What up, everyone? First of all, thanks for the reviews, favorites and followers! On with chapter three! Note: This will get a little sad and dark.
Chapter 3: The Pain's Too Gain
Like Lynn had said, Lincoln was gonna have a horrible day. Each one worse than the previous. She was right.
Lincoln saw the hateful slurs in his locker. He hear the people responsible giggling a few feet away. Right between his sides were Clyde and Ronnie Anne. He told them about what Lynn intended to do and no amount of words can save him. Ronnie Anne wishes to pound the living hell outta the athlete but Lincoln refuse to escalate the grudge further. Not even wanting Clyde to get a teacher or the principal. Lincoln also added not getting the rest of the sisters involve.
With no plan came from the boy, he resume his life as classmates participate in avoiding Lincoln or making him feel like he's not welcome.
The three friends enter the classroom, bringing all eyes to them. Lincoln can feel the tense feeling of their glares but wasn't going to affect him or his two remaining friends. Each steps of their shoes made them take a few steps back letting the outcasts to their chairs.
Everyone took their seats after pushing their desk a few feet away from the three. Lincoln saw his three former friends acting the same way. They weren't giving him or Clyde or Ronnie Anne the stink eye. They weren't giving them unwelcome gesture. They just didn't want to catch his bad luck.
Clyde saw the interaction between the four and shook his head in disappointment. Ronnie Anne snorted angrily for turning their backs Lincoln.
Lincoln pay no attention to them. He glances to his desk as it was the only thing that he could see. The students around the three had objects that seem to symbolize their good luck mana. A horseshoe necklace around one male student's neck. A keychain rabbit foot in their pants. And the most ridiculous of all was green long socks.
At lunch period the three sat down on the sticky table. Each of the friends were denied of sitting down by scorns or putting their backpacks to the empty seat. Ronnie grumble at the stickiness of the surface. She nearly rip off a sleeve from her purple jacket. Clyde could feel his pants is already stuck to the chair he is sitting. Lincoln sighed in regret that his friends had to suffer. All he could do was stick it up (no pun intended).
In a few tables from where they at, the Mortician Club were at their usual spot. Everyone in the club usually eats their food, but they all notices a strange aura around their fellow students. It was as if everybody is filled with hated in their hearts.
"I feel cold around the air," Haiku spoke monotony, "Instead of everyone being undoubtedly happy, their feelings are all united to hate."
"And their anger is drawn on to those three," A second goth added, potining to the sticky table. "Outcast by their fellow brethrens to a sea of loneliness."
Silas move his fork with his fingers, "And they thought we were the outcast in this lonesome school."
Haiku saw Lincoln, Ronnie Anne and Clyde being at the rejected table in the cafeteria. It felt odd coming from someone who loves misery to see her friend's brother sitting at the far end with Clyde and Ronnie Anne.
She turn to Lucy, who was acting all quite and haven't said a word since they ate "Lucy, can you tell us why everyone is focusing on avoiding your brother?"
Lucy stifle a tear but held it in. She look how her brother is taking all the abuse from his classmates. Now Ronnie Anne and Clyde is suffering the same. She wanted to do something. She could open up to Haiku that Lynn was doing this. But if she does, then the goth have to reveal why and causes her friendship with the Mortician Club to end. If not, then Lynn would reveal her secret to her family and the rest of the school. Lucy can't risk it, even though she feels the hatred emotion from classmates and Lincoln taking the abuse as well his two remaining friends.
Lucy lied, almost stuttering "It's-It's nothing, Haiku. Just something that Lincoln got them mad for. That's all." She return eating and letting out a few tears without her friends knowing.
At gym class, it got worse than yesterday as Lincoln, Clyde and Ronnie Anne all receive a full dose of volleyballs in their face. When the couch ask them to split into teams, a few wishes to sit this one out, leaving the outcast as a three-person team. Ronnie Anne spike a few throws, but get pentaizes by the other team for 'cheating'. After five warnings, she was benched throughout the whole play. Lincoln and Clyde were nervous of getting pummel in their bodies. They avoided each thrown and got a scolding from the couch to stop acting like cowards. The humiliation was even worse as students were jeering and laughing at the duo. It lasted thirty minutes before the couch announce that it was time to hit the showers.
Lincoln and Clyde got up, feeling the soft bruises. When they got to the locker room, all their clothes were gone.
The white haired boy hear laughter and saw Chandler, Boy Jordan and a couple of boys. He huff in anger and spoke "Where's our clothes?"
Chandler replied with a sneer "What makes you think we had something to do with it, Larry?"
