(I love her, but she can be embarrassing.)

We fastened our belts. Our landing was a little bumpy. Then we practically had to fight to get into the aisle.

You know what? We were thousands of miles from home, but it didn't feel different at all. I mean, an airport looks like an airport, no matter where you are.

But as we passed through the door, where a grinning flight attendant was saying goodbye, a blast of air came through a narrow

opening where the ramp connected to the plane.

Warm air.

That’s when it hit me. We were there. Kristy was hopping down the ramp. Claudia was grinning from ear to ear. Me? I was numb. My winter coat felt ridiculous. I felt as if I were in The Twilight Zone.

"Hiiiiii!"

There, at the end of the ramp, was Sunshine.

That is Dawn's nickname. It's also a great description of her face when she smiles.

And it also tells you how I felt inside at that moment.

We ran into each other's arms so fast we almost fell over. I had missed her so much,

Over her shoulder I could see her dad chatting with Kristy, her dad's fiancee chatting with Claudia, and Jeff looking mildly bored.

"I am so happy you're here!" Dawn cried.

"Me, too," was the only thing I could say before my face turned into Niagara Falls.

Chapter 7.

Jeff.

Stupid, huh?

Well, I had to write something. Dawn would km me if I didn't.

I tried to be nice. Everybody would get mad at me if I told the truth.

Here's what I should have said: Journals are dumb. I could wait till Dad and Carol got married, no problem. And I hate having a house full of girls.

Seriously. I cannot believe how much girls talk. They did not stop from the minute they saw each other at the airport. But first they had to go cry like babies for an hour. You'd think somebody died or something. Everyone in the whole terminal was staring at them.