Lori awoke to a splitting headache. It was like there was a troll inside, pressing against her skull trying to escape. She wanted to puke, but her stomach was empty.

Too tired to sit up, she squirmed in her bed in an attempt to wind up on her side. It was an instinct, a grueling journey to get the medicine she yearned for. Most of her body defied the movement, yelling at her to just go back to sleep. That, they said, was the true cure for her ailment. But Lori knew better than that. The nastiness wasn't gonna go away by passing out within the disgusting filth she was.

Eventually, she triumphed in her turn, leaving her eyes squarely on the opposite bed. Leni was just lying there. Her eyes were open and her hands were pressed along the top of her blanket. She must have been staring through the ceiling to some imaginary place beyond it, somewhere away from this toxic wasteland called reality.

"Good morning," Lori said, her voice trying to reach past the groggy filter a night's sleep has produced. But even through her blurry vision, she could see Leni's face transform. A small grin suddenly jutted out on her face.

"Good morning," Leni answered, still looking up. Her voice also carried that filter, but it's high pitch penetrated a tiny needle through it, leaving an interesting sound in its wake.

Yeah, something was wrong, Lori thought. After a whole night, nothing could have changed between either of them. She herself still felt rotten, so what made Leni so different? Besides, unlike anyone else, Lori claimed to know how her sister ticked. After years of observation, she felt like she knew Leni inside and out.

For instance, Leni couldn't stand the bitter taste of coffee. Each morning while she and the other teens had a pick-me-up mug from the steaming pot, Leni treated herself to a smoothie. Her favorite flavor was strawberry banana and she had it at three times a week (four if she was in a great mood). After that was chocolate, which she treated herself to once a week. And the other days were her "mix-up", where Leni would experiment with whatever was in the kitchen (as Luan pointed out, the results were mixed).

Also, Leni was a notoriously heavy sleeper. A lot of times, Lana barged into the room in the middle of the night when she had a bad dream. She'd come in screaming, yanking Lori's arm, pleading her to sleep in her bed. It was an annoying ordeal that always stirred Lori, but she took satisfaction in accepting the offer. Each time this happened, Lori would inevitably catch sight of her fellow roommate, who was but a frozen glacier in her bed (even during the times when Lana was absolutely hysterical).

Lori told herself this was just another typical case she could crack. It shouldn't be that hard to resolve.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Now it was time to act. Leni had to be lying, Lori told herself. She still feels guilty for getting, so she must be acting super happy to make up for it (way more than she actually was, of course). Leni may have been known around the House for being a bad liar, but Lori was the master detector; even when Leni thought she was being super clever, she always had the eye for the revealing details.

"Are you sure?" Lori asked. Normally around this stage, Leni would crack. Her younger sister had a tendency to feel bad to lie when she was reminded of how much her sister cared, eliciting the truth out. Some may call it cold calculation, but Lori considered it being a good sister. She had to get the demon emotion out of her patient one way or another.

"Yeah," Leni said, still looking up, "I feel better now."

For the next few minutes, both of them just lied awake. Each of them were too tired to move, but their eyes were too comfortably open to go back to sleep. It was of those rare moments where they could relax on the soft mattress, feel the soothing stillness on their limbs, and bask in the warmth under their blankets. Or at least, that's what Lori experienced. The nausea gradually subsided as she lied there, taking solace in the quiet surroundings. It didn't even matter what time it was.

Lori occasionally eyed her sister, who remained in her own bed. Was she under the same natural euphoria as she? It was nice, but it also made her ponder whether this was her younger sister's plan for the day. Did she want to do anything other than lie down and do nothing? Clearly, she must have gone into yesterday with at least a passing glimpse of her future agenda. Maybe those plans have changed. Maybe now she could spend her time with other matters. And the same applies for her.

"I'm free today if you wanna do some driving," Lori said, her voice easing its way to its normal timbre.

"No thanks," Leni answered slowly as she sifted upwards in her bed. Her shoulders inched their way until she was in a sitting position, "I've been doing a lot of that and I wanted to, like, take a break."

