Observant readers may notice I changed the title and cover art since Chapter 1. I swapped the name of this story with a different one I'm working on for release down the line, since it fits this one a lot better. As for the cover art, I made a new one that now features an older Lynn drawn by Underratedhero (with his permission). The Lynn you see here is from his ongoing comic Rewrite the Stars, which I highly recommend for any of you fellow Lynncoln enjoyers!

Dereckmontoya: I'm certainly trying to keep certain things in mind — the main thing I see many authors on here struggle with is pacing. The first chapter was originally a lot longer, but I cut a lot of the world building stuff out to instead gradually weave it in as the story carries on, otherwise Chapter 1 would have been an exposition dump (also known as, bad writing).

Guest: I also loved The Live House, I think it's my favorite oneshot. Islands In The Sea was a really amazing story too, despite how I'm not typically a big enjoyer of total AU fics.

fanfictionmakermachine: If I started sooner, I'd be uploading a bunch of much lower quality stuff. I spent years developing in the shadows, creating stories just for myself, listening to podcasts on writing, and continuing to read widely before I got to the point I'm at now. Even today, I read back some of the recent stuff I write and cringe, but I'm at last happy enough with my abilities now to be open to sharing with strangers online.

FancyLyingchris: I relate to that more than you can imagine. I started watching the show and reading fics about it back midway through high school; I'm now graduated from college. Thanks for giving this story a shot even if it isn't your usual cup of tea.

"I swear to God, Lana," rang out Lola's shrill and accusatory voice from the back seat of the van. "I had the lipstick in my purse yesterday! And when I checked this morning, it was gone!"

Lana scoffed. "Oh, yeah? What reason do you have for thinkin' I took it?"

"Oh, I don't know, let me think..." Lola began ticking off on her fingers. "There's the time you used my nail file without asking to shave down your muddy cleats... the time you took my curling iron to try to make a branding iron... the time—"

"Okay! I get it," Lana groaned. "But I didn't touch your stupid lipstick, alright? I don't know why you have to make a big production every time one of your little accessories goes missing!"

Lola raised her fist and growled. "How about I make a big production out of your face?"

"Hey!" Lincoln glared in the rear view mirror. "You two need to cut it out, alright? I'm not gonna listen to this crap for the rest of the car ride."

Today, like most mornings, Lincoln was giving a ride to his younger sisters sans Lucy, who preferred going on foot. The elementary and middle school was close enough for Lincoln's younger sisters to be able to to walk on their own, and they still often did, but one of the many unwritten responsibilities of the oldest at home since Lori was to let the younger siblings tag along with them in the mornings.

At his admonishment, Lana crossed her arms and looked out the window, still angry but willing to put the argument to rest, and Lola let out a breathy hmmph before going back to scrolling on her phone. Content with the tentative peace that had been achieved, Lincoln turned his attention back to the road and shook his head. It was always something with his sisters — even as the Loud siblings grew older, they still often bickered like cats and dogs. Well, at least it keeps things interesting, he thought to himself with a wry smile. He never knew what to expect when he woke up in the morning, but one thing he could count on was that it was rarely boring.

As they pulled up to a stoplight a couple blocks from the schools, a gradual anxiety began to rise in his chest as his mind turned towards the day ahead of him. He hadn't spoken to Jordan since last night, and he'd undoubtedly be seeing her at some point today. If not in the halls at lunch, then in the afternoon; they had gym class together during the 6th period.

Lincoln tapped his foot restively. It was going to be awkward, no doubt. It always was whenever they got into an argument. The fact that she hadn't texted him this morning was enough to tell him that she wasn't quite over being upset with him yet. Her mood was a temporal thing, though, and it was possible she'd have calmed down by the time P.E. rolled around. Sometimes he could never tell where her head would be at. One of Jordan's bad habits was blurting out whatever came to mind, often leaving a trail of bruised egos in her wake. During one of their spats, she had called Lincoln a buck-tooth idiot, knowing full well Lincoln was sensitive when it came to his teeth. She did profusely apologize afterwards, and Lincoln accepted it because he knew that just Jordan being Jordan — she often got lost in the moment and spoke without thinking. It was just part of who she was, and he knew this going into the relationship, so he couldn't really hold it too much against her.

