After washing his hands and grabbing a packed lunch from his locker, Lincoln entered the mess hall. He walked over to his usual table, but was surprised to see how full it was. Rather than just Clyde, Liam, Zach and Rusty, he saw four familiar girls sat opposite them- a goth girl, a clown, a rocker and a roller skater, all in his grade. "Hey, guys!" He greeted, all eight kids looking at him.
"Hey, Lincoln!" Rusty greeted back. "Sorry we couldn't save you a seat, but I kinda invited my girlfriend to join us, and we thought it'd be fun if the other girls joined us too."
"Sorry, bro," Polly told him. "You snooze, you lose."
Lincoln smiled. "It's fine, guys."
"We would have saved you a seat, but you took so long in the bathroom," Zach explained, with Clyde giving Lincoln a wink.
"Boy, you musta had it bad!" Liam added.
"Really, guys, it's fine. Besides, I had to see my art teacher too."
This surprised the eight of them, none more so than Clyde. "Is this about the art gallery?" Haiku inquired, the attention turning to her.
"I'm guessing Lucy told you already," Lincoln remarked, to which the goth nodded.
"What art gallery?" Rusty asked.
"You guys know the last art project we did?" Lincoln explained, getting the four boys to groan. "Well, apparently, Mr Thompson really liked my work, and he wanted to put it in the gallery tonight."
"You're kidding!" Tabby shouted, her shocked face turning into a wide smile. "Lincoln, that's awesome, mate!"
"Yeah, if Mr Thompson liked it, it must be pretty cool!" Rusty added.
"So, what did you say?" Clyde asked the white-haired boy, slightly baffled by the situation, as he knew what Lincoln's original plan was.
"I said yes! I still think he's over exaggerating about how good it was, but things like this don't happen a lot for me."
"Well, you should be very proud, Lincoln!" Giggles commended. "This is a real art-chievement!" She laughed at the joke, with the boys also laughing and the girls rolling their eyes.
"Is your family going with you tonight?" Zach asked, to which he nodded. "Maybe we should all go too!"
Everyone voiced their agreement, then turned to Lincoln, who was surprised by the enthusiastic show of support. "Really? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to."
"Nah, but we want to!" Tabby argued. "I'd love to see your work!"
Again, the others showed their agreement, causing Lincoln to blush and smile. "Wow… I don't know what to say, you guys… I really appreciate that."
"Well, ah know you'd do the same for us," Liam pointed out.
"Thanks, you guys. If you change your mind, then that's okay, but if you really want to, then doors open at half six, and the gallery is on from seven to nine."
"Hey, Lincoln," Zach spoke up. "If you already knew about the gallery, why did you need to go see Mr Thompson?"
"Oh! Well, I had to make sure my family were okay to come- you know how big my family is." Everyone had a chuckle at this. "Plus, he forgot to give me my review sheet."
"Hey, Lincoln, do you want me to budge up?" Clyde offered.
"That's okay, Clyde, you don't have to-"
"Forget about it, Lincoln!" Rusty interrupted. "We'll all scooch, it's no problem."
"Yeah! That way, we can tell you what Polly did at roller derby practice," Giggles added.
Polly frowned. "I thought you were done with that story," she grumbled.
Haiku put a hand on her shoulder. "Polly, we're your best friends- that means we will never stop embarrassing you." Everyone laughed, while Lincoln sat down next to Zach on the end. For the rest of lunch, Lincoln happily conversed with his friends, almost forgetting about the gallery for the time being while he ate. It wasn't long until the end of lunch bell rang. "We better head back to class."
"See you later, boys!" Giggles beamed, waving at them.
"Yeah, we'll see you at the gallery, Lincoln!" Tabby added.
The boys all said bye to the girls as they walked away. "We better get going too," Liam pointed out, "Mrs Johnson will be mad if we're late."
"Me and Lincoln will catch up," Clyde pointed out.
"Okay, but don't be too long," Rusty warned. "You know what happens when you're late."
Lincoln and Clyde nodded. Once the three redheads were out of earshot, Clyde and Lincoln stood up and began to walk away, the former turning to his best friend. "So, what happened with Mr Thompson? I thought you were going to ask him to take your work OUT of the gallery."
