The black Impala slowly rolled into the driveway of the Timber home. The abode almost seemed surprised of Quinlan's early arrival even if it was inanimate. Still, it accept the child it helped raised happily. The response had been quick and QT was sure she was mistaken when she saw her mother's name appear on her phone following it's ringing. The teen threw her bag on the floor and sat on the front room couch.
"Hey, Mom." Quinlan spoke calmly into her cell. She wasn't scared or anything, perhaps a bit tense but she was sure her mom would be understanding. She was correct.
"Hey sweetie," The cacophony of medical equipment beeps acted as unwanted annoyances on the other side of the line. To hear her mother took all her concentration but QT did it with not much issue. "I got a phone call from your school, is everything okay?"
"Yes, Mom, I'm suspended though."
"Yeah they said that too." A nurse suddenly interrupted the call asking Mrs. Timber about a dosage. Her mother responded with ease and continued the conversation as if nothing had happened. "I'm guessing your suspension has to deal with your broken hand. It's fine you aren't grounded or anything."
"Thank you, you're the best." Quinlan smiled to herself and adjusted her hair.
"Oh, thanks sweetie." The mother cooed as she signed a prescription. "Listen I managed to get the night off, so I'll be home tonight for dinner. I'll cook so go ahead and rest your head. See you soon."
"Okay see you then. Love you, bye." Quinlan lowered her phone after hearing her mother return the gesture. Once again the home was silent. QT would be alone for quite awhile as Cristina was still in school and she doubt her father would be home before her mother. As she finally began to relax she realized how tired she had become. Taking her mother's words to heart, she realized it was time for a nap. Going into her room, plugged in her phone and went to a peaceful slumber.
Across town, a young boy with white hair looked at his phone. It was tucked underneath the table waiting to see if a response would ever come to his simple greeting.
Nothing.
Lincoln locked his phone and rejoined his friend's conversation. It wasn't a requirement in his and QT's relationship to always text during lunch but today he just wanted to check in on her. He knew she was tough but he hoped she'd get back to him soon. Clyde and the rest of the redhead crew were in an in depth conversation about what could be done to save a certain superhero franchise. While Lincoln would love to defend the movies, deep down he knew they weren't worth it. Small clacks of shoes alerted him to glance over his shoulder even before a young brunette in a navy blue dress called for him.
"Lincoln~!" The girl came over with a bright smile, one that shines too brightly for his nerdy crew. They shielded their eyes like vampires from the sun. The brunette was flanked by two of her friends: one a black girl with pig tails in a baby blue flowered shirt, the other a white girl with knee length hair and a purple belted dress. They were from Lincoln's class but he rarely spoke to them.
"Uh, hey Cristina." The white haired boy waved with an awkward smile. The young Timber sister didn't respond. She simply stopped in place and waited with a smile. The friends beside her also seemed to be waiting, scrutinizing him. "Uhh… something up?"
"Huh, did someone call me?" Cristina pretended to seem shocked. "I thought I heard someone call me but something seemed off~" The lack of subtlety in her wink just made Lincoln roll his eyes.
"*Sigh*, Hi Chickadee."
"Ha! Told ya!" Cristina spun to her friends with a big grin on her face.
"Dang, I thought you were kidding." The brown cutie took out a dollar.
"*Giggle*, that's so cute." The girl who once gave cookies to Lincoln moved towards him. She clasped her hands together and put on her best puppy dog eyes. "Do you think I could have a cute pet name too, Lincoln?" Her eyelashes fluttered.
"Uhh…" The boy with a chipped tooth didn't respond as Cristina intervene before he could.
"Hey, a bets a bet." The girl cut in front of her friend's butterfly kisses.
"*Tch* Oh, fine." Cookie produced a dollar. "There."
"Thank you for your patronage." Cristina curtsied with blue skirt. Her friends left a bit miffed at their lost. The girl spun around like a ballerina to her white haired boy. "How about I get the same bet going with Mollie and Jordan. I'll take you for some ice cream after school if you want."
"C'mon, Cristi-"
"Ehh ehh" She wagged her finger.
"*Sigh*, Chickadee. C'mon, it's super embarrassing." Lincoln leant in to whisper distance.
"Is saying honey bee embarrassing? What about care bear?" The Timber countered.
"They aren't making me do it at school though."
"I bet they would if they were here."
"... Fair point." The sole Loud boy admitted. "Fine."
"Ah thank you~" The girl giggled at her own laissez faire attitude.
Lincoln looked down to his phone amidst this conversation. Quinlan had not responded.
