"Tough luck, Luna." She heard her older sister not so subtly taunting her as she slowly descended the ladder, fearful as all get-out.
"I would have helped ya but you said you were a solo act now, that you want nothing to do with a "wanker" like me." The blonde continued while hammering.
Grimacing, Luna shut her out, knowing it was empty posturing at best. As she walked toward the house, she kicked herself for being so careless. For the love of Swagger, she should have known that the creep wouldn't just forget about it.
She entered the living room, where Ryan was waiting for her, carrying the amused look of someone who knew more than they were letting on, only further cementing her fears.
The rocker didn't know what to expect from him. To be mocked? To be blackmailed? Something even worse? To her, this guy was unreadable, an enigma. One second, he came across as aloof and jocular, if not annoying, and yet in a millisecond, he could turn as vicious as Lori or Lola. Living with that mental case of a sister undoubtedly didn't help. It made him honestly kind of scary, though hardly half as scary as the other Taylor. Not helping matters was that Lynn, Lucy, and Lincoln were nowhere in sight. It was just him and her. Her bro wasn't there to hold his psycho pal back.
"Are we ready for our big surprise?" Ryan asked coyly.
"Just what do you want from me? Spit it out!" Luna demanded, unwilling to allow him to toy with her.
"Hmm…that is a good question?" Ryan pretended to ponder and held something up. Luna jumped as she realized it was a switchblade.
"Was I going to use you for target practice?" Ryan tapped his chin. Without a second thought, Luna tried to run, but Ryan cut her off and backed her into a corner.
"Now, now, that's just plain rude." He scolded her while waving his switchblade until Luna's back was against a wall. "Is that any way to treat the guy who is helping you mend things with your BFF?"
"What now?" Luna blurted, dumbfounded by what she heard. "You're not g-going to hurt me?"
"Hurt you?" Ryan feigned shock and hid the blade behind his back. "Whatever gave you that idea? My team wants to help ya."
"You w-want to help me? W-why?" Luna stammered.
"Don't put words in my mouth, sweetcakes." Ryan scoffed indignantly. "It was all Linky's idea. I'm just the dashing and charismatic errand boy."
"You're joking, right?" Luna's mood didn't change. She was convinced he was pulling some cruel prank on her. But then again, Lincoln did genuinely help her last night?
"I most certainly am not. You know how disgustingly moralistic that guy is." Ryan explained while trying not to gag.
He was right, but Luna still didn't quite buy it. "You know I don't deserve it?"
"No arguments here." Ryan wholeheartedly agreed. "But your bro thinks you've been through enough and deserve a break."
Luna remained hesitant and said nothing.
Ryan rolled his eyes. "Don't take this personally. I'm very indifferent about you as it is, but Lincoln? Well, he saw your argument with Blondy and Pinky last night. You said you were done with them, right?"
"I am done with them!" Luna replied with strong conviction. "I'm never gonna cooperate with those whackos for as long as I live."
"Never say "never", Moon Girl." Ryan quipped, much to her visible chagrin.
"I won't! I'm never gonna…" Luna's voice trailed off as she realized something. "Wait? Does that mean…Linc's cool with me again? He doesn't harbor any grudges?"
"No clue, that's for you and him to talk out." Ryan shrugged. "But that's the vibe I was getting."
And there it was, Luna once more felt enormous guilt. She knew she didn't deserve Lincoln's kindness. But this was her chance to finally do the right thing. To make a sensible choice.
"You're not absolving me of my debt, are ya?" Luna asked, her voice ridden with guilt. "Cuz I don't really deserve it either…"
"Glad to see we're on the same page. You're obliged to finish my treehouse, but right now, there's someone who wants to see you and they should be here…" Ryan glanced at his phone. "Oh, right now!"
"Who?" Luna asked when there was a knock on the backdoor.
"Right on schedule." Ryan walked over and opened it, revealing…
"Sam?!" Luna blurted.
"Ah, Sam Sharp." Was Ryan's cordial greeting. "How nice to see you again."
