Stella, Ronnie Anne, and Clyde came to the Loud house to bring Lincoln his homework. Without hesitation, Stella leaped and hugged her boyfriend tightly as he hugged her back – Ronnie Anne and Clyde joined in instantly.
"You're alright?" Stella asked.
"For the most part. How about you guys?" Lincoln questioned.
"I think five or six of my nine lives are scared away after I saw you become the Crocodile Terminator," Ronnie Anne answered.
"The whole school is talking about you, Lincoln. First, you saved Leni from a runaway truck, and now you killed two alligators to save Lana. You must be a superhero," Clyde said.
Lincoln scoffed, "Yeah, right. I certainly got all the stress that superheroes go through."
"Yeah, I think you could use a vacation," Ronnie Anne said.
Lincoln's parents hadn't arrived home yet, and the four were in the dining room finishing homework. Stella held Lincoln's arm up to see the teeth marks from the little gator that bit him as he stabbed it with a screwdriver. She gently rubbed it with her thumb while giving a sad look. The others saw this as Lincoln held his girlfriend's hand and kissed it.
"Let's grab a burger after homework," Stella said.
"Sounds good to me. Maybe Lincoln can get us a free meal," Ronnie Anne said.
Lincoln frowned at that.
"Keyword – maybe."
It didn't take them long to finish their homework. Lincoln wore a grey hoodie to hide his white hair. They rode their bikes to the Burpin' Burger and got delicious grub. As they waited, Stella took this moment to ask what she wanted to ask, especially since it was quiet at the Burpin' Burger.
"So, I got a question for you two," Stella pointed to Clyde and Ronnie Anne sitting across from them.
They looked up at her.
"If the bad luck incident doesn't change and it happens, resulting in us calling the police and Lincoln has no family . . . how would you feel if one of you two adopted Lincoln?" Stella asked.
Everyone's eyes widened, and their jaws dropped.
"What?" Clyde and Ronnie Anne said simultaneously.
"One of them adopt me?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, I know you said a nice couple adopts you, but is it possible if either Clyde's dads or Ronnie Anne's family to adopt you?" Stella questioned.
"Why them?"
"Because you know them. You know their families. You trust them, and you feel safe around them. The couple that adopts may be nice, but they're still total strangers, and what if something happens and we're not around to help you? It could benefit you if Clyde or Ronnie Anne's family takes you in."
"I don't know. My mom is thinking of getting a job at Great Lake City and moving us into our relatives' apartment. It'd be a tight squeeze in there, and I doubt Lincoln wants to be in a big family again," Ronnie Anne stated and then turned to Lincoln, "It's not that we wouldn't want you to live with us. I'd love to have you in my family, but I think the last you want to share only one or two bathrooms with a bunch of relatives."
"You're not wrong there," Lincoln said, looking away.
"Hmm, my best friend as my stepbrother," Clyde hummed, "Not a bad idea."
Then the food arrived, and everyone chowed down. As they ate, Lincoln continued to think more about Stella's proposal. It wouldn't be a bad idea to be adopted by either Clyde's family or Ronnie Anne's. They're both his best friends, so living with them wouldn't be hard at all. Plus, Stella is right about them making him feel safe, which is more than what he could say about his own family.
"Wait, hold up," Clyde said.
Everyone stopped and looked at him.
"You saved Lana's life. Lincoln, that's two sisters you saved, and the future still doesn't change?"
Lincoln looked at the others before looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was seeing – the other three also looked to make the coast clear. Lincoln summoned a light orb and showed that it showed only Leni and Lana defending Lincoln from his family. Ronnie Anne, Clyde, and Stella studied the light orb to see what they witnessed.
"Okay, I was about to say if she didn't defend after that, then these people are really rotten to the core," Ronnie Anne said.
"Ronnie Anne!" Stella spoke.
"Sorry."
"Hold on. There's a solution. You save their lives, and they side with you," Clyde said.
Lincoln made the light orb disappear and breathed a heavy sigh. Ronnie Anne chuckled while Stella gave him a look that said, 'Really? Just really?'
"You want Lincoln to win his family over by saving each of their lives from danger?" Ronnie Anne asked, still chuckling.
"You call that a solution? You serious?" Stella added with a look of disbelief.
Clyde realizing his mistake, leaned back, "Well . . . oh, I don't know. You're right. It's probably a bad idea."
