Reversal of Fortune: Chapter 33: Troubled Youth
(Scene Change: Principal's Office)
Principal Huggins told Haiku, "Thanks, Hildegard, for your suggestion for an anti-bullying assembly run by the school staff and students themselves." He then groaned to himself, "Sometimes, I swear, it's like these kids do the opposite of what I say on purpose."
Haiku replied, "Don't worry, Principal Huggins. I'm sure this time, you'll get your point across. Especially with you guys doing the performance instead of some other group."
Principal Huggins nodded, "Mm-hmm," before checking his watch and noticing it read, "12:25 PM." In response, Principal Huggins told Haiku, "Now, you run along and have fun. I've got a lot of other students to handle today."
Haiku deadpanned, "You mean Lincoln and Clyde? Real pieces of work, those two."
Principal Huggins snapped, "Don't interrupt me," before clearing his throat and sighing, "Anyway, just go to recess."
Haiku walked out of the principal's office and waved, "Thanks, Principal Huggins."
Principal Huggins replied, "Don't mention it."
As Haiku walked out of Principal Huggins' office, she noticed Lincoln and Clyde sulking in their waiting room chairs. She spared them a quick glance and a smile, which both boys returned, before walking back to her classroom. As Haiku entered the hallways, Principal Huggins stomped out of his office and scowled, "Lincoln. Loud. Clyde. McBride. Please, come into my office."
For a split-second, Lincoln and Clyde glared at Principal Huggins, but when Principal Huggins put his hands on his hips and hardened his scowl at the two boys, they traded glances and gulped before walking together into Principal Huggins' office. When they finally arrived, Principal Huggins slammed the door shut before glaring at them. He then snarled at the two boys, "Come in. Take a seat."
Lincoln and Clyde again traded glances before taking their seats opposite Principal Huggins.
Principal Huggins then hissed at Lincoln and Clyde, "So, about your performance in the cafeteria today." He then opened a black binder on his desk and read off some of the things Rusty, Chandler, Matt, and Todd had told him about the concert: "Rigging the lighting and the school PA system to play an inappropriate song. Dressed like gang members, singing the lyrics of said inappropriate song to kids as young as 6 years old. There were FIRST GRADERS watching you kids. FIRST GRADERS! And you have the nerve to tell them, the future of our school, that whenever they get in trouble, it's OK to say, 'It wasn't me.'"
Lincoln and Clyde traded glances and blankly responded, "Wasn't me."
Principal Huggins clasped his hands on his head and stammered, "Grr… geh… gah-", before ranting, "That is exactly what I'm talking about! Royal Woods Elementary School is a respectable institution, and in addition to our academics, we aim to promote solid character values that will help guide the future leaders of this society!"
Lincoln and Clyde traded glances and barely stifled snickers, making Principal Huggins slam his fists on his desk in frustration as he scolded them, "But no, you two don't care about any of that!"
Principal Huggins then turned to Clyde and scolded him, "Mr. McBride. Perfect Attendance winner. I would've made you my Junior Administrator had it not been for your behavior over the past few weeks. I'm very disappointed in you. Getting into fights. Disrupting the learning of the female students of this school. Causing said female students to break out into riotous frenzies wherever you go! Which includes them breaking a cafeteria table just to sit next to you! Never mind the fact that you dress like a gang member, especially with that Jamaican accent thing you're doing now! Our students speak English, Clyde! English! Or at least they did until you started with that accent of yours! I can't even understand half the stuff being said in my hallways nowadays! I don't know what happened to you, Clyde, but whatever it is, it stops right here."
Clyde protested, "Yo, mans just cheesed because I'm greezy, eh? Fix up ya headtop, fam. Matter of fact, lookin at mans, yo, a man need to boom, styll."
Principal Huggins groaned and facepalmed, "Moving on." He then turned to Lincoln and seethed, "And then, there's you."
Principal Huggins then went on to scold Lincoln, "I know your family's been rambunctious before this. Bringing your sisters to school for a project, only for one of them to play a prank on your teacher just because she felt like it. But you? You take the cake. Posting a video that made one of your fellow female classmates so uncomfortable that she had to switch classes. Making another female classmate cry with hurtful words. Nearly killing your class' pet tarantula. Scamming your classmates and teachers with advice on dating girls and framing it as a 'school project.' Convincing your older sister to take your place on the school football team as a seventh grader. Slithering your way out of a school-sponsored internship. Repeated tardiness. Numerous late, or missed, homework assignments. Causing an entire kindergarten class to fall ill with strep throat by convincing your younger sister, Dr. Lisa Loud, to not heal them. And then, there's everything that happened today."
Lincoln started, "I-", before Principal Huggins interrupted him, "Drawing a comic during class time, when you're supposed to be focused on your teacher's lesson. Inappropriate personal displays of affection with a female student, which caused her to faint."
Lincoln tried to defend himself, "Sir-", but Principal Huggins angrily interrupted him, "Up-up-up! I'm not going to hear any more excuses from you future delinquents!"
He then pointed at Lincoln and Clyde and yelled at them, "You two have gone too far! You two are suspended today and tomorrow! And during that suspension, neither of you are allowed to set foot on school property!"
Lincoln and Clyde gasped.
Lincoln pleaded with Principal Huggins, "But-", before Principal Huggins interrupted him, "Two days!"
Lincoln again started, "Please," only for Principal Huggins to interject, "THREE DAYS!"
Lincoln raised his hand to speak before Clyde whispered to him, "Be quiet, or he might suspend you even longer."
Lincoln groaned, "Fine, Principal Huggins."
Principal Huggins then yelled, "Giving me attitude, huh, Loud? FOUR DAYS!"
Lincoln looked down and sulked helplessly. Principal Huggins then scowled at Lincoln and Clyde before telling them, "I'm calling your parents right now to pick you up and take you home! And don't even think about 'Yo, yo, dawg'-ing your way out of this one!"
Lincoln and Clyde's eyes popped out of their sockets in terror as Principal Huggins dialed Lynn Loud Sr.'s number on his office phone.
When Lynn Sr. picked up, he answered, "Hello?"
Principal Huggins snarled, "Good afternoon, Mr. Loud. This is Principal Huggins of Royal Woods Elementary School. I'm calling you to talk about your son, Lincoln."
Lincoln and Clyde glanced at each other and gulped.
Principal Huggins continued, "Your son's behavior today has been rather troubling. I caught him in class earlier today drawing a comic instead of paying attention to his teacher, so I confiscated said comic." After a brief pause, Principal Huggins shouted, "Then, at lunch, he, along with a classmate of his, sang an inappropriate song in the lunchroom, causing the entire cafeteria to break into chaos! During said performance, he even caused a girl to faint!"
