More Scared of You than You Are of Me

by RainCourt

Lynn has made many mistakes, more than she'd ever dare to admit. And certain ones are looming over her until one day, when it all leads to yet another stupid mistake that hits right to the core of who she is. (Rated T for language/some violence/some sexual references.)

7. That Girl

A/N: So, if last chapter was the great emotional nuke of the story, I suppose this would be the immediate fallout from it all. Things are going to be cooling off a bit, but that doesn't mean it's just going to be pointless fluff to end this long, long day.

I've received quite a few comments about Lisa from the last chapter, which wasn't unexpected since I did end the chapter on her. I just ask for a bit of faith, since I do have a way of playing her that'll take a bit of time to really tell, and her relationship with Lynn, much like Lynn's relationship with Lincoln, will be going in a few... Unexpected directions.

I do thank you all for the reviews and advice, it's always interesting to read, and it reassures me that there are people out there who care that much about this story.

But enough chatter, I'll let you get to it.

Enjoy.

---

St. Rosato's Hospital…

The silver Mercedes pulled into one of the reserved spots near the non-emergency entrance, and after a second a woman stepped out, who proceeded to stride directly towards the hospital with a determined expression. Once inside, she went right to the receptionist's desk.

"Hello, Doctor." The receptionist said. "What brings you here?"

"Hello." She said in return. "I'm here to see Lincoln and Lynn." At the receptionist's confused expression, she added, "The two children that were brought in about an hour ago."

"Ah." He said. "Second floor, rooms 403 and 404."

"Thanks." She said with a quick nod before moving to walk to the elevator.

"Uh, Doctor!" He said, to which she turned to look back at him. "Their parents aren't here yet."

"I know."

The receptionist slowly nodded. "Okay. Should I call and have the staff introduce you?"

"Thank you, no." She answered.

He shrugged. "If you say so."

And with that she resumed making her way to the elevator. "Okay, Lincoln." She said under her breath as she pushed the button. "Let's see who your sister really is."

---

I stir, and I feel arms around me. I look down and I see him sleeping in my arms, his soft white hair tickling my chin. I look around and I see that we're in his room, but all his things are boxed up, and we're sleeping on the floor. Then I realize we're all the way back then. Back on the night we moved out. And I smile. We can be together again! He… All that stuff with him being bad luck… Me hurting Luan… It didn't happen. We can try again, and not keep making the same mistakes. But it hits me after a minute. This can't be real. I'm dreaming again. I feel my face fall. I… I don't wanna go back to that. Can't we just forget all that? Don't I get a second chance where I don't keep fucking up? I grab him closely and bury my face into his shoulder, holding onto him as if he's gonna fade away. I don't wanna lose this. Please. Please don't take him. But even as everything around me, all the pieces from that old memory, starts to fade, he just holds me tighter.

---

Lynn moaned and stirred in bed. 'Am I home?' She slowly opened her eyes, only to see a white blur. After her vision cleared she saw she was in a hospital room, with a window looking out at the parking lot, with the red lights of a radio tower just visible some miles away in the dark. 'Guess not.' She thought as she closed her eyes and pulled up her sheets around her neck to try and keep herself warm. 'Mom's coming.' She thought. 'She's gonna come and… She's gonna get me. But I can't go… No.' She told herself as she remembered the talk with Lincoln under the bridge. 'I can't. I can't keep running away from this. Lincoln's right, I have to face this.' She took a deep breath and pulled herself tighter. 'If I ever want it all back I have to face this. But…' Slowly, she smiled. 'I… He's with me. He's helping me. Even after everything I did he hasn't… he hasn't given up on me. At least he'll be by my side through all of it.' She sighed. 'After we talked he… I fell asleep, didn't I? I think so. I mean, what else happened? It feels like maybe something did. I need to ask him later. I need to see if anything…'

She heard the door open, and Lynn stopped stirring so she could hear someone walked in before closing it again. Lynn still didn't move, as if she was still asleep, until a warm female voice with a Spanish accent said, "Hello, Lynn." She didn't move, and after a minute the voice then said, "Why are you pretending to be asleep?" She tensed, and then slowly turned and opened her eyes. Standing by the door was a lean woman of medium height, with lighter skin, shoulder-length blonde hair, and a sharp nose, wearing a pleasant, if understated, smile. But Lynn's first reaction when she saw her was to bolt upright.

"L-Lori? What are you doing here?"

If the woman was surprised, she didn't show it, but she did smile slightly wider, almost reassuringly. "I believe you have mistaken me for someone else." Her voice was far lower than Lori's, and when Lynn looked into her eyes, it comforted her to see not Lori's cold blue, but instead a warm brown that matched her voice. "Allow me to introduce myself." She said as she approached the bed with the shivering girl in the hospital gown on it. "My name's Dr. Estefania Lopez. Please call me Stef. I'd like to talk." Dr. Lopez smiled, but Lynn noticed how it didn't get close enough to her eyes for Lynn to feel comfortable. Lynn just stared at her, so Dr. Lopez bent down slightly and asked, "Lynn? I'm sure the resemblance can't be that bad."

"J-Just don't get too close to me." Lynn whispered.

Dr. Lopez nodded, stepped back, and continued. "So, Lynn, cliché as it might be to ask this, how are you feeling right now? About all this?"

"I'm fine." Lynn mumbled as she curled her bare legs underneath her.

"Sorry? I didn't catch that."

"I'm fine."

"What makes you think so?" Dr. Lopez asked. Lynn just glared up at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I don't want anyone judging me."

Dr. Lopez sighed and went to the chair in the corner. She pulled it up to the bed and sat down on it, facing Lynn. "Lynn, I'd like to talk about how you feel, not what you've done."

"You… You just wanna fuck with me."

Dr. Lopez's face fell. "That's sad." She said, which made Lynn look back up at her.

"What?"

"It's sad that was your first thought." She continued. "That everything that's happened has made you think that I just want to hurt you."

"Then what do you wanna do?"

"I'd like to help you."

You'd love to poke around in my head, you mean."

"And you sure?"

Lynn nodded as she looked down at the floor. Lynn shivered as she repeated, "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"What do you know?"

"A lot, actually." She answered sincerely. "I already know a bit about you. Clyde's mentioned you several times. Apparently, you introduced him to Lincoln. Not intentionally, but you are, in a sense, the reason for their friendship." Lynn didn't reply at all, so Dr. Lopez narrowed her eyes and said, "I'm also a friend of Mrs. Patricia Ryan. Does that name ring a bell?" Lynn's hand instinctively went to her arm, which Dr. Lopez noticed, and considered an obvious yes. "She called me about this when she heard. She was supposed to be here, but I decided to come instead. I know your relationship with your teachers was… turbulent."

"I don't wanna talk about it."

Dr. Lopez nodded. "Well, we have a problem then, because I'm here to listen to you." She sat back. "I'm here to determine how you should be treated, whether or not you need any kind of special assistance in school or, God forbid, time in a center."

"I don't wanna go back."

Dr. Lopez thought for a second, before asking, "Special Education?"

Lynn nodded. "Mom and dad are gonna send me back there."

"No they won't." Dr. Lopez said.

"Why not?"

"Because you weren't in school when this happened." Dr. Lopez said. "So it's not mandatory unless a specialist to decides if it's necessary."

"Please…" Lynn pleaded. "I can't… I don't wanna be…"

But Dr. Lopez put her hand up. "Lynn, if you want me to be able to say you don't need to go back, you have to talk to me." Lynn just stared at the floor, so Dr. Lopez added, "You can be honest with me. I'm not here to judge you. I want to figure this out."

Lynn shook her head. "You say that now. You won't after I tell you what I did."

She leaned forward and laid her hand on Lynn's. "Please?"

Lynn glared up at the doctor, the rage steadily coming back as she ripped her hand from under Dr. Lopez's. "Why do you care? Who am I to you? Just some psycho who tries to kill her own family and then starts whining about how I feel bad?"

Dr. Lopez sat back and crossed her legs. "I think you're troubled, and you obviously need all the help you can get."

She shook he head and looked at the linoleum floor. "I'm a fucking disaster."

"Lynn, you're not. Trust me."

"I couldn't help myself. Luan, she just… she wouldn't shut the fuck up! She just kept attacking me and…" She shook her head. "I pushed her and… And then Lincoln…"

"Go on." Dr. Lopez said as she had her eyes on Lynn's scratching, which was leaving noticeable red marks against her skin.

"My… My little bro." She stuttered as she started to shake. "I lost it. I hit him. After all he did for me… I swore…"

"That you'd protect him?" Dr. Lopez finished.

"I break everything I touch." Lynn said as her eyes went to the floor. "There, is that what you wanted to know?"

"Lynn, I already knew. I knew all that before I even met you." She said as she sat further forwards and tried to get a look at Lynn's face. "I know you seriously injured Luan. I know that you hurt Lincoln. I hate to say that I even know a few of your team and I know about your superstitions and how they affect you." Dr. Lopez gently put her hand on Lynn's chin and pulled her face up to her own. "And I know you tried to kill yourself earlier."

