43. Keep Pressing Forward

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.

"Lori." Carol spoke as she patted the stall door. "You know you can't stay in there forever..."

The Loud was sitting on the covered toilet seat, gripping her shoulders tightly as she drew in deep, loud breaths. She heard her group mate talk, but she didn't answer back.

The Pingrey girl sighed. "Lori, you knew you were gonna have to face him eventually. It might not be the best circumstances, but you guys can at least try to clear the air."

"Carol." Lori started. "We haven't spoken to each other in months. Where do I even begin? Hi, we haven't spoken in a while cause I nearly BEAT MY BROTHER TO DEATH; can we be a couple again?"

Carol winced a little. "I mean, it's probably not gonna go like that; but we both know it's gonna come up soon."

"Can't I just skip the project and let you guys get all the credit?..."

The student body president put her hands on her hips. "You know that isn't an option. All persons in the group have to present something, or else the whole group will fail." She glanced to the side. "Which is pretty unfair really." Carol shrugged. "Guess it's to enforce more teamwork..."

"But how can I focus on the project when he's our partner?" Lori demanded. "I'd rather take an F and-"

"No, you don't." Carol interrupted, a stern look on her face. "Look, this is gonna be distracting not only to you, but Roberto as well. How do you think he feels about all of this?" Lori didn't give an immediate response, so Carol continued. "He's probably just as nervous as you are, so it'd help if you both get this out of the way before we start on anything serious." She folded her arms. "It might even be practice for when you talk to your brother on your own."

Lori bit her lip. "Right...I hadn't told her yet..." She released her shoulders, both hands clasping each other on her lap. "...How should I start? I'm pretty sure there's literally a boat load of things we'd have to discuss..."

Carol only shrugged. "I'm no expert, but maybe you two can go over where things stand."

"I guess..."

The blouse-wearing girl stepped away from the door upon hearing shuffling on the other side. Seconds later, the stall opened.

"At least she's not a complete mess." The Pingrey girl mulled inwardly as she studied Lori's face. A few tear stains were present, most likely from stress, but nothing that couldn't be cleaned up easily. As Lori walked over to the sink, "Since we all got the same lunch period, you'll wanna think about your opening remarks." Lori looked at her as she cleaned her face with a paper towel. "You don't have to go into all the personal stuff right now, but it might make it easier."

Lori deadpanned. "Like what?..." She dumped the paper in the trash.

"I dunno," Carol walked to the door. "Just ask how his day was? How's school? Something boring?" Pressing it open, "It might suck, but it usually helps ease everyone into a conversation."

Lori gave a wordless groan as she followed Carol out.

Having spent almost half their lunch break in the restroom, both girls knew they had a limited amount of time to eat anything; not that they needed the full hour anyways. Lori wasn't too big on school food growing up, although she would admit it did get better as she moved up the system. Gone were the stale and dull food from elementary school and in were high school's more diverse food menu. Even middle school wasn't too bad, though you'd be hard pressed to avoid the beans and greens; they tasted so foul that Lori believed only someone like Lana would eat that grody stuff.

Getting their food wasn't a hassle as most of the students were already eating, with a few in line to get seconds. Lori spent little time picking out what to eat, very much preferring what her dad cooks; but the salads were still good and fresh. Within minutes, the two girls were sitting alone at one of the hexagonal tables near the windows; the Loud grew accustomed to this since many of her friends had stopped associating with her. If it weren't for their different lunch period, Lori would've found herself dining with her sisters.

Still, it was a little jarring to have someone join her after weeks of isolation, even if Carol had been eating with her since the week before.

Lori had a small salad whilst Carol had what appeared to be a veggie burger. "Ugh...this is gonna be the hardest thing in my life...behind making it up to Lincoln that is." The Loud absently picked at her food until a piece of lettuce was pierced by her fork. "Bobby hardly looked at me ever since we broke up, and he didn't text me back after I told him everything over the phone..." She bit the lettuce off her fork whilst making a side glance at Carol. "Well, actually, I blocked his number; so there's that..." She stabbed a shredded tomato and stuck it in her mouth. "And I hadn't really bothered asking how he felt about any of this, since I just assumed he would be as pissed as my former friends were..." She grabbed her water bottle, popping the cap off and started to sip from it. "Is there even a chance we could start over?...I mean, Ronnie Anne probably filled him in on the details since she's been coming over a lot lately." Her eyes closed a little. "And hanging out with Lynn no less...I would've thought she hated her since she broke Lincoln's arm. Then again, weren't they doing some sort of group thing to help Lincoln avoid us-"

"Hi," Lori's thoughts were cut short when she heard a familiar, masculine voice penetrate through them. Looking up, she and Carol saw Bobby standing near the table with a tray of chicken wings and fries in his hands. "Uh...are these seats taken?" He asked an in awkward, yet polite tone.

