Christmas has arrived. This day is especially exciting for Danielle, who can't wait for Jin to come home. She is happy because she will have him to herself for a week at a stretch. She will finally be away from the ugly, short-haired girl from his school.
Her lips stretch in a wide smile as the 16-year-old crosses the threshold of the house. She jumps on him, her arms embracing his neck.
— Get off me — he says in greeting, making her face thin. She moves away from him, looking downcast.
— Why are you treating me like this?
— And how do you think I'm going to treat you when you sent the Horace Mann girls to Solar! — He raises his voice at her, to which she snorts under her breath. — They beat the hell out of her!
— Of course... I could have expected that it was about her.
— Do you have something wrong with your head? — He asks, tapping her forehead with his finger. — Doesn't it get through to you that you hurt an innocent girl? What did you tell those morons that attacked her?
— The truth. I confided in them that this ugly girl was trying to get my boyfriend back.
The 16-year-old looks at her with disbelief in his eyes.
— Danielle... even then, before school I asked you, since when are we in a relationship? You can't decide for me.
He wants to duck past her, but she grabs his hand and stops him with her.
— Say what you want to yourself, but we are together whether you like it or not. — Her eyes have a mad flash. — No slut is entitled to touch you.
— You have the devil behind your ears, Danielle, you definitely do — he says as he pulls his hand from her grasp. As she ascends to the second floor, she smiles under her breath. — I'm going to test you some more, little one.
The 14-year-old leans with her back against the wall, looking behind him with sad eyes. A phantom appears next to her, looking amused.
— I love this boy. You are made for each other. Both cruel.
The teenage girl chastises the ghost with her eyes.
— Can't you see that he has an outpouring on me!
The phantom shrugs his shoulders dismissively.
— So fight for what is yours. You are strong, Danielle, you are my favorite, so you will win.
— You are right. I guess he didn't get to know my character well enough....
She heads for the stairs and runs up to the second floor. She rushes into his room and slams the door behind her so no one can see them.
— What is it again? — Asks Jin in a bored voice.
— Someone is giving me great advice, so I'm not going to give up. — She walks up to him, climbs on her toes and, embracing his face with her hands, kisses him. To her surprise, he doesn't push her away.
The 14-year-old looks pleased as she takes three steps back.
— I will not allow our parents to marry, I will not allow them to lose you. I'll keep repeating this until you encode it in your mind.
— Do you want me that much? — Jin asks, watching her face carefully. She nods her head. — Sometimes I think you're more than fourteen — he says, placing his hand on her waist, then pulls her back to him. — I guess that's why I like testing you so much.
This time it is he who kisses her. Danielle is entranced.
— Jin, are you home yet? — The father's shout spreads throughout the house, making the young lovers walk away from each other.
— Something feels like this will be the best Christmas ever — the teenager says quietly as she leaves his room to avoid running into her stepfather.
*
— I'm sick of you secreting my food! — During dinner, Danielle becomes enraged and throws all the dishes from the table on the floor. — Watch your diet, since you're an old cow!
The woman slaps her daughter in the face, turning red with anger.
— Have you lost your mind! — She jerks the fourteen-year-old, causing her pain. — Do I have to remind you what respect for your mother is!
Jin, who enters the dining room hearing the screams, wrinkles his eyebrows at this sight. He doesn't like the fact that his stepmother is again bullying Danielle.
— This is already an exaggeration — the boy interjects, pulling the girl away from the enraged mother. — Can't you feel the family atmosphere here even at Christmas?
— It's all the fault of that little devil! — yells the woman, pointing her finger at her daughter. — I adopted a devil, and now I'm suffering the consequences!
The 14-year-old snorts under her breath.
— Children always take an example from their parents, mommy.
— It's time to restore your sanity, brat! — She grabs her daughter's hand and, jerking it, leads her to the basement.
— This is definitely an exaggeration — Jin speaks up, following them. — There are holidays — he reminds the woman.
