Junior year had finally come to an end, and it was time for new beginnings, new discoveries, new possibilities. Which is why Dorothy Ann Fields decided it was time to clean out her closet and get rid off all the old junk she didn't need anymore. And since it was a Thursday, and Carlos, her boyfriend, always came over on Thursdays, DA decided it would be a fashion show instead of a boring sift-through.

"Are you sure you wanna get rid of all your old stuff DA?" Carlos asked, sitting down on her bed and faced the wooden closet which she was currently standing next to.

"I'm not gonna get rid of all of it, just the stuff I really don't want or need anymore. And you're gonna help me." She replied, turning the brass doorknob to her closet. Her mouth almost fell agape when she took a long look at the towering monstrosity that was her wardrobe.

"Let's do this."

Twenty minutes later, they had gone through about 1/3 of DA's closet, with many jokes in between. The long, flowery, hippie skirt from DA's rebellious stage? Denied. The neon orange camp shirt? Denied. The bedazzled shorts that Wanda made for DA in hopes to get her to show off more skin? Denied, much to Carlos's disappointment. DA was surprised she still even fit into half of this stuff, and very embarrassed that she ever wore it in the first place. Where were all the fashion mentors of the world when she dressed like this? She was no clothes expert, but anyone can see that these clothes were a mild offense against humanity. Excluding Carlos, who either whistled or laughed himself to tears with each outfit. Finally, she dug out a pair of faded pink pants and nearly burned them right then and there. They were the worst. They were flared and had loopy thread sewn in all over the place. She slipped them on, and opened the closet door, ready for the burst of laughter that came out of her boyfriends mouth. But instead of laughter, there was just a big, genuine grin, the kind that only nostalgia can bring on.

"Wow... It's been a while since I've seen those." Carlos said softly. DA looked at him questionably. When had he ever seen her in these? Noting her confused expression, he asked her, "Don't you remember, DA? You were wearing those pants the first time we kissed. In sophomore year? At Wanda's New Year's party?"

All of a sudden, the memory came rushing back to her. All of their friends were at that party, most of them drinking themselves senseless. DA had never been much of a drinker, and that night Carlos had decided that he wasn't either. He walked out to the bench she was sitting on outside and sat beside her.

"So what's your new years resolution?" He had asked her.

"Hmmm... To improve my chemistry grade by 1% so I have an even 110. Or move up to AP calc. What's yours?" She asked.

"To do this." And he closed the gap between them and kissed her, long and slow. To his surprise, she wasn't surprised. She just kissed him back like she meant it. And after that, the two were together, no questions asked.

Present day DA shook her head and smiled at the memory, her heart filling up nostalgia and love. She walked over and sat down next to Carlos on the bed, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Were you nervous? When you kissed me?" She asked, looking up at him. He chuckled softly.

"Hell yes, I was nervous. But I knew it was time." He paused. "I remember... you were wearing those pants and that purple sweatshirt with the cat on it, and your hair was done up in pigtails like it used to be all the time. And that made me even more nervous, 'cause it reminded me of how much I like you. And now.."

"And now?" DA asked.

"And now... I love you." Carlos replied simply. DA kissed him, and it felt just like the first time: perfect. They lay there for a few moments, before DA stood up and stretched her arms above her head.

"You know what? I think these pants are one travesty that I can bear to keep." She went into the closet and changed out of them, and then folded them up and placed them in a box full of her old memories.

"Are you hungry?"

"Starving."

"Let's go eat."

And the two walked out, hand in hand, leaving the pink pants and their innocence behind.