23. School Daze

A/N: Welp, Lincoln is finally out of the hospital, his wounds are healing nicely (despite having to wear a cast for an extended period of time). But his problems are far from over. His fears continue to haunt him long after the whole incident, and will likely get worse if action isn't taken soon. What's more, since he is now able to move about on his own, Lincoln will have to once again go back to school. But...that's the least of his worries.

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.

The weekend following Lincoln's discharge was anything but relaxing. After Lincoln's cries got the attention of the McBrides, they spent a half hour getting him to calm down. It only stopped when Lincoln felt he couldn't cry anymore, his tear ducts being dried out while his eyes remained red and puffy. The early morning hours were no better. The chip-toothed child remained fidgety and scared shitless, jumping at the smallest noise such as the house settling or a squirrel running on the roof. Clyde managed to soothe him with hyperventilating exercises via paper bag. In order to further calm his nerves, Harold whipped up his infamous McBride hot chocolate. It was well made, with the whip cream even having two Hershey bars, covered in extra chocolate shavings and topped off with a cherry. When Lincoln first grabbed it, his anxiety was clear given how much the coffee mug shook in his grip, threatening to spill the treat. He burned his tongue a little upon the first sip, but the subsequent drinks were enough to make him stop shaking like a leaf.

When it became clear that Lincoln wouldn't go back to sleep any time soon (the mere thought of rest sending chills down his spine), Clyde stayed up with Lincoln all throughout the night to keep him occupied. The boys played games, read Ace Savvy comics, and (with his dad's permission) watched some late night re-runs of ARGGH! Clyde became dreary as the night dragged on, to which Lincoln grew concerned about. However, the African-American just told him not to worry about it. By the time the sun's rays began peeking through the window, Clyde had passed out whilst they were watching TV. Giving a sad gaze to his friend, Lincoln put their shared blanket over him before heading back to the guest room. Seeing the state of the bed, Lincoln spruced it back up before lying down. He could feel the pangs of sleep calling to him, but he just couldn't shut his brain down. He didn't want to think about whatever night terrors were waiting for him should he do so, but he did feel guilty in having Clyde stay up with him all throughout the night. Not that he didn't appreciate the McBride's aid, the boy just didn't want to drag anyone else down with his problems.

Sunday was spent doing a few outside activities. Howard and Harold went out for their weekend walk whilst Clyde and Lincoln tried to spend the day outdoors. Key word, tried. The two boys went out for a walk at the park, spotting a couple boys passing around a football. Seeing this sport made Lincoln instantly think of a certain 13 year old brunette. The boy started to panic and hid behind a tree, scanning for his wayward sister. Clyde grew confused at this action before it finally dawned to him why Lincoln was acting so out of place. He quickly assured him that Lynn wasn't anywhere near them, although he wasn't too sure of this himself. The nerdy child also gave Lincoln a paper bag just incase he needed to vent. Clyde then suggested that they hit the arcade at Gus', but then Lincoln remembered that Lori worked there, so that idea was quickly shot down.

Clyde then suggested they try the arcade at the mall. He grew to regret that idea, as minutes into the facility, Lincoln became extremely nervous and fidgety around all of the fashion stores. The African American slapped his forehead at forgetting that Leni and Lola were into fashion, and one store in particular looked like something Lucy would enjoy. Then, you also had the music store and the pet store, something Luna and Lana would love being around. Seeing Lincoln already breathing into his paper bag, Clyde dragged him back home before he got worse. The rest of the weekend was spent indoors, with Lincoln trying to catch up on his homework, before the two got ready for school tomorrow. As the boys went to bed, all they could think about was what would happen tomorrow. If Lincoln was nervous about the mere thought of his sisters being around due to their favored activities, there was no telling how he'd react being in the same building as them.

Clyde gave a whiff of the air. "Ah. Don't you just love that morning spring air Lincoln?"

"..."

"Lincoln?" Clyde looked toward his friend, who was lagging behind and staring at the lines in the sidewalk. "Lincoln."

The boy shook his head and stared at Clyde. "Huh?"

"You ok?"

"Y-Yeah, I-I'm ok." Lincoln smiled, though Clyde could see right through his façade.

The boy with glasses could see a few bags hanging under Lincoln's eyes. "You didn't sleep last night did you?..."

His smile faded into a small frown. "N-No...I tried to, but it didn't last long...I could try closing my eyes, but I didn't actually fall asleep..." Lincoln covered his mouth as he yawned.

"My dad could've whipped up another hot chocolate for you if you wanted. It always helps me fall asleep."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm...I just don't wanna go through another dream like that..."

"What happened in it? You never spoke about it since Saturday."

