Chapter 66: 66. Ch 66- More Stress, Focus Less
A couple days passed, and Lincoln found himself walking towards the sports centre with his friends once again. After another day of school, he was glad to be able to do gymnastics again- partly because he had really grown to enjoy the sport, but partly because it meant he didn't have to go home straight away. Things were still tense at home, and although it hadn't gotten worse, the general mood between him and his sisters was hard to ignore. He had noticed how some of the girls seemed nervous around him, some acting like they wanted to say something but deciding not to. Either way, no one brought up what had been said on Tuesday, and apart from the occasional sentences at the dining or table or if they bumped into him by the bathroom, the girls more or less left him alone. He didn't mind the peace, but he also felt that the house felt quieter, in a way that unsettled him.
As the group walked towards the sports centre, Jordan looked over whilst chatting to Mollie, noticing that the Loud boy hadn't said much in a while and seemed to be deep in thought. "Lincoln?" she asked, snapping him out of his trance. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he told her, giving her a smile to reassure her, though she wasn't convinced.
"Are you sure? You seem kind of distracted."
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine."
"You do know that when someone says they're fine, they're usually not, right?" Joy pointed out, an edge of snark in her voice.
"Not to mention, if Jordan starts worrying about something, she'll worry about it no matter what you say," Kat then added, causing the girl in question to develop a light blush.
"What are you talking about? I don't get like that!"
Some of the girls scoffed. "Yeah, you do, Jordan," Mollie quickly argued. "Remember that time you saw a caterpillar that had crawled into Ajax's food bowl? You called the vet because you were worried he'd die from eating something, and he hadn't even eaten anything. Apart from your dad's bacon, that is."
This got the group laughing, with Lincoln also struggling to hold back chuckles, only adding to the Rosato girl's embarrassment. "I took the necessary precaution! You can't tell me you wouldn't have been worried if it was you!"
"Yeah, but that doesn't explain why you wouldn't let go of him for an hour after the vet said he was okay."
"I was scared!"
"To be fair," Lincoln intervened, "I know that Lana would be pretty scared if that happened to any of her pets, and we all love our family pets. We'd probably be pretty upset if we thought one of them got sick."
"See?! At least Lincoln understands!" The others simply laughed more, making her pout grumpily. "Whatever."
"Come on, we're just messing with you, Jordan," Artie conceded. "Don't take it so seriously."
"If it helps," Lincoln then offered, "I appreciate you being concerned about me."
This got her to stop pouting and smile at him. "Lincoln, you're my friend. Of course I'm gonna be concerned."
"Just a friend?" Mollie whispered to the Rosato girl, who responded with a sharp jab of her elbow. "Ow, okay! Okay!" She rubbed her arm where the girl had connected. "Geez, you need to take a joke."
"Be glad I didn't use a punchline."
Lincoln noticed the two girls talking, but didn't call them out on it. He simply chose to talk with his friends the rest of the way to the sports centre, still eager for what was to come. It didn't take them long before they arrived at the sports centre. After going inside and giving their training fees to Chris, they went into the respective changing rooms so they could get ready for training.
"Do Mollie and Jordan always argue like that?" Lincoln asked, trading his polo shirt for a white workout tank top.
Artie chuckled. "You've been hanging out with us for about two months, and you're only just noticing this?" he quipped, getting Lincoln to chuckle as well. "Seriously, though, it's rare that I see them having a real argument. It's just their way of being friendly with each other, you know? I'm like that with Lance and Trent at times. Not every friendship is like 'Clincoln McLoud'. Still can't believe you call yourselves that, by the way."
"Yeah, I hear you, though it's not like me and Clyde haven't had arguments before. Just… very rarely."
"Yeah, you're not really the argumentative type. You tend to get on well with most people… except for Markus."
Lincoln scowled slightly at the thought. "Yeah… wish he could get over what happened and leave me alone, but I doubt that's ever gonna happen. He's just going to find new reasons to be a jerk."
