((Hey yall! Ash here. I actually got off on break about a week and a half ago. Having a job during Christmas has to be one of the most stressful things. But don't fret! I'm slowly but surely putting the pieces together for this story...))
"I don't know about this sweetheart, I usually don't have a problem with you going on dates but it's just you and a girl. By yourselves." Rita stated to her son. The kids' parents were casually sitting on the couch looking at whatever was on T.V.
"I kind of agree with your mother on this one. It was different when you were with Lori, her boyfriend and his sister, but anything can happen when it's only you and a girl we haven't even met before." Lynn Sr. added.
Lincoln briefly closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "Well...technically, it's not a date. It's studying. Cookie even made that clear."
With that, the parents covered their mouths, letting out a snicker at the name. "With a name like that we definitely can't let you go this weekend." Lynn added.
"It's a nickname, dad." Lincoln aimed his pupils towards the ceiling. "But...what if I ask one of my sisters to come with me? Then could I go?"
Lincoln's parents paused, looked at each other and exchanged looks for a brief moment then turned their attention to their son. "That sounds like a fair deal. As long as you have someone else to come with you, then yeah, you can go." Rita agreed.
The boy replied with a flashing grin. "Awesome! Thanks! And I promise you guys it's a study gathering." Lincoln clinges his fingers together before casually walked up the steps and was at the door to Luna and Luan's room and knocked on the door. The door flew open, revealing Luna. "Hey, bro! What's cookin'?" She slid out of the room and leaned on the wall right next to its door.
"I need you to do the biggest favor in the world." Her little brother pleaded,
Luna placed her hand on Lincoln's head, petting it playfully. "You know I'll do anything for my little bro!"
"Awesome! I want you to come with me to a study group this weekend. Mom and Dad won't let me go alone with a girl."
While Luna was listening to him, she crossed her arms and rose her eyebrows in doubt. "Um, I don't know if I can do it this weekend. I'm going on a date with Sam. I kind of bailed on the date twice in a row and I don't wanna mess it up again…"
"I guess I don't see a problem with you and Sam sitting with us." The boy shrugged.
"Well...that's the thing, since I flaked on her I want it to be half decent...which means we should be alone...You know, like me and her…" Luna was using her hands, gesturing and pointing to herself.
"Seriously? I had to drag myself out of bed last week so you and the sisters can get into my business about me and Ronnie Anne, I thought we all agreed on doing this!" Lincoln rose his hands up in confusion. "Well…" He started to pause. "I'm gonna tell Mom and Dad that you've been smoking weed again."
His older sister looked down at him, her arms returned to cross over her chest, eyes squinting down at him. "You wouldn't do that, dude."
"Really?" Lincoln shot back and pivoted his feet towards the stairs. "Dad! I wanna ask you someth-" He started to yell before Luna ran that short distance to grab his arm. "Goddammit, Lincoln! Fine." She started to speak softly to refrain from her parents hearing her swear. "What's an hour babysitting my brother with Sam?"
With that, Lincoln's mouth formed into a smirk. "Excellent. Cookie and I are meeting at the coffee shop inside the mall." He informed her before he turned around again, this time, going into his room.
"What the actual fuck. You decide to blow me off not once, but twice; and now that you're free, we have to babysit two preteens doing work from school. Great." Sam ranted with Luna over the phone later that evening.
Luan was out staying well after school getting ready for a comedy show. The high school's theatre department had better props and she wanted it to be perfect, so Luna had the room for the moment and decided to break the news to the girl she started talking to.
"I didn't know what else to do, dude." Luna explained. "My little brother is going through some things, He just wanted me to come for support. I promise you, it'll almost be like a double date. With another couple much younger than us."
The other girl couldn't help but to chuckle through the phone at Luna's latest statement. Something as simple as that made her feel content. "You're right. I guess it wouldn't be so bad. At least we'll actually see and talk to each other outside of school. And you care for your family, which I understand. I should've been so hard on you, Lunes."
"You know you're always good with me, bro."
"Ooh, I heard the news within the family! What's her name? And is she pretty? That's literally the real question." While Luna was talking to Sam, Lincoln was at the end of the hallway, otherwise known as his room, listening to his much older, college bound sister on the phone, trying to get into his business once more.
"Look, Lori. I'm not going to tell you much. But her name is Cookie-" Lincoln could barley end his sentence when Lori cut him off.
"You might as well go ahead and dump her now. Who named this girl? Chimpanzees?"
Lincoln's eyes went to his head. "It's a nickname, and we haven't even went out yet… And if we're dumping girls based off their names, then I should hang up on you and tell the news to Ronnie Anne." Lincoln joked. "Saying 'Ronnie Anne' all the time can be a bit of a tongue twister."
"What's wrong with that? When I say Bobby's real name, it feels good. Like it rolls off the tongue."
Her little brother sighed when he noticed her change the subject. "Okay, back to my issue. Luna and her girlfriend are coming with us so it wouldn't be as awkward...and Mom and Dad wouldn't let me go without taking a third wheel anyway. But I kind of lied to Ronnie Anne yesterday, I don't want her to think that I don't like her anymore or something…"
"Wasn't that literally the plan, genius? Hang out with another girl to make RA crawl back to you?"
"Not even close. The whole point was to make myself feel better about her having a crush on someone else…" Lincoln started to end his sentence with that. "...That's not me."
Lori, despite being four hours away from the family, can feel the pain that her little brother was going through. The line was silent for a moment, then her lips slowly formed a small smile. "I know for a fact, Ronnie Anne has a special place in her heart for you. Bobby says that she tells him a lot of things you guys talk about over FaceTime and calls and stuff, so she definitely hasn't forgot about you, if that's what you're worried about."
Lincoln nodded into the phone, the anxiety in his body simmered down. Even though the sister with the relationship advice was in another state, the advice never left, because Lori was only a phone call away.