"..." Lincoln hesitated to say anything. He bit his lower lip as tears began to crop up. "...T-They were sharks Clyde...t-they w-were sharks..." He gave a low sniffle, rubbing his nose to prevent any snot from dripping out.

Clyde blinked twice. "...I really don't know what to say about that...but if I know anything about sharks, it couldn't have been good..."

Lincoln gave a low nod. "...I-I fell off the bed right as they were a-about to..." He paused, his lip quivering. "I'm sorry...I can't finish that thought..."

As the school came within visual range, Lincoln's slow pace grinded to a crawl. He knew that, somewhere within that very building, five of his sisters were lurking around. And given that some students were still lingering around the front of the school, they were very likely in the halls right now. Clyde didn't notice Lincoln was far behind until he was halfway towards the front doors. Luckily, the nerdy child spent last night preparing to coerce Lincoln into being inside the school. Just because he feared his sisters didn't mean he should let that interfere with his academic obligations.

"Lincoln, I know you're scared about being inside the school. I know there's like, five of your sisters inside that building." Clyde saw that Lincoln was now shaking in his shoes. "B-But don't worry about it! They're all in different grades and different parts, so there's a low chance we'll ever see them, if at all. Do you trust me on this?"

Lincoln rubbed his cast arm, not taking his eyes off the school. "I...I..."

Clyde put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Do you trust me?..."

Lincoln looked at Clyde directly in his eyes. He shifted his gaze to the ground for a moment before looking back, giving a small nod.

"Now, just follow me. Try not to think about them, let's just focus on getting to class. Plus, you have other friends that are willing to help you, alright?"

Lincoln gave another nod before Clyde led him into the building. Nosebleeder led Lincoln to his locker while keeping an eye out for any of the girls. When he asked if Lincoln needed help carrying his books, the boy refused. Despite being bed-ridden for a little more than a week, this gave the snow-haired child plenty of time to learn how to leverage his carrying capacity with one hand. After a quick stop at Clyde's locker, the two headed to their class.

Around that same time, Ronnie Anne was walking to class with a bored look on her face. Her punishment at home had passed a while ago, and she was free to do as she pleased (so long as she didn't get in trouble). In the words of a certain fat, orange cat: she hated Mondays. Same old students, teachers talking your head off about nothing interesting, same old crappy popular girls gossiping about how pretty they are and their social status on Facebook, same old white haired Lame-O walking around with Lame-O #2-wait...backtrack a minute...

Ronnie Anne stopped her pace to look behind her. She walked past Clyde like she usually did in the morning since their classes were at opposite hallways, usually just barely noticing each other among the sea of people. But today, it was the person next to him that stood out to her. Among the large crowd of students, she managed to pick out the infamous afro-headed boy. She could barely who was next to him among all the heads, but a white tuft of hair managed to stick out high enough to be noticed.

"Lincoln?..." She muttered. It felt strange to see him here now, since last she remembered, he wasn't due for release for at least another week. Then again, it was about a week ago that she had last visited him. Homework and being restricted to doing chores to work off her punishment for breaking her dresser kept her at home. The Hispanic brunette didn't have time to question on whether it really was Lincoln, seeing as the hallways were growing empty and she only had a minute to be at class. Taking a long look at where Clyde and the other boy went, she walked briskly towards...math...

Ms. Johnson was reading over some course material she'd cover with her class today, occasionally glancing up to take count of how many students were in. Looking at her watch, she got up from her desk to be ready to close the door once the bell rang. Right as she got to the door, Clyde and Lincoln had stepped in.

"Hi Ms. Johnson." Both said.

"Hello Clyde and...Lincoln?" Agnes' eyes went wide in surprise. The white-headed boy waved while giving a sheepish smile. "Well, glad to have you back with us Lincoln, in mostly better shape." The redhead replied after taking note of Lincoln's arm cast. "I hope you've gotten caught up with the lessons you've missed. Then again, it's clear you already did with the outstanding homework I received." Agnes chuckled.

Lincoln looked at his teacher in confusion. He had only started catching up yesterday, but somehow she already received his work. It didn't make much sense to him, but Lincoln decided to not question it. Taking his seat, several classmates were already drawn to his arm cast.

"So how'd you end up with that?" Male Jordan asked.

"Did you get it in a car accident?" Was the question from a small, brunette girl.

"Nah, I heard he did something crazy and got it. That must've been wicked." A fat kid stated.

A brown haired African American girl shook her head. "Please, I heard that one of his sisters did it."

"That's dumb. Why would they do that?" Jordan replied.

"I heard it was over an argument or something? Sounds weird." Female Jordan answered.

Lincoln felt a bit uncomfortable from all the questions, particularly at the mention of his sisters breaking his arm. He semi-consciously rubbed his ailing limb.

