In the distance, Stella had run as far as possible away from Dairy Land, her tears never stopping. This was not a fun weekend at all, she thought she could enjoy herself, or hoped she could find a way to enjoy herself.

Yes, Lori seemed to have a grudge against her, yes Lynn had been really annoying, yes she was slightly intimidated by Ronnie Anne, but she hoped she could still enjoy spending time with her friends.

Now she doubts if she'll even have the chance to do so anymore, seeing Lincoln will be difficult if he has an older sister that doesn't even want him near her. Soon it will be hard even seeing Luna or Luan, two girls she considers her new close friends, more than that, almost like her older sisters.

Perhaps she was foolish to consider the idea of dating Lincoln, maybe this was a sign that they were just not meant to be, that maybe they're not even meant to be friends. No, she cant think like that, she doesn't want to lose Lincoln's friendship, it means way too much to her.

Stella kept going until she got tired and stopped on a bench, still letting her tears fall. The shame, humiliation and hatred she's gone through today was too much for her to handle, she didn't even know how to fix this. All she could do for the moment is wallow in her own self pity.

"Stella!?" She heard from the distance. She turned and saw Lincoln running towards her." Stella!"

"Lincoln?" Stella knew she shouldn't be surprised to see Lincoln, of course he would go to check up on her, he's just that great of a guy.

The boy stopped to catch his breath, turning his attention to his friend the moment he regained his composure, "I'm so happy I caught up to you, I was so worried."

"I'm fine Lincoln, no need worry about me," Stella insisted.

"Sorry Stella, but as my best friend, I gotta worry," Lincoln said. "Besides, what happened back there was pretty intense, I can't believe Lori would say all that, that was cold, even for her."

"Well she certainly doesn't seem to like me very much," Stella said, a tear still in her eye. "She hasn't actually been subtle about it, but hearing it out loud still stung pretty badly."

"Well, I'm here for you Stella," Lincoln said sat next to his friend, placing a hand on her shoulder. The moment he made contact though, she quickly wrapped him in the hug and started crying out loud.

"Lincoln, I really like you, and I really want to be your friend..." Stella said between sobs. "And I really enjoyed spending time with you this past week, I really felt like we've been connecting more, but after today..." Stella wiped her nose on her arm, hoping Lincoln wouldn't mind too much. "I don't know if we'll be able to keep doing that...I'm almost afraid to go back to your house now, knowing your sister absolutely despises me!"

Lincoln slowly returned the hug to Stella, gently stroking the back of her head, "Well, I'd hate it if you never came back, but, if you don't feel too comfortable in my house...then I won't make you come back. We'll find someplace else to go, it can be your house, it can be at Clyde's house, it can be the park, wherever you feel comfortable. Would that help?"

"I guess, I mean, I'll try anything if it means I get to be with you," Stella said, hugging tightly. "I just don't want our Friendship to end."

"And it won't, I promise," Lincoln said. "I care about all of my friends, and I always stand by them, whether they live here in Royal Woods or they live out in Great Lakes. All my friends mean the world to me and I never take them for granted."

"Well that's good to know," they both heard. The two turned to see the former Royal Woods girl, Ronnie Anne. "Uh sorry, did I interrupt?"

"Ronnie Anne?" Lincoln asked as Stella quickly broke away from their hug. "Did you come all this way to find me?"

"Well, I kind of got worried when I saw you run off, plus I really wanted to get away from my idiot cousin," Ronnie Anne said, somewhat scowling at the thought of her oldest cousin. "Can't believe they went through all this. Carlotta, your sister Lori...wondering if Bobby or Sid were in on this?"

"Hey you only had one sibling and a cousin to worry about, and your friend, I had ten sisters all pulling different strings," Lincoln said. "Granted only Lori was in on this plan with Lori and your family, but my other sisters, it looks like they had plans of their own."

"They did..." Stella said, looking away shyly. "I mean, I got this from Luna and Luan, but the rest of your sisters, under the leadership of Lynn, they were trying everything to make sure the two of you didn't happen because...they wanted it to be us."

"That might explain why Lynn was trying to tick me off in the park," Ronnie Anne said. "Not gonna lie, almost wanted to punch her, er no offense Lincoln."

"Hey you're not the only one," Lincoln said, eyeing Stella. "I know Lynn can be a pain in the neck at times."

"How do you live with that dude?" Ronnie Anne said, getting closer and sitting next to Lincoln. "I mean that girl, she has a really bad attitude."

"She's just overly assertive, in a way I kind of admire that about her," Lincoln said. "She's strong willed and always determined, but unfortunately she's very stubborn, which is why she never gives up." Lincoln turned his attention back to Ronnie Anne, "She didn't upset you too much, did she?"

"She was a bit annoying but it's nothing I can't handle," Ronnie Anne said. "But like I said, if she keeps running her mouth, I'm gonna make her bleed from it."