"Well, I was at first," Lincoln explained, the two walking up to their lockers, "but then he gave me the review sheet for my work, and once I read through it, I felt… proud. Like, for the first time in my life, I had accomplished something."
"Now, come on, Lincoln. You've achieved so much, and you don't even realise it." He out his arm around the white-haired boy's shoulder, while he opened his locker. "You have ten sisters, two parents and a whole bunch of friends who would vouch for it."
"I know, Clyde, I know. It's just… well…" He pulled out a yellow sheet of paper and handed it to Clyde. "Read it." Clyde obliged, his eyes scrolling down the page and taking in every word, and by the time he was done, he looked at Lincoln with wide eyes and his mouth slightly ajar. "You see? When I read that, I felt more proud than I ever had before." He began to rub the back of his arm. "I'm still really nervous about how everyone else will react, my sisters especially, but knowing that just one person likes my work THAT much… I'm starting to feel more confident. And hey, even if it isn't that well received, I can at least say I put my work out there." He looked at Clyde again, and saw him smirking. "You can say it."
"Say what?"
"You were right."
"Now why would I say that? For one thing, it would mean more if I say it tonight, when everyone sees how good your work is." Lincoln chuckled at that. "But I'm just glad that you're giving it a shot. And even if the others don't show up, I'll be there for you, buddy."
Lincoln gave Clyde a quick hug. "Thanks, Clyde."
After returning to class and getting through the rest of his lessons, Lincoln returned home with the rest of his family. They had dinner early, which was everyone's favourite- their dad's Lynn-sagna. After all getting their fill, Lynn Sr. stood up at the table. "Alright, kids! You have until six fifteen to get ready for the gallery. That means homework done, and dressed ready to be out the door. Do you all understand?"
"Yes, sir!" They all replied.
"Alright! Now, off you go! And remember, no pranking, Luan!"
"Got it!" The comedian quickly replied.
The kids all stood and rushed away from the table, except for Lily, who remained in her high chair, and Lincoln, who almost sauntered up the steps. He reached the top, and turned to head towards his room, before he heard Lori call out. "Hold it!" He stopped in his tracks, before turning to face the eldest sister, with his other sisters around her. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Uh, my room?" He answered nervously. "I don't have any homework to do, so I kinda planned to relax a bit in my room before the gallery… if that's okay?"
"Well, those plans have now changed," Lola responded. "Do you really want to turn up to your first gallery, smelling like… well, you?"
"What are you talking about? I smell fine!" He took a sniff of his armpit to prove it, but ended up cringing slightly. "Actually… maybe I could use a shower."
"Well, the bathroom is all yours, Linky!" Leni told him, opening the door.
"Really?" They all nodded. "Oh, uh, thanks! I guess…"
"Well, you better not be too long," Luan told him, walking next to her brother. "You don't want us to shout-er at you!" She laughed like she usually did, the others groaning. "Get it? But, seriously, get a move on!"
His sisters all shoved him into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He blinked in surprise, then turned to the viewer. "Well, that was… unexpected," he monologued. "Still, better not keep them waiting. Dad said we leave at quarter past six, which means we have approximately eighty minutes to get ready, and with ten siblings, that means shower time will have to be short."
Without any further delay, Lincoln got in the shower. He was quick to get done, taking just under five minutes to use shower gel, shampoo his hair, and rinse his body. After turning off the water, he stepped out of the shower, dried himself off and used deodorant, before wrapping a towel around his waist. Unlocking the door, he stepped out and began to walk down the landing, only to be yanked by his arm into Lori and Leni's room.
"Woah! What's going on!" He yelled, startled.
"Lincoln, relax, it's us!" Lori told him, and when he looked, he saw that she was the one who had dragged him in.
"Oh… erm, why have you brought me in here?"
"Linky," he heard Leni say, noticing she was carrying a measuring tape round her neck, "This is going to be a big night for you. Plus, it's a gallery, which should be super fancy!"
"Leni, remember that it's a SCHOOL gallery, not like a museum or proper gallery."
"Regardless, it's important you make the right impression."
"Leni's right, little brother," Lori added. "People are coming tonight to see your work-"
"Well, it won't just be my-"
"And they'll want to ask questions about your work. While your usual wardrobe is good for going to school, you need to look more… professional tonight."
