A/N Welcome back guys. Here's the new chapter. Now with the release of this one this story is now 3/4 of the way finished. Enjoy!

The Waiting Game/Friday Night Fever

It was Monday after school and Lincoln, Clyde and Will were at Gus's Games and Grub playing in the Arcade. Will was playing with Lincoln on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, while Clyde was playing the dancing game. Lincoln and Clyde had disappointed looks on their faces which were hard for Will to ignore.

"What's wrong guys?" Will asked.

Lincoln sighed. "This weekend was Chandler's party at the sewage treatment plant where his dad works."

Clyde chimed in excitedly. "We so wanted to see it, we heard so many cool things about what goes on there!"

"Really?" Will questioned. "Why Chandler though? Doesn't he always give you guys a hard time?"

"Not always." Lincoln argued slightly.

"He's just cool." Clyde added.

Will was quite baffled at that statement. "Uh….cool?"

"Yeah." Lincoln answered. "Anybody who's anybody is gonna be at this party! Everybody in the Lunchroom was waiting in anticipation for Chandler to give out his invitations. His entourage had party music going and everything."

Will rolled his eyes hearing that.

Of course it was like that. Chandler has a huge ego. Although it doesn't feel good when you're not invited to anything.

"Everyone but us got an invitation!" Clyde said.

"Maybe it's for the best." Will said, trying to ease the blow of not being invited. "Again it's Chandler we're talking about."

"Hey guys!" A voice called. The boys stopped playing their games and turned to see Lori in a work uniform. Which was an orange, white, green and red striped shirt and matching hat.

"Hey Lori." Will answered.

"L-L-Lori!?" Clyde gasped seeing his goddess before him as he passed out on the foot buttons of the game.

"What's with the outfit?" Will asked.

I'll admit. I can't not see Lori in anything else besides her usual blue top.

Lori explained. "Lincoln told me about a job opening here and I applied! Now I can save up to get the dress I need for the dance this Friday!"

Will instantly remembered it once Lori mentioned the dance.

"Oh yeah." Will said, scratching his chin. "I forgot all about that."

Lori spoke with excitement. "The theme is enchantment under the sea! Me and Bobby are gonna be the Sea King and Queen."

"How nice." Will said as he refocused on his game.

Honestly I don't really care much for that sort of thing.

"Hey Loud!" The manager called. Lincoln looked over as Lori did the same. Not knowing who he's calling to. "Get to work cleaning the tables! If you have time to lean you have time to clean!"

"Coming!" Lori answered as she reached into her pocket and took out a handful of game tokens. "Here you guys go, employees get free tokens every shift. You three can have mine!" She gave them to Lincoln as his face instantly changed to a smile.

"Thanks!" Lincoln said brightly as Lori dashed to continue her shift.

Thanks to Lori's generosity the three played even longer. Clyde managed to win a stash of tickets to try and win Lori a prize. Lincoln and Will managed to complete the game all the way to the end credits.

They finished and sat at a table to rest and eat.

"Here you guys go!" Lori said as she handed the three a slice of pizza each and gave one a can of root beer. "All on me. Just my way of showing my appreciation for this job!"

"Thanks!" Lincoln said with an even bigger smile.

Suddenly to their surprise Chandler walked into the place. LIncoln noticed this and got frantic.

"Chandler's here!" He said, panicking. "Quick Will you gotta get outta sight!"

"Fine." Will groaned, shuffling out of the chair. "Just to humor you." He went back into the Arcade and hid behind a The Simpsons game.

You're probably wondering what that was all about? Well….in the past when I was a major jerk I did something I'm both not sorry for, but also not proud of.

(Flashback)

Two and a half years ago before the fateful Halloween, Will was forced into a playdate with Lincoln and Clyde at the park. Mr Loud and Nicholas were sitting at a park bench talking with each other but the kids were in plain sight should something happen. Lincoln and Clyde were swinging around in a jungle gym as Will stood next to it with his arms crossed and a grumpy look on his face. Other kids were there swinging on swings and playing sports in the field and the basketball court.

Everyone seemed to avoid Will, mostly because he looked as if he'd hurt you if you so much as said 'Hi.' Same goes for Lincoln and Clyde who acted like he didn't exist.

I was forced to hang out with the Louds not soon after our first dinner meeting. The Loud parents and dad agreed that it would help me adjust to a new home and hopefully make new friends by getting me to stop being so angry at everyone. It wasn't working.

"Hey Luke!" Chandler called to Lincoln, as a basketball rolled over to him and Clyde, apparently he's playing with his team and they just lost the ball.