"Children, if you want to sign Lincoln's cast, you can do it later." Agnes paused as the tardy bell rang. "If you don't mind, we have a few important subjects to go over since some of you didn't do well on your last exam."

A chorus of groans erupted from the class.

Two hours into the school day and Lincoln felt his mind was becoming dulled out. His elbow was propped up on the desk, head sitting on his hand as Agnes gave the class a history lesson. His eyelids were halfway open, the boy trying his best to keep himself awake. There was a love/hate relationship he had with school right now. Under Clyde's promise, Lincoln hoped school would help distract him from his ever-growing problem. Yet, that also meant dealing with 6 hours of being bored. It also didn't help that, due to his lack of sleep, this lecture was doing a good job at making him want to catch sheep. Lincoln shook his head a few times before to try and shake the Sandman's call. This worked, for only a few minutes at a time. He tried to open his eyelids up more, but they felt like bricks, only serving to make them fall lower and lower. Ms. Johnson's words started to become more muffled and incoherent as the boy's vision became more blurred. Unconsciously, Lincoln's elbow slipped off the desk, making his head fall onto his open textbook. Serving as a makeshift pillow, Lincoln's vision started to darken as sleep began to claim him. Soon, he couldn't hear anything other than the sounds of his own rhythmatic breathing.

After a few minutes of napping, Lincoln suddenly shook himself awake, hoping to not have been caught sleeping. To his surprise, the entire classroom was empty; the door itself being propped open. Not even the teacher was around, which was odd since he would've been awakened if that was the case. Lincoln then heard the sounds of laughter outside. Getting up from his seat, the chip-toothed boy walked over to the window, spotting several people in his class outside for recess. Something felt out of place though. If it was time for recess, why didn't anyone wake him up? Surely Ms. Johnson would've reprimanded him about sleeping in class. Or, maybe Clyde told her that he needed the rest since he hadn't been sleeping well at night.

Lincoln then heard a series of footsteps behind him, followed by the classroom door slamming shut. The boy jumped in fright at the noise, wheeling around to see who entered the room. No one was by the door, the only evidence that it was closed being that the pulley for the blinds was moving left and right. Darting his head around, the boy couldn't see any other person; there was nothing hiding under the desks, and there certainly wasn't anyone sitting around Ms. Johnson's desk. The snow-haired child shook nervously, a cold sweat running down his face. Lincoln bit his lip in an attempt to try and calm himself, but at that moment, all of the blinds in the classroom were closed shut. There was little light that could flow between the crevices, making the rest of the room appear nearly pitch black.

"Wha...what's g-going on?...I-Is anyone in here?" Lincoln asked meekly. He was greeted with a childish hum. It sounded feminine, like a toddler was singing it. The tone sounded like it was specifically calling out to him, taunting the child to make him nice and scared. It echoed throughout the entire room, preventing Lincoln from pinpointing its source. The 11 year old's heart sink into his stomach, making him quake in his shoes.

"Liiincoooln~." A voice rang out from the darkness. "It's time to plaaaaay~." A second voice spoke. The twins...

"This...t-this isn't f-funny guys..." Lincoln spoke out in defense.

"That's because it's supposed to be fun for us, not you~." An older, more mature voice rang out, followed by a very recognizable laugh. Luan...

Five pairs of red eyes glowed dimly in the blackness of the room, making themselves known to the young boy. Lincoln only stare in absolute fear as their gazes stared directly into his soul. His mind was telling his body to run, to get out of there as quick as possible. Yet, it was as if his mind and body were on different wavelengths. His joints were locked up in fear, his body doing nothing but taking uneven, hitched breaths. It also seemed like Lincoln had no control of the moisture inside his body. Sweat started to pool around his feet, tears started to leak from his eyes, and even more embarrassingly, the boy had no control over his bladder. He could feel a damp spot forming around his area, but Lincoln didn't care.

"We're coming for you Lincoln~." Lynn's voice came next.

"You can't escape us~." Lucy's monotonous voice came next, making the boy about ready to crap himself.

"N-no...s-stay away!..." Lincoln cried out feebly, backing up towards the windows. His back hit the blinds, making them clatter at the sudden impact.

"And no one is going to protect you~." All five girls spoke in unison, their hands reaching out towards him.

Lincoln gripped his hair to the point it'd rip if he removed his hand. Turning around, he clawed at the blinds to try and pry them open. Yet, they were snapped shut like a steel trap. He banged on them and yelled out, hoping someone would hear his pleas for help. Sadly, it seemed to be drowned out by the laughter of his sisters. The small trickle of tears became a small stream as he sank to the floor in despair. It was like being trapped in a cage with lions, and he was the deer. One of their hands tugged hard at his shirt. Instinctively, he swat at the hands in a feeble attempt to make them go away. All this did was make it easier to get leverage on the boy. Luan's hand grabbed his swinging arm and stopped it cold, followed by the other sisters grabbing his shirt, head, and legs. They pulled a screaming and crying Lincoln towards them, ready to unleash whatever hell they had in store for him.

