Like me, Stacey moved to Stoneybrook per-

manently grade after her parents divorced. Also, like me, she's blonde (although a darker shade). Other than those things, we're pretty different. Her clothes are cool and sophisticated (mine are more casual). And she is super-smart in math (I'm not).

The math part is the reason Stacey became our club treasurer. She collects dues from us every Monday and puts them in our official treasury (an old manila envelope). Dues are the only bad thing about the BSC, but they're necessary. They help pay Claud's phone bill and Charlie Thomas's driving fee. They also buy supplies for Kid-Kits, and pizza for us (if there's a surplus).

Stacey grew up in New York City. I don't know how she did it. The last time I visited I was petrified to leave the apartment I was staying in. I was convinced I'd be mugged, flattened by a falling brick, or attacked by an army of giant cockroaches. Well, somehow Stace lived her life there and turned out pretty normal. After moving to Stoneybrook, her family actually moved back to NYC (both moves were because of her dad's job). That was when her parents divorced, and she and her mom moved back here.

I'm so happy Stace is in the BSC. She's easy to talk to, and she's the only member who understands what a divorce feels like. But I

have to admit I envy her sometimes. She's only a short train ride away from her dad.

"Urn, Jessi?" Mary Anne said after carefully swallowing her M&M's. "Did you say you were going away?"

"Oh. Yeah/' Jessi replied. "I'm going to Oakley this weekend to visit Keisha." (Oakley is where Jessi grew up, and Keisha is her cousin.)

"That's great," Claudia said. "You haven't been back in — "

"Months!" Jessi was smiling so hard I thought her cheeks would break. "I am totally excited. I can't wait to see Keisha, and I'm going to try to see some of my friends. I'm dying to visit my old ballet school, too. My teacher's going to be shocked to see me."