"So, Lara," Two said. "I like being with ya."

"Who wouldn't?" I said.

"Who wouldn't what?" Zara asked. "Eat mallowmelt?"

"Spend time with Lara," Two said. "I dig her."

I blushed at his words as Zara arched an eyebrow towards me. "He's a keeper," she said as Darry placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"For what secret?" Tam asked, his arm around Tara. "And I thought you had to be a Telepath in order to be a Keeper. Right?" He turned to Linh.

"Yep," she said. "Usually."

"What do ya mean?" I asked. "He's definitely a keeper. Ya know, a boy that's great, and that ya wanna keep in your life."

"Oh," Linh said. "I thought you meant the person who keeps secrets in their minds. Sophie would be a great Keeper, because of her impenetrable mind."

"But she could also keep secrets from the Council," Tam said. "Ones that could change their course of action."

"Since when were you such a big fan of the Council?" Linh asked, crossing her arms.

"Never." Tam shrugged. "I was just pointing out why Sophie wouldn't be a good Keeper. And why the Council wouldn't trust her with their secrets."

"Well, I see ripplefluffs," Linh said, pointing to Fitz. He was holding a large platter of silver wrapped things. "I'm going to go get some. You coming, Tam?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," Tam said. "See you later, Tara." He kissed her cheek, before running to catch up with Linh.

"Well," Zara said. "Lara, you and Two are-"

"Gotta go!" Cara shouted to Keefe, Fitz, and Sophie as she raced towards us, carrying an armful of foil-wrapped packages.

"My ripplefluffs!" Fitz wailed.

Cara, what were you thinking? Why would you take all of Fitz's treats? Bad idea, girl.

"Guys, you have gotta try this!" Cara said excitedly, handing one to each of us.

"What the hell is this?" Darry asked, looking at the package suspiciously.

"A ripplefluff!" Cara exclaimed. "They're real good."

I opened it, revealing something kinda like a cupcake. I took a bite, and was met with deliciousness. "Oh, this is amazing," I mumbled. "It's better than mallowmelt."

"Yeah, right," Two said, taking a bite of his own. "Oh, wait. They're the same." He grinned. "We need to eat this more often."

"Two, ya can't just eat dessert all the time," I said. "Ya gotta balance out your diet."

"But-"

"Lara's right." Darry glared at Two, his arms crossed. "You need to eat right, not just dessert."

"Y'all are stupid," he whined. "Dessert is the best part!"

"Aw, shut up, Two-Brat," Tess said, crossing her arms. "Y'all have gotta stop fighting all the time. It's driving us nuts."

"But-"

Tess' glare stopped him from speaking, his mouth gaping like a fish.

"Thanks," I said, grinning at Tess. "I can't have this argument with him again."

"Of course. No problem," she said, grinning back. "You're good for him, even if he doesn't wanna admit it."

"Hey!" he shouted. "I don't need nobody!"

"Double negative," Tess said. "You need somebody. Lara, for example. What would you do if she was to vanish from your life?"

"Cry," Two said. "Ya ain't gonna leave, right?"

"I ain't gonna go anywhere," I said, hugging him. "Don't worry."

"Good," he said, hugging me back tightly.

Too tightly, if ya ask me.

"Two, can't breathe," I muttered.

"What?" he asked.

"She can't breathe, ya big lump!" Tess shouted. "Loosen up!"

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Sorry, Lara. Ya good?"

"Yeah," I said. "Just peachy."

His eyes twinkled. "How about some more ripplefluffs?" he asked.

"Sure," I said. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Two ran towards Fitz, grabbing some as zoomed past the platter of ripplefluffs.

"What happened?" he asked as I stuffed the ripplefluff in my mouth.

"Sugar high!" I shouted, following Two at a slower pace. "I don't know why he's doing that, but I think it's just because he's Two."

"Ah, of course," Fitz said, his eyes sparkling. "We'll leave him be."

"Yeah," I said. "Let's."

"So, are you thinking of getting him to try in Foxfire, and actually graduate?" he asked. "He doesn't seem like the type to like learning. But he likes going to school."

"Yeah," I said. "But just for the kicks."

"The kicks?" Fitz asked.

"The priceless, fun moments, where that Soc who bullied you for years gets dumped by his girlfriend," I said. "And she dumped her Coke in his face."

"Harsh," he said. "Here, when you break up, it's usually quiet."

"Except for Dame Alina," Keefe said. "She tried to break Alden and Della up."

"Oh, god," Fitz said, burying his head in his hands. "Let's forget about that topic, and move on to something else."

"Like Sophitz!" Keefe shouted. "And how Foster-Keefe is infinitely many times better!"

"Or that!" Sophie shouted, her cheeks as red as tomatoes. "Keefe, I'm warning you."

"And I don't want to listen," he said.

"Oh, you!" Sophie shouted. "You'll listen to me. Or else I'll tell everybody about when you were little."

"You weren't there," Keefe said. "You've got nothing on me."

"I saw your memories," Sophie said. "I know what happened that night."

"You wouldn't!" Keefe's face turned pale. "You promised."

"I might," she said, shrugging. "It depends on what topic of conversation you pick."

"Okay, okay," he muttered. "Let's talk about the awesomeness of ripplefluffs."

"Ya know, you're impossible," Cara said, rolling her eyes. "Let me pick the topic. No backing out. Deal?"

"Deal." Keefe raised his eyebrow as they shook hands. "What do you pick?"

"I choose your love life." Cara smirked at the shock on his face. "No backing out."

"A deal's a deal," I added.

"Fine," Keefe muttered. "It's nonexistent."

"You've gotta have a crush on someone," I said. "Maybe Stina?"

"Ew! No way!" Keefe shouted. "Never in my life."

"Your love life?" Cara teased him.

I giggled at how close they were. They're a good pair, Cara and Keefe. They're best friends, and good ones at that.

"No," Keefe said. "My life with you as my best friend."

"Aw," I said. "That's so sweet!"

"Shut up," Keefe muttered. "Why? Why did I say that?" he said to himself. "Why?"

"Oh, you shut up," I said. "Go spend some time with Cara. Best friend bonding."

"Fine," Keefe said. "Come on."

They walked away from us, and ran into the triplets.

"How's Two treating you?" Sophie asked.

"Good. We're good," I whispered. "We're lucky."

"How so?" she asked.

"We weren't torn apart by life," I said. "At least, not yet."

"I'm sure you two will be fine," Sophie said, grinning. "You two are close, which makes it a lot easier to get over problems."

"I'm sure," I said.