Gender Bender with the Gal Pals

(Story Synopsis: Once more, Lincoln finds his identity *his gender identity, to be precise* being put into question; this time by his fellow classmates. After seeing him act more sensitively in public, showing interests in "female oriented" hobbies and factoring that in with him being surrounded by more girls than boys his own age; many of Lincoln's fellow students begin to wonder if he is more of a girl than a boy. Some of them have gone as far as to call him "Linka" out of mockery or spite because of it.

Will Lincoln submit to all this teasing or will a new arrival at the school be able to help remind him and the school that he is just fine as he is?)

It was the second week of school since Winter Break came to an end and things went about like usual. Students either chatted idly in the halls or rushed off to class, hall monitors could be seen trying to keep the peace and teachers were in their classrooms giving lessons. Yessir, things were quite busy at Royal Woods Middle School; especially at the office of Miss April Rains, the guidance counselor.

Like most people in her field, much of the week was spent in helping comfort troubled students or to provide some advice for them. Be it relationship issues, emotional issues or simply anxiety from the day-by-day school schedule; students could count on Miss Rains for a pick me up. However, when Friday afternoon came around; she would be faced with a situation that would prove to be quite a challenge for her.

On the day in question, Miss Rain was in the midst of finishing up another one of her earlier appointments, just after finishing her lunch. "Now, young man; remember what we've talked about today" she said while helping lead a young 7th Grader out the door, "you need to stand firm, stand your ground, look your father in the eye and tell him 'I don't like playing football anymore, I want to go join the Drama Club and become an actor!'" Feeling emboldened by the counselor's advice, the student gave a soft yet still hearty cheer and thanked Miss Rain with an enthusiastic handshake.

"Thanks so much for the support, Ma'am" the young man said gratefully, "I sure hope it works when I get the chance to talk with my dad." With that done, Miss Rain bade the student good day and sent him off to class. She was just moments away from going into her office to clean up before the final bell, when she saw another student waiting outside.

Much to her surprise; it was Lincoln Loud, a student she'd seldom seen grace her door since school started in the fall. Upon inspection, she could see that the poor boy looked incredibly downtrodden and even spotted dry tear streaks on his cheeks. "Namaste, Mr. Loud" greeted Miss Rain with a slight bow, "is there something I can help you with?"

Without saying a word, Lincoln reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. After she unfolded it, Miss Rain saw that it was a notice signed by both Lincoln's homeroom teacher and Principal Ramirez. Upon reading it; her expressions shifted between surprised, shocked and finally, distressed.

"It says here that your teachers claim you've been...disrupting your classes" she said uneasily, "care to talk about it, dear?" After taking a moment to wipe the tear streaks from his face away, Lincoln offered up a slight nod and entered the counselor's office. Afterwards, he plonked himself heavily upon a large couch; the kind psychiatrists were known to have.

For what felt like ages, neither one of them spoke a word the instant Lincoln came in; which made Miss Rain feel rather nervous. Wishing to help break the ice, she decided to offer up a peppermint from a candy dish she had on her desk. "Thanks...but no thanks, ma'am" Lincoln murmured sadly, "I don't feel much in the mood for sweets right now."

This statement felt like a powerful gut punch for Miss Rain; for most of the year, her peppermints had either been the perfect ice breaker or closer for her appointments. So, if one of the students wasn't willing to accept one; something must've truly been amiss.

"Very well, then" she sighed, "let's get down to business...care to discuss these accusations regarding you 'disrupting class?'" The moment this question was asked, Lincoln instantly leapt into a frenzy. He was pacing the room, pulling at his hair, stomping his feet; all while ranting about how everything "wasn't his fault" or that the other students should've simply "minded their own business." When she saw that his face was starting to glow red, Miss Rains quickly took action.

"Mr. Loud...or would you prefer I call you Lincoln, instead" she asked, "why don't we take a moment to calm down...care to meditate with me?" While he still felt a little flustered over everything that's happened, something about the counselor's suggestion gave him pause. After a while, Lincoln decided to take up on her suggestion and assumed the proper lotus position on the couch.

"Now, as we breathe in the calm and expel the negativity; chant with me" Miss Rain instructed, "ooooommmm...ooooommmm." Without hesitation, Lincoln followed his instructions and chanted after every breath he took. For a brief moment, Lincoln felt like he was back in Dr. Lopez's office; considering she used similar breathing exercises in the past with Clyde (and himself.)

For almost two minutes, nothing seemed to happen; which made Lincoln feel rather upset. "No...No, remember your lessons" he told himself, "think calm, peaceful thoughts." With this in mind; after another two minutes of breathing, Lincoln appeared much calmer than he did earlier.

However, he could still feel the stresses of what he experienced over the week gnawing away at his sanity. By the time they finished meditating, Lincoln felt...a little less on edge than before. "There we are...feeling better" asked Miss Rain, earning a slight nod from Lincoln; "that is good, now...do you want to talk about what happened now?"

As he gently eased himself in a more comfortable position on the couch, Lincoln mentally debated on what to do next. Finally, after a minute of silence; Lincoln faced Miss Rain and decided to come clean. "The truth is, Ma'am; I really do need someone to talk to about this" he explained, "but...I'm worried about what you might think about me."

Miss Rain nodded slightly at this, believing that this was a good start towards Lincoln opening up and she asked why he seemed so worried. "Okay, I know you think I'm weird for saying this" the boy murmured, "but for the past week; thanks to some of my classmates, I've been having...a sort...identity crisis." This revelation left the counselor feeling both confused yet intrigued, at the same time.

But never the less; Miss Rain insisted upon Lincoln that they were in a safe place, that he could talk to her about anything. "Okay...here it goes, then" Lincoln said with a sigh, "it all started on Monday in Home Ec Class."

(Flashback)

As our story takes us to the beginning of the week, we find Lincoln and Clyde working as partners in Home Economics class. While they had some difficulty in understanding the matters of finances and home management, they strongly excelled in the classes two other aspects; namely child care and cooking. On this particular day, their teacher tasked everyone with making a full tin of muffins (regardless of flavor variety.)

In response to this, most of the class either groaned with boredom or acted like the task was "demeaning." But for Clincoln McCLoud, this was the greatest news they've heard since the time the mall gave away were free Ace Savvy Convention tickets (to the first few dozen people, of course.) "I've been hankering to make my favorite strawberry muffins" Lincoln said with anticipation, "we better get our station ready, Clyde."

As the duo quickly went to work in setting up their supplies, some of the other students looked upon them with looks of mild disgust and disappointment. The boys felt especially bothered by this, thinking it was "weird" to see two members of their gender to get so excited over cooking. When the time came where everyone's muffins were finished baking, the end results were...varied.

Some students' creations came out underdone but still tasted appealing. Others came out so burnt that the whole classroom almost suffocated from the smoke. But there was a select few whose creations came out so perfectly and tasted so delicious, the teacher proclaimed they must've been made by professionals on the sly.

The first of these happy few was Omar, who presented a tin full of Cajun style cornbread muffins. The aroma they gave off was so rich, it completely drove away that of the burning muffin platters. "Ooh! Oh, Omar; these are delectable" exclaimed the teacher with glee, after making a taste test, "did you really make these from scratch?"

The young man blushed humbly, chuckled and said that he got the recipe from his mother; Gail. "I always love it when Mama Gail makes her Cajun recipes" Omar said with nostalgia in his voice, "next to these muffins, her gumbo and hush puppies are to die for!" Not only did the young man's words make the teacher quiver with delight, it also caused Lincoln and Clyde's bellies to rumble.

When the time came for her to try their muffins, the teacher proclaimed that Lincoln and Clyde's had the perfect amount of sweetness baked into them. "Thank you, Ma'am" Lincoln said gratefully, "my dad first taught me how to make these when I was nine, it's what got me into loving how to cook." Not long after this, Clyde echoed his bestie's words; expressing his years of cooking alongside both of his fathers with great pride.