That seemed like a reasonable explanation. Of course, this could all just be another part of the lie. Leni must have resented her, ready to blow up at the next possible opportunity. If it was a lie, though, Leni was doing a surprisingly good job at hiding it. Normally, she would have cracked by now, spilling out the truth and apologizing for her "deception". But here, there wasn't any of that. Nor the erratic jerking of guilt-ridden eyes. Nor the sudden arm movements. Even as she was easing her way out of bed, it was one smooth motion, never yielding to the striking cold that often came when leaving her fuzzy cocoon.

The girl was obviously leaving. Lori needed to act fast if she wanted to get something done; it didn't seem like she was going anywhere soon.

"How about the Mall?" Lori said as Leni sat on the edge of the bed, "you think I'm gonna let you make my bed and not get anything in return? We can go together."

The staring eyes Leni gave her big sister was a mix between drowsiness, naïveté, and something. It didn't look like contempt, that feeling she seldom expressed. But it wasn't the excitement she had when talking about those shoes on sale. Of course, Lori was tired too. Perhaps she just wasn't seeing it.

"Maybe later."

Before she could say anything else, Leni was on her feet and out the door, leaving it open on her exit. Lori's eyes narrowed on that path leading to the hallway. Well, she told herself, it was something.

To clear her mind, she reached for her phone, which stood on the nightstand. No new messages from Bobby. When did that ever happen? And it was already 10. The coffee pot must have been put in the dishwasher by now.

With nothing better to do, Lori pulled out her laptop from under her bed. Her blind hand groped through the endless sea of shoes to reach that hunk of plastic, but at last it emerged. After booting it up, she encountered the same Word document that had been confronting her for weeks.

"If there's an obstacle I have overcome, it's been dealing with my ten siblings," she read. Lori's been meaning to come up with a better topic sentence (or as her English teacher called it, a "hook"), one to pop out at those boring grown ups that spend all day reading other kids like her talk about what makes them so special. Where was the hook?

Some of it came down to procrastination. Between homework, texting, dating, and utter laziness, Lori just didn't have the drive to continue with this essay (let alone edit it). But a lot of it came down to a tall brick fortress she had assembled some time ago. Lori couldn't remember when exactly she erected it, but she vowed herself to never let herself within its thick walls. Inside laid a stench worse than Lily's dirty diapers, a sound more wretched than Luna's shredding, and a sight uglier than her without makeup. And now, each word she typed was a cart wheeling out another piece of that experience, plastering the page with all its potency. It had to be done, but that didn't make it any easier for her to write.

Maybe instead of writing, a little proofreading was in order. It'd jump start her train of thought while possibly giving her new ideas. That made sense.

"I am the oldest of them and I often take care of them. I have to babysit, drive them around, and do all sorts of stuff for them. A lot of times I just roll my eyes, bothered that I'm required to do it all, wanting to leave them to their own devices. But I'm left to wonder what good that would do..."

Leni went straight to the kitchen. By now, Lincoln and Lily were having snack time; the former enjoyed his animal crackers while the latter had her baby mush. Both of them looked so happy, she thought.

"Good morning Leni," Lincoln said cheerfully, his eyes never leaving her as she moved to the kitchen cabinet.

"Hi," she replied, opting to look into the space for the appropriate ingridients. Usually, the fruit was in this cabinet. Perhaps it was moved. Alas, the day had barely started and she was already being tested. Was there ever such thing as a day off? After all, if she wanted to use her brain for non-fashion stuff, she would have gone to school today (if only they had those on Sunday).

"You were quite the sleepy head this morning," Linky said slowly, his voice leaning towards a half-hearted chuckle.

"I had such a good dream last night that I didn't want to get out of bed," Leni said as she found the bunch of bananas. Snapping one off the stem, she turned back to her brother. Like he sounded, his posture tried its very hardest to come across as relaxed, reassuring. And that small smile screamed to be viewed as easygoing. But even at this time of day, the low energy could almost pass off for that look. Almost, "but once I have my smoothie, I'll be up and kickin' again."

