105. Ch 105- One Last Training Session

The lunch bell rang in the middle school, much to Lynn's relief. 'How anyone stays awake in Snoozen's class, I'll never understand,' she pondered, cramming her things into her bag. She made a brief note of the assignment the chemistry teacher had written on the whiteboard, before quickly stepping out of the classroom. Seeing Margo at one of the lockers up ahead, she made her way over to her bestie. "Thank God it's lunch," she lamented, to which Margo gave a smirk.

"Dr Snoozen's class?" Lynn nodded at her question. "Yeah, I'm glad I got Ms Calhoun. She at least makes it interesting."

"Well, here's hoping I get someone better next year. I don't know how much of his droning I can take. I'd rather do golf with Lori."

Margo rolled her eyes. "Lynn, golf is still a sport. You'd take any sport over his classes."

"Okay, put it this way. I'd rather do anything but his lessons." Her friend gave a chuckle as they began walking towards the cafeteria. "Ah, well, it's over now. Time to get some food, am I right?"

"Yeah, you're right." They quickly entered the mess hall, which was quickly filling with hungry middle schoolers. Walking around the tables, they found their way to the back of the queue, where they saw Paula stepping along, allowing them to get to the trays. "Hey, Paula."

The blonde turned to her friends and smiled. "Hey, girls," she greeted, shuffling her crutches enough for them to stand next to her.

"So, any idea what the mystery meat is this week?"

"Not really, though from what I can see, it's not as bad as last week." Her cheeks turned slightly green at the thought of the meal from a week prior. "I nearly got food poisoning from that fish."

"Yeah, glad I had a packed lunch last week," Lynn agreed as they moved along, allowing the lunch ladies to scoop some vegetables onto their trays. "Would've sucked if I couldn't help my bro at practice."

"Oh, yeah, his showcase," Margo remembered. "That's tomorrow, right?" The Loud girl nodded. "How's everything going with that?"

"Pretty good. He's got a few first time nerves about it, but I think he's going to nail it."

"Well, it should be good to see. I've never been to a gymnastics showcase before."

"Me neither. I only know about this stuff from—" She paused when she realised what Margo had actually said, turning to her with a surprised expression on her face. "You're gonna be watching?"

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Kathleen's gonna take me, since my parents have to work."

"Kathleen's coming too?! Aww, man, Linc's gonna love that!" Her friend gave a small grin, raising an eyebrow at the brunette. "And, he'll be happy to see you there too, I'm sure."

Margo chuckled. "Well, I hope he has a good time with it. Your brother's pretty cool, and if you've been coaching him, I'm sure it's gonna be awesome."

"I wish I could be there," Paula then told her, "but I have to visit some of my family."

"No sweat, Paula," Lynn dismissed. They moved up to the front of the queue, where the lunch lady placed a piece of meat on their tray with some gravy, the scent of which making her grin. "Ah, good old beef. Can't go wrong with it." So, they grabbed a drink and a yogurt from the end of the counter, then made their way through the hall to one of the empty tables, setting their trays down before sitting on the adjoining benches. "So, yeah, tomorrow's gonna be pretty great."

"Well, given how much you've been helping your brother and his friends, I can imagine it will."

Lynn smiled with pride. "Too right. And yeah, I know he said he's got some jitters, but he's pretty excited about it."

"You seem pretty excited about it too," Paula pointed out. "You've been talking about it all week."

"I have?" Seeing both of her friends nod, she shrugged. "Hadn't really noticed."

"Well, we have," Margo argued. "You've been enjoying it, haven't you?"

"Of course I have. Don't get me wrong, I doubt you'd ever see me doing anything that he does at his practice… well, maybe I'd give the rings ago. Those are pretty cool." Her friends shared a small giggle, to which she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, as I was saying, it's not something I could see myself taking up, but it's been a good experience to help out. Lincoln and the others are passionate about it, and they've really pulled through. Can't help but feel proud about that."

"Hey, Lynn!" she heard a guy call out from behind her, so she turned around in her seat. Looking at the table behind her, she saw a boy and girl in her grade smiling at her— the boy was an athletic blonde with fair skin, wearing a blue varsity jacket with yellow sleeves, a pink t-shirt, grey jeans, white sneakers and a blue baseball cap worn backwards; the girl had long black hair and tan skin, and wore a green turtleneck sweater with a yellow star, a blue plaid skirt and brown boots.

