(Adapted Show Episode with Dante )
Lincoln sat on the couch with Clyde, nervously biting his nails. A folded piece of notebook paper sat on the coffee table like a ticking time bomb.
"She likes me, Clyde," Lincoln whispered, eyes wide. "Ronnie Anne likes me. What do I do?"
Clyde adjusted his glasses, blushing. "This is catastrophic. We're talking about holding hands in public, the possibility of long-distance relationship management if she moves, and—"
"Or," came a calm voice from the armchair, "you could just… not panic."
Dante leaned back with his arms crossed, looking amused. He'd only known Lincoln a few weeks, but already he'd noticed his friend's habit of spiraling into melodrama.
Lincoln spun toward him. "Not panic? Dante, this is my life."
Dante raised an eyebrow. "It's a note. From a girl. Pretty sure that's not a life-or-death situation."
"But what if she's planning to embarrass me? Or worse… marry me?!" Lincoln clutched his head like the world was ending.
Dante chuckled. "Trust me, girls don't marry you in middle school."
Clyde scribbled frantically in his notebook. "Counterpoint: statistically speaking, Lincoln could be walking into a romantic trap."
Lincoln groaned. "See? Even Clyde thinks it's bad!"
Dante sighed, leaning forward. "Look, man. You don't know what the note says yet, right? Why don't you just… read it?"
Lincoln froze. "Read it? Out loud? What if it's too much?"
Before Dante could stop him, Lincoln ripped the note open. His eyes widened. "It says… 'Meet me by the drinking fountain after school.'"
Clyde squeaked. "It's a date!"
"No," Dante said, trying to ground them both, "it's a drinking fountain. Maybe she just wants to talk."
But Lincoln was already spiraling. "Nope. Nope nope nope. If she likes me, I'm doomed."
The rest of the day spiraled in true Loud House fashion. Lincoln, convinced Ronnie Anne had a crush, avoided her like the plague. Clyde followed with a clipboard, documenting "romantic patterns." Dante, stuck in the middle, kept facepalming.
By the time Lincoln hid in a bathroom stall to escape Ronnie Anne, Dante stood outside the door. "Lincoln, dude, you're overthinking this. She probably just wants to say hi."
Lincoln's voice echoed from inside. "Or she wants to confess her undying love!"
"Or," Dante deadpanned, "she wants to borrow a pencil."
Eventually, Ronnie Anne cornered Lincoln in the hallway, shoving him lightly. "You're such a dork, Loud."
Lincoln braced himself. "Please don't propose to me!"
Ronnie Anne blinked. "…What?"
Dante, standing nearby, dragged his hand down his face. "Called it."
Ronnie Anne rolled her eyes. "Relax, Loud. I just wanted to ask if you were free to hang after school. Don't make it weird."
Lincoln melted with relief, while Clyde fainted dramatically in the hallway. Dante shook his head, laughing. "Man, you really know how to stress yourself out."
And from that day on, Lincoln realized maybe Dante's calm attitude wasn't such a bad influence after all.