Principal Huggins briefly paused before continuing, "Yes. Due to Lincoln's actions, he is in the office with me right now. He has been suspended for four days, and-", before his jaw dropped at Lynn Sr.'s next question.
After hearing Lynn Sr.'s question, Principal Huggins stammered, "A squirrel suit? Why is that-", before being interrupted by a frantic Lynn Sr., "DOES HE HAVE THE SQUIRREL SUIT ON?"
Principal Huggins murmured, "Uh, no."
Lynn Sr. panted into the phone before assuring Principal Huggins, "Hold on, I'll be right over."
Principal Huggins started, "B-but Mr. Loud," before noticing the hang-up sound coming from his phone line.
Principal Huggins briefly stared at his phone in shock before putting it back on his desk. After doing so, he sneered, "It seems like your parents are coming to pick you up." Lincoln and Clyde gulped, and Principal Huggins savored Lincoln and Clyde's terror as he snarled, "Now, Clyde, to call your parents."
Lincoln and Clyde traded glances as Principal Huggins dialed Harold McBride's phone number.
Harold picked up and answered, "Hello?"
Principal Huggins sneered, "Good afternoon, Mr. McBride. This is Principal Huggins speaking. I'm calling to you about your son, Clyde."
Harold gasped, "Oh, good heavens! Is he hurt? Did he have an allergic reaction?"
Principal Huggins explained, "No, Mr. McBride, he's in trouble! Dressed like a gang member, your son caused the entire cafeteria to break out into a riotous frenzy at lunch! If I were you, Mr. McBride, I'd seriously take the one-day suspension I've given Clyde to re-evaluate the way you're raising your child, BEFORE HE ENDS UP IN THE ELECTRIC CHAIR!"
After calming down, Principal Huggins grumbled, "Now, go pick up your son and get him out of my sight," before hanging up and slamming his phone on his desk. He then told Lincoln and Clyde, "Now, go back to Secretary Farrell and wait for your parents to pick you up."
Lincoln and Clyde slowly walked out of the office before taking their seats in the office's reception room near Cheryl. As they took their seats, they noticed Rusty sitting next to them, crossing their arms and smirking at them.
Lincoln asked, "Rusty, what are you doing here?"
Principal Huggins yelled at Lincoln from his office, "NO MORE TALKING, OR YOU GET FIVE DAYS SUSPENSION!"
Rusty scoffed, "Yeah, Chain-Linc. What he said."
Lincoln and Clyde gasped before harshly glaring at their former friend as they heard Principal Huggins say, "Rusty Spokes… in my office."
Rusty quickly got up from his seat, nearly knocking down his chair in the process as he assured Principal Huggins, "Oh, coming!"
When Rusty arrived at Principal Huggins' office, Principal Huggins told him, "Mr. Spokes, take a seat."
Rusty stammered, "Oh, yes sir," as he quickly sat down across from Principal Huggins.
Principal Huggins stared Rusty down before telling him, "Rusty, I hope you learned your lesson from the last time I saw you."
Rusty sighed, "I know. Don't interrupt a school assembly, and don't wear racist clothes."
Principal Huggins replied, "Good." He then steepled his hands as he complimented Rusty, "However, I appreciate you and your classmates telling me about the hooliganism in the cafeteria at lunch. There was a little girl who fainted during that hubbub. Your quick action might have saved her life."
Rusty beamed, "Really? Thanks, Principal Huggins! Can you believe the nerve of some people?"
Principal Huggins responded, "No, Rusty, thank you. Thanks to you, we managed to put the rascals behind this to justice. So, as a man of principle, I'm going to give you a chance to make things up to your fellow students."
Rusty asked, "What do you mean?"
Principal Huggins sighed, "There have been a lot of… erm… bullying incidents at our school lately, as you may have noticed. A lot of parents are giving me flak, and the students at this school have seemed to become increasingly unruly lately."
Rusty scoffed, "Believe me, you wouldn't know the half of it."
Principal Huggins agreed, "I know. Another student even addressed the bullying issues that one of her classmates has been having lately. And while I don't appreciate the way you went about expressing your feelings at last week's anti-bullying assembly, I appreciate your enthusiasm. So, I'm willing to cut you a deal."
Rusty replied, "Lay it on me."
Principal Huggins told Rusty, "We're going to be doing another anti-bullying assembly on Thursday. Now, in order to make the assembly more personable to our students, the teachers and I are going to coordinate this assembly ourselves. But we need a student representative to get our message across… someone who is in touch with what's 'hip' among the kids, to avoid a debacle like that of the last assembly. As such, I'm offering you full creative control over this assembly."
Rusty stammered, "W-w-what? Are you serious?"
Principal Huggins nodded, "Yes. You'll stay after school for an hour today and tomorrow, and you'll stay inside for recess, helping us prepare for the presentation. However, you'll have to use the supplies available to the school. Any supplies or elements to the presentation that you want to bring will have to be approved by either me or your teacher, Mrs. Johnson, first. This will effectively pay off your remaining detention, and any student caught bullying you will be immediately suspended."
Rusty cried, "W-wow! I don't know what to say! Thanks, Principal Huggins! And trust me, you won't be disappointed!"
Principal Huggins responded, "Yes," before suggesting, "Oh, and by the way… just to avoid any 'accidents' like last time, wear some diapers, OK?!"
A confused Rusty asked, "Diapers? Why would I need diapers?"
When Principal Huggins deadpanned at Rusty in response, Rusty remembered his last performance and said in realization, "Oh."
Principal Huggins then smiled, "Well, we'd better get started! We only have three days to prepare, after all!"
Rusty beamed, "OK!"
As Rusty followed Principal Huggins out of his office, he danced and chanted to himself, "Rusty is back! Rusty is back!"
Meanwhile, Lincoln and Clyde watched Rusty with their jaws agape.
Lincoln stammered, "D-d-d-did P-Principal Huggins just say w-what I think he said?"
Clyde replied, "I think he did. But yo, a man like you finna be off this, still."
Lincoln groaned, "Thank God. I just hope the Sweetwaters can figure something out with Principal Huggins. Their place is blessed, still."
Clyde smiled, "Szeen," before dapping up Lincoln.
(Scene Change: 12:45 PM, Playground)
As the bell rang signaling the kids to return to class, Lola whined to Lana, "There was a big concert, and we missed it! WHY COULDN'T WE HAVE BEEN THERE?! Lola Loud does NOT miss ANYTHING GOSSIP-WORTHY! Who was in it? What did they sing? Were there any kisses? Lola Loud MUST KNOW THIS INFORMATION!"
Lana scoffed, "Please, Lola, a limo ride is way better than any school concert those fools could put on! Remember Lincoln's lame friend?"