"It's Lincoln, Chandler." He corrected.

He does that everytime Chandler meets Lincoln. He acts like he doesn't know Lincoln but I think he does it on purpose.

"Whatever." Chandler dismissed. "Hey you see that huge gorilla sitting over there?" Chandler snickered as he pointed to Nicholas. Will heard that and felt a little insulted hearing his dad be called that.

Yet again, my dads unusual stature attracts attention again.

"That's his dad." Clyde said pointing to Will who just looked at Chandler with a glare and looked away again.

"Who's Mr. Doom and Gloom?" Chandler asked.

Lincoln answered. "That's Will, he's my new….Friend?" He didn't know how to answer that, he knows at least for now that Will's not really his friend.

"So Sasquatch is your father?" Chandler teased. "I'm surprised you're not a huge stalk of celery yourself."

"Watch your mouth." Will snapped, giving Chandler a threatening look.

"Oooooooo." Chandler mocked. Lincoln and Clyde dropped to the ground and ran several feet away. They know what's coming if Chandler doesn't stop it teasing immediately.

"Did I hurwt yo feewings?" He continued to mock in a teasing voice, rage was building in Will if he didn't stop he would get a full blast of it. "Makes me wonder who your mom is, is she giant too?"

Will turned to face Chandler and he gave him a death glare which unphased him. Chandler bringing up his mom seriously struck a nerve as would happen with anyone else besides Nicholas.

"Where is she anyway?" He asked with a smirk. "Where's your mom, did she run away? Feeling scared of your goliath father?" Will's eyes widened with anger as his anger erupted throwing a punch in Chandler's nose, he went down crying in pain as Will leaped onto Chandler and began to wail on him. Chandler's two friends saw what was going on and charged from the basketball court and tried to attack Will to get him to stop but it only served to give more people for Will to fight. A fight broke out and Mr. Loud and Nicholas dashed to stop it. Mr. Loud separated the group as Nicholas restrained Will from attacking Chandler and his friends any further. Will struggled in his dad's arms as he tried to hold him still.

Lincoln and Clyde shook and covered their eyes, unable to look at the ugly sight.

"ENOUGH!" Nicholas shouted in a booming voice that echoed across the wind. Some car alarms seemed to start going off due to the sound. Will seemed to slowly calm down as did Chandler and his friends.

Chandler's friends had two bruises on their chests while Chandler had a black eye. The three boys ran away as Nicholas apologized to Mr. Loud for the incident, which he accepted. Nicholas held Will tightly by the back of his shirt and aggressively dragged him towards the truck to leave.

"You are in SO MUCH TROUBLE YOUNG MAN!" Nicholas roared at his son.

(End Flashback)

Chandler never bothered me again after this. I was grounded for two months for fighting. It took at least three months for Lincoln and Clyde to not get scared to be around me after that. It was the first time they saw my anger explode on full display. Again, I'm not proud of what I did, but I'm not sorry either. He shouldn't have poked my bear like that. Also it's clear he holds Lincoln and Clyde in contempt so I don't really like him anyway.

"Hey Will." Lori said approaching him from the left. "Why are you hiding yourself back here?"

"For some reason Lincoln and Clyde are trying to impress Chandler to get invited to a party he's having. I think Lincoln knows his chances are shot if he sees me hanging out with him."

Lori sighed. "Oh, that incident at the park a long time ago."

Will watched the situation unfold. He couldn't hear anything but Lincoln had an annoyed look on his face while Chandler had a smug smile. Lori took this opportunity to ask a bold question.

"You gonna go to the dance too?" She asked. The question shocked Will as his eyes bugged out as he turned to her.

"WHAT!?" He shouted. Will quickly looked back to Lincoln as Chandler wondered who yelled but Will quickly crouched behind the arcade machine to stay hidden.

"I….I can't do that Lori." Will whispered.

Lori sighed. Will, in the two years we've known you you never participated in any big after school events like this. "I'd hate for you to miss out."

Will chuckled lightly. "It's fine Lori, I gotta help dad out when he gets home and when he gets ready in the morning." Lori made a concerned face as Will failed to notice that Lincoln handed Chandler a pizza slice.

Chandler walked away with a smile on his face and once Will turned his head to see that, Will snuck out of the Arcade area and back to the table. Lori held her concerned look as she watched Will walk away.

Once Will returned to the table he was confused about where his slice of pizza went.

"Lincoln." Will grumbled. "Where's my pizza?"

"Oh I gave it to Chandler." Lincoln answered with indifference.

