Chapter 11: Minding Your Own
Alright, here I am with another chapter after 2 weeks of playing catch-up. Let's just say I like to keep ahead of things, so I decided to miss last week so I could get writing a few more chapters in draft form. But now, it is time to upload chapter 11, which will expand further on the developments already established.
Also, hopefully the little 2 week gap of inactivity has allowed readers who hadn't already done so to read up on Pushover or Payback and become familiar with the predecessor to this story, and more specifically, the character Viribus and his previous run-in with the Louds. Of course, he still has to find a way out of prison before he can be a threat again. But he does have some plans in mind…
It was a new day. Lynn was in her cell, the morning after she had spoken with Viribus. She hadn't been sleeping well the night before. She had a lot on her mind. She did her best to stay strong and resilient when in front of the psychotic madman the day before…
…but his words had affected her mind. He had plagued her mental state with his mind games. Lynn was tough, but behind all that toughness was a little girl who never liked it when something came along and bruised her ego. Viribus had done that, and then some. Lynn was far from the most breakable person around, but everyone, even the toughest of people, has their limits, and Lynn had reached hers.
She was lying there, on her bed, in her cell. Repeatedly rethinking everything she was told…
"You feel like you absolutely MUST win in any competition, because if you lose, everyone will look down on you, laugh at you. They will just view you as worthless."
"All those people, they were the reason you became who you are today. If they weren't so cruel towards you, you never would have developed such a violent, competitive mentality. But now they all judge you for it. But who are they to judge you!?"
"We've taken the same life pathways and made the same life choices. The only difference is I've taken my efforts to greater extremes!"
But Lynn's recalling was fortunately brought to a halt as she was called by the prison guard…
"Loud, get your butt off that mattress! Lunch is ready in 5 minutes!" the guard told her.
"Great, what is it today? Barf on toast?! Cheese and mud pizza?! Horse sh…" Lynn asked the guard, before being cut off.
"Shut up and get moving! You either eat what you get, or you go hungry!" the guard firmly told her.
"Eh, well, at least I got a choice." she sarcastically responded.
Lynn then got up and walked out of her cell, and followed the guard and the other juvie inmates, who were doing the same.
"Oh, and this afternoon, some of you will be seen by our therapist, so you all better be on your best behaviours!" the guard informed them.
Lynn expected as much. She remembered what she was told by Viribus's old disciples the previous day, about all the help juvenile detention centres offer to their resident offenders. She suspected she would likely be one of the people to see the therapist that afternoon.
As Lynn prepared to eat another horrible meal, Lincoln was at school, in the hallway, when he came across his younger sisters, Lana and Lola…
"Hey, how are you two doing?" Lincoln casually asked as he passed the twins.
"Bad." Lola bluntly and cynically responded, though she wasn't wrong.
"This still stinks!" Lana followed.
"What? The whole thing with Lynn?" Lincoln asked.
"No, the lack of popsicles in the refrigerator. Of course the Lynn thing!" Lola sarcastically snapped at him.
"Okay, okay. Sorry I asked. I'm just showing concern for you, sis." Lincoln defended.
"Nah, it's alright. We get it. You're just trying to help. It's just that this isn't the sort of thing you can just put out of your mind." Lana said.
"I know what you mean. It's been on my mind, too. But I promise, I'm going to find a way to get Lynn out of jail and back home with us." Lincoln told his younger sisters.
"How?! Lynn's been sent away for a whole year. She was declared guilty in a court of law! How are we gonna get her back?!" Lola questioned, struggling to keep it together.
"Look, just calm down. You're causing a scene in the middle of the hallway!" Lincoln reminded her.
The Lola from the past would have let her anger run wild, but she had mellowed out considerably over the past several months as a person, and with a simple hug of comfort from her twin, she was able to keep herself calm and level-headed.
"I'm sorry. I just miss her. I miss that meat-headed, aggressive brute!" Lola admitted.
Lana and Lola then walked off and continued their day, doing the best they could to move on and ignore the lingering negativity present in their lives because of the fact that one of their own was gone…
…that little display of emotional fragility and damage from one of his youngest siblings only served to enhance the motivation and determination in the heart of the solo brother. Lincoln had another one of his many eureka moments at that second, and decided to find Clyde…
"Hey, Clyde. Got anything planned after school?" Lincoln asked a few moments later, after finding his friend in the cafeteria.
"Let me guess, another search for clues in the mystery machine while we try to prove Lynn's innocence?" Clyde sassily asked.
"Yep. We're taking another trip to Coach Henry's house!" Lincoln replied.
"Um, do you think that's really a good idea?" Clyde nervously inferred.
"Clyde, we can't let that man intimidate us so easily. My sister is counting on us!" he insisted.