The snow-haired boy jolted awake in a cold sweat, sitting upright in his seat in seconds. His textbook was stuck to his face, the pages being damp from his drool. His sudden shout was loud enough to draw the attention of everyone in the class, who looked at him awkwardly. Even Ms. Johnson, who was writing something on the whiteboard, stopped midsentence at the sudden interruption. It was so eerily quiet that the only thing everyone could hear was Lincoln's panicked breathing. Greeting the other students and teacher with his own nervous glance, Lincoln sulked into his desk in shame.

"...Is something wrong Lincoln?" Agnes asked out of concern.

"...C-Can I use the bathroom?..."

Agnes was a bit perplexed by that question. She was originally going to give him a small warning about sleeping in class, but maybe a trip to the bathroom would help keep him awake. "You may."

Lincoln pulled the book off his head and gingerly got up from his seat. He walked over to the wall where two hall passes hung, grabbing one before exiting the room. The 11 year old walked through the halls to the nearest bathroom, keeping a wary eye on his shoulders incase any of his sisters tried to jump him. The boy reached his destination within a minute, quietly slipping inside the restroom. Cautiously, he checked every corner of the bathroom, including every stall. It was only when Lincoln realized that he was alone that he finally allowed himself to relax. While he thankfully hadn't peed himself in his sleep, there was a small damp spot inside his underwear. Giving a small sigh, he strolled to the closest urinal and let it loose. Once he finished, the boy washed his hands clean, then grabbed a handful of water and splashed some on his face. This wiped whatever dead skin remained around his eyes, clearing Lincoln's vision so he could get a good look at himself. What he saw was the reflection of a sad, scared and lonely boy.

His hair was slightly messy, the bags around his eyes were more prominent than ever, his eyes themselves were slightly red (likely from taking that short nap) with the veins themselves throbbing slightly and calling to his attention. He didn't notice it at first, but looking up at his hair, his white turkey feathers were drooping a little.

"Geez..." Lincoln put his hand to his head. "I look like a mess...no wonder everyone looked at me weird..." Turning his head sideways to get a full scope, the boy figured he might as well try to make himself look more presentable. Putting his hand under the running faucet, Lincoln shook the excess water and started fixing his hair, combing and matting the follicles. He even pulled on his hair tuft and rubbed it a bit until it was standing up on its own again. When he was finished, his hair looked like its usual due. Looking at his eyes again, Lincoln grimaced a little at how pathetic they looked.

"Maybe I should've tried to get some sleep at the McBride's this morning..." He squinted them a little. His eyes were slightly irritated at this, but the boy figured a little cleaning would make them better again.

Wetting his hand to wipe his face clean, Lincoln stopped when a sudden humming started to echo around the room. The 11 year old wheeled his head around frantically to find the source of the noise, but couldn't figure it out in his scared state. He pinched his arm to make sure this wasn't another dream, and for better or worse...the pain erupting from his shoulder told him it wasn't. The white-haired child gave a panicked scream before taking shelter in one of the bathroom stalls. His fast breathing made his heart pound in his chest, as if it was about to burst through at any moment. Lincoln reached into his pocket for a paper bag to use, only to find he had none. His eyes searched around the stall frantically for anything he could use to help calm himself before they settled on the toilet paper holder. He ran his fingers through it quickly, only to be discouraged to find it empty. Looking down at his shirt, Lincoln pulled it up to his mouth and started breathing deeply into it. Soon, his breaths became slower and more even, the boy curling up on the seat as he stared fearfully at the stall door.

In the girls bathroom, opposite of the boys, Lola was humming to herself as she washed her hands. Normally, she wouldn't have strayed far from her class to tinkle, but the bathroom closest to her classroom had very dirty toilets, and she'd be damned if she squatted on a pee-riddled seat. The tune she was humming was primarily a means to calm herself. Apparently, since she wasn't going to be in the pageant game for a while, Lindsey had been raking in the competition. The bratty redhead would lord this over Lola at whatever chance she got, making the blonde want to punch her pretty little teeth out. She continued to hum as she was about to leave the restroom, only to stop when she heard a familiar shriek come from the other side of the wall.

"Was that...Lincoln?..." Lola questioned. Stepping out into the hall, she put an ear up to the boys door. With how quiet it was, she picked up the small sobs of her dear brother. The blonde covered her mouth with both hands. No doubt he probably heard her singing, which scared the pants off him. Looking around, Lola made a beeline back to her classroom, catching the attention of a hall monitor.

