A/N: You guys are AMAZING! I got 13or 14reviews in less than 24 hours! That's a new record for me! You guys are the best! As promised, I have faithfully replied to each and every one of you. You deserve it! I also took the liberty of picking "Star Reviewers" (( corny, maybe, but Ikinda like it.. : )...)). Or, basically, the reviewers that I felt left particularly funny or rewarding or nice or special or interesting feedback. I picked 2 for this chapter, but I LOVE YOU ALL! So the "Star Reviewers" for BACK TO THE BEGINNING are Avra5 and maggieferran. You rock my socks!

maggieferran: Thank you so much! I think this is one of the best reviews I've ever received!

I'm flattered that you think I have the style and tone of Ann Brashares! I try to sound like her when I'm writing this fic, and I'm thrilled you

think I'm successful! When I put the girls back to their original spots, I wasn't sure how it was going to play out…after all,

they changed so much. Then I realized that was actually going to be the point…LOL! I really tried hard to write an original prologue,

thank you so much for the feedback on that! I try not to rush too much, but some times I get ideas and just lose control –

I'm sure you know how it is! Or, I can't come up with stuff to put between my ideas. You seem to be very aware of Ann

Brashares' writing style and practices. I would really appreciate more feedback from you and any suggestions you have!

Thanks again for the great review! (Wow..um..why is my computer doing this weird spacey thing when I try to edit my document...)

Avra 5: Wow! I think that your review is one of the best I've ever gotten. I'm so flattered. I really try to imitate Ann Brashare's writing (I guess that's kind of the point of fanfics, though!) Thanks for the good thoughts for my finals – I finished them on Tuesday! Yipee! Anyway, thanks for the feedback on the rushing part – I really appreciate it. I try not to rush, but sometimes my ideas get run away with me, or I can't figure out what to put between my ideas. Is fluff okay? I would really like to hear back from you on that. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

spacegrace:Lena's issues are going to be a focal point for this fic, so I'm glad you like it. And as for Kostos…well…you have to admit, it would be fun/convenient to hear now, but it would make it less fun to actually read each chapter (I know, I hate it when authors tell me that…)

xoXOCutieOXox: I'm glad you're so enthusiastic! Here you go…

cpaa: I have mixed feelings about Billy, myself. But I'm glad you're so excited to see him so up! (Now I just need to figure out exactly what to do with him…)

dancerrdw: I'm glad you like this. I will try to update soon, but I'm going away soon, so unfortunately I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update. See my pf for more info.

private: I will certainly try to make this fic fulfill its potential. I'm excited to see how everything plays out too – I'm not quite sure what will happen myself! I agree: Bee and Eric are adorable together. I'm so glad Ann Brashares put them together in the 3rd Book! (I hope you don't mind reading fluff, 'cuz I love to write it!)

Riza-4789: I hope you like this next chapter just as much!

sunshine: I'm glad you love it! Bridget is my favorite character, too. I feel that I have a lot in common with that character (well, her personality, at least. Not the part about sleeping with a soccer coach or her mom dying…at least, I can relate with her well…) so she's easiest for me to write. I guess that means you'll be seeing a lot of her!

iluvgerardbutler: Don't worry, I'll keep going! BTW, I've been wondering: who exactly is Gerard Butler?

JesskaLovesYou: I love Bridget and Eric, too! I wonder what Billy has in store for them?

Quicksilver19: Glad you like it! I love the Eric/Bee pairing, too! Expect to see a lot of fluff! I'll try to do some stuff for Tibby and Brian, too, if you'd like. For some reason, though, I have issues writing from Tibby's POV. I don't understand why that is, though. She and Bridget are my favorite (I love all the characters, tho!), but I just can't seem to get a strong handle on Tibby. But I'll do what I can!

Tricia: I kinda like the love triangle myself...let's just see where it goes...

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! YOU REALLY MAKE IT WORTH WHILE!

CHAPTER THREE: LIFE AS WE KNOW IT "My life is a toad." -Tasha Bylenok

Bee found it rather difficult to concentrate on yet another over-simplified and excessively lengthy orientation lecture. Bee's personal opinion was that once you've heard one, you've heard them all. All of them said the same things anyway, regardless of the slightly different atmospheres. There was the introduction, of course, which remained the same almost word for word between the camps: Welcome to (fill-in-the-blank)! We're honored to have you join us this year, and we all need to work together to make the summer of (insert current year) the best ever, and on and on.

