chapter 16

Lori, look in the trunk!"

"For God's sake, Leni! I told you several times is not there, look in the boxes!"

It's not the kind of thing the four eldest daughters of the Loud family hoped to do. These especially holidays meant spending time with the family after a hard effort in college, watching TV with a hot chocolate, talking to their younger siblings to know the direction they took their lives. But no, Leni needed to find an old design book from when she was ten years old. For what? To be inspired by her imagination as a child. This is a pain, but they could not deny helping her.

Lynn Sr. and Rita Loud were on the last of work before a few days of vacation, more needed for the father, who managed to open his second restaurant in Royalwoods. Yes, it is a lot of extra work, but everything would be worth it to reach the big goal, a restaurant in Detroit. On the other hand, Rita could calmly take her job as a dentist's assistant and pay more attention to her kids. Lily, Lisa, Lola, Lana, and Lucy are at school, hosting a Christmas festival, typical of these holidays. Lincoln was still sleeping in his room, while Lynn had gone to work removing snow from Mrs. Forest's house to get some extra funds to buy new sports equipment. Leaving the elders busy with the task in question.

"I'd really like to be talking to Bobby now, sure Luna feels the same way" the elder sister complained, pulling a lot of things out of the closet, even found an old box of gum from a brand that no longer existed.

"Don't put me on the same bus dude, I need to rest my mind to write a song to Sam. besides, I can't talk to her right now, she is on a plane" Luna replied, also searching in some older boxes.

"Girls! You need to see this" they hear Luan´s voice.

"Keep your voice down, we don't want to wake Lincoln" Lori scolded as she walked into the door of Luna and Luan's room.

"Did you find him, Lu?" Luna asked.

"No, but look at what I found hidden in the middle of a pile of shoes" Luan showed a little brown book, with the title 'my preschooler' with the name of her brother written in orange, plus a picture of him when he was five years old, hugging Bun-Bun.

"Ah, he looks so cute!" Leni opened the book on a random page, with several pictures of Lincoln in class, until she stumbled upon a photo "girls remember this day? After the labor day holiday," the rest of the elder sisters placed around the book, after seeing the image, they all smiled tenderly.

"Yes, that day, Lincoln literally surprised us with his sweetness," Lori whispered, letting her mind lead her to that memory, more than a decade ago, when she had no responsibilities besides taking care of her little sisters and brother.

"But Lori, I'm sick, I can't go to school" a little white-haired boy was walking with his sisters on the way to school, visibly desperate not to go to school, a feeling that at some point we all share.

"Lincoln, I saw how you tried to put the thermometer on mom´s coffee cup, you're not sick, Lynn on the other hand, IS sick" Lori replied, as she was focused on beating Carol Pingrey on who was a better cookies seller on this year's school shelves.

"Linky, I know you're still scared of that nightmare, but I swear for the love of music that Scar is not going to jump on you and throw you into a stampede." Luna comforted her little brother. If she'd known watching the Lion King would cause him so many nightmares, they'd have put another Disney movie. Otherwise, with Lucy, they will never know how she ended watching the classic version of Dracula on TV, a tiny smile showed that she enjoyed it, the girl would surely be a lover of dark things.

"Pinky promise?" Luna kissed him on the forehead, stroking his cheek.

"Pinky promise" Luna whisper, then look at Lori "I take him to his class, just make sure Luan—"

"Luan Loud!" a teacher scream interrupted Luna, the poor man is now over the dumpsters, his face covered with a banana peel, his feet stuck on the skates, plus other details that made it difficult to tolerate the need to laugh.

"Goodbye, Linky!" Leni exclaimed as Lori dragged her away, the last time she left Leni alone, the sweet but dumb blonde ended in the nursery. Once Luna and Lincoln arrived in the preschool area, Luna left Lincoln in front of the door, being greeted by a young man with black hair and a grayish shirt.

"And Master Shrinivas?"

"Miss Shrinivas is sick with the flu and will not be able to come today. I will be the substitute teacher for today's class," the young man replied with a smile, then let Lincoln slowly enter classes.

"By the way, my little brother had a nightmare last night, if you notice he is having a bad time, please let me know to sing his lullaby," Luna said.

"Thank you for telling me. I will keep an eye on him for the rest of the day. I take care of your little brother" Luna smiled, saying goodbye to Lincoln, who returned the gesture with a small smile. Luna had to run so as not to be left out. Professor Anderson was an ogre when you came late to his class.

"All right, kids, today's activity will be very simple. All of you will have the whole class to draw and color your entire family, who has more praise and good coloring, will win this" the young man showed a large piece of chocolate-flavored ice cream, lit the eyes of the kids. "Do your best, and remember, any problem can be told to me with confidence" after a big yes, the little ones took their things out of their respective place, starting to work.

