Capítulo 30: 30. Ch 30- In Need Of A Gift
(A/N: Hey, everyone. I know this is, like, the fifth chapter in a row where I've left one of these notes, though this time, it's quite important. Now, as some of you may or may not know, I also write for the Lion King fandom, specifically focusing on the Lion Guard series. Now, the third season has started, which will be the last season for the show, and the story of this season has caused me to change my plans for a story I want to write. Therefore, I have decided that I am going to be managing both this story and that one, which means uploads for this will be less frequent as a result. I hope that doesn't disappoint you guys too much- you've been so supportive for this, and I appreciate that so much. My plan for the moment is to upload a new chapter every three days and alternate between the two, until I have finished either that story or this one. At the moment, I imagine that story will be considerably shorter than this one, but if that plan changes, I'll let you know straight away.
Thank you for reading, and enjoy!)
The next morning, Lincoln was relaxing in his room after lunch. He had been in high spirits after the Halloween party, so after a shower and breakfast, he decided to take Lynn up on her offer and join her for some parkour training. She took her brother down to the skate park, where Lincoln had previously hung out with Ronnie Anne, and the two of them spent about an hour there, with Lynn pushing Lincoln to test his stamina. While he was completely wiped when he got back, he felt like it had been worth it, especially once he had gotten some lunch into his system.
As he sat in his room, munching a little bit on his share of Lola's trick or treat candy, he found himself messaging the rest of the 'Gal Pals' on his phone.
Mollie: honestly, Artie, I kinda hate you for that drink
Artie: hey, you wanted the challenge, and you lost, so you had to take the punishment
Jordan: Yeah, Mollie. Them's the rules
Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle, imagining that the brunette was probably pouting as she wrote this.
Mollie: Yeah, well, you got lucky, Lincoln. Next year, you're going down
Lincoln: I doubt I'll remember this next year, but sure. That way, I can hold two titles over you- cannonball champion and apple bobbing champion
Mollie: ha! Yeah, right. We all know that I'm still cannonball champ, 'undies'
He was glad this was a group chat and not a group call, because he was blushing furiously at the comment.
Lincoln: … sh-shut up…
Joy: remind me, how did that even happen?
Lincoln: I'd really rather not. Besides, no offence, Jordan, but if your dog hadn't ripped up my clothes, that would've been less embarrassing
Kat: but her dog is such a sweetie!
Sadie: maybe he senses evil
A few emojis were sent between them, an unamused emoji from Lincoln and laughing emojis from everyone else. He was about to write back, before he heard a series of loud sounds from outside his room.
Lincoln: I have to go, sounds like my sisters are up to something.
Jordan: see ya, Lincoln
He put his phone away in his pocket and got up from his bed, opening his door and stepping out onto the landing to see Luan dizzily staggering out of her room with a drum broken around her head. "You okay, Luan?" He asked, then sternly glared at her with crossed arms. "Are you and Luna fighting again?"
"She told me to beat it," she joked, with a laugh and a "get it?" As was expected by this point, he groaned at the joke. "Seriously, though, me and Luna are practicing for a comedy routine."
He saw Luna walk out of the room she shared with the comedienne, twirling drumsticks in her hands. "You're doing comedy?"
"Yeah, it's a thing for drama class," she explained. "Figured, with my music and her comedy, we'd be making the grade with ease."
Luan nodded to her brother. "We're doing a parody of a Bernie and Attillo sketch."
"Oh, right. Honestly, I kinda forgot we go back to school on Monday."
"Time sure does fly, bro."
"You're right about that. Well, I'll let you go back to rehearsing."
"Later, Lincoln!" As he walked away, the rocker turned to her sister. "Now, let's go again."
"Honestly, Luna, don't beat me over the head with it!"
Lincoln could hear the respective groans and laughter from the two as he reached his bedroom once more, but as he was about to close the door, his eyes widened a bit. 'Wait a minute,' he thought, pulling out his phone. Opening the calendar app, he flicked forward to Monday, and he gasped. 'Of course! Monday is Jordan's birthday! How did I not realise that before?' He put a hand to his chin and went into deeper thought. 'I wonder if I should get her something. After all, she and I have been getting on since she convinced me to try gymnastics, and it would be a nice thing to do… still, I wouldn't know what to get her.' He thought for a few more seconds, before he remembered something. 'Of course! Leni told me that Jordan was one of her favourite customers- maybe she'll know what she might like!'
So, with new resolve and a smile on his face, he left his bedroom once more and headed straight for the bedroom shared by the two eldest sisters, knocking on the door once he reached it. "Enter!" He heard Lori call in response, making him roll his eyes as he opened the door. Walking in, he saw Lori was lying on her bed with a magazine in her hands, but Leni was nowhere to be seen. "What do you want, twerp?"
"Do you know where Leni is?" He asked.
"She went to a friend's house to get started on some fashion project." Lowering her magazine, she saw her brother's face drop in disappointment. "Why, do you need her?"
"I, uh, had something I needed to ask her, but… guess I'll wait until she gets back. Thanks anyway."
