The whole week went by, and it had been cloudy and rainy the whole time. But that didn't matter because today, Cristabel would start going to Orchid University. She had all her books together, and she was ready to go. Of course, she needed to eat first, so she joined her family in the dining room for breakfast.

"Buen día, familia," Cristabel smiled.

"Buen día, Cristabel," Carmen smiled back. "Are you excited for your first day of college?"

"As I'll ever be, Abuela," Cristabel said.

"It's hard to believe all the girls are already in college," Elena smiled. "By the time you all finish, at least one of you will be engaged."

"Not me obviously," Cristabel remarked.

"Aw, don't talk like that, Crista," Imelda said. "You'll get married one day."

"Supongo, Mamá," Cristabel shrugged. "But in the meantime, I'll just focus on what to expect in college."

"You can expect things to be different from high school, like how classes are usually every two days," Anabela said.

"And how many different programs and hobbies you can take up," Araceli chimed in.

"You can also expect to meet a lot of boys," Carmen gushed, playfully batting her eyelashes like a Primadonna.

Anabela, Araceli, Lucera, and Flora laughed at their grandmother's silliness. Cristabel knew that her sisters and cousins weren't laughing at her, but she was a little embarrassed by what her grandmother said.

"¡Ay, Abuela!" Cristabel blushed furiously. "I'm not so sure I'll be interacting with any boys, even the ones in my classes."

"¿Por qué no, mi vida?" Lucera asked.

"I haven't really fallen in love since the sixth grade when my Sadie Hawkins date stood me up," Cristabel sighed. "Maybe love just isn't for me."

Carmen just smiled at her youngest granddaughter and said, "You know, that's exactly how I felt before I met your grandfather."

"¿De verdad?" Cristabel asked.

"Sí, I had a few boyfriends in middle and high school, and none of them were the right man for me," Carmen recalled. "But when I entered college, I met your abuelo Francisco."

"How did you know he was the right man for you?" Cristabel asked.

"I got to know him, and I could tell that he was a great man—and he still is," Carmen smiled. "When it comes to meeting a boy, you either fall in love at first sight or get to know him before knowing you're in love. It can be different for everyone. All I know is love is something that should never be rushed."

"Gracias, Abuela," Cristabel smiled.

"De nada," Carmen said.

"But if any boy my baby meets breaks her heart in any way, I refuse to stand for it," Victor seethed. "He will surely get the beating of a lifetime."

"Gracias, Papá," Cristabel giggled.

After breakfast, the girls went off to Orchid University. For Mondays and Wednesdays, Cristabel had math class, and she would be in a different building than her sisters and cousins.

"Okay, Cristabel, the G building is straight ahead," Lucera said. "We'll all be busy until noon, so once you're done, you can stay in the lobby, where we'll find you, okay?"

"Okay," Cristabel nodded.

"Okay, Crista, we'll see you later," Araceli smiled.

While her sisters and cousins went on their way to their own classes, Cristabel made her way to the G building.

Meanwhile, today was another girl's first day of college. Natalie Ambrose was a snotty, bratty girl who was half Brazilian, and she was overly confident that she'd be as popular in college as she was in high school. Right now, she was applying lipstick and telling her friends how great college would be.

"High school was the best time of my life," Natalie boasted. "I'm certain college will be just like it, if not better."

"Better, I'm sure, Natalie," the brunette agreed. "You're sure to be the highlight of Orchid University."

"Yeah, you really snagged a lot of boys in high school," the redhead chimed in. "Who knows how many boys you'll snag in college?"

"A tank load, I'm sure," Natalie boasted. Then a nearby boy caught her eye. "In fact, I think I'll start with that one over there."

Nearby, there were two Latino brothers walking along. The older one had dark olive-green eyes and brown hair so dark that it was almost black. The younger one wore glasses and had dark brown eyes and pure black hair.

"Okay, Pedro, here's the G building, so this is where your math class will be," the older brother said. "I'll be in the E building for my engineer classes, and I'll meet you here around noon, okay?"

