In her room, Girl Jordan was still thinking about the kiss she shared with Spider-Man, with a lot of emotions running through her mind. While she enjoyed the kiss, it felt bittersweet that it was likely not going to lead anywhere.
She is also conflicted about her feelings, knowing that she's in love with a boy she doesn't even know. Spider-Man's identity is a mystery to her, for all she knows, she could have kissed anybody. Be it a boy from her school, or another school.
It didn't change the fact that she wished he could be with him, he's strong and caring, the type of boy she wants in her life.
"I guess I don't have a lot of luck with guys, though Spider-Man has a point, hard to date someone if I don't know who he really is. All I know is that he seems to be a boy close to my age," Girl Jordan tapped her chin. "Still, he seemed so familiar to me, maybe it's just me but his voice was familiar too, even though he seems to be disguising it."
Girl Jordan racked her brain, trying to figure this out. She got so close to Spider-Man, part of her wishes she pulled his mask all the way up when she had the chance. But it's likely he would have caught on sooner. Plus she didn't feel right doing something like that to the boy who saved her life.
"I really hope I can have another chance with him soon. Maybe once he's past his...wait, relationship issues?" Girl Jordan had to wonder. "Didn't Lincoln have that? Could that mean...no, that's not possible. No way Lincoln is Spider-Man. It's just a huge coincidence, after all-"
"Where have you been!?" Her father Johnathan shouted. "It's almost evening time, you were supposed to be home half an hour ago!"
"Sorry dad, I ran into trouble, but Spider-Man saved me so it's all good," Jordan said.
"It is not 'all good', you don't disobey your curfew! After the trouble you got into in school, last thing I want is for you to turn into some juvenile delinquent!" Johnathan shouted.
"Geez dad, I said I was sorry, not my fault some bullies tried picking on me," Jordan said.
"Don't you back-talk me young lady!" Johnathan warned. "To your room, now!"
"Seriously!?" Jordan shouted.
"NOW!" Johnathan warned, his daughter angrily treading her feet into her room, right past her mother.
"Johnathan honey, what's going on with you?" Ashley asked. "You're usually much more composed than this."
"I'm trying to teach our daughter rules and respect!" Johnathan said. "I WILL have order in this house!"
"I know but, there are better ways to do this," Ashley said.
"Well, I don't see you coming up with anything," Johnathan said, angrily marching to his room. "I got some work to do, so do not disturb me unless it's really important!"
Ashley rubbed her chin in curiosity, "What's gotten into him lately?"
Meanwhile Lincoln and Christina had arrived in the center of town, looking for any sign of Vic.
"Where did Stella say Vic was exactly?" Lincoln asked.
"Just that he's downtown, she heard reports about it on TV," Christina said.
"Well if there's reports then..." Lincoln noticed an electric surge not too far away. "There it is!"
Vic was seen stealing a bunch of electric equipment from a store, using it to channel into his body, increasing the outlet of his powers. "Yes, just like that! Not much longer before I fully evolve into a powerful force!"
"He's really bent on getting stronger," Christina said. "Does he need this much power just for his goals? Or to stop us?"
"I think he's just fixated on power in general," Lincoln said. "When he was the mayor's assistant, he did everything he could to stay on top and in control. He doesn't just want to take over the city, he wants to maintain constant control, and spread that everywhere he can."
"It won't stop us!" Christina said, flying in to attack.
"Hey wait, don't just rush in!" Lincoln said, following his sidekick.
Vic continued to absorb all the power that he craved, even taking it from nearby cars and telephone wires. "Not much longer, once I'm done then Mayor Davis is going down!"
"Halt evil villain!" Christina shouted, flying in to attack. "Your days of villainy are-"
"You again!?" Vic stopped what he was doing and blasted Christina toward a lamp post. "Spider-Man's annoying little sidekick. I'll finish you off right-"
"Get away from her!" Lincoln said, swinging in and kicking Vic in the head, knocking him over.
"Of course you're right behind her, aren't you?" Vic said, getting back on his feet. "You little pest!"
Vic tried blasting the two, Lincoln quickly evading and sending a web at Vic's face, leaping in for a punch that sent him flying through a wall of an abandoned grocery store.
"Nice hit!" Christina said.
Vic charged up enough energy to destroy the building he got knocked into, glaring right at Lincoln. "Think you're cool huh? Here's a 'shock' for you, Spidey! You're not!"
Vic tried blasting Lincoln, but he backflipped out the way, "I know a High School girl who delivers puns better than you!"
"What was that!?" Vic asked, lifting a car with his electricity, and throwing it at Lincoln, the hero punching through it.
"Oh don't tell me you're jealous, Sparky!" Lincoln said.
"I did not condone that name!" Vic said, generating powers from some lampposts and sending it toward Lincoln with a blast, knocking him through a store window. Lincoln quickly came back out, trying to web his electric foe.
"The supervillains I've fought all had fancy names, unless you just want to be plain old Vic," Lincoln said.
"Oh I have a name, one that shall be remembered through the ages as belonging to the most powerful man on the planet! People will tell stories of my triumphs as they bask in the glory of my presence!" Vic said. "From now on...you may refer to me as, Electro!"
Lincoln, Christina and some nearby civilians stood around in silence, unsure how to react to that name.
"Uh, really?" Lincoln asked. "That sounds kind of...cheesy."
"You call yourself 'Spider-Man', which is super generic by the way!" Vic said. "You're not even a man, you're a little boy, probably about eight or nine!"
"I'm thir...I mean, I'm not a little boy!" Lincoln shouted.
"At least your useless sidekick has a more creative name than you," Vic said.
"Useless! How dare you!" Christina flew in to attack, sending a blast of heat at the villain to knock him back.
Vic attempted to zap her, but she blasted a telephone pole in an attempt to have it land on Vic, but the villain made a quick escape into some nearby powerlines.
"Drat! Where did he go!?" Christina shouted, sending some more blasts to draw Vic out.
"Hey, Firestar, take it easy," Lincoln said. "We're trying to save the town, not wreck it."
"We can't let him escape again!" Christina said, unaware that Vic was taking physical form nearby. "If I do this enough, maybe he'll-"
"Watch out!" Lincoln called, Christina turning and taking a strong blast to her chest and sending her flying into some garbage cans. "Firestar!"
The girl was laying in pain, her costume somewhat damaged and a large mark on her shoulder area, "Ow..."
Vic attempted to blast her again but Lincoln grabbed Christina in his arms and fled with the girl, avoiding all of Vic's attacks.
"Trying to run!? You won't get far!" Vic shouted, flying up and trying to blast the two young heroes.
"Gotta hide somewhere," Lincoln put enough distance to jump into a nearby manhole, hiding in the sewers to stay out of Vic's sight for the moment. "That should buy us some time."
"Ow..." Christina groaned.
"Hey, you alright?" Lincoln asked. "You took a really bad hit."