Lori blinked for a moment, only to then fully realize her ex had came to their table. She tried to gasp, only to forget she was still sipping her bottle. The water she drank was cut off from her throat closing as she moved to spit it out; however, with the bottle still obstructing her mouth, it ended up coming out her nose instead. Both teens looked at Lori in confusion as the Loud coughed slightly whilst fanning her nose; it may have been cold water, but having anything forced through the nasal cavity still stung.

"You ok?" Carol asked.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Lori spoke quickly, using a clean napkin to clear her sinuses before trying to dry the front of her shirt with another.

"Um..." Bobby started, feeling uncertain as to whether this was a good idea. He thumbed behind him. "I can come by another time, if you-"

"No, no! You can sit! It's fine." The Loud finally said, not bothering to hide the nervousness in her tone.

Bobby looked down at the two empty chairs, opting to sit at the one that was directly across from Lori and adjacent to Carol.

"Soooo..." Lori started, fingers drumming on the table surface. "H-How are things?"

Bobby paused as he bit into one of the wings, giving a slight shrug a moment later. "Ok I guess..." He chewed for a few seconds. "How about you?"

"Kinda...great?" Lori gave a sheepish smile, picking at her salad again before stuffing her mouth with a large piece.

Carol looked between the two, almost wincing at the site. "Wow...it's like being at the world's most awkward date." Quite literally, the air felt so tense she could cut a solid block of it. She picked a few crumbs off the corner of her mouth. "Gotta find a common topic to discuss..." She bit off more of her burger before speaking out. "Since we're all here, does anyone have a particular person they want to research?"

Lori and Bobby glanced at their class president, before beginning to stew in thought. "Were there any restrictions on who it had to be?" Bobby asked.

"After looking at the paper, no." Carol stated. "And since it's World History, that opens up a lot of avenues we can use." She deadpanned a little. "Just as long as it's not anything stupid."

Lori sighed through her nose. "I don't even know much about U.S. history; aside from the basics like independence day, the slavery period, civil war, and some stuff from both world wars..." She squinted an eye. "And maybe some other 20th century stuff."

Bobby tapped his chin. "I know more of that and some background on the Spanish." He rubbed the back of his noggin. "Mostly because Abuela hammered that part into my head..."

"Well, it doesn't have to be anyone political, does it?" The Loud asked.

"No. Plus, I doubt it would be a good topic, all things considered." Carol bit into her burger. "We could find someone dealing with music, computers, radios..." She shrugged. "Heck, even television."

Bobby went wide-eyed as he chewed when the word 'computers' was mentioned. He dug into his pocket and fished out his phone. It was a Samsung S6, having had it for almost two years. "I got an idea!" Both girls looked at him. "We can do our project on the person who created the first smartphone! It's basically a handheld computer, right?"

Lori raised a brow, feeling the Iphone 7 in her side pocket. "That's not a bad idea. I mean, who doesn't have a smartphone these days?"

"People who can't afford one." Carol stated, her Iphone 8 already in hand as one finger swiped across the screen multiple times. "Hmm...it doesn't look like there's a specific person per se about the idea of the smartphone." Her eyebrows slanted down slightly in frustration. "And Google is only listing IBM." She looked at her groupmates. "But we'll find that out soon enough. And there's plenty of material to look through."

Lori gave a curt nod before picking at the rest of her salad. She gave a glance towards Bobby, who seemed to be a little occupied with his phone. In the midst of chewing, she took her own phone out, taking it off standby. More than a month ago, there wasn't a time where you'd see Lori without the the tiny screen practically glued to her face, unable to peel herself away from it in even the best of times; the siblings, as dark as it sounds, sometimes placed bets on when Lori might one day get herself into an accident due to phone usage.

So far, she hasn't proven them right.

Now these days, Lori rarely used her phone for anything other than calls or quick searches. The parental settings on her phone blocked her from using most social media sites; not that Lori even wanted to try checking there. She feared the comments she'd find on her profiles, especially in the weeks following Lincoln's hospitalization.

