Summer!
The warm breeze in the air!
The soothing sunny skies!
The feeling of freedom!
The joy of it all!
That was literally NOT what Lori Loud was feeling.
"Ok! Ok! Everybody get ready! Come on! No time to lose!", the eldest Loud, her hair slightly frazzled and her tone bossy and panicky rising over the usual noises in the Loud House.
Around her, three other bodies moved as quickly as possible, trying their hardest to be ready on time.
"Lori, what do you think Chaz will like more? My light green dress or my light green dress?", Leni asked, showing identical dresses to her elder sister and BFF.
Lori face palmed.
"Leni, those are literally the same dress!", she cried, frustrated with the occasional foolishness her sister could show.
Leni nodded, slowly understanding.
"Ah! I see. My bad, Lori!", she apologized sweetly.
She then took two other identical dresses.
"What about these? You think Fiona, Miguel, Mandee, Jackie, Dana, Whitney and Becky will like these?"
Lori rolled her eyes.
"Hey, dude, quick question."
Lori turned around to see the familiar sight of her rocking sister, Luna Loud.
Purple skull tee, paper clip earrings, and short, cut brown hair, Luna was usually relaxed.
But when you have an almost girlfriend, you can get a little bit...
Tense.
"What is it, Luna?", Lori asked, hearing a crash and praying to whoever is up there that Lynn wasn't playing soccer in the house again.
"Whoops! My bad, Lori! At least that ugly vase is gone!", Lynn called from upstairs.
Lori sighed.
Clearly, her phone connection with the beyond was in need of repair.
Luna rubbed her arm, shy.
"Sam and I... We've been getting real close. Two months together, though... What if... What if I get on her nerves?"
Lori smiled softly, despite her bad mood, and put an arm around Luna's shoulder.
"Luna, I'll put it like this: The girl practically screamed when I told her you would be there. You have literally nothing to worry about!"
Luna smiled hopefully.
"Really?"
Lori hugged her sister.
"Really."
Luna leaped in the air.
"All right! Rocking! I'll get my axe!"
She ran upstairs.
"Careful on the..."
Crash!
"Other vase.", Lori face palmed again.
Suddenly, she was face to face with a very unnerving wooden puppet.
"Hey, toots! Answer me this: What do you call a girl who really wants to make friends?"
Lori took a second to think.
"I don't know."
Mr. Coconuts slapped his knee.
"A Luan!"
Lori blinked in confusion.
"I don't get it."
Luan laughed.
"It's funny because it's true."
She then got really serious, her usually happy eyes now wide and alarmed.
"But seriously, I'm totally worried!"
She sighed and looked down on the floor.
"I've never really had friends, outside of Luna, Mr. Coconuts and Benny."
Her eyes darted around.
"What if they don't like me, all those other theatre kids? What if they think I'm not funny? Or that I'm boring? Or that I'm ugly? Or that I'm..."
Lori took a rubber chicken and slapped Luan with it.
"Ow! Great prop use, though!"
Lori smiled at Luan reassuredly.
"Don't worry, Luan! You'll make friends! I promise!"
She then took a defensive look.
"And besides, if they don't like you for you, then they're worth squat!"
Then she got serious.
"But you better tell me if one of them hurts you, or else they'll literally die!"
Luan laughed.
"You wouldn't really kill one of them!"
But the determined and grave look on Lori's face made Luan stop laughing.
"You... You're kind of creeping me out now."
Lori calmed down and hugged her sister.
"I'm... Just know that I'm here, ok?"
Luan nodded, and ran upstairs.
"I "Camp" wait till we get there! Ha! Ha! Ha! Get it?"
Lori rolled her eyes, but smiled.
"I get it."
As Luan ran upstairs, Lori sat down and massaged her temples.
She opened her phone, the text notification from Carol saying that all of them were coming not what attracted her, but rather her wallpaper.
Her family, smiling brightly, and her overlooking them, almost like a third parent.
She ran her thumb on the picture, caressing her loved ones with a sad smile.
Leni, not sharp, but so loving.
Luna, talented and amazing.
Luan, funny (at times) and bright.
Lynn, tough and protective (like herself, she reasoned).
Lincoln, her only brother, and the boy she wanted to protect so much.