"Sure feels like it," Christina said, trying to stand but feeling a sharp pain in her shoulder. "Ooooh, yeah that stings."
"Vic really means business, we need to be extra careful," Lincoln said. "We should probably treat that wound, I can call Stella and see if-"
"I'm fine, really," Christina said, trying to toughen up. "We can worry about my injury later, we gotta stop Vic."
"Alright, if you say so," Lincoln said. He worried about Christina but he knew that Vic was a priority that needed to be dealt with. "The moment you really start to feel hurt though-"
"I'm fine, I have powers, the people out there don't, now let's hurry," Christina said, flying out the sewers with Lincoln following.
Meanwhile Vic was heading toward the mayor's office, "I'll deal with those brats after I take over the city! Soon there will be no place for them to run!"
From her office, while Mayor Davis was working on some forms, her lights started flickering, "Huh? What's going-"
"Mayor!" Vic shouted as he got close.
"Is that...Vic?" Davis asked. Suddenly the walls to her building got destroyed, leaving a big gaping hole on the side as several employees ran for safety.
"Hey Mayor! Guess who's back!" Vic gloated.
"Oh wow..." Davis said in disbelief. "Is that really you Vic? You've changed...a lot."
"Yeah, it's pretty 'shocking', isn't it?" Vic asked. "I thought I'd stop by and help you fix this city, free of charge."
"You got puns, that's neat, I think," Davis said, then found Vic getting closer with his electricity charged. "Uh, Vic, any chance you can take a few steps back?"
"Ah, no, see my way of fixing this city is by basically...eliminating you from the equation," Vic held his electric palm in front of her face. "Permanently."
Davis began to nervously sweat, "Uh, I don't suppose we can talk this out?"
"Oh we did, I told you what's going to happen, and now, you die," Vic said.
Before he could do anything, webbing got latched onto his back and he got flung right into a streetlight.
"Did you miss us!?" Lincoln taunted.
"Spider-Man! You're here!" Davis said. "And you brought your friend!"
"She's called 'Firestar'," Lincoln explained.
"Wow, she's still moving, girl's tough," Vic said. "Let's see her get lucky twice!"
"I won't let you hurt her!" Lincoln shouted, jumping in and kicking Vic through the wall, then tackling him through the rest of the building and sending him flying outside.
Davis groaned in annoyance, while she's grateful she's alive, she did not appreciate all the damage being done to her office building. "Wonder if I could use tax money to fix all this?"
"You know you could try fundraisers as opposed to inconveniencing your hard-working citizens," Christina said, flying after Lincoln and Vic.
"I guess that works too but..." Davis rubbed her chin. "Wait, if I tried the other idea, would that be a bad thing? Would Spider-Man and Firestar deem me a villain? Eh, I'll sort it out later."
Lincoln and Vic continued their battle, the villain taking to the air and sending lightning strike type attacks down, Lincoln avoiding most with his spider sense but taking a hit eventually, sending him flying toward mailbox.
Christina flew in and blasted Vic with her heat powers, trying to keep him away from Lincoln while he recovered.
"Annoying pest!" Vic tried blasting Christina but he took a web to the face as Lincoln jumped up and kicked him through a window.
"He's really persistent," Christina said.
"Yeah but I think we have him on the ropes, let's keep it up," Lincoln said.
"On it," Christina said as the two continued their pursuit of Vic.
In the building, Vic was dusting himself off, mentally cursing the two. "I can't let them ruin this for me!" He quickly jumped into a powerline, hoping to ambush the heroes. "This ends today! I am so close to my goals! I need those brats out of my way, now!"
At the Loud House, Lynn was seen flipping through channels while Lola, Lana, Adelaide and Cricket were seen playing a board game, though Lana looked displeased.
"Remind me again why we're playing Pretty, Pretty Pageant Queen?" Lana asked. "I wanted to play Plumbing Pro!"
"Lana, we took a vote, me, Cricket and Adelaide want to play this game," Lola said. "So, we're playing this game, if you don't want to, then you can kindly go somewhere else."
"Lola, that's a bit mean," Cricket said. "You know, we should play Lana's game too, it's only fair."
"Yeah, I don't mind," Adelaide said. "It'd make her happy."
"Eh, fine, we can play her gross plumbing game later," Lola said.
"Was the 'gross' part really necessary!?" Lana asked.
"Please don't fight," Adelaide said.
"Yeah, quiet down over there, I'm trying to watch TV," Lynn said, still flipping through.
"No you're not, you're just channel surfing," Lola said. "Seriously pick a show and watch it!"
"Aren't one of your sports on?" Lola asked.
"My team's not playing," Lynn said.
"Since when do you care? You always watch sports!" Lola said.
"Yeah, when a team I want to root for is playing," Lynn said. "What am I? One-Dimensional?"
"Kind of," Lola said.
"This coming from a girl who only does pageants," Lynn said.
"Excuse me, I bake too," Lola said. "Meli loved the cookies I made for her."
"Uh, you mean we made for her," Lana said.
"You don't count, you're not even her friend," Lola said.
"Lola!" Adelaide scolded.
"I still helped, we're not close friends but I do care about her health at least," Lana said.
"I swear you two will fight over anything," Lynn said.
"You mean like you and Lincoln?" Lola asked.
"Hey, Lincoln and I get along great!" Lynn said.
"About as great as a cat and dog maybe," Lola said.
"Look, maybe we should go to another room," Cricket said. "We don't want to disturb your sister."
"We don't really have anywhere else to go since Lana's pets made such a mess in our room," Lola said.
"I cleaned up after them, we just need to wait a bit for the room to not smell like a toilet," Lana said.
"Didn't mom tell you not to let that keep happening?" Lynn asked.
"Hey my pets are usually good about not leaving accidents, but sometimes you just have an off day," Lana said.
"Why don't we go to one of your sisters' rooms," Cricket suggested. "Or maybe Lincoln's. Think he'd mind?"
"He probably wouldn't be happy, but I can just charm him when he gets home," Lola said.
"Just do something," Lynn said, still flipping. "Maybe then it will be easier to focus on which channel I can-"
"This is Katherine Mulligan-"
"Wait, go back," Lana said.
"To where?" Lynn asked.
"A couple channels back, I saw that Katherine Mulligan lady, she might be talking about Spider-Man," Lana said.
"Just because she's on TV doesn't mean it's about Spider-Man, she's probably talking about what café she went to," Lynn said.
"Just turn it back!" Lana said, snatching the remote away and changing the channel.
"Rude," Lynn said.
The TV again focused on Katherine Mulligan, "Right now Spider-Man and Firestar seem to be chasing the villain across the city, neither one of them is letting up. My camera man is getting in close and...wait, that's too close!"
One guy got in close to Lincoln and Christina, nearly getting trampled by the two just as he jumped out of the way.
"Watch it! We're working here!" Lincoln scolded.