"I'll straighten her out, well I'll try to," Lincoln said. "Gotta do the same for Lori, which will be just as much of a pain." Lincoln sighed in annoyance, "That Lori, can't believe she would do...actually I can believe she would do that, she can be very self centered after all. But...I gotta make things right with her, I kind of feel bad that I told her that I hated her, I mean she can be selfish and overbearing, but she's still my sister and I know deep down is the big sister that I look up to. I know she's better than this, I just wish I knew why she went this far."

"She's got a lot to make up for, putting the two of us through this, and the way she treated your friend there," Ronnie Anne said, then focused her attention on Stella. "Hey, you've been pretty quiet these past couple of minutes, though you also look like you're an emotional wreck so I guess I'm not too surprised at your lack of conversation."

"It's been a rough day," Stella said, looking away from Ronnie Anne.

"Sounds like it," Ronnie Anne agreed. "Gotta say, for as long as I've known Lori, I've never seen her at that level. I mean, I knew she had a temper, Bobby talks about it all the time, sometimes I feel like he's afraid of her but I thought even she had her limits. Didn't realize she was that into the idea of me and Lincoln being a couple, though knowing her, it's probably to make sure she stays dating Bobby."

"Weird, Bobby can be afraid of Lori, unless it comes to you," Lincoln said. "I mean he broke up with Lori once because I accidentally made you cry."

"Hey, I wasn't crying, that was just Bobby exaggerating," Ronnie Anne said. "I was...upset, but not that upset, like a lame-o like you could ever really hurt my feelings."

"How did that come across exactly?" Stella asked.

"Well...I may have used to pick on Lincoln, but that was my way of showing affection, to show that I liked him and I thought he was kind of cool, and a little fun to mess with," Ronnie Anne said. "It's how I treat all my friends."

"Even Sid?" Lincoln asked.

"...Well maybe not so much of Sid, alright let me rephrase that, it was my old way of making friends, I'm passed that now though," Ronnie Anne said. "I'll be honest, I used to bully Lincoln a little, but not because I didn't like him, I just thought it was funny. That and maybe Bobby always talking about Lori was getting on my nerves, even to the point where he couldn't be bothered to do stuff with me anymore, so this was just a little revenge scheme."

"Oh, so you just missed your brother," Lincoln said. "But wouldn't it have been easier to tell him that and not stick gum in my hair or stuff sloppy joes down my pants?"

"Hey give me a break, that was how I vented my emotions at the time!" Ronnie Anne insisted. "Look I don't want to make excuses, I did some bad stuff and I really regret it. But that's not me anymore, I've changed, at least I hope I have. I don't want to give off that tough girl vibe anymore, I mean not to the point where kids think I'm gonna punch them or anything, just enough to get a little respect but not too much that I don't drive away my friends."

"No offense Ronnie Anne, but you still have that vibe," Stella admitted. "These last couple of days, it looked like you hated my guts, every time you would give me this sinister stare and...I thought you wanted to hurt me or something."

Lincoln turned to Ronnie Anne, very surprised at what he heard, "Is that true? Did you want to hurt her?"

Ronnie Anne shook her head, "Of course not, I wouldn't hurt one of your friends. But..." Ronnie Anne turned her attention to Stella, "Listen, Stella, I don't hate you, I don't have anything against you either...it was me, all me and my stupid insecurities."

"Huh, never heard you talk about being insecure," Lincoln said.

"Don't get used to it, I'm only saying this to right a wrong," Ronnie Anne said, then focused back on Stella. "I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, given how Lori and my cousin have been treating you, I guess me being unfriendly was the last thing you needed. I was just a little jealous, that's all."

"Jealous of what?" Lincoln asked. "Wait, does this mean you really do have a crush on me!?"

"N-no!" Ronnie Anne shouted, trying to hide her blush. "I just thought for a moment that...you were replacing me with Stella or something."

"Replacing you?" Lincoln asked, very confused, as was Stella.

Ronnie Anne sheepishly rubbed her head, "Well, it's just that, knowing that right after I moved to Great Lakes, another girl moves in to become one of your best friends, only she's more than that, she's also close with your other friends and she's close to your sisters, it doesn't just feel like a replacement, it felt like an upgrade. I mean, it doesn't help that I heard McBride say that Stella filled a void that I left behind when I moved, and that she went above and beyond just that. I thought Stella was just suppose to be a better me."

"Ronnie Anne, if that were true, then I wouldn't be video chatting with you on a regular basis," Lincoln said. "Come on, you should know better than to think I wanted to replace you."

"Yeah, you're right," Ronnie Anne said. "Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking, maybe it's just some stupid girl thing, I don't know really."

"Lincoln," Stella said, getting the boy's attention. "May I talk to Ronnie Anne alone?"

"Huh?" Lincoln looked a little surprised. "Well, sure I guess, but are you sure?"

"I'll be fine," Stella said. "I just want to get to know Ronnie Anne a bit more."

"Well, alright, I'll be over there if you need me," Lincoln said, gesturing to a nearby tree.

As Lincoln stood up and left, Stella turned her attention to Ronnie Anne, scooting closer to the girl. "So, Ronnie Anne..."

"Stella," Ronnie Anne said, encouraging her to continue.

"Tell me, what is Lincoln to you?" Stella asked.

