Lincoln's Troubled Mind
After having such a fun weekend with his new friends/old friends, Lincoln returned to school on Monday; feeling moderately refreshed and in good spirits. Upon arriving on campus, he and Jordan thanked her parents for the lift and wished them well. "It was no trouble at all, kids" Jordan's mother said with a grateful smile, "remember...if anything goes wrong, just give us a call." With that said, the car slowly pulled away from the sidewalk while the kids hurried up to the front doors.
As he entered the main hallway, Lincoln mentally prayed that the day would go smoothly. "Just get through two or three more days of classes, dude" he thought to himself, "after that, you've got a whole week or so of R&R to look forward to!" With these positive thoughts in mind; Lincoln took in a deep, calming breath and felt ready to start his school day at last.
But then, before he could take even three steps forward; he was suddenly tackled back out the door and almost fell backwards down the steps. Thankfully, Lincoln landed on the ground just ten inches away from edge of the first step. However, at the same time; he suddenly found himself feeling a deep sense of fear grip at him tightly.
"Oh, man...it must be either Lynn, Lucy or one of the little ones jumping me" Lincoln thought with an outward yelp, "just play dead and they'll...probably leave you alone." Just as he was about to slip into what Lucy would call "Corpse Mode," the young Loud Boy suddenly heard the sounds of wild sobbing fill his ears. With great caution, he slowly reopened his eyes and caught sight of the one who tackled him; his best friend, Clyde.
Several students watched in shock, confusion and mild amusement; as the young African-American boy wailed loudly into Lincoln's chest. "WAH-HA-HA...LINCOLN, THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE ALRIGHT" Clyde sobbed loudly with joy, "YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR SO LONG, I THOUGHT...I THOUGHT YOU WERE..." Within seconds, the boy could feel his hysteria accelerate violently; causing him to pant like a jogger who had finished running a thousand-mile marathon.
As if sensing this might happen, Lincoln pushed himself up from the ground and lightly patted his bestie on the shoulder while they walked back into the school. "Clyde, you're freaking out a little" he murmured softly, "did you remember to pack your paper bag with you?" With a soft nod in reply, Clyde reached into his backpack and brought out a small paper bag; which he then used to breathe into for almost a minute.
Eventually, he did manage to calm himself down again (or at least just enough for him to be able to talk normal again.) "Thanks...I really needed that, buddy" Clyde said with a heavy sigh of relief, "sorry for the freak out...and for tackling you like that." Without hesitation, Lincoln gave a small yet nonchalant shrug; assuring his bestie that no harm was done.
"I really am sorry for jumping you like that, Linc" Clyde murmured with a light blush of shame, "after all the yelling my dads and I have been hearing from your house over the past day or so, I've been worried sick." Soon after all this was said, there came a sudden collective murmur of agreement from behind the two boys. With a light shriek of alarm, they turned around and spotted their other guy friends behind them; Rusty, Liam and Zach.
Lincoln smiled happily at the sight of them, pleased to be in the presence of some more friendly faces. Afterwards, he shared a short yet happy greeting with the other boys; all while trying to keep himself looking as outwardly calm as possible. "It's good to see your face again, pardner" Liam said with a smile, "we ain't seen ya for days...where have ya been?"
At first, Lincoln didn't offer up any kind of reply; fearing that he might've said too much already by telling the ladies his troubles not too long ago. But then, he realized that keeping secrets from the few friends he actually had didn't really sit right with him. Thus, he was moments away from revealing everything to his crew...until Principal Huggins suddenly appeared in the hall.
Without missing a beat, he promptly yet fairly urged everyone to head off to class; lest they risk being marked late. "Best not dawdle, then" Lincoln murmured, "I'll tell you guys everything later on...see ya in class!" After that, he hurried off down the hall at a rapid yet respectable pace; feeling eager to get the day over with as swiftly as possible.
(Line Break)
As the scene quickly shifted over to Mrs. Johnson's class; Lincoln soon discovered that much like any other school day, this one felt incredibly slow and boring. Of course, he did his best to take notes and listen to her lecturing as much as he could. Sadly, in the deepest parts of his mind; all Lincoln could seem to think about was everything going on at home.
He wondered if his parents were safe, if any further damage had been done to the house, if someone like Mr. Grouse had made any noise complaints yet. But most of all, Lincoln wondered just how much of the house his sisters' might've claimed as their "Cool Down Territory." As a result, he found himself unknowingly doodling on his notebook pages while Mrs. Johnson was explaining her lesson.
When he finally did realize what he was doing; Lincoln let out a startled yelp, tore out the page and threw it towards a nearby trashcan with all his might, Sadly, he didn't have the same pitching strength Lynn possessed and as a result; the paper wad landed atop the head of one of the other students (specifically, a girl named Joy.) As expected, she responded to this with a bitter growl and proclaimed to Mrs. Johnson that Lincoln was "throwing things at her."
"I wasn't doing that on purpose, honest" the Loud Boy whimpered desperately, "I...I made some mistakes on my notes and...I was just throwing the paper away." Surprisingly, Mrs. Johnson ultimately believed the boy's claim...but firmly reminded him that if he needed to dispose of any trash, he should just walk up to the bin and throw it away properly. "Right...sorry about that, Ma'am" Lincoln muttered, "it won't happen again."
Once he was "in the clear" (so to speak;) he plucked the paper wad from off of Joy's head, approached the trash can and dropped it on the pile inside. After that was taken care off, the class resumed the lesson and everyone went back to taking notes. But every so often, the other students and even Mrs. Johnson herself started to wonder what Lincoln was trying to throw away.
Forty-three minutes later, the class bell rang and everyone left their desks as orderly as possible; all while wishing Mrs. Johnson well. "Have a nice afternoon, kids" the teacher called out sweetly, "and remember to be safe once Break starts!" As she stood by her desk, waving goodbye to the children; Mrs. Johnson soon noticed something odd about Lincoln.
