His eyes slowly parted as Lincoln lifted his head from his folded arms over the table and stared at the pale black haired girl sitting across of him. She used her left hand to wipe away a stray lock of her raven black hair behind her ear and gracefully turned the page of the book she was reading. Her exposed eye moving along the sentences printed with black ink on the old greying papers, still not noticing his gaze on her with how caught up she was with the book. It has become quite a routine for him to spend his time for recess in the library, either also joining the girl to read any book that she would suggested for him or just by resting like he was doing at the moment. His encounters with the people that wanted to fight him has reduced greatly during his stay in the library, giving him more time to relax and study without any disturbance, it was admittedly a nice and peaceful exchange of atmosphere to say the least.
Final exam is getting closer and unfortunately Lisa was no longer able to tutor him as much as she used to since she was busy helping their older sisters with their own education, mostly Leni so she won't be held back a year, which he totally understand. He already got a better grasp on what he had missed during his suspension and a few subjects ahead, so he wasn't that troubled to study on his own at night, and hopefully giving more time for Lisa to rest. Although she won't admit it, he knew she was beyond exhausted not only from her time tutoring their sisters but also from her occasional experiment she was conducting.
Even mom and dad were worried that she wasn't getting enough rest like she was supposed to, which was why he decided to talk with her about it. He doubted that she would actually listen to him but from how tired she looked like, it wouldn't take long before her own body would refuse to listen to her order much longer. By then even she would know better that there is nothing she could do but to take a proper rest, unless she wanted to be scolded by their parents. Even for someone as smart as her, she still need to listen to their parents instructions.
"You're awake." Haiku softly said in her usual monotone voice, breaking him from his trance. Lincoln returned his gaze to the black haired girl looking at him with her half lidded eyes. Her purple eyeshadows further complimenting her crystal blue eyes, making them more appealing with her porcelain pale skin and black dress hugging her slim figure. She was no longer reading the book as it was closed and discarded on the table. If he need to guess she had probably finished the book already and decided to fill the last of their minutes in the library with a conversation. Which is definitely more reasonable than them staying there in awkward silence while waiting for the bells to ring and signalling for their next class. He wouldn't mind starting a conversation with her, he was even hoping to know more about the girl since they had been spending most of their time for recess together in the library, he just wished that he actually know how to.
"So what do you think about the book I suggested to you before, do you like it?" She asked as Lincoln took a moment before picking up his bag from the floor.
"I don't usually like romance, but I'm willing to make an exception for this one just because you probably already know I will like it." He replied, unzipping his bag and reaching inside with his right hand for the book when he touched something else being in there. Raising a brow, he pulled the item out from his bag to see a paper bag with a sticky note plastered on it.
'Hi Linky, sorry for not telling you about this but I want it to be a surprise, like Lucy said something about you not going to the cafeteria anymore so I make some chocolate muffins for you! I hope you will like it. Your sister, Leni.' with a smiley face at the end.
A comforting warmth enveloped his heart as his lips curved up slightly into a small smile. He couldn't help the loose chuckle escaping from his lips at the thought of her cheerful sister. Maybe he should do something for her later, well he don't exactly mind spending more time with her if she asked him to help her with something.
Lincoln opened the paper bag as the smell of baked goods wafted in the air, slightly making his mouth water in anticipation.
"Hey, no eating in the library." Haiku reminded him with narrowed eyes. "I thought you wanted to stop being a delinquent." She inquired.
Smiling, Lincoln reached for one of the muffin and took a small bite from it, relishing the sweet and soft texture of the treat in his mouth. "As long as I didn't hurt anyone and myself, everything is alright in my book." He replied, ignoring the black haired girl rolling her eyes in slight annoyance.
"And here I was expecting better from you." Haiku said, crossing her arms over her chest before sighing in resignation.
"You want some?" He offered as the girl looked at him in bewilderment. Though her scrutinizing gaze didn't do much against his carefree attitude which she had grown to settle and deal with when necessary.
