A/N: Hey guys.
Hey guys, I'm back with chapter 22.
So, with all that outta the way, I shall see you…AT THE BOTTOM!
In Royal Woods, Lynn Jr was at her school, in the gym when she saw a certain boy with black hair and wearing a blue baseball cap. She smiled and went over to Francisco with pride. "Hey 'Cisco! How ya been?" Lynn hollered as she attempted to slap the boy playfully on the shoulder; when he saw what she was attempting, he caught her hand and did an Aikido move on her. This caught the attention of the whole gym class; even Margo and the coach saw what happened. "Garcia! What the hell?!" The coach spat as Francisco walked towards the bench to cool off. Lynn Jr. got up with surprise in her eyes; Francisco glared at her and kept staring at her. "Francisco, what was that? Did I do something to you that I don't remember?" Lynn said as the boy sighed and got up. "It's not what you did, it's what you said to your brother." Francisco said as Lynn's eyes went wide to what the boy had said.
"What do you mean?" Lynn said as the boy sighed once more. "Your gothic sister told me, and it got through to the other sports members. You wished he got beat up while in jail. How cruel can you be! Family is supposed to support others while incarcerated…not wished that they would get beat up!" Francisco snapped at Lynn that she didn't know what to say after that.
Francisco left the gym and headed towards the office leaving Lynn in a clusterfucked state. "He…hates me." Lynn Jr. said as her eyes started to water, but she couldn't continue her class as she dropped down to her knees and cried.
Meanwhile in English class, Tabby, Haiku and Clyde were all in their class doing their work. Then, the young goth girl passed a note towards Clyde and he saw what she wrote. It read 'Lucy told me Lynn said she wished Lincoln would get beat up in jail or at least a black eye'. Clyde's eyes widened to the note as the teacher tried to get his attention. "Clyde? Why don't you read what you have on that note, since you're so distracted with it." The teacher said as Clyde didn't waste any time in doing so. "You know Lincoln, right?" The African American boy asked to the whole class nodded and he read the note. "Lynn Jr. wished Lincoln would get a black eye or jumped in jail. That's what the note says." Clyde said as the teacher's eyes were wide while the students gasped.
"Why would his sister say that?! That's messed up!" One girl student asked with disbelief.
"She should get jumped for saying that type of statement!" A male student protested as the teacher used her bell to get everyone's attention.
"Students, I had Lynn Loud Jr. for English when she was in my class for this grade, and I'm friends with Mrs. Loud. So, I'll be having a word with the principle and her as well." The teacher said as she got the class back on task.
At the High School, things for Luan, Luna and Leni were still a bit rocky the half of the school felt bad for them and the other half hated them for what they did to drive their brother into it. Things were also rocky for Lori ever since she and Becky had their fallout. But Becky was now going to college in the south. So, Lori was at home thinking of if she would go to college or not, because of what Becky had said. In Science class, Luna was chilling until the teacher had got there for class, since he was running late. Sam then came in and saw Luna sitting at a desk. "Hey Lunes, did you talk to your brother?" Sam said as Luna nodded but frowned.
"Yeah, dudette. But, my little sister, Lynn Jr-" Luna's face changed due to bringing up Lynn Jr. "-she decided to say she was surprised that he hadn't gotten beat up or gotten a black eye." Luna said in an angry tone as Sam gasped at what she heard.
"That's fucked up. I just wanna kick her ass right now for what she said. You care for him, don't you?" Sam asked as Luna nodded and agreed with her. Just then, the teacher and some other students came in and they started class.
Back at the Loud House, Lori was babysitting Lily while Rita went to work a 4-hour shift. "Can you believe what Lynn said Lily? How she was a meanie towards Linky." Lori said as Lily babbled as usual, leaving Lori to sigh. She admits that she and Lincoln didn't always get along, but she still loved him. She also admits that she was trying to help him with his love life, but now she knows it was never good since Bobby told her that Ronnie Anne broke up with him before he broke up with her. Just then, the front door opened to the patriarch of the house. And it looked like he was irritated.
Lori was surprised to see her father after 3 months of absence in the household. "Hey dad, whatcha doing here?" Lori asked as Lynn Sr. just went into his room to get some items. "Dad, are you okay?" Lori asked as the man turned around and nodded.
"No, I'm not okay, I got fired from my job today." Lynn Sr. said as he took a seat on the couch with Lily. "How have things been at Aunt Ruth's house?" Lori asked as she kept playing with Lily. "They've been alright. I got a buddy of mine who's gonna hook me up with another job at a restaurant close to Detroit." Lynn Sr. said while rubbing the back of neck.
"Well, that's good. But let me tell you something, what Lynn said to Lincoln last night on skype was literally not right! She said she was surprised to see that he wasn't jumped yet. I think she has lost her mind!" She exclaimed as Lynn Sr. just sat there and slumped his shoulders.
"Well maybe Jr's right. I think he deserves a little beating. He shouldn't have called us out like he did and brought up drama from our past." Lynn Sr. said with an angry tone as Lori gasped to this. "How could you! I forgave him immediately a day or two after he called us out, so did Leni, Lucy and Lana. Now you're just wallowing around in your own self hatred towards your only son like the jackass you are!" Lori yelled while covering Lily's ears from the profanity.
"Listen here missy, I'm not forgiving him until he calls me personally and gives me a sincere apology. Now, go up to your room and stay there until your mom comes back!" Lynn Sr. yelled as he pointed towards the stairs. "Fine, take Lily." Lori said with anger in her tone as she walked up the stairs, but not without mumbling. "Asshole." Lori got the final word as she heard her father from downstairs.
"I HEARD THAT!" Lynn Sr. hollered as Lori went to her bedroom to calm down. She found out that was going to college in the state, so she was close to the family. She also had to work still to save up for a car; she was almost at the right amount to purchase one. So, she just had to suck it up and deal with what was going on right now until the time was right.
