Iluvgerardbutler: Um…Stevie and Holly? I wasn't planning on it! Holly is kind of playing it tough right now…she doesn't even know what to do about Sean…I don't care to much for Stevie. (Because then Holly would have to become emotionally connected with him…and then with his family…which means Kostos…and Lena doesn't need that right now!) Thanks for the review! (But on the other hand…Bee and Eric may be together forever! If she ever makes up her mind!)

kd-walker684: I said your grandmother…I meant to say your grandfather…I'm sorry.

Hola Esi! These pants are amazing…I mean they look amazing on me! I did happen to make out with Zach for a long time in them. Sorry…was that too much information? But rock these pants to their full potential…I know you need them. How's the whole Max thing going? And how's Andy and the fam? Call me when you get them Esi! Oh by the way. I have a new chauffeur for the rest of my stay here in NYC…and oh…Ella begged her mom to stay for the rest of the time…cough…because she's crushing on my driver.

He took us to lunch yesterday and we talked. He is so funny. He's 21, He'll be starting his last year at NYU this fall…and he has the best body I have ever seen. Except for maybe Zach's and Eric's…but they are a completely different story. Oh and I'm sure Bee has talked to your mom about the whole Eric situation. My dad had to get Bee to shut up at dinner last night! It was funny! But yeah…Ella and Be) have lustful eyes again! What do I do?

Love you lots! Anna

What a strange power there is in clothing. Isaac Bashevis Singer

The concert was over, and Max was driving everyone home. He parked the car at the nearest gas station, and let Nicole and Andy out. "We will just be a minute Max!" Nicole shouted as she ran into the women's bathroom. Andy walked into the men's bathroom and shut the door. Esperanza looked at Max, while she traced the inscriptions on the pants with her index finger. He laughed. "There's something about those pants that makes…" Esperanza leaned in closer and batted her eyelashes. "That makes you want to take them off of me?" "Well…I wasn't going to say that. I was going to say that you looked even more beautiful than usual." She backed off and crossed her arms. "Oh…thank you." "Wait." Max said as he brushed against Esperanza's bare arm with his hand. "You didn't think that I…" "Well you were sure alluding to it the other night when we were on the beach." Max was about to say something when Nicole opened the back door. She slid in to her seat and looked at Max and Esperanza who were staring at her. "What?" She asked. "Fine…I'm thirsty anyways." She got out of the car and Max turned to face Esperanza again. "I just got carried away. I wouldn't want to do anything unless you said so. Never…what's gotten into you?" She was tracing the inscriptions again. "I don't know…I think it was the pants." "Right!" Max laughed. "And this shirt makes me want an orange. I think you need some rest." Esperanza looked out the window and adjusted her seatbelt. "Maybe."

When Esperanza got back home she picked up Andy's lab top and decided to email Holly.

Holly, are these pants supposed to do weird stuff to me? I said something to Max tonight about us…having sex. He was saying something about the jeans and I basically threw myself at him. He reacted like I didn't think he would. And he even only kissed me on the cheek when he dropped me off. I confronted him about the other night…you know the one on the beach? He backed off a little and said that he didn't want to do anything that I didn't. That's bull. See! There I go again! It's not bull…its ok. Because then he's a great guy for not pushing the subject that I know he thinks about, but can't touch because I am jailbait. And then this whole fiasco just makes me look ten years younger…he already has four years on me…I don't need him to have ten! I need to calm down…breathe…I will talk to you later Holls. Andy is calling me. (What does he want now…it may have something to do with the fact that I'm sitting in a closet writing you this on his lab top…just maybe!)

By the way…for future reference, what a strange power there is in clothing!

Esi

Esperanza walked out of the closet, where she found Andy. She handed him his computer and walked away. "Thank you!" He yelled. "You should really ask before you take it again." Esperanza walked into the living room to find her mom. Carmen was sitting on the couch with Esi's dad Jack. They were watching a movie. Esperanza saw what little space there was between them and decided to make it bigger. "Don't mind if I do!" She squealed as she fell down in between them. Jack moved over and put the arm that had been around Carmen, around his daughter. "How was the concert? I see you wore the pants." Esperanza pulled her legs up and placed her feet on the coffee table. "Yeah…you know about the pants?" "All of the fathers know about the pants. Your mom wore them on our first date. And the same with Tibby, Bridget, and Lena."

Carmen had noticed that her daughter looked a bit stressed out. "Are you ok Esi? You look a little flushed." Esperanza pushed her hair back. "I'm fine…can we talk though? I have to ask you something." Jack took this as a hint that he should leave. He kissed Esperanza on the top of her head and then got up to kiss his wife. "I'll be in the kitchen."