"It's Lincoln, and I know you do something to me. I saw your little message in my locker." Lincoln stomp to him, making the goons take a step back.
"Watch out, guys. He's has bad luck! You might get infected!" Boy Jordan mockingly said, earning a couple of hateful laughs.
Clyde stood behind him, sharing the furious expression. "Just give us back our clothes, Chandler!"
"We don't have it, McBride!" Chandler shouted. "Maybe Larry's bad luck had something to do with it!"
Lincoln clutches his fist and grab the redhead's collar. Chandler cried "Get your hands off of me!"
"Our clothes, now!"
"What's going on here?!" The couch storm in fury and separate the two boys.
Boy Jordan pointed to the two outcast, "Lincoln and Clyde started it!"
Clyde defended "They stole our clothes, couch!"
Another boy said "No we didn't!"
"Enough! Either you all stop or you're staying here to do a couple of push ups!" The couch barked. "Chandler, give them their clothes back."
"I said I don't have it." Chandler repeated, almost making Lincoln attack him if Clyde wasn't holding back.
"That's it. You and your buddies are staying behind to do push-ups for five minutes."
"That's bullshit!" Boy Jordan wave his arms up in anger.
"Make that ten minutes! Get outside and wait!" The rest of the bullies move out of the locker room. The couch turn to Lincoln and Clyde, his anger slow down. "I don't have extra fresh clothes so looks like you two will be wearing that the rest of the day." The two boys look at their gym clothes fill with their sweet and a little of blood. "Or I can call your parents to get you new clothes?"
"That's okay!" Lincoln shouted. "We'll live through it!"
The couch shrug his shoulder carelessly and walk right out of the room. Clyde turn to his friend, outrage "Lincoln, what the heck?!"
"Clyde, if we tell our parents what happened, then they're gonna know about the rumor Lynn made!" He pointed out.
"This has gone far enough! I don't know if I can't take this longer!"
"We have to suck it up for the day!"
"And what about the next?" Clyde said, looking furiously at his friend.
Lincoln give him an apology look at his friend, "I'm sorry, Clyde, but we don't have any other choice."
"I'm starting to regret this." Lincoln's eyes widen.
"You're not…?"
"I'm not saying I am. All I want you is tell your parents the truth and Lynn be punished for her crimes. I concord that it would be best for me, Ronnie Anne and you." Clyde only receive a deep sigh.
"I can't do that, Clyde. Maybe it's not the life I wanted or you and Ronnie Anne to be a part of, but I have to do what's right for my family. If I tell them the truth, mom and dad will send Lynn away and I'll regret it. I'll regret it for the rest of my life. If this gets out over what I have been through since the whole 'bad luck' episode, it's over. My younger sisters will be separate, mom and dad going to jail, same with Lori and Leni, Luna and Luan will go to juvil. I don't wanna ruin that. Please, Clyde. Don't tell your dads."
Clyde's anger die down, letting all flow through him. He sees Lincoln's problem and was surprised what he was doing. He would rather take abuse from not just his sisters but to everyone in order to save his family. If he was willing to take one for the team, and still pretend that he is bad luck (which he isn't) then Clyde would call him a hero or a fool in Ronnie Anne's standard.
"I understand, Lincoln." The African-American boy nodded his head.
The two boys head out and waited for Ronnie Anne to arrive. She, too, was wearing the same gym clothes. It was at this moment that her clothes got 'stolen' during gym class. Ronnie Anne kept her temper in place as giggling girls walk past her. Perhaps they had something to do with it.
The rest of the day went on as horrible. Classmates ignore them because of their 'disease' and their stinky gym clothes. Showing off their charms to drive them away. Their desk wrote in an obscure manner and threatening messages, follow by their lockers. At the end of school, the three friends all wash away the messages from their desks and lockers. Neither one of them say anything to each other. Ronnie Anne was quite than her usual tomboy attitude. She would've been a easier target from others because of her sudden change, except she ended up breaking some teeths. Their clothes were found in a dumpster at the end of the school.
The Latina tomboy caught up with Lincoln. He saw her cold glare that made him flinch at what she had been through. Lincoln felt guilty as he is. He never wanted his two closest friends to suffer his sins. He stands up, gripping the wet cloth from cleaning up the graffiti "Ronnie Anne, I'm-"
"Lincoln." She spoke. Lincoln was caught by surprise that it wasn't with a tone to scare him though she lower her head down. "It's okay. I'll see you later."
Lincoln glance sadly at her. He lay out a few tears before whipping them away. This day wasn't turning out the way it is. He was starting to lose touch with his friendship with Ronnie Anne and Clyde.
