Lori and Natasha: Forever together

Written by Sean Rudin

Idea by Crafordbrian17

Chapter one: A New Friend

Lori was hungry. She had chemistry class this morning. Lisa could memorize the chemical formulas and substances quite well, but Lori wasn't Lisa. She went to the canteen. The smell of spaghetti Bolongnese filled her nostrils. The spaghetti at school were never as good as Dad's, but they were pretty good too. Lori took a tablet and went to the food distribution.

When she had her food, Lori sat at the table. She took out her cell phone and dialed Bobby's number.

"Hi Bobby, how are you?"

"Very good babe, things are going great this morning."

"That sounds great. But, you won't believe what Liz wore today. Yellow pants, and a red top."

"It doesn't add up."

"Exactly, that's what I mean. You know how awful that combination is."

Lori was on the phone, but growing up with ten siblings, she knew something was wrong. She saw a girl who was fat, not extremely fat but visibly, being teased. She wore a green and gray shirt and gray shorts. She had hair the same shade of blonde as Lori, tied in a short ponytail.

"Hey Battlecruiser, the docks are elsewhere." said a boy, who was sitting at another table.

Now he started whispering to his friends.

"If it had a little more mass, it would have moons in its orbit." said an extra loud.

"Bobby, please wait, something isn't going well." said Lori, and ended the call.

The girl was very offended by the statements.

"I can't help my weight, I have a thyroid disorder." said the girl.

The boys get up and walk away from the girl's table.

"I don't want to sit near that whale."

That seemed to hit the girl particularly hard. Lori got up with her tablet and walked over to the table. As Lori got closer, she saw that although the girl was fat, she only ate a slightly larger portion. A larger body needs more energy.

"May I sit next to you?" asked Lori friendly.

"Why?" the girl asked sadly, turning away from Lori, "Are you making fun of my weight too?"

"Looks don't matter to me. I don't care what someone looks like as long as the character is sincere." Lori said in a friendly tone.

The girl turns to Lori.

"You don't care how much I weigh?"

"Looks don't affect character. I think you're an interesting person."

"Well, I don't feel so interesting about that one." the girl pointed to her stomach, her stomach got caught on the edge of the table.

"That doesn't make you any less interesting."

"I do not believe you."

"Listen, you distrust everyone because everyone hurts you. But I want to help you."

"For real?"

"Why should I waste time teasing you instead of making friends with you?"

The girl looked at Lori.

"Do you think we can be friends?" asked Lori.

The girl thought hard.

"Yes." she said hesitantly.

The girl jumped up and hugged Lori quite tightly. Lori thought that although she was fat, she was a good hugger and a good person. They broke the hug.

"What's your name? I'm Lori."

"I'm Natasha."

"So, Natasha, do you want to come over to my house after class?"

"You're welcome." Natasha replied with a smile.

The two continued to eat their spaghetti bolognese, and had a good lunch.

After Lori and Natasha left school in the afternoon, they walked to the Louds' house. They talked.

"So where are you from?" Lori asked.

"Middleton near Harrisburg, in Pennsylvania."

"Harrisburg, how was it there?" asked Lori. Harrisburg, Middleton. Lori knew these names. Didn't something happen there?

"It was great there. We had a house by the river, about 200 meters from the power plant."

"Why was that so great?" Lori asked, still thinking about what the name Harrisburg was all about.

"Well, we were on a river, in the summer we could always swim. The warm water that came out of the power station always kept the water temperature comfortable. Also, my father worked at the power station and I could visit him for lunch."

"You always went there for lunch?"

"Well, the food at the nuclear power plant wasn't that good, but I got to spend time with my dad. Has something happened to Lori?" Natasha looked at Lori, who suddenly stopped.

"Three Mile Island," said Lori. "Your father worked at Three Mile Island?"

"Yes, but in block one. Block two melted in 1979."

"Then your father now works at the Royal Woods Nuclear Power Plant?" asked Lori.

"Yes, in block one."

"Have you never been afraid of an accident?"