Carmen turned around with her feet on the couch to face Esperanza. Esperanza left her feet on the coffee table. "Mom…I said some things tonight that I normally wouldn't say to any one…but Max said something to me and then I think the pants took over my brain." "The pants took over your brain honey?" Carmen asked while trying not to laugh. "See…I knew you wouldn't understand." Esperanza got up to leave but Carmen grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. "I do understand. Some things happen to you while you are in the pants. It may make you feel like you are out of control, but really it's just that there is a different part of you that is trying to come out. You have to let it. That's part of accepting the pants. If you hold back…they are going to hold back on you. And I can give you two examples of both of these things…Bridget." "Ok." Esperanza agreed to listen. "The first summer we had these pants Bridget lost her virginity. Guess what she was wearing when this happened." "Oh my gosh that's gross mom…and you guys still wore them?" Carmen smiled a little and went on. "Why wouldn't we? You borrow Holly's lip gloss after she has been making out with some boy. Now let me finish. In the second summer that we had the pants Bridget had been depressed the year before. And when it came time for her to have the pants…they held back. She finally lost the extra weight and she and her grandmother became very close…she even got a new boyfriend. I'm just trying to say…it's not the pants. Bridget wanted Eric…its just that he couldn't resist her anymore when she was in them. Kind of like you not being able to resist Max when you were in them…" Esperanza was embarrassed. "How did you know that mom?" "I just did Esi. And it's your decision if you want to have sex with him, but I'm not going to agree with it or push you to do it. You have to make your own mistakes sometimes."

Esperanza didn't know how to take the last line her mother had just said. "Ok. Thanks mom. I'm going to go to bed now." She kissed her mother on the cheek and walked back up the stairs. Andy was sitting on his bed with the lab top.

"Max just called on my cell phone. He said he didn't want you to know that he called." "Well thanks for telling me…what did he say?" Esperanza asked as she fell down onto the bed, beside Andy. "I'm not at liberty to say everything we discussed. He only asked if you were ok after what had happened after the concert. I told him that you had been hiding in the closet with my computer sending your friends emails. But what did happen after the concert? He wouldn't tell me." Esperanza sat up and leaned against the headboard. "If he didn't tell you than you sure are not going to get anything out of me. No way. And thanks for telling him that I freaked out. I appreciate it."

"No problem Esi. What are cousins for?" Andy jokingly said as he shut the laptop. "Good night Esi…see you in the morning." Esperanza was too tired to get off of his bed and move to her own. Andy heard her snoring within minutes.

Stephen walked out of the door way and came into the light where he could be seen. He hadn't changed much over the years. His tattoos could be seen, poking out from under the sleeves of his t-shirt. His dark hair was now receding, but it was still there. And his deep voice still took its effect on everyone that he spoke to. It was a trait that had always intimidated Kostos. And now as his old friend stood in front of him with a grin on his face, Kostos was even more intimidated. "Stephen. It's nice seeing you here." Stephen laughed. "I needed a little vacation. That, and Lena invited me to come and stay with her and Holly for the next week."

Holly walked over to Stephen (Stevie) and stood next to him. "Hey Phen, this is Stevie…or Stephen…but I like to call him Stevie. It's funner that way." "Yeah for you it is." Stevie said back to her. Holly grabbed a piece of skin under his arm and pinched it. "You know you like it." Stephen walked over to Stevie and stuck out his hand. "I'm Stephen. I'm guessing you know about me by now." "Not everything." Stevie answered.

Lena looked at her watch. "It's getting late Holly. We should probably get inside. I'm tired. You coming Phen?" Stephen shook his head and placed his hand on Kostos' shoulder. Kostos flinched in fear. Stephen went on. "I think that my old friend Kostos amd I need to catch up…don't we Kostos?" Kostos nodded in agreement as he followed Stephen back down the steps. Holly let go of Stevie's arm and sweetly waved bye to him as he left. "See you later Stevie! I had a wonderdul evening! Hope we can do it again soon!" Stevie ran as fast as he could down the steps to catch up with his father. "What is your problem?" He yelled as he made it to the bottom. "Problem? What problem?" Holly yelled back. She turned to Lena and threw her arms around her. "This has turned out to be one weird summer…by the way. How's Alex?" Holly sincerely asked her mom. Lena put an arm around Holly and led her to the chairs that were on the porch. "She's actually fine. Although, I don't think that she is ok with it. They dated for a year...and he had his mind set on you the whole entire time. If anything I think she's mad at you. She talked to Ella. Ella explained what had initially happened. Alex talked to me afterwards. I think it made her feel a little better that it was him and not you. But your father and I have agreed to let her do something this year. We think she needs some time away from us…from you and Sean." "Where is she going?" Holly asked. Lena sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. "She's going to go to school in London for a year…or two. Your dad talked to Stephen about it and Tibby. Alex is going to stay with Zahra and her family. You remember Zahra and Nitesh right?" Holly nodded. Zahra was a friend of Stephen and Tibby, who came to visit them in the states every year. "That's good. I think it is the right thing for Alexia…and I'm not just saying that because I get to spend whatever time I want now with Sean. I really…" Lena stopped Holly in the middle of her sentence. "And another thing, your father and I talked about something else." Holly was sensing something wasn't going to end nicely. Lena went on. "We think its best if you and Sean didn't see each other any more." Holly leaned her head back in the chair and looked in her mom's direction. "Ok." "Holly, please don't be like…" Lena started. "Wait…ok? You are ok with this?" "Yes Mom, I am ok with this. Sean wasn't the best thing for me. I'm going to be a junior this year. He's going to be a sophomore in college…and even though there's only a two and a half year difference in our ages…I think he's too old for me. There's this guy named Roscoe in my art class that…" Holly blurted out the last line without realizing it. Roscoe's dad had been friends with Paul for years. Lena sat up with a shocked look on her face. "Holly Elaina Rodman…are you telling me that you have a crush on Roscoe Leonard? The little boy you used to take baths with? That was such a long time ago! You two were adorable!" Holly reached out and covered her mom's mouth. "Shut up Lena. Don't say another word about him." Lena nodded her head and Holly took the hand away. "Yes. I like Roscoe. I just feel that we have this emotional connection…with art I mean." "Ok then! I am so going to tell your father though…or maybe I won't." She said when Holly looked her in the eyes. "Are you going to stay out here?" She asked Holly. "I'm going to go for a walk. Maybe go apologize to Stevie." Holly answered as she got out of her chair and walked down the steps. "Do not eavesdrop Holly…" Lena cautioned. "You may not like what you hear."