Lucy, so spooky, but in her own unique way.
Lana, adorable and messy.
Lola, sweet and lovely (usually).
Lisa, cute and wise.
Lily, her little baby sister.
Mom and Dad, the people who raised her, the ones she turned to when she didn't know what to do.
She sighed.
"Man..."
She shed a tear.
"How am I ever going to leave to college next year?"
The trip was nearing, and next year, she'd be gone.
And sure, she'd visit, and video chat and the like, but...
She'd leave.
And...
That was scary.
She had to make this trip memorable!
This would be the last time!
Not just with her sisters, but with her friends!
She closed the phone.
"I am going to make this the best trip ever!"
She held a hand to her heart.
"I literally promise."
For a moment, she felt at peace.
Only for Leni to pop up.
"Lori, quick! Is this shirt..."
"THEY'RE THE SAME!", Lori screamed.
Ding Dong!
Lori fell down from surprise as Leni screamed in delight.
"THEY'RE HERE!"
Lori raised a wobbly finger.
"Great! You open the door! I need to say goodbye to the floor..."
She closed her eyes and felt the cold, soothing floor, taking 5 seconds off.
Leni dashed to the door, fixed her hair and clothes, and twisted the knob.
"Hey, friends!"
The door opened, revealing a ton of people.
Ok, give me a second, and I'll tell you all of them:
(Deep breath)
Standing outside, we have Whitney, with hair of yellow and a heart of... Well, not gold, shall we say. She is Lori and Leni's vain and egotistical friend, busy checking herself in the mirror.
Next to her, looking way more energetic and excited is Dana, a good friend to all and an all around nice girl, her wavy brown hair and striped purple and white shirt giving off a "You can count on me!" vibe.
She waves excitedly, her smile infectious.
The red head who looks way less excited, but for different reasons, waves shyly at Leni and shuffles her sandaled feet, her blush growing.
Becky had two big secrets:
She loved Ace Savvy.
And she loved Leni.
Boy, was she looking forward to this trip, where she'd most definitely be exposed!
Blushing, but for less stressful reasons, was Chaz, Leni's new boyfriend.
Chubby and bubbly, Chaz's cool smile elicited an overjoyed reaction from Leni, who scooped him up in a hug, the couple not noticing Becky's look of disappointment.
Her small ponytale drooping in the wind, Fiona looked as bummed as ever.
Things never seemed to work for the Reininger's employee, and she felt that this trip would go the same.
Still, at least she'd hang with Leni and Miguel...
One look at her fellow employee told her that he felt the same.
"Leni!"
"OMG!"
Jackie (pink headband, white long sleeved shirt, diamond earrings) and Mandee (light blue turtleneck sweater, green skirt with white polka dots and brown boots), Leni's two other besties, leaped out and hugged her, the girls screaming with joy.
Fiona and Miguel rolled their eyes.
Sure, they were all friends now, but there was still some tension between the group.
Luan caught sight of Jackie, and gulped.
Jackie waved, and she dragged the rest of the drama club to the center.
Benny, his dark brown curly hair not nearly enough to hide his blush, waved shyly at his sort of girlfriend, and Luan, blushing wildly too, waved back.
The two had shared a kiss not long ago, and were unsure of where the relationship was heading.
Next to Benny was Shannon, her glasses and freckles bouncing with glee.
She was next to Rex and Amy, Amy holding Rex close so he won't try to flirt with Jackie, an annoyed expression on her face.
Shannon gave Amy a fierce stare, her arch enemy always getting one over her.
She had a boyfriend, popularity, everything!
Jeez, she hated her!
The two girls exchanged angry stares, while Ruby texted on her phone and rolled her eyes.
"Like, whatever, I don't, like, care.", she muttered.
Spencer, nervous about the whole affair, looked at his arms.
"Um, let's see... What did I write here?"
Leni and Luan blinked in confusion.
"...Hi."
Luan laughed and smiled at Spencer, who felt sheepish now.
Meanwhile, Parvanna fixed her hijab and smiled at Luan, giving her a thumbs up.
She could kind of feel her uneasiness, and she wanted to make her feel welcome.
If only Leo and Lyberti could feel less uneasy.