Later in New Orleans
Lincoln was in his Social Studies class working, when Malcolm, who was sitting next to him, poked him with his eraser gently on the right arm, trying to get his attention. "Hey, how's your relationship with Bonnie?" The Irish American whispered as Lincoln shook his head and giggled lightly. "It's going good. Why do you ask?" Lincoln replied as Malcolm pointed to a certain 12-year-old brunette in the front who was wearing a pink t-shirt with the words 'Love Hurts' in white and in cursive, blue jeans and brown sandals. "I need some advice. Her name is Ava Carmichael, and I've had a crush on her for about 3 months now." Malcolm said as the teacher then cleared her throat.
"Boys, this is Social Studies class, not Socialization class. Mind explaining to the class of what you two are talking about?" Miss. Cooper asked as Lincoln took the fall. "We're just talking about our next Airsoft game." Lincoln said as the teacher sighed.
"Get back to work, Mr. Loud and Mr. O'Sullivan." Miss. Cooper said as they worked until the bell rang for lunch. All classes dispersed into the hallway to go to lunch. Lincoln and Malcolm talked some more until they reached the cafeteria and saw Dakota, James and Sebastian sitting at a table while starting to eat cheeseburgers, tater tots, rolls and milk. Lincoln and Malcolm got their food and went to sit with their friends.
"So, what's happening guys?" Lincoln asked the Cherokee as they sat down to eat. "Nothing, the school's gonna be hosting their first ever talent show soon at the beginning of September on the 3rd of Monday." Dakota said as the others talked for a minute before Lincoln spoke up. "Well, are we all joining?" Lincoln asked as Dakota smiled and nodded.
"Yep, why do you think we practiced 'Better Life' when all of us were at my place?" Dakota asked as it was obvious.
"Well, we gotta practice more before we officially sing it." Sebastian said as the others agreed.
"What other country songs could we practice?" Lincoln asked as Dakota pulled out his phone and showed Lincoln the perfect one that they could practice when they could. "It's called 'Somebody Like You' by Keith Urban. We can also sing 'Find Out Who Your Friends Are' by Tracey Lawrence, Tim McGraw, and Kenny Chesney. One of us can sing each part that each singer says." Dakota said as he showed the alternate version of the song. Lincoln liked it the minute he listened to it.
"I think we should do that one after 'Better Life'. It'd be really good to actually put our vocals together in one song." Lincoln said as everyone agreed to it.
"I like it. I think Lincoln should sing Tracy Lawrence's part while I sing Tim McGraw's; but we need someone else to sing Kenny Chesney's part." Dakota said as he then heard a voice behind him. "I think I can help you guys!" The voice sounded a bit southern as the Cherokee turned around to see a 12-year-old with café brown skin, short black hair, and was wearing a blue button-down shirt with black jeans and black running shoes. The kid also looked to be multi-racial too.
"Dawson! How ya been dude?" Dakota said as he hugged his friend. "I've been good. I heard you need someone to sing a part in a song. I can help if that's okay with you." Dawson said as Dakota and Lincoln nodded.
Dawson took a seat and was introduced to everyone else. They all took turns talking to Dawson and learning what he liked and what were his hobbies. Dawson Crawford was a multi-racial 12-year-old whose dad is half black with strong Romanian blood in him with a white mom. He was Roman Catholic who loved Airsoft, country music, martial arts, drawing, painting, speaking different languages and fixing smartphones for quick cash.
"So, what martial arts are you good in?" Sebastian asked the latter. "I'm a 1st degree black belt in Kenpo Karate, a 1st degree black belt in Hapkido, a brown belt in Judo, a brown belt in Aikido, a red belt in Taekwondo and a 1st degree black belt in Kickboxing. Why?" Dawson asked as the five 6th graders were surprised to hear that he didn't know Capoeira.
"Do you know a martial art called 'Capoeira'? Because that's what the others here and I are all learning as well as Parkour, Tricking and Freerunning at Nola Muscle Park." Dakota asked as Dawson raised his eyebrows to that name. "What's Capoeira?" Dawson asked as Dakota decided to explain what the martial art was.
"Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, and music. It was developed by African slaves in Brazil at the beginning of the 16th century. Our teacher, Fabien Guidry, is an awesome guy to learn it from. He learned it from a lot of masters and teachers that taught him since he was our age." Dakota explained as Dawson was now interested in the martial art.
"Alright, if you show me what you know in Capoeira, you gotta let me help you with your singing predicament." Dawson said as everyone else agreed.
Later, Lincoln was heading to his bus when he recognized a familiar blonde hanging out on the side of the bus with three 7th graders. It was Dexter, and he had an evil grin on his face. "Well well well, look who it is; it's Snow White without the seven dwarves." Dexter and his friends laughed as Lincoln paid no attention and got on the bus with the others getting on too.
Lincoln took a seat in the middle of the bus and listened to his music on his phone, while Dexter and his friends still tried to antagonize Lincoln. The bus left the school and was on the way to drop them off at their respectable drop off points.
Since Lincoln, Dexter and the 7th graders were the only ones on the short yellow bus, they were heading towards where Lincoln lived. On the way, Dexter and the 7th graders were trying their best to antagonize Lincoln, but to them, nothing was working.
"Hey, Snow White, ever thought of when you're gonna die, because you gotta be old with that white hair of yours." Dexter teased as the rest laughed but got no reaction out of Lincoln who faced forward and didn't react. It was one of the things the Expendables taught him; don't let teasing get to you and you'll make it in life.
