A/N: With the Louds improving their relationships as each day passes, it's time to focus on the other side that's been in the dark for a while. Chandler still has something up his sleeve, but I haven't found the right moment to shed some light on that subplot; until now that is. So, let's see what this guy's been up to lately.
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.
Walking down main street through town, Chandler sipped on a soda as he passed by several shops. Occasionally, a few people would give him some weary glances or mean looks; all of which he learned to ignore by now. It's only been a week since that video went out, and while it looked like it was becoming yesterday's news, it wasn't gonna die down any time soon for some. The only piece of good news is that during the past week, he finally got some corrective braces and false teeth to replace those Lincoln knocked out. Along with that, his jaw was no longer heavily restricted in movement, but he couldn't open his mouth too wide or he'd risk causing further pain to himself.
As for his life at home, it was...decent (marginally). Both Chandler's parents felt getting his butt kicked was punishing enough, but he still had a curfew to attend to as well as a strict rule to not get into any fights. Sure, he could handle that. After all, it wasn't he who would be doing the fighting. Stopping at a corner, the redhead caught a familiar and curious sight. Standing just outside an ice cream parlor, Conner and Cristina were enjoying their frozen treats. Oddly enough, Conner's hair was still silver, or whitish. Chandler couldn't tell from the sunlight, but it didn't matter much. Whipping out his phone, he snapped a picture of the two.
Sliding into his phone's image gallery, he looked over some of the other pictures he had taken of the pair. It's only been a few days, but it seemed that Conner and Cristina were enjoying each other's company faster than one would've thought. The fact these two were apparently getting ice cream together could convince others that they might be dating. Chandler took another sip of his soda, scanning the detail of each photo to make sure it looked convincing enough. The redhead frowned a little, not too satisfied with the results. In some screenshots, Conner looked close enough to where one could easily mistake him for Lincoln; others would require a little editing. Good thing he was taking a computer graphics class.
Still, it was a little odd how Conner so suddenly changed his hair color and didn't seem to be in a panic. Chandler was sure that the other kid would've went back to his usual blonde due come the weekend, yet here he is with that same bland color. Either Conner was planning something, or he stopped caring about his hair; Chandler was gonna find out regardless.
"So the moment Cassy tries to open the container, blue paint explodes everywhere! Of course, she knew I was the one who did it and she strangled me for ruining her clothes, but it was so worth it." Conner stated in fits of laughter.
Cristina snorted a little. "All that for a small stack of ribs?"
"I called dibs on those ribs fair and square. That'll teach her to try to filch my food."
"Did your throat hurt when she was choking you?"
Conner hummed in thought, giving a small shrug almost immediately. "Not really. I was busting a gut so hard I didn't notice." He glanced at his reflection in the mirror. "I'm not sure if this hair is really my thing...only reason I didn't wash it out yet is because my sister hasn't gotten the shampoo for it."
Cristina glanced at the top of his head, taking another lick of her ice cream. "I think it looks cute."
The platinum-haired kid knitted his brows. "This isn't because I look like some stupid Disney character, is it?..." His disdain was quite clear.
"No no no." Cristina said defensively. "You kinda remind me of one of those anime characters on this show I watch. I honestly think you could pull it off."
Conner opened his mouth to form a rebuttal, but nothing came. Other students still related him to a character from Frozen, but Cristina was the first person who actually liked his hair. His gaze shifted to the ground, wondering what the heck this girl saw in his accidental dye job. Cristina's phone buzzed as a text came in. She flipped it open and did a quick read of it.
"Sorry Conner, but I gotta go. Mom needs me to watch the cat."
"Cat? Aren't cats usually fine by themselves?"
"Not the one I have." The redhead stepped up and hugged him. "See ya tomorrow Conner." Cristina smiled before running down the street.
Conner blinked twice as he absorbed what happened. Not only had Cristina hugged him, she technically called him cute. Even if it was about his hair, it was still a win in Conner's opinion. The Pingrey child smiled warmly as he stared off in the direction she ran, glancing at himself in the window. "I guess it doesn't look that bad."
"You're seriously planning on keeping your hair like that?" A new voice cut in.
Turning around, Conner laid his eyes on Chandler. The former blonde gave a frown. "Well, there goes my good feelings..." He sighed inwardly. "What do you want Chandler?"
"Nothing. Just wondering why you look like you bleached your hair." The redhead shrugged.
"It was an accident."
"That, or you were trying to impress Cristina by looking like 'Pineapple Boy'."
"No." Conner glared. "S-She just liked it is all!"
"Sure she did." Chandler snorted. " You both would make a good pair." He gave his trademark look.
