Games, Grub, Girls and Gab Sessions
After fifteen minutes of driving, Lincoln and Co. had reached their destination; Gus' Games & Grub. Lincoln sighed blissfully, as the delicious smell of garlic knots filled his nostrils. As Lincoln unbuckled his safety belt, Whitney had already opened the door for him and helped the boy out of the car with a smile.
"Uh...thanks, Whitney" Lincoln murmured shyly, "but you didn't have to do that, I could've gotten the door myself." The high school girl giggled softly and ruffled his hair; assuring him that it was no trouble at all. After that, they joined up with the others and burst through the arcade doors.
Once inside, Lincoln could feel himself becoming calmer and more relaxed. The familiar sounds of games beeping, kids laughing and air hockey pucks being slammed into the goals helped bring back Lincoln to his chipper self again. "Man, it feels like I've been away from this place for ages" Lincoln thought to himself, "time to make up for lost time."
At that moment, a shocking realization struck him like one of Lynn's right hook punches. With a startled yelp, he began to fish about his pockets frantically. "Ah! Dang it" he murmured dejectedly, "I got so excited about coming here...I completely forgot I don't have any money on me!"
As if on cue, he heard a whistle ring out from the prize booth. "You low on cash, little man" asked a female voice, "I can help you out." Upon hearing this, Lincoln turned to find someone waving at him from the booth. It was a young woman, wearing a typical uniform for arcade workers.
She had short brown hair, red lipstick, and wore dangling white earrings on her ears. Nervously, Lincoln approached the booth and told the woman that he was indeed strapped. Surprisingly, the woman showed him sympathetic pity towards him and offered Lincoln twenty dollars worth of quarters.
"Wow, you're giving me that much" he exclaimed, "thanks...really, I just don't know how I'll repay you." The woman giggled softly, patted Lincoln's head and assured him that it was okay. "Consider it a repayment for when you helped your sister out here, way back when" she stated, "my coworkers and I thought it was really sweet."
With that, she bade Lincoln goodbye and went back to her duties. Lincoln's mind raced slightly, upon being reminded of that day. Though it felt like ages ago, he remembered it all very vividly.
His sister, Lori (thanks to his help) had taken up a job here; ages ago. Then, Fate dealt him a bit of a bad hand; as Chandler (a popular kid from school) got the wrong idea that Lincoln was getting free service from a worker. To make a long story short, he tried to Lori to give everyone free service.
This led to her working up a debt so high, the only way she could pay it back was by spending the money she was saving for a dress. One that she hoped to wear for a dance she had been waiting weeks for. In the end, Lincoln felt guilty for doing all this to her and offered to work her extra shift for a time.
Despite having worked there for only a short period. Lincoln was happy he made a positive impression at the place among the workers. As he made his way towards a basketball hoop game, a voice suddenly called out to him..."Lincoln?"
Alas; due to the electronic sounds in the atmosphere, the voice's call fell on deaf ears. Lincoln smiled excitedly, as he prepared to make the first shot. But then, his focus was disturbed by a hand suddenly tapping on his shoulder.
With a loud yelp, Lincoln threw the ball high into the air; which had (miraculously) landed cleanly through the hoop. Having recovered from his earlier shock, Lincoln smiled at getting a basket on his first try. "Heh! Guess Lynn isn't the only master of the hoop in the family" he chuckled while patting himself on the back, "wonder if I can get another one?"
As he prepared for his next shot, Lincoln could hear the voice calling out to him again. This time, however; it seemed much closer and rather...familiar. "Lincoln, are you listening to me" questioned the voice in a mock offended tone, "it's rude to ignore someone, when they're talking to you."
Lincoln gulped nervously at the tone; having heard similar statements from his sisters, he knew he was in trouble. While still holding onto the ball, he turned his head slowly to face whoever was behind him. Much to his relief, it wasn't any of his sisters but a friendlier and equally familiar face.
It was his fellow classmate, Girl Jordan; she was called this by many at school due to a male student who had the same namesake as her. But the big difference between them was while she also enjoyed things like parties, Dairyland and drinks at Flip's; Girl Jordan was an elegant girl and a very decent person. She had light blonde hair, which is tied into a braid, a warm smile and sported her iconic small pearl earrings.
She wore her usual outfit of a yellow elbow-sleeve T-shirt, blue pleated skirt, a bow on the side of her hair and sandals over her tall socks. Lincoln remembered having quite a few encounters with her, in the past. But at the same time, he also remembered that half of them ended in embarrassment (both for her and for him.)
Yet, in spite of all their awkward moments; Jordan was one of the few girls in town who respected Lincoln and treated him like a friend. So, seeing her in the arcade was a surprising yet welcomed sight. "Hey, Girl Jordan" he chuckled shyly, "I...I didn't expect to see you here tonight."