"Hey! No running in the halls!" A tomboyish voice yelled out. Lola stopped to look at her twin sister. "No running in the halls Lola."

"Lana!" The girly twin said in a hushed tone, glancing back at the restrooms. "Now isn't the time for your hall monitor shtick! He's in there!"

"He?" Lana asked, lifting her shades. Her eyes went wide at who Lola might be talking about. "You mean..."

"Yes! Now get out of here before-" Lola stopped when both girls heard a door being opened. Looking back, they saw the bathroom door was being pulled open from the inside. Screaming internally, both girls scrambled to make themselves scarce. Lana tried the lockers, hoping someone was dumb enough to leave one open. Lola looked around frantically for a hiding place. She tried the janitor's closet, but it was locked. She couldn't hide behind the fountain because her hair would stick out. She could try out the lockers like Lana, but she could already see Lincoln beginning to poke his head out the door. Lola then spotted a tall trash can. Biting her hand, she stole a quick glance at Lana, who found an opened locker and crawled inside.

The former princess looked between the locker and the trash can, stomping in place anxiously. She couldn't run that fast to Lana without getting spotted, and like the fountain, she'd surely be noticed and Lincoln would put the L in Loud. The blonde clenched her hands, seeing as she had no other option. "Dang you Lana!" Lola muttered before running up to the trash can and jumping inside of it.

She landed face first onto some old food that had been tossed in. The girl righted herself inside the can, fighting the urge to gag. She kept her mouth covered with her hands, just incase she let one slip. Being surrounded by discarded gum, papers, even broken tools, it was really draining the young girl's will to not screech out in disgust. Lola held her breath as she heard some hurried footsteps rush past her hiding spot and continue on down the hall. The blonde only dared to peek out once she no longer heard the footsteps. Glancing around, Lola sighed internally seeing that Lincoln was gone. Unfortunately, she leaned too much on the trash can's side, forcing it to tip over.

Lana poked her head out to see what made the noise, noting the lack of Lincoln's presence. Her eyes finally settled on a trash covered Lola, who looked about ready to scream bloody murder. Not wanting her to cause a scene in the hallway, Lana dragged her younger twin to the bathroom. She locked the door shut just in time to witness Lola give a scream so loud that her shades and the bathroom mirror had cracked.

"Geez Lola. Any louder and I think I would've lost my hearing again..." Lana whined as she stuck a finger in her left ear.

"I'm covered in filth! AND THERE'S GUM IN MY BEAUTIFUL HAIR! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Lola yelled out.

"Aw come on, it's not that bad."

"That's because you are always covered in mud!" Lola looked at her broken reflection in the mirror. "I can't walk out there like this. I'm hideous!..." The girly twin's eyes became glassy as tears started to form. "The girls in my class will make fun of me forever..."

"Not if I can help it." Lana protested, reaching around her utility belt. Thankfully Lynn Sr. allowed her to keep her tools. Her hand rested on two circular handles, which she pulled on, revealing a pair of scissors. "Now hold still."

Lola looked at the object in her sister's hands nervously. She gripped her hair protectively, backing away from her sister. "No, Lana, no! Not my hair!"

"Unless you want me to tear that gum off, I'll have to cut it. And I don't want to chase you around with these, cause you know we ain't allowed to run with scissors."

Lola bit her lip in protest, gazing at her reflection again. Giving a heavy sigh, she let go of her hair. "Fine...just be gentle..."

Lana smirked. "Oh, I'll be gentle." This didn't calm Lola's nerves one bit as her twin approached.

When the lunch periods began to roll around, the hallways once again came alive with activity. Students from different grades came in to get their daily fill of whatever happened to be on the menu, though some smarter ones elected to not eat the cafeteria food due to how stale it tasted. For Lynn Jr., if Ronnie Anne had the same lunch period as her, then it was quite possible this was also Lincoln's lunch period. The brunette didn't have to worry much about trying to avoid Lincoln, as being two grades above gave her a bit of leeway. She would hardly see him during the week, if at all. The only times they would potentially run into each other would be at the start of school, lunch, and when the day was over. Lynn and the rest of her sisters made sure to avoid the first hurdle by arriving to school earlier than usual. For lunch, the 13 year old opted to eat outside. Instead of eating the reheated food of the cafeteria, Lynn was instead eating a sandwich she made that morning.

The jock had to admit, it felt nice eating outside for a change. It was a warm 72 degrees with a slight breeze flowing, the birds were singing, and the tree she sat under provided a decent amount of shade. Lynn took a bite of her meatball sandwich, gazing at the students in the window. She knew that somewhere in that room, Lincoln was probably sitting with his friends. Sadly, Junior couldn't say the same for her. Polly still refused to talk to her, and she likely told a few of her derby teammates about what she had done. Said teammates-now former friends-had said a few, not so pleasant words to her at one point or another. Lynn still catches a few glares from them every now and then. And they weren't the only people she caught the attention of.