"Um…hey, Ryan?" Sam said with uncertainty. "You guys wanted me to come here?"
"Not quite, fraid it's just me. They had some last-minute errands to run."
Sweating bullets, Luna took a few steps back, wanting to run and hide.
"Don't be stupid, Luna." She told herself. "This is what you wanted, wasn't it?"
"Don't be shy, Ms. Sharp. Come on in." Ryan grabbed Sam by the elbow and pulled her in. "You're just the person we need to set Luna straight."
He paused and sniggered. "Sorry, wrong choice of words."
Sam blinked. "Wait? You know-"
"We all know about it." The boy confirmed. "Well… me, Lynn, Lincoln, and Lucy anyway. The rest of them are bad at reading between the lines."
"You're not going to tell…." A nonplussed Sam started before finally noticing her friend. "Luna?"
Gulping, Luna waved nervously.
"Um…hey, Sammy? Long time no see?"
Sam didn't respond and the two wound up looking at each other in awkward silence, much to Ryan's annoyance.
He approached their guest, leaning towards her ear. "No need to panic, Sam. You can talk in private here, nobody will eavesdrop. The others are preoccupied with…a construction project. "
"Really?" Sam tentatively asked. "It's just me and her-"
"Yup. And I'm obliged to keep my mouth shut." Ryan shrugged before marching up to Luna.
"Chill out, we told her nothing about the duel or the servitude. Just that you wanted to talk." he whispered to her impatiently.
Luna remained reluctant to step up while Sam stood where she was, unsure of her next move.
So Ryan opted to give Luna a little push. That is, he forcefully pushed her closer to Sam.
"Are you gonna chat or are you just going to waste oxygen?" Ryan asked irritably as Luna's shoes dragged across the floor.
"He's right…" Sam sighed, braced herself, and stepped closer. "Hey, Luna?"
"Sam…" Luna rubbed the back of her neck "…sup?"
"I'm sorry I ran off. I…I was just caught off guard and didn't know what to say, plus…y'know? I was worried about your sisters finding out and mocking you for it."
"Oh….you…you know them well." Luna blushed and chuckled sheepishly. She was relieved to hear that. Sam wasn't mad at her and more importantly, she was thinking about her.
"But I had time to think about it since then, which is why I wanted to talk with you…" Sam continued. "Look, I like you…I really do, but not…like that. I just don't swing that way, y'know? I'm sorry…"
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry." Luna told her, regaining some confidence. "I only thought about what I wanted, not what you wanted. I was stupid and selfish…"
"Luna? You weren't selfish, you were just…"
"No, I can own up to my mistake." Luna reaffirmed. "If you love someone, you need to think of them first."
Ryan distanced himself as his saccharine alarms were going off.
"Ugh…I better beat it before I go into a diabetic coma." He turned around to leave when a small, hopping figure bumped into him and fell over.
"Mmmmphp!"
"Lucy?" Ryan's eyes widened as he found her taped up and squirming on her back.
He saw the teens gawking at them and he chuckled awkwardly.
"The kiddies are playing cops and robbers again. Those rascally twins always go too far." Ryan insisted as he picked Lucy up and whispered, "Don't worry, we'll avenge you in a moment."
"I better untie her, ciao!"
With that, he was gone. Sam blinked while Luna shook her head.
"I don't even want to know about that."
"I think Ryan's fitting in well with your family." Sam said with an unsure smile.
"You don't know the half of it." Luna deadpanned but opted not to be a gossip hen, before turning back to Sam.
"So…we're cool again?"
"I wasn't aware that we had a fight." Sam joked, to which Luna chuckled, and they hugged.
Once they separated, Luna glanced aside forlornly. "I'd love to chat more but I have stuff to do. I won't be available till tomorrow."
"So I take it you lost a bet or something? Wanna tell me what's going on?" Sam asked, making her friend uneasy.
"I mean, the worker clothes kind of gave it away?" Sam pointed at her getup, at which point Luna blushed in embarrassment.
