103. Ch 103- Tumbling Heart

(A/N: hope you aren't getting tired of these author's notes, because I have another one to make: I have just hit three hundred favourites on this site! I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but the more I reach these milestones, the more unbelievable it becomes, and that's thanks to all of you. You're the ones that make this passion of mine worthwhile, so thank you all so much!

On top of that, I know I thanked you privately, but I want to give a huge shoutout to DMan51. He recently did a piece of fan art for this story on his DeviantArt page, Da-4th, and I am thrilled and honoured by it. If you guys get the chance, please head over there and show him some love.

Okay, on with the story! Thank you all for reading, and enjoy!)

Monday morning was once again upon Royal Woods, and as was the case for many of the mothers across town, Sarah Rosato was making a hearty breakfast for her daughters before school. She hummed as she stood at the kitchen stove, frying some bacon in a pan, when she heard footsteps. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled at her younger daughter as she sat down at the kitchen table. She noticed that her hair was hanging low, rather than being in its usual braid, but didn't think anything of it. "Good morning, honey," she greeted.

"Morning, Mom," Jordan quietly replied, not looking up from the table.

"Breakfast is almost ready, so help yourself to some toast."

"Okay."

There was very little emotion in her voice, which was an instant red flag to the mother of two. Seeing that the bacon was ready, she turned off the stove and put it onto plates, which she then put on the kitchen table, one in front of Jordan and one in front of the seat next to her. She watched as Jordan slowly grabbed a piece of bacon without even looking at it and began to eat. "Jordan? Are you okay?" She simply shrugged at her, so Sarah put a hand under her chin and slowly lifted her head, allowing her to see the faint dark circles around her eyes. "Jordan, you look exhausted! Did you sleep at all last night?"

"Yeah," was all she said, which did nothing to assure her mother.

"You don't look like you did. Are you feeling well?" She put her other hand on her daughter's forehead. "No fever… you don't sound sick, just tired… is something wrong?"

"I'm fine."

Her frown deepened. "I don't believe you." Once more, Jordan simply shrugged as she continued to eat her bacon. "Does this have anything to do with what happened yesterday?"

"… no…"

Sarah sighed. "I thought so."

"Morning, Mom," they heard Jen say as she entered the kitchen, initially with a smile which dropped when she saw Jordan's face. "Woah, someone looks like they pulled an all-nighter. What, were you up late talking to Lincoln or—" She stopped herself, starting to regret what she said when Jordan's exhaustedly stoic look fell into a frown, her eyes darting downward again. "Uh… I've walked in on something, haven't I?"

"No, you haven't," her mother assured her, before returning her attention to her daughter. "Jordan, I could tell when Rita dropped you off yesterday that something was up. You were quiet all throughout dinner, and you look like you've slept horribly. Normally, whenever you have gymnastics, you come home smiling and happy."

"Yeah, and you normally smile whenever you hear or see Lincoln." This triggered an elder sibling response in her mind, her eyes narrowing in something. "Did he do something? Did he make you feel like this? Just say the word, and I'll—"

"He didn't do anything," Jordan finally spoke, calming Jen down. "It's not his fault, it's…" She looked up again, first at her mother and then her sister, both of them seeing the mix of nerves and guilt in her eyes before they gazed down at the plate in front of her. "I messed up."

Hearing this, Sarah sat down next to her daughter, putting her hand on her shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

Jordan didn't answer immediately, so Jen looked and saw that she was biting her lip, almost afraid to say it. Having an idea of what her sister was feeling, she knew what to do. "Come here." Before Jordan could say anything, Jen sat down on the other side of her and gently took hold of her hair, which she began to braid. "You tell us what happened while I do this, okay?"

"I guess… after my dentist's appointment, I was feeling kind of irritable, and… well, it didn't really get better at practice."

The session had been going on for nearly an hour, and for the most part, Jordan found that things were fine. However, as they began rehearsing the floor routine, she found her irritation rearing its ugly head. Whether it be something she was doing wrong, or a mistake someone else was making, she found her patience getting thinner each time. This happened again when Lincoln's roll was off, and he bumped into her, making her give a tiny growl.

"Sorry," he told her.

"It's fine," she muttered through gritted teeth, trying not to let the headache she was feeling distract her. However, a few seconds later, she felt his foot brush against hers and almost step on it. "Come on."

"Sorry."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, so you said." She didn't act further until maybe ten more seconds passed. Whilst posing with one leg held in the air, Lincoln lost his balance and bumped her again, knocking her down. "Ow!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Stop saying you're sorry!" she snapped, getting to her feet and staring him down. "Rather than say you're sorry, do something about it! Otherwise, what's the point in doing this?!"