For starters, he was trying his best to move past the other students as quickly as possible. This coupled with the incredibly jittery look of fear on his face told her that something wrong must be going on. On that note, Mrs. Johnson's gaze soon fell upon a particular wad of crumpled paper resting atop the rest of the classroom's trash in the bin.
"Something in my gut tells me that whatever Lincoln was doing earlier, it certainly wasn't taking notes" she thought, "and that paper must be connected with...whatever may be going on with him." With this in mind, Mrs. Johnson made her way towards the trashcan and she dipped her hand inside without so much as a second thought. At first; she had only come into contact with a few other pieces of paper, one or two tissues and a few moist pieces of gum inside.
But in a flash, Mrs. Johnson soon realized that the paper was sitting clear as day atop the rest of the trash. "Okay...mental note, wash your hand with scalding hot water before the next class starts" she murmured in disgust, "but until then...time to see what Lincoln was really doing with his notes." Without any further delay, Mrs. Johnson slowly unraveled the paper and saw something that made her heart give out.
On the piece of paper was what looked like the Loud Family's home...but there were several key differences. Among these were several holes found in the walls, there was trash smeared on the windows, random objects were lying strewn on the front yard and upon further inspection, she could also see several strings of cartoonish typographical symbols written over the roof of the building. Upon noticing the final element, it didn't take long for Mrs. Johnson to realize this symbolized loud screaming going on inside the house.
"This all seems...rather normal; at least, for Lincoln's home" she thought, "speaking of which, I don't see his image anywhere..." Just before she could finish with her train of thought, Mrs. Johnson caught sight of something that both shocked and appalled her. She eventually did find Lincoln's image on the drawing but much to her surprise, he had "taken up residence" inside of the dog's house."
"This is...This is...I, I can't...I can't think of what to say about this" stammered Mrs. Johnson, "I should probably bring this up to Principal Huggins in the Teacher's Lounge later."
(Line Break)
For the rest of the day, during each class; Lincoln did his absolute best to listen to his teachers' lectures like normal. Yet much like in Mrs. Johnson's class; deep in the back of his mind, Lincoln found himself wondering about his family back home. Were his sisters still fighting each other, how were his parents holding up and...did anyone happen to notice he was gone?
With these thoughts and more going through his mind, Lincoln soon found it harder and harder to pay attention...and his other teachers took notice of this rather quick. To start with, down in the Teachers Lounge; Mrs. Johnson immediately brought up the odd drawing she found in the trash with Principal Huggins. "On top of this, I saw him looking out the window several times while taking notes" she stated, "I thought he might've been daydreaming, at first...until I noticed a few glaring signs that I was wrong."
When asked what each of these supposed signs were, Mrs. Johnson said that when she got a look at Lincoln's face earlier during his "daydream" state; he looked almost terrified. "I saw that look on him twice today" she informed, "the first time was when he was to throw away this drawing and the second was when he left my classroom."
After taking all of this information to heart, Huggins took the drawing from Mrs. Johnson's hand and studied it intently. When he finally spoke up almost two minutes later, he insisted that it might be just some sort of "silly comic book idea" that the boy was thinking up. "Perhaps you're right about that, Wilbur" sighed Mrs. Johnson, "but Lincoln always seemed more interested in superhero stories, not...whatever this is about."
While there was a small ring of truth in his colleague's words, Huggins still insisted that there was nothing amiss going on. But then, he promised to take immediate action if Lincoln continued to exhibit any further odd behavior during the rest of the day.
(Line Break)
Sometime later, Lincoln and his classmates headed off for Shop Class; where everyone was going to make festive Easter baskets together. At first, everyone seemed rather happy about this project but as for Lincoln; with his mind still swirling with terrified thoughts, he found it difficult to focus. As a result, when he and Clyde handed over their basket, it looked hideously misshapen.
When the time came for Mrs. Johnson to give her verdict on it, Lincoln took one look at the confused yet firm expression on her face and fell to pieces (emotionally speaking.) He plonked his face down the desk, clenched his eyes tight and then, everyone swore they could hear him letting out muffled sobs of despair over his mistake. "Calm down, Lincoln; at the very least, you tried your best" Mrs. Johnson assured warily, "on that note, I'll...give you both an 'A' for effort."
Naturally, Clyde felt relieved and thankful for his teacher's generosity while the other students felt that their teacher's voice seemed unfair. Sadly, when Lincoln looked up into his teacher's eyes; his face showed only a look of sorrow and he confessed how he didn't want anyone to pity him. "It's not pity, Lincoln" Mrs. Johnson assured, "you and Clyde obviously put in the work; meanwhile a few of the other baskets here seem a little...too perfect."
With this statement, all eyes soon fell upon Chandler and his crew; who seemed to be putting on a few "finishing touches to their basket. The oddest thing was the fact that theirs appeared much smoother, evenly shaped and appeared strong enough to hold even the heaviest of textbooks. "Care to explain yourself, Mr. McCann" prodded Mrs. Johnson, "explain why your basket seems more well-made than the others?"
Without the slightest bit of fear or hesitation, Chandler chuckled softly and claimed he "had the magic touch" when it came to basket-weaving. Unfortunately for him, Mrs. Johnson wasn't so easily swayed by his charms and proclaimed she could clearly see a tag on the bottom of the basket; one that bore the symbol of the Bluebell Scouts. "Letting little kids do your work for you, Chandler" Kat said scoldingly from two desks back, "for shame, dude...for shame."
In that moment, the "cool kid" of Royal Woods couldn't decide which was more humiliating; being caught while trying to get away with something or seeing a member of his posse call him out. Either way, some of the other students found this rather funny...all except for Lincoln, who still felt like a cloud of sorrow loomed over his head.
(Line Break)
Sometime later, after arriving in English Class; the teacher asked everyone to write an essay on what Spring Break meant to them or what plans they had in mind. By the time the dismissal bell rang, everyone had completed and turned in their papers...everyone except for Lincoln. When the teacher asked what was keeping him from finishing, the Loud Boy confessed that he "got stuck" somewhere in the middle of his paper.
Deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt, the teacher approached Lincoln's desk and took a peek at what he wrote down so far. For the first two or three paragraphs, he saw statements regarding typical Spring Break activities/plans; hanging with friends, swimming, going to the park and/or just having fun in general. Then, as the teacher came down towards the middle of the paper; he noticed that something had been viciously scribbled off with a pencil.
At first, he couldn't tell what it said due to the thick scribble lines over the sentence. But after looking at it more closely, the teacher was able to finally piece each part of it together. Much to his surprise, the line in question was actually rather short but it still harbored a grim meaning; "if my sisters find me, I'm dead." After reading this small line three times over, the teacher looked at Lincoln with concern...but said nothing.
"Sorry about my Writer's Block, sir" Lincoln murmured apologetically, "I've just...I've been having some trouble lately and can't seem to concentrate well." For a moment or so, the teacher said nothing in response but he still looked at Lincoln with the same concern expression he had earlier. Finally, he handed him back his paper and assured him that there was no trouble.
"Maybe...Maybe you can fix it up during lunch" he suggested, "just remember to hand it to me before you leave at the final bell, okay?" Despite the mild shock he felt from his teacher's offer, Lincoln still accepted it and thanked him for his kindness. Once that was settled he left the class and headed off down the hall for Art.
But the instant he saw the boy disappear from view, the English teacher picked up the class telephone and made a call. "Yes, hello; I know it's a little too soon, Cheryl" he sighed, "but...could you put me in to Principal Huggins' office quick, I have something to tell him about."
(Line Break)
Down in the Art Classroom, Lincoln remained as silent as the grave for most of the period. At first, he thought a little creativity would do the trick in helping him forget his troubles. Once the Art teacher called for everyone's attention, she presented the class with their day's assignment; to create a portrait reflecting a nighttime dream.
Straightaway, this idea caused Lincoln to tense up with fear but no one else around him seemed to notice. Even now, he still vividly remembered the last dream he had during the night and it wasn't a very pleasant one. As such, Lincoln feared that if he made a portrait based on it; he would risk getting a failing grade.
"Then again, I'll fail anyway if I don't hand in a finished painting" he thought to himself, "man...I'm in a real rock and a hard place situation right now." As Lincoln stood before his canvas, mentally debating on what to do next; the Art teacher gave the signal and the rest of the students swiftly went to work. Within seconds, every other student was hard at work in creating their pieces; like a well-oiled machine.
For the next half hour or so; splotches of paint flew about every which way, hands were flailing about between canvas and paint palette and the teacher could see strong looks of determination on several students' faces. But when she looked over in Lincoln's direction, not only did his progress seemed rather slow compared to the others but he also had a rather distressed look on his face; as if he was desperate to make his portrait perfect.
"Strange...this isn't like him at all" she whispered, "normally, Lincoln seems the most eager of my students to work on anything art related." Eventually, the time came to notify everyone that they needed to hand their work over before the dismissal bell. "Class is almost over, everyone" she announced while rising up from her desk, "let me have a look at what you all made."
With that command, every student put down their tools and lined up single file before their teacher; many of whom were eager to show what they made. As the teacher started looking over everyone's work, she found many of them to be quite lovely or inspiring. Some of them showed off a collection of Spring flowers in full bloom, one other painted a portrait showing off a stunning sunset and the rest of the students had...shall we say, rather interesting choices for inspiration.
Liam showed off a painting of his pet hog, Virginia; who was rolling about playfully in her favorite mud pen. Rusty's portrait showed him as a sort of "gallant hero" surrounded by a harem of beautiful girls, several of whom appeared to be two or three years older than him. Clyde's painting, meanwhile was a full-sized portrait of Lori Loud; whom many knew was Lincoln's eldest sister.
On the one hand; nothing about the painting appeared flawed, messy, out of place or even lewd. But on the other hand, some of the students felt that Clyde's obsession with Lori had gone "to a whole new level." As for the teacher, she decided to give the painting a pass; stating that it looked rather...lovely overall, regardless of the subject matter.
"All that's left is your painting, Lincoln" she said while looking in the Loud Boy's direction, "care to share it with us?" Without the slightest hesitation, he confessed that he wasn't very comfortable in showing his painting to the class; claiming they would either laugh or mock him for it. "Come now, Mr. Loud; let's not be so hasty" the teacher said insistently, "I'm sure your work will be...slightly appealing for most of us.
With a weary sigh; Lincoln stood before the whole classroom, pulled off the sheet that covered his painting and held it up high for all to see. Soon, the whole room echoed with the sounds of horrified gasps and outcries of alarm from everyone who saw it; even the teacher. The image itself featured Lincoln dressed as Ace Savvy, which the class thought was to be expected from him.
At the same time, however; it also showed off an image of Lincoln being mercilessly overpowered by his teammates, the Full House Gang (which was a group many of Lincoln's classmates fondly recognized.) To say that the painting left everyone shocked would be a gross understatement, I'm afraid. The graphic nature of the imagery, the dark color scheme, the menacing battle poses of the Full House Gang and the battle-worn state that Lincoln was in made the painting look like a scene straight out of an "R" rated film.
"Er...this a most...interesting piece you've made, Mr. Loud" murmured the Art teacher, "I'll give you...an A- for it, mostly because the painting looks...a little too graphic." Despite the frazzled state of mind Lincoln was in, he looked up at the teacher with a small grin and thanked her for showing such kindness. Soon after that, the bell rang and all the students left the classroom.
But just as Lincoln was seconds away from leaving, the Art teacher quickly asked if she could hold on to his painting for a while. Understandably so; this request seemed a little odd to him, at first. But in the end, Lincoln agreed to it and handed his painting over to the teacher.
With this done, he hurried out into the hall; completely oblivious to the look of distress his Art teacher had on her face. "This is so unlike him" she murmured softly, "something must be going on with Mr. Loud...I should notify Principal Huggins about this."
