The three-day weekend was over, and now it was Monday. Violeta had already mailed most of her thank-you letters, and she still had her postcard for Pedro to mail. Violeta rode to Mesa Grande High School on her scooter, and once she got there, she parked her scooter in the bicycle rack. At the same time, a shiny limousine pulled up next to the curb, and out came a snotty girl with strawberry blonde hair—and when she saw Violeta and her friends, she couldn't help eavesdropping on them.

"Hi, Violeta," Riley said. "That was some party, huh?"

"It sure was," Violeta smiled.

Zooey noticed the paper in Violeta's hand. "Is that your letter for Pedro?" she asked.

"Sí, and I've been working on those thank-you letters all weekend," Violeta said. She went over to a nearby mailbox and dropped the postcard in. As she turned, she saw the snotty girl with her best friend.

"Hello, Violeta," the snotty girl sneered.

"Hola, Becky," Violeta said awkwardly.

"What is that thing you're holding?" Becky's best friend asked.

"It's a handbag I got for my birthday," Violeta replied. "My pen pal sent it to me all the way from Guatemala."

"An ordinary Guatemalan handbag—that's so cute," Becky sniffed. "But it's nothing compared to what Noemi Barboza sent me over the weekend." She had a pen pal from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and her pen pal sent her a fancy purse.

"Wow, that's a beautiful purse," Zooey gaped.

"Yes, it is," Becky smirked. "I have the best pen pal in the whole world."

"Good to know," Violeta said awkwardly. "Well, we'll see you around." Then she walked off with Riley and Zooey by her side.

"Maybe Becky Ambrose is right," Zooey sighed. "Maybe I should get a better pen pal, one who's wealthy enough to send me the coolest stuff."

"Oh, Zooey, Deshane is the perfect pen pal for you," Violeta consoled her. "She's the reason you took up Jamaican dance classes."

"Yes, that's true," Zooey confirmed.

"Paulette is the reason I took up French classes," Riley chimed in.

"And when Pedro sent me that book on Guatemala, I taught myself some of the Guatemalan dance styles," Violeta said.

"Okay, so the pen pals we have aren't so bad after all," Zooey said.

Soon enough, it was time for the school day to start. Violeta's first class was acrylic painting, which she shared with Becky and Marcy. Today, the art teacher, Mrs. Kelly, had an interesting idea for a painting. She had postcards of different landscapes in the world, and these postcards needed to be colored in.

"Many people like to paint pictures of different landscapes or landmarks in the world, like a beautiful Hawaiian island or the Eiffel Tower," Mrs. Kelly said. "Today, we'll be painting pictures of different landscapes in the world, and each of these postcards should give you some inspiration." She handed each student a postcard.

Becky had gotten a postcard of Brazil, and Violeta got a postcard of Guatemala. Once each student got a postcard, they started painting. Violeta was having a lot of fun with her painting, to Becky's disgust. Mrs. Kelly went around the room, looking at each painting. Marcy had painted a red rose with the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Italian flag in the shape of a heart in front of a pale blue background.

"Very interesting painting representing Italy, Marcy," Mrs. Kelly said.

"Thanks, Mrs. Kelly," Marcy smiled.

Mrs. Kelly went over to Becky to find that she'd painted what was on her postcard but in color. "That's a beautiful painting of Brazil, Becky," she remarked.

"Thank you, Mrs. Kelly," Becky said proudly.

Mrs. Kelly went over to Violeta, who'd painted a beautifully colorful town—and near the top right corner was Saludos de Quetzaltenango in red. "Ah, and where may I ask is this Quetzaltenango?" she asked.

Translation: Greetings from Quetzaltenango

"My pen pal's hometown in Guatemala," Violeta replied.

"Well, another beautiful painting, Violeta, as usual," Mrs. Kelly smiled.

"Thank you," Violeta smiled back.

Becky had always envied Violeta's artistic vision. Becky always painted more realistic paintings while Violeta had her own vision, painting pictures in a very unique way. Becky went over to get a look at Violeta's painting.

"How do you even know your pen pal lives in a town like that?" Becky asked.

"He's sent me postcards of Quetzaltenango, and I've looked at them so many times that I've memorized them," Violeta replied.

"That's really sweet, Violeta," Mrs. Kelly smiled. "Are you ever going to meet him one day?"

"I hope so," Violeta replied. "I've never been to Guatemala, and Pedro's never been to the United States, let alone Orchid Bay."

"Well, maybe one day, that'll happen," Mrs. Kelly smiled.

Becky was green with envy at Mrs. Kelly's kind words to Violeta. "I hope to meet my pen pal this year, too," she said with a puppy dog look on her face.

"Didn't you go to Rio de Janeiro the same year you got Noemi as your pen pal?" Marcy pointed out.

"Thank you, Marcy," Becky sneered.

The rest of the school day went by fast, and while waiting for her father, Violeta showed Riley and Zooey the painting she did.

"And so, I got the postcard of Guatemala, and I decided to paint a picture of Quetzaltenango," Violeta said.

"Wow, that's beautiful, Violeta," Riley smiled. "I bet Pedro would like that."

"If you ever meet him," Zooey added.

"Zooey!" Riley snarled.

But Becky was nearby, and she'd overheard the conversation. "No, Zooey has a point," she smirked. "You shouldn't get your hopes up on meeting your pen pal, Violeta, because there's a 100% chance you never will."

"I wasn't getting my hopes up, Becky," Violeta glared, pulling her scooter up. "I did this painting as part of the assignment—you know that."

"Yes, I do, but I mean it," Becky told her. "Maybe it's better not to have a pen pal in the first place. Trust me—it's for your own good." Then she saw her limousine pull up. "Ta-ta, girls." She climbed into her limo and rode off.

"I'll never understand that brat," Violeta huffed, getting on her scooter. "Okay, I'll see you both tomorrow." She rode home on her scooter, and when she got there, her father was outside, taking out the trash. "Hola, Papi."

"Hola, mi nena, how was school?" Guillermo asked.

"Muy bien," Violeta said.

That evening, Violeta showed both her parents the painting she did in art class, and they were both impressed.

"Bien trabajo, mija," Guillermo smiled.

"Sí, if only Pedro could see it for himself," Elena smiled.

"I wish," Violeta said.

"Don't worry, nena," Guillermo said. "Maybe this summer, we'll go down to Guatemala."

"That sounds nice," Violeta smiled. She really wanted to meet Pedro in person.

Later, it was almost bedtime, and Violeta was in her pajamas. She went over to her desk and opened a drawer, which was full of letters and postcards sent to her by Pedro. She wondered if she'd ever get to meet Pedro.