Leni and Lori's Bike Cycle

>"LORI NO! I still need them!" Little Leni pleaded, helpless to prevent her big sister from removing the training wheels.
>"You're 8 years old Leni, you're getting way too old for these baby things!"
>Lori unscrewed the wheels and tossed them aside.
>She told Leni this would make her appear more grown up but in actuality, Lori had an ulterior motive.
>The eldest Loud was tired of being dragged down by her sister every time she went bike riding. She had to slow down every minute just to wait for Leni to catch up on her dumb tricycle. It was literally aggravating.
>If Leni wanted to ride bikes with her big sister, she'd have to learn to keep up.
>Leni's eyes began to water as she stared at the discarded training wheels on the lawn. There goes her life preserver.
>The frightened girl wobbled back and forth, only supported by the balance Lori provided as she held on to the seat.
>"Okay Leni you can do this, it's not even that hard!"
>"But Lori I don't know if I—"
>"DO YOU WANT TO RIDE BIKES WITH ME OR NOT?"
>Lori knew to be patient with Leni, but said patience was wearing thin.
>Leni pouted and her lips quivered. She enjoyed bicycling with her big sis more than anything. She didn't want to lose that.
>"Okay here we go," Lori began walking forward as she guided Leni down the sidewalk. "Keep your eyes forward Leni!"
>The bike was picking up speed and going at a steady pace now.
>Leni's heart was beating a million times a second. She couldn't focus on the road ahead of her.
>"I'm letting go now Leni, you can do this!"
>PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T LORI. I CAN'T!"
>Leni turned back to see her sister waving, already a dot over the horizon. She was all alone now.

>Tears ran down Leni's cheeks and she couldn’t stop hyperventilating.
>She gripped the handle bars with all her might and gritted her teeth.
>Leni’s feet fumbled, desperate to find the pedals and regain control.
>Distracted by the confusion of it all, as well as her own fear, the little girl failed to notice the crack in the pavement.
>The bike dipped forward. Leni went with it.
>Lori caught up just in time to see her little sister fly through the air in slow motion.
>The older sister gasped and covered her mouth. The younger sister screamed at the top of her lungs.
>Leni flew about ten feet, bouncing about on the concrete before colliding into a series of trash bins on the curb.
>Lori was speechless as she ran down the street to her sister. She knew she was in trouble.
>Loir approached her sister who was face down on the hot pavement, covered head to toe in trash.
>”LENI LENI! ARE YOU OKAY!?” Lori was sweating bullets and biting her fingernails. That was a real nasty fall she just witnessed.
>Incoherent mumbling could be heard as Leni pulled herself up in chapters.
>Lori breathed a sigh of relief. At least her sister was alive.
>A whimpering and sniveling Leni slowly turned around to face her sister.
>Lori gasped.
>Leni was an absolute mess. Her nice, teal dress was stained with dirt and tattered in a few places. She was covered in pieces of discarded food, wet newspaper and various other unidentifiable pieces of garbage. Even one of her flip-flops were missing.
>Leni’s cute and sunny disposition suffered the most however. Her cheeks were scraped up and her mouth was covered in blood. It was very unbecoming of the typically clean and pampered girl.

>Lori’s heart dropped and she began to tear up at the sight. She wondered if Leni was even aware that some of her baby teeth were missing.
>”Leni I’m SO sorry,” A bawling Lori begged for forgiveness as she grabbed her sister by the arm and helped her walk. Leni really wasn’t ready for this and she paid the price for Lori’s greedy stubbornness. “I didn’t know this would happen!”
>”It’s okay Lori…” Leni was holding back her tears as she talked. Her voice was hoarse and weak. “Come on let’s go.”
>Leni pulled herself away from her sister and turned back down the street. She picked the bike up off the sidewalk and attempted to mount it.
>”LENI STOP! FORGET THE BIKE, LET’S JUST GO HOME AND TELL MOM.”
> “But you said we can’t ride bikes together no more,” The bruised and bloody girl uttered to her sister, still whimpering from the pain. "I want to learn how so I don’t slow you down again and we can keep having fun."
>What Leni just said made Lori feel like total trash. The guilt ate away at her like a disgusting parasite.
>Leni had hurt herself due to Lori’s selfishness and now, Leni was putting her safety on the line for the sake of her sister.
>A misty eyed and emotional Lori tried to protest but Leni was already off.
>The bike wobbled once again as Leni made her way down the street. It wasn’t long before history repeated itself though.
>Leni fell to the side, this time landing softly on the grass of someone’s front lawn.
>Leni was covered in grass stains and mud now but she would not be deterred.
>She got up on the bike again but this time it was different.
>Lori placed one palm on Leni’s hand and gently placed the other on her sister’s back.
>”Take a deep breath Leni, I’ve got you this time.” Lori spoke softly, ignoring the trail of tears that ran down her cheek.
>Lori admired her sister’s perseverance. If Lori was in Leni’s position she would have ran back home screaming for mommy and daddy to make it all better.