Lola admitted, "Yeah," before shrieking, "BUT STILL!"
Lana snickered, "Calm down, Lols. As long as you've got that tacky wig on, you might want to be away from that school, anyway." What with-", before Lola shrieked, "IT'S NOT TACKY! IT FITS ME PERFECTLY!"
Lana chuckled, "Mm-hmm. Keep telling yourself that, Lols," before breaking into hysterical laughter.
Lola yelled at Lana, "HEY!", before tackling Lana to the ground and starting yet another violent brawl with her that was, fortunately, away from the prying eyes of any teachers.
(Scene Change: Principal's Office)
As Lincoln and Clyde waited for their parents, Howard and Harold McBride slammed the office doors open.
When Clyde noticed the angry looks on his parents' faces, he squeaked, "Dads!"
Howard and Harold ignored Clyde as they walked to Cheryl. Harold started, "Good afternoon, Ms. Farrell. We're here for our son, Clyde McBride."
Ms. Farrell chirped, "Oh, he's right here! But Principal Huggins would like a word with you first."
Howard asked, "Is Principal Huggins here?"
Ms. Farrell replied, "No. I'll let you know when he is."
Harold nodded, "OK. Because when he comes in, we need to talk to him about letting us take Lincoln home as well for the duration of his suspension."
Lincoln, Clyde, and Cheryl gasped at Harold's suggestion, and Cheryl even stammered, "W-well Mr. McBride… this is a most unusual request. Why would you want to take Lincoln home?"
Harold told Cheryl, "It's a long story. One we'd prefer to discuss with Principal Huggins ourselves."
Cheryl smiled, "Well, OK!"
(Scene Change: Good Sport Sporting Goods)
Rita grumbled in frustration, "Agh! There's no ding-dang squirrel mascot suits anywhere here!"
Lynn Sr. shuddered, "Bad luck. So… much… bad… luck."
Rita reassured Lynn Sr., "Honey, it's fine! We'll just go to another store! I'm pretty sure they have some costumes at the Royal Woods Mall!"
Rita's phone then suddenly rang in her pocket. When she saw the caller ID, "Royal Woods High School," she pressed the "Call" button and answered, "Hi, Rita Loud speaking."
Principal Rivers answered the phone, "Hello, Mrs. Loud. I'm calling about two of your daughters, Lori and Luna Loud."
Rita worriedly asked, "Lori? Luna? What about them? Are they OK?"
Principal Rivers sighed, "Your daughters are fine. They're just in serious trouble."
Rita gasped as Principal Rivers explained, "Lori and Luna were reported absent for each of the first two classes of the school day. Upon checking our security cameras and interviewing other students and staff, I found out that both Lori and Luna took numerous pictures of Leni in her Nazi outfit this morning in our school's auditorium, and posted these pictures to a social media website… um… SwiftyPic, I believe it's called. Due to their actions, they have been suspended from school for four days."
Rita gasped, "Four days?!"
Principal Rivers deadpanned, "Yes, Mrs. Loud, four days. Now, I want you to come to Royal Woods High School to pick your daughters up."
Rita stammered, "O-O-Okay. See you."
Principal Rivers replied, "See you," before hanging up.
As Rita panted, Lynn Sr. asked, "Honey, what's wrong?"
Rita whispered, "It was Principal Rivers. From the high school. She just suspended Lori and Luna for 4 days."
Lynn Sr. gasped, "4 days?! How could that happen?!"
Rita explained, "Lori and Luna posted pictures of Leni in the SS outfit on their SwiftyPic accounts. Principal Rivers asked us to come immediately."
Lynn Sr. muttered to himself, "Oh, gosh ding-dang-darn it!", before fretting, "Honey, what are we going to do? We already have to pick Lincoln up because he got suspended, and now, Lori and Luna? And they both want us there right now! We can't be in two places at the same time! And with Lincoln not being in the squirrel suit… oh my god! That's why everything's falling apart! Oh, when Lincoln gets home, I'm gonna get Lisa to lock him in the squirrel suit permanently!"
Rita urged a fuming Lynn Sr, "Honey, relax! Relax!" She then tightly hugged Lynn Sr. and told him, "That's it, breathe. Breathe."
After Lynn Sr. took a couple of deep breaths, Rita asked, "Now, how do you feel, honey?"
Lynn Sr. panted, "A little better."
Rita sighed, "Good," before telling Lynn Sr., "Now, here's what we're going to do. I know we're scared of… erm… Lincoln's bad luck since he's not in the squirrel suit, but this might be an opportunity for us."
Lynn Sr. asked, "Opportunity? What do you mean, opportunity?"
Rita started, "We need Lincoln's good luck, right?"
Lynn Sr. nodded, "Yeah."
Rita continued, "And when Lincoln got the lucky squirrel suit the first time, he didn't tell us anything about it. All we know is that it fit him."
Lynn Sr. pondered, "Exactly. But what are you…", before gasping, "Oh my god! We've got to have Lincoln here to see if he fits in the squirrel suit costume!"
Rita smiled, "Exactly," before explaining, "So, here's what we're going to do. We pick up Lincoln, take him to the costume shop to see what squirrel suit fits him, and then, we go to the high school to pick up Lori and Luna!"
Lynn Sr. gasped, "Are you kidding me? Are we really going to let Lincoln in our car… without the squirrel suit? There won't be any squirrel suits left if he's there with us! Without the squirrel suit!"
Rita begged Lynn Sr., "I know it's a risk, but it's the only choice we have." Seeing that Lynn Sr. was still not convinced, Rita whispered, "And besides, without those kids around, we won't have to worry about them yelling, 'Lincoln's bad luck!'"
Lynn Sr. pondered, "Hmm…", before smiling, "Well, you've got yourself a deal."
Rita chuckled, "Alright. Now, let's go get Lincoln!"
The determined parents quickly ran out of the store, hopped in Vanzilla, and set course for Royal Woods Elementary School.
(Time Skip: 15 minutes later, Royal Woods Elementary School, Principal's Office)
A horrified Principal Huggins sat at his desk with his jaw agape as Harold told him, "That's the gist of Lincoln's situation."
Howard pleaded with Principal Huggins, "And that's why, we're begging you, please, let us supervise Lincoln during his suspension."
For a few seconds, Principal Huggins' office was completely silent.
Harold tried to break the silence by asking Principal Huggins, "Is everything OK?"
Principal Huggins shook himself out of his trance before stammering, "Umm… y-yeah. I-I mean… wow." He then clasped his hands on his head and cleared his throat before telling the McBrides, "With all due respect, Mr. McBride and Mr. McBride, even with Lincoln's recent behavior and pattern of… erm… suspicious absences, I find this all very hard to believe. And besides, board policy dictates that in the event of a suspension, the suspended child must remain in the care of his parent or legal guardian. Who, according to my files, are Lynn Loud Sr. and Rita Loud. So, as much as you two are his emergency contacts, unless you can provide hard evidence for these wild claims, Lincoln will have to be in the care of Lynn Loud Sr. and Rita Loud for the duration of his suspension."