Lynn pulled away from her with mouth agape and eyes wide as she scooted across the hospital bed, away from her. "How? Are you…? Lincoln. He said he'd never…"

"He didn't tell me." Dr. Lopez said as she leaned back again.

"Then how did you know about…?"

"To be honest, I didn't," Dr. Lopez said as she looked straight at Lynn, "until a couple seconds ago. I can't help but see it. With how you are right now, I'd be more surprised if you didn't attempt suicide."

"Please don't tell them." She stammered. "They won't understand."

Dr. Lopez didn't answer, she was clearly thinking very hard, until she said, "Lynn, right now, I'm in your confidence, but if you don't want me to tell someone about your attempt, I need you to do one thing."

"What?" Lynn begged.

Dr. Lopez took a moment before saying, "I want you to do is to stay calm and hold on until Saturday."

"Why?"

"My schedule is booked until then." Dr. Lopez said, sitting back, "I can't even stay here more than thirty more minutes. But I'd like to take some time to talk about this with you Saturday afternoon. Maybe we can get a quick cup of coffee or something."

"Why?" Lynn asked. "I thought Clyde… He said you hated house calls and stuff."

"Because…" She said, sitting back again. "Clyde is not the worst I've ever seen. I've dealt with cases far, far worse than his that require me to, unfortunately, prioritize." She shrugged. "Clyde is… I hate to say it, more benign. And he's stubborn about it too, that's how I know he's more content with just having a therapist than resolving his issues." She shrugged. "But it pays the bills."

"How much is this gonna cost?" Lynn asked. "It's gotta be something."

"Nothing." Stef said. "I do this kind of work on my own time."

"Why?"

Stef sighed. "Because some people just can't… Not with a pay barrier in the way." She rubbed the bridge of her nose as she said. "I wish I could help people, just help them without needing to charge, but…" She threw her hand up. "Life, you know? "I wish I could be everywhere at once, but unfortunately, sometimes what we want to be just can't exist in real life."

Lynn stared at her for a second before looking at the floor. "I guess…"

Dr. Lopez nodded. "Before I go, I want to let you know one thing, I'm here to help."

"Yeah..."

Dr. Lopez sat forward and laid a warm hand on Lynn's cheek, much to her surprise. It was personal, very personal, but still, it didn't feel violating. "I'm here to so you can talk about yourself without anyone making you feel ashamed for this. So, I'm willing to keep your suicide attempt confidential only if you're willing to work with me. If you're not, then I will tell your parents, for your own safety."

Lynn didn't say a word as Stef just lightly rubbed her cheek with her thumb.

"Lincoln stopped you, didn't he?" Lynn moaned yes. "Well it sounds like you've still got one true friend by your side."

Lynn nodded.

"So, you'll see me?"

"I… My schedule's gonna be open anyways."

Dr. Lopez nodded in return and pulled her hand back. Lynn found herself wishing that it was back. "Well, Lynn, I'd like to see you next Saturday at two. Do you know the Adama's Coffee on Main Street?"

Lynn nodded. "If you want."

"I will see you there." Stef said as she extended her hand. "I'll listen to anything you want to say then. And you won't need to ever worry about me rejecting you."

Lynn looked at her hand again, before slowly lifting her right hand up to rest it in Dr. Lopez's. "Bye."

"I'm not leaving just yet." Dr. Lopez said as they shook hands. "I want to have a word with your parents and hopefully your brother. Don't worry." Dr. Lopez said, preempting Lynn's panic. "Your secret's safe, I just want to let them know my thoughts on this before I leave."

"You promise you won't tell?"

"Cross my heart," Dr. Lopez said as she did so, "and hope to wind up in Florida."

Lynn snorted as they broke the handshake. "What's wrong with Florida?"

Dr. Lopez rolled her eyes. "What's right with Florida? Trust me, it's a fate worse than death."

Lynn laughed, it wasn't much, but it was there. "It is for the Marlins."

Dr. Lopez smiled and got up, giving Lynn a small wave as she left, which Lynn returned. Dr. Lopez pushed the door open, leaving Lynn alone, and briskly walked right to the room next door, where Lincoln was. She pushed the door open to see that he was sitting on the bed in a dry hospital gown like Lynn, his bare feet hanging over the side, lost in thought as he stared at the floor, until Dr. Lopez closed the door.

He looked up. "Hey, Lori." He said instinctively before shaking his head. "Sorry."

She chuckled. "Still? After all this time?"

He shrugged. "Tired, I guess."

"Long night, I heard." Dr. Lopez said. "I heard you ran off and left your sister here by herself."

He nodded. "She was getting treated already. They say she's gonna be fine."

"I was wondering," She began, "Why you weren't more worried about her."

"Huh?"

"From what I heard when you saw she was injured you weren't nearly as worried as everyone expected."

"Who's everyone?"

"Lynn's teammates. Quite a few of them see me." She said as she pulled up a similar chair to the one in Lynn's room, and sat in it.

Lincoln laughed. "I guess so. But they're wrong. I was worried." He shivered. "Yeah."

"I'm sure it seemed like she was… well, dead."

"I didn't really think so." Lincoln said. "I dunno why."

"Is that why you seem rather forgiving of Lynn for this?"

"What?"

She took a deep breath. "I talked with your mother on the way here. You're far less angry at Lynn than she is."

Lincoln paused to think. "Well… It was an accident, wasn't it?"

"An accident that Lynn caused, though." Stef answered. "Much like those other times we've talked about."

"But that's still an accident."

Dr. Lopez nodded slowly. "Might I make a rather blunt observation, Lincoln?"

"Sure."

"I've been trying to talk with you about her, and every time I bring it up, you avoid me. You redirect or you just brush me off. I'd like to know how exactly you feel about Lynn."

"Why?"

"Because ever since you first showed up at my office," She said as she quickly glanced out the window, before looking back at him, "I've been curious about your relationship with her. If my brother had me locked out of the house I'm not sure I would talk to him for quite a while."

Lincoln stared at her for a second. "And?"

"And you seem far more forgiving of Lynn than I would expect you to be."

"Everybody else did it. They're more to blame." Lincoln said darkly. "They left me out there."

"She did too." Stef replied.

"But that's… Well, it was just Lynn being Lynn."

"You expect her to act like that?"

"She didn't know any better." He answered. "She couldn't have stopped herself."

"Yet she instigated it. Would it have ever happened if she didn't start it?"

"She's my sister."

"Lincoln, we've been talking for close to a year now, and every time I try to discuss this with you, you always give me that answer." Lincoln didn't say anything. "And I know about her suicide attempt as well." Lincoln looked right up at her. "I thought that might get your attention. She didn't tell me, but it was written all over her face."

"Please don't tell anyone." Lincoln begged. "I swear I'll…"

But she laughed. "Lincoln, I've kept us a secret for just under a year and you still doubt me?"

"I…" He began, his face turning red. "Sorry."

"Lincoln, I trust you, and I know you trust me, even if you don't want to admit it. But you have to be honest with me." He didn't answer, so Stef followed up with, "You're such a bright young boy, to find me to try and help get past this." She smiled warmly. "I think everyone would you to get so… angry towards your family."

He laughed. "A year, and you don't think I still am?"

"Not violently. You've gone through so much that no-one would blame you for running away or trying to hurt your family in revenge, and yet you stayed, and you tried to patch things together without lashing out and making things worse."

"I thought about it."

"And yet you didn't." She replied. "It's unexpectedly mature of you. But if you want to get past this once and for all I need to know about you and her. She clearly means much, much more to you than if she was just a sister."

"Doc… Stef, that's how it is." He answered. "She's my sister. We were in the same crib, or so I've been told, but that's it."

"Obviously that can't be it." She replied. "We've been talking about this for a long time now, but I need to know what makes Lynn so much more to you that you'd forgive her. It's obvious she means more to you than just being your sister."

Lincoln shrugged. "There's nothing more to it."

She gave him a disappointed look. "I don't like it when my patients lie to me, Lincoln."

"I'm not a patient of yours."

"Yes you are." Stef said. "You are not a client of mine, but you are a patient. When you came to me you told me your family locked you out, I knew I had to help. But I can't help if you don't tell me the truth."

Lincoln sat there for a moment, before saying, "I promised."

"Yes?"

"I promised I'd be there for her."

Stef was about to dive into asking questions when the door opened and a nurse looked in. "Um… Sorry, but their parents are here and these kids should be ready to go soon."

Stef nodded. "Just one more minute please." The nurse nodded in return and closed the door on the two of them. Stef stood and pushed the chair back into the corner. "If your parents as if we ever met, I'll say that you met me when Clyde had a panic attack. I'll leave you to fill in the details if asked."

"Thank you." He said. "For… For not telling them."

She looked back at him, and walked so she was in front of him again. "Lincoln… Linc, you're going to have to learn to trust your family again. Someday."

Lincoln looked back up at her. "Not today."

She slowly nodded. "I understand. But you need to be ready for the day you put this all behind you."

He looked back up into her eyes. "Can I…"

She smiled and shook her head. "Okay, a quick one." So she took a step forward, got down and wrapped her arms around Lincoln in a hug. "You're getting too big for these." She said as she patted him on the back.