Jordan giggled back at him and said the feeling was mutual, after sharing a quick high-five. "It's nice to see you too, Lincoln" she stated, "but please...you can call me Jordan, while we're outside of school." Despite the firm tone in her voice, while making her request; the playful elbow nudge she gave him a second later showed that she was only playing.
"What brings you to Gus' tonight, Lincoln" she asked, "are you here alone or did one of your sisters bring you?" For some strange reason, hearing Girl Jordan ask about his sisters caused Lincoln to suddenly shiver. The girl in question took notice of this and asked if he was alright.
"I'm fine, Girl...I mean, Jordan" he assured softly, "I'm not here alone but...none of my sisters came with me." He then gestured at the trio of High School girls by one of the booths. "Wow, aren't those girls in your sister's class" questioned Jordan, "never thought I'd see people their age in a place like this."
Lincoln smiled and said he was just as surprised as her. "They brought me here, after they spotted me walking around downtown" he explained, "they said I could use a fun night...and they were right on the money about that." Jordan stared at him slightly with concern and then, she asked what he was doing outsid alone at this this time of night.
Just as he was about to explain, Lincoln suddenly heard Becky's voice calling out to him; which caused him to turn in surprise. "Hope you're hungry, little man" she shouted, "because we've got a warm pizza here with your name on it." The moment he heard the teen mention the word "pizza," Lincoln's stomach suddenly gurgled loudly with hunger; as if demanding that he sit down and eat.
Without a moment to spare, he took a seat at the booth and prepared himself for his meal. But not before he turned back towards Jordan and apologized for not getting any deeper into his story. "That's okay" she assured him warmly, "I'm in the booth to the left of you, you can tell us about it there."
Lincoln suddenly halted in mid-stride, wondering what Jordan meant when she said "us." Jordan shrugged with a smile, told him she'd explain in a minute and hurried off to her booth. Still feeling rather confused, Lincoln slowly made his way back to Carol's booth.
Upon taking his seat, a voice suddenly called out Lincoln's name from behind him. What surprised him was the fact that it was a female's voice. He took a peek over at the other booth, just as he was served his slice and gasped.
Sitting in another circular booth was Girl Jordan and a group of other girls. Aside from Jordan herself, he recognized three of the other girls sitting with her. One was Stella, a new girl that moved into Royal Woods just months ago.
The second was Cristina, someone whom he once had a crush on; long ago. What confused him however, was the fact she was here at all. The last time he saw Cristina's face, Lincoln heard she had switched classes at his school.
This was due to her having to view a video piece featuring him partaking in "kissing practice" (with her as the receiver of said kissing.) Before she made the switch, Lincoln never had the chance to apologize to Cristina for showing that video. Nor did he have the chance to explain why he showed it to the class to begin with.
So, this was the first time in a long time they've seen each other; face to face. The third of the familiar faces was Paige, Lincoln's newest crush (but she was seemingly unaware about it.) Then, he glanced to the side and suddenly noticed the booth's other occupants; several of whom were more acquainted with his other sisters.
There was Haiku, a friend of Lucy's and a fellow Goth, Kat (a member of Chandler's inner circle of "cool kids") and two girls from the middle school. The first one was a girl about Lynn's age; she had tan skin, dark-black hair that reached to her shoulders and eyebrows that were thick/bushy. She wore brown boots, small white pearl earrings, a plaid blue skirt and the same green sweater with she small star design at the center that she had on when he and Clyde first met her.
The other girl sitting beside her appeared older, possibly a 7th or 8th Grader; she wore a yellow turtleneck shirt with stripes, a green skirt and green boots. Her long light-brown hair was neatly tied into a ponytail that hung behind her head. In an instant, Lincoln recognized this girl as well from his and Clyde's orientation trip through the Middle School; which gave him an odd sense of deja vu.
In their attempt to try and not look like "noobs" by asking for directions (as per Lynn's "wise instructions,") they tried their best to find their next spot on their orientation alone (which was the "Wonders of Watercolors" class.) But instead, they ended up opening the door to the "Fun with Photography" dark room; ruining all of the class' work. This accident earned the anger of the supposed leader of the project, much to the boys' shock and fear.
Lincoln shuddered softly, upon thinking of that incident; wishing that he could erase it from his mind completely. He then looked at the shorter girl and paled slightly, his mind suddenly reliving the moments where he made her and her guy friend mad (where he and Clyde tried to lay claim to both of their seats in class.) As Lincoln's brow began to sweat profusely with fear, his ears softly echoed with the sounds of Girl Jordan's voice calling out to him.
"Lincoln, you better hurry" she exclaimed, "you don't want your pizza to get cold, right?" After his mind suddenly snapping out of its state of fear, Lincoln blinked frantically (as if trying to clear his vision) and slowly turned back towards his plate. "Oh...yeah, right" he murmured softly, "sorry about that...I guess I kind of spaced out for a moment there."
