63. Ch 63- Cold Shoulder

(A/N: before this chapter starts, I want to thank all of you who said that the last chapter worked well. I was worried about that chapter not working right, for two reasons: one being that there are a lot of stories on this site where Lincoln gets mad at his sisters for one reason or another, and I didn't want it to feel cliché, and the other being that it was quite a pivotal chapter in this story, which should become clear as the story progresses.

Also, quick disclaimer: I've said this about gymnastics and fashion, and I'll say it again for this chapter: I don't know much about cooking, so anything about that here is all from online research. I would not advise using my recipe.

That's all I have to say, so once again, thank you all for reading, and enjoy!)

The sun was not yet up in the sky, the darkness not yet lifted from the night sky yet lighter than it was at twilight. In the Loud House, everything was silent until the end of the sixth hour struck, when an alarm went off in the room of the sole son of the family of thirteen. His eyes struggling to wake up at first, the boy gave a groan as he threw the covers off, swinging his legs over the edge bed and sitting up. 'Guess I'd better get up,' he thought to himself, 'before I wake the others up.' Standing up, he walked over to his desk and turned off the alarm on his phone, letting out a yawn. 'Good thing I went to bed an hour early. Guess I'll use the bathroom while I have it to myself.'

Leaving his bedroom, he walked quietly across the landing towards the empty bathroom. He didn't wait or look to see if anyone had heard him, entering the room and closing the door behind him. He walked over to the sink and looked at his reflection in the mirror- even though he had gone to bed early to make up for waking up early, he hadn't slept too easily, and it showed in his face. His eyes looked tired, not alarmingly so but enough to be noticeable, and he didn't have the energy to smile. He rubbed his cheek slightly, breathing deeply out through his nose. "Guess it's going to be that kind of day," he said to himself.

Not wanting to risk his sisters waking up and yelling at him for taking too long, he began to do his morning routine, first brushing his teeth then washing his face, and before he left, he remembered how bad the line to the bathroom could be, so he used the toilet while he was there, washing his hands afterwards. Now done in there, he decided to head back to his room, where he quietly closed the door before taking his time with getting changed. It didn't take him too long to do so, and once he was, he grabbed his phone from his desk. He hadn't used the device all night, so as well as the time, he saw the missed call notification from the evening before, making him frown again.

"I probably should've messaged them back," he said to himself, regretting his choice to simply ignore it. "Hopefully, they're not too mad at me. I'll apologise when I see them."

Making a note of that in his mind, he decided that he didn't have anything to do for a while, so he grabbed his school bag and took it with him downstairs, sitting at the dining room table and taking his math book out so he could do some revision. He had heard that Mrs Johnson was planning a test for some point that week, and he didn't want to mess it up, so it was better to be safe than sorry. As he began reading over the notes he had made during his lessons, checking that he knew how to do them, he didn't hear a door opening. Coming out of his and his wife's bedroom, Lynn Sr gave a small yawn as he quietly closed the door door behind him. When he began to walk towards the dining room, he was slightly awakened by the sight of his son sat at the dining room table.

"Lincoln?" he tiredly said, getting the boy's attention. "What are you doing up?"

"Morning, dad," he replied. "Sorry for waking you up."

"No, don't be silly, you didn't wake me up. I'm surprised you're up, though. Your mom normally gets you and the girls up at seven, and it's not even quarter past six yet."

"I know, but… I figured I'd walk to school today, so I went to bed early and set my alarm for six."

The father nodded. He sensed the slightly somber tone in his son's voice when he said this, and he figured that it was due to what had unfolded the previous day. Deciding it was better to avoid bringing that up, he gave a small sigh. "I see. Well, make sure you take your coat when you do. It's supposed to be getting cold this week."

"Okay. So, um… how come you're up?"

"Oh, well, I need to get started on things for the restaurant." He saw that his son gave him a raised eyebrow, so he smiled and explained. "Basically, I don't have time to make everything at the restaurant, so I prepare what I can at home. Sauces, dough, that kind of thing. It helps, especially during rush hour."

