9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9) The Next Morning Part 3

Lori was feeling a flurry of mixed emotions. She was, as always, happy to see her Boo-Boo Bear. But she was also nervous, as she knew that he had told her they could talk about things at school on Monday. And she was also slightly afraid since she had no idea what to expect from him. Would he be angry with her? Would he want to speak to her? Was he even able to see her the same way as before?

She tried to think of something else to say. But her mind was drawing a blank. She couldn't simply just bring up any old subject, acting like nothing had happened. Even though he hadn't been there, Lori knew that Bobby had been just as affected as any of her sisters. He and Lincoln were like brothers. To think that he wouldn't be bothered by what happened was just being foolish.

Their eyes met for a moment and then she looked away. She had caught a glimpse of uncertainty in his eyes when she had seen them It seemed like he wasn't entirely sure of what to say either. Not that it offered Lori any comfort to know that. It only made her wish for an excuse for them to just go their separate ways until they could see each other again at school, like Bobby had originally wanted. But she still couldn't think of anything to break the awkward silence between them.

"So..." Bobby began, rubbing the back of his neck. "Doing some shopping with your folks? That's nice. Need any help finding anything?"

"Oh, actually...yes, we do. My mom is looking for avocados." Lori said, grateful for the silence finally ending. "Do you know if there are anymore?"

"I can check. Give me just one minute, please."

Bobby walked over to a set of doors that led into a back room. While she waited for him to return, Lori brought Lily over to where there mother was and set the girl and her toy back down. No sooner had she done so than Lily made ready to wander off again. But Lori anticipated this and stopped her.

"Oh no you don't. You have to stay with us, Lily."

Lily blew a raspberry at Lori in response. The childish action made Rita giggle. She reached down to pat Lily on the head.

"You tell her, Lily." The woman joked. "Anyway, did you find someone to help us?"

Lori nodded. "Bobby is checking right now. He should be out any moment."

"Okay. Did he happen to say anything? About the conversation that the two of you had yesterday, I mean."

"No, I'm sure that he wants to talk. But I think it's too soon. He only found out yesterday. And besides, he's working right now. So I wouldn't want to distract him."

Rita offered a small smile and a single nod in understanding. If there was anything that she knew about her oldest child, it was that Lori had a decent sense of judgement when it came to her boyfriend. And when the two did get around to the subject, she was confident that Lori would be able to resolve things with Bobby, should it be necessary.

A moment later, Bobby came back out with a medium sized box. He approached Lori and her mother, setting the box down and opening it up. Then he picked it back up and held it within reach of the Loud matriarch.

"Here you go, Mrs. Loud. Nice and fresh. Take your pick."

"Thank you Bobby." Rita said, picking out three of the green fruits from the box. "And thank you also for taking Lincoln out today. He's really looking forward to it."

"Same here. Just one question though. Is there a certain time you would want me to have him home?"

"Anytime before sunset is fine. But please make sure to call if you run late for any reason. You know our home phone number, right? Just in case no one answers their cell phones?"

"Yes Ma'am. And don't worry, I'll make sure to have Lincoln home with plenty of time to spare." Bobby said confidently. "But I'm sorry to say that he may not have room for any dinner."

"That's alright. As long as he doesn't eat too much pizza and ice cream."

"You got it. Is there anything else that I can do for you today?"

"We should be fine for now, thank you. See you again in a little while."

Mrs. Loud began to resume her shopping. Lori followed her mother, giving Bobby a quick glance and a timid wave in farewell. Bobby, still burdened with the mostly full box of avocados, almost went to follow them. But being the ever hardworking and loyal employee, he asked one of his nearby associates to help him by putting the rest of the box's contents out on display. And with the task now being handled, Bobby ran...Bobby power-walked to catch up with the Loud women.

"Actually, if it isn't any trouble, could I borrow Lori for a little bit? I was just about to take a break."

Lori's eyes went wide the moment she heard those words. Then she heard her mother give the okay as long as Lori wanted to go with him. She almost decided against it, but in the end opted to just go and get through what was to come. For a couple of moments her legs felt as though they had been petrified. But she couldn't just stand there and stare at him while he was waiting for her. Through what felt like far more willpower than should have been necessary, she managed to start moving her legs again. With each step she took, it became a little easier, but each step also made her feel more and more anxious.

