Through the few minutes that passed, Lincoln did what the substitute told him to do. Lincoln still did not fully understand the purpose, but he followed along with the activity. With the chalk in his hands, Lincoln let his mind wander as he doodled on the backyard concrete. The white-haired boy allowed his creativity to speak for himself through the artwork. Often at times, Ms. Dimartino would often kick back to herself while Lincoln did was he wanted. With each check up on the middle-child, Ms. Dimartino offered him a plate of food and drink.
Within the time that passed, Ms. Dimartino suddenly witnessed the evolution of Lincoln's drawing. The sight made her spit out her coffee in shock. She observed Lincoln's drawing become from a simple sketch to fully immersed picture. It was clear that Lincoln had been working hard on the drawing from the sweat and chalk stains. And from the empty plate of food, Lincoln did not skip out on his meal.
"Uh Lincoln, have you been out here all day?" Ms. Dimartino asked.
Spellbound on the drawing, Lincoln did not respond. The lovely scratched her head on the unresponsive reaction. For the most part, he was not ignoring Ms. Dimartino on purpose; Lincoln was just fully invested in the drawing piece. It was not like a video game where all attention made to the goal; Lincoln was creating art. Dimartino watches Lincoln continued to focus on the piece. With how determined and focused Lincoln was, Ms. Dimartino doubts that an unfortunate event could even stop Lincoln. Much as the teacher wanted to watch as he progress, Lincoln's time was up. To shake the boy out of his trance, Ms. Dimartino flicked Lincoln's forehead.
The flick sent Lincoln into a slight panic as he remembered where he was. "Oh, Ms. Dimartino I didn't see you there." Lincoln glanced at the art display left on the backyard concrete. "Oh, I'm sorry about your yard."
"Don't worry about it Lincoln." She observed Lincoln's art. "I got something for you." The lovely teacher went inside. Then came out with a book and DVD movie. "This should help you along the way because like you, was also in a difficult place."
Hearing the family van, it issued Lincoln's time to go. There at the wooden gate, he saw Lynn Sr waiting for him. "You ready to go sport?" Lynn asked Lincoln.
"Mr. Loud, can I have a word with you?" Ms. Dimartino asked.
"Go wait in the car son," Lynn told Lincoln. Lynn followed the teacher to the yard. "So what's going on, did he break something else?"
The teacher shook her head. "No, it's not that, I wanted to show you this." She presented the artwork Lincoln had made. Lynn saw the well-structured and well-made detail in the artwork. Words could not correctly describe how impressed he was to hear Lincoln did such a piece.
"Let me see if I got this straight. Lincoln did all this?" Lynn inquired. "It's beautiful." Lynn did not believe it at first, but the sweat and chalk stains on Lincoln was a clear indication.
"Yes, I think your son might have something he was not even aware of, and it is just waiting to be unlocked."
"I see." Lynn continued to glance at the art.
"For right now, I would suggest letting it manifest itself. That last thing we would do now is put pressure on Lincoln's hidden potential."
"I agree, thank you, Ms. Dimartino."
It was a halfway quiet morning as the loudest sister stood in the shade. The only thing that heard was a puff of smoke. With an inhale of the Vape bottle, Luna blew out clean smoke as opposed to the dirty smoke from cigarettes. Plus, she did not have to worry about the non-smoking room. To Luna, the Vape served as a substitute as Lisa would educate her on the smoking dangers. Not that she cared anyway knowing what was already ahead of her.
The second thing that sounded was the sound of running water as her brother was in the shower. Moreover, from the strong smells of Lincoln, he needed it, maybe more than one. He could take hours in the rain for all she cared. Luna did not waste any time throwing out Lincoln's old clothes. The smell of Lincoln's old clothes was so strong that even the flies would not enjoy.
On her way back to the room, Luna accessed her phone. On Luna's contacts list, she found Mickey's number. With the time the rockstar separated from her loving son, it made her suddenly question Mickey's behavior. Even if they were apart from each other, she still felt close to him as she felt close to her brother. Without an opportunity to waste, she called him.
"Hello," said a young voice.
"Hey little guy," Luna greeted happily.
"Mom, hey!" Mickey greeted happily back. "I have was just about to call you, is this a bad time?"