The light turned green, and the van pulled ahead through the intersection. Lincoln was making a hard right at Saratoga when Lisa spoke up from her seat directly behind him, breaking the silence that had settled over the van. "You seem rather quiet this morning."

"No kidding," Lola agreed. "What's up your butt?"

"I'm fine," Lincoln replied. "Just a little tired."

"Trouble in paradise?" Lola asked knowingly.

Lincoln shrugged. "You could say that." He looked into the rear view mirror to find all eyes on him; Lola was staring at him expectantly, Lily and Lisa were watching him with concerned gazes, and Lana, though still stewing over the argument earlier, seemed to be listening attentively as well. He sighed and turned his attention back onto the road, slowing as he approached a red light. "Don't worry about it, though, guys. I'm okay."

"If you insist," Lisa said with a shrug. "Although, if I may — I hope it has nothing to do with whatever it was that had Lynn so agitated this morning?"

Lincoln arched an eyebrow. "Lynn seemed off today?"

"Quite." Lisa pursed her lips. "If you noticed, she left early this morning without saying goodbye. She seemed rather... restless. I wonder if it was something we said, or did, or failed to do?"

"Who knows, with Lynn," Lola muttered. "She's so unpredictable and moody sometimes."

Lana scoffed. "Said the kettle to the pot."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lola challenged, bristling in her seat.

Lincoln winced, but before another argument could break out between Lana and Lola, Lily interjected from the middle row with something that gave everyone pause. "I think I know what Lisa's talking about, Linc."

Lincoln glanced back at his youngest sister. "You do?"

Lily looked down at her hands, which were folded in her lap, and nodded her head slightly. "I've noticed she just gets really upset whenever you get into a fight with your girlfriend." She paused, chewing her lower lip. "I don't think she likes Jordan very much."

"I could have told you that," Lola snorted. "Have you seen the looks Lynn gives her? She hates her guts, no question. It's obvious."

"They... don't always get along," Lincoln conceded. "But Lynn doesn't hate her."

"Could have fooled me," Lana said under her breath. She shrugged when he shot a pointed look at her in the rear view mirror.

Thankfully, Lincoln's sister dropped the topic as they pulled into the elementary school parking lot. Lincoln brought the van to a stop near the curb and turned to face Lily as she unbuckled her seatbelt and began to step out. "Have a good day, kiddo," he said, reaching over and handing Lily her backpack from the seat well. "I'm sure you'll do great."

Lily smiled at him as she threw the strap of the pack over her shoulder. "Thanks, Linc." As she brushed past Lola and Lana to leave the van, they both playfully flicked the younger girl's ponytail, as they often did whenever she got out at her school. "Stop!" she complained half-heartedly, swatting their hands away with mock annoyance.

"Never!" Lola sang after her. "Not until your big sisters have asserted their dominance!"

Lily shook her head, a smile playing on her lips as she closed the door behind her. They watched as Lily ran up to her group of friends, and Lincoln smiled affectionately as they enveloped her into the circle with warm greetings, one girl reaching over to give Lily a side hug and the others laughing merrily. Lily had always been a shy kid, but as she grew older and began to gain confidence, she'd finally made friends. Her ADHD could often make it difficult for her to socialize like her peers could, but thankfully her warm and down-to-earth personality made her quite endearing to those who gave her a chance, and Lincoln was glad that she finally seemed so at home with her classmates. She deserved to have good friends.

As he pulled the van out onto the main road he was suddenly again removed from Lily's problems and trying to cope with his own; thoughts of growing up had led naturally to certain gigantic and rather unpleasant ideas, such as college and living away from home and the fact that in less than a year, Lincoln probably would no longer be dropping off Lily or any of his sisters. As annoying as these early morning rides with them could sometimes be, Lincoln knew that he'd miss them sorely regardless, as well as lots of other things that he took for granted. That realization didn't sit well with him. He wouldn't be around to see the twins get their driver's licenses, wouldn't get to see one of Lucy's rare smile when published her first book, wouldn't be there when Lisa graduated high school at fourteen...

Such was the way of life, though — people grew up. Everyone had to let go at some point or another and try to move on with their lives, and he was no different. Lincoln couldn't coddle his little sisters forever, and even if he somehow stayed behind with them, they eventually had to go out into the world on their own, too.

