5. Depression's Vice-like Grip

A/N: Man, chapter 4 was pretty intense, this one might not even measure up to it. But we will see. I'll try to make this one longer since a few have been wanting to see that. My other two stories (both Sonic related) average around 5k words per chapter, so let's see if I can make it similar for this one.

In relation to the questions about how Lynn and Ronnie Anne are in the same school, their school is K-8 in this story. On the Loud House wiki, it's currently unknown if the school Lincoln attends is just elementary or a hybrid school (neither has been officially confirmed). Most assume its elementary because we've only seen Lincoln, his friends, and his younger siblings there (naturally his older sisters are middle/high school age, but none of their schools have been mentioned). Taking into account only the university Lisa teaches at has been mentioned, and the fact the only other grade school mentioned exists in a separate town doesn't help. So, it's entirely possible Lynn does attend the same school at her younge siblings, but they rarely see each other due to their schedules. This also means Luan attends the same school (so she'll make an appearance today).

Now, given the scuffle that happened in the lunch room, will the Loud Family go from being known as a chaotic bunch to being considered monsters? Safe to say, that therapist will come in handy.

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.

The matriarch of the Loud family held its youngest member in her arms, feeding Lily her lunch. Lincoln was also eating some lunch, mainly soft foods as his missing teeth made it rather difficult to eat properly. Rita stayed all night at the hospital to keep her son company, which he was very grateful for. The boy suffered through another nightmare, and he was afraid to open up about it. Since she planned to stay overnight, Rita asked her husband to bring over Lily's food supplies and diapers. When he arrived, he informed her that the rest of their daughters had been severely grounded and the extent of what each of them had to do. He even told her he threatened to use a belt on them if they stepped out of line, surprising the mother. When questioned if he believed that may have been too much, Lynn Sr. was hesitant at first, but he thought it helped bring his point across. He didn't stay long though, considering he had a lot of materials to move to storage. But, he was happy his son was finally awake.

Lily started to play with her food as Rita fed her, almost knocking the spoon out her hand. "Lily." She chuckled. "Hold still, you're gonna make a mess."

The infant babbled before blowing a raspberry. Rita cleaned off the child's face before her phone began to ring. Looking at the caller ID, it was a number she didn't know.

"Hello?"

"Hello. Am I speaking to Rita Loud?" A masculine voice said on the other line.

"This is she."

"Hello Mrs. Loud, this is Principal Walker from Royal Woods Combined Grades School. Your daughter, Lynn Loud Jr., is sitting outside my office on the account she and another student got into a fight in the cafeteria."

"Another student? On what?"

"Yes, it was with Ronnie Anne Santiago. They haven't been saying anything since they've been brought in here, so I'm hoping you can come help shed some light on this situation. I've already called Ms. Santiago's parents as well."

Rita sighed. She hoped that after yesterday her daughters would try to stay out of trouble. Considering that Lynn Sr. was still busy moving stuff into storage (and the fact the family only has one car), she'd have to call a cab.

"Lincoln, I have to go to the school to get your sister."

The boy visibly shook upon her saying that. "W-Which one?"

"Lynn. Apparently she got into a scuffle with someone. Are you going to be ok by yourself?"

"Y-Yeah. I-I'll be fine..." He replied nervously.

Rita walked over to him. "Don't worry sweetie, I'll be back soon." She kissed his forehead before picking up Lily. "Say goodbye Lily."

"Bah Wincon!" Lily said happily.

Once she was out the door, the mother sighed again. "Hard to believe our family has become like...well this..."

In the spacious room just outside the principal's office, Ronnie Anne and Lynn sat 5 chairs apart. One of the security officers was keeping watch so they wouldn't try to pounce each other. The two refused to even glance at one another, just giving a menacing glare whenever their gazes locked. The only thing going through the Hispanic girl's head right now was how she was going break every bone in Lynn's body. Sure, the sports maniac may be strong, but she sure isn't invincible. In Lynn's case, she was hating how crappy her week has been so far. First the grounding, then the constant pestering, and now getting into a fight with the school's tough girl? And it was only MONDAY. She supposed it couldn't get any worse, not knowing that whenever someone even thinks that phrase, the universe will prove them wrong.

Twenty minutes of silent tension passed before the door to the hallway opened, revealing a middle-aged Hispanic woman who, to be fairly honest, looked like an older version of Ronnie Anne. The suit she wore indicated she just came from a desk job. "Hija! You better have a good reason for getting yourself in trouble this time!" The woman stated angrily.