"Hey, was QT doing alright this morning?" The boy asked her sister.
"Oh, uh, yeah." Cristina pondered a bit. "I mean she seemed fine. A bit bummed about going to school but nah. She seems good."
"Okay, just checking." The boy shrugged though his mind was not at ease.
"Soooooo… ice cream after school?" The girl looked at her feet that began fidgeting awaiting an answer.
"Huh, no." Cristina's heart sank. "I got to go to the mall and check out some stuff."
"Oh," Her ears perked up a bit. "C-could I come along?"
"Uhh, I mean…" His finger rubbed under his chin for a second before a shocked expression filled his face as if he had just had an epiphany. "Actually, yeah, could you come with me?"
"Yes! I'd love to!" Cristina's response was instant.
"Love to?" A white eyebrow arched up.
"See you after school!" The chickadee flew back to her usual lunch table.
Lincoln turned back to his friends still unsure of her response. His friends seemed even more shocked, especially Clyde.
"What?"
"Linc, ya'll just asked Cristina on a date?!" Liam shouted in disbelief.
"No, I didn't." The white haired boy responded.
"You really did, though." Zach reaffirmed.
"What? Nah." Lincoln's hands brushed off the comment. "You're reading too much into it."
"What are you doing, Linc?!" Clyde frantically waved his hands about. "We were men for the older ladies!"
"Geez, keep it down." Lincoln felt the need to cover his best friends mouth. "Seriously, guys, she's just tagging along to the mall."
"Yeah, sure man." Rusty leant back and cut the air horizontally in a totally gesture. "Make sure to come to me if she has a friend that would be okay with a double date." Lincoln rolled his eyes at his friends.
"Seriously guys, it's not a date...probably."
The smell of wheat and boiling water awoke the oldest Timber daughter from her after suspension slumber. The clock read quarter past six. She sat up slowly, hair partially in her mouth and released a large yawn while stretching. Her head had fallen off her pillow at some point and a small crick had built in her neck so as she moved towards the door she had to constantly massage the back of her neck.
The light sound of bubbling from the pot of noodles could be heard as Quinlan exited her room. Her feet glided barely above the floors of her home but eventually she reached the main room. Over the counter she could see her mother, Mrs. Timber, stirring a small pot full of marinara sauce. The mother noticed her daughter nearly immediately.
"Hey, sweetie." The older woman nodded to a reflection of her younger self. "How you feeling?"
"Fine, considering." QT gave a final roll of her neck. "Slept a bit funny though."
"Your young, should fix itself." Mrs. Timber tapped her wooden spoon on the side of the pot before placing it in a holder. "Dinner's ready. Could you get Cristina, she hasn't left her room all afternoon."
"Huh?" The curly hair brunette looked down the darkened hall. "Okay, I'll check on her."
Mrs. Timber lifted the largest pot of spaghetti and moved to the sink with a strainer. QT on the other hand went down the hall to her little sister's door. No light emitted underneath the crack but she knocked anyways. A small shuffling could be heard as Cristina approached the door. The handled turned and the door became slightly ajar just enough to see a slightly disheveled girl.
"Whoa, sis, you okay?" Quinlan expressed her concern to the little sister.
"*Sniff* I'm fine…" Her voice was hoarse.
"You want to talk about it?"
"No, it's fine…"
"Okay… well dinner's ready." In the gap of the door QT watched Cristina nod slightly. "Perhaps you'll feel better if you ate."
"Yeah… maybe." The door began closing. "I'll be out in a sec."
"Okay…" The door clicked shut. The teen stood in front of the door for a moment longer simply listening but left before the girl exited. Returning to the kitchen, QT discovered her mother had finished setting the table. The mother in question was currently replacing her potholders back into a drawer.
"Everything's good. Serve yourself." The woman said joyfully.
"Thanks, Mom." The busty brunette went and sat in her usual place when they were all here. On the table for four her seat was such that she would be sitting next to both to her sister and her mother. Her father would have occupied the seat opposite of her but he was most likely performing surgery.
The amount of carbs on the table worried the fitness expert but considering she'd have a lot of time for the gym now, she dug in. Cristina arrived shortly after she had finished her plating and the girl sat down without speaking a word. In the light it was clear that she had been crying but a long time ago.
"Sis, why wer-"
"Hey, there sweetie." Mrs. Timber took her seat across from Cristina. One inspection also triggered her maternal prerogative. "Cristina, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, I messed up." The youngest Timber in the room told her mother.
"Do you want to-"
"No… I'll handle it." The room grew a silent which wasn't unusual considering there was typically less people but the air was thick.
