Thread:TheMaximumMatt/@comment-31647719-20190120212804/@comment-32807753-20190126035559

"T-thank you," said Lincoln. "I'll be okay, right?"

"You'll be fine," said Rita. "You can just get some rest for now. Drink some water."

Lincoln obliged, picking up the water glass and letting the chilled liquid slough down his parched throat.

"And when you feel ready," said Rita, "we'll have a little chat."

Lincoln felt a slight tension in his chest as his family members vacated the room. His effort to relax was somewhat hindered by the knowledge that, once he was rested, he'd have to answer for everything he'd done in the past week or so. Granted, he felt that they had plenty to answer for too, but he wasn't looking forward to the prospect of another argument. Regardless, the best thing for him to do at the moment was follow Rita's instruction, so for the next few hours, he lied on the bed in silence, sipping his water.

After some time had passed, he saw his family members trickle back into the living room one by one, with Rita leading them. As they entered, they each took a seat somewhere around the room; the parents and older siblings brought in chairs from the kitchen, while the younger ones took a seat on the floor.

"Are you ready to talk?" she asked. "We'll give you a little more time if you need it."

No," said Lincoln, who figured that he might as well get it over with. He propped himself up into a sitting position with a grunt of effort. "I think I'm ready."

"Good. But first, I think Lynn has something she'd like to say to you."

Rita stepped aside, and in her place, Lynn approached Lincoln with her eyes pointed towards the floor and her hands folded behind her back.

"Lincoln?" she squeaked. "I- I'm sorry I bullied you into coming to my game."

"And?" said Lynn Sr.

"And I'm sorry that I blamed everything on you when I lost," she added, cringing with shame as she backed away from Lincoln and retook her seat.

Lisa: And how do we know that youre just just saying that because youre being forced to.