Lincoln always likes to draw. It's great fun to put smiles on the doodles joined by simple sticks. First, he'd uses a sky blue for Lori, light green for the grass, and make Leni dress just as cute as she is in real life. With the picture in his mind, Lincoln began drawing as he pulled out his tongue a little, showing he is focused on the task.

At some point in the creative process, he notices he didn't have his yellow color pencil. This is very bad. Yellow would use it to color in the sun and Luan's clothes, it is an important color. He felt someone pull his shirt a little, turn to see who was, a chestnut girl with a braid, pink blouse with a red flower and blue shorts, who looked at him with doubt.

"Can I borrow your light green color pencil?" the girl asks, Lincoln is usually very jealous with his things, yet one of the first lessons he learned from his parents, is always to be kind to girls, as he does with his sisters.

"Sure" he gives her the color, to the surprise of the girl, who didn't expect a boy to be kind and really lend her his pencil, "and can I use your yellow color? Please"

"Yes," both exchanged pencils, to refocus on their respective drawings until the bell rang. The substitute teacher claps to have everyone's attention.

"All right, kids, take out your food and make sure you don't stain your drawing" all the children put their lunchboxes on some table to start eating. Lincoln looked for a place to eat but notice how the girl who borrows her the color is eating alone, remembering that it is not nice to eat alone, so he came up and sat next to her. Always try to make new friends, that's what Luna said to him.

"Hello"

"H-hi"

"Why do you eat alone?" Lincoln asks in an innocent tone.

"My best friend Mollie didn't come, and we always eat together" she responds sad, no one should be sad, if you can do anything to cheer them up, do it until you see them smiling, that's what Luan always says.

"Well I'll eat with you today" Lincoln opened his lunchbox, revealing a jelly and peanut butter sandwich "by the way, it's a very nice shirt, reminds me of the one Dora wears in an episode."

"Do you see Dora, the explorer?" Lincoln nodded to which the girl smiled.

"My name is stella."

"I'm Lincoln. Your name sounds very nice."

They ate together talking about the series, how Boots always helped Dora, how the fox is nasty for trying to steal things, how exciting it is when Diego appears. The two made an almost immediate connection, feeling comfortable with each other. At the end of lunchtime, they all washed their hands to return to work on their drawings.

"Is that your family, Lincoln?" stella asked curiously, seeing a lot of characters.

"Yes, she's my sister Lori, she's a little mean, but I know she loves me very much. Leni likes to kiss me all day. Luna always sings to me when I'm scared. Luan makes me laugh a lot. Lynn always protects me from bad kids, and my little sister Lucy, who likes to scare us, but since that makes her smile, I don't get mad at her," Lincoln explained, pointing one by one the members of his family, the tallest by logic they had to be his parents. Also, stella can see a stork wore a bag with a baby, which meant another member is coming soon.

"How nice, I'd like to have more sisters, Big sis Jenny is very good to me, but sometimes I feel lonely."

"Then ask your parents for a little sister, it always works for me, that's where Lucy and my new little sister came from. By the way, I like the puppy you drew," stella liked being around Lincoln, he wasn't rude or disgusting like the other boys. Lincoln is sweet and attentive; her sister is wrong; there are good kids at school.

The time passed fast. Then it is time to play in the yard, Lincoln and stella running out together, playing a lot of games, hide and seek, to the ball, in the castle, imagined with their kids mind Lincoln is a knight who must save princess stella of a dragon, which was painted on one of the castle walls.

As he played see-saw with stella, the little albino saw his sister Leni on the other side of the fence, talking to a boy, who asked her to be his girlfriend, what is a girlfriend? A new flavor of ice cream?

"I'm sorry, Noah, but you're not the kind of boy I'd like to hang out," Leni replied, then being dragged by an angry Lori, who demanded to return to promote her cookies, this leaves Lincoln thinking.

So, a girlfriend is someone you want to go out and play with all the time, only it applies to girls. Of course, it's a way to distinguish friendships, friends for boys, girlfriends for girls. Now everything made sense, but will stella want to be his girlfriend?

At the end of the game time, it's nap time, giving the kids time to get some rest after doing so much exercise.

"Titi! Titi!" Lincoln look at how stella jumped to grab a white bear who was in a very tall piece of furniture, surely a mean kid throws him up there on purpose.

Lincoln's little brain rethought a plan to reach the bear. He looks at his bed, is high enough. In the act of will, the albino pushed his little bed with all his might until he reaches the corner of the furniture, stood on top, and with his hand stretched out plus a series of jumps, manage to take the paw of the stuffed animal. Turned around and then gave it on to stella. All with the watchful eye of the teacher, who was close to catching Lincoln if he fell.

