15. Shattered friendships

Hello, my beautiful readers. I'm back with another chapter right before New Years'. It's part 2 of the Stella arc. Things aren't looking good between Lincoln and his friends. How you may ask, but you'll have to read and see.

To celebrate my Tv Tropes and this story being a major success. I've decided to create a poll. It's a one-shot lemon series. Yes, a one-shot series. However, I've never written lemons before but better late than never due to Loud House having a massive cast of characters. I'll do polls in rounds, making it easier on myself and you guys.

You'll have a set number of votes, but there are no redos. It'll be blind, so I'll know that this is what you guys want. Once a girl has been chosen. She'll be removed from the poll. This is the process until everyone has their chapter written. Then I'll start a new poll with a fresh set of candidates.

Sound good? It should be open right now, so cast your votes.

QOTD: What should be the group name for the named girls that have a crush on Lincoln? If you're wondering, it's Girl Jordan, Mollie, Stella, Cristina, Haiku. You'll have to guess the last one.

Linkonpark100: His comics are fantastic because they made great scenes for any fanfiction.

Jpd11: Thanks, man.

Legan-Ouroboros: Maggie will appear in this chapter or the next one, depending on how much I write.

NiteOwl18: His accomplice is who Lynn thought was Lincoln's bully in 'Heavy Meddle.' Hopefully, the Casagrande genes kick in before that happens. It would explain why we never heard a single thing about her. We know about Lynn Sr.'s father but nothing about Rita's mother.

Luan is a crafty young lady. If there's a way, then there's a way. It's mainly to mess with Lynn, but although I'll think of something for Margo. I'll already have something for Polly.

Thank you for your support.

Pirohiko-Baltazar: Yes. Yes, I did.

Tristen: Merry Christmas to you too.

Guest(1): (Sips tea)

Wolvenstrom: That's one of Lincoln's strengths. He's a great guy to everyone. Carlotta will mainly tease him, but once he's 18 or 21, that's in the air right now. You forgot that Albert used to be in the Navy. He'll whip Lincoln into shape.

Mr. Haziq: Believe me, it was except seeing his sister's boobs. Pretty sure that I did. Most likely, Quagsire, Gastrodon, Seismitoad fans. It's been stated that she loves to disassemble and reassemble electronics, Yep they don't tell you that in school.

Dogspirit1: Imagine the grandma from Mulan with some from Moana, then you get Stella's grandmother.

Guest(2): We don't know what happened during that weekend visit to make anything possible. Oh, the rest of the other sisters will traumatize him in some way. The black eye he got in 'Heavy Meddle' helped him with that narrative. Stella does have a love for technology, according to 'Loud and Proud.' We never met her father and grandmother, at least not yet. I feel that her grandmother is fairly traditional due to her being able to read tea leaves. The introduction of Myrtle implies that his first wife is dead or they got divorced. I went with the deceased wife route since the Loud house didn't shy away from divorced couples. Bumper Jr formed an 'alliance' with who Lynn thought was Lincoln's bully in 'Heavy Meddle' who haven't seen since that episode. Between Polly and Margo. Only one of them will be officially a part of the 'Lincoln Bowl' while the other will be for laughs.

I'll find a way to give Stella that hidden dark side. Ronnie Anne will be hard to do since she's technically out of the show. Stella, Cristina, Polly & Haiku will play more significant parts later on. I'll probably do a poll or side story in celebration.

Guest(3): I'm trying to give each girl a highlight. It's easier for some of the other girls, aka the named characters. I need to do something for Panda, Shy, Karate, and Sweater QT. That's the fun of the story—the choices of who ends up with Lincoln. I've been thinking about going the harem route, but I wanted to build up the relationships first. It takes all the fun out of characterization by doing a harem from the start. Each girl has their flavor that can complement Lincoln

DaleJr.88: Those scenes were an adaptation of a comic by Sonson Sensei. I do have a moment planned, but it's more on the lines of her awakening something in Lincoln. Ronnie Anne is learning to be more honest. Also, yes, Lincoln will be scarred for life, and Lori isn't going to be the only sister either.

Compared to what his sisters do daily. Girl Jordan is light work. The fallout is going to happen. Of course, his sisters are happy that he's making friends with a girl like Stella. Yes, the ' Lincoln doesn't trust them' plot point is going to be addressed more. I do have a scene with Lisa and Stella working on a project, but that won't be for some time.