(Line Break)
With Art Class now behind them, everyone headed over to the Gym for Phys. Ed.; a class that many students were openly dreading. Upon their arrival, everyone saw a rack of dodgeballs standing beside Coach Pacowski; which meant only one thing for the students...Dodgeball Day. Naturally, Lincoln's friends seemed rather excited about this; believing their trusty "Scorpion Formation" would do just the trick to help them win.
As for Lincoln himself...on any other day, he would begrudgingly go along with any game of Dodgeball or Bombardment in Gym Class. This time, however; he looked whiter than a ghost (or even his hair) and several students saw this as a sign of him being "easy prey." Then, after giving a loud "toot" through his whistle; Coach Pacowski loudly decreed "DODGEBALL" and the game was underway.
Soon, one half of the room collected every ball they could find and sent them flying; which caused the team on the opposite side to scatter in fear. Meanwhile, Stella called everyone over to assume their Scorpion Formation...only to notice something missing right away. "Guys...where's Lincoln" she asked worriedly, "shouldn't he be covering for you, Clyde?"
Despite the fear that gripped at him, the boy in question looked around the Gym for any sign of Lincoln. When he finally did spot him, Clyde noticed that he was standing out in the open with a look of fear frozen on his face. "Linc...C'MON, BUDDY; GET IN FORMATION" Clyde shouted, "HURRY BEFORE SOMEONE HITS YOU!"
Before long, the rest of his team started calling out to their remaining player; hoping that he might hear them. Sadly, none of their pleas or cries registered to Lincoln's already troubled brain. The moment he saw the dodgeballs flying, he suddenly saw images flashing before his eyes; specifically those of Lynn playing "her version" of dodgeball against her siblings.
At the same time, Lincoln swore he could also hear the echoes of Lynn's crazed victory laugh. Afterwards, he started seeing other images of her tormenting/"playfully" brutalizing him; all while using the same mad laugh every time. Soon, another familiar laugh echoed loudly through Lincoln's brain; Luan's.
It was the same crazy laugh she would make every April Fools whenever her family or anyone else fell victim to her many outrageous pranks. Then, he could hear Lucy giving her soft yet sinister chuckle...then Lisa's "mad scientist" laugh, Lola's crazed "laugh of triumph" and other sounds. Before long, this all led to Lincoln quivering like a leaf; all while still standing out in the open.
Some of the other students took notice of this behavior and were prepared to ask if he was okay. But they were swiftly knocked down by dodgeballs before they could say even the smallest syllable. Thus, it was Coach Pacowski's loud whistle that managed to help snap Lincoln back to reality.
Of course, when he saw the dodgeballs flying back and forth around him; he let out a yelp of terror and did his best to find cover. But then, his path was suddenly blocked by Chandler and Crew; which filled Lincoln with an even greater sense of dread. After what happened in Shop Class, he had a gut feeling that the popular boy would probably want his head on a silver platter.
But surprisingly enough, Chandler and his buddies decided to do the "fair thing" and offer up a friendly warning to Lincoln. "Don't take this the wrong way, Loud" he stated, "but as you know, in Dodgeball...it's every player for themselves." With that said, he drew his arms back and hurled the ball forward with all his might.
Upon seeing this; Clyde, in the manner of a slo-mo action movie scene, lunged himself towards Lincoln and knocked him back for safety. "C'mon, buddy; get your head in the game" he urged firmly, "stick with our team and we will get through this in one piece!" While still feeling slightly terrified by what was going on, Lincoln nodded silently in response and joined up with his crew's Scorpion Formation.
Stella, after deciding to take the lead, instructed everyone to stay close and keep watch for any surprises. Clyde, Liam, Rusty and Zach all gave a unified cry of "yes, ma'am" in response; while Lincoln felt too terrified to say anything at all. Soon, Chandler and his team were all advancing upon them; each of them holding a ball tightly in their hands/arms.
"Here we come; ready or not, chumps" chuckled Trent, "hope you're all ready for a beatdown!" That was it; with that playful yet slightly intimidating statement, Lincoln had finally been pushed over the edge. With a loud cry of terror, he rushed over towards the back end of the gym and took refuge inside of a basketball bin.
Feeling shocked yet rather outraged by this display, Coach Pacowski gave his whistle a loud blow; thus causing the game to momentarily stop. While some students felt relieved at this sudden timeout, others were grumbling bitterly under their breath; outraged that their "fun" had to stop so soon. Meanwhile, the coach wasted no time in trying to fish Lincoln out of the basketball bin.
But with every attempt he made to try and pull him out, Pacowski swore he could hear Lincoln crying "GO AWAY, I'M NEVER COMING OUT!" Of course, this all just made the coach feel evermore annoyed with him but he did his best to try and remain professional. "C'mon, Loud...come out of there" he groaned softly, "this behavior is a little extreme...even for someone like you; McBride, maybe...but not you."
At first, Clyde felt just a little annoyed to hear his teacher use his skittish tendencies as an example. But after everything he'd just witnessed, he quickly brushed it off and found himself agreeing with the coach (which was often rare.) Meanwhile, no one heard any kind of response or reply from Lincoln about any of this.
All that they could were the sounds of frightened whimpering and weeping from inside of the bin. As Coach Pacowski started moving balls out, several students made an attempt to approach Lincoln and ask if he was okay. But each time they did, the boy's only response were screams of alarm; which indicated they were only making things worse.
With a look of pure horror on his face, Lincoln made a desperate attempt to flee from the ball bin...only to trip over the side and land roughly on the floor soon after. But in spite of this (and the pain he felt from the fall,) he still did his best to distance himself from his classmates. "NO...NO, PLEASE; NOT AGAIN" he shouted/pleaded loudly, "please...I can't handle anymore target practice; please, Lynn...just leave me alone!"