"Ugh." Will groaned rolling his eyes. "Why?" Lincoln smiled because the man had a new plan. "I got an idea, maybe Chandler will change his mind if me and Clyde keep giving him all the freebies we get from Lori."

Will sighed annoyed. "Lincoln, that's a bad idea. You can't keep getting Lori to pump out free goodies, also Chandler won't see you guys as friends to invite if you keep giving him all your stuff. He'll see you guys as….well, peddlers of free stuff."

"Don't worry about anything." Lincoln assured. "It won't be long before Chandler changes his mind."

Will rolled his eyes again. "Anyways I gotta go. I promised to watch the new Fast and Furious movie at home with Dad." Will walked out of the establishment and got back onto his bike and returned home.

The next day later, after school, and after dinner Will and Nicholas were watching an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie when there was a knock at the door. Nicholas paused the movie as Will walked to the door to answer it. To Will's surprise, it was Leni.

"Hi Will." She said she looked nervous as she didn't look Will in the eye and rubbed her left arm.

"Um..Hi." Will said, also feeling nervous.

I really don't know why she's here at this time of day, at this time of the week. Although, she's really cute when she acts nervous like this.

"Did you hear about the dance this Friday?" She asked. "It sounds like fun."

"I guess." Will answered. "I know Lori and Bobby are the highlights of it."

"Well, Lori told me you don't have a date. I didn't want you to spend this night alone so…."

Will's eyes widened as his heart raced and he blushed profusely.

Oh my god…is this going where I think it's going!?

"Would you like to go with me?" She asked, finally looking Will in the eyes. Nicholas's ears twitched once he heard what was just asked.

"Uh, I….I…..I….I." Will was too gripped with shock as he stammered with his mouth wide open.

Of course I look stupid right now. A really pretty girl just asked me out! I want to say something but I can't get the words out.

"He'd love to!" Nicholas answered with a big smile on his face. Seemingly appearing next to Will out of nowhere.

"Great!" Leni smiled. "Lori and I will pick you up at five thirty! See you Friday night!"

"This is amazing!" Nicholas said with pride as he playfully smacked Will on the back, snapping him out of his trance. "My son has a date, to a dance! Also it's real! I'm so proud of you!"

"I…..I….I." Will continued to stammer.

At this point I didn't know what to say even though I was out of my love surprise for just being asked out.

"Why did you do that?" Will asked. Nicholas laughed hard, clutching his chest.

"Son, I appreciate everything you've been doing to help out since we moved here, but these are precious years for you. You can't afford to miss moments like this!"

Will made a weak attempt to argue. "Yeah, but…"

"No time for buts!" Nicholas interjected. "We need to get you suited up!"

The next day after school, Will went back to Gus's Games and grub to talk to Lori.

I knew she was behind this, I wasn't mad, I wasn't even disappointed. Let's face it though, I was owed an explanation.

Unfortunately he was met with a sight that almost made Will boil with anger. Chandler was back with his two friends. Will recognised them as the same ones he beat up years ago. Will had to sneak around arcade machines and tables to not be spotted by him.

Lincoln was there too. Will stopped on his way to the counter to talk to Lori as he paused in front of a Dance Dance Revolution game to watch Lincoln give Chandler and his friends a pizza. He had a very annoyed look on his face. The pizza was half meatball and half pepperoni. Lincoln stood by them in great excitement, watching Chandler and his friends eat. Soon, they stood up and left. Lincoln sighed and hung his head on the table.

Clyde was there too, he walked up to Will's side and looked at the pathetic scene.

Clyde explained. "Lincoln's been getting Lori to give him free stuff for Chandler all afternoon."

"That's not good." Will sighed. "Someone has to pay for this stuff, nothing is really free."

Clyde looked entranced as he looked to the food counter to see Lori.

"I've been trying to win a romantic prize for my sweetheart." He cooed. Will laughed and wiped away a tear.

"Well, keep at it then." Will answered. "Hopefully she won't reject it." Will walked up to the counter and called to Lori who had a frustrated look on her face.

"What is it Will?" She grumbled. "If you want free stuff forget it!"

"Woah!" Will said, raising his hands defensively. "Come on Lori, you know I got my own money. I don't need to bum stuff off people."

Lori sighed and looked away in regret.

"I'm sorry Will." She said. "It's just Lincoln keeps asking for free soda and food and it's making me run up a huge tab."

"What are you gonna do about it?" Will asked.

"I have no idea." Lori sighed, rubbing her head. "Besides, I think I know the real reason why you're here."

"It's an elephant that needs to be addressed." Will pointed out.