She felt Eric's eyes flick onto her, though she did not make eye contact, during the part of Connie's lecture that emphasized the stringent no-fraternization policy. Next, Connie outlined the set of rules governing the campers. No harassment, no obscenities, blah, blah, blah, and absolutely no unauthorized "excursions" off campgrounds. Diana and Bridget exchanged knowing looks, suppressing grins.

Drawing helped Lena to think. Or, rather, it helped her not to think. Something that, frankly, Lena often preferred. The great thing about drawing was that she could escape into her own mind, leaving the somewhat disappointing temporal world far behind her as she made her own rendition of it in charcoal. It's so much simpler this way, Lena mused as she sketched the giant staircase that traversed the steep, rocky edges of Santorini, leading up to the city of Oia from the ocean.

Lena held a higher vantage point, sitting on the roof terrace of a light yellow restaurant boasting trim of the same blue hue as the Mediterranean Sea far below. She observed the donkeys following the staircase that traversed the cliffside, wearing makeshift saddles and no bridles, and bearing overzealous tourists towards the city. But her mind was distant and far, far, away, maybe even somewhere beyond the radiant water and its subtle white caps, stretching as far as she could see.

She snapped herself out of her reverie when she noticed, with some irritation, that the fictional man she had sketched leaning thoughtfully against the low wall on one side of the stairs bore an excruciating resemblance to Kostos. He hadn't started out that way. Emitting a disgusted sound, Lena swiped destructively across the page, smearing the entire sketch before slamming the notebook closed. She tossed a handful of Euros on the table to cover the cost of her iced tea, and left.

Dear Carma,

I don't know how I feel about this place anymore. I came here hating and dreading it. But I don't hate it. I kind of love it here. Still, I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing something, and that I'm searching for something here. And I am. But I don't want to find it. Only really, it's all I've been hoping and praying for since I lost it. Well, give Ryan a kiss for me, and tell Paul I say Hi.
Very Mixed Up, Lena

Carmen looked at her brother with wonder. He sat contentedly on his blanket, sucking on the corner of a block. The corner, it seemed, was the only part he could maneuver into his mouth. But that didn't appear to bother him. Why couldn't life be this simple for everyone?

Well, maybe not this simple. But why did everything have to be so complicated. She weighed all the privileges adults got compared to, say, ten month olds. But really, in the end, who was happier? Ryan removed the block from his mouth, and giggled happily when he formed a spit bubble between his lips. Case in point, Carmen thought as she wiped up her brother's drool with the bib around his neck.

She worried about Lena. She worried about all of her friends, actually, at some point or another. Usually Bee occupied the foremost part of this particular compartment in Carmen's brain, but right now it was Lena. Poor Lena. She really had been through a lot when it came to love. So had Bee. Tibby, and even Carmen herself, had too, but on a much lesser scale than their two friends.

Right now, though, Lena was going through the worst of it, out in Greece, where Kostos the Heartbreaker lived, and presumably thrived, with his wife, and maybe even his conceived-out-of-wedlock-while-sleeping-with-someone-he-didn't-even-like child. Of course, it wasn't the baby's fault. She knew this. Carmen was just bitter, bias, and not entirely informed. In fact, Carmen didn't even know whether or not this kid even existed. It was, at this point, completely presumptuous and theoretical.

Regardless of the baby's existence, Lena wasn't herself. Her predictability had gone down the tubes. Hopefully, that wouldn't be a problem. After all, Lena had purposely made herself so in-attuned to all Valia had to say about Kostos that she didn't even know whether or not he was still living in that country at all!

But if she was to see Kostos, Carmen had no way of knowing what Lena's reaction would be. As far as connections went, post wasn't a very strong one, and it could be over a week, literally, before any of them received any word regarding Lena's well being. And Carmen had to wonder, if something was to happen with Lena, what would they do about it? What could they do about it?