"That's good," he said, going back to his crackers.

The strawberries were in their usual spot in the fridge. At least there was one thing that remained natural, unchanging. Leni happily mushed the mixed fruit into the blender and switched it on. Within seconds, they all became fused into the creamy harmony Leni knew them so well for.

In some ways, making smoothies was like sewing. Knowing just the right blend of ingredients, hearing the constant humming buzz at the ears, and learning how to be patient. To Leni, those had become one in the same. Making smoothies wasn't all that different. It was so enjoyable making and savoring these treats that Leni herself was left to wonder why others wouldn't bother. She bet Lori would prefer the sweet thickness of strawberry banana over the watery saltiness that was coffee (her big sister just didn't have good taste).

Leni turned it off once she knew it was just right. There was a certain art to making the right smoothie, she found. The perfect smoothie had exactly one banana and seven strawberries in the blender; too many or too few strawberries would have mixed up the balance, making for a overly juicy (in the former case) or overly bland (in the latter).

And then there was the age-old question of how long to keep the blender running. For one, Leni learned long ago that to get it right, she had to focus entirely on the blender as it ran. As for the duration, she didn't have the precise number of seconds written down, but she always had the gut feeling of what it was. To help, Leni often tapped her foot on the ground ten times before turning it off (it hasn't failed yet). Of course, trial and error has taught her the hard way the consequences of messing up. Too short a time and the smoothie wouldn't have been a drink, but the lowliest form of food (fruit mush). Too long and the smoothie would have been a yucky, runny gloop (a little texture would be nice).

Pouring it into a glass, the beverage rolled out in a slow but existent pace. The viscosity test was passed. Now was the taste. Leni never had much apprehension with digging into her smoothies, regardless of what her tongue's reaction would be. As the two met, Leni felt the tempered sweetness fill her mouth with its creamy deliciousness. The euphoria befalling her was overwhelming (she couldn't believe she had gone two days without having these). Maybe today would be better after all.

Leni wondered what was going on in the living room. In a home with eleven children in it, they all had to be around somewhere. Taking her cup with her, she strolled into the room, where she saw the two twins lounging on the couch. As usual, the TV was on, leaving Leni to watch.

"And done!" Harrison said with a smirk. As he placed the phone down, he held up a piece of paper, "Why Barbara is the Worst Sister Ever," he read, "now all I have to do is get this to her room. That way, there's no way she won't get the message."

The door opened to reveal a taller bunny leaning against it. Her eyes were shut and her demeanor screamed apathy.

"Hey stupid brother," she said chilly.

"Barbara?!" he replied, exasperated. Harrison's eyes darted as he snatched the paper and stuffed it in his pocket. Leni had no idea that a bunny with no pants could still have pockets. Animals were weird, "what an...err...pleasant surprise it is to see my oldest sister," he said, feigning joy.

"Ugh," Barbara said, "listen twerp. I'm sorry I stepped on your stupid toy and I got you a stupid new one," her lazy arm swung around with some weird gizmo. Harrison's eyes widened as he accepted it.

"Thanks," he said softly.

"Whatever."

Barbara exited, closing the door on her way out. Harrison fiddled with the toy in his hands. After a second, he pulled out the piece of paper out his pocket. By now, it was a crumpled ball.

"Well I guess this is useless now," he said as he chucked it back over his head. And then, his face popped to life as brass instruments blasted in the background, "Wait a minute!"

Harrison's head then snapped so fast, Leni was surprised it didn't fly away. The camera raced forward, closing in on his landline.

"The message is on her voicemail!"

Harrison then got on his knees and shouted "No", flailing his arms around like a lunatic. So this was the state of cartoons nowadays, Leni thought to herself. Luckily, she heard both twins laughing at the scene.

"Oh man! She's gonna be furious," Lana said between chuckles.

"If anyone shouted that loudly in a House like our's, I'd tell them to shut up," Lola said. But even with that, it was clear that she also found the show pretty funny.

