The Cannibals by Cynthia D. Grant Page A

interesting, Tiff. But shouldn’t you be working on your essay?” She’d made lots of little red marks on the pages so I could make improvements when I rewrote it.
    Like I’ve got the time! Besides, I want my writing to sound fresh and real, like this journal. Just me, talking. They could call it Talking With Tiff . Or Tiffany Talks . And put on the cover: “In Her Own Words,” with a really nice picture of me, and more inside. And the book will be full of my thoughts and feelings and be a real inspiration to all the teens who feel like “befores” in a world of makeovers.
    So maybe I should say something about my health and beauty regime.
    No matter how beautiful you already are, nothing is more important than the glow of good health. Do: Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit and protein. Take a daily multi-vitamin with minerals. Get plenty of sleep. And drink at least eight glasses of water a day. I know, that’s a lot! Sometimes I feel like I’m floating away!
    Don’t , and I mean don’t , drink alcohol. Think about it: That stuff literally poisons your brain!
    Do not smoke cigarettes . This can’t be emphasized enough. Smoking stinks up your breath, makes your face gray and wrinkly, and causes serious health problems too numerous to mention. In all honesty, I can truthfully say that I’d rather have a live frog in my mouth than a lit Camel.
    Do not get a tan. Too much sun not only can cause cancer, but it also makes people’s skin look like beef jerky.
    Do not, under any circumstances, take illegal drugs of any kind: uppers, downers, pot, the works. They screw up your brain and ruin your body. It’s like trying to run your car on Coke—the kind you drink—instead of gasoline. Your body is a temple; why treat it like a motel? Remember: Your body is where you’ll be living for the rest of your life!
    Last, but never least, Get plenty of exercise . Not only will you look great, you’ll feel great, too. Every day before school I: s-t-r-e-t-c-h (keep those muscles limber!), do five hundred jumping jacks, lift weights for upper body strength, and practice my cartwheels and splits, et cetera. Not to mention all the exercise I get leading cheers.
    It’s funny, in a way, how some people see cheerleaders, like we’re just a bunch of jockette bubble-heads. All of The Girls and I are on the Principal’s Honor Roll (I might be slipping a tiny bit lately) and will be going on to college. This prejudice is even worse if you’re a natural blonde like me, or even an unnatural blonde like Shelby.
    Which reminds me: I have got to get her more motivated. Lately, she just stands there during games like, “Yay, so what.” Does she want to be a cheerleader or not? Ashley yells her little heart out and Barbie and Kendall give it everything they’ve got. Which, unfortunately, is not quite enough. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great girls, but we’re not talking personality plus. And I always get the name wrong when I give them helpful hints, like, “Barbie, go all the way down on your splits.”
    â€œI’m not Barbie, I’m Kendall.”
    It’s irritating.
    But what makes our cheerleading squad so successful is that we put aside all our little differences and work together as a team. For example, when that fight broke out yesterday after Donny fumbled the ball on the twenty-yard line, The Girls and I started singing the National Anthem. Almost everybody stopped what they were doing and joined us, which gave the refs a chance to drag the nitwits off the field. It’s amazing how immature people can be. You just want to say, “Come on, you guys! Will you please try to act like adults?”
    Too bad some people think winning is so important. We won! Fourteen to seven!

Chapter Twelve
    I can’t believe I’m saying this and I never thought I would, but Little Tina is not a very nice person.
    We were