In her sudden rage, she didn't realise what she was saying, and her headache delayed the realisation from sinking in. What eventually got it through to her was when she looked at the boy in front of her and saw what could only be described as heartbreak in his eyes. As it dawned on her, the rage drained out of her and was replaced by guilt and self disgust, her hands slowly rising up to cover her mouth. Before she could even do anything to try and take back what she had said, he turned and walked away. She didn't hear Helena telling them to take a break or her friends asking what she had done. She could only watch as Lynn chased after her brother and feel the deep pit of regret forming in her heart.

"I tried to apologise to him, but I could see that I hurt him," Jordan spoke with an abashed tone. "Lynn didn't seem too happy, either."

"Well, I hate to say it," Jen cautiously told her sister, "but you can't blame them."

"I know." Her frown was now as deep as it would go. "I feel like an idiot."

"You are not an idiot," her mother reminded, shuffling her chair closer to her daughter so she could rub her back. "You made a mistake, and you realise that. You just need to make up for it."

"Yeah, come on, Jordan," Jen agreed. "It's clear you both like each other, so he's not going to just push you away if you try to apologise."

"I'm not so sure. You didn't see how he looked at me when I…" She had to take a deep breath to prevent any tears breaking through. "He's never going to forgive me."

"Jordan, look at me." Reluctantly, she turned to her mother, who was giving her a comforting smile. "If Lincoln really is your friend, he'll listen to you, and you'll find a way to work this out. I know you will."

Jordan sighed. "I hope so…"

When Jordan finally got to school, she tried to find Lincoln before classes started, but was unable to spot him in time. She finally saw him when he entered class, but he simply walked past and sat at his desk. She had initially worried that he didn't want to talk to her, but part of her clung to the hope that it was because Mrs Johnson was already in the room when he got there. Of course, that excuse didn't work when he was nowhere to be seen at recess, and at lunchtime, he looked away when she saw him heading towards his friends' table. Any hope she might have had of talking to him was gone, and on top of her tiredness, she was having difficulty with concentrating, her mind wracked with guilt.

Eventually, the final bell rang, and everyone began to leave the classroom. However, as she stood up to follow her classmates and hopefully catch Lincoln before he headed home, she saw Mrs Johnson looking at her. "Girl Jordan, can I speak to you for a minute?" she requested, though it wasn't as if she was actually asking.

"Um, sure," the girl answered, changing direction to approach her teacher's desk.

"You've not been at your best today. It's clear that you've had difficulties paying attention in class, as there have been multiple occasions where I have had to ask you twice to answer a question or to continue with your work." Jordan ducked her head in shame. "However, I'be also seen that you haven't been too happy at recess or at lunch. Is everything okay with you?"

"I've… not been feeling myself today," Jordan quietly explained, which wasn't exactly a lie. She just didn't say why. "I didn't sleep well last night."

Having been a teacher for as long as she had, Agnes could tell that Jordan wasn't being completely truthful with her, but had an instinctive feeling that she wouldn't go into further detail. "I see… well, if that's all it is, then I suggest you get an early night tonight. I imagine that being tired won't help you with your showcase, either."

"Right. I'll, uh, I'll do that."

"Alright. You can go now." Jordan nodded, before beginning to walk away. "And Jordan?" The girl stopped at the doorway and turned to face her teacher. "If there is something bothering you, at school or at home, you can come and speak to me."

Giving a small smile, Jordan nodded to her again before she left. The corridors were quite empty when she reached her locker and gathered her belongings, and by the time she got outside, she saw Vanzilla driving off. Seeing that she was too late, she hung her head down as she began to walk home, only to feel a hand on her shoulder stop her. Looking at the hand, she saw that it belonged to Mollie.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Home?" Jordan replied, confused. "Where else?"

"So, you're not going to talk to him, then?"

Jordan let out a heavy, tired sigh. "He doesn't want to speak to me. I've screwed up big time, and you know it."

"Yeah, which is why I'm not gonna let you let this get worse." Jordan would have said something, but Mollie had already turned her around and began to guide her the other way. "I can tell this is eating away at you, so what kind of best friend would I be if I let that happen?"

"No offence, Mollie, but this isn't really something you can do anything about."

"I know. That's why I'm not doing anything. You, on the other hand, are gonna get your butt over to that house of his and tell him you're sorry, whether there's one sister watching or ten."

Jordan frowned at her. "Mollie, you don't get it. Any time I tried to get close enough to talk to him, he'd look away and go somewhere else. How do you think he's going to react if I turn up at his house, huh? Not to mention, how will his sister's react?"

"Yeah, but this is something that you need to do. Jordan, we all know how you feel about him."

