So my internet is down…someone didn't pay the bill! hey…don't look at me…I'm just the one who uses the computer! No…I'm going to keep writing though! Unless I spontaneously combust But that's a short explanation of why no one has heard from me in a while!

Jack walked Carmen to her door after their date. While he was kissing her, Carmen tried to unlock the door. Then she heard the blinds snap shut in the living room. She kissed Jack again and opened the door. Lena and Stephen were sitting on the couch. The television wasn't on. They must have been talking. And Lena was smiling and laughing. Carmen had to say that she was surprised. "How long have you been up Lenny?" Lena got up and hugged her friend. "I don't know…a few hours." The surprises just kept on coming. "A few hours?" "Yeah," Lena stated, "We've just been talking. Getting to know each other." She looked at Stephen and laughed. "He's a really funny guy Carmen. You didn't tell me that!" Carmen sat down in the chair and stared at the two. "Is she ok Stephen?" "She wasn't, but I coaxed her out of it." Stephen said with a wink. Carmen pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and placed it on the table. It reminded her of something. "Oh…Lenny before I forget. Paul called me about an hour ago. He's really upset about the whole issue. I told him to let you settle down though." Lena hit Carmen on the knee. "Paul, Schmaul! I just want to have fun!" "Oh my gosh Stephen. What have you done with my Lenny? I've never…I mean never seen her like this before…I'm not quite sure if I like it. Stephen I should have told you that she's delirious." Lena shook her head. "Carmen I'm fine…I really am!" Carmen grabbed her friend by the shoulders and shook her. "Lena, Can you please just breathe! This is not you! You are not ok! You don't end sentences in exclamation points!" Stephen stood back and watched the two. Lena's eyes were wide. She started to talk but stammered. "Carmen…I…I…I'm not ok." Lena was now crying. "I'm not ok…I'm not ok. Is that what you wanted to hear? I'm not ok! I need all the help I can get. I'm helpless." This statement made Carmen feel a bit sorry for what she had said. "I'm sorry Lena. But I know you…sometimes even better than you know yourself. This is one of those times."

Lena threw her arms around Carmen. The two hugged. Carmen pulled away after a few minutes. "So what have you two been doing?" Stephen sat back down and made a space for Carmen on the couch. "We've been talking…don't worry. It's nothing you don't already know." Carmen looked from Stephen to Lena. "You told him Lenny?" Lena nodded her head. "Yeah. I know that's a little out of the ordinary." Carmen put one arm around Lena and the other around Stephen. "Yeah it's just a little out of the ordinary. But this summer has already been a little out of the ordinary…hasn't it?"

Bridget was watching her team play a scrimmage against another team. Billy and Eric's team was on the next field. They were within talking distance of each other. Laura was twirling her hair while trying to pay attention to her team. Diana was shouting at the goalie, who was failing to block the balls. Bridget was standing behind Eric. Eric kept turning around and pulling her hair. Bridget was getting annoyed by it and after the fifth time she turned back around and punched his arm. "I'm trying to coach my team….C'mon Erica! Get it into the goal! You too Michelle!" She yelled alongside Diana, "But yes please stop…and you should be coaching your team. Billy isn't paying attention. Someone has too. They might fire you. But…Eric I do need to talk to you later." She turned back around and walked farther down the line. Diana turned and smiled at Eric. But then she turned back and was shouting at the girls.

After all of the games the coaches were in the meeting room having well…having another meeting. The director was up front discussing next week's games and scheduling. Bridget was getting antsy. There was one week left before the first shift of coaches left and the new shift came in. A whole new camp really. All new campers and coaches. Bridget could get away from it all and go spend the rest of the month at her Grandmother's. But she really wanted to spend more time with Eric. She planned on asking him tonight.

