Chapter X: An Old Friend and Potential Romance
A week before Logan ran away from home, he was hanging out at the park with his only friend, Jebediah "Jeb" Hunnicut, a gangly farm boy with sun-tanned skin and an untidy mop of flaming red hair under a wide-brimmed straw hat. Jeb wore denim overalls over a red-and-black flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and on his feet was a pair of mud-caked hiking boots. Logan and Jeb sat on one of the park benches with Burpin' Burger takeout bags in their laps, eating and talking. Jeb soon noticed that Logan's mind, as well as his gaze, was elsewhere. He looked where Logan was looking and saw the source of his distraction: across the park, hanging out with her own friends, was fifteen-year-old Agnes Johnson, the girl of Logan's dreams.
Agnes' hair was the same color as Jeb's, only it hung straight down her back. Her flawless alabaster skin glistened with sweat after a challenging round of volleyball, and she was tall and slender with slight curves, wearing an olive-green tank top and black shorts. Jeb sighed, shook his head, and patted Logan's back.
"Buddy, ol' pal, take my advice and just talk to the lady. Ya never know, she just might feel the same way," he said. Logan sighed dejectedly.
"Jeb, you know I can't do that. Women like strong men, and you and I both know you're the strong man between the two of us," he said. "Let's face it, she's out of my league. She probably has her eye on someone else, anyway."
Little did either of them know that Jeb was right; Agnes did feel the same way. She had always known about the white-haired boy's crush on her, and it didn't bother her at all. In fact, she admired how much he cared for his siblings, something she couldn't do as an only child. She even thought he was cute with his unique hair and eye colors. She was determined to talk to him despite the disapproval of her friends. All she needed was one more week to prepare, then she would ask him out...
...
Back in the present, Logan was eating lunch at his house while reviewing information on the next targets for him to investigate and maybe arrest: Doug Rockwell and Michelle Lewis, the hosts of America's Next Hitmaker. There were rumors that they corrupted the musicians they brought onto the show, turning them into corporate slaves and blackmailing them if they wouldn't comply. Multiple people were said to have committed suicide just to escape the clutches of the contracts they were tricked into signing. Logan hadn't told Lincoln the whole truth about his job: in reality, he was slightly more of a bounty hunter than a spy or hero, although he was both of those as well.
Soon, his cell phone rang, and he was startled to see that it was Lori calling. While she hadn't yet forgiven him for the last ten years, she was well on her way, as they were at least on speaking terms.
"Hey, Lori, is something wrong?" he asked, not knowing why else she would call during the school's lunch break.
"Not really, I'm just in a bit of a pickle. You see, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, and I all have after-school activities today, and we forgot to tell the others. Could you do me a huge favor and pick the rest of our siblings up from school for me?" Lori asked.
"I was gonna spend the afternoon visiting a friend of mine, but I think I can fit that into my schedule."
"Thanks, bro. You're a lifesaver!" Lori hung up, and Logan put his phone away. He finished his lunch, got in his car, and drove to the Hunnicut family farm on the outskirts of town. He knocked on the door of the two-story farmhouse, and it was answered by a young man that Logan instantly recognized. Even taller and more muscular than he had been when they were kids, Jeb was dressed much the same, only with a sparse red goatee on his chin. Jeb's eyes widened in surprise before he cracked a smile.
"Well, butter my behind and call me a biscuit. Logan Loud!" he exclaimed. Logan smiled in return and opened his arms for a hug, only to fall flat on his back when Jeb decked him. Hard.
"Ow! What was that for?" Logan demanded, rubbing his jaw.
"Ya know darn well what that was for, ya salt-lickin' snotrag! Vanishin' without a trace, leaving me in the dark like that!" Jeb shouted. "I led a search party for ya, for gosh sakes! What the cotton-pickin' heck were ya THINKIN'?!"
"Gimme a chance to explain and I'll tell you," Logan said upon climbing to his feet. Reluctantly, Jeb let Logan come inside, where he spent the next several minutes explaining to Jeb what had happened and why he left.
"Golly...now I feel bad for punchin' ya," Jeb said when Logan finished.
"Don't be. Lord knows I deserved it," Logan said. "So how have things been going with your family?" he asked to change the subject.
"Things have been goin' pretty well, all thing considered. You remember my kid brother Liam, right? Well, he and Lincoln are actually friends," Jeb said. He and Logan spent the next hour catching up, until Logan saw that it was time to pick up his siblings from school. He said goodbye after Jeb made him promise to bring Lincoln and stay for the next Hunnicut family cookout.
Logan drove to the elementary school and found Lucy, the twins, and Lisa waiting in the front. He explained the situation to them before asking where Lincoln was.
"He's still inside his classroom in the building. Our brother's social studies class has a tendency to run a few minutes late once in a while," said Lisa. Not knowing what else to do, Logan walked into the school and found Lincoln's classroom without difficulty. He had to look twice, because he thought his eyes were deceiving him at first. But there was no mistaking it: Lincoln's teacher was none other than Agnes Johnson, his childhood crush, who was more beautiful than ever. He attempted to duck out of view, but Lincoln had already spotted him.
"Oh, hi, Logan! what are you doing here?" Logan swore under his breath and stepped back into the doorway.
"Lori asked me to pick you up from school. She said she was busy with after-school activities and forgot to tell you," Logan explained.
"Well, now that you're here, I might as well introduce you. C'mon in!" Logan reluctantly walked to the front of the classroom where Lincoln was standing. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet someone that's been missing from my life for that last ten years: my long-lost big brother, Logan!" Lincoln announced with a flourish, and Logan waved meekly. Logan then saw the teacher's scowl, and his face paled.
"Logan Loud," she said slowly, and everyone turned to look at her.
"H-h-h-hello, A-A-A-A-Agnes," he stammered nervously.
"Whoa, back up. You know my teacher?" Lincoln asked.
"It's, uh...it's complicated," Logan admitted. "I'll tell you later." He started to shoo Lincoln out the door.
"Not so fast!" Agnes exclaimed. "Do you know how disappointing it was to show up at your house to ask you out, only to find out you'd run away the night before? How many nights I spent crying my eyes out because the first boy I ever loved was gone without a trace?" Logan started to shiver, and he was sweating bullets. Lincoln recognized the look on his face as the same look Clyde would get if Lori came too close.
"Uh, you might wanna take it easy, Ms. Johnson. I don't want my brother to have a nervous breakdown when he still has to drive me and my sisters home," he suggested. He then took Logan by the hand and led him out of the classroom, where he promptly threw a cupful of ice-cold drinking fountain water in Logan's face. "C'mon, Logan, snap out of it!" he yelled, delivering three sharp slaps in addition to the water.
"Alright, alright, cut it out!" Logan yelled in return, grabbing Lincoln's wrist before he could administer a fourth slap. "Fine, I admit it. Your teacher was my childhood crush when I was your age. Pretty faces make me nervous, especially if they tell me they're interested in me."
"Doesn't Mel have a pretty face, though?" Lincoln asked in confusion.
"Of course she does, but she's just a friend. Furthermore, she and Geoff are dating." Lincoln decided to leave the matter be and let Logan drive him and the girls home. Unbeknownst to Logan, though, he was scheming to hook up Logan with Agnes by any means necessary.
I don't know about you, but I think Redneck insults are pretty fun to write! Furthermore, I borrowed Doug and Michelle's last names from heavy5commando's Loud House stories.