Bridget knew she had to talk to both Eric and Billy, and preferably sooner rather than later. She made this executive decision (it wasn't that hard to make, really – it seemed to be the only logical course of action) on the way to the main deck for breakfast. Eric, of course, was to be her first priority. She was still thinking about this when Diana caught up with her, barefoot and practically skipping, cheerfully swinging her flip-flops in one hand.

"Today's the day, today's the day!" She sang enthusiastically.

"The day for what, exactly?" Bridget asked, smiling back. Diana's enthusiasm was catching, especially for Bee, even at pensive times like these.

Diana looked at Bee as if she was brain dead. "You don't remember?"

Bee shook her head. She couldn't think of anything that warranted this extreme amount of pleasure. "Nope. Educate me," she prompted.

"I can't believe you don't remember!" Diana exclaimed. "The campers come today! We get our teams today!"

"Oh, yeah!" Bridget caught on. This was exciting. "Right after breakfast, right?" She could barely contain herself as she climbed the two stairs to the deck.

"Uh-huh. Right around ten," Diana had a little extra bounce in her step, too. They made their way towards the buffet table, and then found seats right across from Eric. He looked up from buttering his toast as Bridget and Diana sat down, both grinning.

" 'Morning," he greeted them.

"Good morning," Bridget responded happily, ripping open a mini box of Frosted Flakes and emptying it into her bowl. She poured most of a little carton of milk over it.

"What're you two so excited about?" Eric asked before taking a bite of toast.

"Teams!" Diana exclaimed. "Campers! I can't wait!"

"Me neither!" Bridget agreed eagerly. "This is going to be the best!" Eric smiled amusedly at their anticipation. "What?" Bridget asked. "Aren't you excited?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Apparently not as excited about it as the two of you."

"All I can say about it," Diana said, "Is that this year, my team is going to just slaughter both of your teams."

Bridget refilled her bowl with another box of cereal and more milk. "Oh, that's awfully confident, coming from someone who couldn't seem to pull it out last summer," she teased.

"Just wait," Diana said, teasing back.

"What's the big deal?" Eric asked, joining in. "You're just arguing over second place."

"What!" Diana objected. "I don't think so."

"I am the most experienced coach and player here, after all," Eric continued.

"Do I need to remind you what happened last year, Eric?" Bee jibed at him playfully.

"She's got a point," Diana admitted. "But that doesn't really change the fact that my team will be the best."

"Not likely." Eric responded.

"Not likely for either of you, you mean," Bridget said.

"God, Bee!" Diana exclaimed. "How many of those little boxes are you going to eat?"

Bridget grinned. She was currently in the process of opening her fourth box. "I fully intend to eat until I am no longer hungry, Diana, as mind-boggling as that concept may seem." Diana laughed and peeled her banana.

The rest of the morning passed quickly, between the ongoing playful banter and last minute preparations for the campers. Everyone, it seemed to Bridget, had a little more energy than usual.

Finally, the brightly painted bus ((A/N: Ha! Actually, I took that from the movie. I actually thought it was pretty good…except for the whole Eric-showing-up-at-Bridget's-house thing. That was lame. So was Eric's blondness...Aside from that and the Lena/Kostos thing, I was surprised at how accurate it was. What'd you guys think?)) rumbled under the rustic archway marking the entrance to the camp.

As soon as it parked, girls spilled from its doors, just as happy to be there as Bridget had been. Eric was already opening the back doors of the bus, and other coaches were helping to unload. Some guy really tall and wild guy with dreads – Bridget was pretty sure his name was Kurt – was unloading the luggage piled on top of the bus, too, and passing it down to coaches beneath him. Bridget joined in, and within moments the bus was empty, all the campers had located their bags, and were assembled by one of the fields to be assigned to teams.

As it was, the coaches didn't even know what the team assignments were, not even who their assistant coach was. Bridget was anxious to find out, and was even more anxious to start practicing. Of course, that wouldn't even be on the agenda until the next day. After all, there was camper orientation. This was sure to be, if possible, even more boring than the staff orientation. She had always hated things like this. Bee was the type of person who never read the manuals to computer software or appliances or anything. She jumped straight into it, and figured it out as she went. She was still considering this when Shannon Cross, the new camp director, blew her whistle for attention.