"Oh, hey, Byron. Hey, Cici. What's up?"

"We heard about that gymnastics showcase your brother's doing," Cici explained. "Is it a friends and family thing only, or would be allowed to come and watch?"

Though surprised to hear this, Lynn's smile perked up. "Yeah, you two can come watch, sure. Not gonna lie, didn't take either of you as fans of gymnastics."

"Well, we're not exactly," Byron corrected, "but we've heard a lot of people around town talking about it. Plus, your brother's pretty cool, so it sounds like it would be fun to watch."

"Plus, after seeing that video from a couple of weeks ago, I'm sure he'd appreciate all the support he can get," Cici added.

"Still, it takes a lot of guts to stand up to a bully like that. Your bro's a good kid."

"And that girl's lucky to have a boyfriend like him."

"Actually, Cici," Lynn pointed out, "they're just friends. They're not dating or anything."

"Yet!" Margo interrupted, to which Lynn shook her head at her bestie.

"Well, either way, he's got our respect," Byron affirmed, with the tan girl nodding as well.

"Thanks. I'll let him know you're coming."

The two of them nodded before returning to their meal, allowing Lynn to turn back to her friends. "Looks like your brother's got a few fans," Paula remarked.

"Sure does, don't he? This showcase is gonna be epic."

The sound of the bell ringing brought relief to students throughout the elementary school. As soon as the teachers would let them, they left their classrooms, gathered their things and made their way to the exit. Lincoln was among them, though he knew Lynn would be coming to train with him, so he had no such urgency in his exit. He simply sauntered towards his locker, where his friends were all waiting for him.

Clyde was the first to notice the white haired boy, so he smiled. "Lincoln!" he greeted, alerting the others to the Loud boy's arrival. "There you are."

"What are you guys still doing here?" Lincoln asked.

"We wanted to wish you luck for tomorrow," Zach explained.

"Yeah, we figured that—"

"We figured?" Liam questioned, interrupting the taller ginger boy, who sighed.

"Okay, these guys figured we wouldn't have the chance to speak to you before the showcase starts, so we wanted to say it now."

"Again, we?"

"Come on, stop dragging me down, Liam!"

Stella rolled her eyes at the antics of her friends, before returning her attention to her friend. "Either way, good luck tomorrow, but I don't think you'll need luck. You're going to do great, and we're all going to be there to support you."

"Thanks, Stella," Lincoln told her, then shifting his focus to the group. "All of you. I really appreciate you doing this."

"Ah, it's nothing," Liam insisted. "We know that you'd be there for us if the shoe was on the other foot."

"Well, it still means a lot to me. I couldn't have picked better friends." He then noticed that Clyde was beginning to tear up, so he grinned. "Come here." No further words needed, Clyde embraced his friend, which turned into all of them sharing a group hug. The smile that spread across Lincoln's face said more than words ever could, but he didn't need to give words. He simply embraced them for those few moments before they all let go. "Thanks."

"No problem, Lincoln," Clyde assured, wiping away his tears. "We'll see you at the showcase."

"See you, Lincoln!" Rusty called as the group dispersed, leaving Lincoln by his locker as he waved them off, unaware of who was approaching him from behind.

"So, they're going to be there on Saturday?" Jordan asked, to which Lincoln nodded. "That's nice of them."

"Yeah, it'll be good to see some familiar faces in the crowd."

"True, but I think you'll have a bigger cheering section than the rest of us combined."

He rolled his eyes at her joke. "Ten sisters, two parents and five friends is not that many. Besides, it's not about how many are going to be there, but the fact they're going to be there to support us."

"Indeed, oh wise one," she teased by giving a bow with her hands in prayer, making him sigh, which in turn made her giggle. "Come on, before your sister makes you drop and give her twenty for being late."

"Right." So, after gathering his things, the two made their way out of the school, where Vanzilla was not yet in sight, leaving them to walk over to where Lincoln's younger sisters stood on the sidewalk. "So, are you walking home again?"

"Actually, Jen said her friend would pick me up. I forget which one, though."

"Is it the one that wears a light blue shirt and a purple cardigan?" She nodded. "I think that's Jessie."

"Wow! Either you've got good memory, or…"

Seeing the mischievous glint form in her eyes, he rolled his eyes. "Please don't say what I think you're about to say."

She giggled at his bashfulness. "Alright, alright. I guess it is a bit hypocritical of me, given what others have said about..." She looked away to hide her forming blush. "You know. Still, I didn't think you'd be someone who noticed fashion that much."