When she found him after the meeting, he was talking with Billy. Billy handed him some papers and walked off. Not even saying hello to Bridget. She put her hands around Eric's neck in a choking mannerism. "I just want to choke him…do you give me permission?" Eric grabbed her hands and pulled her in front of him. "No. I need him to help me coach next week's games. He's pretty good…even you have to admit it Bee." Bee shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I have to. Hey, I have a question for you." Eric took the keys out of his pocket and shook them. "Tell me on the way to my cabin. We've got forty-five minutes in-between now and the end of lunch."

Bridget hopped in and turned the radio off. "Umm…I was wondering if you would want to come spend a few days with me at my grandmother's." Eric stopped to let a few campers cross the sidewalk. "I'd love to. But I need to leave after the 'few' days. My mom's birthday is in two weeks. I was going to go and stay there until the end of summer vacation. You know," He said putting his arm around Bridget, "You can come and meet my parents." Bridget liked that idea. "Yeah, I guess. That would be nice. Plus…I lied. I was only going to spend a few days with my grandmother. From there I was going to go to Diana's. I'll just tell Greta that I'm with you, and then when my dad calls she can lie. It's only for a couple of days, right?" Eric laughed at Bridget. "Right."

When they had finished talking…that's right…well they only made out for a few minutes, because Billy walked in, they got back into the cart and drove back to the lunch hall. They had to eat something.

Bridget was in line for Breakfast a few days later, when Marie, the camp director's assistant ran past her and handed her a package and a letter. Bridget knew immediately what the package was, and was glad to see that Lena had written her a letter. She could also see that they had been mailed overnight and that the return address was in Bethesda…Carmen's address. She stepped out of line when she was finished and walked over to the table she, Diana, and Eric were sharing. Throwing the items on the table she let out a squeal. Eric picked up the letter and looked in the left top hand corner. "She's back?" Bridget sat down beside him and smiled. "Yeah, I guess so. I'll call her tonight." Eric then picked up the package. "And these must be the pants." Bridget took the package from him and started to rip it open with her knife. "You remember?" Eric nodded his head. "Yes..." He leaned in closer to her so that Diana couldn't hear what he was saying, "you were hot." Bridget blushed. Diana put down her fork. "Gosh guys…get a room." Bridget reached under the table and grabbed Eric's hand. Wait. What was she doing? She had been terribly angry at him these past two years. Now she was secretly grabbing his hand under the table, and she was letting him whisper sweet nothings into her ear. Bridget clumsily grabbed her belongings and ran out the closest door. She ran all the way to her cabin. The first games were not starting for another hour and a half. She had to read the letter and write Lena back.

BridgetBee,

I've been back home now for a day and a half. I'm staying at Carmen's until my parents get back. They put Kostos in jail. I went to go see him. Paul was in the hospital and Lydia came to get him. I've never met Lydia. Not even over Christmas…or Thanksgiving. Paul was here in Bethesda on both of those occasions. But yeah, he's still in Greece. He knows now that I'm gone, but I didn't make it an issue to tell him before I left. It was kind of a hurried decision. I told my parents that I wanted to come home, and within an hour my dad had me on a flight. I'm glad to be home. No Paul for a couple of weeks and I don't even have to think of Kostos getting out any time soon. His hearing is in two months. I'll be in Rhode Island with you by that time. How's soccer camp? I know you weren't that exited to go for many reasons…and Carmen has told me how it's been with you. I'm sorry I haven't written in a while. But you know how it goes. You get kidnapped, the kidnapper shoots your boyfriend and then you go crazy, and then your boyfriend's mom doesn't like you. It occurs all the time, right? Not as much as I would like it too. It doesn't feel very good to be the only one in that category! Well I'm sure there have been more cases just like that. I miss you and I love you. Write me as soon as possible.

Love Lena

Bridget took her paper and a pen and began her letter to Lena.