>”Keep your feet on the pedals and your eyes forward.” Lori coached her sister as she walked Leni down the sidewalk once again.
>”O-Okay Lori!” Leni nervously replied to her big sister. She narrowed her eyes and bit her tongue in focus.
>Lori carefully pushed Leni as she ran alongside the bike with her.
>”Don’t be scared sis, I’ve got you this time!”
>Leni continued to pedal, doing her best to ignore the aching pains and dripping blood.
>”Okay Lori, what do I do now?”
>Leni looked back. Her sister was no longer holding on to her.
>Leni was on her own, but she wasn’t alone. Lori ran right by Leni’s side, determined to make sure her sister felt secure and safe.
>”You keep going and you don’t stop!” Lori shouted as she jogged along. “REMEMBER WHAT I SAID, EYES FORWARD!”
>Leni panicked for a second but quickly composed herself. The wobbles were on the way again but Leni gripped the handlebars tightly and centered herself.
>Her startled and frightened expression faltered and grew into one of pure joy and elation. The breeze brushed against her face as she sped down the sidewalk.
>She quickly looked down at her feet and then back up. Leni felt like she was soaring through the skies.
>”L-LORI. LOOK LORI, I’M DOING IT! I’M RIDING THE BIKE ALL ON MY OWN!”
>Lori was falling behind, growing winded from all the running she was doing.
>“Way to go Leni!” Lori screeched to a halt and keeled over, gasping for breath. “You… really did it…”

>Leni’s laughter echoed down the street and throughout the neighborhood.
>Lori looked up, absolutely proud of her little sister’s accomplishment. The girl had turned around and began cycling back towards Lori, her radiant smile shining through all that blood.
>Leni shifted all her weight to one side and purposely threw herself to the floor to stop. She REALLY needed to work on her braking and dismounting.
>The little girl hopped up and ran over to her big sister, tackling her to the ground with a big warm embrace.
>”Lori Lori did you see me!” Leni excitedly asked her sister over and over again. “I actually rode it by myself! THANK YOU SO MUCH LORI, I LOVE YOU!”
>Lori reciprocated and hugged back. “You sure did Leni, I’m so happy for you!”
>The two sisters stood up and jumped for joy. Lori didn’t even mind that her shirt was covered in Leni’s blood.
>”Do you know what this means Lori,” Leni added in her excitement. “It means we can ride bikes together again!”
>Lori began to tear up again. She may have been the oldest sister but in a way, she looked up to Leni.
>”I’m sorry Leni,” Lori apologized as she continued to hug her sibling. “It was because of me that you got all scratched up and hurt.”
>”It’s okay, Lori. It hurts still but I don’t mind if it means we can keep playing together!”
>Lori was in awe at how forgiving Leni was about all this. It was just another reason why Lori looked up and respected her. She wasn’t sure how she was going to make it up to Leni, but Lori would make sure that she would.

>”Come on sis, let’s go home and get you cleaned up.”
>”Okay Lori!”
>Lori grabbed the bike with one hand and guided it home, holding Leni’s hand in the other.
>”We should probably go pick up those teeth you dropped down the street. I bet the tooth fairy will give you like a hundred dollars for them!”
>”REALLY? ” Leni clasped her hands together in glee, giving Lori a broken, holey smile. “OH I KNOW. We can ride our bikes to the ice cream parlor tomorrow and buy a scoop of every flavor!”
>Lori just smiled at her sister. Once mom and dad found out what happened, Lori had a feeling she wasn’t going to be able to leave the house for a while.
>Lori wrapped her arm around Leni and pulled her in close.
>”That sounds good to me, Leni.”