"I like when you do it." He moaned.

"I'm not gonna be here forever." Stef said as she pulled away. "Life goes on." She ruffled his hair. "But we can enjoy maybe one or two more hugs before we move on."

He smiled. "I'd like that."

Stef took a deep breath. "But only if we make progress. I want to hear more about this promise next time you get a chance to see me."

"Where?"

"The Adama's on Main Street. Saturday."

"Twelve-thirty good?"

"I'm busy until two-thirty. Can you make three?"

"Yeah."

Stef nodded. "See you next Saturday."

"Bye." He said while looking back at the floor. Stef exited the room, carefully closing the door behind her just to be considerate, only to turn and walk into a full force hurricane already in progress.

"Where's my daughter!" She heard a man say to the orderlies as his group of three came around the corner.

"How's Linky!" Leni said loudly as she clutched her bag close to her chest. "Where's Lynn? Are they okay?"

"Leni, would you please…" Lynn Sr. tried to say.

"But I wanna make sure he's…"

"Leni, you'll see him in time." Said Rita, who was coming up from behind with a bag of Lincoln's clothes. "They said rooms 403 and 404. That's just down here." She said as they walked towards Dr. Lopez. "And I suppose we need to wait for this Doctor? Anybody know where she is?"

"I don't know." Lynn Sr. said before turning to Dr. Lopez. "Do you?"

"Hi Lori! How'd you get here?" Leni asked with a wave.

It took the reminder from Leni to help Dr. Lopez remember who she looked like, so she smiled and said. "I'm afraid there's been some confusion." She held her hand out. "Estefania Lopez. Please call me Stef."

Rita blinked, looked her daughter's doppelganger over. She was wearing a tasteful dark green cardigan over a pink button-up shirt that was intentionally untucked, with a small, black leather purse over her left shoulder. It all contrasted with the blue jeans and sneakers she had on below the waist.

Rita then asked the first question that came into her mind. "Excuse me, but I'm wondering, how old are you?"

Lynn Sr. put his hand up defensively. "I'm sorry. We don't mean to be rude we're just…"

Stef shook her head, still smiling. "It's fine. I'm 29."

Rita hesitated. "And… You're here to help with this?"

Stef nodded. "I just finished talking with Lynn. Junior, I mean, and Lincoln."

"And what do you think?" Rita asked. "Just after one meeting, that is."

"Mrs. Loud," She said, "I have met him before." He just stared at her until she said, "I am his friend's therapist, after all. We met briefly when Clyde had a panic attack once. He struck me as a very charming, intelligent young man."

"Uh-huh." Said Rita, uncertainly.

Lynn Sr. smiled nervously. "You're… uh, different than what I expected."

"How so?"

"I dunno, maybe like… well, like you had a stick up your butt, based on how Clyde talks about you."

She laughed. "I'm not that surprised. Clyde and his fathers, they have an old-fashioned view on therapists. So, I decided that a more professional approach might work best for them, and it does."

"Aren't you a little young to be a doctor?" She asked. "I just want to know if you're used to something this big."

Dr. Lopez nodded. "For what it's worth, I have handled cases this severe before. Not many, but I do take these especially seriously when they do show up."

"So… You're licensed?"

"I earned my doctorate two years ago, and I'm currently working as a junior psychologist at the local hospital. I wrote a paper on child anxiety disorders that was regarded enough that it inspired me to start up this therapy gig as a side project."

"What do you do mostly?" Asked Lynn Sr.

"General anxiety disorder is the most common thing. I've dealt with a few cases of bipolar, and one schizoid, but anxiety is by far the most common." She reached for her pocket. "I have my credentials."

Lynn Sr. put his hands up. "No, no. that's okay."

So Dr. Lopez stopped. "I know I might not be the veteran everyone wants, but there are so few dedicated child therapists in this town, I'm the one everybody comes to."

You're right about that." Said Lynn Sr.

Stef looked down the hall. "I wanted to talk with Luan too at some point, but I heard that she's in no condition for visitors for some time, so I'll hold off on that for now."

Lynn Sr.'s face fell. "You heard about it from where?"

She shrugged. "A colleague, Patricia Ryan."

"Oh…" Lynn Sr. said, "Her."

Rita tensed. "And she said…"

Stef sighed, "That your daughter went crazy and tried to kill her sister."

Lynn Sr. shivered. "It was an accident. She fell."

"So I've heard." Dr. Lopez said, "But the situation seems far messier than that, so it will have to require some nuance to handle."

He looked at her worryingly. "You work at a psych center? Does that mean, Lynn's gonna have to…"

"I doubt it." Stef said. "Now, I'm on a time limit here and I'd like to talk to you about both Lynn Jr. and Lincoln before I have to leave in ten minutes or less."

"Can't we, like, see them first?" Leni asked.

"I'm on a tight schedule here, but I only need to talk to your parents."

"So I can talk to Lincoln?" A gloomy voice asked.

After everyone jumped and spun around to see Lucy, Lynn Sr. said, "How did you even get here?"

"I sat in the back." Lucy said bluntly. "Which room is he in?" She asked Dr. Lopez.

"Left side." She answered. "403."

"And when we're done," said Rita, "We're going to have a long talk about sneaking around and staying up late, young lady!"

"If you insist." Lucy said. "Sigh."

Rita nodded slowly in return. "I'll give Junior her clothes and…"

"I can!" Leni piped up.

Rita nodded and looked down at Lucy. "Keep Lincoln company, will you?" She said while handing her the bag with clothes in it. "And don't make him uncomfortable."

"I won't try to." Lucy said before turning on her heel and going to his room, closing the door behind her. She turned to see Lincoln still sitting on the bed, looking at her.

"Hey, Luce."

"Hi, Linc."

He smiled. "Sneaking around again?"

"Why not? It's fun." She got closer and held out the bag. "You should get ready."

"You mind if…" He pointed away from her. "Or… maybe… just turn around."

She didn't move for a second, before nodding and turning her back to him. As he pulled his hospital gown off she asked, "What happened out there?"

"What do you mean?" He asked as he pulled on his underwear.

The faint sound of fabric rubbing on his skin distracted her for a second until she said, "You ran out to find her without having any reason to know where she is, and then you find her. How?"

He laughed as he pulled on his pants. "Just one of those hunches that turns out right, you know? I just know her really well."

"I thought I did too." Said Lucy. "Where did you find her?"

Lincoln paused before saying, "Over by that canal. The big one."

"Via Negativa." Lucy stated.

"I always wondered how it got that name." Lucy didn't say anything, so Lincoln said, "You can turn around now."

Lucy did so, just as Lincoln was pulling his shirt on. "I was… So worried about you."

He shrugged. "I'm fine."

"I know." She said as she stepped closer. "But I still worry."

He chuckled. "Why?"

"Because she gets so very, very dangerous when she's angry." She said, taking another step forward. "Because you were out on the streets, lost in the rain." She put her hand on his chest, "Because you're the only one who really understands me."

He smiled. "Thanks."

She nodded and pulled her hand away. "What happened with her?"

"Nothing." He said, sitting back on the bed. "I found her and I got her to come home. That's it."

"Lincoln," She said as she sat next to him, "how? How did you bring her back from that? I can't even imagine what you could've said to do that."

Lincoln didn't answer her immediately, until he said, "Lucy… You won't understand. This is something… something between her and me."

"I just want to know if I can help you." Lucy said. "Like you helped me. Sometimes it's good to talk things out once in a while, don't you think?" She said as she put her hand on Lincoln's. Lincoln looked at her as she brushed her bangs aside.

"You should wear your hair back more. It's really cute."

Lucy blushed and broke his gaze as Lincoln smiled at her, but inside he was still uncertain. He remembered the night in its entirety, from dragging Lynn from the canal after her botched suicide attempt, to the quiet kiss she'd given him before she fell asleep. He wasn't sure which he felt less comfortable talking about.

---

In the next room…

Leni closed the door behind her carefully. She could see Lynn lying on the bed in her hospital gown, staring at the side table. Leni put the bags by the foot of the bed and moved carefully until she put a hand on Lynn's shoulder. "Lynn, hey." Lynn looked up at her with dull eyes. They weren't glassy, or wet, just dull. "Remember that time in Mrs. Patty's class when we had to make those puzzles? You had the one with the mermaid, I got the wolves."

"We traded." Said Lynn. "That was second grade."

Leni nodded. "I think it was fifth."

Lynn laughed lightly. "I guess for you it was."

"Remember Barron?"

"I hated that idiot."

"I remember what you did when he told me I needed a helmet." Leni said as she looked out the window. "You threw him…"

"Right into the table." Lynn finished as she sat up. "I guess I've been a freak for that long."

"Don't talk like that." Leni said as she bent down to open the box.

"Why?" Lynn asked. "Just keep me away from everyone else, things… They'll be okay."

"Hey, I was there." Leni said with a small smile. "And I'm still here. You wanna hug? It'll, like, help you feel better, I promise."

