Camilla and Ludmila approached Yor from behind and each looped one of their arms through hers. Luckily for everyone involved, Yor had already packed her books into her backpack on her back. "Settle a dispute, Yor. I know that we ought to pick long dresses because it's a ball, but Ludmila says…" Camilla began.

"How can you wear a long dress to a ball? The whole point is to dance, no? It needs to be short so you can move," Ludmila said.

"I don't know anything about balls. Sorry," Yor said.

The pair walked with Yor out of the building to Ludmila's car that was waiting for them.

"I guess we'll have to settle it this weekend when we go shopping then," Ludmila said.

"Remind us what's so important that you can't go with us again?" Camilla asked turning to Yor as the trio got in the car.

"Mrs. Forger is taking me dress shopping," she said unable to keep the smile off her face.

Camilla rolled her eyes. "What did you do to that family? First you make Forger obsessed with you and now his mother."

"Loid's not obsessed with me, and I'm sure his mother is only doing it because she feels bad for me."

"I'm so jealous. My future mother-in-law only sees me as the prestigious diplomat's daughter while yours likes you enough to spend time with you," Ludmila said.

Yor reddened. "She's not…"

"Yor," Camilla said, "she most certainly is your future mother-in-law. If I didn't know how obtuse you and Forger are, I would assume he had already proposed, asked his mother to arrange the match, or at the very least asked your mother for her blessing."

Yor cleared her throat. "Wait, Ludmila, you've met Frankie's parents?"

Ludmila caught them up on the dinner party her family had thrown for his family the night before as her driver drove them to Ludmila's house. "And then my brothers knocked the hot butifarra out of my dad's hands and onto his mother's dress. I don't think she likes me or my family very much."

The girls got out of the car when the driver opened the door for them and followed Ludmila into the house. Inside, Ludmila's mother called out at the sound of the door, "Ludmi?"

"Sí, vuelvo con mis amigas, mamá," Ludmila said.

Her mother hurried out of the kitchen to greet them. "Welcome to our home, mijas. Come in and get comfortable. I'll bring you some tereré." She left in the direction of the kitchen.

"No tereré, mamá. No one's sick." Ludmila yelled as she led the other two into a sitting room.

"Mija, if we drink it regularly, we won't get sick." Her mother returned with a tray holding a pitcher and three glasses which she put down on the coffee table. "So, you must be Camilla and Yor. Ludmi's told us so much about you. Is Ludmi being good at school?" She asked as she served the beverage.

"Mamá!" Ludmila said.

Camilla and Yor chuckled.

"Yes, ma'am. She's a model student," Camilla said with only a hint of sarcasm.

"Good. She can be a handful. And she's not giving that boy Frankie too much trouble?" Ludmila's mother said.

"Oh, she gives him plenty of trouble," Yor thought out loud.

"But no need to worry. He can't seem to get enough of her brand of trouble," Camilla said.

Ludmila blushed. "Okay, gracías, mamá." She turned away from her mother.

"Okay, okay. I can take a hint. You girls have fun," her mother said with a smile.

"Sorry, she's kind of embarrassing," Ludmila said.

"Are you kidding? I'd kill to have either of my parents that interested in me," Camilla said.

Yor looked at Camilla pityingly.

"Stop. I'm fine."

"So, Yor, how are things going with Loid? You two seemed closer on the Ferris wheel," Ludmila said.

Camilla nodded appreciatively at Ludmila's innuendo.

"It's going fine," Yor said.

"I find that hard to believe," Camilla said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that for every step forward you two take nine back. So how far back are you now?"

Yor sighed. "I guess it's a bit awkward between us lately."

"Please tell me you haven't gone back to avoiding looking at him and he's back to walking into walls."

"No, not like that. I can't be around him without staring at his lips, and that makes him uncomfortable, so he leaves."

"I definitely don't think we can infer that that's the reason he's leaving. Have you tried writing him a love letter?" Ludmila said.

"What! No, of course not. Then he would know everything, and I would have to leave Eden."

"Tone down the dramatics, Yor. You're not going to give it to him. It's for you to process your feelings," Camilla said.

"Oh, I guess I could try."

The other two girls continued their earlier argument about dress length while Yor wrote out her love letter. Conveniently, Ludmila's little brothers ran into the room just as Yor had sealed it into the envelope Ludmila had given her and set it on the table. They yelled and ran in circles around the coffee table while Ludmila yelled back. One picked up Ludmila's glass and tipped it with the intention of splashing Ludmila but missed and spilled it all over Camilla. It went right through her button-up onto her skin. She shrieked on contact. Ludmila grabbed her brothers by the collar and dragged them out of the room. Some more yelling happened in the hallway.

"Sorry, Camilla. Let me lend you a shirt," Ludmila said when she'd come back in the room.

Camilla let the shorter girl lead her out of the room and up the stairs. "Well?"

Once the door to her room was closed, Ludmila pulled the envelope out of her sleeve.

"How?"

"I didn't have a lot of friends before. Learning dubious skills seemed a good way to pass the time."

AN: butifarra = a sausage that is used in Peruvian and other South American cuisines

tereré = a cold drink similar to mate that is often made with medicinal herbs which is a traditional part of Paraguyan cuisine (It's so important there that they celebrate a National Tereré Day every February.)

Sí, vuelvo con mis amigas, mamá = Yes, I am back with my friends, mom.

mija = daughter

I hope I didn't forget any important ones. xo Lolly