Week 13 Discussion by Vivian Tan

Wow this story is dark and very triggering for me. The story starts with Connie who is always compared to her older sister June who in Connie’s opinion is fat, plain, and boring. Connie is a bit egotistic and is aware that she is very pretty which is something expected of someone her age. Her mother seems to give off narcissistic tendencies and constantly picks on Connie while praising Connie’s sister. Perhaps Connie reminds her mother of how her mother used to be when the mother was young and now the mother is bitter. Connie meets this guy “Eddie” who is actually Arnold Friend which name is ironic since he is not friendly at all. Arnold Friend grooms Connie by taking her to a restaurant for some burgers and they might have possibly fooled around in his car in the alley which implicates alot. When Arnold Friend pulls up at Connie’s house knowing she is all alone and did his research on her and bought a friend this gave off alarming red flags. It is also implied that Arnold and his friend might be under the influence of drugs. Arnold did his research on Connie and tells her to go with him, threatening her. Arnold is definitely a predator and has done this before in the past, Connie realized that Arnold is older than he seems possibly in his thirties. Connie leaves with Arnold in the end but she imagined this wailing while she hangs up the phone planning to call the police, I believe the wailing is in her head and is a sign of her wailing in her despair and realizing this is her reality. This is her life. She thought nothing of just hanging with her girl friends in the plaza and maybe talking to some boys, which most teenage girls think nothing of. She doesn’t realize the implications and dangers of the real world and I think she acts out due to neither her mother nor father giving her the attention or love she craves so she sought it elsewhere unknown to her that there are dangerous predators out there. This story is triggering for me and hits too close to home, I hate it here.