"Okay, Guillermo," Pedro nodded.

Guillermo made his way to the E building, and Pedro was about to enter the G building when Natalie came up to him, blocking his way.

"Hello, I'm Natalie Ambrose," Natalie smirked lovingly.

"Nice to meet you," Pedro said politely.

"Yes, it is—it always is," Natalie smirked. "What's a good-looking cutie like you doing in a place like this? Of course, you'd look better without the specs."

"The same as pretty much everyone else, going to college—and I need these glasses because I'm farsighted," Pedro replied.

"Aha, you're really funny," Natalie laughed.

"I'm not joking," Pedro frowned.

"That's another good one," Natalie said.

Pedro just glared at Natalie for not taking him seriously. "Well, I'm glad you like the joke," he said sarcastically.

"Yes, I did," Natalie smiled sweetly. "So, I missed you over the summer. What'd you do?"

Pedro was thrown off by what Natalie was saying. "How can you miss me over the summer when we've only just met?" he asked.

"Ah, you tell the best jokes," Natalie chuckled.

Pedro rolled his eyes at Natalie. He could that she was in love with him because she was saying a lot of stupid nonsense—and he didn't like it one bit. He wondered if Natalie would even let him get to his class.

At the same time, Cristabel was on her way to the G building, and she was just close to the entrance. But she didn't notice that the sidewalk was uneven, and so she tripped on it and fell face first in a big pile of mud that happened to be sitting on the sidewalk. Cristabel raised her head, feeling humiliated that she'd just fallen into mud in public but relieved because it broke her fall.

"Well, this is the first time I've ever been happy to fall in mud in public," Cristabel told herself. "At least this was placed conveniently."

"It would've been better if the pavement had been fixed," Pedro's voice rang out. "You could've been hurt." He'd seen Cristabel fall in the mud, and he came over to help her up on her feet.

Cristabel found herself face to face with Pedro, and despite the mud on her face, she found herself blushing. "Oh, muchas gracias," she smiled. "I'm Cristabel, by the way."

"I'm Pedro," Pedro smiled. "My parents and brother and I just moved to the United States from Colombia."

"Well, welcome to the United States," Cristabel smiled. "Well, I'd better go wash my hands and face before I get to class."

"I'd better be on my way, too," Pedro said.

Natalie was shocked at how Pedro seemed to be into Cristabel, especially because the girl was covered in mud. Cristabel entered the building, and Pedro was about to go in, too, only to be stopped by Natalie.

"So, Pedro, got any plans for this afternoon?" Natalie asked. "I was thinking we'd hit the mall, so you can see me get some new shoes and some makeup."

"Yes, I have plans for this afternoon," Pedro replied. "At 12 o'clock, my brother and I will be leaving campus, so we can meet with our parents for lunch."

"Well, you can always tell your brother that you've changed plans," Natalie said sweetly.

Pedro was annoyed with Natalie right now. "I'm sorry, Natalie, but I promised my familia," he frowned. "Good day to you now." Then he went into the building.

Natalie was dismayed that Pedro not only snubbed her to help Cristabel but declined a date with her. "What just happened?" she asked. "I try to sweet-talk the boy, and he totally snubs me."

"He probably didn't get a clue," the brunette surmised. "Some of the cutest guys can be clueless."

"Or maybe he thought you wanted to be friends with him, so you'd make him do your homework for you," the redhead surmised.

"It would be cool to have a boyfriend who does my homework for me, but that can't happen unless I snag Pedro," Natalie said. "I've snagged every boy there was in high school, and just because I'm in college, it doesn't mean that'll change."

In the restroom, Cristabel had already removed the excess mud from her clothes and skin, and she used soap and water to wash her face and hands. As she rinsed off the soap, Natalie and her friends came in and saw what Cristabel was doing. Natalie didn't like how Pedro abandoned her to help Cristabel. After Cristabel dried off, she got her stuff together, and she was just about to leave when she found Natalie staring right in her face, blocking her path.

"Who are you?" Natalie asked, glaring.

"Cristabel Cabrera," Cristabel replied.

