"Okay, let's get this meeting started," Mrs. Barnes declared as the class quieted down. All their eyes were directed at the aging teacher as she produced a paper and read from it. Meanwhile, Leni anxiously stared at her, waiting in bated breath.

"Today was the first day of our sale and so far we have raised about $100," she announced. While the rest of the room appeared unfazed by these results, adrenaline rushed through Leni. To her, she felt like the only one in the room to have any real emotion from this. She never thought that something with her name attached to it would generate much of anything, let alone $100 in a single day.

"Now this is a fantastic start and you should all be proud of yourselves," she continued. As she spoke, Leni jittered as her teacher's eyes tested on her specifically. Was it really she whom she was talking? After all, she had been one of the people working at the stand during lunch that day, "now let's get some more people on to run things for the upcoming week. Any volunteers?"

From the corner of her eye, Leni caught Carol raising her hand. It was then that she remembered all about her. She had remembered how she was over the House last night to hang out with her sister. A question burnt within her in the messy, confusing minutes before she had left to go trick-or-treating. Perhaps that was the price to pay for clinging to her childhood.

She turned around and saw Lori also bring her arm up, surprising her. Leni realized what she had to do.

The meeting ended shortly after like they usually did. On three of the upcoming days, Lori and Carol had each agreed to run the station together, lifting Leni's spirits and even tempting her with congratulating rather than asking. However when she turned to her plain-faced sister, she didn't get the roaring sensation in her throat that she hoped for. And sure enough, her tone moderated.

"So, like, did you two have fun last night?" she asked innocently. She hoped that her sister lacked any suspicion of eavesdropping. After all, Leni didn't even enter their room the whole night.

"Yeah," Lori replied nonchalantly as she grabbed her backpack and walked on ahead of her.

There it was. The answer. Lori said everything turned out alright and that the whole thing should be dropped. As the two waddled across the room, wavering through the crowd, Leni wondered if that argument she heard through the wall was just a fantasy, a weird product of her changing mind.

But then as they passed Carol, the girl's lips automatically perked into a smile. She could tell it was directed at both of them, not just herself. That gave Leni another excuse to not press Lori more on the matter. She feared being called out for asking a stupid question, given how obvious the answer seemed to be.

Throughout most of the walk home, Lori talked about herself. Leni didn't mind listening to her sister ramble about people she doesn't hang out with or thoughts she can't relate to. She mostly kept her head forward and allowed Lori's voice to travel in her ear, letting it act as a commentary to the familiar sights before her. Occasionally, though, she would give a simple grunt or "Uh huh". One time, she didn't say a single word during the entirety of Lori's story and she got a mouthful for not being more "engaged". It wasn't that she didn't like what Lori had to say; she enjoyed acting as a sounding board for Lori to spill her heart. The only problem was that Leni often found it hard to muster enough words to form a substantial response. Even when she could wrap her head around the issue, she didn't have her own anecdotes to supplement them. Until she could find more to say, those brief replies would have to do.

One person Lori didn't mention, though, was Carol. It was a gaping hole that reignited her curiosity. She was once again confronted with the cursed question and, for a brief moment, considered speaking up again. But then she figured that it would have accomplished nothing. Leni remembered the stakes of breaking the ice for that purpose. That voice would have reared its ugly head and amplified the inevitable chewing out Lori would have given her. Besides, observation had a bigger reward: pride.

Soon enough, the sisters were home. Lori took the initiative and swinging open the door.

As Leni followed behind, she noticed that the living room was a mess. Papers and books were strewn all over the floor. Some of the volumes were wide open, pages bent, spines mistreated. Peering into the room, they saw Lisa sitting on the couch's middle cushion furiously scribbling in a notebook. To her right was Rita looking over her work. The woman's face illustrated bewilderment, her cheeks flushed of color.

"Hi Mom! Hi Lisa!" Leni exclaimed. As she flapped her arm around, she hoped that would make up for the lack of energy she displayed on her inactive walk home.

