Linda and John were waiting by the school doors when the saw Alice and her friends make their way through the hallway. She had a bounce in her step, and they were all laughing like they didn't have a care in the world. Through the doors and on to the bus they went.

About a minute later John spotted Paul coming towards them. He had a very sour look on his face. Linda and John asked him what was wrong, but he didn't say anything. 

Linda had an idea of what was going on, but unless Paul was going to say what happened, she kept it to herself. The three of them made their way onto the bus, and took their seats. Linda noticed that Alice and her friends were staring at Paul and laughing. This confirmed her fears about what happened. She motioned for Paul to sit by the window. 

Linda put his hand in hers. She dwarfed his, but she gently closed it around his. Paul was staring blankly out the window. He could hear Alice and her friends laughing. He recounted the events of the afternoon in his mind, thinking of ways he could have handled it differently. But no matter how hard he tried, there was nothing. Alice grabbed him by his shirt, and with little effort, made it impossible for him to move.

Linda could see his blank gaze, and decided at that moment to bend her head down and give him a kiss on the cheek. It broke the trance Paul seemed to be in. He looked at Linda, and thought for a moment, then reached up with his arms and pulled her head down and kissed her. 

Now Linda was surprised. She never expected Paul to kiss her. But she had to admit that she wasn't upset. Paul, sensing her confusion, quickly apologized, explaining that he didn't know what came over him. And he was about to say more, except Linda pulled him to her and kissed him. Now it was Paul's turn to be confused. He thought she was mad about him kissing her, only for her to kiss him. Now they were both confused. And Paul did his best to try and hug her, but her height made it impossible. 

If they had been paying attention, then would have noticed that the bus was taking a detour. And its first stop was in front of an Alpha housing development. The driver opened the door, and then they noticed that Alice and her friends were getting off. 

Paul turned his attention to the door, and wouldn't look away. Linda noticed Alice getting closer, and did her best to shield him. Alice stopped at the row, looked at Paul, and then at Linda. She told Linda to make sure her little Beta boy behaves. And then her and her friends started laughing loudly as they exited the bus.

Linda reached to her right and brought Paul closer to her. She was fuming, but trying to remain calm in order to keep him calm. She only met him yesterday, but he was a perfect gentleman towards her, and really tried to protect those weaker than him. And what was his reward? To have the ultimate school bully make him the target of her and her friends. And Linda really felt bad. She was tall, but Alice and her friends dwarfed her, and were much, much stronger. She would never be able to stop them if they just came up and took him with them. For the first time in her life, she felt useless.

She finally realized that Paul had been rubbing her arm. And then he looked up at her and said thank you for being there for him. And he apologized to her, because now she was in the crosshairs of Alice and her friends because of him. He told her that he would deal with Alice. She should stay out of it, because he couldn't protect her if she got herself in trouble. He’ll figure something out. He just didn't want her to get hurt because he couldn't keep his nose out of other people's business. 

Linda asked Paul if he would get off at her stop. Her parents would take him home. She felt that if she could take his mind off his troubles, maybe he would confide in her what exactly happened. He needed someone to be a good listener, and she was volunteering for duty.

Her suggestion that he go to her house snapped him out of his malaise. She had become a close friend in a short time. In fact, she had become a true friend. He felt really comfortable around her, and she didn't judge. She had patience, a wonderful personality, and was beautiful on top of it. She didn't know it, but she was offering him an opportunity to go inside an Alpha house. It was something that always fascinated him. Just what were those houses like?

When the bus stopped at her house, they thanked the driver, and made their way up the enormous walkway.

Paul thought the house looked like the school, except people actually lived here.

Linda put her oversized key in the oversized keyhole and opened the oversized door. To Paul, the house, like the school was oversized, so to him, it was just another oversized building.

Entering the foyer, Paul asked Linda if she gets lost going to the closet. Linda let out a big laugh. And Paul started laughing too. 

And she showed him the living room. Paul said that he would be back in five minutes. Linda looked puzzled. Paul said he needed to go get a bloodhound. That way if he got lost in this room, they would be able to find him. Again they were laughing. 

She showed him the bathroom. Looking in he faux yelled ‘hello in there’ and then waited to hear an echo. Linda couldn't believe it. She asked Paul to come home with her so she could cheer him up, only for the exact opposite to occur. She was really happy. And she was finding that she started to have feelings for him.

Next was the kitchen. Paul asked her if they kept the food truck in the back yard. She looked confused. Paul faux measured an exaggerated area of the floor, and told her yes, a food truck can indeed fit in there, so they must have one in the back yard.

Linda had to excuse herself. Paul was making her laugh so much that she almost peed herself. After she composed herself, she offered a seat at the table. Paul looked at the seat that was above his head, and said he needed two things, and that he would be back in five minutes. She asked him what he could he  possibly need now. He looked at the table, then at her, and told her that he needed a trampoline and a booster seat. 

Linda almost fell over laughing. She had never seen this side of Paul before. He was polite, always seeking to protect those weaker, and always ready to do the right thing. Now he was showing a sense of humor. She was starting to have feelings for him, and she secretly prayed that he had feelings for her. 

Paul asked Linda if he could use her phone, as he needed to call his house to let them know where he was. She led him over to the wall phone that was about a foot above his head. Paul did an over the top impression of someone who couldn't reach an object on the top shelf. Linda laughed, and got the phone for him. And as she handed the phone to him, she gave him another kiss, this one more passionate than the kiss on the bus. He returned her passion with his own, but then pulled away. She asked him what was wrong. He told her that he heard someone coming. She told him that she didn't hear anything. And then the front door opened, and in walked her parents.