Margo should be used more. Same with Polly. Oh, definitely, and be prepared for an emotional Lynn Jr. coming up soon.

Oh, you're using 'Green House' and 'Making the Grade.' Yep, those episodes were hell for Lincoln in terms of his school life.

RisingSolstice: It won't be on that scale, but it will cause some friction.

The students were making idle chatter with each other, waiting for the morning class to start. Lincoln walked to his desk, feeling his friend's mischievous glances. "What guys?"

"You know what we mean," Zach smirked with the rest of the team."How was your date with Stella yesterday?" Several ears perked at their conversation. A date? With Stella?

"Guys, it wasn't a date," Lincoln groaned. His ears picked up sighs of relief. "All we did was get some food at Burpin' Burger. She loves curly fries and is a beast at the claw machine" Why were there even more letters in math?! "And yes, she's cool."

"Mmmmmhhhhhmmmmm," His friends replied smugly. Stella entered the classroom.

"Here she comes, buddy" Clyde gestured towards her.

"Ready for round 2" Zach nudged Lincoln, who rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. "Eh? Eh?"

"What's up, Stella" Lincoln greeted her casually.

"Morning, Lincoln, " Stella replied and walked past and stopped at Rusty's desk. "Hey Rusty" That statement caused him to freak out by slamming his hand on the desk. He yelped in pain. Stella paused at this action; at least he wasn't nervously staring at her like last time. "Do you wanna go to the flea market with me later?" The four stared at her in disbelief. Clyde gave Lincoln, who was sitting at his desk preparing for the day and aside glance.

"Yeah, sure totally" Rusty attempted to smile with gritted teeth as the top of his desk was still firmly planted on his hand.

"Cool," Stella smiled and went to her desk. Rusty released his hand. It was slightly swollen with hints of red on his backhand. He rubbed it to ease the pain.

"Dude, what was that" Zach exclaimed, gesturing towards Rusty's and Stella's conversation. "She and Linc had a thing going on."

"What do you want me to say?" Rusty bragged. "It was only a matter of time before the ladies came to the Rustman" Some of the girls rolled their eyes at his claim. He stroked his hair. "I guess she decided she prefers red sauce over the white sauce."

"Whatever, dude have fun," Lincoln replied uninterestedly. Whatever? Have fun? Rusty wondered if this was one of those weird reverse psychology things that females do.

"You're not mad or anything," Clyde probed. Lincoln can be a total mystery with his emotions. Sometimes it's impossible to know what or how he's thinking.

"We're not dating," Lincoln firmly stated. "So why should I care?" Ms. Johnson entered the classroom with a warm good morning. They greeted their teacher. It was time for class to begin. All Rusty was thinking about was the time he was going to spend with Stella later today.

The next day a similar event happened with Stella. Rusty bragged about his time with Stella. His hopes were dashed when she asked Liam to try out wigs with her. The farm boy happily agreed. Liam gloated that Stella likes biscuits and gravy over red sauce. It happened again the next day with Stella asking Zach to go Laser tag. Zach was ecstatic. It's not every day that a cute girl asks you to hang out with her alone. Liam slammed his desk in jealousy. Ms. Johnson sent him outside the class for that. Clyde was the last one as she asked him to go to the arcade and play Dance, Dance, Resolution with him. Zach punched the water fountain. Pretty sure he fractured a few knucklebones.

Tension rose between the four boys, whereas Lincoln was minding his own business and offering them a thumbs up.

"What's Stella's deal" Rusty muttered to himself as he walked to his house. "She asked us all out back to back" He scratched his head, trying to figure out what to do. He entered his home as his family was watching the latest episode of Dreamboat.

"Hey Rusty, you want to watch Dreamboat with us?" Rocky asked his older brother.

"I don't know, Rocky" Rusty scratched his head. "I'm trying to figure something out" Maybe he should ask Zach how he and his parents can create and connect wild theories. Dreamboat provided him with an answer.

"I'm really torn, they're all great guys, but I'm still not sure who I want to be my first mate. Guess I'll just wait 'til one of them blows me out of the water."