"Oh, hey kids," Rita said tiredly. By then, her voice had filled in the rest of the gaps. Their mother had the wind completely knocked out of her sails. Neither Leni nor Lori could have imagined how long her morning must have been taking care of the four youngest sisters (those that weren't old enough to start kindergarten). Sure four was a lot and it stretched resources thinner, but Lori noticed that ever since Lisa came out, her mother has been constantly drained. Lori felt that in the last two months, she had been compelled to take up more responsibilities, to become a third parent.

"Can Leni take a hint?" she thought as her sister persisted in her waving.

"Do you need any help?" Lori asked gently. She planted a firm hand on one of Leni's shoulders. Just like magic, Leni's arm fell back to its side (though that didn't stop that smile of her's).

"The girls are upstairs. Check if they need anything," Rita replied.

Lori nodded and proceeded up the stairs. Leni, though, was entranced by the scene before her. Part of her said that her mom needed a hug (she looked very tired) and another voice wanted her to spend more time with Lisa. With all the time she spent cooped up in her room making clothes for the fundraiser, she found limited time to spend with the newest addition to the Loud House.

She made her way over to the couch and sat on the last remaining cushion. Her eyes lazily wandered to Lisa's little notebook. Those were some strange drawings, Leni thought to herself. Those numbers and words reminded her a lot of her math homework and she had no interest in following (that set of mental gymnastics could wait until she was upstairs).

"Aww! You're so cute!" Leni said, trying to win the baby's attention. Either she merely imagined herself saying that or somehow, Lisa didn't pick up on it. Her hand moved like a robot. Precise and persistent. But Leni wasn't about to give up. When words failed, there was always hugging.

Leni leaned in and wrapped her arms around her sister's tiny body, swamping it entirely. With Lisa in her lock, she gently rocked back and forth on the couch, trying to cradle the two-month-old baby to sleep.

Rita smiled as she watched on. While she had limited success in reaching out to her little girl, maybe Leni's serenity would shine through. All Lisa had to do was stop writing and put down the paper. Any minute now.

When cradling didn't work, Leni got another idea. She usually didn't take this step, but this was a special occasion. Slowing down the rocking, she brought her lips to Lisa's forehead and kissed it.

"Ah!"

Rita and Leni were taken aback (the latter bringing up her Ducky arms). The two anxiously stared as Lisa frantically wiped her forehead, her fingers pressing deep into the skin. Leni was hurt to see Lisa desperately rubbing off her gentle, sincere gesture of her love.

"Get out! Get out!" Lisa exclaimed, staring and pointing at the window.

Leni was baffled. Nevermind the fact that the baby could already talk clearly or write fluently in that foreign language called math. Maybe if she took a little more time to know her, she would have realized by now that she shouldn't have done that. Her neck could barely support her head, as it lazily pointed to the upholstery beneath her.

"Lisa, that was not okay," her mother scolded. Thinking of angry face gave her shivers, even when it wasn't directed, "Now what do you say to Leni?"

The girl finally lifted her head to see an aggravated Lisa. Her face was puckered and her tiny hands gripped the couch. That was how Leni realized she really messed up. Why was Rita working so hard to stand up for her?

"Sorry," Lisa mumbled, refusing to face either one of her older family members. Regardless, Rita's face immediately lightened up.

"That's better," she said.

Right then, Leni was tempted to hug her baby sister again. Her arms possessed a rush of energy, a tingle that simmered in terrible inaction. Here she was, about to make the move.

But she couldn't.

She was gonna make the same mistake again without thinking it through. Rita would have to take her side again, blame the baby, and she would be pampered. The nasty bile her selfishness would have produced was enough to make her feel disgusting.

Instead, Leni got up and headed upstairs. At least then, she would be sparing some people from her path of destruction. Yet even as she ascended each step, there was this obligation burning within her. She needed to release some of this guilt, to pay back for the insensitive harm she has caused.