To say that the entire class felt baffled by Lincoln's behavior would be a gross understatement. Truthfully, they were shocked about it more than anything; especially after they heard him mention his sister's name. "Lincoln...dude, what the heck are you even talking about" questioned Lance, "Lynn's not even here and nobody's planning on using you for 'target practice.'" Without hesitation, many other students murmured in agreement with him; further proving no one meant Lincoln any real harm.
Meanwhile, Coach Pacowski was desperately trying to make sense of the whole situation despite however crazy it all appeared. When he finally came to his senses, he politely asked the other students to stand aside so that he may speak to Lincoln directly. "What's goin' on with you, Loud" he asked with a slightly exasperated tone, "you've never been this terrified from playin' Dodgeball...even after you've been knocked around a few times."
After taking a moment to wipe his tears away and calm his nerves, Lincoln stood at attention before Coach Pacowski and said "it...it's a long story." Of course, this only made the man even more confused and he was mere seconds away from questioning Lincoln's behavior further. But then, the whole gym echoed with the sounds of the bell ringing; thus signaling the end of class.
Reluctantly, Coach Pacowski ushered for everyone to hit the showers and the students hurried off to their locker rooms without a single moment of hesitation. But as he reached the door way, Lincoln suddenly heard the coach ask him to remain behind for a moment for a private chat. With a nervous whimper, he complied with the request and made his way back towards Coach Pacowski.
"Look, Loud...I mean this in the nicest way possible" he said with a weary groan, "but I hope that once Spring Break is over, you'll have your head back on straight so you can focus more...understood?" Much to the coach's surprise, Lincoln said nothing in reply; no cry of protest, no whining, no complaints...nothing. All Lincoln chose to do, instead was respond with a shaky thumb's up hand gesture.
This seemed to satisfy the coach well enough and he quickly sent Lincoln back over to the locker room. Once he was gone, Pacowski started pacing about the gym floor; wondering what might be going on with Lincoln today.
(Line Break)
Sometime later, after changing and leaving the Gym; everyone headed over to the cafeteria for a well-earned lunch. But instead of sitting with his friend group like always, Lincoln chose to sit in one of the more open tables by himself; which was stationed in the farthest corner of the room. To make things worse; due to his home situation, he had come to school without a bag lunch of his own.
So, he had to use whatever money he had on hand to buy a lunch...and it didn't look all that appetizing. However, he didn't seem to care that much; choosing to spend the first fifteen minutes of the period picking at the stuff on his tray. The whole time he was doing this, Lincoln seemed to be in a sort of sorrowful daze; as if not caring about whoever might be watching his actions.
Of course, he was soon brought out of this daze when he suddenly felt a hand rest atop his left shoulder. With a soft gasp, Lincoln turned to see that it was only Clyde; who had a look of concern on his face. After recovering from his mild shock, Lincoln saw that the rest of his friends had decided to join him as well.
"Hey, buddy; sorry for surprising you like that" Clyde chuckled sheepishly, "but...you looked a little lonely, mind if we sit with you?" Lincoln offered no kind of verbal reply to this request, choosing to instead give everyone a soft and near-unintelligible grunt. This response coupled with the boy's demeanor filled Clyde, Rusty, Liam and Zach's heads with a whirlwind of emotions.
They felt sad, confused, alarmed and angry all at the same time. Finally, Rusty gave an annoyed grunt and demanded to know what was going on...or else face the risk of being sent to the "Sticky Table;" a place where all the school's "social outcasts" were doomed to sit during lunch. "Okay, Rust-Man; let's not get that extreme" Stella said calmly, "can't you see Linc's clearly feeling upset about something?" While he knew that his lady friend was telling the truth, Rusty still felt annoyed by Lincoln's nonchalant behavior...and the other guys couldn't help but agree.
"I ain't seen anybody look this sore since Virginia got loose and started snackin' on Mee Maw's flower garden" Liam confessed, "what happened to ya, Linc." At first, Lincoln wanted to tell his four guy friends everything that happened more than anything. But after having told the ladies what was going on not too long ago, he felt like he said too much already.
Then, whether by Fate or Chance; Girl Jordan arrived at the table and confessed she saw that something was wrong between everyone. "I wanted to come and see if you guys were okay" she stated, "feeling sick from the Tuna Surprise or something?" After taking a moment to shake of the feeling of disgust about the lunch menu "special," Clyde said that they were only trying to understand why Lincoln seemed so...out of sorts today.
"He's been like this since this morning in Mrs. Johnson's class" Zach stated, "you saw it for yourself, didn't you?" Almost immediately, Jordan nodded and confessed that not only did she see Lincoln's behavior during the time in question; she saw it happen several other times today. "See, you guys aren't the reason Lincoln's been off today" she stated, "truth is, he's been...going through some heavy stuff at home lately."
Feeling both confused and yet, slightly intrigued by this reveal; the boys quickly asked Jordan what was going on with their buddy. "Well...to start with, there's some stuff going on over in Lincoln's house" Stella chimed in, "specifically, a really nasty feud between all ten of his sisters." At first, the boys didn't seem to think this news sounded all that alarming.
After either visiting or being neighbors with the Louds for several years, they believed the girls' fighting each other was perfectly "normal." "Most of the time, it all does feel that way...in my house, at least" Lincoln murmured, "but trust me, there's been some stuff going on you wouldn't believe."
With that statement and with the two ladies there to help provide emotional support, he let out a sigh and told the boys everything. Lincoln told them about the Sister Fight Protocol his sisters created, which was something Jordan and Stella already learned from him. He told them about Lynn's luck obsession, how he himself was branded as "bad luck" by his family (after having help instigate the idea,) he told them about the Royal Woods Squirrels mascot costume he had to wear in order to sneak into Lynn's baseball game.
Next, the girls told everyone about how Lincoln's parents barely made an attempt to stop his sisters from fighting. "After leaving Gus' the other day, he's been bunking with me at my house" Jordan stated, "if you want proof, you can ask Kat about this...or a few other ladies we were with at Gus' Games n' Grub that night." As expected, Rusty openly professed how "lucky" Lincoln was to get the chance to hang at Gus' with a group of ladies.