Howard responded, "Oh, about that, just ask the Sweetwater parents. They have-", before Principal Huggins snarled, "Funny thing about Brian and Linda, those two. Last week, some joker hacked into the computer systems and listed them as Lincoln's parents, complete with contact info."
Howard, Harold, and Clyde optimistically gasped, "They did?!"
Principal Huggins nodded before continuing, "When I found out, I got some computer guys and had it changed back." He then sighed, "So again, unless you have some solid evidence of the events you two just described, Lincoln will have to go home with his parents."
At that precise moment, Lynn Sr. and Rita slammed the door open to the school's reception area.
Cheryl greeted them, "Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Loud. Principal Huggins has been expecting you two. Just give him a few moments, he's busy right now."
When Lynn Sr. and Rita turned around and locked eyes with Lincoln, they froze. Lincoln was deadpanning at them, with the tiniest hint of terror in his eyes. And he was out of the squirrel suit.
Lynn Sr. and Rita paled as they blinked in shock and fear. After a brief staredown with Lincoln, they sprinted out of the office screaming.
As they ran back to Vanzilla, Rita told Lynn Sr., "Can't do it! Can't do it!"
Lynn Sr. panted, "Yup! I know what you mean! You stay back and watch Leni, Luan, and Lily! I'll go get a squirrel suit for Lincoln and pick up Lori and Luna!" As Lynn Sr. and Rita jumped in Vanzilla and hightailed it out of Royal Woods Elementary School, their tires could be heard screeching from halfway across the school.
Everyone in the office sat or stood still with their jaws dropped. Back in the office, Principal Huggins assured the McBrides, "I'm going to call them."
The McBrides exchanged nervous looks as Principal Huggins called Lynn Sr. When Lynn Sr. picked up the phone, Principal Huggins answered, "Good afternoon, Mr. Loud. I just saw you and your wife run out of the-", before hearing Lynn Sr. yell at him through the line, "HE'S BAD LUCK! GET EVERYBODY OUT OF THERE! GET YOURSELF OUT OF THERE! Uh… no… LOCK DOWN THE SCHOOL! I BEG YOU! SOMEBODY COULD GET SHOT!"
Rita cried, "THERE COULD BE A MOLESTER HIDING BEHIND THE TREES!"
Principal Huggins held the phone away from his ear as his jaw dropped for the umpteenth time that afternoon. As Principal Huggins continued to hear the panicked cries of the Loud parents, his finger slowly hovered over the "hang up" button before he ultimately pressed it.
After putting his phone down on his desk, Principal Huggins exasperatedly sighed, "Fine. I suppose that you two, as Lincoln's emergency contacts, can supervise him due to the Loud parents' apparent temporary insanity."
Harold and Howard gasped before Harold solemnly replied, "Thank you, Principal Huggins."
Principal Huggins then informed the McBride parents, "However, as Lincoln's temporary guardians, there will be some forms you'll have to fill out."
As Principal Huggins placed a large stack of papers on his desk, Howard, Harold, and Clyde groaned, "Dang it."
(Time Skip: 2:30 PM)
Principal Huggins returned to the office with photocopied versions of the signed forms for the McBrides to keep. He then sat down and started, "Alright, so, just as a reminder, let's go over the basic rules. You are to call us every school day at 9:00 AM, 11:45 AM, 12:45 PM, and 3:30 PM to let us know that Lincoln is in your care. Lincoln must also answer said phone calls. As Lincoln's temporary guardians, you legally hold the same responsibilities as his parents, as far as this school is concerned, until his suspension is over, at which point caregiver status will be transferred back to Lynn Loud Sr. and Rita Loud, unless video evidence is provided to prove otherwise. In addition, video evidence must be provided of you two meeting with Lynn Loud Sr. and Rita Loud regarding Lincoln's situation, and asking them to supervise Lincoln. If these conditions are met, then I will agree not to call the police or Child Protective Services, or to investigate this situations further."
Howard, Harold, and Clyde briefly recoiled in terror, causing Principal Huggins to scowl, "Is there a problem?"
Howard stammered, "Uh… no. Thank you, Principal Huggins."
Principal Huggins replied, "Don't mention it." He then unlocked a cabinet behind him, revealing two photocopies of Lincoln's comic. Principal Huggins took one of the copies and handed it to Harold, telling him, "Before you go, here's the comic I confiscated from Lincoln earlier today. If I were you two, I'd give it back to him when he learns to behave."
A stunned Harold responded, "Umm… yeah… thanks, Principal Huggins. Uh, we're gonna go now."
Principal Huggins sent off the McBrides, "You do that."
As the McBrides left Principal Huggins' office, Principal Huggins called, "Clyde?!"
When Clyde turned around to look at Principal Huggins, Principal Huggins scolded him, "I expected a lot better out of you. Hopefully, your time at home will give you a chance to reflect on who you have become, and whether you want to keep being that person."
Clyde frowned at Principal Huggins before joining his parents in the school's reception area. When they met with Lincoln, Harold grumbled, "Come on, Lincoln. Let's go."
As Lincoln and the McBrides walked out of the office, Howard comforted him, "Look on the bright side. At least Principal Huggins gave you your comic back," before showing him said comic.
Lincoln carefully looked over the comic, furrowed his brow, and realized, "Wait… this is a photocopy!"
Harold reassured Lincoln, "Don't worry, sweetie! You still have a copy of the comic in your hands! When's the deadline for that comic contest?"
Lincoln replied, "4 PM, but it doesn't," before Howard interrupted him, "Then what are we waiting for?! Lincoln, take us to wherever you had to submit that comic so you can still win that contest!"
Clyde pointed out, "Uh… guys… photocopies not lowed in di contest, styll."
Howard and Harold gasped before Lincoln sighed, "Clyde's right. It's an original copy ting. And Principal Huggins stole my original comic."
Harold asked, "Then, what are we waiting for? Let's go get the original copy from Principal Huggins!"
Lincoln tried to beg the McBrides, "Guys-", but before he could start saying anything, the McBrides had already re-entered Principal Huggins' office. Lincoln asked himself, "Why would Principal Huggins give me a photocopy, unless-", before gasping in realization, "Oh my god." He then roared, "THAT ASSHOLE!", before angrily stomping into the office's waiting area.
Meanwhile, in the office's waiting area, Harold told Cheryl, "I want to see Principal Huggins."
Cheryl asked, "Why?"