"Well, growing up with Leni and Lola, it's kind of something I just picked up."

"I can imagine you picked up a lot of things from your sisters."

"More than I'd like to admit." Once again, she giggled, which made him smile a bit more. "Still, I wouldn't say they're the only ones I've managed to pick stuff up from."

"Oh, yeah? Who else has managed to rub off on you, huh?" He raised an eyebrow at her, saying nothing for a couple of seconds before she got the message. "Wait… me?"

"Yeah. You've really helped me a lot these past few months, so it's not exactly surprising that…" He stopped himself. One look behind the Rosato girl revealed that his sisters were looking at him with big grins on their faces, making his expression deadpan. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, don't mind us, Linky!" Lola insisted.

"Yeah, just pretend we're not here!" Lana agreed, with Lisa and Lucy simply nodding along.

"Ugh…" He turned to Jordan again and told her, "sorry about them."

"Actually… I kind of want to know." He was surprised to hear this, but more surprised when he thought he saw the blush return to her cheeks. "I-If you don't mind, that is."

It was now his turn to blush, both from seeing her blush and from being put on the spot by his sisters. "Umm… w-well, where do I start?" He stuttered for a few more seconds, trying to find something to say that wouldn't give away what he really wanted to tell her, before he saw a familiar vehicle approaching. "Oh, uh, look! Lori's here!"

Though she was disappointed to not hear what he was going to say, she decided to let him off, especially since it was kind of cute how he panicked. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Linc."

"Yeah. I'll see you at the sports centre." He then walked over to Vanzilla, waiting as the younger sisters got into the van whilst Lynn climbed out. "So, you ready to run?"

"One sec, bro," Lynn told him, walking past to approach her brother's friend. "Hey, Jordan!"

"Hey, Lynn. What's up?"

"Me and Lincoln are about to go for a free run. Fancy joining us?"

Both Lincoln and Jordan's eyes went wide upon hearing the offer the brunette made. "R-Really?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"I thought that was something you only did with your brother."

"Eh, not really. Besides, I figured it would be a good way to get hyped for tomorrow, you know? Get a good workout to help you sleep better. I'm sure Lincoln wouldn't mind you joining us."

"N-No!" he blurted out upon hearing his mind, then quickly realised what that sounded like. "I-I mean, no, I wouldn't mind."

"See? So, what do you say? You in?"

Jordan took a few seconds, contemplating the offer, before a smile appeared on her face once more. "Sure, that sounds like fun." She then saw her sister being driven towards them in her friend's car. "Just let me tell my sister first, okay?"

"No problem."

Jordan nodded back to the older girl before approaching her sister, leaving Lynn to turn to her brother, who was looking at her questioningly. "Not that I mind, but how come you invited Jordan?"

"Figured it would be an extra motivator for you," she bluntly answered, his flustered reaction making her laugh. "Nah, I'm messing with you, Linc. I figured it would be a chance to talk with her about the showcase before tomorrow. She might not be my sister, but with how much she's helped you, she's close enough to being one."

"That's… that's really nice of you, Lynn."

"Yeah, yeah, save the mushy stuff." He chuckled at her tomboyish attitude before seeing Jordan walk back over. "Okay, ready to go?" Seeing the two sixth graders nod back, she grinned. "Then you'd better keep up!"

Though she was surprised at how quickly Lynn took off with Lincoln in tow, she didn't let the Louds get too far ahead of her as she began running after them, heading across town to the skatepark on the Westside of town. It took them a good ten minutes to get there, and although it was her first time exercising with the sporty Loud sister, Jordan was less out of breath than Lincoln by the time they got there, something that Lynn didn't hesitate to make a quick quip about. Once they were ready to go again, they then spent the next half an hour at the skatepark doing parkour in whatever way they could, with Lynn leading the pack once again and coaching them on their technoque. Jordan once again kept up with both Louds throughout whatever they did, until eventually the middle schooler had decided that they had done enough.

They sat together on a bench as they regained their strength, with Lincoln sat between his sister and his friend. "That was… intense," he breathily told his sister. "Did you… need to amp it up… quite that much?"

The brunette scoffed, not feeling any of the exhaustion the two younger kids were feeling. "Hey, got to tire you out so you'll rest easy tonight. Better you sleep, better you perform."

"She's got a point," Jordan agreed.