"Okay, if you want to talk, come to me whenever." Cristina nodded to Mrs. Timber's words. "Anyways, just so you know, your sister is currently suspended."
"What?!" The young girl's voice picked up finally. "Why?"
"Cause that guy I punched." Quinlan spun a sizable pasta ball.
"Why isn't he getting in trouble?!" The girl's voice shouted.
"He is." The older sister laid down the fork. "We both got suspended. I'm also not allowed to go to Prom, but I wasn't going anyways."
"Well, that's stupid." The elementary schooler sneered a bit.
"I know, right?" QT agreed.
"What happens now?" Mrs. Timber finally spoke up.
"Oh, well, my Vice Principal told me I should file a claim." The teen said shyly. "She gave me the number of a lawyer and everything."
"Hmm, okay." The Timber mother finished chewing a piece of bread. "I'm sure your father will be fine with it. Should I give them a call?"
"No," Quinlan spoke firmly. "I'll do it." She could feel her mother's eyes on her. There was a small bit a worry but also surprise in them.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you." Mrs. Timber took a sip of water. "Anything else I should know?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Good, I want both of you to know," The Timber matriarch made sure her kin were looking at her. "I love both of you greatly, and I'm so proud of both of you. Nothing you could do will ever change that." Small smiles built up on both the Timber sisters.
"Thank you, Mom." Came from both Quinlan and Cristina.
"Oh, you two!" The mother wiggled with pleasure. "Now eat. I can make more noodles if you're still hungry."
The family began eating with minor idle chatter. Quinlan would inform her mother about the incident fully at school and Cristina was there for the reaction shots. Mrs. Timber's disdain for the school and the boy who caused it to happen only grew as the story continued to the point she wanted to march down to the closed school. But this is not what caused the dinner to come to abrupt end.
It was Cristina's comment that did that.
After filling her belly and getting water back in her system, the youngest woman in the room finally was out of her funk. She was happy, and seemed joyous seeing her sister upbeat even after what happened to her. Then she remembered something.
"Oh, Sis!" The blue dressed girl shouted out excitedly.
"Yes, Sis?"
"Lincoln was worried about you at school today." Mrs. Timber's smile grew into a grin. "You should text him."
"Oooo~!" The Timber matriarch gleefully cooed. "Lincoln's such a sweetheart."
"Yeah, yes he is." Quinlan fiddled with her curls.
"You have such a nice boyfriend, Cristina!"
The two sisters froze in place.
"Next time, I have the night off you should invite him over for dinner." A small pang was in both of the girls' chests. "I'd love to hear how you started dating."
"W-we aren't dating." Cristina's eyes were downcasted at her plate. The spaghetti threatening to come back up again.
"Oh," The mother sounded disappointed. "That's too bad, he's such a nice boy. I bet he's quite a catch."
"H-he is." The littlest Timber's eyes began to water.
"I bet if you tried asking him out he'd be interested." The mother didn't relent. "I get the feeling he has a big crush on you."
"I-iiii-i'm not too sure about that."
"I am though. He would be such a joy to have around."
"H-he has a girlf-"
"I'm dating Lincoln, mom."
Cristina's head darted up with wide eyes as she looked at her sister. Quinlan looked as nervous as she was. Sweat had developed on her forehead. Her nails, even on her injured hand, were digging into the table. Her brown eyes didn't look up at her mother and fear was strongly on display.
Cristina's head slowly looked over to her mother.
"You what?" Mrs. Timber's face was devoid of pigment as the blood drained from it. A look of horror was simply not enough to describe what she was conveying.
"L-lll-lincoln's my b-boyfriend." QT's stutter showed her shaking resolve.
"Oh… I guess…" Mrs. Timber raised her glass of water to her lips. Her trembling hand caused water to spill into her food. "I guess freshmen look pretty young don't they." Sip.
"He's eleven."
*PPPPppppppffffffffftttttt*
Mrs. Timber began having a horrendous coughing fit. Her head turned to the side to avoid the food and her daughters looked on with great concern but their fear was too much to act.
"*Cough cough* Please tell me you're joking!"
"N-no. We've been dating for nearly four months now." Quinlan could see her disbelief. "On our first date we went to Giovanni Chang's Italian Chinese Bistro and we kissed in the parking lot."
"Quinlan, stop."
"Two days later he confessed and we started dating officially."
"Quinlan, st-"
"We went to get ice cream to celebrate. He ordered coffee to impress me but I ordered vanilla."
"Quinlan!"
"We swapped because he couldn't handle it."
"QUINLAN!"
