"You don't deserve her. She's mine. She gave herself to me first. She's mine. Haiku. She's only mine!!"
The boy was about to shoot Lincoln, but suddenly grabbed him by the wrist of the hand that was holding the gun.
The person holding him was Lincoln. Even though his eyes were covered, he didn't look happy.
"You say, What's yours? Don't make me laugh. She doesn't belong to anyone. If she chooses to be with me, that's her decision."
The boy tried to hit Lincoln, but he stopped his fist with his other hand.
"I will protect her from anyone who wants to harm her."
The boy's hateful face turned to horror as he saw how Lincoln's skin turned gray with noticeably bulging black veins, while his hair stood up, revealing his eyes.
The last thing heard from afar was the boy's screams of terror and pain.
-We are now in the public bathroom-
Lincoln washed his hands in the public bathroom.
He poured water down the drain, washing away the blood and bone fragments that remained on the boy's knuckles. Lincoln, in turn, removed the remnants of skin and flesh that were trapped under his fingernails.
When he was clean, Lincoln smelled his hands.
"Disgusting. The smell of blood won't go away. Either way. I'll have to wash myself at home with something stronger."
Lincoln saw himself in the mirror. "What the hell is happening to my body?" Ever since he entered the bathroom and saw himself for the first time all day, he had been asking himself this question. Because his hair and the whites of his eyes had returned to their usual white color.
"Good. At least I can still see. I'll have to ask Lisa about this later."
Lincoln left the bathroom and resumed his way home.
While returning, Lincoln saw someone carrying several boxes. She was staggering, trying to balance the boxes one on top of the other, until a small stone in the road interrupted her journey. Before she fell, Lincoln rushed and grabbed the boxes from the other side, preventing them from falling with whoever was carrying them.
"Are you okay?"
asked the boy. The person on the other side of the pile of cardboard answered yes. Her voice sounded familiar.
"Giggles? It's you."
"Lincoln?" Giggles lowers the boxes. Upon seeing her, Lincoln was amazed. The girl was not dressed as a clown. Which made her look different.
"Really, you look different without your uniform. I almost didn't recognize you."
"Ho ho. Yes, I started using it less as I got older. Now I only use it when I'm working."
"Why the boxes?"
"They are my props. You already know. Confetti; banners. Cake ingredients. That's what I use most."
"Do you want me to help you carry them?"
"Yes. Thanks."
Lincoln takes two boxes and carries them, one on each shoulder. These were the ones that contained the ingredients for Giggles cookies. Which made them heavier. But the boy carried them without a problem.
Resas could see how Lincoln's biceps and triceps, as well as his chest and back muscles, were visible under his shirt.
"Daddy, you are richer than bread."
"What are you saying?" Lincoln asked, because it was Giggles who was whispering.
"Ah... I... I said if you don't want to... help me someday... yes. I said that. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha"
"Oh. Obviously. I like that."
The rest of the trip, Giggles, was very tense. Every now and then, she would see Lincoln out of the corner of her eye. The boy had been in her fantasies ever since she saw him again. And this was pretty wild.
"Oh, my God. He's so handsome," Giggles thinks. By then, they had reached her house. She didn't want this beautiful moment with Lincoln to end. "Thanks for the help, Lincoln. Hey. Do you have plans to do something today?"
"Hmm. No, I'm free today. Why?"
"Uh... I... I wanted to ask you if you wanted to..."
"Go out?" Lincoln finished the sentence.
"Oh... well... yes. If you like."
"Okay. If it was with you, it would sure be fun."
Giggles couldn't contain her joy. "The boy of her dreams agreed to go out with her."
"Wow. Would you like to go to the movies? There's a comedy I wanted to see."
"Sounds good. I'll pick you up at 6 pm."
"I will wait for you."
With that, they both said a temporary goodbye. Giggles ran home, left the boxes at the door, and quickly went up to her room. The girl jumped into her bed and hugged a pillow.
"I can't believe it. Lincoln and I are going on a date. What should I wear? Should I wear makeup? Maybe I should have let him choose the movie. This is too complicated. Maybe I should ask for advice. But who can I ask for advice?"
"Definitely not my mother. She beats around the bush and ends up telling me how she met my father. And that's a very long story."
"I know!" Giggles took her cell phone and called someone. She is the only person in the world who knows what to do in such situations."
"Hey Giggles," the person on the other side said.
"Hi, Luan. I'm sorry to interrupt your busy nap. But I have a question."
"Okay. Tell me."
"I have a date today with your brother, and I was wondering what I should wear. Or if Lincoln likes something specific, I should know."
For a while, Giggles received no response.
"Luan? Are you there? Luan?"
"Yes, yes. I'm sorry. You surprised me. You just have to know that Lincoln is a simple boy. He adapts easily and is not picky. As long as you two are having a good time, he doesn't care what you do or what you wear."
The answer was simple, but it took away a lot of stress for Giggles.
"Thank you, Luan; you are the best."
"When you want."
The call ended, and she was laughing as she prepared for her date.