Conner squinted his eyes at the other boy. He knew that look all too well; it was the same one Chandler gave him when he was thinking up this whole revenge scheme. "What are you planning?..."
"Nothin, nothin. Just keep wooing Cristina." Chandler turned around. "See you around Conner."
The former blonde raised an eyebrow at this. As the redhead walked around the corner, Conner pondered over his words. "Keep wooing Cristina? It's not like I'm trying to get her to be my girlfriend. I mean, sure she looks cute, her hair looks nice, her blouse isn't as out of date as I originally thought..." He paused. A hearty smile appeared on Conner's face as he started thinking about Cristina with a half-lidded stare. "And her laugh is just music to my ears...and her eyes..." Realizing what he said, Conner's cheeks heated up in embarrassment. "Oh man, I actually like her..."
A sense of guilt became instilled with Conner. He was already feeling iffy about taking part in Chandler's little scheme; only the prospect of getting a nice amount of dosh kept him reeled in. However, the Pingrey child was quickly realizing that money would mean very little in the grand picture. The idea of Cristina being used as a tool for that boy's plot just didn't sit well in his chest. Conner wasn't sure what it was; it could've been that he liked Cristina to the point he didn't wish for anything bad to befall her. In return, this fueled his desire to figure out what exactly it was that Chandler wanted to do that involved them both. Jogging to the corner, he didn't see the redhead in sight. For that matter, he didn't even know where the guy lived, so it wasn't like Conner could just waltz over to Chandler's place.
Conner gave a frustrated groan. "Great...now I gotta wait til tomorrow..."
Sometime later that Sunday, in the evening hours, most of the Louds were preparing for bed. Both parents were still on an emotional high after having a fun day out with Lincoln, and Lori was happy that she and Carol managed to find some clothes Lori was certain Lincoln would like. Compared to whatever her sisters had made, it probably didn't seem like much. However, the eldest sibling faintly remembered some time ago that Lincoln had been eyeballing a couple outfits during one of their trips to the mall. Naturally, he was short on cash to even consider buying it; yet it was still on the forefront of his mind, especially during his (often loud) talks with Clyde over the radio.
Lynn was doing better as her sisters made sure to keep her energized and to try not to think too much on her faults. Whenever the jock started to falter, one of the sisters would prod her ego to bring her spirit back. Granted, Lynn's ego wasn't as big as it used to be; but even in her depressed state, a part of her hated having her tenacity questioned. On the physical side, her heel was only mildly sore with some scarring. After taking some careful measurements and movement tests, Lisa declared that Lynn could now walk without the assistance of her crutches. Unfortunately, the jock was still unable to sprint since she had a slight limp to her walk.
Currently, Lynn was about to let the Sand Man claim her. She was already under the covers and was just about to doze off to dreamland. However, her room mate was still wide awake, sitting at her table writing up something in her book. The goth was constantly muttering as she reread what was written. Unfortunately, the Louds don't exactly have much of an indoor voice, even when whispering.
Lynn's eyes fluttered open as sleep escaped her for the third time in the past half hour. Knitting her brows, she rolled on her bed so she was facing the goth. "Lucy..."
Lucy continued her muttering, only stopping when she realized someone called her. "Hmm?" She glanced over her shoulder at Lynn.
"Shouldn't you be going to bed? We have school tomorrow..."
"Not yet." Lucy focused back on her book. "I'm almost finished with this."
"You've been writing on it all day. I'm surprised you're hand hasn't gotten carpel tunnel."
"When you work your bones enough, they get used to it." The goth gave a side glance at Lynn. "Much like how you keep bouncing back after you injure yourself. You always said 'no pain, no gain'."
Lynn lifted the cover to look at her foot. The ankle brace was gone, though small teeth marks were visible just above the base of her heel. "Sometimes I'd wish I'd eat my own words..." She lied down, staring at the ceiling. "If I had a time machine, I'd probably even go back and never pick up baseball...or sports in general..."
Lucy placed her quill down. "Sigh. Lynn, I know we can't stop you from wanting to hide in the darkness (and it'd be really hypocritical of me to tell you not to), but every once in a while I do need to see the light." The eight year old wheeled her chair around. "Lincoln hasn't forgiven me yet, but hopefully I can talk with him at school tomorrow."
"That's easier for you to say, since the worst thing you did was make it seem like him getting blamed for bombing the toilet meant little to you."
"At least Lori managed to get Lincoln to at least think about talking with you. And since he's likely in better spirits than he was the last time you both met, I doubt he's gonna hurt you."
Lynn stayed silent for a moment, turning to face the wall. "You don't know that..."
Lucy tapped her chin, glancing up at the ceiling. The very last thing Lynn needed was another nightmare that would wipe out all the progress the girls made. The goth had half the mind to inject Lynn with Lisa's sleeping serum, but at this point, everyone was reluctant at having to drug their sister again. Which means...