Lori confessed. "Yes. I asked her to see if she'd go with you to the dance."

Will shrugged. "Why'd you do that?"

"Well, I had a conversation with your dad some time ago." Lori answered. "What he said concerns me."

(Flashback)

Not soon after the date where Lincoln kissed Ronnie Anne Nicholas stepped outside the house and hailed Lori as she was stepping out to get inside Vanzilla.

"Hey Lori I heard about the event you and Leni did with Will." Nicholas said.

"Oh yeah, it was to patch things up with my boyfriend. It all worked out." She replied.

"Will seemed to enjoy himself, I think." Nicholas said concerned. Lori noticed his look and felt she had to help him.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

Nicholas sighed. "Not really. It's just I'm glad you and your family are helping to get my son out of the house more. I appreciate everything he's doing to help out. Cooking and cleaning and such. I just feel like I'm messing up as a parent." Lori was a little stunned at hearing him talk like this.

"I don't understand." Lori said. "Will's a great guy, I know he has a temper and he used to be a jerk, but he's much better now. You stepped in back when he wasn't behaving himself."

"I know." Nicholas sighed. "I also am happy he knows self-reliance. It's just, he seems like if it weren't for you guys, his life would just be school, home, school, home. Even then it still is kind of like that."

"I understand Mr. Clements."

Nicholas added. "I don't think he has much aspirations after high school. I'm afraid that might be my fault too."

"You can't blame yourself for that though." Lori assured.

Nicholas just waved his hand and his face changed back to normal. "Ah I'm sorry for venting my drama at you. I just really wanted to say, thanks."

"No trouble." Lori said as Nicholas turned around and returned home. However Lori still felt concerned for what Nicholas expressed.

(End Flashback)

"I see." Will said. "Dad expressed something like that when Leni asked me out. Although, why her?"

"Well, Leni is pretty close to you, like me or Lincoln. When I asked if she would, she thought about it for a couple minutes then said yes."

Hmmmm I wonder.

"Does she know about my dad's concern?" Will asked.

"I didn't bring it up so I can't say she does." Lori answered.

Will blushed slightly at this revelation.

A bold assumption on my part I know, but If she did so without knowing the true intent…maybe she, oh my!

"LOUD!" The manager shouted, causing both Lori and Will to flinch. "If you got time to chat you got time to clean. Get to scrubbing the bathroom."

"It'll all be worth it when I get the dress." Lori said determined. "I'll see you at the dance, Will."

"You too." Will said. As he turned around and left.

But I gotta get ready. Oh boy, dad's gonna be giddy as a school kid when he helps me get all spiffed up.

The next day was Thursday. Nicholas and Will were at a dress store to get a decent suit for the dance.

Dad dropped me off at school and he was at the front door to pick me up at the end of the day. Apparently he made up an excuse to get out of work early. Lincoln's friend Rusty was there, in fact his dad owns the business. It's called Duds for Dudes.

Will was standing in front of three mirrors as Rusty's dad, Rodney, was taking measurements. Rusty and Nicholas were sitting in nearby chairs watching. Nicholas was looking excited gripping the rim of his seat with a big smile showing all his teeth.

Rodney backed away from Will as he nodded his head and spoke with confidence.

"I think I know just the thing for a stunning bachelor like yourself. Something undersea themed, I can't help much there but you came to the right place for clothes for a fancy dance. I'll be right back."

Rodney left and went to the back to get the outfit he thinks will best suit Will.

"I'm so jealous and excited." Rusty said. "I can't wait to at least get to middle school so that I can go to one of these."

Will thought out loud. "Why do I have a feeling this won't go well?"

"Don't tell yourself that." Nicholas said. "If you think like that it will happen. Just be confident, be a gentleman…."

"What if she wants to dance?" Will said in a nervous tone. "I've never done it! What if I step on her toes?"

"If she wants to dance, do it." Nicholas answered. "Don't worry about the accidents, just look her in the eyes and let the music guide you."

Will rolled his eyes at Nicholas's advice.

To me it sounds cheesy, but I can't see myself getting any better advice in the next 24 hours so I might as well take it.

Rodney returned with a mostly black tuxedo with a white collar and white shaw to go with the white undershirt and no tie.

"Here we go I think this will suit a guy like yourself." Rodney said as he held it up to Will's body.

"YES!" Nicholas cheered as he stood up and applauded. Will however wasn't amused.

I really did want to go to the dance, however doing this with dad is so embarrassing.

"She's gonna be one lucky lady once she sees you in this!" Rodney said feeling proud of himself.