As he sat down and started eating, the tall girl he saw suddenly stopped sipping her drink and looked over the back of her seat; immediately spotting Lincoln. Upon noticing her eyes looking down at him, Lincoln took a nervous bite of his pizza and slowly sipped up the strand of cheese that was dangling slightly. There was a long period of silence, after that; as the girl stood over Lincoln, studying him deeply.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, the girl snapped her fingers and gasped with realization. "Hey...I think I know you" she said with a nod of thought, "yeah...you're the other half of Clincoln McCloud." Upon hearing this revelation, the shorter girl clamored over the booth slightly and looked at Lincoln as well.
"Yeah, I remember you too" she murmured, "you're Lynn's little bro...the kid who hogged mine and my friend' seat in Bolhofner's class." Lincoln couldn't help but notice the mildly fierce tone in the girl's voice, when she said the second part of her statement. At that moment, the older middle school girl's eyes began to narrow firmly; either in anger, deep thought...or perhaps, both.
"Yeah, it's all coming back to me" she mumbled, "you and your friend ruined my team's photography project, months ago!" Lincoln began to sweat nervously, upon hearing the stern tones in their voices. This combined with all the other ladies in the booth looking at him filled Lincoln with such anxiety, he felt as though he were on trial.
Finally, after Girl Jordan had lightly touched his hand; something inside of Lincoln snapped and he suddenly let out a terrified scream. As he quickly curled up fearfully in his seat into a ball, many of the other patrons looked at the booth with utter confusion. "I'm sorry, okay" Lincoln wailed, "I-I'm sorry I'm such a screw-up, just...please, don't hurt me!"
Several dozen gasps of shock rang out, after hearing this sudden outburst; be they from the group of ladies themselves or a few other patrons closeby. Then, for almost ten minutes; no one dared to speak a word. The only other sounds heard around them were those coming from some of the games and the giggling children at play.
Finally, Cristina took a leap of faith and gave Lincoln's back a soothing pat; all while softly shushing into his ear. "Calm down, Linc; it's alright" she whispered, "you're among friends here, there's nothing to be afraid of." There was a collective murmur of agreement from the other girls, after this; despite some of them appearing clueless about what was happening.
While tears still flowed from his eyes, Lincoln turned slightly to face Jordan; who offered him the same comforting words Cristina used a moment ago. As he slowly got back up in a sitting position, a waitress came to their booth; asking them if anything was wrong. "No, ma'am; everything's fine" Carol replied softly, "my friend's just...feeling a little jumpy tonight."
Surprisingly, the waitress believed the explanation and returned to her work without a second thought. Once they were all alone again (so to speak,) Jordan and some of the other girls asked Lincoln if he was really feeling alright. "Sorry about scaring you like that, ladies" he sighed, "I'm just...I've been a tad on edge over these past few days."
Upon hearing this, Becky took a bite of her pizza and asked Lincoln what was wrong. "Yeah, Lil' Loud" chuckled Carol, "you told my friends and I earlier that you would explain what's going on, once we got here...so, spill." Sensing that there was no way out, Lincoln sighed and asked for everyone to get comfy; which they already were.
"Let me just start by introducing myself, to those of you who don't know me yet" he began, "my name is Lincoln Loud and I'm...I'm here to take my mind off of some troubles I've been having at home." This statement caused the ladies to softly whisper amongst themselves in concern. "I've heard things can get...a little rough over at your house sometimes" Jordan admitted, "but what happened, exactly?"
Lincoln stared down slightly into his drink for a couple of seconds and then, he let out a weary sigh; as if he was having second thoughts about saying anything more. After a while, though; he realized there was no turning back now and he told the group everything. "To make a long story short, everyone; last Monday...my eldest sister, Lori was participating in a golf game" Lincoln explained, "she was moments away from winning...until my other sister, Leni accidentally spoiled her shot."
With this simple reveal, some of the ladies were starting to get a pretty good idea of what may be going on and urged Lincoln to continue. "Right, so...not only did Lori lose the game; she also lost to you Carol" he said bluntly, "and that felt just as bad as the loss." This news left the teen in question in a brief state of silent shock, feeling baffled that her former "rival" still couldn't accept losing to her.
At the same time, however; the rest of the ladies seemed rather stone-faced about the news. "No disrespect meant, little man" murmured the photography girl, "but what exactly does a golf game loss have to do with you?" Several of the other girls asked the same question; believing, at first that a sibling losing a game wasn't something worth freaking out over.
Surprisingly, he understood their confusion and continued the story; claiming it would all become clear later on. "Thing is, I'm not directly involved with this incident" he stated, "but somehow, I still end up getting caught up in the crossfire of my sisters' anger." Upon hearing him use the word anger; the ladies, young and old, drew in closer and urged Lincoln to continue.
He soon went on to explain that due to his second eldest sister, Leni accidentally costing Lori the victory; they got into a huge fight over it. Then, his remaining eight sisters later got roped into the fray (for one reason or another) and what started out as a "small" sister feud turned into a full-out war. "Whenever this happens, it leads to what my sisters would call...the 'Sister Fight Protocol'" he explained with air quotes, "I really wish I was making this up, ladies...but I'm not."