"Oh I've got plenty..." Ronnie Anne muttered.

Less than a minute later, Rita walked in with Lily. Upon seeing the two girls, she was expecting to see only a few scratches. Instead, she was met with bruises, damaged faces, and small amounts of blood. Lynn even had tissues in her nostrils to stop them from bleeding out after she reset her nose.

"Oh boy..." The mother of 11 groaned. "Mrs. Santiago I'm very sorry about this."

"Don't worry. It's not the first time Ronnie Anne got herself into trouble. But I'm still expecting an answer!" She glared at her daughter.

Kevin poked his head out of his office after hearing the noise. "Ah ok you're both here. Come in." Once both parties were in and seated, he started explaining everything to the mothers. "We got reports about these two fighting in the middle of the cafeteria. When we got there, Ronnie Anne was on top of Lynn and was twisting her arm. Given her reputation in the school, I'm assuming she may have instigated the fight, but Lynn isn't so innocent either. Normally these two don't have issues with one another, so I'm wondering if you two might know the reasoning behind this."

Rita immediately had a theory as to what happened, though she was hesitant to say. However, Lynn spoke first. "Well you're right about one thing. Ms. Anger Issues here attacked me first!"

Ronnie Anne immediately took offense to that and was about to jump the Loud girl, but was held back by her mother. "You know the reason why, and I'm going to knock the rest of your teeth out!"

"Hija! Hija...calm down. Why did you attack her?"

Ronnie Anne eventually ceased her struggling. "Lincoln...Lincoln's not here because of her..." The Hispanic girl pointed accusingly at Lynn. "And she's not the only one to blame..."

Walker was just as confused as Mrs. Santiago. "You mean Lincoln Loud right?" Ronnie Anne nodded. "What exactly does he have to do with this?"

Rita looked at the floor in shame. "I had a feeling that's what it was about..." She muttered. "Mr. Walker...our children got into a major fight with each other yesterday that left him need of medical attention. I realized we hadn't notified the school yet, but could you tell Lincoln's teachers he won't be in school for a while?"

Walker nodded. "I'll make note of that. Now, I'm not sure if this is just a family issue, but even so, we have strict rules when it comes to conflicts in this school. Sorry to say, but both of these girls are going to be suspended for 3 days. Do you have any questions?" He was met with silence. "Ok, so they will both be allowed back on school grounds by Friday, but they will be expected to catch up on whatever classwork they've missed."

Rita and Mrs. Santiago weren't surprised, Ronnie Anne looked like she didn't care, but Lynn was ashamed of herself. After leaving the office, both parties had separated. Upon getting to their car, Mrs. Santiago looked at her daughter in the front passenger seat. The tough girl had simmered down enough to have a depressed look on her face as she stared out the window.

"Ronnie Anne..." She said in calm, soothing voice. "Is there something you didn't say at the principal's office? I know that Lincoln is one of your best friends, but I never expected you to get into a fight with one of his sisters over him..."

"Lynn broke his arm..." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Could you repeat that?" The mother asked.

"Lynn broke his arm!" She yelled, her temper rising as she turned to her mom. "It wasn't just that either! 8 of his sisters were involved in this too! He's in the hospital because of them! And something tells me he's got more than just a popped shoulder!"

"Hold on dear, how do you know it wasn't just Lynn?"

"Bobby told me everything last night after Lori texted him..." The girl replied.

"I see..." The mother looked out the windshield for a moment before turning back to her daughter. "Is there anything else you want to say? You broke that girl's nose and even a few of her teeth I'm guessing, so there's likely more to this story..."

Ronnie Anne sighed in defeat. "Lincoln...he's...he's not just my best friend...he's my boyfriend..."

Mrs. Santiago was rather surprised by this. She knew Roberto had a girlfriend, but she didn't think her daughter also had a significant other. So naturally, she was delighted. "EEEEEEEE! My daughter has found a man!" She yelled happily in her native tongue.

Ronnie Anne blushed at her mother's reaction. "Not so loud mom! You want the whole school to hear you?"