"Alright, buddy. Anything for a friend." Clyde reassured him.
"Great, see you after three." Lincoln said as he began to walk off.
Clyde then took his phone out of his pocket and began to call someone…
"Dr Lopez, it's Clyde."
Back in juvie, Lynn was sitting at one of the tables, eating her lunch. It was the usual slop on a plate she was begrudgingly being forced to get used to. She couldn't help but look around at all the scum that surrounded her. To her left, she could see two of the ladies that beat her to a pulp just 2 days ago, Viper and Mamushi, at a different table finishing their food and getting ready to go work out.
Lynn then rolled her eyes and shifted her focus to the right. At another table, she could see the 3 former disciples of Viribus, who she spoke to just the day before, engaging in conversation with each other. While they weren't the hell bringers they were some time ago, they still weren't the people she ideally wanted to have around her.
Finally, she looked afar, well across the courtyard area towards the fence. She could see, very distantly, the sadistic and sinister smile of the man who was inside her head. Viribus was still there, watching over her, making her feel very uneasy…
"Ugh! I'm gonna go and work out! Take my mind off things." Lynn said to herself as she left her horrible food and made her way to the weights area.
"Alright, nothing will stop me today. It's for Lynnsanity to get pumped!" she told herself.
Lynn picked up a dumbbell and performed a few bicep curls, before being distracted by a shadow that loomed over her from her back.
"Who's there?!" Lynn protectively asked as she turned around to face the person who was standing behind her.
Lynn looked up at the taller girl. It was someone she had already become quite familiar with, unfortunately…
"Hey, Lynn, is it?" Mamba asked.
"Yeah, that's me." Lynn protectively replied, trying to show courage and strength despite being confronted by the leader of the gang who gave her a savage beating.
"Pumping some iron, huh? Good stuff." Mamba said.
"Yeah, I like to keep myself strong." Lynn responded.
"Nice. Mind if I join you?" Mamba asked.
Lynn was uncertain what her response would be. She didn't want to anger the fearsome gang leader of the snake girls, but she didn't exactly have a good reason to trust her, either…
"Eh, I guess so." Lynn replied.
And with that, the lean muscular Mamba began lifting with a barbell next to where Lynn was. After a few moments, Mamba sparked another conversation…
"So, I never asked. What are you in for?" Mamba asked.
"Taking sports enhancements and attacking a bunch of kids." Lynn replied.
"Is that all?!" Mamba questioned, believing that to be soft stuff.
"What do you mean 'is that all?!'" Lynn responded.
"The amount of stuff I've done in my time makes your little crimes look like child's play." Mamba bragged to the smaller girl.
"What do you want? A medal for all your toughness?!" Lynn bit back.
"Hey, no need to get all touchy with me! I'm just asking you a question." Mamba reminded her.
"Yeah, well, maybe there is. I don't even know why I'm talking to you! You didn't exactly give me the warmest welcome when I got here!" Lynn said.
"Oh, let it go! What happened the other day was just me and my buddies showing the new meat, that's you, who's dominant around here. Nothing personal." Mamba said.
"Gee, thanks. That makes me feel much better." Lynn sarcastically said.
"Besides, your face is already getting better. The bruises are already clearing up and you seem a little more able to move today." Mamba observingly stated.
"My body is used to pain." Lynn coldly said.
"Wow, you're pretty hardcore, aren't ya?" Mamba teased.
"Look, if you're quite done yapping, I've got muscles to build." Lynn told her as she began to walk off to another piece of weight lifting equipment.
Mamba turned to face the retreating Lynn, who was just trying to mind her own business and avoid getting into any more trouble…
"HEY! I just offered to be your friend, meat! You really should consider taking me up on my offer!" Mamba aggressively told the sports nut.
"Really? I don't remember the words 'do', 'want', 'be' or 'friend' coming from you. Besides, I don't want to be friends with any losers in here! I just want to lay low, serve my sentence, and get outta here!" Lynn coldly but bluntly responded.
"Oh, I get it?! You think you're so much better than the rest of us! Like we're all a bunch of demons or something! Well, tell me this, if you're so much better than we are, then why are you stuck in here with us!?" Mamba asked Lynn.
Lynn knew she was caught with a genuinely challenging question, as Mamba had a point. While she was surrounded by absolute scum like Viribus, his disciples, and a whole range of other violent and unhinged criminals, it was fair to say she was no saint either. Mamba was right in that right there and then, Lynn was considered no better by society than anyone else in the facility.
"Just go away! I don't want any trouble! I just want to be left alone!" Lynn answered as an attempt to get out of the discussion.
"Look, kid. I just offered to be your friend. If you haven't already figured it out, let me spell it out for ya! When someone offers to be your friend in here, you take them up on it! For your own good!" Mamba explained harshly.