And then she remembered one other person, one that could probably take a nice hug and kiss. Of course, she was too unaware to realize the other wrong she had to attest for. She didn't recall apologizing or doing anything for her brother last night, especially with how disappointed he was. She knew she had to act.

Turning right at the top, she went all the way to the end and opened the door. Sure enough, Lincoln was there reading a comic on his bed. Perfect.

"Hi Linky," she said gently. Her arms scrunched close to her body, braced for whatever retribution she rightfully deserved. Her Linky had every right to ignore, tell, or hurt her after letting the valuable Ace Savvy costume slide out her mind.

Instead, he looked relaxed, like a normal kid.

"Hey Leni," he said, his eyes not leaving the colorful comic. Leni, though, was confused. Lincoln's voice lacked any trace of anger, his face lacked tightness or irritation. Her racing heart slowed, but was that the right reaction? What if there was some subtext sailing over her head? That wouldn't have surprised her.

She could have simply apologized, said "I'm sorry" and move on. But to her, no words would ever be enough to make up for all that disappointment. Besides, one misplaced word and she feared Lincoln would have unleashed on her. She needed to do something more (perhaps make it up to both Lisa and her mom as well).

Trying not to step on any of the clothes or toys on the ground, Leni carefully and slowly walked to the bed. Lincoln didn't react to it, preferring to focus solely on the comic book. Once she was up on the back of the bed, she noticed something. On the other side nestled on his left shoulder was Bun Bun. Seeing her gift so close to him tinged her heart and made her want to act.

Using the narrow gap between Lincoln and the bed's edge, Leni nudged herself in that tiny space and maneuvered her arm around his neck. Lincoln turned his head to see the scene unfolding.

"What are you doing?" he asked nervously, but Leni couldn't hear him. She carefully embraced him, trying her best not to get the same outburst Lisa lashed on her. Soon enough, Lincoln was caught in a warm yet scary hug. Leni's heart bounced all over her body, trying to break free. Lincoln, meanwhile, was speechless. His lips were tightly tucked between blushing cheeks. Now in this hug, Leni used her free hand to stroke through Lincoln's white hair, parseing hefty tufts of it.

"I'm sorry Linky," she said softly as she coursed through the hair.

"For what?" Lincoln asked, trying to mask the happiness he felt being around another family member. Leni found it cute how his voice cracked whenever he attempted to sound tough and "manly". Right then, it was painfully obvious.

"For forgetting about your costume," she said sadly, slowly tightening her grip, "I feel so bad about it...are you mad?"

"Leni...it's okay," he answered, blushing even more and his voice squished from the lack of leg room, "I had fun last night."

The girl continued to embrace her brother, immersing herself in the soft, warm touch of her Linky. It was the best she could do to try and forget about the mounting guilt.

It was hard to accept what was happening. All she had to do was say sorry and she got off the hook. No pushing, no crying, no yelling, not even cool revenge (she should have expected him to smash her sewing machine). But it wasn't fair. She knew she should have gotten nothing but the very worst for her dreaded oversight. That would have taught to not be so stupid.

She pressed her brother's back against her chest and cradled him, much like she tried for Lisa. Lincoln's breathing was a synchronizer in this quiet, still environment. Leni's eyes wandered as she did this, gazing at the posters, toys, comics, gizmos, and (most of all) Bun Bun. That doll must have been a constant reminder to him of her. Why was it snuggled up against him while he was reading? Was he trying to use Bun Bun as a stand-in for her, for all those times she spent alone in her room? Was the bunny a prop for him to feel better about him (and if so, why did he need that lift)? Does he even remember who gave it to him? Did that little kind gesture those years ago really make her a better big sister?

Thinking those troubling thoughts only tightened the embrace. She resorted to playing with his white hair, trying to sculpt the dry fibers into something a stylist would create. After all the issues he puts up with, he certainly deserved to be treated like everything.