Leni smiled, seeing both her sisters getting along so well. She took another sip of her smoothie as the screen cut to Harrison frantically running around his room, rambling about something. As she did this, she wrapped her way around to the front of the couch.

"Hey girls," she said.

"Good morning Leni," Lana said, her eyes still on the screen. Lola simply waved as her body leaned forward. Leni herself even continued watching the show. She had already seen Lana watching it once, so it must be of some quality.

"So, like, once the show's over, do you wanna come upstairs and try some dresses on?" Leni asked, her eyes now on the screen as well, "you can try on that rainbow dress you really like."

By now in the show, Harrison was inching his way down a long hallway. His back was pressed against the wall, trying to avoid detection. But from what, Leni asked herself. If someone went upstairs or opened a door, they would have seen that little bunny just out in the open.

"Really?" Lola said exasperated, "you already got it for real?!"

"Well...no," Leni answered, "but, like, we're gonna buy it anyway. And, like, you were really excited and, like, it's in our room just there for us."

She then broke away from the screen and stared at Lola. That contact was enough for her little sister to reciprocate it. There was a mixture of excitement and surprise on her face. It was as if Lola was making sure that Leni had all her facts straight. Leni couldn't blame her.

"Please," Leni said, giving a desperately tiny smile, "I want to make you happy."

All either of them could hear was the suspenseful music and tip-toe sound effects. Lana was squished in the middle of this Loud sandwich, trying her best to focus on the show (she knew it wasn't about her).

"Okay," Lola said.

And like that, all three of them resumed the show. The episode wasn't anything special. Harrison tried to get his paws on Barbara's phone to delete the voicemail he left. Even though Leni didn't see it herself, she was able to pick up that it was something mean and bad. If only she knew its precise content. There were some jokes that left Lana and Lola besides themselves (and naturally, Leni forced herself to laugh because that was the appropriate response). Eventually, Barbara got her hands on her phone and Harrison was seen racing through the home to retrieve it.

"Hi Barbara," Harrison's sly voice rang out, "as your sweet, caring, not-stupid brother, I thought I tell you something veeeeeeeerry important. An-"

"Ugh, delete," Barabara said as she tapped that button on her phone. Upon her feet, Harrison fell flat on his face. While the older bunny scoffed at his pathetic attempt at drama, the boy gazed up, confused and terrified at the towering figure, "Listen, twerp. There's only two rules in this house. NO ONE goes in MY room and no one calls me! Do you understand?"

"Yes," he said nervously.

"Good," she said curtly, "now get lost, twerp. If you call me again, I will literally turn you into a rabbit pretzel!"

Harrison sighed in relief. It turned out that this conflict worked itself out in the end. And now everybunny can relax. At least, he appeared to be. Still lying on the groun, he lifted his head and turned to the camera.

"Boy, for a minute there I thought I was gonna be a rabbit pretzel. But today I've learned something special. I learned that just because my sister breaks my stupid toy, it doesn't give me any right to be mad," he said, smiling, "from now on, I'll just keep my fat mouth shut, never letting even a little bit of emotion out. Because when I let that happen, that just leads to trouble."

The boy then jumped to his feet. But just then, a crumpled ball bounced from his cute bunny pocket, landing at Barbara's feet.

"What the," she said, picking it up. The girl then took a moment to read, going over each of its insidious, spur of the moment insights. And then her eyes literally caught a blaze, "Harrison!"

The frightened boy then turned back to the audience.

"I really done it now! Don't be like me!"

The little bunny raced off screen as it cut to black, leaving two laughing children in its wake. Leni got up and rested the cup on the TV stand. She then turned to the two smiling twins. For a brief moment, she remembered her own childhood. She convinced herself that it was just like this, laughing, being close, doing things together. Leni wished it were like that.

"Did you wanna come with me?" Leni asked, standing in front of the screen, "it's that dress you really, really, really like."

Lana and Lola looked at each other, trying to read each other's faces. The older of the two never bothered with the fancy clothes stuff. T-shirt and overalls always did just fine in her eyes. But it was Lola's contemplation that confused Leni. Lola was the person that liked looking pretty, so that must meant she would always say yes every time to trying on dresses. She'd tell herself that she needed the best outfits, the best shampoo, the best lipstick in order to win a pageant. Wasn't that the basic instinct driving her at every waking moment?