"For you love, it's never a bad time." Luna smiled over the phone. "So are you being good for granny and Grandpa as well as your little aunt?"
"Yep, I'm having a good time with Aunt Lily. She's been teaching me a lot lately."
"That is a good sweetheart," Luna said.
"So how is the band going? I bet you're getting a lot of fans." Mick cheered.
Luna did not like the subject, so she lied to her teeth. "Oh, we are getting somewhere alright. It just takes time; after all Mick Swagger did not become a rock star in a day."
"Your sisters are right; you're practically an encyclopedia on him."
Knowing he was not far from the truth, Luna chuckled for a bit. "Yeah. Also, I met an old friend; however, he's not doing so well, so I'm trying to do everything I can to help him."
"Is he sick?" Mick inquired.
"No, he's just lost right now trying to find his way, but I'm doing what I can to help him, he is very dear to me." Luna started to reflect on something as she inhaled. "Mick listen to me," Luna told her son. "I want you to promise me something."
"What's that?" Mick asked curiously.
"I want you to promise me that you won't ever let anybody hurt you and I don't mean physically. No matter what, I want you to continue being the best you, you can be and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise or try to change you."
"Um, okay," Mick was confused as he responded softly.
"Promise me!" Luna cried.
"Okay, okay, I promise, gee sorry," Mick replied feeling pressured. "By the way, what about you, did you just call just to give me a lecture?"
Luna shook her head feeling ashamed for her sudden outburst. "No little dude I'm sorry." Getting herself in order, Luna paused for a few minutes. "Look; I just wanted to hear your voice. I know we have been apart for more than a few months, just wanted to see if you're doing well."
"Okay, Mom."
"I will come and see you soon kiddo, I promise. I just got to take care of a few things. I love you." Luna confessed.
"I love you too Mom," Mick concluded hanging up the phone.
"I set you a new nice pair of clothes bro. I picked it up from a nearby Salvation Army." Luna called out, getting back to her hotel room.
"Thanks, Sis," Lincoln said while in the shower. Switching gears. "So you said Lori has kids now?"
"Yep, one daughter and a son."
"Wow, imagine that." Lincoln thought. Indeed the years were ahead of him. He wondered what else he has been missing.
The running water came to an end as Lincoln grabbed a towel. Coming out of the shower, he saw the pair of clothes no different than his normal ware. He saw blue jeans, a white shirt and an orange button up top to the bottom shirt. Sure brought back old times.
"You decent in there?" Luna knocked on the door.
"Yeah come in," Lincoln answered.
"Take a seat bro," Luna ordered holding a cloth and barber kit. With her jacket off, Luna's upper self reveal some visible body ink. Tattoos posted on her shoulders to her spine. Considering how Luna embraced her lifestyle, he was not surprised. "I'm gonna give you a makeover bro."
"But…" Lincoln tried to argue.
"No buts bro," Luna cut off Lincoln. "You need this." Luna put her chin on Lincoln's shoulder. "Don't worry; I won't turn you into a girl." She teases a bit.
Luna started with the hair. Even after getting out of the shower, Lincoln's hair was still a complete mess. First, she had to get as many tangles out as possible. Should not be so hard considering how much she learned from her oldest sisters. With a comb and scissors, she started trimming and straightening Lincoln's hair. She even had to put Lincoln's hair in the wash a few times to fully get out all the tangles. Since Lincoln was homeless, personal hygiene was not exactly top priority.
After performing some serious hair surgery, Luna focused on Lincoln's face. Armed with shaving cream and razors, she intended to shave his facial hairs, but this time the right way. She took careful strokes at a time to avoid any injury. When the final stroke went through, Luna applied some after-shave to her hands. Upon contact, it sent Lincoln's body intenseness, it was one of the many prices to shaving, but Lincoln dealt with the pain.
"All done," Luna concluded presenting a mirror. "You look like a whole new man."
As Lincoln's vision was clear, he glanced at a cleaner version of himself as hair was cut short and face shaved nicely. Despite his situation, Lincoln honestly did feel like a new person.
"Your quite the natural barber Luna." Lincoln complimented.
"Aw, thanks, little bro," Luna replied flattered by the compliment. She embraces Lincoln from behind as their cheeks touched. Lincoln touched Luna's arm as missing his sister's loving embrace after all these years.
