you? You and Lincoln still madly in love?"
"Yeah, we are," Stella said. "I mean maybe I'm too young to think this but, I am very much in love with Lincoln."
"Pfft, age is just a number, if you know you love him, then accept it," Nikki said. "Just hold on to him, the moment you let go, you never know who's going after him."
"Oh I'll never let Lincoln go," Stella said. "He's mine forever."
"Good, love is precious, nothing to take lightly," Nikki said. "That's why I tried helping Ronnie here get someone."
"I hope you're not referring to the time Sid kissed me because YOU dared her to," Ronnie Anne said.
"Hey I asked Casey and Sameer first, Sid just volunteered because they were too chicken," Nikki said.
"Still, that was pretty annoying," Ronnie Anne said. "I like Sid, but not that way, that goes for Casey and Sameer too. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not in the market for a boyfriend right now, I'm just fine being single."
Elsewhere Sid felt a surge of doubt, Lincoln noticing the change in her demeanor. "What's wrong Sid?"
"I feel like my hopes have come crashing down," Sid said, much to Lincoln's confusion.
Back with Ronnie Anne, she continued her little speech, "Plus I doubt Sid would want to get with me either." One could almost hear Sid's cry of agony in the background.
"Have you seen Sid lately? She's really been...'on' if you get what I mean," Nikki said.
"Pfft, she's just being weird, she's always been like that, only this time she's going through puberty," Ronnie Anne said. "Not like Sid's a pervert or anything."
"Yeah, sure," Nikki said, rolling her eyes. "Whatever you say Ronnie."
Ronnie Anne groaned in annoyance, deep down wondering herself if that's true, given some of Sid's actions, at least since meeting Stella. "Anyway me and Stella need to go, we're catching up."
"Ooh, did you tell her about your Extreme Sports competition?" Nikki asked.
"If you mean the one in Royal Woods, I don't need to, she was there," Ronnie Anne said.
"Right...that's the one where you went against Lynn right?" Nikki said. "Man I remember Sid coming home really hating that girl."
"Yeah, for good reason too," Ronnie Anne said, remembering the day.
It was a couple of months after the Dairy Land incident, Lynn was no longer grounded from sports and was allowed to take part in an extreme sports competition, young kids using various riding gear from Skateboards, to Roller Blades, even Scooters and Bicycles.
Ronnie Anne showed off her awesome moves, skating and grinding around on the rails, pulling off Ollies and McTwists on the Half-Pipe, skating off a ramp with some kick flips through the air, really impressing the judges.
"Keep it up Ronnie Anne!" Lincoln cheered, sitting with Stella, Clyde, Liam, Zach and Sid. The Loud Family were also nearby attending the event, as well as the Casagrande Family, each cheering for their respective family member.
Lynn stepped up, though she used Roller Skates to pull off a few stunts, including twirls, grinding, backwards skating, even some dance moves.
"You got this Lynn!" Margo cheered, Polly right beside her.
Both girls really showed off their styles, Lynn doing great but Ronnie Anne really catching attention. Rusty was also out there, trying to show off for some girls himself.
"Who needs Stella when I can still make my own moves," Rusty started flexing on his skateboard for the crowd.
"Rusty! Watch out!" Lincoln warned, too late as Rusty went flying off a ramp and landing down hard.
"Ooh, is he alright?" Stella asked, leaning over the railing to check. The other boys started leaning as well, everyone focused on the skating. Sid was about too but curiosity started getting the better of her. She snuck over behind Stella and slowly started lifting up her skirt to get a peak at her from behind.
However Ronnie Anne spotted this, and picked up a nearby cardboard tray, balled it up and threw it at Sid's head, getting her attention. "Cut that out!"
Sid reluctantly put the skirt down and checked over the crowd to see how bad it looked. Rusty was fine but had some bad scrapes and was taken out the competition.
Soon it was down to Lynn and Ronnie Anne, the two staring each other down. The last part was an obstacle race, Ronnie Anne's skateboard skills vs Lynn's roller skating skills.
"Kick some butt Lynn!" Polly cheered.
"You got this Ronnie Anne!" Stella cheered.
Lynn glared at Stella, then focused back on the road. "You're going down Santiago."
"Yeah, good luck trying," Ronnie Anne said.
The race began, the two speeding down the raceway. First obstacle was some barricades, which the girls mostly jumped over, Lynn at one point sliding under while Ronnie Anne spiced up her jumping by leaping off the board and landing back on it.
Then came the rails, both girls grinding on their own rail, Lynn standing on one leg and Ronnie Anne skating backwards.
"Wow they're both good," Clyde said.
"Talented girls ah must say," Liam added.
"Keep going Ronnie Anne, take it too her!" Sid cheered.
Then came a few ramps, which they leapt off, performing a few tricks and landing back down. Then came the bowl part, Lynn picking up speed through it while Ronnie rode on the sides. Finally came a bounce pad.
The two girls sprung into the air, Ronnie Anne holding her hands out, soaring through the air as the sound of a hawk echoed through the air while Lynn tried getting really fancy with the twirling.
