It was your average Thursday afternoon when Lana came kicked in the door of the Loud House, startling Lincoln, Leni, Lola, and Lori who were watching TV on the couch.
"Guys! Guys! Guys!" She said excitedly, looking as if she was about to burst from excitement. "You're never going to believe what just happened to me!"
"What?" Leni asked.
"So remember last week when I signed up for the animal care club at school?" Lana asked.
"Yeah, I remember you seemed really hyped about joining," Lincoln said.
"Well today it's official!" Lana said. "I'm an official member of the club and we have our first meeting tomorrow!"
"Oh my gosh, that's great!" Leni said. "What do you have to do to be in this club?"
"Well, like the name says, we mostly just take care of animals," Lana answered. "Some of them are strays, others come from homes with abusive owners and some we're just nursing back to health before releasing them back into the wild."
"Caring for them how?" Lola asked.
"Oh, you know," Lana said. "Feeding them, bathing and grooming them, making sure they get plenty of exercise, that sort of thing."
"I don't know, Lana, that literally sounds like a hug task for you to take on," Lori said. "Are you sure you can handle that?"
"Sure I can, it's just like taking care of the pets that we have," Lana said. "Only on a much larger scale."
"Still, it sounds like a lot for a kid your age to take on," Lincoln pointed out. "No offense."
"None taken," Lana said before revealing "I'm actually the youngest member of the club. You actually have to be at least 8 years old to join, but after I told them about my experience around animals (and them finding out about the frog incident), they made an exception and let me join!"
"Just how many animals will you be looking after?" Leni asked.
"I don't know, somewhere between 12 to 20," Lana answered cheerfully.
"And you're sure that you can handle all of that?" Lori asked. "That literally sounds like it'll be too much work for you."
"I'll be fine," Lana insisted. "I promise that it'll be light work."
"If you say so," Lola said. "Just make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew."
"I'm telling you, I'll be fine," Lana said. "I bet babysitting Lily would be tougher than being a part of the club." Lana glanced at her watch and said "Oh man, I've gotta go make sure I've got everything ready for tomorrow: gloves, animal feed, pooper scooper…" the last one resulted in a grimace from her family.
"Do you wanna borrow my dog whistle?" Lola offered.
"What? No way!" Lana replied. "Those things are like torture to certain animals' ears. I could never mistreat them like that. Seriously though, I've gotta go get my stuff ready! Catch you later!"
"Good luck, Lana!" Lincoln called out as Lana eagerly ran upstairs, excited for what tomorrow held in store for her.
The next day, late in the afternoon Lana stumbled through the door, covered in dirt and looking absolutely exhausted. Noticeably, even her signature red hat had taken some damage, looking like it had had a huge bite taken out of it. Lana being covered in dirt and grime was nothing exactly new for her, but what was out of the ordinary was seeing just how worn out she looked. She looked like she'd been through a war zone and appeared to be so weak that a single gust of wind would send her sailing through the air like a cannon. Her legs were shaky as if they could barely support her weight for longer than a few seconds. Sure enough, moments later, Lana's legs gave out on her, causing her to collapse face first onto the floor. Unfortunately for Lana, there was no one there to catch her fall except for Lio who reacted a little too late.
"Oh my DIO, I'm so sorry Lana!" Lio apologized as he rushed over to Lana and helped her up to her feet. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah… yeah, I'm alright," Lana said, taking several deep breaths. She gently pushed Lio away, insistent on standing on her own two feet without assistance. Unfortunately for her, she was just too tired to do so, causing her to almost fall back into the ground. Luckily, this time Lio was there to catch her. "Oh great, now my legs don't wanna work…" She let out a humorless chuckle as Lio picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the couch before gently placing her down. "Thanks, Lio."
"Don't mention it," Lio said before asking "I'm curious though, what happened to you that's got you so drained?"
"Ughhhhh…" Lana groaned. "So remember that animal care club I mentioned yesterday?"
"Not really, I don't think I was here," Lio said truthfully. "But Lincoln and Lola filled me in so I know what you're talking about." He took a good look at Lana and asked "What happened?"
"They were right," Lana admitted, sounding close to tears. "I did bite off a bit more than I could chew."
"What do you mean?" Lio asked.
"I wasn't expecting today to be so rough," Lana admitted. "It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be and I'm completely worn out. Like, I didn't think caring for animals could be so difficult. I thought it would just be like taking care of 10 Charles or something."
"Yikes," Lio said. "Sorry to hear that today didn't go as planned. So what are you planning to do now?"
"I don't know," Lana said. "I can't quit. I mean after all, Louds never quit, right? And at the same time, I've never backed away from a challenge, but this club might just actually break me if I keep going."
"Hmm, maybe I can help you out," Lio offered.
"What do you mean?" Lana asked.
"Maybe you just need something of an assistant to lend you a hand," Lio said.
"Would you really do that for me?" Lana asked before having a thought. "Wait a second, I thought people terrified you, what's your reason for tagging along? You're not just doing this so you can get inspiration for your manga, are you?"
"No, of course not," Lio answered. "It's true I don't like being around people that I don't know, but I do have a soft spot for animals that kind of supersedes that fear."
"So you promise that you're not doing this for your own benefit?" Lana asked, wanting to make sure Lio didn't have ulterior motives.
"Lana… you're my little sister, I wouldn't lie to you like that," Lio said, sounding slightly hurt by Lana's insinuation.
"Alright, then it's settled," Lana said. "I'm not going to let one little day stop me from doing what I love!"
"That's the spirit!" Lio encouraged. "And I'll be right by your side to help you out."
"Thanks," Lana said. "But man, I'm still exhausted after today. I feel like I need a nap or something." Lana rolled off the couch and tried to get up, only to find that her legs were still jelly, causing her to collapse to the floor once again. "Um… little help here?" She muttered, trying in vain to pick herself up.
Lio simply silently nodded as he picked Lana up off the floor and carried her up the stairs and to her and Lola's room. Lana wasn't joking when she said she needed a nap, falling asleep in Lio's arms halfway up the stairs. Lio honestly couldn't help but crack a smile at how adorable she looked. Once he reached the twins' room, Lio gently placed Lana down on her bed for a peaceful slumber.