"Seriously get to safety, now!" Christina ordered.
Katherine helped the camera man up as she focused back on the lens, "I'll keep my distance, but I am not abandoning my post here. Everyone needs to stay updated and know that our city has not one, but two brave heroes now to protect us!"
"Wow, looks like I came here just in time, another big Spider-Man fight!" Adelaide said, focused on the TV.
"You actually like these?" Lynn asked.
"Of course, Spider-Man's cool," Adelaide said.
"Funny, we were just talking about Lizards too, and last time you saw Spider-Man fight was against a human lizard," Lola said. "Guess this means lizards are bad omens."
"Don't say that!" Lana scolded.
"Well a Spider-Man fight could be entertaining at least," Lynn said.
"I'll get the other sisters," Lana said, quickly rushing upstairs.
"...So are we still playing this game or..." Lola saw that Cricket had joined Adelaide in watching TV. "I'm counting this as a forfeit."
Back at the center of town, Lincoln and Christina were sweeping the city in the hopes of finding Vic, the only major clues being random sparks of electricity from different parts of town.
"Feels like he's messing with us," Christina said.
"No doubt, probably trying to throw us off our game," Lincoln said. "It won't work with us!"
"You think so!?" Vic landed beside the two and blasted them once again, Lincoln shielding Christina as both of them fell off the roof.
Acting quickly, Lincoln created a web net to soften the fall for Christina. He immediately climbed back up the wall to attack again but Vic had flown off.
"Can't get me from up here!" Vic taunted. Seconds later, Lincoln webbed his feet and slammed him face first back onto the roof. "Ow." Lincoln then began swinging him around and released the web, sending him flying through some windows.
"Spider-Man!" Christina called. "I'm kind of stuck here!"
"Oh right, I'm coming Firestar!" Lincoln leapt down and pulled the girl off the web, some remaining on her person. "That'll eventually go away."
"That's fine, let's keep up the momentum," Firestar said.
As the two followed Vic, Katherine kept things rolling from the distance, "Our heroes are still after their foe. We just received word that this is Mayor Davis's former assistant Vic, who had been fired following an election race between our current Mayor and a local college girl Leni Loud."
From downtown, Sam and Benny, both hiding near a dumpster while avoiding the potential wrath of Lori, were seen watching through Benny's phone.
"I think I remember that guy, Luna told me he tried to slander her whole family once," Sam said.
"Leni really pushed hard in that election, but she definitely had my vote," Benny said.
"Benny, we're in High School, we can't vote," Sam said.
"It's the thought that counts," Benny insisted.
The fight continued in the city, Lincoln webbed Vic and pulling him in for a couple of punches while Christina flew in with a kick to his head.
The former Mayor Assistant rolled backwards and generated some power to blast the young teens again, but Lincoln webbed his hands and quickly punched him off the roof. He leapt down to attack once again but Vic flew aside and zapped Lincoln through a nearby office building.
Christina flew in and engaged in hand-to-hand combat, but her lack of experience in the matter left her open for a zap from her opponent, the girl quickly flying back to recover. Vic was about to attack again when Lincoln quickly jumped against a wall and rebounded to ram into Vic, then webbed the villain to fling him around and send him flying against a wall.
Lincoln webbed both sides and pulled in to kick Vic through the building, running in for a few more strikes and then ending with a kick through the other side of the wall, the villain again trying to make an escape right after recovering.
"He's way too persistent," Lincoln lamented, then saw Christina flying over, notably hurt. "Hey, are you alright? You look exhausted."
"It's nothing to worry about, come on, we almost got Vic," Christina said, flying ahead.
Lincoln was still worried about his sidekick but catching Vic was a big priority, he'll get that done while also keeping an eye on Christina.
In Great Lakes, Ronnie Anne was sitting on the couch watching TV with her cousins.
"I think Lucha Libra is on soon, and La Tormenta is fighting," Ronnie Anne said. "Anyone up for-"
"Ronnie Anne!" Sid called from the other side of the door.
"Was that Sid?" Carlota asked as Sid came barging into the apartment, nearly knocking the door off its hinges.
"Ronnie Anne! You're not gonna believe this!" Sid said.
"This better be worth nearly tearing my door open," Ronnie Anne said. "You're lucky our grandma didn't see you do that!"
"Oh it's fine, she's good at fixing doors," Sid dismissed, then held out her phone. "Besides it IS important! Look!"
Ronnie Anne checked the phone, it was the news feed highlighting the battle between Lincoln, Christina fighting Vic. "Wait, is that one of Spider-Man's fights?"
"Spider-Man's fighting! Move!" Carl said, knocking Ronnie Anne out of the way. "Oh dang, this looks awesome!"
"Carl!" Ronnie Anne shoved back and focused more on the phone. "Hey, who's that girl next to him?"
"Oh right, her name's Firestar, I think she's another superhero from Royal Woods," Sid said.
"There's another one?" CJ asked.
"Wow, two superheroes?" Carlitos asked.
"And it's a female hero too!" Carlota said. "Finally some Girl Power!"
Ronnie Anne pitifully glanced at her older cousin, "That was cringe, never say that again."
"Hey we need more girls out there," Carlota said. "Gotta give the young ladies someone to look up to."
"Meanwhile you seem to prefer Thor ten times more than Black Widow, so don't even," Ronnie Anne said, focusing back on the screen. "Still, another hero? Where did this girl even come from?"
"No one knows, it's a mystery," Sid said.
"Wait, isn't your sister in Royal Woods?" Carlota asked.
"Oh right, she went to visit Lana and Lola," Sid said.
"Uh, shouldn't you be a bit more concerned than that?" Carl asked. "Adelaide could be in danger."
"It's fine, as long as Spider-Man's there, then I have nothing to worry about," Sid said. "Plus, this fight's in the middle of town, and the Louds live in the suburbs."
"Wow, you either have a lot of faith in Spider-Man, or you're probably a bad older sister," Carl said.
Sid furrowed her brow at the boy, "That's so not cool! I do care about Adelaide, but worrying about her isn't going to keep her safe, Spider-Man will."
"She's got a point, Spider-Man's done a great job so far protecting people, including us against The Lizard," Ronnie Anne said.
"Kraven too, I still haven't forgotten that he tried using me as collateral," Sid said. "The jerk."
"Do people still think you or Ronnie Anne kissed Spider-Man?" CJ asked.
"Seriously? Don't remind us of that," Ronnie Anne said. "Stupid Becky started talking all that trash and now I have people wondering."
"Same here, so annoying," Sid said. "It just reminds me that I never got that kiss."
"Seriously!?" Ronnie Anne shouted in annoyance.
"Hey I think that reporter lady is about to speak," Carl said.
Back in Royal Woods, Katherine spoke to the camera once again, "Seems like things are heating up, Vic is heading back to the Mayor's Office, likely to finish what he started." She turned to the driver of a van she was on. "Follow them!"