"I never thought you were a chicken Lynn."
"...What?" Came Lynn's tired voice.
"I said, I never thought you were a chicken. Or maybe you're a turtle."
Lynn breathed in heavily through her nostrils. "Who says I am?..."
"Most of us." Lucy spoke with a hint of smug in her usual grim tone. "You hide in your shell because you're afraid of the challenge to actually talk with Lincoln. We know you're nervous around him, but I guess you really lost your spine. It's funny though." Lucy saw Lynn sitting up. "I usually hide in the dark to escape the light, while you hide in your bed to wallow in the fact you've let yourself become weak. Guess that means Lori is the strongest sister now."
Lynn narrowed her eyes at her roommate. "Say that...again..."
The eight year old had to suppress the urge to grin. "You. Are. Weak." She crossed her legs. "Want me to just get it over with and give you your sleeping medication, like the baby you-" Lucy was cut off as a pillow smacked her in the face.
"You think I'm a baby huh? Well I'll show you! In fact, I'm gonna march right up to Lincoln tomorrow so we can hug it out!"
Lucy moved the soft object from her eyes just in time to see Lynn stick her tongue out at her like a child. "Real mature sis. Bet you can't do that again."
Lynn gripped her other pillow. "Is that a threat?"
Lucy put up a finger as she set her quill back in its ink pot and closed her book. Within a flash, Lucy threw Lynn's pillow back at her, causing the jock to jump out of bed with both in hand. "Oh, it's on." Before long, the two girls were hitting each other with their bed pillows. Lucy usually took the chance to avoid partaking in a pillow fight, as she found them pointless. But if it meant keeping Lynn from being a negative nancy, then it was worth it. Lynn eventually started to get a little too into the activity, using her pillows as boxing gloves. Lucy was forced to block more than swing. Feathers and stuffing flew out of the pillows as they were demolished, the two girls sharing a laugh once they realized they went overboard.
"You did that so I'd stop thinking about the bad stuff huh?" Lynn spoke up between giggles.
"It worked, didn't it?" Lucy replied, giving a small sneeze when a feather got on her nose.
"It did..." The older girl looked at the floor. "Though now we need new pillows to sleep with."
"I don't really need a pillow." Lucy turned and went to her coffin, opening it and lying down inside. "The dead don't sleep like the living." That was all she said before closing the casket.
"Says the girl whose casket is on a bed that looks almost like Lola's." Lynn muttered, going to her closet.
"I heard that." Came Lucy's muffled voice.
Opening the door, Lynn dug through her stuff to find something soft enough to lay her head on. Bats, footballs, shoes, and even the occasional dirty clothes weren't the most ideal temporary pillows. Spotting one of her jerseys, Lynn lifted it to examine it's worth. It was covered in dirt and grass stains from overuse, and the athlete remembered the main reason she refused to wash it; she considered it 'lucky'. That was the same excuse she used for her other sporting equipment that was beaten up, dirty, broken, or just well past their 'use by' date. At this point, Lynn just referred to it as 'stuff that needed to be heavily washed or thrown out'. She bent down and scooped up all of her dirty sportswear before heading for the washroom.
Since it was so late at night, Lynn couldn't wash them without keeping the others awake; she made a note to do it in the morning, along with whatever sports stuff she considered to be 'luck'. In the basement, Lynn sorted the spare sheets and blankets before finding another pillow to use. That trip to the basement also revealed another unknown issue with her damaged heel: climbing stairs caused a small amount of pain if she used that foot to climb up. Regardless, she did her best to ignore it and went back to her and Lucy's room, falling asleep after a few minutes of thoughtless staring.
Conner tapped his foot as he waited with a few others in the hallway, his arms crossed as he scanned the hallway for a certain redhead. Students blistered past the group as they stood outside their homeroom. The teacher was late again; probably not caring much about his job since Huggins once berated him in front of the students about his attendance. Even though it was the beginning of another school week, the pangs of Monday were absent from the Pingrey kid. He was unable to take his mind off yesterday, and even throughout last night, he seemed to be pretty distracted. Carol asked him if anything was wrong, even apologizing about forgetting to get a certain shampoo to change his hair back; Conner just ignored that and said he was alright.
Chandler wasn't in any of Conner's classes today, but he often saw him in the hallway. The former blonde continued to look around, failing to spot the smug rich kid among the sea of people. Before last week, Chandler typically had a group of boys with him so they would stand out even in the thickest crowds. At this point, given what happened that one weekend, all you had to do to find him was focus on the trail of glares. However, none of the students appeared to be glancing in a particular direction.
