User blog:Metool Bard/Fanfiction: Missing Linc (Chapter 6)

Chapter 6: Lola in the Limelight
“You’re what?”

“Trying to get our Police Patrol patches. Y’know, for the Bluebells?”

Ugh~. Really, Lana? This is the best excuse you could come up with? Mommy and Daddy are never gonna buy that. I know you had to come up with a reason for us going out in our Hall Monitor uniforms, but I could’ve come up with a better excuse in my sleep. I just didn’t because I didn’t get any sleep last night.

“I don’t know, kids,” said Mommy. “With Lincoln missing and the others out doing other things, we need to make sure you’re safe. Why don’t you wait for Lori to get back from her errands and ask her to drive you?”

“We don’t know when she’ll be back!” Lana whined. “C’mon, Mom! We can take care of ourselves!”

“We’re sorry, honey. We just… don’t want anything to happen to you,” said Daddy. He tried to sound firm, but I could see his lip quivering as he scolded us. “You’re not leaving the house without a chaperone, and that’s final.”

“Well, why don’t you come with us?” Lana asked. I elbowed her in the ribs. “Ow, what?”

“Excuse us for a moment,” I said, dragging Lana upstairs. I then pinned her against the wall. “What are you thinking?!”

“Well, if we can’t go out alone, then we can just have Mom and Dad take us,” said Lana.

“Yeah, great idea, genius,” I hissed. “And while we’re at it, we can tell them all about how we’re trying to find Lincoln and get everyone else in trouble!”

Lana blinked. “Oh. I didn’t think about that part.”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course you didn’t.”

“W-well, what’re we supposed to do then?!” Lana snarled back. “I don’t see you coming up with any ideas!”

“I-I’m trying! It’s not easy for me to think when I don’t get my beauty sleep!”

“Is that why it took you so long to get ready?”

“Hey, Leni insisted on giving me a makeover, and that happened to involve my ten-minute mask! How could I say no to that after the night we had?!”

“So, you looking nice is more important than finding Lincoln?”

“H-how dare you?! Of course I don’t think that! Stop putting words in my mouth!”

“I am not!”

“Are too!”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Kids? Is everything okay up there?”

Dang it. What are we doing? This isn’t gonna help us find Lincoln. Okay, think, Lola. How can we get a chaperone without tipping Mommy and Daddy off about our plans? Hmm, maybe Pop-Pop? Luan did cancel that Giggling Geezer thing, so he might be free. But if it takes too long to reach him, it’ll give Lindsey Sweetwater enough time to get rid of the evidence. It’s the same problem with Aunt Ruth or any of Lori’s friends. We need someone who can take us right away with no questions asked. But who can we get on such short notice?

“Hey, Loud! How many times have I told ya not to leave your ding-dang trash out for so long?!”

…

I think that just answered my question. I made my way back downstairs.

“Sorry about that,” I said. “Listen, Mommy. Lana and I really need to go out and earn those patches. If we asked Mr. Grouse to take us, would that be okay?”

Mommy and Daddy looked at each other for a moment.

“I don’t know, honey. You know how Mr. Grouse is about doing favors for us, and I’m not exactly in a cooking mood right now,” said Daddy.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I can cover the cost,” I said. At least, I hope I can. I may not be a master chef like Daddy, but I’ve done my fair share of baking. That should be enough for Mr. Grouse, right? Please think so.

“Well, I’m not sure, sweetie…”

Oh no. That’s not a good sign. I need to use the secret weapon.

“Pweeeease~?” I begged, fluttering my eyelashes at them.

Mommy and Daddy looked at each other again before turning back to me. “Give us a moment, Lola.”

They went off into their room. Lana came down from the stairs and gave me a look.

“Mr. Grouse? Really?” she asked.

“It’s the best I could come up with on such short notice. Get off my back,” I grumbled. “Besides, he’ll do anything for us as long as we bribe him with food.”

“But Dad said he’s not in the mood to cook.”