"Huh? He's my best friend," Ronnie Anne said.

"How long has it been that way?" Stella asked.

"Few months, almost a year, wait why are you asking?" Ronnie Anne said.

"Just curious, it seems like Lincoln means a lot to you if you were worried about being replaced, which is really silly honestly," Stella said. "I have no intention of replacing you and not once has Lincoln made me feel like I was replacing anyone. He still talks about you, very fondly too, so he obviously still cares a great deal about you."

"Wow really? Um, what has he said?" Ronnie Anne asked, trying to play it cool. "Just curious..."

"He said you were a cool friend, you always liked doing fun things, and you were nice to be around," Stella said.

"Wow, what a mush," Ronnie Anne said, though had a soft smile at hearing all this.

"He did go into some...unfortunate times," Stella said. "I mean, I already knew about your bullying so..."

"Yeah, like I said, my fault, I take full responsibility for that," Ronnie Anne said. "It took me a while to feel comfortable about myself enough to just be myself."

"I'm sorry you felt that way, is there a reason for that?" Stella asked.

"It's...it's just me, don't worry about it," Ronnie Anne said. "Maybe I'm just kind of stupid, maybe my communication just sucks." Ronnie Anne muttered a bit, "Maybe I was slightly jealous of his still complete family." While she thought she spoke low enough, Stella had caught parts of it. "Point is that I've changed, obviously not enough if I made you feel intimidated. I'm really sorry about that Stella, I should have known better, my mom taught me better. Honestly if she knew I was unfriendly, she'd be really mad."

"I'm sure your mom would understand," Stella said. "Look, I forgive you Ronnie Anne, I'm certain you're not a bad kid, if Lincoln likes you then you must be great."

"He is a good judge of character, and pretty patient," Ronnie Anne said. "Helps having ten crazy sisters."

"Wow, thanks Stella, and you must be great too if you can put up with the wackiness of Lincoln's family," Ronnie Anne said. "I mean me, my brother and my mother just moved in with my aunt, uncle, grandparents and cousins a couple of months ago, so I really understand what he goes through."

"Wow, a large extended family." Stella said. "Um, if you don't mind me asking...what about your father? I mean I hate to sound like I'm prying but I did hear you mutter something about complete families."

"Funny, Sid asked me a similar question," Ronnie Anne said. "Well might as well tell you. My parents aren't together anymore, maybe that bummed me out for a while and it was probably why I was so irritable, that and a few other things I don't want to get into right now."

"Sorry to hear that," Stella said. "I mean, do you at least see him?"

"Yeah, sort of," Ronnie Anne said. "He's in Peru now, he works as a doctor. That's how my parents met, they're both into medicine and stuff. We still talk and video chat so it's not like I never see him."

"Well at least you know he still loves you," Stella said. "You're still luckier than me, I mean I just have my parents for the most part, and my grandmother. You have a large family, even if it's extended."

"Never thought about it like that," Ronnie Anne said. "Well Stella, even if you don't have a large family like me or Lincoln, you can still have a large amount of friends, me included."

Ronnie Anne held her hand out in Friendship, which Stella immediately accepted. "I'm happy to accept that."

The two were finally at peace with one another, no more tension, now they can be friends and put all the awkwardness behind them.

"So, friend to friend," Stella began. "Do you have a crush on Lincoln?"

Suddenly the awkwardness was back, "Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry, I know this sounds really random," Stella said. "But it's just been on my mind, and I do want to further understand Lori's motives."

"She's just crazy, don't think too much about it," Ronnie Anne said. "Look, I don't have a crush on Lincoln, yeah I like him and at one time I might have felt something for him, but I'm satisfied being just friends and I'd rather keep it that way. His sister is dating my brother, so if anything happened between us or between them, then things would get complicated between our families."

"Is Lori aware of that possibility?" Stella asked.

"Knowing her, if Lincoln even thought about complaining, she'd straighten him out before I'd even hear about it," Ronnie Anne said. "I don't like the idea of Lincoln feeling like he has to date me just because my brother's dating his sister, that's not a good relationship at all."

"Well, do you think he has a crush on you?" Stella asked.

"Well he keeps insisting that he doesn't, so I can't say for sure if he does," Ronnie Anne said. "Personally I hope he doesn't, like I said, it'd be too complicated for us to date and I don't want to risk ruining our friendship."

"That's understandable," Stella said. "I wouldn't want to make that same risk either."

"So, do you have a crush on Lincoln?" Ronnie Anne asked.

Stella turned away blushing, "Well..."

"Hey, I won't tell him if that's what you're worried about," Ronnie Anne said.

"The thing is, I was planning to tell him, and then you came to visit so..." Stella felt really awkward.

"Ah, maybe Lori sensed that, hence why she rushed me and Bobby over here," Ronnie Anne said. "Look, if you like Lincoln, that's cool, I say go for it."

"Really? You wouldn't mind?" Stella asked.

"No way, like I said, just like him as a friend," Ronnie Anne said. "If you like him, I'd say tell him before some other girl comes and swipes him away."