"Thank you for the offer but I will be fine." She replied. A blush crossed her pale cheeks soon after when a sound of growling could be heard coming from her stomach, which gained a low chuckle from him.
"Just take it Haiku, it's not like I can eat all of them on my own anyway, plus it would be a waste if I can't finish them." He reasoned, pushing the paper bag filled with muffins towards her. She stared at the muffin, contemplating for a moment before sighing in defeat.
Though reluctant at first, she eventually relented and took one of the muffin before eating it, surprised at the delicious taste filling her mouth afterwards. They stayed like that for awhile, enjoying the chocolate muffins in mutual silence. Considering his situation, he was really thankful that Leni put the muffins in his bag.
As much as he don't want to admit it, his social skill is still quite far from being decent or anywhere close to that much to his frustration. It wasn't a surprise either on why he was struggling to do so with how long he had been alone with his thought that speaking to anyone in his current state almost seem foreign to him in a weird way. He was too used with being by himself that nothing really matters to him anymore. Talking his way out from the bullies never worked like he hoped they would so he just speak in the only way they will definitely understand, with his fists!
Being in his position right now, it really didn't end up well for him. And he can't exactly blame anyone either for that since he was also at fault to begin with. Instead of being mad at himself he decided to let it stay in his past since there is no point in bringing it up anymore. Now, he only need to think about the important stuff, the present and the future, on how he could fix his mistake without worrying his sisters more than he already did. Unfortunately as most thing in his life it was easier said than done. The only reason he wasn't having a hard time talking with Clyde was mostly because they shared some common interests regarding some stuff, and even then there were still some moment where he was stuck with no topic to talk about.
He was just lucky since that was also around the same time when Rusty joined their circle group of friends. Even if what mostly came out from his mouth was ridiculous and nonsense, he still prefered listening to that rather than forcing himself to come up with something which he have no knowledge about. Not knowing what to talk about was bad enough, he don't need to pretend that he know something to make it worse. He was still early in the stage, trying to figure out their characteristics and learning more about them at the pace they were comfortable with. He wanted them to trust him enough before sharing their secret and problem with him. It was a slow process but he was beginning to make some progress with his social skills, even if not by much. He can work his way from there, he wasn't alone, not anymore. They will help him and he really appreciated them for that. Without them it will definitely be harder for him to get used to this.
He once tried to remember what kind of person he used to be before all of this, before the incident happened and everything changed for him, where he used to talk and smile with his so called friends like they understand him the most, but the fragments of his memory from that time was nothing more than a vague collection of a forgotten life of his past. He had kept them locked and hidden at the back of his mind for so long that most of them were no longer there with how meaningless their existence was. And what he could find being there instead was only the pure hatred he held towards them still burning fiercely for what they had done to him. What's the point of him still clutching onto it if they will never treat it the same way. If they can forget him that easily, he have no reason to keep remembering them or how important they used to be for him, it will only bring more pain and confusion, he don't need that, not with how pointless it was for him to put his time and energy into something so useless. He don't need to waste his time thinking about someone like them. The damages they had caused were still healing and the thought will only hindered him from making more progress.
He don't need them, he wanted them to suffer just as much as he did but they got away just like that, glad to continue their lives as if nothing ever happened to them. Was their memory with him really meant nothing to them? Was it wrong for him to hate them so much? Would it be better if they are completely gone from his memory? He don't know, he wished he does but he never got the answers.
They never gave him one...
"Lincoln?" A low hesitant voice brought him back from his intrusive thought as Lincoln quickly shook his head before looking at the black haired girl. Even with her usual blank expression hiding her emotions he could still sensed a hint of genuine concern in her eyes. A dull painful throb of guilt slowly reached into his chest and grasped his beating heart, taking hold of it and tightening the grip. He don't like this, it felt almost like that time with her mother, why does it feel so similar? Noticing his fists clenched tightly on the table, he slowly opened his hands and let out a sigh of frustration. He really need to deal with this rather sooner than later. He don't know how much longer he can prevent this urges from coming out. In some sort of way, it kind of horrified him with how little to no control he have over his own body, how long has he been like this, why didn't he notice this feeling before, how can he hide something so painful like this in himself without losing control.
