❝Just Like Heaven❞ [English]

❝Trick or treat?❞

Girl.

They all walked to the barn, luckily it was big, the tables had been lined up outside, on the lawn, where the pumpkins gleamed the most and were admired by the adults.

I dodged between the children running in all directions, and the people passing the pile of glasses and plates, I was about to run towards my father when a strong grip stopped me.

I turned abruptly to the woman who was holding my arm, her hand was holding me tightly, and I didn't know what to do.

"Here you are" she said wrinkling her brow. That face of disapproval and suppressed anger scared me. Her cheeks that once looked like cold porcelain were dyed a deep pink, and wrinkles I never imagined she had adorned her forehead. She pointed her finger at me. "Do you know how much we had to clean young lady, you made a waste!"

"Let go of me" I warned between my teeth, trying to escape somehow, but I didn't want to push her, it would be very easy, but it would make a scandal

"Annie had to take time out of her day to help me," she continued, ignoring the tightness of her touch, "You're a piece..."

"Alice Starford! I forbid you to talk to my girl like that!" interrupted Janis, who had grabbed the blonde's wrist at once, making her gasp in surprise.

I hid behind my saviour, like a little girl who goes to her mother's feet, the attitude of that woman had taken me by surprise

"Janis, I..." she stammered in an attempt to explain herself.

"Don't touch her again" she warned "Just because Peter is your friend doesn't give you authority over her, do you understand?"

"I just wanted to tell you... You made a mess with..."

"You are no longer her babysitter," she said with a strong and sure voice, making me remember that time when I was six, the woman had taken care of me for a whole year, there was not much to say, she just behaved like any other woman with compassion, but I came to hate her until she didn't want to take care of me anymore, she had argued one night with my father and left. Janis had taken over ever since.

She wasn't sure if it was because of the rancour in the older woman's words, but her eyes had turned red, she turned around with nothing more to say and lost herself in the crowd. I sighed in relief looking at the red mark of her fingers on the skin of my forearm.

"Are you okay?" she asked with concern

"She just squeezed hard" I said doing my best not to shed tears, I had caught that situation, and I felt disoriented

"She won't do it again" she assured and combed my hair "Why don't you go wash up? I'll save you a place"

I nodded, but not before giving her a hug, I felt the smile on my shoulder, and her touch pushing me slowly, encouraging me somehow, downplaying what happened.

The bathrooms were full, so I went to the stables, around the fence was a well, I fastened the rope and took out the bucket full of cold water. My fingertips instantly turned red.

I heard footsteps nearby, a group of guys smoking quietly with their backs leaning against the wood, Steven was getting closer.

"Hello" he greeted happily taking off his glasses, and leaning on the pile of bricks in the wall behind him.

"Hello" I said, in the same way, shaking my hands at the black dress, I pushed the cape back looking into his eyes "Aren't you going to dinner?"

"No, in fact, we were thinking of leaving, the boys got a truck and..." he left the sentence in the air and then smiled