He started wondering just what that club had put her through if they'd managed to drain her like this. Lana was normally spunky and almost always full of energy. Seeing her so tired that she couldn't even stand and fell asleep within a matter of seconds was kinda intimidating to the otaku. Nevertheless, he was going to fulfill his promise and accompany Lana to her club meeting tomorrow. No matter what happened, he was going to do whatever it took to take as much load off of Lana as possible. Taking one last look at Lana, Lio smiled before heading to his own room to make preparations for tomorrow.
The next day, following the end of the school day, Lio and Lana reported to the animal shelter to start their day. Lana was still kinda nervous about how today would play out as was Lio. Going off what Lana had told him, he was expecting to be absolutely put through the wringer. When the two arrived at the shelter, they were greeted by a young woman wearing an orange T-shirt and shorts. Judging from the smile on her face, she seemed eager to see them.
"Welcome back, Lana!" She greeted Lana. "We're so glad that you could join us again today." When she noticed Lio, she kindly asked "Oh, and who's this? Did you bring a friend along to partake in our activities?"
"Hey Julia," Lana said before introducing Lio. "This is my older brother, Lio. He tagged along to give me a hand today."
"Well it's nice to meet you Lio!" Julia said cheerfully while Lio shrunk back behind Lana, his shy nature getting the better of him. "So nice that you came to help us because let me tell you, we have a lot on our plate for today."
"Really?" Lana asked, not liking the sound of that.
"Yeah, we ended up finding an injured deer in the woods early this morning," Julia said. "Poor thing got one of its legs caught in a bear trap."
"Oh no, that sounds terrible," Lana said with Lio nodding his head in agreement.
"It truly is," Julia said. "Fortunately, one of our veterinarians was able to treat its leg wound, now it's just a matter of getting the deer to eat something."
"Well don't worry about that, Lio and I will do our best," Lana assured her. "It's nothing that we can't handle.
"That's great!" Julia said. "We also have a Great Dane named Roger that we rescued from poor conditions. The house we found him in was horribly cluttered and absolutely filthy to the point the floor wasn't even visible with all the trash and droppings on the ground. The big guy also looked like he'd been malnourished for quite some time, so be sure to give him plenty of love as you're feeding him."
"Will do!" Lana replied. "Anything else?"
"We have a trio of stray kittens we found on the side of the road this morning," Julia informed her. "Now they appeared to be in good health overall, looking like they'd been fed and taken care of. Right now we're just making sure they don't have fleas, ticks or any other conditions that could be detrimental to their health. Just like Roger, these girls are in need of some tender loving care so be sure to give them plenty of love."
Lio's eyes noticeably lit up like a Christmas tree at the mention of cats as a smile spread across his face, making him look like a kid in a candy store. This caused Julia to ask "What's up with your brother?"
"Oh, he just really really likes cats," Lana explained. "Occasionally he even acts like one"
"Oh, that's adorable," Julia giggled. "For a second I thought something was wrong, but I'm glad to know he has a soft spot for cats. He should do a great job."
"Is that everything?" Lana asked. "Is there anything else you may need us to do?"
"Not at the moment," Julia told her. "We're trying to divide work evenly between club volunteers for better ebb and flow." Julia then gestured for the pair to follow her, saying "Since you two are siblings, I think I'll pair you up together."
"Sounds good to me," Lana said, following Julia.
Julia lead the siblings to a playpen like area, which is where they saw the deer Julia had described. It sat in the far corner of the pen, looking around with concern and occasionally trying to stand on its leg, only to quickly collapse to the ground and let out a whine. Lana and Lio could see that it was the deer's left front leg that had been injured, being heavily bandaged and taped up.
"This is Walter," Julia said. "The deer I was talking about earlier. As I've said, we've been trying to get it to eat but nothing seems to be working. We don't know if it's because Walter is afraid of us or some other reason, but he's been very uncooperative."
"I'm sure that we can get him to eat something," Lana said. "Just give us some time and we'll have him back to 100% in no time."
"Try not to be aggressive with him," Julia told her. "We don't wanna risk intimidating him or causing him to become more rebellious."
"You have nothing to worry about," Lana said. "We'll take good care of him."
"Great," Julia replied, telling Lana and Lio. "I'll leave you two to get started with Walter before you tend to Roger and the kittens. Just let me know if you need any help!"
"Got it," Lana said, with her and Lio giving a thumbs up.
"I'll notify the two of you if we have anything else we need you to do, but for right now just focus on the task at hand," Julia said before walking off.
"Hmm, this doesn't seem so bad," Lio said to Lana as they walked over to Walter.
"Yeah, that's what I thought at first too," Lana replied. "But trust me, this job is going to get really tiresome really fast."
"Well, it's a good thing you have me here to lend you a hand," Lio said cheerfully as the two came to a stop a few meters in front of Walter.
The deer noticeably began quivering at the sight of the children, shaking with fear. Walter once again tried to stand back up and from the look in his eyes, even wanted to make a run for it, only for the pain in his appendage today stop him immediately. Letting out another whine, Walter sat back down as the two backed away slightly to give him some space. It quickly became apparent that Walter had developed a fear of humans and didn't want anything to do with the children trying to help him. That wasn't going to stop Lana and Lio from trying however with both resolving to help the scared animal. Remembering that they were supposed to try to feed Walter, Lio retrieves a bowl of fruit and nuts while Lana cautiously approaches the deer.
"Calm down, don't worry," Lana said softly, trying to coax Walter into a sense of safety around her. "I'm not going to hurt you, it'll be okay." Hearing Lana's voice somehow got the deer to calm down as he lowered his guard and allowed Lana to approach him. "There, there, it'll all be alright," She said as she gently pet Walter behind the antlers.
Seeing this, Lio thought that he'd make an attempt at approaching the injured deer. Walter didn't take to Lio as kindly as he did with Lana, immediately becoming more panicked and frantic. He shook his head back and forth and started to whine a little more before Lana was able to calm him down yet again.