The answer was easy actually, he did not...
Everytime he got into a fight, his body would moved on its own as if his instinct was taking over. With each pain he endured from their messy blows, the feeling burning inside him slightly fading as he returned with his own punches, scraping his bloody knuckles against his opponent until they're down. It was like a drug, a pain to cover another pain much stronger that it would take longer to heal without an outlet. Now that he wasn't letting them out anymore, they're desperately clawing inside him, looking for a way to escape. Even a small crack in his conscious will be enough of an opportunity for them to take over, much to his fear. He can't let that happen, he was no longer doing this for himself, he was doing this for them. Everything hurts so much, he won't deny that, from this fire burning inside him and the worried look of his sisters to the images of his crying mother still fresh in his mind, haunting him every night to remind him how far he had lost himself. And how hard it is to see himself as someone worthy for their concern and tears. They deserved better, and he will be better for them.
Taking in a deep breath, Lincoln closed his eyes before slowly exhaling from his mouth, easing his body and mind from the strain he had put himself in earlier. If anything that was a clear sign his conscious is slowly losing control over his desire to get better. Something that would bring more harm than good if he still do nothing about it. He had been delaying this for long enough, if he keep avoiding the obvious problem still taking hold inside him, he will never get better. Only when he accepted the existence of the problem he will be able to find a solution for it, no matter how hard it will be.
Feeling slightly better, he opened his eyes and looked at Haiku still staring at him while waiting for him to say something. Although it was hard to see, the concern was still visible on her face, something that he wished he will never see again from the people close to him. But maybe that was too much to ask for with how fate really like to screw with his life. When he thought he had made some progress, he was thrown back to the bottom of his problem, perhaps even deeper than when he started.
The corner of his lips slightly curved up as he prevented the low chuckle slipping from his throat. His twisted sense of humor still didn't change much with how everything has been going on for him. It was funny, no matter how much he think he had a chance to reach his hope something will always break him as if his effort didn't mean anything. That his struggle was just a cheap joke for someone entertainment. It wasn't supposed to be funny for him but he can't help but also laughed at the misfortune seemingly to be so attracted to him for no other reason but to spite his existence. How wonderful it would be if that was the reason. Then everything he did really didn't matter after all, because nothing is real.
If only it was that easy, but his sister's worries for him are real, his mother's cries for him is real, his new friends constant support and encouragement are real. And because of them also, maybe it wasn't wrong for him to believe for once that hope is also real.
"Sorry if I scared you... Again." Lincoln apologized, running his right hand through his messy white hair.
"It's fine Lincoln I'm just worried about you, are you sure you're alright?" Haiku asked. "If you want, I can ask Clyde to bring you to the infirmary." She offered.
"Don't worry Haiku, I'm fine really, I just have a lot of stuff to think about lately." He explained, trying to assure her even if he wasn't telling her the whole truth. But he wasn't exactly lying either.
"You really need to stop hiding your problem from me one of these days you know." She replied, startling him a little as he looked at her with his eyes wide open. "You've been hanging out here for awhile Lincoln, it wasn't really that hard to notice there's something wrong with you from your movement." She admitted.
Oh...
"I-I don't know what to say." He said, still recovering from the shock, was it really that obvious?
"You don't need to say anything, I understand if you're uncomfortable to talk about it. I never mentioned it before because you probably have a good reason for it." She replied. "It just, you've been doing that a lot lately and it is clearly bothering you." She added.
"Yeah..." He trailed off, no longer trying to be subtle with her about his problem. "I'm still trying to figure everything out. I know it won't be easy, but still sometimes it was just way too much for me to handle." He confessed.
"Does Clyde know about this?" Haiku asked as he couldn't help the small smile appearing on his face.