Vic was flying back toward Davis, who this time had security guards and policemen surrounding her.
"I will personally give a raise to anyone who does the best job at keeping me safe," Davis said.
"We'll do our best mayor," a cop said.
"Oh how nice, everyone's here and ready to protect their precious mayor," Vic said, getting closer. "Funny, everyone calls me selfish and self-centered, telling me I used the mayor as my own puppet to run the town. But the truth is, she's just as bad, if not worse. All I did was help her achieve her goals, after all, she was the one who wanted to stay in office no matter what happened. She was very willing to slander a family to maintain power. She was even close to allowing this whole town to become another one of Michigan's many lakes. But sure, make me the bad guy, it's so much easier."
"Hold it right there, Vic!" Lincoln called, swinging over.
"I told you, it's Electro!" Vic shouted, blasting the spider powered hero back while Christina flew in and blasted Vic with her heat, further enraging him. "I've had it with you brats!"
Vic began draining some nearby electricity and took to the air, sending down some lightning blasts at the two heroes. Lincoln was able to use his spider-sense to effectively dodge while Christina had to rely on luck, though the girl had a harder time reacting to the strikes.
Lincoln was quick to web her over him and pulled her out the way of each strike, to which Vic got aggressive and sent several down on nearby buildings and cars, causing an array of explosions.
"You won't escape me this time! I will achieve my destiny!" Vic shouted.
"My goodness," Katherine said, turning back to the camera. "This is getting serious folks, Vic is determined to bring down Spider-Man and Firestar! Our heroes need to think of a way out of this peril, otherwise we will all be enslaved by the villain who calls himself, Electro."
The Louds were all gathered together watching from home on their TV, as was Stella in her house via her phone, Benny on his phone with Sam beside him, Emma and Chloe in the latter's house on TV, Chandler in his room's TV, Bolhofner in the TV set in his cabin, Meli on her couch, eating soup and watching on TV, Clyde from his own phone, same with Rusty and Zach, with Liam watching on TV, Girl Jordan watching on her phone, same with Mollie, Paige watching from a pad, and even Sid with Ronnie Anne and her cousins on the former's phone.
In addition was a certain red-haired woman, who was observing at her current home, eagerly anticipating this battle's end.
Vic would not stop his attack, Lincoln tried to keep his sidekick safe, though the chaos did distract him briefly as he stumbled over some damaged ground, dropping his friend.
"It's over!" Vic sent a zap at Lincoln, but this time Christina saved him, taking the brunt of the attack.
"NO!" Lincoln shouted, immediately checking on his friend. She had already taking some bad hits, but this time she seemed to be twitching from the shock. He angrily glared at Vic, "That's it, I've had enough!"
Vic generated more power and sent another blast that Lincoln charged through as he delivered a strong punch to his stomach and then webbed him to fling him outside, slamming him against the side of a building.
Lincoln rushed in to kick him again in the ribs, but Vic blasted the boy back, knocking him against a nearby fire hydrant.
"Say good-bye, Spider-Man!" Vic sent another blast that Lincoln leapt over, damaging the hydrant as some water seeped out.
"Wait, that's it!" Lincoln landed behind the hydrant, pulling it out and letting water flow as he webbed a nearby stop sign and used it to angle the water at Vic, the overflowing amount short circuiting him, leaving him stunned long enough for Lincoln to land one final kick that knocked the villain out.
"Did...that work?" Katherine asked. "It looks like...Spider-Man is victorious!"
This caused a widespread sigh of relief, everyone happy that Spider-Man pulled out the win and took down the newest villain.
Once he was sure Vic was done, Lincoln turned his attention to Christina, the girl still in pain from the blast she took as he looked over her body, checking for injuries. He spotted a couple that would require some medical attention.
"She needs medical attention, but I can't send her to the doctor like this! They might discover her identity!" Lincoln lifted the girl into his arms. "Hang in there, I got you."
"L-Lincoln?" Christina said, low enough that thankfully no one seemed to overhear.
"It'll be fine," Lincoln reassured.
"Spider-Man, a word if you will!?" Katherine asked. "You just saved the town yet again, do you have anything to say to your viewer?"
"Uh...Brush your Teeth?" Lincoln said. "I can't talk now, my sidekick's hurt and I need to get her medical attention, peace out."
Lincoln immediately leapt away, Katherine focusing back on the camera, "Even with the villain defeated, Spider-Man is still acting like a true hero, rescuing anyone who needs it, including his fellow heroes. Stay with me as I get a word from the Mayor."
On the nearby rooftop, Lincoln had to make sure he was out of sight before he could get to where he needed to go, "Maybe Stella will know what to do. I gotta hurry, Christina's really hurt."
"Lincoln...Vic," Christina said. "We have to stop..."
"Don't worry, I beat him for us, right now I'm more worried about you," Lincoln said. "It's fine, I'll keep you safe."
Lincoln quickly leapt off, on his way to his friend's house.
At the Loud House, everyone seemed relieved when the battle was over with the heroes coming out on top.
"I knew Spider-Man could pull it off, that's why he's awesome!" Lana said.
"Yay for Spidey!" Lily happily cheered. "And that other girl too! They did great."
"Spider-Man really got clever at the end too, using water against an electric enemy!" Cricket said.
"It took him that long before he realized he could do that?" Lisa asked.
"Give him a break, he was in the middle of fighting for his life," Adelaide said.
"I still can't believe that Vic got powers," Leni said. "Has he always had them?"
"That seems to be an unknown," Lisa said.
"Even with those powers, he still loses," Lana said. "Serves him right."
"Well it looks like the fight's over, so I'm gonna go look for something better on TV," Lynn said.
"Fine by us, me and the girls are gonna play Plumbing Pro," Lana said.
"Plumbing Pro? You didn't even finish Pretty, Pretty Princess Pageant!" Lola said.
"Oh wait, we're still playing that?" Lana asked.
"I kind of want to move on," Cricket said.
"Me too," Adelaide said.
"Alright fine, you figure something out," Lola pulled her phone out. "I'm going to call Meli and see how she's doing."
Lana grumbled in annoyance while Lola walked off, "Even when she's thinking of others, she still finds a way to be so full of herself."
"Lola's just full of personality, it's one of my favorite things about her," Cricket said.
"Same here, she's so cool sometimes, and she's always so confident," Adelaide said.
"Try living with her," Lana said. "Well anyway, at least we can talk Spider-Man without her rolling her eyes or groaning."
"Does she at least like his sidekick?" Cricket asked.
"Uh...well she doesn't dislike her," Lana said. "Give me a second to check on my room, I'll clean it up, check on my pets and get some air freshener so we can play in private."
"Sure, I have time before my parents come to pick me up, so we'll do that Plumbing Pro thing once you're done," Cricket said.
"Aw, do you have to leave? Think you can sleep over or something?" Lana asked.