"I'm Natalie Ambrose," Natalie sneered. "I must say, I honestly admire your nerve."

"Come again?" Cristabel asked.

"I was having a great time talking to my precious Pedro, telling him how much I missed him, and you came and interrupted me," Natalie said coldly. "When you fell in the mud, you got Pedro to leave me, so he could help you up. Why is that?"

Cristabel was thrown off by how petty this girl was. "I didn't actually ask him to help me," she said calmly.

"Well, he did anyway," Natalie sneered.

Cristabel didn't like how Natalie was chewing her out for getting Pedro's attention. "Sorry," she said calmly.

"You should be," Natalie sniffed. "Now he doesn't want to talk to me at all. I tried to talk to him after he helped you up, and he ran away."

"Well, Natalie, he has to get to class," Cristabel said. "Now that we're in college, we're obligated to attend all our classes if we want to succeed. Is it my fault Pedro values his education?"

Natalie continued to glare at Cristabel, but she had no idea how to answer that question. "Well...," she started to say.

Suddenly, Cristabel's watch beeped, alerting her to get a move on. "I'd better go now," she said. "I've got to get to my math class. I'll see you around." She left the restroom and went to her class, to Natalie's disgust.

Cristabel made it to her class on time, and the teacher was thrown off by how dirty her clothes were—but he was pleased that the girl valued her education enough to come to class, looking like this. After going over the syllabus, the students started doing some problems from their textbooks, and since this was harder than high school math, the teacher demonstrated how to do them. Math wasn't Cristabel's strength, but she did her best, and taking notes was a helpful way to learn.

At 9:30 exactly, class was dismissed. Math was Cristabel's only class for Mondays and Wednesdays this semester, so she went to the lobby of the building. This was where her sisters and cousins would find her when they were done with their classes. Cristabel had a sudoku puzzle book in her backpack to keep her entertained while waiting until noon, so she took it out and started doing some of the puzzles. About five minutes later, Pedro came into the lobby, and he saw Cristabel nearby. After interacting with her this morning, he wanted to take this chance to talk to her again. He didn't even mind that she was still covered in mud.

"Hola, Cristabel," Pedro smiled.

Cristabel looked up, and she was pleased to see Pedro here. "Ah, hola, Pedro," she smiled. "Off to your next class?"

"No, I'm done for the day," Pedro replied, sitting down. "I'm just going to wait here until my brother comes at 12 after his engineer classes."

"Me, too," Cristabel said. "My sisters and cousins will be here at noon once they're done with their classes."

"What's that you got there?" Pedro asked.

"A sudoku puzzle book," Cristabel replied. "I may not be good with math, but this really helps your brain."

"Good to know," Pedro smiled. "I hope you don't mind if I do a little reading."

"No, go ahead," Cristabel said.

Pedro reached into his backpack and pulled out a book, and Cristabel saw that it was a copy of the book she was reading last week. "Rosa Maria and the Miracle?" she read on the cover. "Oh, I love that book. I read it just last week. How far did you get?"

"I'm already on chapter 10," Pedro replied. "I think this is my favorite book so far."

"Mine, too," Cristabel smiled.

Nearby, a man was putting a poster up on the wall, and he heard the conversation. "Well, since you like the book so much, maybe you'd like to audition for the play," he smiled.

The poster stated that auditions would be held for the upcoming play, Rosa Maria and the Miracle, based on the book, which was to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month 2013.

"Wow, this play is to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?" Pedro gaped. "This will be great. Are you going to audition, Cristabel?"

Cristabel loved this book, and she wanted to audition for the play, but something was holding her back. "Oh, I wish," she smiled. "I really love this book."

"What's stopping you?" Pedro asked.

Cristabel was a little embarrassed, but she had to be honest. "Well, when I was in the sixth grade, we were putting on The Wizard of Oz, and I was cast as Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West," she recalled. "But on the night of the play, I had an allergic reaction to the green makeup they put on me. I haven't been in a play since then."