"I can't really hide anything from him you know." He answered. "He's a nice guy, someone who is completely different from me, and even after he know what kind of person I used to be he still decided to stay around." Lincoln let out a low chuckle as his eyes slightly softened before meeting hers.
"You're also nice to me." He honestly said not noticing the faint tinge of pink coloring her pale cheek.
Lincoln lowered his head from her gaze. "I just don't understand why." He admitted, it felt like he was doubting their intention when he should be thankful instead that they're the few students who didn't see him as only a delinquent. He don't know why it was so hard for him to be open with them, he know they will help him but there is still some part of his old self that kept messing with his feeling. Trying to protect him like a coping mechanism when he don't need their protection for anything. He know he can trust them, they're not like the people from his past, they will not leave him and forget about his existance when he becomes an inconvenient to them.
And because of that also he can't stop hating himself for doubting them, they're being nice to him and instead of appreciating their effort, he still can't help but see them as the people who left him, whose name he no longer remember. They're not the same. He kept telling himself that and yet the voices in his head kept screaming at him that he was only repeating the same mistake. He hated this awful feeling.
Something soft touched his hand and his body slightly jumped as Lincoln lifted his head to see Haiku looking at him with understanding in her eyes.
"You're overthinking stuff Lincoln, trust me you just need to put them away and deal with them one at a time. There will always be a new path being opened for you if you really wanted to get better... I believes in you." She assured him, easing some of the complicated mess taking place in his head. "And if you really think you've finally found a dead end, do what you always do and make your own path." She softly smiled, sending a sudden skip to his heartbeat.
He don't actually know what happened next as his mind went completely empty for once. For that one moment alone, he was only focusing on how small and soft her hand was than his. Contrary to her cold demeanor, her touch was pleasantly warm and comforting much to his surprise. There was something familiar about the look in her eyes that he can't quite figure out, he had seen it somewhere before, he just can't remember when exactly he saw them.
Looking at her, he couldn't help but felt something familiar rising from his mixed emotions, telling him the same thing that always reminded him of his sisters, to protect the black haired girl from anything that could possibly harm her. Something about the girl was bringing out the instinct inside him that he usually only felt coming from her sisters and he don't know why he felt so obligated to do so. Was it because she was so similar to Lucy?
Even if that was the reason, he don't exactly know much about the girl with how rare they talked with each other. She would usually read her book while he was resting or studying, both content with the silence helping them to focus. He don't know much about her and yet he felt like he needed to protect her. The realization struck him then, he never saw the girl hanging out with any other students either, only reading book or putting them on the shelves like usual in the library. No one ever seemed to come close to her except for him. And the longer he think about it, he was only left with more questions he didn't have the answer for. And there is only one way for him to get the answer he wanted.
With a content smile on his face, Lincoln gently held her hand in his, softly squeezing it in assurance. "Thanks Haiku, for everything." He sincerely said. "I would be lying if I said I'm fine, I guess I just kept saying that because I don't want people to worry about me, and also to tell myself that everything will be alright." He sighed in resignation.
"I know I can trust you, it's just that there is some stuff I need to figure out first. I need to make this decision myself, even if something bad happen, it will be my own fault and I will learn from it. I have always live like that and I don't know what will happen if I decided to change that about myself. No matter how stupid my choice would be, I still want it to be my own and see how it will end. It will definitely be hard and I'm glad that you're here to remind me why I'm doing this in the first place... I really can't ask for a better friend than you." He admitted, letting his thought out for the girl.
A faint smile plastered on her face as Haiku looked at him straight in the eyes, sending a skip to his heartbeat. "I'm glad to hear that, I hope you will find what you're looking for." She replied.
The bells finally rang as they both smiled at each other one last time before picking up their stuff. Lincoln took the paper bag, slung his backpack over his shoulder and waited for the girl for awhile to finish as they headed to the exit together. He still have a lot more to talk about with the black haired girl, especially now with this weird feeling encouraging him to know her better, but he can always do that later.