But Lynn just looked away. "I don't know what's gonna happen at school." She said, here voice cracking. "I don't know what everybody's gonna say and I don't know what…"

Leni interrupted her by placing something soft and fuzzy on her shoulders. Lynn quickly looked down to see a dark gray, almost black hoodie. Lynn looked up at Leni, wide-eyed. "Wha- how? I threw this out, didn't I?"

Leni smiled. "I, like, fixed this up for you for Christmas last year, but I… I kinda forgot." She said with a blush.

Lynn quickly pulled it off and looked it over. It was her old hoodie, with the same old faded, flattened dull-gray fabric from back in the day. The only difference she saw was in the lining, which had been replaced with a smooth faux-fur. "I… I can't wear this."

"Why not?"

Lynn shook her head as memories of her first couple days in middle school came rushing back. "It… I…" She looked beck up at Leni, only to see her big sister sitting there with wide, concerned eyes. 'She sent all that time stitching that in and you're just gonna throw it out?' Lynn looked down again. "I don't deserve…"

"You can, like, use it, right?"

Lynn rubbed her fingers over the inner material, and she could feel how comfortable it was. "But… Why are you?"

Leni put a hand on Lynn's cheek, interrupting her, "Lynn, mom's taking your stuff."

Lynn looked up at her with big wet eyes, "Wha… She…"

"She wanted to, like, throw it all out, but I talked her outta it."

Lynn looked back down. "I… I guess I deserve it."

"I got you some new clothes, and I had this lying around. I wanted to make you a new sweater, but I had, like, no time, so…"

"Thanks." Lynn whispered to the bed.

Leni put her hand on Lynn's chin and pulled her head up to look her in the eyes. "Hey, Lynn, I'm still here. We got through all that stuff way back then, we can get through this. No matter what, I've got you. I'm not gonna let you get hurt. Never. Never ever."

Lynn looked up at her older sister, before she threw the hoodie aside and wrapped her arms around Leni. "I don't wanna be the bad guy." Lynn said quietly into Leni's shoulder. "I don't wanna be a punchline."

Leni thought for a moment. "Hey, Lynn. Maybe I could, you know, sleep in your room for a while?"

"Why bother?"

Leni rubbed Lynn's hair. "Because Lucy, like, isn't feeling it in there anymore. And, you know how well we got along that one time we swapped rooms." She pulled out of the hug to look Lynn in the eyes. "And to tell you a secret, I'm kinda, like, getting a little tired of Lori. She was talking about Carol for, like, an hour last night."

Lynn looked down at her sheets. "Thank you. So much."

Leni lightly smiled as she gently pulled out several other things from the bags. "Okay roomie. I got you some new stuff to wear." She pulled out a pair of cheap blue denim shorts, a plain white T-shirt, a pack of white ankle socks, some underwear, and finally a pair of red Converse sneakers. "I think I got your size right."

Lynn nodded her head. "Thanks, I guess."

Leni pulled out of the hug, still smiling, keeping a soft hold on Lynn's shoulders. "It'll be okay, Lynn. You can get through this. It's like a big game, and you are so good at winning." Lynn returned the smile as best she could as Leni gave Lynn's hair a quick ruffle.

"I'll just get dressed and we…" Lynn took a deep, cautious breath, and looked down at her hoodie, "And I can go home."

"Seeya, Lynn-er." Leni said as she left for the door.

"Don't call me that." Lynn said, "Please."

Leni nodded. "Later Lynn." She said as she closed the door.

Lynn looked down at the clothes laid out before her. 'You should've known that was coming. Of course, they were gonna take it all. Why wouldn't they?' She stood and pulled he hospital gown off. 'They don't think you're any good anymore. I'm just something that needs to get fixed.' She pulled the underwear on. 'But… Lincoln, he'll protect me, won't he? He said he'd be there, and he brought me back.' She scowled as she pulled the stiff, tight pants on. 'He's just saying that. He said all that just to get me back home.' She paused. One side of her brain was telling her he had just lied, but the other was far from that at all. 'He… He loves me. He came for me after all I did to him, in the rain, just to find me.' She looked down at the hoodie on the bed. 'I gotta do this. I gotta at least try. For him.' She thought as she pulled the shirt on.

She picked up the hoodie and, after running it through her hands, pulled it around her shoulders. She could feel how warm it was, and it almost felt heavy, like a reminder of things that had happened the last time she'd touched it. As she pulled her loose hair out from under the collar, she looked down at the shoes and socks laid out as well. She sat down and put them on. The shoes had the same stiff new feeling as he shorts did. And after she was done, she just sat there and stared at the floor. But after a second, she looked up at the door to the bathroom, she got up and started walking over. 'Jeez Leni, are jeans supposed to be this tight?' As she turned the door handle she reached down with her other hand and pulled at the leg of her pants. 'Feels like someone's put a straitjacket on my legs.'

But after she stopped, she looked up, and came face to face with her new reflection. 'Is… is that me again?' She turned her head slightly. 'Same as back on the first day of school.' Indeed, she looked as if she'd just walked out from her most unpleasant memories, but with two differences. Her hair was still as thick and unruly as ever, but it hung down just past her neck since her ponytail tie had vanished, with a small tuft still sticking up from when Leni ruffled her hair. Aside from the hoodie, the only things she had on were the boring shirt, the bog-standard denim shorts and she looked down to see the red Converse sneakers on her feet covering up her low-top socks, the only colorful thing she had on.

She looked back into her reflection to once again take in her new look. It lacked all of her sporty side. 'It's like the last two years never fucking happened.' She thought for a second before adding, 'I guess that's the point. Just wipe it all away. Go back to when you weren't as big a fuckup. So what if you're miserable?' She stared at that reflection for a little while longer before asking, "Who are you?" As if expecting an answer, while beginning to rub her arm again. The hoodie felt almost too comfortable when she pressed it to her skin. 'This ain't me. It's just some stuff they've put on me. I'm more than just the stuff I put on. I'm more than just those sports. I'm…' But she came up blank. She couldn't name a thing that didn't involve sports. 'I… This is me. From now on, this is who I am. Again.' She shuffled out, not bothering to close the door. 'And I guess I'd better not keep them waiting.' She thought as she zipped up her hoodie, opened the room door and stepped out into the hall, only to walk face first into a heated discussion between her parents and her new doctor.

"So, we're just supposed to let her run around unattended?" Said Rita.

"Even if I could easily get her into a Special Services class, I wouldn't advise it." Said Stef, "Lynn is the kind of girl that obviously has problems coping with rejection."

"She needs to be put someplace where she can't hurt anyone."

"Cutting her off is simply not going to work with someone who's insecure about how she is; it's simply going to reinforce her view that she's a menace."

"So what? We indulge her?" Rita asked. "After all she's done, she doesn't get any punishment for this?"

"She needs to lose some of it." Lynn Sr. added.

"He's correct. Key word being some, as in moderation."

"She needs to understand what she did. And coddling her is not going to help."

"And over-punishing her is a fast track to something worse, believe me." Stef said. "You're the adults here, that means you have to know where the buck stops. Not just for your children's behavior, but in your own too."

Rita just stood there, half in shock as Lynn Sr. shook his head. "I thought she'd never be this bad. I mean, I know she's always been a bit unstable, but…"

"Mr. Loud," Dr. Lopez said, "You need to take her emotional state into consideration when deciding Lynn's punishment, otherwise you might very well make things worse."

"She still needs to be punished for this." Said Rita.

Stef nodded. "Agreed. The first step should be to…" But she stopped when she noticed Lynn standing in the doorway, looking up at the three adults.

They all stared at her for several seconds, until Lynn Sr. asked, "L.J.?"

"Hey, dad."

He noticed her hoodie, but he remembered more the last time she wore it. After that awful day at school, when she threw it off and stormed into her room. It'd been the last time he'd ever seen her cry. He couldn't help himself, he rushed over and hugged her. It wasn't crushing, but that was due to how little energy he had. He looked down at her as he rubbed her untied hair. "I was so worried about you. You were out all night and then Lincoln went after you and…" He pulled her close again. "I'm so glad you're safe."

She just stood there, her face in his sweater, unsure of exactly what to do.

Dr. Lopez turned to Rita. "I'll fill you in on my suggestions tomorrow. It seems like it's been a very trying night."

"Thank you." Said Rita. "You'll talk to the school board about her renewing her Special Services?"

"Yes." She said, "For all the good it'll do." She said, with a knowing glance at Lynn. "I can try."

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Rita asked with a distinctly uncertain look in her eyes. "Or are you leaving?"

Stef thought for a second before saying. "I have an appointment, but I'd love to talk to the rest of your family someday. Here's my card." She pulled it from her purse and handed it to Lynn Sr. "Please, call me sometime. My office hours are from 10:00 to 5:00 Sunday through Thursday and until 2:00 on Fridays. I take walk ins, when there's a free spot in my schedule. We can talk pricing later if we need to."

"Okay." Said Rita.

"Goodbye." She said as she put her hand out, "I think you'll see me again in future."

Rita gave her a brisk handshake and a nod of recognition, and after that Dr. Lopez turned and walked down the hall. Rita looked over to her husband, who had just let Lynn out of her hug. "Let's go home." She said as she walked over to Lincoln's room to get him.