Over the past two weeks, Lynn had been approached by some people from the other four sports she had played. She thought they might have caught wind of what she had done to her brother, but instead, the question was always 'will you be coming back any time soon? The season is starting up again.' In response, Lynn always responded with a curt 'no'. She didn't follow up with anymore words after that, as Lynn herself was unsure if she'd ever partake in sports again. Taking another empty bite of her sandwich, her ears perked when the sound of feet stepping on grass reached her ears. Looking to her left, she was surprised to see one of said derby teammates, with her own bagged lunch.

"Didn't think you'd be the type to eat outside."

"What are you doing out here Margo?" Lynn asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." The large nosed female replied, taking a seat next to Lynn.

"I have my own reasons for being out here..."

"It's about your brother ,isn't it?" Margo stated in an obvious tone.

"So Polly did speak."

"She did." Margo opened her bag, revealing a turkey sandwich. "I didn't really believe it at first, but seeing as you didn't try to deny it...well..."

Lynn stared at Margo. "Well what?...Are you gonna chew me out for the fact I beat up my own brother?..."

Margo shook her head. "I think you already did that to yourself...but I really have to ask Lynn, why?..."

Lynn didn't respond for a few moments. "Polly already told you it was due to me not controlling my anger, and she was right..." She looked up at the sky. "Normally I just rough play a lot with Lincoln, but what happened that weekend was all because me and 8 of my sisters were at a stand off at high noon, before we ended up turning our sights on him..." The jock gave a low snort. "It's funny...we tried to keep him out of our arguments, only to end up sweeping him into it anyways. Shows how smart we are..." Lynn then looked over at the window, spotting a certain head full of white hair. "He's gonna be healing from that ordeal for a while..."

"Well, yeah, cause he's got a broken arm. But, why aren't you in there trying to make peace with him?"

"That's the problem Margo..." The jock looked back at the brunette. "I'm not concerned about Lincoln's broken arm. Well, I am, but that's not what I'm concerned about the most. That beating he took...it changed him Margo, in one of the worst ways imaginable."

Margo gave a questionable look. "Like...what? Is he gonna become some cold-hearted bully or vengeful person?"

"No. I don't think Lincoln has a mean bone like that in him...basically, he freaks out whenever me or any of my sisters get near him, or if he even sees us. So for his own safety, I'm just gonna be like Lucy and stick to the shadows...though I wouldn't be surprised if he's cautious about being in school again."

Margo shifted her eyes a bit, not quite understanding this. "Ok, so he's just a little scared. That doesn't mean you gotta be a coward about it..."

Lynn furrowed her brows and stared heatedly at the other girl. "You don't get it Margo...Lincoln is getting FUCKING nightmares about me and my sisters, doing who the hell knows what! Don't you think that if I wanted to make things up with Lincoln, I would've done it already?!" She paused, breathing in deep. "I tried ok?! I fucking tried to tell him how sorry I was a day after this whole shitstorm started! And guess what happened...he popped me in the face with his own food tray when I got too close to him..." The 13 year old breathed a few deep breaths, staring at the ground. "Ronnie Anne may have kicked my ass that day, but it didn't hurt as much as getting smacked by Lincoln. And he didn't hit me out of anger...it was straight up fear..."

Margo stayed silent. Her lips parted as if she was about to say something, but no sound came out. Biting her lower lip, she tried to formulate some kind of response. "...That's also another thing I didn't understand. How did someone like you lose to Ronnie Anne? She's just a street punk with an attitude."

"Well...someone needed to throw down on me for breaking my brother's arm..." Lynn looked down at her half-eaten sandwich. "I would've asked Polly to do it, but Ronnie Anne beat her to the punch..." She looked at Margo. "I'm kinda surprised the whole school doesn't know about it yet..."

"Why should they?"

"Dunno. Just seems like something that would sprout on social media. I mean, mine and Ronnie Anne's fight got like 5k views on EyeTube."

"Well, Marcy was thinking about telling others in a tweet, but...I managed to talk her out of it."

Lynn looked at Margo in surprise. "Wha?...why?...I thought you all hated me?"

Margo shook her head. "Hate is a strong word Lynn. I mean, I'm disappointed in you; but to be honest, I didn't see this as something you wouldn't do. To find out that you actually did it...that's why I felt I couldn't speak to you for awhile. It just felt awkward...but seeing that you're still beating yourself up for wailing on your bro means you at least care. I mean, it's not like any of us had a personal beef with you that would make us want to permanently ruin your reputation or anything. I came out to you as a friend, and even though some of the other girls refuse to believe you exist, they don't know you like I do."