He sighed, knowing that getting down over it would do him no good. All that dwelling on the inevitable could possibly accomplish was making the time he did have left with his family less enjoyable. The best thing he could do, Lincoln decided, was to cherish what time he had with his family and appreciate it for as long as he had it. And, when it was time to move on to the next chapter of his life, he could embrace it knowing that he had made the most of his time growing up in the Loud house.

What had he done today on the way up to school? Since getting in the car up until needing to stop Lana and Lola from fighting, he had been lost in his own mind, worrying about Jordan and their latest spat. He found himself worrying about his relationship far more often than he should. It wasn't an unhealthy relationship, by any means, and Jordan certainly made him happy a lot of the time, but lately, he'd been feeling a bit suffocated in it.

Lincoln's type was seemingly forceful, aggressive girls. For whatever reason, he liked females who knew what they wanted in life and were willing to take charge and go for it. His first girlfriend had been Ronnie Anne, a passionate girl who definitely fit the bill; she was a strong-willed tomboy who didn't let anyone mess with her or push her around, but at the same time was fiercely loyal to those she loved and cared about, and Lincoln felt proud when she chose him to be one of those people. They'd ended up breaking up after she moved away with family in Great Lakes City, as the distance was too great to keep up a relationship, but they still remained friends, albeit distant ones. After that, he dated Stella for a while, who was admittedly not as fiery as Ronnie Anne, but still had a strong personality that came out when it needed to, and who was definitely willing to stick up for her friends. Lincoln had only been with Stella for no more a year earlier on in high school, before they mutually decided that they were better as friends, which ended up working better for them.

Then, last year, Lincoln began dating Jordan, a girl from his class he'd known since the first grade. She was always a close friend of his over the years, but they had never gone farther beyond being good buds, until they both found themselves at a late night bonfire one day, sharing their first kiss with one another. It had grown from there, until Lincoln found himself falling hard for her, and so he asked her if she wanted to become official, a proposition which she gleefully accepted. She was almost everything he would have looked for in a girl, almost like a perfect middle ground between the assertiveness and passion of Ronnie Anne, and the kindness and empathy of Stella. Jordan was strong-willed, creative, athletic, and caring; she spoke her mind, stood up for what she believed in, and was fiercely loyal to those she cared about.

But lately... that fiery attitude Lincoln liked about her was admittedly beginning to grate on him. She was sometimes too aggressive and opinionated, and never liked being told no. Jordan could be very stubborn at times, and she didn't like to compromise when she thought she was right, which inevitably led to them fighting. After their recent argument, Lincoln found himself considering Lynn's words from last night in the backyard more and more. You should break up with that girl already. You're miserable with her.

At first, he'd brushed the suggestion off, but his attitude had gradually been shifting as the morning carried on. The truth was that Lincoln didn't know if he wanted to keep spending the emotional energy trying to make it work with such a combative personality. He loved Jordan, he truly did... but the drama and stress that came along with her was wearing him down. Did he really want to continue being with her if it meant there would inevitably be many more days down the line like this, driving to school with a gnawing pit in his stomach?

These were his thoughts as he pulled into the middle school's dropoff lane. "Thanks for the ride, Linc," Lana said, unbundling herself and grabbing her backpack as the van came to a halt.

Lola was already stepping over her and hopping out of the van as soon as Lincoln put it in park. "Bye, dorks!" she called over her shoulder as she started towards the school's entrance. "Try not to miss me too much!"

Lisa didn't say anything, but patted Lincoln on the back before stepping out next, not that he minded. That was probably one of the warmest parting gestures you'd get from her.

"See ya later," Lana said, shouldering her backpack as she followed after Lisa. "Have a good day, yeah?"

Lincoln smiled at her. "I'll try my best." He watched with his arm propped up on the driver's side door as Lana caught up to Lola, falling into step beside her before Lisa and the twins disappeared into the crush of students filing into the building. Like usual, he waited there a bit before pulling away, content to know that his sisters made it inside safely.

The rest of his drive to school was spent in silent contemplation as he turned over his thoughts. The more he considered breaking up with Jordan, the more conflicted he felt about it. He wondered if he was maybe being too rash, if maybe he shouldn't be so quick to throw in the towel just because they were going through a rough patch. But, the undeniable fact still remained that the longer he stayed with someone who didn't make him happy, the more time he'd be losing on more important things at this critical juncture in his life — namely, the last few months he had living at home with his sisters.