"I'm sorry, guys." He whispered himself. Lincoln walk away from his clean locker, except it won't stay clean by tomorrow. Throwing away the discard cloth, he exit out of the school to wait the van.
Lynn step out of her place and chuckle smirked at her poor fool of a brother. "Lincoln, Lincoln, Lincoln," She said to herself. "This is what life will get ya if you use words to get out another jam." The tomboy stopped at his locker and, to her dismay, saw the messages are clean. She dig her index finger and trace it down. A low squeak sound may the expression in her face livid. "Mmm, looks clean. This won't do."
She takes out a red marker from her backpack and pull off the cap. Humming a little song to herself as she wrote in the clean locker. Her words was "Stinkcon!"
"See you tomorrow loser." Lynn remarked before walking away.
Lincoln didn't bother telling his family what happened to his clothes. He just lie that he accidentally misplaced his clothes. Of course, he got a scolding from his parents and some tease from Lori, Luan and Lola. Rita told him to take a shower which he agree.
Lincoln walk to the bathroom and right as his hand barely touches the doorknob, the door open and, to his dismay, Lynn exit out.
She give her target a quick smirk, "Rough day at school, dweeb?" Lincoln didn't give her a glare. What's the point if he does? She'll only laugh. "Bathroom's all yours. Quick note: I used all the hot shower." Lynn quickly made a fist, which made the boy slightly flinch. "Ha! Two for flinching!" Two hard punches to his right shoulder.
Lincoln's body shake involtary before going inside the restroom. Leaving his clothes on the ground, his body once more shake, but with the cold water like Lynn intended.
After taking a shower, Lincoln told his parents that he didn't want to eat, though Lynn Jr. want him to. It was just to spike him over her day being great.
He was in his room doing his homework. By the look of his expression he wasn't feeling it. The work was almost done. Comic books were the last thing to get off his terrible day. Lincoln grab a small book that consist his sketches of characters. The boy could barely hold his pencil. Lincoln put his hands in his face.
A knock on the door. Lincoln answered unknowingly "Come in." He turn to see Lynn. What a surprise. She holds a tray of leftover steak and a glass of milk.
"What do you want, Lynn?" He said annoyingly.
"Aww, why you being such a moody mood?" She put on the most fake smile. "Mom and dad ask me to bring you dinner."
"I thank you for the gesture, but right now, I'm not in the mood."
"Still mad about your day, dork?" Lynn's remark was making Lincoln's crawl. But he couldn't show any anger.
Lincoln reminded "No thanks to you. None of my friends will speak to me or get near me. Even Clyde and Ronnie Anne had to suffer."
Lynn chuckled "I can't wait to see the look of Lori's face when she finds out from Bobby."
Lincoln's furrowed his eyebrows at her, "This is what you wanted, isn't it? My friends leaving me, Clyde and Ronnie Anne sharing the abuse and my life destroyed?"
"At least you're getting to see what the real world is." Lynn's eyes look at the sketchbook. "What's this?" Lincoln close his book and held it into his chest protectively.
"You get away from my book!" He cried.
"Aww, is that your dorky doodles? I remember Lola show it to us one time and we laugh. Stupid drawings, I say." Lynn mocked at him
Lincoln's face was red, recalling the humiliation he suffered by his sisters for his drawings. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"
"Sure, sure. Let me just place your tray and Oops!" The tray was let go outta Lynn's hands to the desk. Lincoln saw the spilled milk over his homework. He grab the shoggle paper and his mouth jaw in shock.
"My bad, lame-o." Lynn sarcastically said. Lincoln didn't notice he drop his sketchbook when the 'accident' happened. She pick it up and stifle a laugh over the sketches. "Wow, Lincoln. You're even lamer than before. You have girls dressing in pathetic costume like it's some weird cosplay party. Don't know what Ronnie Anne see in you. Here, catch."
Lincoln turn and saw the sketchbook flying. His hands were clumsy and fell flat on the messy grease steak. He gasped. All of his work were now ruin. He had forgotten about his homework. His hands were shaken as he grab the book. Silent cries were escaping from his mouth.
"Kiss those drawings goodbye. They're not worth for anyone else to see. See you tomorrow, huh loser?" Lynn left the room while closing the door behind.
The book was lifted by three of the boy's fingers. The papers were stein and bleeding through another. Lincoln's tears drop on a page that was already ruin. He close it and held it against his chest. It was hurting. The terrible experience wasn't bad enough to leave a scar, but just right now, he wishes that it was heal. It will never be heal. Lynn is still gonna make his life horrible until she sees him as a former shell of himself. He can't do anything about it. His family have earn his forgiveness. His friends are leaving him. He's all alone to face the abuse. Clyde and Ronnie Anne say they'll still be at his side.