Lincoln nodded, now understanding what his father was saying. "Oh."

"Hey, if you're not too busy, why don't you help me? It'd help me get more done, and we can hang out before you head to school. What do you say?"

"Well…" He gave a look at his book, the long multiplication now seeming much more boring, so he gave his father a smile too. "Sure. I'd like that."

"Great! Come on, then, let's get started!" The boy stood and followed the chef into the kitchen, where they put on the light. After putting on aprons and washing their hands, Lynn Sr pulled out a couple of bowls, chopping boards and pots, as well as some other ingredients. "Okay, first thing we're gonna make is some marinara sauce. I have some left over from last week, but this'll help me to keep stocked for a good few days."

"Sounds simple enough. Where do we start?"

"Well, we need to prepare the vegetables. You start dicing the carrots, and I'll do the onions. Better I start crying than you." Lincoln gave a small chuckle before doing as his father asked. He grabbed a carrot and placed it on one of the chopping boards, but before he could grab the knife to dice it, his father held his hand out to stop him. "Hang on a second, kiddo. You need to peel it first."

"Oh. Right, my bad."

"Don't worry, Lincoln. Trust me, it's better to get rid of the skin." He handed his son the peeler, and watched as the boy used it to remove the outer layer from the vegetable. "There you go, you've got it. Alright, once you've done that, use the knife to remove the top of the carrot, then cut the carrot into thirds. A little time saver."

Lincoln nodded, trading the peeler for the knife and completing his father's instructions. "So, now I dice it?" When his father gave him a thumbs up, he nodded again, and focused on the task at hand. Starting with the smallest third to ensure he didn't waste as much carrot if he got it wrong, he cut it length ways, then cut those thinner strips sideways into smaller chunks. "Like that?"

"Just like that, kiddo! You've got it!" This brought a small smile to Lincoln's face, enough for him to continue dicing the carrot whilst the father diced the onion. They did this for a few more veg, before Lynn told his son to put it in the pot. "Alright, while I start cooking these, can you peel and chop the tomatoes?"

"Uh… sure. How do I peel tomatoes?"

"Ah! Good question. Well, you can cut them and then peel them, but I find it's best to cut an x on the bottom and use that to peel them. Don't cut too deeply, just enough to break through the skin. I buy large tomatoes to save time, so do that for about five of them, and I should have enough."

"Okay." Lincoln grabbed one of the tomatoes, taking the knife and carefully slicing an x into the bottom of it, then put the knife down and gently peeled away the skink revealing the fruit's flesh beneath. "Woah… that's weirdly satisfying."

Lynn couldn't help but chuckle. "I know exactly what you mean, Lincoln. It's one of the many reasons I love cooking. That, and taste testing." This got the boy to chuckle again, making his father happy. "Glad to hear you're enjoying this."

"Yeah, I'm glad you asked me to do this. I needed something to enjoy after…"

Hearing the boy's voice trail off, the man looked at the white haired boy, seeing his smile fade to a frown, which made his own smile falter. "You okay, Lincoln?" He hesitantly nodded at the question. "Still thinking about yesterday, huh?" Once again, the boy nodded, so he put a hand on his shoulder. "Look, Lincoln… I know that things didn't go well yesterday, but they will get better. It's just gonna take a little time, okay? The important thing is, you told them the truth, and your sisters do love you. They're just trying to take this all in. Once they have, they'll try and speak to you, and I know you'll find a way to work this out. Just give it time, and when they do, give them a chance."

"Okay, dad. I will."

"That's my boy. Now, come on, let's keep cooking."

In another part of Royal Woods, as the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, Jen Rosato was making her way downstairs, dressed and ready for the day ahead. She headed into the kitchen, where she saw her younger sister sat at the kitchen table, eating her bowl of cereal, whilst their mother was stood against the counter, drinking coffee while waiting on something to cook. "Morning."

"Good morning, Jen," her mother greeted first as the high schooler sat opposite the elementary schooler. Jen waiter for Jordan to respond, but she didn't reply, simply staring at her cereal.

