(A/N: okay, so I goofed up before. When I first uploaded the previous chapter, I accidentally uploaded the wrong file. I f you saw the previous chapter, and it said 'THE END' at the bottom, that was the wrong one. If you want to, go back and check the real second chapter. Thanks once again for the huge support you guys have given this story, and enjoy!)

After brushing his teeth and getting changed into his pyjamas, Lincoln laid down on his bed and pulled the covers over his body. His mind at ease after the day's events, he felt his eyes begin to grow heavy, closing shut as his mind became at ease, and he began to dream.

Lincoln looked around the gallery as people walked around, examining the different paintings and statues on display. He stood there, wearing his light blue suit, with his sisters and parents around him. They could hear orchestral music being played.

"And now, if I can have everyone's attention," they heard a man announce, everyone looking towards Mr Thompson as he stood next to a curtain, the rope in one hand and a microphone in the other. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have saved the best for last. By Lincoln Loud," Lincoln beamed with pride as he heard his name, "I present to you… the most EMBARRASSING excuse of a painting I have EVER seen!"

Lincoln's smile dropped instantly as the lights all turned red, and the music turned sinister. Mr Thompson began cackling as he pulled on the rope. Once the painting was unveiled, Lincoln could hear every other person in the gallery cackling as well. His face went pale, as he turned and saw that this included his family too.

"And I thought I was the comedian!" Luan laughed.

"This is literally pathetic!" Lori taunted. "I can't believe Lincoln thought this would be good!"

"This is like polka music!" Luna guffawed. "And not even good polka at that!"

"Lincoln, you're an embarrassment!" He heard his own father say between laughter.

"I think we should lock him outside again, this is terrible!" Lola sneered, still laughing madly.

Unable to take any more insults from his family, he fled the gallery hall. However, when he reached the hallway, he saw his classmates lined on either side, laughing just as hard. He tried running through whilst ignoring the insults, but when he turned the corner, he saw his old friend, Ronnie Anne, wiping a tear out of her eye while she laughed, with her older brother laughing just as hard next to her.

"I'm glad Bobby and I came back for this, Lame-O," she told him, "it's hilarious how much you suck!"

"Yeah, bro!" Bobby added. "That's almost criminal!"

Lincoln turned the other way, running past his other friends, even Clyde, as they taunted him. He saw the front exit and burst through it, only to begin falling down an endless pit, his screaming only just being heard over the boisterous, mocking laughter from everyone. He screamed for his life as the world got further and further away, until…

Lincoln shot up in his bed with a cacophonous gasp, his heart pounding and his body doused in a cold sweat. He looked around, realising he was in his room. His hand went straight to his chest as he attempted to regain his regular breathing. Looking at the clock, he saw it was half past midnight. He stood up and walked over to his door, opening it just enough to stick his head out. Looking down the landing, he was thankful to see that he hadn't woken any of his sisters. He shut the door and sat on his bed, before looking at the viewer.

"I know that my sisters said they were going to support me," he whispered, "but I just can't help but worry. This is the first time they'll be going to see something I've done… except for the football game, but that was a whole different story. The point is, if they see my work and they don't like it, I'll never hear the end of it. I have to stop this from happening…" His head slowly dropped into his pillow, as his eyelids gently closed. "I have to…"


"Sorry I couldn't be more help yesterday, Lincoln," Clyde told his friend, as they were walking to school.

"It's okay, Clyde," Lincoln replied, waving it off, "it was bound to happen. Ten sisters under one roof? There was no way I could keep it a secret. Besides, the school sent my parents an email."

"Ah. So, did you persuade your sisters not to go?"

"No. They're all really excited." He sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Well, maybe this is a good thing! You're always going on about how your sisters have so many more trophies and events than you- I know it's not a trophy, but they'll be going to see your work! Plus, they love you so much!"

"I'm not as worried about how much they love me… I'm worried about how they'll react to 'it'." Clyde looked at him, curiously. "What if they think it's bad? They'll mock me for who knows how long!"

"I doubt that. They're your sisters, Lincoln, they care about you and how you feel. If anything, they might laugh when you're not around, but at least commend your effort."

Lincoln looked at him, unimpressed. "Not helping."

"Oh," Clyde smiled meekly, "Sorry."

"It's okay." His expression went straight back to being downcast. "I wish I hadn't agreed for my stupid painting to go in that gallery." They took a few more steps before Lincoln stopped, his eyes widening as he had a eureka moment. "Wait! That's it!" He exclaimed, stopping Clyde too. "Mr Thompson told me that he needed my verbal agreement for my work to go on display tonight."

"So?"

Lincoln smiled. "So, if I ask Mr Thompson not to put my work up, then he'll have no choice but to not put it up! Then, I'll avoid any embarrassment!"

Clyde frowned at the plan. "I don't know, Lincoln. First off, your parents already got the letter, and your sisters know about the gallery. What will you tell them?"

"I'll explain he made a mistake when giving out he grades, and that he put someone else's grade on my review sheet! They'll have to accept that, right?"

"But, it sounds like they'll be really proud of you! Don't you want that?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't think this is how that'll happen." He put a hand on Clyde's shoulder. "I know it sounds crazy, but I need your help with this, buddy. Please… for me?"

Clyde looked at Lincoln's hopeful face, and the pressure caused him to bottle it. "Ugh, you're lucky we're Clincoln McLoud. Fine, I'll help you."

Lincoln's smile grew. "Thanks, Clyde."

"So, how am I supposed to help you?"