The bus reached Paris Avenue and pulled over to the side of the street where it met the road leading towards the houses. The door opened and Lincoln got off to walk back to his house, since it was in eyesight of the bus stop. But unfortunately, Dexter and the other 7th graders lived on the other side of the busy road, close to Frankfort Street, so they wanted to tease Lincoln before they went home.
"Hey gramps, maybe you should go to a rest home! You're about ready anyway!" One of the 7th graders exclaimed as Lincoln was almost in front of his house when Dexter put his hand on Lincoln's shoulder; that's when Lincoln lost it. It was like a flash of lightning where Lincoln turned around, grabbed Dexter's shoulders with both hands and smashed his forehead into his nose, breaking it with blood dripping down. The three 7th graders watched with disbelief and horror as Lincoln did a flying guard pull and quickly put Dexter into a strong armbar. Lincoln used all his strength to hurt Dexter and finally, without hesitation, snapped his arm outta place.
Lincoln then got up, looked down at Dexter who was clutching his nose with his good arm. Then, Lincoln looked right at the 7th graders and spoke in a stern voice. "Now that I know who I'm dealing with, let's finish this." Lincoln said as one of the 7th graders with shaggy hair threw a kick at him, but he caught it, twisted his body and elbowed him in the throat hard, he then brought his leg up a bit and with full force, hit him in the ankle and snapped it, then at last did a full leg sweep and dropped him like a used rubber. One of the other 7th graders with brunette hair tried to throw a punch at Lincoln, but he brought up his left hand into a fist raised into the air, threw his hands around the back of his neck and kneed him hard in the groin. Then, he sucker punched him across the face by his left fist, then the right and lastly an uppercut before finally performing a shoulder throw onto the hard concrete.
Finally, the last 7th grader came at Lincoln from behind and locked his arms around Lincoln like a big bear hug and lifted him two to three inches off the ground before Lincoln put his head forward a bit and slammed his head back with full force. The last 7th grader got some distance between Lincoln before observing his bloody nose. Lincoln knew what technique was necessary for this moment; it was a Flying Guard Sweep, and he had to perform it perfectly.
The 7th grader tried to come at him, but Lincoln ran at him, jumped a bit, grabbed the back of the 7th grader's head and pulled downward into a roll which it was Lincoln who was on top. He then brought his hand back and with two fingers, jabbed the 7th grader in the nerve bundle of his front deltoid in his left shoulder. Lincoln then got up off the last 7th grader and observed all the damage; he snapped arms, ankles, jabbed throats, screwed up muscle deltoids and finally broke noses. Lincoln then looked at his hands; there was blood on them. It wasn't the amount where he committed a blood bath, but there was a little bit of blood on his hands from breaking the boys' noses.
"HEY!" The sound of a woman in her late 50's shouted at Lincoln from her house down the street. "You hurt those boys! I'm calling the police on you!" The lady screamed as Lincoln picked up his backpack and scrambled towards the house, where he saw Toll Road waiting for him outside.
"Lincoln, what's going on? What the hell happened?" Toll Road asked as Lincoln began explaining to Toll about what happened at the school to just a few minutes ago. "Just get inside and act like you weren't outside at all." Toll said as Lincoln went inside before Toll stopped him once more.
"Hey." Toll said, getting Lincoln's attention. "I'm proud of you. Also, I have outside cameras that caught the whole thing on tape. So, I'm gonna be showing the guys the whole thing." Toll said as he grinned, leaving Lincoln to grin as well.
It didn't take too long for New Orleans PD to respond to the fight, and the officer pulled up and went to the lady's house who called them. "The kid who beat up those ones lives in the house with those decorations by the front door." The lady with blonde hair going gray pointed to Toll's house across the street. The burly male officer went across the street and knocked on Toll Road's door. About 20 seconds or so after the officer knocked, Toll Road answered the door.
"Can I help you, officer?" Toll asked as the officer looked at him and saw his cauliflower ear and damaged nose. "Well yeah, we got a call about a big fight outside. Where one kid was seen breaking bones out here and ran inside here. Is he your son?" The officer asked as Toll Road turned towards Lincoln's room and spoke in a stern voice.
"Lincoln, come here please!" He spoke sternly, and not even a second later, Lincoln came out and played along.
"Hey, we got a call about some kid with white hair fighting some other kids outside. And judging by your appearance, you fit the description." The officer said as Lincoln's eyes went wide. What the officer didn't know, was that a black SUV pulled up outside and three CIA agents got out…and one had a clean bald head and was wearing a black suit.
"So, mind explaining what happened out there?" The officer said as he then felt something hard and metal at the back of his head. "Put your hands above your head where I can see them." The voice was dark and cold; the officers eyes went wide while Lincoln and Toll Road just stood there with relief.
"What are you doing? I'm with the New Orleans Police Department. I'm on the job right now!" The officer said as the gun cocked.
"I don't care. I have a warrant for this kid's arrest. So, you be a good officer and go back to the police station and pretend this never happened." It was obviously Agent Church, and the officer swallowed, got up and walked back to his patrol car.
As they watched the officer leave, Toll Road and Lincoln looked at Church with eyes that said, 'thank you so much'. "Hey Lincoln, how ya been?" Church asked as he holstered his weapon. "I've been good. I've been learning more and more martial arts as time goes by. Thanks for stepping in." Lincoln said as Church smiled.
"The agents and I saw you fighting those kids from down the street. I gotta say; damn, you can fight." Church said as Lincoln blushed a bit. "Anyway, I'm gonna get going now." Church said as he and the other agents left the property. Toll Road then shut the door and looked at Lincoln.
"Wanna watch the tapes?" Toll said as Lincoln smiled and nodded.
2 ½ Weeks Later
It was the 31st of August on a Friday; and it was the last period of the school day, which meant no homework. Lincoln was in his writing class with James and the two were sitting in the back of the class when the Italian American tapped him on the shoulder. Lincoln looked over at James and wondered what was up.