Lynn scoffed at that notion. "I wanna call bullshit on that, cause I know some of you weren't exactly fond of my 'rituals'." She quoted with her fingers.

Margo rolled her eyes. "Ok yes, I'm not happy with waiting to go pee or poop until after a game, but you didn't hear me complain too much. And friends can get mad at each other FYI...so, what are you going to do to fix your problem?"

Lynn opened her mouth to form a rebuttal, but closed it as no words came out. She stared at the ground heatedly in thought. It didn't really feel like Margo was a friend considering that she avoided talking to the sports fanatic for almost two weeks. Lynn could've told her to just go away and piss off, to leave her to think about her own pitfalls. But, if Margo came all the way out here now, then she probably did want to form some line of communication, for now at least. "At this point, the only thing I'd want is my old brother back. I can give less of a shit about sports...but for now, I'm benched. And there's not much I can do to help Lincoln other than keeping out of his sight..."

Margo flared her nostrils for a moment. "Well...did you try talking to him by phone? Still out of sight, plus he can control whether he wants to talk or not..."

Lynn chewed on her sandwich again. "That's something we're thinking about..." Her voice came out muffled.

Margo gave a small snort. "Anyone teach you not to talk with your mouth full?"

Inside the café, Ronnie Anne scanned the tables for any sign of Clyde and Lincoln. In her hands was a tray with pizza, cornbread, and green beans. She made a mental note not to eat the beans, as her stomach didn't quite agree with them last time. The tomboy wasn't sure what they put in that crap, but she wasn't gonna spend 20 minutes on the toilet again. Her head moved left and right slowly, her eyes scanning the individuals on each table like a bird watching prey. As she scanned the tables on the side next to the windows, she finally spotted her targets: an African American with glasses and an afro, a tall-freckled redhead with curly hair, a somewhat short sophisticated farm boy, an even shorter redhead with spikey hair and glasses, and finally...a snow-white headed male with a black arm cast strapped on him. Taking a small breath, the black-haired girl strolled her way over to them.

"So what was it like being in the hospital?" Zach asked.

"Does that cast come in different colors?" Rusty came next.

"Did it stink havin' to be stuck in bed for a while?" Liam butted in.

"Well, at least he had the chance to NOT be at school, am I right?" The tall redhead joked.

"Mmm..." Was Lincoln's reply to their questions. The boy kept absently picking at his food, occasionally taking a bite when his stomach demand that it be filled.

"Ok, so 'play 20 questions' didn't work. Seriously Lincoln, why are you so down in the dumps today? I thought you'd be happy being out the..." Rusty cringed. "Hospital..."

"I'm just tired..." Lincoln stated lowly. It was a liable excuse, seeing as he still carried a few bags under his eyes.

"Well, that's part of it..." Clyde added.

"Yeah. You were pretty jumpy when you came back from the restroom." Liam looked around to make sure no prying ears were eavesdropping. "You didn't happen to see a ghost, did you?"

"OOOH! If there's a ghost, we need to get our ghost hunting gear!" Rusty exclaimed. "We'll be heroes known all throughout the school for ridding it of an evil specter!"

"Aw come on Rusty. You know that ghost that lives in the school is just a myth." Zach replied.

"He's right you know." A feminine voice spoke. The boys turned their heads or swiveled in their seats to see Ronnie Anne. "Make some room."

Liam shrugged before sliding himself and his tray to the left, opening a spot next to Lincoln. She gave Lincoln a couple soft dabs to the back, which surprisingly made him form a small smile for a few seconds. "So, what's going on with you guys?" The Hispanic girl asked, taking a small bite of her pizza.

"Aside from ghosts, we're trying to figure out why Lincoln's feeling blue." The farm boy answered.

"I still think it's just the arm cast." Zach spoke through chewed food.

Rusty furrowed his brow. "Or it might be due to what his no-good sisters did. They are the reason he still has a cast."

Upon hearing the word 'sisters', Lincoln visibly flinched. His grip on the plastic fork tightened a bit, the utensil bending as it scraped the tray at random angles due to Lincoln's shaking hand. The chip-toothed child didn't even realize he was fidgeting until Clyde put a hand on his shoulder.

"And almost every time they're mentioned, he gets antsy." Rusty said.

Clyde gave an annoyed glance at his friend. "I told you mentioning them a lot isn't helping..."

"Sorry..."

Ronnie Anne was confused and a bit unnerved by that display. "Ok...Clyde, what was that about? Lame-O looks like someone is out to get him."

"Why would he think that? Maybe it's just paranoia from not counting sheep." Liam stated.