"I love you Linky," she said sweetly, or at least as much as she could. It just had to be that way, she figured. Stretching her lips into a smile, she peered her head downward to look at the boy she was addressing. It was a tomato, red with an expression stuck between a smile and a polker face. The eye contact they made only resulted in him pressing his head back, tightening his cheeks in a failing effort to suppress the joy the familial warmth provided.

"Well, I love you too," Lincoln said, his voice cracking along with the facade of toughness. But even with the dents made, a tension remained, an awkwardness. Leni didn't pay too much mind to it. After all, her brother had smiled and said she was worthy of his love.

And that's all that mattered.

It was quiet time in their room. Leni found comfort in reading the next issue of 16.5 while Lori held her phone to her ear, not talking. Occasionally, the older sister gave a "Uh huh" or some brief response before clamming back up. From the context clues, Leni assumed it was Carol she was talking to.

From Leni could conclude from the slouched back and simple replies that Lori was relaxed, tired from yet another day of school. But did it translate to friendship? Lori must have something going with Carol, given how she's talking on the phone with her. Lori, though, has barely said a word and opted to sit through long pauses. What was Carol telling her anyway?

Still, Leni didn't want to interfere, not tonight. Besides, it wasn't like she would have gotten a word in anyway. And to top it all off, she had spent the last half hour entranced by the latest dresses out of New York. The articles describing their fabric, inspiration, and designer was as moving as the popping color pictures alongside the pages. Interesting reading experience, indeed.

Once she finished, Leni got up to brush her teeth. Ever since Lori got her braces, she had required her to start doing it twice a day. Sure Lori was still listening on the phone, but Leni wasn't about to disobey her older sister.

She slipped into the bathroom and started the process. Leni bore holes into the mirror, witnessing the foamy tooth paste expand and drip all over her chin. It happened every time, no matter how much she puckered her lips shut. How was Lori able to keep all that paste in her mouth?

"Lynn, I'm starting to get really concerned."

Another conversation. The second one in the span of three weeks that was audible from this bathroom. It was as if nobody had any idea that the bathroom was a hidden weapon for eavesdropping. As Leni spat out the remaining paste and wiped her face, she contemplated whether or not to listen in.

"Is it about Lisa?" she heard her father ask.

A brief pause. The cessation of rattling revealed it all. Leni placed her toothbrush and knelt down beside the air vent, planting her ear against the cold metal surface.

"Lisa's been acting even more unusual," her mother said, "today, she pushed Lana when she tried to play with her. It took me twenty minutes to get her to stop crying."

"Oh my goodness...Have you tried telling her not to do that?"

"I do it every time and she still won't pick up on it. She hasn't been playing with anyone, even when I feed her or do peek a boo. It's a lot like what Leni was when she was that age."

Her eyes shot open. In a big family like this, it really said something when her own name was mentioned. Now she had to keep listening.

"She's the same with me," her father said, sighing, "she never smiles at me or anything. It's like she's off in her own little world."

"But it's not just that. I spend all day watching over her and I'll be lucky if I can get her to listen to me. She won't answer me when I call her."

"Well...there was one time when she looked at me when I said her name. I held up her rattle and shook it around, but she never took it. She just went back to reading a book."

"This morning, my LBJ biography went missing. When I got to the nursery, I found Lisa lying in her crib reading it. And she was almost done with it too!"

Now that she thought about it, Lisa did act kinda odd. Between her mom's eye bags and the volumes all over the floor, this conversation helped Leni connect the dots. It didn't even faze her that nobody needed to go to the bathroom yet.

"With Leni, though, she just sat there and stared off into...nothing," her mother added slowly, "Lisa just wants to read and do math problems. It's really impressive and she's blown me away. But at the same time, I can't keep up and she just seems...I dunno."

A brief, tense pause.

"You don't think she's on the spectrum, do you?"

Between the beige bathroom walls her eyes were fixated on, those vague memories of those people and of all sorts of stuff crawled their way up. As she imagined them, her mother spoke.

"I pulled out those books from the attic and they said it was indicative. I think we should go straight to Dr. Henry about this."