"Sorry, I'm just so happy!" She realized her daughter got into that fight not because she had a bone to pick with Lynn, but because she was coming to the defense of her boyfriend. However, it soon dawned on her how much pain Ronnie Anne must be feeling right now. It would also explain why her daughter's nightstand was in pieces on the front lawn. Mrs. Santiago looked at the girl, who now had small tears running down her cheeks. "Oh come here mi bebé..." The mother stretched her arms over the middle console and pulled the girl into a hug. She gently stroked Ronnie Anne's hair as the girl poured her eyes out. Then, a thought came up. Since Ronnie Anne said Roberto told her everything, she might know what hospital Lincoln was staying in.

"Do you know where he's at currently?" Her daughter nodded. "Want to go see him?"

She nodded again. "Please..." She sniffled.

Given the extent of damage done to Lynn's face, a simple trip to the dentist wouldn't cut it. Rita was going to have to take her to the hospital so a doctor could look at her. Good thing she planned to go back there anyway. Lynn was staring out the window as the cab they rode in breezed through traffic. Her mind was elsewhere though. The words Ronnie Anne said played in her head repeatedly like an ear worm. It didn't help that she knew the Hispanic girl was right. Maybe she should've just let her break her arm...the jock knew she deserved it, but because of her rebellious nature she fought back. And now, she couldn't even attend school for most of the week. Lynn supposed that might be the best news she's had so far. She wasn't in the mood to be around anyone.

Looking over at her mother, Rita was absent-minded as she too stared out at traffic. The sport fan's eyes soon gazed at Lily, who held a look of contempt.

"...What?" She asked the baby.

As best as she could, the infant reached over and bopped the jock on the head with her rattle, babbling incoherent words and shaking her toy fiercely. Lynn was confused, but the second the baby shouted 'Wincon', she knew what it was about. She shouldn't have been surprised that Lily was upset at her, yet she was. Might be due to the fact Lily uttered the first word she actually understood, or maybe it was due to the guilt that Lily must be feeling disgusted that she's related to her. Heck, Lily might grow up hating all of her older sisters. That thought alone brought Lynn's depression closer to Lucy's level. But, the rebellious nature of Lynn surfaced again. There was no way in hell she was going to become a dark-seeking self-loathing emo like her roommate (no offense to her). Somehow, some way, she was gonna try to make things right.

The jock poked her mother's shoulder. "Mom?"

"Hmm?" Rita turned her head.

"We're going to the same hospital Lincoln is in, right?"

"Yes, and I don't want you to try anything funny missy..." Rita stated firmly.

"I won't I won't, I...I just want to see him. I want to apologize for what I did...it may not help, but I want to try..." Lynn told her in a soft tone.

Rita looked closer at Lynn's face. The look of regret and sorrow told her the tomboy was telling the truth, but was still edgy. "We'll see after we get you looked at first, alright?"

Lynn gave a nod and gave a small smile. She just hoped Lincoln would forgive her...

Luan supported her head in one of her hands while she was lazily taking notes in her history class. Like Lynn, she was also stuck in a bout of depression. This morning, she packed up all of her props in boxes and sat them next to Luna's stuff in the garage. Their father was supposed to be moving everything in storage today. This included her best friend and ventriloquist dummy, Mr. Coconuts. The two shared one last joke in private before she laid him to rest. The only good thing about her depression was that it prevented her from cracking any jokes. The comedian wasn't a given a clothing restriction like Lynn and Lola, so she wore her usual attire, but without her flower prop. She also didn't tie her hair up this morning, leaving it to fall down to her mid-back.

Whilst writing, she accidentally applied too much pressure on the point of her pencil, causing it to break. "Dang it..." She muttered. Fishing for her sharpener, she overheard a couple girls talking behind her.

"Did you hear about that fight in cafeteria today?" One of them whispered.

"Yeah. It was between Ronnie Anne and, I think it was that sports girl Lynn Loud." Another stated.

"Who do you think won?" By now, Luan turned her head slightly so she could hear better.

"From what I heard, the principal showed up in the middle of it, but someone said Ronnie Anne smashed Lynn's face into the floor several times. Must've been brutal."

"Oooh I wish I caught it on my phone! It would've got so many hits on EyeTube."

"I even heard Ronnie Anne was about to break Lynn's arm. Wonder what got her jimmies so rustled."

Luan played those words in her head. Ronnie Anne normally didn't have any qualms with Lynn, but if she wanted to break the jock's arm, it must've been for a specific reason. And she knew the answer to that.

"Oh no..." The braced girl buried her head in her arms. If these two girls were talking about it, then it evident the whole school would know about it soon enough. She heard the two girls talk again.

"Someone else said it was about that loser Lincoln Loud. Wonder why she would even care about him."