"Well...I want to, but..." Stella still had doubts.

"Don't worry about Lori or anyone else, if you do then you're gonna miss out," Ronnie Anne said. "Linc's a great guy, he understands girls pretty well and he's usually very caring. Little flawed but who isn't. Honestly he makes a great boyfriend, plus he's a real good kisser too."

Stella looked curiously at Ronnie Anne, "Did you just call him a good kisser?"

Ronnie Anne blushed a bit, "Not sure if anyone's told you but...I actually kissed Lincoln once, or rather he kissed me, it's happened twice actually. First outside of his house, then again in that French-Mexican Fusion restaurant, which funny enough, was where Lori and Bobby had their first date."

"I've heard some stories," Stella said. "So, a good kisser huh?"

"Hey I'm not longing for another kiss if that's what you're thinking," Ronnie Anne said.

"Still, you seemed to value those memories," Stella said.

"Only the second, I punched him for the first one," Ronnie Anne said, then noticed Stella's slight glare. "Not my best move I'll admit."

"Well still, if you have such a fond memory then chances are you do miss him to some extent, I'm just worried that soon you're going to realize you do like him and then you'll be miserable, assuming he wants to date me," Stella explained.

"First, he would date you, I mean you seem like a real nice girl, real pretty too, he'll totally say 'yes' to dating you," Ronnie Anne said. "Second, if on the off chance I do fall in love with him, or consider wanting to date him, keep in mind that I live pretty far away, and honestly I don't think I can handle a long distance relationship, because the sooner I'd get to see him again is if we go to the same college, and how long would that be? We finish up and go back home? There's no guarantee either of us could afford to move to a place in Great Lakes or Royal Woods once we turn Eighteen, I might not get my own place until I'm older than that. If you like Lincoln then go for it, you're both in Royal Woods, you live nearby, you can date whenever you want, don't pass this up for my sake."

"Are you absolutely certain though?" Stella asked.

Ronnie Anne groaned in annoyance, "Yes, I am. Look I care enough about Lincoln to not put him through the heartache of a long distance relationship, besides there's plenty of options for me, so it's not like Lincoln's my only hope."

"Well, that's a good point, you're really pretty, so you should be fine," Stella said.

"Appreciate that," Ronnie Anne said. "Look I can't tell the future, maybe you two won't last, I'm not wishing for that, I do hope you two find happiness but if you don't then you don't, but you need to try at least. I'm giving you my blessing Stella, don't throw it away!"

Stella thought this over and knew Ronnie Anne had a point. She did live far way and long distance relationships are hard, especially for kids their age. Plus she seems very insistent on it, "Alright, if you're ok with it Ronnie Anne...then I'll ask Lincoln out."

"You can do it right now," Ronnie Anne said, before Stella could protest, Ronnie Anne called her over. "We're done Lincoln!"

"Alright!" Lincoln said, making his way back over. "So, you two talk things out?"

"Sure did, great girl here Linc, happy to know you made a good friend, of course I'm still your best friend," Ronnie Anne said.

"Yeah, you are, and nothing will replace that," Lincoln said. "And it looks like Stella's your friend now."

"Yes, my friend, my buddy, my comrade," Ronnie Anne thought a moment. "Mi amiga!"

"Since when do you speak Spanish?" Lincoln asked. "Did your family finally teach you?"

"I'm learning still, helps having fluent relatives, maybe one day I can speak full sentences." Ronnie Anne said, patting Stella's back. "You speak any other languages?"

"Well my grandmother sometimes speaks Filipina, so I learned some from her," Stella said. "So, if I'm Ronnie Anne's amiga, then she's my kaibigan."

"Sweet, I'll have a second language buddy in you," Ronnie Anne said.

"Yeah, a second language buddy, sounds fun," Stella said.

"It does. Oh, by the way Lame-O, Stella has something she'd like to ask you," Ronnie Anne said, moving the girl up to Lincoln. "Go for it."

Stella glared slightly at Ronnie Anne, then focused back on Lincoln, "Right...so Lincoln, I wanted to know something..."

"Uh, sure, what is it?" Lincoln asked.

"Uh...uh...be right back!" Stella ran off and pulled Ronnie Anne with her, much to Lincoln's confusion.

"Uh, what just happened?" Lincoln asked.

Down near the corner, Ronnie Anne seemed quite confused, "Uh, what is it? You should be asking Lincoln out right now."

"I know, but I'm too nervous," Stella said. "What if he turns me down?"

"He won't, trust me," Ronnie Anne said. "Come on, you have it in you Stella, now go get your man! I'll be right there by your side too!"

"But...I'm having trouble wording it," Stella said. "Communication isn't my strong suit."

"Then just blurt it out," Ronnie Anne said. "The longer it takes, the more awkward it's gonna feel, just go for it girl, I believe in you."

"Wow, thanks Ronnie Anne" Stella said, walking back over with Ronnie Anne to a still confused Lincoln.

"Uh, Stella?" Lincoln greeted. "What's going-"

"Go on a date with me!" Stella shouted, then immediately covered her mouth.