Harold started, "Because-", before Lincoln begged him, "STOP!", causing the McBrides to gasp in shock.
Howard started, "But Lincoln-", to which Lincoln growled, "Let's go."
Howard and Harold gave Lincoln shocked looks before asking him, "What?"
Lincoln shouted, "I said let's go!", causing Howard and Harold to jump back in fright. Seeing the McBride parents' frightened looks, Lincoln panicked, "Look, you know my ex-housemates! Who knows if Spooky's looking for me? Or Pink? Mud? The evil genius?" He then sighed, "I think it's best that we get out of here as quickly as possible. I'll talk to you about it in the car."
As Lincoln slammed the door open and walked out of the school, Howard, Harold, and Clyde traded glances before Clyde told his parents, "Lowe him. Man's vexed right now."
Harold started, "But-", before catching Principal Huggins glaring at them out of the corner of his eye. When Harold noticed this, he sighed, "Lincoln's got a point. There'll be other comic contests. Come on, let's go home."
With that, the McBrides followed Lincoln out of the school's office and headed home.
(Scene Change: 3:30 PM, Ms. Van Slyke's Class)
As the rest of the class lined up in a single-file to leave for the day, Brittany allowed Lucy to cut in front of her, an opportunity Lucy took. Unfortunately, Brittany immediately started taunting her, "Neigh! Neigh! Neigh!"
The rest of the class laughed as Ms. Van Slyke crossed her arms and scolded, "Brittany… back in front of Lucy!" However, the school bell rang, causing Ms. Van Slyke to sigh, "Alright, class dismissed."
Ms. Van Slyke's students immediately ran out of the classroom, leaving Lucy and Haiku in the dust. Lucy and Haiku traded glances and muttered to each other, "Sigh," before walking out of the classroom together.
However, as soon as Lucy and Haiku set foot outside the classroom, Sasha immediately tackled Lucy from behind and sat on top of her, slapping her back as she yelled, "Go horsey, go! Go horsey, go! To detention, horsey!"
The rest of the hallway laughed hysterically as Sasha continued to slap Lucy's back, chanting, "YAH! YAH! YAH!"
Lucy stayed still and silent as Sasha slapped her until she eventually collapsed on the ground to the continued laughter of her fellow students.
After Lucy stoically collapsed on the ground, Sasha got off of her and began kicking her side, yelling, "Get up, horsey! Get up! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh!", as the rest of the students continued to laugh at her. But when Lucy laid down and took it, Sasha scoffed, "Well, you're no fun!", before walking off.
Haiku then helped Lucy up and concernedly asked her, "You sure you're going to be able to handle this?"
A paper ball hit Lucy as she replied, "Sigh. Yes."
Haiku urged Lucy, "Let's go."
As the two walked through the halls, away from the laughing students, Lucy took her backpack in her hands and opened it, prompting Haiku to ask her, "What are you doing?"
Lucy groaned, "If those rotten bitches didn't take it, it should still be good." When Lucy pulled an orange book out of her backpack, she triumphantly said, "Aha! Found it!"
Haiku asked Lucy, "What is that?"
Lucy asked, "Are you sure you wanna see it? It's cursed, according to my family."
Haiku rolled her eyes before responding, "I'm game."
Lucy opened the orange book, revealing Lincoln's photo album. As Lucy flipped through the album to find the picture she was looking for, Haiku gasped, "Baby Lincoln?! Keep it there, let me see! Let me see!"
Lucy urged Haiku, "As much as I want to reminisce, there's one picture I want." When Lucy finally arrived on the picture she wanted, she stopped the book and carefully studied it. It was Lincoln's crudely drawn picture of his family from when he was in kindergarten.
When Haiku saw the picture, she briefly gushed before looking at a forlorn Lucy. When Haiku caught Lucy's downcast expression, she asked Lucy, "Are you OK?"
Lucy sighed, "No. Haiku, where did it all go so wrong?"
Haiku asked, "What?! What do you mean?"
Lucy admitted, "My family. Yeah, 'chaos with 11 kids, that's the way it always was.' But at the end of the day, we loved each other, and always came through for each other. I don't know if it's just been these past few months, or if it's always been like this with Lincoln. But, he didn't deserve this."
Haiku questioned Lucy, "Didn't deserve what?!"
Lucy shrank as Haiku's gaze intensified. Sensing the knowing gaze of her friend, Lucy sighed, "If I tell you, you must promise to not tell a soul."
Haiku assured Lucy, "You have my word."
(Scene Change: 5 minutes later, Detention Room)
As Haiku and Lucy stopped in front of the detention room, Lucy told a faux-horrified Haiku, "So yeah… that's what happened."
The two goths remained silent for a few seconds. Then, Haiku slapped Lucy in the face.
Lucy cried, "Oww."
Haiku snarled, "How could you do that to your only brother?"
Lucy looked down and admitted, "Sigh. I deserve that."
Haiku growled, "You bet you did. Now, get out of my sight and get into detention. It's the least someone like you deserves," before turning away from Lucy.
Lucy ran to Haiku and begged her, "Haiku, wait!"
Haiku stopped in her tracks before Lucy sighed, "Look, I know what I did was beyond the pale. And I know that we have a proclivity towards darkness, but that some things are too dark for even me."
Haiku scowled, "Like what?"
Lucy explained, "The thought of my own brother dying. And not just because a stranger could have taken him away. The antics of our house alone are enough to kill him. I've got a little sister who put tracking chips in our brains, my roommate threatened Lincoln with a baseball bat at the edge of the stairs, and I have big sisters who regularly sound-blast him out of our room and threaten to turn him into a human pretzel. Not to mention April Fools' Day and the Sister Fight Protocol."
Haiku raised an eyebrow at the mention of those incidents before Lucy continued, "Look. I know you're mad, but, at least let me tell the Morticians Club."
Haiku asked, "Why would I let you do that? How do I know you're not going to make up a story to make you and your sisters seem better than you guys are?"
Lucy explained, "After everything that happened today, I've started to gain an understanding as to what my brother goes through on a daily basis. He protected a secret that could have gotten me kicked out of our club anyway, and I repay him by locking him out of the house under pretenses of being bad luck, in addition to all the other times I joined the sister hivemind instead of standing up for him. Maybe everything that's happening to my sisters and I is karma for the way we treated him over the years. Therefore, for his sake, as well as my own, it's better I leave the club on my own terms. It's the least I could do for him. Maybe, if I do that, I could show him that for once, I, as a Loud sister, can take responsibility for my actions. And maybe, if I do that, I can start making things right."
Haiku briefly pondered Lucy's speech before softly smiling, "OK, Lucy. But, if I let you do this, you have to go through with it. No excuses. And I'm taking you to detention immediately afterward. As angry as I am at you, I don't want you getting in even more trouble with Principal Huggins than you already are."