"Are you sure you wanna do this now? I mean, I just have much concern as you do, but two in the same family sounds unlikely. Plus, we didn't know about Leni until she was one. Don't you wanna give it a few more months and see if she starts acting normal?"

"Lynn, I'm telling you right now. Sure, it seems great on the surface. She's reading, she writing, she's even talking for crying out loud!...But I don't think her socializing and expressing is gonna improve unless we act now. There's so much of Leni I see in her and I know you see it too. We already have one, so why do we have to keep waiting?...I'm gonna make the appointment tomorrow."

Another biting pause. Leni nervously tapped her fingers against the tile, wishing her parents would stop feeling so scared. They worked too hard to have extra worries on hand.

"I'm just thinking," her father said softly, "When it was with Leni, things were much simpler. There were less kids and we had more time and money to spend just on her...But now with ten mouths to feed, it would be a lot harder to get Lisa services."

Leni stopped tapping as she heard a creaking sound, as if one of them were getting on a bed below.

"The good news is that she can already talk, so there's that," her mother said soothingly. Leni suddenly had thoughts of Maddy on her mind, "And even if she needs help with the other stuff, we'll find a way. I know we can figure out how to get our little Lisa off on the right foot. If it worked for Leni, it can work for her."

No other words were transmitted through the vent. The girl kept her ear against it, though, trying to make out garbled nonverbal sounds. But before she could decipher any from there, her other ear caught the door opening.

"Mom and dad conversation? That sure must be ear-itating!"

She got up, seeing Luan approach the sink chuckling to herself. What was so funny about that? But it didn't matter what she thought. Leni proceeded to laugh as long as her sister was laughing. The last thing she wanted on her conscience was Luan getting hurt because she didn't give her the courtesy her joke deserved.

"That's, like, really funny," Leni said between each of her laughs.

"Thanks," Luan replied heartily, "I'm glad someone still thinks I'm funny," the girl then opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out a razor, "All I've been getting lately are shaving reviews."

Luan chuckled again from her own wordplay, causing Leni to reciprocate that hearty gesture. All she did was pull out a razor and she didn't know ho this all tied into shaving, but it didn't matter. Someone else was laughing. There was an expectation for her to do what anyone else would do in that situation.

"Hey Leni," Luan said warmly, smiling, "You're the best big sister ever."

That's it. Luan was getting a hug, whether she wanted it or not. Leni practically knocked her sister off her feet with a crushing one. Hearing those words were like bandages on lingering burns from the preceding day. Besides, if she was the best big sister, she had to go above and beyond to prove that someone was the best little sister.

"I love you too," Leni said cheerfully. By then, both of them were smiling. No faking, no force, just the flow of nature.

Having three people at a small table was certainly an interesting experience. But that's how it was arranged at the last meeting. Leni sat cramped in the middle, stuck between Lori and Carol. It wasn't even that she set it up that way. The three of them got their lunches and this configuration just...happened.

The money box was on Lori's end while a banner ran across the entirety of the table's front. Meanwhile, a section of the cafeteria was cornered off to stock all the coat racks, where all the creations and donations were hung. It wasn't as spacious or polished as Lacy's; if anything, it was like one of those kiosks that were islands in the middle of the atrium at the mall. Still, Leni was proud of the display she had before her.

It was a slow lunch. Thus far, nobody has bought anything and the table itself was quiet. Leni peered on both sides, trying to gauge each of the older girls' attitudes. Their blank faces, though, only indicated boredom.

"So...," Leni started. She tried to think of something to get the ball rolling. It was a weird role for her to play, but at this point, she was willing to give it a try, "how's everyone's day going?"

"Fine," Lori shot back, disinterested.

"Same here," Carol reciprocated.

There was nothing like the soft roaring of the student body to paint the lack of words either of them could produce. Was it really just because of a slow day at the stand? A slow day all around?

"Like," Leni said, using that precious word as the placeholder that it is, "are you two friends now?"