The campers stopped chattering and looked forward attentively, shifting their bags at their feet, and the coaches took their places on either side of Shannon. She had a loud, projecting voice that carried well over the large group.

After a brief welcome speech and cabin assignments, Shannon started announcing the teams. "Team One, coached by Eric Richman-" Eric stepped forward, and received a hearty cheer from the teenage girls before the director went on, "-assisted by Bryan Travers, will wear blue, and consists of Andreas, Mikki, Breault, Kelly…" Bridget watched as each girl came forward to receive their team shirts, each looking very happy, presumably with their coach. And there were more than a few girls in the crowd looked disappointed that they hadn't been picked. Shannon accompanied the assignments with a little blurb about Eric's experience, emphasizing his impressive statistics from his years at Columbia, and his future position on a pro-team and possibly even the U.S. Team.

Team Two was Diana's. She was tossed her green t-shirts, along with Kristin Gaines, a bubbly assistant coach Bee had been hoping to get. "Team Three will wear red. Bridget Vreeland, a former camper here, will be the head coach. Two years ago, Bridget was recognized as an All-American, and now plays for Brown University. She has been singled out as one of the best young players in the country, and the coach of the U.S. Women's Team has already taken a good look at her for a potential spot on the team for the 2012 Games, at the latest." Bridget heard whispers of admiration, and knew her stock had just gone up, as far as the girls were concerned. Personally, Bridget felt like a show horse advertised in the classifieds a girl in her dorm was always reading ("16.4 hands high, great conformation, good temperament, has shown and placed!").

"This team will consist of Cox, Michelle, Halpin, Brianne, Rosellini, Camilla, Rolph, Bronwyn, Strand, Kira…" Bridget doled out the red shirts as the girls came forward. She was satisfied to see that they all appeared extremely athletic and coordinated, but then again, most of them did. "Oh, yes," Shannon added, "Bridget will be assisted by Billy Kline, who will also be a sophomore next year at UVA."

Shit. Bridget wasn't too surprised, but all the same: Shit. She snuck a subtle look at Eric, just a peek out of the corner of her eye. He looked less than thrilled about the prospect. Diana, on Bee's other side, met her eyes with a look of surprise. Bridget had related the entire fiasco to her in the cabin the night before. Billy looked unfazed. Well, at least someone was.

Dear Tibby,

I was having fun. Or, I am having fun. Or, I will be having fun. Whatever. Fun all around. Well, mostly. Guess who showed up? Billy Kline. Yes, the hick. But no, he's not a hick. So he's from Alabama? That doesn't automatically make him a hick. But whatever you want to call him, he's here. At soccer camp. And he's my assistant coach. Why do guys from my past keep popping up at soccer camp? It feels like a freaking soap opera. And why am I incapable of reading the all the little papers sent out by my employer? WHY?

This was supposed to be the summer where I relax and play soccer with Diana and Eric. This is not supposed to be the summer where I meet this guy who used to be some past-summer crush and juggle him and my boyfriend at the same time. It's not supposed to be that kind of summer! It's not!

I have this really conceited theory that he maybe-perhaps-might-have come to this camp because (here's the conceited part) he thought I would be here…single…I'm telling you this because you always love me past my conceitedness and bad judgment.

Anyway, I'm doing fine. Eric and Diana are doing fine. We're all doing more than fine, actually. Billy's under control. It'll be fine. I hope. Yes, it will.

I really hope you will be fine, Tibs. I think about you all the time way out here. You should have fun, too. I'll try to call you soon.

All Love, All the Time,

Beezy

A/N: So there you are. How was that?Let me know!I was gonna say that the next chapter would be a biggie, but I don't know anymore. I got some really great reviews (see the first two I replied to, if you wanna know what I'm talking about) that suggested I slow down a bit instead of rushing through the plot. So I think I will. But I definately will continue to update, so don't worry about that! However, I'm going to be going away within the next couple of days, and I'll be gone for a couple of weeks...And I'm totally afraid I'll loose all of my reviewers! AHHHH! Please don't leave me! Plus, I would really love it if you would all please (puh-lease?) review this chapter! I swear to reply to you all...criticism, questions, comments, anything...even flames...Have a great summer you guys (mine just started! YAY!)