Once they made their purchase and left the store, right next to it was a dress shop Lori walked out of it holding a rather beautiful and very elaborate dress. The dress itself was like a mermaid costume. It had a purple seashell bra, with ruby red starfish buttons around the waist. The bottom of the dress had two fins hanging off the back. The bottom half was smooth like a fish tail while the top was sown in a manner that looks like scales. The whole dress itself was seafoam green.

"Hey Lori!" Will called. "Wow, nice dress."

"Thanks." Lori sighed. Something was way off with her. Instead of looking excited she looked worried.

"What's wrong?" Nicholas asked.

"Lincoln kept badgering me for free food and drinks last night at work." Lori explained. "My manager hasn't said anything yet, but he may tonight and if he does I'm not going to any dance."

"Grrr, Lincoln!" Will grumbled. This is exactly what he warned him about.

"Anyways, nice suit Will." Lori said, finally smiling at him. "You'll like what Leni's got on, as I'm sure she'll like what you're gonna put on."

The anticipation of Leni's possible appearance accompanied by Lori's compliment made Will blush.

"Well we hope things work out." Nicholas said. "Hopefully you can still go." Nicholas said, waving to her as she turned and walked the opposite direction. "Come on Will, we need to do something about your hair." Nicholas began to move towards the truck but turned to see Will frozen with blushing cheeks and blank stare on his face. Nicholas chuckled as he reached for Will's arm and pulled him back towards the truck.

Yeah what's about to happen and what she's gonna see in me and what I'm gonna see in her froze my brain and my legs. I'm so pathetic, hehehehe.

This night was the big night. Nicholas stood at the bottom of the stairs as he awaited Will to come down to see how much he's cleaned up. Suddenly in what seemed like in slow motion feet started to walk down the stairs. Feet wearing two matching polished black shoes all in a black suit from the day before. Will's face was revealed with his hair all combed backwards. In his arm was a single red rose.

Once Will finished walking down the stairs. He spread out his arms and spun around slowly so Nicholas could inspect him.

"Wearing that fancy cologne I got you." Nicholas observed as his nose twitched. "Got the mints for your breath?" Will lifted a tube of Mentos from his pocket and showed them to Nicholas. "Perfect." Nicholas rested his arms on his son's shoulders and smiled at him.

"Son, you've grown so much to make it to this moment. Go get her and have the best night of your life."

"Thanks dad." Will smiled. He walked out the door and went over to the Louds. Nicholas went to the front window and stared at Will with tears of pride welling in his eyes.

To be honest, I don't like this suit. It's a little tight in some areas and it feels stiff. I honestly hate dressing like this, but hey I know I can't disappoint Leni or my dad for that matter. Oh well, better to just get this over with.

Will appeared at the front door and he started to shake and feel nervous. He knocked on the door and after a few seconds it was answered. However it wasn't a sight Will was expecting. It was Lori dressed in her work uniform.

Lori had a disappointed look on her face, it noticeably got worse when she saw Will.

"Um…..Hi!" Will smiled, blushing again, this time from embarrassment.

Did something happen? Did I get the wrong Friday? Man this is so awkward!

"I'm sorry Will." Lori sighed. "I'm afraid there's not gonna be any dancing tonight."

"What? Why?" He asked with his mouth hanging open.

"Lincoln wouldn't stop bombarding me with requests for free stuff. So I gotta go to work to pay off all the stuff I owe. Instead of romance under the sea, I'll have to deal with greasy cheese under my fingernails. I'm afraid I can't take us, and since I'm not going neither is Bobby so no one's going unfortunately." Will's head hung in disappointing shock as his mouth hung open. Leni was working on getting her driver's license but at this time she didn't have it yet.

"Where's Leni?" Will asked. Lori looked up the stairs and looked back to Will.

"She's laying on her bed upstairs feeling depressed. It's a shame, you look amazing." Lori pushed past Will and climbed into Vanzilla.

I know I just said I hated dressing like this, I gotta admit though I was feeling a little sad.

Lincoln was walking to the front porch with Clyde. Coincidentally Lincoln was also dressed formally in a black suit of his own. Clyde was wearing an orange sanitation suit. Clyde looked excited but Lincoln looked guilty. The two got an eyeful of Will's fancy appearance, before Lincoln turned to watch Lori drive away in Vanzilla.

Will saw Lincoln's regret and nudged him on the shoulder.

"Got the invitations to Chandler's party?" Will asked. Lincoln nodded.

I'm not gonna be hard on him. This is clearly bothering him. When push came to shove Lincoln always did the right thing in the end.