But Stella swiftly disciplined him by lightly flicking at his nose, saying that this wasn't the time for his "usual shenanigans." Afterwards, Jordan reiterated everything Lincoln had told them that night; saving the story about his most recent nightmare for last. Once he had finished, seconds later; Lincoln noticed that each of his friends' faces soon showed off their exact thought/feelings about the whole story.
Poor Clyde was so distraught that he almost popped the paper bag he was breathing into. Liam was scratching at his head in confusion, thinking he was hearing some sort of tall tale (specifically ones from his pa or grandfather.) Zach's whole body was shivering from the sense of dread he felt inside and Rusty simply stared at Lincoln with a sort of "you must be joking" expression.
When everything finally registered with his guy friends, Lincoln apologized for overwhelming them with such a bombshell of information. "It's okay, Lincoln; I just...wow" Rusty gasped, "I know things often get chaotic at your place...but this is just too much!" Having seen and heard similar responses from the ladies the night before, this all didn't surprise Lincoln in the slightest.
At the same time, however; he still insisted that everything he said was 100% true. "Had it not been for Girl Jordan, Stella and all our friends from Gus' helping me that night; who knows what might've happened" Lincoln said with great pride, "they've all had my back this whole time." The ladies in question cooed softly with appreciation, feeling touched by how highly their friend was praising their "simple" gestures.
But before any of them could speak further on the topic, the intercom suddenly turned on and everyone could hear Cheryl's voice speaking through it. "Attention, y'all; attention" she called out while adding a slight "sing-song" tone to the second "attention," "would Lincoln Loud please skedaddle on over to Principal Huggins' office please...repeat, Lincoln to Principal Huggins' office please?!" This announcement caused many students to chuckle with malicious glee or softly murmur statements like "ooh" or "someone's in trouble" under their breath.
Meanwhile, Lincoln ultimately dismissed the commentary; choosing to instead focus on emptying his tray and walk towards the door. But just as he was about to leave, Jordan quickly held him back; insisting that she should come with him. "If my hunch is correct, this might involve the "incidents" that have been happening with you today" she explained, "in which case, you may need someone with you to provide a second opinion."
At first, Lincoln considered refusing her offer; thinking she might get in trouble due to "guilty by association." But then, a part of him felt that Huggins would probably not believe anything he might say. Thus, he agreed with Jordan's second opinion idea and accepted her company. As Stella and the others watched them leave the cafeteria, they hoped that Huggins would show some sliver of mercy...for Lincoln, mostly.
(Line Break)
Moments later, Lincoln and Jordan arrived at the office and Cheryl helped escort them inside. Afterwards, Huggins wasted no time in asking the two pre-teens to have a seat. Upon doing just that, Lincoln looked over at Huggins' desk and noticed a small stack of papers beside his coffee cup.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the papers had statements like "disrupting class" or "signs of troubling behavior" written on them. But before he could ask what the papers were, Principal Huggins suddenly called for Lincoln's attention. "Since First Period this morning, Mr. Loud; I have been receiving and answering messages from each of your teachers" he explained, "each of whom have told me the same thing...that you seem to be acting up for some reason."
When Huggins proceeded to ask for an explanation, neither one of the two kids said anything. As if expecting this to happen, he decided to "try and be the nice guy" and offered each of them a peppermint from a tray on his desk. Once more, neither Lincoln nor Jordan said anything; ultimately dismissing the otherwise kind gesture.
As a result, Huggins' demeanor slowly became rather irritated but he did his best to appear as calm as possible. "Mr...Loud, I am doing my best to appear impassive yet kind over...whatever seems to be going on with you" he grumbled, "but if you continue to be disobedient with me, I will have no choice but to place you in detention for the entirety of Spring Break!" This news came as a huge shock for Lincoln, almost pushing his already distressed brain to the brink of a meltdown.
Upon sensing the hostility of the situation, Jordan quickly intervened and begged Principal Huggins to not punish her friend. "With all due respect, young lady...this doesn't have anything to do with you" the principal said firmly, "it's between me and Mr. Loud." Under normal circumstances, Jordan was rather respectable to both the teachers and administrators of the school.
But after hearing such words from Principal Huggins and seeing Lincoln become even more distressed, she had had enough. "I HAVE EVERYTHING TO DO WITH LINCOLN'S BEHAVIOR...SIR" she cried out defiantly while slamming her fists on the desk, "so, either you listen to what I have to say or you'll be having a word with my parents...along with those of everyone else who's involved in this." At first, Huggins felt rather offended that a student was speaking to him this way; regardless of the current situation.
In fact, the way she shouted at him was so surprising that it caused Huggins to stumble out of his chair. Once he had reseated himself properly, seconds later; he gave Jordan a glare so cold that Lincoln swore he felt the room go cold. "Young lady, I don't know what's gotten into you" Huggins said with a light growl, "but you are no position to speak to...wait, what's this about multiple parties being involved with Loud's situation?"
Jordan smiled softly with satisfaction, sensing that her words had finally managed to hook her principal. Now, all she needed to do was reel him in...but she felt it was best that Lincoln were the one to do it. "Very well...care to explain all of this, Mr. Loud" sighed Mr. Huggins, "explain why, according to your teachers, you've acted up in class several times over?"
In addition to all this, he soon brought out a lone piece of paper that was given to him in the teacher's lounge by Mrs. Johnson. Upon looking at it, Jordan saw the same thing the teacher did; Lincoln (dressed as Ace Savvy) being mercilessly overpowered by his own team, the Full House Gang. "What the...Lincoln, did you draw this" she asked worriedly, "normally, I like your comic creations...but this looks like something that would make even High Schoolers pee their pants."
After ignoring Jordan's comment, Huggins further questioned Lincoln on the drawing in question; hoping that his hunch about it just being some page from a story he made would turn out to be right. "Oh, that...I could barely focus on whatever Mrs. Johnson was teaching us in first period, sorry" Lincoln murmured, "it's just...some stupid drawing I made about a stupid dream I had the other night." After letting all this properly sink in, Huggins soon found himself feeling utterly shocked.