The African American girl with the tooth gap and cute bow tried to smile at her BFF Leo, the short boy with the yellow scarf and jumpy personality, but the two looked aside instead, blushing madly.
They had gone through quite a bit during the play and...
Let's just say things were sort of...
Awkward.
One more drama club girl was left.
Luan looked at her, and immediately felt...
Weird.
She sort of looked like Lucy, but this girl was...
Sad.
Her hime cut black hair couldn't cover her almost lifeless eyes, her sky blue t-shirt did not match her personality at all, almost like some kind of ironic joke, and the purple jumper wrapped around her waist felt almost protective, as if she was trying to deflect the outer world.
Luan didn't know this yet, but this Maggie was going to be the biggest surprise of her camping trip.
Luna finally joined, just in time to meet face to face with Sam.
The two girls blushed and giggled, and shared a loving hug, their hearts beating in synch.
"Hey, sunny.", Luna whispered.
"Hey, moon." Sam whispered back.
Should they kiss?
Both girls considered it, before deciding not to.
That could wait for when they're alone.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Lori got up and made her way outside to see her new BFF, Carol Pingrey.
The two former enemies greeted each other warmly, the rivalry of old but a distant memory.
Carol, though, was new to the whole friends thing.
All her life, she had tried to best Lori, and because of this, she didn't have any real friends.
Lori was a new, although very welcome, development.
The blond girl, very new to the whole deal, extended a high five and a hand shake with both her arms, hesitated, raised her arms for a hug, and then backed off again to do a fist bump.
"...Hey, girl?"
Lori laughed and hugged Carol, who slowly hugged back.
"We're going to have to work on that, 'kay?"
Carol nodded, feeling a bit better.
Yet another thing about Lori that Carol admired was that even when she was frustrated, she always tried to be warm and loving.
A great friend, a great sister, a great team mom.
How could she ever compare?
Carol sighed, but tried to smile, hoping this trip will go well.
Lori took a deep breath and looked at all the teens.
"Guys!", she called, but everyone was way too busy with themselves to notice.
She tried again.
"...Guys!"
Still, nothing.
She took a giant megaphone.
"GUYS!"
Now they heard her.
She put it down and announced the details.
"As you know, this summer we're all taking a month trip into the Royal Woods Woods."
Luan elbowed Benny.
"Redundant, much?", she cracked, and the two teens laughed quietly.
Lori continued her speech.
"We will be picnicking, camping, fishing, swimming, hiking, and much, much more!"
Chaz raised his hand.
"Yes, Chaz?"
Chaz cleared his throat and asked sheepishly "Are we starting with the picnicking?"
Lori smiled.
"Yes, yes we are."
Chaz pumped his fist.
"Aw yeah! Chaz likey!"
Leni giggled.
"Leni likey too!"
They kissed, making Becky's mood droop again.
"Ugh! PDA!", Whitney complained, still not raising her eyes from her mirror.
Becky nodded, but for different reasons.
"I think it's cute! Totes adorbs!", Dana called out.
Lori clapped for attention.
"As I was saying..."
Everyone stopped talking.
Lori cleared her throat.
"Ok, we're going to enter Vanzilla and we'll be on our way! Picnic materials are at our location, so no need to bring food or drink!"
Chaz sighs and throws away all the food he was going to bring.
Lori clapped her hands.
"Ok, everybody, let's move, move, move!"
She then looked a little uncertain, and said "And let's all have a great time!"
She whispered to herself.
"Hopefully…"
The teens all cheered and entered the car in droves.
Unfortunately, Chaz got stuck as he tried to enter Vanzilla.
"Oh, boy. Sorry, guys.", Chaz said ashamedly, feeling the judgment for his weight.
Dana, Whitney and Jackie all stepped out, Dana less annoyed then her two companions, as they tried to push Chaz in.
"Like, I am so annoyed! Why must you be so, like, fat and stuff? TOTAL oogies!", Whitney moaned as she pushed.
Chaz looked down in shame.
Was he really such a burden?
"Googley Bear! You ok?", Leni, who was wedged between Mandee, Miguel and Becky, asked, concerned.
Chaz smiled reassuredly (despite himself) and gave her a thumbs up.
"The Chaz is ok, Schmoopsie-poo!"