As he looked around him, Lincoln could see each one of the girls sporting a look of utter confusion or disbelief on their faces. After what felt like an eternity of silence, Haiku coughed softly and raised her hand; proclaiming that she had a question. "Um, no offense meant to you, Lincoln but I don't think anyone here has heard of any sort of 'Sister Fight Protocol' before" murmured the young Goth, "what exactly happens anyway, once it comes up?"
Realizing that even now, he still didn't quite understand it; Lincoln explained that when this Protocol was in affect, not one of his ten sisters was to be crossed while they try to "cool their heads." "If even the slightest mistake is made or if you get in their way, they start fighting even more viciously than before" he added with a shudder, earning concerned stares from the ladies; "trust me, I've seen it for myself." After what felt like ages of silence, several of the girls' hands rose up high; which signaled that they (no doubt) had many questions regarding Lincoln's home situation.
"What about your parents" Cristina chimed in suddenly, "don't they ever try to do anything to stop the fighting?" Lincoln lightly scoffed at her and proclaimed he wished it was that easy. "Normally, when things get chaotic between two of us; they would step in" he explained, "but not when ten different yet equally unstable sisters are fighting each other all at once!"
The two middle school girls suddenly found themselves shuddering a little with fear, recalling many of the moments where they saw Lynn acting rather hostile; for one reason or another. Yet, in spite of this knowledge; they and the rest of the ladies still doubted Lincoln's plight a little. "I dunno, dude" murmured the photography girl, "isn't enduring one sibling fight a little too...small of a reason to be freaking out like this?"
Upon hearing this, Lincoln suddenly started to laugh out loud but not in a jolly way. This was a sarcastic yet bitter cackle, one that made the ladies wonder if he was going mad. "Oh-ho-ho, ladies; what I just told you is nothing" he whispered venomously, "you know what I call that in my house...Mood Swing Mayhem!"
This statement left all the ladies feeling both shocked yet confused, wondering what could be worse than a sibling getting angry over a game loss. Then, after he a sip of soda and a bite of some pizza to try and calm his nerves; Lincoln continued on with his story. "As bad as their fighting is; over the years, they've done so much worse...both to each other and me specifically" he grumbled while fishing around his backpack for his phone, "and I've got the evidence to prove it."
After finding what he needed, his thumbs started typing away at the screen furiously; as if he was desperately looking for something. "C'mon...where is it" he grumbled mentally, "if I know her as well as I think I do, she must have..." At that moment, he suddenly stopped himself in mid-thought and let out a bitter exhale; which made the ladies feel even more nervous than they were earlier. Jordan, in particular was to feel quite anxious when she saw Lincoln's body language and cautiously asked what he found.
Before answering, he asked everyone to not say anything until they had seen every bit of his proof. After a while, everyone confusedly yet unanimously nodded in agreement and urged Lincoln to proceed. With that request, he let out another heavy sigh and showed his Social Media page and accessed the video menu.
After pressing play on one of the videos, everyone saw what looked like a sort of weird montage; one that seemed to include several moments where his sisters either chased, yelled at, threatened, belittled or otherwise tormented him. While it played, there were several times where the ladies either turned away in shock or stared at the screen in disbelief/disgust. At one point, they saw a clip of Lincoln running around the house nude; which caused the girls his age to cover up their eyes.
"Lincoln, what in the ever-loving what are you doing without your clothes on" cried Stella, "and who would record you in such a state?!" Lincoln paused the video and explained that the video was recorded through either Luan or Lisa's hidden camera system. As expected, several of the girls questioned why one of his sisters had hidden cameras in the house.
"Those two have them on almost all the time in order to record anything we do for 'security reasons,' to use the footage for blackmail material later or just some sort of stupid April Fools 'joke' Lincoln grumbled "in terms of the third thing, most of what Luan does isn't particularly funny." The moment he mentioned April Fools, all of the color seemed to have drained from his face. The short middle school girl took immediate notice of this and asked what had him so spooked?
"Oh, yeah...about that" he muttered, "it's kinda hard to explain...uh...um..." Lincoln suddenly found himself fumbling his words, in that instant. Though he had met the girl once before at Lynn's school, long ago; he didn't get the chance to learn her name. As if sensing his confusion, the girl smiled softly and introduced herself.
"Name's Cici; we met in my class...after you and your pal called dibs on mine and my pal, Byron's desk" she stated while playfully narrowing her eyes, "but of course, we've already established that issue earlier." Despite the mildly playful tone in her voice, Lincoln couldn't help but feel nervous beneath Cici's gaze. As if on cue, the photography girl suddenly decided to throw her hat into the ring (so to speak) and introduced herself as Phoebe.