"Another guy said he swore she said he was her boyfriend."

"Like, ew." The two giggled at this.

Now it made sense. Although Luan was a little surprised that Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were that close, she didn't take kindly to those girls offending her brother. Whipping her head around, she glared at them. "Don't, call my brother, a loser..." She spat with venom in her tone.

"And just what are you going to do about it Ms. I'm not even funny?" One of them taunted.

Before Luan could really give them a piece of her mind, the teacher caught the attention of all three. "Is there something worth discussing more than my class, ladies?" He said in a strict tone.

"No..." All 3 replied.

"Then quit the small talk and pay attention. This will be on your test Wednesday."

Lincoln stared blankly at the TV above him. Being in a hospital, sucked. Confined to the bed wouldn't be such a bad thing if he could entertain himself better. Sure, he could watch cartoons on TV, but right now it was just old reruns he had no intention of watching. His body was begging for him to walk around, but the doctor wouldn't let him, stating his pelvis needed to heal first before he could even think about standing up. At least the boy's eye wasn't as swollen today, and even his mouth was feeling better.

Lincoln winced in pain a little as he felt himself use the bathroom. He watched as the tube connected to his nether region filled with yellow liquid waste, which emptied into a waste container at the side of the bed. He required help if he needed to, void his bowels, something he was embarrassed about. Thankfully that wasn't the case, as a nurse assisted him an hour ago with that endeavor. That was the other thing that sucked about being in the condition he was in.

"Maybe I can ask mom if she can bring me some of my comics." He thought aloud.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. The boy looked over, thinking it was his mother and baby sister, but instead he got a surprise visitor. Ronnie Anne poked her head in through the crack.

"R-Ronnie Anne?" He asked clearly surprised.

The Hispanic girl didn't say anything, but the look of shock and horror on her face said it all. She knew about his broken arm, but the other injuries...it was beginning to be too much for her. She covered her mouth to prevent a gasp from escaping as fresh tears started to crop up again.

"Don't cry...please...not in front of him..." She begged in her mind, but she couldn't help herself.

Lincoln was taken aback by this. He never saw Ronnie Anne cry before. If any indication, sometimes she wouldn't let him help her even if she accidentally injured herself. The girl rushed over to him and hugged as tight as she could, being careful not to hurt him. The middle child of his family was taken out of his shock when he realized he was being hugged, and did the best he could to return it.

Mrs. Santiago was watching from window in the hallway, very touched by the scene. She then heard a set of footsteps coming, and was a little surprised to see Rita approaching with her two children. The jock had a bandage over her nose as well as gauze in her mouth to soak up the blood that been pooling in there. However, looking between them and the couple in the room, it didn't take a genius to know what may happen if Lynn and Ronnie Anne saw each other right now. Thinking quick, Mrs. Santiago approached them.

"Um, Rita? I know it's not my place to say this to a mother visiting his son, but it's definitely not a good idea for Lynn to be here right now."

The mother of 11 was confused before noticing Ronnie Anne's absence. She caught on very quickly. "Right...sorry Lynn but you're gonna have to wait before you can see your brother..."

"What? Why? I want to see if he's doing ok." Lynn protested.

"I know dear, but I'm more worried that you and Ronnie Anne might end up getting yourselves admitted to the hospital if you both are in the same room..." Rita explained.

Lynn wanted to argue, but she knew her mother was right. "Ok..." The jock complied. "I'll...just sit in the waiting room..." She added before sulking away.

Both mothers looked in sadness. Even Lily, who was still angry at Lynn, understood her pain.

As the hours passed, Clyde was anxious for the final bell to ring. He needed to get some answers on what happened with his best friend, and he knew exactly who to speak with. He doubted Lola and Lana would be of any help, if he did find them that is. The boy rarely saw the twins after school was finished. Clyde agreed to meet with Haiku and Polly by the tree out in the school yard when the day was done, and that's where he set off to while everyone else was stampeding towards the buses of freedom.

Upon reaching the spot, it seemed he was the last person to arrive. Polly and Haiku were there, but so was Tabby, Rusty, and Liam. Clyde figured they ran into them at point and spread the news, so he didn't bother asking.

"Ok guys, I'm pretty certain Lola and Lana are on the bus right now, so we can't ask them. Lucy might still be in the school somewhere, but I have no clue where she is." Clyde explained.