"Yes, Leni," Lori replied, her voice sounding like she sighed. Maybe she was just tired, Leni figured. But from what?

In all this time, Lori and Carol never came across as super happy to be around each other. They weren't constantly smiling, laughing, or complimenting each other. It wasn't anything like what she saw on Princess Pony, where all the friends always had something to say, whether it was kind, educational, or introspective. Rosy Cake barely found herself sitting with someone she liked and did nothing.

Were they not friends then? Did they always get into a fight right before she saw them and that's why they weren't talking to each other? Leni wished she had it in her to be a real energizer, the type of person that could breathe life into a social situation. Maybe then, Mrs. Lane would finally see how advanced she was and let her move on. If she had that extra time, she could get to know those girls better. She already had four of their names down, so maybe she could be useful by learning the fifth.

Eventually, a boy approached the table. The first thing Leni noticed was the bashful grin present on his face. After that, there was his shaky hand running through his rough black hair.

"Hi Lori," he said nervously.

"Hi," Leni replied, using one of her hands to point to the racks, "Do you wanna buy s-"

"Leni," Lori retorted. Immediately, the younger sister clamped her mouth shut and dropped her arm. She gazed at her sister, noticing how she herself was smiling, "I'm so sorry about that. I'll help you out today."

"Uh, great. Because I saved up enough of my allowance to get me and my sister something nice," he said, pulling out the dollars and holding them out. Judged by his grip, it was a miracle none of them blew away.

Lori lightly giggled and got up, escorting the boy to the clothes selection. The silence that dominated the last few minutes was ancient history, as Lori began chatting up a storm, words that came too fast for her to follow. As she settled her eyes back to the rest of the cafeteria, she heard some soft laughter in her other ear.

"What's so funny?" Leni asked, turning to Carol.

"They're so cute together," she answered. Leni, though, was confused. Ever since they were little, Lori was the type of girl that thought "lovey dovey" stuff was gross. Leni specifically remembered those times when her sister watched Los Angels, gagging at how her favorite character had fallen into romance's nasty claws. Did she misread all of that?

"What are you talking about?" Leni asked, hoping to gain some much needed answers. Thankfully, Carol was at ease and looked more than ready to supply.

"That boy over there," Carol said, pointing to him. Sure enough, his smile had grown as she was listening to Lori, "that's Bobby, he's a kid in my English class. And," she stopped before giggling some more, "he has a big crush on your sister."

Leni gasped. That was new. But hearing those words was too much for her to handle. Suddenly, her little heart thumped as her gaping mouth morphed into a smile. All she could think about was those ships she often encountered on the Internet, such as GarryxPercy from Real Times Under the Sun. LorixBobby? That had a zing to it.

"Aww!" Leni squeed, "that's adorable! Why did nobody tell me about this?"

"She never told you about him?"

"No!" she exclaimed. A little too forceful, though. Leni blushed a little, embarrassed from her outburst. Nevertheless, Carol kept her tucked smile.

"That doesn't surprise me," Carol responded gently, watching the two interacting. Bobby held up several potential articles while Lori ran her mouth. Her eyes were transfixed onto him, ignorant of the two spectators on her gushing, "she refuses to admit it to me. She keeps saying how she never wanted a boyfriend and how she hasn't changed," but then she refreshed her smirk, Leni noticing, "but that's probably the least convincing lie in the school. I see those two taking every chance they get to chit chat. It's only a matter of time before they go out on a date."

Least convincing lie. While love was always cute, Leni realized by that point that there were massive events just whizzing past her while she just walked from one class to another and came home to make clothes. Lori didn't seem to be that conspicuous about it when she was in their room doing stuff. She wondered if there was anything else she should know.

"Hey Carol?"

"Yeah."

Was she really gonna ask this? Was now the appropriate time? For a flashing moment, Leni feared that Carol would become upset, kill that smile, and that she wouldn't want to be around her anymore. Given her past, it shouldn't surprise her that anything she could have done would have only left to pain. But, the urge just got to her. Here was a chance to finally gain some insight, after weeks of vague hints.