This announcement created a mixed reaction among the students, to say the least. While the teacher, the duo's other guy friends and even a few girls in the class thought their skills were impressive; everyone else...had other things to say. "Figures you of all people would like cookin', Loud" a 7th Grader jeered from the back of the room, "bein' around all those ladies must've turned ya into some kinda sissy!"

This outcry of mockery caused several students to burst out in laughing; which in turn, made both Clyde and Lincoln blush profusely with embarrassment. This jeering went on for almost two minutes, until the teacher finally managed to get the class back in line. "There is no need for that kind of talk, everyone" she said firmly, "perhaps, you're only behaving this way because you're jealous of the boys' actual hard work."

Soon after the teacher said all this, the heckling students soon fell silent; even though they still had plenty more to say in regards to Lincoln's "hard work." Meanwhile, the boy in question was curling up so tightly in his seat with shame; he wished he could pop his head into his body like a tortoise. That was when he suddenly felt Omar's large hand touch him on the shoulder.

"Don't listen to all them, my man" he whispered reassuringly, "it's like the teacher said, they're just jealous." While one part of his mind fully agreed with Omar's words, there was another part of Lincoln that believed everyone was right to call him a sissy.

(Cut Back to Reality)

As we return to the counselor's office and as Lincoln tells Miss Rain about the event in question; she seemed rather...unresponsive, at first. Then, she takes a look at the notice he was given and questions how his teachers believed he was "disrupting class." "I think only Principal Ramirez sees it that way, Ma'am" Lincoln retorted politely, "of course...I can't really blame her, after the week I've had."

With this statement, he revealed that incidents like the one from Home Ec happened to him on several occasions within that one week alone. "To start with; during each day, some students always snicker at me when I'm sitting with a mix of my guy and girl friends; regardless of where I'm at" Lincoln explained, "apparently, they think it's 'weird' that I'm around them so much...the girls, I mean." Miss Rain nodded silently, took note of this on a piece of paper and bade him to continue. "Then, on Wednesday; I recited a poem for my English assignment" Lincoln stated, "and the teacher really liked it."

Though pleased by this news, Miss Rains asked how this was associated with Lincoln's crisis. "Well...I'm not usually much of a poem expert" he replied shyly, "that's more my sister, Lucy and our friend, Haiku's skill set...but they've been giving me quite a few pointers." Soon after he said this, Lincoln then revealed how some classmates started whispering about him in silence.

"I couldn't quite hear them very clearly, truth be told" he confessed, "but I swear, I heard at least one or two of them say stuff like 'taking lessons from your sister...how lame' or 'he's the only guy I know who's actually into this poetry garbage.'" Like before, Miss Rain took note of everything Lincoln just told her. But while she did so, she inwardly felt that it was most uncouth for Lincoln's fellow students to act that way about him.

"What about the day before that" she asked, "did anything happened on Tuesday that revolves around this issue?" With a light blush upon his cheeks; Lincoln revealed that what happened, that day was something near similar to the Home Ec "incident." "We were in Art Class, you see" he explained, "it was pottery day and Clyde and I were putting great care into our creation."

(Flashback)

As the pottery assignment began in the art room, Clyde carefully moved his hands along the swirling mount of clay on his creation; while Lincoln was busily styling his with a few artistic designs. "Maybe I should mix it up a little, add a few animal designs along with the floral ones" Lincoln pondered, "you know, like some of the Mexican pottery Miss Campos showed us one time." After taking a moment to consider the idea, Clyde thought it was quite clever and seconded it.

That's when it happened; as both boys began to color their creations, they suddenly heard whispers from the students that sat close by to them. Among these whispers was the occasional assumption that only "fruity people" enjoyed art and that Lincoln was, once again acting less like a boy and more like a lady. To really drive the point home; at one point, a paper plane suddenly struck Lincoln in the back of the head.

Upon inspecting the item, Clyde could see what looked like traces of colored pencil markings from within the creases. But before they could see what was on the paper itself, the teacher caught sight of the duo and told them to put their plane away or throw it away. "Let's check it out after class, buddy" Lincoln said while stuffing it inside of his backpack, "I mean...it's probably nothing but you can't be sure."

With that settled, both boys quickly went back to their work...but Lincoln still couldn't help but wonder what was on the plane. Finally, when class was dismissed and everyone went out into the halls; Lincoln and Clyde finally had the chance to take a look at it. After carefully unfolding the paper for a few seconds, they took one look at it and their jaws dropped.

(Cut back to reality)

As we cut back to the present, once again; we find Miss Rain looking at the unfolded paper airplane Lincoln had stored away in his backpack. On it was a drawing, one featuring both him and Clyde as girls. Lincoln (or "Linka," as the artist chose to call him on the paper) looked near similar to the original in some ways; white hair, chipped buck tooth, face freckles and the even had the same colored tops.

But Linka was dressed in an orange blouse, a plaid skirt, white earrings, an orange hairclip, red shoes, white knee-high socks and his nails were all coated in pink nail polish. On this same paper was a picture of a female version of Clyde (otherwise known as "Claire" on the drawing.) She was wearing a yellow dress with a white belt and collar, black shoes, knee-high socks (much like Linka's,) wore a blue bow in her poofy/curly black hair and also sported a pair of purple hoop earrings.

For a moment, Lincoln half expected the counselor to feel upset by the drawing...at least, to a certain extent. But instead; much to his surprise, he suddenly heard her...laughing and it sounded quite giddy. Upon realizing her sudden lapse in behavior, seconds later, Miss Rain quickly apologized and placed the drawing on her desk.

"I am dreadfully sorry for that, dear" she said shamefully, "it's just...the picture made you and Clyde look so cute as ladies." While he didn't say it out loud, Lincoln couldn't help but disagree with Miss Rain's words. After a while, she dropped the subject regarding the drawing and urged Lincoln to proceed again.

"Well, another incident happened to me; on that same day" he said firmly, "this time, it happened down in Ms. Pham's Biology Class." From here, Lincoln explained how they were about to delve into the "ever popular" frog dissection assignment. Straightaway, Miss Rain could predict what the initial issue was and she told Lincoln it was quite understandable.

"Truth be told, dear; nobody likes dissecting things that much" she confessed, "regardless if they a girl or a boy." Though Lincoln was happy to hear her say this, he felt that such words came too little too late and that the damage had been done. "'One of the guys from the football team said that any man should have enough stones in them to cut an animal open'" Lincoln grumbled sickly, "'even if it was still alive.'"

As the story went on, he described many other kinds of gender-based slurs that were sent his way during the week. "All around me; a lot of guys and girls started to say I've got no muscles, that I smelled like antibacterial baby wipes most of the time, that I found too much pleasures in beauty treatments; like manicures or mud masks" he stated, "the list goes on!" Almost immediately, Miss Rain questioned the meaning behind the "baby wipes" comment; to which Lincoln responded with all the years he spent changing his littlest sister, Lily.

"Ah, I see; that's perfectly understandable" she stated, "as for your love of 'feminine activities,' it's also perfectly normal" Before Lincoln could offer up a retort, Miss Rain said that loads of boys and even men enjoyed the activities he mentioned; especially spa treatments. "I know many fellows who enjoy a good pedicure every now and again" she stated, "some are even bold enough to put polish on afterwards."

This bit of news came as quite a shock for Lincoln, to say the least. But he quickly realized that with the exception of Clyde and his dads, such menfolk were far too few in town. "What about your father" asked Miss Rain, "if he enjoys cooking, he must also enjoy other 'girl things' as well...doesn't he?"

For a while, Lincoln didn't quite know how to respond to the question. Though he'd seen his dad watch Dreamboat with them on many occasions, help Lucy and Leni with their artistic pursuits, join Lola for her tea parties (on occasion) and put his heart and soul into his cooking skills...he rarely saw him do any other "girly things" in the house. So, this suggestion was a bit of a no go for him.

"Very well, then...what about Clyde" questioned Miss Rain, "in almost every part of your story, I've noticed that he's been on the receiving end of these insults as well...how does he feel about all this?" Without hesitation; Lincoln revealed that deep down, he truly felt jealous of Clyde all week. "You're right, people have called him a sissy for his behavior as much as they do me" Lincoln stated, "even my sister, Lynn did; long ago."