"When was the last time I checked those anyway?..." The Loud mulled to herself. "Those settings were kinda pointless." She frowned. "And Dad said I could talk to Bobby again after realizing THAT punishment wasn't needed since we broke up..." She looked at him again, then back at her phone. "And I've been avoiding him since then...and because of that, he probably hadn't tried seeking me out..." The Loud recalled the talk she had with Carol the day before. "And, she's right...what DID Bobby think of all this? I mean, I know he's disappointed to the pits of the earth. But he doesn't seem too angry about it." She looked at her ex again, only to quickly go back to her phone when he looked up. "Then again, it's been weeks since...so even if he was upset, he'd have time to cool. He's probably kept trying to talk to me this whole time anyways..."

Lori made a slight glare. "What are you saying? OF COURSE he did; why else did I get notifications every day for every week last month about a blocked number?..." She sighed through her nose. "But I've been too much of a coward to face him..." She gripped her phone a little tighter as determination formed in her eyes whilst sitting up straight. "And that's backwards...if I can gather the courage to face Lincoln (my BIGGEST concern), I can face Bobby too."

She went into her previous caller list, remembering that she couldn't send messages to blocked numbers. It took a minute to find the number she was looking for, as it was buried under the spam calls and telemarketers she endured over two months. When she arrived at the calls she received in the weeks following Lincoln's hospitalization, a certain ten digit code stood out to her. Lori tapped and held her finger, bringing up a few options. She immediately unblocked the number, then went into the messaging app through the envelope icon under it.

The messages she left shortly before she blocked him were still there.

"No time like the present to dust this off..." The Loud thought to herself as she started typing.

Bobby was browsing the internet, trying to dig a little deeper into the mystery of who exactly came up with the idea of the smartphone, when a dropdown message appeared on the screen. His eyes widened when he read the words "Babe" as the owner. The message disappeared into the top of the screen before he could read it, making him slide the notification menu.

'Can we talk after school? It's important.' It read.

Mrs. Lopez sat at her desk with a somewhat bored expression on her face, sorting through a few appointments she had coming later this week. One had to do with a client having trouble moving on as a close family member had died recently, another case involved what sounded like a failing marriage, and the last one was a dispute between a mother and her son; the former believed a therapist would help whilst the latter found it pointless. She didn't want to say they weren't...interesting...but she'd dealt with situations like these more frequently than one may think. And it was typically over the same problems.

Trust issues, feeling overbearing, someone not understanding the other's problems, not letting things go, etc. Oh, and there was also Clyde's many problems.

That was how every week went. It was good money, sure; but sometimes it felt a little tedious. The only time she dealt with someone very different than her routine was when she had taken a case with the Louds.

"Hmm...it's been a while since I've spoken with that family; barring Lincoln and Lynn Jr. of course." The psychiatrist adjusting her position in her seat. "I wonder how the rest are fairing. I haven't spoken with them since that one weekend."

The doctor was pulled from her thoughts when the echo of her office phone caught her attention. She picked it up, tucking the receiver in the crook of her neck as she wanted to keep both hands on the keyboard. "This is Dr. Lopez speaking."

"Hi, Mrs. Lopez?" The familiar voice of a certain 11 year old answered.

The doctor raised a brow. "Lincoln?" She sat up straight. "How are you?"

"I'm, doing ok...I guess." The boy sounded rather hesitant.

Miranda pursed her lips slightly. "Still having problems meeting with your sisters on your own terms?"

"Well, sort of." Lincoln stated. "I've gotten a bit closer to Lynn lately, but I don't know if I can really trust her yet. I've even managed to talk with Leni to figure out how her fight with Lori started. And," There was a brief pause over the line. "I sorta wish I hadn't..."

The doctor hummed to herself as the details of the sibling protocol came to the surface. "Then again, Lincoln was rather irate when Lynn described it to him. I imagine getting it from the horse's mouth was no better." She mulled to herself. "What do you mean?" She verbally questioned.

"Well...let me start from the beginning." The Loud began. "First, I'm actually living at home again; and I went back a few days ago."

Miranda blinked in surprise. "Well," She folded her legs. "That's certainly good news. Though, out of curiosity, what made you decide to return?" There was a short pause before she added, "S-Sorry! I don't mean it in a bad way. It's just that it seemed you weren't inclined to do so for a long time."