Unfortunately, it didn't on the second day.
Lincoln waited for the two to arrive, but after fifteen minutes they weren't showing up. He had gotten a text message while entering the school. It was from Clyde. He can't make it today cause he's sick. Ronnie Anne's message say she have to stay home cause her older brother is sick. The two wishes good luck for today. Right now Lincoln didn't want to do anything with luck. He knew why they weren't coming.
Lincoln's day was like yesterday but much worse. The hateful message return but there were materials pin against it. A charm of a black cat. A broken pocket mirror. An upside down horseshoe. At class, where the students avoided him with good luck charms, Ms. Johnson came and demanded with their assignments. When it was time for Lincoln to deliver, he only give her the homework from last night redo, but only half the answer done. He already failed it by now.
Lynn's day was the exact opposite. She was enjoy seeing Lincoln reduce nothing but his broken reputation. She wanted to stop this, but why stop there? Her act was just the beginning. She went over to some of her teammates and told them to bullied Lincoln. When question why, she lied to them that Lincoln was saying a bunch of involuntary comments about women and bring up the sketchbook. Before she left, the tomboy gotten a page ripped off from the sketchbook in desk. It was one of the page that weren't ruin last night. The teammates all saw a page of Lincoln's doodles, women dressing as heroic cosplay, they were livid. They show up at Lincoln in the cafeteria and throw their food, plus his own, at him. He ran out the door in tears and spent the period in the bathroom.
His self-esteem and confidence were endanger of being lower. Lincoln was having the chills. He started stuttering uncontrollably. He spoke in a low voice that made people think the boy was taking like a mouse.
At gym he humiliated himself further at climbing the rope. Chandler was against him. Lincoln was halfway up when kids started chanting to choke and the couch's yelling at him to move. The pressure was getting to hard and he fall off. He cover himself in a shell from everyone's jeering.
Lincoln was done. He couldn't take it anymore. If Lynn wanted to see him collapse, then she wins. He just wanted to end this. The young boy didn't want to tell his family with Lynn looking at him with a menacing look. At bed he was too scared to sleep. Closing his eyes mean he had to see her face popping up. At his dreams, in the morning and in school.
On the third day of Lynn's torture Lincoln wanted to stay at home, but his parents refuses. They didn't even buy his act of pretending to be sick after Lynn found his charade.
Lincoln's breath went rapidly. His heart was beating. His eyes went to different directions. He was alone as always from the last two days. His hand touch the dial on his vandalize locker. He didn't bother cleaning up yesterday. As he took out his books, he close the locker and hurry to Ms. Johnson's classroom.
He stopped only a few feet from his locker as he saw Boy Jordan with his arms crossed and a stern look. The young white haired boy took a step back and saw Chandler with an evil smirk. Before Lincoln can react, two of the boys that took part of hiding him and Clyde's clothes grab each arm.
Chandler ordered "Put him in the closet!"
Lincoln saw the empty room as his bully open it and was shove it. Boy Jordan close the door with him yelling "You're bad luck is ruining this school! Though we teach you a lesson!"
"You should have mess with me, Larry!" Chandler added. "See you at the end of the day!" The group of boys left the scene.
Lincoln was all alone in the darkness. Heavy breathing were his only conform. The tiny space were uncomfortable. He had lose all his bravery when it comes to the darkness or small rooms. Lincoln cover himself around his body with his arms and drop on his knees. He mutter and stutter at the same time before crying. He couldn't scream for help, and even if he does, who would save him? What's he worth saving after being locked out? That mind didn't cross him from that day.
Ms. DiMartino, the Latina substitute teacher, is walking through the hall. She was running late to substitute a class. Passing the janitor's closet, she saw the items in the trash. Picking up a book, she almost gasp at the owner of the name.
Her ear pick up the faint panting. She turn her head and move to the closet. Ms. DiMartino press her ear and her eyes widen over the identity of the cries.
Her hand twist the doorknob but to her shock was locked. The spare keys were at the office in the main room. There was no time. The Latina teacher take a deep breath and lifted her right leg. It brought down to the knob, cutting it off.
When she open the door, her eyes almost went watery at the poor state of the boy. Lincoln's body is press against the teacher is a loving manner, soothing his ear with some Spanish words.
Poor Lincoln, am I right? Next chapter is the part you're gonna make me wish Lynn is brought to justice, and she will in the next chapter after chapter 4. Keep it up reading my story! Wanna see what I got plans after this, go see my profile. Till then, NiteOwl18!
