Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Over breakfast, Bridget contemplates sex. She and her friends are all virgins, but her desire for Eric is “bigger and craggier and stormier” (122) than anything she’s ever felt, though she’s not sure exactly what she wants. She tells her friends that she will hook up with Eric that night.

Bridget is thrilled to receive the pants in the mail. She wears them to the next scrimmage, where she tries to hold herself back. Still, she plays so well that their team dominates, and Molly relegates her to goalie. When a ball comes at Bridget, she instinctively intercepts it, but when she sees the disappointment on everyone’s faces, she intentionally throws an own goal, or throws the ball in her own net.

In the second scrimmage of the day, Bridget is put on defense. She defies Molly to intercept the ball and score a goal, leading Molly to bench her for the rest of the game.

Carmen arrives at Tibby’s house, surprising her. She throws herself into Tibby’s arms and starts to cry. Carmen is surprised when Tibby starts asking her what made her experience so awful. She denies Tibby’s suggestion that she is angry at her father. When Tibby tells Carmen that her problems aren’t “the worst thing in the world” (126), Carmen leaves, feeling betrayed.