"Seriously, you're choosing now to—"

"I'm not teasing you this time. Jordan, that little crush you have on him… it's not that little anymore." Though Jordan decided to look away, Mollie could see the slight blush that came to her cheeks. "When did you realise?" She waited for Jordan to answer her, but she heard nothing. "Look, I mean it, I'm not trying to tease you. I was just wondering, but you don't have to—"

"Two weeks ago." Mollie stopped and looked to her friend, whose head was no longer hanging as low, her eyes looking at the path ahead rather than her feet. "After what…. that jerk did, Lincoln offered to walk me home. He still felt guilty, like it was his fault, but I assured him that there was no reason for him to feel like that, and then…" Though the warm tint in her cheeks grew more prominent, she allowed a smile. "He started talking about how great he thought I was… that he thought I was smart and funny, strong and caring. I told him that I thought he was pretty great too, but after he left, I started to realise just how great he actually is." She was expecting Mollie to make some sort of comment, but she didn't, instead turning her head to see that the brunette had been looking at her with a smile. "What?"

"It's nice to hear you talking like this," she simply stated. "You sound happier than you have at all today. That's why it should be obvious that you need to tell him that you're sorry, because otherwise, all that other stuff you're feeling won't matter."

Jordan's smile faded. "I know… it's just hard."

"Well, remember the time you thought he was skipping school to avoid you? Head over there and let him know you're sorry."

"Yes, but that time, I only thought he was trying to avoid me. This time, I know he is, and I know it's my fault that he is."

Mollie crossed her arms. "That's what you need to be telling him. If you really want to apologise to him, then you can't leave this any longer. Otherwise, it's never going to be resolved." Her friend nodded, but she could see that she didn't feel easy about it. "Tell you what. I'll go with you, but you have to tell him yourself. Okay?"

"You'd do that for me?" When Mollie nodded, she allowed a smile to return before they pulled each other into a hug. "Thanks, Mollie."

"Come on, save the mushy stuff for your boyfriend."

Jordan rolled her eyes. "You know he's not my boyfriend."

"Not yet, he's not." She chuckled as they released the hug. "Come on, you're not going to get anywhere just standing here. No point in waiting, is there?"

"Right." As they began walking again, Jordan asked, "hey, Flip's is on the way, right?" Mollie nodded. "Good. We might need to make a stop."

Lynn stood in the living room, brushing her hands together after clearing space in front of the TV. The yoga mats were laid out, the DVD was in and she was ready to begin yoga. All she was waiting for was for her brother to come downstairs, who went upstairs to get changed a few minutes ago. She would have wondered what was keeping him, but she had noticed his quiet mood on the ride home, so she chose to give him some space.

Whilst waiting for him to turn up, she saw Luna come in from the dining room, her guitar in her hands with the strap over her shoulder. "Where's little bro?" she asked, noticing the empty yoga mat beside her little sister. "I thought you'd be getting your workout on."

"He's still getting changed," Lynn told her. "I think."

Hearing the wavered tone in which she added that last bit, Luna frowned. "Dude's still bummed about yesterday, huh?"

"Can you blame him? You know how he feels about her, and it's the first time she's really gotten like that, as far as I know." Her lips curled into a scowl. "I know things are getting serious with the showcase, but that was uncalled for."

"You're right, dude, but I don't think she meant to snap like that, you know? Dudette did seem kind of off to begin with."

Lynn pinched the bridge of her nose, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. "Yeah… just sucks it had to be our bro on the receiving end."

Luna nodded, then took a glance towards the stairs. "Hey, I'll go see how he's doing."

"Thanks, Luna." The rocker flashed a brief smile before she headed upstairs, leaving the jock by herself. A few seconds after her elder sister was out of her sight, she heard a knock at the door. "I got it!" She walked over to the door and opened it, being met by Mollie and Jordan. The former was giving a friendly wave, while the latter had her head ducked and her hands behind her back. "What do you two want?"

"We thought we'd drop by and see if we could talk to Lincoln," Mollie explained, with Jordan giving a small nod.

"Y-Yeah, we… I mean, I didn't really get a chance to at school."

Lynn narrowed her eyes at the Rosato girl, crossing her arms. "I don't think that's such a good idea. Me and Lincoln need to get our workout in, and I don't know if he wants to—"

"I know you're not happy with me," she interrupted, finally looking up at the older girl, "and I know Lincoln's got every reason to hate me right now… but he deserves an apology for how I acted. He didn't deserve me snapping at him like that, and I've felt horrible about it since, so even if he doesn't forgive me, then at least he can know that I'm sorry for what I did."

Taking in what was being said, the Loud girl didn't say anything at first. She observed the sixth grader, looking for signs of deceit like she might see at practice, but didn't sense any such signs. She then took a few seconds to mull it over, then stepped back inside. "Come in." Jordan nodded, her and Mollie following Lynn into the house as she approached the stairs. "Hey, Lincoln! Get down here!"