"No, no, no," Lana said. "Don't worry, he's not going to hurt you, he's friendly." Walter looked at Lana as if questioning her, prompting Lana to continue "Trust me, he's my big brother. He wouldn't hurt a fly." She stopped to reconsider that statement, saying "Well, not unless that fly was an old fat human named Flip, but you have nothing to worry about."
Walter nodded his head and allowed Lio to draw near. Lio exercised caution as he approached Walter with the bowl of fruit. Strangely enough, both of them seemed to be afraid of one another, but nonetheless showed courage by refusing to acknowledge it. Lio tiptoed in front of Walter and placed the bowl of fruit down in front of him. Seeing that there was nothing to be afraid of, Walter responded kindly to the boy and allowed him to gently pet his head as Lana had done.
"See, I told you there was nothing to worry about," Lana said to Walter as the latter nuzzled his head against her. "Now it's just a matter of getting you to eat, are you hungry?"
Walter nodded his head and lowered his head to take a bite out of one of the fruits, causing Lio to remark "Wow, that was easier than I expected."
"Maybe Walter here just gets along better with kids than adults," Lana suggested.
"That makes sense," Lio said before taking a step back. In the process he ended up slipping on some acorns that had fallen out of the fruit bowl he'd brought to Walter. "Whoa!" He shouted as he struggled to keep his balance.
The sudden shout combined with his quick uncanny movement caused Walter to almost instinctively panic and use his antlers to toss Lio up high into the air. Lio flew several meters through the air before hitting the ground hard, knocking him for a loop.
"Lio!" Lana cried out as Walter looked at her apologetically. Lana pet him once again to calm him before rushing to tend to Lio, who was sprawled out on the ground and seeing stars. "Lio? Lio, are you okay?"
"No, I would not like some OJ…" Lio said in a state of dazed delirium. "Could I get some fries with that order?"
Lio passed out for a short time before coming to and grabbing at his head. Luckily, he hadn't been seriously injured from the throw and was back on his feet in no time with nothing aside from an aching cranium. Lana finished tending to Walter and making sure he ate before moving on to check on Roger. Neither sibling knew what to expect as they entered the dog's area, but were surprised when the Great Dane excitedly ran towards them and even jumped on Lio, tackling him to the ground. Despite being somewhat skinny, Roger was still a rather large dog, which explained why he was able to flatten Lio.
"Whoa, well aren't you energetic?" Lana said, scratching Roger underneath his chin as he panted happily.
"Um, little help here," Lio squeaked, squashed beneath Roger.
"I see you've met Roger," Julia said, coming back in to check on the two children. "As you can see, he's a huge bundle of joy and really friendly with visitors."
"Yeah, I've noticed," Lio squeaked yet again before asking again "Help?"
Fortunately, Roger got off of Lio and allowed him back into his feet as Lana affectionately pet his head.
"Awwwww, who's a good boy?" Lana cooed, scratching behind his ears. "You are, yes you are."
"I'd even go so far as to say he's the goodest boy" Lio said, taking a moment to also pet the friendly dog.
"Looks like you two have taken just as much of a liking to Roger as he has to you," Julia giggled. "Now when it comes to Roger, there's much more involved than simply feeding him. You'll need to play with him and make sure he gets his exercise as well as clean up after him after he does his business."
"Heh, good thing I brought my pooper scooper again," Lana said as she and Lio lead Roger outside. "We can take it from here."
"I knew you'd say something like that," Julia said. "Best of luck!"
Lana picked a stick up off the ground and and tossed it a few meters. "Fetch boy!" She said and Roger immediately obliged, chasing after the stick and bringing it back to Lana. "Good boy!"
It was then that Lio noticed Roger's presence was frightening Walter, causing him to bring it up to Lana "I don't know if having Roger around Walter is such a good idea."
"What do you mean?" Lana asked.
"It's just that, Walter seems kind of afraid to be around Roger," Lio said.
"Walter's afraid to be around anyone," Lana pointed out. "Remember that he was scared of us when he first saw us."
"Yeah, but also remember that he bucked me like 10 feet into the air when he got spooked," Lio reminded her. "And with someone as bouncy and energetic as Roger, I don't think it would take much to startle Walter and accidentally hurt Roger."
"Yeah, I guess you're right in that regard," Lana said. "But still, what am I supposed to do to help Roger get his exercise?"
"You could always take him out for a walk," Lio suggest. "I'll stay here and make sure Walter is taken care of. I may even start looking after those adorable little stray cats!"
"Don't even think about it," Lana warned him as she put Roger on a leash. "Don't even think about taking a look at those kitties without me, got it?"
"Alright, alright, I won't," Lio laughed, throwing his hands up defensively.
"You better not," Lana said as she and Roger head out for a walk.
"Have fun!" Lio called after her. "We'll be waiting!"
Lana and Roger took a half hour walk around the block with Lana struggling at times to keep up with her new canine companion. Luckily, all it took was a gentle tug of the leash to get Roger to settle down whenever she needed him to slow down. Lana considered herself lucky that Roger wasn't the type of dog to get distracted and chase down every little thing he saw. He was still a little bit of a handful, but nothing that Lana couldn't handle. One thing Lana didn't consider to be so lucky was the fact that she had to pick up his poop. Once again, she was thankful for the fact she'd been insightful enough to bring her pooper scooper but was slightly reluctant that she had to use it. At the very least she could say that she didn't have to pick up mounds of dog poop like some dog owners had to do. When the time came for them to return to the shelter, Lana had a bit of a hard time corralling Roger to come back with her as the dog still had lots left in the tank.
While Lana had been away, Lio took the time to tend to Walter a little bit more. The deer had become a lot more comfortable with Lio in the timespan Lana had been away, even allowing the young boy to feed him berries out of the palm of his hand. Lio had even tried his hand at helping Walter rehabilitate his injured leg, managing to get Walter to a point where he could stand up without collapsing in agonizing pain. With this progress, Lio taught Walter how to take a few baby steps without aggravating his wounds. Currently Lio was sitting down next to Walter, gently petting the deer behind his ears as the latter drank some water.
