"Blanca, do you want to go at the front seat now that you don't have casts?" Sammy asks when we make it to the van. Will is already inside and Nora by my side, waiting for me as I just stare at Sammy holding the door open for me.

"What?"

"Yeah. You never go there and you're older than Nora," she reasons with a little shrug, as if that was the most natural thing to say. "Do you want to try? It's fun. You can control the radio."

"I um—"

"Sammy, don't you know princesses only travel in the back seat? She can't go next to the driver," Will says then, joining the conversation and wearing that grin of his. It used to be mocking before, now it's just teasing. I still scowl at him.

Nora is chuckling next to me, slightly shaking her head and I feel her hand around my arm. "Go, sit at the front for Sammy."

I turn to look at Nora as if she's betrayed me, but before I can say more, he's helping Sammy in the back and I'm alone standing outside. With a sigh, I climb and sit next to Will, but I fold my arms and make sure to sulk.

"Now, come on, you can't make that face when you have the privilege to sit front," Will teases as he buckles his seatbelt, but before he finishes, he releases it and then leans towards me.

My eyes widen as I see him approaching, but I don't move and then his right hand goes over me, to the door next to me and I press myself hard against the seat, trying to put distance between us, with a scream stuck in my throat as he is hovering my face. But he then grabs the seatbelt and pulls it, crossing it over my torso and buckling it. Only once he's properly back in his seat I release the scream I was holding, startling him.

"Oi! You didn't need to do that, just pointing it out was enough!" I yell, slapping his shoulder.

My heart is racing due to the surprise, and the rage I feel, which gets worse when I hear Nora bursting out loud at the back. I turn to glare at her.

"What's so funny, uh?" I demand to know, my glare ferocious.

"Your delayed scream and outraged expression," she replies, chuckling still and Sammy joins her. When I turn to look at Will, he's also grinning but he doesn't meet my eyes, he turns on the ignition and takes off.

I lean back on my seat back, glad I can fold my arms and put on a full and proper sulking face until we arrive to the Dream House.

"Do you need me to take your hand to get off?" Will asks when the engine stops and I huff indignant, unbuckling my seatbelt and getting off before he does, marching towards the house without waiting for them. Without my cast, I can actually stomp and it feels gratifying.

When I make it, Liam and Andy are outside, playing catch with the dogs and when they see me coming the smile brightly. After more than a month here, I get along with all the kids. It isn't hard when you realise they just want to be loved and they are all different and so special. They show their love in different ways and surely some have more trust issues than others, but they are all good kids.

"You're free!" Andy smiles, just like Sammy did. I can hear the little girl running to catch up with me, stopping by my side and grinning to the other boys.

"She's free! And can play with us now," she replies for me and I chuckle, ignoring my annoyance with Will and Nora that come some to stop behind us. "Are you going to play with us?"

"Chasing the pig?" Liam asks, looking so excited, it's funny because he's normally very cautious.

"Of course!" Sammy replies for me again, surprising me. Am I even ready to go running chasing a pig in the mud? And it's early December. Is it even reasonable to do this? "Will!" she then turns to shout to the boy that's almost caught up with us. "Can you get Dolly ready?"

"You're going to play now?" He asks, and I nod along, because it seems I'm not the only one who thinks it isn't wise to play now.

"Of course!" she screams. "If we wait for the others, then it'll get colder and I won't catch Dolly." She pouts, big glassy eyes and hands intertwined in a plea. I'm surprised to see her manipulating him like that, and that Will is so weak. He only sighs and throws his head back, giving up.

"Fine, I'll go get her ready. Go get the boots and everything else."

The kids scream in cheer join and jump to action, going inside the house faster than I've ever seen them running. I turn to look at Will who heaves a tired sigh and turns to where the pigs are.

"Is this a good idea?"

"Try to tell her that," Will replies, shaking his head. "Better do it now before it gets colder. She won't hold you on to it anymore once this is over. You just have to be there, no need to go for the win."

I'm about to say something else, to continue protesting but he walks away and I stay with Nora, who walks up to me to stop by my side. "This should be fun," she muses then.

"Yeah, and muddy," I add, making her chuckle.

I turn to look at her, glaring her one more time for what she did in the van, but before I can tell her anything about that, she loops her arm around mine and drags me after Will. It's clear she's also playing and I sigh, it doesn't seem I have another option so I better deal with it, carefully, though. Just being part of it, not going crazy trying to catch the pig.

Will has led one of the pigs, a small one, into another corral and is throwing some water to create more mud. I wince at the sight, but I don't say anything. Soon, Sammy, Liam and Andy arrive with boots for all of us as Will makes sure to push the pig, Dolly, into the mud. She doesn't seem to mind, and the kids are giggling and bouncing. Nora and I also get in some boots and get ready for the game, I tie my hair and prepare mentally for what's to come. Maybe I don't even need to move much, just watching the kids chasing the pig.

"Are you sure you want to play?" I ask Nora and she's smiling.

"Yeah, it looks fun."

"Hmm... I suddenly feel like I'm back in Chile for the National Holidays. At least the pig isn't waxed but covered in mud... hold on, I think that's worse."