Noticing her distress, Sam added. "Hey, that's nothing to be ashamed of. I just figured you owe a favor to these guys? You win some, you lose some. I just want to know if I can help?"
"Help?" Luna was surprised and grimaced. "No, no, Sammy. I don't want to drag you into this crap, I'll handle it. There are so many better things you could be doing."
"Hey." Sam placed a hand on her shoulder. "If it means helping my best friend, I wouldn't have it any other way."
Luna slowly grew a smile. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn ya. How good are you with a hammer?"
"High-ho, lil'doggie! Faster! Yeehaw!" Lana, dressed as a cowboy, exclaimed as she was riding her trusty steed across the hallway on the second floor.
Said "steed" was her twin, dressed in a cheap horse costume and forced to run on all fours with the horse harness cutting into her mouth.
Lola soon stopped and panted in exhaustion, barely able to stand. Lana looked down at her in annoyance and kicked her with her boot.
"I said faster, slowpoke!"
"You're…." Lola panted "…so….dead…"
Lana kicked her again, this time with the spur on her boot. It didn't work as planned.
Lola screamed in pain and jumped up, tossing her twin to the floor, and rubbed her sorry butt.
"What's wrong with you!?" she snapped. "That really hurt!?"
"You make one lousy steed, buckaroo." Lola sat up with a mocking smirk when a shadow was cast over them.
Nervously, Lola turned around and found Ryan glowering down at her, accompanied by an equally pissed Lucy, whose lower face was conspicuously red in color. Lana winced, knowing the mark of duct tape when she saw it.
"You're an even bigger fool than I thought." Lucy said coldly.
"Pfft…at least I'm not a sniveling coward hiding behind a musclebound ogre!" Lola shot back. Lucy was shocked by her boldness.
"You are one evil child." Ryan chuckled and shook his head. "This ogre has to be real with you… I'd almost admire your gall if it weren't for your profound lack of style and wit."
Lola went agape, while Lana sniggered in disbelief. Ryan couldn't have picked a better insult to rile her twin up.
"Uhhh…burned."
"How dare you!?" Lola, predictably, lost her shit. "I have more style in my pinky than you have in your entire-hey!"
Her rant was cut short as Ryan grabbed her by the helm of her costume and hoisted her up.
"You know? I'm getting this nagging suspicion that you don't quite get this whole slave-master dynamic?" Ryan grinned maliciously. "I think you need a refresher course."
"And you need to refresh your mouth, Toilet Breath!" Lola shot back furiously.
Ryan pulled her closer. "Someone's feeling brave today? But I seem to recall you not being so brave during tickle time?"
Lola paused and paled, much to his delight. "No! No! Not tickle time! Anything but tickle time!?"
"Fraid so. I think you're way overdue for another tickle session. Dr. Shrek's orders." Ryan was about to hoist her away when Lucy stopped him.
"Repeating the same torture methods lessens their effectiveness. We should try one of my ideas." She opened her torture catalog and showed it to him. "And you lack a torture rack."
"Interesting….oh, very wicked…" Ryan glossed through the pages until he found something that caught his interest. "Look at that?"
"Hmmm…maybe playing barber is the more poetic option?" He sent a menacing glance to his captive. "You sure split your sides laughing at Lynn's bald spot?"
"I brought the instrument of torture in advance." Lucy eagerly held up an electric hair clipper and turned it on.
Lola clutched her head. "You people are insane! How am I supposed to win pageants without my glorious golden locks! Stupid Lynn doesn't need hair to do sports!"
Ryan shrugged. "Just wear a wig. Everything else about your pageant queens is phony anyway."
"Hey, I have an idea!" Lana spoke up. "I know Lola better than anyone."
"Don't you dare!" Lola growled.
"Her wimpy nose can't take bad smells." Lana continued in a sadistic tone. "We should toss her sorry behind in a gas chamber!"
Lola trembled while the others seemed interested.