Cristina had finally made her way through the crowd, spotting the group of students in front of their door. "Ugh," She groaned, slumping her shoulders, "He's late again?..." Shaking her head, Cristina got in line behind the last person.
Shortly after scanning her class to see who else was there, her eyes fell upon a certain shade of silver. Smiling, she got out of line and walked up to the boy. "Hey Conner."
He didn't respond, staring off into space.
"Conner?" Cristina asked, poking him in the shoulder.
"Huh?" The Pingrey child turned left. "Oh. H-Hey." He gave an awkward wave.
"You ok? You seem distracted."
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Cristina put a hand on her hip, giving a half-lidded, unamused stare. "Really? Cause I swore you were staring at the wall."
Conner gave a cheesy smile.
"So what's going on?"
The former blonde breathed through his nose. "Just thinking about something..."
"What is it?"
Conner bit his lip, humming in thought. He didn't want to let Cristina know what was really going on, considering the circumstances. Imagine how pissed she'd be if he just blabbed that he made a deal with Chandler for some cash? Still...he couldn't just outright lie to her. Unlike his sister, Conner felt he'd have a hard time refusing anything Cristina asked of him. After he realized his feelings for her yesterday, it felt like he'd betray her trust if he wasn't honest. Plus, he had no story to fall back on at the moment.
"Well..." Conner trailed off, "It's...it's about someone..."
"Oh. Is it a family member?"
The boy shook his head.
"Is it a friend?"
Conner hummed before nodding, putting his hands in his pockets. "Y-Yeah..."
Cristina tapped her chin. She knew she was close. "Is it someone in this school, in our class?"
Conner felt his face heat up, his cheeks becoming a faint red. Cristina took that as a sign that she was getting warmer. "Oh, so it is." She spoke in a teasing tone. "So who is she? I gotta know the details!"
Conner released a breath he didn't know he was holding. So close, but not close enough. He scratched his head in a faint attempt to shave off some of the nervousness he felt. "Y-You know her, but-"
A series of fast footsteps cut him off. The students turned and saw their teacher practically running up to them. "Sorry I'm late kids, traffic was a pain this morning. Don't need Huggins chewing my head off again..." The middle-aged man grumbled as he unlocked the door.
With the students started to file into the room, "I'll tell you later." Conner told the redhead as they went in.
No more than a few steps away, Chandler had been taking a few more pictures. Seeing Conner blushing and Cristina acting all giddy would make things look even more convincing. "And that's a few more for the wall." He smiled deviously, going towards his own class. Good thing said class just happened to be the one place he needed to do his work.
Just a few hours later, another person was dealing with their own troubles. Lynn proclaimed that she'd march up to her brother and give him the biggest hug imaginable; yet here she was, watching him from outside during her P.E. class. Lynn used a tree as an obstacle in case Lincoln happened to look outside. Normally, the jock absolutely loved this class. Because she was well adapted to the sports world, Coach Pacowski often let her lead during drills (to the other students dismay). But since she was still dealing with an ailing injury, the brunette had been excused since then. Lynn didn't mind though, as she was originally too depressed to do anything.
By now, Lynn was no longer depressed, just worried. Memories of her last encounter with her brother popped up throughout the morning. She could never forget that look he gave her for a split second before becoming indifferent; the hate he still harbored for her buried deep inside. That was almost a week ago however, and since then, Lincoln regained the trust of all but 4 of his family members. Even more so, Lynn was more than capable of holding her own now; unlike their last meeting, where she would've been completely at his mercy. Still, a raging Lincoln was the last thing Lynn wanted to deal with, especially since she doubted she'd fight back this time.
"Hey Lynn." A chilling voice spoke out from behind.
Lynn sucked in a breath; the brunette's knuckles turned white as she gripped the sides of the tree, fighting the urge to climb it. Swiftly turning her head, Lucy was staring at her with her notebook in her hands. A bookmark was sticking out, pointing to a specific page. The teen dispelled her breath. "Y-You really should stop doing that..."
"Sorry, but what are you doing over here?"
"I should be asking you that." Lynn loosened her grip, shaking off any wooden flakes that stuck to her skin. "Don't you have class or something?"
"It's my study period, and I know Lincoln has recess around noon every Monday. Did you talk to him yet?"
Lynn looked at the ground in shame, unable to say anything knowing she was eating her words.
Lucy looked past Lynn as the bell rang. The previous class was going inside, while those in the lunch room were coming out. Among the crowd, she spotted Lincoln with his social circle. "Sigh." Lucy looked back at Lynn. "I don't want to have to do this, but we have no choice." She grabbed Lynn's hand. "Come on."
"W-Wait, where are we going?" Lynn asked nervously as her sister dragged her from her hiding spot.