"I think I may know. If I'm correct, she'll be in the ventilation close to the drama class. That's where we usually meet after school." Haiku told them, still lacking any emotion.

"SO, are you guys super sure this is why Lincoln didn't show up today?" Rusty asked.

"I'm not so sure myself, but Ronnie Anne sounded like she knew what she was talking about, and her and Lynn usually get along just fine." The African-American explained.

"From what I heard, they both got suspended too." Tabby informed.

"Well then, what are we standing here for? Let's go find Lucy and shed some light on this murder case!" Polly cheered, though she got odd glances from the others. "Too soon?"

"Normally I'm one for murder mysteries, but that was a bit uncalled for." Haiku told her.

Once the halls had been cleared out, the group made their way to the hall the drama classes were in. They passed the cafeteria, noticing a janitor cleaning some red substance off the floor. No doubt it was Lynn's blood. Clyde and Polly grimaced while Haiku looked indifferent. Continuing on, Haiku suddenly stopped at a certain vent in the ceiling.

"So she's in there?" Liam asked.

"One way to find out. Find a broom." The goth instructed.

Normally, one wouldn't even think about hiding in the school's vent system. It was dark, dirty, dusty, filled with cob webs, and just plain cramped. But for Lucy, it was the perfect place to escape the light, as well as express her pain in solitude. Since she didn't have her journal with her, this menial task became a chore. But, she made due by using her finger to inscribe a poem about her current thoughts on the dusty surface. Looking at a family photo she had with her, her eyes could only stare at the one boy of the entire family. The one person whom she was close to, and now he was paying the price for her lack of compassion. Since yesterday, Lucy kept more to herself than usual, to the point even Haiku had trouble finding out where she was. Or so she thought.

The vent vibrated as something tapped the grate close to her.

"You in there Lucy?" Haiku asked.

Crawling over, she peaked through the grate and saw not only her goth friend, but Clyde, Rusty, and a few others she didn't know. The depressed girl gave an audible sigh before removing the grate and climbing out. Like Haiku said earlier, Lucy's eyes were completely visible thanks to the head band she wore. Her emerald green eyes were red not only from crying, but also lack of sleep.

"You ok Lucy?" Clyde asked. The goth just looked at him with a slightly irritated look. "Sorry, stupid question. We're all here because Ronnie Anne said Lincoln was in the hospital. Lynn said something about it too before they got into a fight and were suspended for it. You don't have to say much, we just want to know...is it true?"

Lucy avoided their gazes. "Sigh. I heard about it too. What Lynn and Ronnie Anne said is true. My brother...my dear brother...he's in the hospital thanks to me, Lynn, Lori, Leni, Luan, Luna, the twins, and even Lisa. All of us are to blame except for Lily..."

The rest were shocked by this. Even Haiku gave a visible sign of emotion by letting her eyes widen. "But...why? I thought Lincoln wanted to help you guys resolve whatever you were fighting about." Clyde questioned.

"He did, but we managed to fix it on our own when he left...I...I don't want to recall what happened, but if I don't..." Lucy began to cry.

Polly put a comforting hang on her shoulder. "Don't worry Luce. We're here for ya."

After some hesitation, Lucy continued. "We...we pretty much told him not to get involved in our fighting as we thought we could handle it. Everything was going fine, but then Lincoln accidentally told of some secrets we had about each other...this prompted another argument, but before it became physical...we..." Her voice was getting heavy. "We realized Lincoln was indirectly the cause of our fighting...he tried to run, but we caught up to him and...and..." She couldn't say more. It was too painful remembering the heinous act she and her 8 siblings committed. Lucy broke down in front of everyone at that moment.

Looks of pity surrounded her. Clyde felt some guilt in asking her, thinking it would've been better to ask the twins. However, they may have gotten the same response. The truth hurts, but at least, everyone knew what happened. Now that Clyde thought about it, Lynn also looked depressed today, hinting it was possible all of the sisters responsible were going through the same thing. He wanted to help, any way he could, and that's when it came to him. Good thing Clyde always kept his therapist's phone number on speed dial.

A/N: And done. The truth does indeed hurt, but only from knowing can one help in recovery. Might feel repetitive that Ronnie Anne has her hair stroked while she's upset, but I believe that's one way to help soothe her. I was thinking about having another fight between Ronnie Anne and Lynn, but decided they've had enough, for now. In the next chapter, Lynn will be the first of the guilty sisters to see her brother (in total it's only been a day), and she'll be in for a rude awakening.