From Rachel Nichols - Head Cheerleader, Southbrook High School

I hate Alaina Andersen! She’s too perfect. The girl has flawless skin and a gorgeous body, and she’s never had a bad hair day in her life! I’d kill for Alaina’s effortless beauty. Trust me, I’ve seen her at sleepovers. She actually wakes up looking like a supermodel – no airbrushing required! The rest of us mere mortals have to spend hours plucking and primping just to come close to the way Alaina looks when she rolls out of bed in the morning.

Of course, all of the boys in school are head-over-heels in love with Alaina. Including my boyfriend, Shane. (I know. I’ve seen him drooling when he thinks I’m not paying attention.) And who can blame them? A girl that perfect… if I’m being honest, I have to admit I would be in love with Alaina too, if I was at all interested in girls. (Even Tony falls all over himself, trying to get Alaina’s attention. And he’s gay!) No one in their right mind could blame me for hating her!

But the thing I hate most about her? Alaina is too nice to hate properly! She’s got this annoying habit of always saying nice things about people. And the thing is, she really means it! She’s always helping people, and I don’t think she’s even capable of noticing someone’s flaws. It’s like she walked straight off the screen from a Disney animated film or something! Have you ever seen the movie Enchanted? You know that clueless princess who doesn’t know anything about how the real world works, and so she just believes the best things about everyone? And the entire city is falling all over themselves to do nice things for her? And even the girl who’s boyfriend is in love with her can’t hate the clueless princess? Yeah, Alaina’s like that.

How can I hate the girl who spread the rumor around school that I’m the prettiest girl in our class? It doesn’t matter if everyone knows I’m not. People still treat me like I’m special, because Alaina has convinced them all that I am.

Besides, Alaina voluntarily gave up every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening last year to tutor me in Algebra, just so I wouldn’t get kicked off the cheer squad! She helped me pull my grade up from a D- to a B+ in only three weeks! And then she kept tutoring me until school was out, so my grade wouldn’t slip again. She didn’t even make me pay her. When I tried, she simply giggled and said “That’s what friends are for! I know you’d do the same for me.”

I owe my entire cheerleading career to Alaina. It wasn’t just the tutoring last year. Back in 10^th grade, when I fell off the top of the pyramid and broke my ankle right before the Homecoming game, Alaina was the one who convinced Coach Sparkman to alter the routine so I could cheer with the rest of the girls, even on my crutches! Coach would have suspended me for the entire football season, if Alaina hadn’t worked her magic charms. I would have spent the whole time on the couch, and I never would have been ready for Varsity Cheer tryouts the week after my cast came off. If it weren’t for Alaina’s help, Stella would probably be cheer captain now!

Luckily, Alaina is as clueless as she is perfect. She doesn’t know she’s beautiful, and she doesn’t even realize the power she has over people. Imagine how dangerous she would be if she wasn’t so naïve!