A/n Thanks to everyone who left a review and I'll be responding to some reviews here before I begin with this chapter:
Zexyzane: I must've forgotten to mention this before but I will be basing some of the aspects of QT's character on the QT in Whimfu1's story 'Age Gap'. As she has already been called Quinlan in this story it would be a bit weird to suddenly start calling her Bella but if I write another story involving her I'll make sure to use her real name.
Hkshadow714: I understand what you mean and I realise the mistake I have made in forgiving Cristina so quickly after everything she had done so I rewrote the last chapter a little to fix it somewhat. Also, the 4 year time skip was done because I will be putting in flashbacks so you can see what happened and figure out what you missed in the story as you go on.
MBTRIPPLES: Thanks :)
SuperSonicBros123: I see what you mean and I will take this into consideration.
Geo soul: :)
Guest: Lol.
Shiv: Well, it was a long chapter in my opinion because I don't write that much normally. The fact that his family turned on him is cliché, yes but it's part of the story, it's just how it is and if you don't like it I can only apologise for my lack of creativity.
By the way, I rewrote a few bits of the last chapter again so if you haven't seen the changes yet, check them out. One last thing before I start this chapter, I'm writing about a chapter a day as it's half-term in England right now (half term is a week off for those who don't know) but when school restarts I'm not sure if I can keep that kind of schedule up but I definitely will try my best to upload as much as possible. On that note, enjoy.
unkownwriter21
Lincoln was running through the school hallways, panting and sweaty. He looked behind him and saw them. Cristina and Chandler. They both had cameras in their hands and were laughing at him. Lincoln was covering his junk with his hands but his butt was fully exposed. The Loud boy looked around, searching for an exit but there was none. He had run into a dead end. Realising this, he turned his attention back to the two people chasing him but there was not only them, there was the whole school. Stella, Girl Jordan, Clyde, Rusty, Zach, Liam and so many other people in his school. They were all laughing and pointing at him and shouting the rudest, the most cruellest things to his face. Lincoln sat down and curled into a ball and fell into tears. He was rocking back and forth and when he looked back up, they had surrounded him and now, even his family was standing in front of him too. They too were laughing at him whilst pointing at him. Now Lincoln was fully shaken and he was crying profusely. He was shaken until he felt an arm on his shoulder. It was Cristina and she had a grin on her face. She then spoke. "Haha, what an idiot! You really thought a pervert like you could be with someone like me. You're just a loser and will forever be a virgin! Go back to making out with that statue or something! Loser!".
Lincoln shot out of his bed and looked around his bed. 'Shit, that was intense' he thought to himself. He grabbed bun-bun from next to him and hugged it tightly. There were some tears in his eyes and he wiped them with his free hand. Lincoln used to have these nightmares frequently for the first year of his life but they stopped afterwards. This was the first time he had dreamed about it in 3-ish years. Why was he dreaming about it again? Was it showing his future? He believed in God but that was some bullshit. Nah, but if not that, then why did he have this dream? He went through the previous day and stopped when he got back to Cristina's home. That was probably it. He spoke to Cristina and that must've brought back the nightmares. His brain must not have been ready to make amends. Not to fear, there was always something that Lincoln could do to relieve stress. Something that he always turned to. Music.
He walked over to the wardrobe and put on his clothing. He then walked over to the piano and sat down. He cracked his fingers to get ready to play. This probably wouldn't be a good idea if Lincolns room wasn't soundproof, but it was so it's all good. Lincoln bought sound proof padding ever since he started playing and singing music because he didn't want the others to hear him in fear of more bullying. After making sure the door to his bedroom was locked, the musician brought out his phone and put on a set of lyrics to NF's song 'Chasing' feat. Mikayla Sippel. A few seconds of breathing exercises and then he began playing.
I just wanna run away
Find somewhere that feels safe
Find somewhere the bad days
Don't come as often in this sad phase
Somewhere I can be loved
Where I don't have to run away from my flaws
And I don't have to be afraid of my thoughts
This high, this high that I've been chasing
Lincoln was in his own mental place as he felt his body go on autopilot, singing and playing the music automatically. He could feel the blood pumping through his body and his legs were tapping along to the beat. His body was tense and his eyes were closed.
Doesn't have an exit
I don't learn my lesson
I don't see no endin' in sight
I don't feel the best when I try
Holding my head up high but it's not workin'
Makin' you cry makes me feel like a bad person
And somethings got a hold on me
They don't see the world I see
Heartbeat in my chest feels weak
It's really starting to weigh on me, yeah
Lincoln's voice was beautiful as he sang into the mic, all of his emotion, pain, heart and soul pouring into the music he played. His body untensed and he felt free. He felt like he could do anything he wanted to. He felt his emotions mixing inside of him and all the anger he had was being released through the singing.
(chorus)
I just wanna run away
Find somewhere that feels safe
Find somewhere the bad days
Don't come as often in this sad phase
Somewhere I can be loved
Where I don't have to run away from my flaws
And I don't have to be afraid of my thoughts
This high, this high that I've been chasing
Lincoln's fingers were dancing across the piano as he sang on, his eyes were closed. He brought up the lyrics on his phone but he didn't need them. He's played this song many times and he already knew the lyrics off by heart. The lyrics were there to make sure he didn't mess up.
Always likes the sad trip
And ruin all my friendships
Way too many questions in my mind
I don't have the answers but I try
Holding my head up high but it's not workin'
Makin' you cry makes me feel like a bad person
I said some awful things last week
Messin' with my self esteem
Mixed up my priorities
It's really startin' to weigh on me, yeah
The sound travelled throughout the room, bouncing off the walls like light and filling the room with the music. Lincoln was very self-conscious about his voice because he didn't think it sounded good but it definitely was good.
(chorus)
I just wanna run away
Find somewhere that feels safe
Find somewhere the bad days
Don't come as often in this sad phase
Somewhere I can be loved
Where I don't have to run away from my flaws
And I don't have to be afraid of my thoughts
This high, this high that I've been chasing
(I did not make this song, it is the song Chasing_(demo) by NF feat. Mikayla Sippel)
As he concluded the song, his fingers lingered over the piano before he pulled them away and threw them in the air. He felt calm, relaxed and stress free. His armpits were a little sweaty from the constant movement of his arms. A few minutes of heavy breathing occurred whilst Lincoln was catching his breath. He caught it and got up, stretching the muscles of his body and then moving to the door of his room. He opened and on the other side of the door, he could see no one in sight. Good, no one was listening at the door. Even though the room was soundproofed, if you stood close enough to the door you could probably hear him singing. He snapped out of his thoughts and went to the bathroom as he did his business. On the way out of the toilet, he thought about Cristina and how he had to go to her house after school for the project. The project was gonna take at least 1 week of practising at least, so that was one week of seeing Cristina consistently. He couldn't be asked to do it every day if he was being honest. Walking down the stairs, he looked at the clock on his phone and looked at the time. 7:12. He aimed to leave the house at around 7:30 so he could get to school early. Lessons start at 8:30 so technically, he didn't have to leave the home until 8 or 8:15 if he ran but the white haired boy wanted to be home as little as possible. The sight of his parents and sisters annoyed him. Especially when they were sad because they were guilty because that then made Lincoln guilty for not forgiving them and making them sad. He didn't forgive any of them yet. Other than Lily. Lily was fine because she was a baby at the time so she was excluded from this. Snapping out of the thoughts, he left and went into the kitchen and made himself a sauerkraut and peanut butter sandwich. After he made it, he sat down at the table and ate with a cup of juice in his other hand. Eating and thinking, Lincoln thought about what to do with his family. When will he forgive them? Better question, will he forgive them? Surely he would have to but they turned on him in his time of need. That's what families are for, to be there for you in the times of need but they weren't. As he thought about this, he took a sip of his class of OJ but there was no liquid in it. There also was no sandwich in his hand. He must've been deep in thought if he didn't notice he finished his food. Or maybe he was really hungry. Either way, he got up and grabbed his school bag, put on his shoes and left the home at 7:27.
As he stepped outside, he felt the cold air surround him like a snake wrapping itself around it's unfortunate prey. His spine tingled a little and he felt some goose bumps go across his body. Making his way to school, he could see two cars parked in the road with both the drivers arguing. Behind them, there was a line of angry car drivers, all honking their car horns and shouting cuss words. Lincoln smiled upon seeing this as he found it funny. As he carried on walking he saw one of the cars that was waiting in line behind the squabbling drivers. It was a Ford Mustang with two blue stripes going through it. Wasn't this the car parked outside of Cristina's house yesterday. Then he moved closer to the car and inside, he saw Quinlan and Cristina. Quinlan seemed frustrated and was holding up middle fingers to towards the drivers whilst Cristina was staring blankly out of the window. She seemed zoned out. Lincoln walked even closer and knocked on the window where Cristina was resting her head. She jumped and screamed whilst Quinlan stared out the window looking for the threat. Lincoln didn't mean to scare her but he laughed at her reaction regardless. The two brown haired girls saw him and their brains finally realised what happened. Cristina's window rolled down and she shouted "What the Fuck Lincoln!" out of it. Now Lincoln was practically giggling and he would've peed himself if he hadn't gone to the toilet in the morning. Quinlan was laughing a little too behind Cristina seeing how angry she was at it. After everyone cooled down, they began speaking. "Hey Lincoln, you want a ride to school?" the eldest timber girl asked. Lincoln responded by saying "I mean, I would but I would probably get to school quicker if I walked seeing the situation right here." as he pointed to the numerous cars in front. "Fair, but still, come on. Please?" she replied with puppy eyes. Lincoln pretended to look in thought. "Hmm, I don't know," Both Quinlan and Cristina's faces seemed sadder "Of course. Haha." he laughed again and they both sighed in relief. He got into the back seat and as he got in, the doors locked and both of them turned to face him. Lincoln frowned and then felt intimidated. "H-hey, what happened?" he chuckled nervously at the end. They both erupted into laughter. Lincoln then realised they were getting back at him and he started laughing too. Then after the laughter died down Quinlan turned to stare at him again and this time she looked serious.
"So, Lincoln. I saw the video of what happened to you yesterday," Lincoln winced at the thought of the clip "and I just want to say that..." "No, it's fine. I don't care anymore." he interrupted with a smile on his face. Quinlan was gonna say something else but the cars started beeping their horns again. "Come on lady, DRIVE!" the car behind them shouted. The older brunette turned to face in front of her car and saw that the traffic and cars had cleared. "Oh shit" she mumbled under her breath. She started driving and within 10 minutes they were at the school. The time was 8:00 on the dot. Q drove into the parking lot of the school and parked her car. Everyone then undid their seatbelts and left the car simultaneously. Quinlan went to the back of her car, opened the boot of the car and gave Cristina something Lincoln couldn't see. ""Ok, see you two later. Bye!" she spat out quickly before going into the car and driving off. Cristina and Lincoln looked at each other before walking towards their class. Lincoln didn't speak as there was still an awkward tension between them and he didn't feel like talking to her that much. In the car, she didn't talk to him either he remembered. Now looking at her, he saw that she was fiddling with her fingers and her face was red. Strange. He ignored as they made it to their class and they sat in their places. The class was fairly empty as there was about 10 minutes until class started and the others were probably hanging around their lockers. Lockers! Lincoln forgot to go to his licker. He stood up and left the classroom to go to his locker.
As Cristina watched him leave she felt sad. Why? He hated her and didn't speak to her so why did she feel like she wanted him around? And on the way to class, why was her face red whilst walking with him. That only happens when you're around someone you l... love. She didn't... did she? Her body did but she always ignored it. I mean, he was kind and very smart to be fair. And maybe she had a crush on him but that was in kindergarten and that's all that it was. Just a stupid crush. Right? Her mind didn't want to accept the fact that she liked him. I mean, she did that prank on him. If she loved him, why would she do it? Although, now thinking back to it, she remembered being reluctant.
*FLASHBACK*
Cristina was walking with Chandler to class when they passed Lincoln. They passed each other but Lincoln was looking at Cristina with a red face. Chandler noticed this and when he was far away enough, he pulled Cristina over to the side and spoke to her. "What are you doing Chandler?" Cristina yelped. Chandler just grinned maniacally as he explained his plan. "That Larry kid was looking at you funny. I think he has a crush on you." Cristina's eyes opened wide as she let out a gasp. "That freak has a crush on me. Ugh, what a loser." she commented. This was not how she felt at all. She was quite happy knowing that her childhood crush liked her back. But in order to be one of the 'cooler' kids, she had to suck up to Chandler and a way to do that was to hate on Lincoln. She didn't know why but McCann seemed to have a grudge against the Loud kid. Chandler then whispered his plan into Cristina's ear. He smiled but Cristina frowned. No, she didn't want to do any of that. "H-hey, maybe that's a bit overkill, d-don't you think?" chandler frowned at this and seemed even a little angry. "If you don't want to do it, it's fine. Girl Jordan wouldn't mind doing it I'm sure." he said with a smirk spreading across his lips. Cristina was trapped, if she pranked Lincoln the way Chandler wanted her to, Lincoln would be scarred for life but if she didn't, Chandler would just break up with her and she would be a loser again. No, she can't be a loser again. No way. "N-no, I-I'll do it," she said which brought a smile to Chandlers face "What do I have to do first?". she said. "What you need to do is simple, make him think that you like him," he smirked again with his cheeks spreading wider "Leave him a love letter in his locker today. Then ask him on a date." Cristina nodded and walked away to her class to write the letter. 'This is the right choice, right?' she mentally asked herself.
*Flashback Finish*
Cristina snapped out of her thoughts and put her hands around her head. 'Fuck, it was definitely the wrong choice' she thought to herself now. Cristina wanted to apologise but she already had, thousands of times but Lincoln rejected her apologies. He didn't just want a sorry it seemed, maybe she should do what he did when his sisters were angry at him for posting an embarrassing video of them. What if she posted a video of herself naked... no. No way. That was a little too far. And what if he didn't care when she did it. Then it would've been pointless exposing her body and everyone would probably call her a slut and a whore and a... never mind. 'I need to get back on track' she thought. As she looked to the door, she saw Lincoln had just walked back into the classroom with his stuff in his hands. Their eyes met for a second until Lincoln walked back to his seat in the far corner of the classroom.
The school day went on and as it did, Cristina was thinking about what she could do. Blowjob? Nah, too early and extreme. He probably wouldn't trust her right now if it had something to do with his penis. Apology letter? Nah, tried and didn't work. Hmm, what could she do. The bell rung for the end and pulled Cristina out of her thoughts. As she made her way to her locker, Lincoln caught her eye as he was already outside talking to... her sister? They were both laughing and seemed very happy. She liked seeing Lincoln smile so that was good but her sister normally comes half an hour late to pick her up from school. Now she came early to pick them up? Strange. Very strange. After putting her stuff into her locker and she made her way to the pair of them. "Haha!" Lincoln laughed as Quinlan smiled and giggled too. "Hey guys." Cristina said as she came close to them. Lincoln turned to her and his smile faltered a bit but Cristina didn't notice. "Oh, hey sis. Me and Linc were waiting for you." Quinlan said with a smile. 'Linc?' the younger Timber girl thought. "Oh, ok. Let's go then." Cristina replied. They walked towards the car with Cristina in front and Quinlan and Lincoln following behind, chatting. Cristina was too far to hear what they were saying, she just knew that they were talking. When they made it to the car, Cristina sat in the passenger side and Lincoln sat in the back. Quinlan stood a little awkwardly, scratched her head. She was stood by Cristina's door. Then she cleared her voice and spoke "Umm, hey sis?" Cristina looked at her "You wouldn't mind if Lincoln sits in the front, do you?" she mumbled nervously. "Oh, uh, ok I guess?" she replied, half surprised and half annoyed that she had to get out of the car again. Quinlan stood and smiled at her sister. Cristina got up and opened the door for Lincoln. Lincoln got up and sat in the front seat. Cristina sat down and put on her headphones whilst listening to some music. She leaned back and closed her eyes. Today was a stressful day for the young brunette. She had been thinking about how to get Lincoln's forgiveness that it started hurting her head. A few minutes later, as the car was riding through the streets, Cristina dozed off.
Lincoln was sat in the front and was talking with Quinlan. "Hey, Crissy?" QT said as she turned to ask Cristina a question. "Oh. She must've dozed off. Probably stayed up too late the other day or something." QT shrugged it off. Lincoln smirked with one eyebrow raised. "Crissy, huh?" he remarked as he started giggling. The older Timber girl laughed as well. Not that the joke he made was funny, just that him being happy made her laugh too. His laugh was very contagious. There was a moment of silence as the laughter died off and there was no noise. Then Lincoln stared out of the window in thought. He didn't know what happened but ever since he had met Quinlan, he felt safety and felt she was trustful/trustworthy when he spoke to her and he really enjoyed being around her. Lincoln didn't speak to anyone or if he did, it would be few words at a time if need be but this woman he barely knew, he told her what ever was on his mind and felt she was interested. She also didn't speak to him with pity which he also liked. The Loud boy was always shown pity and everyone he spoke to seemed to kind of look down on him. He didn't want, nor need, their pity. "-ncoln? Lincoln?" Lincoln looked to his side and saw QT staring at him concerned. "Yeah?" he spoke. QT pointed outside and he looked around to see Cristina's home. "Oh, sorry. I wasn't paying attention. I was just daydreaming." QT got out of the car and so did Lincoln. Quinlan then went to the back seat and tried waking up Cristina. When she didn't wake up, she slapped her lightly on the cheek and screamed "Cristina!". The poor sleeping girl eyes shot open and she tried moving away but was stuck in her seatbelt. Then, she realised it was her older sister and playfully pushed her away. "You couldn't have just woken me up normally?" said Cristina. Quinlan replied by saying "Well, I tried but you wouldn't wake up sleepyhead." she joked as she picked up the keys to the car from the ignition. Creaking slowly, the door opened and let QT in. Then Lincoln walked inside and finally Cristina. Cristina still seemed a little sleepy so she went to the kitchen sink and splashed her face to wake herself up a little. Lincoln and QT sat in the living room. Lincoln sat at one end of the table whilst the busty brunette sat on the couch. Cristina walked in and sat in a chair opposed to Lincoln. She wanted to sit next to him but she thought he wouldn't be comfortable. Lincoln pulled out the poster he had started yesterday and was continuing on it whilst Cristina carried on writing her dialogue from yesterday. Minutes passed in silence and it seemed as if it was gonna be a repeat of yesterday's silent-session they had.
Lincoln was working on the poster and thinking about some Spanish dishes. As he looked up to think, he saw Cristina quickly look down. 'Was she staring at me?' he thought. Lincoln shrugged it off and just thought about some. He couldn't so he pulled out his phone and looked up some online. More minutes passed and still, nothing. Wow, the atmosphere in the room was pretty dead and all you could hear were the odd laugh from Quinlan laughing at something on her phone or the breathing of someone else in the room. Lincoln didn't care because he enjoyed silence. He lived in it for the past 4 years so, nothing new for him.
A/N That's the end of the chapter. I tried thinking of a cliff hanger but couldn't come up with one so I'll just leave it here. Hopefully you enjoyed, if you have anything to say leave a review and have a good day!
unknownwriter21