Dang it!

Carol crumpled the notebook paper and threw it against the wall, watching as it bounced off and landed in a pile of more paper. With a growl, she ruffled her hair and shook her head. How? How could she get caught up in this stupid competition!?

Right below her view laying on the desk was her phone, displaying the latest selfie that Lori had posted. A coffee chat with two of her other siblings, whom she recognized from her high school. They were really over the top with their attire, what was her brother doing in the background with the fake moustache? The artist caps too, they were no substitute for true class. What a bunch of posers.

But Carol wasn't done just yet! She picked up the phone, stuffed it in her pocket, stood up from her seat and made her way towards her closet for probably the fiftieth time that day, slamming it open and rummaging through her wide assortment of clothes for anything new to try. Country girl, 80s girl, office girl, she was really stretching her mind for anything new at all.

Bzzzzzz

She felt a familiar vibration from her pocket and immediately dug the phone out to glance at the screen. What now?!

Every notification she got was a potential challenge, any ding from her phone could validate her superiority, a buzz from the device fueled her vindictive desire to dethrone perfect Lori Loud and her perfect little selfies.

Alas, it was just another stupid spam email. Ughhhh. She really should unsubscribe from them already. Nothing was more disappointing than getting that short surge of dopamine, only to have her hopes dashed by another automated notification that legit nobody wants.

"God, this is so stupid!" She thought to herself as she shoved the phone back in her pocket. She could be doing anything else with her time. She could study like always, she could practice piano, work on her resume, read a book, watch TV even, something actually worthwhile. But instead, she was wasting all her time stressing over a bunch of imaginary internet points!

"But they weren't just imaginary internet points!" She told herself. They were a symbol a pride, a badge of honor, an award of recognition! So she would ravage the drawers, turn the house upside down, call all the relatives and acquaintances she had to salvage together the perfect selfie! SwiftyPic would know once and for all, she was Carol Pingrey, practically perfect in every way!

She held up a fist of resolve at that, taking a few moments to relish in her own glory. Being herself was already a winning trophy-

Bzzzzzz

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. It was her 3:00 reminder to get started on her French homework, to the surprise of absolutely flippin' no one.

Dammit! Carol turned around and readied her arm to throw the phone across the room. She caught herself in time however, merely making a throwing motion instead. Her arms dropped to her side at that, groaning to herself as she slammed the closet door behind her and made her way towards her bed.

There, she dropped herself down on her back, arms sprawled out beside her while she still gripped her phone in her hand. She lay motionless at that, staring up at the blank repetitive pattern on the ceiling above-

Bzzzzzz

Ugggghhhhh! She smacked her face with her free arm before using her other arm to bring the phone up to her face. Probably another stupid spam email, right?

To her surprise, the notification was from SwiftyPic. Someone had liked her most recent picnic selfie! Thanks, uh, whoever SilentPersonata61 is!

Not even a few seconds after that quick surge of dopamine however, it was back to the same anxiety-ridden self that Carol had been all day. They exchanged what, twenty selfies during the whole fiasco so far? She wasn't even sure, there were so many selfies she threw away because they weren't good enough, who knew which ones actually made it? How did this even start again? All she did was post a starter pic, then freakin Lori had to post another selfie, and then… And then…

Carol stared at her phone motionless in bed as she desperately attempted to recall how it all began. There had to be a reason, right? Of course there was. Everything she did had a sensible reason and a practical purpose.

But alas, try as she would, her recollection ended at the fact that a certain someone had posted a selfie.

She tapped a selfie, the most recent one that was posted for their little competition. There was Lori and her two sisters again, posing in the kitchen like that was gonna compare. Still just as excessive as the first fifty times she saw it.

With a scoff, she swiped back through a few more selfies, including one of Lori and her four pets (psh, what a cheap trick!), a farmer girl, and a candid shot of Lori on the couch.

When she swiped back to the selfie before that, she came across a picture that was very familiar to herself. One that was shot a few days ago actually.

There Lori was, posing with Whitney and Dana in the school cafeteria. None of them were dressed up or doing anything out of the ordinary, just three friends laughing and hanging out with each other as a fun-loving group. But never mind off-putting environment or the total lack of preparation, this was a scene Carol was there to witness, and the picture told the entire story. They were just being themselves, telling stories and rejoicing in the one hour in the day where they were free.

