only time a boy ever asked her out. When he asked Simona, she turned him down, but not without insulting him. She told Steve she didn’t want to be seen with him, even if it would be in a dark movie theatre. Steve retaliated by gossiping about her the next day, saying he saw her making out with some girl at the mall. Because of Steve’s status as a basketball player, people believed it. She was known for being abrasive with guys, which made the rumors easy to believe. Simona knew about it, and she never denied or confirmed it. Bobby and Steve made nasty comments about her all the time and I never told them to stop.
When I asked Mom why Simona was so rude with guys, she answered that she was probably bitter about dad leaving. Our parents’ divorce upset us all, especially when dad moved out west, making Simona and I volatile forces shaking the household. I was angry too, but I didn’t treat people like dirt.
Secretly, I wished I had Simona’s confidence and audacity. In contrast, I always worried about what people thought of me. If I let Bobby put his arms around my waist, I worried about what peo-