Lucy smiled, "Deal," before the two walked together to Room 113 to meet with the rest of the Morticians Club.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to both girls, Paige and Lindsay watched the whole exchange from across the hallway, and gasped in surprise.
Lindsay scoffed, "She's not going to do it. She's a rotten Loud sister like the rest of them."
Paige told Lindsay, "I don't know. That sounded pretty genuine to me. Still, let's go check it out. I know you love watching Loud sisters get humiliated."
As Paige laughed at her own joke, Lindsay whined, "Paige!", before sighing and following her, Lucy, and Haiku to the Morticians Club room.
(Scene Change: Room 113, Morticians Club Meeting)
Lucy walked up to the front of the class and started, "Thanks, everyone, for coming. This emergency meeting of the Morticians Club is now called to order." She then spotted Paige and Lindsay in the back of the classroom and asked, "Wait, what are they doing here?"
Haiku told Lucy, "These two girls are Paige and Lindsay Sweetwater."
Lucy deadpanned, "I know who they are, Haiku. But what are they doing here?"
Haiku explained, "They talked to us earlier today about joining the Morticians Club. So we decided to invite them to a meeting to see if they're truly interested."
Lucy asked, "During an emergency meeting?"
Haiku pointed out, "They need to know we do these kinds of things."
Lucy admitted, "Sigh, you're right." She then cleared her throat and started, "I would like to announce that I am resigning from the Morticians Club."
The rest of the Morticians Club faux-gasped before Haiku asked, "Oh? And why is that?"
Meanwhile, in the back of the classroom, Paige whispered to Lindsay, "Holy crap! She's doing WHAT?!"
Lindsay urged Paige, "Hang on, let's see what Lucy says."
(Time Skip: 10 minutes later)
After explaining the entire history of the Loud sisters' bullying against Lincoln to the Morticians Club, Paige, and Lindsay, in addition to the "luck incident," Lucy concluded her speech by trembling, "Through it all, I've realized the darkness has consumed my soul more than I would like. I believe the revelation of my Princess Pony secret is karma for my betrayal of the keeper of the secret. Out of regret for what I did to my brother, I have decided to quit Junior Morticians. As dark as we are, I can't be a part of this club anymore. Not with this on my conscience."
The shocked Morticians Club traded glances before Bertrand urged them, "Umm… I think this is something we have to talk about amongst ourselves."
The rest of the Morticians Club then gathered in the back of the room and exchanged hushed whispers amongst themselves.
Lindsay whispered, "This is our chance! She's admitted it!"
Dante asked, "So, are we changing the plan?"
Lindsay replied, "While admitting you have a problem is the first step to solving it, I stay we still go with the plan. Who knows if one of her sisters put her up to this? Or maybe even Lincoln himself?"
The rest of the Morticians Club murmured in agreement before breaking their huddle. Then, Haiku approached Lucy and told her, "So, we've talked it over." She then sighed and told Lucy, "Look, we all have our sins and guilty pleasures."
Lucy insisted, "No."
Haiku continued, "I like the circus."
Morpheus admitted, "I enjoy comedies."
Dante confessed, "I like stamp-collecting."
Persephone revealed, "I enjoy long walks through the countryside."
Boris finished, "And Boris enjoys cheerleading."
Lucy started, "No," before fully taking in what Boris said, and asking, "Wait, what?!"
Bertrand sighed, "Long story."
Haiku concluded, "Look, our point is, we all need a break from the darkness every now and then, including you. Especially you, I might add."
Lucy countered, "After the way I betrayed my brother? I don't deserve that break."
Persephone pleaded with Lucy, "Don't say that about yourself!"
Lucy sighed, "Not only did I help to lock my brother out of his house, I also told Principal Huggins about this comic contest I heard he was in."
The rest of the Morticians Club gasped before Bertrand asked, "Wait… the comic that Principal Huggins confiscated?"
Lucy gasped, "He confiscated it?"
Haiku nodded, "Yup. You should know, Luce, rumors fly around this school really fast."
Morpheus asked Lucy, "What did you tell him?"
Lucy defensively responded, "I just told him I heard a comic contest was going on, and Principal Huggins told me he'd help Lincoln with the spelling and grammar!"
Murmurs of, "Of course," "Typical," and, "Grammar Nazi," rang through the room.
Lucy added, "And then he gave me the comic back during lunch!" She then pulled the comic book out of her bag and showed it to them, "See?"
The rest of the Morticians Club gasped and quickly crowded around Lucy. However, Haiku quickly noticed, "Wait… this is a photocopy!"
Lucy sadly nodded, "Yes."
Persephone snarled, "So, Principal Huggins gave you a photocopy after he did… who knows what… with the original copy?"
Lucy replied, "Sigh," before uttering, "I hope he at least gave the original copy back to Lincoln before he got suspended. That way, he can still win the contest."
The rest of the Morticians Club traded glances before Haiku sighed, "Lucy… Clyde texted me. He told me that Lincoln's comic was rejected due to being an exact copy of Principal Huggins' comic."
Lucy gasped, "What?!"
The Morticians Club sadly nodded, causing Lucy to sigh, "That's my point. After everything that's happened, it's best that I resign from the club in shame."
Morpheus started, "Lucy-", before Lucy interrupted him, "Luna was right. If I can commit such macabre actions against my own brother, how can I possibly have real friends? I'm too dark to have them."
Boris tried to convince Lucy, "You have us!"
Lucy told Boris, "No. I don't deserve you guys. Whatever Lisa and Lynn decide to do to me, I deserve. First, Princess Pony. Second, the luck incident. Third, getting Lincoln's comic confiscated. As my sister Lynn would say, 'Three strikes, you're out.' I deserve to go home and be cast out of your lives."
Dante implored, "Lucy, it's not like that! You were scared when the Princess Pony thing happened, the luck incident was more your family's thing, and you didn't know Principal Huggins confiscated Lincoln's comic!"
Lucy sighed, "Even so, I can't deny my own contributions to Lincoln's misfortunes. Thus, I must resign from the club. And I must permanently end our friendship. If I can even call myself a friend to you guys."
Lucy sulked away from the group and walked towards the door, breaking the hearts of the Morticians Club. They traded glances before Haiku loudly proclaimed, "No."
Lucy stopped in her tracks, turned around and asked Haiku, "No! What do you mean, no?!"
Haiku walked up to Lucy and sighed, "As your friends, we can't let you go down like this."
Lucy sighed, "I have no real friends. I just betray everybody I meet."
Haiku countered, "The eternity, death, and darkness are the most real things on this spiritual plane. No one can betray them. And considering we are willing to be your companions through the darkness, we are the most real friends you could possibly have."