Lio was so caught up in caring for Walter that he didn't notice Lana and Roger's return until it was too late. As he was walking to get more water for Walter to drink, Lio suddenly noticed a large shadow over him and barely had enough time to look up and ask "Huh" before being flattened yet again by Roger. The Great Dane panted happily and even let out what sounded like a laugh and he stood on top of Lio.
"Looks like Roger missed you," Lana commented as Roger happily licked Lio's face while still "laughing".
"Alright dog… playtime is over," Lio said playfully as he slowly stood to his feet. "I WILL NOT LOSE THIS TIME!" He yelled. "I, LIO LOUD, WILL USE MY CONSIDERABLE POWERS TO VANQUISH YOU! YOU MANGY MUTT!" With that, Lio gave chase to Roger while the latter seemed to be taunting him.
Lana had to laugh at Lio and his antics as she went to check on Walter. The deer let out a cheerful brag upon seeing Lana and allowed her to stroke him gently. There was still the matter of checking up on the kittens Julia had brought up, something she quickly reminded her brother.
"Hey, Lio!" She called. "Have you forgotten about the kittens?"
That was all it took for Lio to forget all about Roger and return to her side, excitedly asking "How could I ever forget about such adorable little creatures? Where are they?"
"Calm down, boy" Lana said, petting Lio on his head to get him to calm down. It was ironic how someone who loved cats as much as he did behaved like a dog whenever he became excited. Although then again, she also had that habit so maybe it ran in the family. "I'll take you right to them."
"Hooray!" Lio cheered before calming down and saying. "I'm sorry you had to see that."
"Eh, nothing worse than how I act when I'm excited," Lana said before she made sure that Walter and Roger would be sufficiently separated.
Lio and Lana walked into the room where the kittens were resting and found them to be just waking up from an apparent slumber. Lio's eyes immediately lit up yet again as he adopted another childlike expression and Lana could tell that he just wanted to let out a squeal of excitement. It was honestly adorable to see her big brother act like he had struck gold over the sight of a trio of kittens. Although to be fair to him, the felines were rather cute as they let out soft meows and walked over to the pair of siblings. One of the cats, a beige colored tabby ended up brushing against Lio's leg and purred, leaving him unable to contain his emotions.
"Squeeeeeeeeeee!" Lio squealed, picking the cat up into his arms and gingerly stroking it as it smiled at him.
"Come on, let's take this little fellas outside for some fresh air," Lana said, picking up the other two cats (an orange one and a white one) in her arms and carrying them outside while Lio carried the tabby atop his head, not caring at all as the little kitten scratched and played with his hair.
Once they were outside, Lio immediately went about getting them some food and water to help replenish them after their nap. The three kittens were more than receptive to the food and water, letting out an affectionate series of meows as they ate and drank. Neither Lana or Lio made a single move as they did so, preferring to instead simply watch them in awe. That's when things devolved into chaos. Being the excitable little scamper that he was, upon seeing the three little cats, Roger assumes that they were new playmates and ran towards them. Seeing this, the three kittens immediately panicked and jumped atop Lio's head. That didn't stop Roger from happily pouncing at Lio.
"Yare yare daze, not again," Lio muttered before being flattened for a third time by Roger. Much to his relief, the three cats abandoned ship before impact and avoided getting squished. "Ow."
"Roger, no, bad boy!" Lana scolded him as she chased after Roger while the latter chased after the kittens. "Heel, boy, heel! Calm down! Stop!"
Roger chasing after the kittens caused Walter to become frightened, resulting in him standing to his feet and slowly try to run away from the pandemonium, especially as the cats draw nearer, followed closely by the Great Dane. Unfortunately for Walter, his leg is still horribly injured and he can only manage the small baby steps that Lio taught him earlier. The scene was delving into absolute chaos as Lana desperately tried to get it under control. Upon getting back to his feet, Lio limped over to Walter to try and calm him down while Lana continued to chase after Roger and the kittens.
"It'll be okay, Walter, no need to fear," Lio said, getting the deer to calm down enough to relax. "There, there, it'll be alright!"
Unfortunately, the calm wouldn't last long as the kittens ran between Walter's legs with Roger right behind them, causing Walter to panic and kick with his hind legs at the Great Dane. To spare the dog the punishment, Lio jumped in between them and took the kick himself, sending him sailing through the air and hitting his head hard against the wall, knocking him for a loop. That was what it took to finally get the animals to settle down as the kittens flocked to Lio and licked at his face trying to get him to stir. Roger stopped his pursuit and Walter stopped panicking long enough for all of them to check up on the kid.
"Lio, bro, are you alright?" Lana asked, tending to Lio as the latter had a blank expression on his face and looked as if he didn't even know where he was.
"No, I am not Betty White," Lio replied, clearly out of it.
"Oh man, I think he might be concussed," Lana observed, taking a look into Lio's eyes.
The cats meowed and tried to get Lio to stir while Walter looked remorseful for what he'd done and Roger seemed more subdued.
"What on Earth happened here?" Julia asked as she arrived to see what had happened. "Is everyone alright?"
"It's my brother," Lana said, explaining. "We were trying to get treat all the animals simultaneously and things kind of got out of hand"
"You did what?" Julia asked as she tended to Lio, making sure he hadn't sustained any serious injury. "Why would you do something like that? These animals were kept in separate areas for a reason. So that something like this wouldn't happen."
"I know, but," Lana said, "I wanted to prove that I could handle being part of the club without being tired out so I tried caring for as many of these guys as I could at a time."
"I can understand that, but what you did was completely reck…" Julia started to say before noticing Walter, Roger, and the three kittens all gathered around quietly. "Did you… did you somehow manage to get these guys under control?"
"Yeah, I guess," Lana said, nervously rubbing her arm.
"And from the looks of things, you got Walter to eat and even got him to up and walking again!" Julia said excitedly. "We've been struggling to get him to eat for days, let alone get him to walk! How did you manage that?"
"I…I," Lana tried to say, only to find that she couldn't find the words.
"That's not even mentioning the fact that Roger has taken an extreme liking to you," Julia said before glancing at the three kittens still trying to help Lio and said "While these three little fluff balls have taken a liking to your brother."
