❝Just Like Heaven❞ [English]

❝Child's Play❞

Girl.

The Ferris wheel turned slowly, we crouched our bodies when it reached the ground and once at the top we looked around to try to identify the woman.

Alice was furious, outraged by the waste she claimed I did. The knife full of the remains of the pumpkin was still in my pocket. But the meadow looked so cute and decorated, some children played around them, and the ladies took the little ones for their gardens.

"They liked your idea," Helena assured next to me, the woman's reaction was funny to us.

We got off the game as soon as we made sure the blonde wasn't hanging around. We got together for a while with Luna and another group of girls who couldn't stop talking about her costumes. Then we got into my favourite game, the house of mirrors, the lights were flashing inside and it was difficult to find the exit, but also fun, the little girl was running towards me to poke my back with her fingers and sneak away in another direction. We hit the glass at least three times.

"Look" she pointed to a couple, a blond boy had a ball in his hands, he raised it in the air and hit against a pile of bottles that posed in the background, around balloons and a lot of stuffed animals. The tower surprisingly did not fall, it did not even appear to flinch. His companion gave a strangled squeal to laugh, shrugged and they walked away holding hands. They won nothing. "What's the trick?" he asked the bald man who kept some bills

"No trick, you throw a tower and your prize is the one of there" he pointed to the smaller dolls, plush-winged dragons and bears of different colours "But if three of them fall, you can win that one" his finger pointed to a huge black cat of bright yellow eyes, it looked like a very soft fur, and almost lifelike. She wasn't used to being whimsical, but she had to at least hug it.

"Trying to bring something home?" Said a voice behind us, Luna had reached us but this time accompanied by four boys, she licked the rest of the sugar from her lips and put the cotton candy aside, looking closely at the game's jackpot. "How hard can that be to win? Aren't you going to give it a try Zoe?"

She didn't want to do it, her tone of voice was irritable and almost defiant. I took out a fifty bill and gave it to the bald man who was watching the little talk nonchalantly. He handed me three balls.

"What do you want to win?" Helena asked

"I want that damn cat"

I got behind the yellow line marked on the grass, took the first ball, feeling silly with her eyes on me, plus the girl who was eagerly awaiting my shot.

The first try hit the toe, it wobbled but I didn't get anything, the second hit the bottom hitting the yellow wood and returning to the grass at my feet. By the time I was going to shoot the last one, I heard Luna's mocking giggle accompanied by "She won't make it." And I didn't, the ball didn't even hit the tower this time.

"Let's go to another game" the little girl encouraged me, taking my hand in hers.

"Good luck next time," said Luna excitedly.

I rolled my eyes and we took long strides toward a popcorn stand, away from that beautiful plushie.

"They were good shots Zoe" I heard someone say, when I turned I looked at a tall boy with glasses and a raised pompadour, his hands were inside the pockets of a leather jacket, with his white shirt open on his chest and a charming smile.

"Thanks, Steven"I barely said without knowing what to answer, I shrugged my shoulders and we got away from there as soon as possible.

I cursed under my breath, I never won anything.

(...)

Boy.
He wiped the rest of the ketchup on his lips with a piece of napkin that he kept in his pocket, they wandered around without playing any games, they only commented from time to time before tasting the pieces of the hot dog again.

His parents were at the booth and introduced him in front of an unknown group of adults, that had overwhelmed him, to tell the truth, he was a bit cranky now.

The noise soon began to bother him, each scream, and light flashing in his eyes dragged him into a bad mood, he was just looking for a quiet place to sit and breathe easy.

"Yes! Yes! You won!" They both turned to the excited screams of a group of boys, a huge man was handing a dark plushie to a guy with glasses that looked kinda tough.

He watched as the girl dressed as a fairy jumped around and then laid her eyes on Simon, looking him up and down with a mixture of interest and then turning to Robert, a mischievous smile appeared on her reddish lips.

"Hey!" She waved her hand happily approaching in the blink of an eye, the sweet scent of him filling the air. "You're Gallup, aren't you? You work at the library." She wrapped her index finger around a loose lock of her hair.

"Yeah..." he watched as his friend gulped, looking at the others who were approaching, they were taller than the two of them and thinner. They weren't wearing costumes, just light shirts with blue jeans, their faces didn't express anything, they just kept serious.

"And you" she moved closer to Robert, the finger that played with her hair soon touched the fake blood on the collar of the shirt, which made him nervous "You are the new boy or am I wrong? You live in the old oak house."

"Yes," he said slowly trying to figure out what did she wanted to know, or how to answer her.

"I'm Luna" her smile seemed to spread, he had never heard that name.

"Robert" she whispered uncomfortably, now those guys were around him, they didn't seem friendly.

"Do you enjoy the party?" her eyelashes fluttered.

"Hey Luna, dinner is going to start" called the one with sunglasses passing the huge stuffed animal under his arm to hold it there, he exuded an air of superiority.

"One seco..."

"It's getting late" he insisted, taking her by the elbow, the girl had no choice but to go back and turn around with that group

"I hope to see you in the barn" she added, winking at them in a flirtatious and naive way.

He heard how Simon released the air contained in his lungs, almost breathing again. Robert couldn't be more confused than before.

"I think I almost threw up," he said, throwing the rest of the hot dog in a nearby container, he shook the crumbs from his black shirt and opened the can of soda that he kept in his pants pockets.

"Who was that?"

"Trouble, that was it" he took a big sip "Unless he didn't make fun of my hair again, did you see that costume? What was he supposed to be? Elvis?"

"And that girl was his girlfriend?"

"No, he would have hit us if she had been" he touched the bridge of his nose "He's Morrissey, better stay away from him and his conquests, he's an idiot"