"How about we get some breakfast bro?"
Lincoln spent nearly ten minutes looking at the menu as him and Luna sat down at a restaurant. He debated the list of things eat that he hadn't eaten in a long time. Even his stomach was getting impatient as it started to turn into a knot. It was not begging for food, it was demanding it.
"Go right ahead bro and order whatever you want, I'll just put it on my credit card." Luna had insisted.
"Are you sure?" Lincoln asked shyly, not wanting to feel like a burden.
"Don't worry about bro; I mean it." Luna gave Lincoln a smile of less worry.
It almost felt like old times as Lincoln and Luna stuffed themselves at the restaurant. They went through more than one plate as if it was a buffet. Since it was just the two of them, they did not have to worry about fighting among others, because when it came to food in the Loud House, it was a World War III. Lincoln needed a lot of it to fill his empty stomach.
While engaged in filling his empty stomach, Lincoln started to choke on a bite. Luna got up off her seat to help Lincoln ease it down. She handed him a cup of water.
"Take it, easy bro, I know you're hungry, but you must not eat so fast," Luna warned rubbing Lincoln's back.
"Sorry; it's been a while since I had something fresh. I was mostly eating out of the trashcan." Lincoln coughs for a bit. "Guess Lana's influence rubbed off on me."
"The only difference is she did it freely. You did you when you were homeless." Luna correct Lincoln.
She was right. Lincoln recall the times where Lana would eat out of the trash. Even the most rotten food was no match for her strong stomach system. Sometimes Lincoln question if Lana was superhuman. But that is not to say that the old foods would have some massive after effects at times. He could only wonder if her habit still was contagious.
After some coughs, Lincoln took another sip of orange juice. "So are you and Lori the only ones with kids?"
"Nope, Luan has a two-year-old daughter. It seems like she and Benny were inseparable from high school to college. Then after that, they got hitched." Luna answered eating a sausage. "Mom and dad are thrilled to have grandchildren if only they can meet their loving uncle."
Even if Lincoln was not at an old age, he was going to get used to being called uncle. If his sisters can get used to being called aunt, then maybe he can be used to being addressed as an uncle.
While breakfast was still in session, Lincoln and Luna remember more of old times. Times of the family band to the time of the Smooch concert and the times they always jammed out freely. With their friendly jam sessions, it would still wake the whole neighborhood to their parent's dismay. The parents usually would not mind, but at the same time, they needed to consider the neighbors. Just very reminder was enough to bring a sincere smile on Lincoln's face. If only that happiness could last. The more he looked at the outside world, the more it reminded him of his standing. He could only wonder what terrible fate would like ahead of him.
"By the way, was that Chunk's van you were driving?" Lincoln asked just now noticing.
"Yeah, he gave it to me a while back. Unfortunately, Chunk had to retire due to a serious health problem, something about lung cancer, yet we still keep in touch even if I had to ask him to bail me out a few times." Luna said as the powerful reminder made her tilt her eyelids. Luna grasped her coffee pondering a different subject. With what Lincoln has been through, she was not sure if she wanted to hear another sad story considering they did not have social adult lives.
"Lincoln…" Luna took noticed and pause for a second. "Do you want to come with me?"
"Huh?" Lincoln replied confused.
"We can go on the road together bro. You can become my new roadie." Luna suggested. "Besides I need someone to drive me."
Lincoln lifted his eyebrow in question as if he was asking a question.
Luna scratches her head while red with embarrassment. "My license is... suspended." Luna shamefully admitted. "I got a DUI years ago."
"With all of mom's driving violations, it's amazing how they did not suspend her license." Lincoln lied back on the seat.
"Yeah tell me about it, freaking lucky." Luna agrees with Lincoln.
Lincoln and Luna were silent for a couple of minutes. Both debate the next conversation as Luna held her coffee and Lincoln picked at his scrambled eggs. With how long it has been, it was hard even to think what to do next. They had a lot of catching up to do.
In the meantime, Luna showed Lincoln photos of her son. In the same brunette hairstyle and wearing a bandana, he was the spitting image of his rockin mother. By Mick's short appearance, he was the twin's age. The little guy was fortunate to have such an excellent mother and rockstar. From times, he was born to being able to walk and being old enough for preschool. It was clear as a single mother; Luna did not ignore her job from the happy pictures. She also showed pictures of Lori and Bobby's lovely kids. The blond Hispanic was the oldest by ten years, while the boy was around Mick's age.
