Part 15

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Chapter Twenty



The next three weeks were the happiest that Lincoln had spent since his Mum died.  Abbie was more than he had ever thought.  They seemed to be on the same page - same sense of humour, similar music taste, a love for making out.  She was fun but sensitive.  He told her more about himself than he had ever told anyone. 


They spent a lot of time together - she would come to the shop when he was working and 'help' him.  At school they saw some of each other but they kept their PDA's off school premises so as not to alert and upset Nathan.


Trouble began to brew one afternoon during break.  Lincoln, Dale and James were walking down the halls chatting.  At the other end of the hall, by a group of lads from the football team, Lincoln noticed the now familiar flick of Abbie's hair as she opened her locker.


A few of the footballers moved to the side and Lincoln could now see a boy standing next to her.  He watched as the boy put his arm around her.  Lincoln quickened his pace.


"Come on Abbie, go out with me on one date" said the Boy.


"Look Theo, we are no longer a couple therefore we do not date" stated Abbie.


"It will be like old times.  We were always so good together" purred Theo, stroking her shoulder.


She wriggled free of his touch.  "Stop it Theo!" she snapped.


There were a few cat calls from the football group.  Abbie turned and glared at Nathan who was in the middle of the group.  He just grinned back at her.


"Come on Gorgeous.  I will take you out shopping and then we can go back to mine.  My parents are away again.  We can make up for lost time".  He put his arm around her and kissed her hard on the cheek.


Abbie squirmed and struggled from his grip.


"Get off me.  Don't touch me" she shouted.


He reached for her.


"I believe she said not to touch her" said Lincoln, pushing Theo away firmly but gently and positioning himself defensively in front of Abbie.


"I don't know who you think you are, but this is none of your business mate" Theo spat the words out, as he reached for Abbie again.


Lincoln held him back.


"She said no!" said Lincoln sharply.


A silence filled the hallway as everyone stopped to watch the encounter.  It was ended by the ringing of the bell and the emergence of teachers in the hallway.


"This isn't over" hissed Theo.  He and the crowds dispersed.


Lincoln turned to Abbie.


"Are you ok?  Who was that?"


"That was Theo, my ex-boyfriend and Nathan's best friend."


"You never mentioned him before?" said Lincoln.


Abbie raised an eyebrow.  "We haven't really covered past relationships yet."


"True" said Lincoln, thinking it was a conversation no man relished with a woman.  "How long since you broke up?"


"We broke up during the French Exchange.  I found out he was cheating on me with a French girl."


"Do you still have feelings for him?"  Lincoln asked directly.


"No, he is a jerk.  The cheating was the icing on the cake.  I should have split up with him long before that."


"Lincoln, get to lessons!" They were interrupted by Mr Adams bellowing from the other end of the hall.  Lincoln scowled in his direction.


"I'll see you later babe" She gave him a quick kiss and they disappeared off to their lessons.




Two days passed and Abbie said she hadn't been hassled again.  Lincoln began to relax.  This guy had got the message.  Lincoln had finally got his lunch and was scanning the crowded cafeteria for his friends.


"Lincoln!"  He looked right to see Abbie waving from a table in the corner.  She had saved a space for him at a table with her friends and Dale and James.  He manoeuvred around the crowded tables.  Theo, Nathan and the majority of the football team were gathered around a table nearby.  As Lincoln walked past, Theo shoved him hard.  As he fell, his tray fell also and crashed loudly onto the floor.  Silence fell and all eyes were on Lincoln but he was far from embarrassed.  He jumped up and pushed Theo hard.


"What the hell do you think you are doing?" shouted Lincoln angrily.


"Interfering in your business like you did in mine" said Theo, pushing him back.


Lincoln stood strong and looked unnervingly into Theo's eyes.


"You shouldn't have been hassling her" said Lincoln plainly.


"It has nothing to do with you if I am talking to my girlfriend."


"Wrong" said Lincoln, "She dumped you.  She isn't your girlfriend anymore, she is mine.  Nobody touches my girlfriend.  It isn't my fault you can't find your own."


Theo jumped on him and they both fell to the ground.  The scrap only continued for a few minutes before Mr Adams and another teacher pulled them apart.


"Get to my office, now" shouted Adams.


"But I didn't do anything" protested Lincoln.


"Move it" snapped Adams.  Lincoln grabbed his bag and left the cafeteria noisily.



After work that evening, Lincoln returned home exhausted.  The second he walked in, Kat came running out of the living room.


"Are you ok?  I saw what happened in the cafeteria.  What did Mr Adams say?"  She asked, her eyes flashing wildly.


"He wouldn't believe that I didn't start it but the other teacher saw Theo go for me first.  So he put me on a week's detention" complained Lincoln.


"What is this?"  They turned to see Sam in the doorway.


"Detention, again?  This is unacceptable.  Who gave it to you?"


"Mr Adams"


"What for?"


"I was in a fight but..."


Sam cut him off.  "Fighting!"


"The other guy attacked me!  He started everything" exclaimed Lincoln.


"I told you no more trouble. I don't want to hear excuses" snapped Sam.