"It's ok. And to answer that, I had found out what my sisters and friends were doing to help keep my fears in check. And I felt that I'd be letting them down if I didn't go back..." Some shuffling was heard on his end. "I thought it was time for me to try and solve my own problems. I wasn't mad at anyone; though Clyde panicked a little when I found out."

"I'm a tad surprised I didn't receive a call about that." Miranda mused.

Lincoln seemed to have gotten the joke, eliciting a chuckle. "Yeah well...anyway, after I came back, it's been rather touch and go. I'm still avoiding most of my sisters except when it comes to dinner; I've been leaving the house early to avoid riding in the van with them too." Miranda pulled the phone away from her neck once it had gotten uncomfortable in that position, electing to hold it in her hand. "So, the next day (after talking with Clyde), I had lunch with Lynn; and honestly, I realized I don't know all of my sisters the way I thought I did. But after we understood each other a bit more, she suggested I talked with Leni next." A sigh could be heard. "It went well, but that's when it was obvious that Lori really did start the argument..."

Miranda put a finger on her lip in thought. Recalling Lori's telling of events, she knew the teen deeply regretted her actions; but it sounded like Lincoln wasn't concerned if she did or not.

"...I really, REALLY didn't want to speak with her after finding out. But...I guess she wanted to try apologizing no matter what..."

Miranda raised a brow. "How so?"

"Last night..." Lincoln paused, letting a mumbled groan escape him. "She kinda forced herself into my room and tried apologizing, but I didn't let her get a word in because I was yelling at her for all the stuff she did; not just with the protocol, but for stuff months back. It wasn't the first time Lori acted so selfish to me and my other sisters, so I kept throwing insults at her...and it eventually got under her skin..."

Miranda bit her cheek. "What did she do?"

"...S-She lifted me up by my shirt, a-and I thought she was going to hit me..." The Loud took a moment to gather himself. "Before she did, she must've realized what she was doing and dropped me...I-I really thought she was going to turn me into a human pretzel; but i-instead, she said she loved me and my sisters, and she only became the way she is because she couldn't handle having to look after us all the time..."

Miranda nodded. "When I had spoken to her during her session, she did admit to that when we had discussed her past." She leaned against the desk. "I may not be able to vouch for her, but she isn't fond of how she turned out over the years."

Lincoln hadn't said anything as he reflected on that. Pressing on, "...So, the reason I'm calling now is becauseeeee..." Lincoln drew out. "I don't know if I can talk with the rest of my sisters alone...it's like the more I talk with them, the more I remember some of the annoying things they've done in the past; and I don't want to end up shouting at them, only to get pummeled for what I said..." There was a small pause before adding. "Again..."

"So you want to be able to hold discussions in a safe spot without having to fear retaliation if you say something not so nice?" The therapist surmised.

"Pretty much..."

Miranda huffed with a smile. "Well, I'll be happy to inform you that my office has some openings this week." She brought up her scheduled appointments on the screen. "Hmm...are you available Wednesday through Friday?"

"Well, I'm still in school..." Lincoln answered. "Wait, I think Friday was closed for students for something."

"I was going to suggest an afternoon appointment," Mrs. Lopez chuckled. "But if Friday works better, we can do that."

"Ok. Um...I still haven't decided on which sister to bring yet..."

Miranda drummed her fingers on the desktop. "Do you have a list of which sisters you might be most comfortable speaking with?"

A small chuckle was heard on the line. "Honestly, Lily would be the easiest; but she doesn't need to see a therapist." The Loud hummed to himself. "Aside from Leni, and I guess Lynn, I thought Luna might be another easy person to talk to since she's usually laid back. But now, I'm not so sure anymore..." More shuffling could be heard. "And I'm a little to nervous too even try speaking to some of my little sisters (namely Lucy and Lola) for certain reasons; though Lana might be easier to talk to."

"So, you want to bring Lana in with you?"

There was a moment of silence as Lincoln sought to figure out how he should proceed.

"Mmm...actually..." Lincoln began, sounding a little confident. "I think it might be easier if I get one of my most intimidating sisters out of the way; plus, if what Lori told me is any hint, I might learn more about her too." The sound of a metallic door closing was heard for a brief moment. "I just don't understand how she wound up being...well, I think spoiled is putting it lightly..." Lincoln grunted as it sounded like he lifted something. "Mom and Dad didn't really spoil us too much..."

Miranda raised a brow. "Ok? Which sister did you have in mind?" Based on him saying 'spoiled', the psychiatrist already figured who he would be referring to.