"Hey Haiku, can I have your number?" He asked, startling the girl who instantly stopped walking behind him. Noticing her abrupt halt, Lincoln turned around to look at her, not noticing the blush crossing her cheeks.
"Why?" She asked, slightly squirming in anticipation under his oblivious gaze.
"Well, I already got Clyde's, I thought I could also get yours too since I would've like to talk more with you later." He responded, scratching his freckled cheek with his index finger. Her eyes slightly widened as she eventually reached for the sticky note on the paper bag and wrote her phone's number on it before giving it to him.
"Just thought of this as a thanks for the muffins." She simply said, averting her gaze from him.
"Thanks." He replied with a small smile. Lincoln slipped the folded sticky note into his pocket and walked out from the door when he accidentally bumped against a girl in his way, making her fall to the floor with a few book scattered around her. Noticing his mistake, he kneeled down and picked up the books for the girl.
"Sorry, I didn't see you-" He instantly halted mid sentence at the sight of the familiar curly brown haired girl dressed in a blue blouse and matching colored skirt looking back at him with her eyes wide open in shock and fear. Her body slightly shaking as she quickly gathered her book from the floor before getting up and running away from him without saying anything, which probably was for the better.
"You know her?" Haiku asked, looking at the direction the strange girl went into as Lincoln got back to his feets, slightly fixing the strap of his backpack over his shoulder before letting out a frustrated sigh.
"She's just someone I used to know." He answered, running his right hand through his messy white hair. As much as he don't want to admit it, the girl's scared face still lingered in his head much to his dismay. And it stayed with him for the rest of the day just to make everything much more worse, but that wasn't a surprise anymore in his life.
"Thanks for bringing me here Lori." Lincoln got out from vanzilla, closed the door and stood on the sideway, looking at the familiar building in his sight.
"I will pick you up in three hours, don't go wondering too far alright and be careful" Lori advised while looking at him from the driver seat window. When she got a nod from him, she eventually began driving away to her destination. She was supposed to buy some groceries today so he decided to ask her if she could bring him here since he have something he need to talk about with another close family members of his. She didn't ask much from him and if he need to guess she probably know why he was doing this.
Taking in a deep breath, Lincoln walked into the building and went to the reception desk where nurse Sue was already looking at him with narrowed eyes. He don't exactly have a good history with the woman due to some incidents that happened during his visit here at the Sunset Canyon Retirement Home. And from the look of it, she was still holding some sort of resentment toward him for the trouble he had caused that day. He used to have a problem with the way she was treating the senior citizens in there before, but upon further thinking he wasn't exactly going to be the one put in responsibility if something bad happened to them. But still, he can't say that he regretted doing what he did that day. Sure the guilt was still there for putting the woman in a hard position due to his reckless action, but he was glad too see most of the elderly having fun even at their ages. Even if they're old, nothing should stop them from doing something they like and enjoying their lives.
"Can I see Albert for a moment... Please." He pleaded, trying his best to not anger the woman. She already had so much to think about, he don't need to raise more of her concern with him being here. He knew she was only doing what she thought would be the best for the elderly, even if her method wasn't quite favorable it wasn't his place to complain with how many people she need to take care of. Compared to him who has been living with ten sisters, she definitely know all the residents living in there and have more experience dealing with older people.
Being left under her mercy, Lincoln watched as the older woman reached for the communication device and pressed a button." Albert, you have a visitor waiting at the lounge room." She seriously said, her sharp eyes still tracking his every movement as if searching for his fault.
"I'm watching you kid, don't go around causing more trouble to me now." She advised.
"Thanks nurse Sue." He replied, almost walking away when something came to his mind.
Flashback
"There's nothing wrong with being the one to apologize first Lincoln, even if it wasn't entirely your fault, you can at least try to understand the situation from their perspective. If you did something that could have possibly offend someone just apologize so they know that you're not doing it on purpose." Lori once said while he was helping her doing the family laundry in the basement.
"But what if they still don't want to forgive me even after I apologize, what if they still want to fight me for no other reason but just for the fun of it." Lincoln argued, folding his sisters clothes into a basket.