She swiped back to the previous selfie, coming across a candid shot of Lori and her sister in what appeared to be their bedroom. Again, no special effects or crazy amounts of makeup. This was just Lori and her sister happy posing with peace signs in front of a camera, happy to be together and enjoying each other's company as they documented that in a picture. There really wasn't a whole lot going on in this picture, but at the same time, that made it far more endearing.

The more she swiped through the selfies, the more she found herself enamored by them all. Gosh, Lori must have so much fun, look at everything in her pictures! There was always something going on, and she always had people to share these experiences with. Yes, Lori may have staged the shots in her selfie competition. But what they had in the selfies before, those were real. They showed Lori in her purest form. When it came down to it, Lori really had everything going for her.

Really, Lori was just the absolute most gorgeous self she could be. Every picture of hers was such a joy to look at, it made Carol feel all sorts of warm and fuzzy inside as well. Look at that confident pose she struck, the warm gaze she always gave her siblings, look at all the gorgeous smiles filled with kindness and love and passion! Carol could almost hear her soothing voice through the screen. A few comforting words during stressful times, a reassuring statement of Carol's worth, some laughing and rejoicing at the company she had, a constant reminder of how everything would be okay... If only she could have a little of what confidence Lori had…

Bzzzzzz

Carol was snapped back into reality, and her daydreams dissipated as she reemerged into the miserable mess that was her room. Right! Selfie competition. Yeah, they're enemies or something. Uh huh.

She sat upright on the bed, still holding the phone within her hand. Gazing down at the various shots on the screen, it was becoming increasingly apparent how much Lori had going for herself. Look at her! That extravagant lifestyle, the people to share it with, all coming from the most beautiful person, inside and out. She was absolute perfection.

How could Carol even hope to compare? How could she possibly compete with her sad busy and lonely life. She didn't have anyone. She was always cooped up somewhere reading books, giving presentations and piano performances to no one else. Sigh.

Shaking her head, she stood up and grabbed her keys. All this time, she was blind to the truth she refused to accept. All this time, she held a false hope that she could prove herself, when in fact she was delaying her inevitable defeat.

There was no other way of going about it. Lori was better.

With that, she made her way towards the door and left, closing the door softly behind her.

The bells jingled on top of the door as Carol walked through and entered the Reininger's store. She went and grabbed a shopping cart nearby as the door closed behind her, hearing the bell jingle again. With that, she started her aimless stroll through the store, heading for the first isle she saw in front of her.

Wheels squeaked and items rattled as Carol pushed her shopping cart through the isles. There was no music playing in the background, but this store looked like one that should play the 2nd movement of the Eine Kleine Nachtmusik or a similarly soft tune to accompany the atmosphere. There was this odd serene feeling that she felt as she strolled through the isles; an assortment of household items including flower pots, bonsai trees, and pumpkins were in place. Something about these decorations that made her feel at peace. They were relatively simple additions one could make to add a little spice to any household.

Heh, if only her life was as simple. It was rare for her to take a moment to herself like this in her busy high schooler life. But every once in a while, she would check out a few deals here and there, use her newfangled credit card take home some of the peace and serenity she felt in this store as well.

Out the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of some yellow daisies in a basket. Seeing this, she grabbed a couple and dropped them in her basket; it would be nice to see them on her windowsill while she studied or something. The sunshiny warm color, the delicate petals blossoming into a new stage of its life... as silly as it might be, the daisy filled her with determination as well.

A soft smile crept on her face as she made her way through the isle. This was a nice change of pace from her busy life elsewhere. Here, she could at least pretend for a few minutes that she was free of all her burdens. Free from maintaining perfect grades, free from the high school hierarchy, free from her prideful persona… But most importantly, she was free to be herself.

"Umm, Carol."

Carol gasped as she jerked her head to the left. There, directly in front of her was her archenemy, her rival, her sworn enemy from the past few days. This was the girl that immediately dissed her presentation all those days ago, this was the the girl that started the selfie competition, this was Lori Loud, in the flesh, approaching her.