"Okay, okay. Fine. We're friends! Can I get on with my day now?" Lynn asked.
"Sure. But I'll be back." Mamba mockingly teased Lynn.
Lynn then moved along to continue her workout during the remainder of her free roam hour that day. Apparently, the beginning of a new, uneasy friendship had begun. Of course, she did wonder to herself why this tough girl, who just days before beat her to a pulp, wanted to be her friend all of a sudden. However, she just couldn't think all that clearly at that point, given how much everything that had happened was messing with her head. On top of all the recent events that prayed on her brain, her interaction with Viribus, and the fact that he was only on the other side of the building, was still haunting her…
…but at least she had a therapy session that afternoon to look forward to…
Later that day, Lincoln and Clyde were walking on the outer skirts of Royal Woods, in the same area they had been to just a couple of days prior. Lincoln wanted to find out more about the coach who he considered was responsible for his sister's arrest. The duo had made it to his street, and could see his house in the distance…
"So, what exactly is the plan? I hope it's not another one of your shouting matches with the guy!" Clyde told his friend.
"Not exactly." Lincoln replied.
But before the two could get too close to the house, a large loading vehicle stopped outside the coach's house. Based on the branding on the side of the vehicle, it was a courier service. One called "RED EX". Henry then stepped outside and met with the courier.
"What's going on?" Clyde curiously asked.
"I don't know. It looks like he's up to something bad!" Lincoln concluded.
"Why do you say that?" Clyde questioned.
"Well, aren't you just a little suspicious about what he's buying?!" Lincoln asked as he pointed towards the vehicle, as the back had just been opened and revealed three palettes full of boxes.
"What in the world?!" Clyde asked as he gazed in awe at the sheer size of the delivery the coach was receiving.
"What could be in all those boxes!?" Lincoln asked suspiciously.
What was even more suspicious was the fact that the courier himself appeared very scruffy and unprofessional, wearing casual, punk-rock attire rather than a workman's uniform. He seemed very care-free about his business…
"Anywhere you want these loads dropping?" the courier asked Henry.
"Just get them on the ground and I'll take them inside." Henry told him.
The boxes were just plain with only small labels on them saying what they were, but the boys were too far away to see what they said. The courier lifted the loads off his vehicle and onto the coach's front lawn.
"What do you want all these for, anyway?" the courier asked.
"Oh, these are just for a little project I'm working on with someone." the coach answered.
The coach then helped the courier unload the delivery, while the duo looked on…
"Talk about suspicious activity." Clyde stated.
"As if I needed any more evidence that Henry is up to no good! Clyde, take pictures!" Lincoln ordered.
Clyde then pulled out his phone and took some photos of the huge delivery that Henry was receiving…
But he forgot to turn off the flash.
"HEY!" the courier complained as he noticed someone spying on him and the coach.
"YOU AGAIN!" Henry shouted as he could see the boys with the phone from the distance.
"RUN!" Lincoln and Clyde collectively yelled as they began to flee.
"What do you think he's got planned, Lincoln?" Clyde asked whilst running.
"I don't know, but I know it's something terrible! Henry is in league with someone, someone dangerous, and they're working on something big! I didn't get the info I needed out of Henry today, but I'm going to keep digging! I'm going to expose that creep for what he is before he gets a chance to act on his big plan!" Lincoln declared, all while running with Clyde.
But while Lincoln and Clyde retreated and rethought their strategy for investigation, Lynn was about to be forced to rethink a lot of things, as she sit down in a small room with only a couple of chairs. She was about to be given a psychological therapy session with a juvenile counsellor as part of the juvie's program to help her with her mental problems.
Given all the stuff going on inside her head, it was going to be a very long and very interesting session…
"Lynn Loud Jr?" the lady asked.
"Uh-huh." Lynn answered.
"I'm Doctor Ramirez. Would you like to tell me what's on your mind?" the lady asked the young girl.
Lynn recognised the doctor shared the name of her former school's principal, and she knew that unfortunately, that would be far from the only thing from her former life before jail that she was about to recall uncomfortably during the following session…
That gets us up to 11 chapters done now. From this point onwards, I'll probably upload a new chapter either once a week or once every 2 weeks depending on the rate of progress I make concerning the writing process. I'm now thankfully at a point once again where I'm considerably ahead of where we currently are now in chapter 11.
Typically, it will be weekends whenever I upload new chapters, either on Saturday or Sunday, so keep paying attention at that time of week to see if there's anything new, though I can't promise it will be every week.
Anyway, thanks to the readers of this fic for sticking with the story this far. Your support is greatly valued. I'll be back soon enough with chapter 12.