Lincoln took a moment to register what she had said, "Uh...run that by me again?"

Stella took a breath, doing her best to talk normal, "I want to ask you on a date, I know it sounds sudden and out of nowhere but...I really like you Lincoln, and the more time I spent with you, the more I realized how great a guy you are. I know I said I had no interest in romance with you or any of the guys, but, you managed to change my mind." Stella took Lincoln by his hand, looking right into this eyes, "Will you be my boyfriend?"

Lincoln was madly blushing, while he did like Stella and had a crush on her, he accepted that she didn't like him back, so he never pursued it again. "Wow, I don't really know what to-"

"Just say yes!" Ronnie Anne interrupted. "Come on dude, she's really pretty, you'd be crazy to pass this up!"

"Huh, never expected you to play matchmaker for me Ronnie Anne," Lincoln said, then turned back to Stella. "If that's what you want Stella, then yeah, I'll happily be your boyfriend."

Stella had a mile wide smile after hearing that, "Really!? Oh boy, I'm so happy! I promise you Lincoln, I'll make the best girlfriend you can ask for!" Stella then brought Lincoln in for a huge kiss, one that took him by surprise.

"Dang, she really went for it," Ronnie Anne said.

Stella pulled away, blushing a bit, "Sorry, my emotions got the better of me there."

"It's fine...wow you're a great kisser, have you had practice or something?" Lincoln asked.

Stella blushed upon hearing that, "Uh...I've honestly never pulled someone in for a kiss, that was pure instinct."

"That's a weird way to word it," Ronnie Anne said, then shrugged it off. "Well, you do you."

Stella pulled Lincoln into a tight hug, "I'm so happy right now, I-" Suddenly she noticed something strange. "Uh, there's a teenage girl geeking out over there, I think it's one of the girls from the park the other day."

Lincoln turned and saw Dana texting and squealing in joy, "What a lovely kiss! Oh I've waited days to see that! So adorable! I ship you two so hard!" She ran off squealing in happiness more, much to the discomfort of the kids.

"Uh...who was that?" Ronnie Anne asked.

"That's Dana, one of Lori's friends, she's really nice," Lincoln said.

"Uh-huh..." Stella said. "Let's go back to your sisters before things get too weird."

Lincoln then joined both Stella and Ronnie Anne in the walk back to Dairy Land.

At the park itself, some time had passed. It was a tense few minutes, mostly quiet with some occasional grumbling, and some sisters talking amongst each other, usually something bad about Lori or even Lynn. Clyde had run off to find Lincoln, though he hasn't come back yet, and likely wouldn't until Lincoln had returned.

Lori herself was sitting in shock and disbelief over what her brother had said. Most of the sisters still had looks of disappointment in the oldest Loud girl. Bobby felt pretty awkward at the moment, wondering how it even came to this. Lynn still seemed smug, despite getting a few glares of her own from Lucy and Sid.

Luna had already texted her mother to come pick them up, even letting her know that there's been some trouble. "I can't believe this stunt you pulled Lori. You really hurt Stella's feelings."

"And now Lincoln hates you, Lori you better make this up to him," Luan said.

"Don't you think I realize that!?" Lori said. "I've literally never heard any of you say that to each other!"

"Because we've never crossed that line," Lynn said. "What you did today was probably the worst thing any of us could have done."

"You don't get to talk!" Lori said. "Remember Lynn, 'Bad Luck'!"

"Yeah, but notice that Lincoln never said 'I hate you' to me," Lynn said. "Because he knows deep down he can never stop loving his favorite sister."

"Can it with the 'favorite sister' *honk* already! It's really getting annoying!" Luna shouted, many thankful that a nearby car had honked to get the attention of it's party so her range wasn't that far except only to the immediate area.

"If Lily says that word, it's on you," Lynn said.

"Please I know you've said just as bad, what was that word you called Luan the other day when she played a prank on you?" Luna asked.

"Hey, you can't prove anything," Lynn said.

"Point is you're just as bad as Lori right now!" Luna said.

"Uh, I didn't make Ronnie Anne cry," Lynn said. "Then again I did insult her like Lincoln once did so who knows?"

"Any reason you were being so mean to my sister?" Bobby asked, clearly displeased.

"Any reason your cousin was being a jerk to my friend?" Lynn asked.

"Looks, you're fault here!" Luan said. "Lori for dragging Ronnie Anne out here and forcing a romance with Lincoln and hurting Stella's feelings, and Lynn for making things worse with Ronnie Anne, we told you not do stuff like that!"

"You said 'Don't pick a fight', which I didn't," Lynn said.

"Yeah you did, you and Ronnie Anne nearly got into a fight!" Sid said. "You started insulting her and looked ready to fight her!"

"That was more self-defense," Lynn said. "I was just doing to her what Lori was doing to Stella."

"That doesn't make it right Lynn," Luan said. "Ronnie Anne was just as much of a pawn in this too."

"Hey she wasn't exactly being friendly to Stella either," Lynn insisted. "Point is that I didn't do anything Lori didn't."