"Up next is five straight hours of Crummy Ducks!" the TV rang out.

"Okay," Lola said. And just like that, she plopped herself from the couch. That was the Lola Leni was familiar with. Lana wasn't much different either, preferring to keep her eyes glued on the precious screen.

The two's ascent upstairs was most wordless; Leni preferring to gaze at the portraits lines along the way (all those smiles, the invaluable worth). And yet, she forgot to look at her own sister, a real person. It wasn't until they were back in her bedroom that she even made contact with Lola. In there, Lori was on her bed, staring at her laptop.

"Oh," Leni said with dry astonishment, "I didn't know you were, like, still in here."

"I was just in here," Lori said, her eyes darting to her two younger sisters, "doing...my thing."

Leni just stood there, not sure what to say. What was there to say? She already saw what her big sister was up to and she was kinda sure what her task was. The designer turned to the closet door, where its white surface was one with the wall surrounding it. There it was, she told herself. What was she waiting for?

"I was just gonna have Lola try on some stuff," Leni said, stumbling forward (not that it took Lori's eyes away from her work of art), "I was just, like, gonna take some of the dresses into Lola's room...if that's, like, okay with you."

"Sure," was all Lori could muster.

Even Leni was surprised by how easy the task was. She had this anxiety that Lori was gonna find some grounds to protest. Lola didn't belong in Lori's room, Lori's room was the only space where Lori could concentrate, Lori's room was to remain clean of gross kid cooties (or whatever). It was always her that acted as the stickler within their room; Leni saw no problem with an open door policy (even when it was shut). But now this? Maybe Lori wanted a break.

With the approval in place, Leni silently slipped into the closet. The space was lined with all sorts of outfits (there was scarcely a lonely hanger). But even in the myriad of colors, she pinpointed the rainbow dress within seconds. It was just as fresh and clean as it was when she last saw it. Lola's gonna love it, she told herself.

But why stop there? That was a question all on its own. Now that it was out in the open, Leni found her feet stuck to the carpet. There must have been "hundreds" of dresses in this closet of all kinds of varieties. There may even be another one that Lola liked. Yeah, Leni assured herself. She couldn't see any harm with taking out a few other outfits worth trying. And with that, Leni snagged three dresses bunched together, not even bothering to process their appearances. They would just have to do.

Leni hauled the four dresses out and saw Lola. It was only then that she noticed how excited she was to finally put on some "big girl" clothes, instant pageant knockouts. That was the spirit. And for once, it was Leni that made it so. The two made the brief, event less walk across the hall into the younger sister's room. Without the rambunctious Lana around, Lola stretched out her body, widening her stance.

"Gimme one," Lola declared.

"Okay," Leni said. She rested each of the dresses on her wrist and sorted through them like papers in a filing cabinet. One of them was a bold navy blue, an unusual color for Lola. It was too mellow and chill for someone like her and normally, Leni wouldn't have bothered with it.

"She's Lana's twin! They look exactly the same, you dummy!"

Leni turned to Lola's eager face. Maybe now that she caught that pageant-winning smile, there was a chance that perhaps this particular shade of blue could look alright on her. Besides, this was Lola. She could turn anything into a shining star!

"Here," she finally said, pulling out the blue dress, "try this one."

That childish smile deflated upon seeing the simple garb hanging before her. Lola went up and ran her fingers along the smooth fabric.

"I want the rainbow dress," Lola said, her voice rising, "I want the one Lori had!"

Leni stepped back. She should have known this reaction was coming. After all, she was dealing with the same person that snagged Lori's makeup because it "made her eyes pop". This was someone that resented compromise, always wanting everything to go her way. And yet, Leni had no right to complain. She had already overstepped her boundaries by yelling at Lori. Leni wasn't prepared to deal with the guilt of two acts of disrespect in two days.

