Still, ballet isn't the only thing in my life. I like to do a lot of things, for example: I like to be with my family, which consists of my baby brother Squirt, my eight-year-old sister Becca, my parents, and Aunt Cecelia. Oh, and a hamster named Misty. I also love to read, especially horse stories, and I like to spend

time with my best friend Mallory Pike, who also loves horse stories. Another of my favorite activities is baby-sitting. I sit for my brother and sister, of course, but I also sit for a lot of kids who live nearby. In fact, I belong to a group called the Baby-sitters Club, and the other members of that club are my good friends. Stacey is a member, and so is Mallory.

I have been toNew Yorkbefore, along with the other members of the BSC (that’s what we call our club). In fact, I met Quint during one of those trips. I had gone toLincolnCenterto see the New York City Ballet danceSwanLake, and the performance was totally amazing. And then, to top it off, I found myself sitting next to this incredibly cute boy. He turned out to be a dancer, too, and we hit it off right away. In fact, Quint was the first boy I ever kissed! (Not that I kissed him that day. I got to know him a little better, first.)

I was feeling kind of nervous about seeing Quint this time around. We have had what you might call a long-distance romance, and it has been fun, but lately I've been wondering if it might be better for us to just be friends. It isn't easy having a relationship with someone you see only once in a while. For example, I'm never sure how "true" to Quint I'm supposed to be. I have gone to two dances with

this seventh-grade boy named Curtis Shaller, who I really like. Does that make me a two-timer? Does Quint also go out with other girls down there inNew York? These things have never been clear to me.

"I'm going to have to talk to him about this," I said to myself as I poked through my sweater drawer. "After all, I'm only eleven, and maybe I shouldn't really have a steady boyfriend, much less one who lives so far — "