By the time he pulled into his parking spot at the high school and killed the van's engine, Lincoln was no closer to coming to an actual decision. He reached for his phone, and typed out a text to Lynn: You have a few mins 2 talk? His thumb hovered over the SEND button for a few seconds before he instead deleted the message and stowed the phone in his pocket with a resigned shake of his head. He valued her opinion a lot, but talking to her wouldn't do any good right now. Lincoln already knew her position, and after vaguely talking about his and Jordan's fight last night, Lynn had told him what she always said whenever he was having Jordan-related problems: Dump her.

He leaned back in his seat and stared at the roof of the van, letting out a long breath through his teeth. You might be right this time, Lynn, he thought ruefully. It might finally be time to get off the Jordan merry-go-round.

As Lynn walked from the parking lot onto the RWCC campus, she tried to think of what class she had next and when. She scrunched her face in concentration, but couldn't recall which courses were on the docket for today. After a couple months into the semester, she knew her schedule like the back of her hand, but when Lynn was at the start of a new term like she was now, it would take some time before she could remember which classes were without needing to consult her calendar.

Fishing out her phone from her jean pocket, Lynn unlocked it before navigating to her calendar app and letting out a sigh. Her next class was Advanced Sports Psychology ll, and it wasn't for another four hours. That was the thing about college — it wasn't like high school, where she sat through classes for 8 hours, did her sports stuff, and then went home for the day. It was a lot more sporadic, where some days Lynn would be on campus for as long as 10 hours taking her courses, and other days, she would come to sit through a single 50 minute lecture and then go right back home.

Today was one of those days where Lynn had a lot of free time between her first and second class. She debated heading home and coming back later, but decided to just to hit the books or something until class; she didn't feel like taking the twenty-five minute drive home and then again on her way back. She sometimes did leave campus in between classes, but usually didn't like going home' unless there was a reason to. Regardless of the extra gas putting an ever more noticeable dent in her tight budget, one of the things she hated the most was the feeling of wasting time, of being needlessly inefficient. Lynn always tried to make the most of her resources, and time was perhaps the most precious resource of them all. She pushed herself to be up before dawn every morning to run, not just for the bathroom situation, but because it made her feel good; productive. Getting those endorphins flowing through her system early in the morning was always a great start to kick off a long and fruitful day, and she wanted to stay on that habit. Lynn often likened herself to a woman rolling on a log; she knew that if she stopped, she'd fall and bust her ass.

Outside of the usefulness of early morning endorphins, she'd actually picked up a lot of handy tips and tricks in the past couple of years, largely informed by the classes she'd been taking at RWCC. For instance, she learned in Sports Psychology 101 how being awake to dusk and dawn would help regulate her circadian rhythm and thus lead to a better sleep. Better sleep almost always resulted in a better mood, higher motivation, and stronger concentration. So, she made it a point to always be out of bed before dawn, and she usually tried to make herself go to bed by ten at the latest.

Lots of people often thought of her as just some dumb jock, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Sure, she was athletic, but her curiosity went much deeper than just throwing around a ball or watching NFL highlights on her phone. She liked to understand the reasons behind what she did, and was endlessly fascinated by the human body and mind, and the incredible feats they could achieve with the right training. While she wasn't entirely sure what she wanted to do after college, she often toyed with the idea of studying kinesiology or some kind of sports psychology or in graduate school.

She was now walking on the main thoroughfare of RWCC's campus, a long tree-lined boulevard which bisected the property and led to the campus's main attractions. Lynn stretched her arms behind her back, breathing in the fresh air and appreciating the crispness of early autumn. Royal Woods Community College was situated on a small plot of land on the outskirts of town, bordered by broad, tree lined sidewalks and thick shrubbery that served as a natural barrier between the campus and its adjacent neighbors. A network of concrete and gravel walkways crisscrossed the grounds, lined by benches and small flower beds which sported an array of colorful flora during springtime, but were mostly barren and neglected during the colder seasons. Professors and students alike walked in all different directions across the commons, and Lynn watched them absentmindedly as she continued down the main path, her hands folded behind her back. The campus was picturesque and tranquil, but Lynn wasn't in much of a mood to appreciate the scenery today — her mind was still inexplicably caught up on that morning, when she'd abruptly left home to escape having to… think… about him, something which she'd been strong enough to avoid for the better part of a year.

