I found a boo-boo in Chapter 5 that I went back and fixed. Rather than saying, "You know how Mom is about us being out and about on a school night," when the chapter takes place on a Saturday, Bobby's line at the end now says, "You know how Mom is about us being out and about too close to curfew."
Once again, I apologize that the last couple of chapters were so short. This chapter and the next two will document Lincoln's first day of school.
Chapter 7
The early-morning tranquility of The Loud House was broken by a high-pitched yet distinctly masculine scream. Six doors, five upstairs and one downstairs, immediately swung open. Everyone knew it had come from Lincoln's room, and all of the girls but Lori were discussing possible reasons for why he had screamed. Lori turned to see their mother charging up the stairs.
"Is Lincoln okay? He didn't have an attack, did he?" the older woman panted.
"Mom, he hasn't had one for over two years, so why should they start again now? He probably just woke up with Cliff on his face again, or something," Lori said. Their answer came when the boy's door swung open and a ball of black fur flew across the hall, into the twins' room, after being quite literally kicked out.
"Stay out of my room, you stupid cat!" Lincoln yelled and slammed his door shut. The girls all looked at one another, shrugged, and went back to bed. Lincoln, however, was unable to go back to sleep, so he got dressed and double-checked that he had everything he needed for the day. Leni had kindly purchased a backpack and other school supplies for him after finishing her shift at the mall. Once he was satisfied with his checklist, Lincoln went downstairs to make himself breakfast and a sack lunch. "If there's anything I like better than Swiss cheese and ketchup, it's peanut butter and sauerkraut, but we haven't got any," he wistfully said to himself as he assembled a sandwich and placed it in a brown paper bag alongside a salad in a plastic container. The hardest part of the day was probably trying to get out the door, as Lynn Sr. had the worst case of "empty nest syndrome" in the world. Lincoln breathed a sigh of relief when Vanzilla's door finally closed. "Thanks for loosening his grip on my ankle, girls," he said to the twins.
"Next stop: Royal Woods Elementary!" Lori called from the driver's seat. Once there, Lucy, the twins, and Lisa raced off to their respective classrooms, while Lincoln met Clyde at the door. The two walked down the hall together, with Lincoln doing his best to ignore the stares he got from the people he passed. His hood was down and his sunglasses were in his pocket.
"Okay, Lincoln, stay right here so Ms. Johnson can give you a proper introduction. And remember, if a question makes you uncomfortable, say 'pass,'" Clyde said when they stopped outside a door that Lincoln remembered from the tour. Clyde went inside and closed the door behind him. Lincoln stood there and listened for his cue, and heard Ms. Johnson's voice before long.
"Good morning, class. Today we have a new student joining us. Remember, be polite and respectful, or it's a week of detention. Come on in, Lincoln!" Lincoln opened the door and walked to the front of the class, swallowing hard. Most of the faces he didn't recognize, but he was happy to see Ronnie Anne sitting next to Clyde.
"H-h-hello, everyone. M-my name's Lincoln Loud," he said. He started to freeze up until his eyes met Ronnie Anne's.
"Breathe," she mouthed and mimed taking a deep breath. Lincoln did as she suggested and immediately calmed down.
"I heard we get to play a game of Ten Questions. Who wants to go first?" he asked. Multiple students raised their hands, and he picked a gap-toothed boy with ginger bowl-cut hair.
"You feelin' alright, pardner? You're lookin' mighty pale," he asked with a Southern accent.
"I'm fine, I just look pale because I'm albino." A fair-skinned girl with indigo hair was next.
"Do you have any siblings?"
"I'm the middle child of eleven. I have five older sisters and five younger sisters." Next was a stunningly beautiful girl with glossy black hair, a maroon dress, and fishnet gloves.
"Can you speak any foreign languages?"
"Yes; I fluently speak Spanish, French, Scots Gaelic, and sign language. I want to travel the world someday, so I'm trying to learn as many languages as I can." At the sound of "sign language," a girl with short brown hair and a purple leather jacket grinned and raised her hand.
[What do your parents do for a living?] she signed when Lincoln called on her.
"My mom works from home as a newspaper editor. My dad is the owner and head chef of Lynn's Table." This sparked several positive comments about the restaurant. The next question came from a girl with a black bomber jacket and spiky black hair. The tips of her bangs were dyed bubblegum pink.
"What kind of music do you like?"
"If I had to choose, it'd be 70s classic rock."
"Are you a Goth?" asked a girl with sandy-blond hair in a fish-tail braid, referencing his dark attire.
"Not really, I just look terrible in light colors. My favorite color is actually sunset orange."
"What are you even doing here, White-Out?" someone asked without being called on. Lincoln's blood ran cold; only one person called him that, and there he was in the back corner: loose jeans, baggy orange T-shirt, holier-than-thou smirk, and pale blond hair under a white beanie.
"H-hi, L-L-L-Lester," he stammered.
"That's a week of detention, Lester," Ms. Johnson said with a scowl. Lester Loud had always been a troublemaker, so now she had a valid excuse to keep an even closer eye on him. The last four questions referred to Lincoln's home life and hobbies. "I think we can all agree that you lead a very interesting life, Lincoln. Your desk is over there, behind Christina."
As he passed by the red-haired girl Ms. Johnson indicated, Lincoln felt a tickle in his nose and barely had time to think, "Uh oh!" Christina yelped and recoiled when Lincoln accidentally sneezed on her.
"What's wrong with you, weirdo?!" she screeched.
"I'm sorry! *ahCHOO!* I can't help it! *ahCHOO!* I'm allergic to...*ahCHOO!*...certain kinds of...*ahCHOO!*...hair spray!"
"Oh, dear, that's quite the predicament. Rusty, why don't you and Lincoln switch places until we get something else figured out," Ms. Johnson suggested while Lincoln continued to sneeze uncontrollably. The same scrawny, freckled boy from the arcade stood up from his seat on Clyde's other side and moved to where Lincoln would've sat if it weren't for his allergy. Lincoln finally stopped sneezing when he reached his new desk. He hung his backpack on the back of the chair and gratefully accepted the tissue offered by Clyde. He slumped down in his seat. This was gonna be a LONG day...
Any questions you readers have I will attempt to answer here:
-"Lester Loud" is my made-up name for the bratty kid from the episode Cereal Offender. What his relation to Lincoln is will be revealed in Chapter 9.
-The kid that caught Hank's cheating back in Chapter 3 is none other than Rusty Spokes.
-Lincoln's classmates in order of appearance are: Liam, Kat, Haiku, Mollie, Tabby, and Girl Jordan.
-The hair spray allergy idea came from watching an old sci-fi movie called Innerspace.
Okay, I think that covers every question I can think of. Stay tuned!