73. Ch 73- Teacher Intervention

Lynn left the bathroom, now ready for the day ahead. Luan was going to enter, but Lori pushed past the two brunettes to get there, sharply shutting the door before the comedienne could start banging on it. "Lori! I was there first!"

"And I was born first!"

Lynn chuckled as her next oldest sister gave a groan, offering an "unlucky, sis" as she walked away. She was going to return to her room and get changed for the day ahead, but as she got to her door, her ear perked up when she heard something from downstairs. Her curiosity more powerful than her desire to get changed, she decided to head down and see what it was, and was surprised to see her brother sat on the sofa, watching cartoons on TV. He had to have heard her come down the staircase, as he turned his head to look at her.

"Good morning, Lynn," he greeted.

"Uh, morning, bro," she greeted back, tiredly rubbing her eye. "What are you still doing here? Thought you would've gone by now, you know?"

"Yeah, I would have, but I didn't really feel like walking this morning."

"Oh, yeah? How come?"

"Well, you know, it's getting colder out, and… well, you know…"

She noticed how he seemed to be grasping for an answer there, making her confused. "Lincoln, you're not making sense. What are you talking about?"

He struggled for a few seconds to think of an answer, eventually sighing. "I guess I just… kind of missed riding with you guys to school."

Her eyebrows shot up, her confusion now heightened by surprise. "You missed riding with us? In Vanzilla?"

The boy chuckled. "I know, it sounds ridiculous, but… well, as much as I enjoyed walking to school with Jordan every day, I kind of missed the noise and everything. I stopped riding with you guys because I didn't want to cause a scene or be in a bad mood before school started, and now that I've made up with the twins and Luna, I just thought that… well, maybe it's time things went back to normal again."

Lynn smiled, happy that her brother felt comfortable with riding with his sisters again. "That's cool, bro, but then why did you get up early?"

"I've enjoyed helping dad in the kitchen. You can join us, if you want." Her initial answer was simply a scoff. "I'll take that as a no, then."

"Besides not wanting to get up early, the only things that I can make are burgers and meatball subs. My home ec teacher made me switch classes after I nearly set the room on fire."

He put a hand to his mouth, a muffled "you're kidding" escaping through his fingers.

"Nah, bro. Used too much oil, and it went everywhere. She was this close to losing her eyebrows." Though he should have been mortified, he couldn't resist laughing, clutching his ribs as he did so. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Just be glad it wasn't you holding the flaming pan."

"Yeah, that's… that's true." He was still laughing a bit as he eventually calmed down, noticing that Lynn had something of a smile on her face. "What?"

"It's good to see things going back to normal, Linc." He raised an eyebrow, curious as to what she meant. "I know I like to rib on you for being a dork, and try and get you to do sports with me a lot. I only ever did that to try and get you to hang out with me more, but I wasn't ever trying to change you. I love you as you are, because I know you wouldn't be happy if you were anyone else, and… well, it's good to see you laughing again. You may be a dork, but you're still my brother."

"Who are you, and what have you done with Lynn?"

She scoffed, giving a harsh shove to his shoulder. "Thanks! See, this is why I rib you so much, Stinkoln!"

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Honestly, Lynn, take a joke." She rolled her eyes with a soft chuckle. "I appreciate you saying that, Lynn. I've never minded helping you practice for soccer and basketball and… other things." He had to resist shuddering as certain memories tried to resurface, a vigorous shake of his head managing to suppress them. "Point is, I like hanging out with you, just like I enjoy hanging out with the rest of our sisters. Sure, we might not always do stuff I enjoy, but that's okay. As long as you girls are happy, I can be happy."

"See, that's what I mean, bro!" She shuffled towards him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're a kind guy, you've always been more concerned for the rest of us than for yourself. We've not always been able to appreciate that, but that never stopped you." Her smile turned slightly wistful, but she shook her sad thoughts away. "Still, things are gonna better, I know it. The others are gonna make it up to you, we're gonna start appreciating you more, you're gonna tell Jordan you like her-"

"You couldn't resist, could you?"