"To Lincoln, where else?" Lucy spoke with determination.
"Lincoln?!" The teen's pupils shrank a bit. She dug her feet into the ground, kicking up some dirt and grass as she started to yank her hand out of Lucy's grip. "Wait wait wait!" She yanked hard enough to make the goth turn around. "I don't think I can do this..."
"I know, that's why we have to Lynn. You aren't strong enough to face him on your own, I understand that. But if you don't do this now, you might not ever get the chance to." Lucy tucked her book under her arm before putting her other hand on Lynn's. "I know this is hard for you sis, but we're doing this together. I run the risk of Lincoln saying terrible things to me like he did the last time we spoke, and he has yet to forgive me. I doubt he'll do anything to harm me physically, but hopefully I can stop him from trying to hurt you. So please...let us bear this storm together."
Lynn gazed at Lucy for a second before focusing on Lincoln, who by now was playing tetherball with Liam while the rest waited for their turn. Lucy was there for her when she was swallowed up in her guilt, doing everything she could to get her back to her old self; or at least make her happy. It only made sense that she'd return the favor.
Being the thankful older sister she was, Lynn gripped Lucy's hands firmly. "We will."
With their confidence returning, the two Louds walked towards their brother. By now, Lincoln and Liam had finished, leaving Rusty to challenge Ronnie Anne.
"So, correct me if I'm wrong. The reason you didn't tell us you had a family dispute was because it was embarrassing to talk about?" Liam asked.
"Yeah..." Lincoln rubbed his arm. "Sorry about not telling you guys. I just thought that you might spill it to everyone else." Given how good things have been lately, and still feeling some weight was lifted from his chest after spending time with his real parents, Lincoln felt bad about some of the things he said when he was in a sour mood. He decided to let his other friends in on what's been happening to him lately. He didn't give all of the details, but just enough so they wouldn't ask too many questions.
Along with his friends, the guilt hardened in Lincoln's stomach as he easily remembered the not-so-kind words he said to a certain younger sister of his. The feeling had been there since Lincoln started to love his family again, and it robbed him of sleep a few times. Given how Lucy was practically in tears when he last spoke to her, Lincoln didn't doubt that she probably cried to herself after he left her alone. Just thinking about it made him feel like an asshole...
The middle child had thoughts of seeking her out to apologize, but that would be next to impossible. When Lucy wants to hide, good luck finding her. Lincoln could only hope that she would come to him eventually.
"Ahh shoot. I don't blame you for thinking that. In fact, I accidentally spilled the beans on who busted our tractor doin' some stunts with it."
"Didn't you say that's what you did?" Clyde asked.
"I did, but it was really mah Pa. He wouldn't trust me with another secret of his for a few months." Liam shrugged.
"So, you feel a lot better after hanging with your parents at Dairy Land?" Zach asked.
"Yeah. It was a bit rough at first, with all the lines and stuff. It got better after a while, but then I got spotted by a couple bullies."
"Bullies?" Clyde asked.
Lincoln nodded. "Remember those two guys that almost ruined Halloween?"
Clyde's eyes literally shrank for a few seconds. "No...not them!" His eyes returned to normal size. "I had to visit Dr. Lopez a few times because I had human pretzel dreams!"
Lincoln frowned. "I probably would've became one again, but mom and dad came and stopped them."
Clyde gave a sigh of relief. "That's good." He watched as Ronnie Anne creamed Rusty once again, the latter fuming at how the tether line must've been short on his side. The nerdy boy then saw two people approaching them, one with dark hair and a matching dress, along with another with brown hair and a red jersey. "Hey Lincoln, you're still feeling bad about what you said to Lucy, right?"
The white-haired raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, why?"
"Well," He pointed in their direction. "Here's your chance to talk to her."
Lincoln looked where Clyde was pointing, his eyes locking with Lucy's and Lynn's. Both girls froze on sight for a few seconds before Lucy regained the initiative and walked with Lynn towards him. Lincoln noted that while Lucy seemed more confident, Lynn looked as if she felt she shouldn't be here. She didn't look as bad as Lori made it sound; then again, she did state they were making her feel better. He also noted that her crutches and ankle brace were missing.
"Guess her foot finally healed." The Loud boy thought to himself.
Lucy let go of Lynn's hand, knowing the jock probably wanted to keep her distance. By then, Ronnie Anne finally took notice of their presence; her attention was divided long enough for Rusty to score a point.
"HAH! SCORE!" The curly redhead raised his arms in triumph.
Ronalda gave a small frown before shooting him a glare. "Doesn't count. I got distracted."
"Still a win for me."
"Hi Lincoln." Lucy spoke in her usual tone once she was in front of him.