"We'll get to it," she said nervously, using her arm to wave the blue dress up and down, "but I was thinking you would look totes cute in these other dresses. And, like, we haven't spent a lot of time together."

It was true. These days, it wasn't easy getting around to everyone else. Outside friends and alone time, most of the sisters picked one or two others (usually their roommate or someone close to their age) and spent a good chunk of their time with them. Leni was guilty of this, being around Lori just from their proximity. She adored her other siblings of course, but there just weren't enough hours in the day to get to them all. And the time she used up sewing and going on the Internet only added to the crunch.

"But I want it now!" Lola cried. By now, she was practically screaming.

Now, Leni was throwing her whole plan into question. She was gonna get to it eventually. After all, it was the pitch that got Lola to even join her. But now, the delay she had in place (her showcase of the other outfits she had) was being booted out by shrill projection.

"Okay," Leni said, her arm shaking as she pulled back the blue dress. It was a mistake to ever think this dress was worth the time of day. Leni couldn't believe what she was thinking by withholding the biggest prize for last. Didn't she know that Lola had better things to do than watch her bumbling big sister stall and waste precious minutes. Indeed, Leni pulled out the rainbow dress and held it out.

"Thanks," Lola said sweetly. Her entire faced had transformed just like that. That was Leni's reward for pleasing her little sister: squeeing, smiling, bouncing around. It was her duty to keep it that way, to never disrespect Lola's time again.

Lola didn't even bother taking off her usual pink dress. She chucked the blue one over her body as if it were a hefty blanket. Indeed, that outfit was way too big for a six year old, especially one of Lola's stature. Leni stood back, eyeing her sister as she fianngled her way inside the fabric. Her cute little arms jutted out the surface in their extensive effort to find the sleeves. Leni couldn't help but giggle at this childish effort. It was just that cute.

Eventually, Lola popped her head out the central hope. She stretched her arms out, but they lacked the length to traverse the hefty sleeves.

"Well, how do I look?" Lola asked, posturing herself to show off the purple and gold contrast.

"Totes great!" Leni replied as she pulled out her phone. Lola smiled upon seeing the phone, not noticing the gaping hole between her teeth. But what she did pick up on was Leni approaching her.

"Back there is far enough," she said, waving her hand. In effect, it was just purple fabric flapping back and forth.

"I was, like, gonna take a selfie with us," Leni said, looking at her phone, "sister bonding time."

Lola's arms dropped. Leni couldn't believe that she had done it again. Couldn't she get the hint that this shouldn't be about herself? Leni had thought that the whole time, this was only to make her little sister happy, the same one who was so excited to wear that dress. Any minute now, she would have gotten the brunt of Lola's wrath. And if she brought in Lori or her parents, Leni would have never found the end of it.

Instead, Lola just stared at her until blinking.

"Okay," she said, the syllables dragging.

Well, Leni thought, this was her chance. This was the thing that she found so "important" that she clammered, begged like a baby for. Better not waste any more time.

Leni brought her phone and knelt beside Lola. She hastily brought up her phone camera, causing the screen to become a mirror of them. The two instantly plastered the best "sisterly" smiles they could. All Leni could think as she snapped the picture was Lola. For someone that was impatient, she was quite the grinner. On a whim, she could take her orthodontic nightmare and spin it into an award-winning beauty. Leni was convinced that the girl didn't even need those fake teeth half the time. It was just that natural. And for that, Leni had asked for too much.

Leaning forward, she saw the result the camera had produced. As expected, Lola was simply stunning. Some day, she was gonna win some big contest wearing that dress. It was only a matter of growing, to fill those sleeves and roll back the stuff that dragged behind her.

Herself, though, was a different story. Leni already had her chance to grow. She couldn't see herself getting any taller, prettier, or smarter. She was stuck. And what a state to be in. Even after all her contemplation, she still couldn't get that stupid smile to look good. Why did it have to be so odd? The corners didn't line up with each other. The bottom lip was curled in too tightly while the top one was hanging out. It was the opposite problem of the bland face she gave on her portrait, the one she saw every time she went downstairs. But here, she was an ape. Why could she never be consistent? Lola was.