Artie nodded, putting his arms through the correct holes of his leotard. "Yeah, Markus has always had his head up his ass. Still, I know the others will back you up if he tries to bother you again. I know that if he was in our class, Jordan would probably kick his ass in gym class for that time he punched you."
This got Lincoln chuckling again. "Yeah, probably. Still, I'd rather she didn't get hurt because of me."
"Yeah, I noticed." Lincoln looked at him, slightly confused by what he meant. "I'm probably not the first to ask this, but what's the deal between you two?"
"Honestly, if I had a dollar for everyone who asked me that, I could get a sweet gaming computer." Artie laughed at the joke, but didn't interrupt so Lincoln could answer. "The short answer is that Jordan's my friend. We've definitely grown closer since I started coming here, but it hasn't become anything like that."
"Okay," the other boy conceded with a nod, "I can respect that. Still, since it's just us two here, you can tell me: do you think she's pretty?"
A light blush spread across Lincoln's face, and though that was answer enough for his friend, he told him, "w-well, I'd be lying to say I didn't think that. J-Just don't tell her I said that. I don't want to make things awkward."
The brown haired boy gave a grin. "Don't worry, man. I've got you, your secret's safe with me."
"Thanks."
"Alright, everybody!" Chris declared, now that they had finished their warm up and initial stretches. "We're gonna get started on the vaults today, so let's not waste any time. Head on over and I'll walk you through what we're doing today." The kids made no hesitation, walking over to the start of the vault track and waiting as Chris grabbed his clipboard before rejoining them. "Okay, today, what I'm going to teach you is a piked vault with a forward rotation. For some of you, this will be your first time doing a forward rotation, so there are a couple of things you need to do to keep safe. It's all about making sure you land right, so we're going to start by doing three quarter rotations, landing flat on our backs. Artie, Sadie, Joy, would you mind grabbing another crash mat for me?"
The three sixth graders nodded, walking over to the wall where the spare crash mats were, taking one and lifting it up to carry it over. They placed it on the other side of the vault horse before rejoining the group. "Thank you. Now, I'm gonna demonstrate how to do this, so stand next to the landing mat and pay close attention." The kids all did as he instructed and watched as he stopped at the start of the track, then began to run down it, picking up speed until he jumped off of the pad and leapt at the horse, pressing his palms flat against it to flip himself so he landed flat on his back on the mat with his arms spread out wide. A second after, he got back to his feet and walked over to the others. "There you go. Now, there are three things you've got to remember if you're going to do a flip. Anyone want to guess?"
One of the younger girls raised her hand and asked, "arms out wide?"
"That's right, Lizzy. You put your arms out wide with your palms down to create a bigger surface area and spread the impact on your body. In other words, it softens the landing. So, anyone want to guess for the other two?" He looked around and saw that Lincoln looked like he had an answer. "Lincoln? Any guesses?"
"Uh… you tucked your chin in, right?"
"Correct. If you keep your chin tucked, then you reduce the chance of your head whipping back. The floor might be padded, but that can still hurt, and you don't want to get a concussion. So, who knows the last one?" He waited to see if any of the newer kids had an answer, and when none of them did, he turned to Artie. "You know, right, Artie?"
He nodded before answering, "don't overthink it."
"Exactly. That's the most important thing to remember. If you think too much, then you might doubt yourself, and that's how you mess up, which could lead to you getting hurt. I always say that we're here to have fun, but we need to be safe first. When you're about to go, collect yourself first and then don't hesitate when you make your run." He clapped his hands together as he then told the kids, "okay. Now you know what to do, let's give it a go. Who wants to go first?"
After another of the younger girls volunteered, they all made their way to the start of the track, standing on the side so they could watch as they took their turn to run the track and flip off the vault horse like Chris had shown them. Lincoln paid close attention as his friends went down the track and completed the flip, until he heard Chris call him up to take a turn. He stepped onto the track and faced the vault, taking a deep breath, closing his eyes as he heard… laughing. The same laughter his sisters made when he first told them that he was doing gymnastics. His lips curled into a scowl, parting to show his grit teeth as the memory came to the foreground of his thoughts, taunting him. He shook his head to clear those thoughts, taking another deep breath to steady himself.