"Hey Luce. How have you been?" Lincoln asked, his overall positive vibe nearly taking Lucy by surprise.
"I-I've been well. I have something for you." The goth took her notebook out. "I know you're probably still harboring some animosity towards me, and it might not be enough to change your mind, but I've made this special poem for you in hopes that it removes the darkness from your heart. I know I've made poems before, but this one has something...extra..." She handed the book to Lincoln, who calmly accepted it.
Lincoln had helped Lucy with many poems before, and while he didn't expect much from the one she made just for him, he would soon be proven wrong. The bookmark had the words, "open here", written on it. Lincoln flipped to the page just as Zach decided to try his hand at tetherball. Upon finding the poem, Lincoln blinked as his eyes widened. Almost every line was accompanied with a hand-made drawing, no doubt from the little vampire herself. He cleared his throat before reading.
Brother
Luck clouds the mind
As well as the soul
Even to the point
Where you feel cold
Each line had a corresponding picture that greatly emphasized what the lines meant. The drawings weren't half bad in Lincoln's opinion; Lucy could be a decent artist once she honed her skills with a pencil. The first picture showed the Louds having a fun time, with Lincoln noticeably off to the side with a sad look on his face. The next picture showed some of the girls doing what Lincoln assumed was them refusing to let him attend their events. The third line was paired with a drawing of Lincoln's boarded up room, with the last line a drawing of Lincoln sleeping outside with wavy lines around his body to indicate shivering. Turning the page...
Alone in the world
One cannot cope
All they have then
Is nothing but hope
The next four lines followed the same pattern. Lincoln gave a saddened look as he kept reading. The first line had a drawing of Lincoln in the squirrel suit to go with it, doing a facepalm to signify his annoyance. The next drawing showed Lincoln with sad eyes while he was inside the suit, watching his family enjoying his supposed 'luck'. The next line showed a sad Lincoln without the suit, as well as him being inside an empty space to signify the loneliness the line meant. The last drawing showed Lincoln attempting to talk to his family about getting rid of the suit, a small drawing of the suit being crossed out appearing in a thought bubble above his head. But, it appears the family wasn't listening.
But when hope fails
Anger and rage prevail
And it all comes down
Like thunderous hail
This time, the first drawing showed Lincoln in the suit again, but looking more irritated than upset. Red lines were drawn in Lincoln's eyes to show his increasing anger. The next few pictures made Lincoln pause after each line, quite shocked at how emotional the drawings were. In sequence, the first showed an enraged Lincoln, to which Lucy drew in such detail it was very close to the real thing. Then, the next two pictures showed the boy lashing out at his horrified family; it even included Lincoln and Lynn getting into a fight. A shiver went down his spine as Lincoln flipped to the next page. By that point, Rusty and Zach became intrigued, pausing their game to listen to the rest.
All suffer then
From the loner's sorrow
And all will not be well
The day after tomorrow
Lincoln stuttered a little as he felt the words reflecting on him. It seems Lucy had been crying a little when writing this part, as the pages had a few damp spots on them. He couldn't blame her, as he felt almost ready to do the same. With the first line, it showed the family expressing their regret after what happened in the other drawings. Next, the second line had a picture of Lincoln running away from the house and into the night, tears streaming out of his covered eyes. The next picture showed Lucy finding Lincoln inside a library, and the middle child could already guess where this was going. Sure enough, the last picture was that of Lincoln refusing Lucy's apology. By now, Lincoln felt that same weight that disappeared being pressed onto his chest again as he continued to read.
But even so
Hope must be held on
Reach out for our
Brother and son
This group of pictures was much more lighthearted compared to those before them. Lincoln's voice began to break as he read each line, small tears streaming down his cheeks. The first drawing showed the family sulking at how they might not be able to regain Lincoln's love, a heartbroken symbol with an amateur drawing of Lincoln's head next to it. But the second drawing showed everyone working with confidence to fix what was broken. The third line didn't have a picture with it, but the last one had two. One picture had Lincoln smiling with his siblings surrounding him, with the second picture having Lincoln holding the hands of each parent.
In my heart
I feel ever so weary
I just want you to know
I am so very sorry
Brother
This last section didn't have any pictures, but Lincoln heard Lucy speaking the lines along with him. At this point, Lincoln couldn't keep himself from crying, with Lucy feeling the same way. Without uttering a word, the two siblings hugged each other. Everyone around expressed similar feelings. Lynn felt like she was going to cry and was trying hard not to; she bit her finger in a faint attempt to hide her sorrow. Ronnie Anne was in the same boat, giving a short sniffle every once in a while. Clyde was already crying, using a tissue to clean his eyes. Liam then used the same tissue to clean his nose. Rusty and Zach stood at the tether pole with their mouths agape.