"Stop rambling about traditional games and get in," she tells me, throwing a leg over the fence. When Will notices what she's doing, he hurries to help her land safely, same with the kids and finally with me.

Dolly is at one extreme, and we're at the other. The most excited ones are the kids and Will looks at them with a fond smile, holding his hand up as a sign, I assume. Then he starts a countdown from five and unconsciously, I get ready, too. It's an instinct, I think, when you hear someone counting down, you immediately get ready for anything.

"Go!" he shouts and the kids sprint forward, screaming, what makes Dolly scream back and run from them.

Nora and Will also go after the pig, my friend is laughing out loud and although she's going after the pig, when this is too close she screams and dodges her, and the kids behind. I laugh at that and decide to try to catch Dolly as well, but without running. My muscles aren't ready for it.

I try to be strategic, so I can catch Dolly instead of just desperately running after her. When I'm in a point where I know I have a chance to grab her when she runs past, I get ready, but I underestimate her. She's faster and when I move forward, she changes trajectory, escaping me as well. With all the running, there's more mud that it should be and I wasn't born with the grace of a ballerina or trained to have a good footing, however I'm blaming on the fact I just got my casts removed that I lose my balance.

Here comes the first to fall into the mud.

But before I do, someone pulls me in another direction and I collide with a body, but the strength is too much and the ground too slippery: I drag the person down with me. I realise it's Will when I land on his chest instead of the mud, he took the fall for me.

"Are you okay?" I ask immediately, my eyes wide.

"Careful!" someone shouts and that makes Will react, looking over my shoulder right in time to roll us over before Dolly runs over us. We turn one, two, threw times an even if he cages me securely in his arms, I still feel the weight of his body.

"Are you okay?" he uses the same question I made, watching me carefully. I feel the cold mud in my clothes, some has reached our faces and as I stare down, I can only blink in surprise, but words don't leave my mouth so I nod. Will smiles and I feel his body relaxing under mine. "Well, this isn't as romantic as they play it in movies, uh? And it's quite cold to be lying in the mud."

I snort at his comment, not even impressed he'd make such connection.

"Well, look at the bright side, you can get a nice facial. And you need it, you're getting old," I tease him back, grabbing some mud in my hand and just pressing it against his face. He gasps and freezes, so I rub it all over his features. "And it's free!"

"You little—" he murmurs before rolling once again, leaving me against the mud and straddling me as his hands gather mud to throw at my face. "You like your free facial?" he asks as I rub my hand down to remove some of the mud away before opening my mouth to reply.

"MUD WAR!" Sammy screams before I speak.

Both Will and I turn to look at her but kids are too fast and the game of chasing the pig turns into a real mud fight. I use him as a shield, but so he does and the kids are ruthless, the three of them attacking us so we don't have another option but to join forces while Nora holds the pig in her lap, laughing her arse off.

When did she catch Dolly?

It's fair to say that by the time Will and I call defeat, both are totally the colour of the earth and the kids are celebrating in triumph. He helps me back on my feet but I feel like I weight twice as much

"Clarisse will kill us," Will mumbles and that makes the kids stop their cheering to look at him horrified. "You better wash up before she sees you. You know what to do."

They nod their heads and run out of the battle scene. Nora also stands up, releasing Dolly who runs towards the neighbouring corral once Will opens the door for her. When I return my focus on Nora, she's holding the hose.

"Stand still, you two," she says, aiming at us and my eyes wide. As I understand what she's planning to do, I try to escape but Will grabs me by the waist, lifting me as I kick the air and scream. "Blanca, close your mouth."

And as she says that, she's throwing water at us and she was right, I had to close my mouth. She mercilessly washes away the mud with cold water, and screaming doesn't help, besides Will doesn't release me until we're soaking wet, but not covered in mud.

"This was such a bad idea," I stutter, bracing myself to stop the trembling a bit.

"Take her inside so she can get a hot shower," Will tells Nora, to what she nods and then wraps an arm around me, to keep me warm.

Every step is difficult, all my clothes are soaked and the boots weight like ten kilos each, but we head to the house hoping not to get caught.

"You're a terrible human," I tell her as we approach the house, my teeth keep clattering.

"Ah, come on, you still had fun," she defends herself. I watch her grinning, even if she's trying to hide it. "Besides, it was cute."

"Risking myself to get a pneumonia now that I got my casts off?" I inquire.

"No," she replies easily. "The fact you and Will fought on the same side. And I'm sure you didn't notice that until I pointed it out." The look she gives me leaves me colder than the water she used to wash the mud away. I gulp and just blink.

"Enemies can become allies, Blanca." I still can't reply to that. "Now, lets get you warm so you don't get that pneumonia. With a hot chocolate you can tell me what it felt to be in his arms like that."

"Yah!" I exclaim, but she only laughs and I'm left with his unsettling feeling in my guts.

❅ ❅ ❅

I almost don't write this chapter. I had such a bad headache because it was just too hot and I had to walk under the sun... I hate summer. Anyhow, it's here and I hope you liked it.

If you'd like to read how Nora saw this interaction, 555 votes on this chapter before Friday for a new bonus content.

Dedication to plumenoirrainbow

Bel, xx

~updates every Monday and Friday~