"I could ask but I don't think my parents are going to agree to it on such short notice," Cricket said. "Maybe next time, we'll invite Meli too."
"Hopefully I'm here for that one," Adelaide said.
"That would be great, you'd make the sleepover feel perfect," Lana said.
"Aw, thanks," Adelaide said, blushing a little.
"Give me a few minutes," Lana said, making her way upstairs, leaving the two to themselves.
"You and Lana seem close, even when you're not here it feels like you are because she talks about you a lot," Cricket said. "Even Lola frequently brings you up."
"Lana and I bonded over our love of animals, especially reptiles," Adelaide said. "Lola and I bonded over our love of Princess stuff. Each twin shares an interest with me, to the point that Luan once joked that I was what would happen if her mom gave birth to one baby instead of two."
"I can see the resemblance," Cricket said. "I'm close to Lola obviously because of the pageants, but Lana is just fun to be around, she's more...wilder. Plus she's a former pageant winner, she won with her own talent, at least towards the end. Oh, and she likes my name."
"I can see why, you have such a cute name," Adelaide said.
"Aw, you're sweet," Cricket said, blushing a bit. "I like your name too, it's so unique."
"Yeah, way more creative than my sister's name," Adelaide said.
"You're fun to talk to, I'd like to get to know you more, if we're gonna both be close friends with the twins, then I'd like to be close friends with you," Cricket said.
"I'd like that too," Adelaide said. "By the way, sorry I got so heated earlier regarding Lincoln."
"It's fine, I don't blame you for your crush, he's really cute," Cricket said. "But I guess we're not old enough for him."
"Well, if we combine our ages, then we'd be old enough," Adelaide said. "We share Lola and Lana, we can totally share Lincoln."
"Well if you have a plan to hook us up, I'm fine with sharing, as long as I get to be in his strong arms," Cricket said, the girl blushing at the tough of the boy, an exaggerated image of Lincoln looking buffed out.
"Oh I plan on that," Adelaide said, she too generating an image in her mind of a buff and masculine Lincoln. Suddenly her phone rang, "Must be my sister, give me a second."
"Yeah, sure," Cricket said as Adelaide answered.
"You got Adelaide," the girl said. "Hey Sid...yeah I'm fine, I take it you know about the fight though...oh you bet it was cool!"
Meanwhile Luna was on the phone with Sam, "Yeah, I saw it too, pretty awesome fight. Glad Spidey pulled it off."
"I wasn't too surprised, he's a strong guy," Sam said. "By the way, how are things at home? Is Lori there?"
"She's here, she gave up looking for you and is in her room, she didn't bother much with the fight since she is not a Spider-Man fan," Luna said.
"Good, that means Benny and I can go home without fear of getting our butts kicked," Sam said.
"Sorry you even went through that, Lori's just protective of us sometimes," Luna said.
"I respect that, I'm a big sister too after all," Sam said.
"So embarrassing though, Lori damn near told the whole neighborhood about you and I," Luna said.
"I don't mind if the world knows, it doesn't take away the magic from that night," Sam said.
"Oh, well...wow," Luna's face turned red from that compliment. "I feel the same way of course."
"Let's talk in person about this soon, maybe you can come to my place this time," Sam said.
"Yeah, I'd love that," Luna said.
While this was going on, Luan also spoke with Benny on the phone," So, what had you more worried, my sister beating you up, or being under the tyrannical rule of a guy with electric powers?"
"Well Lori beating me up would only last a few seconds, so I'd take that over a lifetime of enslavement," Benny said.
"Gotta say, that answer was 'shocking' to me, especially after my sister 'charged' at you like that," Luan joked.
"To be fair, she had a right to be angry, I didn't use protection and you genuinely thought you were pregnant," Benny said. "Remind me again so it puts me at least. It came back false, right?"
"Yeah, I'm not carrying a baby, so don't worry about it," Luan said.
"That's good, I'd like for us to be parents one day, but I'd like to at least get through college first," Benny said.
"No doubt about that," Luan said. "Still, I'd like to see you in private soon, let's try your house tomorrow."
"Oh yeah, totally," Benny said.
"Um...has anyone seen Lincoln?" Leni asked, many of the sisters taking notice. "Out of all of us, wouldn't he be here?"
"He did say he was going out earlier," Lynn said. "He's probably not home yet."
"I'm kind of worried, what if he was in town during that big fight!" Leni said. "What if he went to see the fight!?"
"I'll call him now," Lynn said, grabbing a phone and dialing.
Lincoln had arrived at Stella's house, locating his backpack along the way that had his clothes as well as Christina's. He placed the girl over his shoulder, feeling a bit weird as this gave him a closer view of her butt.
"Of course this ended up being awkward, but whatever, I gotta get Christina checked on," just as Lincoln was about to climb up Stella's house, he had gotten a phone call. Curiously he answered, "Yeah?"
"Yo Linc, where are you?" Lynn asked.
"I'm at Stella's house," Lincoln said.
"Oh good, so you weren't near that big fight between Spider-Man and that guy with the electric powers," Lynn said.
"Oh um...I did see it, but I kept a safe distance," Lincoln insisted.
"Dude! You know you're not supposed to be near that stuff!" Lynn scolded.
"It wasn't on purpose, I just happened to be in town when the fight started, but I got away at least," Lincoln said.
"As long as you're safe, but maybe you should come home," Lynn said. "Actually, stay there and we'll come get you."
"I'm fine though, I don't need to be picked up," Lincoln said.
"Don't argue with me on this, I'm getting Lori and we're going to Stella's house," Lynn said. "See you in a half hour."
"But Lynn-" Lincoln's attempt to protest ended the moment Lynn hung up. "Guess she was really worried about all this. It's easy to forget how protective Lynn can be."
Lincoln tapped on the window leading into Stella's room, the girl opening to find the hero attached to the wall, holding Christina over his shoulder.
"Lincoln?" Stella asked.
"Sorry I'm here on such short notice, but Christina's hurt," Lincoln said. "I know you're not a doctor but I didn't know who else to turn to. If I took her to the hospital it would risk her secret identity being revealed."
"Bring her inside, I'll see what I can do for her," Stella said.
Lincoln made his way in, gently placing Christina on the bed, taking off her wig and mask. The boy looked distraught to see the girl covered in electric burns.
"Geez, Vic really did a number on her," Lincoln said.
Stella noticed some damage on Lincoln's suit as well, "Christina isn't the only one, you took a bad zap or two yourself."
"Huh?" Lincoln looked down at his body. "I didn't even notice. I was way too worried about Christina."
"You are much more durable than she is," Stella said. "Christina's powers are strong but her body isn't."
"She was a bit too eager today, guess she thought she was invincible," Lincoln said, gently stroking her head. "I hope she'll be alright."
"Look, I can probably come up with something to treat those burns, but she will have to go to the doctor," Stella said. "At the very least, we'll get her into her regular clothes and we can just say that she got caught in the middle of that fight or something."
