Lena Kaligaris--Lenny to her closest friends and her family--dashed down the path leading to the hidden beach she had found a few days before. She realized that she'd completely forgotten to take her swimsuit with her. At first, she simply dipped her feet into the water. As the sun warmed her back and soon grew scorching hot overhead, the voice of her fifteen-year-old sister Effie resounded in her head--"Do something wild, for once, will you, Lenny?" She decided that today would be the day Lena Kaligaris did something wild--and it still counted, Lena decided, even if no one saw her. She stripped down to her blue underthings and jumped into the water with great abandon.
Lena was enjoying this wild moment when she heard footsteps on the path. Quick and sure. Heavy, like the person was not a girl. She turned and stifled a shriek. It was Kostas! He couldn't see her like this! "Lena!" he seemed surprised. "How dare you follow me?" she cried indignantly. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Oh, right." she said sarcastically. She pulled on her shirt and The Pants, but both were inside out. She didn't care. Blindly, she snatched her camera and shoes. Then she disappeared up the path. Kostas was quick on her heels. "Lena, wait!" he called.
Lena ran to her grandparents' house and slammed the door behind her. "Vaht is wrong?" her grandmother asked. "Kostas is a very bad boy." Lena almost growled. Valia was disappointed. She'd had high hopes for Kostas and Lena. "Vaht did he do?" she asked. Lena did not reply.
Later, freshly showered and dressed, Lena was sitting on her bed when a sudden thought hit her. There were only so many hidden beaches in the world--what if she had invaded his? She suddenly felt very regretful. She headed down to explain to her grandmother. She was halfway down the stairs when she heard the door bang open and late afternoon sunlight spill through the doorway. Valia had just run outside, but for what?
Lena got her answer moments later. Bapi and Kostas's grandfather were fistfighting in the Dounas's doorway! Kostas was trying to break up the fight but was unsuccessful. Lena shoved her way between the two men and yelled "STOP!" at the top of her lungs. Both men stopped and examined their battle wounds. Bapi and Kostas's grandfather both had bad cuts and had to be taken to the doctor's office.
Lena went and sat between them the whole time. When she had intervened, a little blood from both grandfathers had hit The Pants. She sat there waiting for the grandfathers and contemplated whether this was grounds to break the number one rule in the manifesto--You must never wash the pants--or if the blood stain made the pants special in their very own--albeit disgusting--way.