“I can cook! I made all that pizza for you guys that one time, didn’t I?”

“Okay, point taken. You think that’ll be enough, though? I’m not sure Mr. Grouse even likes pizza.”

I rolled my eyes. “Pizza isn’t the only thing I can make, Lana. Besides, he likes Daddy’s lasagna, and that’s basically the same thing. I think.”

Before Lana could ask any more questions, Mommy and Daddy came back. This is it, the moment of truth. Please say yes, please say yes…

“Well, your father and I have talked it over,” said Mommy. “And… I guess if Mr. Grouse agrees to it, you two can go earn those patches.”

Yes~!

“But be sure to let him know to call us if there’s any trouble,” said Daddy. “And come back as soon as you’re done.”

“We will. Promise,” said Lana, raising her hand. “Bluebell’s honor.”

“Yep,” I said, raising my own hand. “Bluebell’s honor.”

Mommy nodded and hugged the two of us. “We love you, kids. Don’t worry, we’ll call you if the police find anything about Lincoln.”

“Thanks, Mommy,” I said uneasily. Ooh, why’d she have to make me feel bad about lying? I know she and Daddy are worried about us, but we’re worried about Lincoln. We have to do this. He’s counting on us.

“So, now we just gotta convince Mr. Grouse to go along with this,” said Lana. “You have a plan, or do you still need a nap?”

I don’t know if that was genuine concern or a shot against me. Knowing Lana, it might’ve been both. Luckily, I think my mind’s starting to clear up now.

“I’ll be okay, Lana,” I said. “Just leave this to me…”

***

“You need me to what?”

“Just drive us to the pageant hall, no questions asked. And you’ll get two whole baskets of my daddy’s famous muffins. Whaddya say?”

Mr. Grouse raised an eyebrow. “No walnuts this time?”

“No walnuts.”

“Then you’ve got yourselves a deal. But you two better behave, or I’m taking you right back.”

“We will, Mr. Grouse,” Lana and I said at the same time. “Bluebell’s honor.”

Mr. Grouse just grunted and led us to his car. Say what you will about him, but he’s really not that bad once you get to know him. Now I just need to learn how to make muffins. I hope it’s not too difficult, or I’m being an idiot. Eh, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

“Thanks so much for doing this, Mr. Grouse,” said Daddy. “You kids be good!”

“That goes double for you, Lola!” said Mommy.

Sheesh, profiling much? I’m a guest in my neighbor’s car; of course I’m gonna behave myself. Besides, picking a fight with Lana isn’t gonna save Lincoln from Lindsey Sweetwater. Eh, I’ll let it slide. She’s probably just worried. Lana and I waved goodbye, and Mr. Grouse drove off.

Once we were a good distance down the road, Lana turned to me. “So, why’re we going to the pageant hall?” she whispered to me. I don’t know why she bothered; it’s not like Mr. Grouse cares. Might as well play along, though.

“Simple. It’s a great place for gossip,” I said. “Someone over there is bound to know something about Lincoln, so we need to get sleuthing. Plus, it’s likely that we’ll find our main suspect there.”

“You mean Lindsey Sweetwater, right?”

“Of course.”

Lana’s brow crinkled. “You really think she’d go this far?”

“Without a doubt,” I said firmly. “Why else would Lincoln disappear right before he was gonna coach me?”

“Not everything is about you, Lola.”

I gave Lana a look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m just sayin’,” Lana said with a shrug.

…

Okay, this is starting to get annoying. Does Lana actually think that I don’t care about Lincoln or something? That really hurts. Of course I care about him. When did I ever say I didn’t? Where does she get off saying stuff like…?

No. Calm down, Lola. You’re on your best behavior for Mr. Grouse, remember? Fighting with Lana won’t help. I just wish she’d understand, y’know? I’m not trying to make this about me. It just… happened to be that way.

“Alright, we’re here.”

The car screeched to a halt right outside the pageant hall.

“It’s go time,” I said. “Let’s get sleuthing.”