"Aw, don't worry, sweetie," the man said. "Our acting department only uses hypoallergenic makeup, should anyone have allergies."

Hypoallergenic was something Cristabel could deal with. "That sounds like something I can work with," she smiled.

"So, do you want to do the play?" Pedro asked. "I'll audition if you audition."

"Juntos," Cristabel smiled.

"You can talk to Mr. Williams, the acting director," the man said. "His office is in the F building, F-113."

"Okay, thanks," Cristabel and Pedro chorused.

Cristabel and Pedro left the G building, and on the left-hand side was the F building, so that should easy enough to get to. The hard part would be trying to find that office. But once they entered the building, they saw that the office was straight ahead, so they entered. At the front desk was Mr. Williams himself.

"Ah, good morning, folks," Mr. Williams smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"We want to sign up to audition for the play, Rosa Maria and the Miracle," Pedro replied.

"You got it," Mr. Williams smiled. "You're the first ones to sign up." He took out a clipboard with a signup sheet, and Cristabel and Pedro signed their names. "All right, I'll see you both this Friday afternoon."

"Okay," Cristabel and Pedro grinned.

Cristabel and Pedro retreated to the G-building, and once they sat down, they started talking to each other. In fact, they were having so much fun that they didn't notice how much time had gone by. Guillermo and the girls arrived at the G-building after their classes, and they were surprised to see Cristabel and Pedro talking together. It hurt Guillermo and the girls to interrupt their younger siblings because they looked adorable. The next thing they knew, Cristabel and Pedro turned to find that their relatives were waiting.

"Well, better get a move on," Pedro said.

"Me, too," Cristabel said. "I'll see you around."

Pedro went off with Guillermo while Cristabel went with her sisters and cousins.

"How was your first day of college, Crista?" Anabela asked.

"Who was that boy you were talking to?" Flora asked.

"Muy bien, and that was Pedro," Cristabel replied. "His family just moved here from Colombia."

"Well, that's good to know, but how did you get so dirty?" Lucera asked.

"I tripped on some uneven pavement and landed face first in a pile of mud that was on the sidewalk," Cristabel replied sheepishly. "I'll change clothes when we get home."

"I think you'd better take a bath," Araceli said. "You really need to get all that mud off."

"Araceli is right," Lucera agreed.

"Okay," Cristabel said.

Once the girls got home, Cristabel took a bath and put on clean clothes. The whole afternoon went by, and once Elena and Imelda made it home, the family got together for dinner.

"So, Cristabel, how was your first day of college?" Elena asked.

"Great, Tía Elena," Cristabel smiled. "I met a nice boy."

The older girls already knew about this, but the grownups were surprised.

"And who would this nice boy be?" Felix asked.

"His name is Pedro," Cristabel replied. "His family moved here from Colombia. We signed up to audition for a play the college is putting on for Hispanic Heritage Month, Rosa Maria ana the Miracle."

"Oh, the book you've been reading lately," Carmen smiled.

Everyone was pleased to hear that but also concerned because they remember what happened the last time Cristabel had a role in a play.

"I'm happy for you, mi vida, but you know you're allergic to makeup, right?" Victor asked. "Remember what happened to you in the sixth grade?"

"Don't worry, Papi," Cristabel said. "I was told that the acting department at Orchid University only uses hypoallergenic makeup."

"Well, that's good," Victor smiled. "When is the audition?"

"This Friday at 2," Cristabel replied.

Anabela, Lucera, Araceli, and Flora seemed pretty interested, and they'd each been in a play when they first entered college. It sounded like a good way for the girls to get together.

"You know, I think I'll sign up to audition for this play, too," Anabela smiled.

"Me, too," Lucera spoke up.

"Yo también," Araceli said.

"I'll do it," Flora smiled.

"Well, looks like the whole family will be doing a play," Carmen smiled. "This is definitely a special occasion."

The girls were truly excited about auditioning for the play. This would be the first play they all did together. Cristabel couldn't be in a play with her sisters and cousins in high school because of her allergy to makeup, and in their pre-high school years, the grades would separately do their plays.