156

Leni sees her mother and brother at the door. Next to her was a boy with light brown hair, combed back. The boy was wearing a brown jacket over a dark green turtleneck sweater and blue jeans. Interestingly, he looked like Scott, the boy she fell in love with when they traveled to Scotland.

Leni stopped when she saw her brother. She knew she would have to tell him sooner or later, but she never thought it would be so soon.

"Ha... Hey... Linky."

"Love, won't you introduce me to your friend?" The boy next to Leni said.

"Yes. I would also like to meet... your friend," Lincoln said, hiding his jealousy.

"Lincoln. It's Scoods. He's... my boyfriend."

She silenced Lincoln like a bucket of cold water in the middle of a blizzard. Unlike Rita, who seemed very happy that her daughter had found a good boy.

"Hey buddy," he says, reaching out and shaking Lincoln's hand.

"I'm glad you came, Leni. Lincoln had something to tell you."

Leni looked a little worried. She knew what Lincoln wanted to tell her.

"Oh, what's up, Lincoln?"

Lincoln clenched his fists so hard that they turned white, but then he relaxed them.

"I guess... I forgot. Maybe it wasn't that important."

"I have to go now. See you tomorrow, Mom. See you tomorrow, Leni."

"See you soon, Scoods," Lincoln said reluctantly.

The boy left for his grandparents house and left the adults alone.

Lincoln was in his grandfather's backyard, looking sad. His pet, White-Flame, was lying next to him as Lincoln stroked his head.

White-Flame noticed his owner's sadness and licked his cheek.

"Thank you for your support, buddy. I think Leni meant it when she said we should forget what happened." Lincoln pressed down on the snow-covered grass as a few drops fell on it, causing it to melt.

Unlike previous times when the phenomenon was subtle, with a few very limited outbreaks, this time was different.

For the first time in a long time since the accident, Lincoln cried profusely.

White-Flame licked the tears from his owner's cheeks to clean his face, but they did not stop coming out, as if they would make up for all the time they had accumulated.

It was already daybreak.

Lincoln woke up with a really bad face because he didn't sleep well because of what happened last night with Leni and her new boyfriend. "I don't know why. It shouldn't hurt me that Leni has a boyfriend." He knows he has, like, five girlfriends. Although three of them are his sisters, why did it bother him so much that Leni had an accomplice?

She wasn't his. She had every right to date whoever she wanted. But then why did the thought of Scoods make his blood boil? He didn't even know the boy, and he already felt like he hated him. He didn't know how to explain it, but something inside him didn't feel good, and he shouldn't let that discourage him. It was December 31st. New Year's Eve, and it's the first time he's spent with his family in years. It must have been a happy occasion for him.

Lincoln got dressed and got ready to go to school. His grandparents hadn't woken up yet, so he made breakfast and left for school. But when he went out into the yard, he felt someone approaching, so his reflexes went into overdrive, giving the intruder a powerful kick. He fell to the ground, but Lincoln didn't know who he was until he started talking.

"Ah, that hurts, damn."

"Andy? Is that you?"

"But what's wrong with you? You son of a bitch."

"I'm sorry. But you approached me from behind. You know how I react. With everything that's happened lately,"

"I just came looking for you to go to school together, but you go and give me a kick. Damn, what a pain."

"I'm sorry, Andy. Do you want me to check on you?"

"How the hell are you going to do that if you're blind?"

At that time, a person wearing a sports uniform consisting of blue pants and a sweatshirt was approaching. It was Clyde who was running when he saw the two boys arguing.

"Andy, Lincoln, what's going on?"

"Oh, hi, Clyde. Oh, nothing happened. Andy and I had a little misunderstanding."

"Tell that to my nose, you idiot."

"Let me see" Clyde taps Andy's nose. "You don't have anything. I don't see any fractures. You're bleeding a little from your right nose" Clyde opens his bag, takes out a cotton ball, and puts it on Andy's nose.

"Thank you, buddy."

"Whenever you want, Andy, By the way, guys, what are you doing outside at this hour?"

"Go to school. Aren't you going?"

"No, it's New Year's Eve. There are no classes today"

"Oh, what the heck? I just got out of bed, to no avail. Okay, see you the day after tomorrow."

Both friends knew that Andy had no family, so Andy would definitely spend New Year's Eve alone. This was something they could not allow.

"Hey, Andy."

"What?"

"You know, our neighborhood is having a New Year's Eve party. Clyde and I were wondering if you wanted to come."

"Party? Sounds good. Okay, I'll go."

"Excellent, we'll see you there. Oh, sorry, Lincoln, I didn't mean to."

"Don't worry, Clyde, I'm not upset."

"Should I bring something?"

"We just want to have a good time," Clyde answered.

"See you tonight. I'm going home to sleep." Andy leaves for his house.

The three friends were very excited about the party that night. More than anything, Lincoln. Well, this will be his first New Year's Eve party spent with his family in a long time.