"Yeah, but now it's all for nothing since you're probably going to kick me out of the club," Lana said sadly.
"Kick you out of the club? When did I ever say that?" Julia replied.
"What?" Lana asked. "You mean you're not going to kick me out?"
"Of course not!" Julia said. "Despite your young age, you've proven quite effective at caring for these guys. You're even better at it than some of our adult workers."
"Really?" Lana asked, eyes lighting up. "Well, I couldn't have done it without a little help from my brother."
"If that's the case, then I hope you'll be happy to hear that you and your brother are welcome back here anytime!"
"Did you hear that, Lio?" Lana asked, giving him a huge hug. "I get to stay in the club!"
"What's happening? Where am I?" Lio asked in a vaguely British accent, indicating that he was still somewhat out of it.
"I might wanna get him home so he can rest," Lana said before bidding farewell to her newly made animal friends as she helped pick Lio up off the ground. "I'll be back again tomorrow, I promise!"
"Where are we going, little sister?" Lio asked, holding his head.
"We're going home, Lio," Lana told him, helping him stay on his feet as his legs wobbled.
"Thanks for coming!" Julia said as she waved goodbye to the two. "We look forward to seeing you tomorrow!"
"Ever since that day, animal club has been a breeze," Lana told Lio as she concluded her tale. "And I have you to thank for that."
"I'm sorry, but I don't remember half of the stuff that happened that day," Lio said, trying to remember the events Lana described. "Come to think of it, I don't remember the day afterwards either."
"That's probably on account of you having a concussion," Lana said. "The point is that I'm still grateful for you helping me out back then and that I'll always be grateful for having your presence in my life."
"You know, that reminds me of one time you helped me out," Lola said. "Do you remember this one kid who had a "crush" on me named Jimmy? The one who I kinda liked back…"
"He loves me, he loves me not," Lola said to herself as she plucked the petals from a flower. "He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not…" She said as she plucked the last petal from the flower. "Dang it! What does some stupid flower know anyway?"
"Hey Lola, whatcha doing?" Lio asked.
"Nothing!" Lola said, tossing the flower away.
"But I thought that I just saw and heard you…" Lio started to say.
"Keyword being you thought," Lola replied. "I wasn't doing anything aside from sitting here."
"Uh huh," Lio replied. "Is that why there are a bunch of homemade Valentines' cards lying at your feet?"
Lola looked down and quickly tried picking up each and every card to hide them, remarking "Curse you and your keen observation skills."
"So what's going on?" Lio asked. "Has someone special caught your eye? Or is someone maybe fallen for you?"
"No!" Lola replied. "I mean yes! I mean butt out, it's none of your business!"
"Oh, come on, it's nothing to be ashamed of, you can tell your big brother," Lio said, half teasingly, earning him an angry scowl from Lola. "I mean uh…"
"If you must know, there's this one boy in my class who seems to really like me," Lola told him. "That's nothing really new honestly. I mean, who wouldn't fall for yours truly?"
"Then why were you sitting here doing the "he loves me/he loves me not" game?" Lio asked even though he had an inkling of an idea as to why.
"Because…" Lola said, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck. "Because…"
"Because what?" Lio said before figuring it out. "You have a crush on him too, don't you?"
"What!? No, I-," Lola replied. "How could I possibly have a crush on someone like him? With his gorgeous blonde hair… and his beautiful eyes… and his cute little babyface and…" Lio raised an eyebrow, causing Lola to admit "Okay, maybe I do like him back just a little but it's not like a big deal or anything. It's not like I wanna make him my boyfriend or anything!"
"Lola, relax," Lio calmed her down. "I'm not going to make fun of you, it's cool. There's nothing wrong with liking someone back or even having feelings for someone."
"That's not the point!" Lola replied. "It's not the fact that I like him back, it that I don't know how to approach him."
"What do you mean?" Lio asked.
"It's like, I get intimidated every time I try to talk to him," Lola explained. "And every time he talks to me, I can't find the words to say so I just give him a piece of candy so that he doesn't think I hate him."
"Sounds like this guy's a real candy crush for you," Lio joked, letting out a laugh as Lola groaned and rolled her eyes.
"If I wanted to hear bad puns, I'd go talk to Luan," Lola said.
"Sorry, sorry," Lio apologized with a smile. "I just couldn't resist. So this kid really gives you butterflies, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Lola said, becoming a bit flustered. "If I try really hard, I can make small talk with him for a few minutes, but most of the time I just melt away and start speaking in gibberish"
"What's this kid's name by the way?" Lio asked.
"Jimmy," Lola replied. "Jimmy Jameson."
"Maybe I can give you a few pointers on how you can talk to him," Lio said.
"Yeah, the boy who can't even order a smoothie at the mall without running away when the cashier asks "May I take your order" is going to give me tips on how to talk to people," Lola quipped. "This should go real well"
"Hey, that incident was two years ago!" Lio pointed out. "I've gotten better since then." Lola shot Lio a look that just screamed "Really?", resulting in Lio adding "Slightly…"
"Okay, tell me exactly how you're going to help me learn how to talk to Jimmy without breaking down into random word nonsense," Lola said.
"It's actually a really simple trick," Lio said. "Just try and zone out from the world."
"What?" Lola asked deadpanned.
"Try to zone out," Lio repeated. "Look them directly in the eye and try to think of literally anything else. Think of card games or your favorite TV show or your favorite character(s) that has been killed off because the creator likes tugging at heartstrings! Jonathan deserved so much better!"
"Is there a point to all this?" Lola asked, hoping to get Lio to focus before he broke out into a rant.
"Oops, sorry, guess I kinda got carried away for a second," Lio said. "The point I'm trying to make is try to distract yourself from the person. Listen to what they're saying, but tune out the world at large so that they appear invisible to you."
"I'm not sure if I can do something like that," Lola said.
"Sure you can," Lio said. "You can try with me. Just look me in the eye and try to drown out my face as you talk to me."