"Thanks," Leni said, despite all the protests. Asking for another was unheard of. She had tried it once with Lola and she had protested, demanded to know what was wrong with it. Of course, Leni could never give her the real reason; she was too young to understand. So what was she left with? Leaving her little sister thinking herself as the problem?

Luckily, Leni miraculously remembered that incident and restrained herself. But no sooner did she give her gratitude that Lola was out the door, the dress dragging along the carpet.

Leni briefly gazed around the twins' room. She couldn't believe Lola had just let her remain in this place, leaving all of her dolls and makeup vulnerable. What an unusual assumption for someone like her to make.

She then looked down at the picture she had taken. Lola was the embodiment of beauty, another reminder of her fame in the greater Detroit pageant circuit. The lower curve was just the right shape, perfectly smooth along its path. It didn't matter how she pulled it off, because Lola never messed up.

Come to think of it, Leni realized that she had no place in her little sisters' room. Not only did her presence risk the safety of any delicate objects, but Lola was bound to throw a righteous fit if she discovered her in there without her permission. Just because Lola had trotted off sporting that dress gave Leni no right to loiter about like a fool. She wasn't gonna be a dunce when she could help it.

She headed out into the hall, her eyes still glued to the picture. Leni tried telling herself that if she kept staring at that stilted face long enough, it would start to look natural. Isn't that how everyone else did it? Deep down, Lola must have also been weirded out by the smile and it was only a matter of time before she could bring herself to accept it. That had to be the answer. Leni hated feeling this way.

Where to go was the next question. Of course there was downstairs, where she could learn more about this Crummy Ducks show. With a name like, maybe it could be funny. If Lana liked it, there must have been some appeal to it, after all.

There was also a whole slew of siblings she could pester. Leni could have invaded Lincoln's privacy and apologize again, but she didn't want to relive that. Linky had already put up with enough of her incompetence. There was also Lisa and Lily, although she wasn't too sure what would come out of that. Was it gonna involve having Lisa dress up in these overly large outfits while she gave her a lecture about tough science-y stuff? Then there was barging into Lynn and Lucy, but she didn't have anything in common with the athlete and Lucy might have been too busy writing (that's all the girl seemed to do now). There was Luna and Luan (they were fun), but did they need her right now. Luna didn't need her anymore; she had her own band of friends that liked to play music and stuff. And Luan was too busy making money and making other people happy. Meanwhile, Leni just put pieces of fabric together and called it "passable".

Of course, there was always Lori. Sure, she was busy doing her very important thing. Lori was in the midst of applying to college, a task far above what Leni herself had ever envisioned for herself. Lori was going places and she didn't have time to deal with Leni's problems.

On the other hand, it was her room too. Unlike the others, she could (in theory) walk in there and just do her own thing without bothering anyone. Whether that was true was yet to be tested. Leni hated being wrong. It was a terrible domain she found herself in far too often, leaving her with a dim light of truth. Lori was right, so if she found her sister's presence a disturbance, then that meant Leni was getting in the way of that higher goal.

But where else was she to go? Leni had been out of her room for twenty minutes and she already made her usual impression. And besides, she had her phone to keep her distracted while Lori was at work. If her big sister did decide to address her, she would at least be ready for that.

Having decided her course, Leni made the short walk down the hall to the next door on the left. Putting one leg in front of the other wasn't that hard (that much she could do). It was only when she approached her own door that she hesitated. Leni, mindful of what laid behind it, leaned against the door, pressing her body against it. She slowly turned the knob and careened the door open, moving along with it. It produced a screeching creak, but Leni didn't know how she could stop it. Who made doors do that anyway? Clearly someone that wanted to make doors "idiot proof". Yeah, Leni thought, they wanted the doors to be safe from idiots using them.

Sure enough, Lori was practically frozen on her bed, her eyes transfixed on her laptop. Her fingers rested on the keyboard while her lips shifted about, as if trying to formulate words. So this was greatness at work, Leni concluded. Well, it was best to be quiet then.