"And I love him mom!" Quinlan turned to her mother who was begging her to stop. A look of pure horror now frozen on her face. "I love him and he loves me! I'm sorry for not telling you! I swear I was going to! We just got his parents' approval! And! And! I was so scared you would say no after how hard it was to get Lori to agree!"
"STOP!"
Quinlan went silent. Her mother's scream pierced into a primal fear every child has. She shrunk down in her seat. Her heart was beating like a jackhammer. Her mother had a hand to her chest as she took deep breaths. A minute passed, the only sound being heavy breathing.
"W-we," Quinlan tried to regain her roll but her mother's hand rose with a single finger up, ordering her to stay silent.
"Quinlan, please go to your room…"
"M-mom, let me."
"NOW!"
Quinlan's chair crashed to the floor as she jumped up and left the room crying. Cristina was frozen in fear but her eyes watched on as her sister covered her mouth so her pained whine could not be heard. Mrs. Timber sat seething and Cristina could not find the ability to speak up.
"Cristina?"
"Yes, Mom?"
"Could you clean up the kitchen? I need to think." The mother left it to the girl alone and went to the master bedroom unsure of what just happened.
What would you do if you learned your daughter was dating an eleven year old boy?
Had any parent dealt with such a situation before?
Mrs. Timber took a seat on the end of her and her husband's king sized bed. Her body leaned forward and her hand was on her chin. It was as if she was an alternate version of the thinker. The Timber matriarch had no idea how to handle this. This was not something parents prepared for. Her daughter was dating a child the same age as her younger sister. It was unthinkable.
How far have they gone?
Oh god, how far had they gone?!
A knocking at the door derailed her train of thought.
"Mom, I'm done cleaning the kitchen." Cristina's voice was muffled going through the wooden door.
"Thank you, sweetie," The mother looked at the clock, how long had she been sitting here. "You can do what you want now."
"C-could I talk to you?" A meek voice spoke.
"Now's not the best time-"
"You said I could talk to you whenever." Curse these kids and their ability to use their parents' words against them. Even then, Mrs. Timber had a feeling it had to with her sister anyways.
"Okay… come in."
Cristina slid into the master bedroom and closed the door behind her. The room seemed so intimidating now that she had come here with a big role to fill. Her mother was still sat waiting for her to speak. Her eyes widened and she took a deep breath before starting.
"Um… so I'm sure you're a bit freaked out at what has happened." The mother didn't respond but allowed the girl to continue. "And I just want to say… I just want to say…" Cristina took another breath. "Sis and Lincoln are really in love."
"Cristina…"
"Please, mom!" The girl began to tremble. "I-iii know." Her phrasing seemed to odd to pass over.
"How do you know?" Mrs. Timber asked.
"Cause… cause I messed up." Cristina managed to say. Her mother simply stared at her. Several tear drops began falling to the floor. "I messed up Mom."
"Sweetie, how did you mess up?"
"I-i"
"Cristina?"
"I-ii-iii"
"..."
"I tried to steal Lincoln."
Lincoln and Cristina fresh out of school hopped on the bus going west bound towards the local mall. Overall, they were just jabbering away about school and family. A keen observer would note, the white haired boy seemed less enthusiastic as the giggling school girl. While Lincoln still was receptive, it wouldn't be wrong to say he was responding hesitantly. This was only the start of his discomfort. As they arrived at the mall, the white haired boy's walk slowed till it was a lazy slide. Cristina, however, was skipping around as happy as can be. It was at this point he finally bothered to ask.
"Uhh, hey…" The Loud boy scratched the back of his neck, watching as his classmate placed her nose against a window display. "Cristina…"
"Chickadee."
"Chickadee… You know this isn't a date right?"
"Ha!" Cristina waved it off not bothering to look at his expression. "Of course it isn't. You're dating my Sis."
"Okay as long as you understand…" He tried moving next to her. "So I was hoping-"
"Let's go in here." The schoolgirl latched onto the boy's arm. "There's a super cute dress in there."
"No, wait." But she ignored his plees and entered the store. "Dang it. One pit stop shouldn't be to bad."
He was wrong.
An hour passed as Lincoln had a front row ticket to Cristina's private fashion show. Several giggling woman watching as the young boy sat outside the dressing room as an equally young girl burst out from time to time just to show off to him. Said girl also paid little attention to the displeasure on the boy's face but ever the gentleman he sat through it all. In the end he did want her help. With her selection made, the pair left the shop to the great joy of Lincoln.