While trying to be respectful; Miss Rain said that while she appreciated the boy's openness, he was still dodging the question. "Okay...you're right, sorry" Lincoln murmured, "my point is, despite all the names he's been called all week; Clyde didn't feel bothered by any of it!" When the Loud boy got the chance to do so, he asked his BFF why he was able to stay so strong; in spite of all the slurs.

"Then...he looked me in the eyes and said that he liked who he was" Lincoln murmured, "he liked being the quirky, awkward, nerdy yet talented and sweet son of two dads...that he had no shame in being so open with his feminine side." Upon hearing this part of the story, Miss Rain proceeded to ask Lincoln if he felt ashamed about this part of him. "No...Maybe...I don't know, I guess" he grumbled with a light yet shamed blush, "can we talk about something else, please?"

Reluctantly, Miss Rain complied with his request and chose to ask what happened on Thursday. "Well...my friend, Jordon (or Girl Jordan as others often called her) showed me this new song she downloaded on her phone last weekend" Lincoln explained, "ever heard of 'The Hardest Part of Breaking Up' by Boyz Will Be Boyz?" The instant the song title was mentioned, Miss Rain suddenly glowed with joy.

"Oh! My niece introduced me to that song and I just love it" she exclaimed, "it's my second favorite...next to 'Isn't It Love' by Estella Sugar." No sooner had she mentioned this; she asked Lincoln if he somehow, knew of the song. "No...Yes...maybe a little bit of it" he murmured, "it's been a while since I heard it, to be honest."

Though she could sense a small ring of truth to his words, Miss Rain knew that Lincoln was more familiar with the song than he let on. This gave her the idea to test him and see if he was telling the truth. "I admit, it's been some time since I last heard the song too...does it sound anything like this?"

No sooner had she asked this question, she reached beneath her desk and pulled out a guitar; one that she received from a family member on Christmas. Then, she started strumming the first few chords of the song; which made Lincoln feel a little worried. "Uh...(ahem) Ma'am, I don't wish to be rude here" he said timidly, "but if anyone outside hears you playing, they might get upset."

With a soft smile on her face, Miss Rain assured Lincoln that no one would be interfering with her session. "I've hung a notice outside the door, while you were seating yourself earlier." To prove her point, she opened the door slightly to reveal a small plastic notice hanging from the doorknob; one that read "session in progress, do not disturb."

"So, unless something dire happens; no one will be intruding on the two of us" Miss Rain assured, "which means, we're free to have a little sing-along." With that said, she resumed playing the opening chords to Isn't It Love once again. The whole time she played, the different notes of the guitar strings suddenly began to sooth Lincoln's mind; albeit slightly.

Then, Miss Rain started to hum a soft tune; which sounded just as pleasant to Lincoln's ears. Finally, after one quick yet strong strum of a guitar chord; the counselor began to sing.

Suddenly hot I'm...

Suddenly cool I'm...

Suddenly a genius I'm...

Suddenly a fool I'm...

Suddenly fact but I feel-

Stranger than fiction I'm new

But I'm suddenly back

I'm a walking contradiction!

At that moment, Miss Rain had suddenly stopped playing and cast a glance over at Lincoln; who appeared to be swaying slightly in his chair and humming softly. With a pleased smile on her face, Miss Rain gave the boy a playful nudge and urged him into singing the next part with her. "C'mon, honey...it'll be fun" she urged softly, "I just know you know at least some of the words!"

After this was said, Miss Rain gave her guitar another strum and started singing the phrase "doesn't this have a name" three times over. During each of the these times, she gestured out to Lincoln; as if signaling for him to sing the chorus...but he hesitated. With this attempt failed, she sang the opening vocals once more until she reached the middle verse; where she made another attempt to coerce Lincoln into singing with her.

Miss Rain: Doesn't this have a name?

Lincoln but with a hesitant voice: La-da...da-da...da

Miss Rain: Doesn't this have a name?

Lincoln but with slightly more confidence: La-da-da-da-da

Miss Rain: Doesn't this have a name?

(Miss Rain with a bright smile)

And isn't it, isn't it, isn't it love?

(Lincoln with a small but happy smile)

Isn't it, isn't it, isn't it love?

(Miss Rain)

And isn't it, isn't it, isn't it love?

(both)

Isn't it

Isn't it

Isn't it LOOOOOOOVE?

After the song came to an end, the duo fell back into their seats and panted heavily; all while having broad smiles upon their faces. Miss Rain then put her guitar away, smoothed out her hair and clothes and sighed with contentment. "That was wonderful, Lincoln" she said with pride, "you really are a great singer." The young Loud boy was but a moment away from thanking her...until his eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

At first, Miss Rain took this as a sign that he felt moved by either the song itself or by the performance...but he quickly dismissed her theory. "I'm crying because the others were right" he growled tearfully, "I am a weirdo...a weirdo who acts more like a girl than he does a boy!" Before she had the chance to speak up, Lincoln reminded her of their earlier discussion; when he mentioned the Boyz Will Be Boyz song.

"See, I was on my way to the cafeteria and...I guess I had a case of earworm, that day" he stated, "I'd been singing both songs to myself at random times while I was walking the halls, I even danced a little to them!" As expected, Miss Rain insisted upon Lincoln that there was no crime in doing either of those things; as long as he wasn't disturbing anyone. "Besides; guy or girl, who could ever dislike any of top hits that play on the radio" she asked, "they were put there for a reason...because they're infectiously catchy, am I right?"

As if on cue; Lincoln responded to this by falling back against the couch, throwing his hands up into the air and proclaiming "YES, EXACTLY...THANK YOU!" All too quickly, though; he suddenly realized his outburst and got back on the subject at hand. "This brings us to today" he cried with exasperation, "about an hour and a half ago, to be exact."

Intrigued by this, Miss Rain asked what it was that happened at that specific time. "I...I'm afraid that might be too embarrassing to talk about, even here" Lincoln replied hesitantly, "I'm worried you might laugh at me." Feeling mildly offended by such an assumption, Miss Rain firmly assured Lincoln that the office was a safe place; which guaranteed zero percent judgment towards whatever he might say there.

Upon hearing the sincerity in the counselor's voice, Lincoln felt a comfortable enough to speak his mind. "Okay...it's like this" he began, "we'd just finished off playing Bombardment in Gym and my team did awesomely with our trusty Scorpion Formation!" Feeling curious, Miss Rain asked how such a strategy helped them win; to which Lincoln responded with one simple word..."Stella."

"She's one of my lady friends and has been an honorary part of my 'Guy Crew,' as it were since Grade School; quite some time before I became friends with any of the other Gal Pals" he explained, "she also acts as the 'tail' in our Scorpion Formation!" Realizing that he was getting slightly off track, Lincoln offered to tell that part of the story later. Afterwards, he got back to just after the game had ended and the time came for all students to hit the showers.

"Now, I know what you're thinking and the answer is no" Lincoln said suddenly, "I am not nervous about showering around several other boys my age at once." Miss Rain blinked softly in both confusion and amazement, wondering just how he knew she planned on asking him about that. "Very well, then" she murmured, "what else happened during your shower time."

After taking a moment to gulp down the nervous lump in his throat, Lincoln prepped himself to begin his tale...but not before asking to take a peppermint from her candy dish. "Of course, dear" Miss Rain said with a light grin, "perhaps, it will help keep you calm while you tell your story." Lincoln smiled warmly, took a one of the mints in hand and thanked the counselor with a bow of his head.

"Okay...so, it's like this" he murmured, "the game went great, my team performed incredibly well and I had loads of fun chatting with my friends in the showers...until I started scrubbing myself." Before continuing, he picked up his bag and collected something from inside; a bottle of Oriental Serenity Body Wash. "OH! I love this kind of soap" Miss Rain cried with glee, "not only are all of its ingredients organic but like the ad promises, it leaves your skin looking and smelling as fresh as springtime cherry blossoms!"