"You mean lock her up and throw stink bombs in the room?" Lucy asked.
Lana's upper teeth protruded as she flashed a mischievous smile. "No…I just need a big plate of chili enchilada. It always gives me the toots."
"Lana, why that's just vulgar and lowbrow…" Ryan shook his head, giving Lola some hope.
Until he chuckled and grew a twisted grin "…I love it!"
"I still would have preferred one of my ideas. Nothing impairs a person more than losing a part of themselves." Lucy said as she and Ryan sat on beach chairs in the latter's room, opposite a foldable table with several bowls of fruit slices and two cocktail drinks.
In front of them was Ryan's closet, cleared of all his clothes and ninja garb. Ryan knew it would be a chore to disinfect it in the aftermath, but it would be worth it! He was wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt and Lucy was wearing a matching dress. Ryan lifted his shades up and grabbed the bowl of pineapple slices.
"You'll get your turn, Lucy. Patience, for we're about to witness a historic moment. This is gonna break the little hellspawn once and for all."
"What makes you so sure?"
"You saw her expression? I've never seen her so broken." Ryan grew giddy as he threw a slice into his mouth. If it worked, then he would make sure to rub it in Lincoln's face. Let the pipsqueak eat his heart out, he and his ineffective long game plan.
"And if it doesn't, I'll rectify that." The goth grew a small smile and slurped her drink as they saw the twins entering.
Lola entered first, dressed in an orange jumpsuit and with plastic handcuffs around her wrists, head hung low. Lana was behind her, dressed as a cop.
"So…does our royal pain have any last words?" Ryan asked with faux-courtesy but Lola said nothing, keeping her eyes on the floor.
"I think she's mulling over all her life's mistakes." Lucy figured. "There's a lot to mull about."
"Oh, aren't you the dull deal. Now you've decided to face punishment with dignity?" Ryan said with mild annoyance before turning to Lana.
"So, officer? Are we ready to unleash the gas?"
"Almost…" Lana knocked on her belly. "I'm not feeling it yet."
Chuckling, Ryan offered her his bowl. "Try this? Pineapple mixed with chilly oughta speed up the indigestion?"
"Pineapple?" Lana widened her eyes and stepped back. "No, I can't eat that."
Confused by her reaction, Ryan and Lucy failed to notice Lola looking up, irises expanding and growing a demented grin.
"Don't mind if I do!" Laughing like a loon, she snatched the bowl from Ryan's grasp and poured its content down her gullet.
She threw the bowl away, which shattered on impact, then coughed and gagged before sending the trio a wicked grin.
"You lost, chumps." She said in a sing-song voice, much to Ryan and Lucy's confusion but Lana went agape.
"You really are at your wits' end?" Ryan chortled. "You think eating my pineapple slices is gonna hurt me?"
"No. It's gonna hurt me." Lola grinned with a shaky voice. "I'm allergic to pineapple."
"Pffft…yeah, right?" Ryan retorted. "I know a bluff when I see one."
"Lola, are you crazy!" Lana panicked, causing Ryan's confidence to wane.
"You mean she's not lying?" Lucy asked, astounded.
"No, both of us are allergic to that stuff."
"Okay…" Ryan tried to remain calm as he noticed Lola's triumphant smirk. "Surely it's not that bad?"
"Oh, it is that bad…" a smarmy Lola struggled to speak coherently as a rash started appearing on her face and her eyes turned puffy.
"Are you out of your mind?" Lana scowled. "Do you want to croak?"
"Good point…" Her voice still shaky, Lola approached Ryan, trying not to lose consciousness.
Ryan narrowed his eyes as Lola coughed and clutched his shirt, grinning ear to ear, "…now you gotta nurture me back to health, or you'll be in big trouble." She finished, again in an obnoxious sing-song voice.
She quickly lost her equilibrium and plopped on her but, but still guffawed victoriously as she scratched her now crimson face. "And I'll tell folks you made me eat it despite my warnings…it will be your word against mine."
