The Bust

>Normally the Loud family drove their rickety old van to get to school
>But last week it finally kicked the bucket
>A van that had been in their family since their paternal great-great-great-grandfather
>A tragedy to end all tragedy
>Sure, it barely worked and most the seats were either sticky or drove a spring into your thigh
>But it was still part of the family, warts and all
>It's loss would be felt for years to come
>At least, Aunt Lana would miss it
>The only reason why Marla Jones knew any of this was because Lacy wouldn't shut up about it during the week she took the bus to school

>Meet Marla
>Normally she'd get a ride from her mother but with the new season coming up she didn't have the time
>It was fine, Marla was used to being alone
>But Lacy never seemed to understand that
>She always followed Marla around like a lost puppy and inviting her to sit with her friends at lunch
>How dare she?
>But Lincoln finally found a suitable replacement so she didn't have to deal with Lacy so early in the morning
>She could finally go back to having some peace and quiet, watching the town speed by
>"Hi!"
>Never mind
>"Is this seat taken?"
>Of all the times to forget her equipment in her locker
>It was her go-to seat filler
>Looks like she'll have to get rid of her the old-fashioned way
>She went to turn to repel the intruder but the biting statement on the edge of her tongue was cut off when she looked at her
>That. Wasn't. Fair.

>It was Gloom
>She was notorious throughout the school for her endowments
>She only turned 11 last month and she was already beating some of the seniors
>Many rumors surrounded the girl and her chest
>Most of them were about how she stuffed her bra
>One look at her frankly terrifying mother silenced all of those claims
>She was just that lucky
>"Um, are you alright?"
>A combination of furious anger, extreme envy, and a massive inferiority complex prevented Marla from speaking
>She won't leave until she gets a no so Marla tried to force out any sound
>It was an difficult task, trying to force any noise out in this state
>"Yuh"
>That was not the sound she wanted she wanted
>"Thanks!"
>Gloom immediately jumped into the seat before she could correct herself
>"What's your name? I'm Gloom!"
>It wasn't surprising she had an odd name
>Her mom was almost as creepy as Lacy's emo aunt
>Just as unapproachable though
>"I-I. I'm Marla."
>Vocalizing was still an issue
>Too much brainpower was spent lamenting the fact that a girl 2 years younger than her was beating her in every department
>"Hi Marla." "What sport do you play?"
>This girl was pretty brazen
>"Golf and Baseball."
>"You play two sports? Neat. Which one is your favorite?"
>Nobody should be this chipper at 7:15 AM

>As the bus ride and questions continued Marla come to a horrible realization
>This was Lacy 2.0
>Friendly, can't take a hint and endlessly inquisitive
>But this new model has several improvements over the last
>The biggest being her features
>Marla was used to boys thinking Lacy was cute while passing her over
>But not only was Gloom as cute as Lacy she drew the eyes of every boy when she bounced around
>She knew it was a dumb thing to be angry about but that didn't stop the sting of envy
>Why couldn't she be that gifted
>If she had a chest like that boys might actually talk to her
>She could finally beat Lacy at something
>She hadn't actually heard any of Gloom's question past the first two
>Her monosyllabic answers seemed to be enough for Gloom
>When will this ride end

>It only took 20 minutes to get to school but it felt like 20 hours
>When the doors finally opened Marla got up and made a break for it
>Shoving the other kids out of the way in a mad dash to escape
>She didn't look back until she made it to the front gates
"Hey! Wait!"
>Holy shit
>Gloom was actually running across the parking lot to keep up
>Everyone was staring at them now
>Most were looking only for Gloom but a dew were curious why she was running after one of the meanest girls in the school
>"You almost left me behind. What happened to walking together?"
>She must have agreed to that when she was on autopilot
>Marla's famously bad temper was reaching atomic levels
>"Are you feeling ok? I'm not mad, everyone makes mistakes."
>"I know what will make you feel better!"
>Gloom's second most famous trait was her love of hugs
>Anyone who was considered a friend got one
>So that meant everyone in the state of Michigan
>Before Marla could get away she was grabbed
>Good lord, this girl was a lot stronger than she looked
>She would not let go until she was done

>This was the final straw
>All Marla wanted was a quiet morning
>She didn't want to entertain the idea of having two Lacy's follow her around
>She could see people in the parking lot laughing at them
>She needed to end this now
>"There you go. Do you feel better now?
>As soon as Gloom freed her she reared back and prepared to show off her most famous trait
>Punching those who annoy her
>She usually aimed for the face but some part of her mind thought of a more fitting area
>"OW!"
>Gloom dropped to the ground instantly, clutching her chest
>She seemed like a fragile girl so Marla didn't hit her as hard as she could have
>Definitely not enough to drop her like that
>"Why did you do that? They're really sensitive!"
>Oh no
>She was starting to cry
>"Marla Jones!"
>Marla whipped around and came face to face with Principal Johnson
>"Come to my office right now!"
>She knew speaking would only make things worse
>As she walked to the principals office she took one last look at Gloom
>Lacy and her brother with the headband were helping Gloom up
>Because of course they had to see that
>Sighing, Marla entered the office
>Mom would probably have to cancel her training and come get her
>She'd have to endure another lecture about controlling her anger
>And people at school would avoid her more than usual
>It seems like Marla's next couple of weeks would be really quiet