She Fell For The Boy Next Door

Monday at school, Cale rounded a building at the end of the day to find Steffie Miller, her horde of evil minions, and her jock boyfriend, Riley Chapman, crowding Alice into a tiny corner. He heard the cronies giggling raucously and Riley laughing derisively at Alice.
“You still in love with me, Al?” he asked.
Cale stiffened and saw Alice’s eyes brimming with tears.
“Oi! Leave her alone!!” he shouted.
Everyone turned and Alice peered over Riley’s shoulder to gaze at Cale, her bottom lip trembling. Cale hated that.
“Did you say something, Vreeland?” Riley demanded.
He squared up to Cale, not realizing he was exactly the same height.
“Yeah. I did” Cale responded, shoving Riley back a step.
Steffie and her clones watched the scene unfold with wide glassy eyes. Alice watched with a different personal view; her best friend was fighting for her.
“You know what, Chapman? I hate you” Cale spat harshly, his green eyes blazing with cold fury.
Alice sucked in a sharp breath of cool air. She had never heard Cale say ‘I hate you’ before. He’d never even said ‘hate’ in a reference to anything.
Riley glared at Cale.
He swung a wide punch at Cale’s head, and missed. Alice continued to watch, fascinated and worried.
Cale smashed his tightly curled fist into Riley’s stomach. Riley tried to slam his open palm against Cale’s ear, but he missed entirely again.
“How bad can you get?” Cale said, barely skipping a breath, unlike his adversary.
He landed his fist under Riley’s chin, knocking his head back. Riley shook his head feverishly, attempting to recover from the whiplash. He had stepped away from Cale, so Cale took that chance. In that instant, he took one step forward and head butted Riley. The other boy stared at him for a second before crumpling in a heap on the snowy ground.
Ignoring the stares and glares of the four girls, Cale gently grasped Alice’s hand and led her slowly out of the school grounds and into the forest which stood tall between their two houses. He began to drag her. So fast were his movements, Alice stumbled over tree roots, slightly bewildered at her friend’s behavior. Cale was never this forceful.
“What are you doing, Cale?” Alice asked him when he finally pulled her to a stop.
“Getting you away from there, what do you think?” Cale barked.
Alice straightened indignantly at the tone of his voice.
“I can take care of myself” she retorted.
Cale snorted.
“Hardly!” he said, staring at her with disbelief apparent in his eyes.
Alice shook her head and started to walk away from him.
Cale grabbed her arm and wrenched her back around to face him.
“What?” Alice demanded, annoyed.
“Do you love him?” Cale ignored her question, asking one of his own.
Alice looked at him, shocked.
“What do you mean?” she whispered, her voice higher in pitch than before.
“What does it sound like to you? I thought you were smarter than this!” Cale shouted angrily.
Alice flinched from his outstretched hands and walked backwards.
Cale dropped his hands to his sides and followed her slowly.
“Do you love that obnoxious jerk? Do you cry yourself to sleep anymore? Do you want that stupid lame fool? Do you want the guy who gets around more girls than Robert Pattinson? The guy who dates the flirty cheerleaders that are nothing at all like you? Do you want to be with the boy who will never listen to a word you say, but expects you to hang off every word he says? Would you prefer the guy that wants to go out clubbing to the guy that just wants to sit at home and snuggle? The boy who pushed you into the mud or the boy who pulled you out of it?” he finally finished, his eyes bright with unsuppressed anger.
Alice stared up at him; he was so upset. So mad.
‘No! I love you!’ her conscience shouted at her, pushing to be heard.
“I love you, though” Alice whimpered softly.
Cale gazed back down at her and her shoulders slumped in defeat. She had given up her deepest kept secret and he had said nothing in return.
“I’m sorry?” Cale asked quietly.
Alice met his eyes briefly, and then glanced away again.
“I love you” she murmured.
“Good” Cale said, his voice strong now.
Alice looked bewildered.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I love you, too” Cale told her, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Alice gaped at him, her eyes wide behind her glasses.
Cale chuckled.
“Don’t look so surprised, sugar. I’ll say it a million times if I have to” he said firmly.
“I think I’ll choose to believe you” Alice replied.
Cale outright grinned.
“Good then”.
Just as Alice was about to ask what happens next, Cale caught her up in his arms and held her to his chest. Alice wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and pressed her face against him. Cale picked her up off the ground and swung her around till she shrieked with laughter. He placed her gently on her feet and smiled down at her, his beautiful eyes finally warm and happy instead of cold and furious.
“I love you, Alice” Cale told her again.
She smiled at him.
“I love you too, Cale” Alice said.
She stood up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. Cale turned his head and Alice found his mouth instead.
She instantly pulled away, blushing violently.
“I’m sorry” Alice mumbled.
“No” Cale murmured.
Alice stared at him, fear in her eyes.
Cale took her hands gently in both of his and pulled her against him. He pressed his lips to hers softly, gradually bringing his hands up until they cradled her face.
Ten seconds. Twenty seconds.
Alice broke away, her face still pink and her gray-green eyes wide. Cale nuzzled her cheek, his hair brushing her feverish skin. His emerald eyes were closed and his lips curved up into a sweet smile.
Alice wound her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face in his shoulder.
Cale kissed her hair before pulling back slightly. He smoothed her fringe and took her hand.
“Come on, let’s go home” he said, beginning to walk in the direction of his house.
“I have to babysit” Alice told him, shaking her head.
“Didn’t you babysit all through last week?” Cale asked her, his eyebrows raised.
“I get paid for it” Alice shrugged.
Cale sighed and squeezed her hand.
“I’ll come too” he said, managing a smile.
Alice laughed.
“Don’t be so sad! You love Cassi, admit it” she protested.
Cale rolled his eyes then grinned.
“OK, Cassidy is pretty cute” he said.
“Well, there you go!” Alice said brightly, smiling.
She tugged on Cale and he followed her back to her house. Entering through the front door, they were almost bowled over by a small girl with wild dark hair and a wide smile.
“Alice and Cale!” she shrieked, tangling herself between their legs.
“Hey, Cassi” Alice replied, reaching down and lifting her three year old sister into her arms.
Cassi placed a kiss on her big sister’s cheek before lunging for Cale.
“Cale, Cale, Cale, Cale!!!!” she sang loudly.
Cale took Cassi off of Alice and the little girl snaked her arms in a choke hold around his neck. He carried her off to the living room and sat on the couch with her. Alice walked behind him and leaned her cheek atop his head when he’d sat down. She smiled as her sister grinned up at her from Cale’s lap.
Alice wandered off to find her mother, at last seeing her in the laundry. Luckily, her dad was in there too.
“Parents, I’m going out with Cale” she announced, a pink tinge creeping over her cheeks.
Her mom turned and beamed at her, and even her father smiled slightly.
“Well done, you picked a good one” Annabelle said, kissing the crown of her daughter’s head.
Jared reached for his oldest child and wound his arms around her, hugging her tightly.
After their hug, Alice skipped back out into the lounge and sat herself down beside Cale and Cassi on the sofa.
Cale flipped his wrist up and checked his watch.
“Oh, I gotta go!” he exclaimed, gently depositing Cassi on the cushion beside him and dropping a kiss on Alice’s forehead.
His lips were hot, and long after he had gone, Alice’s skin itched and burned. She glanced out the window nearest to her at the swiftly blackening sky, absent mindedly staring at the round full moon hanging up with the silvery stars.