Immediately, a million different thoughts and emotions started swirling through her mind. Why the heck was Lori coming up to her? What did her expression mean? That raised eyebrow, the way she gripped her arm behind her back? Was it about the selfie competition? Was it about the presentation? Was it about Carol? Or what she did? What's the catch? Carol grasped at straws as she ran through every possibility and extrapolated on the outcomes, filled with fluster, anxiety, fear, surprise!

But the worst part of all, the most confusing part about all of this… Carol was also excited.

Lori coming up to her, this was a new opportunity. That raised eyebrow, that was her approaching with tact and delicacy. The arm behind her back, maybe- just maybe, Lori was unsure of herself as well.

Carol's eyes shifted left and right, gauging the environment around her and seemingly unable to keep her eyes on the girl before her. There was no time to think or dwell, she was left to either respond now or stand awkwardly frozen and make a total fool of herself.

"Uh- uh, hi, Lori!" Carol replied, waving her hand and smiling awkwardly.

Immediately, she mentally facepalmed and instantly regretted everything she had ever done. What the hell was that!? What happened to perfect Carol Pingrey? The Carol that always knew what to say, the Carol that had her life together and figured out, the Carol with true class to her presentation! None of that mattered in the face of Lori Loud, better than her in every way.

That's it. Her one shot at not making a total fool out of herself in front of her was gone. It took every fiber in her body to not cower with shame over her own shortcomings as she braced herself for the inevitable verbal onslaught.

"I know this is literally the most awkward thing in the world but…" Lori started.

But that's okay. All this time, Carol spent her life thinking she was better. She worked so hard to impress so many people, but the only person she really impressed was herself. She didn't deserve praise. If she really was as good as she claimed, she could stand here and take the cold hard truth.

"...I just wanna tell you that, you win."

Wait, what?! Carol's jaw dropped open at that.

"You've been better than me at everything since kindergarten but, I'm okay with it. I can't live my life trying to compete with you anymore," Lori continued.

Carol could only stand dumbfounded as she continued absorbing all the info Lori was dropping on her.

"Well, enjoy your shopping."

With that, a small semblance of a grin manifested itself onto Lori's face as she turned and slowly started walking away. All the while, Carol still stood watching with a dropped jaw as a million other thoughts and emotions started circulating her mind. She couldn't believe it. It wasn't true. Lori? Calling her better at everything? Since Kindergarten? And she's okay with it? None of this made sense. It had to be a joke. This had to be some elaborate prank or some next level psychological warfare.

...no. That didn't add up. She wasn't like that. The one thing more improbable than all of the above was a world where she could be so maliciously manipulative. The person standing before Carol was kind-hearted, selfless, charismatic, positive, understanding, there weren't enough words to do her justice. But no matter how many words there were, they'd all come together to describe the perfect person that was Lori Loud.

Alas, she slowly disappeared into the distance, and Carol was faced with a choice. She could choose to remain where she stood, resting assured she wouldn't have to ever face her doubts. She had already made herself look like enough of a fool, and she'd only be digging her grave deeper and deeper.

Yet somehow, just letting her go didn't sit well with her. This was someone that had plagued her mind for so long now. Ever since that stupid little incident during Carol's presentation, Lori had shown just how amazing she really was. There was this super genuine nature to Lori with how honest and heartfelt that statement of hers was, and Carol could see that was no easy task. When it came down to it, Lori also had fears and self-doubt about herself, whether she was really worth it or as good as she clearly was. But that never stopped her. She had put to words what Carol wanted to for so long. As prideful and confident as Carol liked to believe she was, this was the one thing she could never bring herself to admit. And that was what made Lori practically perfect in every way.

"Lori, wait!"

In a split second decision, Carol reached out with a hand and blurted those words out.

Lori turned around with curious eyes awaiting an answer.

This wasn't like a school presentation meticulously crafted for hours upon end. No time for preparation, no time to choose the perfect words. This wasn't a display of mental prowess or academic excellence. This was a display of her true self. She had no choice but to speak her mind. And if Lori could open her heart to her, then Carol could open her heart as well.

"You think I'm better than you?" she began, putting a hand on her chest. "I kinda thought it was the other way around." She gripped her arm and glanced away with a reassured smile at that. Already, a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

Lori merely blinked.