"I still think your strategy is ridiculous but I guess it's worth a shot," Lola said before she attempted to follow Lio's advice. "Although then again, maybe talking to Jimmy isn't so much the problem as it is finding the right things to say. I only know a few things about him like how he likes action movies and collects Pokémon cards. I'm pretty sure he also mentioned playing all of the games too, but I couldn't tell you the first thing about Pokémon. I mean, I know pikachu is the most iconic, but other than that I can't tell you anything. Maybe I should go to Lincoln for help since he is a gamer. No offense, Lio, I know you like to play video games too, but you're not that good at them as Lincoln is. I could try and find out his other interests, but that also involves having to talk to him which wouldn't be so easy…"
"Lola," Lio said, trying to get her attention.
"I wonder if he has any sisters that I could ask to find out more about him…" Lola continued on, with Lio being almost completely invisible to her.
"Lola," Lio said a little bit louder.
"Hopefully he isn't as gross as most other boys are," Lola kept talking.
"Lola!" Lio yelled, finally getting her attention.
"What? What is it?" Lola asked.
"You did it," Lio pointed out. "It worked! You actually tuned out my face enough to actually talk without worry."
"Whoa, I guess I did, didn't I?" Lola said.
"Just need to work on the whole still listening to them part and you'll be good to go," Lio said.
"Yeah, but maybe it only worked because you're my brother," Lola said. "I mean, I don't have a crush on you so talking to you would be easy stuff,"
"Trust me, if you just practice a little, you'll be able to pull it off without a doubt," Lio encouraged her. "I use it all the time whenever I go to the bookstore to buy my manga and have to talk to the cashier, Ralph."
"Still though, what if I don't know what to say to Jimmy once we start talking?" Lola asked.
"Have you ever thought of maybe just coming out and admitting how you feel about him?" Lio suggested. "I mean, it's clear that he has feelings for you too, so there's probably no harm in coming clean"
"This coming from the guy who still can't admit his feelings for his best friend," Lola retorted.
"I keep telling you guys: Kat and I are just friends!" Lio insisted, despite the fact that he was blushing bright red. "We're not lovebirds!"
"Hey, it's like you said, Lio, there's nothing wrong with liking someone or having feelings for them," Lola teased.
Lio didn't even have a rebuttal and just blushed even more, awkwardly coughing in an attempt to try changing the subject.
"Anyway…" he said after a long pause.
"Do you really think that I should try telling Jimmy that I like him back?" Lola asked.
"Yeah, I say go for it," Lio encouraged her.
"Alright, I guess I'll give it a shot," Lola said. "But if this goes wrong, I'm blaming you for it!"
"Fair enough," Lio said with a shrug.
The following day at school, Lola was about to go out onto the playground for recess when she was approached by the object of her affections.
"Hi Lola!" Jimmy greeted her.
"H-H-Hey Jimmy," Lola said nervously as he returned his smile.
"Whoa, you seem really happy today," Jimmy said. "Normally, when I talk to you, you just giggle and punch me in the shoulder before giving me some candy."
"Well, you know, I'm just really enjoying this beautiful day," Lola said. "You don't have days like this everyday."
"True!" Jimmy said. "So, you got any sugary sweets for me today?"
"You bet I do," Lola said, pulling out two Hershey kisses and handing them to Jimmy.
"Thanks!" Jimmy said, quickly snatching the candies out of Lola's hand. "Hey, so you know about that Valentine's Day Dance coming up this weekend?"
"Yeah, I was going to just stay at home and prepare for a pageant I have coming up," Lola said.
"Oh, you're a pageant queen?" Jimmy asked.
"Multiple time pageant winning queen, I'll have you know," Lola replied.
"Oh, that's neat!" Jimmy said. "Well, I guess that means my plan is a bust."
"What plan?" Lola asked.
"I was going to ask you out to the dance, but since you have other plans in mind, I guess I'll just…" Jimmy said, starting to walk away before Lola grabbed him by his arm.
"No, wait!" Lola said. "You know what they say: plans can always change! I'd love to go to the dance with you!"
"Really?" Jimmy asked. "You would?"
"Totally," Lola replied before deciding to follow Lio's advice and tell Jimmy how she felt. "Truth is, I know I don't talk to you much, but I actually really like you."
"You do?" Jimmy asked.
"Yeah, I do," Lola said. "If I had to go to the dance with anyone else, I'd love for it to be you."
For a split second, Lola thought she saw Jimmy's lips curl into a smirk before melting away into a warmer and more friendly smile.
"That's great!" Jimmy said. "I can't wait to see you this Saturday."
"Same here!" Lola said. "I'm sure we'll have ourselves a ball."
"See ya later, Lola!" Jimmy said as he ran into the playground, leaving Lola to blush as she looked forward to the weekend.
Needless to say, Lola came home in an extremely good mood that afternoon. She wore a huge smile on her face and even had an almost lovestruck look in her eyes. The first thing she did upon opening the door was run up to Lio and grabbed him in a tight embrace.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lola said, almost crushing him with how tight she was hugging him.
"You're welcome?" Lio squeaked, gasping for breath. "What exactly are you thanking me for?"
"Your advice!" Lola said happily. "I followed your advice and it worked! Jimmy and I are going to the dance together this Saturday!"
"That's awesome, Lola!" Lynn congratulated her as the other sisters gathered round to congratulate Lola.
"I knew that there had to be a reason for your chipper mood," Lisa observed. "Normally you come home and just start watching TV."
"Do you need our help getting ready?" Leni asked. "Because we can like, totally help you look even prettier for the special day!"
"Thanks but no thanks," Lola politely declined. "I can do my own makeup and pick my own dress. I'll make sure I look perfect when the day arrives."
"Glad that you were able to find a date," Lincoln said before smirking at Lio and teasing him by saying "Now if only a certain someone we know could work up the strength to ask someone he knows out to the dance."
"Lincoln, please, this isn't about me, this is about our little sister" Lio responded. "Besides, Kat and I aren't really a fan of these huge dance events, they're too flashy for our liking." He then teased Lincoln back by saying "If you're so eager about the dance, why don't you ask Ronnie Anne if she can visit and go to the dance with you?"