Unfortunately, while Ronnie Anne landed with style, Lynn lost her balanced, wiping out upon landing.
"Lynn!" Her parents worriedly shouted.
After landing, Ronnie Anne did a victory pose for the crowd as she was presented with a trophy and a first place prize as her friends came to congratulate her.
"Great job Ronnie Anne!" Lincoln congratulated.
"We're so proud of you," Stella said.
"First prize is yours, now you and your family can get that vacation out in California," Clyde said.
"Yeah, I'm pretty excited," Ronnie Anne said. "There's this awesome skate park over there, I hear it's next to a beach too."
"And she's taking me, right best buddy?" Sid asked.
"Yeah, sure thing Sid, if your parents are cool with it," Ronnie Anne said.
"Don't worry, I'll beg, plead and cry if I have to, we're gonna have an awesome time, maybe we can catch a Street Hockey game," Sid said.
From nearby, Lynn Sr and Rita are checking on Lynn, luckily she was wearing protective gear but she still had a bad landing and did scrape her shin.
"Poor dear, I'll get you some medicine for that," Rita said.
"I'm fine, it's just a scratch, I'm not a baby," Lynn Jr said.
"Now Junior, listen to your mother, we need to get that disinfected," Lynn Sr said.
"Ugh, can't believe I lost, to her," Lynn said, glaring at Ronnie Anne. She got up and angrily skated to the Santiago girl. "You're lucky I slipped, otherwise I would have won!"
"You did more than slip, you went overboard in your showing off," Ronnie Anne said. "Me, I kept things simple at the end."
"Hey, at the end you put on an epic show, not bullshit your way to a win!" Lynn Jr shouted.
"Lynn Loud Junior, you watch your language!" Rita scolded.
"It's true though!" Lynn Jr shouted. "I should have won that!"
"Lynn, you did your best, that's all that matters," Lincoln said.
"Can it Stinkin, what do you know about trying, all you do is read comics and play video games!" Lynn shouted.
"Hey in his defense, those games are hard," Lana said, making her way over with the other sisters and The Casagrandes. "You should know, you've seen me trying to play his games."
"Seriously Lynn, I thought you were past this sore loser phase after the family game night stuff," Lori said.
"Yeah, last thing we need is you going all the way to Great Lakes trying to beat Ronnie Anne at every little thing," Luna said.
Lynn started thinking like she just had an idea, which Lincoln and the sisters quickly snapped her out of. "LYNN!"
"Ugh, fine, I won't do that with her," Lynn said. "Not even worth my time."
Polly made her way over to her friend, "Come on girl, you did your best."
"Yeah we're really proud of you," Margo said.
"Hey, are you patronizing me!?" Lynn shouted.
"No way," Polly insisted. "We're just trying to get you to lighten up. I mean, yeah losing stinks but in the end it's still all about having fun."
"Polly, you really need to get your head out of the clouds," Lynn said, storming off. "If you even can with your size."
"Lynn!" Margo shouted, then turned to Polly. "You know she didn't mean it right?"
"Yeah, I know," Polly said, still somewhat hurt. "She's just competitive, it's admirable."
"It's rude!" Stella said, marching over to the Loud jock girl. "Lynn, that was terrible, you owe your friend an apology!"
"I suggest you back off Smella!" Lynn shouted, getting in her face, then speaking softly, gesturing to her pocket. "Or do you want me to get my phone?"
Stella nearly forgot what Lynn had, so reluctantly she took a step back, making her way back to the group. "She won't listen to reason."
Sid decided to take matters into her own hands. She angrily matched over to Lynn, standing in her path. Of course the jock didn't care for that. "Out of the way loser."
Sid didn't say anything she just shoved Lynn back, the action clearly annoying the jock as she rushed over and shoved Sid back. The two then got into a scuffle, to which everyone was quick to pull them apart.
"Sid, that's enough, it's not worth it!" Ronnie Anne pleaded, pulling Sid away.
"Lynn, get back!" Lincoln said, pushing Lynn away.
"No, let me at her!" Lynn shouted, trying to get to Sid.
"Lynn, listen to me!" Lincoln shouted, Lynn still trying to reach the other girl. "LYNN! Focus on me, now!" Lynn stopped a moment and turned to Lincoln, the girl still fuming. "Please, I know you're frustrated, I know you hate losing, but please get a hold of yourself. You're still a great athlete. I know you can handle a loss much better than this Lynn."
Lynn panted a bit, still feeling really annoyed. "Still..."
"Lynn," Lincoln said, focusing his sister's attention on him. "You're still amazing, you still out performed a lot of kids, you're an amazing athlete, I still think you're amazing. Please, be a better sport, be the girl I know you really are. This isn't you, the real Lynn Loud takes a loss and uses it as motivation to do better, so do that, and become better."
Lynn took a breath, calming herself. "Alright little brother." She briefly ruffled his head in her own sign of affection, then turned to the group, "Sorry I lost my cool there, this won't happen again."
"Well, that's good to hear," Lori said. "Glad you know that this confrontation was pointless."