"I was wondering if you wanna spend the night at my house tonight. Dakota and the others are coming too." James said as Lincoln smiled and nodded. "I gotta talk to my caretaker first before I go. I'm sure he'll say yes. Do you have Skype?" Lincoln asked as James nodded and wrote down his Skype while Lincoln did the same.
The final bell then rung and all the students either went to their buses, walked home, or were picked up by their parents. When Lincoln got on his bus, he didn't see Dexter or the other bullies. Maybe they got the message to not mess with me, Lincoln thought as the bus drove towards Lincoln's house. As the bus drove, Lincoln called Toll Road to ask if he could go spend the night at James's house.
"You almost home?" Toll asked as soon as he answered. "Yeah, I'll be there in a couple minutes. But I was wondering if I can spend the night at James's house. He's a friend of mine from school and martial arts class." Lincoln asked as there was strong silence between him and Toll Road. "I guess. But I need to talk to his parents." Toll said as Lincoln saw he was close to the house.
"I'll give him a heads up to call the house phone, so you can talk about it to his mom." Lincoln said as the bus stopped, and he got off.
He hung up and walked towards the house while texting James on his phone through Skype. He then walked inside and saw Toll Road sitting at the table drinking coffee and reading his book. Then, the house phone started to ring. Toll Road got up to answer it while Lincoln was getting a small bottle of apple juice from the fridge.
"Hello?" Toll answered as he heard a female voice on the other side. "Is this Lincoln Loud's caretaker?" It was Shelly Cavallini on the other side. "Yes, this is. I'm Joshua Kendrick, and Lincoln wanted to know if he could spend the night at your house and hang out with your son." Toll said as Shelly sounded happy. "Oh of course he can! By the way, I'm Shelly Cavallini, James's mother. By the way, James's other friends are on their way for the sleepover as well." Shelly said as Toll smiled, looked at Lincoln and gave him the thumbs up, which made Lincoln happy as ever.
"What time is good for me to bring him over?" Toll asked as Lincoln went to grab a bag and pack his clothes for the night. "Well right now I'm mopping the floor, so maybe in an hour or two should be right. Besides, I'm ordering pizza for them." Shelly said as she gave Toll the address while he wrote it down. "Okay, I'll see you in couple hours, Shelly." Toll Road said as he then hung up the phone.
Lincoln was in his room packing a black and red button up shirt with blue jeans and compression shorts for tomorrow when Toll Road came into his room. "Well, Ms. Cavallini said we can over there in a couple hours. But just make sure you're on your best behavior." Toll said as Lincoln nodded and began doing maintenance on his Airsoft Glock 34's.
Two hours later around 3pm, as Lincoln and Toll Road were about to leave, Lincoln's phone started to ring. He saw who it was and answered it. It was Bonnie. "Hey you, whatcha doing?" Lincoln said as Toll Road started to laugh; until Lincoln punched him in the arm. While still on the phone, Lincoln got his gaming laptop ready and put it in the big computer bag Toll Road got him weeks before.
"Nothing much. Did you know my birthday is coming up soon?" Bonnie asked as Lincoln's eyes went wide. "Really? When is it?" Lincoln asked as heard Bonnie checking her calendar.
"It's the 14th of September on a Friday; plus, that's a full week of no school. My family is gonna be taking a trip to Miami, so, I was gonna ask my mom if you can come with us." Bonnie explained as Toll Road overheard what she was saying.
"I'll ask my caretaker too if I can go." Lincoln said as Bonnie squealed with excitement. "Okay, I'll see you later. I love you." Bonnie said as Lincoln blushed a bit but smiled.
"I love you too, Bonnie." Lincoln said as he hung up the phone and saw Toll Road chuckling. "Can we go now, please?" Lincoln said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. They got in the car and headed towards James's house in the West End Neighborhood.
As they drove, Toll Road decided to bring up what heard Bonnie say earlier when Lincoln was on the phone. "So, Bonnie and her family are going to Miami for her birthday. And she said she wants you to go with her." Toll said as Lincoln nodded.
"Well, if you wanna go, you show me that you will be good on that vacation. But before you do, I want you to work out and exercise like no tomorrow when you come back tomorrow. I'll take you to the gym tomorrow and we can work out with Lee and Caesar." Toll Road said as Lincoln understood.
Then, they pulled up to James's house and got out. As they walked towards the front door, Lincoln and Toll Road noticed that it was the neighborhood the Hurricane Katrina hit back then since there was evidence from the trees still growing. Just as they reached the door, it opened to Shelly smiling. "Oh good, you're here. Please, c'mon in." Shelly said as Toll and Lincoln walked inside while carrying the overnight bag and laptop bag with them. When Lincoln and Toll Road walked in, James came out his room and saw Lincoln.
"Hey. Up for some video games in my room?" James asked as Lincoln followed the Italian in his room. Inside his room was a large full set bed, a gaming desktop that had a nice big external microphone on a L-Desk, a TV with an Xbox One and his guitar on a guitar stand.
"I'm sensing a pattern. First, I see Dakota had a gaming PC, and now you have one." Lincoln pointed towards the PC. James just laughed a bit before he began to explain. "Dakota, Malcolm, Sebastian and I have been friends for 6 years. We've all been saving up and asking for a gaming PC setup for a couple years." James said as Lincoln did the 'ah' sound.
"Do you have a gaming PC?" James asked as Lincoln smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I got a gaming laptop. I brought it with me." Lincoln took the heavy laptop out of the bag and set it on the bed. James's eyes went wide to the device that was on his bed. "You got the 'Behemoth'?!" James said out loud as Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "It's just a gaming laptop, dude." Lincoln said as James grabbed the white-haired boy by the shoulders and shook him a little.
"Just a gaming laptop?! JUST A GAMING LAPTOP?! That laptop was number #4 on the best gaming laptops lists!" James hollered as Lincoln maneuvered behind him, put him in a headlock to shut him up and put his hand over his mouth, which made the two lay on the bed.
"Calm the heck down. I didn't know it was on that list." Lincoln said as James calmly got up to apologize. "Mi dispiace Lincoln. That was my bad for freaking out. I didn't mean to." James said as he let his inner Italian slip out.
"Want me to help you set up your account for games?" James asked as Lincoln smiled and nodded. The Italian American helped Lincoln with his gaming laptop by setting him up a Steam Account and other distribution platforms for him to play games on. He also set him up a Discord account for them to chat on and communicate to while they play games. Then, after forty-five minutes, they heard the doorbell ring. So, Lincoln and the Italian went to the door and saw Sebastian, Malcolm, and Dakota with their bags.
"Like I said before…WE'RE COMPLETE!" Malcolm hollered as all the boys laughed and made their way inside.
James then told the others that Lincoln had the Behemoth, and they all were gobsmacked by that. Soon, the doorbell rang again, and Shelly answered the door. "I got it." Shelly said as she opened the door to a nerdy pizza delivery guy. She paid him and took the 3 large pepperoni pizzas with two-liter sodas inside to the kitchen table. All the boys went to the table and their stomachs started to growl. The matriarch laughed and left them to demolish the pizza, but not before taking a slice for herself.
The pizzas were eaten within half an hour and the lemonade was almost gone too. The boys had fun; until it was time for video games and movies. The entire night, Lincoln had tons of fun with his friends, he had more fun than with his other friends in Royal Woods.
They all fell asleep around 10pm in the living room either on the couch or floor; but they had big blankets covering them. The next morning, Lincoln was the first one to wake up around 5am; it was a basic routine for him since he was being trained as a mercenary after all. He then heard James's mom walk into the kitchen to get coffee. So, he got up and went to get some water.
"Morning Ms. Cavallini." Lincoln said as took a seat at the table.
"Good morning Lincoln. What're you doing up this early?" She asked as Lincoln shrugged his shoulders. "I've been like this for a while. I always get up this early to either work out on the weekends or just get a shower before school on weekdays." Lincoln explained as the woman understood his situation.
"Well, your caretaker said he'll be here around a half hour after 8am to pick you up." Shelly said as Lincoln nodded and got a glass of water. Forty-Five minutes later, the other boys got up and all of them took turns taking a shower before finally getting dressed.
Then, Shelly got the stuff together to make eggs, waffles and bacon for everyone in the kitchen. Shelly had made breakfast for the other boys before; they were all like her other sons, since she was friends with their parents.
After breakfast, the boys went back to playing video games and discussing their song cover that they would be singing at school, until Toll Road showed up to pick up Lincoln around 8:30am. Lincoln gathered his stuff and got ready to go. As soon as they drove back to the house, Lincoln went straight in to change into some shorts and his tank top while he waited for Toll Road to do the same.
When they arrived at the gym, the 4 Expendables got to working out. Lincoln was working on his back exercises while the others were working on either their biceps or legs. Lincoln was easily able to do heavy Barbell Deadlifts, Wide-Grip Pull Up's, Close-Grip Pull Down's and many others that had to do with his back. He then moved onto working on his bicep routines; Dumbbell Biceps Curls, Overhead Cable Curls and Incline Dumbbell Hammer Curls. Then, he worked on his shoulders and they consisted of; Seated Overhead Barbell Presses, Dumbbell Lateral Raises and Arnold Raises. Before he decided to take a break, Lincoln started to jog on the treadmill before Lee thought it'd be funny to raise the speed a bit and make him run. After all the working out, he took a break by the water fountains and took a long drink. Then a guy who was in his early 40's and in good shape too, showed up; he had short brown hair, black eyes, stood 5 foot 11 and was wearing a black T-Shirt, black shorts and neon yellow running shoes.
"Hey kid, you can't be in the gym." The man said sharply as Lincoln wiped the corner of his mouth from the water and placed his hands on his hips. "Oh really? How come I see preteens in there playing basketball?" Lincoln said angrily as he pointed towards the basketball court that the gym had inside.
"Hey, who do you think you're talking to? You better watch that shitty tone you got, before I-" The man was cut off by someone clearing their throat. He turned to see Caesar, Lee and Toll Road, either crossing their arms or giving him the 'whatcha gonna do now bitch?' look.
"Before you do what?" Toll asked as the guy didn't give in. "Are you this kid's parent?" The man asked as Toll Road stepped forward a bit. "Primary caregiver. What's it to you?" Toll replied as the man got serious. "We strictly have a rule against children in the gym." The man said as Toll Road raised his eyebrows and pointed towards the preteens in the gym. "How come they're in there then?" Toll said as the man's eye twitched as he was losing his patience.
"Fuck this shit." The man said as he walked away; obviously defeated. The 4 Expendables finished their workouts and went back to their respectable houses.
September 3rd (Monday Morning around 5am)
Lincoln was lifting weights for his biceps as Toll Road came in the workout room. "Hey, you said something about a talent show today, right?" Toll asked as Lincoln blushed and looked down. "Yes. Some friends and I were gonna sing today." Lincoln replied as Toll got on one knee and put a hand on Lincoln's shoulder. "Hey. I'm not gonna laugh at you whatsoever. The guys are gonna show up too, okay. So, don't be embarrassed." Toll said as Lincoln went in for a hug. After the hug, Lincoln got in the shower while Toll Road made scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast.
Lincoln got done with his shower and was dressed in a black henley, blue jeans and black shoes and went to eat at the table. A little while later before they left, Lincoln texted Dakota to ask if he should bring his guitar.
Should I bring my guitar to school? -Lincoln
Lincoln waited a couple minutes on the couch before he heard a reply come back.
My parents talked to the principal and said we're able to bring our instruments to school and put them backstage of the auditorium. We're gonna have the talent show tonight around 6pm. -Dakota
Lincoln smiled and went to get his guitar ready. Soon, it was time to go and the two Expendables got in the car and headed towards the school. It was a peaceful ride and finally they arrived. The principal was waiting for them both. "Hey Josh. I meant to call you about the talent show. Lincoln, I can take your guitar backstage of the auditorium and leave it in there until tonight around 5:30." Ms. Jackman said as she led Lincoln inside.
As they went inside, Lincoln gave his guitar case to Ms. Jackman and she went to put it backstage of the auditorium. Lincoln went to his homeroom to see his friends there waiting for him. "Hey guys." Lincoln said as he high fived all his friends.
"Did you bring your guitar?" Sebastian said as Lincoln nodded. "Welp, looks like we're all set for tonight." Dakota said as he got his phone out and checked the time for the talent show in his reminders.
Just then, some other students came in before the first bell rang. Then, Mrs. Adams came in and started class. The class was kinda boring, but Lincoln knew his education was important if he wanted to go on his first field operation in 5 years. He knew he still had tons more of weapons and tactical training to do before he was even ready. Even though he did kill an enemy mercenary in Aldan with his knife and a M1911; he still wasn't fully ready for heavy combat yet.
As math class went by, he closed his eyes and pictured himself in 10 years going back home. He saw himself with a built body like Lee and Toll Road mixed together; an Expendables tattoo on his right forearm, his hair the same way it is now, but trimmed a bit and wearing his grey henley, black cargo pants with black boots.
The rest of the school day went by and Lincoln was back at home with Toll Road working out. It was close to 5pm, so they started to get ready for the talent show. "You ready to go?" Toll said as he walked back to the workout room, where Lincoln put down the 25-pound weight. He nodded and went to put on a maroon henley, black jeans and black converse. Then, the two made their way to the school again while Toll Road called the guys and told them to meet them there for the talent show.
The two saw the cars filling the parking lot; so, they thought they'd park on the side street and hightail it to the school a block away. As they walked inside, Toll and Lincoln ran into Ms. Jackman. "Hey, we're gonna start in 15 minutes. Lincoln, you can go meet your friends backstage while Josh and I go sit with your other caretakers." Ms. Jackman said as Lincoln went to the auditorium and saw his friends backstage tuning their instruments.
"Hey Lincoln, you ready?" Dakota said as he and the others were ready. Lincoln nodded and tuned his guitar as well. "Well, we're last for some reason. And there are 5 performances ahead of us. Not many people signed up for the talent show this year." Sebastian said as they all finished their tunings and waited for their turn as the talent show started.
It began with 2 girls doing ballet to the nutcracker music. It was nice and perfect; but Lincoln and the others were ready to put some country spices in the air of New Orleans!
After their other performances that consisted of; ballet, hip hop dancing, puppets and whatnot, Lincoln and the others were up next. They got ready and were in position when the curtain raised; Malcolm started the banjo rift and the song began. Lincoln was the one who was singing, while the others were his backups.
As they all listened, Toll Road and the other Expendables were wide eyed and smiling. They never knew Lincoln's voice was this perfect. The other students who performed were backstage as their jaws dropped to the beginning of the instruments playing the chords.
Everyone in the crowd loved the music playing! The chorus was perfect! James was rocking on the guitar while Sebastian was doing well on his drum set. Dakota was strumming his guitar perfectly as well.
After Lincoln and the others ended it, everyone in their seats stood up, clapped, cheered and whistled to the amazing cover. Lincoln, Dakota, James, Sebastian, and Malcolm all bowed, and the curtain went down for the final time.
About 25 minutes later, Lincoln grabbed his guitar and said good night to his friends. Then, Lincoln went to the Expendables, who were waiting for him.
"I didn't know you can sing so good, kid." Tool said as the others agreed. "I've been practicing with the others." Lincoln replied as they all departed for the night. Lincoln and Toll Road walked back to the car. "Feel like Chinese food for dinner?" Toll said as they got in the car. All Lincoln could do was smile and nod.
The two went to the 'New China Restaurant' (believe it or not, that's the name) and got their food to go. Lincoln got Shrimp Lo Mein, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Egg Rolls and Fried Rice while Toll got Beef Lo Mein, Fried Chicken Wings, Sweet and Sour Shrimp and Crab Rangoon. Once they got back, they ate their food and were full immediately. The rest of the night was just relaxation and comfort.
The next morning around 6am, Toll woke up and went to wake Lincoln up too. He walked inside the hacker's room and saw that his nose was runny, and he was coughing badly. "Lincoln, you okay?" The man asked as Lincoln's eyes opened a bit, but immediately shut due to the light being on. He groaned a bit before sitting up in his bed.
"No, I'm not." He said with grogginess in his voice. Then, his eyes opened wide, jumped outta bed and ran to the bathroom. Toll heard the door shut and heard a stream of soft solids and liquids hit the toilet bowl. He cringed a bit before hearing him puke a second time; this time, it sounded he was in pain, due to him hearing some gagging and some spitting from the strong stomach acid coming up from his stomach. Lincoln came out and leaned against the door frame before wheezing a bit.
"Why don't you get back into bed while I fetch the thermometer. You're not going to school with a fever like that." Toll said softly as he went and got his medical kit. Lincoln got back into bed and sneezed a couple times before Toll came in wearing a mask that covered his mouth and nose. He sat in Lincoln's computer chair and put the thermometer up to Lincoln's forehead. He heard it beep and saw it read 103.9. His eyes opened wide to the numbers and sighed. "Let me make a call to my friend who's a pediatrician." Toll said as he went to text his doctor friend.
A little while later, there was a knock at the door. Toll went to answer it and saw it was a lady who had black hair, blue eyes and red lipstick. She was wearing a red blouse, blue jeans and black shoes with a black medical bag.
"Hey Katherine. How ya been?" Toll said with a small smile. "I've been good. So, what's wrong?" Katherine said as Toll let her come in. "This kid that I've been taking care of since May is sick and his temperature read 102.8. So, I'm worried." Toll said as the pediatrician went through her bag.
"Well, let's take a look at him." Katherine said as they walked into Lincoln's room, who was breathing heavily and sneezing too.
"Hi Lincoln, my name is Katherine and I'm a pediatrician." Katherine said as Lincoln waved a bit before sneezing the opposite way of her. Katherine then examined Lincoln and checked his temperature, muscles and performed the exams on Lincoln.
After the exams, she gave Lincoln some medicine that was over the counter. It was good old Robitussin and the way Lincoln's face expressed the taste was not good. "Oh god that is nasty." Lincoln said as he then sneezed away from Katherine. "Well, that should help. Make sure he takes 2 teaspoons a day of the medicine and make sure he drinks plenty of water." Katherine told Toll Road as she kissed his cheek.
"I'll send you the bill later." Katherine said as she left the house.
"Well, let's see you if you scarf any food down." Toll said as he went to make Lincoln some food.
It didn't work one bit; since Lincoln just puked it up 5 minutes later.
5 days later (September 9th, Lunch Time)
Lincoln was working out in the workout room, after a couple days of being sick as dog. He felt much better since he was able to clean out his system and some bed rest helped him too. His temperature went back down to about 98.5 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday.
He was doing pushups and pullups when he heard his phone ring. He grabbed his towel and answered his phone in his room. "Hello?" Lincoln said as he heard a familiar voice on the other side. "Hey Lincoln. We're leaving tomorrow around 5am. And it's a 12-hour drive to Miami. So, we should be there around 5pm. I'll have my mom talk to your caregiver." Bonnie said as Lincoln went to see Toll Road. He found the demolitions expert sitting at the table drinking a beer.
"Hey Toll, Bonnie said her family is coming to get me tomorrow around 5am. Do you wanna talk to her mom?" Lincoln said he handed the phone to the man.
Lincoln went to pack his bag with clothes he'd be needing for the next couple days until he would be coming home this upcoming Saturday. He packed his gaming laptop in his laptop bag and got his backpack ready until Toll came into his room. "Hey, be up and ready at 4am tomorrow and have a nice shower in the morning before you leave too. I'll give you some spray on sunscreen before you leave as well." The man said as Lincoln to pack his clothes.
The next morning came quick and Lincoln woke up to get a shower around 4:30. As he turned on the water, he took off his compression shorts and shirt and noticed his whole body was toned to the bone. His abs were sharp, his biceps were showing, and he even started to get a bit of hair down by his groin, at the base of his large member. He held himself in his hand and it drooped a bit due to how big he was. I gotta at least be 9 inches, Lincoln thought as he got in the shower and scrubbed down his hair with shampoo and his body with body wash.
Lincoln got out and got dressed in a grey short sleeved henley, blue jeans and red converse. He put on his watch that Barney got him and got his bags ready by the door. After eating an early breakfast of scrambled eggs with ham and bacon mixed in with it, Lincoln waited with his phone on the couch.
Then, he got a text from Bonnie.
Come outside -Bonnie
"Toll, she's here. I'll call you when I get to Miami." Lincoln said as the man got down on one knee and hugged Lincoln. "You be on your best behavior." Toll said as Lincoln got his bags and went outside to the morning skies. Bonnie was standing outside the car and helped Lincoln with his bags. "Hey." Bonnie said as Lincoln kissed her on the cheek. They got in the car and were off to Miami.
The drive was gonna be long, but Lincoln knew it was gonna be worth it. Jack brought a portable DVD player and tons of movies for them to watch while on the road.
Many hours later, they finally reached Miami. It was getting dark, but Jack was able to get to their hotel before the sun officially set. As Jack parked the car in the parking lot of the hotel, he shook his wife awake. "Honey, wake them up and let them know we're here." Jack said as he got out to stretch. The southern matriarch got out, stretched, and woke up her daughters and Lincoln. "Kids, we're here." She said as Brooke got out and stretched. The two sixth graders woke up and helped carry their luggage to the hotel.
Everyone was greeted by the hotel employee. Jack gave him the information and the hotel manager got one of his coworkers to help with their luggage. They were taken to two separate rooms; Lincoln and Jack would sleep in one room while the girls slept in the other. As they got into their rooms, Lincoln put his gaming laptop on the desk and pulled up a chair. "Mr. Duncan, can I get some time alone, please?" Lincoln asked as Jack looked at him and nodded. Then, he left the room to get some ice for some of the soda's he kept with him.
Lincoln pulled up skype and contacted his mom via voice chat, since he didn't have his scenario with him. He clicked on her contact and waited for her to answer. "Hey honey, what're you doing?" Rita asked as Lincoln saw her face, but she couldn't see his. "Are you away from the girls first?" Lincoln asked as Rita nodded. "Yeah, I'm actually at the store right now getting some bread before they close. What's going on?" Rita replied as Lincoln turned on his camera.
"I'm on vacation now with Bonnie and her family in Miami. I decided to go with her since her birthday is this Friday." Lincoln said as Rita smiled. "My baby boy is becoming a man." Rita said as Lincoln blushed deeply.
"Anyway, I'm gonna be up here until Saturday. So, let Pop Pop know secretly as well." Lincoln said as Rita nodded. "Anyway, I gotta go. Love you mom." Lincoln said as he ended the call. He then clicked Ronnie Anne's contact and waited for her to pick up. Then, she answered.