Clyde looked at Lincoln, who didn't appear to be in any mood to give an answer. His best friend just twiddled with the fork in his hand to keep himself occupied. The nerdy child figured he might as well tell them the truth now since they were all together. Plus, the noise of the lunch room would drown out their conversation. "I don't know how to tell you guys, but here's what's going on. Lincoln is tired from not getting any sleep, that's true, but it's mainly because he's been suffering nightmares."

"...Ok? So what's so hard about that?" Ronnie Anne asked.

"Those nightmares are about his sisters doing..." Clyde bit his lip upon seeing Lincoln flinch again. "I'll just say his nightmares never ended on a happy note...and because of that, Lincoln's developed a retroactive fear for all of them except Lily."

"Umm...whose Lily again?" Zach asked.

"She's the real tiny one in diapers." Liam answered.

The Hispanic girl scoffed. "Oh please. They aren't gonna hurt Lincoln again, not if I have anything to say about it. I did kick Lynn's butt a couple weeks ago."

"That fight was awesome by the way." Rusty added.

Clyde shook his head. "No Ronnie Anne, you don't understand. This isn't like being nervous around bees or snakes. Lincoln's been having these nightmares for weeks, up to the point he's developed a phobia of his siblings. From what his parents told me, he can't even be in the same room as them without freaking out. He's even starting to become afraid of falling asleep, which I noticed in History this morning. He nodded off for a minute, but then was spooked awake a few minutes later. And I don't know what happened with him when he went to use the can."

The rest of the group didn't know what to say about that. Lincoln sulked at the table, his hand gripping his hair. Ronnie Anne gazed at Lincoln before looking back at Clyde. "This better not be a joke Clyde. I'm not in the mood for any pranks..."

The boy grew offended at that remark. "Lincoln's been living at my house since he left the hospital on Saturday, and why would I be joking about something like this? Mr. and Mrs. Loud don't want to risk Lincoln hurting himself if he's in the same house as his...fears...so he really needs some professional help for this!"

"What about that lady you usually talk to? What was her name?...Dr. Lopy or somethin'?" Liam stated.

"Lopez Liam, and she's already aware of this." Clyde glanced at Lincoln. "I still don't know how long it'll be before Lincoln gets the chance to speak with her."

"So, what are we supposed to do now?" Zach asked.

"Well, now...I think we-" Clyde started.

"What we're going to do, is make sure Lincoln doesn't see or even hear about his siblings. So starting now, no one is going to mention them if he's within earshot, and if you see one of them, make sure Lincoln doesn't go in that general direction. And seeing that Lame-O panicked just from going to the bathroom, someone will be next to him at all times so he doesn't become scared." Ronnie Anne ordered.

"Woah, when did you suddenly become Ms. Drill Sergeant?" The little redhead asked.

"I don't see you coming up with any ideas Zach." Ronnie Anne retorted.

"Wait, wouldn't that be kinda hard? I mean, we can't be stuck to him like glue all the time." Rusty stated.

"Don't all of us have a class with him? It shouldn't be that hard to keep an eye on him. Plus, if he's living at your house now as you said, " The tomboy glanced at Clyde. "Then it shouldn't be hard keeping tabs on him. In fact, and I can't believe I'm saying this...I want all of us to exchange phone numbers..."

"Wow Ronnie Anne, that's a little forward but ok." Rusty smirked.

A single glare from the dark-haired female quickly wiped that look off his face. "Make another comment like that, and I'm stuffing your head in the toilet that still has poop in it..."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Rusty gulped before fishing out his phone.

"...Do you think they are aware of this too?" Liam asked.

"Dunno, but I'm gonna ask one a few questions." Ronnie Anne stood up slightly in her seat, looking around the lunch room.

Clyde noticed this, with memories of that lunch brawl coming to mind immediately. "Ronnie Anne, please don't do something that would get you suspended again..."

"I won't Clyde, that's why I'm going to ask after school."

"Who?" Rusty asked.

Zach ate some of his peas before casually glancing out the window. The short redhead took note of a couple students hanging around the school's playground, nothing of interest. However, as his eyes glanced upon a tree not too far from the windows, he spotted a couple girls sitting there; one of which looked quite familiar. "Uh, I think I got an idea of who."

Liam raised an eyebrow at Zach before turning in his seat. Spotting those two girls as well, he gave a small frown. "Hooo boy..."

A/N: This chapter kinda served as both filler and getting a look at what Lincoln's interactions in school would be. As you have seen...being in the same building as his sisters is NOT doing any favors for his psyche. But thankfully, like Clyde said, Lincoln has friends he can count on to help him. And for Lynn, it seems not ALL of her friends just up and abandoned her. But what's Ronnie Anne gonna do the next time she sees her? I think we all know that her definition of 'asking' isn't the modest way of doing it.