She could only picture the frown on the young boy's face as he said, "Lola."

Lori drummed her fingers on the concrete edge of the front door patio as numerous students passed. She was leaning back on the edge, making small glances at the crowd walking by. Her stomach was turning into knots as the moments went by, knowing any second that Roberto would be stepping through the doors and mark the first time they've had a real conversation in months.

What happened in the lunch room was just a fluke in her opinion; this project was going to count for 40% of their overall grade after all. It made sense that they needed to find a topic to stick with, given the broad requirements the teacher laid out.

"Would he have even wanted me to sit with him otherwise?" Lori looked at the ground. "He never wanted to beforehand..." She pursed her lips slightly. "And neither did Carol; but I get her point of view."

"Hey..." A voice brought her out of her head debate. Expecting it to be Bobby, she sat up straight, only to find out that instead it was her musical sister. "What are you sittin' out here for? Shouldn't you be on the bus?"

Lori went back into the hunched position she originally sat in. "I'm waiting for someone."

Luna gave her a quizzical stare. "I find that real hard to believe sis, seein' that it's been a lonely road for most of us."

The older girl deadpanned. "It's for a project, and..." She paused upon noticing the attire Luna had on. "What happened to your shirt and skirt?"

Luna looked down, pulling on the black shirt with a band logo Lori couldn't recognize. Her eyes trailed down to the blue jeans she wore. Furrowing her brows, "What's wrong with my outfit?" She looked back at Lori, folding her arms. "That purple shirt and skirt aren't the only things in my closet; they're just my favorites. I could ask why you wear the same old shorts and Mom's girdle every day..."

Lori glared at her sister as her cheeks reddened due to the latter being mentioned. "Is there something important you want to discuss? The bus is leaving soon..." She tempered her anger enough to sound indifferent.

Luna huffed before answering. "What's the real reason you were that desperate to speak with Lincoln? You never did explain that this morning."

Lori wordlessly stared at the musician, but her glare softened. "I'm gonna get bothered with this at home anyways..." She sighed inwardly. "I had a long talk with Carol that day, which gave me a long time to reflect on how much of a jerk I was to our brother. When we finished, I had planned to talk with him later on, knowing he had a lot of things to say to me." She frowned. "I also thought by telling him why I ended up being such a jerk might help him understand my point of view in all of this; doesn't make up for the fact I still started that dumb dress issue with Leni, but..." She sighed. "I don't know...and even then, I should've waited for him to calm down when it was obvious he didn't want to speak to me..."

Luna raised a brow in an somewhat uncaring way. "Ya think?..."

Lori started to glare again. "Look, I know I literally fucked up, ok?! Don't you think I already feel like shit, knowing he probably won't speak to me again?! At least you have a better chance at getting through to him because you're always so 'chill'." Lori emphasized the last word with air quotes, making Luna purse her lips. "And unlike you, you don't have to worry about having the title of being the worst sibling to even exist. So quit beating me over the head about it!"

The pixie cut brunette stayed silent for a moment as Lori began to simmer. "Was he really scared of you when you yelled at him?..."

Lori blinked as her anger subsided. Looking down, "...He wasn't scared like he was at the hospital..." She brought a hand to her face. "Being looked at like a school bully is no better..."

"Lori?" A masculine voice called out.

Both girls turned to see Bobby, having a bag slung over his shoulder. Luna looked between her sister and her sister's supposed 'ex'. Given the way Lori was looking at Bobby with hesitation, it didn't take a therapist to put two and two together.

Raising her hands, "Alright, I'mma leave you guys alone. It ain't my business." The 15 year old walked down the steps, only to break to into a run when she heard the busses beginning to start up.

Bobby watched Luna sprint for a few seconds. "Soooo..." He turned back to Lori. "What did you wanna discuss?"

Lori gave a sigh. "Roberto...we both know where this is gonna go..."

Bobby seemed to flinch a little at his ex using his real name. "No one's called me that in a while. Besides Mama." He leaned on the stone edge next to her.

Both teens sat in silence as the herd of students thinned to miniscule amounts. They couldn't look at each other out of guilt or nervousness depending on who you asked. Lori began wringing the hem of her shirt whilst Bobby rubbed the sleeve of his green plaid shirt. When the rest of the students left their vicinity, the silence was starting to become unbearable.

"How have you been?" Both said at the same time.

Lori pursed her lips before looking away. "S-Sorry...you go first."