A lightbulb flicked in Rusty's brain. That's it. Stella is testing them out to see who's the best of all of them. Lincoln claimed that he wasn't interested in Stella that made things a lot easier for the Rustman. He sat beside his younger brother, ready to construct his plan for tomorrow.

Lincoln stretched when he entered the school's halls, providing life and vigor to his slumbering muscles. Getting everyone out of the house early never gets easier, no matter how many times he does it. Plus, the Dreamboat marathon took them past their bedtimes. Thankfully today was one of his easy days. Lincoln went to his locker to lighten the load. He sniffed the air. Cologne? Lincoln turned his head in the direction of the scent. He narrowed his eyes at the source."You gotta be kidding me" Liam was the one spraying cologne. It was in a spherical teal container, most likely one of his father's fancy bottles. Rusty had on his white suit with a yellow collared shirt underneath. Zach was checking his teeth with a mirror. Lincoln squinted one of his eyes when the sunlight refracted onto his teeth. Where did Zach go for his teeth to be that shiny? The Yates family dentist? Clyde, on the other hand, was feeling around, trying to get his bearings. Lincoln facepalmed. He didn't have his glasses on. "Guys, what are you doing."

"What? I had a coupon for a teeth whitening," Zach replied. Zach showed his teeth as an example of Rita's office's work. He momentarily blinded some students in the process.

"And this is my usual amount of cologne" Liam lifted the bottle. "My pops had an extra bottle, that's all."

"I have contacted so I can ditch my glasses," Clyde replied, facing the water fountain holding a small container. Zach turned him around to face Lincoln.

"That's a mint package," Lincoln pointed out.

"Okay, elephant in the room," Rusty called out. "We all watched the new Dreamboat episode last night" They all nodded in agreement. "So we all know that Stella hasn't picked who she liked out of us. Now we're trying to 'blow her out of the water,'" Lincoln facepalmed again. He's going to leave a hand-print on his face at this rate.

"Well, this is awkward," Zach called out, summarizing the mood.

"As long as we're gentlemen. We don't have to worry about it," Clyde acknowledged as they started to walk off.

"Ooooorrrrrrr maybe she just wants to hang out with us as friends," Lincoln declared. Come on now. There's no logical way that someone can develop romantic feelings that quickly. What is this? A poorly written R-rated harem story where the main male character who's blander than flour only has to breathe. Then females of all ages, including his family, wants to be his girlfriend.

"Is that your wise advice 'Girl Guru'" Rusty mocked with a bow.

"Nope, simple common sense," Lincoln countered. They arrived at their class. Lincoln focused on the lesson at hand while his friends were figuring out how to get ahead with Stella.

It was finally lunchtime. Lincoln and his group entered the cafeteria. Stella sat down at a far-off table listening to music testing out the quality of her new purple headphones that she won at Burping Burger. Stella had a medium-sized red and white container on the table holding her lunch. She's planning to eat with someone. It was too large for one person.

His friends stopped in place upon seeing her giving each other a tense and determined glance. Lincoln counted down in mind. Three...two….one. And his friends were sprinting away. Clyde, Liam, Rusty, and Zach rushed towards her while Lincoln blankly watched them staying near the entrance.

Surprisingly Clyde was in the lead. "STELLA" He shouted from the top of his lungs before chasing into Coach Pacowski. What did Clyde expect was going to happen to him? He ran in a public place without his glasses. Zach and Liam were neck and neck, with Zach overtaking him by sliding on the table. He smiled, blinding Liam, making him crash into a recycling bin. Rusty was on Zach's tail. He grabbed a bottle of mustard, squeezing its contents on the floor. Zach slid over it and fell.

"Oh, come on, dude!" Zach yelled. He gave it a little taste. "It should at least be Honey Mustard."

"Sorry, Zach, but you can't beat the Rustman with a plan," Rusty gloated, basking in his lead. Liam's head popped out of the recycling bin. Rusty is almost there. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white pawn chess piece. Liam tossed it as far as he could. It flew over Rusty's head as he continued to run. He stepped on it, making him lose his balance bumping into Girl Jordan, who was carrying a tray of spaghetti and meatballs.

"My SPAGET!" Girl Jordan yelped as it spilled all over Rusty and some of her shoes.

