We have two associate members, Logan Bruno (yes, Mary Anne's boyfriend) and Shannon Kilbourne. They're our backups when we get busy. They don't come to most meetings, but they're both excellent sitters. Shannon is the only member who doesn't go to SMS. She goes to a private school, Stoneybrook Day School.

Then there's me. I'm the alternate member. That means I take over whenever anyone can't make a meeting. I became the club treasurer when Stacey moved back to New York. (Boy, was I glad she returned to Stoneybrook.)

Back to the meeting. The more Jessi talked about seeing her old friends, the more my heart sank. Don't get me wrong. I was glad she was so excited, but it made me think of my old friends in California.

Then Stacey talked about how much she loves to visit her old friends.

I kept picturing a map of the United States in my head. I saw a dot marked STONEYBROOK with three lines sticking out from it. One short line connected it to New York City, another short one connected it to Oakley, New Jersey — and a humongously long one stretched clear across to my dad's house in Palo City, California.

"You guys are lucky to be so close to your old neighborhoods," I finally said. "I miss mine so much."

Clunk. That stopped the conversation flat.

Kristy spoke up first. "Well, what can you do about it?"

Change the subject, that's what. And hope that someday Kristy would develop plans for a magic carpet or something. "Oh, I'm going there for Thanksgiving," I replied with a shrug. Then I said, "Anyone read about Run for Your Money?"

"Our family already entered!" Kristy said.

"I read that athletics can be harmful for your health," Claudia remarked, stuffing a Ring Ding in her mouth. "But we're going to go anyway. Probably just to watch Janine win all the IQ games." (Claudia's sister, Janine, is a certified genius.)

"I hope they have pinball machines," Mal-lory said.