The Alpha's Rebel

Chapter 2

Kaitlyn and I pound down the stairs to find Caleb. Now that I know Vinnie's taking care of Molly, my temper is raging. The only thing running through my mind right now is kick the shit out of the motherfucker.

Thay, where is he? I mind link, my mind flashing back to the blood on Vinnie's fist. I don't have to ask to know what happened, and I know them well enough to know that wherever Thay is right now, Caleb is right there with him.

Outside by the diving board, he responds.

"They're outside by the pool," I tell Kaitlyn, and the two of us head in that direction. 

People are parting for us like the red sea, and I hear someone whisper, "Oh shit, Harper's pissed."

See, I have a reputation. I'm fiercely protective of the people I love, so if someone so much as even thinks about bad intentions involving one of those people, I will let all hell break loose. People can treat me however the fuck they want, but no one gets to mess with my loved ones and get away with it. No one.

I hear the punching and smell the blood before I see it. A crowd has formed, and Kaitlyn and I shove our way to the front through all their murmuring. Once people start realizing that I've shown up, a hush falls over them.

 Thay's holding Caleb up by the collar of his shirt with one hand and repetitively punching him across the face with his other hand. Caleb's face is covered in blood, and Thay has a small bruise forming under his right eye. Caleb must have got him.

I storm up to the pair and grab the collar of Caleb's shirt right next to where Thay's holding on, and I yank his face close to mine. Thay lets go and takes a few steps back.

"You need to fucking leave Molly alone," I snarl, burying my fist in his gut. He grunts and hunches over, but  I yank him right back up. "She's with Vinnie now. I don't know how many times we have to tell you, back the fuck off if you know what's good for you."

"She was mine first," Caleb hisses through his teeth. "Don't forget. She left me for that bastard."

"Because they're fucking mates, you asshat," I yell right in his face. I land another punch to his gut, and as he hunches over, he coughs. Blood drips out of his mouth, but I yank him back up again like nothing happened. "If you ever  touch Molly again, I will end you.  Do you understand?" He glares at me, but he knows better than to fight back. He nods.

I didn't want to threaten him the way I did. I may be ruthless when it comes to protecting my loved ones, but I wasn't a killer. Caleb's behavior was getting out of control, though. This isn't the first time it's happened, and he's been acting out like this more and more frequently. If he does it one more time, I'm never going to let it happen again.

I let go of his shirt and shove him away, watching as he stumbles and trips. I feel no sympathy as he struggles to push himself back to a standing position. I stare at him as he limps away from the crowd, probably going to find some ice and a towel.

"Come on," I say to Thay and Kaitlyn. The crowd parts as the three of us walk away. I head directly back upstairs to go to Vinnie and Molly. They're sitting on the floor of the bathroom. Molly's curled up in Vinnie's lap, and she looks like she's half asleep.

"We took care of him," I say quietly. 

"Thank you," Vinnie sighs. Even in those two words, I can hear how angry he is at both himself and Caleb. His reasons for being mad at Caleb are obvious, but he's furious with himself for not being there. He feels like if he had been there to protect her, this wouldn't have happen.

He's right. If he had been there, Caleb wouldn't have gone after Molly again. That doesn't make it his fault, though. Vinnie shouldn't have to be by Molly's side twenty four seven to make sure that some fucker like Caleb doesn't take advantage of her. Molly should be able to go to the bathroom by herself without Vinnie having to guard the door for her.

"Come on, let's get out of here," I say. quietly. Molly looks up, and I reach out my hands to pull her up. She grabs them, barely holding on. I grip hers tightly and slowly pull her up, trying not to jostle her too much. In the state she's in right now, she reminds me of a porcelain doll. Even the slightest wrong movement could break her.

Vinnie jumps up and shakes out his legs before pulling Molly into him. She rests her head against his chest, and it looks like the only thing holding her up is his arms wrapped securely around her. "Come on, baby," he whispers to her. She nods her head against his chest, and slowly pulls away.

"I'm okay," she says softly, her voice barely above a whisper. She wipes away the last of her tears and sniffles.

The five of us leave the house, the sound of the music slowly becoming quieter as we silently walk the mile back to Vinnie and Molly's house. Being around my best friends quickly calms me down. It always does. They're the best antidote for my anger.

When we turn the corner to the street that Vinnie and Molly's house is on, Thay asks, "So, what's the plan?"

"Ice cream," Molly says.

"I like the way you think," I grin, my mind already picturing the cartons of cookies n' cream sitting in their freezer. It was a staple in our group.

"And a movie," Kaitlyn says.

When we get back to their house, us three girls head upstairs to change into something more comfortable. I slip on an oversized sweatshirt and pajama shorts, tying my hair up in a ponytail as I rejoin the guys downstairs. Vinnie's lining up shot glasses, and Thay's digging through the cabinet above the fridge.

"Move," I tease, bumping his hip with mine so I can get to the freezer. I pull the drawer out and grab three cartons of ice cream. I set it down on the counter and grab us each a spoon. Thay finds the bottle he was looking for and doesn't waste any time pouring us each a shot.

Him, Vinnie and I each grab a glass and down the liquid. I barely feel the burn as the alcohol slides down my throat. "Are you doing shots without us?" Kaitlyn asks. I didn't even realize that her and Molly appeared behind us.

"Oops," Vinnie says innocently. Thay fills our glasses again as Kaitlyn and Molly grab their's and stand around the counter.

"Three, two, one," Kaitlyn counts. Again, I barely feel the burn. I can still feel the alcohol in my system from the keg stand, and I've also been doing this since I was thirteen. A little shot of vodka is nothing.

I can feel the shots kicking in. We all take another one, and then we head into the living room. Thay and I curl up together in the corner of the sectional with one tub of ice cream. Kaitlyn sprawls out on the long side of the sectional with a tub all to herself, and Vinnie and Molly squeeze onto the recliner with the last tub.

"Alright, boys and girls," Kaitlyn annouces, grabbing the TV remote and turning the TV on. "What are we thinking?"

"Nothing scary. I'm not in the mood," Molly says immediately.

"Sounds good. Suggestions?" Kaitlyn says, going into Netflix.

"'The Kissing Booth'?"

Thay groans in protest, but Vinnie doesn't say anything. Us three girls have seen the movie plenty of times, but we've never watched it with all five of us. Normally, when a chick flick is suggested, both guys are groaning.

"Vinnie, have you seen 'The Kissing Booth'?" I ask.

"What? No! Of course not!"

"Liar!" Molly shouts. "You watch it all the time with me."

He looks like a deer caught in the headlights after being called out, and Kaitlyn and I both burst into laughter.

"Oh man, come on," Thay groans. "Please tell me you're not siding with them."

"I'm not!" Vinnie rushes. "But, I'm just saying, after being forced to - OW - not forced to watch it against my will so many times, it's not that bad." 

Thay groans once again and buries his hands in his face. "She's changing you, dude."

"I know."

hey everyone! here's the second chapter, i hope you all enjoyed!! im so pumped to start posting this story. im not kidding when i say its been sitting in my drafts for probably close to FOUR years now! i know, thats a long time.

anyways, please vote and comment what you thought! i really want to know what you guys think so far!

thank you all so much for reading!