"Are you ready to make this the best day of your life?" Clyde shouted excitedly.

"Yes…..Yes I am." Lincoln answered.

Will knew exactly what to say. "So, my dad is more than willing to drive you after her and fix this mess. Shall I get him?"

"Yes." Lincoln said. "Lori's night's ruined thanks to me. I gotta fix this. You were right Will. Chandler was just using me, he's not really my friend."

"I gotta point out Will, nice clothes." Clyde smiled, still looking Will up and down.

"Thanks." Will replied. "Nice…..hazmat suit."

Will smiled at Lincoln and grabbed his hand and rushed them back to Nicholas. They burst through the door to which got Nicholas's attention as he was watching the news.

"Dad, we need your help, get the truck now!" Nicholas was confused and wondered why Will wasn't at the dance.

Lincoln interjected. "I'll explain everything on the way but we gotta get to Gus's Games and Grub now!"

On the road they rushed over to the place while Will decided to stay behind. He went back over to the Louds and saw that Clyde removed his hazmat suit and started to leave.

"What are you gonna do?" Will asked him.

"I know now that we're not going to the party. I can't go to the sewage plant without Lincoln." Clyde said. "I'm gonna go to Gus's Games and Grub and see what they're up to.

"You don't seem too disappointed about it." Will pointed out Clyde's soft smile.

"I want to see the plant, but not at the expense of my queen." Clyde shrugged.

You gotta admire his loyalty. Clyde is really a great guy.

Will waved goodbye to Clyde as he looked back to the Louds, to his surprise Mr. Loud was standing on the porch with Leni at his side.

"Hi Will." Leni said blushing slightly as she playfully tucked her left foot behind her right leg. "You look, so great."

Will scratched the back of his head and blushed with her.

"T-thanks." He stammered nervously. "Y-you also look….good."

She does look good, even though she's still dressed normally.

Mr. Loud had a stern smile at Will and told Leni to go inside. "The look made Will nervous."

Oh god, I know what's about to happen. Dad talk.

"Don't be afraid Will." Mr. Loud said. "I've known you for two years. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt her let alone any of the other kids. I'm here to make a very personal request."

"What is it?" Will asked. "Anything."

"You know how Leni can be." Mr. Loud said. "I need you to promise me, promise me you'll always look out for her. Protect her, from all things and people that might take advantage of her."

Man, the Louds must really trust me. I knew they liked me as a friend, this is something on a whole new level.

"I promise you. Mr. Lynn Loud Sr. I will keep your daughter safe. Although I don't understand. We are going to a dance but we're just having a good time, I mean it's not like we're actually dating right?"

Mr. Loud chuckles. "There's a lot about dating and girls you don't know."

I know I'm no genius about that stuff, he's right about me.

Suddenly barreling down the street with insane speed was Vanzilla. It skidded into the driveway with a horrific *SCREEEEEEEEEECH!* Will felt disappointed because when the dust cleared the rose he was holding lost all of its petals and his hair was slightly messed up, thanks to the gust from Lori's 'reckless driving.' Will grunted and tossed the stem on the ground.

Mr. Loud and Will waved their hands about to fan away the dust at the stop of the car. Lori swiftly exited the car and pushed past Will and Mr. Loud and darted upstairs and to her room.

"Lincoln seems to have fixed this issue." Will said. "Lincoln may mess up sometimes, but he's a good guy."

"He is." Mr. Loud agreed.

After several minutes Lori returned downstairs now adorned in her beautiful dress. Only this time she's wearing fake seaweed in her hair with glittery starfish in it. Will blushed seeing Lori's absolute beauty.

Oh wow. Right now, I'm kind of jealous of Bobby, and I understand why Clyde pines for her.

"You look amazing Lori." Will said softly. Lori giggled as she stepped aside.

"Thanks Will." She replied. "Now why don't you see who you're going with."

Will shut his eyes as he heard Leni's footsteps coming down the stairs. Once she stopped. Will slowly opened his eyes and gasped. He stared at Leni and was absolutely speechless.

She also had the same fake seaweed and starfish in her hair, her dress looked more simple than Lori's. It was ocean blue colored with a pattern that resembles ocean waves stitched into around the bottom. The straps on her shoulders were a lighter shade of blue. There were decorative buttons that resemble sea creatures sewn into many places on the coth. Her hands had white gloves covered in sparkly glitter.

Oh my….she looks so…heavenly.

Will's heart raced as his mouth hung open. Leni and Lori giggled knowing Will's reaction says it all.

