"Yeah." Dawn was still staring at the floor.

"Hey," I said, "I guess it's awful when your parents split up, but there's nothing wrong with it, you know. Lots of kids have divorced parents. Kristy Thomas, my be — my next-door neighbor, has been a 'divorced kid' for years. And her mom dates this nice divorced man. And — " (I was about to tell her that the parents of the Shillaber twins were divorced, but I didn't really want to talk about the twins.) "And, I mean, I don't care that your parents are divorced."

Dawn smiled slightly. "Where did your mother grow up?" she asked. I guess she wanted to change the subject.

"In Maryland, but she's dead. She died a long time ago."

"Oh." Dawn flushed. Then she slipped the movie cassette in the VCR. Soon we were wrapped up in The Parent Trap.

"What a great movie," said Dawn with a sigh when it was over.

"I know. One of my favorites." I looked at my watch. It was 5:15. "I better go," I said. "This was really fun."

"Yeah, it was. I'm glad you came over," said Dawn.

"Me, too."

We clattered down the midget staircase.

"See you tomorrow!" I called as I left. I ran all the way to Claudia's house. My stomach was tied up in knots. It was time for a meeting of the Baby-sitters Club.

I had no idea what to expect.

Chapter 5.

On the way to the Kishis' house, I told myself that if Claudia answered the door, it would be a good sign. It would be easy for her to let someone else answer it, so if she made the effort, then it probably meant she wasn't so mad anymore.

I rang the bell.

Mimi opened the door. She looked worried. "Hello, Mary Anne," she said solemnly.

"Hi, Mimi." I hesitated. Usually, I run right upstairs. "Claudia's here, isn't she?"

"Yes, of course. Stacey is here, too. ..."

I knew she wanted to say something more, but was too tactful.

"Well, I'll go on up, too. See you later, Mimi." I walked up the stairs, dashed by Janine's room, and entered Claudia's.