“Right behind ya,” said Lana. “Thanks, Mr. Grouse.”

“Whatever,” Mr. Grouse grumbled. “I gotta get to my triangle lesson. Are you two gonna be okay on your own?”

“We’ll be fine, Mr. Grouse,” I said. “Just be sure to pick us up when we’re done.”

“I ain’t your chauffeur, Loud.”

“Then I guess you don’t want your muffins.”

Mr. Grouse growled. “Fine. What time?”

“Let’s say about an hour,” I said.

“Alright. But remember, no walnuts.”

With that, he drove off. Maybe I should make three baskets of muffins instead. It’ll be worth it once we take down Sweetwater and find out where Lincoln is.

“Well, shall we?” I said.

Lana shrugged. “Lead the way.”

I nodded as we made our way inside. “Now, just a heads-up, Lana. Most of my pageant rivals are… kinda afraid of me.”

“Gee, I can’t imagine why that is,” said Lana, rolling her eyes.

Not dignifying that. “Anyway, we should try our best not to spook them. So you’ll be the Good Cop, and I’ll be the Bad Cop.”

“Wait a minute. Isn’t the Bad Cop the guy who beats up jerks?” said Lana.

“Well, yeah. So?”

“So I wanna be the Bad Cop.”

Geez laweez, are we really doing this right now?

“Lana, we’re not beating anyone up,” I said. “I’m just saying that my pageant rivals are more likely to talk to you than to me.”

“But what about the punk that hurt Lincoln? Aren’t we gonna beat them up?”

“You’re thinking too far ahead about this. We don’t even know who kidnapped Lincoln.”

“I thought you said it was Lindsey Sweetwater.”

“I said she’s a suspect. That’s different. Besides, she wouldn’t dirty her own hands like that.”

“But I wanna beat up jerks. The Good Cop’s lame.”

“Well, we can’t have two Bad Cops. You know what they say: you get more flies with honey than with vinegar.”

“Actually, that’s not true. Flies like vinegar more.”

Ugh~. I just wanna slam my head against the wall. Or slap Lana upside the head. Seriously, what’s her deal? We should be more in sync than this if we’re gonna find Lincoln.

“Look, just be the Good Cop for now, okay?” I pleaded. “We need to make sure my pageant rivals feel safe when we talk to them, and they don’t feel safe around me.”

“Omigosh, it’s her! The Queen of Diamonds herself!”

When we entered the main hall, I heard one of the girls cheering. Next thing I knew, we were surrounded by pageant princesses, all of them beaming at us. D-did I miss something? And what was that about the Queen of Diamonds? I could’ve sworn I heard that title before, but I’m just too confused to put my finger on it right now.

“Uh, hi, girls,” I said meekly. “What’s new?”

“Oh, don’t act so modest, Lola! We all heard the news!” said Roxanne. “You’re gonna be in a movie! Congratulations, girl!”

Yep, I definitely missed something. Why am I just hearing about this now? I mean, that’s incredible and all, but… huh?

“I just know you’re gonna be awesome!” said Ariel. “Your family is so cool!”

“Looks like all those pageant wins have finally paid off for ya,” said Belle. “Now I don’t feel so bad for losing.”

“You earned this, Lola,” said Jasmine. “You should feel very lucky.”

Lana raised an eyebrow at me. “What was that you were saying about your pageant rivals being scared of you?”

She says that as if I know what’s going on. Trust me, I’m just as clueless as she is.

“Okay, hold on, back up,” I said. “What’s all this about me being in a movie?”

The girls stared at me blankly. “You mean you really don’t know?” Roxanne said.

“Uh, no. I don’t,” I said. “Can someone tell me what’s going on?”

“I’d be more than happy to, my dear.”

My heart skipped a beat when I heard that silky smooth voice. Sure enough, the girls stood back to reveal none other than Winston, the prince of all pageant princes. Ooh, he’s practically glowing. That smooth blond hair; his cute little smile; that royal purple ensemble complete with a little cravat. He’s so dreamy~.