The girls could hear footsteps following the shutting of a door, after which Lincoln eventually appeared at the top of the stairs and began to descend them. When he saw Jordan, who gave him a weak smile, he paused halfway up. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice not being accusatory but not happy either.

"Well, I wanted to… to apologise," Jordan managed to get out, feeling the butterflies in her stomach return tenfold. She then pulled her hands out from behind her back, revealing two Flippees— one blue and red, one red and green, "I, uh, got you a Flippee. I couldn't remember whether you preferred Watermelon Lime or Cherry Blue, so…" She held them out in front of him. "Take your pick."

"Thanks." He accepted the red and green Flippee, taking a sip from the cup before giving a sigh. "Listen, you didn't need to come here and apologise."

"Yes, I did. I… I mean…" She looked over to Mollie, who gestured for her to keep going, to which she nodded before returning her attention to the boy. "I'm sorry about what I said yesterday. I was feeling irritated, and I took it out on you, which I shouldn't have."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not okay!" Her frown deepened as her mind recalled what she had said. "Lincoln, you didn't mean to make those mistakes, so the last thing you needed was me being a… a jerk to you. You've already had to put up with one jerk, you didn't need another one."

"… I won't lie, it… it did hurt to hear it come from you." Her face sunk even more, but she didn't get the chance to say anything, as he spoke again. "But it hurt more when I realised that you were right."

"Wait, what?" Mollie blurted out. "Lincoln, what are you talking about?"

"Yeah, bro, you're not making sense," Lynn agreed, but her brother shook his head.

"If I'm not going to get it right, then there's no point. We're five days away from the showcase, and I just can't seem to get it right. I was worried that I wouldn't be ready—"

"Stop it."

"And I'm not! I don't think I'm going to be ready in time."

"Stop it!"

"I wish I was, but I just don't think that—"

"STOP IT!" He turned to Jordan, her third outburst being the one to get through to him. Her hand was shaking, the Flippee threatening to spill over, while her other hand was clenched in a fist. Looking up to her face, he saw that it was red, and her eyes were on the verge of tears. "Just stop talking about yourself like that! You know I hate hearing you talk like that!"

"But… but you know it's true."

"No, it's not!" She handed her Flippee to Mollie before walking up to the white haired boy, putting her hands on either shoulder and looking him in the eyes, his surprise meeting her shame. "What I said was wrong, and I wish so badly that I hadn't said it. Lincoln, you are so much better than you give yourself credit for. I know you don't feel ready, but you will be. I'm… I'm sorry that I…" She sniffled, the tears beginning to pour through. When she tried to wipe them away with the back of her hand, more replaced them. "I'm sorry I made you doubt that. You've been nothing but— but nice to me. You didn't deserve to… to…"

She stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and though her tears clouded her vision, she could see his gentle smile. "It's okay, Jordan." Though hearing those three simple words provided her with some relief, they also broke the dam, and the tears poured heavier as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She kept telling him she was sorry, over and over, while he held her close and gently patted her on the back, assuring her that it was okay. She calmed down after thirty seconds and pulled away from her friend, sniffling as she dried her eyes. "Better?"

"Y-Yeah." She felt her cheeks heat up at how caring he was being, in spite of how she had treated him. "B-But, why? I don't get it."

"Jordan, you didn't mean to hurt me, and it looks like you're hurting yourself more than anyone else. It'd be worse of me to let you feel like that. It's not like I've never made a mistake and asked for forgiveness. Heck, you could probably make a show out of my mistakes or something like that." She couldn't resist giggling at his joke, ignorant to the knowing glance that Mollie and Lynn shared. "Point is, I'm not going to hold this against you." His smile faded as he realised, "I probably didn't make things easier for you."

"None of that, Linc. I should have told you this sooner, and I'm sorry that I didn't."

"I forgive you."

She smiled again and pulled the boy back into another hug, one he happily returned. "You're too kind... but, thank you."

Neither moved until they heard a beeping, which came from Mollie's phone. "Hate to ruin the moment," she interrupted as she checked her message. "Mom's wondering when I'm gonna be home."

"Oh, right." Jordan pulled herself out of the embrace. "I'd better get going too."

"Okay. I'll, uh, talk to you later?" She nodded, sharing one last quick hug with him before she and Mollie left the Loud family household, waving to Lincoln as she left. He waved back, watching her walk down the street from the doorway, only closing the door when they were out of sight. With a content sigh, he turned to Lynn, not even phased by her grin. "Alright, Lynn. Are we working out or not?"

"Hey, whenever you're ready," she told him. He walked over to his mat as she grabbed the remote, but before she pressed anything, she looked to her brother. "You know… she'd be lucky to go out with you."

This brought a sudden blush to his face. "Y-You think?" She nodded, not saying another word as she started up the yoga video, which left him with one thought on his mind. 'I hope so.'