Well, I don't see any complaints, so it looks like I could tell the bullies apart after all!
Chapter 4
Beau pulled her station wagon in front of 1216 Franklin Avenue and put it in park. She was a fair-skinned young woman with short, bouncy brown hair, red lipstick, and wearing her work uniform.
"Need help carrying that TV, sugar? It looks awful heavy," she asked Lincoln, who was once again sitting shotgun.
"No thank you. Thanks for the ride home, Beau," Lincoln replied, his voice slightly muffled by the spandex mask he still wore.
"Any time. Tell Lori I said hi!" Beau said and sighed. Poor kid; even after being introduced to a number of his sisters' friends, he still refused to show his face to anyone he wasn't related to. As Beau pulled away, Lincoln struggled to carry his new TV into the house. He could handle the weight, but why'd they have to make the box so slippery?
"Need a hand?" asked an unfamiliar voice once he got through the front door. Lincon was so surprised that he stumbled and dropped the box on his foot. Hissing in pain, he turned toward the owner of the voice, a Hispanic girl right around his own age. She had black hair in a ponytail, a trio of freckles on each cheek, and an overbite. She wore a purple hoodie, denim shorts, lavender stockings, and dark purple shoes. Too nervous to speak but not wanting to seem rude, Lincoln nodded. The girl bent down and picked up one end of the box, and he did likewise. "Alright, where to, pal?" Lincoln pointed. "Up the stairs? Okay. I call dibs on going backwards." With a series of simple hand motions, Lincoln directed the girl to his room. Once there, they leaned the TV against his dresser. "Nice place you got here," the girl commented, looking around at the various video game and rock band posters. Then realization hit her, and she facepalmed. "Where are my manners?" She offered her hand. "My name is Ronnie Anne. My brother is dating your sister." Ronnie Anne took note of how badly Lincoln's own hand was trembling when he shook hers. She was well-informed on the reason why. "Hey, I don't bite," she said gently, trying to coax him out of his anxiety. "Can you tell me your name?"
"L-Lincoln L-L-Loud," the boy stammered, finding his voice at last.
"What kind of things do you like to do for fun, Lincoln?" Ronnie Anne asked.
Growing a bit more confident, Lincoln replied, "I-I play video games, I play music with my sister Luna, and I go bow hunting with my grandfather."
"Bow hunting, huh? Can I see your bow?" Lincoln retrieved a bulky case from behind his recliner and undid the zipper to reveal the unstrung wooden recurve bow.
"Pop-Pop taught me everything I know about wilderness survival. I even collect medicinal herbs!" Lincoln stated proudly.
"You have something in common with my grandmother, then. Only, she uses herbs for superstition. Burning sage, and all that," Ronnie Anne replied, returning the bow to its case. "Aren't you uncomfortable with that mask on?" Lincoln looked down; he was getting itchy but didn't want to admit it.
"I need this mask around new people. You wouldn't understand," he said.
"Try me."
"The minute it comes off, I'm a blubbering coward. I've had this anxiety thing ever since I was -"
"Bullied. I know," Ronnie Anne interrupted, startling Lincoln.
"You do?"
"Yeah. I remember, because I was there. There was a handful of kids, myself included, that didn't think you deserved the ridicule you were getting. As a matter of fact, when word reached my ears that you'd been beaten within an inch of your life, I hid in the bushes with a baseball bat." That last part was an exaggeration; he'd gotten a broken arm and LOTS of bruises, but that was it.
"You didn't!" Lincoln gasped.
"I did." Ronnie Anne moved closer and placed her hands on his shoulders, gazing into what she hoped was his eyes with a look of tender sympathy. "Lincoln, I promise that I will never make fun of you, and I'll do my best to make sure no one else does." Lincoln made a swallowing sound, and the cheeks of his mask became damp. It was the nicest thing any non-relative had ever said to him, and he was getting emotional. He felt her hook her fingers under his mask. "Now, may I please see if you look like I remember you looking like?" He nodded meekly. She gently slid the mask upward until it came free of his head, leaving his hair standing on end from static electricity. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ronnie Anne cut him off. "Before you say anything negative about yourself, let's forget about the color and focus on the shape."
"The shape?" he asked and flinched when she felt her hands on his cheeks.
"Let's see...firm cheekbones...a strong jaw...a button nose..." She pried open his mouth. "...and good teeth. I don't mean to embarrass you, but you're actually pretty good-lookin'." Lincoln turned the color of a tomato; unfortunately, in his case there was no such thing as a "slight blush" (behind his back, the female members of Lori and Leni's friend group thought he was cute).
"That is literally adorable!" Lincoln and Ronnie Anne both jumped. Lori was standing in the doorway with her arms crossed, wearing a smug smile. Behind her stood a tall Hispanic boy with spiky black hair, a green flannel shirt, and denim jeans, also looking smug.
"How much of that did you hear?" Ronnie Anne demanded, a blush creeping onto her own face.
"Pretty much the whole conversation. Dinner's ready, by the way," Lori replied. "We should probably head downstairs before the Lynn-sagna gets cold." Lynn Sr. had only shared his very popular secret lasagna recipe with the handful of his children that could actually cook, namely Lori, Luna, Luan, and Lincoln.
On their way down the stairs, Ronnie Anne whispered to Lincoln, "Don't worry about my goofball of a brother. His heart is bigger than his...well, everything." Lori and Bobby just looked at each other and smiled. They couldn't be prouder of their respective siblings.
That's a wrap for chapter 4! Beau is a background character that I made up a name for. I want to make myself clear that this is NOT a Ronniecoln story! In every new story that I write, Lincoln will be dating a different girl.