“Ba… ba… ba…”

Winston laughed a cute laugh. “Ah, Lola. I do apologize for telling the girls before you did. I simply couldn’t hide the surprise.”

“Ba… ba… ba…”

“What surprise?” asked Lana, folding her arms.

Winston raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you don’t know, either? I thought all of you knew.”

“Knew what?”

“Why, your brother’s Ace Savvy comic is going to be made into a movie.”

…

So that’s why they called me the Queen of Diamonds! That’s my character from Linky’s comic! Ooh, if this is a dream, I am going to smack whoever wakes me up. Th-this is just amazing! True stardom for me at last! Eee~!

“I’ve always been a fan of Ace Savvy myself,” said Winston. “But never would I have ever guessed that a beautiful young princess such as yourself would become the Queen of Diamonds.”

C’mon, Lola! Don’t just stand there like a dope! The boy of your dreams just praised you for being in a movie! Say something!

“Ba… ba… ba…”

No, not that! Ugh, I feel like I could die right now. However, Winston didn’t seem to mind me being all tongue-tied. He just let out another cute chuckle.

“I understand. It’s a lot for you to take in,” he said. “Though I wonder how you didn’t know about this. Surely your brother told you.”

I know that’s important somehow, but I-I can’t think straight. My head’s just spinning. I’m gonna be in a movie. And Winston is happy about it. And no one’s scared of me. And…

“Alright, lover girl. Snap out of it.”

Lana suddenly slapped me upside the head. Hard.

“Owie~!” I yelped, giving her a dirty look. “What was that for?”

“Um, hello? Did you forget why we’re here?!” Lana scolded.

“O-of course not. But c’mon, how are you not excited? We’re gonna be in a movie, Lana!”

Lana folded her arms and scowled. “Yeah, super. But what about Lincoln?”

“W-well, maybe the movie has something to do with it,” I said. “I can ask the girls all about it.”

“I thought you wanted me to do the asking. Y’know, ‘cause I’m the Good Cop?”

“Well, now you can be the Bad Cop, just like you wanted.”

“More like you can bask in the praise and forget all about Lincoln.”

“I-I haven’t forgotten about Lincoln! S-stop making me sound bad!”

“Then stop acting like it!”

“I-I am not!”

“Are too!”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Um, are we interrupting anything?”

I could feel my face turn bright red. “Way to go, Lana! You’re embarrassing me in front of Winston!”

Lana snorted. “Y’know what? Do whatever you want. I’m gonna do some actual sleuthing. Don’t wait up.”

She then marched off in a huff. Good riddance, I say. She doesn’t understand how much this means to me. I know I’m not an easy person to get along with, so to have my pageant rivals actually being friendly to me…  I-it’s like a dream come true. And let’s not forget about Winston. He’s never paid this much attention to me before. And who knew he was such a big Ace Savvy fan? I should really ask Lincoln if I can…

…

Oh. Right. Lincoln. H-he needs us right now. I can’t get distracted like this. C’mon, focus, Lola.

“So, what exactly was that all about?” asked Roxanne. “And why are you dressed like that?”

“O-oh, this?” I said. “Uh, um…  I-it’s for the Bluebells! Yeah, Lana and I are earning our Police Patrol patches.”

“My word, Lola. A movie star and a Bluebell?” said Winston. “That must take a lot of dedication. How do you manage to keep up with all this?”

The girls crowded around me, all of them staring at me eagerly. Ooh, how can I ignore such an adoring public? I-I guess I could entertain them for a little bit. Who knows? Maybe I’ll find out something about Lincoln. I-I’m not just brushing him off, I swear. I don’t care if Lana thinks I am; she’s wrong. I’ll show her. I’ll find out what happened to Linky all on my own. I don’t need her help.

…

I’m gonna regret saying that, aren’t I?  In fact, even though it feels nice to be adored by my rivals, I still have this sinking feeling that this dream is gonna turn into a nightmare any minute now…

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