"NOOOO, this was dry clean only," Rusty complained as he was covered in marinara sauce, meatballs, and spaghetti noodles. "Low blow, Liam not cool man" Some of it got inside of his clothes. Man, his dad is going to ground him.

"What did you say that she liked red sauce" Liam yelled smugly from the bin. Lincoln handed Girl Jordan a chocolate pudding cup. She smiled. Stella stood up, finished with her song. She turned around and smiled.

"Oh, I was wondering where you were," Stella spoke. The boys lined up in front of her, excited that they're the ones she was talking about. Lincoln is off to the side with Girl Jordan, offering her a plastic spoon. Girl Jordan smiled at his gesture. Stella grabbed the container with both hands and walked towards them. "I was waiting for you" A cute and awesome girl with a homemade meal wants to spend some alone time with one of them. Their eyes widened in excitement, and they took a step forward. Who will be her chosen champion and companion? Stella walked straight past them, giving them a confused side glance. She held Lincoln's arm, walking with him to a nearby table. They froze, becoming living statues. Wii music played in the boy's mind for several seconds with blank smiles on their faces. A few students stared at them, wondering if this was some performance.

"Wait, me?" Lincoln asked. He was as confused as his friends. Stella sat beside him while Girl Jordan was on the other side of the table.

"Yes, you," Stella grinned, opening the container. Sweat released from its prison. Stella revealed a mini buffet. Lincoln and Girl Jordan's mouths watered at sight. Peking Roasted Duck. Sweet and Sour pork. Dumplings. Deep-fried Wontons. Chow Mein. "My grandma made too much" Too much...yeah, right, Stella. Your barely red cheeks say otherwise. "Plus, she wanted your opinion as a chef's son."

"She...made this for me," Lincoln deducted. Stella nodded in agreement. "Thank you," He replied with a smile. Girl Jordan knew Lincoln since Pre-school or was it kindergarten, but she knew his smiles. This...this one was different. It was much warmer and authentic compared to his usual smiles.

Ronnie slammed her locker door shut. Her friends were startled by her action. She was tense. Ronnie Anne didn't know why, but she didn't like it for some reason. The Latina began to rummage through her backpack.

"Hey, Ronnie, you good over there," Nikki asked. The last time Ronnie was this tense was when Nikki allegedly alluded to the idea of flirting and dating Lincoln. Ronnie had in her hand,… the dreaded Chancla. An ancient yet simple tool of discipline feared by many young and old. She opened a window and waited for a few seconds. A thin outline of purple was visible on her body. Ronnie launched the chancla over the horizon. The power slightly blew back her friends. The slipper opened a hole through several clouds, and it's still going! Casey whistled, impressed, placing a hand over his eyes to block the sun's glare. "Damn Ronnie, we need on our softball team," Nikki nudged. They resumed walking to the cafeteria.

"Aren't you worried about the slipper" Sameer gestured to the open window.

"The chancla knows the way back," Ronnie Anne replied cryptically

"Hey, Girl Jordan, you want some." Stella offered. She took her grumbling stomach as a yes. Jordan blushed. Stella gave them a pair of stainless steel chopsticks. "Hold them like this," She demonstrated using her dominant hand, placing them between two of her fingers. "Move your fingers up a bit more. There you go" Girl Jordan still struggled a bit, but she got a hold of it. "So what's your first option," Lincoln and Girl Jordan thought for a bit. Lincoln chose the duck while she picked the Wontons. She struggled with picking up the wontons.

"Here," Lincoln held it with his chopsticks in front of her mouth. She blushed lightly as she opened her mouth and chewed. Ooooohhhhh pork. Lincoln turned his head and found the roasted duck near his mouth by Stella's chopsticks. She edged the golden brown poultry to his mouth. He shyly opened his mouth to accept it. His eyes widened. Damn, that was good. Lincoln greedily grabbed more and gobbled them. Thankfully he needed the protein. Stella smiled.

"Not on my watch" Girl Jordan picked up a dumpling and offered it to Stella, who accepted it. The trio made chit-chat while they ate. The bell rang to end lunch. They started to pack up for their next class.

"Are they okay" Stella whispered to the pair. Clyde, Liam, Rusty, and Zach were still frozen. Other students stacked various things on top of them, creating a balanced tower on each of them.

"Give them a minute," Lincoln replied as they exited the cafeteria. The boys' brains regained their optimal functions. They snapped their heads in the direction of the exit.