Dana stopped pushing for a second and gushed.
"Oh! Their pet names are adorbs too! Oh, little brother, you're doing great!"
Whitney whacked Dana on the head.
"Owie! Why?", Dana asked, pouting.
"Less shipping, more pushing!", Whitney complained. "Ugh! This is NO work for someone like me!", she fanned herself for a second, the scorching heat not helping her mood.
"Guys? Like, hello?", Jackie said, now pushing alone thanks to the small argument between Dana and Whitney.
"Ok, ok! No need to rush me, Jackie!", Whitney sniped, and went back to pushing.
"Guys, guys! There's no reason to fight!", Dana said, hoping all the negative vibes would go away.
Leni chimed in, a little worried.
"Yeah, totes no need to conflict!"
Lori, who was next to Luna, looked back concerned.
"Yeah, guys! This is a fun trip!"
She began to spiral as she droned.
"We don't want to ruin precious memories, memories that will all flutter away once I turn 18, and I won't be able to PROTECT MY…"
She then stopped and saw that Luna was giving her an odd look.
'I mean… Just have fun, gang! Heh.", she laughed sheepishly and turned back to the wheel, her eyes slightly twitching.
"Get it together, Lori. Get it together…"
Finally, Chaz was pushed in and he landed on Leni's lap.
Carol (who was the last one to enter) tried to close the door, but there were so many people crammed into Vanzilla that Carol struggled to shut them.
"Get your foot off my face!", Amy shouted.
"Get your face off my foot!", Shannon shouted back.
"I foresee that this trip is going to suck.", Fiona remarked, annoyed.
"Like, whatever.", Ruby said, texting on her phone.
"Come on, Carol! Come on! What would Lori do?", she thought, and she quickly came up with an idea.
With one deft shove, the doors closed, and the van could finally start its journey.
Meanwhile, Leni and Chaz were admiring each other.
"Googley bear!", Leni cried, and she squeezed Chaz.
Chaz grinned and squeezed back.
"Schmoopsie-poo!"
Becky sighed.
This was going to be a hard trip, huh?
Why couldn't she have someone like that?
Someone who called her pet names, and who caressed her, and who accepted her for who she is?
Someone who loved her?
What did she have?
"Ugh, Becky, you are TOTALLY blocking the sun. How can I fix my mascara?", Whitney whined, and she pushed Becky to the side, making the red head hit her elbow on the side door.
Becky muttered under her breath.
Whitney had been a good friend once, but over the years, she had grown more and more vain, treating her friends like dirt.
Dana could handle it, since she was always so happy, Lori kind of filtered it out (and to be fair, she always knew how to deal with people), and Leni…
Well, Leni was Leni.
An angel.
Becky sighed lovingly, and then went back to her venting.
Stupid Whitney, making life harder for her!
"Jeez, Becky, stop thinking about her! Think about someone much better…", Becky ordered herself, and she eyed Leni.
Aw, man.
It had been going for a few years now.
How could someone be so beautiful, simple, kind?
Becky was sure that Leni was a gift from the gods.
How…
How could someone like Leni ever love someone like her?
Still, she could always dream.
Becky stared longingly at Leni and Chaz.
If she could be in that hug.
Using her imagination, she replaced Chaz with herself, and a goofy smile appeared on her face.
"Oh, Leni, my queen! Allow me to make you the happiest girl in the world!", Imaginary Becky offered, and she showed Leni a diamond ring.
"A cereal prize! You shouldn't have, darling!", Leni enthused.
Becky shook her head lovingly.
"Leni… Leni Loud…"
She whispered it under her breath.
"Will you marry me?"
"Oh, yeah, would you look at that…", Whitney whispered sensually, and she bit her mascara tip.
Becky, startled and sure that her secret was out, jumped up and shushed Whitney.
"Whatever you heard, it's not true!"
Whitney looked at Becky with a stare that said "What are you on, girl?".
"Becky, what?"
Becky feigned innocence.
"Nothing. What… What did you see?"
She fidgeted nervously.
Whitney sighed dramatically and pointed at Miguel.
The teen was checking his phone for any "Vest Friends Forever" updates, and the wind from an open window made his figure look even more enticing for Whitney, who fanned herself.