Lena,

I actually just got your letter in the morning mail. Were you in a hurry to get the pants to me? It's good to hear that Carmen is taking care of you. Tell Stephen I said hello. Eric and I are doing well…although I don't know how it's going to be. I feel like we are going too fast. And Billy isn't happy, but he's found something to preoccupy his time. Her name is Laura and she's the other assistant coach. She's also sixteen. Isn't it funny? But she is an awesome soccer player. I'm not going to say that she's better than I was at her age…because than it would just hurt my ego! Oh, and Eric invited me to go with him to his mom's house in Baja. I said yes…but that was last night and it wasn't this morning. I reached under the table to hold his hand, and I just went haywire. We have to keep the relationship under wraps, because we are the head coaches for our teams. Well, Diana is the head head coach. I'm just the second in command. But when I grabbed his hand all these thoughts went running through my mind. I had to get out of there. So now I'm sitting in my cabin writing this. I haven't put the pants on yet. I'm waiting for the specific time. Like maybe this Saturday at the end of camp party. See, there I go again trying to convince myself that this whole thing between Eric and me is ok. But in the back of my head, I know it isn't. I'm being a pushover. One night when we had been talking, he leaned in and kissed me. I didn't say no either. Because actually he asked if he could. I was in the moment and I thought that it would be ok. But it's gotten worse. I initiate the kissing now! What am I supposed to do? I will call you later. I miss you too Lenny and I love you.

Love, Bee

Bridget was pulling the pants out of their package, when Diana walked in. "Girl, what's wrong?" Bridget stopped what she was doing and turned around. "Nothing…it's just that I'm questioning this whole relationship with Eric." Diana sat down at her bunk and grabbed her cleats. "If it's about Baja…I think you should go. Nothing bad can come out of it." Bridget stood up and walked over to her. "Wait…how did you know about that?" She asked. Diana pulled her cleats on and stood up. "Eric told me."

Diana left Bridget to stand by herself in the cabin. But not for long. It wasn't even five minutes after when Bridget heard the familiar sound of the golf cart. She staid where she was. Eric eventually got to the door and walked right in. "Bee?...you in here?" He looked around and then saw her tennis shoes behind one of the bunks. "Bridget…hey." Eric sat down on her bed and lay down. She sat down on Diana's bed and pulled her feet up to her. "I'm sorry for running out like that. I had to write Lena back." Eric waved it off. "You know Bridget, you don't have to come with me if you don't to. I know that this whole thing has gone pretty fast in the past three weeks…and I don't want to make you do something that you don't want to. We can just be friends." Bridget sighed. "But I don't want to be just friends. I don't know what I want. Eric…what happened two summers ago really hurt me. And I never forgot you! You know that." "I never forgot you either," Eric stated as he sat up. Bridget put down her feet and stood up. "No! I never forgot you…in a bad way. I hated you." Eric placed his hands on her hips and pulled her in closer. "And I hated myself for those things. Can we just forgive me and go on?" Bridget pulled away. "Now is not the time for humor." Eric pulled her back. "Yes it is. Because you are trying to convince yourself of something that isn't true." Bridget had to hand it to him. She pulled away and sat down on the bed beside him. "Ok…so that's what I am trying to do. I admit it. I don't want to end up in a relationship that isn't going to work out." "I can't promise you that it will last forever…but I will always try to be your friend." Eric told her. She got up again. He stood up as well. "No we already tried that friend thing, but you kissed me and well that ended that." Eric grabbed her arms and pulled her in again. "You mean like this…" He kissed her again, just like that night. Except this time it was stronger and more passionate. Bridget was stunned. She couldn't move. "Yeah…like that." She said. "I would really like it if you didn't do that."

So this may be a little mushy and too mature in the whole Eric and Bee department. And I know there are those of you who can't stand Eric! But Billy's moment is near…or maybe not. It may decide to run off on us. Who knows these days? Storylines…you can't trust them! Leannyhoodle, Yeah I can't wait to update! And I need to find a job! I need the mullah in order to support my old habit. Not drugs…just paint. And as I was just reading the third book again….Diana's boyfriend's name is Michael…not Marshall…I was close!