However, the stepmother does not seem to listen to him and opens the basement door. She pushes her daughter inside, who looks terrified.
— I hope that Christmas spent here will restore your sanity. — She slams the door in her face and turns the key in the lock, then turns to face Jin. — Just try to let her out of there.... since you left for Horace Mann, now I'm the one who has the upper hand over your father. You won't win against me — she warns him.
— In that case, I will spend this Christmas in the basement together with Danielle. I'd rather be there with her than sit at the same table with a cruel woman like you. — She smiles wickedly. — Let me in and don't forget to come up with a good lie for my father.
The woman measures him with a hateful gaze.
— And very well. Join her, and I will gladly spend this Christmas in the company of your father.
— Excellent. Keep manipulating him to speed up the wedding because my father is in something of a hurry at now.
Jin joins Danielle, and the woman slams the door behind him.
— Are you crazy? — asks the girl, not believing that he is ready to spend this Christmas in the basement, just to accompany her.
— It's better than watching her face. I'll show you how many treasures are hidden here. You'll get a full house of gifts from me.
The 14-year-old bursts into loud laughter, though her eyes are streaked with tears.
— This is why I adore you so much, Jinnie. You are special.
The teenager turns on the light and leads her downstairs. The girl sits down on an old armchair, looking around her.
— Your father stores quite a bit of junk here.
— Half of this stuff is mine — Jin announces proudly.
He shows her everything from childhood albums to toys and other gadgets.
— You are so much like mom.... She was so beautiful — Danielle says, looking at photos of the late woman.
— She won the Miss Country pageant when she was a teenager. No wonder my father lost his head for her.
— No wonder I lost my head for you. — The 14-year-old lifts her face and looks at Jin, who is sitting next to her on the back of the chair. — Don't let that ugly girl take you away from me.
— She means nothing to me — he replies seriously, looking into her eyes. — She doesn't grow up to be you.
Danielle smiles broadly. She is pleased with his words.
— So I don't have to care about her?
— It's just pity because she clung to me like an abandoned puppy, and I can't spurn puppies.
— If she is a puppy, who am I?
The 16-year-old gets up from his chair and crouches in front of one of the cardboard boxes. He pulls something out of it, then turns to face the girl.
— You are simply Danielle, and that makes you special.
The teenage girl squints as he walks toward her with an old Walkman. He sits down next to her and puts the earpiece in her ear.
— This is the song I listened to after my mother died. It helped me overcome the pain in my soul after her loss. — He turns to play, smiling slightly. — I close my eyes and just listen to the words.
I stare at the destroyed door,
There is nothing left here anymore.
My room is pierced by the cold,
It's driving me crazy.
I have waited here for so long,
And now it seems the moment has arrived,
I see the black clouds coming again.
I'm running through the wind,
Outside the world,
To the end of time,
Where the rain does not hurt.
I fight the storm,
All the way to the blue,
And when I lose myself, I think of you,
Together, we'll run to new places....
Danielle feels chills all over her body. The song, sounds depressing, causes painful childhood memories to return to her instantly.
She feels tears gathering under her eyelids.
I fight against all the forces that stand in my way.
Let this send me straight to you,
I will run day and night.
I will be with you soon... Just me and you.
We will be here soon... Soon....
Tears flow from under her eyelids. She opens her eyes, lifts her face and looks at Jin.
— I think I'm beginning to understand why this depressive song helped to fight your pain....
— Depressive songs are the best to pour out all the sadness along with the tears. It helps you revive yourself. — His lips twist in a slight smile. — Let's listen to the whole album until they let us out of the basement, and then leave yourself that Walkman to turn on whenever you need it.
Danielle leans her head against his side and closes her eyelids, listening to the words of the next song.
So far, this is the best Christmas, even if she is locked in the basement because she doesn't spend it with her nagging mother, but with Jin, who shows her the world from a different side.
He is her guardian angel.
Undoubtedly.
And he will remain one forever.