After sharing a small chuckle at this exclamation; Lincoln revealed that everything Miss Rain said was exactly why his sisters Lori, Leni, Lola...and even his parents loved using the body wash. "Since I saw my dad use it on occasion, I thought I'd try it out for myself after my Gym shower" he explained, "boy...was that a dumb mistake."

(Flashback)

As the boys entered the shower area of the locker room, some among them began laughing heartily at their victory while others lamented being on the losing side. "I can't believe how quickly we got smoked out there" said a young teen with a faux hawk and a unibrow, "I told you guys there was something fishy about that 'Scorpion Formation' thing that Loud's team came up with." The boys friends all grumbled softly, either telling him not to remind him about the loss or that to say they were too sore to make an argument.

"It's all your fault, Mordecai" growled a heavyset kid with tall blonde hair, "you had to open your big trap mouth and claim Stella had no game...and now look at us; we got dodgeball-sized bruises on all four corners of our bodies!" As if he heard their cries of disappointment, Lincoln stepped out of the shower with a proud smile upon his face.

"Sorry that had to happen, guys" he murmured, "but it's like my sister, Lynn says; don't hate the player, hate the game." Mordecai and those beside him growled softly at Lincoln's bravado and were prepared to gang up on him...until a strange aroma suddenly reached their sinuses. It was a strange mix of roses, citrus and even a subtle hint of tangerine.

"What gives, Loud" questioned the kid with the faux hawk, "why do you smell like an Asian bath house?" In that moment, one part of his mind urged him not to speak; fearing the social repercussions that might come afterwards. This was especially apparent due to the troublesome week he had.

But another part of him felt he had zero reason to hide anything and thus, Lincoln revealed his body wash to everyone in the locker room. After that...all was deathly quiet, save for the occasional drops of water from the shower heads and/or the squeaking of everyone's feet on the floor. Then, at long last; the faux hawk decided to change the comment he said earlier.

"I was wrong, Loud and I'm sorry" he muttered, "you don't smell like an Asian bath house...you smell like an Asian super model!" This "insult" (if one could call it that) prompted the heavyset boy to laugh loudly. "Yeah! Are ya freshening up for your next photo shoot, Linka" he asked mockingly, "you don't wanna be late!"

His anger already on the point of boiling over already, Lincoln felt libel to tell off these bullies and proclaim there was nothing wrong with how he smelled or the soap he used. But before he could raise his voice even a little; something suddenly snapped at him from his right, sending a powerfully painful sensation through his body. He looked over and saw that another one of the boys had rolled up his towel nice and tight.

"HA! Did you hear that just now, fellas" he guffawed loudly, "he even screams like a girl!" This declaration brought the entire locker room to break out into a fit of laughter...save for a small group of lads (Clyde among them.) Though it pained them to do so, the group didn't want to risk getting into trouble by getting caught up in the scene.

Thus, their only option was to retreat into the showers and take cover. There, Clyde watched as the others snapped their towels at Lincoln's body and feet; eager to make him sing and/or dance like the "girl" he was. As a result of this, every now and again; the poor boy would slip and fall on the wet floor.

Even though said falls did hurt a little, Lincoln refused to show it; not wanting to give his hecklers anymore ammo to use against him. Though his whole thing; only one other dude stayed out of the whole debacle, Byron (who was a close friend of Cici's.) "Things are getting out of hand in here" Byron murmured worriedly, "if they keep this up, Lincoln could either injure himself or who knows what else!"

With this in mind, Omar volunteered to go and get Coach Keck in her office. Unfortunately, due to the situation at hand; Omar had no time to change back into his school clothes. Thus, he was forced to wrap an XXXtra large towel around and rush out of the locker room in this manner.

Naturally, seeing one of her students appear in her office half-naked shocked Coach Keck greatly. "SIMMONS! What in blue blazes are you doing" she cried, "why aren't you dressed yet?!" After taking a moment to catch his breath, Omar first apologized for not appearing presentable.

Then, he told her that Lincoln was in danger and that she needed to help him now. "What's the problem now" the coach asked with a light yet disgruntled sigh, "did McBride forget his locker combination again or did Gurdle have heat stroke from the shower steam?" Now, one hundred percent of the time; Omar strove to always behave himself and respect his elders (just as his police officer of a mama taught him.)

But in a case like this where one of his friends was in danger, he couldn't stand around and make nice; action was called for. "Look...I'm really sorry to say this to you, Ma'am" Omar murmured shyly, "but...GET YO' BUTT OUTTA THAT CHAIR AND COME WITH ME BEFORE MY FRIEND GETS SERIOUSLY HURT!" No sooner had he said this, Coach Keck's face suddenly flared red with anger and she immediately gave chase after him; which was exactly what Omar wanted.

When the two of them had finally arrived back at the gym, the small group of boys were still snapping their towels and laughing at something on the floor. The instant her mind registered this scene, all of Coach Keck's previous anger towards Omar gave way to newfound outrage towards her students' rowdy behavior. As such, she popped her whistle in her mouth and gave it a strong toot; which caused the group of boys to immediately back away.

"ALRIGHT, YOU LITTLE RAGGAMUFFINS; WHAT'S GOIN' ON IN HERE" she shouted, "what all this laughing..." As she walked over towards the middle of the locker room; she looked down and found Lincoln lying on the floor, his body covered in numerous red bruises on almost every inch of his body. At the same time, she also saw him curled up into a tight fetal position and appeared to be crying softly.

Needless to say, Coach Keck was not at all pleased about any of this and she planned to have the students hear it. "Okay...who did this" she asked in a fierce whisper, "who's responsible for hurting Loud and why?" As one would expect, not one of the boys dared to speak up due to their overall fear of what the coach might do to them.

This, of course only made her even angrier and she, once again demanded that someone speak up. When she saw that no one was brave enough to raise their voices or their hands, Coach Keck grew even more flustered and was ready to send everyone off to the principal's office...until someone finally broke the silence. "Coach, if I may; those of us who stayed in the shower area saw everything" Clyde interjected, "it was Mordecai, he and a few other students ganged up on Lincoln over the type of body wash he was using."

At first, Coach Keck thought that the explanation sounded just a little too ridiculous to believe. But then, she quickly remembered how fickle middle schoolers could often be with each other and immediately called Mordecai's group forward. "But...But Coach, the kid was stinkin' up the place with his girly smells" cried the faux hawk boy, "if anyone's at fault here, it's Loud!"

In that moment, Coach Keck felt torn; on one hand, she wanted to discipline the boys both for their actions and their excuses. But on the other, she heard that Lincoln had been the center of several other incidents during the majority of that week alone. In the end, she came to a decision that would have both sides dealt with.

"It doesn't matter who started it, kiddies" Coach Keck said firmly, "what matters is that you finished it, just like I'm going to...by having you and anyone else who attacked Loud spend the next four months running suicides at the start of class!" As one might expect, Mordecai and those around him all cried out in outrage; claiming that running such drills could probably "kill them." "Well, you probably shoulda thought of that before you started attackin' one of the other students" the coach said firmly, "now...get yourselves dressed and outta this locker room!"

As much as the suicide drills punishment bothered them, the fear they felt from the tone in Coach Keck's voice overshadowed that and the students quickly hurried off to collect their clothes. Then, once they were dressed; they rushed out of the gymnasium, not wishing to linger around for much longer. This left the coach and the rest of the boys behind with Lincoln, who was still crying on the locker room floor.

"Somebody...help seat him on the bench and dry him off" sighed the coach tiredly, "then...help bring him down to the principal's office after." Clyde, Omar, Bryon and all the remaining boys nodded slightly in compliance; before gently taking hold of Lincoln and sitting him up on one of the benches. With this taken care of, the coach made her way back to her office.

But before she left, Lincoln swore he heard her whisper "these Louds...why are they such a magnet for shenanigans." This statement, while not directed squarely at him, felt like a gut punch to the poor boy.

(Back to reality)

As we cut back to the present, Lincoln is seen showing the many bruises the towel attack left on him. Needless to say, Miss Rain was quite shocked and questioned Coach Keck didn't send Lincoln off to the nurse first before the principal's office. "That's really not important now" Lincoln grumbled, "the point of my story is once again, Fate has messed with me and shown just how much of a freak I am...this time to my classmates!"