The moment he heard her speak up, Lincoln sensed a mildly intimidating tone in the girl's; which made him sweat severely. Upon realizing this, Lincoln got up from his seat and asked to be excused to use the restroom. The ladies all nodded nonchalantly and Lincoln quickly raced into the Men's Room.
While in there; he tore off several sheets worth of paper towels, went in one of the stalls and proceeded to try and clean off as much sweat as possible. At one point, he notices the viewer is looking at him and chuckles nervously. "Carol and her friends said it would all be a fun night out" he sighed, "instead, I feel like I'm on a hidden camera show hosted by Jerry Springer."
After five minutes of "cleaning" himself, Lincoln worked up enough nerve to head back to his table. The moment he sat down, he suddenly found himself locked in a headlock from behind. "AHH, NO! Please, don't hurt me" he cried, "I'm sorry for everything I did, I didn't mean it!"
Despite his fearful yet sincere cries, there was no reply; which made Lincoln decide to close his eyes and prepare for his just desserts. Suddenly, his nostrils were filled with the unexpected yet delectable smell of garlic butter and heated dough. As he opened his mouth to speak, someone tossed a piece of a garlic knot into his unsuspecting mouth.
While he nervously chewed his food; Phoebe, who still had him in a light headlock, gave Lincoln a friendly noogie. Then, once he was released; he turned to face the ladies; who all had goofy grins on their faces. "Boy, oh boy" cried Stella, "did we get you good or what, Lincoln?"
Several of the ladies suddenly found themselves bursting out laughter (except for Haiku, who only let out a soft giggle,) which made Lincoln feel slightly uneasy. Then, once they had all calmed down; Jordan patted Lincoln's back and assured him he was safe. "We were just having a bit of fun" she said with a warm grin, "Phoebe thought it'd be hilarious to make you sweat a little."
Lincoln smiled slightly at the ladies, informing them that their little joke worked splendidly in the end. Once the laughter had died down, Carol asked Lincoln to continue his earlier story; specifically at the part regarding April Fools Day. "Yes...well, it's all a little weird to explain" he admitted, "you see...most people think April Fools Day is a fun day of pranks and gags, am I right?"
Several of the ladies agreed with this assessment, which brought Jordan to admit how much even someone like her enjoyed pranking her parents. Several of the other girls giggled in agreement; admitting they, too did their fair share of pranks on people over the years. But the atmosphere in the air quickly became as dead as the grave, the moment they saw Lincoln's eyes.
"Judging from that look, Loud; I'm guessing you're not much of a prank fan" inquired Kat, "is this related to your sister's own pranks, by chance?" In response to this, Lincoln lightly clinked his soda cup against her own in a toasting gesture; which seemed to indicate that her assumption was correct. "For most people, April Fools is like that" he said ominously, "but for me and my family...it's like D-Day and Judgment Day merged into one!"
While still doing her best to be respectable, Whitney insisted that Lincoln was simply exaggerating with his comparison. In response to this, he out his phone and showed everyone a picture. It showed him down at his friend, Liam's farm...covered in honey and being chased by half of the livestock all across town.
"I thought I'd be able to lay low there for a while" he mumbled, "hide myself in the hay piles and wait till the day was over." With a sorrowful sigh; Lincoln went on to say that unfortunately, Luan was already three steps ahead of him. At one point, he opened the barn door to see if the coast was clear; when a bucket of fresh honey suddenly fell on him.
"Once it hit me, I was staggering around blindly; trying to pull the bucket off my head" Lincoln explained bitterly, his fists tightening; "when I finally got it off, all of Liam's animals were in front of me; licking their lips." The ladies all winced with shock, as if already sensing what was coming next. Lincoln then added that while some of these animals were herbivores, he still feared for his life.
"That's when you decided to run, I'm guessing" questioned Cristina, "and where was Luan during all this." With a sigh, Lincoln tapped his finger on the phone's screen and a video suddenly started to play. As it went on, everyone could hear someone cackling madly with glee from somewhere off-screen.
Almost immediately; half of the ladies recognized the voice as that of Lincoln's sister, Luan. But what really got their attention was the "joke" she made while her brother was being chased off by the animals. "Boy, Lincoln; you give a whole new meaning to the term...'animal magnetism" she laughed madly, "ha-ha-ha-ha! Get it?"
Not only did Lincoln groan in disgust at his sister's poor choice of words like he usually did. But at the same time, each of the ladies around him also voiced their overall displeasure towards her little prank. After a while, they've managed to become composed enough to voice their complaints/concerns to their guest.
"There's pranking and then, there's...whatever that was we just saw" groaned Becky with disgust, "I mean...you could've been seriously hurt during all that, either when the bucket hit you or when one of those critters bit you!" Lincoln sighed deeply and confessed that in some April Fools Days Past, there were moments where he and his family had been hurt...or at least, lost some hair. "We don't know why she goes too far every April 1st" he said exasperatedly, "all we know is that she starts acting like Batman's enemy, The Joker; when it comes.