Instead, he saw an act of great kindness on the part of the Loud kid.

"Titi! I'm glad you're okay! I know how scared you are with heights," the girl hugs the stuffed animal, which had a button inside to talk, saying, 'I love you very much.'

"Is he all right?"

"Yes, a little cold because he still can't stand the cold because he's a baby, but with my hugs, I warm him up," stella replied, hugging the polar bear teddy, while Lincoln lifted Bun-Bun, looking at him.

"See Bun-Bun, we can also be heroes" had solved a problem of someone who wanted, as Lori and Lynn always did with him for as long as he could remember, hopefully when he grows up, he could be like them.

"What a cute bunny. Did you say his name is Bun-Bun?"

"Yes, he's my best friend in the whole world, protects me when the evil Scar wants to hurt me in my dreams," Lincoln replied, who instinctively embraced the rabbit near him.

"I know, the same thing happens when Titi defends me from the Grinch, he's someone evil to leave the kids without Christmas." stella imitated the gesture. She could never finish watching the movie because the green man was so scared of her, more so when she knew the Grinch was looking to ruin Christmas for the kids for his selfish motives. Immediately, the girl came up with an idea.

"What if we sleep nearby? So Titi and Bun-Bun's powers will increase and finally defeat them" Lincoln was thrilled by that idea, it made sense, the four of them together could beat those two villains once and for all. They asked the teacher to move Lincoln's bed to sleep side by side. It works, no nightmares.

Time to go home came for all the students. The Loud sisters walked together to the preschool area to pick up their brother.

"Don't be sad, Lori, you sold almost as many cookies as Carol" Leni was trying to comfort Lori, who had again earned a second place, always behind Carol Pingrey. Still, one day she would defeat her rival in something, whatever it takes.

For her side, Luna was trying to help Luan in how to tell her parents that she had a report for a prank the math teacher. The little comedian was afraid they would take Mr. Coconuts away as punishment; it is a wooden being that loves with all her heart, the only one who fully understands her sense of humor besides dad. Upon arrival, they saw a small group of boys and girls of different ages, for sure, for the same purpose as them, picking up the kids in the class to go home together.

"What's the matter?"

"Apparently they're going to give an award for best drawing," a fourth-grade boy answered Luna's question, looking inside the room like the rest.

"Good work to all, they made great drawings, remember to take them to show them to their family, now...based on your impressions and cleanliness, the winner of double chocolate ice cream is...Lincoln Loud!" Lincoln jump with Joy, running to take her prize and eat it. However, he notices the sad look on stella. She really wanted that ice cream. Lincoln look at the ice cream, then smile.

"Here" stella looked with surprise at the ice cream in front of her, Lincoln had split the candy in half.

"Thank you, but why?"

"Because you're great stella, and I'd like you to be my girlfriend," those simple words made the sisters almost fall on their backs in the face of so much cuteness. This is too much.

"Girlfriend?" stella asked, not understanding the meaning of that word.

"It's when a boy wants to be a great friend of a super special girl, I learned it by seeing my sister Leni at game time with that boy" the eyes were set on Leni, who is just as surprised as everyone at the door, so far from the concept of words was not.

stella just smiled sweetly, gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek before seeing him in the eyes "yes, I want to be your girlfriend."

In the face of such a scene of innocence and affection, the girls at the door couldn't contain a sigh in front of such a scene. The boys looked at Lincoln with respect, sure when growing up would be a Romeo, with a harem of girls after him.

"It's very kind of you to share your gift, Lincoln," the teacher congratulated, who pulled out a box that had hidden. "But as they all did a great job, I brought you ice cream for all of you" the children jumped out of excitement, running like little beasts for the ice cream stella also gave Lincoln a portion of her ice cream, for which they both ate full ice cream.

"It seems that very soon we will be family, Leni," Jenny said, stella's older sister with a smile, and then call her little sister, their mom is already waiting for them in the car, that goodbye hug was so cute.

The teacher took the time to tell the Loud sisters everything Lincoln did for stella throughout the class, which made them proud. Especially Luna, who couldn't have a better brother, besides knowing he will grow up as a good man if they continue to give him that role model. On the way out, the sisters praise their brother, the five-year-old was covered in chocolate all over his face. Vanzilla arrived for them, with mom and dad inside.

"Dad, how's Lynn?" Lori asked, worried about her sister's health. Yes, Lynn might be a bit rough when it comes to playing, but they're family, and the family takes care of each other.