"At least I have the excuse that she lives miles away!" Lincoln retorted.
"So you admit that you have feelings for her?" Lio replied.
"No, I-," Lincoln said. "I mean, at least I'm not in denial!"
"What do you mean in denial?" Lio asked. "There is nothing going on between me and Kat!"
While the brothers argued, Lori told Lola "It's great that you found someone to go out with. If you need any advice, you know we're here for you."
"Thanks Lori!" Lola said before going upstairs to do her hair.
Saturday rolled around and Lola was eager for her "date" with Jimmy. Rita dropped her off at the school a few minutes after the dance had started.
"Alright sweetie, you have fun!" Rita told her. "I'll be back to pick you up in 2 hours!"
"Thanks mom!" Lola said before Rita drove off.
Lola head inside to look for Jimmy and found him sitting quietly off to the side.
"What are you doing all here by yourself?" Lola asked as she walked up to him. "You should be on the dance floor having a good time."
"I was waiting for you to show up," Jimmy said, smiling at her. "I can't have a good time until you show up."
"You didn't think that I was going to stand you up, did you?" Lola asked.
"I dunno, maybe," Jimmy said with a laugh before grabbing Lola by her hand and leading her into the dance floor. "Come on, let's go show these losers how to really dance."
"I'm right behind you," Lola said, following right behind Jimmy.
The two had a wonderful time, dancing and partying until they were exhausted. The two certainly stole the show with their dancing, not even caring who saw them. The two danced until they could dance no more and needed a break.
"I'll be right back," Lola said. "I'm going to go get some punch. Do you want me to get you some?"
"That would be nice, yes" Jimmy said.
The line for punch was a little long, but Lola didn't mind waiting. She was having the time of her life at the dance. As she finally made it to the punch bowl and fixed her and Jimmy's drinks, she thought that this evening couldn't possibly go wrong. Sadly, she'd soon be proven wrong. As she walked back over to Jimmy, she overheard him talking to one of his friends.
"Man, I can't believe you actually pulled it off," his friend said. "You actually got Lola Loud to go out with you?"
"I told you I would," Jimmy replied arrogantly. "The most gorgeous girl in class and I got her to agree to go out with me. I tell you, it was all too easy for me!"
While Lola was flattered at being called the most gorgeous girl, she had a feeling that the compliment wasn't as wholesome as it sounded.
"Oh, please do tell," Jimmy's friend said.
"All I had to do was show the dumb blonde some attention and she was all over me," Jimmy bragged. "Girl even told me that she liked me! Not to mention the added benefit of her giving me candy every day!"
"Well, a bet is a bet," Jimmy's friend said, handing Jimmy a 5 bill. "But don't you at least feel bad about stringing Lola along like that?"
"Nope, it was all too easy," Jimmy laughed.
As anyone would react to hearing that they'd been used, Lola dropped her drink and ran out of the dance fighting back tears. She quickly called Rita to come pick her up and waited patiently for her mother to come pick her up. When Rita asked what was wrong, Lola was reluctant to tell her, not wanting to admit to being used.
"Oh, sure thing sweetie, I'll be right over to pick you up," Rita said. "I'm sorry to hear that things didn't work out. Just sit tight and I'll be right there."
"Thanks mom," Lola sniffled, unable today hold back the tears.
When Lola returned home early, all of her siblings were confused as to why. They were also confused as to why Lola was crying, wondering what had happened. Lio was especially concerned.
"What's wrong, Lola?" Lana asked. "Is everything alright?"
"No," Lola stated, wiping tears from her eyes. "Things didn't go so smooth."
"What happened?" Lincoln asked. "Did Jimmy stand you up?"
"No!" Lola said, crying harder at the mention of Jimmy.
"What's wrong?" Luna asked.
"I… I found out that Jimmy wasn't who I thought he was," Lola told them.
"Hmm?" Lincoln asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I found out that Jimmy was just using me the whole time," Lola said, her crying becoming a mix of sadness and anger. "All because of some stupid bet to see if he could bag the hottest girl in class."
"Oh my gosh, that's terrible," Leni said, hoping to comfort Lola.
"I'm sorry, he did what?" Lio asked.
"Yeah, he didn't really like me," Lola said. "He was only interested in me for some bet and for the free candy he could get from me."
"Lynn, could I borrow your baseball bat?" Lio asked in an eerily calm voice that sent chills down everyone's spine. The siblings knew that it was Lio's protective side getting the best of him.
"Lio, what are you going to do?" Lynn asked.
"I'm just going to talk to him," Lio said calmly. The tone in his voice prompted Lynn not to give him the bat as she didn't want him to get into serious trouble.
"Lio, no!" Lola said, trying to calm Lio down before he did something he'd regret.
"I just wanna talk to him," Lio said, marching out the door.
"Lio, no, don't do it," Lola pleaded with him. "I'll be fine."
"I just wanna talk to him," Lio repeated.
"Lio!" Lola called his name as she followed after him.
"I just wanna talk to him," Lio said, almost as if repeating a madness mantra.
"Lio, please don't do something you're going to regret," Lola desperately pleaded with him.
"I just wanna talk to him," Lio said once again.
"It's no big deal, really," Lola insisted. "You don't have to do this,"
"I just wanna talk to him,"
"Lio, seriously!"
"I just wanna talk to him,"
"Lio!"
"I just wanna punch him," Lio said, slipping up.
"Lio, no!" Lola said, tugging at Lio's sleeve, trying to stop him.
"He made you cry," Lio pointed out. "Nobody and I mean nobody makes my little sister cry and gets away with it!"
"Please, just promise that you won't do anything you'll regret," Lola pleaded with him yet again.
Lio took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I promise I won't hurt him. But I will make him apologize to you."
By now, the two were just outside Jimmy's house. Lola was quite nervous as Lio rang the doorbell. It didn't take long before Jimmy answered the door.
"Lola?" Jimmy questioned before saying "You have a lot of nerve showing up here!"
"And you have a lot of nerve stringing along my sister for the sake of your little bet," Lio told him. "You should be ashamed of yourself and apologize to Lola for manipulating her the way you did."
