Paul took his mind off his suspension by helping his neighbors with their yard work. He had started a month before. He would do odd jobs and get paid. He wanted to buy Linda gifts for Christmas, and he wanted to pay for them himself.

He did the yard work in the morning, and in the afternoon his mom dropped him off at Linda's. He missed being next to her on the bus. He missed being with her in homeroom. And more importantly, he missed being around her, period. He knew Jill would be back Friday, but he wouldn't. Linda would be alone. He started to have all kinds of thoughts of Jill just having her way with Linda. Linda was the gentlest soul in the world. Jill was the reincarnation of pure evil, someone who delighted in hurting people physically. He had an idea. He didn't like it, but it was the only one that made sense.

Paul asked his mom if they could leave about 15 minutes earlier than usual. He needed to see someone first. His mom said sure. So they left and drove to the destination that Paul asked to be taken to. 

He saw the school bus arrive. Paul got out of the car, and waited. He saw Alice with George. He went up to them and apologized for the interruption, but he needed to ask Alice something very important. 

Alice looked down at him and said go ahead. Paul said that Jill was coming back from suspension Friday. He wasn't. He asked her if she could look after Linda until he returned Monday. It would just be for one day. And that he wouldn't bother her again.

Before Alice could answer, George said that he would. This surprised both Alice and Paul. He expected the response from Alice, not her boyfriend. And Alice looked at him, and with an upset look on her face. 

George told Paul that he should leave, as he needed to have a talk, but promised that he would look after Linda. Paul thanked him, and turned and went back to the car.

Alice asked George why he said yes. George looked her in the eye and said what good is being tall and strong if we don't use it to protect those weaker than us. Paul seemed like a great guy, Beta or not, and seeing him literally risk his life to protect the person he loved made him think of what he would be willing to do to protect the one person he cared about the most. And that person was her, Alice. He told her that he thinks about it every day. What if the girl he loved was in danger. Would he be willing to risk everything to save her? He looked at Alice and said he knew what he would do, and then he kissed her.

Alice didn't know what to say. She had avoided Jill, because Jill wasn't an immediate problem. But George made sense. All those years of bullying smaller, weaker people, and for what? It was fun in the beginning, but as it went on, she was enjoying it less and less. In fact, her friends were the ones keeping it alive.

But she had met George, and he was everything she was looking for in a man. And it made her reassess her life. Paul was one thing. He had confidence, guts, balls, you name it. But he was still a Beta. George was an Alpha with a lot of the same qualities. 

But at some point, she didn't want to be feared. She wanted to be loved. She wanted to get married and raise a family. And she wanted to teach her kids to respect all people. But how could she do that if she was being the very thing she would teach her children not to be. It made her eyes well up. If she wanted her children to be the best people they could be when they grew up, she needed to be the best person she could be now.

She took George by the hand and walked with him to her house. She was proud of George. His feelings on protecting Linda were exactly how she wanted her kids raised. Maybe George was the one. She didn't know, as for the first time in a long time, her mind was swirling with thoughts about her past, her present, and her future. But she made a promise to herself. She would try to be a better person.

Debbie drove Paul to Linda's house. His mood improved due to his chat with Alice and George. He wanted to make sure that Linda was safe. He thought that Jill would arrive Friday looking for blood, and with him not there, Linda would be the target of her wrath.

He knocked on her door. Linda answered wearing jeans and a sweater. Paul waved goodbye to his mom. Linda waved to Debbie, and she drove off as Paul went in.

He went up to her and gave her a big hug, and stood on the tops of his toes to try and kiss her. Linda seemed to be in a good mood, as she bent over just far enough to make sure her lips were out of reach. Paul secretly loved it when she was playful like that. It just made him think that he was the luckiest guy on the face of the Earth.

Paul immediately grabbed Linda's arm and moved her closer to the sofa. He eventually made his way up, and leapt into her arms. Now he could reach her. He kissed her.

She smiled, and sat down on the sofa. He sat down on her lap. She bent her head to give him a kiss, and he responded with a passionate kiss of his own. 

As they continued kissing, Linda used her left hand to gently caress the inside of his thigh. Immediately a bulge formed in the middle of his pants. She whispered to him that her parents wouldn't be back until later. She winked at him.

Paul suggested that they move somewhere more comfortable. Linda stood up with Paul in her arms and made their way to her bedroom. She entered and placed him on the bed. 

She proceeded to go her bureau and retrieved a box. She kept it in her hand. And then she started undressing. Paul caught the hint and started to do the same. 

She walked over to her bed, and sat next to him. He could smell her scent. It was a scent he was used to, ever since the first day they met. She caressed the back of his head. He rubbed her inner thigh. This was the first time for both, and it would be a learning process. 

Then the phone rang. Linda cursed her luck. With a heavy sigh she grabbed a robe and made her way to the kitchen to answer. It was her mom. She assumed Paul was there, and they wanted to know if he liked Chinese food. 

If Linda could have thrown the phone to the moon she would have. But with a sigh, asked Paul if he liked Chinese. He said yes. He was as disappointed as Linda. This was his third opportunity to become intimate with her, and the third failure. He told her they should just wait for marriage.

Paul may have thought he spoke a throwaway line, but Linda heard something different. She was excited. Paul spoke of a future marriage. Maybe with her. Now she was on cloud nine. And after hanging up the phone, she bent down and gave him the biggest kiss of her life.

Linda was happiest when she was with Paul. But the bus rides where she felt the loneliest. Without him sitting next to her, the seat felt like it was five times its size.

But she knew Jill was coming back in two days. And she started to worry. Linda was no match for her physically, and the Alphas didn't seem too interested in stopping her. Without Paul, she felt small and insignificant.

But when she exited the bus, she along with everyone else noticed Alphas dressed in red shirts walking the hallway. They had walkie talkies, and the word staff printed across their chests. Linda thought that they were security.

Wednesday and Thursday went by eventfully. There were the usual quizzes, and Linda made sure to get Paul's homework assignments. She also took detailed notes, so Paul could understand what was going on in class. 

But she still missed his company walking to class, or to lunch, or riding the bus. But she saw him everyday after school. She thought that he was there so often, it was like he lived there. Her parents really grew to love him. He was like a son to them. Paul always felt bad that Linda couldn't come to his house, but it was too small for her, and he felt her comfort should be top priority.

But Friday came. She and John and Mindy were quiet on the ride into school. This was the day that Jill came back. Even though school had security walking the hallways, Jill was the type to ignore them and zero in on her target. 

But her fears were unfounded. Jill was well behaved. And security ensured that there was no questionable behavior towards any student. 

Linda was happy. The weekend was here, Debbie was dropping Paul off at her house, and he would be with her on the bus come Monday. To her, life was good.