"Where's Leni?" Asked Lynn.

"I dunno." He said. "She said something about vending machines and she left."

As he finished saying that Rita came out with both Lincoln and Lucy in tow, but both kids stopped when they saw Lynn, standing there, dressed in her old, normal clothes for the first time in literally years. Lucy barely recognized her while Lincoln's mouth was on the floor in shock.

Lynn just gave them a small wave and averted her gaze as Rita told them all to get a move on. As they walked, she too asked Lynn Sr. "Where did Lenore get off to?"

He shook his head. "She said something about… There she is." He pointed down the hall, where Leni was jogging towards them with a maroon can in hand.

"Where were you?" Rita asked her as she pressed the button to call the elevator.

"Oh, uh…" She shifted on the spot, "Well, we're in, like, a hospital so I, uh…" She held out a can of Dr. Pepper for them to see. "I just wondered if I could help."

---

Vanzilla…

The ride home was long, quiet, and very awkward. The parents were up front, Lynn sat right in the spot where her father could see her with Leni next to her, while Lincoln sat in the sweet spot behind them with Lucy, who was relaxing against his shoulder. 'I'm kinda hungry.' Lynn thought as they drove. 'Maybe we could… no. that's not gonna happen.' She looked out the window at the passing town. She'd never been out that late before, it was close to 3 AM, and it was subtly surreal for her to see all the shops and stores of the town empty and closed, like they'd all been abandoned overnight. And yet the streets were not entirely empty. There were occasional cars driving by, and she glimpsed a few people walking; an old man, a person who was briskly walking with his hood up, a serious-faced boy no older than her, and a staggering, drunk couple.

Out of the corner of her eyes she could see brightly colored light, and she shifted to see Downtown, where the nightclubs, bars, and movie theaters catered to their crowds. 'That looks like fun. Maybe we could…' But they turned off, giving Lynn a full look at the party district as they turned onto Franklin Avenue, almost like they'd just stolen it from her after dangling it in front of her nose. She sat back in her seat and stayed there until they finally pulled into the driveway. As Lynn got out, she finally took in the house she'd tried to run from. All the lights were out save for the living room, and the more she looked, the more it seemed like she was seeing it for the first time. She brought up the rear as Rita led the way inside. Luna was on the couch, watching music videos on mute with her feet on the table, only to scramble up when they walked in.

"What's happenin', dudes? I haven't heard…" But she stopped when she saw Lincoln walk in, still looking as down in the dumps as before. Luna got down on her knee and gave him a solemn smile. "Hey bro. You look like shit."

He chuckled at that. "Language, Luna."

"Nice to have you back, lil' dude."

Lincoln nodded, but Luna had just noticed Lynn, who had stuffed her hands into her pockets. Luna stared at her for a second, her expression unreadable, and Lynn looked right back, awaiting the onslaught. But it never came, for Rita asked. "Did you get all of Junior's things packed?"

"Yep."

"And where's Lori?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"Here." Said Lori as she came downstairs. Lynn tensed as Lori spoke. "I was helping the twins…" But she stopped when she saw Lynn standing there, looking up at her. Lori looked right back down at her, expressionless. Lynn couldn't help but feel like a mouse that'd just been cornered by an especially sadistic cat. Lori inhaled. "Well – here you are."

"Lori…" Began Lincoln.

Lori shook her head. "You've got some nerve, walking around like nothing's wrong."

"Lorraine…" Rita warned.

"You know you got me fired, right? You assaulted Luan, you hit Lincoln, and got me fired in the span of literally one night. That's literally impressive."

Lynn looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry."

"Lori, you're totes not helping." Said Leni.

"Lori, please." Said Lynn Sr. "Not tonight."

Lynn was shaking, and it was taking a sizable amount of her self-control for her to not attack Lori, either verbally or physically. 'Don't. That'll just make it worse and prove her right.' She thought. 'She's just mad, and it's not worth it.'

"Junior, go sit in the chair." Said Rita, "And stay there until we say so." Lynn nodded and slouched over to the armchair, passing by the half-dozen boxes full of her stuff. She scooted into her seat and made sure to pull her legs up protectively under her after having removed her sneakers. She looked up to see her parents still talking with her siblings. "Luna, Lenore…" Rita continued.

"Mom," said Leni, "I'm Leni, remember? I like Leni more."

"Girls," Lynn Sr. said, "would you please help Lincoln and Lucy get to sleep?"

"Your father and I have several things to say to Junior before she goes to bed." Rita said.

"I wanna see." Said Lincoln.

"Lincoln, no." Said Rita. "It's late enough, and you really do not need to see this." She looked over at Luna, "Also, until we get Leno… Leni's things moved, we need you to spend the night in Luan's bed."

"As long as she didn't booby trap it." Said Lucy as she walked upstairs. "I'll move my things." She turned to look at Lynn. "Good night." She said curtly before walking upstairs, leaving just Lincoln and his older sisters, minus Luan.

Lynn Sr. looked to Leni and Luna. "You guys don't need to see this." He looked to Lincoln. "Neither do you."

"Dad," He began, "I want to."

"No." Said Rita. "It's been a long enough day, and you're up to late."

Lincoln shot her a quick glare, which didn't go unnoticed by Leni, before he whined "But mom!" Only for Luna to lay a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon, bro." She said, and Leni joined in.

"You totes need sleep."

"But…"

"Linky, she'll be fine." Said Leni.

"You should take care of yourself, dude." Lincoln looked over at Lynn, who was simply sitting off to the side and pretending she didn't exist. He silently asked her for her forgiveness, and she gave him a nod. So, Lincoln left, begrudgingly, leaving Lynn with her parents for the first time that day, as well as Leni, Luna, and Lori.

Rita and Lynn Sr. walked over and looked down on her, again making her feel tiny, and not helping the chills running up and down her spine. "Junior, look at me." Lynn took a deep breath and looked into her mother's eyes. "You know why you're here."

Lynn nodded.

"And you know why we're doing this?"

Again, Lynn nodded.

"You'd better." Interjected Lori.

"Knock it off." Luna muttered to her.

"So, this, all of this, this has gone on for too long." Said Rita as she gestured to the living room. "We've been too tolerant of this, and we're done with that. This ends here, do you understand me?" Lynn nodded for a third time.

Lynn Sr. continued, "So, from this point on, you're on double secret probation. That means no more sports, on TV or playing on any teams, and you're not allowed to do anything without asking us first."

'Like breathing?' Lynn thought about saying, before catching herself.

"From now on," Rita continued, "you are going to go to school and come back, and when you get home, you go to your room. No TV, video games, or internet, or especially sports. No friends over, either. If you can't think of anything to do, read a book, do homework, or find something productive. Aside from that, you can use the bathroom, and eat at the table, but if you misbehave you'll sit in the living room.

"Dr. Lopez told us what we need to do, but I'm drawing a line in the sand. We should've clamped down on this long ago, but we waited until it was too late, and now…" She sighed. "Lori and I will take your things out tomorrow."

Lynn Sr. quietly cleared his throat and said, "Your things are all going to Ruth. She's got that lake home, and they're going to stay there as long as it takes to clean up this mess."

"And if you ever…" Rita began, trying to find the perfect word, "Misbehave again, then they're going to go. Permanently. Do you understand?"

Lynn closed her eyes and did her best to not reply. 'Really? Leni did warn you. I mean, what have you done lately to deserve those?' Lynn took a deep breath and said, "Yeah." In her slightly cracking voice.

Lynn Sr. nodded and looked over at Luna and Leni. "Is that reasonable?"

But before either of them could speak, Rita did, "Honey, we're the parents here."

"I know, I just…" But he just sighed when he couldn't find the words.

Rita turned back to Lynn. "We've spent quite a bit of money on those things for you, and if you can't show you've earned them, then all we can do is try and make back what we lost on it."

"Good." Lori said.

"Lori…" Luna began.

Lori shook her head. "Luna, no. I'm not in the mood. Because of her I'm out a job. She," She pointed roughly at Lynn, "has totally wrecked my schedule for the next month, and she's made me look like an idiot, and did I mention she made me lose my job."

"It can't be that bad." Lynn Sr. said.

Lori just glared at him before turning the screen of her phone towards him. Lynn looked at it and caught a glimpse of Lori, in the middle of the arcade, sitting across from a bloody girl with brown hair who was silently screaming her lungs out, trying to be heard over the mute button. "Dad, I've got this to explain to everyone I know, so I don't feel like accommodating her on this, literally."

Rita nodded. "I agree with Lori." She looked to Lynn, "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Lynn took a deep breath. "What about my bike?"

Lynn Sr. looked at Rita. "Honey we should at least let her keep that."

She looked back at Lynn Jr. "Fine by me. You can use it to get to school. But tomorrow I'm going to pick you up. I have the day off anyway, and I need to see the principal about getting your PE suspended. Later we'll go out and get you some clothes that aren't related to all this… sports. Is there anything else you want to say?"