After that, the ladies all frowned softly and passed on their condolences to Lincoln; expressing their regret over how much he endured. "Believe me, ladies; this...was bad" he growled, "but my family once did something to me that's even worse by comparison." Without hesitation, he took out his phone and showed a picture of the Royal Woods Middle School Squirrels mascot costume.
Some of the ladies like Becky, Whitney and even Haiku (to a degree) laughed at this; proclaiming the sight to be utterly hilarious. While others like Jordan, Stella, Cristina and even Cici and Phoebe thought the mascot looked adorable. Lincoln suddenly felt his cheeks heat up with a blush, when he heard their comments. But he didn't know if it was from embarrassment or if he felt flattered by them.
At that moment, Cici questioned what the mascot had to do with him. This inquiry suddenly caught the other ladies' attention and they too started to wonder the same thing. In spite of all the voices in his head telling him not to, Lincoln took in a deep breath and told the ladies everything.
"Let me ask you ladies something real quick" he said suddenly, "who do you think was that was wearing that costume in this photo?" Everyone scrunched their brows tightly and began to tap their chins in thought. Then, after about thirty seconds; Stella let out a gasp of realization.
"Wait...hold on a minute here" she murmured, "are you saying that...the costume, that was..." With a nervous gulp, Lincoln gave a nod and confessed that it was indeed him wearing squirrel suit. "Okay, lil' Loud" murmured Becky, "before we continue, I'd just like to know one thing...why?"
Once again, Lincoln suddenly started to laugh bitterly for several seconds; which made the ladies feel a little uneasy. When he stopped; he told them that nobody would believe the truth, afterwards. "Dude, we just heard you tell us about how your sisters go bloodthirsty on each other once in a while and that one of 'em likes to pull some sadistically severe pranks on people" Phoebe confessed, "whatever you got next...we can take it."
Upon seeing each of the other ladies give him similar responses, Lincoln decided to spill the beans. The first thing he told them was how his sister, Lynn had a long and incredibly annoying tendency to believe in luck. "Before or during a game, she'd partake in what she calls 'special luck rituals" he stated, "these rituals include doing weird dances, gestures or even...praying to the 'Gods of Sports.'"
The ladies looked at him with disbelief, upon hearing the "Gods of Sports" comment; mentally hoping that he was joking. But Lincoln quickly assured them that what he said were Lynn's words, not his own. "She is so obsessed with luck, she won't play one run without performing a ritual; which often annoys both teams" he sighs, "it's ridiculous, I tell ya."
After taking a moment to collect himself, Lincoln began to share one such moment of pure ridiculousness that involved his sister. "Carol, I may not be entirely familiar with the rivalry you and Lori once had" he stated, "but if you thought she couldn't accept losing with grace...you haven't met Lynn." He then explained how his sister not only lost the game, she blamed said loss squarely on him.
"Truth is, I didn't even want to go to the game to begin with" Lincoln cried in exasperation, "but she 'persuaded me' into attending...by bringing out one of her baseball bats and smiling at me sinisterly while saying 'sure you won't reconsider?'" All the ladies, unsurprisingly, let out exclamations of disgust or outrage towards the story; half of which was directed at Lynn's rather coarse behavior. "That has to be, hands down the dumbest thing I've ever heard" cried Carol, "and I've seen someone singing a Boyz Will Be Boyz song completely off-key at the last talent show at my school."
Lincoln sided with the girl's outrage but sadly informed her that things got so much worse, after that. "Despite her team's best efforts; in the end, they lost the game" the boy grumbled, "of course, my sister blamed the loss fully on me!" The ladies all gasped in shock not just from the tone in Lincoln's voice but for the fact that his sister would blame someone else for the overall loss. When they asked why Lynn was so quick to blame him. Lincoln explained that she had a supposed "flawless winning streak" before that game.
"After that loss, I was dubbed 'bad luck' and ostracized by my family for the several days" he grumbled, "I was kicked out of my room, I couldn't eat at the table with everyone; they even made me sleep outside in Charles' doghouse during each night...right before even he kicked me out." Everyone shouted loudly with outrage, feeling almost too sick to eat anymore of their food. Then, Carol suggested that they all take a moment to fill up their bellies; before continuing.
Everyone agreed and quickly gorged on as much pizza and garlic knots they could handle, hoping the food would help calm their nerves. Once finished, everyone eased back in their seats and gave long sighs of contentment. "Boy, ladies; I've never had a dinner outing go this well in ages" Lincoln said suddenly, "whenever my sisters came here with me; they'd act so chaotically, we'd get kicked out for two weeks."
The moment Lincoln said this, everyone instantly remembered his earlier story and asked him to continue. Before he did, he asked them all to not get mad at what he would say next. "Right now, the only ones we're mad at here are your sisters" chimed Whitney, "why would any of us be mad at you?"