"Apologize!?" Jimmy scoffed. "If anything, she should be apologizing to me!" Jimmy turned to Lola and said "Do you know how humiliated I was after you just up and left? Do you know how embarrassing it is being stood up by the most beautiful girl in class?"
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Lola remarked. "There's no way I'm apologizing to you after you used me so that you can win some stupid bet."
"Excuse me," said a gruff voice as a large boy who appeared to be 13 or 14 years old as was a near spitting image of Jimmy came to the door. "You wouldn't happen to be bothering my little brother, would you?"
"Why of course not," Lio said. "We are here to get an apology from your brother after he manipulated my sister here and left her heartbroken."
"I don't see how that's his problem," Jimmy's brother said. "If your sister was dumb enough to fall for his tricks, that's on her. Now make like a tree and get outta here before I make you regret coming here."
"I don't care who you are, I will not allow your brother to get away with deceiving my younger sister and playing with her emotions," Lio said, not intimidated by the brother's size, even looking him in the eye and saying "Furthermore, I won't tolerate anyone who insults her so you…"
That was as far as Lio got before Jimmy's brother grabbed him by his neck and slammed him onto the ground. Jimmy's brother then pounced on Lio and began beating the tar out of him while the latter weakly tried to defend himself. It was to no avail as he was incapable of fending off the much larger and aggressive boy.
"Looks like your brother should've heeded my brother's warning," Jimmy said in a smug voice.
"Lio!" Lola cried out before pleading with Jimmy. "Call off your brother! Call him off!"
"Hmm, I might tell him to stop…" Jimmy said. "If you give me a kiss and agree to bring me 10 pieces of candy everyday for the rest of the year."
"Ew, gross," Lola refused. "No way!"
"Are you sure about that?" Jimmy asked as his brother continued viciously beating the crap out of Lio, showing the younger boy absolutely no mercy. "Your brother doesn't seem to be doing so well."
In the background, Lio could be heard yelling "My arm doesn't bend that way. My arm doesn't bend that way!" Before there was a sickening snap and Lio cried out "AHHH! Now it does!"
"So what's it going to be, Lola?" Jimmy asked. "Are you going to give your prince some sugar, both figuratively and literally or are you just going to let your brother get beaten to a pulp until Terry fires out or gets bored, whichever comes first."
"So you're not going to call off your Neanderthal brother peacefully, huh?" Lola asked.
"Not unless you give into my requests," Jimmy said.
"And that's your final answer?" Lola asked in that eerily calm voice that Lio had earlier.
"What are you, deaf?" Jimmy replied. "Either give me a kiss or your brother gets put in a coma"
"I thought that you might say that," Lola said before pulling out Lynn's baseball bat and clocking Jimmy in the face with it.
"What the?" Jimmy asked as he looked up at the sky dazed and confused.
"Hey, what are you doing to my brother!?" Terry yelled, finally leaving Lio alone and running over to confront Lola.
Unfortunately for him, Lola was having none of his crap and hit him hard in the gut with the bat, causing him to double over in pain. Lola smashed the bat into Terry's knee, sending him crumpling to the ground, screaming in pain. Lola considered the kneecapping to be payback for Terry possibly breaking Lio's arm.
"Ahh, shut up!" Lola yelled before hitting Terry in the back with the bat, knocking him out.
"Big bro!" Jimmy cried as Lola walked over to him. He immediately lost his smug arrogant bravado and began pleading with her for mercy. "Please, no! I'm sorry about using you for a cheap bet! Don't hurt me!"
"I don't know if I'm in a forgiving mood right now," Lola said.
"Please, I'll do anything you want," Jimmy pleaded. "Just don't hurt me."
"First, I want you to apologize," Lola told him.
"I'm sorry," Jimmy quickly apologized. "I'm really really really really really sorry!"
"Now, that 5 you won from your little "bet", hand it over," Lola demanded.
"Here, here, take it!" Jimmy said, tossing Lola the money. "Now will you leave me alone?"
"Maybe I would have if you hadn't sicced your brother on mine," Lola said before getting the ultimate payback by kneecapping Jimmy as well, causing him to scream in pain. "Nobody messes with my family"
With that, Lola left Jimmy writhing in agony as she helped a dazed and bloodied Lio up to his feet. The two began the walk home (or in Lio's case, limp) with Lio apologizing to Lola.
"I'm sorry," He said, looking away in shame.
"For what?" Lola asked.
"For giving you advice on how to talk to that scumbag," Lio said. "I should've told you to stay away from that brat."
"Don't beat yourself up about it, you had no way of knowing," Lola told him. "I'm sorry you got beat up by his barbarian brother."
"Eh, it was worth it," Lio said, offering a smile. "I'd take 1000 beatings if it meant standing up for you."
"Thanks," Lola said. "But I'd prefer if you didn't get the crap beaten out of you for my sake. I'd like you to be around for a long time."
"I'll do my best to oblige you," Lio told her.
Lola have Lio a hug, causing him to wince in pain and even tear up a little bit.
"Sorry," Lola apologized.
"Eh, I'll be fine," Lio said. "I'm just glad you made that jerk pay,"
"Did you hear how he started begging as soon as he was cornered?" Lola asked.
"That was kinda funny," Lio said. "Where did you get Lynn's bat from though?"
"Eh, I snuck it out of the house with me in case something went down," Lola said.
"And boy am I thankful you did," Lio said.
"What are you saying?" Lola replied, pretending to sound offended. "I could've easily taken both him and his brother on with my bare hands."
"You're right," Lio said. "How silly of me to forget."
The two of them shared a laugh as they continued home.
"You may think of yourself as useless," Lola said to Lio. "But I don't think I can think of anyone useless who would stand up for their sister like that. Especially to a behemoth like that kid's brother."
"I still needed you to bail me out though," Lio said sadly. "I'm a failure of a brother."
"No you're not," Lola said. "I don't wanna hear you say something like that again, got it?"
"Sorry," Lio sheepishly apologized.
"Allow me to jog your memory of an event where you proved rather helpful," Lisa said, ready to tell her own story. "You may recall a certain eccentric experiment of mine…"