"I don't see you denying it."

He gave a soft groan as he shook her head, to which she burst out laughing. "I'll remember that the next time you get a crush."

"Oh, come on, bro. Take a joke. Besides, she's a cool girl. She might be good for you."

"Noted, now can we move on from this conversation?"

She chuckled again, standing up from the couch. "Alright, alright, I'll spare you this once. Gotta get changed, anyway." She began to walk towards the stairs before an idea struck her, a smug grin taking over her face. "Y'know what, bro?"

"What?"

"We've got some time before breakfast. Why don't you fire up a fighting game and we'll see if I can kick your butt like I can in real life."

His grin matched hers, his arms crossed confidently. "You're challenging me? You've never touched a controller in your life, what makes you think you can beat me?"

He saw the fire in his sister's eyes ignite. "Oh, that is it, bro! Get the game on, I'll be down here in two minutes!"

He didn't say anything as she bounded upstairs, simply chuckling to himself. 'Yeah, I can start my day by kicking my sister's butt. That's fine by me.'

When Lynn eventually returned, he decided to give his sister a chance when they played his game, but Lynn spotted it and called him out on it. After that, he spent the next twenty minutes thrashing her for a seven match win streak. He wouldn't have minded beating her further, but they were told that breakfast was ready, so they joined the girls at the dining table. While some were surprised that their brother hadn't already left, no one minded it, with some happily talking to him. This continued as they entered Vanzilla and began to drive to school, with Luna noticing that Lincoln had put his earphones in before asking to listen with him.

When he eventually got to school, the morning pretty much faded into the afternoon, with the first classes of the day being nothing special and recess was a welcome break from lessons. Eventually, the lunch bell rang and Lincoln went to his locker with his friends. "Hey, Clyde, do you still have some of those French cookies?" Rusty asked. "I'll trade my nachos for them."

"Sorry, me and Chloe shared the rest of them after school yesterday," the McBride boy explained. "We stopped by the park on our way home."

"Sounds like things are getting serious for you two," Zach suggested, to which Clyde chuckled.

"No, it's nothing like that. Me and Chloe are still kids, not even in middle school yet. We're taking things slow and having fun. I wouldn't say we're boyfriend and girlfriend yet, but… I dunno, who knows what may happen."

"Well, I think it's sweet," Stella offered with a smile. "She's lucky to be with you."

He couldn't help but blush from the sudden attention on his love life. "Honestly, I think I'm the lucky one."

The Filipina couldn't help but coo at just how sweet that sounded, while the boys gave non-teasing chuckles, with his best friend patting him on the back. "It sounds like you both are, Clyde," Lincoln told him. "It's good to see you're happy with her."

He closed his locker, as did his friends with theirs, and they began to head towards the cafeteria. "So, Linc, you've got practice after school, right?" The white haired boy nodded. "Are you free for some online gaming after dinner?"

"You know it, guys! I heard there's a new download coming later with some new missions that people have been asking the developers to put in for ages!"

"About time!" Rusty said with a roll of his eyes. "The game's fun, but it's about time they added something new."

"Do you think it could be-"

"Excuse me! Lincoln!"

They all turned around to see who had called out to the Loud boy. Making her way through the mass of students was a woman with medium length black hair and dark tan skin, wearing a turquoise sweater over a cream shirt, a red knee length skirt and black slip-on shoes, plus red lipstick and pearl earrings. "Ms Shrinivas?" Lincoln greeted, slightly confused.

"There you are, Lincoln. I need to speak to you, is that okay?"

"Uh, sure, one second." He turned to his friends and told them, "I'll catch up with you," then waited for them to agree and leave before returning his attention to the teacher. "What's up?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about your sister Lisa."

"What happened? Did she do something?"