Lucy started, "But-", but Haiku interrupted, "What you and your family have been doing to Lincoln is undeniably wrong. And we'd be remiss to not mention that there are some serious consequences waiting for you in the afterlife. However, you do seem to be willing to make things right. So, we're going to offer you a deal."
Lucy insisted, "I don't deserve-", before Haiku cut her off, "Don't interrupt me when I'm trying to help you. You want to help Lincoln, put aside the self-flagellation and listen to me. We have a plan for you to get back at both Principal Huggins and your sisters. However, due to our association with each other being primarily school-based, we will have to expose Principal Huggins first for the demon that he is. After that, we will help you stand up to the rest of your sisters. However, given that you feel that you need to stay away from us, I'm willing to suspend you from the Morticians Club for 2 days. You will rejoin us on Thursday morning."
Lucy asked, "Thursday morning? Why Thursday morning? Don't I deserve a more permanent ban?"
Haiku deadpanned, "On Thursday morning, Principal Huggins will be doing another anti-bullying assembly in front of the whole school."
Lucy shuddered, "Gag," as the rest of the Morticians Club shuddered despite their own knowledge of the plan.
Haiku started, "So, here's what we're going to do."
(Time Skip: 10 minutes later)
After finishing explaining the Morticians Club's plan to Lucy, Haiku asked her, "So, are you willing to join us?"
Lucy nodded, "Yes."
Haiku smiled, "Good."
Bertrand then walked up to Lucy and presented her with a bat while telling her, "As we discussed, here is the pet bat you're going to be looking after until Thursday morning. His name is Abraham. Make sure you take care of him, feed him, and train him to bite Principal Huggins, as we discussed."
The fur on the top of the bat's head had been styled to look like Lincoln's signature cowlick. As the bat perched itself on Lucy's left arm, she smiled to herself, "Wicked."
The rest of the Morticians Club traded glances before Haiku sent Lucy off, "Now, take care of yourself, Lucy. And remember, you still have a detention to go to. They're probably looking for you over there."
Lucy responded, "Sigh, I will," before sulking out of the classroom.
As Paige and Lindsay followed Lucy to detention, Paige whispered to Lindsay, "I think I know who the redeemable one might be."
Lindsay scoffed, "Stop kissing ass, Paige. That was the most theatrical apology I've ever heard! You know Lucy, she's always into that dark stuff, anyway! Who knows if she's actually liking this!"
Paige insisted, "I don't know. Something about that apology… felt different. She's even willing to take whatever punishment her sisters give her. How many of the other Loud sisters could we say that about?"
Lindsay pointed out, "Even so, she was fully willing to go along with the plan to take down her sisters! And that was the whole point! To turn them against each other! Unless-", before gasping, "Oh my god!" She then exclaimed, "Paige! Do you know what this means?"
Paige asked, "What?"
Lindsay explained, "If Lucy's truly sincere, then we have an insider that can destroy the family from within! With Lucy out of the Morticians Club, all we have to do is get her to divulge even more secrets about the Louds, get someone to record them, use them as confessions, and 'accidentally' leak them to the Louds to intensify the Sister Fight Protocol!"
Paige gasped, "How the heck are we going to do that?"
Lindsay reminded Paige, "Lucy's gonna be out of the Morticians Club tomorrow, right?"
Paige nodded, "Yeah."
Lindsay insisted, "That's our window! We support Lucy when no one else is willing to do so, defend her from bullying… she can basically be our new Lincoln!"
Paige started, "I don't know," before Lindsay implored her, "Think about it! Lincoln leaving might have been a fluke. But if one of the Louds' precious, precious daughters also leaves the family… they might just fall apart looking for her!"
Paige pointed out, "We're taking a huge risk here. I mean, Lucy probably still has that tracking chip implanted in her. And it's not like we can tell her to remove it without giving away the rest of our plot."
Lindsay countered, "We're not inducting Lucy into the conspiracy. Not by a long shot. But, we will be gaining her trust, and watching her closely to see if she's worthy of ours."
Suddenly, Paige's phone rang in her pocket. She picked it up, revealing that Linda was calling her. She answered the phone, "Hey, Mom!"
Linda replied, "Where are you two?"
Paige explained, "Oh, we're still in school. Why, are you coming to pick us up?"
Linda chuckled, "You read my mind! Alright, listen, get to the front foyer, I'll pick you guys up in a couple of minutes. The McBrides just dropped Lincoln off, and he's… uh… had a hard day, so, he's going to need all the support he can get."
Paige solemnly nodded, "Got it, Mom, see you there," before hanging up the phone.
Once the "Recordings" app on Paige's phone returned to the screen, Paige texted her voice recording of the entire Morticians Club meeting to Melissa.
(Time Skip: 10 minutes later)
As Mr. Watt watched Lucy intently in the Detention Room, Lucy pulled out her ELA notebook and turned to a blank page. On said blank page, she wrote,
"Dear Bill Buck,
My name is Lucy Loud. I am an 8-year-old girl from Royal Woods, Michigan. My 11-year-old brother, Lincoln Loud, is a huge fan of your comics and would like nothing more than to meet you. He even wrote a comic for your contest that has probably won said contest by now. It was called, 'Ace Savvy versus the Ten-Headed Beast'. Unfortunately, Lincoln's principal, Wilbur T. Huggins, confiscated Lincoln's comic this morning.
If Mr. Huggins has submitted the comic in his own name, please know that Mr. Huggins stole the comic from Lincoln. Mr. Huggins knows nothing of the truth of Lincoln's family life that has been described in the comic. You can call Lincoln or me for more information.
Please reward the rightful winner of the comic contest for his efforts.
Sincerely,
Lucy Loud"
After listing hers and Lincoln's phone numbers on the letter, she walked up to Mr. Watt and asked, "Excuse me, Mr. Watt, may I please have an envelope?"
Mr. Watt silently nodded at Lucy before giving her an envelope. Lucy slipped her letter to Bill Buck in the envelope and sealed it before addressing it to Bill Buck. As she did, she said to herself, "Sigh. Maybe tonight, I'll look for his address, and tomorrow, I'll go to the post office to deliver this letter."
(Scene Change: Sweetwater Manor, Living Room)
The Sweetwaters, Melissa, and Ronnie Anne were gathered around a crying Lincoln, trying to cheer him up.
The Sweetwater sisters cooed, "Oh, it's okay, Linky."
Brian consoled Lincoln, "Chin up, champ."
Linda murmured, "Oh, my poor baby!"
Ronnie Anne sighed, "I've never seen Lame-O so sad."
Melissa offered, "How about this, Linky? I'll look into Principal Huggins' history for you, and then, we can get back at him!"
