PROLOGUE
The chatter around the hall lockers stopped as I walked by. I knew the other girls were staring at me, sizing me up with disapproving eyes. My desire for invisibility made the click, click, click of my heels on the linoleum floor sound that much louder. I dared not look at their faces. Being the new girl in school was always hard, but there was more.
I continued on with my head held high. They weren't going to win, to make me feel cheap. I wasn't going to be their clone. I was an individual and was free to be me. But it hurt nonetheless and I fought to refrain from wiping the lone tear rolling down my cheek. Maybe they wouldn't see it.
I was almost out of earshot—almost—when I heard their voices.
"Look at her. Oh my god!"
"She's a slut."
"Whore."
"Good girls don't dress like that. Look how short her skirt is."
After turning the corner, I wiped my cheeks. Why were they so mean? What did I do to deserve their scorn? I wasn't a slut; I was still a virgin.