"I mean, you made the varsity golf team when we were freshmen. No one else did that," she continued. "And you have ten siblings who all look up to you… And don't get me started on your hair; I will never have volume like that!" she said with a giggle. "This takes like, six cans of dry shampoo, and it's still flat!"

Finally, she finished. All throughout this monologue, she poured her heart and soul into it as she finally brought to light all her true feelings she had harbored for so long. The longer she went on, the easier it became. No more was she going off a script, carefully considering her words or acting under a perfectionist persona. This was the tender delicate human self that everyone had. For the first time, she could come to terms with herself and who she was.

There were a few seconds of air, and she anxiously preened her hair as she awaited a response. Whether she was ready or not, the deed had been done, and it was up to fate now.

"Wow…" Lori said. "So all of our competing has literally been pointless?" She took a few steps forward with tact to her pace and a nervous undertone present on her face.

"It's true," she agreed. "Those selfies were getting out of control! I had to adopt that Corgi, and he's mean!" She put her hands on her cheeks as she remembered that moment. God, it was so embarrassing.

"I fell into a grave," Lori said. "Twice!"

They both started giggling at that. Carol was struck with a wave of relief as all the tension and stress were washed away. When it came down to it, they weren't really so different after all. They both made mistakes in the selfie competition. They were both over the top. They both had to prove themselves, show that they were better. But most of all, neither of them really wanted to do this. They really understood each other.

"We're ridiculous!" Carol cheered. "I'm so glad we're done with all this."

"Me too," Lori agreed.

That gaze she gave just now as she said that, it filled Carol with such a

"Hey, I just had a crazy idea," Lori started. "What if we made it official by taking a selfie together?" She reached over and put a hand on Carol's shoulder.

Oh gosh, it was so sudden. That touch on the shoulder was electrifying, no one ever did it the same way Lori did. There was this assertive confident tone to Lori's voice, and there was a reassuring gaze to accompany it. Carol couldn't help but feel loved by this display of affection. "Shut up!" Carol waved downwards before putting her hands to her chest with a modest smile. "Looking like this?"

To her surprise, Lori reached over and pulled Carol to her side, holding a phone in front to position themselves for a selfie. "Yeah! I mean, who cares, right?"

Carol almost gasped at this sudden gesture, and she could only gaze dumbfounded at the phone Lori held up in the air. It was all so fast, they had only just started talking! It wasn't even an hour ago that they were competing for stupid internet points and asserting their superiority. And yet, not even a week after Lori crept into Carol's mind, she was now beside her, being held within her arm, posing as if nothing was wrong. It felt so wrong after all that had happened. But at the same time it felt so right. This all felt so natural.

Lori was right. Who cares? This wasn't one of their stupid staged selfies for the competition. This was a greater aesthetic than any matching color scheme or fashion design. This was the start of a beautiful friendship.

So, she took out her phone and struck a pose as well, putting an arm around her BFF with a confident grin. Soon, a few lights flashed, and the moment was captured in history.

Immediately after, they glanced down at their phones to see what they had just taken. Carol couldn't help but note the little imperfections on herself. Ugh, that squint was so weird, the smile was a little crooked, her hair was starting to fall a little flat, she could have done so much better! Once again, Lori was better.

But as they both looked each other in the eye as they looked up from their phones, uncertainty plastered across their faces. She could see in her eyes, Lori felt the same way too.

Not long ago, Carol could only dream of sharing a selfie with a friend. Heck, she couldn't imagine sharing any real moments with a friend! Yet here she was, posing with someone who was supposedly an enemy as if they knew each other for years. For once, this wasn't about comparing themselves or being better. This was about sharing a moment with a friend. They accepted each other for who they were. Neither of them were perfect, but they were perfect together. They seemed perfect just the way they were.

A smile crept across her face, and Lori mirrored that expression. No one had ever made her feel as loved and understood as Lori did. Right here, in this narrow aisle, she felt safe and reassured around her. For once, someone understood the way she felt. For the first time, Carol could be her true self. In this precious moment, it was liberating.

But maybe, just maybe, this could be the start of something more. Surely if she could find a path to joy from the most unexpected circumstances, then perhaps those dark clouds of doubt weren't so impenetrable after all.

Just maybe, Carol told herself, as they both raised their fingers and tapped the screen. With that, their newfound friendship was there for the world to witness.

"Post!"