Kostos hugged his son and told him to go inside the house. Stephen took a seat on the steps and watched as Kostos pulled out a cigarette. "New habit." Kostos explained. He lit a match and held it up to the end, but the cigarette wouldn't take it. "Damn it," He said, placing the cigarette back in its pouch. "How have you been?" He asked Stephen. Stephen looked directly into Kostos' eyes and saw something strange…nothing. It was as if Kostos had forgotten about everything that had happened over twenty years ago. "I'm fine. How is life in the windy city?" Kostos was surprised that Stephen knew where he lived now. "How did you know that I lived in Chicago now?" Stephen let out a laugh that was mixed with a bit of an 'I just knew' attitude. "I know people. Holly's a pretty girl isn't she?" Stephen said changing the subject. "She looks just like her mother; if that's the answer you were your looking for." "I know she looks just like her mother…I've known the kid since she was born."

The two men sat and talked for about another hour, before Stephen decided to call it a night. "I'm going to go now. I want to talk to Holly before she goes to bed. I'll be seeing you around then." "Bye Stephen." Kostos said. "We will be seeing each other."

Holly had gotten out her mom's lap top, and was now sitting outside with it. She didn't hear Stephen walk up. "Boo!" He whispered. Holly jumped, and looked up. "Don't do that! How did it go?" She made room for him in the other chair, by removing the lap top's bag. He sat down and kicked his feet up onto the railing. "It went. We talked about what happened that summer…he has changed. But I don't think that it's for the better. There's something that's in his eyes…that's not right." Holly went on typing. "You saw it too?" "Yeah." Stephen told her. "And I never told your mom or dad this, but he actually lives in Chicago." "Chicago?" Holly exclaimed. "Whoa! Why did he decide to move to the states?" "He's been living in the states for over fifteen years. He moved there when he met his wife…who he is divorced from now. She gave him full custody of Stephen. He lived in San Francisco for a while, then he brought Stephen out to Chicago." "Interesting story," Holly said to him. "I just wrote Sean. I'm breaking up with him."

Stephen got up and kissed Holly on the forehead. "I know. Your mom told me. Good night Holls. See you in the morning." Holly went back to her writing.

Dear Sean, I received all of your emails. And I'm sorry I only returned one. I just needed some time and space to think. This has turned out to be one strange summer. And for reasons that I can't really explain right now, my U. Stephen had to come over here for the week…my mom…oh yeah Lena is here too, has been hit with a huge shock. I have too. Except mine wasn't as major, since I didn't really know the person.

I talked to my mom tonight, and I'm not doing this just because she talked to me about it, but because I think its best.

I think that you and I do not need to see each other any more. It's for the best. I'm younger than you, and we hang out in different circles. Not to mention that you basically lusted after me the whole entire time that you dated my sister. I'll try to call you when I get home, so that we can discuss this face to face.

Holly

As Holly was about to turn off the computer, she saw Sean sign on. Before she could shut down, a window popped up.

SeanJK99: No problem Holly…at least I tried, right? I'll talk to you later.

And as soon as he had signed on, he had signed off. Holly turned it off and walked back inside. "But was it all worth it?" She said out loud to herself. She turned to go up the stairs and saw that Stephen had already fallen asleep on the couch.

So…long chapter…it's like 5 pages on Word…long for me anyways! I'll update soon. I don't have to be at work until the 2nd…that's this coming Saturday for those of you who don't know. I have a whole entire week off! (What will I do?)

And thank you Uniquechic and Bloomin Daisy! (Glad you like the story!)