What had started off as a terrible situation at Linda's improved by the time they dropped Paul off at his house. Paul could see why they did what they did. She was not only their daughter, but a tweener, which meant that she already was considered inferior by Alphas. And then you add in him, a Beta, he might react as they did. 

But what occurred was in the past. Paul had to get ready for his cookout on Sunday. First thing was to make sure the Alpha port-a-potty was ordered for Linda and Todd.

Second, make sure there was enough food. Linda and Todd were tweeners, so they didn't eat as much as Alpha but more than a Beta. And they needed plenty of drinks.

Third, and most importantly, he needed to prepare his parents for Linda. His descriptions of her didn't do justice to her beauty. And he didn't want his parents shocked by the sizes of Linda and Todd. His parents were cool, and he knew that they wouldn't be, but it was better to be safe.

Thursday and Friday flew by without any incidences, one of the few stretches of calmness so far. Sunday was approaching, and cleaning and setting up needed to be done.

While Paul was mowing his lawn, he recalled the talk he had with Linda on Friday afternoon. The last class had gotten done about 15 minutes early, and so with time to kill, Paul brought up a touchy subject with him. He wanted to know how Linda knew the details of his encounter with the Alpha girl. 

Linda told him that there were these Alpha girls in the bathroom talking about it in detail, and that she put two and two together and realized that it was him and Todd they were talking about.

Linda asked him why he never told her about it. Paul told her that he was really scared, and if he told her how scared he was, she might think less of him.

She bent down and looked him the eye that she would never think less of him if he was scared of an Alpha. She said look at her, two feet taller than him, and she was too scared to try and prevent John from being taken by Alice's friend.

She wanted to know why Paul never explained his deal with Alice. He looked at her and said it was made clear that if he broke the agreement in any way, his friends would suffer, not him. And he couldn't explain to her how it made him feel so lousy and guilty, that he was overwhelmed by self-pity. 

Still bending, she brought his face closer and kissed him, and told him that he was the bravest man she knew. He would never have to explain himself to her, but if wanted to talk, or needed to talk, she would be there for him. He kissed her and thanked her for all she done for him. Then it was time for the bus.

Sunday came and Paul was nervous. Linda was going to meet his parents for the first time. He kept trying to reassure himself that everything would be fine, but he didn't want to relax. He had set the time for 1pm. The port-a-potty was behind some bushes, offering a little privacy. The burgers and dogs were waiting to be cooked, and the drinks were on ice.

Paul's parents came out to the backyard. Since Linda and Todd were tweeners, they wouldn't be able to fit in the house, so his parents, Greg and Debbie, thought it would be easier for everyone involved if all introductions were done outside. 

John and Mindy were the first to arrive. Paul's parents had seen John plenty of times, but this was the first time they were meeting Mindy. After the hellos, Paul pointed out the cooler with the drinks. 

Next, Todd arrived. His parents had just dropped him off and left. Todd came around back and introduced himself. Greg and Debbie did the same. They told him that any friend of Paul's was ok in their book. Paul showed him where the drinks were, and the wall were he could sit.

Finally, the moment arrived. Paul's hands were sweating like crazy. He quickly grabbed a towel from the house, and dried them as best he could.

He recognized her parents, Victor and Stephanie, and then saw Linda right behind. He was happy. Very, very happy. After parental introductions, Paul introduced Linda to his parents. They welcomed her to house, and said that they had heard so much about her, that Paul's description of her matched perfectly. She smiled and said thank you.

Paul took her hand and led her to the drinks, asking what she wanted. She replied that water would be fine, and they made their way to the wall, where she could sit comfortably.

While the five of them were off by the wall, the parents talked. Victor and Stephanie told Greg and Debbie that they had never seen their daughter so happy as she is when she is around Paul. Greg replied that it was the same with Paul. He would constantly talk about Linda, and his eyes would light up like a bright star when describing her. And they laughed. They could tell that Paul and Linda were meant to be together.

The cookout was a blast. The bond became a little stronger, and trust grew among them. Soon, the Halloween dance would be upon them

Time flew towards that dance. The tensions in the school had calmed down, almost like a truce had been called. Even Alice and her friends seemed calmer. Maybe it was something in the water. Paul didn't know and didn't care.

As the dance approached, Paul had a great idea for costumes. Todd would dress as Old McDonald, Linda would dress as Little Bo Peep, and he, John and Mindy would be sheep. So you would have Old McDonald helping Little Bo Peep find her sheep. The four of them loved the idea.

And so, the dance arrived. What started off as a simple costume dance came to a screeching halt. Out from behind the curtain came Alice and her friends. Alice was a sight to behold. She was dressed as the Goddess Athena, and her friends dressed as her messengers. 

Paul had Linda, but he thought of every guy at the dance running into the bathroom with the lights off and that image of Alice in their head. All Paul could think was WOW!