Indeed, Leni went straight to her own bed, slowly easing her way down on the mattress. Unlike the door, the mattress didn't make noise (and certainly not the kind that disrupted the writing process). She took her phone and contemplated what to do. The Pony Forum was always a fun place to visit, one where there were always reviews, analysis, predictions, and theories on all things Princess Pony. Even if she didn't post stuff all the time, Leni felt right at home there.

The most recent episode was quite the wild ride; Flying Colors's parents finally got some screentime. Both of them were every bit as likable as they could. They were sweet, supportive, and loving of their only daughter in everything she did. Flying Colors, of course, had her flaws. She could be brash at times and she didn't always admit defeat when she should have, but Flying Colors was generally a decent pony. It was no wonder Rosy Cake befriended her. And if she ever saw the show, she would be Lynn's favorite by far.

Reading the latest posts was like medicine for Leni. Each one made her forget about some of the awkwardness the morning had imposed. Everything made sense on the Forum and everyone was so forthright with their feelings (sometimes to comical levels). And whenever she came across someone quoting Rosy Cake, Leni immediately liked their post.

Affer a few pages, Leni had even forgotten about the other sister in the room. It was purely her and her show meeting together in this room to make each other feel better. As difficult as it was to believe, Rosy Cake did get sad sometimes. All the promotional materials always had the party pony smiling and jumping around, but it was in those moments of vulnerability that drew Leni the most. Last month, another one arrived. In the episode, Rosy Cake had tried to help two ponies become friends, but she was so involved in the process that neither could have a real conversation or bond. It was Rosy's good intentions that drove the would-be friends apart, concluding that it wasn't worth it to be dictated how to go about their lives.

When Rosy was confronted with her mistake, she crumbled right before Leni's eyes. The mask fell, revealing a canvas stained by guilt and another tangible feeling. Leni was afraid to use words to describe, but she understood it nonetheless. Whenever moments like it arose, Leni was left with the feeling that this was Rosy's nature, as a sad pony desperately seeking others to say she's good enough. It made the songs about smiling seem more like a cry for help than a heartfelt ode to joy.

And perhaps, that's what she really liked about Rosy Cake. But not even Helen had that perspective; when she had asked Leni about Rosy, she said she enjoyed how the pony always made everyone else happy (and left it at that). Her family, of course, remained completely out of the equation. Leni truly was in her very own room with walls and a door and all that fun stuff.

"Hey Leni."

She snapped back to reality. That voice cut across the walls, reminding Leni of the perfection that graced her presence before her. She was compelled to turn. Lori was now looking her in the eye, her laptop pressed shut.

"I was literally gonna go to the Mall," Lori said casually, "wanna come?"

No making Lori's bed? No begging? Just a straight up, girls day out. Was this something Leni had truly earned?

"What about your college thing? Aren't you, like, doing that?" Leni asked.

No. Leni couldn't bear the thought of compelling Lori to stop her important work just to make her dumb little sister feel better. Did Leni really look that sad just now? Was her decision to invade Lori's privacy just a cruel trick to get her to give up her dreams just for a day buying some shoes? Leni felt a pit in her stomach just thinking of the possibility.

"I did get to work on it," Lori said, grinning and gesturing to her laptop, "I finished everything I wanted and I just need a break," she paused, "so what do you say?"

By now, Lori was staring straight into her eyes. For a request to go to the Mall, this came across as overly formal and mushy at the same time. But it was those eyes that clinched Leni. That wasn't just any look Lori was giving her; her gaze was filled to the brim with an authenticity that no amount of "literallys" or fake selfie poses could emulate. It was odd that she was getting this look even though it wasn't spring (and no one was crying). But, Leni always liked that look. It was a window into a special part of Lori that only Leni received most of the time.

Why her? What made Leni so special that Lori chose to do that type of confiding stuff just to her?

Well, Leni said, everyone needed a break sometimes. Even someone as pathetic as her. And she couldn't say no to that face.

"Sure!" Leni chirped.