I do not own The Loud House. All rights belong to Nickelodeon.

Chapter 6

The next day they went to Gus's Games and Grub. Lincoln wore his new loose jeans and one of his new T-shirts, and a grey hoodie with a pair of sunglasses to disguise himself to keep a low profile. However, Leni and Lori were easy to spot, and everyone put two and two together to figure out that Lincoln was the boy traveling with them. He got crowded, and everyone wanted a selfie with him, but the upside was that he got unlimited free tokens with a free meal that day. He patiently got with everyone as they took selfies with him. He even got kissed by a few girls.

"Fifteen minutes. Fifteen long minutes of selfies and congratulations," Lincoln stated.

"We're sorry, Linky," Leni said.

"Never in all my years have I known ways to make minutes last longer than they had to."

"Well, it's over now. So, come on, Lincoln. Let's have some fun. Umm, Boo-Boo Bear, what's that game you guys talked about yesterday?" Lori asked.

"Dirty Drivin. It's over there," Bobby pointed.

The game was everything Bobby promised it would be. It was intense. It was a rush. It was filled with non-stop action. There were many unique tracks to race on with a wide variety of monster trucks. Lincoln rammed into other monster trucks, shot miniguns and rockets, and ran them over with giant spiked tires blowing them up.

"You're a wrecking machine, bro!" Bobby praised.

"Yeah, this game's too intense for my taste," Leni said, cringing.

"It's such a guy's game," Lori added, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, that's why Mario Kart is my favorite!" Leni stated.

"Which truck is your favorite, Bobby? Mine's BattleAxe," Lincoln said.

"I like Go-Rilla. You have a giant gorilla bobblehead in the back. How do you compete with that?" Bobby asked.

"Oooh, the dance game is open! Come on, Lincoln!" Leni said, grabbing her brother's hand.

They got on the dance game together. Lincoln and Leni were on a winning streak, which brought attention from other people in the arcade. Lincoln focused on the game and tried to ignore everyone around. Leni didn't keep up with key arrows. She pulled off some sweet moves while playing. Lincoln also busted some nice dance moves, but not to show off too much. When they won, Leni jumped up excitedly and cheered before embracing her brother in a tight hug. Seeing her happy was enough to make Lincoln smile, but he felt no joy for himself. Of course, she took several selfies to remember the moment.

As Lincoln played with the pinball games, Lori approached him, "You having fun, Lincoln?"

"Yeah, I am," Lincoln answered.

"How's your head? Any pain?"

"Only small headaches, nothing major."

"Good, good."

After a long moment of silence, Lori spoke again, "Some cool pinball machines, huh? I like the one you're playing, Haunted Hill. It's got some neat design and features."

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. Are you excited to go to college?" Lincoln asked.

"Oh yeah! Totally. I was thinking of Bobby and me living in the city together for when I move to Fairway. I was looking for some neat apartments, and there's—"

As Lori explained, Lincoln felt a deep dread that took hold of him. All noise around him slowly faded, and only a deafening high-pitched ringing sound replaced the silence. It was eerily similar to what they used in scenes when someone learned they had cancer.

'What am I doing here?' Lincoln thought to himself.

He glanced at Lori, knowing she was still talking to him, but he couldn't hear anything over the deafening ringing sound. At that moment, he saw glimpses and brief flashes of specific future visions with Lori. Ones where she was mean and cruel. He saw one where she was upset that Bobby broke up with her because Lincoln made his little sister Ronnie Anne cry, and she threatened to beat him with a small dresser. He saw another one where she flirts with his British tutor because he's a hunk knowing full well that she's in a relationship with Bobby. So, in addition to her possibly between a child beater, she's also perhaps a cheater?

Lincoln slowly scanned the arcade at everyone inside and wondered how many people there were, like his sisters. How many of them are just as cruel or just as capable? How many of them would kick out their kin or worse? How many of them have already done horrible things to their own family and friends? Lincoln felt that the truth was more shocking than he would realize because there's what you see on the outside, and then there's what happens behind closed doors.

'I guess there's a reason why they say 'ugly' truths. Because there's no such thing as beautiful truths, is there?' Lincoln thought to himself.

"Lincoln?" Lori spoke softly.

Lincoln didn't respond.

Lori spoke louder, "Lincoln. Lincoln!"

"Huh?" Lincoln rose his head up at Lori.

"You spaced out on me, are you—?"

Before she could finish her sentence, loud hollering sounded like Bobby's voice. As Lori went to check it out, Lincoln went outside. Being in that room full of strangers with questionable backgrounds felt like toxic chemicals surrounded him. Lincoln rolled his eyes with a heavy groan.

"There's no way I can tell them. They'd do what they always do . . . they'd make it worse," Lincoln said to himself.

He then wondered whom he could trust with this. Who could he tell and show his powers and know that it won't backfire on him? He thought and thought until a lucky winner popped up in his head.

"Clyde!" Lincoln spoke out loud.

That's it! Clyde. Of course, he could trust him. Unlike most people, Clyde's a good person. He's been there for Lincoln through and through. If there was anyone he could trust, it was him. However, just to be safe, Lincoln went somewhere quiet to use his powers without anyone seeing him and to make sure that Clyde won't get hurt by showing him his powers.

He took several deep breaths and concentrated. The focusing and channeling energy caused his head pain, but he endured it for his best friend. At first, all he saw were glimpses here and there until he saw himself telling and showing Clyde after he fights off bullies that were picking on him.