As he started to walk away, Lori heard a voice in the back of her head telling her to come back. 'Dang it, big sister sense,' she thought with a sigh. "Lincoln, come back."
Hearing her, he walked back to the bedroom and poked his head in. "Yeah, Lori?"
She sat up and patted the spot next to her. "Sit." He obliged. "Now, I'm guessing since you're looking for Leni, it's something to do with fashion. I might not be as good as Leni, but I can probably still help you."
"Well," he explained, rubbing the back of his head, "it's not exactly to do with fashion. I mean, it might, but I'm not certain."
This only created more questions for the eldest Loud sibling. "What are you talking about?"
"See… it's like this- it's my friend's birthday on Monday, and I have no idea what to get them."
She nodded. "Okay. So, why were you going to ask Leni?" A smirk then appeared as she figured it out for herself. "You wouldn't be talking about Girl Jordan, would you?"
He nodded, lowering his head a little. "Yeah, it is. I was thinking Leni might be able to help me, since she said that Jordan was one of her favourite customers."
"The man with the plan, at it again, I see." She ruffled his hair, getting a small chuckle out of him. "Still, I think it's sweet that you want to get her something."
"Yeah, but it's no good if I can't think of anything she'd like."
"Well, you've come to the right person," she assured him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. "And I know just where to look."
The next day, the Loud siblings made their way into the mall once again. "Okay, everyone!" Lori declared. "You know the drill- be at the food court by twelve, and don't spend over your budget."
"RIGHT!" They all declared, before starting to go their separate ways.
"Luna, you sure you don't mind watching Lily this time?" Lori checked with the rocker.
"No problem, Lori," she assured her older sister. "Me and Lilybug are gonna have a rockin' time. Right, Lilybug?"
The infant gave a happy gargle of noises that they couldn't help but find adorable. "Alright. Well, we'll hopefully be done quick with what we need, so one of us will switch with you when we're done."
"You got it."
Lori nodded, before leading Lincoln and Leni away. "So, first of all, let's recap what we talked about yesterday. What are you not going to get her?"
"Comics or any nerd paraphernalia," Lincoln answered, rolling his eyes. "I get it, okay?"
"Good."
"So, why am I here?" Leni asked.
"Because you'll be able to help Lincoln tell what will go with her regular clothes and what won't."
Leni smiled happily. "Ooh! I can do that!"
"Seriously, girls, thank you," Lincoln told them. "I appreciate this."
"Aww, come here, Linky," Lori told him as she and Leni stopped to hug their brother, who hugged them back for a couple of seconds before they let go. "Now, come on. If there's anywhere in this mall that will have what you want, it's here."
Lincoln followed the girls as they led him into Reininger's, which was just as busy as ever. "So, what should we check first?"
"Well, I think we should start small and work our way up," Lori suggested. "Start with make up and accessories, then move onto jewellery, and after that we'll look at clothes."
Lincoln looked skeptical. "I dunno, Lori… I'm not sure if that's the kind of stuff Jordan would want."
"I've seen her checking stuff like that before," Leni pointed out. "I'm sure she'll, like, totes love it."
"Well… Okay. I'll trust you two on this."
Lori gave a comforting smile and patted him on the shoulder, saying "you're making the right decision," before leading him further in the store. The first idea they tried was makeup, but no matter what they showed him, Lincoln didn't think it was right to get her for her birthday. They then checked out the accessories and jewellery section, where Lori was confident that she had found a hair clip that Jordan would absolutely love, but Leni pointed out that when she tried to show Jordan that same hair clip one time, she had explained that her hair clip was quite special to her, and she didn't want to get another one.
After that idea fell through, Lori and Leni started looking through clothes and shoes that Lincoln could get her- shirts, skirts, dresses, jackets, boots, trainers, anything they could get their hands on- but that led to two different issues. The first of which was that, when Leni found a dress that she thought was perfect, she decided she wanted it for herself and went to buy one in her size, making Lori growl. Right after this, however, Lori came to a conclusion that provided the second issue.
"Wait," she told her brother, "maybe this isn't the right idea after all."
"You think so?" He asked.
"Yeah. If you get her a shirt, or a skirt, or a dress or something like that, she might think you don't like her clothes. If it was something that she wanted, then that might be different."
He frowned. "But, she's never said anything like that to me."
Her frown now mirrored his. "Exactly. Sorry, looks I wasted your time, Lincoln."
He shook his head. "Don't be. I really appreciate you helping me."
This made her smile return just a little. "Thanks, twerp."
"Okay, I'm done!" Leni said with a blissful smile as she returned, shopping bag with dress in hand. "Did you find anything?"
"No, and I think we'll be better looking somewhere else," Lori explained, then looked at her brother again. "Why don't you ask Luna if she can help? Maybe you can find a CD she'd like or something."
"It's worth a shot." So, they began to make their way towards the exit, but before they could leave, Lincoln's eye caught something. "Wait a minute… that's it!"
Lori and Leni watched in confusion as their brother rushed off back towards the centre of the store, giving each other a shrug before following after. Though they initially lost him, they found him after half a minute holding a blue scarf with a white star pattern. "What have you found, Linky?" Leni asked, prompting him to hold up the scarf. She placed a hand on it to feel the texture. "Ooh, that's soft!"