"WHAT?!" They yelled in disbelief. How and why did this happen.

"You better get to class," Coach Pacoski interrupted, preventing any arguments. At least for now. They complied while collectively giving each other a vicious glare.

"Okay, maggots," Coach Pacoski ordered. They all lined up. "Some of my stories got a MASSIVE update, and one of my shows just got off hiatus, so an hour-long episode is out right now" They understood his struggle. We're looking at you, Steven Universe. "We're just doing a single round of dodgeball; then you can go" One round of dodgeball and an early period?!

Furthermore, they have a free period after this. It's a great way to end the day. Pacowski gathered some dodgeballs and placed one down for each student. Lincoln's group had a miffed expression, not even looking at each other with folded arms. Lincoln scanned them. What's their deal?

"If anyone is asking. I'm out of the snake formation," Zach grumbled. Lincoln did a double-take. Out of the snake formation?

"I left earlier than you did," Liam growled. "I just didn't tell you" You too, Liam?

"The snake formation is officially dead," Rusty declared.

"Fine by me!" Clyde roughly agreed. That worried Lincoln. No snake formation, but that's their primary strategy. It's their only strategy. Pacowski blew the whistle. They looked down at their dodgeballs and each other. They're going solo and must react and adapt accordingly. Each swiftly reached for their weapon. Rusty was the first to attack, launching it at Liam.

"That's for the spaghetti and chess piece," Rusty barked before being pelted by Zach.

"That's for the mustard," Zach retaliated. Liam's dodgeball knocked the taste of mustard out of his mouth.

"That's for blinding me," Liam retorted, but Clyde struck him. He finally put his glasses back on.

"Take that!" Clyde shouted. They paused. Like that, a simple glare started to beat each other up, leaving a cartoon fight cloud. They can see their limbs and heads popping in and out at random intervals. Lincoln stepped over to the rest of the students to look on.

Coach Pacowski blew his whistle. "Okay, okay, break it up, fellas" He grabbed them by their shirt collars with two in each hand who still struggled to grab each other. Pacowski set them down. They can only give each other hateful glares with a few bruises here and there. "Now, what's all about?" They all spoke at once, resulting in a cacophony of gibberish and random noise. "Loud! Help me deal with this. My show is about to come on" Lincoln jogged to his friends

"Guys, I have a feeling that I know what this is about," Lincoln commented as they refused to look at each other. "But this needs to stop. Like now." He pleaded with his friends

"Who's going to stop us? You?" Rusty scoffed at the idea. The other students' eyes widened and murmured amongst themselves. This was not looking good.

"Look like I'll have to do it myself," Lincoln stated, looking at his watch. Now, this was getting interesting.

"What makes you think that you of all people can take on the four of us?" Rusty stomped forward, gesturing to the rest of the group.

"Simple" Lincoln put his hands in his pockets. "I'm stronger, you guys," He declared with frigid absolution.

"Who decided that?" Rusty growled. Where was all this coming from?!

"I did," Lincoln calmly replied as it was simple today's date.

"Oooooooohhhhhhhh," Their classmates and Pacowski responded to Lincoln's comment. They have never seen Lincoln like this and don't know how they feel about this attitude shift. Some liked it, while others grew wary.

"You think you can take all of us because you've been going to the gym for the last few months," Rusty fiercely accused Lincoln, who shrugged. Lincoln started to do some stretches. "What are you doing."

"My stretches," Lincoln replied, stretching his legs. "You guys will be lucky to make me sweat, let alone be my warmup" A few snickers can be heard behind him. His 'friends' picked up a dodgeball giving Lincoln an intense glare. Cookie, Haiku, and Mollie stepped forward in his defense. He extended his arm back towards them, making them stop.

"Lincoln, are you sure this is what you want" Haiku probed.

"I got this Haiku" Lincoln gave her a reassuring smile, yet it didn't reassure her. "Compared to my sisters, this should be easy" He turned to face his opponents. The girls stepped to the sidelines. How long has he been fighting his battles solo? Ronnie Anne is in another state. She's close to Lucy but not to Lincoln. Haiku and Lincoln consider each other friends but not confidants. Now his closest allies stand against him. What demons will he battle now? She wasn't the only one with these thoughts.