Lynn looked at her mother, then to her father. 'They want an apology, I guess. But I don't know what to say.' She too a deep breath. "I… I know I've been hard to deal with."

Lori laughed, which earned her a small smack from Luna.

Lynn took a deep breath and forced herself to keep going. "I know you've all been avoiding me, and I know why. And this… I hurt… I should have…" She shook her head. "I'm not proud of myself. And I'm sorry." She looked with pleading eyes at Lori, who was not returning the gesture. "I don't know what I have to do to show you, but if I could take it all back, I wouldn't even think twice."

Both parents looked directly at her as she contemplated the carpet. "Well," Rita began. "I can't say I haven't heard that before." She sighed. "But what's done is done and can't be undone. And I hope you're more sincere about it this time, and not just for your sake. Because I won't let you hurt him again."

"Hurt him?" Leni asked. "Did Luan turn into a guy?"

"So that's what this is about." Said Luna.

"What?" Lynn Sr. asked.

Luna looked up at her parents, licked her lips, and said, "I don't think I'm gonna blow anybody's mind if I say that this," She pointed at Lynn, "you wanting to throw all her stuff out, isn't just for what happened today."

Leni, who was staring into space, nodded. "Yeah…"

Rita shook her head. "Can we just forget about that? It's over and done, and as far as I'm concerned, bringing it up again isn't going to accomplish anything."

"Agreed." Added Lori. "Besides, Lincoln has nothing to do with this."

Rita glared at Lynn before saying, "As I said, we should've cracked down on this after all that nonsense, then maybe we could've avoided all that… Misery." She shook her head. "Maybe it is my fault. I should've put a stop to this back then, but I didn't, so now…"

Leni looked at Rita, with an expression of obvious realization on her face. "He… He doesn't like you any more, does he?"

Rita's gaze shot right to her, "I don't know what you mean."

Luna smacked her forehead. "That explains it."

"Explains what?" Lynn Sr. asked.

Luna pointed at the still motionless Rita. "You're gonna pile it all on her, aren't you? All that shit we did to him, and even the shit he did to himself, you just wanna use this to blame her for locking him out."

Rita stood for second, before saying in a voice that had broken glass shards in it, "We're discussing punishing her for what she did to Luan."

"Then why'd you bring him up?" Luna asked. "Freudian slip, dude."

"She slapped him." Rita countered.

"As if that's anything to what she did to Luan." Luna argued right back. "You're just using her getting hurt to justify blaming Lynn for all our fuckups, aren't you?"

"Luna, if you can't say anything smart…" Lori began telling her.

"Guys!" Leni yelled, stunning everyone, because nobody there could ever remember the last time she'd ever raised her voice. "That was our fault! All our fault! We locked him out!"

"And we could've let him back in." Said Luna, her voice shaking.

Lynn Sr. looked at the floor. "I said that we shouldn't risk it."

"But she's the one who started…" Rita began to say.

"And she convinced us." Said Lori.

"But we fell for..." Started Luna.

Leni shook her head as her eyes started watering. "Can we please stop arguing about that? Please? Can we stop just, like, stop trying to find someone to blame for it and just… Just…" But Leni just turned away, leaving everyone else in the room staring silently.

Lynn just sat by, lost in thought. 'I… I did that. I started that. But… They all… I dunno. Why is this all so hard? Can't it just be over? Is this all that's left? Are we never gonna get past this?' She closed her eyes. 'But… Maybe they're right. Lincoln doesn't blame me for that, not as much anyway. Maybe… I dunno. I just dunno anymore.'

After a minute, Rita spoke. "My punishment still stands." She turned back to Lynn, who was quietly bearing witness to the argument without wanting to get involved. "I expect you to improve. If you do, we can start talking about regaining privileges, if not…" She threw her hands up and looked around, disregarding Lynn entirely. "Any questions?"

"Can we get to bed?" Lori asked.

Lynn Sr., who'd been quietly thinking, nodded. "Yeah. Let's. We gotta get that stuff to loaded up and take it to Ruth's and I have to move Leni's…"

"We'll worry about that when we get there." Rita said, putting her hand on Lynn Sr.'s shoulder. "For now," She pointed at Lynn, "Bed."

And with that, everyone broke up. The parents walked to the dining room to discuss things in private, while Lori returned to her phone. Leni, meanwhile, went right to Lynn. "Hey?" She asked, putting her hand on Lynn's cheek. "You alright?"

Lynn just shook her head.

"Okay, let's get to bed." Leni said.

"Thanks." Lynn whispered. "Thanks for… You know, sticking up for me."

Leni smiled solemnly. "I just wanna help, you know?"

Lynn looked past her to see Luna standing in the same spot as before, looking at Lynn. "Thank you too."

Luna just stood there for a second before saying, "I… You hurt Luan."

Lynn blinked. "But… You stuck up for me. Doesn't that mean…"

Luna shook her head. "If I could, then I would. But you still gotta pay for hurting her."

"But…" Lynn said, "That doesn't make any sense."

"I wanna make sure you just get blamed for what you did." Luna said, "I don't think you're the only one to blame for… that." She sighed. "But now you gotta pay for hurting her. You deserve that much."

"Thank you." Lynn said again.

Luna glared at her. "Don't mention it." She said as she walked towards the stairs. "Good night."

Leni patted Lynn's shoulder. "Let's go to bed too." Lynn nodded and slowly stood, Leni keeping her hand on Lynn's back, gently steering the tired teen towards the stairs. "Like the hoodie?" Leni asked.

"It's… It's comfy." Lynn said as they climbed up, Lynn keeping her eyes firmly on the staircase. "Maybe you could make me that sweater, someday."

"Okay." Leni said as they heard voices from the top of the stairs, at the usual listening post.

"They can't just, like, dump her stuff, can they?" Lola asked.

"Yes." Lucy droned.

"How much is that even worth?" Lana asked too.

"I estimate her things to equal upwards of $5,000 total, factoring in her more expensive items such as her punching bag and…" But Lisa stopped as Lynn looked up to see all of her younger sisters, minus Lily, looking down on her from atop the stairs, all with matching looks of concern and wariness on their faces.

Lynn immediately noticed Lana's cap was gone, but she didn't register it, instead settling on Lucy, who was staring at her with a bright blue eye, just visible beneath her slightly swept bangs. 'She has blue eyes?' Lynn could hear the shower on down the hall, and she glanced there, before she returned her gaze to the stairs with a meek, "Hey."

Nobody moved or spoke for a second, just out of sheer tension, until a voice from the bottom of the stairs said, "Alright! Break it up! You lot need to be in bed five minutes ago!"

The twins simultaneously squeaked and bolted into their room, while Lucy simply said, "Sigh. I suppose I don't need that shower anyway." And carried her things into Luna's room, leaving just Lisa standing at the top of the stairs.

"Outta the way!" Lori said as she stomped up, causing Lynn and Leni to rush up past Lisa to steer clear of her. "You three, bed. Now." Was all Lori said before heading right into her room and closing the door.

Leni shook her head. "I'm gonna go, like, tuck them in." She said as she left, leaving Lynn and Lisa alone at the top of the stairs.

Lynn just stared at her younger sister for a second as Lisa stared right back, but Lisa's eyes took small glances at different parts of Lynn, from her face, to her ancient hoodie, to her arms, then back up. It was as if she was quietly studying her, in a way that made Lynn feel uncomfortable in a way she couldn't quite place. "So how are you?" Lynn asked.

"Acceptable." Lisa stated, returning her gaze to Lynn's. "Might I ask the same of you?"

Lynn just stared at her, enough that Lisa broke her gaze and looked slightly over Lynn's shoulder instead of in her eyes. "I feel like shit." Lynn said bluntly.

"In any… particular ways?" Lisa inquired, as Lynn noticed Lisa's posture; tense and slightly scared.

"Does it matter?"

"How are you feeling?" Lisa asked again, her eyes still scanning Lynn intently.

Lynn canted her head to the side. "Why are you even asking? What do you care?"

Lisa took a step back, which did not go unnoticed by Lynn. "I'm just curious to know if you've been feeling in any way different."

Lynn just stared at her. "Like what?"

"Confused? Uncertain?"

'Is she kidding?' "Yeah, I've felt like that all day."

"Possibly paranoid and delusional?"

Lynn just stared at her. "What? What are you implying?"

"I'm curious." Said Lisa. "I'm trying to determine exactly what happened today."

"What's there to talk about?" Lynn said with a shrug. "Just one of those days. You know?" She looked away. "This shit's been building for a while. It's been going and going for years and today…" She shrugged. "Snap." Lisa didn't answer, and again Lynn looked back at Lisa, and again she got the distinct impression that Lisa was studying her. "You're still looking at me funny."

"I'm thinking."

"About?"

"What could force you to act like that."

"What, did the boogeyman make me do it?"

"Doubtful." Lisa said. "Despite what Lucy thinks." Lynn let out the faintest of chuckles and looked to the floor. "She seemed to believe you were possessed earlier." Lisa said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, that sounds like her." Lynn said as she looked to her room. "But I'm done with that."

"With what?"

Lynn sighed and looked to the floor. "Blaming someone else for all this."

