7. Chapter 7

Yep. I'm back. Now, I know for this chapter I did a time skip. I know it seemed sudden, but for four stinking chapters, were on the same stinking day. So let's just say it was time to jump ahead. But fear not, you will find out how his shopping with Leni and Lola went. Also, at the end of the chapter I will be making a couple of announcements. So stay tuned for that. Also, I own nothing. Chris Savino owns Loud House and he did a good job on this weeks episodes if I do say so myself. So Chris Savino owns Loud House and I own nothing.

Chapter 7

Three days passed since Lincoln arrived at the Loud House and any sign of Lincoln settling in quickly went down the drain. While the trip to the mall started off well for Lincoln, it sadly ended in disaster.

Flashback

Leni and Lola were waiting outside the dressing room for Lincoln. The two had just picked out some clothes for him and he was currently trying them on.

"I hope Lincoln likes the outfits we picked out." Leni said.

"He will Leni. We worked hard to pick out the perfect outfits for him." Lola said proudly.

As she said that, Lincoln exited the changing room wearing the new outfit they picked out for him. The outfit consisted of an orange t-shirt and blue jeans. He was also wearing a black and orange vest hoodie. When he stepped out, he stared at the girls with an uncertain look on his on his face.

"So how do I look?" Lincoln asked nervously. The girls just stared at him in silence which made Lincoln feel uncomfortable. Leni then held up a mirror so Lincoln could see how he looked.

"See for yourself." Leni said.

As Lincoln looked at his reflection in the mirror, he was in awe at what he was seeing. He actually liked this look. Plus, he had a sweatshirt that didn't have holes in it.

"I like it." Lincoln said quietly.

"Good." Lola said with a smile. "Now, how about you try on these shoes that we picked out for you."

Lincoln stared at the white shoes with interest. Lincoln quickly slid them on and he instantly liked them. Mainly because they weren't held together by duct tape. Lincoln quickly flashed the girls a smile which showed he was satisfied. While Leni and Lola gathered all the clothes that he liked, Lincoln decided to look around the store. He saw a lot of different types of clothes, but none of them really seemed to suit him. As Lincoln looked around, he wasn't watching where he was going and he tripped and stumbled into a bunch mannequins. As Lincoln collected his thoughts, he looked around and saw that everyone in the store was laughing at him.

Leni and Lola heard laughter and turned to see a crowd of people around Lincoln and they were laughing at him.

"Oh no!" Leni gasped. "Lola, get Lincoln out of here. I'll pay for the clothes." Lola nodded and pushed her way through the crowd and quickly grabbed the embarrassed Lincoln and pulled him out of the store. Leni quickly paid for the clothes and followed suit. She then pulled out her phone and texted the other Loud sisters that they needed to head home as soon as possible.

End Flashback

Since the incident, the girls felt that he was actually worst off than when he first moved in. During the day, Lincoln would either stay in his room and just hang out with Charles or go outside and just sit under the tree. Nights weren't much better. For the past couple nights, Lincoln would wake up from nightmares screaming which always alerted one of the older sisters. On the first night, Lincoln's screaming woke up Lori who immediately ran to his room and saw him breathing heavily which resulted in her trying to calm him down by hugging him and rocking him back and forth while whispering comforting words to him. The second night, Lincoln's screaming woke up Luna and Luan who, like Lori, ran to Lincoln's room and saw him on the floor in a tangle of sheets. After untangling him, they did whatever they could to calm him down. Luna eventually soothed him by gently singing to him which eventually caused him to fall asleep. Luan and Luna put Lincoln back in his bed and gave him Bun Bun. After making sure he was alright, they went back to their room. On the third night, Lynn was walking out of the bathroom when she heard Lincoln screaming. With little hesitation, Lynn sprinted to Lincoln's room and saw him sitting up in his bed drenched in sweat. Lynn did what she could to calm him down. However, nothing seemed to work. Lucky for her, Leni happened to be walking by to check on Lincoln when she saw Lynn trying to calm Lincoln down. Leni instantly helped her sister calm down the young boy. Eventually, Lincoln fell back to sleep.

These sudden nightmares concerned all the members of the Loud house. Lynn Sr. and Rita considered taking Lincoln to a therapist. But, they quickly debunked that idea. Lincoln didn't even talk to them. They doubted that Lincoln would talk to a therapist. The parents decided to talk to Lisa about anyways that they could help the young eleven year old.

"Is there any way we can him Lisa?" Rita asked. "Each night he seems to get worse and worse."

"I know. Ever since the incident at the mall, he just closed himself off." Lynn Sr. said in a worried tone. "Honestly, I think he's worse than before."

"Well I do have to agree with you on that." Lisa said. "But there is really nothing we can do unless he talks to us. But I hardly doubt that happening any time soon."

After the conversation with Lisa, Rita and Lynn Sr. kept a close eye on Lincoln. They would watch him discretely. At dinner Lincoln still sat at the little table that Luna brought up from the basement. Every night, one of the girls would sit next to him and eat with him so that he wasn't alone.

On Saturday, Lincoln was outside playing with Charles. He could hear the noises coming from the house and just sighed.

"Man, they really go nuts on a Saturday, don't they?" Lincoln said. Charles just barked in agreement. Suddenly Lincoln heard a window open and saw an old man with a white mustache sticking his head out the window.

"Hey Louds! Turn it down will you!" the old man shouted. Before the old man went back inside, the old man saw Lincoln sitting under the tree staring at him. "Oh. Hello. Don't reckon I've seen you around here before."

"Um, I moved in with them a few days ago." Lincoln answered nervously.

"Oh. Well in that case, stay right there for a second." the old man said. He quickly ducked back inside and made his way to the backyard. "Well then, what's your name?"

"Lincoln." Lincoln answered shyly.

"Nice to meet you Lincoln." the old man replied. "I'm Mr. Grouse. I've lived next door to the Louds for years. While they may be loud and a little annoying, they are still good kids. The whole family have been good to me for a long time. Every year they would invite me over for Thanksgiving and even visit me on Christmas just so I wouldn't be alone. I remember one year they got me a train ticket so that I could visit my family out of town. They may be noisy but they are still good people. So, do you have a story?"

Lincoln looked at the old man with an uncomfortable look. Grouse saw that the boy seemed to be a little shy and nervous. But, when you have been around as long as he has, you can tell when someone has a tough past. And this boy has had a tough few years.

"Um, I'm a foster child." Lincoln said quietly. As soon as Lincoln said that, Grouse immediately felt bad for the boy.

"I see. You must have had a rough life kid." Mr. Grouse said. "Mind if I give you a word of advice?" Lincoln gave a small nod. "Don't close yourself off. That family in there are doing whatever they can to help you. They are good people with good intentions. You can't let your fear of your past hold you back from getting close to other people. And those girls in that house might actually be the greatest thing to ever happen to you. This family is a sign Lincoln. A sign that things will get better. Heck, they might change your life for the better. You know how I know this?" Lincoln shook his head. "Because they changed mine. It was nice meeting you Lincoln. And if you ever want to talk, just come on over." With that, Grouse turned around and went back to his home.

Lincoln decided to think about what the old man said.

"Maybe I should stop closing myself off." Lincoln said to himself. "But let's face it. It's easier said than done."

Now I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Yes, I did add Mr. Grouse to this for two reasons. First, I felt like Lincoln needed some old man wisdom. Second, I find him hilarious. Now, I have some announcements. In the near future I will be writing more fanfics and posting them. I am currently working on another Loud House Fanfic. Now without revealing to much, this fanfic involves wolves. That is all I will say. So keep an eye open for that. So until next time. Peace!