"Well, hurry up, you dork," Cookie rolled her eyes at him. She rubbed her hands. What is his problem?! Why is he doing this by himself? Cookie knew Lincoln longer than Clyde. She knows that he'll be fine but what about after today. How will these Fruits Loops bounce back after this?

"My money's on the nerd," Mollie whispered to Kat.

"Which one's the nerd?" Kat joked. The two shared a laugh.

"The cute one, obviously," Mollie replied. Lincoln, you better win this unarmed. She rubbed her lucky penny in her pocket.

"Sooooooo Lincoln" Chandler added

"Yep-wait what" Mollie did a double-take

"What?" Lincoln replied

"What" Chandler shifted his eyes in defense, preventing that he didn't make that comment. Ooookkkkkk then.

"Enough of this already," Rusty barked. "Let's do this already." He pointed at his white-haired enemy with a dodgeball in hand. The sunlight pierced through the windows marking Lincoln where he stood. He looked at them unimpressed as they powered up. Liam with his earthly brown. Zach in neon green. Clyde highlighted in serene cobalt. Finally, Rusty marked in emerald. Lincoln took a deep breath and glared back at them. It's showtime.

"Four foolish mortals blinded by hubris. What makes you think that you'll win this battle? You stand against your leader. The one chosen by the sun. What caused such a divide? Was it simple arrogance? Just like the man who thought he would have touched the sun on wings made of wax. Pride has blinded you on this day, as did that man. So blind. So blind. That he didn't see his demise, there's always pride before the fall."

"Are you serious, Haiku?" Cookie spoked."Right now," She pointed at the ongoing match.

"I'm adding dialogue," Haiku replied. Mollie shushed them. They continued to watch. Lincoln's experience of dealing with multiple opponents gave him the reflexes and situational awareness to dodge any of their incoming attacks. Furthermore, their inability to coordinate a successful attack. Lincoln danced around them, mocking their futile attempts. Liam and Zach attempted a pincer maneuver launching a two-pronged assault. Lincoln leaned back, supporting his body with his arms as dodgeballs flew over him. They struck each other in the face knocking them on the hard floor. Rusty attempted a sneak attack from behind. Lincoln grabbed a dodgeball throwing it into Rusty's hand, releasing the dodgeball from the redhead's grasp. He tried to reach for another one, but one impacted his midsection, putting him on his knees as he held the sore area. One more left. He turned to Clyde McBride, his closest friend, or so he thought. Clyde looked at his down and groaning companions and began sweating. Clyde's legs shake. Lincoln held the arctic look in his sapphire eyes. The two didn't say anything. Lincoln made his walk towards Clyde as each step echoed. The sweat increased as Lincoln...no. The hunter further encroached on Clyde. Lincoln's eyes never left Clyde's position. Clyde had to make a decision. He shut his eyes and gulped, raising his dodgeball in the air and letting it drop on the ground. It rolled, stopping at Lincoln's feet. Clyde laid down on the ground in his rock position. Today he's a sedimentary rock.

"That's why I'm the leader," Lincoln announced matter of factly when Pacowski blew his whistle. He turned his back at them. Rusty slowly got up with gritted teeth. He's been embarrassed like three times in a single. Rusty got his suit ruined. He can still feel some of the pasta in his pants. Stella brushed him aside in favor of Lincoln with a prepared lunch along with Girl Jordan. Now he lost a 4v1 in front of some of the hottest girls in school. Rusty bets that Lincoln is going to get some kind of praise from them after this. Not on his watch. He prepared another offensive.

Rusty's body didn't move. Why can't he move yet? He has a mouth, yet no words came out. His heartbeat thundered into his ears as he sweated profusely. Rusty struggled to do something, anything to move. The only thing he can move his pupils ever so slightly. Liam, Zach, and Clyde were in a similar state. Their terrified eyes were glued to the source. The sun's celestial glory shone on Lincoln, who stopped leaving Rusty in the shade. An oppressive aura of vermillion engulfed his being. His cold arctic eyes were piercing their souls. Some of the students were crushed by this feeling...emotion...intent or whatever the hell Lincoln was emitting, leaving them unable to move as living statues. He's daring. No. He was ordering Rusty to do something, and is he willing to live with the aftermath. Others tried to creep or ran to the nearest wall away from Lincoln. Some looked at him with the utmost concern. This wasn't him.