"The love train is in the station!"
She imitated a train whistle.
"Woo! Woo!"
Becky rolled her eyes.
Suddenly, Jackie and Mandee scooted over to Miguel.
"Anything new?", they asked, curious.
Miguel's eyes widened and he excitedly showed them his phone.
"Check it out! They're doing a musical episode!"
The trio squealed.
Jackie bounced excitedly.
"With who? With who?"
They looked at the screen, and all three sighed lovingly.
"Dwayne La Fontaine!"
Whitney, mistaking the conversation for flirting, foamed at the mouth.
"Oh, you be careful, Jackie and Mandee… He's mine…", she whispered under her breath.
Becky face palmed.
This couldn't get worse.
Meanwhile, Fiona also sighed.
"Jeez, way to leave me out to dry, guys."
Both Miguel and Leni were too busy to talk to her.
What was she going to do, stare at clouds?
Fiona grumbled and tried to close her eyes.
The car cushions actually didn't feel too bad, she thought as she settled in.
Just for a moment, she felt comfortable, almost pleasant.
But then…
"Hey!", Dana, who was pushed back to this area, greeted.
Fiona narrowed her eyes.
"Um, sorry, but I'm trying to sleep."
Dana apologized sheepishly.
"My bad!"
Fiona closed her eyes again.
"Hey!"
Fiona glared at Dana.
"What?"
Dana pointed at Fiona's hair.
"I like your hair. Where did you get it done?"
Fiona smiled for a second.
"Well, I ALWAYS go to…"
Dana suddenly interrupted, going into a rant.
"Oh, I love Ricardo! He's SOOO nice and smart, and a little hot, ya know? Anyhowsies, I like to kind of settle into my conditioner, what about you? I kind of like to feel the effect, speeding it is just ew! Ooh, you know what else is ew? Grey. WHO wears grey? Hello? That's just transmitting "I'm boring" to everyone! Now, purple's where it's at! Not too jumpy, not too plain, it seizes your attention, like a puppy! I LOVE PUPPIES! Do you? Do you? Do you?"
Fiona turned to the other side and blocked Dana with her back pack.
"You know, I think that's an excellent question! Let me mull it over.", she said sarcastically, and she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Dana nervously stopped talking and sighed.
Meanwhile, Luan was looking at all of this.
"…I hoped that looking at all these people would help, but I'm still not sure how to make friends!"
The jokester looked at her other drama club members.
Shannon and Amy were fighting over a bag of chips.
"You know barbecue is my favorite!", Shannon yelled.
"I, like, saw it first! Give it back!", Amy demanded.
Lori looked back annoyed.
"Keep fighting and I'll ground you both!"
Shannon and Amy blinked in confusion.
Lori rubbed the back of her neck.
"Look, just zip it 'till we get back. Um… Shannon, is there another Barbecue chips in the back?"
Shannon crossed her arms.
"No! And she knows it's my favorite! Hers is Sour cream and onion anyway!"
Amy lied.
"No… No it isn't!"
Lori sighed.
"Rex, you date Amy. Is that true?"
Rex nodded.
"Yep!"
While Amy gave Rex a death stare, Shannon happily took the chips.
"Thank you, Rex!", Shannon said, and she snorted.
Rex cringed.
"You're… Welcome…"
Amy growled.
"You don't talk to her!"
Rex shook his head.
"Sorry, babe!"
Meanwhile, Spencer looked at his list of items.
"I got the… No, wait, I forgot that. Oh, I did get… No, no, I didn't. Oh, yeah! I didn't forget… No, I did forget. Darn it."
He looked at Ruby.
"Can we share your stuff? I… Forgot some of mine."
Ruby rolled her eyes.
"Like, how many, like, things did you, like, forget, Spencer?"
Spencer defended himself.
"Not everything!"
Ruby raised an eyebrow.
"…Everything."
Ruby growled.
"Like, no way! You, like, got into this mess, Spencer!"
Ruby sat on her bag and growled like a dog.
Spencer looked down sadly, only to perk up when Parvanna put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, Spence! You can use my stuff! Just don't forget to put them back!"
Spencer smiled brightly.
"Aw, thanks, Parvanna! You're a life saver!"