"No, quite the opposite, actually. She hasn't been showing as much interest in class recently. Her work has been exceptional, as expected for someone of her intelligence, but she has been less vocal, she hasn't been experimenting and just yesterday, her friend Darcy told me that she had been sitting by herself at lunch. When I asked why, she said that she thought Lisa was ignoring her. I spoke to Lisa yesterday and she said she was merely distracted. Her words were that she was 'experiencing a social quandary that she could not overcome'. I decided to give it a day to see if things would improve, but they haven't. I was considering calling your parents, but since I've found you, I have to ask. Is everything alright with her at home?"

"I believe so. When did she start acting like this?"

"Well, I hadn't noticed her acting particularly distracted until yesterday and today, but she said she has been struggling with this since last Tuesday."

"Tuesday… I'm not sure if I can think of… any…"

"Lisa, I get what you're trying to do, but you don't seem to understand. It's more complicated than something we can just 'put behind us'."

His brow furrowed as the memory hit him. "Oh…" He saw that this had caught Ms Shrinivas' attention. "I think I might know what's bothering her, actually. Where is she?"

"I asked her to sit in the classroom while I found you."

"Is it okay if I speak to her?"

"Of course. Follow me." So, he followed after the teacher towards the room he knew to be the kindergarten classroom, a room he rarely entered other than to speak to his smart little sister. Once they reached the door, they stopped outside the classroom, where Ms Shrinivas told him, "I'll give you two some privacy."

"Thank you."

With that, he stepped inside, the familiar scents of kindergarten such as crayons and paper mache hitting his nostrils. He saw that the room was mostly empty, except for two young girls sat at one table, eating from packed lunches. One of the girls was Lisa, and the other was a girl with dark skin and dark brown hair, wearing a green tank top with a red flower, yellow shorts and white sneakers with dark pink socks. He knew this girl to be Lisa's friend, Darcy Helmandollar, who noticed the boy approaching them.

"Lisa! Your brother is here!" she said somewhat excitedly, prompting Lisa to lift her head.

"Darcy, you can call me Lincoln, you know," the boy told her in response, sitting down on the tiny chair. "I don't mind, you're a friend of Lisa's."

"Oh, okay! What are you doing here, Lincoln?"

"Well, I was wondering if I could speak with Lisa, actually."

"I see," the bespectacled girl muttered, somewhat grimly, before turning to her friend. "Would it be possible for my… my brother and I to have some space?"

"Oh… okay. But, we can still play together after, yeah?"

"Of course."

"Yay!"

She gave Lisa a hug, before grabbing her lunchbox and walking away to another table. "She seems… energetic," Lincoln pointed out, to which Lisa nodded.

"She is, though not unlike our other siblings sans Lucy and perhaps Lily. Still, I must admit her company is favourable, regardless of whether she understands my scientific endeavours or not."

"That's good. Friends are important, after all."

"As I have learned." She thought about taking another bite from her apple, but gave a sigh instead. "Lincoln, not that I mind, but what is the meaning of your sudden presence? I can't imagine your friends would find it 'cool' to see you hanging out here."

"Well, I bumped into Ms Shrinivas, and she said that you've been distracted recently. Something about a 'social quandary'. What's up?"

"Ah, that… It's nothing you need to be concerned with, Lincoln. The answer is… well, it's still being researched into, but I aim to have it within the week."

He could hear the hesitation in her voice, the way it seemed to drop slightly before she tried to pick it back up. It was missable, but not when you've been an older brother for over eight years. "Lisa, your teacher said you've been focusing on this since Tuesday… is this about what I said?"

Silence lay thick between them for a solid seven seconds, neither shifting their gaze away from the other. Lincoln's expression was still- warm with brotherly care and concern- whereas Lisa was trying to keep a straight face, only failed by a slight initial twitch of her eyebrow. Eventually, she sighed and ducked her head, putting her apple down on the table then holding her hands together on the table in front of her. "Lincoln, let me ask you something. As a scientist, what do you think is something I hate, more than anything?"