An image of Lincoln at the breakfast table this morning laughing with Lily flashed through her mind, and a feeling akin to a chunk of ice dropping into her stomach immediately followed. Stop it, she told herself sternly, finding herself squeezing her eyes shut. Lynn grit her teeth and took a deep breath before relaxing again.

Stop thinking about... that.

She knew that if she did allow herself to dwell, that if she indulged at all in the dangerous thoughts lurking in the shadow of her psyche, it would only lead her down a slippery slope towards something she really didn't want to entertain. It had happened before, and it would happen again. Lynn had found the only way to deal with this was to be vigilant, disciplined — push them all back somewhere deep and dark in her mind, and if she could do that, they would stay there, locked too far away to bother her... at least, they would for a time.

She stopped in the middle of the path, taking another slow, deliberate breath. And when they come back... then what? They always seemed to, after all. Sometimes it would be a month, other times several before Lynn's mind would turn back to her brother… in ways that somehow made her skin crawl and her heart flutter at the same time.

"Dammit," Lynn growled to no one in particular, sensing her cheeks beginning to grow warm despite herself. If anyone noticed her, she must have looked like such a fucking weirdo right now.

Starting to walk again, she took another breath, but found it did little to quell the heat she felt creeping into her chest, spreading down her neck and up through her scalp until she was sure her ears were red. Lynn shook herself, trying to dispel the feelings that were now floating to the forefront of her mind unbidden. Too often, focusing on suppressing certain thoughts only made them come faster and more frequently, like someone telling you not to think about a pink elephant — suddenly, that's all you can think about.

The campus library was just ahead, and she decided to make a beeline for it and hopefully clear her head with some reading. The building itself was an old structure, the windows set deep in granite walls, with a shallow, sloping tile roof sitting above the main entranceway. A pair of gnarled, old oaks stood on either side of the double door glass entryway at Lynn bounded up the steps to go inside.

The library wasn't very busy at this hour, with only a few people milling about as she stepped through the front entrance. A young girl working at the front desk looked up to nod politely at Lynn as she walked through the reception area and stepped through the turnstiles. Margo would probably be at their usual spot, a study room off in the far back of the library that Lynn's friend group on campus often occupied throughout the school day when they weren't in classes.

Lynn weaved her way through the tall aisles of book stacks until she reached the small room tucked away in one corner. Sure enough, she spotted her friend sitting inside through the glass window of the door, hunched over a book and chewing absently on a pen. She rapped her knuckles on the door before pulling it open and letting herself in.

Margo looked up as Lynn entered and closed the door behind her, smiling as she saw who was walking in. "You're early today, Loud."

Lynn playfully flipped Margo the bird as she took off her backpack and set it down haphazardly in a corner of the study room. "Oh yeah?" she quipped back as she sat down and began to pull out her pens and a notebook. "You got a problem with punctuality, Roberts? I mean, if you want, I can take my sweet-ass time from now on. You'd probably miss me, though."

She and Margo had been good friends since middle school, where they were both teammates together for numerous sports. They stayed close over the years, and continued to banter and tease each other, much as they had during their middle and high school days. Margo was a student at RWCC like Lynn, and was taking mainly health science classes with aspirations of eventually going on to nursing school.

"Oh, yeah," Margo said with a roll of her eyes. "I don't think I could ever bear to be without your constant sarcasm or that lovely body odor of yours."

"Hey, I'm an athlete. We all have B.O." Lynn plopped down in the chair opposite Margo. They were the only two in the room so far; their small group of friends usually met in the same study room during the week, mostly other sporty people that Lynn and Margo knew, and they were all pretty chill. "I dunno if it's my personality or body odor that attracts more guys, though. Probably the latter, honestly." Lynn pulled her shirt over her nose. "It's kinda got a real charm."

She was joking, of course. Although Lynn hadn't always been the best at maintaining her cleanliness growing up, she had mellowed out and matured a lot since middle school, where she had been a fairly consistent ball of mud, sweat, and dirt. Sure, she was still an athlete, but Lynn had become much more fastidious when it came to her personal hygiene. These days, she'd showered at least once daily after her run that morning, and even used a little bit of perfume ever now and again; she was not the little girl always in grass-stained jerseys anymore.

Margo snorted. "So, what're you here for this early? Gonna work on that boring-ass sports management paper for Bixby's class?"