Bobby led her to the front of the store and then outside. He guided her a short distance off to the side that was set up as an outdoor employee break area. Two other employees of the store were out there, enjoying their own breaks. One an older man, smoking a cigarette and the other a girl who was slightly older than Lori, who was sipping a can of iced tea and idly looking at her phone. Bobby kept a fair distance from them, not wanting to bother them on break. Or to risk them listening in on their conversation for that matter. They were about to have a serious talk and an audience of any size would only serve as a distraction.

"Okay, so I know that I said we would talk on Monday." he began. "But I've done a lot of thinking since yesterday and there's something that I have to say to you."

'Oh no.' Lori thought, her heart beginning to sink. 'I'm not ready for this. Please, please just let it be quick.'

She closed her eyes, trying to prepare for what was about to happen. The anxiety she felt was like a clammy hand gently squeezing her heart, ready to crush it at a moment's notice. Then she suddenly felt something else gripping her. Bobby's hands were on her shoulders now. And while his touch did startle her slightly at first contact, it was so tender that she couldn't help but find some comfort from it.

In fact, his gentleness was a bit surprising. Enough so that Lori's fears gave way to curiosity. She slowly reopened her eyes a little bit, finding the sight before her to be very relieving.

It was right there. That handsome, charming face of his. The face that could make her smile. That could brighten her day. The face of the young man who had won her heart. With not a trace of ill will of any kind displayed by its features.

"My feelings towards you haven't changed." he said. His voice was soft and sweet, like it often was when he flirted with her. When he would make her melt with charming compliments and sincere praise. And now that same, soothing voice was again bringing a smile to her face. It was a ray of sunshine piercing the endless stretch of grey clouds that had been floating over her head.

"And," he continued. "I want you to know that you have my full support. If there's anything that I can do to help you at all, just let me know. I'm here for you, Babe."

"Boo-Boo Bear." Lori breathed out, her voice barely above a whisper.

She was in awe. It was always obvious to her that he cared for her. But this only further cemented that in both her mind and her heart. His loyalty and dedication to her, it was almost too much sometimes. Not that she would ever dare to complain about it.

Unable to contain herself, Lori threw her arms around him and embraced him tightly. He returned the gesture, feeling Lori rest her head against the crook of his neck. She took a moment to enjoy the warmth of his body and the comfort that she found while in his arms. It was so reassuring that she almost forgot about all of her troubles. Almost.

"Bobby, you literally have no idea how badly I needed to hear that!" She cooed. "I love you so much!"

"I love you too, Lori." He said, with no hesitation at all.

Their hug ended and Lori stepped back, taking a deep breath. She felt refreshed, invigorated and lightened. For the first time in the past twenty hours she was feeling a little more like herself again.

"Thank you, Bobby. I appreciate that you took the time to tell me that. You're the best."

"Hey, I'm happy I got to see you today. It was a bit of a surprise to see you so soon though. I thought you were grounded."

"I am. But part of my punishment is chores, including helping my Mom with errands. Anyway, I do want to ask you something. I could use some advice."

"Sure thing, Babe. What do you need to know?"

"Well..." Lori began, taking a moment to think through what she wanted to say. "I'm going to be helping pay for all of the new things Lincoln will need to replace what I ruined. But it's going to be a lot of money and I was thinking of maybe finding a second job. The problem is that I don't know if I could handle that. Is there anything you can think of that might help me?"

Bobby brought his hand to his chin, scratching it as he contemplated Lori's words and came up with his response.

"I'm not going to lie to you, it isn't as easy as it sounds to have more than one job. Not that I think that it sounds easy to begin with.

Anyway, if you really want to try for it, then I'd have to say that you need to show initiative. Because that's how you can make an impression. Be willing to take on any task, even if you may not like it. Help out others, especially customers, as often as needed. Or at the very least if it's convenient. Who knows? Maybe if you impress your boss enough, then you won't need a second job."

Lori hugged him again. "Thanks, Boo-Boo Bear. That helps a lot."

"Anytime Babe. I was also going to tell you to have confidence, but you already have plenty of that. It's one of the things that makes you so beautiful."

"And your corniness is one of the things that makes you so lovable." Lori said in return with a playful giggle. "Well, I should probably be going back inside now. Don't want to keep my family waiting. Enjoy the rest of your break, Boo-Boo Bear. And please make sure that Lincoln has a lot of fun today as the arcade."

"I promise I will." Bobby said as he let go of Lori again. "But before you go, I want to just tell you one more thing."

"What's that?"

"That stuff I told you about showing initiative. It isn't just for when you're at work. You can do it at home too. Family is important; they're worth the effort."