When he opened his eyes and saw that Mollie had cleared the crash mat, he took off running. He picked up speed as he neared the springboard. Once he was close enough, he leapt forward, planting his feet on the springboard and using it to launch himself up. He placed his hands out in front of him and placed his palms on the horse, but his right hand slipped, causing him to go chest first into it, taking the wind from his lungs and causing the others to give a resounding "Ooh" as he slid off it. He landed on his feet, though his hands went straight to his chest as his scowl returned.
"You okay, Lincoln?" Chris asked, heading over to check on the boy.
"Y-yeah," Lincoln groaned, slight anger in his voice. "I just slipped a little."
"You sure?" Seeing the white haired boy nod, he nodded back. "Alright. Head over to the others, you can try again in a minute or so."
"Okay." Lincoln did as he was told, walking over to Jordan who was looking at him with concern in her eyes, so he gave her a small smile. "Don't worry. Mistakes happen, I'll be fine." She smiled back, before Chris called her up to take her go. Once she began running down the track, he let his smile drop. 'It's okay, Lincoln. It's just one mistake.'
Unfortunately for the boy, that one mistake was just the start of a good few for the boy. He was able to get the landing right the second time, but then Chris instructed them to go for the full flip, and the mistakes began to rile him up. Sometimes he wasn't getting the full rotation, meaning he landed on his back, and sometimes he simply couldn't stick the landing on his feet. Either way, he felt himself getting angrier, and though he was able to hide it, he knew he didn't feel fully focused.
Little did he know, he wasn't the only who knew that. As the last kid completed their piked flip vault, Chris clapped his hands together. "Okay, everyone! Good work so far! We're gonna take five minutes before we do more work on the beam. Catch a breather, get something to drink, and then we'll continue." As the kids began to talk with each other, Chris went over to Lincoln and put a hand on his upper back. "Hey, can I talk with you for a minute?"
"Uh, sure, Chris," he replied, following the instructor out of the gymnastics hall and into the corridor.
"So, are you doing okay? You've seemed kind of distracted today."
"I… yeah, I have. I don't really want to talk about it, though. Family stuff."
"I see…" He knew that he needed to tell the boy something to help settle his thoughts, and when he thought back to what the boy's mother said when he first met her, he knew what to say. "Let me tell you something, Lincoln. When I first started gymnastics, my mother was really proud of me. Being a gymnast herself, she saw it as me following in her footsteps, and she was happy to teach me what she could. When my friends first found out… they weren't as supportive. They thought it was weird that I was doing a sport like that, and that I was stupid for liking it. I let them know that I wasn't happy with that, and said if they were my real friends, then they'd be happy for me for finding something I enjoyed."
"Really? So… what happened?"
"Well, we didn't speak for a few days. I'd made some new friends at gymnastics who helped me to deal with it, and I sat by myself during school. Then, one day, there's a knock at the door, and I see my friends. They told me they were sorry about what they said, and that they would try to be more understanding. We talked things out, and we made up. Sure, there were a couple of people at school who still joked, but my friends backed me up, and I stopped letting them get to me." He put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "What I'm trying to say, is that the people that care about you will show that they care, even if they need to realise their mistake first. You'll see."
"How did you…" He didn't need to finish that sentence, as Chris just gave a knowing grin. Slowly, Lincoln smiled. "Thanks, Chris."
"No problem, buddy. Now, I know this is something you don't want to have to deal with, but make sure you don't let it get to you too much. Need to keep safe, you know?" The boy nodded. "Alright. Now, go get some water before we start again."
"Okay."
So, Lincoln made his way back into the gymnastics hall, walking over to the benches where his friends were sat. He grabbed his water bottle from next to Artie before sitting down beside him, taking a drink to refresh himself.