"I meant I won't lose again, this confrontation is just my warning to you Santiago," Lynn said. "I'm winning next time, count on it."
Ronnie Anne almost hated this girl, but not wanting to start another scuffle and turn the skatepark into one massive dust cloud, she let it go. "Fine, then I'll just keep bringing my A Game."
Sid angrily shook her head, unable to fathom how Lincoln could put up with a sister like that. She's even more impressed that he was able to calm her down. Lynn at least had some respect for her brother, even if it was harder to bring out.
"Nice work kiddo," Lynn Sr said, patting Lincoln's head. "Good to know you're still able to reach your sisters."
"You know me dad, I'll always help my sisters, even Lynn, because she needs some brotherly love the most," Lincoln said.
"That was so cheesy dude," Ronnie Anne said.
"But admirable," Sid added.
Stella walked over to kiss Lincoln's cheek, "He really is amazing."
Bobby smiled in brotherly pride, "Heh, little bro's really got it, especially with the ladies, right fam?" He turned and saw the scowl on his grandmother's face. "Abuela!"
"Yes mijo?" Rosa asked, acting like she wasn't just annoyed.
Even Maria couldn't help but feel ashamed of her mother, because she at least sees just how close Stella is with her daughter, an is happy her daughter has another good friend to call her own.
Ronnie Anne didn't let Lynn's bad sportsmanship dampen the mood for long, she started celebrating again as she already started making a mental list of what to do in her travels.
Back in the present, Ronnie Anne was smiling again, this bad memory just reminding her of how much fun she had, making the bad seem less of a big deal.
"I had a great time, me, the family and Sid," Ronnie Anne said. "Even if Lynn was in a bad mood, I wasn't gonna let that affect me."
"That's good to know," Nikki said. "Well I'm gonna get going, see you around. Bye Stella."
Both girls waved Nikki good-bye, Ronnie Anne turning to Stella, "She's nice, little strange but then again, that could be said about all my friends."
"Even me?" Stella asked.
"Eh, you're the exception," Ronnie Anne said, placing her arm around Stella. "So tell me, what else did Lynn do? Back at the skating competition, it did look like she was pointing to her phone, and something tells me it was more than just those underwear pictures."
"It was," Stella said. "Let's talk somewhere more private, like I said, it's really embarrassing."
Back with Lincoln and Sid, the two continued to sit together, laying against a tree while the sisters played a castle game in the sandbox. At that moment Sid brought up a really random question. "So did you and Lucy ever have that wedding?"
Lincoln turned to Sid, a look wondering what was wrong with this girl, "What wedding!?"
"Weren't you gonna do something to celebrate your bond or something?" Sid asked.
"It wasn't a wedding!" Lincoln shouted. "She just did this weird ritual thing and we exchanged sibling bracelets." Lincoln pulled his out of his pocket, "Nothing more."
"Aw, how cute, your wedding ring," Sid teased.
Lincoln glared at the girl, "We're done talking about this."
Sid laughed a bit, placing her arm around Lincoln, "I'm just joking, don't worry so much." She scooted closer, leaning closer against him, "I do find what you did sweet though, Lucy must be really lucky to have a brother like you. I kind of envy that you're such a nice person, I can't hope to reach that level of kindness."
"Come on, you're nice too Sid, a little eccentric, and a bit forward, but still nice," Lincoln said.
"Heh, only you could see the qualities of a girl like me," Sid said, stroking his hair. "Wow do I envy Stella, how'd she get such an awesome boyfriend?"
Lincoln tried wiggling away, "She just asked me, and I of course accepted it."
"Well, that's romantic," Sid said, getting on her knees, looking Lincoln in the eyes. "I wish I could have been that girl though, honestly I've had a crush on you for a while Lincoln, since the day we met. Maybe I should have tried going for you myself, I mean yeah I live in Great Lakes and you in Royal Woods, but I think we could have made it work."
"Easy Sid, our sisters are right there," Lincoln nervously said, gesturing to the girls playing in the sand.
"They're too distracted, don't worry about them," Sid said, moving in closer. "I can't take you form Stella, I won't try, but I still want to know Lincoln, know what it's like to have had a boyfriend like you."
"Sid..." Lincoln said, feeling a bit awkward.
"Just show me once, I won't ask about it again," Sid said.
"What about Ronnie Anne? And your crush?" Lincoln asked.
"You're right, I do have a crush on her," Sid said. "And I want to make us work, but I want to tie up some loose ends first. One kiss, we never tell anyone."
"Even though our sisters are still right there!" Lincoln said.
"If they catch us, we'll come up with a story, that or threaten them, I have dirt on my sister, she won't say anything," Sid said.
"I can't do that to Lily though, she looks up to me," Lincoln said. "She started playing video games because she saw me play, I was gonna teach her everything I know."
Sid moved in close, the distance between the two getting shorter, "Something about how good of a brother you are, just makes me more interested...Come on Linky, just...one...kiss."
As the distance closed, soon, Lincoln would have his own shame to hide from Stella, just as Stella was ready to confess her own to Ronnie Anne.