"You look great in pink and blue," I said defensively. "I wasn't just being polite. Anyway, why don't you bring both of them? You

can always use an extra suit at the beach."

Dawn started to laugh. "An extra suit!" she said, sitting up and drawing her knees to her chin. "I'm bringing six bathing suits with me — three bikinis and three tank suits."

"Oh," I said, feeling a little silly. Dawn really dresses like an "individual," and to her, a bathing suit is more than something to swim in. It's a fashion statement.

"Hey, I just thought of something," she said. "I've got a string bikini that would look great on you. It's one of those green metallic ones. You know, the kind that always looks wet?"

"No thanks," I said quickly. "I'm all set." I could just picture what my father would do if he thought I was packing a string bikini forSeaCity ! Even though Dad has mellowed a lot in the last few months, he's still pretty conservative. It's hard to believe, but in the old days, I had so many rules, I felt like I was in boot camp. I had to be home by nine, I had to wear my hair in pigtails, and worst of all, my father picked out my clothes for me. I think part of the reason is that my mother died when I was little, and Dad had to be a mother and a father to me. Luckily, he has loosened up a lot, even though he will never be as casual about things as Sharon (Dawn's mom) is.

I was Dawn's first friend when she moved to Stoneybrook after her parents got divorced. We got along great from day one. You can imagine how surprised we were when we discovered that her mom and my dad went to high school together, and that they'd even gone steady. Their story is very romantic (and a little sad) because although they'd loved each other, they'd broken up. Why? Because Dawn's grandparents didn't approve of my father! Anyway, years later, when Sharon and my dad met each other again, they realized that they still were in love and finally decided to get married. All of us moved into Dawn's house, and although things were a little rocky at first, everyone is happy now.