"Alright, go change everyone," Pacowski remarked. The pressure came as soon as it went. Lincoln obeyed the Coach's demands and went to the changing room. Numerous sighs of relief were released. They had a free period coming up, and they were going to enjoy it. "You four head to the nurse's office" He picked some of them up but couldn't be bothered at the moment. He got shows to watch and stories to read and went to his office.

A small silver drone with a solid orange eye collected audio and video of what occurred outside the windows. "Recording completed. Returning to base," It vanished with a flash of cyan.

"When the hell Lincoln became such a unit," Kat asked in the girls changing room. "Where all that came from."

"I want to know what they were fighting about," Joy spoke. It's not like them to fight, especially Lincoln and Clyde

"The dweebs were probably fighting over Stella," Cookie answered while putting on her skirt. The other girls looked at her in surprise. "What? You guys didn't notice them acting like they got yogurt for brains" She fastened her skirt.

"Expect Lincoln," Haiku chimed in, pulling up her gloves. "Can one of you zip me up please" Jenny did as she asked. "He had the mental fortitude to push back his desires."

"Sometimes Lincoln is the only source of brain cells in his groups," Cookie snapped her clip-on hairpiece. Lincoln is overall the smartest boy in their class.

"After what happened with Ms. DiMartino," Mollie replied, putting on her deodorant. "I don't believe him."

"Degree body deodorant" Girl Jordan observed the bottle in Mollie's hand.

"Jordan, I can't go around smelling like this."Mollie raised her other arm. Girl Jordan sniffed her armpit and gagged. Man, that is foul! "See what I mean" She quickly applied it on her underarm. Mollie turned her head to the subject of their conversation. "Hey, Stella, you okay? You've been quiet ever since we got inside."

"I still don't know why" Stella whispered, yet it was loud enough for them to hear. "Why are they fighting over me?" She looked down. "Did I do something?"

"Stella, it's not your fault," Jenny comforted her.

"Yeah, it's just boys being stupid," Kat chimed in. She put on her coat. "That's it"

"But why me though," Stella replied. "You girls are much prettier than," She said sadly.

"Stella, if you got five guys going gaga over you," Mollie responded. "You are pretty."

"They see the beauty within you," Haiku agreed. "Even if you don't see it yourself" Stella doesn't look too sure about it despite her blushing face

"You don't think that I'm too," Stella hesitated. They waited for her answer. That you're too what? "Tall?" She revealed.

"Oh, that's it," Mollie replied like it was no big deal while putting on her boots. "Yes, you are tall, so what." She shrugged. "I'm taller than some of the boys in our class, but it didn't stop them from asking me out," Stella told them how the other kids at her old school used to make fun of her height. She recalls them mocking her that no one will date a giant mixed blooded freak like you.

"They sound awful," Penelope replied, appalled at some of Stella's former schoolmates. "Why didn't your teachers do anything about it?"

"Many teachers wanted to keep a clean record, so they swept it under the rug or looked away," Stella revealed. "It's one of the reasons why I moved."

"What a bunch of jerks," Mollie growled. "And those boys are a bunch of cowards" She had her bags ready. "A girl is taller than so what" Mollie groaned. "Hey Stella, just between us girls, who would you pick."

"Mollie," Girl Jordan said in a disappointed tone. Stella blushed after thinking a bit for a few seconds.

"I think Lincoln is pretty cool," Stella answered shyly with a gentle blush.

"Tbh, after what we saw today. He's the best option in his group," Cookie commented. Jenny and Girl Jordan gave her a smug knowing glance. "What?! I meant he's okay or whatever."

"Okay, Ms., I had a crush on him since pre-school," Jenny teased. An angry blush erupted on Cookie's face, but she didn't have a retort for their smug faces. They exited their changing room before departing for their lockers. Lincoln was waiting near some of them.

"Aw, look, he's waiting for you," Mollie teased, nudging Stella, who gave Lincoln a shy wave.

"Hey Lincoln," Stella walked with him.

"Hey, Stella," Lincoln replied. "Sorry for what happened. I don't know what's up with the guys."

"It's okay, Lincoln," Stella told him. "You want to head the library together. I need your help something."