"So, what did Chris want to talk about?" his friend asked him.
"It was nothing," Lincoln dismissed. "He just wanted to see if I was okay. I told him I am."
"Are you sure?" He heard Jordan ask. "You took a rough bump earlier."
"Jordan, seriously, I'm alright."
"You're gonna keep telling me you're fine, even if you aren't, right?"
"Probably."
She couldn't resist laughing at his blunt response. "Okay, fine. I'll stop pestering you."
"You don't have to stop, just don't expect my answer to change."
Her eyes rolled. "Fair enough."
Lincoln relaxed for a couple of minutes before practice resumed. The Loud was able to put his home issues aside and focus on practice, making little mistakes but managing not to get angry like before. He was able to keep his head clear and do okay, while still having fun for the remainder of the session. After they were done on the beam, they did some more stretches before the session reached its end and the kids were able to go home. Lincoln quickly got changed and made his way outside with Jordan, where his mother was waiting for him. They got into the van and were driven off, eventually reaching the Rosato house.
"So, I guess I'll see you at school," Jordan told the boy as she undid her seatbelt.
"Okay," he replied. "Are we still doing our project at your house after school tomorrow?"
"Yeah. We've almost finished, so it shouldn't take us too long." She opened the door and turned to the woman driving. "Thanks for the ride, Mrs Loud."
"You're welcome, Jordan," Rita said to her as the girl stepped out of the van and closed the door, waving whilst the Louds drove off. The van was quiet for a couple of minutes before his mother spoke again. "So, Lincoln. I know you told me you didn't want to do anything with regards to your sisters. Is everything okay now?"
He sighed. "Not yet. Lisa tried talking to me, but I don't think she understands why I was annoyed. The others… well, I think some of them are avoiding me."
The mother frowned, having hoped her children would work it out by now. "Lincoln, are you sure you don't want me to talk to them?"
"I'm sure, Mom. Besides, I think Lynn already said something to them."
"Is there a reason you don't want me to talk to them?" He didn't answer straight away, and a look in her rear view mirror let her see the somewhat guilty expression on his face. "It's okay, Lincoln. You can tell me, I won't be mad."
"Well… I guess I just… don't want them to apologise just because you said so."
"I see. You want to be sure that they mean it when they tell you that they're so."
"Is that wrong?"
She shook her head, turning onto their street. "It's not wrong, Lincoln. I think that's a fair thing to want. Just make sure you're giving the girls a chance, alright? Don't shut them out."
"I won't, Mom."
She smiled as she began to park Vanzilla. "I know you won't." The car slowly slowed to a stop in the garage, the mother turning off the engine and taking out the key. "Your father should be getting dinner ready still, so go on and relax before he tells you to come down."
"Thanks, Mom." He got out of the car and made his way into the house through the front door, entering the living room, where he saw Lynn and Lana sat on the couch and watching TV. When he closed the door, Lana saw him and gave a smile, getting up and walking over to him.
"Hey, Lincoln!" she greeted.
"Hey, Lana," he greeted back, raising an eyebrow. "What's up?"
"Well, Charles needs to go on a walk after dinner, but dad won't let me walk him alone. Could you walk him with me?"
"Sorry, Lana. I'm kind of tired after practice, so I think I'm just gonna relax after dinner. I'm sure one of the others will walk him with you."
"Oh… okay."
She frowned as he walked upstairs, giving a sigh as she sat back down on the couch. "Hey, I'll walk him with you," Lynn offered.
"Thanks."
The athlete heard her younger sister's disappointed tone and turned to her. "What's wrong?"
"I was hoping Lincoln would walk Charles with me."
"Why were you… oh, I get it. Come here, grease monkey." She shuffled towards the younger girl and pulled her into a side hug. "He doesn't hate you, he's just unhappy with what happened. Plus, you heard him, he's tired. He'll hear you out if you try and talk to him another time. You've just got to pick a better time, that's all."
Lana hugged Lynn back, but her frown remained. "I hope so…"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone