Early the next morning, Lincoln was eating breakfast. It was his first day back to school in a little over 3 weeks and he was feeling dreadfully nervous.
Lynn, who was sitting next to him, could tell. Lynn loved messing around with him sometimes, but she knew that she had to start acting mature and be there for her brother.
After eating, Lincoln grabbed his cane and slowly went out front to wait for the school bus. As he waited, Lynn stood next to him.
"Aren't you jogging to school?" Asked Lincoln. "And leave my brother alone on his first day back? Heck no." This really confused Lincoln. "Who are you and where's Lynn?" Lynn sighed. "Lincoln, I want to help. I know you're feeling nervous about this sudden change and I decided to start acting my age and being there for you. Lisa once told me as a sister, it our job to give love and support when our siblings need it. And I want to start doing that job for once in my life."
Lincoln was touched by Lynn's words. "Thanks Lynn. You have no idea how much that means to me." He said softly.
When the bus arrived, Lynn got on first to help Lincoln up the steps. He found that it hurt a bit putting pressure on his new leg. As they walked down the aisle to find a seat, Lincoln saw that everyone was staring at him. Lincoln looked down to avoid eye contact. They found an empty seat towards the back, where Anderson, Taylor, and Pablo sat. They couldn't resist snickering when they saw Lincoln, but when Lynn noticed, she showed her backpack to them to reveal a baseball bat sticking out. The three gulped and immediately shut their traps.
Lincoln's friends were also towards the back. Rusty noticed everyone staring and began to get irritated. "Will you guys knock it off!? You never seen a prosthetic leg before?! Mind your business!" But that didn't really do much good as some of the students ignored him.
At school, Lincoln took longer to get off. His friends stayed with him to help. Before heading to class, Lynn asked Clyde and the gang to look after Lincoln. "Please keep him safe. I'd stay with him all day if I could, but the Eighth grade schedule is different than yours." Said Lynn. "Don't worry Lynn. He's in good hands." Assured Liam. "Ok, mom said she'll pick you up after school to take you to the P.T center. She'll meet you right here." Explained Lynn. "Ok. I'll see you later." Replied Lincoln.
Lincoln entered the building and just like on the bus, people kept staring at him. Some even were whispering as he passed. Lincoln couldn't hear them, but he knew for a fact that they were talking about him. Suddenly, the P.A system rang out. "Lincoln Loud, please report to Principal Ramirez's officeplease."
"Well, I guess I'll catch you guys later." Said Lincoln. "Don't you want us to come with you?" Asked Clyde. "I'll manage. It's just to the principal's office. What could happen?" And he walked slowly away.
As Lincoln arrived at the principal's office, he found Meryl, the school secretary waiting for him. She was absolutely delighted to see him.
"Lincoln! Oh, it's so good to have you back, sugar dumpling!" She cried as she gave him a hug. "The school hasn't been the same without you!" "It hasn't?" Asked Lincoln. "Not at all. You're one of our best students. And how could I forget one the kids who saved my job?" Lincoln smiled. "Thanks Meryl.
Principal Ramirez, hearing Lincoln's voice, came out of her office to see him. "Ah, Lincoln! Welcome back!" Said Ramirez as she also gave him a hug. "First off, I want to apologize for what happened. I honestly can't remember why we hired that man to begin with. If there's anything I can do, just let me know."
Thank you Principal Ramirez. I really appreciate that. Is my new class schedule ready?" Asked Lincoln. "Oh yes." Replied Ramirez. She went to her desk, pulled out a sheet of paper, and handed it to Lincoln. He looked it over, and a smile formed on his face when he saw he had been placed in Mrs. Salter's class! "Thank you." He said. "You're welcome Lincoln. I hope you have a great first day back." And with a wave goodbye, Lincoln left the office.
As he made his way to his new classroom, some kids were still hanging out in the hallway. Lincoln just kept staring straight ahead and kept on going.
He was just approaching the door when a rolled up piece of paper hit him on the head. He turned around and found Chandler and Ashley laughing. "He's the one you were talking about?" Asked Ashley. "He's even more of a weirdo now that he has the ugly leg!" She laughed. Lincoln blushed in embarrassment. "Missed having my favorite loser to laugh at Lincoln Lame. Or should we call you stumpy instead?" And the two howled with laughter. Lincoln, desperate for the conversation to end, hurried into the classroom. As he walked in, the everyone was already in their seats. Lincoln felt a hundred eyeballs look at him as he struggled to fight back tears. "Is everything ok sweetie?" Asked Mrs. Salter. Lincoln, who just couldn't then collapsed on the floor and told her what had happened.
The rest of the school day got better a bit after that. Salter informed Ramirez about the two and she promised she'd talk to them and their parents.
After school, Lincoln waited at the curb for his mom to come get him. When she drove up, Lincoln silently climbed in. Rita automatically knew something was wrong. "Lincoln, did something happen at school?" She asked. Lincoln sighed. The last thing he wanted was to remember what he desperately wanted to forget. But, he still wanted to be honest. Needless to say, Rita was appalled by Chandler and Ashley'a behavior. Part of her wanted to hunt them down and punish them herself, but she kept her cool and knew Ramirez would handle them. "Don't worry, everything's going to be ok. I promise." Said Rita, caressing her son's head.
But Lincoln didn't think so. "Who'd want to become friends with me now?" He thought.
Stay tuned for chapter 6!