"Sure, plus I don't think the guys want to see me, right," Lincoln responded. "And I want to work on my comics for a bit."

"Are you sure about this, Rusty" Zach questioned while they're in snake formation after being bandaged up by Nurse Patti. "That's crazy, and this is me we're talking about."

Rusty continued to march forward. "Of course, I'm sure that this is all Lincoln's fault" He listed his reasons. "He met her first on the bus, got her phone the same day too. She asked him out first, and now she's going to pick him to be her boyfriend" It's always Lincoln. "He had to plan this in some way, guys" This was frustrating him to no end.

"What if you're wrong, Rusty" Clyde decided to play devil's advocate. "Lincoln could've played like the rest of us" Lincoln is good, but he's not that good. "He said that he wasn't interested in Stella like that"

"Reverse psychology, man" Rusty rolled his eyes. "That's what he wants us to think or is trying to trick us in some way," Why don't these guys see it?

"That doesn't sound like Lincoln," Liam defended. "He would've Stella on lockdown by now."

"Didn't his sisters catch him before he could do anything when Stella first arrived" Zach brought up. Clyde nodded. "That probably forced him to completely changed whatever plan he initially had"

"I think his sisters gave him the 'Be Yourself' advice," Liam added. "Sometimes the best plan is to let nature take its course" The farm boy smiled. "It worked for my Pa and Mee-Maw and a lot of the animals on the farm."

"He blew her out of the water without even doing anything," Zach interjected. "You got to respect him for that."

"I'm sticking to my statement because look at that," Rusty argued, gesturing towards Lincoln, standing next to Stella. At the same time, she went through her locker with some of their other female classmates nearby. They were laughing probably at them. "Hey, Stella, we need to talk to you."

"Sure, what's up," Stella said, closing her locker.

"Oh, like you don't know," Rusty grumbled, folding his arms.

"We know about your mind games," Clyde added,

"My...what," Stella asked, confused. She looked at Lincoln. He shrugged as he was confused as her.

"Don't act all innocent now," Liam responded to her. "You darn near ruin our friendships."

"Yeah, asking all of us on dates," Rusty began, "Then making us complete in a battle royal to see who can 'blow you out of the water'" Stella raised an eyebrow. What is he talking about? Rusty glared at Lincoln and Stella. "But you already made your choice with Lincoln being your boyfriend," He said that word with venom.

"Wait, I'm your boyfriend," Lincoln asked Stella, who shrugged. He pointed to jeans. "You should've worn my date khakis" He tried his hand at humor to lighten the mood. It did get a chuckle out of Stella

"Mmmmm," Jenny whispered, remembering their time at Games and Grub.

"No, my formal date khakis," Lincoln clarified.

"So you admit that it was a date" Mollie smirked at the red-faced Jenny and Lincoln. They didn't say anything.

"Sorry laughing guys, but you were way off-base," Stella spoked. "I'm not looking for a boyfriend. I just wanted to hang out with you guys."

"WHAT!" The four boys yelled collectively

"Why didn't you say that from the start?" Zach queried. They could've avoided this whole mess.

"I tried, but you guys were acting like a bunch of weirdos," Stella answered. She got them there.

"Expect Lincoln," Mollie added her two cents. "When he's good and ready," He gave her a mild glare.

"That's why I went to you guys one-one," Stella concluded. "I'm sorry for not being clearer with you guys" She apologized with a hint of remorse. "I'll see you later, Lincoln" Stella walked off with the girls who gave Clyde, Liam, Rusty, and Zach fierce glares.

"Yeah, we don't your cruddy apologize right, Lincoln" Rusty shouted.

"Shut up," Lincoln replied with a dead voice and a glare that can make winter freeze. "Stella wait up" He ran after she left the group alone in the hallway.

"Man, we messed up" That's an understatement.

Fun fact: Humans share 50-60% of DNA with Bananas. That would explain Lisa used it when she time traveled.

Fun fact(2): Emeralds were used as symbols of truth and love—intuition, associated with sight and the revelation of future events and truths—also, hope and fertility.

Well, that was fun. I wanted to give you guys something quick for you guys before the new Years. I want to get to the fun parts, but patience is a virtue.

Thanks for reading the chapter. Follow and Favorite if you like the story. Leave a review for any questions