"Oh?"

"Finally figured that out. But… Don't know what to do now anyways, so…" Lynn shrugged. "But I know what I did wrong, anyways. It took a while for me to get it but… It's all on me, I guess."

"Perhaps." Lisa answered. "Are you done with… Luck?"

Lynn pointed up. "Bad luck seems to like me. Or if there even is luck or something." She shook her head. "I just… I dunno anymore."

"I don't believe in luck." Lisa stated. "It's just a superstitious view to try and determine an order to random chance."

Lynn almost chuckled. "Shame you did back then." Lisa flinched back, which did not go unnoticed by Lynn. "Yeah. You get what I mean."

Lisa blinked, then said, "I… I am far to intelligent to put any consideration in such… hokum."

"Yet you threw him out too. Go figure."

Lisa didn't answer immediately, which got Lynn's attention, but just as Lynn was about to speak, Lisa said, "That… That was a mistake."

"No shit."

Lisa looked away. "Normally I never would've even considered such nonsense."

"You with that big brain of yours."

Lisa nodded, but didn't look back. "I'm far to intelligent to fall into believing idiotic superstitions about luck."

"Easy to say that now." Lynn said quietly to the floor.

"It was a lapse in logic, caused by… extenuating circumstances." Lisa said very carefully. "Under normal conditions I never would've even considered that ridiculousness."

"Do tell."

Lisa just shook her head. "It's complicated."

"Is it?" Lynn asked. "You believed something stupid. Trust me, I know how stupid it makes you feel."

"But I'm too intelligent for that." Lisa said quietly. "My I.Q. is close to 360." She said, and Lynn couldn't help but notice just how Lisa seemed to be almost ranting as she said, "I'm a certified genius. I can't have fallen for that."

"Everyone else did."

Lisa just kept shaking her head. "I'm too smart for that. I have to be. I can't… I couldn't be that… That… Retarded."

Lynn shot Lisa a concerned look. "What's wrong?"

Lisa slightly flinched back. "Why do you ask?" She said in as calm a voice as she could.

"You're acting funny." Lynn stated. "You're getting… Well, you don't sound like you."

"I'm fine. I'm only acting like this due to sleep deprivation." Lisa answered immediately. "Aside from that, nothing's wrong. Nothing at all."

'She's lying.' Lynn looked her right in the eyes and said, "You sure?"

Lisa nodded. "I am… I think you must be misinterpreting my language. It's understandable, since most people aren't on my level of intellect."

Lynn snorted. "You're the smartest person here, aren't you?"

"That much is obvious." She said as she walked to her door and opened it, "I might want to run some tests on you later this week. Goodnight." She said briskly before leaving Lynn alone in the hall. But just before she did, she just barely heard Lisa say something under her breath, "I can't have. I just can't…" Just before she closed the door. It took Lynn a moment to process things, but after she did, she just shrugged and walked to her now-empty room. 'I'm too tired to care right now.'

After shutting the door, she turned around and had to fight the urge to cry again. All her posters, her sports memorabilia and swag from her many games, even her curtains, had all been stripped away. Like the Grinch had come through on Christmas Eve, all that showed there was ever anything there was the tape and the hooks that'd held them. They'd even taken her sheets and curtains, giving the entire room a very monochromatic look, thanks to Lucy's lack of interest in colors, and the removal of her football lamp, which meant the only real source of light was the moon shining through the window and the faint red glow of the same radio tower she'd seen from the hospital, just visible behind the trees.

'Well, you knew this was gonna happen. There's no point being that surprised.' She pulled off her hoodie. 'Must be in the basement. That's where they throw all the junk.' She pulled off her shorts too. 'They probably left my trophies, right? They couldn't get rid of those. I need to make sure about that downstairs, if mom and dad will let me.' She sat down on the bed, wearing nothing but her underwear, plain white T-shirt, and socks. But as she moved to turn in, she looked around again. 'There's nothing. Nothing from my old Tigers game, my old school flag, my lamp…' She looked over to her nightstand to see her football lamp, also gone. 'Dad, he got me that. Ninth birthday. And now…' Her eyes started getting teary. She shut them tight as she pulled on her sock. 'Stop crying. They'll think you're begging for sympathy points. Stop it.' She hitched her breath and laid back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. 'Cry later, not now.' She took a deep, calming breath, her nerves needed it. 'One day ago, everything was fine. I was doing okay. And then…'

She paused as she focused on the darkest corner of her ceiling. 'Was I? I mean, I was so excited for that game, I honestly don't remember that morning. What happened?' She rubbed her head with her palm. 'C'mon, you were there, what happened?' But she came up blank, so she dropped her hand onto the bed, next to her splayed out hair. 'I don't know. Yesterday, the only thing I remember was arriving at the field, the nightmare.' She shivered. 'And then the game. I honestly can't remember what happened before that dream.' She shook her head. 'I woke up, chatted with Lucy, I got back, showered, and then I did my…" She looked over to where her bed met the wall, and leaned to the side to stuff the hat between the two. 'Dang, my cap?' Indeed, there was nothing there. 'They got rid of my good-night tennis ball too, didn't they?' She once more felt around in between her bed and the wall, only to again come up empty. 'Jeez, nothing escapes them.' And with that she simply fell back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. 'There's nothing in here. I'm bored. How can I be bored? I've only been in here for five…"

She heard the door gently push open, and she looked up to see Lincoln's silhouette, wearing his pajamas, with his hair still wet, pushing his way inside before closing the door behind him. "Hey, Lynn."

"Hey." She moaned.

"How are you?" He asked quietly as his outline walked towards her, stepping into the moonlight so she could see his hands behind his back, reminding Lynn, strangely, like he was at Show-And-Tell.

"They took everything." She said.

Lincoln looked around, before saying, "Yeah… But we can work through that, can't we?" He asked her, whilst giving her a small smile.

She just blinked. "I dunno." She closed her eyes. "I… I dunno if I can make it. It's all gone and…"

"I got something for you." He said, causing her to reopen her eyes to see him holding out Bun-Bun. "Remember her?"

Lynn blinked before saying, "Yeah…"

"Remember how you found her?"

The room had orange and red walls and scuffed wood floors, and it was piled high with all manners of junk from misty old glassware, tarnished coffee pots and innumerable VHS tapes. I was hiding by a couch. That's when I see it, sitting on an old wooden chair. A white rabbit plush on top of a pile of old magazines. I sneak over to the chair and tried to reach it, and I manage to grab it, but only after nudging the magazines enough to cause the entire pile to avalanche onto the floor, to the sound of much destruction. The bunny smells musty, like cigarette smoke, but that didn't stop me from pulling it close, even as Luna comes around the corner, calling out that she found me.

After a second, she reached out to touch its fur. "Hey there." She said uncertainly.

"I know, but there are things I need to do. So," He pushed Bun-Bun into her arms with a slightly-goofy buck-tooth grin. "She'll keep an eye on you."

"Y-yeah." She said as she scratched behind the rabbit's ears. "But…"

"Lynn, take her. She'll keep you from being lonely."

She pulled the bunny close in her arms. "Thank you. So much." She looked away as she said that.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"What's gonna happen when I go back to school?" She asked, gesturing with her head at her hoodie. "Everyone's gonna…"

Lincoln put his hands on her shoulders. "Lynn, they don't matter."

Lynn shook her head. "Linc, I'm scared. Cuz I know it's coming." She looked down, "I don't know what to do."

Lincoln thought for a second and said, "Lynn, I'm gonna be here to help no matter what. We can figure it out tomorrow if you want."

"Is mom gonna let you near me?" Lynn asked as she dropped Bun-Bun on the bed.

"I dunno." He said, "But in case we don't get the chance, just remember this: They don't matter to you. They're just idiots who don't know who you are. Their opinion isn't worth jack squat."

"Am I sick?" She asked quietly, gripping the edge of the bed tightly.

Lincoln took a moment, before saying, "Yeah."

"I just wanna get better." She whispered. "Now. Now in case tomorrow never happens. Cuz… Cuz I don't know if I can…"

"Hold out?"

She nodded. "Is that all I got left?" She asked herself more than him. "Just being… Being that girl? Just…"

But before she could finish, Lincoln put his hands on either if her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. "I believe in you." He said. "You've never ever given up on anything before."

"Thank you for not giving up on me." She whispered, pulling herself closer to him under his arms and wrapping her arms around his waist.

Lincoln's breath hitched, his cheeks fully flushed. "Lynn, do you remember when we were under the bridge earlier?"

Lynn moaned something close to yes.

"What… Do you remember what happened after we… Cuddled?"

Lynn blinked and pulled back to look at him. "I… I fell asleep. Didn't I?"

"Yeah."

Lynn smiled. "You… You feel nice." She said as she brought her forehead to rest against his with a long, contented sigh.

Lincoln was unsure what to do, so he just stayed there for a few minutes, feeling himself sway with her slightly as they breathed. It was obvious how much being close to him comforted her, so he decided to give it to her now, in case opportunities became scarcer later. But after close to a minute he ruffled her hair, "We should go to bed."

"Do we?"