"No, never. Why should I? It's nothing dangerous. It just has to be handled properly." said Natasha in a calm and matter-of-fact tone.

The two walked on. Then they reached the Louds' house. They went out onto the porch and Lori started looking for her key, she couldn't find it.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it."

"Did something happen to Lori?"

"I lost my keys." Lori said desperately. "We must find another way."

"Do you have a back door here?"

"Yes, but it's locked too."

"Do you have a pin lock?" asked Natasha and looked closely at the lock.

"I don't know. Why do you ask?"

"If the key is jagged on one side, I can depress the pins with a wire or hair clip and pick the lock."

"You can do something like that?" Lori asked, surprised.

"If you don't have friends, you're busy with other things."

"You have friends Natasha. But you shouldn't pick the lock. It could be damaged."

"Do you know if someone is home, then we could just ring the bell."

"If the doors are locked, that means no one is home."

"The only logical alternative would be to wait."

Lori walked around the house, Natasha followed her. Lori saw that someone had left the dining room window open, then she looked like she had an idea. She took a few boxes that were standing by the house and taped them so that they formed a staircase.

"Thank you. Are you always this creative?"

"When you have ten siblings you are always very creative."

"Ten siblings? Unbelievable."

"Guests first." said Lori.

"Thanks."

Natasha climbed onto the crates and squeezed through the window.

Natasha's size and width had one downside, she got stuck in the window.

"Damn hell." cursed Natasha.

"What's happening?"

"I'm stuck in this damn window."

Natasha tried to squeeze through the window with her arms, leaning on the window frame, and she kicked her legs. Lori sighed in disappointment, she was still outside and only looked at Natasha's leg., Lori climbed onto the boxes and pushed her shoulder against Natasha.

"I don't want to be mean, but you eat too much."

"I have a thyroid malfunction Lori, I can't do anything about my weight."

"Sorry, I forgot this."

"Don't worry, a lot of people think that."

Then Natasha broke out of the window frame and fell to the floor in the dining room. Lori didn't see Natasha fall, but the thump of her serve was enough that she knew it had to be painful. Lori jumped through. the window, and stood next to Natasha. Lori held out a hand and helped her get up.

"Well, that wasn't a good start here." said Natasha disappointed.

"Don't let that stop you. You're going to like it here. Let's go to my room."

Natasha nodded. The two went into Lori's room. Lori sat on her bed. Natasha looked around the room. Then Natasha sat down next to Lori.

"Natasha, I don't mean to hurt you, but did the other kids always tease you about your weight?" Lori asked cautiously.

Natasha inhaled deeply, and then exhaled.

"Well, the thyroid disease didn't really kick in until I was seven years old. I was in my final shape when I was twelve."

Natasha shook her head slightly.

"Everything I hear about my weight feels like someone sticking a knife in my heart. When you're fat, it's easy for everyone to target you. By the time I was eight, I didn't have any friends anymore, everyone made up funny about "the fat girl". when i was thirteen my mind just switched off one day, i was getting annoyed by some other girl, she had called me a hippopotamus. i've heard that term many times, but that day it was enough. me I attacked her, I pulled her hair, and I did other things that I'm not proud of. After that incident, I still didn't have any friends, but I got help, a psychologist helped me a lot."

"Why? You're such a great person." said Lori, who also shook her head.

"I don't know either. I stayed at home a lot. I taught myself how to pick locks, how to assemble computers, and I learned from my father how to operate a nuclear power plant."

"You know how to control a nuclear power plant?" asked Lori surprised.

"I was in the real control room in Harrisburg, but I only practiced in the simulator. I also kept going into the river to swim, or I went jogging. I exercised to stay healthy, but it's not much use when it's not the calories, it's the thyroid."

Lori puts her hand on Natasha's shoulder.

"Now you have a friend."

Natasha laughed at Lori.

"Thanks."

"Want to do something? Maybe a water park?"

Natasha considered.

"Yes, I would only have to get my bathing suit from my house." said Natsha.

"OK."

End of the first Chapter