"Oh Will." Leni laughed. "You look so cute when you're shocked."

Oh god, she says I'm cute!

"Come on, snap out of it." Lori said as she put her finger under Will's chin and closed his mouth. The three went towards Vanzilla and Will took the initiative and opened the door for Leni and Lori.

"What a gentleman." Lori complimented. The ladies took the front seat as Will sat behind them. Although before going to the school they had to go get Bobby.

They stopped at the Santiago's house. Will rushed to open the doors for Leni and Lori.

"Wow, so Lincoln was able to convince your manager to let him take your place at work?" Will asked, continuing an earlier conversation.

"Yeah, despite him not being sixteen, he oddly accepted." Lori said.

They stopped at the Santiago's house and they all stepped out. Once they rang the doorbell, it was answered by Ronnie Anne. Not behind them was clearly their mother. A slender woman who looks overworked. Her body looks weary and tired as her eyes had very noticeable bags. Her hair was tied into a bun and she's wearing a nurse's outfit.

That's Maria Santiago. Bobby and Ronnie Anne's single mom. This is the first time I ever encountered her. Seeing her here after knowing how hard things are for Bobby and Ronnie Anne, it gives a great window as to why Ronnie Anne feels the way she does about her family.

"Hey guys." Ronnie Anne said as she seemed to give a mild glare to Lori, who didn't seem to notice.

"Hey Ronnie Anne." Will answered.

"So you're Will." Maria said as she walked up to greet Will face to face. "You look great, although I'd like to see how you normally look." She laughed.

"Maybe you will someday." Will returned the laughter. "So Ronnie Anne's been gossiping about me?" The girl rolled her eyes but seemed to be amused by this.

Around the corner of the kitchen Bobby appeared in polished black shoes and a black tuxedo under a King's red and white fur cape with black spots. On his head was a three tipped crown that looked to be made of yellow coral.

"Oh Boo Boo Bear!" Lori cooed, as she moved and embraced her boyfriend. "You look fantastic."

"And you look so beautiful babe!" Bobby answered as he hugged her back. He looked at Will and Leni and instantly learned what was going on between them. "Nice to see you two finally together!"

"W-what do you mean by that?" Will stammered, his face tomato red.

"Oh no way!" Leni objected, blushing slightly. "We just couldn't leave Will all alone on a big important day like this." Will looked at Leni with a soft smile and sighed slightly, feeling slightly defeated.

I guess she didn't ask me because she likes me. Oh well.

She quickly added. "Also I wanted to go but needed a date first. Will's eyes perked up upon hearing this."

Or maybe so.

This is your first dance? Bobby asked Will who nodded. Well, I promise this will be a magical time you'll remember.

Hang on, Let me get a picture! Maria called as she got a camera. Everyone bunched together and everyone standing next to their dates. They all smiled for the camera.

*click!*

The photograph printed out of the camera and Maria smiled and shed a tear of happiness as Ronnie Anne stood on her toes to look at it.

You know I wonder, is this what prom will be like?

The four all left and went back to Vanzilla and went to the highschool Once there the group all went inside the gym. A stage for a D.J. was set up as was a table with refreshments. There were soft magenta, green and blue lights in the ceiling giving the illusion that the dance was taking place underwater. In the corner was a photographer who had an ocean backdrop for couples who want to preserve their memories.

There were chairs set up with people resting as the rest of the teenagers in attendance were dancing with their dates. Will paused and took in the scenery.

Wow I never thought I would see the gym looking like this! For people not professional decorators putting this together, it actually looks ok.

"Ladies and Gentleman!" The Master of Ceremonies, a lady teacher of the school wearing a dress suit. "Your King and Queen have arrived!" A spotlight shined on Bobby and Lori as they waved to the crowd who broke into light applause.

She continued. "They will perform events as the night goes on until then, enjoy the evening."

The couples all enjoyed themselves as Bobby and Lori had to go to the special table on the stage first. They would have to take extra special photos as they were selected to be icons for the evening.

Leni waved to some nearby friends of hers who waved back and began to approach with their dates.

"Hey Will, why don't you go get us some drinks?" Leni asked. Will nodded and left to the refreshment table. He returned with the two cups of punch and Will got to say hello to Leni's two best friends Mandee and Jackee. Will was slightly nervous as he started to shake from being nervous about this event.

I don't mind being social, however being in such a formal place, hoping not to embarrass Leni is making me a little anxious.

He extended his hand to give Leni her fruit punch but his nervousness was causing his arm to and some of the drink spilled out of her paper cup and got on her gloved hand.