"Alright, let's get her changed," Lincoln said, before remembering something. "Or rather, you should get her changed since...you know."
"Huh?" Stella took a moment to realize. "Oh right, yeah. Wait outside a moment, I'll let you know once she's changed."
Lincoln opened his backpack, "I have her clothes here."
"Thanks," Stella said, taking her dress, headband, socks and shoes.
"I'll go switch into my normal clothes," Lincoln said.
"When you're done, leave your costume here so I can fix it," Stella said. "I can probably fix Christina's too, make it more durable."
"Good idea," Lincoln said. "I'll go change now. Oh, are your parents home?"
"No, they went to see my aunt and uncle," Stella said. "They're fine, I called them when the fight was happening and they knew how to avoid that area."
"That's good," Lincoln said, heading outside. "Be back in a sec."
Stella focused her attention on Christina, the girl slightly awake, "Stella?"
"Yeah, it's me, I'm gonna get those wounds treated," Stella said. "Is it alright if I take off your costume."
"Uh-huh," Christina said. "I got underwear on."
"That's good," Stella said, gently pulling her costume off, seeing more of her burns up close. "Cheese and Crackers, that's some bad burns!"
"Is Lincoln alright?" Christina asked.
"He's fine, he's more worried about you," Stella said.
"Aw, he's sweet," Christina said. "I like Lincoln, he thinks of others, probably why he's a hero."
"He is pretty selfless, for the most part," Stella said. "Doesn't stop him from making really bad choices sometimes."
"We all make bad choices, it's what makes us human," Christina said.
"Yeah, I'm no saint either," Stella said. "Uh...I should find some ointment, maybe look up a few home remedies."
"I might know some," Christina said. "I once burnt Paige by mistake, so I had to learn how to apply this type of first aid."
"Oh wow, you actually burned her?" Stella asked.
"Yeah, back when I couldn't control my powers," Christina said. "I was surprised she forgave me, but that's what makes her a good friend."
"Well let me know what you used, hopefully it works for electrical burns too," Stella said.
In the bathroom, Lincoln was slipping into his clothes, still thinking about everything that's happened earlier. Aside from the fight with Vic, and Christina's injuries, he couldn't stop thinking about Girl Jordan and her kiss.
"Why is she on my mind now? Girl Jordan is really nice but I never saw her as more than just a friend," Lincoln had zipped up his pants and started putting on his shirt. "I can't deny she's really pretty though, and I that was an enjoyable moment for me. Still, it felt wrong. She doesn't know it's me, though would she have cared? She does act flirty but I can't tell if she's just messing with me or not."
Once he was fully dressed, Lincoln left the bathroom, making his way back toward the door leading into Stella's room. While he still had to wonder about Girl Jordan, his main priority at the moment was making sure Christina was safe.
"I gotta talk things over with her, I do like Christina as a sidekick, but I don't want her to get hurt, maybe I should limit how often she helps out," Lincoln rationalized. "How do I tell her without her thinking I don't appreciate her?"
As time went on, Lori and Lynn had arrived in front of Stella's house, the younger of the two quickly bolting from the car and running toward the front door, banging hard. "Lincoln! You in there!?"
A few seconds later, an annoyed Stella had opened up, "Are you trying to break my door?"
"Oh, hey Stells, how's it going?" Lynn asked.
"Fine, I guess," Stella said. "Are you here to pick up Lincoln?"
"Yeah, Lori's waiting out front," Lynn said, turning to the eldest sibling. "Lori! Say 'hi' to Stella!"
"Hey Stella!" Lori greeted with a wave.
"Hi Lori!" Stella greeted back.
"She's nice huh, unless it comes to Lincoln dating Ronnie Anne, speaking of which," Lynn turned to Stella. "My brother's single now, just in case you didn't know."
"I do know, I was the first he told," Stella said.
"So he came to you first, that means he trusts you and values you as a friend," Lynn said. "Which means there's room for growth. Out of all the girls Lincoln hangs out with, I'd say you're the top candidate to date him, but you should act fast. My brother is quite the handsome guy, he's got Loud genes after all, so you don't want to miss your chance."
"Lynn, I'm flattered that you feel like I'm such a good match for Lincoln, but none of that matters if he's not interested and I'd rather not put pressure on him," Stella said.
"You know, this sounds to me like you have a thing for my brother, but don't want to act on it," Lynn said, earning an annoyed look from Stella, though her blush wasn't helping matters.
"Lynn, this really isn't the time to discuss this," Stella said. "Look, since you're here, and Lori has a car, I need a big favor from you. Christina, a friend of mine and Lincoln, is hurt and she needs to see a doctor."
"Wait, she's hurt?" Lynn asked. "What happened?"
"I think she got caught in the commotion in the city, Lincoln brought her over not too long ago," Stella said. "We treated her, but she needs a doctor."
"Oh totally, where is she?" Lynn asked.
"In my room, Lincoln's keeping her company, come on," Stella said.
"Lead the way," Lynn said.
Meanwhile Lori was talking with Bobby on the phone, "Yeah, I'm fine Boo-Boo Bear, I wasn't anywhere near that fight, and neither was Adelaide. Spider-Man beat the guy anyway so there's nothing to worry about."
"That's a relief," Bobby said. "Still, this stuff gets me so worried."
"I understand that," Lori said. "Don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow evening. There's a lot I need to tell you."
"Everything alright?" Bobby asked.
"I can't say for sure," Lori then noticed Lynn, Stella and Lincoln assisting Christina. "I'll call you back." She hung up and turned to the kids. "What's going on?"
"She got hurt, she needs to see a doctor," Lynn said.
"It's not too urgent," Christina insisted. "Stella did a good job of patching me up."
"We'll feel better if you have a doctor look you over," Stella said.
"Lori, you don't mind driving her, do you?" Lincoln asked.
"No, it's fine with me," Lori said. "Hurry in."
Once inside, Lincoln made a phone call, "I'll let Paige know, she'll want to see Christina."
"I hope she doesn't get too worried, Paige can be overprotective of me sometimes," Christina said.
"Sounds like a good friend to have," Lynn said. "Alright Lori, floor it."
"I'd rather not since Lana's not here to fix the car if it breaks down," Lori said. "But I will get there as quickly as I can."
"Take your time, I'll be fine," Christina insisted.
Back in Great Lakes, while Rosa was checking the door to make sure Sid didn't break anything, Sid herself was seated comfortably next to Ronnie Anne.
"So, what do you think about that other girl with Spider-Man?" Sid asked.
"She looks cool," Ronnie Anne said. "But this either hurts Carl's dream of becoming his sidekick, or it's motivating him to pursue it anyway and turn this duo into a trio."
"The idea of Spider-Man making a superhero group is kind of cool," Sid said. "Hey imagine if both Lincoln and Clyde talked Spider-Man into joining his group."