"Then don't fall into their trick and provocation, you're literally better than that. If you can put up with us, you can definitely deal with them. Rather than giving them what they wanted, ignore them and show how little to no affect they have over you, they can only trick you as long as you play along with their game." She sneaked a quick glance at him with a small smirk.
"Instead of worrying about something you shouldn't have to, put more thought on something that you can actually change. It would be better to have less enemy than making more." Lori pointed out while scrolling through her phone.
"I don't think I have a problem with that..." He paused, lifting his head slightly to look at his eldest sister. "But I just want you to know that if anyone ever talk bad about any of you I'm not going to let them get away that easily." Lincoln seriously said, startling his sister a little with his statement.
"I literally didn't expect less from you." She responded with a sigh. "I don't know where this concern of yours is coming from, honestly I really don't think you should've gone this far for us." She playfully said.
"No, they have no right talking bad about any of you, they don't know you like I do and I won't accept anyone spreading nonsense that can make you look bad, after all it's the least I can do as your brother." He explained, not noticing the surprised look on his sister's face.
"I... I didn't know you think of us like that." She nervously rubbed her left arm, avoiding from meeting his gaze.
"Well, what can I say I have amazing sisters," He added with a fond smile, further embarrassing his eldest sister who was forced to listen to all of this from her only brother.
"Stop it!" Lori exclaimed, throwing her sister cleaned clothes at his direction.
"What? I'm just telling you the truth, you're an amazing sister and I don't think anyone else could ever be like you." He continued as her blush went brighter at his compliment.
"I said stop it Lincoln!" She yelled, throwing some of the clothes at him before running up the stairs, leaving him alone and confused in the basement.
"Wait Lori, did I say something wrong?" He stood up from the floor and chased after her, still unsure if he should apologized since he didn't know what he did wrong.
"Um, nurse Sue can I have some of your time." Lincoln asked while looking at her unamused face.
"Don't waste my time kid I'm busy right now, if this is one of your trick don't even bother trying it on me, I will not hesitate to throw you out." She stated.
"No, it's nothing like that." He answered. "I just want to say that I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused to you and all the nurses here. "He let out, finally getting her attention as she looked at him in surprise. "I know you're being strict only because you're trying to keep them safe and I kind of put them in danger because of my action." He admitted.
"I should've just talk with you about it instead of doing something so drastic, they're put under your responsibility and you just don't want anything bad to happen to them." He noted. "I should've consider how much trouble you will get into even if it was my fault to begin with. I know I will never forgive myself if something bad happened to one of them and I'm sure you would also felt the same with how long you have been taking care of the people here." He rubbed the back of his neck.
"I know it isn't much, but I'm really sorry for troubling you." He finished with his head lowered in guilt.
Letting out a sigh, nurse Sue looked at him as her gaze slightly softened. "I'm glad you realized your mistake kid, just don't do anything like that anymore will you." She said which he responded with a nod. "That's all I'm asking for, the people here aren't cut out for that kind of stuff anymore but I won't stop them from having fun once in awhile in a safe way, this is a retirement house not a prison." She joked when Albert finally showed up.
"Lincoln, my look alike why didn't you tell me you're going to come visit me today." Pop pop caught him off guard from behind and ruffled his white hair, receiving a chuckle from him as nurse Sue slowly shook her head in disapproval at the older man childish behavior.
"Nice to see you too pop pop, sorry for not telling you sooner but there is something I want talk about with you if you don't mind." Lincoln said, carefully backing away from the older man.
"Sure Lincoln, let's go to my room." Pop pop offered, already leading him through the hallway as he followed the older man close from behind.
"Don't forget to take your medication Albert, and watch for your blood pressure." Nurse Sue reminded him which pop pop simply waved her off while rolling his eyes in slight annoyance.
"I'm fine Sue, you're worrying too much." Pop pop said.
"I have the right to be worried." She grumbled before turning back to the screen of the computer on the desk.
After walking for awhile they finally reached his grandfather's room as they went inside for the conversation they're about to have. Pop pop closed the door, sat on the edge of his bed and patted the spot beside him, offering Lincoln to sit there. Releasing a sigh, he complied and sat beside the older man, thinking of the right words to explain what was bothering him so much for the last few days.
"So what do you want to talk about Lincoln?" Pop pop asked while looking at him.
"I... I need some advice pop pop. I'm really stuck at a dead end right now, I don't know what I'm supposed to do or what I could even do anymore." He said, his head lowered as his eyes staring blankly at the floor, the memory he had been ignoring for so long flashing in his head only messing with his thought even more.
"What's the problem?" The older man inquired, his eyes slightly filled with concern.
"I have some new friends now..." Lincoln paused, his lips curved up into a small smile. "They're really nice to me even after knowing who I used to be and I know I can trust them. It's just... I don't know why but I can't stop seeing them like the people I used to know before, I know I shouldn't have seen them like that but there is still a small piece in myself that kept reminding me of those people. I... I really don't know what I should do." He confessed, burying his face into his palms. "I really want to trust them so why was it so hard for me to do so?" He groaned.
"This old friend of yours... Do you ever talk with them?" Pop pop asked, wrapping his arm behind his shoulder to comfort him.
"No, I didn't really have the chance to since they do their best to avoid from being anywhere close to me." At that, he let out a humorless chuckle. "One of them even changed to a different class so they won't see me anymore." He added.
"That must be rough on you." Pop pop said before sighing in pity.
"I do my best to not let it bother me that much." He replied as if it didn't haunt his every thought.
"Talk to them." Pop pop seriously said, shocking him a little with how sudden it was.
"But how, they won't even listen to me." Lincoln remarked. "I've tried doing that so many time already, it just doesn't work, nothing does."
"That's more of a reason why you should confront them, you're still confused, you don't exactly know why they left you like that, your mind is making all the possibilities to fill that blank space, until you get the answer from them your conscious will never get over it. You've the right to be angry, you just don't know why you're so angry about. By confronting them, you will probably get the answer you're looking for." Pop pop explained as he contemplated his words for a moment.
"Maybe you're right, I still don't know how I can do that but I will at least try." Lincoln said, hesitating for a moment before he continued. "Pop pop there is also something else I need to ask..."
"What is it Lincoln?" The older man assured him.
"It's about the girls... Pop pop you always told me to listen to my principle and I swore to never let anything bad happen to them. But now I also promised that I will never get into a fight anymore because of them. Honestly everything is a mess right now, how can I protect them like this? I don't want them to get hurt but I was already hurting them in a different way."
"Which one should I follow pop pop, my principle or my promise to them?" He asked, looking at the older man for guidance.
Sighing, pop pop ruffled his white hair in affection. "Sorry Lincoln but that is for you to think about. I can give you some suggestions but that is a choice you need to make yourself. Eitherway you will know if you're making the right decision. After all you still know why you're doing all of this right?"
With a soft smile on his face, Lincoln let out a low chuckle. "To keep the girls safe and make them happy." He answered without hesitation.
"And that is the only important thing you need to always remember." Pop pop gently patted his back.
"Thanks pop pop, I really needed this." Lincoln muttered out, relief washed over his body as he felt lighter than when he woke up this morning.
"It's fine Lincoln." The older man fondly said. "So who are these new friend of yours, they sound like some interesting people from what you're telling me." Pop pop noted.
Smiling, Lincoln spent the rest of his visit there telling his grandfather about the few students who stayed by his side and helped him when he was in trouble. For once, he felt so much fun talking about his new friends, from their personalities and what they liked to do in their free time, sharing all that he had learnt while spending his time with them. He was too lost in their conversation that he didn't realize it was already too late when Lori came to pick him up back home. His visit had left him with a certain feeling in his heart and he already know what his next step would be.
A/N: It's been what? Almost a year since I updated this, pftt, ha ha, ha...
see you in another year I guess...
