oregano and ground pepper — but we had to dump it because she used vanilla-flavored yogurt.

Ta-da. We are now on one of my favorite topics. Food. I am very careful about what I put in my body. I eat no red meat, and I find sugary things absolutely disgusting. Whole grains, sprouts, tofu, organic vegetables — I love natural, healthy foods.

Okay. Are you done saying "Ew" and pretending to barf? Good. A lot of kids feel the same way, but you know what? I'm shrugging. It doesn't matter to me. That's the way I am, and I'm pretty happy about it.

"Here it is!" I exclaimed, pulling from the cupboard a jar of arrowroot. (It's a white powder that looks a little like baking soda.)

"What does it taste like?" Mary Anne asked. "Wood?"

"No, Mary Anne," I replied patiently. "I mean, not that I know what wood tastes like. Arrowroot's like cornstarch, but not as gloppy. Now keep stirring! Look, the bok choy's burning."

"The who?"

My stepsister, you may notice, is not a health food freak. But I love her anyway. Of all the people I've ever met, she is the most caring and sensitive. She can practically read my mind when I'm feeling terrible, and she is

the best listener. I am soooo lucky to have Mary Anne as a sister. The only thing I don't like doing with her is going to movies. She cries a lot in general, but at movies it's pretty embarrassing. I mean, when we saw Pocketful of Miracles at an oldies festival once, they practically had to call a flood warning.

I should also tell you that Mary Anne is the only BSC member with a steady boyfriend. His name is Logan Bruno and his looks are numero uno. We are talking hunk. He has curly hair, blue eyes, a Southern accent, and he plays sports and likes to baby-sit.

No, he's not perfect. He can be bossy (Mary Anne broke up with him over that once) and he takes it way too personally when his sports friends tease him about his sitting. But other than that, he's pretty cool.