No sooner had he mentioned this, Lincoln further expressed his shame towards the situation by referencing other events from his past. "Back in the day, this sort of thing happened to me before" he murmured, "there was another time where I feared I was becoming less of a boy/man than I should've been!" Feeling nervous but still rather curious, Miss Rain asked what transpired on the date in question.

"To make a long story short; thanks to being around my sisters, I grew to love and/or know about more female things than male" Lincoln replied, "I was doing mud mask treatments with Lori, painting Lucy or Lola's nails, helping sew clothes with Leni...I even helped coach Lola for her pageants, long ago." To say that Miss Rain was surprised by the boy's list would be putting it mildly. Truth be told, she was amazed by how open and/or versed he was about certain "female oriented" things.

"So, then...I'm guessing you started to fear about your gender identity" she asked, "what did you do afterwards, if I may ask?" With a weary sigh, Lincoln regretfully revealed that he wanted to do something to "prove his manliness" and the best way he knew how was through exploring the woods. "Back then, I thought I could do all the things most men were capable of out there" he murmured, "like building a shelter out of sticks, starting a fire or even finding our own food...but I failed each time and what's worse; I put Clyde in danger."

From here, Lincoln mentioned several instances where he and/or Clyde tried to rest themselves on "soft rocks; only to discover that they were actually a beehive, a moose and later, a bear. "GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME" Miss Rain cried out in alarm, "that sounds harrowing...how were you boys able to survive all that?" With a soft blush on his face, Lincoln revealed that when faced with any sort of obstacle along their trek back to the North Valley B Lincoln thought back to things he learned from his sisters.

"When we were chased by the bear, I talked Clyde into playing dead beside me" Lincoln stated, "which was something I've seen Lucy do on some occasions...mostly when one of my other sisters tries to attack her." After pausing for a moment to take some notes, Miss Rain urged him to continue. "At another point, I made a rope out of some leaves to help us down a steep hill; thanks to some braiding tips I learned from Luna" Lincoln stated, "but...I soon realized that I made the rope from poison ivy."

Miss Rain hissed softly with dismay, recalling how painful it was for anyone to receive a poison ivy rash. But Lincoln revealed that it wouldn't be an issue for very long for him and Clyde. "Thanks to a few mud mask treatment tips Lori taught me, the itching was no longer an issue for us" he said proudly, "according to her; mud helps sooth sunburn, mild to moderate acne and in our case at the time, poison ivy... and it really helped a lot."

Miss Rain couldn't help but commend Lori for the knowledge she passed on to her brother. Not only was it a resourceful method of First Aid, it was also (to her) environmentally safe. "At one point, it got a little chilly and we needed something to keep us warm" Lincoln explained, "and thanks to some tips I learned from Leni, I knew just what to do."

From here, he described to Miss Rain how he made nature ponchos for himself and Clyde to wear for the rest of the journey. "The real trick was the birch bark lining I used for the inner covering for our ponchos" Lincoln stated, "Birch was the best kind of wood to help keep us toasty." With a soft murmur of approval, Miss Rain began to make a personal note for herself; one that involved making a more adult-sized leaf poncho.

When Miss Rain asked what the tip was specifically, he brought up the mud mask treatments he mentioned earlier. By this point in the story, Miss Rain was becoming quite fascinated and asked what happened next. "At one point, we saw a rock blocking the path we were on and we needed to move it" Lincoln replied, "fortunately, Lynn taught me to always lift with the knees whenever you're moving heavy loads."

After this, Lincoln mentioned how he and Clyde came across a log that stretched across a cliff. Since there was no other way to the other side, the boys knew they had to cross the log...somehow. "That must've taken a great deal of concentration and balance to achieve" Miss Rain stated, "I'm guessing that you owe this to another thing your sisters taught you?" Lincoln chuckled softly at her words but nevertheless applauded on her "expert deduction."

"This time, it was something I learned from Lola while watching her practice runway walks with books on her head" he explained, "to do this just right, she had three basic rules; eyes forward, chin up and tushie clenched." In spite of herself, Miss Rain shared a small chuckle and asked if the method truly worked for either of them. "I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you, if it didn't" Lincoln laughed softly, "am I right?"

Through all their laughter, Miss Rain couldn't help but feel pleased. It seemed as though Lincoln was getting back to normal, after bearing his soul to her. "In the end, we made it safely back to the B&B in one piece" the Loud boy sighed softly, "and I realized it was all thanks to the things I learned from the women in my family." After giving a slight nod, Miss Rain deduced that Lincoln must've realized there was no such thing as being the right type of "manly" or "girly" in the world.

"Believe me; that day I literally had to learn that lesson the hard way" Lincoln said bluntly, "so...why is it that after all this time, I find myself facing that same crisis all over again?" Without hesitation, Miss Rain told him that it was natural for children his age to have difficulty "finding their place in the world." "Maybe you're right, ma'am" Lincoln murmured softly, "but then again...most 'normal teens' have fewer siblings, most 'normal teens' do 'normal teenage stuff...' and most 'normal teens' don't look and act like freak."

Feeling mortified by these words, Miss Rain lightly slammed her hands upon her desk and firmly yet softly told Lincoln that he was not a freak. "The way I see it, all those people who teased you...they're probably just jealous" she stated, "so many people out there truly care about you, quirks and all and...they probably feel that such circumstances are unheard of." While trying to be as respectable as possible, Lincoln still found Miss Rain's statement to be quite ridiculous.

"You are absolutely right, young man...and that's the unfortunate nature of society today" she said dejectedly, "anytime men or women try to deviate from the status quo, there will almost always be those out there who would brand them as 'freaks' or 'weirdoes.'" To give him a more personal example; Miss Rain said that if circumstances were different in Michigan, girls like Lynn would be forbidden from playing sports of any kind. "In the past; people felt that sports like Football, Baseball, Soccer and others were things solely reserved for men and that women were far too 'frail' to play" explained Miss Rain, "but all that changed, once people like your sister became athletes and showed just how capable they were."

While he appreciated the small history lesson, Lincoln questioned how such information involved him specifically. "My dear, sweet child; I'm afraid your situation has everything to do with my story" Miss Rain stated, "but what society fails to accept is that more and more males are becoming like you; more sensitive, caring and worrying less about feeling/acting 'macho.'" To conclude her statement; she revealed that both sides of the gender spectrum have been striving and/or struggling to break the mold, to this very day.

"In fact, I just realized something" Miss Rain said suddenly, "I've been so occupied with helping students like you that I've almost forgotten about an important assembly we have today!" Upon hearing this, Lincoln's mind suddenly recalled seeing several notices posted on some hallways and on the bulletin board outside the administration office about the assembly. "If I may ask, what's it about anyway" he asked with mild curiosity, "am I...in trouble at all?"

In response to this, Miss Rain took Lincoln's hands into hers and assured him that the assembly had nothing to do with a student. "To get to the point, we're expecting a new member of our faculty today" she said gleefully, "and I think they might be able to help you in your situation." With that said, Miss Rain gave Lincoln one more peppermint for the road and sent him on his way.

"Before you go, dear; just remember one thing" she said softly, "be honest, be true and always...be you." To add emphasis on her last word, Miss Rain lightly pressed her index finger upon Lincoln's chest; as if to tell him to never lose sight of who he was, quirks and all. After that, the two of them shared a quick "Namaste" in farewell and Lincoln went off to his homeroom.

(Line Break)

Sometime later, the entire student body and faculty was gathered together inside of the auditorium. When Lincoln managed to get to his seat there, he was pleased to see that Clyde and a few of his friends weren't too far away. At the same time, he also noticed the looks of worry and concern upon some of his female friends' faces.

"Ay, Dios Mio; Lincoln...are you okay" Dolores cried while hugging her bestie close, "when Clyde told us about what happened at the gym, we got so worried!" In response to this, several of the other Gal Pals murmured fearfully and asked Lincoln if he was okay. "I'm fine, everybody; really" he muttered, "a little sore and humiliated...but fine."