'Oh, bullies? You want to pick on Clyde? Not on my watch, scumbags!' Lincoln thought to himself.

Then Lincoln saw visions of Ronnie Anne trying to prank him. It was the usuals, garbage in his locker, a 'kick me' sign on his back, stuffing food down his pants, etc. However, Lincoln saw her confronting him and him showing her his powers as well.

'I show her? Why?' Lincoln thought.

Then he saw more visions – images of them, at least. Ones where he's alone in the streets crying, and Ronnie Anne shows him kindness by letting him into her house. He saw her defending him from his sisters along with Clyde. Then he saw her holding his hand as he talked to the police. Lincoln then got one vision unlocked, and it caused more pain than the images and glimpses, but he had to see it. His eyes glowed, and he saw into the future vision.

**Vision**

"Lincoln, look at me!" Ronnie Anne said.

Lincoln sniffed but was still crying as he looked at her.

"What are you doing out here? Please, just . . . just come with me. Come inside and let me help you," Ronnie Anne pleaded.

She gently held him by his arm and shoulder as she got him on his feet. They made their way to her house. She got him some tissues for his tears and nose before sitting on the couch with a glass of water. After a while, Lincoln calmed down. His eyes were red, and his throat was sore.

Ronnie Anne sat next to him, "Lincoln, what happened? I know something happened. You wouldn't be out here in the middle of the night by yourself. Look, Lincoln, I know . . . I know I've been bad to you in the past, but we're friends now. Please tell me what's happening with you."

Lincoln closed his eyes as two tears rolled down his cheeks.

Lincoln, "My family, they . . . they—"

"It's okay, Lincoln, just say it," Ronnie Anne said.

"They kicked me out."

Ronnie Anne blinked several times before she stood up, "What?"

"They kicked me out," Lincoln repeated.

"What do you mean they kicked you out? Like out of the house?"

"Out of the house. Out of the family. I'm not welcome there anymore. I'm not part of their family anymore. They don't love me anymore," Lincoln explained.

Ronnie Anne stood baffled, trying to make sense of it.

"Why would they do that?" Ronnie Anne questioned.

"They think I'm bad luck," Lincoln answered.

"Wait? What?!"

Ronnie Anne's mother, Maria, walked in, "Ronnie Anne? What's going on? Lincoln? What is he doing here? Why is he crying?"

Her husband and Ronnie Anne's father, Arturo, heard and entered the living. Just before Lincoln started explaining, Bobby returned home from his job. Lincoln figured he should know as well. He explained the whole story, from Lynn threatening him with a baseball bat to go to her game, losing it and blaming him, convincing everyone that he was bad luck and treating him like a pariah, his room getting boarded up, all his furniture sold, and getting kicked out of the house. The Santiago family was devastated at what the white-haired boy just told them.

"Dios Mio," Maria uttered.

"They did this to you? All of them? They're all in on it?" Arturo questioned.

Lincoln nodded.

"Lincoln, you poor boy," Maria uttered as she hugged him close.

Bobby slowly shook his head, "No way . . . Lori, she'd do something like this? To her own brother?"

"How could they? It's so wrong. It's inhuman!" Ronnie Anne stated while trying to control her anger.

"It's also illegal," Arturo added.

"It-it is?" Lincoln asked, looking up at him.

"Yes, Lincoln. What they did was child abandonment. That's a felony. People go to prison for that. If you'll excuse me," Arturo answered before pulling out his phone.

"Wait, Papa! Are you sure this is the right way to go about this?" Bobby asked.

"Yes, Bobby, it is. What they did was a crime, and criminals don't get to walk away with what they did, especially regarding children. Not on my watch."

He pulled out his phone and called the police. Ronnie Anne sat back on the couch and hugged Lincoln.

"You're gonna be okay, Lincoln," Ronnie Anne assured.

**End of Vision**

It ended, and Lincoln gasped while rubbing his head to soothe his head pain. Once the pain died down, Lincoln gathered his thoughts. He summoned a light orb to see replays of the vision he unlocked. He saw Ronnie Anne's parents call the police, his parents handcuffed and taken away. He saw Bobby, through an angry state, break up with Lori after he confronted her about the truth of what she and the rest of the Loud family did to Lincoln. He saw Clyde and Ronnie Anne helping Lincoln.

"Ronnie Anne? She actually cares about me?" Lincoln spoke out loud.

The whole thing raised Lincoln more questions, but at least he knew there were more people he could count on for help. That thought alone gave him hope. Lincoln smiled and gazed at the beautiful sky. He knew what he had to do. It's not just Clyde he has to tell, it's Ronnie Anne, and he knew how.

However, he felt something drip down his lip just before returning inside. He wiped it with his hand to see it was blood.

"Oh, for crying out loud," Lincoln groaned.

That figures. Of course, it would happen. Just take the medicine they gave you. Take it easy, and don't push yourself. That was easier said than done. He rushed to get some napkins to stop his nose bleeding.

"Lincoln! Where are you?" Leni called.

"I'm over here. I just needed some fresh air," Lincoln responded, coming out, "You ready to go?"

"No! Come here," Leni whined, "I wanna dance some more with my Linky."

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Lincoln said, walking over.

When he got over, Leni squeezed him a hug, and he hugged her back. Wouldn't it be nice not to have to worry about tomorrow?