"Do you not understand what we're trying to say!?" Luna asked. "That doesn't make what you did right! All you did was do the same bad stuff Lori did! Whether Ronnie Anne was friendly or not is irrelevant! Maybe you made it worse by insulting her and pushing Lincoln towards Stella!"

"Hey! You all were!" Lynn said. "We were a team!"

Luna groaned in annoyance, "I never should have went with your crazy plan! We should have just talked to Lincoln first or something."

"What would that have done?" Lynn asked. "We had to overpower Lori somehow, this was the only way Stella stood a chance. So in the end, all this happened because of Lori!"

Luna groaned in annoyance, then turned back to Lori, "You got anything to say?"

Lori shamefully shook her head, "No, I don't. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

Carlotta felt some guilt for this, after all, she's the one who insisted on this, "Hey look, Lori's not entirely at fault here, I may have convinced her that if Lincoln didn't date Ronnie Anne, than Bobby be disappointed in her and dump her."

"What!?" Bobby said. "Cuz, why would you say something like that!?"

"Well, you know how much our family likes the idea of Lincoln dating Ronnie Anne, even you liked it!" Carlotta said.

"Well yeah, I'd like to see Little bro hook up with my baby sis..." Bobby took a moment to think that over. "Wrong choice of words, but the point is that even if I thought they'd look cute together, Lincoln not dating Ronnie Anne isn't a dealbreaker. I genuinely thought Lincoln might have been dating that Stella girl! You really think I would be that shallow to expect Lincoln to want to date Ronnie Anne? That should be their choice!"

"Exactly," Leni chimed in. "We need to let Linky think for himself about these things, he's smarter about this than we give him credit for."

"But...I guess in the end, this is my fault," Bobby admitted, much to everyone's surprise.

"Why would this be your fault?" Sid asked.

"Because I think I know why Lori freaked out," Bobby said, then turned to his girlfriend. "Babe, is this because of the time we broke up?"

"Huh?" Lori asked, looking to her boyfriend.

"Broke up?" Sid asked. "When was this?"

"Many months ago, Ronnie Anne came home crying because Lincoln had said some, not nice things to her," Bobby said. "So, in a fit of rage, I broke up with Lori. I couldn't stand knowing my girlfriend's little brother had upset my baby sister. But looking back, I did not handle that properly. Maybe I should have had Lori explain to Lincoln not to say such mean things, though Ronnie Anne did admit to me that she used to pick on Lincoln, so I guess it's understanble that he got frustrated." Bobby turned to Lori, "I'm sorry babe, I shouldn't have done that to you, and the fact that it still bothers you shows that I must be a really lousy boyfriend to make you worry so much."

"What? No, Bobby you're an amazing boyfriend," Lori said. "Why do you think I do everything I can to keep us together?"

"Well I can be better," Bobby said. "And I will be, so Lori, as disappointed as I am in you, just know that I still care about you, just promise me that if you feel worried about something, you'll come to me, we'll work something out. Lincoln can date whoever he wants, that goes for all your siblings. Though I don't think you had any plans to match Lola or Lana up with Carl, or Lily with Carlitos."

"Actually Lily and Carlitos would be adorable," Lori said.

"Lori!" the other sisters replied.

"But only if she wants it," Lori said with a nervous smile.

"Well glad that's been taken care of," Luna said. "Though we still need to go and find Lincoln, Stella and Ronnie Anne."

"Oh no need," Polly said, gesturing to the front of the park. "They're right over there."

Everyone turned to see the three kids making their way back into the park. The Loud sisters sans Lori and Lynn rushed over to check on their brother and Stella, with the twins in particular hugging the tall girl

"You feeling better Stella?" Lola asked.

"Want me to get you a snack? I got money from my allowance, I'll spend it on you if you'd like," Lana said.

"That's fine, I'm feeling much better, thanks," Stella said, then found herself being hugged by Luan.

"I'm here for you Stella, I hope my sister hasn't upset you too much," Luan said, almost in tears.

"I'm fine, I talked things over with Lincoln and Ronnie Anne, everything's good," Stella said, having returned the hug.

"Wait really?" Luna asked, turning to Ronnie Anne, who was being greeted by Sid and Bobby.

"Yeah, Stella and I are friends now, it's all good," Ronnie Anne said.

"That's a relief," Bobby said, then turned his attention to Stella. "Hey, how are you holding up?"

"I'm fine Bobby, don't worry about me," Stella said.

"Good to know," Bobby said, walking over and kneeling before the girl. "Listen, I know my girlfriend hurt your feelings, but she only did it because of a mistake I once made. I understand if you're mad but I hope you can put this behind you someday."

"I'll need time," Stella said, slightly glaring at Lori. "But I've learned not to hold grudges, so in time I think I can forgive her."

"You do what you gotta do Stella," Bobby said, pulling her in for a hug. "You're a nice kid, I can see why you're Lincoln's friend."

"Thanks Bobby, you're really nice too," Stella said as Bobby pulled away.

Lori just looked over at the group, not sure what to do next. Suddenly Leni turned her attention to her, then eye gestured to Stella, using her eyes and thumbs as emphases. Lori understood what Leni was saying, so she decided to take a chance.