He pulled back and looked at his not-so-big sister. "Sad to say, but yeah." He looked at her hair, before saying, "You look nice with your hair down, by the way."

She flushed. "Really?"

He smiled. "Looks like you almost got a turkey-tail like me."

"Never could get this stuff tamed." She said.

"Can't be tamed, how very… you." She smiled, slightly.

"See? There it is. Now quick, before it goes away." He said, gently pushing her onto the bed. "Trust me, we both need it. See you tomorrow."

"Night." She said as she curled into bed again. Lincoln was about to step away, before deciding to pull the blankets up over his sister, which earned him an appreciative moan from her. He walked off, fnearly tripped over her clothes on the floor, and eased the door open as carefully as he could, quietly closing it, only to turn right into Luna, who was waiting outside.

The two stared at each other, alone on the landing, until Luna said, "I don't get it."

"What?"

"Why you're helping her." She said. "I mean… What's she done to deserve it, bro?"

Lincoln thought for a second, and then shrugged, "Not much, I guess. But she doesn't deserve to get all her stuff sold."

"Yeah, I think so too." She said. "For what that's worth. But…"

"I'm going to bed." Lincoln said. "Maybe we can talk tomorrow."

"Yeah." She waved a black-nailed hand at him. "Sleep tight, lil' dude. Hope things get better."

"Couldn't be worse." Lincoln said as he left for his room.

Luna nodded to herself in agreement, before reminding herself that she was done up there. She went downstairs, only to catch sight of a pair of white panties with blue stripes by the armchair, and past that, the girl who was filling them out. Leni was bent over, looking through boxes for something.

"Hey." Luna said, causing Leni to jump and spin around.

"Hi Luna!" Leni said as she waved a green hat at her, before quickly shoving it behind her back.

"Whatya got there?" Luna asked.

"Nothing." Leni lied, her cheeks flushed.

Luna simply walked up to her and looked down at the box she'd been looking through. The box had her football lamp and, more importantly, the contents of Lynn's personal shelf over her bed. Keepsakes from her first team and season. Lynn's first trophy, the simple gold-colored-plastic MVP award for her first year on the Royal Woods Elementary team, was next to the team flag that had the name on it, the Lime Drivers. Luna also saw the ball from a game that, if Luna remembered correctly, was the game winning home run that destroyed a window across the park. She turned it over to see the signatures of her entire team.

She looked over to see Leni wringing a matching hat in her hands. Luna stuck out her hand, and Leni sheepishly handed it over to her. Leni wasn't surprised when Luna dropped the hat back in the box, but she was surprised when Luna took out he football lamp, picked up the box, and told Leni, "Hide it in the attic."

"But," Leni started to whisper, "I thought you wanted Lynn to lose her stuff."

"Not forever." She said as she handed Leni the box. "She's gotta get better someday. Just get that hid."

Leni nodded and hitched up the box. "Night, Luna."

"Sleep tight, Leni." She said as Leni departed upstairs. No-one else was around, so she went to the kitchen only to see her father sitting at the table with a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon in hand.

"Hey pops." She said softly, doing her best to hide her surprise, but he didn't answer. "Mom in bed?"

He nodded. "It feels strange to be done packing all that stuff."

She sat down next to him. "How many trophies she got anyways?"

"Fourteen." He answered. "Three baseball, two basketball, one football, two roller derby, two lacrosse, two ice-hockey, one biking, and a seasonal for soccer."

"Jeez. That's a lot." She said as she played with her thumbs on the table.

"My little girl, the sports star." He said as he took a drink. By how far he tipped the can, he'd already had most of it. Luna didn't speak as he put it back down, his eyes looking through the kitchen window at Mr. Grouse, who was doing something in his yard in the dark as he was oft to do.

Luna could tell just by the look in his eyes that his thoughts were very far away. "Am I a bad father?" He wondered out loud. "Everything I did for her, everything I kept pushing her to be, and she winds up hurting Luan and…" He took another swig. "Rita told me, in the van, she told me she wanted me to…" He looked away. "To fix this. She kept talking like Lynn was rotten to the core or something."

"She can't be that bad." Luna said. "Even after Luan."

"But she kept telling me to and…" He shook his head, "It's like I'm one step away from throwing Lincoln out all over again." Luna didn't have anything to say to that, so she just sat there as he drank. "She told me that…" He closed his eyes as he quietly cleared his throat. "She said if she knew how thing's would've turned out back then, she never would've had her."

"She's just mad. Mad and worried." Luna said. "She'll get over it once she sleeps it off."

"Uh-huh." He said without any affirmation in his tone. "I guess… I guess this is just gonna be another one of those days…"

"We'll all regret tomorrow." She finished.

He nodded as finished the last of his drink. "You going to bed?"

"I'm gonna get a drink first." She said as she stood and walked towards dining room. "I think I'll crash on the couch for a few. I don't think I can sleep unless I've got some, like, totally bleh infomercials to help."

"Just don't make it too loud." He chuckled as he finished his drink. Afterwards he stood, dumped the can into the sink, and left the kitchen. "Goodnight, Luna." He said as he passed her. "And thanks for listening." He smiled, but his eyes were still morose. "I'm glad someone in this house is."

"Night, pop-star." She said as she crouched down and opened the first box. "Feel better, okay?"

Once he closed the door, she made her way to the kitchen, right to the cabinet directly left of the sink. She pulled the door open, scanned the interior and reached in. "Come on, I know you're in there." She pulled out another can like her father had been drinking. She closed the cabinet and she went to the other corner cabinet next to the oven. Once she opened it she recoiled slightly. "Where's that old radio?" She poked her head in, before looking around. The FM radio was sitting by the bread box. "Jeez, how'd I miss that?" She said as she reached into the cabinet. "Need a better hiding spot." She muttered as she pulled out a pack of Marlboros and a lighter. "Too dang close." She closed the cabinet and went to the back door, unlocked it, and stepped out onto the back porch.

It'd stopped raining, leaving everything damp. Aside from the water on the wood touching her bare soles, Luna didn't notice as she went over to the railing, cigarettes in one hand, beer in the other. She sighed and dropped her cigarettes on the railing with the lighter on top of it. "God, that morning was a long-ass time ago, wasn't it?" She mused as she popped the can open. She placed her elbows on the railing, and tipped it down her throat. She nearly gagged, but she pushed through and took down almost a full gulp before swallowing. A cool breeze ruffled her hair as she quietly said. "And here I was thinking things were gonna be normal." She said with a chuckle. "First Lynn, then Lucy, then mom, and Lori, now dad. Maybe there's something in the water." She rasped with a laugh as she drank a second gulp. "That makes me love you like I do." She sang softly as she lowered the can. "How do I even know that song?" She asked herself with a small smile as she placed the beer on the railing and got herself a cigarette.

After she'd lit up and taken a long draught, she picked her beer back up and looked back out at sky as she blew smoke into the night. The moon was full, although partially covered by a passing cloud. "I don't know. Everyone's acting crazy, and her I am, tryin' to talk sense into 'em." She shook her head as she rubbed her foot in a small puddle, feeling the rain between her toes. "And all it does is keep coming..." There was a stray breeze that pleasantly brushed her hair as she drank. "And it's like we're all just... Going in circles anymore." As she swilled the last of the beer around in the can, her cigarette smoldering between the fingers she held it in, she smiled. She put the can down and snapped her fingers, lightly nodding her head to the song that was playing in her mind. "You spin me right round, baby, right round like a record..." She sang just before picking up and finishing off the drink. She placed it next to her pack of cigarettes while she finished off her first smoke. "You know what, I think I might… I'm gonna have another." She said as she exhaled into the breeze. "Because fuck today."

---

And with that, the day is over.

There was a lot of hugging in this chapter. I'm not entirely sure that's a bad thing.

I'll admit I decided to make Dr. Lopez more "interesting" than accurate, but she is going to serve a specific role in the plot, and I had a few ideas I decided to use with her that don't entirely relate to the main plot, in the same way Sam has so far. Still, I think Dr. Lopez came out rather well, fitting the somehwat ambiguous feel I had in mind for her, and while I know Lincoln has probably never met her in canon, I think it adds to their dynamic if he's been seeing her since NSL.

Luna was very, very strange to write in this chapter, since she basically has to hold two contrary opinions and tightrope walk between them. But I plan on giving her a bit more time to express her opinions in future.

So, this ends the first section of this story. Later sections will be a bit different, since they'll not take place over the course of the same day as much as they have so far. They may be slightly shorter as well, but that all depends on how much I wind up writing. I did quite a bit of work on these chapters to get them up to my standards, and that's meant that advancing the story hasn't gone quite as fast as I've wanted. In any case, one or two subplots will be pushed back for the next chapter or two, but they will be followed up on. I considered dropping a hint about Lisa up top, but I decided you all are just going to have to wait and work it out.

On a smaller note, I'm somewhat amazed by the references I made in previous chapters that no-one seems to have picked up on.

Anyway, the next chapter has already been plotted, and I can give you its title now: Delicate

Again, thank you all for your support.

Listening to: Hands of Time by Groove Armada