He knew that students often had tendencies to daydream while in class every now and again. But whatever Lincoln was dreaming seemed...far too gruesome for too dark for anybody to think about; even those Goth kids that often spooked him in the halls. However, he realized that they all had a schedule to keep and chose to get straight to the point.
"What exactly has been giving you all these nightmares, Mr. Loud" question Principal Huggins, "is everything alright...any trouble in class or at home?" After hearing mention of the latter option, Lincoln soon found himself breathing frantically; appearing on the edge of hyperventilating. "Lincoln...Lincoln, please; calm down" Jordan said in a hushed tone, "it's okay, you're safe here...we're all safe."
In addition to these calming words, she took hold of Lincoln's hand; thinking that it might help give him some comfort. "Look, children...this is all starting to look very strange to me" Principal Huggins sighed, "but Ms. Rosato...if you truly wish to help clear the air on this situation, you have my permission...should the need arise." This statement seemed to please Jordan quite a bit and she ultimately thanked her principal for his trust.
Once that was settled, the time finally came to get to the root of the issue; Lincoln's behavior. "As I said, Sir; I know exactly what's going on" Jordan stated, "and so several other girls we know." When asked how many people were involved, she told Huggins that there were (at least) eight others who heard Lincoln's story already. "There families might also know about it by now as well" Jordan informed, "so, if our input isn't enough...you can call my parents, Kat Ketchum's parents, Cristina Jennings' parents, Stella's family...heck, there are three high school girls who were with us you could speak to!"
In that moment, Huggins couldn't decide which almost overwhelmed him the most; Jordan's attitude or the amount of people who were involved in this whole mess. In the end, he chose to simply focus on the matter at hand and asked the kids to start at the beginning.
(Line Break)
Forty minutes later, Lincoln and Jordan still remained seated in Huggins' office; appearing as silent and still as the grave. As for the Principal; to say the least, he looked absolutely frazzled (to put the situation mildly.) During that time, both children brought him up to speed on everything that's been going on up until now; namely Lincoln's family situation.
By the end of the story, Huggins appeared utterly flabbergasted by it all; so much so that it seemed as though he was frozen in his chair. When he finally came back to his senses almost thirty seconds later, he was rubbing his temples slightly in a vain attempt to soothe a rather throbbing headache that was developing. Finally, after doing this for yet another thirty seconds; Huggins popped in one of the peppermints he tried to offer earlier and let out a sigh.
"With all due respect, children; I find all of this to be...rather difficult to believe" he groaned, "I mean...there is no conceivable way that your parents could be that cowardly or neglectful during a crisis, even if it's just your sisters fighting." After letting out a sigh of his own, Lincoln confessed that everything he and Jordan said was all true. At the same time, he reminded Huggins that on normal days (or rather, semi-normal ones;) his sisters were the exact opposite of what his story described.
"Oh, sure...we may have moments where we push, shove, tease and bicker with each other" Lincoln stated, "but there have been just as many moments where they've all looked out for me and had my back." Huggins nodded slightly in understanding, taking a few seconds to make a note on what is being told to him. He vividly recalled times where Lincoln's family either supported him specifically or the entire family in general.
Such moments included Mrs. Loud volunteering for the school's Writing Club, the many sports victories Lynn helped bring the school when she was a student there, the instances where Little Lisa's scientific knowledge helped benefit the school and of course, the day all of the Loud Siblings banded together to help Lincoln deliver his Ace Savvy book to Bill Buck (which happened to include a character based on Huggins himself.) With all of this in mind, Huggins soon found himself wondering what was going on in Lincoln's home that would leave him in a state of disarray.
"As I said, my sisters and I often do look to each other for support...most of the time" the boy murmured, "then, there are times where we let personal drama or faults get the better of us; which leads to nothing but trouble." It was here that Lincoln went into full detail on Lori's recent golf game loss against Carol Pingrey. "She had come so dangerously close to winning, my sister" he said with a light grin, "I was so happy she made it that far."
Huggins also found himself smiling a little, feeling quite pleased by the fact his student was showing such pride for a family member. But something in his bones told him the story was far from over and he urged Lincoln to tell him more. "Long story short; Leni, my second eldest sister, accidentally blew an air horn during Lori's final shot" he muttered shamefully, "she thought that every sport involved fans using such things on the sidelines."
Upon taking a moment to register this bit of info, Huggins came close to calling Leni a moron for making such a mistake. But then, he remembered how she had a...different way of thinking and realized that such a comment would ultimately be offensive; which might also make Lincoln feel even worse. Thus, Huggins decided to hold his tongue and listened to the rest of the story.
"As a result of that, Lori ended up missing her shot and Carol Pingrey won the game" Jordan stated, "this led to her getting into a fight with Leni...which then led to the rest of Lincoln's sisters getting caught up in the hostility as well." Naturally, Huggins felt that this all sounded rather alarming...but still presumed that sibling arguments (even those between sisters) was perfectly normal. "Sadly, Sir...this wasn't as 'normal' as you think" Lincoln groaned, "the last time those two fought, it was over a friggin' dress and things were just as crazy then as they are now!"
When Huggins asked how the last fight was stopped, Lincoln said he tried to help accomplish that...only for his sisters to claim he was "only making things worse" and that it was "a sister thing to deal with." "Apparently...this 'sister thing' they were talking about involved a Sister Fight Protocol" the boy grumbled, "which is a dumb set of 'rules' my sisters created solely for themselves!" Upon explaining the "rules" behind this protocol, Lincoln found himself hesitation; thinking that speaking about the matter anymore would only make things worse for him.
But Huggins insisted that he speak up, claiming he wouldn't know how to help the boy unless he confessed everything. "During this protocol, my sisters have the right to claim any space in the house as a 'Cool Down Zone'" Lincoln grumbled, "this included the kitchen, the living room, my bedroom...even the bathroom and no one is allowed to enter any of them." No sooner had he heard all this, Huggins came close to choking on the coffee he was drinking but Jordan managed to help calm him down again.
