In truth, Eiffel felt rather embarrassed to have made such a spectacle of herself in front of someone else.
But once she realized Esnie was hardly doing any better, she felt considerably more at ease.
The sounds coming through the listening device were enough to make anyone blush. After listening for a short while, Eiffel turned her head away to hide her true feelings.
Both girls were desperately envious, yet neither could show it in front of the other. With that same concern on their minds, they both seemed extremely stiff.
Most of the little games girls played came down to this: they could neither show their envy nor betray too many of their fantasies. They had to maintain a demure exterior, and the moment one exposed a weakness, the other had to press the advantage.
Of course, when both had exposed their weaknesses, as they had now, it simply became a contest of who could deny it more stubbornly.
"You don't seem to be feeling well, Miss Esnie. Do you need a rest?"
Listening to the sounds coming through the device, Eiffel forced her attention elsewhere, trying to cover up her loss of composure with a verbal attack.
Clearly, her offensive worked. Esnie answered with a sneer of her own:
"I think you're the one who needs that, Miss Eiffel. Your face is so red. Have you caught a cold?"
The atmosphere instantly turned combative. Trading verbal barbs was indeed an excellent way to get through an embarrassing situation, but it inevitably struck sparks, and their exchange grew increasingly heated.
"Thank you for your concern. The Climate Control System in the car is simply set a little too high."
As Eiffel spoke, she lowered the temperature setting:
"Have you considered getting another car, Miss Esnie? A model this outdated