"Hello! Earth to Jordan! You in there?" The girl eventually looked up and gave a small nod as acknowledgement before returning her focus to eating. This concerned the older sister, who shot a look to her mother that was returned in kind, before she asked her younger sister, "what's the matter? You seem upset."

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" her mother asked, walking over and putting a hand on her shoulder. "You're quiet this morning." She placed a hand on the girl's forehead. "You don't feel warm, and you don't look sick. Come on, honey, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine. I just didn't sleep too great."

Jen managed to catch Jordan's eyes for a second, and though it was brief, she got an idea of what it could be. "Oh, I get it. You're having boy trouble, aren't you?" Jordan looked up again, this time giving her sister a stink eyed glare. "Come on, sis. I've been through that before, and I've no doubt Mom has too."

The woman nodded, putting her coffee mug down on the table. "She's right. When it comes to boys-"

"It's not about boys!" Both Jen and her mother widened their eyes at the loudness of her yell, which made Jordan sigh. "Sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

Rather than be mad, Mrs Rosato sat down and pulled her daughter into a side hug. "Jordan, we're just worried about you, okay? We don't want you to be upset or hurt by anything."

"Yeah, sis," Jen agreed. "Sure, you and I fight from time to time, but I still love you. Come on, you can tell us."

Jordan was going to insist again that she was fine, but she knew what her family was like, and that meant that they weren't likely to let it go, so she placed her spoon in her bowl and sighed. "Okay, fine. It's about Lincoln."

"I thought that you said-"

"It's not like that," she added before Jen could suggest anything. "Me and him are friends, that's all… or, at least, I thought we were."

Jen's eyebrows rose upwards, both out of intrigue and worry. "Did he say something to you?"

"Nope. Literally the opposite. I tried to call him yesterday after dinner, because I wanted to ask him something about our geography project, but I think he cancelled the call, and when I tried again, I couldn't get through. It's almost like he was trying to avoid me."

"But why would he want to do that?" Mrs Rosato asked. "You two seemed happy when I picked you up from gymnastics yesterday. You didn't have a falling out recently, did you?"

"No, and I didn't think that he was mad at me."

"Well, what about on Saturday? You said the two of you had a good time at… wherever it was you went. Did he seem off or anything?"

"No. He seemed happy enough. All I know is he's… walking past our house!"

Both her older sister and mother were confused by how her voice rose when she said this, but one look out of the window explained everything. Though the window was slightly fogged up by the cold air, they saw the Loud boy walking past, his hands in the pockets of his red winter coat and his head slightly hung down. "Huh," Jen muttered. "He doesn't normally walk this way… I don't think."

"I think Jordan would have mentioned if he did," Mrs Rosato agreed. "It does look like something's on his mind, though." She was going to ask Jordan something, but she heard the sound of a spoon hitting a bowl, and turned to see that the youngest girl had left the kitchen, having scarfed down her food. "Jordan?"

"I'm heading to school!" they heard the girl call from elsewhere in the house. "I'll see you when I get home! Bye!"

Before either of them could call out, they heard the front door close, so they turned and looked out the window again, this time seeing her jog past. "Well, that was… interesting."

"She'll figure this out," the mother reassured her daughter. "Now, you'd better hurry up. You need to be heading to school too, Jeniffer."

"Yes, Mom."

Jordan jogged along, not letting her brain scold her for leaving her coat as she felt the cold winds against her bare arms. She saw the boy up ahead, though he had yet to notice her. "Lincoln!" She called, hoping to get his attention, but he didn't even look up. "Lincoln!" Again, she received no response, but she didn't slow down. 'Why is he ignoring me? Something's not right.' She picked up her speed a little, closing the distance between them until she was able to place a hand on his shoulder, startling him slightly. "Lincoln, what are you doing here?"

She watched as he pulled his hand out of his pocket and removed the two headphone earbuds from his ears, putting them back in his pocket. "Hey, Jordan," he finally greeted. "Sorry, I couldn't hear you, I was listening to something on my phone."

"It's fine. I was calling out to you, but at least you weren't ignoring me. Still, what are you doing here? You live closer to school than you do to my house."