Lincoln sniffled, "It's fine."
Paige pointed out, "I can tell you're definitely not fine."
Becky suggested, "Look, Lincolnovich, I've always wanted to meet Bill Buck, too. But no big deal. We'll create our own comic book hero, one that deals both justice and vengeance, and eventually, Bill or someone like him will have to meet you!"
Linda offered, "I can reach out to my connections and see if I can get Bill to meet you anyway, Lincoln!"
Lindsay cheered, "Yeah! The world needs your comics, Lincoln! Why don't we just focus on getting them out for the next little bit, huh? We made time for a fancy dinner, so we can certainly make time for this!"
Lincoln whimpered, "Thanks, guys, but we've got bigger fish to fry than a stupid comic book. Melissa warned me that I've got to stay focused, anyways."
Becky cried, "But this meant so much to you, Linky!"
Lincoln sulked, "I know, but what was I thinking? I guess I'm just unlucky."
Everyone in the room yelled, "NO, YOU'RE NOT!"
Lincoln shook his head and sobbed, "Who am I kidding? My sisters will always be better than me, anyway. Even after all this. Especially after all this. Looks like I'm never gonna have a place on that trophy case, after all. No matter where I go."
As the Sweetwaters, Melissa, and Ronnie Anne watched Lincoln cry, Ronnie Anne furrowed her eyebrows, clenched her fists, and scowled, "That's it, that gothic cunt and that bitch-ass principal have to go."
The rest of the room cried, "Ronnie Anne, no!"
Melissa insisted, "That girl you're talking about just quit the Morticians Club."
Ronnie Anne countered, "I know! That's why this is the perfect time to strike!"
Melissa pleaded with Ronnie Anne, "Lucy didn't even want the comic to get stolen! I told you this!"
Ronnie Anne scoffed, "I don't believe you."
Melissa cried, "Look, I know you're angry at the Louds. But look at Lincoln! Right now, we have to be there for him!"
Ronnie Anne sighed, "You're right. I can't abandon Lame-O in a time like this." She then smiled, "Time and a place, right?"
Melissa chuckled, "You got it. Now, I'll tell you what: I'll take care of Principal Huggins, and you'll go help out Lincoln."
Ronnie Anne smiled, "Deal," before dapping Melissa up.
They then went their separate ways, with Ronnie Anne heading towards the living room while Melissa beelined towards Brian's office. As Melissa got ready to open the door, she asked, "Uh… Mr. Sweetwater, is it OK if I use your office?"
Brian replied, "Sure. But why?"
Melissa explained, "I've got some more voice recordings of the Loud sisters that I need to back up."
Brian told Melissa, "Wait right there."
Within a couple of minutes, Brian met Melissa at the door to his office, opened it for her, and logged into his computer. As Brian left the room, he exchanged a solemn glance with Melissa before closing the door. Then, Melissa took her headphones out of her backpack, connected them to her phone, and searched for the voice recording of the Morticians Club meeting that Lucy sent her. When she found it, she pressed "Play."
When Melissa finished listening to the recording, her jaw dropped and her phone fell out of her hands as she listened to the last bits of the Morticians Club meeting. After copying the voice recording to Brian's computer, she shook her head and darkly chuckled to herself, "Maybe that girl might be redeemable after all."
(Scene Change: Royal Woods Hospital, Room 118)
As Luan lay on her hospital bed, she had prominent red tape marks all over her body from the wax therapy intended to remove the finer hairs of the gympie-gympie plant from Luan's body. For the past 28 hours, breathing, let alone speaking, had been difficult for Luan, who had even been put to sleep during the procedure so that her wails of pain did not disturb any of the other patients or doctors, who had issued multiple complaints.
When Luan heard her phone vibrating, she groaned as she rolled over to her side to find out what it was. She immediately shrieked in agony, startling Rita.
Rita tenderly asked Luan, "You want me to get that for you, honey?"
She then walked to Luan's bedside to read her lips for a response. Due to the fact that speaking still hurt Luan, this was the best way they could communicate for now.
Luan silently replied, "Yes."
Rita immediately took Luan's phone and saw a text notification from Lori alerting the Louds of an "Emergency Family Meeting" to take place at 5:45 PM. When Rita swiped on the notification and was subsequently met by the "enter passcode" screen, she asked Luan, "What's the passcode?"
Luan silently answered, "0401."
Rita rolled her eyes before unlocking Luan's phone. After re-reading the text message, she informed Luan, "You know, the family's having an emergency meeting in an hour and a half. Wanna phone in?"
Luan mouthed, "Yes."
Rita chuckled, "Alright. Now, I'm going there in person, so tell the nurse what you told me, and we should be good to go."
Luan mouthed, "OK."
Rita waved, "Bye," to Luan as she walked out of her hospital room.
Luan mouthed, "Bye", back and smiled before noticing her stomach rumbling yet again. When it did, she rang the nurse, who helped her with her next bowel movement.
(Scene Change: 5:45 PM, Franklin Avenue)
As Lucy walked up the stairs to her house's front porch, she looked down and uttered to herself, "Sigh. Whatever those monsters have prepared for me… I'm prepared for."
Lucy tried to let that thought reassure her as she reached for the doorknob and began to turn it counterclockwise with her right hand to open the front door to her house.
Closing A/N: And there you have it! Lincoln and Clyde are suspended, Principal Huggins has won the comic contest, and Lucy has quit the Morticians Club and all but realized how wrong she was! So this is how we're ending February. Been having some rough times… cervicogenic headaches are a bitch. PSA: Stretch and move around your neck frequently, guys. Don't keep it stiff. In other words… protect ya neck.
A/N 2: The "yo, yo, dawg" line is based on what my high school football coach used to say about the slang of my teammates & I.
A/N 3: The "electric chair" line? Shoutout to A Goofy Movie.
A/N 4: So, Huggins mentioned that "some joker" hacked into the school computer to change Lincoln's listed parents to Brian and Linda Sweetwater. Yup... this was among the computer work Linda asked Brian to do back when Lincoln was getting brain surgery. (evil smirk)
A/N 5: I had to have the Loud parents run away in terror from Lincoln without his squirrel suit. The idea was funny in my head when I pictured it.
A/N 6: The rest of the Morticians Club's secret guilty pleasures come from JTom09's Reacting to the Loud House.
A/N 7: The Sweetwaters, Melissa, and Ronnie Anne comforting Lincoln was meant to be a call-forward to Any Given Sundae, where the Loud sisters comfort Lily after she fails to get her ice cream.
Anyway, what awaits Lucy on the other side of that door? Is it understanding? Taunting? Or something MUCH worse? Find out next chapter on… REVERSAL! OF! FORTUNE!