I loved this chapter! It was so fun yet touching at the same time.

I think my biggest takeaway is how Angie carried herself at the dinner. She was so respectful with Maria. I thought it was really sweet that she asked her for formal permission to watch Ben until this all got straightened out. That decision had already been made, and I have no doubt she would have sided with Ben if his mother had tried to veto the idea and he still wanted to move forward with it, but it was really nice to make her feel included.

Of course, the two of them having that conversation so high above Ben's head made him feel little bit like a pet, but Angie seemed to realize this (and other things he was having to put up with). That part when she complimented how he was dealing with his situation and how people were treating him was so considerate of her. No one meant any offense, yet Tessa, Maggie, and even Maria a slight bit (again, her not asking Ben his thoughts on staying with Angie and talking about it like he wasn't even there) were making him feel a tiny bit degraded, even if he took it all in stride. He knew it was all innocent behavior on their part, but for Angie to acknowledge this was really cool on her part. I love how observant she is and that she has the heart to factor those observations in when interacting with someone.

Maggie was the most fun here, obviously! It was great to see her messing with her tiny brother, somehow even finding a way to make her informing Tessa that he's not a pet a teasing opportunity. But despite that, she was really sweet in her own right, too. giving him the crumb of breadstick, brushing the mini-crumbs off his shirt, and, of course, sweeping him off his feet for that heart-melting hug. And I absolutely believed her when she said she'd drop everything to come help him if he ever needed her to. This is why her constant ribbing now that he's three inches tall doesn't seem to bother him too much; he knows she's in his corner if something serious happens.

I also liked the way you handled Maria, blending her deep concern with a hint of awe and wonder. This is an amazing thing she's seeing. Yeah, people know this tech exists, but so few people ever get to see an actual shrunken human that of course she's going to be wowed by it.

But that never once outweighed her worry for her son. While she was amazed to see him at an impossible size, her fear for her son's safety at three inches tall was the first thing I noticed in every line of her dialogue. This could have been a tough balance to strike, but I think you did a fantastic job of it!

Tessa just kind of snuck in there and stole the show, though. God, I loved her! The way she went too far gushing over him and said he was like a little pet (I really don't think she meant it the way it sounded; she was just overwhelmed by his cuteness at that size) made me laugh, and I was legitimately happy for her when Ben let her touch him. That shit made her day! Not to mention that her interest in him seemed to go beyond a mild curiosity, as Maggie indicated and Angie seemed to pick up on as well. But yeah, every interaction she had with the family, every mistake she made when she talked about Ben, was so damn adorable!

Back to Angie, though, I like that she's already starting to think of ways that Ben could still take part in regionals even if he's still tiny by then. She knows how important that is to him (because she feels the exact same way about it), and she's committed to making sure he doesn't miss out no matter how tall he is at the time! I had a good feeling about her, even the first time we met her back when Ben still thought she hated him, but man has she turned out to be special!

Her offering the Carters financial help was a really sweet gesture, but yeah, there's no way Maria is going to take her up on that. There are so many reasons why that's a bad idea, no matter how pure Angie's intentions are. Her heart was in the right place, though, it's just that the real-world implications of taking money from someone you know, especially your son's budding maybe girlfriend hopefully, are just too much.

Also, I'm not so sure Angie's parents feel the same way or would be on board with that. So unless Angie gets a ridiculous allowance (which is possible, since her family seems to have so much money), I'm not so sure she'd be able to follow through on that.

I really enjoyed this chapter, and I'm still excited anticipating what the next chapter will bring! You've done a hell of a job keeping anticipation high between chapters.