"Hey Lincoln." Ronnie Anne said as Lincoln wanted to turn on his camera but couldn't if he knew Bobby and Mrs. Santiago were there. "Are Bobby or your mom there with you?" Lincoln asked as the Hispanic tomboy shook her head. "They're at a show. Plus, Bobby is spending the night at his friend's house tonight." Ronnie Anne said as Lincoln turned on his camera. Ronnie Anne then raised her eyebrow to the white-haired boy's surroundings.
"Where are you at right now? That doesn't look like your normal room?" Ronnie Anne asked as Lincoln smiled. "I'm in Florida at the moment. Miami to be exact." Lincoln said as Ronnie Anne was surprised. "I swear, you are so lucky. You get to go to all these cool places." Ronnie Anne said as Lincoln then heard a door open. "Lincoln, we're gonna get some food. You coming?" It was Brooke, and she saw Lincoln talking to Ronnie Anne.
"Yeah. I'll be out in a minute." Lincoln said as he then turned to Ronnie Anne. "I gotta go get dinner now, I'll call you tomorrow." Lincoln said as Ronnie Anne smiled, nodded and ended the call. Lincoln closed his laptop and got his shoes back on until Brooke sat down in front of Lincoln. "Are you cheating on my baby sister?" Brooke asked with a bit of seriousness as Lincoln put on a serious face. "No, Ronnie Anne is my ex from back home. I've moved on from her and we decided to remain friends. I would never cheat on Bonnie. I love her." Lincoln said as he got up standing toe to toe with Brooke. The 19-year-old just snorted and left the room with Lincoln following her to the others.
They found a good restaurant called 'The Capital Grille' and decided to get some food there. It was alright, but a bit expensive. Lincoln ordered sharable Lobster Mac and Cheese to share with Bonnie while Brooke, Jack and Lindsay ordered Au Gratin Potatoes to share.
Dinner was okay, but it was super expensive, so Jack and Lindsay decided to get cheap takeout for the rest of the trip, or maybe Olive Garden. For the rest of the night, Lincoln and Jack were in their room just chilling and watching TV until Bonnie came in the room. They had connecting rooms, so they didn't have to knock on the door and wait for them to open it. "Dad, can I talk to Lincoln…alone." Bonnie said as her dad raised his eyebrow for a second but got up to see his wife and eldest daughter.
As Bonnie sat in front of Lincoln on his bed, she raised an eyebrow and waited. "What?" Lincoln asked as Bonnie sighed and crossed her arms. "Brooke told me you were talking to another girl earlier. Is that true?" Bonnie asked with a stern tone as Lincoln was surprised. "She's my ex; okay Bonnie. We're still friends. By the way, I love you with all my heart, and would never break your heart. That I promised your dad and mom." Lincoln said as he grabbed Bonnie's hands softly and rubbed them. Bonnie's face softened when he said and did that.
"Do you really love me?" Bonnie said with a sincere voice.
"With all my heart." Lincoln said in a husky voice that made Bonnie's core shiver. Lincoln kissed her lips softly before licking between them. He then threw his arms around her and made her straddle his waist. "I wish we were my sister's age. Know what I mean?" Bonnie said as both of their cheeks started to go pink. Lincoln nodded and kissed her again. They then heard the door start to open and so Bonnie jumped off Lincoln quickly. It was Lindsay, and she looked happy.
"It's almost time for bed you two. Bonnie, go get ready for your shower. Lincoln, Jack will be back in here soon." Lindsay said as the two nodded while Bonnie looked at Lincoln and smiled. She got off the bed and went to get ready for her shower.
The next two days were Jack and Brooke trying to get little bit of party preparations done for Bonnie's birthday party. It was then Thursday the 13th of September when the Duncan parents had everything ready at a small pizza place down the street from their hotel; it was not too expensive at all. Everyone was in the hotel room getting ready before they would hit the pizza place; Lincoln noticed Bonnie was nervous, so he decided to see what was wrong. "Hey, what's wrong?" Lincoln asked as he softly grabbed Bonnie's hand and rubbed it with his thumb.
"I'm just nervous turning 12. I know it sounds stupid, but the whole growing up thing is gonna be so new to me." Bonnie said as a lone tear was escaping from her left eye. Lincoln wiped it with his hand softly and pulled her into a caring hug. "Andrà tutto bene, Bonnie. I promise." Lincoln said in Italian while Bonnie was surprised since she was bilingual to the foreign language. "James taught me Italian, okay." Lincoln said as he kissed her cheek to calm her down. "Let's go enjoy your birthday party. Shall we?" Lincoln whispered in her ear as she giggled and hugged him tightly.
Everyone left the hotel and headed to the pizza place to enjoy the little party. They got to their seats, ate and had lots of fun until it was time for cake. The parents gave the signal to the manager and two employees brought a nice sized cupcake with the number 12 on it. She was a bit embarrassed, but she went with it and blew out the small number candle. Then she thought it'd be funny to grab a small dab of the icing on her finger and smear it onto Lincolns cheek. He blushed angrily when the Duncan family laughed, so Bonnie did the unthinkable and licked it off his cheek while her parents and older sister watched with wide eyes. "You know your sister and parents just watched you do that, right?" Lincoln said as he grabbed a napkin to get the small bit of saliva from his cheek. Bonnie shrugged and hugged Lincoln right there and then.
Then, Lincoln heard a British voice that he recognized before. "Lincoln, what're you doing here?" The voice said as Lincoln as looked towards the voice and dropped his fork.
"Hugh!" Lincoln said as he stared right at his former tutor.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this.
So, let me know what you all thought, and I'll catch you lads in the next one…ADIOS AMIGOS!