As they traveled on the downtime streets, Luna explained more what has been happening when Lincoln was not around. She told Lincoln the time she formed the band with her friends to the time they made it on their first tour. And Lincoln had shared stories about the bad choices he made before being homeless. At the very least, Lincoln was just glad to be with his sister. It brought back many memories the two siblings share from their childhood to their young adult years. It almost made Lincoln forget about his standing, but at the same time, it did not stop the unfortunate coughing. Luna asks about it, only for Lincoln to deny, yet she thought otherwise.
The effects of the coughs had escalated. Lincoln's body was starting to go on shutdown. The vision began to fade, and muscle density was getting weak from every step of the way. No matter how much Lincoln tried to mask his coughs, Luna could see pass his act. Luna may not have been a doctor, but she knew that this recurring coughing was not frequent among young folks. Concern for her brother grew as she saw the blood on Lincoln's hands and Lincoln fainted to the concrete.
"Lincoln, Lincoln!" Luna called out catching her fallen brother. Lincoln's eyes were barely conscious. He felt his existence fading from every second. Luna was in a state of panic as Lincoln had collapsed. Tears drenched from her eyes as she kept calling out to her brother. "Breathe bro, breathe slowly Lincoln. Hang on Lincoln, hang on."
Nearly ten to forty minutes, Lincoln has escorted safety to the hospital. Stress overwhelmed the rockstar sister as Lincoln was in this condition. Still, she was relieved that Lincoln was safe. Any moment more, and she felt that Lincoln life would have been in critical. With the amount of blood she witnessed on Lincoln, she was only starting to fear the worst as she held her skull.
Soon enough the doctor came back from the operating room, yet it was to see another person. She saw a person on a stretcher bandaged like a mummy. Just the very sight made Luna queasy. Even if she knew others in the hospital were in worst condition, Luna was getting impatient. Just before she was able to step up, the doctor came out for her.
"So Doc, how is Lincoln?" Luna asked with intense stress.
"You were fortunate to have brought him in the hospital when you did, but so far your brother in stable and resting." The doctor assured.
"So do you think I can see him?" Luna asked.
"Of course, right this way." The doctor led the rockstar.
When Luna made it to the room, she glanced at her brother sleeping peacefully. Even as an adult Luna thought, Lincoln was so cute when he was asleep. That was beside the point as Luna found Lincoln under the breath machine attached to his nose. It was refreshing to have her brother by her side even if it was on unfortunate circumstances. The more she looked at Lincoln bedridden, the more she felt like crying.
Lincoln opened his eyes slowly. "Luna is that you?" Lincoln moaned holding his hand.
"Yeah bro, I'm here." Luna sniffles are grasping Lincoln hand. "I can't believe you have been suffering like this the whole time."
Lincoln felt empathy as his sister shred tears for him. It made him almost forget the reason why he cut himself off from his family. Lincoln guessed it only took a lot of running just for him to crash into a brick wall finally. Now Lincoln was feeling the biggest fool on earth.
"I don't know what to do Luna. It's too late for me."
Luna wiped a tear from her eye. "Bro, it's never too late to press the reset button. Even convicts deserve a second chance in life." Luna grasped Lincoln's hand tighter. "You don't have to be lost anymore. You can come on tour with me and my band, please, I miss you."
"You think I have a second chance?"
"Only you can decide that bro, not just for yourself, but for your family sake. You don't have to be like this anymore."
"I'm sorry ma'am, but we are going to have to keep your brother for tonight, maybe even more than a couple of days. Now it's time to get some test done." The nurse interrupted the two siblings.
"Anyway, think about it, bro." Luna let go of Lincoln rose up from the chair. Leaving the hospital room, Luna took a last glance of Lincoln before the doors closed. As she walked away, Luna started to access her contacts. "I think it's about time I got you reacquainted with the family."
Eyesight was blurry as the sun rays appeared on Lincoln's face. He was back in his bedroom but did not have morning sickness this time. Nevertheless, Lincoln was feeling a headache, or it could have been from hitting his head on his bed rail. The pain only worsens as he heard noise pounding into his skull. Lincoln could faintly hear the door opened and his sister calling to him.