"N-No, I'm ok. You can start." The Santiago boy insisted.

"I don't know how, or where..." Lori muttered, being only loud enough for Bobby to hear. "That's why I wanted to ask you..."

Roberto drummed his fingers on the concrete. "Lori...since that day you've told me what happened to Lincoln, it's been...how do I say it? Confusing? Like I was missing a bigger picture here?" He rolled his hand in the air. "And on top of that, it just came out of nowhere...and we broke up over the phone..." He started twiddling his thumbs. "I wanted to try and talk to you about it for a long time, but I couldn't find you. And when I did...it felt like you were trying to avoid me..." Bobby glanced at her. "I mean, was it something I did wrong, or?..."

"No..." Lori answered, crossing one leg over the other as she addressed him. "I broke up with you because...I figured you wouldn't want to be with someone who literally beat their own sibling to near death..." She glared at the ground. "Lincoln could've literally died from his injuries, even if the worst of it was just a broken arm and a well-earned fear for his own safety around myself and my sisters. What if we didn't stop?..." She gripped her arms. "What if he passed out and ended up in a coma?..."

Bobby winced. "...Was he?..."

"Thankfully, no...Dad said he passed out on the way to the clinic, but Mom said he woke up a couple hours later." Lori replied with a sense of relief in her tone. "...One of my punishments was that my phone was mostly locked and I couldn't speak to you; which is ironic since I already took care of that before Dad came back home..."

"But...why?" Bobby asked. "Couldn't we talk it over?"

"Bob-I mean, Roberto..." Lori looked at him. "Would you really want to stay with someone who almost killed their sibling? Over a stupid argument they were only trying to help solve?..."

Bobby hummed nervously as he debated on an answer. He wanted to say 'yes', since it was Lori; but at the same time, how could he be sure of himself? "Mmmm...maaaybeee? I mean, if it was someone else..." He trailed off as his answer became lost.

"That's my point..." She looked out over the schoolyard. "When I first sent you those texts, I figured you'd probably be like my other friends who long since left me for what I did...I know I deserve it, but hearing insults from you would've been too much for me during those weeks..."

"...So, you were trying to avoid me the whole time, because of that?" Bobby asked in a slightly broken voice.

"...Yes..."

"Lori." Bobby started as he moved slightly, his hand a few inches from hers. "I've wanted to talk with you since these issues with your family started; but it wasn't to yell at you."

Lori stole a glance at him.

"I wanted to talk to you because I was confused and worried about what was going on with you, Lincoln, and your sisters." The Santiago teen explained. "The day you sent that text, I was hoping it was some weird joke you were playing on me and I tried calling you about it. Instead my phone said my number was blocked..."

"Roberto...I would never joke about us breaking up..." Lori sulked slightly. "And yeah...I did block you after sending the text, cause I assumed we'd never talk to each other again..."

"Okay..." Bobby nodded. "But I wasn't going to give up then. So I tried looking for you at school the next day, but I couldn't find you anywhere. That same day, Mama told me Ronnie Anne got into a fight with..." His hand rolled in the air as he shook his memory. "Lynn, I think? And she was suspended. I heard she was the one who started it; which wasn't too surprising since it's not the first time something like that happened. And it was on that day when she was apparently able to visit Lincoln while he was at the hospital that she told me everything she knew." He gave a sigh. "I didn't want to believe it at first...but after rereading your text..."

"None of us wanted it to get that far...we crossed so many lines that I doubt there's little me or my sisters can do that would allow Lincoln to trust us again..." Lori stated bitterly.

"But why did it?" Bobby questioned. "When I left pizza at your house that Saturday, you said you guys were at Stampeding T-Rex." He tapped his chin. "I forget the level after that one, but I doubt it was anything good."

"Erupting Volcano..." Lori corrected. "And yes, it did get worse..." The Loud rested her head in one of her hands. "We all started physically fighting each other not long after you delivered the pizzas because a bunch of other arguments took place around that time; but that wasn't what led to Lincoln being...you know what..." She glanced up at the sky. "He left for Clyde's house while we were busy fighting; we didn't find out til a little after when Mom called him to find out where he was. Soon afterwards, me and Leni were rather fed up with fighting and she suggested a way we could split wearing the dress."

"So it was about a dress?" Bobby asked, to which Lori nodded. He squinted an eye at her, but didn't seem upset about it. "Kinda sounds like something my cousin from the city would do."

"Is your cousin a slow thinker?"