Meanwhile, Leo and Lyberti still faced away from each other.
Lyberti suddenly saw a sign saying "Road work ahead", and, remembering how much Leo likes that vine, turned to face him.
"Hey, Leo, road work ahead…", she whispered, already giggling.
Leo turned, and, for a second, forgot all the awkwardness.
"Uh, I hope so!", he whispered, and they laughed.
For a moment, everything was back to normal.
Until Fiona threw a pillow at them.
"Quiet! I'm trying to sleep, love birds!"
Leo and Lyberti tried to remove the pillow, but their hands brushed, and, furiously blushing, they turned away from each other again.
Luan then looked at Benny, who was showing Mrs. Apple Blossom all the sights.
"Look at that tree, Mrs. Apple Blossom! It could be your sister!"
He then imitated her voice.
"That jerk! She always took forever to wake up!"
Benny, pretending not to know why, asked.
"Why, Mrs. Apple Blossom?"
Mrs. Apple Blossom narrowed her eyes.
"She slept like a log!"
The two laughed.
Luan laughed too.
"Good one!", she said, wiping a tear.
Benny grinned.
Score!
Luan then looked at the others, who all looked kind of… Sad.
She decided to cheer them up!
That's what she did, after all!
She cleared her throat and loudly said "Hey, who wants to hear a joke?"
The other drama club kids muttered "sort of".
"Ok… A panda walks to a bar…"
Shannon applauded.
"I love pandas!"
Spencer nodded.
"Me too! They're so cute!"
Ruby shushed them.
"Like, let her finish, guys! Like, jokes don't, like, need commentary!"
Spencer and Shannon sunk in their seats.
"Sorry."
Luan laughed.
"It's ok! Anyway, a panda walks into a bar, and he orders a meal and a drink. He finishes, and then pulls out a gun…"
All the other kids raised an eyebrow.
"…And he shoots the bartender dead! Afterwards, two police officers investigate the scene."
Luan then took out Mr. Coconuts and the two faced each other.
"Oh, Officer Coconuts, why did he do it?"
Mr. Coconuts, without missing a beat, lets out the punchline.
"Well, that's what Panda bears do: They eat, shoots and leaves!"
Luan bursts out laughing.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Get it?"
At first, no one really reacts.
Shannon nodded her head.
"Ah, I get it! Shoots and leaves! That's what Panda's eat!"
Rex blinks in confusion.
"I thought they ate bamboo."
Shannon points a finger up in the air.
"That is true, but they also eat shoots and leaves, and the panda ate, shot, and left. Get it now?"
Rex slowly nodded.
"Ah, I see. Hey, that's kinda funny!"
Amy rolled her eyes.
"Whatever."
The other kids all smiled at Luan.
"Yeah, Luan. That was pretty clever!", Parvanna said.
"Like, not bad at all!", Ruby added, smiling for the first time in the entire trip.
Leo chuckled.
"A violent panda… That's like those commercials for Panda cheese we once saw, remember, bestie?"
Lyberti laughed loudly, making Leo blush.
"Oh, boy! I love those!"
That laugh always made him feel good.
But then, Lyberti looked at Leo, and, again getting nervous, turned away,
"I mean, yeah, sure. They're great."
Leo sighed.
"Yeah… They were."
The two sigh longingly and look out the window.
Luan smiled to herself as Benny kept laughing from her gag.
"It could have been more of a hit, but I don't usually get that kind of reception. Who knows? This might go well!"
Suddenly, a laugh even louder than Luan's was heard.
Everyone was so startled from the noise that Lori nearly drove onto another lane.
Luan, confused, turned around to see who was laughing, and found in the row behind her the same emo girl from before, laughing uncontrollably, tears in her eyes.
"A panda with a gun! Ha!"
Suddenly, the emo noticed all the eyes on her, and she became embarrassed beyond belief, her usually pale skin now beet red. She took the pillow that had landed on Leo and Lyberti and hid herself with it.
"I mean, it was ok, whatever, I don't care."
The emo went back to her depressing thoughts, leaving Luan befuddled and perplexed,
Why did the girl feel so bad about laughing?
And why did she seem so…
Upset?
Empty?
Meaningless?