As he showed some of the Gals the marks he received; Tonya and Ellie's faces suddenly glowed so red, it looked as though their heads would explode. At the same time; the ladies also vowed that if Principal Ramirez didn't plan on punishing those responsible, their mothers would certainly do it themselves. "We're just happy you're okay, Lil' Dude" Phoebe said while ruffling his hair, "I'm sorry we weren't there to help you out when you needed a friend."

Lincoln smiled softly at his lady friends and kissed each of their hands in thanks. "I know you'd all have my back, if you were there to witness each of my bad moments" he stated, "but it's like you said on the first day back, Phoebe; there will come times where I'll have to face my own battles...and this was one of those times for me." Though she couldn't deny the truth behind his words, Phoebe still cursed herself for ever saying such a thing to him.

But before they could talk anymore on the issue, Principal Ramirez walked up onto the stage and turned on the microphone. The instant the feedback noise sounded off, the entire room went as silent as the grave. "Good afternoon, students; I'm sorry to have summoned you all here during your final classes" she said in greeting, "but we've got an important announcement to make."

From here; she went on to say how Mr. Richter, the school's former assistant principal for more than twenty-seven years, has gone into early retirement. "Do not panic, students; he is still alive and well" Miss Rain added suddenly, "Mr. Richter's wife had simply been given a new position at her own job out of state, over the break; which meant that they had to move away." Upon letting this news sink in, Lincoln suddenly felt a small sense of irony wash over him; remembering how similar circumstances brought Ronnie Anne to move away as well.

Miraculously, this small yet somewhat pleasant memory managed to help lift Lincoln's spirits...but only just a little. "Because of Mr. Richter's untimely departure, the school has set out to try and find someone new to take his place" Principal Ramirez explained, "and due to a certain series of...events that have happened this week, I do believe we've picked the right person for the job." The moment he said this, every one of the students started coming up with their own ideas on what the new Vice Principal would be like.

Some hoped they would be someone sexy, male or female; others (like Biff) hoped they had a love for sports. Meanwhile, everyone else shared one single thought on this news; whoever Principal Ramirez picked, they hoped that he or she would be someone kind. Then; at that moment, the lights went off and a spotlight shined upon the curtains behind the staff on stage.

After that, a strange yet still rather pleasant piece of music began to play on the speakers. It sounded like a mix of piano music with a dash of electronic musical notes. Even though it was difficult to properly describe it, everyone still really liked the tune; especially Lincoln.

Then, a parasol suddenly poked out from behind the curtain; startling the staff on stage. When it opened up, everyone could see an image of the British flag plastered on it. At the center of the flag was what looked like a heart that showed off a rainbow of beautiful colors.

Not long after that, the parasol suddenly began to spin; which led to the curtains slowly parting away. It was here that students and faculty alike could see a silhouetted figure standing on stage spinning the parasol. Before long, everyone started to wonder if this mysterious figure was some sort of entertainer the school hired.

Finally, after waiting for what felt like ages; the mystery figure finally spoke...or rather, laughed. "Well, merry and good day to you; dear students" the figure greeted pleasantly, "since we are going to be working in your hallowed halls from here on out; perhaps, some proper introductions are in order." With that said; the figure stopped spinning their parasol, closed it up and slung it over their shoulder like a bindle.

This allowed everyone to get a good look at their new principal...and they were quite a sight to see. On the surface, the stranger looked like a typical man; with their slim yet strong build, their tone legs and slightly deep yet flamboyantly posh tone of voice. But at the same time; this person wore red lipstick, a tie-dye colored crop top beneath their long-sleeved teal blazer, knee-length jeans and shoes that almost resembled a pair of pink ballet slippers. Their hair was short yet poofy and looked almost mauve in color. But after taking a closer look; everyone could also see faint streaks of dull blue, dull purple and even a bit of light magenta.

Their eyes were a bright teal color, they sported a small pair of half-rim glasses that rested at the tip of their slightly pointed nose; which were held around the neck by a silver chain. The stranger then took a moment to clean said glasses upon their shirt before greeting each member of the faculty with a handshake. "Good afternoon to you all, young students and faculty" they said kindly, "we look forward to getting to know each of you soon...but in the meantime, let's take a moment for you to get to know us first."

After saying this, the stranger asked Miss Rain to wheel over a marker board for the next part of their introduction; which she happily provided. Then, the stranger proceeded to write "Mx. Sasha Baskerville" upon the board in the most beautiful cursive lettering. Almost immediately, everyone felt incredibly confused by the "Mx." part at the start of the new vice principal's name.

"Everyone, we trust you can read this clearly enough" they asked, "our name is Sasha Baskerville and the 'Mx' at the start of our name sounds a touch like 'mix' or 'misc;' it is an honorific title people like us use to describe what we are...genderfluid or as you scientific lot would call, 'non-binary.'" Upon hearing this, the students all gawked at "Mx." Baskerville oddly; acting as though their newest vice principal was speaking in an alien language. As if they were expecting this sort of response, Mx. Baskerville decided to offer up an explanation.

"To elaborate, little dearies; we're going to need someone to join us here on the stage" they stated, "who among you is...Mr. Lincoln Loud?" For a moment or two, all was quiet; save for maybe one or two students coughing slightly. Then, with a rather timid voice; Lincoln raised his hand up high and got out of his seat.

Then, after he made his way down the stairway; he walked up onto the stage and said hello to Mx. Baskerville as bravely as he could. "We've heard quite a bit about you, young man" they stated, "living among so many ladies for thirteen years, the family trial and now, we hear you've been facing a rather deucedly painful bullying situation...quite the kerfuffle, indeed." No sooner had they said this, Mx. Baskerville asked if any of Lincoln's wounds were still visible.

"Well, uh...Mx.; they aren't exactly wounds" the Loud boy murmured hesitantly while holding out his arms slightly, "they're just a few bruises on my sides...and back...and a few spots on my feet." With great care, Lincoln raised the side of his shirt slightly and Mx. Baskerville began to study his side intently. "Hmm...yes, we can still see a few lingering hither and yon" they murmured thoughtfully, "did you have a slip upon the floor whilst some of the other students were assaulting you?"

Without pause, Lincoln revealed that while he didn't slip and fall on the floor; the near relentless towel-snappings did cause him to fall over one of the benches. "That's how I ended up on the floor when Coach Keck found me" he stated, "but don't worry...my noggin's still okay." Though pleased to see and hear that Lincoln was relatively unharmed from the experience, Mx. Baskerville was nonetheless disappointed in the other students.

"Back in Oxford, when we were around this lad's age; we were faced with a similar crisis" they stated, "we were often viewed as...eccentric due to our unique way of looking at the world and our tendency to...flip-flop, if you will, betwixt different 'gender-oriented preferences.'" Feeling intrigued; the students listened as Mx. Baskerville openly expressed their love towards bird watching, sketching, playing sports (like Rugby,) watching plays and more surprisingly, their fondness for dressing up and cosmetic pleasures. "Just like Mr. Loud here, we also love relaxing at the spa and pampering ourselves" they said blissfully, "it's like all your troubles are being scrubbed away."

Upon hearing this statement, not only did a few young ladies (both among the students and faculty) sound off in agreement. But Mx. Baskerville soon overheard a few boys react the same way as well...albeit with hushed tones. "Getting back to our earlier point, some of our own peers once heckled us rather relentlessly for our 'feminine' interests and quirks; just as you have done towards Mr. Loud" they said firmly, "but we ask you, students and faculty...where is the harm in that?"

Following this question, the vice principal asked if anyone else among the students ever found themselves in Lincoln's situation at any point in their lives before. At first, there appeared to be no replies...until a handful of students (and even some other members of the school staff) stood up from their seats. Afterwards, they started to reveal their own sort of sensitive/feminine sides; one by one.

Elliot: "A-After I started dating Margo, I...took up writing poetry and would recite my work to her to show her how much she means to me. The trashcan in my bedroom is filled with loads of paper wads because I'd always try to make the perfect piece for her.