Bobby raised a brow. "No?"

"Well, Leni's suggestion basically left her not wearing the dress at all because she literally said "You could get it on all the days that end with Y"."

Bobby looked even more confused. "But all the days of the week-"

"Yes, I know it's stupid, but I didn't bother correcting her..." Lori interrupted as she looked at him. Feeling a little guilt at the rude gesture, "Sorry...but long story short, everyone else made up afterwards. Lincoln stayed at Clyde's for the rest of the day because I assume he thought we were still fighting. The next day, he came prepared to help solve our arguments, but we told him we already did." She frowned. "Lisa said he did it by leaving, which on its own sounded cruel." She leaned back slightly. "But none of us corrected her because we sort of thought the same thing..."

"If he was trying to help, how did leaving solve the problem?"

"Well, earlier that day (like, long before you delivered the pizzas), me and Leni already settled our arguments. Lincoln wanted to help, and he ended up spilling some of the insults we've thrown at each other behind our backs." Lori scratched at her eye. "That's what caused another fight to break out between us; but in hindsight, it was mostly our fault..."

"...Was it because the protocol blocked off parts of the house and interrupted his day?" Bobby questioned, making Lori give a guilt-filled stare. He tilted his head slightly. "Nie Nie's words, not mine."

"Basically." Lori nodded. "We created that protocol in part so Lincoln doesn't get wrapped up in our dumb fights; but not telling him about it, and using his stuff drew him into our conflicts regardless...hence why we subtly thought him leaving fixed everything. I'm surprised he didn't take it personally, but then..." Her frown deepened. "He made the same mistake of spilling our secretive insults again...but instead of fighting each other, we realized it was Lincoln's fault for not keeping quiet..."

Bobby stared solemnly at her. "And then he was beaten up?..."

The Loud could only manage a curt nod. "I think the reason it got so bad was because Lincoln was fed up with our flawed system and we were too blind (or prideful) to see that. So he rightfully called us out on that...but we were too angry to think clearly..." She sighed through her nose. "After talking with a therapist, it's obvious myself and my sisters have anger issues...for various reasons..." Lori slumped forward. "I'm a little surprised Mom and Dad didn't make us take anger management classes as punishment...and I think I might need to..."

"For what exactly?" Bobby asked. "I mean, it's been a couple months, Lincoln is back at his house and doesn't seem to be totally afraid of you guys anymore."

"Yeah, but he's still very cautious around us." Lori clarified. "And in my case...I need to learn to take a roasting when I deserve it..." Looking towards her ex, "Last night, I almost messed up everything for my sisters. Lincoln found out how the initial argument started and was in no mood to talk to me. But after seeing how well it went for Lynn and Leni, I pressed my luck and tried to apologize and explain how I ended up being the sister he sees me as." She directed her attention to the ground. "Of course, he roasted me for being selfish, uncaring, and generally being a bad person...but I couldn't keep my cool when he talked about our relationship..." She grasped her hands tightly. "I shouldn't have threatened or even touched him...but I felt I couldn't stand there and let him say things I'm sure he didn't truly believe..."

Bobby sat in silence, absorbing the information as Lori continued.

"I've been a poor sibling for several years, and now...I'm probably going to get disowned by my own sisters if Lincoln doesn't want to go near them..." She huffed slightly. "Ironically, it probably would've happened sooner or later given how I let my status as the oldest go to my head; everything that happened lately could've just sped things up..."

"...You still regret it though." Bobby pointed out.

Lori didn't give a response back, feeling it didn't require her to answer.

"Ok, even if you weren't the best sister, that doesn't mean you're a bad person at heart, right?" The Santiago teen suggested, though Lori stayed wordless. "Aren't there some good things you did for your siblings?"

Lori mulled to herself as she dug into her memories. When Leni was born, she went through that initial phase of jealousy very young kids get when their parents seem to focus more attention on their sibling. But after a few weeks, she took a liking to Leni and began to truly bond with her as if she understood her role as the Big Sister. Months later, Luna was born; and Lori witnessed the same emotions she felt towards Leni from an outside perspective.

She found it funny how Leni began getting jealous that Luna was getting all the attention, and it was destined to repeat itself.

Luna grew jealous of Luan, sometimes pushing her over for no reason.

In turn Luan was envious of Lynn, sometimes throwing soft objects at her.