Luan didn't know what was up, but she was determined now to figure this girl out.
Luna and Sam, meanwhile, were listening to Mick Swagger's best hits on their music player, each one sharing an ear plug.
"This is so great!", Sam loudly whispered.
"What?", Luna loudly whispered back.
"I said, this is great!", Sam loudly whispered back.
"Oh. Ok!"
The two girls laughed from the silliness of the situation.
Luna gazed at Sam.
Her luscious golden locks!
Her bright, friendly eyes!
Her beautiful smile that lit Luna's world on fire!
"Should I try…"
Sam gazed back at Luna.
Those adorable paper clip earrings!
That winning smile!
That incredible energy, that made Sam feel like she could do anything!
"Would it hurt if…"
The two girls had wanted this for a long time, but…
Were they ready?
Luna smiled at Sam.
Sam smiled back.
They sort of nodded their heads, and, their eyes closing, edged for a kiss.
Luna could feel Sam's body.
Sam could feel Luna's warmth.
Their lips edged ever close, so close…
And just as they were about to lock lips…
BAM!
The car hit a bump, causing Sam and Luna to bash heads.
"Ow!", Luna cried. "My head, luv. Be more careful!"
Sam giggled, and she ran her fingers through Luna's hair.
"With someone as smart as you, I will…"
Luan giggled too, her laugh infectious.
"Woah! Didn't realize I classified as smart, Sunny."
Sam gave Luna a wink.
"You're much more than that… For me."
The two girls blushed, their hearts racing.
Love was definitely in the air.
As Vanzilla neared its destination, Carol looked over at Lori, who was feeling a bit better now that all the arguing had stopped.
She felt bad for her new BFF, and let out a sympathetic smile.
Suddenly, her mind cut in.
"Carol! What if she thinks that you're being condescending?"
Carol answered herself.
"But I'm not! She looks tired and worried! I want to make her feel better! That's what friends do!"
Her mind shot back instantly.
"How would you know?"
Carol didn't have an answer there.
Dang it!
Point to her insecurities and fears.
Carol stopped smiling, and tried to innocently look at the horizon.
Suddenly, her ears caught a small but worried sound.
"C'mon, Lori, stop shouting at them! If you want this to work, you've gotta be better! This is the last time, after all."
Lori sighed wearily.
Carol saw this, and this time, without thinking about what it could mean, smiled.
After all, that's what Lori would do.
And if there was anyone Carol admired, it was her!
Lori saw the smile, and, silently, smiled back.
"It's going to be ok, Lori."
Lori took a deep breath.
"…I know."
The moment didn't last, though, since the car had to park, and Chaz had got stuck yet again.
"Uh… Whoops?"
Lori sighed.
"Here we go again."
Whitney, Jackie and Dana were about to push when Lori pushed through and, with one deft push, sent him flying out of the van.
"AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Chaz zoomed through the skies, his shirt fluttering in the wind, wind blowing through him like crazy.
After narrowly avoiding some birds, Chaz landed in a tree top, his head sticking out of the leaves.
"OMG! Are you ok, Googley Bear?", Leni worriedly asked, concern in her eyes.
"Don't worry, Schmoopsie-Poo! The Chaz is okie dokie!", Chaz cried out.
Leni sighed in relief, and she and Dana approached the camping area to get a counselor.
Everyone looked back at Lori, who was agape, shocked at the incredible showing of power she had released.
She giggled nervously.
"Woah! I… I guess I'm not aware of my own strength. Whoops.", Lori apologized sheepishly.
It didn't take long for Leni and Dana to bring a counselor back, and soon, Chaz was safe and sound and the trip was back on!
Before they could picnic to their hearts delight, though, they had to meet their camp counselors.
Sitting on itchy benches, in a log cabin that smelled of grass stains and…
Balsa wood?
Wait, they have huge chunks of Balsa wood here?
AWESOME!
(Oh, Lori just told me that I'm distracting from the story. My bad, let's move along)
Suddenly, the two camp counselors appeared on the scene: Smiling Stan and Frowning Frank.
Smiling Stan was of medium build, with a lanky body that was incredibly flexible, which complimented his boundless energy. He had short, golden hair that was neatly combed, and long, thin limbs.