"Yeah, I know… but I'd like to actually be able to move when I wake up." Both girls shared a laugh at the remark, making him smirk. "Still, I'm surprised you're not as tired as I am."

"Well, I've always been quite sporty, so I guess I'm just more active."

"Trust me, being active doesn't mean sporty. How do you think I survive in my house?"

Jordan laughed harder this time, whereas Lynn simply shook her head. "Trust me, bro. It's the same for the rest of us."

"Trust me, Lynn. It's not."

She rolled her eyes, and in doing so, she saw a nearbyvending machine. "Hey, Lincoln? You mind getting us some waters?"

"Huh?" He looked where his sister pointed, then gave a shrug. "Sure. Do you have any cash on you?"

"Right here, bro." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a few bills, which she gave to her brother. She then saw Jordan reaching into her own bag, but Lynn shook her head at her. "Keep your money, Jordan. It's on me."

"Oh! Thanks, Lynn!"

"No problem."

"Alright, I'll be back in a second," Lincoln told them, before beginning to walk away.

"Take your time, bro!" Lynn beckoned, waiting for him to be far enough away before turning to the other girl. "So, now we're alone, talk to me. How are you feeling about tomorrow?"

Jordan blinked out of surprise. "Where is this coming from?"

"Well, with how much you've done to help my bro get ready, I figured it was only fair that I'd check if you're ready, too."

"I see. Well, for the most part, I'm feeling okay. A bit nervous, since it's my first showcase, but I think I'm ready."

Lynn's brow furrowed slightly, catching a slight hint of doubt behind that sentence. "You think so?"

"Yeah, well…" She looked in the direction Lincoln had left, before saying in a slightly more hushed tone, "I'm a little worried about Lincoln. I know he can do it, but… I just don't want him to get overwhelmed by everything."

Hearing this, Lynn smiled and placed a hand on Jordan's shoulder. "Don't worry, Jordan. You're all gonna do amazing, and as long as you're there with him, Lincoln's gonna pull through. I know it."

The younger girl's smile perked shyly, her right hand moving to rub the back of her other arm. "I hope so. Lincoln's done a lot for us, and without him, this showcase wouldn't even be happening."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short. If anything, you've done more for my brother than he has for you."

"You think?"

"Trust me, I'm his sister. Ever since you invited him to do gymnastics, he's been so much happier, and I think that's more down to you than to gymnastics itself."

Jordan felt her cheeks begin to heat up again, her head ducking to hide it. "I-I wouldn't say that."

Lynn's smirk only grew. "Oh, yeah? You two and the others do gymnastics three times a week, yet you see him every day at school, you're often texting or talking to each other, you're hanging out a lot. Plus, the way you two act around each other, it's clear that you two are close."

Her blush grew as she sent a slightly stern glare to the older girl. "Lynn, you know we're not dating, right?"

"Yeah, I know that, and don't worry. I'm not gonna ask you if you like him like that, either." 'Though, I think I know the answer to that, anyway,' she mentally added with glee, before calming herself and looking the other girl dead in the eyes. "However, I am going to ask you something."

Jordan saw how Lynn's gaze became completely serious, catching her attention. "What is it?"

"No matter what happens tomorrow, I need you to promise me something. Promise me that, no matter what happens at the showcase, you're not gonna let this ruin what thou two have. My bro is very important to me, and I can tell he is to you too. Even if you can't do gymnastics together, don't let this ruin your friendship, because I don't want to see him get hurt like that."

The Rosato girl didn't hesitate to smile, putting her hand on Lynn's shoulder. "You don't need to ask that, because you're right. Lincoln is important to me, and I don't want to lose him as a friend over this. I'd miss him too much."

Hearing this, Lynn smiled before pulling her into a hug. "Thanks, Jordan."

"You too, Lynn," she replied, returning the gesture.

They didn't hold the hug for too long, a few seconds at most, and when they did release the embrace, they heard footsteps as Lincoln returned, carrying three bottles of water. "Okay, they only had still water," he told them, handing them the bottles. "Hope that's okay."

"It's fine, Linc," Lynn assured, whilst Jordan nodded. "What took you so long?"

"Hey, you said to take your time."

"Yeah, as in a couple of minutes, not an hour!"

The two then began to amicably bicker, much to Jordan's amusement. As she listened and watched them argue, she couldn't help but smile, particularly at the boy she had grown so close to. 'I promise.'