And I kind of like her, too. She’snice to me.
It’s nice to have somebody be nice to you.
I HAVEGOT TO
1. Stop waiting for the phone to ring (Lilly is NOT going to call; neither is Josh Richter) 2. Make more friends 3. Have more self-confidence 4. Stop biting my fake fingernails 5. Start acting more: A. Responsible B. Adult C. Mature 6. Be happier 7. Achieve self-actualization 8. Buy:
trash bags
napkins
conditioner
tuna
toilet paper!!!!
More Tuesday, Algebra
Oh my God. I can’t even believe this. But it must be true, since Shameeka just told me.
Lillyhas a date to the Cultural Diversity Dance this weekend.
Lillyhas a date. EvenLilly has a date. I thought all the boys in our school were terrified of Lilly.
But there’s one boy who’s not:
Boris Pelkowski.
AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
More Tuesday, English
No boy will ever ask me out. Ever. EVERYONE has a date to the Cultural Diversity Dance: Shameeka, Lilly, Ling Su, Tina Hakim Baba. I’m the only one not going. The ONLY ONE.
Why was I born under such an unlucky star? Why didI have to be cursed with such freakishness? Why? WHY???
I would give anything if, instead of being a five-foot-nine flat-chested princess, I could be a five-foot-six normal person with breasts.
ANYTHING.
Satire—employs humor systematically for the purpose of persuasion
Irony—counter to expectation
Parody—close imitation that exaggerates ridiculous or objectionable features
More Tuesday, French
Today in G & T, in between showing me how to carry over, Michael Moscovitz complimented me on my handling of what he called the Weinberger Incident. I was surprised he’d heard about it. He said it was all over school, about how I’d decimated Lana in front of Josh. He said, "Your locker is right next to Josh’s, isn’t it?"
I said yes it was.
He said, "That must be awkward," but I told him actually it wasn’t, since Lana seems to be avoiding that area lately, and Josh never talks to me at all, except to say, "Can I get by here?" once in a while.
I asked him if Lilly was still saying mean things about me, and he said, all taken aback, "She’s never said mean things about you. She just doesn’t understand why you blew up at her like that."
I said, "Michael, she’s always putting me down! I just couldn’t take it anymore. I have too many other problems without having friends who aren’t supportive of me."
He laughed. "What kind of problems couldyou have?"
Like I was too much of a kid or something to have problems!
Boy, did I straighten him out. I couldn’t exactly tell him about being the princess of Genovia, or about not having any breasts or anything, but I did remind him that I’m flunking Algebra, I have detention for a week, and I had recently woken up to find Mr. Gianini in his boxer shorts eating breakfast with my mom.
He said he guessed I did have some problems after all.
The whole time Michael and I were talking, I saw Lilly shooting us these looks from behind the poster board she was writing Ho-Gate slogans on with a big black Magic Marker. So I guess because I’m fighting with her I’m not allowed to be friends with her brother.
Or maybe she’s just sore because her boycott of Ho’s Deli is creating serious turmoil within the school. First of all, all the Asian kids have started doing their shopping exclusively at Ho’s. And why not? Because of Lilly’s campaign, now they know they can get a five-cent discount on just about anything. The other problem is that there is no other deli within walking distance. This has caused some serious division within the ranks of the protesters. The nonsmokers want to continue the boycott, but the smokers are all for writing the Hos a stern letter and then forgetting about it. And since all the popular kids in school smoke, they aren’t honoring the boycott at all. They’re going to Ho’s just like they always did to get their Camel Lights.
When you can’t get the popular kids on your side, you have to realize it’s hopeless: Without celebrity supporters, no cause stands a chance. I mean, where would all those starving kids be without Sally Struthers?
Anyway, then Michael asked me a strange question. He went, "So, are you grounded?"
I looked at him kind of funny. "You mean for getting detention? No, of course not. My mom is totally on my side. My dad wants to sue the school."
Michael said, "Oh. Well, I was wondering because, if you aren’t busy Saturday, I thought maybe we could—"
But then Mrs. Hill came in and made us all fill out questionnaires for the Ph.D. she’s doing on urban youth violence, even though Lilly complained that we’re hardly qualified to comment, seeing as how the only youth violence any of us had ever experienced was when there was a sale on relaxed fit jeans at the Gap on Madison Avenue.
Then the bell rang, and I ran out as fast as I could. I knew what Michael was going to ask me, see. He was going to suggest we meet to go over my long division, which he says is a human tragedy. And I just didn’t think I could take it. Math? On the weekend? After spending almost every waking moment on it all week?