Some of you may have already figured out that this was kind of inspired by the 1990s film, Good Burger. However, (Small Spoiler!) Lincoln and his friends' incident of going into debt will be really different.

Enjoy!


In Tall Timbers Park in the middle of its lake, Lincoln comes out of the water surface muddy-wet, coughing to get some air, and looking miserable. "How did things get screwed up?!" He yelled.

(Two Hours Ago)

In a wooden cabin with below average air conditioning next to Royal Woods Middle School, Lincoln Loud had just finished the last questions on his algebra exam. He studied very hard so he can enjoy the summer with his family and friends hoping to just relax without school getting in the way.

As he just finished the last problem, he signed and turned his test over to his teacher, Mr. Bolhofner.

As he got back into his seat, he then heard some talking behind him. He looked back to see his female classmate, Girl Jordan, talking with some of her friends a few seats away. Seeing her only made him feel a little down so he turned away from her view. He was the only girl in school that he had a crush on but couldn't talk to her much due to some shyness he developed throughout the year.

As he slumped on his chair face down, the final bell rang and his classmates started to leave. Lincoln soon too left a little later than the rest. He was disappointed in himself that he couldn't even ask for her phone number either.

While walking down the main building's hallway with a fourth of the student body still around, he met up with his friends by some lockers which cheered him up.

"Hey guys" He said as they walked down the hall. "Ready for summer vacation?"

Zach was pumped. "Totally! 7 Weeks without school, it will be great."

"It sure paid off now that exams are done." Said Liam.

"I wish to get to know some ladies in the heat." Said Rusty, obviously.

Stella rolled her eyes from Rusty's comment. "As long as you don't get sunburned, you'll probably have a chance." Stella said doubtingly, making Rusty kind of regret his words.

Clyde tried to think but couldn't. "Not sure." He said. "My dads don't have anything planned so I don't have a schedule going." He then looked to his best friend. "What about you buddy?" The others also looked to Lincoln.

"Oh nothing much." Lincoln said. "Same old, same old. Probably just spend time with my sisters, read comics, play video games, oh and of course hang out with the friends I have." He then thought of something. "By the way, Stella, did you find your family locket yet?" The others then turn to her.

She became upset. "No I hadn't." She said, "After a few weeks, I still couldn't find it or who stole it. It means a lot to me."

Zach began to look deductive. "You said it wasn't human, right?"

"Yes, but don't say it like that." She said, "It makes you act like your parents. Anyway, it was like the size of an average pig but white with a black spot on it's eye. I know it's a mammal, but I only caught a glimpse due to it running away."

Feeling like he wanted to change the subject, Rusty just remembered something. "Hey Linc. You're not going to talk to Girl Jordan?" He asked. Lincoln tensed up as the others looked at Rusty with dismay. "What? He wanted to do that all year."

Lincoln signed. "I sure wanted to." His friends looked at him. "I tried talking to her, but every time I do, I always get nervous and ended up walking away without her knowing I was there." Lincoln's face became saddened from telling his friends how he felt.

Liam spoke up. "You're not going to stop there are you?" He asked. Making Lincoln look at his friends.

"Yeah Linc." Said Stella. "We know you have more confidence than that."

"Relax Linc," Said Rusty. "I can give some advice-" He stopped talking after Lincoln shut his mouth with his hand.

"Thanks Rusty," Lincoln said sarcastically. "But I don't think something from you is gonna help."

Rusty looked to the others whose looks said that they agree with Lincoln. He was about to complain until Zach interrupted him.

"Back on the subject." He said with annoyance. "Linc, this is like any other obstacle you faced before."

Lincoln was confused so Stella spoke up. "Linc, concentrate." He looked at Stella. "Are you just gonna let someone take your crush?"

Lincoln shook his head seriously. "No, I am not."

Clyde then went behind his best friend and put his hands on his shoulder. "Good! In fact, we should deal with this right now." He said as he pushed Lincoln down the hall with his friends in pursuit.

Lincoln was starting to sweat at what's happening. "Wait! Already!? Didn't she already leave with her friends?"

Clyde ignored Lincoln's words. "Nope. She's still here." He said. "Right Liam?"

Liam nods. "Yep." He said. "We saw her recently talking to some of her friends." He then thought hard in his head. "I believe they were Rachel, Chloe, and Emma. You'll be fine Linc." The group continued pushing Lincoln down the hall.

At the school entrance, the gang sees Girl Jordan and her friends talking to each other on the sidewalk.

Liam put his hand on the back of a now-calm Lincoln. "Alright Linc, just act natural, ask her out and everything will turn out fine."

Lincoln took a deep breath and let it out. "Right." He said. "This will take a few seconds and that's it." He then walked down the school steps only to feel someone tugging his backpack. "Uh Clyde, I can do this myself so you don't have to worry."

"I'm not worried Linc, I'm still on the steps." Lincoln turned around confused to see all five of his friends in the same position from where he walked.

This didn't make sense to Lincoln. "If you're there Clyde? Then, who's tugging my-" He looks behind him only to see white stray dog biting his backpack "Hey!" He grabs a hold of his backpack's shoulder straps and starts pulling it as the stray dog starts to tug it more aggresivly.

His friends were shocked and confused. "This wasn't supposed to happen!" Rusty said.

Stella paused as she looked at the dog that was tugging at Lincoln's backpack. "Wait!" She said, "White fur, a black spot of its eye, and the size of an average pig?!" She gasped and was now angry. "Hey! It was him! He stole my locket!"