Kaito: "I have a herb garden at home and not only do I like tending to it, I also like to use what I grow to help with my mother's cooking"

Theo: "On rainy days, at home; I...I like to cuddle up with my pet cat on the sofa"

Omar: "I love cookin' at home with my family every chance I get and I also love singin' to my Mama Gail, whenever she comes home from work feelin' frazzled"

Bryon: "To help prep for my sessions with the school wrestling team, I...I-I've been taking...ballet lessons on the weekends since last Spring! THERE, I SAID IT...but can you blame me? It all really helps me limber up and build my strength"

Chandler: "Whenever I visit my grandma, we always sit down and watch old period piece movies together and...and at least, one or two of them makes me shed some tears! There, I said it...and I'm glad I did!"

Thus far; Lincoln, many of the other students and even Mx. Baskerville were quite amazed by all the different confessions that were being made. But then, the time came when the teachers and other staff decided to join in and their reveals were just as surprising.

Mr. Bolhofner: "My ex-wife and I always love watching Dream Boat together...and whenever a our favorite couples get matched up, I admit that it makes me get all...teary eyed"

Ms. Pham: "On my off-days, I always like hanging with my neighbors down at the roller rink for a derby run"

Principal Ramirez: "I enjoy having tea parties with nieces, whenever I visit them or when they visit me"

Officer Higgins: "Y'all may know my partners and me as tough, intimidatin', steely-eyed cops. But underneath all that...the three of us are as sweet as springtime peaches. I myself love playin' with my daughter and our lil' pup, Sylvia out in our yard"

Officer Simmons: "Just like my boy said; whenever I come home from the station feelin' frazzled, he always sings a song to help cheer me up. I'm also the loving mother of a beautiful lil' lady, I have an equally gorgeous wife and I'm as sassy as I am sweet"

Officer Campos: "My husband, Esteban and I spend our free time sewing together. He claims that during the winter, I make the most beautiful scarves...but I imagine he only says it to flatter me"

Coach Keck: "Well...I guess since everyone else is doin' it; at home...I...I have a flower garden that's filled with some of the prettiest flowers you'd ever see. Tulips, daffodils, daisies, hyacinths...I even have one or two rose bushes"

Upon making this confession, the coach took out her phone and brought up a picture. It was one that showed her wearing gardening clothes and sitting next to a fully blossomed daffodil patch during the Spring season. Lincoln, in spite of feeling mildly self-conscious towards his current situation, couldn't help but feel awestruck by how lovely all of the coach's flowers looked.

Meanwhile; some of the students, after hearing these confessionals, suddenly started snickering at those who made their confessions. This did not go unnoticed by Mx. Baskerville, much to their surprise. "Did we all say something amusing, little duckies" the asked suddenly, "care to share it with everyone else?"

Without delay, the first of the snickering students to speak up was Vicky; who proclaimed that everyone on stage and in the seats were "nothing but sissies." "Well...let me tell you something, Vicky; contrary to what people like you think, I...I actually like that about me" Lincoln declared softly yet proudly, "if being a sissy means being kind, sensitive, loving, loyal and an overall good person...then I'm proud to be a sissy!" No sooner had he said this, the students and teachers who spoke up earlier echoed his words; proclaiming that they too felt equally proud to be "sissies."

"Times have changed in the world, dearies" Mx. Baskerville stated, "if more lads in this world were like Lincoln and felt brave enough to try 'girl things;' then, girls would feel inspired to do the same with 'boy things' as well." The instant this was said; the group of heckling students, along with Mordecai and Vicky, suddenly broke out in a fit of uproarious laughter.

"Yeah, that's a good one" chortled the faux hawk boy, "it'll rain cats n' dogs before any of us dudes do any girly stuff." As the small group nodded in agreement, an idea began to form in Mx. Baskerville's mind and they quickly called the other teachers over for a huddle. For about a moment or so, they whispered and chatted amongst themselves; only sharing brief glimpses towards the aforementioned group every so often.

When they broke apart, seconds later, Principal Ramirez quickly called for everyone's attention; causing most of the students to go quiet. "What you said earlier, young man...it's given us all an idea" the principal murmured slyly, "specifically about your punishment for the Gym incident...among other things." Upon hearing this, half of the group shivered with distress while the other half (specifically Mordecai and Vicky) simply shrugged indifferently.

"Your actions in the Gymnasium have violated this school's strict anti-bullying rule" Officer Campos said sternly, "as punishment for that and other abusive actions you've inflicted upon Lincoln, your all going to spend the next month and a half prepping for the upcoming bake sale!" As if sensing that the group was either ignoring their words or acting totally oblivious, Mx. Baskerville explained that the guilty party will help the Home Ec room bake as many pastries as possible. "You will listen to every part the teacher's instructions, follow them to the letter and work on each confection until you've achieved near perfection" they said firmly, "oh, dear...we've made a jolly little rhyme just now. Oh-ho-ho-ho!

Lincoln also found himself chuckling slightly, not just for the new VP's rhyme slip but because he genuinely liked their quirky personality. Meanwhile, the group of guilty students started ranting and roaring with outrage over their punishment. "A MONTH AND A HALF OF COOKING...I'LL DIE OF BOREDOM" Vicky shrieked, "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO US!"

Without letting the smallest bit of their joyful demeanor waver, Mx. Baskerville tapped the point of their parasol upon the stage floor; signaling for the officers to take the children off to the Home Ec. room. The instant he saw them step out the door, seconds later; Lincoln suddenly plopped down onto the stage floor, threw back his head and gave a long sigh of relief. "Boy, am I ever glad that's over" he cried, "I hope that never happens to me a third time!"

At that moment, Lincoln suddenly felt himself being lightly hoisted up by the handle of Mx. Baskerville's parasol. Afterwards, they helped dust him off clean and patted the boy on the head kindly. "Unfortunately, dear boy; our actions here today aren't a permanent solution" they said sullenly, "we suspect that they will act this way towards you again and if it does...you know where to find us."

With that said, Mx. Baskerville dismissed Lincoln and everyone else from the auditorium; while also wishing them a happy weekend. But before he left, Lincoln remained behind to express his thanks to the new vice principal for defending him. "It's quite alright, Mr. Loud" they said matter-of-factly, "we simply cannot stand by and watch other people harass others simply because they are different...it's utter poppycock!"

Once again, Lincoln had another chuckle; this time towards Mx. Baskerville's unique British vocabulary. He couldn't help but think that Luna would absolutely love them, for multiple reasons. "Again, thanks for standing up for me" Lincoln said gratefully, "how can I ever repay you?"

Without missing a beat, Mx. Baskerville shared two ways that the boy could repay them for their goodwill; by simply being himself, no matter what might happen next...and to know the recipe for his Strawberry Muffins. "Heavens! When your Culinary Arts teacher shared the ones you made in her class with us, we and the other teachers simply fell in love at first bite" Mx. Baskerville squealed, "do you mind sharing your recipe with us?" Without being asked twice; Lincoln took out a notepad, scribbled down some things and handed it over to Mx. Baskerville.

With that settled, he said his goodbyes and made his way over towards the exit; where he was suddenly crowded by some of his guy and girl friends. "Oh, Lincoln, mi amigo precioso" Dolores cried while hugging Lincoln close, "are you okay, are you still hurting from the Gym incident, do you feel alright after doing all that speaking?!" The others began asking similar questions, all while also expressing their relief in seeing he was okay.

"It's okay, everyone; I'm fine" Lincoln chuckled softly, "I'm just...a little frazzled still from this whole experience." The instant he said this, Jordan asked if he'd like to spend their Saturday at the spa. But the instant she said this, the young lady clasped her hands over her mouth; remembering that it was activities like their spa days that got Lincoln into this mess...but Lincoln didn't care.

"Don't sweat it, Jordan...I think it's an awesome idea" the boy said with gusto, "a little primping, some mani-pedis and even a massage is just what I need; after the kind of week I've had." In response to this; the older Gals squealed softly with joy, proclaimed "THERE'S OUR SPECIAL LIL' GUY" and enveloped Lincoln in a multi-sided group hug (the young Gals followed soon after.) Upon being released, seconds later; Lincoln turned towards his guy friends and asked if they wanted to accompany them.