"Hey Stella," Lori said, approaching Stella, who seemed quite cautious of her.

"Lori..." Stella replied, obviously not trusting the older girl.

This was of course awkward, but Lori had to make things right. So she got on her knee and looked Stella in the eye, "I'm...really sorry for what I said, it was very mean of me."

"Well yeah, you really hurt my feelings Lori, I wanted to be friends with all of you, I don't know why you hate me so much," Stella said, still pretty tense.

"I don't hate you, and I know I said some mean things, but I swear I meant none of it," Lori said. "I was just frustrated and..." Lori sighed in sadness, "Look, if you choose to hate me that's fine, I won't blame you. But please, don't stop coming over. My brother really likes you, my sisters really like you, I'll do my best to never say anything mean to you again. Deal?"

Stella looked away, thinking things over. Since she's going to be dating Lincoln, of course she'd have to come over, plus she'll miss the other sisters if she doesn't. "Deal...but just so you know, it's going to be a while before I fully forgive you."

"I understand that," Lori said, then got up, though not before turning to her brother. "And Lincoln..."

"Stop, I know what you're gonna say," Lincoln said. "You're really sorry, I know that. Don't worry, I can forgive you too Lori, I mean if I can forgive Lynn for the bad luck thing, I can forgive you for this too. Just please, don't ever hurt any of my friends again."

"I won't," Lori said.

"And I'm sorry for telling you that I hated you," Lincoln said. "I don't hate you, I love you a lot, but please let me handle my own love problems, if I do need help, I promise I'll come to you."

Lori felt relieved to know her brother truly didn't hate her, "Sure thing, baby brother."

"Carlotta," Ronnie Anne said, getting her cousin's attention. "That goes for you too, don't ever pull a stunt like this again."

"I won't, I'm really sorry cuz," Carlotta said.

"It's fine, you know I can't stay mad at family, but you are gonna have to earn my trust back," Ronnie Anne said.

"Don't worry, I can handle that, no problem," Carlotta boasted.

"Well, that's been taken care of at least," Luna said. "Good to know Stella and Ronnie Anne are friends now."

"And Lincoln, we promise to leave the choice up to you, no matter who you choose, we'll accept," Luan said.

"Well I already chose Stella," Lincoln said.

"Yeah, I asked Lincoln out and he said 'yes'," Stella said. "Lincoln and I are gonna be boyfriend and girlfriend!"

"What!?" Lori shouted in disbelief, then got several angry glares in her direction. "I mean...yay, so happy, good for you! I totally love this, you're going to make such a great, great couple, and-"

"You're overdoing it," Lincoln said.

"Right...sorry," Lori sheepishly said.

"But on the plus side," Luna said, she suddenly began screaming in joy, with the other sisters also screaming and cheering in happiness.

"Our brother's got a girlfriend!" Most of them shouted, very loudly too.

"That means I won!" Lynn shouted, then got angry glares of her own. "What?"

"You know what Lynn!?" Stella said, getting in her face. "This isn't your win, it's mine! More importantly, it's Lincoln's! Honestly you were the reason I almost didn't want to come back as well because of how annoying, overbearing and judgmental you are! Next time you wanna help Lincoln with girls, DON'T! Because honestly, your social skills really suck!"

Lynn looked pretty taken back, "But, Stells-"

"AND STOP CALLING ME 'STELLS'! You're not one of my friends! You want to be my friend, earn it! Like your other sisters did!" Stella shouted, then turned back to Lincoln. "Finally got that off my chest."

That brought a satisfying grin to the other sisters, and especially to Lincoln.

Sometime later, after Margo and Polly went home, Rita and Maria had of course returned, needless to say, the two mothers clearly unhappy.

"Lori, I am vey disappointed in you young lady," Rita scolded. "Forcing your brother into a relationship is NOT an ok thing to do." Rita turned to Lynn, "As for you young lady, I don't condone any of your actions either!"

"What? What did I do!?" Lynn asked.

"Bothering Stella to date Lincoln, saying mean things to Ronnie Anne, plus your way of telling your other sisters about Lucy's secret hobby," Rita turned to Lucy, "By the way, your father and I have figured out a fair punishment about that as well."

"Yes mother," Lucy said.

"You're lucky your brother wanted us to go easy on you, I do not condone lying young lady," Rita said, then turned to Lori and Lynn, "And I don't condone manipulation! When we get home your father and I are gonna have a nice word with you two!"

"That goes for you too Carlotta," Maria said. "Your parents won't be happy when they find out what you put Ronnie Anne through today."

"Sorry Tia," Carlotta said.

"You'll have plenty of time for apologies later, we're going home," Maria said.

"Wait, I thought we were gonna stay two days?" Carlotta asked.

"Well your parents are gonna want to know about this now and I don't think they'll condone what you did and want to take immediate action," Maria said. "Good thing I didn't pay for two days at the motel."

"Wait, Ronnie Anne has to go home?" Stella asked.

Maria kneeled down to her, "Sorry mija, I'm afraid so. I know it's bad, it sounds like you two made friends with each other. I really appreciate that and I promise she'll come back soon."

