Carmen woke up. Last night had been fun, something she hadn't experienced in a while. She was glad to see that they had broken into Rockwood pool, just like they had last summer. Looking back on the night before, Carmen felt it had been a symbolic cleansing--washing themselves clean of the baggage that lay between them all.

She got up and went into the bathroom. No one was home. Her mother was at work. David was at work. They conveniently carpooled, because they worked at the same place. How pathetic would it be if they took separate cars. Carmen snorted at this ridiculousness. Her mind continuing to travel. She was appreciative of the fact that they dropped Ryan off at day care allowing her to sleep.

Snapping back to attention, Carmen glanced into the mirror. She wasn't quite sure what she saw. She sighed. It had been ninety-two days, twelve hours, and...Carmen glanced at the clock...forty-two minutes since things had abruptly ended between her and Win. Her face was the emotional equivalent to that town in Mulan after the Huns had raided it. While she didn't want to think about the period of time during which she was happily dating Win, she couldn't help it. It haunted her dreams and thoughts. It wasn't right, what he did, yet, she felt helpless in terms of the situation. She knew it was serious, she knew she should open up. There were consequences for what he did.

Abruptly she shook her head. No, she couldn't do that to him. Take away his whole life over a silly thing like that? It wouldn't be fair. It occurred to her, way back in her brain, that it was so typical for her to feel this way. To defend him. She certainly didn't feel at fault, but legal revenge would make her feel that way.

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Voices could be heard in the alleyway. They were comfortable and joyous. They were ceremonial and serious. The crumpling of bags could be heard. A plastic container, full, no doubt, could be heard smacking the age-worn floor, accompanied by the shrieks of four teenage girls.

Bee screamed in hysterics. Tibby was rolling on the floor in laughter. Lena looked had grabbed the Pants and bolted to the other side of the room. Carmen looked horrified.

While setting up for the ceremony, a bottle of Odwalla had fallen from Tibby's grace when Bridget had grabbed the bag of sour Gummi Worms from the massive pile in Tibby's arms. So as the bottle smacked the wooden floor, the cap popped off and became a red fountain of fruit punch, or as Carmen liked to call it, frunch, juice spouting everywhere. Miraculously, the Pants had narrowly escaped the debacle.

Carmen sat there horrified. Couldn't her friends see how quickly the Pants had come to destruction? The sacred center of their universe had almost been destroyed. The single thing that had kept them united during times of separation. And now, here they were, the three of them, cracking up. It was irresponsible. It was the Bay of Pants affair.

"How can you guys just sit there laughing about this?" she yelled. Carmen was never one for self-restraint.

"Carmen. It's no big deal. The Pants are fine. No use crying over spilled juice." Bridget coaxed.

"You mean fountainous juice." Tibby quirked.

Carmen was irritated. "Don't you see how close they came to destruction? They're frayed at the edges, the seams are coming out. How can you be fine with the thought that a bottle of Odwalla almost destroyed the single artifact we pay homage to? It's horrifying to think about, yet here you are! Just cracking up!"

"Car..." Lena put her hand on Carmen's arm. "We're aware of the importance of the Pants. We know how scary it is to think of what could have happened, but it's okay now. They're fine"

Carmen looked at Lena and then at the Pants. Lena was right. Carmen clutched the Pants in her hands. She examined the fabric and drew it close to her face. The familiar smell calmed her. There was something about the magic of the Pants that allowed them to keep the same smell. You would never guess through the olfactory senses that these Pants lived in a closet for most of the year and had never been washed. She sat there admiring the Pants and laid them in the center of the circle.

She was about to begin her speech when she noticed the embroidery she had made the summer before. About meeting Win. How naive she had been. So full of joy. As she stared at the careful stitches, she felt her breath catch in her throat. She felt herself getting up. She felt herself bolting from the room. She felt herself racing down the stairs and out of Gilda's and into the street.

Bridget, Tibby, and Lena sat there dumbstruck, unaware of what had just happened. The three of them got up and chased after Carmen. While Lena was the first out the door, Bee was the first out of the building. Tibby was halfway out the door when she realized that they may need the Pants, unaware of the cosmic disturbance in Carmen's head. She grabbed them and took off after Bridget and Lena.

Bridget and Lena had found Carmen bawling on a picnic table at a park around the corner. Tibby let the pants fall to the ground and joined her friends. There they sat, huddled together in loving silence. They were there to let Carmen know that she wasn't alone, despite all her troubles and random insecurities. They wanted her to know that she would never be alone, Pants or no. Physical presence or no. The seconds ticked. The minutes passed. As Carmen's tears subsided, roaring sirens filled the air.

Emergency vehicles began to crowd the streets. The air was filled with piercing cries. Fire trucks, ambulances, police cars rushed to the area. The girls stood and watched. It took a second for it to hit, but then they realized where the vehicles were headed. Their hearts dropped as they looked on in horror. They sprinted around the corner.

A ghastly sight exposed itself and horror manifested itself in the stomachs of the four girls. Flames towered over them. The brilliant shades of orange danced in the wind as if they were listening to the tunes of Paula Abdul. They rejoiced as if devouring cookie dough, no longer raw, sour Gummi Worms, strawberry Pop-Tarts, and oddly shaped, hard cheese puffs. These flames were united in their common goal of destruction.

The four girls stood and watched these flames. They watched them take on their own destructors. The flames went down together, but not after a good long fight. Unfortunately, they took Gilda's down with them.