"You rotten little…" Ryan seethed and shook before clutching his head in frustration and looking at Lucy and Lana. "Go fetch, Renee. Elephant Girl here needs medical help ASAP."
Lola touched her face and noticed her swollen lips and ears. She also felt her throat tightening. As well as mucus dripping down her nose.
But she didn't care. Besting Ryan was worth a few minor allergic reactions. Lucy and Lana rushed downstairs, leaving Ryan alone as he got out of his chair and eyed the pest.
Feeling dizzier and dizzier, and knowing her tongue would soon balloon out as well, Lola looked at Ryan, while trying to recall the most un-ladylike gestures of profanity she ever observed from Lori.
"Up yours….. jerk." she flipped the bird before dropping to the floor.
A few trips to the bathroom later (for both twins), Lola found herself lying on the couch, covered with a blanket and looking worse than ever. Renee was there examining her.
"Is she going to be alright?" Lana asked with concern.
"Yes, if she departs, we'll be held responsible." Lucy added without a hint of concern.
"No, she merely requires the proper medicine. Luckily, our parents keep those on standby." Renee said stoically.
"Mainly cuz dad has a whole barrage of ridiculous allergies. Apparently, you can be allergic to Styrofoam?" Ryan quipped before noticing his sister giving him a disdainful look.
"What?"
"Nothing, this is just the second time today you let the little miscreant trick you. Very sloppy indeed." The teen said, making Ryan glower with barely concealed anger.
Lola wanted to mock him to his face, or at least grin, but the internal and external swelling made that impossible.
"She's going to need bed rest for the remainder of the day." Renee continued. "Which means you spoiled your little friends' fun, Ryan."
Lucy glared at her and quickly spoke up, "I don't fault him for it, it was fun while it lasted."
"Yeah, me neither." Lana added, though their reassurance did little to stop Renee's comment from getting under Ryan's skin.
Lola relished his visible frustration as he sent her a frosty glare, knowing she had finally wounded his colossal ego.
"Fine." Ryan suddenly grinned and held up his phone. "Guess we'll just take a few snapshots in commemoration."
Lola panicked when Renee ripped her brother's phone out of his hands.
"No." she told him firmly. "There's to be no evidence that this misbegotten hoodlum was subjected to a potentially life-threatening affliction in our house other than her own tenuous account."
"But I-"
"Enough!" Renee barked. "You three get out of here and watch the other idiots while I give the brat her medicine."
Ryan was about to object when Lucy tugged his arm. "C'mon, let's just go."
Reluctantly, he followed them while grumbling, leaving Renee alone with their captive-turned-patient.
Lola was elated on the inside, annoyed that she couldn't express herself but elated nonetheless. Her eyes scanned the living room and she spotted the landline phone Lori tried using last night (keyword being "tried"). Once she was all alone, she knew exactly whose number to dial. She had it memorized like every victory speech she gave at her pageants.
But her smile faltered as she noticed Renee looking at her now, devoid of any human emotion.
"This will only hurt for a few seconds." She said while holding up a vaccine.
Lola wanted to scream, but all that came out was a coughy squeak.
House arrest sucked. Especially during summer. The only thing that sucked more than that was losing all your hair while also being plagued by vague images of midget mad scientists, smug-faced ghouls, buck-toothed dorks with white hair and you having strength far beyond human limitation, allowing you to effortlessly floor anyone daring to oppose you. His mind still felt like a puzzle that was missing most of its pieces.
Lyle let out a low grunt as he continued staring at the ceiling fan, dressed in jeans and a stained wife-beater. He hated being confused and frustrated. Usually, he would deal with such feelings by finding some hapless sap and pummeling him. There was no better way to vent than by punching stuff until your knuckles were white. But he wasn't allowed to step foot outside his home for the indefinite future, so that was off the table. To say nothing of trying to find the asshole who got him in this predicament in the first place.