"At least Lynn wasn't like that with Lincoln; might have to do with her being JUST old enough to understand she's an older sibling now." Lori tapped her foot against the wall. "But even then, I was a bit apprehensive of Lincoln when he was born..." Her eyes narrowed. "I was six though, so I KNOW I was going through that "boys are icky" phase; and I did warm up to him eventually."

"I still remember all the times I've cared for them when we were little, or littler." She finally answered Bobby's question. "I thought after Lincoln was born, that was probably it. One thing I did notice was that my parents started taking more hours so they could provide for us, but I didn't mind it much since back then, I actually enjoyed my role as the default babysitter."

"Soooo you took them to the park and stuff?"

Lori shrugged. "Pretty much; even had to chase down bullies a few times when they picked on my youngest siblings." She frowned. "Then, a few years later, Mom was pregnant with Lucy, then 2 more after that the twins, then another two after that was Lisa, and finally Lily's 1st birthday passed in May. Mom and Dad were working more often or going out than usual, but I was starting to strain when the twins came. At least Lincoln mostly spent his time playing with Lucy so she didn't get bored (and gave me one less sibling to manage); but the twins were a handful (still are), Lynn was overly rebellious and Luan discovered comedy. By the time I was 13, it felt like they didn't listen to me like they used to, so..." Lori bit her cheek. "I went from being the 'fun' sister to being the 'un-fun' sister. I felt it was the only thing I could do to keep the house from looking like a mess and getting all of us grounded...I didn't like being so strict, but I'm reminded time and time again that if I let up for even a moment, they'll run over me and nearly destroy the house..." She sat her hands in her lap. "And that's probably all they remember about me..."

Bobby nodded in understanding. "But it's not the end of the world though. You'd still do your best to help them when they need it, right?"

Lori flashed through some of her more recent moments. "I would, but I doubt they'd accept it..."

"Well, like I said before ba-I mean Lori." The teen with many jobs was quick to correct himself. "You may have some bad moments, and annoying qualities; if I can be honest, sometimes you felt a little clingy, like when I went to Paris for the summer and you thought I was with another girl even though I was showing you the Mona Lisa." Lori ducked her head a little as blood rushed to her cheeks out of embarrassment. To be honest, Bobby was clingy at times too; but she wouldn't say it out loud. "But you're still a decent person. Nie Nie is a bit of a troublemaker too, but underneath her rough exterior, she's a nice person; she's just a little too worried about being picked on. And at least you want to change for the better, because some people would refuse to do that." He sat his hands on his lap. "But you can't just keep beating yourself up over this. Yeah, you should've waited for Lincoln to calm down first; but you shouldn't stop trying to make it up to him. And I don't think he really hates you for what you did."

Lori deadpanned a little. "How can you be sure about that? I doubt he'll even want to be in the same room as me like he practiced weeks ago."

"Mmmm..." Bobby hummed, tilting his head. "Ok, I can't say that without some doubt, but he's still staying with you guys, right?"

Lori looked down. "For now..."

Bobby mirrored her expression "Well," He stood up. "Like I said earlier, I wish we had a chance to talk much sooner. Yeah I wouldn't be happy with what you did, but I'd still try to help you if I could." He put his hands in his pockets. "Sooo...if you um... want someone to talk to, I'm still here."

Lori looked at him for a moment. It would feel nice to have someone besides Carol to talk with. However, considering this was her ex-boyfriend, it would make things much more awkward...

Still, Lori wasn't going to deny his act of kindness, so she responded with, "...Thanks..."

"Hey." Another voice chimed in. Both teens saw Carol standing at the bottom of the steps. "If you guys are done ironing things out, we still gotta get started on this project."

Lori and Bobby glanced at each other before following Carol to her car, which was parked in the adjacent lot. The Loud glanced at her phone out of curiosity, blinking in surprise that almost an hour passed during their chat. And even more so, Lori held onto the fact that her ex-boyfriend almost called her Babe...

"Does he still love me?..." Lori asked herself. It could've been a minor slip, much like how she referred to Bobby's real name in order to keep things formal; but what if it wasn't? Would they even have a close relationship at this point? As they piled into Carol's car, Lori sighed inwardly. "I might not understand it, but Bobby...I'm too impure for you..."

A/N: Lori definitely has her work cut out for her, and thankfully, her attitude hasn't stopped Lincoln from carrying on with his plans to understand where why his sisters have certain aspects about them. Lola is in for a surprise when she finds out; but it's unlikely her chat with her brother will go smoothly.