"Will! Watch what you're doing!" Leni raised her voice as her friends backed away slightly.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Will panicked as he reached into his pocket and handed her a handkerchief. Leni whipped her hands clean and set the cup down on a nearby table. Unfortunately there was a faint red stain on her gloves. She was visibly unhappy about this incident. However her smile came back, surely she was able to overlook this. Her friends gave a disapproving look to Will who blushed in embarrassment.

Ok not a great start. I can do better. I gotta get a hold of myself though.

The song that was playing was a beat heavy song made for either taking a break from dancing or to have a dance involving lots of shakes and twists. It slowly came to an end as a slow romantic song started to play.

"Let's dance, what do you say?" Leni offered. Will smiled as he extended his hand and took hers. They went to the dance floor and Will wrapped one arm around her waist and held Leni's right hand as she rested her other hand on Will's shoulder.

The two stared into each other's eyes as they slowly began to waltz around the floor. Will's heart started beating. It seemed as if the sparkle of each other's eyes, the two started to get lost in the sea of each other's eyes.

I'm starting to feel the magic of this night, I can see the appeal of going to events like this. The music is nice and…I'm sharing it with the prettiest, sweetest girl I know. I…I think I can't deny it anymore. I have a crush on Leni Loud.

Unfortunately because Will lost focus. He made a pretty big mistake.

"OW!" Leni shrieked as Will accidentally stepped on her right foot. The pain caused her to jump back and fall onto her bottom. This caused her to accidentally bump into another couple and the push knocked them down and this caused a chain reaction as when that couple was pushed to the floor it knocked another couple down, then another, then another like dominos. Lori and Bobby were staring at the scene as they had no clue what happened. Luckily it stopped at the south east corner of the gym so not all couples were knocked down, however this paled in comparison to how bad this was looking as the music scratched to a halt. All the couple's stopped dancing as they stared at the scene, some glared at Will. Some didn't know the cause, but others sure knew who was responsible.

Oh no. I royally messed up. I….I ruined the dance.

The Master of Ceremonies took to the microphone and tried to cool the situation.

"These mistakes happen everybody, let's just move on from this and keep having a great time!"

The music started up again, and while some of the couples resumed dancing, even the ones who were knocked down. Others were staring at Will and started to whisper. Will looked at his date and his heart froze as she gave Will a half angry and half sad look. Tears were welling in her eyes. All Will could do was stand still as his body was frozen as well as his heart.

Oh god. Poor Leni, she must be so embarrassed. It's all my fault.

"How could you do this to me?" Leni sniffed as she bolted across the dance floor and towards the ladies restroom, leaving Will alone. More couples started to whisper and stare at him. Unfortunately Will's anger started to bubble.

I….I…don't know what to do. I….I.

Will turned to the stage and saw Lori and Bobby staring at him with blank faces. Lori quickly went to the bathroom to help her sister. Bobby just shook his head. Tears of embarrassment welled in Will's eyes as his anger started to mix with embarrassment.

Will shut his eyes and rushed out the door. He sniffed as the tears started to flow. Once he was out of the school he stopped at a nearby bus stop bench and looked up at the starry sky as more tears ran down his face.

This was the second worst night of my life. The girl I like, I hurt and ruined a big night for her. I soiled her reputation. I haven't felt this terrible since…..ah, I can't talk about it. I can't imagine how Leni feels now, but how is this gonna affect me with the other Louds too, you all know how close they are.

*Brrrrrr Brrrrrrrrr*

Will took out his phone. It was Lori calling him. Will was too embarrassed and afraid to talk to her. He let the call go to voicemail.

I can't do it. I better just go home.

Will got off the bench and started to just walk home with his head hanging in shame. After about half an hour Will made it home. His phone buzzed again and this time it was Bobby, and Lori did leave a voicemail message. However Will refused to answer it this time. He walked through the front door and Nicholas was eating a sub sandwich at the kitchen table.

"You're back already?" Nicholas asked. "Well, how was your night?" He took notice of his son's slightly messed up hair and tired looking eyes. Will didn't answer and charged upstairs and shut himself in his room and laid face down on his bed. Nicholas stood at the bottom of the stairs looking up them. He got an idea how the evening went and his heart started to hurt alongside his boy.

A/N Originally when planning this story, I had planned for this chapter to have a simple romantic high school ending. However I felt like I could do better by doing something different. What do you guys think? Let me know in a PM or a review. For those wanting an announcement for Sonic and Sailor Moon R, be patient for an announcement will be made soon, whether or not it will be made. For all my American readers have a nice Independance Day, see you next time!