He could do nothing but sulk. How was he supposed to get revenge on someone when he couldn't even remember who that person was? And the freaking ankle bracelet he was forced to wear kept chaffing, along with the beeping driving him nuts. As did the creaking door, but he was too busy wallowing in self-pity to consider getting up and closing it.
"Lyle, honey! Someone wants to see you!" he heard his mother from downstairs.
Lyle snarled in frustration. "If it's my parole officer, tell him to drop dead!" he yelled back.
"It's a girl! She wants to talk with you!"
That piqued his interest. "A girl? Is she hot?"
"Well, I do own several trophies that would verify that." The door opened, revealing a stunning brunette wearing a denim jacket over a pearl embellished shirt together with tight-fitting black jeans and high heels.
Lyle's jaw hit the floor.
"Yeesh, he's even more sickening to look at than his mugshot." Kathleen cringed as she observed the gobsmacked bully.
Refraining from unleashing her legendary harsh tongue, Kathleen smiled cordially and walked in. "Lyle Owen, just the guy I was looking for."
His horny impulses aside, something nagged Lyle.
"Wait? Do I know you?" he drawled while trying to focus. "I think I know you?"
"I see your memory is starting to return, but first things first…"
Lyle yelped as she grabbed his foot and lifted it up, causing him to fall on his back. Kathleen pulled out a key and soon relieved him of his ankle bracelet.
"What are you-hey! What the hell!" Lyle was outraged. "I'll be in big trouble if I take that piece of junk off!"
"Hardly. This trinket is of no further use to you." Kathleen explained as she threw it out the window. "You've been a free man for the last 12 hours."
"Huh?" Lyle made a face. "But I was busted by the fuzz, they said-"
"Your slate has been wiped clean, Mr. Owen." Kathleen smirked. "By me. When money talks, the authorities listen…and look the other way."
"You mean you bribed them?" Lyle scratched his head, upon which Kathleen nodded. "You can do that?"
"You can if you're part of my circle." Kathleen examined her nails. "But let's talk business. I hope you understand that your freedom comes at a price, though I doubt you'll find much issue with my proposition."
'What proposition?" Lyle arched his monobrow and stood up. "Wait? You want me to work for you? Be your toadie? No way, missy. I don't take orders from a girl."
In a split second, Kathleen's hands were on his throat, her friendly façade replaced with clenched teeth and flared nostrils, accompanied by a fierce growl.
"WHY I OUGHTA!?" Lyle actually cowered as the crazed beast loomed over him, her icy blue eyes now ablaze but then she let go and chuckled.
"Oops, where in the world did that come from?" Kathleen joked as she paced around him. "I'm not talking about me bossing you around, I'm talking about a mutually beneficial partnership. We'll very much be equals."
"If you count being a glorified lackey as being equals, but whatever makes you feel like you matter." She added mentally.
Rubbing his throat, Lyle watched her uneasily. Was this what it felt like being simultaneously scared and turned on?
"See, it has come to my attention that you and I are kindred spirits." Kathleen smiled darkly. "Or at the very least, we have some mutual enemies. You know how it is, nothing brings people together like the power of hate."
"What enemies? I can't even remember how I ended up in this stinkin' mess!" Lyle lamented. "But boy, if I ever find the jackass who did this to me, I'll rip his-"
"Then lucky for you, I know exactly who those people are." Kathleen cut to the chase and grabbed his elbow.
Forcing Lyle to sit down with her on the bed, she pulled out her phone and showed him a slew of photos. "Perhaps these images will jog your memory?"
"Lynn Loud." She showed him a ponytailed brunette scoring a touchdown, sporting a wild, exhilarated expression on her face.
Lyle's eyes widened. That broad had kicked his-tried to kick his ass! He remembered. How could he forget such a stupid last name?
"Her brother Lincoln." Kathleen showed him a white-haired dweeb on the verge of weeping, standing in the schoolyard in his undies as a ginger laughed at him while raising a pair of jeans on the flagpole.
Lyle growled. It was that shrimp who pranced around dressed as Ace Savvy. He hit him with a forklift!