"How have things been with Lori? Are you, like, friends now?" she asked cautiously.

"Well we've been getting better," Carol replied. Luckily, her face didn't display anger, "The big hurdle has been Lori admitting she's wrong. It turns out that she did like what I've been doing to improve, but she's been having a hard time telling herself that. She didn't want things to change. But she's been coming around and it turns out that she's quite an interesting person."

As Leni watched her sister accept the bunch of money from Bobby, she heard Carol continue.

"Thanks for helping us become friends."

Leni smiled while Lori headed back to her chair. The older sister had a smile of her own as her fingers sifted through the green dollars.

"Hey Lori," Leni said teasingly, carrying a goofy grin.

"What?" she replied, pretending to not notice the tone. She opened the money box and slipped Bobby's dollars in one bill at a time. But Leni knew better. She knew that it really was only a matter of time.

The bell rang and the student body eased it ways up to dispose of their trash, finish any lingering discussions, or rush to their class on the other side of the school. Lori snatched the money box and rushed out of the cafeteria while Carol followed her.

Leni, meanwhile, stood behind the table and observed the waves of kids. Many of the faces in the ocean were unrecognizable (or at least not by name). She shifted her head back and forth, waiting for them to emerge. Why did they have to take so long to walk along? Of course, Leni concluded soon after. They actually cared about their social lives and saw too it to talk as much as possible, enjoy each other's company.

"I have to wait for this."

Through the mob, she saw the five girls approach the table. It was a shame that none of them came to buy anything, but that wasn't important. Leni sped walked over to them and attached herself to the small clump.

Thankfully, they continued their normal conversation. It was a relief that she wasn't enough of a nuisance to discourage them from being themselves. That was always a good start. Now, she had to just be herself.

Sure she wasn't able to get in a word. But being a good friend is more than just speaking your mind. It was about listening and learning more about the other people. It was the courteous thing to do. And Leni wasn't about to be rude.

It was rude enough she had to break off to go to her class Mrs. Lane. She tried saying goodbye, but they just kept talking and walking. She stared at them moving, wondering what they thought of her. Was she good enough in that brief exchange? Would she have enough evidence of her progress to present to Mrs. Lane?

"What was that other girl's name again?" was the burning question that greeted her as she entered that dreaded room.

Leni was wrapping up her reading homework. It was a fun little exercise where she read a cute story about a girl falling in love. While reading, she often looked back to Lori. Thankfully, she didn't notice her frequent observation. In fact, now that she was aware of her situation, little hints (text messages and code words she told friends that came over the House) started to take on new meaning. Thinking about her sister and her special little crush made answering the comprehension questions surprisingly easy.

She was learning. That was a skill she was capable of.

As she placed it all in her backpack, the door opened. The two sisters looked over to see their mother with a shy smile.

"Hi girls," she said, placing up a stationary hand, "can I talk to you two about something?"

Lori and Leni each looked at each other before nodding.

Taking the cue, Rita sat down gently on the end of Leni's bed.

"It's about Lisa," she started, trying to place as much space between each word as possible. By then, her hands were glued to her thighs, as if she was trying to take up as little room as possible. It was a little unsettling for Leni, "you might have noticed how me and her have been away for a while."

That was one thing that slipped the girl's mind. Between the Fashion Club, those five girls she walks with, and Lori, she didn't have much time to think about the littlest Loud. As if their sheer numbers already narrowed individual attention, Lisa was reclusive and displayed little interest in others.

"What about her?" Lori asked.

"We've been taking her to some doctors to get her checked out an-"

"And what?" Leni asked, practically demanding to know. She immediately regretted it. People with friends don't interrupt each other.

"Well," Rita said, sitting straight, presenting herself as professionally as possible. She then took a deep breath.

All Leni and Lori could do was wait for her to reveal it. And soon enough, her mother continued calmly.

"Your sister Lisa has autism."