"Deep stuff man..." Rusty finally said. "Deep stuff..."
"Lincoln..." Lucy spoke in a quiet voice.
"Y-Yeah sis?..."
"Those things you said to me in the library...would you have really done that?..."
Lincoln gave a heavy sigh. "No..." He released his hug on Lucy so he could look into her eyes. "I was just too upset at the time. I doubt I could actually bring myself to laugh at you over something like that." Lincoln looked at the ground in shame. "If I did, I'd be even more of a monster than I am when I'm..." He paused, trying to find the right words. "Very upset." Lincoln scratched the side of his head. "I really tend to overdo things when I'm angry...but if it helps," He smiled at the goth, "I was already thinking about forgiving you before you guys came."
Lucy looked at the grass. "Even though you sacrificed your dignity for my sake, I wound up making it appear like I had used you...yet, you still found a way to forgive me even before I made that special gift for you..." A stray tear came out from under her bangs. When she looked back at her brother, Lincoln's eyes became the size of dinner plates. He could actually see one of Lucy's eyes, clear as day, without any strands of hair blocking it. It was watery and had a tear trail flowing from it. "How did we end up with a grateful brother like you?..."
"Guess I'm one of the lucky ones?" Lincoln smiled nervously, before Lucy hugged him with enough force that nearly knocked him over.
The other kids smiled at the cute scene before them, even though Liam, Rusty, and Zach were rather lost on what caused this meeting to play out like this. With Lynn, her smile started to falter; her own guilt coming back to the forefront of her mind. That was another sister Lincoln learned to love again, and another reason for Lynn to feel that this was something she didn't deserve. Lucy had a difficult time on her own reflecting on her previous meeting with her brother, but it's only a week later, and Lincoln had been secretly regretting the harsh words he uttered since. If Lincoln had some guilt about their own fight, he didn't show it, and Lynn wouldn't dare ask him. She deserved to get nearly floored for letting her ego and superstitions get out of control, and even if Lincoln did learn to forgive and forget on that incident...she couldn't forgive herself...
The jock quietly started to shuffle away. "I shouldn't have come out here..." She sighed inwardly. Just as she was about to walk back to the building, someone gently grasped her hand. Lynn turned her head, her mouth parting a little as her eyes widened; her gaze settling on the person who stopped her.
"Lynn...I know it's been a while, but I promised Lori I'd try to talk to you. Plus, Lucy said you had something to say." Lincoln told her, his posture indicating he was as nervous as she was.
Inside one of the school's computer labs, all of the lights were off while each computer was on standby, ready to be used by the next available person. However, in the very back of the room, one of these devices was still running at full tilt. Chandler's face was illuminated by the monitor as he continued to work on his 'project'. Every few minutes (or every time he heard footsteps), he would rise out of his seat to check the door, hoping no one needed to enter the room. He didn't have the chance to finish his work during class, so he had to find an empty room to put on the finishing touches away from prying eyes. It was lucky enough that he managed to find a room that was still unlocked. Chandler's phone was connected to the computer's tower, and on the screen were several pictures he snapped of Conner and Cristina being together.
Some of the pictures were back shots, so he didn't fiddle with those. Facial shots on the other hand, needed to be edited as Conner didn't look too much like Lincoln if one were to carefully glance at him. Going onto the school's website, Chandler surfed through the student pictures, hardly seeing any of Lincoln's.
"Geez Larry, are you camera shy or something?" He grumbled to himself. "Let's see..." Chandler scrolled through the last names. "Loud...Loud...Loud...there they are." He found a couple pictures of Lincoln's sisters, making special note to avoid them at all costs. Especially Lana...
A chill went down the boy's spine as he stared at Lana's picture, scrolling away from it before he finally spotted Lincoln's. Chandler studied the picture like a professional photographer, picking out the details he needed to edit his own work. "Beaver teeth, freckles, and a more circular face...," He cracked his knuckles, "I hope your little girlfriend ruins your teeth Larry..." Chandler chuckled to himself.
Lynn shifted uneasily, her foot digging into the soil as she found it hard to stare directly at her brother. Lincoln wasn't giving her any look that would indicate aggression, just the sad little frown that he gave all of his sisters when he was worried about them. Lincoln took a glance at his sister's arm, raising his brows at how thin it looked. It wasn't very noticeable, but Lincoln could see it lacked a bit of muscle.
Liam leaned his head over to Clyde. "Why are they actin' all funny?" He spoke in a hushed tone.
"They had a...pretty serious fight. I think it's their first time actually talking to each other." Clyde whispered back.