"Sid, they don't have powers," Ronnie Anne said.
"Yeah, but maybe they can use gadgets or just plain martial arts," Sid said.
"I can't see Lincoln or Clyde being superheroes, they'd get their asses kicked," Ronnie Anne said.
"Well at least the hero scene is growing, and soon Great Lakes can have a hero of its own," Sid said.
"That'd be cool," Ronnie Anne said.
A day had gone by, Christina's wounds had been properly treated and bandaged up all the while the damage done to town was being cleaned, but not without some blame, namely from J Jonah Jameson.
"Spider-Man's so-called righteous crusade led to the unfortunate destruction of this fine Royal Woods urban area. Buildings taking heavy damage, fires everywhere, electrical malfunctions, blackouts, you name it, all because Spider-Man. What's worse is that poor little girl he's been dragging along with him is hurt too, all because she believed in his flawed morals. How much longer will we have to endure this terrible nuisance? With any luck, hopefully not much longer. This has been Just the Facts with J Jonah Jameson."
Lincoln, who was sitting on a park bench and listening to this on his phone, could only furrow his brow in annoyance. "What a pain."
"Tell me about it," Christina said, the girl sitting next to him.
"Hey at least he's not talking badly about you," Lincoln said. "I'm the one he's got the ire against."
"He's making it seem like I'm some helpless girl who can't think for herself," Christina said. "I'm your sidekick because I want to be. So far, it's gone well."
"Well? You got hurt though," Lincoln said.
"Nothing I can't handle," Christina insisted.
"Still, until you heal from those injuries, you should probably take a break," Lincoln said.
"But I've only just started being a hero," Christina said. "I can't stop now; I have that adrenaline rush."
"I know you want to help but I don't want you risking your wellbeing," Lincoln said. "At least take a little break."
"If I stop now, no one's going to take me seriously," Christina said. "They'll think I can be knocked out of the game, and it might make you look bad because you'd be associated with me."
"I can handle criticism," Lincoln said.
"Well I won't let anyone think any less of me," Christina said. "Stella fixed up my suit and added some material to make it a bit more durable to electricity using whatever she had left over to make your webs shooters resistant to electrical damage."
"What if we fight an enemy with different powers?" Lincoln asked.
"Like what? Water? Water doesn't do lasting damage," Christina said. "I'm not exactly worried about fire either."
"What about ice?" Lincoln asked. "Suppose we run into someone with ice powers?"
"Well hopefully that someone won't be evil in the first place," Christina said. "Even so, run it by Stella and she can just make our suits durable against ice."
"Stella's smart but she's not some miracle worker," Lincoln pointed out. "At least think about taking a break, even for a few days. Even heroes need time to heal."
"I'll consider it," Christina said. "Also, thanks for helping me out when I did get hurt."
"No trouble, you're my friend after all, and I look after my friends," Lincoln said. Suddenly Christina leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, earning an awkward reaction from Lincoln. "That was surprising."
"Don't think about it too much, it's just a friendly kiss on the cheek, I'm not trying to be flirty," Christina said. "Especially given your own little relationship problems."
"I am getting over Emma day by day, it's just a slow process," Lincoln said.
"I totally understand that," Christina said. "The only other issue however, seems to be your moment with Girl Jordan."
"Moment?" Came the voice of Stella, the girl making her way over with Paige. "What moment?"
"Christina!" Paige ran over to hug her friend. "Thank goodness, when Lincoln called me last night, I got so worried! I've been waiting to comfort you since then!"
"I'm fine, please don't yell so loud, you might attract attention," Christina said.
"I'm sorry, I just can't help it," Paige said, nearly on the verge of tears. "You mean so much to me!"
"Come on Paige..." Christina nervously said. "I'm fine, Lincoln got me to the doctor's office, and I got patched right up."
Paige turned her attention to the boy, then brought him in for a hug. "Thanks for helping my friend, I owe you big time." She then left a kiss on his cheek, getting the boy flustered again. Christina held back a chuckle while Stella seemed jealous.
"It's really nothing Paige, Christina's my friend, and so are you, it's no trouble at all," Lincoln insisted.
"You're way too sweet, I can't even imagine why Emma dumped you," Paige said.
"Paige!" Christina scolded, earning a sheepish response from her friend.
"Yeah, that was uncalled for," Paige admitted.
"It's fine, really," Lincoln insisted. "Don't worry about it."
"Lincoln, let's give these two some space," Stella said, pulling the boy away.
"Oh boy..." Christina said.
"What's wrong?" Paige asked. "Oh, is she jealous that I kissed his cheek? I mean you did the same a second ago, didn't you?"
"You saw that?" Christina asked.
"Yeah, I mean I wasn't sure if you two were dating now or not, if you are, then it's even more awkward that I kissed him on the cheek," Paige said.
"We're not, I just gave him a little thanks for being so nice," Christina said.
"Me too, I like Lincoln but I'm not sure if I'm ready to date a boy yet, otherwise I would have dated him when he gave me that love letter," Paige said.
"Well Lincoln might be thinking about other girls right now but I'm not sure," Christina said.
"Oh! If we know who he likes, let's help him hook up with her, that's a good way to pay him back," Paige said.
"That might be easier said than done, and not without some potential drama on the side," Christina admitted.
"We'll deal with that, still tell me about what it's like being a superhero," Paige said. "Is it fun?"
"Oh totally, and Spider-Man's a great guy," Christina said.
"Figured as much, do you know much about him?" Paige asked.
"Well, he likes comic books, that's for sure," Christina said. "Especially Ace Savvy, I think that's where the suit's inspiration came from. The colors at least."
"So cool," Paige said. "Do you know what he looks like behind the mask? Did he at least tell you?"
"Uh..." Christina knew not to tell Lincoln's secret, even though she hated having to lie to Paige. "Spider-Man and I are keeping things pretty professional, that includes our identities. Not really something we planned on giving out."
"But doesn't he know who you are?" Paige asked.
"He might know, but it's not something I wanted to confirm to him," Christina said. "Again, we're trying to keep our identities hidden. But the point is, he hasn't expressed interest in telling me his identity. It's fine, I trust him completely, plus it's not like it matters in the end."
"Well, I guess it makes sense he wants it to be a secret, still I would love to know who he is," Paige said. "Not like I'd tell anyone; he can trust me with his secret."
"It's not a matter of who he can trust, there's probably people he wants to tell, but he's afraid it would make them targets or something," Christina said. "He's doing it to protect everyone."
"Can't be mad at that," Paige said. "I'll respect his privacy then. Anything else he told you?"
"He wanted me to take a break because I got hurt, but I'm not planning on it," Christina said.
"If you're hurt, maybe you should take a break," Paige said.
"No way, I'm not stepping down just yet," Christina said. "I'm not letting a minor injury keep me away from fighting for justice."
"Minor? You took some really bad burns," Paige said.