"Lincoln; what are you doing on the floor bro?" Luna inquired.
"Oh, Luna it's you, what are you doing here?"
"Dad told me to check up on you and give you this." Luna gave Lincoln bottle water and two antidepressant pills. "Are you alright bro?"
"I guess so, can't complaint." Lincoln swallowed his pills and drank the water.
"You are having that dream again when you're homeless and alone?"
Lincoln took a deep sigh and nodded. "Yeah, but it does not seem to be as bad I before."
"Are you sure?" Luna asked with concern and a serious face. Lincoln nodded again. "Remember we are here if you need anything bro. hopefully, mom does not do any more damage to you then she already has." Luna said putting on scowl as she remembered the horrible display. Like the others, she also held animosity towards Rita. "Well, I got to go, try not to push yourself too hard bro." Luna left right before giving Lincoln few pats on the back.
"Come on Lily hold still," Rita said struggling with the little infant. "I need to change your diaper. Come on Lily."
Hostility was still among the mother as the youngest fought over the mother's grip. Lily may have been a months old, but her mind was able to pick up Rita's outburst, therefore, placing fear in her heart. Now she was beginning to be fussy at this time. With every ounce of strength she had, the infant fought against the mother's grip as if she was being held captive.
As Rita continued to persist, Lynn Sr arrived through the front door. Just about any moment, Lily was ready to cry. Lynn rushed to his child's aid before Lily could crack. He finished up with the diaper change, and Lily was happy again.
Rita fell on the couch in exhaustion. "That's just great. Even Lily is mad at me." Rita scoffed.
"Honey, we need to talk." Lynn Sr. sat down beside his wife.
"Yeah, what else is new? Something I haven't done yet." Rita boasted in irony, feeling bad enough.
"Honey it's not just you alright," Lynn stated.
"What do you mean?"
"I got through with speaking with Dr. Lopez, and it's not just you that is the problem. You did not fail Lincoln, we did." Lynn confessed. Rita glanced at her husband in question. "Don't you see, we gave our daughters so much praise and attention that we did not even consider how Lincoln felt."
"This kind of thing never bothered Lincoln before. As far as I see, Lincoln has always been supportive of his sister's." Rita replied with her eyes to the ground.
"Even so, he is a kid. And kids have their limits on how much they can support their siblings ambitious. It must be too much pressure on him feeling overshadowed. I mean can you even remember the last time we fully acknowledged him for something?"
Both parents drew blanks in their minds. Then again, there was the time during the football, only to find out he was lying. Rita was starting to see the big picture as her methods prove to be more destructive than helpful. The real reminder made the mother feel worst of her misdeeds. Not only her only son was angry at her, but the daughters were on the same page. Lynn was neutral at the moment, but at the same time, he could not blame his children. When Rita offered her help or even tried to talk to the girls, they were quick to turn their backs. Also if Rita was not the perfect parent, never did Rita ever imagine that she would do something to cause hostility among her children.
"I thought taking away Lincoln's belongings of anything that is sharp or potentially dangerous would keep him from attempting suicide, but I guess I only made it worse."
"Well I won't lie when I say you were over exaggerating, but Lincoln is not Mitchell." Lynn placed both hands on his wife's shoulders. "When our children were born, we both agreed that we would never play favorites, but I guess that ship has sailed long ago."
"So how is Lincoln now?"
"Fine so far, he's opening up now, yet he is not smiling as much. I was not sure if my methods were going to work." Lynn kneed down to Rita's level. "Look I know you meant well, but maybe you should stand down a bit. That last thing I want Lincoln to do is to hate you."
"Becky that is hilarious, I mean how did?" Lori while talking on the phone, paused at the sight of Rita. "Hang on Becky, let's talk elsewhere." Heading out the door, Lori gave the mother a sour look.
"And hopefully mend the ties with your daughters." Lynn reminded. After that display, he would certainly hate to be on his kid's discomfort list. If any, he'd be crying non-stop.
Later through the day at the Chortle Portal, Luan occupied herself by preparing for her next comedy act. Since winning, she had to make for an encore performance. However, Luan's attention was not entirely on her next action as she reflected the other day. Luan and the other girls watched as Rita screamed at Lincoln with full force. Luan's attention then shifted to the immense laughter. There must have been a joke she missed as her curiosity was peaked. Luan stumbled across a group of girls laughing at a phone video.
"Hey, what's everyone laughing at?" Luan asked the girls.
"Hey, Luan check out this stinker from weeks ago." A girl told the comedian.
Luan's eyes widened when the video revealed to be Lincoln. She witnessed her brother displaying the worst comedy ever seen. It was not even comedy that was so bad it was good. It was so bad that even babies would not find him amusing. Soon after the fifth line, the boos were coming on full blast. Second thing Lincoln knew, food projectiles flew his way. Luan's heart poured for her brother sake as he was performing poorly. Lincoln may have been humiliated before, but not this bad.
No matter how much boos blasted at him, Lincoln still tried on the comedy acts. It only took minutes before security has escorted off stage and out of the building. Now all Lincoln needed was to be chased by an angry mob to make his day even more hectic.
The girls continued to laugh at Lincoln's humiliating display. "Wow, what a stinker!"
"I'm so leaving a comment on this video, maybe a garbage emoji." Another girl added.
"No, I got it, how about a poop emoji to sum up his performances." The third girl said covering up her nose, leading to laughter.
"Hey Luan, you know this white-haired weirdo?" The girl asked.
"That white-haired weirdo is my little brother!" Luan viciously shot back, knocking the phone from the girl's hands.
"Hey, what the hell is your problem Luan, we are just having a good laugh. It's not our fault your brother performed like a dork!"
Anger levels rose as the young comedian grabbed the teasers by the shirt. At any moment, she was ready to strike. Before another thought could occur, one of the couch came in. "Is there a problem ladies?" He asked. Trying to avoid getting caught, Luan quickly let go of the girl. "Okay girls break it up, go prepare yourselves for your acts. Luan, can I have a word with you?"
Luan nodded going to the couch.
"Whoa yikes, that is rough." The couch looked at the online video of Lincoln's performance. "Look, I know you were defending your brother, but that is no excuse to start fights with people. Considering that you are one of the runner-ups, I'm going to let you off with a warning, but if this happens again, then I'm going to have to disqualify you, understand."
Luan nodded silently. Luan took a calm to breathe as the situation overwhelmed her. When she got home, she was going to have words with Lincoln.
"You have one hour to complete your test everybody, so please do your best." Ms. Dimartino announced, still keeping her role as a substitute. As Dimartino walked pass Lincoln, the teacher gave Lincoln a wink of good luck.
With a deep breathe and eyes on the paper, Lincoln concentrated on his test. It was just him and the article. Not one thought from depression, nor his beautiful teacher occurred in his mind. Now that Lincoln's depression had ease thanks to his father, Lincoln did not find himself moody, but that is not to say he had recovered. Lincoln had to shake his head a few times to keep himself sane, but it did not impact him majorly. Dimartino was not the only one on had her eyes on Lincoln, but Ronnie Anne did the same while working on her test.
After the last answer was filled and with time to spare, Lincoln had finished. He inhales presented his test to the teacher. No smile was present on Lincoln's face, but the substitute teacher was able to see the determination by his face. She could almost see the calm aura surrounding the boy.
"Splendid Lincoln, you may go now." Ms. Dimartino said. As Lincoln walked out of the classroom, Ronnie Anne gave a silent wave. "Keep your eyes on your own paper Santiago."
As the former bully was working on her test, she caught a glimpse of one of Lincoln's papers. It was a little doodle Lincoln did on his free time after completely with his exam. Ronnie Anne was quite amazed to see how a little sketch was so uniquely detailed. It contained his favorite hero and a new villain. At least that is what Ronnie Anne picked up since it was still in the sketching stage. When she observed the picture, it started to give her an idea.
"Off to your next Birthday gig sweetheart, I bet you are going to knock their socks off." Lynn noticed the comedian daughter, heading out the door.
"Yeah, but I guess I'm doing this one solo since the others are out," Luan replied.
"Why not take Lincoln? I'm sure he can use the excitement." Lynn suggested. Before Lincoln could protest, Lynn cut him off. "Go help your sister Lincoln, don't worry about it, alright."
"Try to keep up Lincoln," Luan said, sounding a bit bitter.