"Yup. You know me, I live for sports management." Lynn opened up her laptop, then cracked her knuckles. "Just a thousand more words to go."

"Well, I'll leave you to it." With that, Margo turned back to her notebook, an unofficial signal that the banter was over for the time being. Lynn liked that about her; the two of them shared in verbal sparring together often, but Margo wasn't one for constant chitter-chatter and knew how to focus on schoolwork when it was necessary.

Now, Lynn just hoped that she could follow Margo's lead and focus; if all went well, she'd be able to throw herself into this paper and forget entirely about what had been troubling her by lunchtime.

Like Lincoln and Lynn, Jordan Simmons was anxious that morning, too.

At her locker, she opened the door and reached within to grab a textbook for first period, a creeping sense of dread welling up inside her chest as she contemplated the inevitable upcoming conversation with Lincoln. Their latest spat was fresh on her mind, and she had been second guessing herself all morning, wondering if maybe she had taken things too far by kicking him out of her house last night.

In her defense, Jordan felt she had every right to be upset with Lincoln for throwing a hissy fit over her idea of throwing a back-to-school bash. She thought it would have been a great way for the two of them to kick off their senior year, but apparently, her boyfriend wasn't on board. Lincoln wasn't a total stick in the mud, but he did sometimes lack a sense of fun and spontaneity, especially when it came to parties and drinking. When she told him of her plans, he'd railed about how irresponsible it was, and how unfair it was for her to put him in that position knowing how much he hated it when she did something risky like inviting all of their classmates over to her place under her parent's noses. It wasn't like Jordan wanted to get wasted or anything — she just wanted to be able to let loose for a bit and enjoy being with her friends before the end of high school was upon them. Linc told her if she really wanted to go ahead with it, he wouldn't stop him, but he wouldn't "enable" her by helping her to prepare or even showing up to the damn thing. It's a party for both of us, she'd shot back, and if you're not gonna bother coming, then what's the point, Lincoln? After saying that, she may or may not have kicked him in the shin before stomping into her room and telling him to fuck off.

Jordan groaned at the memory. Okay, probably didn't handle it in the most mature way. And, looking back on it, maybe she was being a bit unfair to Lincoln by just dumping the idea on him, already expecting him to go along with it. She knew how much of a square he was about things like that, but she figured that now they were seniors, maybe he'd be more open to letting loose and having a little fun. Sometimes she forgot how much of a big brother role her boyfriend played at his house — it often made him more cautious, less comfortable with breaking the rules or pushing boundaries.

There were certain aspects of his life like that which she couldn't relate much to, being an only child. Jordan didn't have five younger sisters to look after, nor did she often feel the need to be the "mature" one at home, or try to diffuse disagreements with patience and grace. He was a real diplomat, always trying to be the voice of reason whenever any of his siblings had problems. And she loved him for that — but when he tried to be that voice of reason with her, it got on her nerves. Though Lincoln wanted what was best for her, she couldn't help but to feel talked down to whenever he tried speaking to her in that calm, gentle voice, almost as if she were a child instead of his girlfriend, his equal.

Jordan chewed her lip as she closed the locker door shut, turning around to lean her back against it, staring down at the textbook in her hands. So, what was she really mad at him for, anyway? For trying to talk with her and work through a disagreement? For not flying off the handle like she always did?

Ugh. She rubbed a hand over her face in frustration. It was dawning upon her more and more clearly that last night, her emotions once again got the better of her; she sent him away instead of talking through their problems like he had been willing to do.

And that was—

Was—

"Wrong," she croaked, but the word was almost lost in the loud chatter and footsteps of students heading to first period. She gulped back the slick, viscous feeling filling her throat. I was totally in the wrong, wasn't I?

And not just this time, either. Jordan knew she messed up on a lot of things lately, and she didn't want Lincoln to hate her for being the stubborn bitch that she was. It wasn't fair — he wasn't perfect, but was such a sweet person who tried his best to make everyone he cared about happy. Why couldn't she try harder for him?

It was then that she affirmatively decided to do better. Like clay hardening in a kiln, her resolve was now all but unshakeable. Jordan turned on her heel and headed off to class with a new pep in her step; today was going to be a turning point. From now on, she'd be more patient, less aggressive. It would start by her apologizing to Lincoln, finding a way to make it up to him for being such an asshole lately, and somehow prove to him that she was going to start being a better girlfriend.