"Alright Mrs. Santiago," Stella said.

Maria turned to Lincoln, "Thank you for being such a good friend to my daughter Lincoln."

"Of course, she's very special to me," Lincoln said, placing his arm around Ronnie Anne. "She's my best friend after all."

"Come on, don't get sappy Lincoln," Ronnie Anne said, trying to hide her blush.

"Don't be so embarrassed Ronalda," Maria said. "You're lucky to have a friend like Lincoln."

"Yeah, I know," Ronnie Anne said, smirking a bit. "He's a great guy."

"He sure is," Sid said, placing her arm around Lincoln. "Sorry we didn't spend more time together, maybe next time."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Lincoln said.

Bobby and Lori said their good-byes to each other as well.

"Take care babe," Bobby said. "And remember, I'll always listen if you need me to."

"I know, thanks Boo-Boo Bear," Lori said.

Bobby turned to Rita, "It's not my place to ask you, but please take it easy on Lori, I feel like I should have prevented this somehow."

"I appreciate your concern Bobby, but Lori's old enough to know this isn't acceptable, regardless I will be fair," Rita said. "But don't feel shy about coming back soon, you know you're always welcome."

"Thanks Mrs. R," Bobby said, then turned to Lincoln. "See ya little bro!"

"Peace out Bobby!" Lincoln said.

The Santiago Family had gotten into the car and began driving off, saying one final good-bye before leaving to the city.

"So...You sure you have no regrets?" Sid asked, turning to Ronnie Anne. "I mean, Lincoln's a great guy, I could probably fall for him myself."

"Honestly, sometimes I wish I could have gotten that chance," Ronnie Anne admitted. "But it wasn't right for me to make Lincoln wait. I'd rather at least one of us be happy than both of us longing for affection."

Sid wrapped her arm around Ronnie Anne, "Well I'm here for you if you need me."

"Thanks," Ronnie Anne said, doing the same. "You mean a lot to me Sid, thanks for sticking by me through this."

"What are friends for?" Sid said with a friendly wink as the two chuckled slightly on the way back home.

Rita turned to the rest of the sisters, "None of you are entirely off the hook either, you still played a part in this and your father will have something to say."

"Yes mom," The other sisters said. Times like this Rita's happy she takes regular spa days. She never expects to stay stress free, but happily accepts a reset button to start fresh.

Stella felt some pity for them, but a mother's gotta do her job. Speaking of moms, her mother was starting to pull up. "There's my ride," Stella turned to Lincoln. "So, see you tomorrow?"

"You got it," Lincoln said. He then leaned in to give Stella the same kiss she gave him earlier, which she happily accepted.

"I'm gonna like this," Stella said, then turned to go greet her mother, "Bye Lincoln."

"Bye Stella," Lincoln said, seeing his girlfriend going to her mother's car. During this he felt Luna place her arms around him, smirking herself. "You've got quite the girl there little bro."

"I'm just surprised she wanted to date me," Lincoln said.

"Don't be, any girl would want to be someone you Love," Luna said.

"Yeah, you're a great guy Lincoln," Luan said. "There's a reason you have so many great friends."

"Well I...wait speaking of friends, where's Clyde?" Lincoln asked.

Miles away...

"Lincoln!? Ronnie Anne!? Stella!?" Clyde shouted, desperately trying to find the three as he walked tiredly down the streets of Royal Woods.

Back with The Louds...

"Guess he went home early," Lincoln said. "He never liked awkward tensions."

"Right, maybe his dads picked him up?" Luan said, mostly hoping since she along with the others completely forgot about Clyde.

"Hey, Luna, Luan, I really appreciate how nice you've been to Stella, it means a lot," Lincoln said.

"You got it bro," Luna said.

"Yeah, Stella's a nice girl, and we're glad she's finally learning to love you," Luan said.

"Yeah, she is really nice, I feel so lucky," Lincoln said. Suddenly both Luna and Luan each kissed one of Lincoln's cheeks, much to his embarrassment. "H-hey!"

"Just remember, in the end, we love you more," Luna said.

"No girls will love you like your sisters love you," Luan said

Lincoln chuckled a bit, he knew more than anyone how close their family was. He feels lucky, he's got great sisters, great friends and a cute girlfriend, things were looking great.

"So...happy you won?" Lori asked Lynn.

"Honestly, no," Lynn said. "Stella's not as nice as I thought she was." She looked up at Lori, "Still wish it was Ronnie Anne?"

"Kind of..." Lori admitted. "But I will accept Lincoln's choice."

Lynn of course had her doubts, but for the time being, kept her mouth shut, knowing there could be consequences.

For now things were looking good for Lincoln, how things would go now is uncertain, but he just had to be ready for it.

Finally the end. It's been fun making this, hopefully the ending was satisfying, even some things feel open ended, but that's what imagination is for. Now whether or not I do a sequel or move on to another story is up in the air, but it's possible I may continue this. That depends if I get anymore good ideas. Until then, thank you all for reading and I really appreciate your support.