"Could you repeat that last part again, Mr. Loud" the principal inquired, "if no one is allowed to enter these 'Cool Down' spaces...what alternative did you have for something like eating or needing to use the restroom?" Almost immediately, Lincoln proclaimed that his friends already had a difficult time believing this part of his story. Thus, he claimed that there was little chance Huggins would believe him either.
"Let me be the judge of that, young man" Huggins said firmly, "now...tell me everything and don't skimp on the details."
(Line Break)
After a while, Lincoln's story had finished and not only did he look near out of breath. But at the same time, Huggins could be seen repeatedly dabbing a tissue upon his forehead; trying to clear away any sweat that was dripping. "This is all...This is quite a lot to take in, children" the principal murmured tiredly, "just tell me one thing...where are the parents during all of this?"
Straightaway, Lincoln confessed that under normal circumstances; his parents would immediately put a stop to any fighting going on. But while they could handle two, three or even four of their children fighting; seeing all ten of their daughters go at each other (even little Lily) was like something out of a war zone. "I've even got some pictures to prove it, Sir" he stated, "see for yourself."
Upon finding the aforementioned images on his phone, he slid it over to Huggins and asked him to look over each one. There were images of the twins, Lana and Lola dressed as "security guards," which Lincoln explained was simply them trying to be like "crowd control." He saw another photo of doorways blocked off with police tape, another one featuring his elder sisters appearing armed o the teeth and one other photo that showed Lincoln in the living room with four other sisters beside him.
"What's going on here, Mr. Loud" questioned Huggins, "why do you look like you've got out of a fight and your sisters look so calm?" After politely asking to interject for a moment, Jordan explained that while the Protocol was in affect; no one was allowed to play music, play video games or watch anything on TV. "According to what Lincoln told my friends and I, any noise from those things would simply make the feuding sisters bicker even longer" Jordan stated, "I wish I was making that up...but I'm not."
When Huggins questioned Lincoln even further on his parents involvement during the fight (or lack there of,) the boy simply groaned and claimed they would probably be hiding out in Lisa's special bunker out in the yard. "YOUR FAMILY HAS A BUNKER" exclaimed Huggins, "I mean...I understand one might need it during natural disasters but what else is it for?" With a weary sigh, Lincoln revealed that Lisa was the one who built the bunker (stressing that the story behind that was too long to tell.)
"The only other time my family would the bunker is whenever April Fools rolls around" he grumbled, "which is...yet another long story I'd rather not get into right now." After that; Lincoln went on to reference all the times his sisters would either beat him, blackmailed him, belittled his interests, mocked his inadequacies, threatened him and/or emotionally manipulate him. "At one point, Lincoln openly confessed that he questioned whether or not his family loved him anymore" Jordan interjected, "after that, my friends and our families offered to help him out."
Huggins couldn't help but smile at the young lady's words, feeling pleased that there was still some decency left in the world out there. After that, all was quiet between the three of them for what felt like ages; save for the sounds of Cheryl typing at her computer outside. Finally, Huggins let out a heavy sigh and confessed that he...still had difficulty comprehending everything he'd been told/shown.
"Children, I must be blunt with you" he said while easing himself back comfortably in his chair, "I'm still having difficulty in processing everything you've just told me...but I can't deny that you've obviously been through a great deal of strife lately." Soon after saying this, he asked Jordan if either of her parents were home. Despite however sudden this request was, she answered that both her folks were off today and were probably at home right now.
Soon after that, Huggins took out a notepad and proceeded to write something down on one of the papers. "Um...I don't want to seem nosey, Sir" Lincoln said timidly, "but might we ask what it is you're writing there?" Not long after this, Jordan confessed in saying that she was wondering the same thing.
The middle-aged principal thanked them both for their thoughtfulness, tore off the piece of paper from the pad and handed it over to Lincoln. "After listening to your entire story and hearing Ms. Rosato's feedback on it, I'm deciding to let you out of school early for Break" Huggins stated, "perhaps, after a few days of fun and merriment; you'll feel much better." Soon after saying this, he offered the same early dismissal to Jordan as well; while also handing two extra notices for Kat and Stella.
When asked why he was doing this for them and not just Lincoln specifically, Huggins said that the girls were "doing a bang-up job" in helping Lincoln remain emotionally stable. "As such, I think he'll need your company during Break" he stated, "just...promise you'll be safe, alright?" Lincoln smiled warmly at his principal, gave a nod in response and expressed his deepest joy/appreciation for his kindness.
Meanwhile, Jordan took out her cellphone and rung up her mother's number; eager to tell her the big news. "Thank you for understanding our situation, Sir" she said gratefully, "have a great Spring Break!" With that said, she and Lincoln hurried out the office as quickly as they could; leaving Huggins alone once more.
For a minute or two, he was desperately trying to get his nerves back to normal. But all he could seem to focus on was Lincoln's story, the pictures he was shown and all the reports he received that day. Finally, Huggins decided that the time had come to take action.
He only hoped he was doing the right thing...and that by the end of this, everything would turn out okay. "Cheryl, could you do me a favor please" he called out loudly, "mind telling me where my contact list is...I need to make a few calls."
(First AN: Sorry if this chapter feels...meh to all of you, everybody. I'm not very skilled at making schoolyard drama situations. But I hope I made everything here as believable as possible.)
(Second AN: The preceding was a revised version of this chapter; after discovering that the timeline on the original upload for this had run out in the Doc Manager, I proofread and re-wrote the whole thing from beginning to end. As such; certain dialogues may have been changed slightly, some scenarios may have been darker and the Lincoln's overall personality was written to appear even more on edge than he was before.
I apologize if these changes surprised you; after re-reading this chapter several times in the past, I thought certain things lacked a little "oomph" to them. Regardless, I hope you'll like the changes and enjoy the rest of the fic)