"No, no, no, let's do it. Let's put all his sisters in danger so Lincoln can save them so they'll side with him and not kick him out of his house. Yeah, that won't scar him for life," Ronnie Anne said sarcastically.
"I still think that there's a third option – a way to save and keep your family," Clyde said.
Lincoln shook his head, "You're missing the point, Clyde."
Everyone turned to him.
"Why should I have to prove myself to my own family? They're my family, my blood. When it comes to family, you shouldn't have to earn their love. If my family truly loved me, they wouldn't kick me out of my house, board up my room, or sell my furniture. Your dads wouldn't kick you out because they'd be afraid for your safety and well-being. That doesn't cross my family's minds because they don't care or love me, not really," Lincoln explained.
Lincoln's girlfriend and two best friends sat quietly as they listened.
"When it comes to things like child abandonment and neglect, there are kids like you three who can say, 'My family would never do that to me.' I am not one of those kids because my family would do those things to me. They would abandon me, they would neglect me, and they have. The point is that they would do these terrible things to me because they are capable of doing them. Your families wouldn't because they're incapable of being that bad to their own kin. Because they truly love you. Even if we prevent the bad luck incident, something else like it will happen. That's why I have to let them go."
Stella takes Lincoln's hand and clasps it tightly. Clyde let heavy while looking away in disappointment. God bless Clyde's good heart. He didn't want bad things to happen to anyone, even Lincoln's family.
"But there's still good in them, Lincoln, at least in your sisters. I hear what you're saying, but I still think they love you," Clyde said.
"Tell you what. When it happens, I'll try not to leave them hanging. I'll try to heal some of the wounds between us. We can't be a family again after the hammer comes down, but maybe we can be friends at arm's length," Lincoln offered.
"As long as they don't do anything harmful to Lincoln, I'm fine with it," Stella said.
"Yeah, but trust me. Some distance away from them will do wonders for you," Ronnie Anne said before finishing her burger.
Meanwhile
The Loud sisters were all in Lori and Leni's room for a sibling meeting.
"Okay, everyone's here. So, Lana, did you and Lincoln spend time together?" Lori asked.
"Oh yeah, Lincoln was real sweet. He brushed my hair," Lana said, moving her hair.
"Is that why you're not wearing your hat or have your hair in pigtails?" Lola asked.
"Yeah, I forgot how good it feels to have someone else brush your hair," Lana answered with a smile.
Lori sat on her bed.
"So, did Lincoln tell you anything? Anything that could help us know what's bothering him?" Lori asked.
Lana's smile slowly faded away as she scratched the back of her head.
"Well . . . Lincoln asked me if I like Mom and Dad. I said, despite what happened, I still love them, but he said, 'I didn't ask if you love them. I asked if you like them.' He explained how often, especially family members, love each other but don't like each other. They don't like who they are or what kind of people they are, which is why they rarely speak to each other," Lana explained.
"Hmm, this is unfortunately true. Many families drift apart as they get older. Usually, it's due to them finding their way in life in pursuit of careers and goals. However, many families among siblings don't see eye-to-eye as they age due to differences in points of view," Lisa added.
"Okay, but what happened after that? What did you and Lincoln say?" Luna asked.
"I told him, right now, I don't like Mom and Dad. Then I asked him if he likes Mom and Dad," Lana said.
"And what did he say?" Lynn questioned.
"He said he doesn't like them, and he doesn't love them . . . and he doesn't know if he ever will again," Lana answered, looking away with a depressed look.
Everyone had chills when those words hit their ears and sank in. They realized that their brother was becoming more cold and hard. They needed to act fast to connect to that happy boy they once knew.
"But-but, I asked him about us, his sisters, and he said he still likes and loves us," Lana said.
This brought a little life back into their eyes.
"Really?" Lola asked.
Lana nodded.
"So, there's still hope for us, but not Mom and Dad?" Luan asked.
"Correct, there's more to it that Lincoln is not telling us. We need to connect with him. Let him know that he still has a family that loves him. He's been through so much lately," Lori said.
"She's right. Linky needs us now more than ever," Leni agreed.
Lucy nodded. It was on the tip of her tongue to mention her deal with Lincoln that he would tell her what was happening. However, she knew the moment she opened her mouth about it, they'd be all over it, and Lincoln wouldn't feel comfortable telling her at all, knowing she couldn't keep a secret. Now wasn't a good time, but Lucy was determined not to waste a moment when it did come.