"I know. I was walking to school today, but there isn't really much I can do when I get to school, so I figured I'd take a longer route."

"Well, why didn't you just get a ride with your sisters like you normally do?"

"Oh, well I… didn't really want to today."

She noticed that his eyelids drooped a little as he said this, his brow furrowing, and there was a slightly melancholy hint in his words. "Lincoln… is everything okay?"

"Not… not exactly."

She sensed the apprehension in his voice, so she put a hand on his shoulder. "Lincoln, you can talk to me. You know that, right?"

"I know, but…"

"Lincoln. Please. What's wrong?"

He thought about it for a few seconds, the girl's serious yet caring gaze not leaving his uncertain one, so he sighed. "Well… my sisters found out my secret, and… well, at first they laughed at me about it."

Jordan gasped, a hand cupping her mouth. "They didn't!"

"Afraid so. They thought it was a joke, and when they realised I was being serious, Lori got mad at me for holding it from them for so long." He saw her expression change from one of shock to one of pity, but he shook his head while looking down. "It's my fault. You were right, I shouldn't have held it from them."

"Lincoln, no! That doesn't make what they did okay!"

"Wish I was as certain as you are."

"Lincoln… Lincoln, look at me." Though he felt ashamed, he looked up and met her gaze again. "How they reacted is not your fault. If they can't see that, then that's their problem. Give them time, and hopefully they'll see reason. In the meantime, if you need to talk about anything, just find or call me. I'm always here if you need me."

He stood there, silent for a few seconds, before he eventually gave a small smile. "I don't know what I did to deserve it, but I'm glad you're my friend. Thanks, Jordan."

Her heart melted at his words. "That's sweet of you to say, Lincoln, but I'm glad that I'm your friend, and that you're my friend too."

"Thanks." His smile then faded as he remembered something else, his hand lifting to rub the back of his head. "Oh! Uh, sorry about not answering your call last night."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it, you had other things on your mind." She was going to say something else after this, before a sudden change in the wind blew against her, making her shiver and hug herself. "Guess I should have grabbed a coat." She didn't hear anything from Lincoln, and a few seconds later, she was surprised when Lincoln had taken his coat and put it around her shoulders. She looked at him with surprise, being met with a warm smile in spite of his recent events, and she couldn't help but blush as she smiled back. "Thank you."

"Anytime. Come on, we'd better get going."

"LINCOLN! GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE!" Lori yelled from the living room, the other sisters waiting by the front door. "WE'RE LEAVING IN ONE MINUTE!"

"Seriously, Lori?" Lynn asked, raising an eyebrow. "You really think that's necessary?"

The eldest sister huffed, rolling her eyes. "Well, since you two are so chummy, you can go get him!"

"You need to get over yourself." Lori didn't change her glare, making Lynn sigh. "Fine, I'll go get him." She headed upstairs and towards her brother's bedroom, giving a knock on the door. "Come on, bro, you've gotta go to school too. You don't wanna be late, right?" Not hearing an answer, she pushed the door open and was prepared to say something, but she saw two things that were off: the room was empty, and there was a note on the boy's desk. She walked over to the note, picking it up and reading it, her eyes steeling a little. 'Okay, bro.'

Taking the note with her, she left the room and went back downstairs, where Lori was looking at her expectantly. "Well? Where is the little tw-" Lynn cut her off, forcefully pushing the note into her chest. Shocked by the sudden gesture, she grabbed the note and was going to say something, but Lynn simply walked out of the house, likely towards Vanzilla. She didn't know what to say, but she didn't need to when she heard Leni say something.

"What's that?" She asked, pointing at the note.

Lori held the note out in front of her and began to read it out loud. "'Decided to walk to school. Don't wait for me. Lincoln.'" She gave a small growl, scrunching up the note and dumping it on the coffee table. "Could've done with knowing that earlier. Alright, everyone in Vanzilla. Lincoln's already left, so there's no point us waiting."

"About time," Lisa muttered as she and the rest of her sisters made their way towards the family van, ready to head to school.