"I don't know."

"Above all else, Lincoln, I hate realising that I am wrong. Now, being TOLD that I am wrong or that I made a mistake, I have no qualms with whatsoever. It gives me a reason to further my research, to search for the answers, and to reach one of two conclusions: to prove that I was right all along, or to reach the real answer. There is, however, a third conclusion that can be reached." He was just able to notice the deepening of a frown on her face, but chose not to say anything, lest it cause her to back away from the conversation. "The longer my research goes without results, the closer I come to frustration, and in a sense, the more wrong I am. Because my mind is quite analytical, if I find that I am wrong, it can become something of… well, I suppose you could say an obsession for me to be right again, which is why I've been so distracted this past week."

She shook her head after another couple of seconds of silence. "I suppose that didn't entirely make sense." Though he raised an eyebrow, Lincoln still didn't say anything as she returned her gaze to him. "You see, Lincoln, I have been trying to think of the correct way to make things right with you. My initial attempt, while I had initially thought it was adequate, proved to be INadequate. I've been looking into how I should go about it, contemplating different methods such as giving a written apology or writing poetry, the latter being something I briefly considered asking Lucy for assistance with before realising that it was not the correct approach. Every avenue I explored ultimately led to me reaching the same frustrating realisation that it would not be enough, and now… I have nothing to go on."

The girl fell silent once more, and when her brother saw the crestfallen expression on her face, he realised it was time for him to speak. "Lisa, I get why you've done this, but you didn't need to do all that."

She tilted her head, squinting in confusion. "I fail to see your reasoning."

"Yeah, I guess that's kind of my fault. As hard as it might be to imagine, I sometimes forget that you're still just a four year old." Once again, he was met with confusion, but he had an answer for her. "Lisa, you might be a PhD, but there are some things that you learn through experience rather than through research. It's part of growing up, you know? Also, you said that your mind is analytical… but this isn't just a matter of the mind, it's a matter of the heart as well."

"I… think I see…"

"Well, let me help you, Lisa. Do you know why I was angry?"

"Yes, you were frustrated with us for our initial laughter when you revealed that your dodgeball training was actually gymnastics training."

"Well, how do you feel about that now? Not what do you think, but how do you feel?"

"Well, I… I…" As she began to process this, her frown deepened again. "I feel… guilty. Guilty for acting how I did, guilty for taking so long to do anything…" She gave a sad laugh. "All this time, yet five minutes with you was all it took to realise." He could hear a slight croak in her voice, a sign that she was tearing up. His suspicion was confirmed when she removed her glasses to rub her eyes. "Lincoln, it's time I said something. Something I should have said at least a week ago, and… well, hopefully, it's not too late. I'm sorry for… how I reacted, and for how I've treated you and your interests. I realise that, if it were me in that position, I would likely have the same reaction, so… I hope you can forgive me."

Lincoln smiled honestly. "Of course I can, Lisa. I forgive you."

"R-really?" She felt herself become more testy, wiping them away before they could run. "But why?"

"Because there's no reason for me to hold a grudge, when I know you're being honest with me." She gave a smile in response, so he patted the seat next to him. "Come here."

She got up from her seat and went around the table, which allowed Lincoln to scoop her up into a hug that she happily returned. "Thank you."

"It's okay, Lisa." They held the hug for maybe twenty seconds before Lisa let go and backed out of it, wiping her tears away. "Are you going to be okay now?"

"Of course, male sibling. Now, go. I've kept you from your friends long enough, and I need to return to mine."

He chuckled as he stood up. "Alright, Lisa. I'll see you at home."

They both nodded, and he headed to leave the room, before giving a quick look back. He saw Lisa talking to Darcy, who quickly hugged her friend, making him don a wide smile. One that would last him for the rest of lunch.