"Alright!" He shouted at the first step out of the store. "Now I was hoping-" Lincoln turned around to see Cristina missing. He did three spins until finding her again waving in the distance about to enter another clothing store. "Dang it." The white haired wonder ran over to the store and quickly discovered Cristina browsing the racks.
"Great you're here." The girl put the bag from the previous store in his hand. "Hold this."
"Uhh, Cristina?"
"Chickadee."
"Chickadee, just checking. You really know this isn't a date, riiiggghhhtttt?" His attempts to stress the last word went unnoticed.
"Mmmhmm, Ooo~" She raised up a scarf. "I'm going to find a mirror."
"Wait," She was gone. "Dang it."
Another thirty minutes went by.
"Okay, how about we go to-" Lincoln started
"Oh! We should go to Jenny's, they got a killer sale right now." Cristina began walking but felt something pull her back.
"This isn't a date, Cristina."
"Duh, and it's Chickadee."
"I love Quinlan, okay?"
"Huh? Well of course you do." The schoolgirl nervously chuckled.
"Then could you let go of my hand?"
Cristina's eyes glanced downwards, her hand was interlocked with the lone Loud son. He had not pulled back, he had refused to be pulled. She released her grip and chuckled again.
"Oh, how did that happened?"
"Please, Cristina."
"Chi-"
"Cristina," Determination. Lincoln's expression could be summed up in one word. It was determination. "I wanted to ask for help picking out a gift for Quinlan. Could you please help me?"
"Well… o-of course I can." Cristina took a step back. She held her hand that once grasped his as if it was an injured paw.
"Thank you." His bow was deep and the display only wrecked more havoc in the young girl's heart. The only thing stopping her from crying was the embarrassment of being vulnerable, not to the public, but to the boy who just broke her heart.
Mrs. Timber had slowly guided her youngest to sit beside her on the bed. The young girl was bawling after realizing she had lost her first crush before it had even really started. On top of that she felt like a terrible sister, thinking she had betrayed her sister simply for having a crush on her boyfriend. In reality, she was just a young girl who just reached the age where love could blossom. There was nothing wrong with it. She had chosen an amazing boy but the circumstances were not in her favor.
"Sweetie, you did nothing wrong." The mother's hand swept across the girl's back in comfort.
"Yes, I did!" Cristina mumbled out. "And it only became clearer when Lincoln took me to choose a gift!" The message was gathered between sobs.
"What do you mean?"
"He didn't need my help!" She shook her head. "He found perfect gifts from the start! I was just there to see how well he already knows sis!" Cristina wiped away tears. "Lincoln just went in and stopped at every display case. He looked like he was struggling, so I'd point out some. But then he'd point to one and say 'what about that one?' And he was right, every single time!"
"It was like he knew sis more than even I knew her!"
Mrs. Timber's button up was stained with tears and snot from the girl. Her mumblings were becoming more and more incoherent. While she was here to help QT, Cristina also seeked the comfort only a mother could provide.
"Sweetie, it's okay. You're not a bad sister." Mrs. Timber ignored a babbled denial. "You just had a misstep with an unlucky first crush. There are other boys out there."
"Not as good as Lincoln."
"Sure there are."
"No there aren't. That's why Sis was so quick to snatch him up." Mrs. Timber shifted uncomfortably. "If I had just know back before they met I would have been the one dating him, not her." Life would have been so much simpler than, thought the Timber mother.
"Somethings just don't work out like you expect."
"You said nothing will change the fact the you love us, right?" Another example of the mother's words coming back to bite her.
"Yes, I did… but this situation is so strange."
"We know…" Cristina tried to steal herself. "That's why we called someone to talk to you."
"You what?"
*Ding Dong*
In the distance the doorbell rang.
Cristina removed her head from her mother's bosom and went to the bedroom door. She opened it for the woman who realized her daughter was asking her to go. With no reason to deny, Mrs. Timber stood up and walked outside. Her footsteps echoed down the hallway, as she passed QT's room she heard an audible click as it opened. The mother did not peek at the eyes peering out. The woman reached the front door with ease and opened it. A young boy was on the other side.
"Lincoln…" The Loud boy with white hair stood nervously on the welcome mat. "You shouldn't be here right now."
"I-i know this is confusing but could you listen to someone?" The sole Loud boy's inquiry was hard to accept but the mother agreed regardless.
"I thought it was you I would be listening to." She told the boy.
"Actually, I was hoping to talk to you."
A blonde teen about her older daughter's age stepped into the light above the porch. She was wearing a blue tank top and khaki hot pants. She stood behind the shaking boy and her presence calmed him.
"I'm Lincoln's oldest sister, Lori Loud."