Matchmaker

The "Candy Effect"

(This is Audren)

"Fall Festival," I read aloud from the paper Candy handed me. "Come for delicious food, fun games, and our annual Dance of The Falling Leaves!"
"Yup!" Candy beamed, "It was SUPER fun last year! You HAVE to come with us!" Coraline frowned.
"Us? I'm not going." We all turned and stared at her. Tracy cleared her throat.
"Well, I've actually never gone myself, but mainly because I had no one to go with. So I'm willing to tag along with you guys are going..." Coraline turned away.
"I just never go to these kinds of things. That's all." Candy frowned.
"Ok then... But it's ok if you come with us if you change your mind!" She turned to me. "Now, I've got an awesome pool in the backyard, who wants to go swimming?!" We cheered, and even Coraline brightened a bit. Suddenly I remembered I didn't have a swimsuit.
"Oh that's okay," Candy chided. "You can borrow one of Audren's. You're awfully tall, so hers should fit." I blushed and wondered who Audren was as Candy bounded up the wooden stairs.
"Hey, that wasn't an insult," Tracy whispered. Coraline chuckled.
"Oh, you can guarantee it. She wouldn't cuss if you drove a rusty nail into her foot." Tracy gave her a weird look.
"I hope you haven't tried that..." Coraline looked mortified.
"Of course not!" she cried a bit loudly. I chuckled at her expression, and soon Tracy joined in. And that's how Candy found us, sprawled on her couch and laughing like maniacs. She didn't even ask what we were howling about, she just joined in. Typical Candy.

I eased myself into the cool water and sent ripples across the surface.
"CANNONBALL!" Coraline crashed into the pool, sending a thick wall of spray and drenching us.
"Coraline!" We wined in unison. Candy giggled.
"I wanna try that! Cannonball!" She hurtled into the water, splashing us again. Tracy and I followed her example, jumping into the pool and spraying each other.
"What's all this noise?! Candy!" A tall girl with a ponytail walked slid the screen door shut. She looked exactly like Candy, except with much longer hair and blue eyes.
"Oh hey! Everyone, that's my sister Audren. Hope you dont mind that i borrowed your swimsuit Auddy?" Candy wondered. Audren looked puzzled.
"But you aren't wearing my... Oh." Her eyes rested on me. I shifted uneasily in the water. Then, to my surprise, Audren laughed.
"I'm surprised it fits you. She's," she pointed at Coraline,"even taller than you though, mine might be too small!" Coraline blushed a bit at the comment. Audren settled down onto the lounge chair and sipped her fruit punch. She fished out an ice cube bobbing around in the drink and cracked it thoughtfully between her teeth.
"I can't decide Can... will your friends help?" Candy discreetly rolled her eyes and we giggled at the ridiculous nickname.
"Candy the Can!" Tracy hissed and we started laughing even louder.
"What's so funny?! It's a serious matter!" Audren fretted.
"Actually, Auddy here needs help picking out a dress for her date. It's an "extreme emergency"!" Candy quoted with her fingers.
Audren ran inside and came back out holding a zebra striped pencil-dress with a ridiculously huge pink collar and a orange gown with several tons of frills.
"So, which do you think?" Audren questioned. We all collapsed into the water, and miraculously, none of us drowned from excessive intake of chlorinated water while laughing. Audren frowned.
"You guys laugh a lot. Has Candy been that much of an effect?" She received no answer to the puzzling matter, for we were laughing too hard to respond.