It was the usual day as Lincoln assisted his sister. Once again the middle-child was in charge if the comedy products, Luan was the main lead of the performance. Quietly and motionlessly, Lincoln watched his sister entertain the little kids with her act. It was as if she was on stage performing at a live concert. He could see her great potential future. With the smile Luan had displayed, it almost made the middle-child very envious.
However, Lincoln started to wonder about his sister sudden mood change. From the minute she was her typical happy self; next, she is acting cold. From what he saw, it was not just at Rita, though this was also the other girls, he was on her angry list. Luan may have been happy most of the time, yet even she had her limits. Luan loudly cleared her throat indicating that next performance. Paying attention to the task at hand, Lincoln quickly tossed the pie, thus once again cheering over the encore. As expected from the loudest comedian, Lincoln took a stoic sign.
As the party came to a close, it became more awkward between them. Luan and Lincoln walked silently home. Lincoln thought if he should say something to cheer up Luan possibly, yet the words would not come out. He did not know what was on his sister's mind at the moment. So Lincoln decided to start with something small. "Once again, you killed it with your act Luan." Lincoln complimented his sister.
Luan came to a halt as Lincoln bumped into her. "Lincoln; do you hate it that much?"
"Huh, what do you mean?"
"Do you hate being in our shadow that much that you resort to doing something so foolish?" Luan was getting irate.
"What are you talking about?" Lincoln was still confused. Luan showed Lincoln a video of his comedy failure. The act was so bad that even Lincoln did not want to look at it. The last thing he wanted was a constant reminder of his failures. "You mean that."
"You used to be so supportive, and now here you are acting all moody and for what, just because you don't have many trophies."
"Yeah well there, thanks for reminding me what a failure I am and what winners you girls are. I bet the crowd is bowing at your feet now."
"Lincoln!"
"Maybe I am just the black sheep of the freaking family!"
Luan got so fed up with Lincoln rants that it caused her to do the unthinkable. Within an instant, she raised her hand a gave her brother a hard slap on the face. The attack had silenced Lincoln as he did not know the proper words to say out of this outcome. Nevertheless, Luan had finally got his attention. "You don't seem to give yourself enough credit now and days, do you Lincoln?" Luan stated with a sob in her voice.
"Gee thanks."
"That was not a compliment. You think just because you don't have trophies like us makes you a loser?"
"It's not about the trophies Luan!" Lincoln countered. "It's the fact that I never been praised by mom and dad that much." Luan widens her eyes. "And when you stand on the sidelines so much in your life, it makes you crave so much to be something. I bet you would not know how it feels."
Luan frown turns into a sympathetic face. Luan dropped her comedy props and embraced Lincoln. "Of course I do Lincoln, more ways than you ever imagine. Like the others, I struggled with being inferiority, but I did not let it consume me this much. You can find your talent too. You don't have to try to prove your worth by humiliating yourself, and I don't want to see my brother heavily ridiculed like that, please promise me."
"Alright, Luan I promise."Lincoln embraced his sister back and concluded.
That night after dinner, Lincoln lied quietly to himself. He spent the next few hours staring at the stars through his bedroom window. Throughout the night skies, the boy wondered how peaceful the night stars was, floating in the air without a care. Sometimes Lincoln wished he was one of those stars.
Among his thoughts, Lincoln reflected what Luan had said. He never thought Luan would take his personally of his failures, and he had the mark on his face to prove it. For the most part, Lincoln did not deny that he let his pride and jealousy consume him to the point where he tried to be like his sisters. Just the memory made him feel pathetic Lincoln's head fell on his pillow, he caught sight of his favorite hero poster. Lincoln's comics got confiscated, but not his in-room decorations. Throughout the reads of Ace Savvy comics, Lincoln remembered how this hero would fight for justice even against extreme odds.
Suddenly, Lincoln then pulled out a notebook and pencil. On the blank line sheet of paper, Lincoln started to construct a piece. Within his fingertips, he rotated his hand back and forth working on the drawing. For the next few minutes, it began from unknown lines and evolved into something specific. As Ms. Dimartino said, Lincoln drew whatever was on his mind. He did not have a general idea at first, for now, Lincoln let his mind wander. And thus with every line that form, Lincoln's mind started to ease.