His yellow and green uniform had a sash filled with merit badges, and his entire outfit felt bright, from his polished black loafers to his red bandana.
The only oddity was his grey eyes, that felt unfitting on such a happy face, but everyone has a flaw, I guess.
Frowning Frank, on the other hand, looked like he had just woken up, and on the wrong side of the bed.
Scratch that, he didn't wake up on a bed at all, it seemed.
A messy and gangly head of hair "rested" on his scalp, his eyes looked saggy and tired, like he hadn't slept in days, and his entire body slumped, weighed down by who knows what.
He wore a greyish brown uniform, with no sash, which struck the kids as weird.
His entire outfit looked wrinkled and worn out, like the clothes themselves were "done with everyone."
Some stubble stood up from his chin.
Only one thing about him felt out of place: Sparkling blue eyes, eyes that shined like diamonds in the right angle. But he was clearly wasting them with that stink eye he was giving everyone.
"Hi-sies! I'm SMILING STAN!", Stan shouted, a big, wide grin on his face. He looked so happy, he was almost scary. But the grin and the shiny teeth living in it were inviting, and they calmed the kids down.
"and i'm frowning frank." said Frowning Frank, a big frown on his face. He looked so sad and angry, you didn't know what to feel.
"…Eww! What are those dumb names?", Whitney rudely remarked.
Dana gasped.
"Whitney! Rude!", she complained.
Leni and Becky nodded.
"Seriously, Whitney, you don't have to make them feel bad.", Becky said, trying to reason with her friend, her hand headed to her shoulder.
Whitney whacked the arm off, making Becky frown.
"I am allowed to think whatever I want to think, 'kay? I'm POPULAR!", she emphasized.
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
"Girls! Shush!", Lori chided, wanting her friends to listen to the counselors. "I shouldn't be treating you all like little kids!"
While Whitney and Ruby didn't seem to care, Leni, Dana and Becky all looked down, ashamed.
Smiling Stan stepped up to them, his eyes joyful and forgiving.
"It's ok, Lori! In Camp Funtimes, we let kids and teens speak their minds!", he enthused, his legs dancing on the squeaky wooden boards.
Frowning Frank shook his head.
"ignore him, please.", he remarked, pointing at Stan.
Stan laughed hardily and slapped Frank on the back, hurting the poor counselor.
"Oh, Frank! Always the kidder!"
Frank glared at Stan.
"stan, they can't make fun of us. we need to be respected."
"Oh, Frank! You gotta lighten up, friend! Turn that frown, UPSIDE DOWN!", Smiling Stan said, and he grinned wildly at Frank, who sighed wearily.
All the kids noticed the clear differences between the two counselors, and even though Stan was overly cheerful, he seemed way more fun than that sourpuss. Even the more cynical girls like Fiona, Maggie, Whitney, Ruby and Amy agreed on that.
Chaz raised his hand, feeling a growl in his stomach.
"Um, I understood we were supposed to be going to the picnic areas first?"
Frowning Frank nodded, annoyed.
"yes, we are. but littering will not be tolerated. you will pick up all your trash."
He suddenly raised his voice, an incredible rarity for the grumpy man.
"THE ENVIROMENT MUST BE PROTECTED!"
Noticing all the eyes on him, he coughed and directed the campers to the picnic area.
Author's Notes:
Ok, so a few things:
1. This is a spinoff of "Wouldn't Trade It For The World", and is right now set after all the chapters I've posted there. It is canon with this, so just know that.
2. This story was requested and produced by Cardfordbrian. I want to point out that we do not share the same opinions (if you've seen his faveorite stories, you know what I mean.
3. This is a long one, guys. I've got like, 27 arcs planned? And this story will only get bigger.
4. This isn't the last spinoff, too. One for Leo and Lyberti (who are minor characters in the show, check them out in the wiki's page for Stage Plight) is coming, as is a... Spider esque one.
5. Apologies to all Lecky shippers: Leni and Becky aren't getting together in this one. But Becky WILL have a GF. I'm not telling, though!
6. Also, no Luaggie, but their friendship will be key.
7. For every character you don't recognize, just look them up in the wiki.
8. Chapter 2 Next week!
Read and Review!
SpongeGuy.