"Are you serious, dude" questioned Rusty, "why would we spend our Saturday getting gussied up when you can be having fun?" With a toothy grin upon his face, Lincoln held out his hand to the boys and asked them to give it a chance...for him. "Oh...Aw, alright" Omar groaned softly, "but we're only doin' this because you're our main dude."

(Line Break)

As our story quick cuts to Saturday Morning, we find Lincoln at the Tranquil Springs Spa in the midst of getting a mani-pedi while his hair is being scrubbed. Not too far away, over at the hair-styling area; the younger Gal Pals were bringing the eldest members of the group up to speed on what happened during the week. "Those creeps actually said all of that to you all...the nerve" Carol hissed angrily, "and they did what to my Linky?!"

Clyde, who was in the midst of a shiatsu massage, nodded his head slightly; which seemed to make Carol's crew appear a bit more irritated. "Well...I'm just happy your new vice principal was able to teach those jerks a lesson, in the end" Becky stated, "no one should be punished or picked on for being who they are; regardless of gender, their likes/dislikes or whatever else!" Clyde nodded slightly in agreement while also saying that everyone learned another important thing, that week.

The reason so many ladies liked hanging around Lincoln was because they adored him for his sensitivity and he loved them for how accepting they were about who he truly was. "Most people try to fake that kind of thing" Clyde said with a relaxed sigh while the masseuse rubbed his back, "but not my buddy." Carol and her crew giggled softly in agreement, all while wishing that other boys could be just as sensitive. "Well, at least I'm a good start; right" he asked, "and I think the others are not too far behind either."

Upon saying this, Clyde cast a glance over at another area of the spa. There; the other half of Lincoln's guy friends were in the midst of either getting their hair tended to, having face masks being applied, getting their nails done or just peacefully soaking in the hot tub. "Ah, oh yeah...Linc, my man; you were right" Omar sighed blissfully while resting in a Jacuzzi, "this does feel good!"

Mere seconds later, the other boys droned softly in agreement with relaxed/pleased tones of voices. Rusty was blissfully enjoying a nice touch up on his hair, Liam was relaxing comfortably neck deep in a mud bath, Zach was receiving a soothing facial scrub and everyone else either joined up with them or were off doing their own things. The Gal Pals looked upon this scene with joyful smiles on their faces, finding it amusingly ironic that these boys were all enjoying things that their other peers so viciously mocked.

As for Lincoln, he found himself chuckling softly at this; feeling happy that a few more men/boys were enjoying the spa life. Then, from the corner of his eye; he swore he spotted his sister, Lynn coming through the main entrance. The moment she did, Fernando greeted her with a joyful clap and a double cheek kiss; just like he would with Carol.

"Hey, uh...do you have any room for one more over at the...massage parlor" Lynn asked shyly, "I've, uh...pulled a muscle during track the other day and could use some relief." Without hesitation, Fernando nodded his head and escorted the young lady to the front desk; where she would receive her complimentary towel and robe before her treatment. After taking a moment to recover from his mild shock, Lincoln gave a hearty chuckle of joy; pleased to see that even one as macho as Lynn couldn't resist some pampering.

"Huh...I guess it's true what they say, isn't it" Lincoln chuckled softly at the viewer, "softies can come from anywhere...male or female." Soon after he says this, the room suddenly echoes with Lynn letting out a pained grunt; causing the camera to swiftly pan over in her direction. It's then revealed that she is in the midst of receiving a chiropractic bend to help release pressure in her joints before her massage.

"OH! Oh, yeeeaaah...that's the stuff right there" Lynn cried with delight, "Mister, if you can give a massage as well as you can loosen my joints; you've earned yourself a huge tip!" As the masseuse pleasantly extends his thanks unto the young jock, Lincoln and the Gals softly giggle at the scene; each one of them thinking how nice it was to have a new "Spa Sister" among them.

"Wait until my parents hear about this" Lincoln stated, "then, maybe...maybe I can try and get my dad to unlock his sensitive side too." As they eased themselves comfortably into their respective treatments, the Gal Pals responded to this by blissfully sighing, "dare to dream, bud/dude/Linky...dare to dream"

(First AN: I've been wanting to do this particular oneshot for quite a while. Ever since I first heard the song Everyone is Gay by Great Big World on YouTube and after watching the episode Roughin' It several times over, I thought this would be a great topic for Lincoln to deal with. I guess one could call this a "sequel" to the aforementioned episode.

In any case, I hope you'll all like it and will feel inspired to be yourselves as well; even if you're softies at heart like Linc is)

(Second AN: Speaking of songs, the two titles that are mentioned in this oneshot come from two different sources. The Hardest Part of Breakin' Up, for example is actually a song done by a band called 2Gether; which is a group from the late 90's.

As for Isn't It Love, it's a tune from the Cartoon Network series; Steven Universe. The artist's name in this story, Estella Sugar, is actually a play on words for two of the cast members/creative staff members' names. Estella is based on Estelle, the voice of Garnet; while the last name of Sugar is in reference to the show's creator, Rebecca Sugar.

Both songs are the property of their respective artist, not me. So, please; do not sue me)

(Third AN: Since the original series, the Loud House is known for being inclusive with its characters; I thought it would be interesting to make a character who is known to be "genderfluid" or "non-binary." If I've made any errors in my depiction of Mx. Baskerville's character, I apologize. I spent many days trying to do the right kind of research on the two gender identities, thinking one of them would fit my character correctly.

As for their appearance, I owe that to Steven Universe as well; in a way. Mx. Baskerville's appearance and entrance music in the auditorium are lightly inspired by the fusion character known as Rainbow Quartz 2.0. Since I couldn't find any clear ideas on what genderfluid and/or non-binary figures looked like, I felt Rainbow's look was just the right idea. Again; if I've made any mistakes in regards to a non-binary figure's appearance, I apologize)

(Fourth AN: While there hasn't been any mention of Royal Woods having a Vice Principal just yet, I decided to create the name of one myself; for the sake of this story. Mr. Richter is not a true character of The Loud House series, for those wondering. Any relation he might have with such a figure within the original series is purely coincidental)

(Fifth AN: Ironically enough, there is an actual female version of Lincoln within the series and her name truly is Linka. After seeing the character in question in One of the Boys, I thought it would be fitting to have her image be used by the bullies to mock Lincoln with. As for Claire McBride, Clyde's genderbent self; while she hasn't actually appeared in the series yet, one can find her image on the Loud House Wiki page)

(Sixth AN: Two of the bullying kids in this story, heavyset kid with tall blonde hair and faux hawk kid, are a pair of side characters from the original series. Their most prominent appearance is the scene where they mocked Lincoln for "being in love with Ronnie Anne" back in Save the Date. I figured that these two, Mordecai and Vicky would be the perfect clods to pick on Lincoln for his quirks; for the sake of the plot.

This is not meant to be seen as a "Lincoln Torture Porn" fic, rest assured)

(Seventh AN: Hypothetically speaking; if I were able to give this oneshot its own title card like the episodes have in the show, here's what it would look like. Since the title is a loose parody of "fender bender," "Gender Bender's" title card would have a pair of cars coming at each other; the left one showing the symbol for Male on its front bumper and the right one having the symbol for Female on theirs. Lincoln's face would be seen on a traffic cone standing between the two cars, to symbolize how both gender identities would become an issue for him in the story.

I hope that all makes sense to you, it's just a weird idea of mine...too bad I can't do fanart)

(Final AN: This oneshot was also made as a response to all those guest reviewers who complained about Lincoln hanging out more with girls than he did with boys. Sometimes, individuals feel more comfortable around a specific group. In Lincoln's case; since he was surrounded by ladies his whole life, he might enjoy the Gals company just as much as he does Clyde's. I hope you'll all understand my point, after you've read this for yourselves and to any guest reviewers who might still find issue with the way things are here...just don't read the story.

It's as plain and simple as that)