"Lincoln..." Lynn spoke quietly. Lincoln blinked, his mouth dropping a little. He could've swore for a second, her voice almost sounded like Lucy's. "I'm...I'm not sure if I should even be in front of you right now...as great as a brother you are, I've been nothing but a terrible-no...horrible sister to you. Everything that's happened, all the way back to when I lost that one game..." Lynn's eyes became glassy. When she blinked, small tears started to roll down her cheeks. "It's all my fault...I know you might be thinking you had a hand in everything, b-but if I hadn't let my superstitions get out of hand...if I hadn't called you bad luck..." The teen gritted her teeth as more tears pooled down her face. Her hands tightened into fists as the frustration with herself grew. "I-If I had just learned to shut my mouth for once, none of this would've happened!"
Everyone flinched a little at the sudden yell.
"I always loved you Lincoln...ever since we were babies..." Lynn brought a hand to her face to wipe off a few tear stains. "I couldn't have asked for a better brother than the one I have right now, and I was too stupid to see it..." The brunette sniffled a little. "I didn't mean anything I said that night about not wanting you around, but you were right Lincoln...not only am I a sore loser, I'm the worst sister ever..." She recalled the first nightmare she had following Lincoln's absence. "If you weren't born...I..." Lynn tried to form the words, but the memory of seeing her brother being killed before he even had a chance to be born pushed them down her throat, only letting choked sobs come through. The teen sank to her knees, her hands covering her watery eyes. Tears seeped out from the palms of her hands and between her fingers, running down the length of her arm until they finally dripped off her elbows.
Lucy was beginning to think it wasn't a good idea for Lynn to see Lincoln so soon, seeing as she might've caused her sister to regress again. For Lincoln, his former opinion on Lynn had changed almost completely. Turns out Lori was right: she was dealing with the entire incident worse than he did. Lincoln cried a few times on his own, or in front of Ronnie Anne when he felt like he couldn't call himself a Loud. With Lynn, Lincoln was seeing himself on the first day he ran off into the night: depressed, lonely, lacking self-worth, and most of all, feeling that he was accountable for everything that happened up til then. Sure, Lincoln placed some of the blame on his family. But in the end, like he told Rita, the boy ultimately felt he should take full responsibility. Not only that, this also explained why Lynn appeared kinda thin: she was barely eating like he did on his first night with the Santiagos.
Everyone's phones vibrated as a message came through, but this was ignored.
Lincoln knelt to the ground and hugged Lynn, her tears wetting the sleeve of his polo. The jock shivered slightly at the sudden contact, but didn't try to push away from him. Lincoln rubbed her back in small strokes, gently matting the jock's ponytail. He held the embrace for a few minutes, noting how Lynn's crying had quieted down in that time frame.
"Lynn...I had-" Lincoln's phone vibrated again with as another message came. Taking his phone out, he also noticed everyone else was doing the same. Whether it was a coincidence or otherwise, he didn't know. Taking it off idle, Lincoln saw he had a few messages in his email. He opened the app and found that someone sent him a link to the school website. What was even more shocking, it appeared the same email was sent to everyone in his grade after looking at the contact list. The boy opened the link, and what he saw made him gasp out loud.
On the page the link led him to, there were several pictures of Lincoln and Cristina hanging out. Even more so, there was a sign that said 'Lincstina Forever' embroiled with hearts in the middle of the page. The boys and Lucy all shared the same look: open mouths full of shock. Their eyes turned to Ronnie Anne, who got the same message. Unlike them, her face looked as if sadness and anger were fighting over who should be in control. Tears were forming on the corners of her eyes as she bit her lip to the point she might draw blood. Her phone was clutched in her right hand, shaking as if it was about to break in her tight grip.
The tomboy felt like her heart was breaking into millions of tiny pieces. Lincoln promised that he wouldn't even think about talking to Cristina, especially since he had someone like Ronnie Anne. But, the saying goes that pictures don't lie, and to Ronalda...all those nights she spend with him helping him feel better, all the time she spent with him, the fact Lincoln literally confessed his feelings for her...did all those moments mean nothing?
"Lincoln Loud..." The Hispanic girl spoke in a chilling, yet broken voice. "You better explain this..."
A/N: Well, for those of you who waited to see what Chandler was going to do, there's your answer. And for those who wanted Lincoln to forgive Lucy, or were sore about him being mad at her despite having a good reason to be like that, you're welcome. As for the poem, I asked EpsilonMk46 for help on that, since I really suck at poetry. You can thank him for the idea. Now, Lynn may have finally gotten the chance to speak with her brother, despite breaking down mid-sentence, but it seems their reconciliation will have to be put on hold since a scandal has been made. Sorry to leave you guys at a cliff-hanger, but we'll see how they resolve this play with the heart.