"Not to sound negative, because it does look like a nice scarf, but are you certain that she'll be happy with that?" Lori asked with a raised eyebrow.
Lincoln nodded. "When I saw it, I remembered her looking at it when we came to the mall weeks ago."
As Lincoln stood next to Jordan in the line for the checkout, they heard a voice call to them. "Hey Jordan! Check this out!" They turned to see Kat approaching the two, with Mollie close behind. "This is perfect for you!"
She held out the scarf, which Jordan took and smiled. "Oh, wow, that's beautiful!" She gushed, lifting it up and gently rubbing it against her cheek. "So soft…" When she took hold of the price tag, however, she frowned. "Oh, wait… that'll go over my budget." She looked back and forth between the red shirt that she had found with Lincoln's help, and the scarf Kat had just given her, before handing it back to her raven haired friend. "Thanks, Kat, but I think I'll just get the shirt."
"Okay. I'll go put it back, and then we'll meet you and Lincoln at the entrance."
"Okay."
"I remember she was a bit disappointed that she couldn't get it," he concluded.
Lori and Leni looked at each other, both with the same knowing smile, before looking back at Lincoln. "Then that's what you should get her," they said at the same time.
"You think so?" They both nodded, making him smile. "Alright. I'll go pay for it, then."
"You got enough, Lincoln?" Lori asked.
"Yeah, I brought a little extra just in case, but I don't think I'll need it."
"Alright." So, the three of them went to the checkout, where Lincoln paid for the scarf, with Leni insisting that he use her store discount to help pay for it, before leaving the store. "So, Lincoln, you should probably get her a card as well."
"Yeah, you're right. Plus, I don't know if there's any birthday paper left at the moment, so I might need some of that, or something to put it in."
"You two go and I'll switch with Luna," Leni offered.
"You sure, Leni?" He asked. "I can watch Lily after I've got this if you want."
She shook her head. "Go on. Besides, maybe I can take Lily to swim in the fountain."
Lori rolled her eyes as she told her sister, "you can't let Lily swim in the fountain or you'll get thrown out."
"Oh… ooh! Maybe I can introduce her to Fiona and Miguel!"
Lori gave a small chuckle as Leni walked away with the biggest smile on her face. "That's our Leni, can't stay down for too long."
"Wouldn't have her any other way," Lincoln added. "So, I forget, which way is the card store?"
"It's down this way." He nodded, before following his older sister. "So, Lincoln… that gift seems pretty important."
"Well, yeah. Jordan's my friend, and I want to get her something she'll really like, you know?"
"I know. I just didn't realise you were so close."
"Well, we-" He stopped walking, which Lori quickly noticed so she stopped as well and turned to face him, seeing the irritated look on his face. "Please tell me this isn't you trying to suggest I'm doing this to tell her I like her. I told you girls, we're just friends."
"Lincoln, no, I-" She saw the lack of belief in his eyes, so she just sighed. "Come here a second." She led him to the bench near the escalator, where they sat down. With her hands on her lap, she took a deep breath before speaking. "I know how you feel about me and our sisters when it comes to what we think about your… relationships." He rolled his eyes at her particular wording, but allowed her to continue. "And I didn't really think we were doing anything wrong, but… don't tell Leni I said this, but she kind of made me realise how little we knew about what we were saying."
This came as a surprise to the boy. "Why? What did she say?"
"Well, she asked me whether you were dating Ronnie Anne or Jordan, and I literally didn't know how to answer her." She turned her head so she was looking at him. "For the longest time, we just assumed that you and Ronnie Anne were still together, even after she and Bobby moved to the city. We never even asked you if you were."
"Well, me and Ronnie Anne were never really dating, to be honest." She opened her mouth to speak, but he wasn't finished. "Sure, there were a couple of times we hung out which could have been called dates, but we decided that it was better if we just stayed as friends, and that was long before she moved away."
Lori looked away, feeling a little bit of shame at having assumed the exact opposite without even checking with him. "And yet none of us even thought that that might be true. We just thought-"
"I know," he said, interrupting her again. "You thought we might work together, and yeah, at one time, I might have thought that too, but now we're just friends. Just like me and Jordan are just friends."
"I get that now, and that's what I mean." She looked down at her lap in shame. "I wish we had just sat down and asked you about it, but we never did, and I'm sorry for that."
"Lori… I didn't mean for you to feel that way." He patted his hand on top of hers. "I know that you and the girls just want me to find someone that's good enough for me, and I do appreciate that, but I just want you and the others to try not to involve yourselves so much. Let me figure this stuff for myself."
"I hear you. I can't speak for the others… hell, I can't guarantee I always won't." They both laughed at this, before smiling at each other. "But, I'll try."
"That's all I need." He then leaned forward and hugged her, the big sister returning the hug and enveloping her brother for a good few seconds, before they let go and stood up. "Thanks, Lori."
"No problem, Lincoln. Now, come on, let's go get that card."
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