With a weary sigh; Lincoln went on to explain that during the bad luck mania, he would use it as a way to get the "Me Time" that he so desperately craved. He kept this going by damaging his sisters' things in secret, sabotaging several of their routines before they started them and other things; however great and small they were. Naturally, this revelation earned him some mild yet disapproving glares from a few of the girls.
As if expecting this kind of response, Lincoln let all their looks sink in for a moment. Then, he took a bite of pizza and continued on with his story. "I know...all that stuff I did was wrong" he confessed, "but you need to understand something...at home, I hardly ever get any time to relax and just be me."
Lincoln went on to say that with so many sisters causing a ruckus, having such negative opinions against things he himself enjoyed and having to go to so many different engagements (be they pageants, stage shows, poetry readings or other events;) he had so little "Me Time" to spare. "I can't even rest in my bedroom without someone kicking my door in and demanding something from me" he stated, "it's damn near overwhelming!" With this in mind, the ladies' previous disappointment in him quickly yet slightly gave way to concern.
"Like, haven't you talked to any of your sisters or your parents about this" Whitney suggested, "it seems like the best thing you could do." Lincoln agreed with her but retorted in saying that his parents still expected family to support each other, no matter what. Not to mention that it was, quite literally 10 against 1; when it came to voting against his sisters.
"I mean...I love them and stuff" he admitted, "but sometimes, there are moments where I wonder if they even love me." As Lincoln's self-doubt slowly began to weigh down on him, he quickly decided to finish up his earlier story. "In the end, I disguised myself in that stupid mascot costume and snuck my way into Lynn's latest game" he grumbled, "and she somehow managed to score the winning run."
The ladies all murmured with approval at this news, praising how Lincoln put his dignity on the line to be with his family. On one hand, he would've happily welcomed this praise with gusto. But then, Lincoln confessed that his sisters made a "unique discovery;" after Lynn's victory.
To explain himself, Lincoln brought out his phone and showed pictures of each of his other sisters' events in the weeks that followed. What surprised the ladies was the fact that in each photo, the Squirrels mascot was always seen standing with one of or the entire Loud Family. When the phone shut off, they all looked at Lincoln in both confusion and concern.
"In the weeks that followed Lynn's game, the family realized I was 'good luck' after all" he mumbled, "but only when I wore the suit." Phoebe scoffed loudly at this statement, proclaiming that the family was being rather ridiculous in their dependence on luck. To which, Lincoln replied in saying it wasn't just games where he was "encouraged" to wear the suit to.
"For almost two months, I was forced to wear that thing anywhere the family felt they needed a 'good luck charm'" he grumbled, "even at the beach." As expected, Carol questioned why the family needed luck at the beach; to which Lincoln, with a sarcastic laugh, described "possible" scenarios where sisters like Lola didn't want to "risk" being stung by a jellyfish...or one where Lori didn't want to risk losing her swimsuit in the water. For what felt like ages; no one dared to speak a word, after the story ended.
Everyone simply sat in silence, allowing the knowledge of what they've seen and been told to properly sink in. Finally, after taking a drink from her soda; Carol started softly muttering Lori's name in disappointment under her breath. "It's one thing to let her rivalry against me go too far, back in the day" she murmured, "but to let a stupid thing like superstition get the better of her and put you at risk...that's just inexcusable!"
The rest of the ladies, young and old cried out loudly in agreement; openly voicing their disapproval towards the Loud Sisters' behavior. "I may believe in otherworldly forces like Lucy does" Haiku muttered while shaking her head, "but to allow superstitions to cloud one's thinking is both shameful and laughable...which sounds ironic, coming from me." The final nail in the coffin came, when Lincoln told them about another beach day he was forced to attend while wearing the costume.
"I wasn't allowed to swim, make sandcastles, look for seashells or even have a little ice cream to cool myself while we were there" he listed bitterly, "the last one was something I so desperately wanted/needed." When Carol and her friends asked for the reason; Lincoln turned around, rolled up his shirt slightly and revealed a sight that made them all yelp. All across his back and a few parts of his belly, there were very noticeable splotches of what looked like sunburn; which made the all the ladies shriek in alarm.
"I may have been in that costume" Lincoln grumbled, "but not only did I still manage to get this sunburn, regardless...I also had brief moments where I suffered a heat stroke." There was a collective horrified gasp from the group, as Lincoln rolled his shirt back down; taking care to not rub against any part of his sunburn. After everyone had calmed down enough, Carol asked why he didn't get medical help when he first noticed the sunburn.
"When it comes to doctors; Lisa, my so-called 'genius' of a little sister, always insists on doing the job herself" he seethed, "which does more harm than good, at times." Lincoln then went on to explain that Lisa once offered him to use an experimental skin care lotion she created. But then, she quickly informed him of all the possible side-effects of the lotion (which included skin rash, dizziness, sweating, itching and possible nausea) that might last for a number of days...or weeks (if he was lucky.)