"Her little sister Lisa, ring any bells?" Next, he saw a spectacled, stoic-looking toddler holding her master's degree.
The midget scientist? Lyle remembered her. "Yes, yes…she gave me super strength?"
"Oh, she can do much more than that." Kathleen nodded. "And last, and certainly least, there's their overly clingy associate, Ryan Taylor." She showed him what appered to be the ID picture of a ghoulish-looking boy, who was clearly forced to comb his hair and wear a polo shirt, given how he looked like he wanted to murder the cameraman.
"Ryan Taylor." Lyle hissed that name with pure venom. He loathed that guy! That arrogant piece of shit that thought he was stronger than him!
This pack of freaks. They had humiliated him time and time again. Denied him his vengeance and made him look like a sissy fool.
"Yes, and maybe you're acquainted with her too? Her name escapes me." Kathleen showed him a group picture of the Loud siblings and zoomed in on the bottom left corner, where Lyle saw a pale little girl, her face partially obscured by Lynn flexing her arm.
"She…she sent a flock of blood-sucking bats to attack me?" Lyle remembered, his anger growing.
"Really? Guess you should put her on your hit list too." Kathleen shrugged. She could take or leave the goth brat.
"I hate them!" Lyle growled and balled his fists. "I wanted to kill them! Almost did it, but then my strength wore off-umph!"
Kathleen clamped his mouth shut and shushed him before pointing down. It occurred to Lyle that his parents might hear him talking about wanton murder, so he quieted down.
"Seems we both harbor a burning hatred for this pack of misfits and rejects?" Kathleen said while patting the seething boy's shoulder.
"It's not fair. I can't let them get away with this. No one makes a fool out of Lyle Owen and lives to see another morning."
"I feel ya…" Kathleen said with faux sympathy. "You were unjustly arrested, all because of their callous actions. Same here. I too have goals and dreams, which are being hampered by their meddling and refusal to see eye to eye."
"So what should we do to settle the score?" Lyle asked eagerly before a bitter frown crossed his features. "I tried everything I could think of, and none of it worked?"
"That's because you lack vision." Kathleen replied. "Getting revenge requires careful planning, not walking up to your foe and demanding a rematch."
"Oh, if you're so smart, then what's your master plan?" Lyle asked.
"I don't' know!" Kathleen snapped at him, making him jerk back. "I'm improvising, you twit!"
And once more, she switched to a more relaxed mood. "We need to find an angle. An opportunity we can explore to turn the tide in our favor. This will require keeping the enemy under surveillance."
"You see, I have a vested interest in these freaks for reasons outside of revenge. Two of them I would prefer to cooperate with instead of-"
Her phone suddenly rang and Kathleen picked it up. "What!" she yelled but changed her tune once she recognized the voice.
"Lola? It's so nice to hear from you? How is my favorite diva holding up?" She stopped and listened. Lyle tried to speak but she kept silencing him.
"You don't say?" a grin spread across Kathleen's face, as if she had struck gold. "It's today?"
"What's today?" Lyle asked only to be silenced again, much to his frustration.
"Why certainly, Lols. Money is no issue." Kathleen continued. "You just rest up and I'll see you in no time."
"I think opportunity just came knocking." Kathleen turned to her new lackey.
"You mean you have a plan to get payback?" Lyle grinned. "Hell yeah! I'm all for it!"
Kathleen was very pleased to see him so enthusiastic about assisting her. He was the perfect minion, lots of muscle and too little brain to resist simple rewards that would keep him obedient. And should anything go amiss, she could pin the blame on the Neanderthal. Maybe claim that he molested her too, just to be safe.
"So…what's my job?"
Rolling her eyes, Kathleen gave him a patronizing pat on his shiny head. "Your first "job" will be to go get a hair transplant, my treat of course."
"As for me, I'm going to wish Mr. and Mrs. Loud a happy anniversary."
I was surprised to learn that all the symptoms I gave Lola happen in real life to people who are allergic to pineapple.