"They are not excuses.  It is the truth.  But you aren't interested in that, are you?" shouted Lincoln.  He pushed past Sam and sprinted up the stairs.


"Lincoln, get back here" shouted Sam.


"Dad, calm down" said Kat, "Stop being so irrational."


"Irrational!  He is driving me to insanity!" said Sam.


"Dad he is telling the truth.  I saw it myself.  The other guy shoved him and then jumped on him.  Ask Connor, he was there too."


Sam paused and then groaned.


"I've really put my foot in it, haven't I?" asked Sam.


Kat nodded grimly.




"Lincoln, Lincoln!"  He jumped up as he heard Kat call his name.  He opened the bedroom door and stuck his head out.


"Yeah?" he called back.


"Abbie is on the phone"


He trotted downstairs for the first time since the row with Sam.


"Thanks" he said taking the phone off Kat.


"Hello?"


"Hey, how are you?"


"Ok, I guess."


"I waited for you after school but you didn't turn up or text me."


"Yeah sorry.  My battery died.  Adams gave me detention so I couldn't come."


"No way but you didn't do anything wrong."


"He doesn't care, he has it in for me."


"I am sorry Theo picked a fight with you.  It is my fault"


"Hey now, it is not your fault that he is an idiot" soothed Lincoln.  "I am sure I can survive detention.  It is no biggie.  Well except to Sam; he blew his lid when he found out.  He didn't even let me explain properly."


"Lincoln I am sorry, Nathan is bugging me to use the phone.  Plug your mobile in and I will text you at bedtime."


Lincoln smiled into the phone.  "Ok babe.  Night"


Lincoln put the phone down and turned to see Sam standing in the doorway.


"Jesus, can't I get any privacy in this house?" Lincoln made to go upstairs.


Sam put his arms out.  "Lincoln, wait.  I am sorry.  Kat told me about what happened at school.  I am sorry I had a go at you" said Sam sincerely.


"Well, ok, whatever.  I am going to bed."  Lincoln darted up the stairs.


Sam sighed as he watched his son disappear.





Abbie glared at her brother as she handed him the phone. 


"What is wrong with your mobile, anyway?"


Nathan ignored her question.


"Was that lover boy?" he asked coolly.


"That was Lincoln, yes" she answered plainly


"Why didn't you tell me you were going out with him?" inquired Nathan.  "You made me look a fool in front of my friends."


"You and the rest of your friends did that when you picked on Lincoln" retorted Abbie.


"I don't want you to go out with him.  He is trouble Abbie and I don't like him" said Nathan firmly.


"I don't need your approval Nathan. You are not the one dating him" she said sharply.


"Why don't you go back out with Theo?  He is a great guy."


"He cheated on me Nathan!  Besides, I really like Lincoln.  We really connect.  He is a great person, if only you would get to know him."


"How well do you know him?"


Abbie frowned at her brother.


Nathan stifled a laugh.


"I don't suppose he has ever told you why he works for Uncle George?"


"What are you on about?" asked Abbie, confused.


"The only reason he works for Uncle George is because he was caught shoplifting from the store.  Uncle George dropped the charges and took him on as punishment.  Now do you think your thief of a boyfriend is such a great person?" asked Nathan.


"You are lying" said Abbie in disbelief.


Nathan shook his head.


"I don't believe you, you would have told me before now."


"I only just found out: I overheard Mum on the phone a few days ago.  But you don't have to believe me.  Why don't you ask Uncle George?"  Nathan put the phone down and walked away.


Abbie's head was filled with confusion.  Lincoln - a thief?  She knew he'd been in trouble back in London but would he really steal from her Uncle?  She knew there was only one way to find out for sure.  She dialled a number and after a few rings a deep male voice answered:


"Hi Uncle George, it is Ababa..."



Lincoln got into bed feeling better for having spoken to Abbie.  He'd never felt like this about anyone before.  Connor came in from the bathroom and got into bed.


"Night Con" said Lincoln, turning off the light.


After a few moments of silence, Connor spoke from the darkness.


"Linc, it is not a good idea to go out with Abbie Cassidy."


Lincoln sat back up and turned the light back on.  "What?  Not you too"


"No, I don't care who you go out with.  It is just that Theo and Nathan are my close friends.  Nathan doesn't want you dating his sister after you stole from their Uncle and Theo wants her back.  He and Abbie went out for four months before they split up" said Connor.


"Yeah but he cheated on her.  I didn't take her from him."


"I know.  The thing is; I know Theo and Nathan.  The incident today was just the beginning.  They won't leave you alone until you and Abbie are no longer friends, let alone going out.  It would save a lot of nastiness if you just end it now.  There are plenty of other girls at school who are interested in you.  Take Ella for example."


"I don't want to go out with anybody else.  And I am not going to stop seeing her because of those two goons" said Lincoln.


"It is your funeral" muttered Connor.


"And those two morons are your friends?!"


"Yeah" said Connor defensively. "My best friends."


"Well then you better decide.  You can't be on both sides.  Who will it be; your friends or your brother?  It is up to you."


Lincoln snapped the light off and left Connor in the darkness with his thoughts.  He was too riled up to notice that there was no text from Abbie.

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