The others, including Lincoln, were on board now. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Liam said. "Let's get that wild critter!" Lincoln's friends got into formation of a tug-of-war on Lincoln's side with him and Clyde grasping each others' arms.

"Ready!" Lincoln called out to his friends who gave him nods. "Pull! Pull! Pull!"

Some of the students that still remained started to take notice of the situation and started recording on their phones, finding it entertaining. Girl Jordan and her group also started to see what's happening from a distance.

"Uh? Are Lincoln and his friends having a tug-of-war with a dog using Lincoln's backpack?" Girl Jordan said with a worried look.

Rachel was unfazed. "Maybe? But it's still entertaining." She has her phone recording the scene.

"Are you serious?" Emma said, giving an unimpressed look on her face. She then turns around to see Chloe doing the same thing but has an admiring face. "You too Chloe?"

"Nope, just Clyde" Her face didn't change as Emma rolled her eyes.

Back at the scene, Lincoln and his friends were giving all their might against the dog but were then starting to slowly go the opposite direction.

Rusty was sweating. "How can a dog handle 6 kids by himself?!"

"This fella's as strong as a bull shark." Liam yelled.

Zach had a theory. "Or maybe it's some kind of dog-like alien." His friends were annoyed by his remark.

"ZIP IT ZACH!" They then pulled harder and now the dog was trying to hold his ground.

"Guys, I think we're doing it." Lincoln said.

"I hope so," Clyde remarked. "Because I think my arms are about to pop."

As they took a few more steps, Rusty just stepped in some mud. "Huh?" He looked at what he stepped on and regretted it. "Uh oh." He slipped and the gang fell forward. "My bad."

Lincoln still struggled to maintain his belongings only to lose grip and the stray took off.

Lincoln was now mad. "Hey! That doesn't belong to you!" Lincoln went to his bike and helmet gear, then rode after it with his friends following him completely ignoring the laughs from the dissipating crowd. They biked faster as the stray built up speed. "Hey Stella, are you sure it was this stray that stole your family locket?"

"I'm positive about it!" Stella was clearly upset. "It has the same features as I described it to guys!"

"Well that gives us the main reason we can't let this rodent get away." Yelled Liam.

They gave chase to the dog to multiple areas around Royal Woods: Dine 'n' Bash, Eat Diner Coffee Shop, Aloha Comrade, Giovanni Chang's, Flip's Food and Fuel, Spunk E. Pigeon's, Gym, Royal Woods Cinema, DMV, Biker Gear, Super Mart, Sloppy's, Gus' Games and Grub, Lazer Maze, Lynn's Table, The Red Herring, Karaoke-Dokie, The Spin Cycle, The Burnt Bean, Pet Pals, The Chortle Portal, Duds for Dudes, and Banger's & Mosh.

After many places, they're still chasing the mammal, yet they're sweating bullets while the latter isn't.

"Can this guy seriously go this far?!" Rusty complained.

Clyde wiped some sweat off his forehead. "Actually yes, an average dog can run two to five miles without stopping."

"Doesn't matter," Lincoln ignored the facts. "We still can't let him out of our sights." They then entered Tall Timbers Park as their path became grass as the dog chose to not follow the dirt road. Lincoln sped faster as was closing the distance between him and the thief.

His friends notice their friend's speed. "Linc, don't go too fast!" Liam warned. "You're heading towards the lake at full speed!"

"I already know that!" Lincoln finally got beside the dog and grabbed it by the neck. "Gotcha!" However, Liam's words got into his head. "Wait, Lake?!" He looked straight ahead to see he's about to crash into mucky water.

Suddenly, his bike crashed into a bench ejecting him from his seat and screams as he, his hostage, and his backpack fell into the lake.

His friends caught up to the shore looking distraught and shocked at what happened to their friend, especially Clyde.

"Lincoln! Are you okay buddy!" The latter exasperated. "Respond if you can hear me!"

"Look!" Stella said as the five of them see bubbles popping up in the distance.

After a few seconds, Lincoln comes out of the water surface with his helmet off looking muddy-wet, coughing to get some air, and looking miserable. "How did things get screwed up?!" He yelled.

He then looks at the screen and whispers. "And now you're caught up."

"You okay mate?" Liam yelled. "You look defeated. No offense."

"None taken." The white haired boy said. "I may have had 'a day at the pool' but I was able to get my backpack back, despite it being soaked" Showing his backpack in the air, his friends were relieved but Stella's was short-lived.

"Hey Linc! Where's that thieving dog? He still has my family locket."

Lincoln's pride shattered from hearing that. "Oh. I'm so sorry Stella. I lost my grip and he can't see him anymore."

Stella was now depressed from the bad news. "It's alright Linc. You did your best." Zach then put a on her shoulder

"Don't worry Stella. We'll still find your locket even if it costs our summer." The others, including Lincoln who's still in the lake, nod in agreement.

"Thanks guys, that means a lot to me." She then thought of something and was confused. "Speaking of which, I don't think that dog even came out of the water yet." Her five friends saw that she's right. The dog's presence was nowhere in sight.

Zach gasped. "I told you it was an-!" Stella slapped him as the rest of his friends were unimpressed. "Sorry."

Lincoln was still in the water. "Well if the dog didn't rise up, where would it have gone?"

Before his friends could answer, several police officers on motorcycles, led by Officer Schoffner, approached them. "Kids," She said sternly. "Have you forgotten all the trouble you just caused?"

The gang doesn't know what she's talking about, but were still given goosebumps as they were nervous and guilty.


A/N: Wonder what their families would say about what happened? Find out in the next chapter.