like i said, thank you for the comment! i wasn't expecting someone to get that much out of the first two chapters, but i'm glad someone did. i'm especially surprised that you thought i'd sprinkled the culture in the first, because i thought all i did was mention their names!
yessi and bianca's relationship is going to be developed further into the book, so i understand what you mean about them. but, you're not necessarily supposed to like bianca. it all depends on what you see in her. my only rebuttal is that bianca's stomach IS pudgy, despite seeing her ribs. people store fat in different ways, you know?