Lori smiled. Bobby may not have been the brightest, but he had his moments. What he said made a lot of sense to her. And as his words sank in, inspiration struck. Lori experienced an epiphany of sorts, her eyes widening and her mouth opening as she gasped silently.

It was just suddenly so clear now. Like she had been driving down an unfamiliar road and then finally found out just where she was. Now she had a direction in which she could go. It might not be a straight line, and there was bound to be a few pot holes and speed bumps to deal with, but she knew that she could travel it. Starting right now.

Lori grabbed Bobby and dipped him down, planting a firm kiss on his lips. When she finished, he was left with a big, goofy grin on his face and a dreamy look in his eyes. He felt Lori pull him back onto his feet and then he heard her giggle at the look on his face.

"Consider that a 'thank you' for being such an amazing boyfriend. I've got to go now though, so I'll see you later! Love you Boo-Boo Bear!"

She turned and went to reenter the store, leaving Bobby standing there. He brushed his fingertips over his lips and let out a happy sigh. Then he heard the sound of giggling again and turned to see the other two store associates looking at him. Realizing that they had seen the little display Lori had just made with him, he could only blush and wave at them timidly with an awkward smile on his face. This only made the teenage girl snort and then burst out in laughter. The older man meanwhile simply looked from Bobby to Lori and back before he gave the blushing teenage boy a nod of approval and a thumbs up.

Back inside of the store, Lori had gotten herself an empty carriage and then went to find her parents and sisters. Making her way through the produce section of the store at a brisk clip, she soon spotted them at the seafood counter. Her mother was finishing up a phone call while waiting in line behind another customer. And while Mrs. Loud was waiting, Luan, Lily and Lynn Sr. were all crowded around the lobster tank, their eyes locked on the aquatic arthropods crawling within.

"Bugs!" Lily exclaimed, pointing at the crustaceans.

"Yeah, they do look like big bugs, don't they? But they're called 'lobsters', Lily. Can you say 'lobster'?" Luan said.

"Lob-bler!"

"Hmm, close enough." Lynn Sr. said with a shrug. "Are you sure we can't get some, Honey?"

Rita only shook her head in reply. She then returned her attention to her phone call, while still keeping an eye on the line at the counter. Lori joined them and gave the multi-legged sea creatures a brief glance before wrinkling her nose and shuddering a little.

"I think they're creepy looking. And I agree with Mom. Not just because they cost a lot. But I don't like the idea of having to boil them alive. That just seems claw-ful."

Luan laughed, as did Lynn Sr, who was pleasantly surprised.

"Nice one, Honey! Since when do you do puns?"

"Since today, apparently." Lori said. "But don't get used to it, I won't be doing it all the time. And Mom? When you're done on the phone, I'd like to ask you something."

Rita covered her phone's lower half with her hand. "I'm almost done. Lynn, sweetheart? It's our turn. Would you please get us some salmon? Thank you."

Lynn Sr. nodded and stepped up to the counter to place their order. Rita finished her call and then hung up. She looked at her oldest daughter and waved her to come closer. Lori did so, pulling her shopping cart along behind her.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I was just on the phone with Dr. Finestein's niece. She works at the Royal Woods Community Center, as the Mental Health Counselor of an anger management class. Which you will be attending, starting tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay." Lori said. "If you say so. What time?"

"You'll be there for four o'clock. And I'm glad that you're taking this so well."

Lori shrugged. "It's not like being upset about it will help. So may I take half of the shopping list? I figure that I can actually help do the shopping instead of just following you around the whole time."

"Oh, good idea. Here, you get everything on this half and meet us by the checkout when you're done. Luan, why don't you go and help your big sister?"

Luan nodded and Lori passed her carriage to the comedian. Then Rita tore off half of the list to give to them. As they left, Lily waved 'bye-bye' to them, getting a wave from each of them in return.

"Be a good girl, Lily and help Mom keep an eye on Dad! Don't let him wander off!"

"But I like to wander off!" Lynn Sr. said with a false whine and pouted lips.

The teenage girls laughed at their father as they continued on their way. Checking the list in her hands, Lori began to find items as they started down one of the aisles. And as they proceeded through the list, Lori began to hum happily.

"You're sure in a really good mood all of the sudden." Luan commented. "I take it that things went well with Bobby?"

"Very well." Lori said. "If you want I can tell you about it later on. But the only thing that you need to know for now, little sister, is this. Lori Loud is back."

End of Chapter 9)

So, as always I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter. Also, I'd like to give credit to Terrorking10 for giving me the idea to have Bobby give Lori job advice.