I do not own any of the characters mentioned in my story that belong to Ann M. Martin. Those, if present, that do not belong to Ann M. Martin belong to me.

I sat impatiently in Claudia’s room, staring at the clock. It was 5:30 already; Mallory and Jessi had promised that they’d be there by then. Stacey and Claudia were looking at Claudia’s new iPod Touch, one earphone each. Abby was sitting in the corner, eyes glued on her cell-phone as her fingers typed away, probably typing a message to student council about their next meeting or something.

At that moment, Mallory and Jessi burst in the door. “Kristy!” they cried, as I leapt up, followed by Claudia, Stacey and Abby. We had a group hug, and then we pulled apart, marveling at each other.

“It’s just like the olden days,” Stacey sighed, “Except for Mary Anne and Dawn,”

“Yeah…have any of you heard from them lately?” Claudia asked. I shook my head, as did Mallory and Jessi.

“So…Jessi, how’s life? What about you, Mallory?” I asked, purposely changing the subject.

“I’m going on tour in the summer!” squealed Jessi. Clearly, she had been waiting for a while to share the news.

“That’s great!” Abby and Stacey exclaimed at the same time, “Where are you – ” Abby’s question was cut off when the door burst open and two familiar faces poked in the door; one with brown eyes and brown hair, the other with long, blond hair and blue eyes.

“Oh my lord!” Claudia cried, leaping up and pulling her door completely open. Mary Anne and Dawn stepped inside. Mary Anne was wearing black Lululemon pants and a white tank top beneath a green, low-neck halter top that were underneath a pink Lululemon sweater; Dawn was wearing black tights with a long, white sweater that she had buckled a zebra print belt around.

The girls hugged, and then Stacey exclaimed, “I love your clothes, you guys!”

“I totally dig your outfit, I mean, like you’re in the New York trend, like it’s all the newest stuff…totally!” Mary Anne replied. Stacey was dressed in a short denim skirt with brown tights, and a tight brown T-shirt.

“So, Mary Anne, how’s school?” Abby asked.

“It’s like, totally fab! The girls are all, like, totally chic, and they’re all native New Yorkers and like, one of the girls is like…Brad Pitt’s cousin or something,” Mary Anne replied enthusiastically.

My jaw dropped slightly, as Mary Anne blabbed on about her new school in New York City with her very girly speech.