"Is doing great Lori, only have a little irritated throat, but is fine, with the care of Pop-Pop, she will be jumping on the trampoline any moment," Lynn Sr replied, calming the sisters, they always liked Pop-Pop to take care of them when they got sick.

"And how was school, Lincoln? You look very happy," Rita asked, a radical change from the frightened Lincoln that leave at school to the happy one they picked up now.

"It was great. stella is my new girlfriend." Lynn Sr. almost lost focus by the revelation, taking advantage of the red light to see his son with surprise. With her eyes, Lori told them she would explain them later, so they followed the flow.

"That's fantastic, Lincoln."

"Yes, I'm very proud of you champ."

Lincoln's smile grew more. This had been a fantastic day; nothing could make it better.

"And do you already know when our new little sister is born?" Luan asked curiously, knowing her mother went to the hospital to do a checkup. Rita nodded to her husband, stroking her eight-month belly, ready to break the news to her kids after a long time.

"Girls, Lincoln, we won't just have one sister, but two, they're twins!" when Lincoln understands the stork would bring two sisters together instead of one, laughed a little while hugging Bun-Bun, this day was very happy.

The thoughts of the four sisters ended almost in the same time, while still seeing the photo of that day, Lincoln sharing a part of his ice cream to stella, they never noticed who took that picture, but it didn't matter, whoever he wanted it to be, had immortalized a moment.

"We teach him well," Luna whisper, still seeing the photo.

"We only showed him the way, we all knew that Lincoln would be a great brother and human being the first moment we saw that baby with a white lock, being comforted by Mom," Luan said, also proud of his brother.

Lori left her sisters for a moment, walking to Lincoln's room, who was fond of that room despite being able to move into two rooms with three times as much space whenever she wants, opened the door slowly, watching a beautiful scene.

Lincoln was sleeping peacefully while holding something tightly on his body, and it is not Bun-Bun, but his girlfriend, who in theory had most of his life, stella Rosato, hugged his brother firmly. As soon as the Rosato family returned to Royalwoods, both seem to be stuck with industrial glue, as you rarely saw them separately. They endured more than Lori and Bobby, which for them were months before going to the same university, Lincoln and stella took a year and a half, of course, meet several times during holidays. Yet, Lori understands better than anyone how painful the farewells could be.

"Ahh, they look so cute together, will they mind if I take a picture of them now?"

"And since when do we care about it, Luan?" a valid point, take the photo with her cell phone, only she forgot to remove the flash, ended up waking up the young couple.

"What?...Oh, I knew I should have bought that lock when I had the chance," Lincoln whispered, waking up.

"What's wrong?" stella was also waking up.

"Sorry, Linky, it's just, you looked, like, so cute...by the way, do you know where I left my old design book?"

"Leni, you left it under your pillow so you wouldn't lose it again" Leni stared at Lincoln, went to her room, only for moments later she came back with the notebook in her hand, with a nervous smile, to which the other sisters rolled their eyes.

"By the way, bro, look what we found" Luna pass the book to Lincoln, who barely caught him, realizing that they are pictures of his preschool time.

"Ahh, you look so handsome," stella said stella, who hugged him from behind until they got to the famous photo, which made the girl hug him a little stronger "I'll never forget that day."

"I know" Lincoln got up, taking something from one of his shelves, Bun-Bun "no matter how much I grow up, I'll never be able to let you go partner," Lincoln whisper, looking at the stuffed animal with a lot of love. He notices from the corner of the eye stella was pulling something out of her backpack, a little polar bear.

"Neither do I, sometimes I still need Titi to sleep," stella said, hugging the stuffed animal on her chest. stella would spend the night at Loud's house. She asks her parents to spend the night with her boyfriend's family, which they agreed in return for Lincoln to go to dinner with them next week. Suddenly, an idea came out of her mind, she took the stuffed animal by the arms, then started moving him, as if he was alive.

"It's good to see you, Bun-Bun again. It brings back memories of when we were protecting our best friends" stella softened her voice as if it was Titi who spoke, something Lincoln did too.

"I say the same thing, Titi, good times where we kicked monsters' asses all together. And now look at them, as close as their love," the stuffed conversation continued for a few more minutes until Luan could no longer bear the laughter, taking another photo, these lovebirds always achieving such tender scenes.

"Come on stella. I'll make food for everyone, then I'll make the couch so you can sleep in my bed."

"Never in your wildest dreams, Lincoln. In bed, sofa, floor, or wherever, will always awaken with me by your side."

They closed the door of the room, leaving Titi and Bun-Bun together, with their paws together, another symbol of their love, no matter how long they will spend. If their best friends needed them one night, they will be there to see for their safety, as would happen that same night. A job of a lifetime.