"Simple- at lunch, I'll go speak to Mr Thompson. I just need you to tell the guys I'm doing something else, like, going to the bathroom?"

Clyde looked even more confused. "Wait. What does it matter if the guys find out?"

"Well, there's a couple of reasons. First, if Rusty finds out, his little brother Rocky might find out, and he's going out with my sister Lucy- ooh, speaking of which, don't mention any of this Haiku."

"Okaaaaay…"

"Second, if Zach finds out, he might tell Giggles, who is friends with Luan. Plus, Liam still sometimes hangs out with Luna's friend Tabby, and Rusty still likes Polly Pain from Lynn's roller derby team."

"Wow… you put a lot of thought to this over the course of," he glanced at his watch, "one minute and forty-seven seconds."

Lincoln smirked. "That's because I'm the man with the plan."


Eventually, after a long morning of lessons, the bell for lunch rang. "Alright, class," Mrs Johnson spoke, "that's all for now. Remember that your essays on the colonials is due next Monday. Class dismissed."

As the rest of the class got up to head for lunch, Lincoln and Clyde packed up their stuff and looked at each other. "Are you sure you want to do this, Lincoln?" Clyde asked, hoping for the answer he knew was wrong. "There's no shame in not going through with this."

"I have to, Clyde," Lincoln replied with a determined expression. "If I don't, then we both know what will happen."

Clyde sighed. "I still think this is a bad idea… but, I'll cover for you."

Lincoln smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Clyde." With that, the two of them left the classroom. "I'll see you in about five minutes," he said, with Clyde nodding before they went their separate ways. When at the end of the hall, he took a glance back to see Clyde fulfilling his duty. 'Thanks, Buddy.' Lincoln then turned to go down the adjoining hallway, until he reached the arts classroom. He opened the door, and walked in, looking around for his teacher. "Hello? Mr Thompson?"

"I'll be with you in a second!" He heard the arts teacher call. Lincoln took a seat at one of the art desks, then turned when he heard footsteps and saw the teacher walking towards him, brushing his hands together. "Sorry about that, Lincoln, but I just had a first-grade class, and they forgot to clean up."

"I thought you only taught fourth grade and higher?"

"Normally, I do, but their usual teacher was sick today, so I temped for them."

Lincoln chuckled. 'Knowing the twins, that sounds about right,' he thought to himself.

The teacher sat down opposite the white-haired boy, a kind smile on his face. "What can I help you with?"

Lincoln took a deep breath, before looking at him with a serious face. "I need to talk to you about the gallery tonight."

"Ah, yes, of course! You know, I showed your work to your homeroom teacher, Mrs Johnson? She loved it too!"

"She did?" Lincoln was surprised when the man nodded, but shook his head when he realised what he had come to do. "Look, about tonight-"

"Oh! Hold that thought for a second, I'll be right back." Lincoln watched curiously as the teacher got up and walked away, entering the connecting office. It was only a few seconds before he returned, a yellow sheet of paper in his hand. "In my excitement yesterday, I forgot to give you this."

Lincoln stared at the sheet. "What is it?"

"It's your project review sheet. I know I already gave you your grade, and that it was highest in the class, but it doesn't hurt to have feedback. Here."

He handed the sheet to Lincoln, who began to read.

Royal Woods Elementary School Project Review Sheet

Student name: Lincoln Loud

Subject: Art

Grade: 5th

Teacher name: Mr H. G. Thompson

Project title: ~~~~~~

"Sorry about that," the teacher admitted when Lincoln looked up at him, "I must have smudged the ink. It doesn't matter, you know that information anyway."

Lincoln nodded, before returning to reading.

Teacher feedback: Lincoln Loud's projects have always been unique, and while his usual work is satisfactory, the piece he submitted for this project has stood out more than any of his previous works. Upon learning his style choice, I admit to having concerns due to my personal dislike towards the style. However, as the piece developed, I became increasingly impressed with Mr Loud's work. His inclusion of his subjects is fantastic, combining them to make each of them stand out while still feeling connected. The combination of the bold colour palette and framing is remarkable. I feel proud to have been Mr Loud's teacher this semester, and he should be equally proud in his achievement.

Result Grade: A+

Having finished reading, Lincoln sat there, mouth open in surprise. "Do you really mean all of this?" He asked.

"I do, Lincoln. Before this project, your average grade was… well, lower." They both laughed a bit at that. "But, seriously, I think you've done a really good job here. I know this is my second year teaching you, but with every student I teach, I wait for the piece that sets them apart from their peers, and I think this was the one for you. Honestly, if every piece you did was like this, you could be a real artist."

Lincoln's smile grew and grew as he heard those words. "That's so… I mean… thank you so much, sir."

"Not at all, Lincoln. Now, what was it you wanted to ask me?"

Lincoln's smile dropped, remembering why he was here in the first place. "Oh, yeah. Well, the thing is I…" He stopped, finding himself unable to say what he had originally planned to say. After a few seconds from silence, he spoke again. "What I wanted to ask is… if it would be okay for my whole family to come. After all, my family is quite, well, large."

Mr Thompson chuckled. "Oh, I'm all too familiar with your family. As long as Luan doesn't pull any pranks, you will be fine."

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to talk to her about it."

"That's good to hear. Now, run along- it's lunch time."

"I will, and thank you, sir."

With that, Lincoln took his sheet and left. Once he was in the hall, he turned to the viewer. "You know, Clyde was right. I'm still nervous about how my family are going to react to my work… but, after hearing what Mr Thompson really thinks about my work, I can at least be certain that one person likes my work, and sometimes… sometimes, that's all it takes."