The ladies all shivered and grimaced with disgust, after hearing this; feeling proud that Lincoln had refused his sister's "help" that day. "Well, once we're done here; you need to go to a real doctor" Becky insisted, "one who has a bit more experience and care under their belt!" The other ladies unanimously agreed with her without hesitation, after taking a moment to recover from the list of side effects Lincoln mentioned from his sister's experimental lotion.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, ladies" Carol interjected, "first, let's all enjoy our time here while the night is young." Upon hearing this, Lincoln quickly drew out his phone and saw that it was almost 9; just minutes away from his curfew. "I'd love to stay and hang some more, girls" he said gratefully, "but I think I should get to the bus station before my family starts to worry."
Just as Lincoln made his way to the door, Jordan quickly raced up and hugged him from behind. "Lincoln, please...don't leave" she begged, "after everything you told us, you look like you deserve more than just a half hour or so of fun." Over at the booth, Lincoln could hear all the other ladies begging for him to stay.
"I really would like to stay, everybody, I truly would" he mumbled, "but I don't want to make my folks feel too worried about me." Carol gave him a smile and assured him that he wouldn't have to worry about his folks. "Whitney's got ya covered, little man" she chuckled, "as we speak, she's sending a text right now to your mom saying that you'll be staying over with your friend there."
Confused, Lincoln asked how one of Lori's friends got a parent's number. To which, Whitney responded by saying his mom offered to be her emergency contact; in case anything happened to Lori or Leni (mostly the latter.) This explanation seemed to put Lincoln at ease but he insisted he didn't want to be any trouble.
"Naw, dude" chirped Becky, "you're no trouble at all...besides, we Ace Savvy fans always stick together." Lincoln gasped softly in surprise and then, Becky showed off the t-shirt she wore underneath her main one; not caring if the others saw. With a soft smile on his face; Lincoln, once again thanked everybody for their kindness and accepted their offer to stay.
"Eventually, I will still have to go back home" he stated, "but on the other hand...I'm not sure if I can deal with the chaos that might still be going on just yet." After this, it didn't take long for the ladies to come up with the perfect solution for their friend's dilemma. "Hey, Linc" Carol said suddenly, "you up for a day down at the park tomorrow morning?"
Several of the others said a park outing was a great idea, especially with the Spring weather rolling in. "Yeah, that's a great idea" exclaimed Cici, "we'll all get some stuff together at our homes and then; we'll meet you at Jordan's place, in the morning...if that's okay." In that moment, Lincoln felt as though he was dreaming.
In the past week; he had felt all manner of stress, anger, pain (physical and emotional,) and annoyance from each one of his ten sisters. To think that mere moments ago, he feared that this night would end up being a total bust. But here he was, surrounded by girls both he and his sisters knew and having a jolly lark of a time.
These ladies fed him, comforted him, listened to him vent; everything he seldom saw his sisters do for him back home. Of course, Lincoln knew he would have to return home; at some point. But for now, he felt that a little time away would do him a world of good.
While flashing his trademarked bucktoothed grin, he agreed to the girls' terms and thanked them for their kindness. "But...I just want to understand something, first" he murmured, "why are you all being so nice to me?" Following this up, he proclaimed that half of the girls gathered barely knew him; unlike Jordan, Cristina or Stella.
"It's true, some of us aren't as familiar with you as the others" Carol murmured, "but it's like my mother says; if there's someone in need, you should try and lend a helping hand." The other girls sounded out in agreement, some of them adding the phrase "nobody gets left behind" in their statements. "We really appreciate that you shared such sensitive topics with us, Linc" Stella said sympathetically, "and we want to do whatever we can to help you through this."
Once more, the girls sounded off in agreement; which made Lincoln's heart swell a little higher. Then, he suddenly felt someone's hand rest upon his shoulder; causing him to let out a tiny yelp. He turned slightly and saw Carol smiling down at him warmly. "One thing's for sure; I can promise you this, Lincoln" she said firmly, "come Monday morning, each one of us will have quite a lot to say to your sisters."
While one part of him felt mildly comforted by the teen's words; at the same time, another part of Lincoln couldn't help but wonder if things were going to go from bad to worse in the coming days.
(First AN: Just when life gets you down, Fate shows you some kindness and throws you a lifesaver. In this case, these ladies will be Lincoln's. What do you think will happen, in the days ahead? Tune in next time to find out.)
(Second AN: Sorry if this seems a bit long, folks; I wanted to have Lincoln give the right explanation to the girls about what he's dealing with. I hope crafordbrian17 approves of what I came up with, along with all of you.)
(Third AN: Some might think the teens showing empathy towards Lincoln and wanting to help him feels "random" or "unearned." But it's just like Carol said; when someone's in danger, you should always lend a helping hand. Others might think Lincoln's blowing his situation out of proportion in his stories.
But while this series' chaos is played for "comedy" in the original show, take note that this story is a drama and like most dramas; what seems "funny" to some may actually be cruel to others. The Fight Protocol, Luan's absurdly cruel pranks and the "No Such Luck" Incident are three examples of this)