"They're healing, it'll be fine," Christina said.
"I hope so, I really don't want anything bad happening to you Christina," Paige said, taking her friend by her hand. "You mean so much to me."
"Yeah, so you so," Christina said, pulling her friend in for a hug. "That's why I'm a hero, to protect those I love the most, including you."
"Just don't be afraid to come to me if things get too rough, I want to be there for those I love as well, including you," Paige said.
"Thanks, you're the best," Christina said, tightening the hug.
"So are you," Paige said, tightening on her end.
Meanwhile Stella was alone talking with Lincoln, "So, getting kisses now all of a sudden? First Christina, and then Paige, within the span of five minutes too."
"Christina was just being friendly, Paige probably was too," Lincoln said.
"Also, just a second ago she mentioned Girl Jordan and some 'moment' you had with her," Stella said. "Is there something going on between you two?"
"No, well not exactly. It's complicated," Lincoln said.
"Complicated how?" Stella asked.
"Yesterday, before fighting...Electro..." Lincoln still found the name weird. "Christina and I had just helped Girl Jordan out. Anderson and his goons were picking on her, so we got her home. Girl Jordan was pretty grateful and she...well..."
"Well what?" Stella asked.
"It's kind of silly when you think about it but..." Lincoln felt very awkward having to admit this, a pressure he could not fully understand. "See Girl Jordan may have...kissed me."
It took Stella a second to register that, but once she did, she seemed very unhappy. "You kissed Jordan!?"
"Not so loud!" Lincoln pleaded. "And no, I didn't kiss her, she kissed me."
"Same thing," Stella said.
"No, me kissing her is me making the first move," Lincoln said. "Girl Jordan made the first move with me."
"Well if I had to guess, you didn't exactly resist it," Stella said.
"I...guess I didn't," Lincoln said. "But to be fair, it took me by surprise. I mean I didn't think she'd want to kiss me."
"You know she's a flirt," Stella said.
"Not that much of a flirt, she's never actually tried to kiss me outside the mask," Lincoln said. "Most she's done is call me cute and stuff."
"And wiggle her butt in front of your crotch," Stella pointed out.
"That was one time!" Lincoln said. "Why are you getting so upset with me anyway?"
"I'm not exactly happy that you might be using this Spider-Man thing to your advantage to kiss girls, especially a friend of ours," Stella said.
"I'm not! Why would you think that?" Lincoln asked. "I just had a break-up, and I wasn't really in the mood to go after a girl anyway."
"So that's it? Not just using Spider-Man to further heal from this?" Stella asked.
"Of course not!" Lincoln insisted. "I helped Girl Jordan; she lifted my mask up and kissed me. I didn't expect a kiss, I'm not in this for the reward, it just happened."
"Also, you let her lift your mask up?" Stella asked. "What stopped her from pulling it off completely and seeing who you are?"
"I would have caught her, she only lifted it enough for a kiss, not completely over my head," Lincoln said.
"Lucky you then," Stella sarcastically stated.
"Look, I'm not trying to take advantage of Spider-Man's popularity, and I definitely would not do that to Girl Jordan," Lincoln said. "I'd rather she like me for me, not for my mask."
Stella sighed in annoyance, "Just...try to be careful next time. Last thing I need is to find out you've been making out with a bunch of girls as Spider-Man."
"Wow...I can't believe you think I'm that shallow," Lincoln said. "I expected better from you Stella."
"Well, so did I Lincoln," Stella said, angrily marching away.
"Hey, where are you going?" Lincoln asked.
"Home," Stella said.
"What about my suit?" Lincoln asked. Stella reached into a bag to pull the costume out and angrily tossed it at Lincoln. "Hey!"
"Here's Christina's too!" Stella said, doing the same with the other costume before stomping off.
"What the heck was that about?" Lincoln wondered, scratching his head in confusion. "Stella's so weird sometimes."
Lincoln quickly put the costumes in his bag and was about to meet with Christina when he heard a familiar voice, "Lincoln?"
"Huh?" He turned to see Girl Jordan walking over. "This is a weird stroke of luck, not sure if it's good or bad though."
"Oh it is you, I thought I heard your voice," Girl Jordan said.
"You heard me?" Lincoln asked, suddenly nervous.
"Sort of, I didn't hear everything you said, but it sounded like you and Stella were talking," Girl Jordan said. "I heard you mention a suit."
"Uh...right, one of my suits got a tear and Stella offered to sew it," Lincoln said. "Usually Leni would but she's been busy with work and college."
"That's nice of her, sounds like she was helping Christina too," Girl Jordan said.
"Oh yeah, Christina had a dress that needed to be fixed so I suggested Stella," Lincoln said. "She got everything under control."
"That's good," Girl Jordan said. "Still, it sounded like you two were arguing. Were you?"
"Uh, well...she was just having a bad day, probably the stress from last night since her parents weren't home during that big fight between Spider-Man, Firestar and that villain," Lincoln said.
"Aw, poor Stella, I should check on her later," Girl Jordan said. "Well I was just taking a stroll."
"That's nice, um...is it okay if I join you?" Lincoln asked. "Last night was pretty bad, I don't know if you got into anything or..."
"I got home before all that started, though some bullies did try picking on me before Spider-Man and Firestar got there," Girl Jordan said.
"Bullies you say?" Lincoln asked.
"Anderson and those losers," Girl Jordan said.
"Yes, of course, those jerks," Lincoln said, trying to keep the false crusade. "Well, at least you're safe, and as long as you're not bothered then that's all that matters."
"Yeah...but if you want, you can walk with me, I don't mind your company," Girl Jordan said.
"Oh good, I mean...that's great, I do like spending time with friends," Lincoln said. "And hey, if there's anything you want to get off your chest to me, literally anything, tell me, and I won't judge."
"You're being weird," Girl Jordan said, making Lincoln feel a bit sheepish. "But, being around you does make me feel better for some reason."
"Well, I care a lot about you so I want to do anything I can for you," Lincoln said.
Girl Jordan began to blush, "Way to make me feel flustered."
"Sorry, didn't mean to make it awkward," Lincoln said.
"No, I don't mind, really," Girl Jordan said.
"Well that's good," Lincoln said. "I gotta let Christina know I'm walking with you, see you in a second Girl Jordan."
"Lincoln...you can just call me 'Jordan', not like Boy Jordan's in our class after all," the girl said.
"Right...Jordan it is," Lincoln said. "See you in a second, Jordan."
"Yeah, see you in a sec," Jordan began thinking to herself. "He's being really nice for some reason. He always is but it's almost like he knew I had trouble last night. Maybe he's just good at telling but still, there's something unusual lately. Well this is as good of a time as any to really see for myself."
Lincoln had returned shortly afterwards, walking with Jordan through Tall Timbers Park as he made the attempt to deepen his bond with his friend, and wondered if there was potential for anything more.