"Guys, I appreciate the effort, but-"
"No problem, little bro!"
Lincoln groaned, defeated. "Alright, fine. Just let me go grab some underwear."
"Way ahead of you!" Leni chirped, holding out a pair of underwear and a ball of socks. "There's no time to lose, so put them on!"
"What, here?" Lori and Leni nodded, causing Lincoln's face to turn crimson. "A-A-Alright… just… make sure the door is locked, and… turn around."
Lori smirked. "Aww… is little Lincoln shy?" She teased, pinching his cheek which reddened furiously. "Alright, we won't look."
"Thanks." He watched as Lori locked the door, then walked over to her roommate, the ditzy sister throwing the delicates to her younger brother, before the two blondes turned around giggling. Lincoln was quick to get his underwear on under his towel, then removed the towel and put on his socks. "Alright, I'm ready."
The two older sisters turned back around. "Okay, Linky, you know the drill." Lincoln nodded, walking over and stepping on the mini platform. Leni immediately got to work, rushing into her closet and pulling out two bags. "So, Lori, which shirt would work better on him?"
"Wait, you bought me new clothes for this?" Lincoln asked, the two sisters nodding. "Guys, you really didn't have to."
"It's really not a problem, Lincoln," Lori told him. "This is a big night for you, so we wanted to make it special. Besides, we had a free period, and the store isn't that far from the high school." Lincoln smiled bashfully, while Leni pulled the two shirts out- one white and one orange. She held the white shirt against him, then pulled it back and held the orange shirt against him. Lori put her hand against her chin. "You know, I think the orange shirt works better. The white shirt looks too formal, and it doesn't work as well with his hair."
"You're totes right," Leni replied, nodding. "The orange shirt will make him look more fun, too."
"So, should I put the orange shirt on?" Lincoln asked. Leni nodded, handing him the shirt, which he proceeded to slip over his head, sliding his hands through the sleeves. Looking down at his hands, he noticed that the sleeves were a bit long. "Uh, Leni?"
"Yeah?" He held up his hands, showing her the problem. "Oh, that's no worry. Hold on one second." She unbuttoned the sleeve buttons and rolled it up to see how much she would need to shorten it by. "Alright. Just give me the shirt, and I'll have it tailored in about ten minutes."
"Okay." He took the shirt off and handed it to Leni, who placed it neatly on her bed. "So, what next?"
"Well, pants, of course!" She reached into the same bag and pulled out a pair of grey dress pants. Handing them to Lincoln, who slid his legs into them, before doing up the zip and and button. Looking at her little brother, she smiled. "Yay! They fit perfectly, and look great!"
"You think?" Lincoln asked, before looking in the mirror and seeing that she was, in fact, right. "Wow… I guess they do."
"Of course they do! Now, Linky," she reached into her other bag to pull out a black belt and a shoe box, "it's up to you if you want the belt."
He took the belt and put it on, before looking in the mirror. "You know, I think I'll go for the belt. It looks good."
She nodded. "Great. Now, I'll take them back for the moment, so that they don't get creased before the gallery, but first," she opened the shoe box, revealing a pair of white skate shoes, "make sure these fit."
"Oh, Leni, you really didn't have to do all this! I feel bad now.l
Leni frowned. "Oh, Linky, don't feel bad." She put the shoe box down, and kneeled down to place her hands on his shoulders. "I would have done this for you any time. I just want tonight to be special for you."
"I, I know… I do appreciate this, really. I just feel like you're doing so much for me, and I can't do something this big for you."
She smiled. "Lincoln, where do you think I got all this?" He tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "I got these from the store I work at. Don't forget, I have a fifty percent discount. But, even if I didn't have that discount, I still would've done this for you, because I got the greatest job in the world thanks to the greatest brother in the world."
"You mean it?" She nodded, before he wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. "You're too good to me, Leni. Thank you."
"It's no problem, Linky."
"Ahem." They looked at Lori, who was a little peeved. Chuckling, they opened their arms up for Lori to join them in the hug. A few seconds later, they loosened the hug. "Now, since it'll be a short while before we get the shower again, let Leni check if the shoes fit, and I'll see what we can do with your hair."
